and now for something completely different...

After two posts about brown pots, I thought you might be ready for some Spring green!

Have a great weekend!

Changing Seasons

We were enjoying some nice cool weather last week, so I headed to the market with a shopping list that included lots of ingredients for soup, chili, and casseroles. Of course when I got around to executing my plan, the weather got warmer and the humidity returned. So I turned on the A/C and started cooking.

The photo is of  creamy sweet potato soup... you can find the recipe HERE. I pretty much followed the recipe and it was quite tasty. Jeff isn't a fan of creamed soups, but he ate it and didn't complain! I did scoop some of the onions out before pureeing, then added them back in. I also cooked some extra bacon and added it directly to the soup. So there were a few solids in there.

I love the bowl in the photograph. We actually have FOUR of them! I think it's the only thing we have a matching set of. I owned one that I bought from Jeff many, many years ago at a potters market in New Hampshire. When we later moved in together he had three. So the bowls were reunited with their missing sibling and reside together once again. They are a perfect size and shape for a serving of soup or chili that you want to cradle in your hand. The lip turns in slightly and keeps everything from sloshing out... making it ideal to walk around with, which is how we often tend to eat lunch.

Today is kiln loading day. I am glad it feels a little cooler and less humid. Most of the glazing is done. I just have to help Jeff glaze a sink. We are hoping to fire this kiln today. I think it's going to be a late night.

The Element of Surprise

Jeff helped David Stuempfle fire his wood kiln just prior to my mother's passing. We had a few pots in the kiln and this porcelain bowl was one of them. I really hadn't had any time to look at it, as I flew to New Hampshire a few days later. It definitely got hot! I like the way it warped in the firing and the flashing is gorgeous. Not everyone enjoys the wabi-sabi effects of wood firing, but I just love it.

I am going to hang on to this one for awhile.