Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Still in the Dark..

A few more girls from the dark side this week...though I promise something a bit lighter next time. First up meet Miss Delilah Wintershorn...known as Lila to her friends both living and undead. She does wish she had more living friends, but sometimes she just gets SO hungry...





 And next is Katherine. She's been feeling very strange lately. Perhaps it's because of the nightmares...all knives and teeth and blood... they always leave her So tired. Maybe it's because all her friends have slowly begun disappearing... leaving her feeling very...well.. Angry! All she knows is that it started about the time she found her new dolly...the one whose dress is always stained no matter how much she washes it.


Both of these interesting ladies can be found in my shop ...along with some lighter fae folk like this little witch.


See I haven't gone totally to the dark side....yet.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Farmer’s Market Summer Veggie Risotto


  No dolls today, though there are some new girls in the shop if you'd like to take a look. Instead I wanted to share a recipe that I recently created that is perfect for using some beautiful summer vegetables.
  Last week we had some very unusual weather for summer time here in the hot and sticky South, a week of cool wet weather that was a lovely taste of fall to come. I had planned on making a salad for dinner but with the brisk air I really wanted something warm so I took a riff on Jamie Oliver's wonderful mushroom risotto. In that recipe he cooks mushrooms in the rice and then tops it with more that are sauteed and tossed with herbs and lemon juice. It's an amazing dish and the depth of flavors is so wonderful. I looked at what I had on hand...lots of lovely summer veggies from my local farmer's market...and came up with this...and it was absolutely delicious! How could I not share it with you?! I admit that the quantities are approximations because I never measure when I cook this type of thing, but I think they're pretty close.  If you make it, do let me know what you think!



Farmer’s Market Summer Veggie Risotto

3 nice heirloom tomatoes
2 tsp fresh thyme, leaves only
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 med to small size yellow squash, diced
2 large Italian frying peppers or one medium red pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (remove tough stems)
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
5-6 cups (homemade is best) chicken or vegetable stock
salt
black pepper


Core and seed the tomatoes and then dice them and put them in a bowl, mixing in the thyme leaves, vinegar, and salt to taste. Set aside.

Have your stock simmering on the stove when you start this so you can add it hot as you go. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and then add the first five ingredients. Saute these for about 5 to 7 minutes on med high heat to allow some of the moisture to cook out. Add the rice, thyme, and cayenne pepper and saute for  another minute and then add the wine. When most of that has cooked in, add a cup of chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste. Stir constantly so the starch will cook out, adding stock as needed until the rice is cooked to your liking and you have a creamy consistency, about 20 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top with some of the fresh tomato mixture.
Eat.
Yum!

...well maybe just one doll....


Thursday, August 1, 2013

Something a little different...


A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to make some little ghost girls in a dollhouse size... the process quickly took on a life of it's own...as they do...and the first of my Ghastly Girls was born. Please meet Charlotte.


Charlotte doesn't quite remember when she first started to feel so hungry but it might have been around the time she found her strange doll. Mummy and Daddy don't seem to be home any more...though she does remember that when they disappeared the hunger went away for a little while...


I'm having such fun making these darker dolls..hmm, what does that say about my psyche? I have been in a bit of a dark place this summer. We've been trying to sell our house and everything has been in a horrible state of limbo for ages...plus it's summer. Yuck. So maybe these little girls are my expression of all that...or maybe they're just fun! Whatever they may be Charlotte is in the shop now and there will be more Ghastly Girls coming...along with witches, big and small, and some Fall and Halloween fairies...because Autumn can't get here soon enough!