Weekly Tiles 10/24/2016 – 10/30/2016

Diva Challenge 290 – ’Nzeppel & Flux Duotangle

A duotangle is a *tile or design with two and only two tangles (duh). This week the Diva's challenge was to do a duotangle of 'Nzeppel and Flux. Both are tangles I use overuse frequently, though rarely together. 

Flux is an interesting tangle because unlike most, it has two “official” forms with two *stepouts. Before I did the tiles, I drew and shaded both versions of Flux in my sketchbook.

Two versions of Flux with different shading

 My first attempt was in another sketchbook on tan paper, which unfortunately doesn’t photograph well. I’m sure there’s a way to restore the lovely tan hue of the paper, but I’ll leave that for another day. The idea was to explore layers and shading and introduce a little color. 'Nzeppel is the wire-like tangle at top and bottom.

Diva Challenge 290, Tile #1 

 Not entirely happy with that one. ‘Nzeppel is a grid-based tangle, and I thought, “what if I take one of the repeating units in ‘Nzeppel and use it as a *string, then filled the squashed balloon segments with both versions of Flux?"

Diva challenge 290 - 'Nzeppel and Flux, attempt #2

Ahh, that’s better. I know Zentangle says that there are no mistakes, and that you shouldn't be critical of your own work, but there are always going to be tiles that you think turn out better than others.

It was a relatively busy and stressful week, so I finished two more tiles that I started in Hilton Head, just to relax. The first one kind of captures what my week was like!

Mr. E, Crescent Moon, Hollibaugh,Tipple, Black Pearl, Florz, Tripoli, Mooka

Garlic Cloves, Binda, 1/2 Orbs, Ruutz

That's it for this week. Thought I would start defining my terms (not everybody tangles!)

*tile – from Linda Farmer’s blog: “A 3 1/2-inch x 3 1/2-inch (89 mm x 89 mm) square card of high quality paper. The format of a Zentangle®. So named because completed tiles can be arranged together to create a beautiful mosaic.”

*string – from Linda Farmer’s blog: “One or several random free-form pencil lines drawn within the tile’s border, creating sections within which one adds tangle patterns to create a Zentangle®.”

*stepout – A series of steps used to create a tangle.

Weekly tiles (plus tempus fugit)

Been gone for a while. Been busy, been covered up, but mostly just lost in the day-to-day. I think it’s time to get back on here again, even if this becomes an “action item” in my BuJo (ask me – I dare you).  I guess that’s the Rational in me coming out.

Anyway. One of my favorite Zentangle Artists is Lily Moon. Her work inspires me. Her productivity inspires me. Her blog inspires me. It’s not chatty, not full of technique, rationale, daily life. Though she often posts themes (“color”) or thoughts, usually what she does is regularly post what she creates each week or two. Often with no comment, just pictures. And I spend hours studying what she posts.

So I think I’m going to try that. I have been posting my work occasionally on Facebook, but since only a handful of my FB friends really give a damn about my art, I feel like I’m showing off a little to the others. Makes me uncomfortable. Plus, I can only post finished work.

I’m going to try and post once a week, Sunday, for now. I can post my art, my tiles, my sketchbook, knowing that only friends who are interested will seek me out.

Like Lily, I do have thoughts/opinions, I do have progressions, I do have themes and tutorials. But mostly I want to have a place to put my “stuff.” Comments will always be welcome as will silence.

Work from October 15 - 22 (more or less):

Facebook Square One Challenge: Tagh (with Antique, Shattuck and A tiny Tipple)

Diva Challenge #289

The Diva challenge for last week was "Leafy Goodness." Looking at her blog now, I realize that I did something very similar to the Diva's example. Oh, well. Sincerest form of flattery, blah, blah, blah.

Then, of course, the Election. Zentangle relaxes one, requires focus, takes one away from day-to-day inanity. So of course, having watched Debate #1 and #2, I decided in favor of sanity to draw instead of watch.
 So here is what I did when I wasn't obsessing over CNN or watching the Debate:

Zendala, unshaded

Zendala, shaded

Plus, I shaded a couple of tiles from Hilton Head that I had not finished:

Anyway, thanks for listening. 'Til next week!

Cooking Class #2, and a WIP

Wednesday was the second of the two cooking classes I signed up for at Michael Anthony's this trip..

Greeted with a glass of Prosecco, as usual.

Minestrone was the soup this time, and like the Italian Wedding Soup we did last time, was totally different from versions I've had before. Vegetarian (or Vegan, I can't keep them straight), with onions, butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, and Savoy cabbage. 

All the versions I've had before have included some type of pasta, which is not traditional in Italy, according to Chef Chris. Instead we used farro and Borlottis. Borlottis are dried beans, very similar to what we call Cranberry beans here, that are soaked over night and cooked til tender. They are perfect for this dish because even after cooking they retain bite and don't get mushy like other beans. Chris says the appeal of this dish is that it's not watery like a lot of Minestrones, but has what he calls "Guts." It was truly delicious, so much so that I forgot to take a picture in its pristine state, but plunged right in. Sorry!

