I started my Biscuit portrait today. Finished the basic underpainting. It's going well, but I'm nervous about the checkered cloth I used in the still life. It could make or break the painting, and I hope that I can be relaxed about it and not obsess on getting too many of the details exactly right. Loose, loose, loose is the mantra. KEEP IT LOOOOSE...
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The weather this week has been phenomenal. One chilly, rainy day (which, actually, was kind of nice), and the rest has been textbook spring. Gorgeous, sunny, green days. Only problem, naturally, is the pollen...MUST you ruin everything, sexy-flower-dust? So, I've got the sniffles and the scratchy watery eyes and chapped face that I always get each spring. Last night while searching for possible natural remedies to add to my usual Claritin repertoire, I read the most cracked-out, poorly worded, pitifully spelled, grammatically incoherent and scientifically schizophrenic article, claiming that simply by adding probiotics to your diet you can "cure" your allergies. According to the author, "allergy bacteria" will be attacked in your digestive system this way. Hmmm, and here I thought the airborn pollen particles were an issue because I was BREATHING them. Apparently it's all the "allergy bacteria" I've been eating instead. This article was ridiculous, even by Internet standards. *sigh* Get an editor.
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The light in my backyard is just gorgeous. Simply amazing. Any time of day. I'd be lying if I didn't say my opinions weren't possibly colored by my own prejudices, but I don't think it's all me. I mean, I'm enraptured by the view. I could sit and stare at the backyard all. damn. day.
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I've got banana bread in the oven. I smell the most amazing baking smells every single day at my job, and with the exception of buttered graham cracker crusts for Key Lime pies, nothing smells as amazing as banana bread. Sometimes it's the little things.
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On tap for this evening is homemade pizza. My goal of mastering homemade pizza has been achieved, y'all. I'm awfully proud of this accomplishment. I'm a good cook, but pizza, and more importantly getting the right kind of crust, has been a challenge. But I've got it. I've got it down. It's perfect. Tonight, we're having one pizza with arugula, fresh mozzerella, and heirloom tomatoes, and another with a sautee of mixed gourmet mushrooms and a goat's milk brie, both on a super crispy rosemary garlic crust. Matt's a little hesitant about the mushroom pizza, but I promised him he'll be okay. Pizza's become a nearly weekly staple 'round here, I'll make the dough on Thursday night, and on Fridays, when I've usually had a full day at the bakery, I can come home and throw together a gourmet round of pizzas for movie night. Not bad at all, if I do say so myself.
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Speaking of food, I've found my summer snack staple, Avocado Salsa Fresca. It's not exactly a new thing, we've eaten it plenty before, but yesterday I threw it together in five minutes and we ate on the deck in the sunshine and it was so good it was like having it for the first time. So, here's the super-simple recipe for you, so you can enjoy it with me all summer long. I can't wait until the summer and I can make this with garden fresh tomatoes from the back yard :)
Quick and Easy Avocado Salsa Fresca
2 chopped Avocados
1 large chopped fresh Tomato
1/4 cup finely chopped Red Onion
Juice of one Lime
2 Tbsp finely chopped Cilantro
Toss all ingredients gently in a serving bowl and eat IMMEDIATELY with really good tortilla chips, preferably outdoors on a patio at sunset.
You must eat it all, this does not keep well. FRESCA, as in FRESH, y'all. It's important to make it only moments before you plan to eat it, and it's equally important to eat it all. This is worth ruining your dinner for. In fact, this is worth just being dinner itself. Eat every drop and don't feel bad. You deserve it.
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