Finished this painting yesterday. ~2’x2.5’ I think. Maybe a little less (I haven’t measured it yet). Acrylic, charcoal, photographs, oil stick, collage, and spray paint on found wood.

Also, in case you can’t read things b/c it’s too small (from top left to bottom right):

“Look. the Long Trip Back. Memory. a Ghost Town. The Limits of Sustenance. a Strain. STUMBLING. Fears. Amnesia. Solace.”

drawnbutter:

Champagne Cocktail

This is a great way to get rid of less than great champagne (or other sparkling wine). As an added bonus, it is pretty and elegant and is also surprisingly delicious.

Be careful not to drink too many! Those bubbles really will go straight to your head…

I finished this painting today!

It’s about 1.5’ x 4’. Charcoal, oil stick, acrylic, & mystery paint on found wood.

drawnbutter:

French Macarons

I can’t tell you how much I love these little crispy, pillowy treats! Oh my goodness. 

It’s definitely worth the effort to make these. Especially considering how much it can cost to buy these from a store! Gourmet ones in NYC seem to cost an arm and a leg per cookie.

Some fillings you can try: pistachio, dulce de leche, caramel, buttercream of any variety, jam, preserves. You can also just eat them plain!

Things to consider:

• It is important to have the egg whites at room temperature before whisking. 
• Try not to over mix once you start folding in the almond flour mixture. I usually find that it’s something like 20-30 folds. Depends on your folding technique, I guess?
• The viscosity you’re looking for is something in between free flowing and completely stiff. Like, it will very slowly ooze out of the pastry bag, but not freely flow. It might take a little practice to get this right. This will ensure nicely rounded tops but without the cookies spreading too thin.
• Making this on a cool, not humid day makes it come out nicer (and easier).

drawnbutter:

Seafood Gumbo

Remember that roux recipe? And that shrimp stock recipe? Well, now’s the time to use them! 

Gumbo is one of my favorite dishes from back where I grew up. Warm and filling, it makes a wonderful winter meal to share.

The trick to good gumbo is making a good roux. After that, the rest is easy. The dark, caramel flavors of the roux are the foundation of this dish.

The type and amount of seafood you use in this is flexible. Usually, I just buy whatever’s on sale. For fish, I’ve used catfish, tilapia, flounder, and cod. Any white fish will work fine here. If you’re feeling like a treat, crab meat is a wonderful addition. 

And I’m serious about the filé. If you can find it, it adds a flavor that you can’t get any other way. It also serves as a thickener (in the absence of okra), so it changes the texture as well as the flavor. Try to find it! 

It’s Hourly Comic Day! Here’s my hourly comics.

drawnbutter:

Cajun (Dark) Roux

This is the basis for many Cajun recipes, such as gumbo and étouffée. Cooking the flour until it is very dark adds a wonderful, complex flavor when it is used in a dish. 

Patience and constant stirring are a necessity! Don’t let it burn! You want it to have a rich, caramel flavor. You don’t want it to have a charcoal flavor.

You can double, triple, quadruple the recipe if you need. The basic idea is 1:1 ratio of flour to oil. Sometimes I add in a bit more flour. You can store the roux in the fridge or the freezer to use in the future. The oil will help it keep (it will smell rancid if it’s gone bad).

drawnbutter:

Ginger Syrup

There are a lot of cocktail uses for ginger syrup. The flavor goes great when combined with grapefruit or lemon. I use it frequently with rye or rum, but it goes well with other things, too.  Experiment, and see what happens! 

There are also a lot of non-cocktail uses for this syrup, too. For example, mix it with seltzer to make homemade ginger beer. Mixes well with tea. So many things to try!