Mary's Chocolate Cake

Mary gave me this recipe many chocolate cakes ago, and it is still our favorite.

Mary's Chocolate Cake

Boil together in the microwave:
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1 C. water
4 T. cocoa


Beat in 2 eggs.

Add:
2 C. sugar
2 C. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. soda

Stir in 3/4 C. sour cream. Don't beat too much.

Bake at 375° in preferred shape until toothpick comes out clean. Use these approximate times
Two heart pans -- 25 minutes
Two 8"or 9"  pans -- 35 minutes
9" x 13" sheet pan -- 30 minutes
jelly roll pan -- 20 minutes
Cupcakes (Use paper cupcake liners -- the recipe makes about 24) -- 20 minutes

Icing
Melt a package of milk chocolate chips with a piece of butter. Watch so chocolate doesn't burn! Beat in powdered sugar and half and half. The more sugar and cream you add, the more icing you get. It's also better, I think.

Shortbread Cookies

Just one? Ha! Impossible.

I made these this morning for C's football friends. I've had the recipe forever. They are rich and delicious. If you eat them right out of the oven (how would I know?), the powdered sugar is hot and liquid.

Shortbread

Mix:
1 C. butter
3/4 C. sugar

Add:
2 C. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 t. vanilla

Spread on ungreased cookie sheet, 1/4" - 1/2" thick. Sprinkle with plenty of powdered sugar (no need to sift it through a strainer, just glop it on. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes -- maybe less, if you've spread them thin. They get a little browned. C and I like them quite brown, but I think traditionally they are less well-done. Sprinkle with more powdered sugar, as soon as they come out of the oven. Then quickly cut them into diamonds, using a pizza cutter. Cool and then remove from pan.

10 minutes with Enrique Martinez Celaya

Here's a 10-minute movie showing the studio life of Enrique Martinez Celaya in Miami.

Enrique Martinez Celaya: Collected Writings and Interviews, 1990-2010 by Enrique Martinez Celaya
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Now that I read so much on the iPad, books themselves mean all the more to me.  This book feels good. I like the way the cover is elongated, then folded inside to the size of the book. The paper is creamy and has a tooth to it. The whole thing feels like a project, both intimate and austere.  Martínez Celaya himself autographed the title page with a narrow, slanted scratch.

And that's kind of the way he writes: it's more an incision than a view.  Simple and serious -- smart!  Lots of layers here.  Some people think visual artists can't use words, but this one can. Okay -- sometimes he's deeper than I like to delve. After all, he was getting his PhD in physics  when he abruptly (his parents thought!) chose art instead. Then he was a successful art professor at the fancy Pomona College in California, but eventually turned his back on that too

Now he has a slick studio (He would loathe the word slick -- but a recent video shows it is smooth and spare.)  in Miami's Wynwood district. I bought the book at Books & Books in Coral Gables -- mostly because C & I agree never to leave a bookstore without buying a book. I am glad.


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Jacksonville Quilt Show

Quilters Unlimited members chartered a bus and headed to the Jacksonville Quilt Fest last Saturday. I'm glad I went.

You can't see it here, but the colored fabrics are all dotted. Are the black pieces dotted too?

A small piece inspired by Picasso

Enjoying a Judges'  Mention quilt by Linda O'Sullivan of Tallahassee

The Shock of the New

The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Robert Hughes died, so I got this book from the library. I didn't know or love Hughes, so this is just about the book, not his illustrious career as an intellectual. Wow! I love this. It's an art history of the 20th century. Hughes loves the beginning -- Impressionism -- and hates the end -- big $$$ for little art. I wish I'd copied quotes; every sentence has layers: art underpinned by history and philosophy -- not to mention Hughes' often funny and always deep-seated opinions. I'd love to see the way it was made into a TV series, but can't find it on Netflix. It costs $80 on Amazon. A used paperback is $22, but I might spring for it.


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Eating dandelions

Grandma Frey used to eat dandelion greens. I can't remember if she picked them from the yard or bought them at the store. She would fry a little bacon, then add vinegar and sugar and pour it over to make a salad that only she would eat. Now I'm eating dandelion greens, and maybe it's thanks to Grandma that I love their bitter bite. They're $4 a bunch at Fresh Market -- all for me, because Clark said "No thanks" after the first try. I like them sautéed in olive oil and topped with Gorgonzola and croutons; or fried and then tipped out of the pan so I can fry an egg to go with it; or as a salad with garlicky dressing. Or just munched as a rabbit would like. Or Grandma.