Minestrone with"Guts"

The entree for this class was a traditional Chicken Cacciatore served on a bed of the best polenta I've ever tasted. The chicken was cooked perfectly, not dried out, not stringy, but tender and moist. If you've ever braised chicken, you know how difficult it is to get it perfect. 

This is one of the reasons I take these classes - I learn the "best" way to prepare things like polenta, risotto, chicken, etc. - straight from the Chef's mouth, so to speak. And Chef Chris is extraordinary. Many of the recipes he teaches are not on Michael Anthony's menu, but are recipes he learned from the Italian side of the family while growing up in New Jersey . 

Chicken Cacciatore with polenta

Finally we closed with a whole pear, poached in Cabernet wine and cinnamon. After the pear is cooked, it is removed from the pot and the wine reduced to a yummy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, sauce that you can smell a mile away. In this case it was served with a scoop of vanilla Gelato. Very light dessert, which was good after the two dishes that preceded it.

Cabernet-poached Pear

There was no tangling on my menus during the breaks like last week. I was seated at a table with three delightful ladies who were attending for the first time and commanded my full attention! They apparently were not aware that they needed to pace themselves, both with the wine and the food, so all three were a little buzzed and stuffed by the end of the meal. They agreed that it was a lot of fun, and that they would do it again..

I have been doing a little Zentangle-Inspired-Art (ZIA), which I will share in another post after it's finished. Here's a WIP teaser, though:

Until next time (probably from home - sigh), Aloha.

When I'm not tangling...

If you've read my blog before, you'll know that one of my favorite things to do while on Hilton Head is to take one or more of the cooking classes at Michael Anthony's Cucina Italiana. I've been doing this for several years now, and it has completely changed how I cook. Last April I took two of them and reported on it in this blog entry, and in this one.

There are two types of classes - Hands-on and Demo. The Hands-on classes are my favorite, since you get to prepare each dish yourself (sometimes with a partner).  But they also take longer - up to 4 hours if you get lucky in your partner! Plus, you don't sit down for the lunch you've prepared until everything is done. That means a late, heavy lunch, which puts a damper on dinner plans.

The Demo classes, where Executive Chef Chris Johnson prepares the dishes while you watch and take notes, only takes 2 hours, and you taste the dishes as he finishes each one. Easier on the time, and you eat early enough that you can still enjoy dinner.. So I signed up for two of the Demo classes this time - the first was today. The handout has all the recipes that Chef Chris prepares in the class, and as you arrive you are given that, plus a nice glass of Prosecco.

Here is the layout and kitchen for the class. Get there early enough to get a seat where you can see every detail without resorting to the TV screen! I got there first, so I snagged the second seat from the right, where my nose was practically on the cutting board!

The kitchen

One of the things that slows down the Hands-on class is assembling the mise-en-place, all your ingredients, measured out before you begin and in some rough order of their use. For the Demo classes, this is all done ahead of time (it's good to be Chef).

The mise-en-place. Note the heavy Italian pounder in front, used for preparing the pork scallopine.

 Lunch includes wine, red or white, Prosecco in the center. 

 The first dish was Italian Wedding Soup, which we were told is not Italian, but Italian-American. The inspiration for this soup is a dish from the Campania and Lazio regions of Italy called "marriage soup," which originally referred not to nuptials but to the "marriage" of meat and greens. Whatever its origin, this recipe is so-o-o much better than the insipid Italian Wedding Soups I've had in the past. I can hardly wait to make it at home!

 Italian Wedding Soup 

Second dish - Occhi di Lupo alla Sardignola. Occhi di Lupo means "Eye of the Wolf" and refers to the pasta which is traditionally used in this Sardinian dish. We used a similar pasta - a mezzi rigatoni. This light and really satisfying dish has pasta, mild Italian sausage, and arugula, served in a light Pomodoro sauce.

Mezzi Occhi di Lupo

Occhi di Lupo alla Sardignola

The final dish was Scallopine di Maiale con Balsamico (Pork scallopine in a balsamic reduction). In the recipe was a pepper that I had never heard of before, but will certainly use - peppadew. It actually from Africa, and has an intensely sweet taste, but with a kick at the end. Absolutely delicious. Served here with sauteed spinach (which was actually green)

Scallopine di Maiale con Balsamico

There was a little down time between courses, so to keep myself from guzzling wine, I tangled on the only piece of paper available. It might only have been lunch, but I still had to drive home. Fortunately, I am never without my Micron pens!

The second entry in Diva Challenge #236: Freeform Aquafleur, Curly Bracket Feather, Fescu, Mooka
Fern
Cadent, Poke Leaf, and Poke Root

A good time was had by all, Especially me. I've signed up for another one next week!

Diva Challenge #236, or when to know you're finished

This week's Diva Challenge was to Tangle Something Unexpected. For me, it also turned into an unexpected challenge to stop tangling.

