Sits & Sleeps: Artist to Follow - Louise Despont

Louise Despont's The Host

When it comes to art in my home, I'm still figuring out what I like and don't like. I know I don't like bold graphics or mottos or figure paintings. Geometric, sketchy, somewhat abstract forms. In July, I'll be moving, and I'm looking for art and art inspiration to decorate the new place. I'm currently loving the work of Brooklyn artist, Louise Despont. Her art is typically graphite and colored pencils on antique paper - absolutely love the results and the intricate patterns. All images are from her website.

Louise Despont's The Serpens

Louise Despont's The Revelers

Louise Despont's Sandglass

Louise Despont's Constellation Symptom No. 3

The last one is my personal favorite, which one do you like?

Kitchen Sink Muffins, what?!?!

I like to freeze produce from Farmer’s Markets at the end of harvest to get the fresh taste of ‘home’ in my dishes and baked goods. It’s spring cleaning time, and for the avid cook – that means the freezer and pantries too! I always keep certain items on-hand: dried fruit, nuts, flour, sugar, spices, etc, but it was time to use those browning bananas and the pumpkin I froze from last harvest (canned pumpkin will work as well). 

I call these “Kitchen Sink” muffins because they are a little of everything  - anything I can find in my cupboards, refrigerator, or freezer. Shape up or ship out with these muffins! They are loaded with good-for-you fruits, vegetables, and nuts (Think: an extra dose of vitamins and minerals!). Already high in fiber, try adding a small handful of flax or chia seed  to the batter for a little boost. Clean out your kitchen and your body with these little bites of goodness!

“Kitchen Sink” Muffins (serves 24)

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/3 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ¾ cup raisins
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• 1 medium apple, chopped
• ½ cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pecans)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2, 12-each muffin tins with paper muffin cups or grease lightly.
2. In a large bowl, stir together mashed bananas, eggs, oil, pumpkin, applesauce, and sugar.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Stir into banana mixture until just combined.
4. Fold in raisins, shredded carrots, chopped apple, and nuts.
5. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins.
6. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Guest Post: Reduce & Reuse - Upgrading Your Garden Apt.

It’s best to reduce!  But this is America, and we can use with the best of ‘um.  So, I did both some reduction (as I didn’t buy anything brand new) and some reuse of vintage materials.  First, I searched for undervalued items at auctions, flea markets, on Craigslist or perhaps, in your parents’ basement.  These Michel Thonet-style bentwood chairs for example, with this blah fabric were won at a local auction house for $50 (plus 15% Buyer’s Premium, that’s another post).  

Admittedly, after I bought them, they sat in the barn for a full 8 months before at that same auction house two bolts of Japanese-inspired, German-made fabric (at least 20 yards) came on the block. I snagged both bolts for $60, after which I dropped both the chairs and fabric at my favorite local upholsteress (via Lithunia). At $20 per chair…presto and “Aciu“ (Pronounced AH-chu – which means “Thank You” in Lithuania)!  Rethought chairs! All for $190 plus an extra bolt of fabric for future projects.  Perfect for a game of Backgammon or our current craze Canasta!

The pagoda form lamp was another auction score. Check out auctionzip.com for your local auction spots!

About the Author: 

Christopher H. is an Auctioneer and Decorative Arts Cataloger in Jefferson’s Virginia, who enjoys antiques, Persian carpets, robot cookie jars, stone carving, 78 rpm records, Johnny Cash biographies, hoops, cooking followed by eating, wine, and fire. 

4 Ways to Green Up Your Easter Weekend

From top-left, clockwise:

1. Ensure your Easter brunch is full of lots vegetables and fruits. Especially dried fruits and nuts instead of the chocolate (or as much chocolate). Asparagus is in season now! 
2. Cut the plastic - make homemade baskets, use natural egg dyes, newspaper painted green paper. We love these decorated berry baskets!
3. If Easter is not your thing, why don't you enjoy this early spring whether by taking a hike a your local state/national park. If you are in Milwaukee, we recommend Lakeshore State Park. In Chicago, take the trip to Starved Rock, and if you are in Charlottesville, take a short hike at Shenandoah National Park.
4. Whether your Easter Weekend is full of forced family fun or not, you are probably going to need a beer, so go local. We absolutely love this website to find local breweries. 

