Prawn (tagliatelle) #584

Daily painting #584 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel 

My daughter is away on school camp so Ross (my son) asked if we could have prawns for supper...Amy will NOT, under any circumstances, eat prawns (it's the eyes!). I think Ross said it as a joke, so he was really surprised when I whisked him off with me after school to a fish market to buy prawns. The market is not in the nicest area of Durban so I was grateful my daughter wasn't with us (she would have had a fit heading off into such a dodgy area). But the seafood is delicious and fresh...and so worth it! So tonight I treated the boys with a lemon and garlic prawn tagliatelle and other than cleaning the prawns, it is SO easy to make ...and SO yummy! If you love prawns and pasta...this one is for you! I will share it with you...

• prawns (you can buy already peeled and shelled if you don't want to cut, clean and shell)
• tagliatelle pasta (you can use any shape pasta you like)
• small finely chopped onion
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• olive oil and knob of butter for frying
• salt and pepper
• lemon zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 cup of quality white wine
• extra knob of butter for sauce if needed (sorry this is not one for the diet book!)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley or coriander
• optional is a little chopped red chili (if you like it a little hot!)

Prawns cook quickly so start by cooking pasta in boiling salted water until al dente (just cooked).
While pasta cooks soften onions in a little butter and olive oil combined, once onions are soft add garlic (if added too soon, garlic can go bitter or burn). Toss prawns into the hot pan (season with salt and pepper) and as soon as the prawns colour, add wine and lemon zest and juice. If the sauce needs it, add a little extra butter. 
Drain pasta and toss the prawns and sauce through the pasta. Add the fresh parsley/coriander and check your seasoning. Retain a little of the cooking liquid from the pasta and add a little if needed as the pasta will start to absorb the sauce. Enjoy...

A delicious feast and SO easy (super quick too) and you are bound to impress! My amateur photography meant that by the time I got a couple of photos the sauce had probably gathered in the bottom of the bowl...but you get the idea! I was hero for a moment and my boys thought I was THE BEST....until I asked them to help me clean up!

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It's (almost) the season #583

Daily painting #583 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel 

Look what I found! Cherries are without a doubt my favourite fruit to paint and it has everything to do with their beautiful rich colour. And maybe that they are delicious to eat too, so buying huge quantities makes me feel less guilty if I think I am buying them to paint (if truth be told). These are not local (sadly) but I indulged myself anyway ...so a few cherry paintings coming up in the next few days...that is if they are not all eaten first! 

Remember to pop over to my Tictail store to view available daily paintings...some of them will be going on exhibition soon (EXCITING...will tell you more in a few days) so if there is anything you have your eye on, don't miss out! If you live in South Africa email me privately at heidishedlock@gmail.com if you would like to get prices on certain paintings in ZAR and for direct purchases (rather than online shopping). 

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All things floral #582

Daily painting #582 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel

Next week my children start mid-year break and we are leaving to go with my son on a cricket tour to a 20/20 Cricket festival at a school in Nelspruit (about 9 hours from Durban). Nelspruit is only an hour or so from our favourite bush retreat The Kruger National Park, so we will then head off to the bush for a weeks down time. Time in the African bush is just my best and reminds me of why I love Africa so much! Of course I will share some of the journey with you...and my trusty paintbox will be my loyal traveling companion as always, as will my camera!

So I have been frantically trying to complete all commissions and outstanding work before we leave. I have been so behind and not being able to spend long periods standing in my studio has really slowed everything down. Over the last 4 days (we have had a long weekend in SA) I have been completing a large floral and working on a beautiful little portrait of a friend's granddaughter. The floral painting is large and has taken most of my time, but I think it is finished (Maybe...? I will have to stare at it for a few days to decide). So the studio is full of florals...hard to find any other inspiration for a daily painting!

Other than painting, my son had a warm-up game for their cricket tour this weekend which of course we all went to watch. If I can't have a paintbrush in my hand, I love to have my camera! I love nothing better than capturing those little moments when my children aren't watching...and the camera lens can zoom up on them unawares. I don't share photos often enough with you (but then maybe you only come to see the paintings, in which case you are by now bored...sorry!) I am an absolute amateur photographer and am completely self taught but love my Canon EOS camera. So today I wanted to share an intimate photo of Ross at his game. He was all padded up and waiting to go on to the field to bat. This image just captures so much about the feeling of a million butterflies that still you as you wait to walk on to that field...the anticipation...the expectation...the quiet contemplation. This image just makes this Mamma's heart melt!

