Tammy Gilley Studios

In the Kitchen with Julia and Mom

 

It's a tradition.  Every Christmas.  Baking a yule log.  To be precise, baking Julia Child's Buche de Noel.  Oui.  Tres bien!!

I may have mentioned this before, but I'm a Franco-fanatic.  It's French?  Oui, je t'aime.  I love it.  Automatically. 

It all started as a little girl.  My mother was also a Francophile, studied the French language all through high school and college.  When I was little, I'm talking four years old, Mom made me French flash cards.  On a deck of blank index cards, she drew simple pictures of every day things like "cat", "dog", "house", "mother", colors, numbers, and so on.  Then she printed the English word underneath the drawing.  On the back, she printed the French word.  I practiced with those cards for hours with her.

 
She also read me all the Madeline books, the Babar books, and anything else she could find at the library that was in any way French.

That's when my love affair began.

When I got a little older, I began watching The French Chef with her on PBS.  Oh, how I loved Julia and her pearls and her jovial self.  I loved the way Mom wrote down each recipe, with notes in the margins of her legal pad on tips Julia might have given to do this or that.  I loved the way Mom laughed at Julia's little asides.  I wanted to be just like Mom and Julia.

During one episode, Julia made her Buche de Noel.  Mom and I were swooning.  And that's when the tradition began.  We made our first yule log when I was about eight-years-old, I think.  We made it during the day on Christmas Eve, to eat by the Christmas tree that evening after dinner.

In the early days, I mostly sifted flour, licked bowls, and taste-tested.  But as I grew older, I became more and more involved in the process.  And every year, we made it together on Christmas Eve.  When I came home from college, when I spent the holidays with my folks as an adult...Christmas Eve would find Mom and I in her kitchen, yule-logging.  We'd have a bit of egg nog or a glass of champagne as we made meringue mushrooms and chocolate buttercream frosting.  We would laugh and chat and sip.  Julia would have loved being in the kitchen with us, I think.

When I lost my mom a few years ago, I made my first buche de noel in my own kitchen.  It was terribly sad, and I thought I might not be able to do it anymore.  But last year, I invited my 12-year-old niece to join me, and began to pass the tradition on to her.  We had a wonderful time!  And at Thanksgiving this year, she said, "You know, Aunt Tammy, I was in a bakery and saw a yule log the other day.  It wasn't nearly as nice as ours!"  I loved that.

We enjoyed our annual "A Very Gilley Christmas" gathering over the past weekend, and though scheduling didn't permit my niece to sous-chef for me - or would that be sous-yule-log? - I baked Mom and Julia's buche de noel for my family.  When I walked into her house, my sister's eyes lit up and she squealed, "oh the yule log!  I'm so happy to see it!  I know it's a tradition and that it would be here, but it just makes me happy to see it!"  Me, too, Sis.   

Fun, Fun, Slow-Cooking, Lip-Smacking Fun!

 
What a thrill!  In my mailbox was a bubble envelope.  Heavy.  Felt like a book.  When I opened it, and pulled out two books, I did a little happy dance.  Because, hello?  Mary Engelbreit?  Come on!  And then, I thought, "hmmm...I wonder why these were in my mailbox..."  I noticed a little note in the envelope, explaining that a recipe I'd submitted a reeeeaaaalllly long time ago...so long ago, I'd completely forgotten about it...was accepted and published in her new slow cooker cookbook.  How.Fun.Is.That?

 
I absolutely love my crock pot, especially this time of year.  It's wonderful to fill it up in the morning, go to work at the gallery, and come home to dinner.  Love that!  There are some deliciously tempting recipes in Mary's book, which I can't wait to try.  In fact, I'm headed to the grocery store today to prepare one recipe for tomorrow.  I've got my last art fair tomorrow, which goes until 5pm.  It will be so nice to unload the car, get my comfies on, and cozy in for dinner.  Great timing, Mary...thanks for the cookbook! 

Happy Handmade Wednesday!

How fun!  Thanks for sharing part of your day with me!  Hope you've got your fuzzy pink slippers on and have made yourself a cup of cocoa.  Cozy in, and let's make something together.

 

Are these fun, or what??!!  Kissing Balls!!  I know!!  Sort of a funky and modern take on a traditional holiday decoration.  I'm going to show you how to do it...and here's my secret...you know all of those skinny little strips you get after you've rotary cut stacks of fabrics for quilt blocks?  These are the leftovers!  The step-by-step project is on the left sidebar, under "Toot-toot-tutorials". 

