Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Too Cute Turkeys Bowls...How Too...

Here's a whole Gaggle... Ummm  Herd...No Flock...that's it...of Turkey Bowls that my "art kids" made....Get it Turkey bowl...Like the football game...Tee-Hee.   I planned on posting them much earlier but life got busy!  :0


They were done by a little group of grade school kids that I teach after school art to...Grades  K-5.


I love the colors they choose and


how each one has it's own personality!!!
So here's how they're made:


We start out with a ball of clay ( terracotta is my favorite for this project) and make  simple pinch pot with very thick sides.


Then we pull up the neck and head out of the original pot...My theory is the less pieces you have to attach the less chance you have of them falling off when the clay dries....


With that being said some of the kids did make the neck and head and then attached them to the body and none of them fell off.  :)



I did use another small ball of clay to make the tail and then attached it by scoring both sides then adding a little water and pressing them together.


The eyes are little round balls of clay that are pushed in with the end of a pencil.
I also used a pencil to draw the front feathers in along with the eyelashes.
I fired them in the kiln and the next week the kids painted them and I fired them one more time.


Here is my finished turkey...And


Better yet the kids!!


Well that's it, a real simple fun Turkey, that are already a cherished treasure!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Denise

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly


Being a good cook is certainly NOT something I'm known for!!
But I do have a few...Ok...VERY few good recipes and I today I am going to share one of them with you....
This is the one I am most famous for and believe it or not everyone wants a couple of jars of these babies!
Ya...and I am the one who makes them...cool huh!



In my family it wouldn't be the Holidays without Pepper Jelly!!! This is because once you have spent an afternoon canning your pretty much done....It is such a quick fix for any party...pour a jar over a brick of cream cheese serve with crackers,,,and instant hit!!  Which is, of course, why I bring it to almost every party...people have come to expect it now...I can always bring something else...but I better have Pepper Jelly too!  :)




Sooo Here's My Recipe for:

JALAPENO PEPPER JELLY

6  Jalapenos
2  Med. size Peppers...One Green and One Red...Seeded and cut into pieces
1 1/2 Cups White Vinegar
1 (2oz) pkg Powdered Pectin
6  Cups Sugar

Prepare 6 half-pint canning jars.  Cut stems off jalapenos then  chop and place in food processor or blender.  (For a milder batch of jelly remove about half the seeds).  Remove stems, seeds and chop red and green peppers adding them to processor, along with 1/2 cup of the vinegar.  Whirl until finely chopped.
Pour into 5 quart pot, using remaining 1 cup vinegar to rinse processor or blender, then add to pot.  Stir in pectin and bring to full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.  Add sugar and continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil again.  Let boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and skim off foam.  Pour jelly quickly into hot jars, filling to about 1/8th inch from top, wipe mouth, set lid on and gently screw down.

Love the color of the red and green peppers!

This year I made little tags with a Vintage Pepper Image I got from The Graphics Fairy ...If you haven't visited her You probably should!!!  ;)



I uploaded her image into picnik and added the background color and the letters and then pasted it into word...printed and ta-da this is what I got. 

Well, that's it in a "nut shell"...If you have any questions please e-mail me...I would be happy to answer them...I wrote the recipe with some presumption that you have made jelly before but if your a "Newbie" it might not be clear enough.

Have a Groovy week and MAKE SOME JELLY!
(I will be linking up to many of the parties on my side bar)
Denise