We are on vacation this week, on Hilton Head Island. We have a lot of friends here, almost all chefs and servers at fine restaurants. Some of them, like Chef Chaun Bescos, we've known for years. We've watched his progress from sous-chef at Alexander's Restaurant to Executive Chef at Redfish Hilton Head. Anyway, we have several restaurants that we try to visit a couple of times each while on the Island. Since we have our favorite server[s] at each, we have to juggle reservations so that we hit the restaurant on the nights they are working. Plus in the case of Redfish, we have to schedule for nights when both our favorite server Whitney, and Chaun are there.

So we have a calendar that I print off before leaving home where we can write in reservations - both planned and made. That's is what I chose to be my Something Unexpected.

First, I divided the areas on the calendar that we wouldn't need into Strings. Forgive the awful photography - light poor and most of the pictures taken with my Kindle...

September calendar page with reservations and strings

Then I started tangling.

'NZeppel, one of my "go-to" tangles

Kept tangling...

Opus in the center and Fife to the right

Kept tangling.

Enhanced Opus a la Eni Oken and added Lap and Crescent Moon

Kept tangling

How could I not use Mooka?

A reasonable person would have finished with a little Rick's Paradox in the remaining triangle, but I just couldn't stop adding stuff...

Rashell with auras, Msst, Zinger, Bronx Cheer, Ahh, Dragonair, Arukas. Oh, and of course Rick's Paradox

Somebody stop me before I hurt myself.

The final step, a little shading.

Whew. So, what do you think? Where should I have stopped?

More Vacation Tangles and the Story of a Friend

Here are just some miscellaneous tangles I’ve done on the Island. There’s no story to them, just hours of completely absorbing work. 

That’s the other thing about being here on vacation – so much time to tangle, guilt-free.

"Redfish"

The last one actually does have a story. Many years ago we met a young sous-chef at Alexander's Restaurant. The head chef there offered to make us a special dinner, but decided to turn it over to the sous-chef. It was a wonderful, creative meal, and when the sous-chef came out to say hello afterwards, we discovered that he was born and raised on the Big Island. His name was Chaun Bescos.

So the three of us became instant friends, and he cooked for us whenever we came down here. Flash forward several years. Chaun's career advanced, first to Head Chef at Alexander's, then eventually to Executive Chef at Redfish, an upscale seafood restaurant that at the time featured mostly Cuban food. Chaun has given the place a broader menu, introducing his own Pacific Island flair to the original focus.

Chaun has continued to cook for us, at least once while we're here. We even became good friends with his Sister-in-Law, Whitney, who is now "our" server at Redfish.

So this Tuesday when we went for our special meal (which was truly special, by the way), I spent some time making him a small Thank You gift. It's called "Redfish."

Hilton Head, Part 2

Day 11

So what’s the deal with Hilton Head? Beats me…

Beautiful? Yes.

View from the porch

Landscape at Villamare

Even on a cloudy day, it's gorgeous.

We spend most of our time walking, porch-sitting, shopping, and eating. And oh, boy, do we eat.

This is Ombra Cucina Rustica

One of the two owners, Michael Cirafesi, is the former Executive Chef at Michael Anthony’s, and the author of the Michael Anthony’s cookbook, which is one of my cooking bibles.

Michael's cookbook and recipe handout from first class

 In fact, he taught the first two cooking classes I took there, several years ago. He opened his own restaurant (Ombra) two or three years ago, and it was quickly added to our favorites list.

Me and Michael

The first year we went to Ombra, we met Ned, who was to become “our” waiter. The problem is – sometime during that first year, my brain changed Ned to Ken, and I can’t seem to change it back. 

So we went to dinner there the other night, and sure enough, I asked for "Ken."

They said there was no one working there named Ken. If I had asked them to line up all the servers, I could have picked him out!

They seated us at a quiet table in the bar, and sure enough it was mere seconds before Ned came out to say hello. 

It’s very embarrassing, and has never happened before; in fact, I pride myself on my ability to remember all our servers from year to year.. Ned/Ken doesn’t seem to be insulted, but I’m sure he’s a little hurt. So I determined this year I would get his correct name into a safe spot in my brain.

First I tried adding his name to my journal, in the page where I wrote the menu from the first night we were there:

But I wasn’t sure this was enough, so I tangled his name. If this doesn’t work, I’ll just have to take him home with us.

Ned, playing with Cadent, Fife, Verdigogh, and Puf

The Mystery tangle

The other day I watched Suzanne McNeill’s video which includes the instructions for her tangle “Lace Curtain.” Liked it, practiced it.

Then yesterday morning I went to Starbuck’s (another tradition – I’m awash with tradition) to get my trip journal up to date, and tangle a little.

 I decided to try Lace Curtain, and of course, without the instructions, I drew something totally different. It could possibly be a unique tangle – we’ll see. Here’s the mystery tangle:

I kept going with the tile; decided it needed some kind of border along the curve that bisects the square and edges the new tangle.

So here's the finished tile (rotated a quarter):

Unnamed tangle, with Knightsbridge, Tipple, Huggins, and  Keeko

Not certain if I like it. But as I've said before, liking is not the point..