Since I work during the day, and I made my samples up at night earlier this week, I took my Kissing Balls to the gallery where I work, so I could photograph them in the daylight.  This is our window there...we get such great light that I might have to schedule more photo shoots for the gallery.  Even on a rainy day, the shots turned out well.

 
I don't know about you, but the holidays rev up my sweet tooth into a high-pitched warble!  What is it about this time of year that makes me say, "oh, just one more...it's the holidays, after all." And before I know it, another chin is sneaking it's way in.  Egads.

Well, these Egg Nog Sugar Cookies are a Gilley Family Favorite.  I promised you a recipe for Handmade Wednesday, and this is the one.  Super easy to whip up, super tasty going down. 

Egg Nog Sugar Cookies

Makes 4 dozen (which is never enough, btw)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix butter, salt, lemon zest, nutmeg, sugar, eggs, and milk together with electric mixer.  Add dry ingredients and mix thouroughly.  Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

While cookies are cooling, mix together:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

Beat until fluffy.  When cookies are cool, frost with buttercream frosting and sprinkle with festive holiday cookie sprinkles.  Pop one in your mouth...you know, to make sure they're okay for everyone else to eat.  If uncertain, try a few more until you're satisfied.  Have a glass of milk.

 
I've uploaded all of my new products to my Etsy shop.  You'll find not only my original paintings, but fine art prints in two sizes, my Think Good Thoughts cards, boxed notecards, and Art Under Glass pendants.  Anything purchased from my Etsy shop today is guaranteed to arrive at your doorstep in time for Christmas.  You have my word.  Oh, and something new for me: gift certificates.  Not sure what to buy?  A gift certificate is the perfect gift...let them select their favorite artwork from my shop.  Easy peasy.

 
And, to give those gift certificates the right send off, I think I'll give one of them away.  That's right, some lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to my Etsy shop.  Stay tuned, I'm going to tell you how you can win.

 
(Please use your best Oprah voice here)  I'm also going to give away a box of notecards!  Yes!!  You will be championing the art of the handwritten note.  No texting.  No emailing.  Actual pen to the paper, baby! 

 
But that's not all!  One more of you will each win a mini-print of one of my paintings!  I know!!

So, how do you win all these fabulous prizes?  All you need to do is this:  leave a comment here today, and tell us one of your favorite Christmas memories, or share a holiday anecdote, or tell us your favorite part of Handmade Wednesday and why you're here.  Tomorrow I will randomly select the winners.  And, it will be so much fun to read everyone's comments today!  I know, right?  I like to think of us all in one big room, eating Egg Nog Sugar Cookies and crafting little Kissing Balls, while listening to Andy Williams belt out "Happy Holidays".  Happy, happy, holiday bliss.

 
Thanks so much for taking time out of your crazy holiday schedule to be here today.  Can't think of a nicer way to spend a few minutes.  Hope you'll find a little time to whip up some cookies and catch someone under the kissing ball.  The merriest of merry and the happiest of happy to you!  xo

A Day at the Beach

 
First things first.  It was supposed to rain on Friday.  Well.  Lots of clouds.  However.  Never any rain.  It was awesome.  We walked along the promenade, ate fish and chips at our favorite spot, did some shopping.  Fun.  Good day.

 
These photos are the view from our condo.  Not ocean front, but as long as I can see the water, I'm pretty happy.  What is it about the water?  Do you have the same reaction?  I feel so much calmer.  A lot more grounded.  I just feel better at the ocean.  I feel it a liiitttllee big on a river or lake, but I really groove at the ocean.  Something about the tide maybe.  The rhythm of the waves.  I don't know, but I like it.  Always. Calms. Me. Down. 

 
This is the carousel in town...not a great photo, and the clown sort of freaks me out, but I wanted you to see the blue sky.  Gorgeous.  Happy sight.

 
And this?  Oh.  This is my pound-and-half of hand-picked-by-yours-truly salt water taffy that is a mandatory event at each and every trip to the beach.  And, yes, I have on flip flops.  I mean, how much better can it get?!  It's October!  At the beach!  I'm in flip flops!  I KNOW!!!!

 
Bagels by the Sea is all foxxed up for Halloween.  Always have to stop here for a bagle and schmear. 

 
My favorite: the "works" bagel (lots of seeds and salt) with mild pepper cream cheese, and the requisite diet soda, plus a glass of water because I'm very big into hydration right now....helps with those damn hotflashes. 

 
My favorite window boxes along Broadway.

 
I am totally stealing the mini-pumpkins-in-my-flower-pots idea, aren't you?

 
So adorable!

 
Stopped in for a bit of nostalgia (it even smelled old in there)...

