"Wool"

I found about Illustration Fridays on Twitter.  A new topic is posted each Friday and participants have one week to come up with a piece of art reflecting the theme.

This week's topic:  Wool

This started as a pencil drawing but, as the texture of wool is so rich, I couldn't resist adding some digi-collage photo elements in Photoshop.

Peppery Muenster Biscuits

These were the biscuits that launched my biscuit frenzy.  I originally posted this on my pal's blog: http://fillthebelly.blogspot.com in August of 2010.  They still stand as my favourites.

A friend of mine brought over some amazing biscuits from Little Buddy Biscuit Company in Brooklyn the other night and after greedily devouring them, I was determined to recreate the deliciousness. Here's what I came up with. They are scrumptious and don't need butter or anything as a topper.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
10 oz. Muenster Cheese, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450°F.
(I put the Muenster in the freezer before making this recipe to make grating easier)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt, and ground pepper in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in Muenster cheese. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined.

Spoon dough into mounds (size depending on how many you wish to make) about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.

These are best eaten right out of the oven. The next morning, they were delicious, but the texture was less like that of a biscuit and more like a crumpet.

Otters

I've never been a big football fan, but I enjoy the sounds and the coziness of watching the game with friends.  Years ago, I decided to use the time in front of the tv as art time.  This time I was interrupted by kids and my own food and beverage reups, but I managed to scratch out these two otters.

Bear character sketches...

This little bear surprised me on the page after I'd been sketching out some otters.  I'm not yet sure if it will be a children's book character or if I'll take a stab at animating...

tall skinny

lichen

linda cooks

This is a more subtle recipe than any of my other biscuit experiments. They're a good brunch biscuit and would be great served with eggs and fruit.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon dill (I used dried because I didn't have fresh on hand)
1 cup well-shaken light buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt, and dill, then blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined.

Form dough into 1 1/2" round balls and place about an inch apart on a large buttered baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until golden, roughly 10 minutes.