Local Feature: Gethsemane Garden Center

Famous to most resident north-siders, Gethsemane Garden Center is the place you need to go to purchase your plants. As a person with a history of killing house plants (my ivy plant during my first year at Smith, several plants in previous apartments, and countless other experiences), I can't kill the plants I purchased at Gethesmane Garden Center. I've had 7 plants for over a year, and I haven't even killed them yet. In fact, they've grown tremendously. 

As mentioned before, to be more sustainable, I've chosen plants over flowers. If you by them from a great retailer, you are committing to the greenery, and not getting the flexibility of changing flowers each week. But plants, as a non-pet owner, are my little pets that I nurture, and I've learn to love my commitment to them in the effort of being more sustainable. 

Gethsemane Garden Center | 5739 N. Clark St. | Chicago, IL 60660 | (773) 878-5915

This is not a sponsored post.

Curried Pork & Vegetable Stir-fry

Vegetables, anyone? If you missed your New Year’s resolutions this year to denounce refined foods and add more appeal to your plate, this dish is a surefire kick in the right direction! I made sure this entree was chockfull of vegetables. While you can serve it over rice, I opted for more vegetables – sautéed cabbage strips. Vegetarian or avoiding mea? Try tofu instead of pork tenderloin.

Winter does not want to depart Milwaukee this year. To take a little gloom out of the weather I sautéed this colorful stir-fry. With all Irish festivities last weekend, most local grocery stores are practically giving away cabbage. This dish seemed like the perfect accompaniment! And, if curry as a staple in your spice cabinet draws weariness, this plate will tame the uneasy consumer.

Curried Pork & Vegetable Stir-Fry (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
• 1 ½ cups Onions, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp Fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 cup carrots, grated
• 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Optional: 3 cups cabbage stripes, sautéed or 2 cups brown rice

Directions:

1. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and sauté until meat is browned. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion, and cook until starting to brown. Add garlic and fresh ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until aromatics emerge. 
3. Stir in turmeric, curry powder, cumin, and coriander.
4. Add diced red pepper, shredded cabbage, carrots, and vegetable broth. Allow mixture to simmer 5-10 minutes or until vegetables begin to cook down.
5. Place pork in vegetable mixture. Stir-fry meat and vegetable mixture until meat is cooked through.
6. Toss in fresh cilantro, and serve over sautéed shredded cabbage or cooked brown rice.

Enjoy! - K

Local Feature: Julia Bergen of Do Rei Mi Jewels

 This is not a sponsored post.

Jewelry is one of the things that it is so easy for most of us not to think about in a sustainable way. When putting together an outfit, the quick and cheap fix is to your local online boutique or down-the-street-store for extremely cheap prices. Quality and uniqueness is usually sacrificed for accessibility. I'm guilty of it, but I'm really trying to change. Lately, the changes have been overwhelming satisfying. As I'm slowly adding more jewelry by local designers into by arsenal, I've been so pleased with the quality of the pieces. When buying local jewelry, it is definitely not as easy as mass-produced alternatives. I think I think we all run into two issues - price and quality. You don't want to buy something that looks like it came from a craft fair, and let's face it, most of us don't have high price points. Nonetheless, the jewelry designers, though more difficulty to find, are just extremely appealing to you and me; Julia Bergen of Do Rei Mi Jewels is one of those designers.

I've been fortunate to meet the lovely Julia through a digital art class I took at Lill Street Art Center last month. Julia makes contemporary cross-stitch jewelry - beautify pendants with modern art and patterns. Once I checked out her website, Etsy site, and Of A Kind sale, I immediately bought a piece for myself, and started planning my future gifts! 