 
I hated these things as a kid.  I always wound up with a headache.  I loved the look of them, though.  And I just wanted to drive it around the loop, minding my own business, if you don't mind.  I just hated it when people bashed into me!!  I wanted to scream, "hey, leave me alone, I'm driving, here!"  Sheesh.  So.  I had a very short bumper car career. (*sigh*)

 
Always felt better after having one of these, though.  I mean, come on!  It's a deep-fried weenie.  In corn bread.  Hello?

 
Mmm mmm good.

Creative Soul-Searching (Or "Thursdays With Linda")

 
Every Thursday morning, my creative soul sister Linda and I meet at 7:30 at a cozy little coffee house downtown to talk about our creative goals and dreams and secret whispers.

It has become one of my favorite hours of the week.

We've been friends for years, and our creative lives seem to run on parallel paths.  So we always have a lot to talk about.  When we started our Thursday morning "creative salons" a couple of months ago, I had no idea how impactful they were going to be on my creative life, on giving a supersonic boost to my creative mojo.

I don't know why I'm surprised though, you know?  I believe that when you ask for something, the universe is very generous.  When you ask with a loving heart for something you need in your life, I think the universe opens up, shifts around, and delivers that very thing into your life.  Case in point:

First, some background.  I found myself floundering, flip-flopping around creatively.  I was struggling with goals and deadlines and motivation.  I just lost my way somehow.  I lost my courage, and I lost my confidence.  I knew they were around somewhere, but I couldn't find them to save my life. 

There is nothing I want to make happen in my life more than I want to make my living as an artist.  There.  I said it out loud.  It's out there now.  (Please be gentle with me, dear reader.  I sort of feel like I'm in that dream...you know the one?  The one where you suddenly realize that you're naked and standing in the middle of the farmer's market or in the line at the grocery store, 101 pairs of eyes on you.)

So, my intention when I originally suggested our creative get-togethers with Linda was this:  I needed to be accountable to someone other than myself.  I needed a gentle soul to listen to my fears and help me find the affirmations to turn them into motivation.  I needed to get out of my own way, I knew that, but I needed someone to push and shove me. 

I needed help.

And the universe stepped in, in recognizable and comfortable form, my soul sister Linda.  And in our magical Thursday morning hours we've talked about so many, many things.  My eyes have opened up to so many possibilities that I have felt were so far in the distance, but have been sitting right on my doorstep all this time.  I'm taking teeny tiny little baby steps towards my dream, and each and every little bitty one of them is making me just the tiniest bit braver.  My friend sees in me the things, the traits, the qualities, that I see in other artists, but not in myself.  She's cheering me on, pushing some buttons, and challenging me to do the things that I think I cannot do. 

It's as if a breath of fresh air has been breathed into my creative life.  Like some of the fear has become motivation.  Like some of my insecurity and hesitancy has been replaced with courage and adventure.

All of that from a cup of coffee, a muffin, and a sweet, sweet friend.  If she's getting half what I'm getting from our Thursday mornings, she's getting a lot. 

Out and About

We had dinner with some friends over the holiday weekend.  No.  This is not a new high-fashion restaurant in Portland.  More on this later in the post.  This, howver...

 
...was my burger at Produce Row.   (And, is it just me, fellow Portlanders, or has Produce Row grown up and gotten a little less shabby and a little more swanky?)  In any event, they still make the best burger around, and pour a cold beer.  And dessert?  How about a "s'more" in a dish with caramel sauce.  Mmm hmm.  You heard that right.

I had to be lifted from the table after dinner with a crane.  Not pretty.

As we wandered into the Hawthorne neighborhood the next morning, we were being followed by this:

No.  Wait.  You've got to get a closer look:

Yup.  Full-on placesetting, on the trunk of the Chevy Lumina.  I howled!  The whole thing is freaking fantastic!  It really embodies our infamous bumper sticker: "Keep Portland Wierd".  Love it, love it, love it.

Oh, and Mary...if you're reading this today, when I saw this:

...it totally made me think of you and your yarn-tagging.  :)  The ENTIRE light pole was tagged in really ugly polyester lace trim circa 1976...but, strangely, it worked!

Fun, fun, fun in the neighborhood this weekend!   

Berry. Yummy. Pie.

I baked my very first pie crust last spring.  I know.  Can you believe it?  I don't know why it took me so long to get my nerve up to do it.  And now that I have, I am so pissed off at myself for not doing it sooner!  Hello?  Homemade pie crust is YUMMY!!!  Nothing holds a candle to it.  N.O.T.H.I.N.G.

