banana frita (fried plantains)

Banana Frita--one of my favorite childhood snacks

and the first food I clearly remember eating

after my family moved to Brazil

when I was five.

Plantain bananas are not so slimy and sweet

as the smaller variety that is most common here in the U.S.

They are starchier and more substantial.

Fried and generously sprinkled with cinnamon sugar,

they are a treat I enjoy just as much now

as I did when I was small.

To make banana frita you need:

1 ripe plantain*

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

cinnamon sugar to taste

Peel and slice the plantain.

Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Add the banana slices to the oil and fry each side until golden.

Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar to taste.

Enjoy!

*if you only have green plantains,

simply slice them more thinly

and replace the cinnamon sugar with salt

for delicious plantain chips.

today

Today...

I am eating pink lady apples (my favorite!)

I have the door open because the sun is shining and the air is fresh.

I drank the first iced coffee of the year.

I sat down and played the piano for the first time in...um...years.

I am transforming a boring old cake into a race car for my son.

 I am blocking this freshly knitted hat

on a ball I borrowed from my kids perched on top of a bowl.

(Best and simplest way ever to block a hat, in my opinion.)

I am making watercolor cards.

I am brainstorming for the best way

to make manly art for my sweetie using these blueprints as a base.

I am also going to make Curried Pork Shoulder for dinner,

and (let's keep it real here) I'd better work on the less glamorous tasks

of laundry, dishes, and school-lunch-making too.

What are you doing today?

audacious hope

today I am inspired by tiny signs of new life

green, growing things

on my windowsill and in my yard.

and by the audacious hope

 poetically symbolized by Spring's renewal.

Roasted Salmon (or Swai) and Brussels Sprouts

The culinary art
is as important as any of the other arts,
and a more consistent bringer
of pleasure.

~Source Unknown

Roasted Salmon and Brussels Sprouts
an instant favorite

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit

Combine in a small bowl:

1 large cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Place in a roasting pan and toss

with 1 1/2 tablespoon of the seasoned oil mixture:

1 pound of brussels sprouts, halved

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved

Roast in preheated oven 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add to the reserved seasoned oil:

1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Remove brussels sprouts from oven and top with:

2 6-8 ounce salmon or swai fillets

(we actually preferred the swai)

Brush remaining seasoned oil on the fish.

Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes

until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Enjoy!

new

a new studio

a new blog

(pretty spaces dedicated to me and my art)

both in a single month.

coincidence?

maybe.

maybe it just happens

that I am coming out of post-baby fog

with a burst of creative energy,

so everything is happening at once.

maybe it's simply time to throw off winter's shackles

and pave the way for spring.

or maybe...

just maybe I am finding myself in a new personal era.

an era of courage,

of claiming the audacious titles

Artist and Studio.

embracing them with resolve and delight.

join me in my courageous adventuring?

my new Studio is in a tiny, odd nook

off of our master bedroom.

I love the flood of natural light

and the space to call my own.