RECIPE: Bruna Brod

October 17, 2012

Happy teatime memories

Tea time with Swedish Bruna Brod cookies

A favorite cookie of mine with tea, is the Swedish Bruna Brod butter cookie my grandmother always made. I became very fond of tea in college when I took a month long trip to England with my grandmother. I love the pause of afternoon tea. I have wonderful memories of sitting at my her kitchen table, talking, drinking tea, and eating her almond flavored, buttery Bruna Brod cookies. She seemed to always have them on hand. Warm memories.

BRUNA BROD        
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg yolk
1 TBS molasses
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 1/2 cups flour

Beat butter and sugar; continue beating and add egg, corn syrup, almond extract and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together and mix with other ingredients, a little at a time. Divide dough into 7 parts. Form each part into a long, log roll. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Leave adequate room between rolls as the dough will flatten out. Bake at 350 preheated oven, for 14-16 minutes (if you are not using parchment, start with 12 minutes and check). Cool 3 minutes, then while still warm, cut into diagonal strips and remove from pans.

My Little Kitchen Helper!

TEA WITH FRIENDS

Impromptu Tea with Girlfriends

Tea is wonderful. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love coffee! I can’t live without it. It is my morning ritual. I seem to need my coffee buzz to make it through the hectic-morning-get-everybody-out-the-door routine. But then, after that, a mellow, warm cup of tea can really hit the spot. I get together with a few of my girlfriends a couple times a month over tea. We drop off the kids at school and meet at one of our houses where we talk, laugh, cry, vent, encourage, pray, and just sit and sip together. With our hectic lives, these times are often quite impromptu. Sometimes it’s a text sent out the day before “come for tea tomorrow?” Other times there is actually a little planning and prep, but always simple and easy. There is the freedom to serve tea in mugs, sitting on the couch, barefoot, or in your grandmother’s china, at the table, if you feel like it. It’s really just about connecting.  This is not afternoon tea with its dainty sandwiches and bite size delicacies. This is a last minute, mid-morning get together. At my house, I usually have a few staples, like a variety of teas both herbal and caffeinated. I always have on hand cheese, nuts, dark chocolate, and fruit. Sometimes I get a wild hair and actually bake something, but it is never expected, which is a relief.
So I encourage you to invite your girlfriends over (the ones who won’t judge you because the morning dishes are still in the sink) and whip up that scone mix in the cupboard if you have time...if not, heat the kettle and pull out the cups (and that dark chocolate that you have been hiding). You’ll be glad you did. Sip and savor. 

Tea Time

Winsome Wednesday! October 10, 2012

I{HEART}ART: Inspiration: IMAGINATION

This week I am featuring two rooms I painted for identical twin boys. Their mom (my client) is a creative genius! Collaborations with her are always fun and exciting. I first painted for this family when the boys were 18 months old; they are now five, and the murals needed an update. To the room that already had dinosaurs, race cars, cities, roads, planes, etc. I added a T-Rex fighting off an alien invasion.  I really can’t take credit for these ideas...my client dreams all of this up! She tells her boys amazing stories about the sun and the moon, mice and dragons, space travel on other planets...on and on. The challenge and the fun is trying to climb in her head to see what she is envisioning and then create ideas for the murals. 
What I truly appreciate is how she allows creativity to flow throughout her home. How many of us would listen to our kids say “Mom, I want blue aliens in a space ship battle with a dinosaur!” and respond with “OK, let’s do it!” Not many of us...I know my first response might be "but, that doesn't match your perfectly coordinated bedroom." I need to loosen up and encourage my kids personal creativity, not just my own design agenda. She is dreaming up the fun with her boys and listening to their creative hearts too. I love it!  

Outer Space Room:
                         

                            

Wild World Room:

And Oh Yes, GROW SLOW, babes...time goes too fast.

Winsome Wednesday! October 3, 2012

Happy October! 

 I{HEART}ART:  Inspiration:  PUMPKINS!

It is safe to say that I have a “thing” for pumpkins. My husband might go so far as to call it an obsession...hmm, maybe. What I do know for certain is that October is my absolute favorite month of the year. The weather is (usually) fantastic; earthy, warm colors abound, long awaited treats arrive on the scene (like pumpkin cream cheese muffins at Starbucks), and pumpkins are everywhere. The good ol’ fashioned orange ones are great, but I especially love the white, green, cinderella, and other varieties that are available. I literally have hundreds of pumpkin photos that I have taken over the years and those have served as inspiration back at my studio. 

"Stacked Pumpkins" art by Tina C. Wells

"Blue Pumpkins" art by Tina C. Wells

"Pumpkins on a Pallet" art by Tina C. Wells

"Multicolored Pumpkins" art by Tina C. Wells

"Colorful Pumpkins" art by Tina C. Wells

"Oh Pumpkins!" art by Tina C. Wells

RECIPE: Carmel Apples

Carmel Apples with twig skewers

I include this not because it is anything new, but because it is so very easy and fun, especially with the kiddos.  

While in Michigan, my son and I made these delicious treats together. We took a little walk through the woods gathering the perfect sticks. We used the apples we had picked a few days earlier. These worked perfectly because the grocery had not added the ‘beautifying’ wax; this can cause the carmel to slip right off the apple. It is best to purchase organic apples that hopefully have no wax coating on them. 

We used approximately 14 oz of carmel cubes and 2 TBS milk in a sauce pan on medium heat. This was enough for 4 medium/large apples. To insert the twigs, I first stabbed the apples with skewers. 
Since I was at the cabin and doing this project with an 8 year old boy, we kept it simple with just carmel, but at home I like to dip some in chocolate and nuts in addition.
ENJOY!

