The cutting edge

I've posted about my love for making cutting boards in different shapes before. I saw an interesting idea the other in a thrift shop: a cutting board had a painted edge. I thought I'd try it on one of mine. I took a round one I quite like and painted the edge a teal blue, a color I've used a lot in the kitchen. I think it turned out nicely.

The bird feeder candle holder

I was walking back from the grocery store in town the other day and saw a cardboard box filled with a busted up old wooden bird feeder. Someone was obviously throwing it out. It looked promising, like I might be able to put it back together but my bag was so heavy I had to come back 20 minutes later and grab it. If it was there it was meant to be mine. And it was!

The side corner pieces were angled, and when I tried to re-assemble it, things were too difficult. I decided to scrap the corners and use an old piece of wood I had lying around the basement to make straight sides. It worked nicely. 

I painted it with a teal color, a shade I used on one of the porch tables, and it's now a great candle holder, a "pagoda" of light for lovely evenings on the porch. :)

Sweet August corn

The corn in our part of the country is at peak this time of year. So sweet and so good you can cut it right off the cob and eat it raw, there's no need to grill or saute it.

Here's some that I de-silked and ready to cut. I place the cob (sans husks) upright in a big bowl and slice down the kernels on the side, that way all the loose kernels end up right in the bowl, a good chef's trick.

So I had my eye out for some nice corn salad recipes. I found two great ones. 

the first used cucumber, feta cheese, tomato, parsley, and a oil and vinegar dressing. Really delicious.

The second was a corn and pasta salad that avocado, cherry tomatoes, basil, and an olive oil/lemon dressing. Also, just great. I ate on them both for days, it's the taste of summer!

Jaws rocks

I could write a dozen posts on my love for the old movie "Jaws". It has to be in my top 5 favorite films of all time, I've seen it more times than I can count.
One of the things I love isn't even in the movie itself: the iconic poster image (used originally for the Bantam paperback edition of the novel on which the movie is based) of the great white shark coming up from the depths to attack a girl swimmer. So much visceral messaging is packed into this one image...horror, sex, doom, nature, vulnerability, etc...while also being just a great graphic.

So I had the idea the other day to create my own homage to the poster on a rock. Yes, a rock. I'm always looking for craft opportunities and, well, this seemed like a fun project. And it was. I found a good sized flat specimen just right for painting the image. I love the way it turned out.

Now, the only person I know who's a bigger fan of "Jaws" than myself is my friend Ron. When I posted this picture on Instagram he commented "How much?" I knew he would love it. So then I decided to make another rock as a house warming present for he and his boyfriend, David. They've recently been re-doing their guest cottage in East Hampton and the decor is decided nautical. This little 'object d'art' would fit in nicely. 

On the back I decided to inscribe it with a quote from the movie uttered by the feckless mayor, "'Amity', as you know, means 'friendship'". Well, they loved the gift, and Ron totally understood the quote was meant sincerely.