A by-product of getting ready to cozy-up for the cooler months is my anticipation of getting back to work in the kitchen. Aside from perhaps pie, summer just doesn’t seem to be a time to be excited about cooking. But as we slide into autumn, I look forward pulling down my purple Dutch oven. It’s a pleasure to make use of the garden’s harvest (both my own and that of local farmers) in soups and stews that will hopefully stretch across several meals, allowing me to work later in the studio another day or at least providing an easy future lunch. A friend recently gave us one of his home-raised chickens. It’s waiting in the freezer and is going to become something wonderful.

After Breakfast     ©2015 Elizabeth Fram

The one treat I purchased and brought home from Montreal earlier in the month was My Paris Kitchen, Stories and Recipes by David Lebovitz. If you also enjoy reading cookbooks and trying recipes that highlight seasonal ingredients that are long on flavor, then this a book for you. Lebovitz is an engaging writer, the photographs are lovely, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that his stories are akin to a mini visit to Paris.

Lemon     ©2015 Elizabeth Fram

I have been bringing my drawing tools into the kitchen recently, using the utensils and ingredients of whatever I am preparing for self-directed lessons of organizing a picture plane. Richard Diebenkorn’s sketchbooks, mentioned in this post, have been an inspiration in pushing my thoughts about composition.

Cabbage and Figs     ©Elizabeth Fram

If the idea of curling up with a cookbook isn’t exactly your style, try this: Parka Blogs reviews art books, all manner of creative materials / supplies, digital gadgets and also features interviews with a variety of artists…the perfect ingredients and a different kind of recipe for broadening your artistic curiosity.