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By doriluthy, January 31, 2007 12:09 pm

We had a little dinner party here last Friday with a theme of “beans, nuts, berries and seeds”. (perfect for vegetarians!)
I wanted to share what Chris (the resident veggie) said was the best loaf he’d ever had. Yeah!
I altered the recipe a bit from the original, so here it is, Dori style:

Rice and Walnut Loaf with Cashew Gravy

• brown rice- probably close to 3 cups when cooked- enough so it doesn’t spill out of the pan you have.
• 1/4 cups walnuts, roasted, chopped
• 4 Tbspn sunflower seeds, lightly roasted
• 1/2 medium sized onion, minced
• 1 celery stalk, minced
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese (i think I used a bit more, like 2/3 cup? but it’s cheese! the more the better!)
• 1 Tbsp digon mustard
• 2 Tbsp cilantro or parsley, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together (I added the rice last to see how much would fit in the pan), put into a lightly oiled loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350* until lightly browned and internal temp is 165*F, about 75-90 minutes. Serve with cashew gravy.

Cashew Gravy (aka: blended heaven. I could eat this stuff plain)

• 3 large onions, diced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup cashew butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2-3/4 cup water (as needed)
• Optional Ingredients
• 1/2-1 lb mushrooms, sauteed and added to finished gravy
• 2-3 cloves garlic, sauteed with the onions
• 1-2 Tbsp basil, chopped, added to finished gravy

Saute onions in oil over medium heat until caramel colour. Stir often to avoid browning! Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add water to desired, gravy-like, consistency. Add any optional ingredients. (highly recommend the MUSHROOMS! They are amazing in this!)

The loaf is super simple, pretty basic ingredients, and really just out of this world. A very moist loaf. I served it with sauteed swiss chard. And I should have taken pictures. What else did we have? A very lovely fresh pea soup, and Chris brought raw cacao beans that he roasted, crushed, cooked and served in a variety of ways- plain, with coconut milk, & with coconut milk and strawberries. (The cacao was frickin’ amazing!) It was a mightly food night!

I’m ready to do that again.
ciao

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By doriluthy, January 29, 2007 1:08 pm

It’s cold today in Vancouver. Even our apartment that usually stays warm is chilly today. I’ve got wool socks, a thick sweater, and a scarf on as I write this, and I’m still cold! I’m feeling hestiant about going to the studio this morning cause I know it will be cold, very cold. AH! I must go. I have 2 pieces I started last week to continue on.

I started on the Artist Way yesterday. I have been experiencing a tremendous amount of self-doubt and confusion the past couple weeks about working in my studio, creating art, the value of what I am doing, etc… It may not come across in talking to me, but I have a big moster hiding called self-doubt. And it’s time to uncover and chat with it. This morning’s journaling already stirred up some unpleasant realizations and lordy, watch out. The biggest form of sabatoge I’ve been dealing with over the past 2 years? ME saying “well I could always just get pregnant” in regards to “if the art thing doesn’t work out”. How many times have I said that?! As if making babies was more important than making art right now. I’m only 28! I am not a baby factory, that is not my purpose in life, it may be one of the things I decide to take on at some point, but motherhood is not my reason for existence. And yet, with people telling me weekly, you know you shouldn’t wait much longer, kids are such a joy, and me also telling myself these things… but I’m also telling myself how I want to dedicate myself to my art career for the next couple years. How conflicting is this? No wonder I can’t get my brain sorted out to feel confident in what I’m doing. This is a big thing to get through my head, for years I have been feeling like children are the only path I know of certainty in my life. I know I will be a good mom. But a good artist? The problem is I keep forgetting to include the path of Dori is an artist and she doesn’t even consider childrearing cause that is not her sole purpose in life.  “Just think of all of the  wonderful things you will have to teach your kids” Yeah, but what about me? Right now? This is my life, not my hypathetical kids’s life. I am calling the shots.

