KITCHEN FIRES

In true October fashion, I roasted pumpkin seeds this weekend. This was my first go at roasting seeds and it was a thrill. This was one of the easiest snacks I have ever made, and everyone loved them. The time in the kitchen was less than 10 minutes! Click here to see a detailed recipe.

This snack recipe is vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free! Chili powder is high in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Cooking Diary:

Purchased 2 cups of pepitas and a glass jar.

Spread the pepitas over griddle and started roasting. Mixing bowl ready.

Caroline got spooked by the popping seeds and took cover in Chris’s arms.

Mixed the roasted seeds with chili powder, salt and oil. Cooled in fridge.

Transferred seeds to jar to store.

Enjoyed my new snack and a cup of tea on the porch!

EL ANATSUI

When I ventured to the El Anatsui opening in Austin, I had no idea what I was walking into. His work landed here in Austin by chance. The Blanton Museum of Art happened to have a gap in their schedule when another city cancelled on him. I’d like to call it fate. I feel so fortunate to have been able to see his work in person and to have befriended an installer of the show. I learned so much about the artist that I wouldn’t have found out on my own. El Anatsui intricately repurposes old milk cans, liquor bottle labels, and wood in Africa. For some of the pieces, he hired up to 50 people to work on it at the same time. Even with the help, these pieces took weeks to make.

My favorite part of the show was the way the pieces were installed. El Anatsui has his intricate work shipped to the museum with sufficient padding and protection. The installers spent days unwrapping each individual piece. He leaves very little instruction of how to display his work. Instead, he trusts the installers to use their artistic freedom to present it well. For the big “blanket” pieces, the installers spent half a day in white gloves hanging one piece. They decided how the blanket would fold and bend. They decided if it would drape onto the floor or not. Once El Anatsui arrived to Austin to prepare for the opening, he walked around his exhibit and made  personal touches with his gloveless hands. The exhibit featured a video of the installation process, I highly recommend watching it if you go see this show.

The Blanton has one of El Anatsui’s pieces in it’s personal collection. He had never seen the way it is displayed. One of the Blanton staff members asked him if he wanted to make any changes to the installation or any personal touches to the folds. His reply: “It’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Art openings are a funny thing. I think half of the fun for me –besides the wine – is watching people try to care about the work or pretend to have some deep understanding of it. People who studied art years ago and feel they still have some connection to it. Or seasoned show-goers that are comparing it to their last experience. It’s a social experiment. I hadn’t been to an opening in over a year so it was a refreshing to say the least.

WIlDWOOD

Last night, Chris and I walked the Town Lake trail to Book People to catch of glimpse of the brains behind Wildwood, the first book in a new fantasy series for middle school children. The Decemberists’ lead singer, Collin Meloy, dreamed this little tale in words and his wife, Carson Ellis, translated his story into drawings.  Last night, the two were speaking about the book and signing copies for those who stuck around. I caught my glimpse, listened as they explained the storyline, purchased my copy, and went on my merry way.

Illustration by Carson Ellis

Courtesy of Carson Ellis’s website. Image from inside Wildwood

Illustration by Carson Ellis

This tale is by no means little. I went expecting a children’s book, with hopes to read short, two-lined pages to my future little ones while they sit on my knee. But this book is BIG, meant to stimulate a much older crowd. It won’t be another 15-20 years until my children will read this thing, and they sure as hell won’t be sitting on my knee. But after I heard the story, it sounds like a perfect book for me to read next. The story takes place in Portland’s Impassable Wilderness. No one has ever entered and returned to tell the tale. When Prue McKneel’s brother gets kidnapped by crows, she sets off on an adventure deep into the wild wood to find him. I think I’m going to join her this weekend.

 

My copy waiting for me at home

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1

FARM TO TABLE

Saturday was better than Christmas morning. Chris worked the Farmer’s Market for Johnson’s Backyard Garden in the morning and brought home his payment: the most beautiful locally grown vegetables. And not just a couple, he brought home the whole farm! I was sitting on the patio when he got home. He was filthy with dirt and sweat, but he had the biggest smile on his face when he said, “you want to help me with the groceries?”. He knew I would be pleased. They covered our entire counter! Fresh basil and mint, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, all kinds of peppers, bags of carrots, and the best freshest bread I’ve ever tasted… it was insane. Our neighbors instantly rushed over. All of us were giddy the rest of the weekend and cooking up a storm. There’s no doubt I have a passion for food. Everything about it. Nutrition, cooking, farming, tasting, overindulging, you name it. This is why my friend and I have decided to start a food blog about our weekly community provisions. Here’s a sample from the weekend goings-on:

More to come on our food blog, One Green Table, …coming soon. Also, I am working the Farmer’s Market this weekend too! So double the week’s rations. So many veggies, so little time.

And look how cute and perfect their branding is. The design is done by Ryan Rhodes and photos courtesy of the Johnson’s Backyard Garden website.

HERBS

I met with Austin herbalist, Ginger Webb, today for lunch. I’ve been interested in herbal remedies for a while, but my knowledge has been solely from hearsay and light reading. I decided to take a more active approach and speak with an herbalist in town. She was so interesting to talk to and she offered to take me on an herb walk this Saturday to harvest wild herbs and learn more about their medicinal uses. I couldn’t be more excited! I’ll be a kitchen witch before you know it.

WEEKEND

On my long list of things to do this weekend, this one comes first. I have to go see this new installation by Knitta Please at the Capitol. Knitta Please is the brainchild of Magda Sayeg. What’s better than knitted graffiti?

Photos found at Poppytalk.

ON BATHROOM WALLS

I have two interests: vernacular typography and the things people write on bathroom walls. For now, let’s focus on one. This may become a staple post. In my opinion, wall scribblings are like the romantic form of Twitter. I love to hear what people think is bathroom stall worthy. The world is full of people who have love to speak in these venues. I’m gonna start sharing them. This is one of my favorites to date… a poem by Hafiz (not exactly word for word, but that’s the beauty of it).

THE CIRCUS

On my second visit to Austin, I knew I had to live here permanently. This photo was taken at the Enchanted Forest to document why. I think it makes perfect sense.

The Enchanted Forest has since been shut down. Hopefully it is only temporary! It was an outdoor venue/hippie camp of sorts. It’s one of those places that it doesn’t explain well. You just have to see it for yourself.