The Scrap Exchange

While friend Marcia and I were gadding about the other day, we stopped by The Scrap Exchange in Durham.  The store which has been collecting and recycling industrial discards since 1991 defines its mission "to promote creativity, environmental awareness, and community through reuse".  They distribute reclaimed materials through their retail store, community events, parties and workshops.

The Scrap Exchange has an in-house art gallery dedicated to showcasing local artists who are using reclaimed materials in their work as well as a Marketplace where one can buy items made from recycled goods.

They have everything one could imagine, and if you are an artist or a crafts person or have projects for kids, this is your kind of place.  I bought a lovely cobalt blue etched bottle that I plan to use on my bottle tree (once I get one made).  The bottle is by artist Jeannette Brossart.

Jewelry made from Scrabble tiles.

Objects made from scrap metal.

Need a mannequin? They have them.

Lots of mirrors.

Old patterns.

This is indeed a fun place to gadabout.

Cappuccino-Walnut Toffee

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Buffy Hargett (Southern Living magazine).

I always make toffee at Christmas time using my recipe for traditional English toffee, but when I ran across this recipe in Southern Living, I thought I would give it a try.  I liked the idea of combining cappucino and walnuts.  I use pecans in my traditional recipe.  I also thought the swirled dark and white chocolate gave a nice effect.  Here's the recipe:

 YIELD: Makes about 2 lb.

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 1/4 cups butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dark unsulphured molasses
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate morsels
• 1 cup white chocolate morsels

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan.
2. Bake walnuts at 350° in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Let cool 30 minutes.
3. Melt 1 1/4 cups butter in a 3 1/2-qt. heavy saucepan over medium heat; stir in granulated sugar, next 5 ingredients, and 1/3 cup water. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 290° (soft crack stage), about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and stir in walnuts. Quickly pour mixture into prepared pan, and spread into an even layer. Immediately sprinkle milk chocolate and white chocolate morsels over top; let stand 5 minutes. Swirl chocolate using an off-set spatula. Cover and chill until firm (about 1 hour). Break toffee into pieces. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 7 days. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Southern Living FEBRUARY 2011

Cappuccino-Walnut Toffee.

When I tried to swirl the white and chocolate morsels, the white just became incorporated into the dark chocolate or remained under the dark chocolate, and I didn't get the swirled effect.  I think perhaps I didn't wait the full 5 minutes to swirl the two.  While I do like the cappucino flavor for a change,  I think I'm going to stick with my traditional recipe which is virtually fail-proof. 

Savory Strudel with a Tuscan Influence

While thumbing through the latest Taste of Home magazine the other day to find something different to prepare for dinner, I ran across this recipe for Tuscan Artichoke & Spinach Strudel.  Having fallen in love with anything Tuscan while in Italy last year and liking artichoke a lot, I decided to try this.  I was also intrigued by this savory take on a strudel that ordinarily I think of as something sweet.

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups chopped baby portobello mushrooms
• 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 4 teaspoons oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, divided
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional (I omitted this).
• 1 cup coarsely chopped thawed frozen artichoke hearts
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

Directions

Saute mushrooms & sun-dried tomatoes.

• In a nonstick skillet, saute mushrooms and tomatoes in 2 teaspoons oil from sun-dried tomatoes until mushrooms are tender. Cool to room temperature. 
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the spinach, pesto, pepper and, if desired, pepper flakes. Add the artichokes, mozzarella cheese, 5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and mushroom mixture; mix well.
• Unroll crescent dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet into one long rectangle; seal seams and perforations. Roll out into a 14-in. x 9-in. rectangle.
• Spread filling in a 3-in.-wide strip down center of rectangle. On each long side, cut 1-in.-wide strips to within 1/2 in. of filling. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Whisk egg and remaining oil; brush over dough. Sprinkle with walnuts.
• Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese; bake 10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting into 12 slices. Yield: 12 servings.

Spread filling down center of pastry.

Sprinkled with chopped walnuts ready to bake.

Baked and ready to eat.

Ready to eat.

Patrick happened to stop by just as this was about to come out of the oven so he stayed long enough to sample it and he declared it "tasty".  Dan and I enjoyed it as something just a little bit different for dinner.  I think I'll add this to my digital recipe box.

Alexander Calder at the Nasher

Calder’s Chat-Mobile (Cat Mobile), 1966

(Credit: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago)

An afternoon at the Nasher Museum on the campus of Duke University, is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, especially when there's an exhibit of mobiles: Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy.  The exhibit includes 34 pieces by Calder and works of seven contemporary artists who were influenced by Calder's work.  Two of my favorites are Calder's Cat Mobile and his Performing Seal.

Calder's Performing Seal.

 The mobiles themselves are beautiful, and I was fascinated by the shadows they cast on the walls and the floors.  The movement of some of the mobiles are so subtle as to go undetected. A number of Calder's stabiles as he called his stationary sculptures are also included in the exhibit.  

Calder's stabile, Three Bollards.

Kristi Lippire Hanging Garden, 2006. (Lippire, one of contemporary artists influenced by Calder).

I've always liked Calder and this exhibit was fun!

Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie*

Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie.

This is a lot like my Mama's chicken pot pie, except she never used leeks nor would she have used puff pastry or any ready-made pastry, she made her own.  We found this recipe from Southern Living to be quite tasty, and it was easy to make.  We are fond of leeks, so we thought they added a nice flavor to the pie.

Leeks add nice flavor to the pie.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

YIELD: Makes 6 to 8 servings 

HANDS-ON: 30 Minutes 

OTHER: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 medium leeks, sliced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I will cut back on flour to 1/4 cup next time).
• 1 (14.5-oz.) can chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods.)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen cubed hash browns with onions and peppers
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 (17.3-oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed (I will use regular pastry next time).
• 1 large egg

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add leeks, and sauté 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients.
2. Roll each pastry sheet into a 12- x 10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Fit 1 sheet into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate; spoon chicken mixture into pastry. Place remaining pastry sheet over filling in opposite direction of bottom sheet; fold edges under, and press with tines of a fork, sealing to bottom crust. Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp. water, and brush over top of pie.
3. Bake at 375° on lower oven rack 55 to 60 minutes or until browned. Let stand 15 minutes.

* Southern Living February 2011