You can find Do Rei Mi Jewels here, here, and here! All images in this post are from Do Rei Mi Jewels.

Irish Stew with Smoked Salmon on Guinness Bread

St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I studied abroad in Dublin, and somehow, I feel as if I’ve landed in America’s equivalent: Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The city did not break the record this year for most bars per capita in the US (apparently just shy of New Orleans), but we have more than enough for a proper cheers on St. Paddy’s Day!

Because we all should  celebrate luck and good fortune, I’ve decided to amp up the veggies in the most delicious Irish Stew I have ever had. Serve it with a side of Smoked Salmon on Guinness Bread…and well, you’ll have your friends saying, “Oh Goodness, My Guinness!” Welcome to a taste of excitement!

Irish Stew (Serves 8)

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ½ cup flour for dredging (you will not use all of this)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 medium onions, chopped
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable or beef stock
• 2 cups Guinness Stout
• 6 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 parsnips, peeled and thickly sliced

Note: You can serve this recipe plain or over mashed potatoes (traditional)

Directions

1.  Place flour in a medium bowl. Dredge raw meat cubes in flour until coated on each side. Shake off excess flour to avoid burning.
2.  Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet, and brown meat on all sides. Placed browned meat into a large stock pot or kettle, and set aside.
3.  In the same skillet (no need to wash it), heat 1 tsp olive oil. Add onions and cook until they begin to caramelize (about 5 minutes).
4. Pour 1 cup of the vegetable or beef stock into the skillet, and scrape up the brown bits. This gives the stew a nice brown color, adding lots of flavor.
5. Add onions/stock mixture to the beef stock pot.
6. Pour the remaining 1 cup of stock and Guinness over the meat (you can add more Guinness, stock, or water if more liquid is desired). Heat to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover, and simmer for about 40 minutes.
7.  Meanwhile, prepare vegetables. When the meat is tender, add carrots and pasnips to the stock pot (about 20 minutes after simmering meat).
8. The stew is ready when the vegetables are tender and the stew has slightly thickened.

Smoked Salmon Guinness Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups Whole Grain Flour
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Oatmeal
• 2 ½ tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 ½ Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Butter
• 2 cups Skim or Low-Fat Milk
• ¾ cup Molasses
• 1 cup Draught Guinness
• Neufchâtel Cheese (Lite cream cheese)
• Smoked Salmon
• Dill (Fresh or Dried)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 9X5 inch bread pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix butter with all dry ingredients, until dough has the consistency of bread crumbs.
3. Add milk, molasses, and Guinness. Mix until dough is wet.
4. Spoon dough into prepared pans.
5. Bake at 350° F for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Allow bread to cool before slicing.
7. Place a thin layer of Neufchâtel cheese on the cooled, sliced bread. Serve with a thin layer of smoked salmon and a dash of dill.

Orecchiette Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus, & Avocado

Spring is almost here. The snow is still falling, but that does not deter me from making healthy, delicious meals. My local grocer had tomatoes, avocados, and asparagus from California (yes the other side of the continent, but still US grown) for a good price this week. Even when you are without the harvest in your backyard, you can put forth efforts to be your version of ‘green’. Choose fruits and vegetables grown in your continent, and the closer the location to you, the better! Don’t let a little white fluff and cold weather dissuade you from eating well.

In good health,

K

Orecchiette Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus, & Avocado (4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup orecchiette pasta
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch segments
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 pound chicken breasts
• ¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
• 1 large avocado, diced
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in boiling water in a large saucepan until tender, about 10-13 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add asparagus and diced tomatoes. Stir occasionally. 
3. Place 1 ½ cups of water in another large skillet. Add chicken breasts. Cook at medium-high heat until water begins to boil.
4. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, and cut into 1 inch pieces.
5. Place pasta in a large serving dish. Add asparagus mixture and diced chicken.
6. Stir in balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Top dish with diced avocado and freshly ground pepper to taste.