Saturday, February 18, 2012

Little Black Dress and Big Pink Drinks Party

How fun does that sound?
I'm all dressed up and waiting for a ride to head out.  Never go empty handed so I made this adorable little purse cake as a gift for the hostess.
The invitation was pink and black and lime green so the cake is on a lime green plate.  It looks sort of yellow in the pic.  Not sure what to do about that as I'm not up to par on photoshop.
Anyway, it's a luscious fudgy chocolate cake with vanilla bean buttercream.  The rest is fondant.  It's so humid here with flooding rains, I was afraid the fondant wouldn't set but it did.
So here it is...........


The rope edges are a little uneven so my next investment will be an extruder so I can do that edgings more uniform.   Can't wait to do another one!



Friday, February 10, 2012

Don't Look Back



A few days ago I was thinking about how much I love my art and how much I love to bake and how blessed I feel to be able to work daily at something I love so much.  Then my mind wandered back to childhood, taking art classes and then stopping.  And my mind went back 15 years to when I first began to bake and decorate cakes and shortly after starting I stopped to focus on earning my living at other things.  I began to feel a deep sense of regret of all the time wasted when I could have been developing my skills and how much farther along I would be if I had continued to study and practice with no interruptions.  I almost began to feel defeated.  In an instant, God placed an image in my mind of Lot's wife turning her head to gaze back over her shoulder and huge neon words flashed behind my eyes.  "DON'T LOOK BACK!"  It was almost as if He was yelling those words at me so I would pay attention.
Then this morning I was reading in the 4th Chapter of Psalms.  God tells us to keep our gaze fixed directly ahead of us and not to sway to the right or to the left.  Again..... don't look back!
What an awesome God we serve that he is so faithful to open our minds to what we need right when we need it, if we let Him.
ThankYou Father for a great day.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

"Solitary"


I first began to paint a solitary oak tree after making several trips to Positive Images, the gallery in Austin that carries my work.  I always stop in Ellinger which is a spot on the highway with only a BarBQ restaurant and a gas station/bakery/grill/curio shop.  They make wonderful poppy seed kolaches so that is a scheduled break in the drive.  Hmmmm.   Haven't made any kolaches in quiet a while.  Maybe soon.  I usually park on the side which faces a huge vacant lot with a magnificent oak tree standing alone in the middle of the lot.  It just seemed to call to me to paint it and, to me anyway, it had to be the focus of a minimalist composition.  If you're new to my work, you'll soon find out that a horizon is almost always prevalent.  It represents hope and new beginnings.  This version is painted on a 10x30 canvas with the sides and a small edge painted black so no frame is needed.  The size of the canvas makes it perfect for that spot where nothing else will fit but is desperate for a statement piece.  Even though I use really vibrant hues and very energetic brushwork, the composition conveys a feeling of quiet and peace.  I have posted this piece for purchase on www.texasgalgallery.com .  If you're interested in a smaller piece or a mini, check out www.myotherstore.etsy.com
Have a blessed day.
Jo

Monday, February 6, 2012

Super SuperBowl Sunday

Wow, it's finally here.  Super Bowl Sunday.  I've waited an entire year for this day to come around and it didn't disappoint.
First, a wonderful service at Cowboy Church.  Southern Gospel Singers, Song of Glory, and First Century Ministries guested. 
Then time to cook, desserts of course, my contribution for Super Bowl party at dear daughter's home.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for butter.  Thank You for sugar.  And thank You most of all for Texas pecans.
Amen

Who doesn't love brownies?  I made a Rick Bayless recipe I found on the internet for Mexican Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars.  Can you believe Mexican chocolate was nowhere to be found around here?  I went to Fiesta Supermarket, La Michoacana, Walmart.  No Mexican chocolate.  So I just used semisweet chocolate and simply added some cinnamon for that Mexican taste.
Lots of chocolate, tons of pecans, they were a winner!



Digging through ancient recipes, I came across Sandy's Strawberry Rum Cake.  Hadn't made it in years but I remembered it to be good, moist and, best of all, quick and easy.  So that went into some cuppies with a little Chocolate Ganache topping and a dollop of pink fluffy frosting to honor Valentine's Day coming soon. 


Sandy's Strawberry Rum Cake

1/2 cup water
1 box DH White Cake Mix
1 small package Strawberry Jello
2 tbsp. flour
4 eggs
1/2 pint of frozen strawberries, defrosted
3/4 cup oil
4 tbsp. light rum

Mix all together in a large bowl and beat at medium speed for two minutes.  Pour into a 9x13 pyrex dish or two 8" layer cake pans or great for cupcakes.  Bake at 350 degrees 25 to 30 minutes or until pulling away from sides and a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few crumbs.  This makes a delicate cake, not overly sweet so I paired it with a fluffy icing that had the taste and consistency of whipped cream.  I felt like a buttercream would be too sweet for it.  If you try this recipe, let me know what icing you used and how it turned out.

Last but not least and my personal favorite for the day, Lemon Coconut Pecan Sour Bars.
Another recipe I've probably had floating around for 20 years or more and had just put off trying.  Quick, easy and what a delicious combination. 






                                                   Lemon Coconut Pecan Sour Bars
2 cups flour
4 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup softened butter
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and cut in softened butter.  Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pyrex dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile combine and mix thoroughly:
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups coconut
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
Pour over baked pastry and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes.  When you take out of the oven while it is still hot, loosen around the edges and top immediately with the

Lemon Glaze:
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon rind.




All in all, a really FULLfilling day. 



                                                


Saturday, February 4, 2012

Three For One

I am a business woman.
I have been a business woman my entire adult life.
I have three passions in my life.
Now I am constantly thinking of how I can turn three passions into one business.
But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. 
Let me explain.

My first passion is a deep and abiding love of Jesus Christ and study of the Bible.  A few years ago I began to dream of opening a Christian Book Store.  Not the typical chain store, but a very special store named A Quiet Place.  I have the floor plan designed, the interior decorated, the inventory planned and promotions already mapped out.  But the planning is as far as I've gone with it.

My second passion is art.   What started out as a hobby for a change of pace from a full time real estate career, became my business.  For the past ten years, I have been a professional artist, creating and marketing my own work through galleries, websites and art shows and festivals.  To see a little more of that, you can check out my work at www.texasgalgallery.com
Lately I have been having thoughts of opening my own gallery........... but then I also want to own a Christian Book Store.

Then, to take a break from painting, I began to play around with baking.  Many years ago, I started to bake and decorate cakes for friends.  Even made some wedding cakes.  I taught myself to work with gumpaste and fondant and then  I probably skipped about 12 years but have recently started back.  And now.............Oh my gosh, don't tell me that now I'm having thoughts of opening a bakery! 
One friend sent an email that I should open a gallery and bakery.  I could do that but then what about my Book Store? 
I know!  I'll do all three!
Well, maybe I'll just do it virtually instead of actually.  Or maybe I'll practice with this blog to see how they might work together before taking a step out into the real world. 
So, here we go. 
Stay tuned...................................