a peek behind Lark Studio...

skirt! loves me

My NOEL Scrabble Tile ornament received some love from skirt! Richmond editor Constance Costas in this month's issue.

Carrot Souffle

I am NOT a fan of cooked carrots.  Never have been.  A few years ago my Step-mother hipped me to the Carrot Souffle at our local Picadilly Cafeteria and I've been hooked ever since.  Normally we just go to Picadilly and order a huge pan of it to take home.  Last year I decided to find a recipe to duplicate the dish and perfect it to my tastes (the one from the Cafeteria can be a bit too sweet).  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Carrot Souffle

(Serves 6 - 8)

2 pounds organic or local carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks

1/32 teaspoon (smidgen) kosher salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar (2/3 cup is good if you use the powdered sugar below)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla

1/8 teaspoon (dash) cinnamon

2 1/2 Tablespoon unbleached flour

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Steam carrots until they are extra soft. (NOTE: you can boil the carrots in salted water if you don't have a steamer basket.) Drain carrots well.  While the carrots are warm, transfer them to a large mixing bowl.  Add salt, granulated sugar, baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon.  Whip with a mixer until smooth.  (NOTE: I don't take mine to baby food stage, I like to see a wee bit of carrot chunk in my souffle.)  Add flour and mix well.  Add eggs to carrot mixture and blend well.  Add butter to carrot mixture and blend well.  Pour mixture into 2 quart souffle dish or into a baking dish about half full (the souffle will rise).  Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 45 minutes or until top is light brown.  Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

Dish can be served as a sweet vegetable side or even dessert.

(Adapted from Diana Rattray at About.com and trial and error)

Good, motivational info for makers

It's that time of the year when most of us with art/craft businesses are wound down - taking a break from a (hopefully) busy holiday season.  Here is a great, short, motivational podcast from Alyson B. Stanfield, author of the Art Biz Blog, on how best to utilize this down time.

How did I ever have time to have a full-time job?

Whew...I've been busy since I left my full-time job.  So much so that I have to wonder how I juggled both my crafty endevours and work in previous years.  When I decided to get up from my week long nap after my "retirment" began, I was all about planning our first Fall Open House.  The DH and I haven't had a number of people over to our house at one time since about 2000.  That is way too long!  We had done some remodeling in 2008, and were celebrating both our birthdays and our new found freedom from working for "da man".  What better way to commemorate all of that than with a party, right?  The DH even showcased is expansive collection of classic hip-hop posters throughout the house. The event was a great way to kick off the holiday season - good times, good food and good friends!

Since then, other than the requisite break for Thanksgiving cooking, its been all about holiday craft shows.  Sorry for the last minute-ness of this, but if you are looking for cool gifts in downtown Richmond, stop by the Fawn Shop.  We are only open through Saturday December 13th so hurry on down!

Can't make it to the store?  No worries, I got you covered.  Come see me at the Richmond Craft Mafia's fourth annual Handmade Holiday show.  We went bigger and better this year - featuring over 30 local artists and crafters from the area, the show will be 2 days and at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.