Artfully Meandering: I'm not a food blog

So, I think it's clear that I'm not a food blog. I don't create recipes, etc. However, I'm trying to cook better for myself.  And, I love to cook yummy delicious food. My idea about cooking well is "cooking French." (Favorite blog where I have been introduced to the joy of French cooking ideas.) In 2011, I had an opportunity to work in the south of France for 3 weeks, and I experienced what it meant to eat and drink like the French do. I ate SO well. What interested me was that I didn't scrimp on portion or quality. Quality was way better than anything I eat in the US unless I eat at a very high end restaurant! The portions were equal to American lunch portions. There were two factors that I think contributed to my 5-lb weight-loss.

- No preservatives. Food was fresh, fresh, fresh. There is nothing like fresh off the vine and out of the garden. Food wasn't as sweet, either. But I think the key was that there were no preservative ingredients.

- I walked more than I do in the US. While I walked more when I lived in Hong Kong, I still ate preserved (prepared) food. My weight was fairly stable.

This combination ended up being the "sweet spot" of factors that contribute to me feeling really, really good. (Can I move to France? Please?) I don't have full confidence that even the "fresh" food in the US is as clean as it needs to be. Any food that would be considered the "clean" I experienced while in France would need to be cooked from home. I'd love to garden myself, but I'm not a fan of the fire ants (and other creatures) that infest the south. Sigh. (Seriously, I'm very allergic. As in - a visit to the ER for a round of antibiotics and steroids for each bite)

Another factor I'm just beginning to observe and formulate an opinion around is basing my cooking fully around vegetables. Grains, meat, fruit, sugar, etc. are all extras. I need to explore this idea more.

In general, I still make efforts to eat "clean" and improve my eating. Cooking today was a fabulous way to de-stress from work. Today was using the radish greens. I made a fabulous pesto using the recommended formula of: green, garlic, olive oil, hard cheese, and nuts.

My combo: radish greens, toasted pine nuts, raw garlic, gruyere cheese, and light olive oil. Whizzed up in the food processor and tossed on pasta - TO DIE FOR YUMMY! Plus roasted veggies - radish, zucchini, and eggplant.

Yes, please!

Studio Time: Watercolor Paisley Collection

More experimenting with digital tools to create hand drawn influences in my surface pattern design. I love watercolor and I'm playing with with digitals apps that let you mimic painting effects. Here is my first attempt with a watercolor collection in my favorite colors of blue/green.

Studio Time: Damask Butterfly Collection

I'm getting my creative mojo back. As I was going to sleep last night, I suddenly had the idea of creating a damask-like pattern using the whimsical butterfly I had started. I used Ideas on my iPad (part of the Adobe Cloud) to do the hand drawing that I'm experimenting with right now. I could see this as a teen girls bedroom set.