 
We went to the farmer's market yesterday here in our little country town.  Our 11-year-old nephew, Truman, spent the night with us Friday night.  After we filled ourselves to bursting with pancakes yesterday, we three toddled off to the market.  Everything is so yummy and pretty and yummy right now!!  And the berries.  (SWOON!)  The berries.  Spec.tac.u.lar.  We bought a couple baskets of these blackberries, and my friends, they are monstrous!  And sweet.  And gushy.  And yummy.  Did I say yummy?  Yum.my. 

 

So, I made a pie crust, and said, "Berries, get in that crust!"

Look how rich and dark they are.  All fruity goodness.  Seriously, nearly black blackberries.  Juicy, juicy, berry, goodness.

So.  Not the prettiest crust, but can I tell you how wonderful my house smells right now?!  I can hardly wait for it to cool off enough to taste!!  
 

A Whole Latte Love Goin' 'Round

So.  Today I go through the drive-thru at my local Starbucks, which I rarely do, because it's one of those extravagances that I've given up for the time being.  But, this morning the weather was dismal, I was cold driving to the gallery, and just wanted me a latte.  Make it all bettah.  So, I place my order, the rain driving into the window as I yell over the wind, "I would like a tall non-fat latte and an orange-cranberry scone, please!"  (Because, hell, I'm saving who-knows-how-many-calories with the n/f milk, so I deserve a scone, right?!)  Anyhooooo.  I roll up my window, crank the butt-heater in my seat to scorch, and drive up to the pay-your-money-get-your-coffee window, which is thankfully covered with an awning to protect me from the elements.  I hand the barista/money-handler my magic money card and she smiles at me and says, "Oh, no, the person ahead of you paid for your coffee today."  Huh?  "Really?!"  And now I'm grinning, because how fun is that?!  So, naturally, I said, "Well, I'd like to pay for the latte behind me!"  The barista/money-handler's grin grew even wider and she said, "sure!"  And now I can't stop about thinking about it.  It's made my day!  Has this ever happened to you?  I mean, it really started something, the person ahead of me.  She not only made my day, but from all evidence, also the barista/money-handler's day, and the-person-in-line-behind-me's day.  And who knows where it started or how long it went on?!  So, thank you to the person in the blue Dodge Durango.  Cheers!

What a Tart!

Nothing says late summer to me like a rustic peach tart.  Mmm mmm good!  (So good, in fact, that I had a slice for breakfast this morning, with my coffee!)

I thought I'd share the recipe with you, should you have some too-ripe-too-eat-but-too-sweet-to-toss peaches hanging out in your kitchen.  This is super-easy to make.  In fact, once you've made my rustic peach tart, I know you'll come up with all sorts of different fillings as the seasons change.  Imagine a rustic apple tart with caramel sauce, or a rustic pecan tarte...or...

Rustic Peach Tart

Pastry:

1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cube cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 large egg, beaten
2-3 tablespoons cold water

Filling:

1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine dry ingredients in a food processor with steel blade attachment.  Cut in the butter with rapid pulses.  Add the egg and 2 tablespoons of water.  Pulse until the dough gathers in clumps.  If the dough seems dry, add another 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of water.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out the pastry dough on a floured surface, creating a very thin 17" round.  Place on the lined cookie sheet.  Roll any overhanging pastry onto itself, toward the center of the tart.  Refrigerate 30 minutes to overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix the sugar and flour in a large bowl.  Add the peaches and lemon juice and toss well, coating all the the peaches with sugar mixture.  Unfold your tart pastry.  Pile the fruit onto the center of the tart.  Roll the over-hanging tart onto the peaches.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.  Serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.  Bon appetit!

Mais, bien sur!

Saw this movie.  Loved it!! 

Of course, being the francophile that I am, I had read both books the movie is based on:  Julie & Julie, by Julie Powell and My Life In France, by the master of French cooking herself, Julia Child.

I used to watch The French Chef on PBS with my mom when I was little.  As I began outfitting my own kitchen, Mom gave me my first copy of The French Chef Cookbook.  And now I have Mom's dog-eared, sauce-stained copy of Mastering The Art of French Cooking.  So fun.  Every Christmas, Mom and I set out to create Julia's Bouche du Noel (Yule Log Cake).  It's a tradition I have continued.  I'm hoping my 10-year-old niece will enjoy helping me this year, beginning a new tradition of cookery in the Gilley clan.  More fun. 

I'm re-reading My Life In France now.  Makes me want to hop on a plane and go!  At the very least, makes me want to hop into "the pod" and head back to the cinema to see the movie again.