Nail Art

Nail art - not as in "manicure," but as in 12 inch spikes - bent, welded, hammered, and displayed as an exhibit in a museum.

John Bisbee's artwork is on display at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont until May 26, 2014. We've had the opportunity to see this exhibit - New Blooms - three times. Fascinating!

The hardness of nails is fashioned into the delicacy of flowers.

Walking along near the panels, with the lighting directed on the art, one gets the sense of the art being in motion.

Here are some museum-goers getting a closer look.

 
There are also some

free standing exhibits.

J Bisbee, the artist, entertained at the opening reception.

At the reception, everyone enjoyed tasty treats provided by Shelburne Museum.

We enjoy the many changing exhibits at the Shelburne Museum year-round.

(If you found me here, please check out my newest blog RESOLUTIONS. Thank you!) 

Meat Pie

My attempt at making a pie a few days ago went well enough that I was eager to try it again. This time I'd make Shepherd's Pie. The recipe is from an online pie baking class.

I started by boiling the potatoes. Then I mixed a basic pie dough using unsalted butter for shortening. While that was chilling I sauteed the meat with celery, onion and minced garlic. (I used ground beef rather than lamb.) Then I added veggies, seasoning, and broth.

While the meat mixture was simmering, I rolled out the pie crust, then placed it in the pie plate. By then the potatoes were just about done.

Here's the unusual part: besides milk, the recipe called for two beaten egg yolks to be added to the potatoes before mashing. 

Next I spooned the meat mixture into the pie plate, topped it with the mashed potatoes, then added a little grated cheese.

I popped that into a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes. The potatoes and the crust were lightly browned.

The pie turned out quite well. There are lots of variations to try, like chicken, turkey, and even salmon.

The next lesson is about making quiche and other vegetarian pies. Perfect timing for meatless Lenten days.

Pie Class

In the back of my kitchen cabinet is a rolling pin, hardly ever used. Making pies are just not included among my culinary skills. So when I saw an online pie making class, I said to myself, "It's now or never," and I signed up.

Lesson 1: Making a crust

Revelation: I can actually use the paddle attachment of my Kitchen Aid mixer. Who knew? I thought to make pie dough, one needed a pastry cutter. This may be easier than I thought.

Recipe: 2 Cups flour, 3/4 Cup shortening, dash of salt, 4 Tablespoons ice water.

Form the dough into two flattened balls. Place in the refrigerator for thirty minutes. So far, so good.

Time to roll! This was the fun part.

Then I folded the rolled out dough into quarters, centered it in the pie plate, unfolded it, and spooned in the pie filling. (That part came from a Williams Sonoma jar. Lesson 1 did not include making your own pie fill.) It looked a little skimpy, so I added some cherry pie filling.

Ready for the oven!

Yum!

Well, it looked pretty good. When I sliced into it, however, I'll admit it was a little soupy. Next time I'll add some cornstarch to thicken the filling.

Now it's on to Lesson 2: Meat Pies