The A-Way is big on affirmations. Here’s one I’m saying to myself today: I am a successful artist, AND I am not going to be a mother to anyone but myself. (and my self/mother says “do what makes you happy, that is your only job today”)

What are your monsters? What are your affirmations?

ciao.

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By doriluthy, January 28, 2007 5:21 pm

Many more reasons to feel gratitude for what I have in my life, and the ability to make choices about how I live this life, and cause to ask myself “what more can I be doing?”.

http://www.miniature-earth.com/

(thanks Ashley)

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By doriluthy, January 24, 2007 2:36 pm

I’m just heading to the Library for research day (part of my weekly business plan) but wanted to quick post before I head out. I was feeling really run-down yesterday (i think i have another ear infection), so i stayed home and made art. Here’s a sample of a couple pieces. They are pages from an old poetry book published in 1864 with pen/ink and watercolour.

I did 6 of them. I was thinking about matting or framing them somehow… ?? Got me thinking about doing some lino printing on pages, too. And similar line work on  ceramic pieces… and old photographs transfered onto clay…

Off to the library!

ciao

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By doriluthy, January 23, 2007 11:23 pm

D. and I are very close to having our permanant residency application ready to mail! All that’s missing is photos and writing the big cheque. We should have it all ready this weekend to mail. Then we wait. It’s an exciting position to be in- we’ve been temporary residents of Canada for 4 1/2 years, every year having to reapply for visa status, health insurance, SIN cards, etc. It’s a lot of paper work and time to be able to stay in a foreign country. This will be the fifth country I have lived in, but the first one I’ll have official status in. (not counting the country of my birth, of course)
It’s a lot to consider- here’s what permanent residency means as I sit here: Our children will be born in Canada. We are going to buy our first home in Canada. We still can’t vote. (but I’m happy to reserve that right for US elections for now.) We will raise our kids to celebrate Thanksgiving in October and they will know who Terry Fox is. We can stay as long as we want without worries of visas, health insurance, or SIN cards expiring again. It also means that we are committing the next few years of our lives to remaining in Canada. Not a big deal, except the itchiness I get to move to a completely new place about every 4-5 years. (did i mention we’ve been here about 4 1/2 years? Itch itch…)

Well, maybe that’s it. My only hesitations come in thinking about “settling down”, when at this very moment I could list 3-4 countries I would like to move to for a while. Hmph. I know that I’m entering a stage in my life when kids are imminent, and I am working to develop a career and it helps to be stationary for a bit to do that… but but but… One thing is that D. isn’t a ‘moving every few years’ kind of guy. Not alot of people are, though, so I can understand that. Here’s my theory- I only get one chance at this thing called ‘life’. I want to do as much as I can, learn new languages, experience new cultures, crafts, and foods, and I’ve found in my experiences that the most intimate way to do that is to go live somewhere for a while. I am already 28, and what causes me fear more than anything is wasting my life-time. I don’t know exactly what that means, but I just don’t want to waste opportunities to learn or share or pass on some love. It’s a mental block that keeps me from acknowledging that I do all of these things wherever I am, regardless, and I don’t need to travel to get what is right around me here… But some days I feel so restless- yes! My days of youth are coming to a close, and I am feeling very restless! And permanent residency is a ticket to stay in Canada… Can you see the challenge of this situation? (don’t worry if you can’t, it’s all imaginary)…

I’ve never planned this far ahead into my future, and we are committing the next minimum 4 years to Vancouver. I guess that’s bound to cause some stress to someone who’s never lived more than 5 years in one place in her life! Hmm… Time for some new life-projects to keep me busy. (projects other than scoping out real estate in Mexico, tech jobs for D. in Scotland, or 6 month sculpture residencies in Japan.) I’m a girl who loves projects, did I mention that before?  So I this is my new project : How to settle down. Maybe i’ll take up interior decorating as a hobby? paint colours and fabric swatches… yes…
ciao.