June 14th, 2009 kellyschnell
I’ve often wished that Shane had more of an interest in meal preparation, and yesterday I discovered the secret to stimulating his enthusiasm for cooking. We’ve been talking about buying a grill for a couple of years, and yesterday we took the plunge and picked up a great four-burner gas grill to call our own. The fact that Shane was up until midnight last night assembling all 4000 of the grill’s pieces told me that he was excited about the prospect of playing the role of backyard chef.
We decided to take the easy route for our first grilled meal and threw some bratwursts on the grill for lunch. I wrapped a couple of ears of corn in foil and put them on as well. Grilled meal #1 was a success. For dinner, we stepped up our game a bit and put a nice thick filet of beef on the grill, along with some potato wedges brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with rosemary, and wrapped in foil. This was trickier – a steak is so easily under or over-cooked. We decided to err on the side of rare, but after we’d brought the meat in, let it rest for a few minutes, and then sliced into it, we found we’d erred too far – the steak was far too rare in the middle (”still mooing”, as some would say). But the edges were perfect, so we at least got to enjoy a few tender, juicy bites. Lesson learned. Tomorrow we try pork, then fish later in the week. Looks like this is going to be one heck of a meat-filled summer – I better start Googling those recipes for grilled vegetable skewers…
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March 21st, 2009 kellyschnell
Below are a few more food paintings, done for my art class which ended on Thursday. It’s fun being “outside the box”. My mind is still brimming with all kinds of new possibilities.
This one was done on rice paper, with curry powder sprinkled over tea and a small seaweed accent (can you tell I went a little crazy at the Asian food store?).
Pod outlined in tea on soy paper (I totally scored when I found these brightly colored wrappers) and sprinkled with cinnamon.
Flower shape cut with an X-acto knife out of dried seaweed. Smells fishy, but looks pretty.
Seed shape painted with red wine and dashed with cinnamon, for good measure.
Seed outlined in pencil (I cheated a little), filled in with olive oil, and dotted with soy sauce. Simple, but the color of oil-soaked paper is beautiful.
Rice paper soaked in water, dribbled with soy sauce, and laid out to dry. I love the translucency of the paper and the way it wrinkled and cracked.
Lemon slices soaked in wine and used as a stamp.
I’m ready to switch back to regular paints for awhile now, but I expect I’ll revisit edible art-ing again someday. It’s good when art-making feels like playing.
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February 22nd, 2009 kellyschnell
I’m taking a class on abstract drawing and painting at a local art school on Thursday nights and have recently been introduced to some really fun, new ways of making art. Case in point: My assignment for the next 4 weeks is to make at least 10 drawings out of edible materials. I am using patterns found in nature as my source of inspiration, and these two pieces are the start of my tasty little collection.
The first drawing is a blow-up of the shell of a foxglove seed (I found a fantastic book that has beautiful microscopic photos of plant matter). I used a paintbrush dipped in Diet Coke to fill in the solid areas, then sprinkled the drawing with salt. This has faded a lot as it has dried, but I kind of like the mix of subtle color and gritty texture.
The second is a cross-section of a pomegranate. For this one, I painted the core with tea, then sprinkled with paper with cinnamon, which stuck to any of the wet areas. The texture and color remind me of rust. Cool.
I never knew there were so many art supplies to be found in our kitchen cupboards! Olive oil, molasses, corn meal, the possibilities are endless… Stay tuned for more savory drawings.
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February 1st, 2009 kellyschnell
I haven’t been much into knitting lately – seems my focus is more on reading and studying these days, but still, I wanted to post a quick update on the projects I finished up last month.
This neckwarmer was a quick project, fun because it was a stitch pattern I’d never seen before. I got the pattern from Ravelry and used a double strand of really soft alpaca blend yarn. In retrospect, I wish I’d used a chunkier yarn so that the neckwarmer would stand up and hold its shape more (same problem I had with the cowl I made a few months ago), but then again, it does drape nicely this way. I’ve been keeping my eyes out for cool big buttons so that I can crank out a couple more of these when I have more time – they’d make great gifts. Or, if they happen to end up on my own scarf rack, so be it, because a girl can never have too many neckwarmers, right?
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January 18th, 2009 kellyschnell
I didn’t make it out to buy our 2009 calendar before we began our January shopping fast, and so I was faced with creating my own solution. A little Excel magic, a frustrating bout with our printer, some doodling with ink and paint, and voila! It’s nice to have something that is completely personalized – I did the month names in French as a little vocab lesson for Shane, and the graphics for each month are tied to an anticipated event or a mood (hence the simplicity of the graphic for frugal January and the Eiffel Tower doodle for the month of March). It’s no Nikki McClure calendar (which served us well in 2008), but I’m pretty happy with the results. Another tribute to “making do” with the resources we have at hand.