SIMPLY CREATIVE: Painted Pumpkin

Painted Pumpkin

You can do this (even if you think you can't paint)! This took about half an hour and it was simple and fun. Here it is, step-by-step:

Materials:
large orange pumpkin
brown acrylic craft paint (about $1 at Michaels)
small round paint brush

Painted Pumpkin, step-by-step

Start by painting brown at the stem and down the grooves for depth; soften the paint edges with your finger, or a rag.

Next, paint leaves along either side of one of the grooves. Darken that groove. 

On the next flat space between grooves, make a center dot and then add petals around; fill the space from top to bottom with flowers.

Add dots between leaf and flower designs.

Repeat all the way around the pumpkin.

Note: this is meant for a pumpkin on a covered patio, or inside, as this is not paint that will hold up to the elements outside.

JOURNEY: Michigan, part 2

A few photos that give the flavor of the area:

Goshorn Lake, MI
Lovely, little Goshorn Lake is separated from Lake Michigan by two miles of sand dunes. During our week stay, we watched the leaves turn increasingly crimson and golden.

Cabin Decor

                                     

 The cabin is built entirely of logs, and all interior walls of wood. Our whole family collaborated on the project, everyone adding a touch somewhere in the cabin, including my husband's trophy coues deer that hangs by the fireplace. The bedrooms are themed with boats, bears, trains, and trees, which adds a bit of whimsy.

 The town of Saugatuck is 2 miles away from the cabin and offers artsy shops and cafes. A few of my favorites are above, starting with the cool retro sign as you enter the town. Middle left is the quirky shop, Amsterdam on Blue Star Hwy. where you can find everything from antiques to funky repurposed items. Center is Mermaids Bar and Grill, with a great outdoor deck, dockside on the river. Center right is Uncommon Grounds, charming coffee shop with their own roasted coffee and homemade pastries. Bottom is Good Goods, a shop full of intriguing artisan-made objects.

Saugatuck Dune Ride

The dune ride is something I have always wanted to do, but never had. Besides being fast, and fun, the driver tells the interesting history of the area.

Lake Michigan

One of my favorite things to do while visiting the cabin is to hike to Lake Michigan from the Felt Mansion. The hike is about a mile and takes you through a thick forest. All of a sudden, there is a glimpse of the lake. It looks like the Atlantic, waves, beach grass, and so vast that you can't see the other side. Beautiful.

Winsome Wednesday! September 26, 2012

September 23, 2012

I{HEART}ART:  Inspiration: APPLES

Apple picking in Michigan inspired an entire series of paintings:

Apples with a Bee, art by Tina C. Wells

Apples in a Basket, art by Tina C. Wells

Golden Apples, art by Tina C. Wells

Red Apples, art by Tina C. Wells

Apples on Blue, art by Tina C. Wells

JOURNEY: Welcoming Autumn in Michigan

It is officially fall. In Southern California, we have no idea Autumn has arrived; we are still busy chasing our endless romance with Summer, that often lasts well into October. This week I am visiting the family cabin near Lake Michigan, and I am well aware that truly, it is Fall. Red and orange leaves have started to make an appearance on the trees, and there is a crispness in the air.  

We made it for apple picking in the nick of time. At Crane’s Farm, the last day to pick was Sunday. Golden Delicious was all that was left on the trees; we wandered through the vast orchard, trying to linger and enjoy the moment, but it went all too quickly as our kiddos anxiously filled our bag with fruit. The best apples were at the top, so James held the kids over his head to reach the high ones. After picking apples, we stopped at Crane’s Pantry for their homemade apple cider doughnuts and fudge sauce (add vanilla ice cream and apple slices...mmm). 

Crane's Apple Farm

The log cabin is on a beautiful little lake with lots of wildlife, beautiful swans, turkeys, deer, and big black squirrels (native to the area). Many different trees are daily showing more color. I am always taken with the bits of nature all around me...fallen leaves, acorns, verdant green moss, and fallen branches. The sights and sounds of this place are so different from my surroundings in the West. 

Beautiful fall colors reflecting on the lake

Apparently, there is a garden gnome  living in the tree by the lake!

We are in the charming, artsy town of Saugatuck, perfectly situated on the Kalamazoo River. Full of art galleries, little shops and cafes, Saugatuck is dedicated to art in many forms. The children's park in town has colorful public art sculptures. Love it!

SIMPLY CREATIVE: 

Bits of nature gathered during a walk in the woods were then glued onto a small wood frame with a hot glue gun:

"A Walk in the Woods" 

collected bits of nature

A small painting was also conceived...

Woodland Finds, art by Tina C. Wells

RECIPE: Apple Crisp

Truly, the key is good, tart apples in season. We used local Michigan McIntosh apples with excellent results. 

This recipe is from a good family friend, Kathy, who visited the cabin and made her special treat to share. My mom has been making it ever since, and yesterday showed me. 

Apple Crisp

10-12 medium apples (tart) depending on size, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1tsp (+) pumpkin pie spice (which is a combo of ginger, nutmeg, and a little allspice)
1/3 cup flour
4 TBS butter, melted

TOPPING
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar 
1 stick (8 TBSP) butter melted
optional: pecans or walnuts chopped

Mix dry ingredients and toss with apples in a large bowl. Spray 9x13 dish with cooking spray and add apple mixture evenly. Drizzle melted butter over apples. Prepare topping by mixing together and then using hands to evenly distribute over top of apples.

Bake 350 preheated oven, 55-65 minutes. 
ENJOY!