Ran in the PowerPoint Fit for Life 5K this morning. Finished with a time of 25:23 (5th girl in my age group & approx. 8:11 pace) The weather was perfect, and the updated course was less hilly than in prior years.

the 3 fridas

The 3 Fridas show featuring three artists of Studio 109 is up through Wednesday, Sept. 21 at The Janette Kennedy Gallery at the lofts of South Side on Lamar. 1409 South Lamar Street. Dallas, TX 75215-1871.(214) 428-4848. Open Weekdays 9am-7pm; Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 1pm-5pm

Sold

I sold two pieces yesterday! I have mixed emotions about letting go of my art ... I am happy that the paintings are going to new homes, but also very sad to let them go. The two pieces are, Autumnal:

and Burlap Yellow:

The Yellow Definitive

My summer art show, The Yellow Definitive, with four other artists opens tomorrow night, July 30 at 6pm.

Studio 109 News

Well, it's official: a few of us (about 5 or 6 artists) have formed an artist collective, which we have named Studio 109. I am working on updating the site this week, but you can see the beginning stages here. We are so excited about this new venture, and we are preparing for a big group show in the fall. More details to come!

From the Studio

I added a few new pieces to my online gallery:

Noteworthy

Wow, I was blogged! I just came across this blog post about an art and coffee event with artlovemagic last month. Still trying to finish the painting, though.

Lentil Curry

Cooked a modified version of the Lentil Curry recipe from The Classic 1000 Indian Recipes (Classic 1000 Cookbook)
for dinner tonight. Had to leave a couple of things out that I didn't have on hand, but it turned out pretty okay, I think. Definitely would make it again. Very similar to this one I found on recipezaar.com: Red Lentil Curry, except instead of the curry seasoning, I used a combination of turmeric, cinnamon, bay leaves, salt, pepper and garlic.

edited version below

Ingredients
1 cup red lentil (I used brown)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon oil or butter or margarine (for frying)
1/2 teaspoon mustard (didn't put in this one)
2 teaspoons prepared curry powder (or your own selection of curry spices. mine being 1 teas. turmeric, 3/4 teas. cinnamon, 2 bay leaves, dash of pepper)
1 teaspoon chili powder (not big into spice, so I skipped this one)
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup milk (skipped on this one, too)
1-2 cup water (actually, used 3 cups here)
1 can diced tomatoes
spices that should have been added but didn't: 3 cloves, 1/2" ginger root

Directions
1. Wash lentils several times. Boil in pot of 3 cups water with curry powder or seasonings for 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pot and add chopped onion and garlic.
3. When onion is light brown in colour, add to the lentils.
4. Mix in can of diced tomatos.
5. Simmer until lentils are cooked, adding more water of needed.
6. (opt) Add milk about 5 minutes before removeing pot from the stove. Split peas can be used instead of lentils.

Makes 2-3 servings. Serve with rice.

Sicilian Lentil Soup

1. Fry onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in olive oil.
2. Add 4-1/2 cups of water (or add a mix of broth and water to equal 4-1/2 cups), 1 cup of dry lentils, diced tomato, parsley, oregano, basil, turmeric. (opt: diced ham, bacon or chicken)
3. Cook for 30 minutes on medium-low.
4. Add 1/2 cup pasta and cook until tender.

Optional: stir in a handful of raw spinach and some parmesan cheese.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Try these, too:
Lentil Soup, Recipezaar.com #16662
Barley and Lentil Soup, La Cucina Italiana Magazine

Steamed Artichokes

Rinse artichoke and put in a pot. Fill water to cover lower half of artichoke. Cover and steam (medium heat) for about 20-25 minutes. Artichoke will be ready when you can easily pull of a leaf. Melt 1/4 cup of butter for dipping the leaves and soaking the artichoke heart. Enjoy!