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White rose #581

Daily painting #581 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

A little daily painting study to get the juices flowing for a large floral I am working on....

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Long weekend #580

Daily painting #580 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

By the time I had got my slow behind out of bed this morning (I was tired), the sky had lost that beautiful morning glow and the crisp blue of the new day was already squeezing its way through the chilly morning cloud. I haven't painted much this week...the week seems to have slipped by in blur! 

I have realized that in order to allow myself to heal (it's taking far too darn long for my impatient being) I need to be kind to myself and I simply can't do it all! I still have a boot on my leg and need the support of only one crutch now. That being said I am back teaching all my classes, have had visual art exam papers to grade this week and my own kids are writing exams, not to mention hockey matches and piano exams thrown into an already manic week. One joy is that I have managed to cook supper every night this week (my husband is sighing with relief I think) and I ended the busy week off with a delicious balsamic slow roasted lamb which cooked for about 5 hours yesterday filling the house with the most glorious, heavenly aromas all afternoon. My darling son Ross, on arriving home, took in the aroma and grinned at me "Mom is back!" he said. I was about to explain that I hadn't been anywhere but I knew what he meant....he made me feel loved! So the busy week ended off with a delicious family meal and a bottle of yummy Diemersfontein Pinotage wine.

Today starts a long weekend. Tuesday is a Public Holiday and schools are closed on Monday so 4 days of some go-slow time (and study time for my kiddies). I woke up desperate to paint. It really isn't even about what I paint, I just need to paint! It's good for my soul and that quiet time with my own head space is like food for my soul tank....it sorts me out! I don't know why I allowed the week to go by without painting. So this weekend I will spend some much needed time in my studio. I have a beautiful painting of a gorgeous little girl to finish for her grandma (Annie if you are reading this I haven't forgotten you), I have a large floral painting to finish and I am going to fit in a quick daily painting whenever I can....this weekend I NEED to paint!

What are you up to this weekend? I would love to hear from you....
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Rossy red buds #579

Daily painting #579 6"x6" oil on primed canvas panel 

Mmmmm....some more florals....rosey red buds to brighten up your day. My daughter is doing her piano exam today at the Durban Music School and my son starts his mid-year exams at school. So we all need a little cheering up in this house (the tension!!!!!) ....I hope you have a cheery day too....and I hope my kiddies ace their exams today!!!! (Holding thumbs!) 

P.S. Sorry about all the explanation marks, can you feel the tension (!!!!)

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Cheese and mustard powder #578

Daily painting #578 5"x7" oil on primed canvas panel

It's been a tough week of trying to get back to 'normal' (Am I normal? Maybe not!) so I was determined to end the week with getting back into my kitchen. My son has been craving French toast for breakfast...so French toast it was. My husband planned to stoke up his regular Sunday fire and braai (barbecue) so I decided to make some homemade cumin and coriander burger patties for a change to charred (burnt - don't tell him I said that) meat.  Granny Jean (my mother-in-law) was also coming around for mid-morning tea, so I made some Cheese scones (Aunty Pat's Cheese scones to be specific). Talk about getting back into my kitchen...I think I did a pretty  fine job! I also did a pretty fine job of leaving a wake of devastation behind me and my kitchen looked like it needed a cleaning fairy to clean my mess. Unfortunately for my husband he was the 'cleaning fairy', with the help of the trusty dishwasher!

Aunty Pat's Cheese Scones (muffins) were a favorite growing up. She seemed to whip them up for afternoon tea in minutes and they really are dead easy. My little painting is of 2 of the ingredients but I think I will share the rest of them with you...maybe you will give them a try! I would love to hear from you if you do...happy (easy-peasy) baking!

• 1 cup flour
• 1cup grated cheese
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I prefer a little paprika or dried mixed herbs)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2tsp baking powder
• 1 cup milk

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and place into muffin trays (I usually use mini muffin pans and make bite size ones). Bake at 180 C for about 15-20 min. Eat while warm.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing a recipe for a change (I even took a photo for you) and not just the ingredients painted. I often get asked why I don't share the recipes for mushroom sauce, spicy aubergines, apple crumble, marinated olives, Christmas mince pies and cake...and all the other yummy things that find their way into my studio as objects or still life for daily paintings...so today I give you a recipe. I know Aunty Pat won't mind. What do you think? 

Busy day...full tummy...happy heart...exhausted and ready for bed!

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