Finally A Lot Happening

So Im really trying to push my art stuff so much that I am unfortunately slacking on my blogging.  I really need to sneak my computer in the bed more often so I can play once Willow Pet is asleep!  The only thing about that is it seems for some reason the clicking of my fingers on the keyboard are more distracting to her slumber than the idiot dogs yelping all night long:(

Anyway, here is one little thing going on that is pretty exciting.  Through the Sugar Land Art Gallery, I have one of my pieces in their Air Travel show at the Sugar Land airport.  I have yet to visit it, but I promise I will.  Yes, that is my little airplane picture there on the back of the flyer.  It was a pretty tedious graphite piece but so much fun to do.  So if you happen to be in the Houston area, go check it out. XOXO

Work in Progress

So this is what Im up to these days.  I have this beautiful friend who also happens to be an amazing photographer, Tamara Licghtenstein.  She takes the awesome photos of naked chicks and what not for campaigns such as Converse, Urban Outfitters, and Supra.  I have been waiting for that perfect photo to pop up that I could use to do a collaboration with her and I finally got my chance.  This is a little progress shot.  Im hoping to have it completed in two weeks, but we will see how much Willow lets me get done:)  Im really excited about this one!!!

Missing my purple Hair

Oh yeah, while I was blogging MIA, I decided I would go back to my roots, aka midlife crisis, and dye my hair purple. It actually started because my son was on a portrait drawing kick and he was referencing this beautiful Youtube babe with purple hair. I of course thought "hey, I NEED purple hair" and I immediately headed to Sally's beauty supply. I wasn't sure what to get because I haven't gone wild since I was a teenager in my punk rock/raver stage, so I opted for manic panic purple haze and ion Fusia. And...it worked...for a week. Then I dyed it again, ran out of color and decided to go back to dark brown. Now I miss it, so stay tuned. I hear Walmart actually has permanent purple color. Hehe.

Finally…I have a website Y'all

I have been so busy lately and have been a very bad blogger, but I now have a new website, which will force me to (hopefully) keep up with my blog.  Please check it out.  I worked really hard on it for about two days, haha:)

slevasseurart.com

What Willow Wore

Simple and sweet.  Yes, babies all decked out in tutus are really cute, but my little one is now on the move.  She's now six months old and crawling!!!  My son skipped the crawling phase because we had all tile floors and he rarely got the chance too.  I was one of those super paranoid FTMs and just knew he would bust his head open if I let him try to crawl on the tile, so he just went straight to walking.  Now that I have Willow (and carpet), this is a new adventure for me.  That being said, who wants to be all fancy when they are in constant motion?  Not Willow.  We are all about comfort these days, so this kind of outfit is usually the norm around here.  Cute and comfortable.  The slouchy grey long sleeve too is Burts Bees Organic $15 and the grey polka dot pants with mint bows are from Little Me $10.  Oh yeah, and the pants came with the cute little hair thingy to match.

The Best Creamy Cheesy Tomato Soup EVER

To be honest, I have not been a connoisseur of tomato soups or tomatoes period for too long, but I know enough to know what I like.  Campbell's tomato soup…ugh no thanks.  Panera Bread's tomato soup…getting better.  My delicious tomato-ish creation…yum.  Not to brag, but even my picky eating son dipped his grilled cheese right in and went to town.
     My inspiration came from this great little Indian/Pizzeria place called Bombay Pizza we have here and I must say they have the best tomato soup.  It's creamy and very Italian with Indian spice mixed in as well.  The problem is I do not have the recipe and they only give you one slice of bread for dipping at the restaurant.  No good.  I need carbs to balance out my soups.  So last night I had the urge to make an Indian feast.  It was pretty good, but not good enough to post just yet.  It did, however, make me think about Bombay's soup, and so I decided to give it a go.  I wasn't going for an exact replica, but instead, a toned-down version with a little more consistency.
     Before we get started, let me just mention that I wanted to add a little Indian kick to this soup, so I looked through my pantry and found a bag of Chaat Masala.  Its an Indian spice that is pretty common in most grocery stores with a good Ethnic Food isle or you can get it at an Indian market.  Im sure if you omit this ingredient it will not ruin your soup, but if you have or can get it, give it a try.  For me it really put this soup over the top.
      I decided the good ol' slow cooker would be the best tool for the job, but Im sure it would still be amazing simmered over the stove for an hour or two if you do not have one.  First, I chopped and added the garlic, onion, and basil first.  Then add the can of tomato sauce, broth, can of diced tomatoes, Marsala, and heavy cream.  I let that cook in the slow cooker for about 1.5 hours on high, stirring occasionally.
     After the first soak in the slow cooker, my taste tester (the Hubby) said it was "okay", to which I replied "its just the base, don't worry."  I then messily scooped out everything in the crock pot and emptied it into my food processor.  I have a big one, if you do not please do it in batches or you will have an even bigger mess.  Im sure a blender would work fine as well.  I blended everything together then added it back to the slow cooker.  This is where I added my spices, butter, and cheese.  I wanted it a little thicker so I stirred in a spoonful of flour as well (optional).  I cooked it on low for another hour, and added some fresh parsley and more parmesan for garnish.
     Like, I said I need carbs for my soups, so while all that slow cooker stuff was happening, I grilled me and the fam up some sharp cheddar and spinach paninis for dunking.  The soup was freaking delicious.  I had some left over I will definitely eat for lunch, but next time I will double the batch and freeze half of it.  There it is.  I hope you enjoy:)

Serves 4
Ingredients:

1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
20 oz of tomato sauce (my big can was 29 oz so I eyeballed it)
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of chicken broth
3 tablespoons of Marsala cooking wine
6 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 of an onion chopped
handful of fresh basil chopped
2 tbs of butter
1 1/2 tbs of Chaat Masala (optional)
1 tbs of flour (optional)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
parsley for garnish

My latest additions to my Kill Bill Art Series

So, if you look back, my first was my favorite character from Kill Bill:  Elle Driver.  In between having a kidney stone, caring for my little ones, painting on my big kitty painting, and now teaching art lessons, I squeezed in a little time to sketch.  Here is the charming but deadly teen Gogo, and the ultra chic killer mistress O-Ren Ishii.  As you can probably tell, O-ren is still under construction.  I should have her finished soon and up under my art tab.  As for a note on the home remedy for my kidney stone…stay tuned.  So far so good.  I don't want to mislead anyone so I'm waiting to post on that until I feel confident my problem is solved.