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January 4th, 2009 kellyschnell
This knitted hat for Elise was the last of my handmade Christmas gifts. This project took a couple of tries. My first attempt at a baby hat ended up looking more like a baby yamika – it was much smaller than anticipated and would never had stayed on a busy, moving baby like Elise. I erred in the other direction with try number two and the hat actually ended up being quite a bit bigger than planned, but she’ll grow into it.
For now, if nothing else, she has plenty of fun trying it on and pulling it off and tugging on it every which way. Pretty adorable.
Made with a really soft, washable acrylic-wool blend; pattern found in Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas.
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December 14th, 2008 kellyschnell
I filled up the last page of my sketchbook/journal the other day and am looking forward to cracking open another fresh, new Moleskine notebook. I have been using these same journals for over five years now and get such a sense of accomplishment from seeing them all lined up on our bookshelf, knowing that between the simple, black, nondescript covers lie words, drawings, and mementos that detail some of my most precious memories and ideas. I became attached to my first Moleskine when I was living in Paris – I never left my apartment without my sketchbook in hand. I spent hours sitting in cafes, jotting down verbal and graphic impressions of all the new places I was seeing. I reread some of my entries and can almost put myself back on that sidewalk terrace, with pencil in hand and that tiny cup of espresso in front of me. That journal was my constant traveling companion. When I returned to the States in 2004, my sketchbook became a place for me to compose and chronicle my thoughts and ideas on my thesis project. Upon graduation from college and soon-after engagement to Shane in 2005, my journal took on the form of a wedding planner, filled with to-do lists and doodles of invitation ideas. In 2006-2007, I journaled and sketched much less frequently as I settled into the routine of my job and my marriage. There is a random entry here and there about a book I read or a gallery opening I attended, but for the most part, entries are sparse. In 2008, as noted here, I began my weekly sketch initiative. This has been an excellent incentive for me to regularly, creatively put pen to paper. My weekly sketches thus far have the taken the form of a lot of abstract graphic doodling, which is fine, but my hope for next year is that I do more real-life drawing of actual objects and places. So, cheers to a fresh, new palette and to lots of journal-worthy, sketch-inspiring experiences in 2009!
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November 30th, 2008 kellyschnell
This is the first year that I’m trying my hand at some handmade Christmas presents. We exchanged gifts with Shane’s family on Thanksgiving, and it was nice to watch people unwrap things that I had made specially for them.
Slippers for Shane’s mom: Made with a soft, washable cotton blend yarn. I made a pair of these for myself a few months ago (pattern found here), and I can tell you that they are guaranteed to keep your feet toasty.
Scarf was for Shane’s sister: Made a super-soft silvery bamboo blend yarn, paired with a bronze ribbon that was used as a second strand. Cozy, pretty, and hopefully perfect for those Minnesota winters…
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November 22nd, 2008 kellyschnell
I took another licensing exam on Wednesday night, which meant that my weekends and evenings prior to that were filled with studying. Many nights, I fell asleep with my flashcards in my hands or my study guide propped up on my chest. Notes and books were strewn about the living room. From the minute I schedule an exam, it becomes a constant, nagging weight on my shoulders. What a relief to have another test over with and to be able to put that stuff away for a little while! Thursday night, I reveled in the bliss of an obligation-free evening and spent some time knitting, baking, and returning a couple of overdue phone calls. Made a batch of peanut brittle and finished up a knitted Christmas gift. Called my best friend and chatted with her for nearly an hour. That’s the upside of all these tests and all this studying – when I do have free time, I tend to want to make the most of it. I don’t spend too many nights just vegging out in front of the TV anymore (although there certainly are times when vegging is completely necessary and acceptable). It feels good to get back into my neglected hobbies, even if this break may be short-lived.
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November 9th, 2008 kellyschnell
I’ve been trying my hand at baking lately – the cool weather is upon us and there are few things I love more right now than the feel of a cozy kitchen, filled with the warmth of the oven and the smells of baked goodies. Last Saturday was a perfect “pie day”, with the rain falling outside and the stores full of freshly harvested Washington apples. We had a couple of friends over and spent the afternoon chopping apples, rolling out homemade crusts, and then anxiously awaiting the moment when the pie would be pulled out the oven and ready for sampling. And it was so worth the wait. The crust was flaky and warm and buttery and so melt-in-your-mouth yummy. And the apples were the perfect balance of soft, yet still just slightly crispy, spiced with just enough nutmeg and cinnamon. My own little slice of autumn goodness, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and cup of hot tea. I would say my first attempt at a from-scratch pie was a smashing success. (And, I was able to cross #2 off my list.)
This weekend is cookie weekend – the dilemma now is “oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip”? Decisions…
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