Chocolate (calavera) factory

Had fun making these for a chocolate bake-off. But I think my favorite part was taking these photos–the lines of Posada chocolate calaveras, that I call PB (Peanut Butter) Posadas. Felt like I was in a candy factory…

These awesome candy moulds are from Crizmac.com. Click any photo to enlarge.

That sparkle (click photo to enlarge) is from a white edible lustre dust

CANDY FACTORY!

Peanut Butter Posadas (white chocolate covered peanut butter-filled, dark chocolate base) cut up and ready for the tasting/bake-off. That's the recipe in the background with a paragraph explaining who Posada was, with his well-known Calavera Catarina featured.

PB Posadas

Background:
José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913) was a Mexican artist whose best known works are his stylized calaveras (skeletons and skulls) that have become associated with Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The images originally appeared in broadsides and newspapers in the late 19th century often satirizing the life of upper class society, and his work continues to influence the work of modern day printmakers and artists today. These chocolates were formed in moulds designed in the style of Posadas’ calaveras.

Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups graham crackers (crushed)
1 cup butter
2 cups peanut butter
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1 lb (or more) dark chocolate (for filling back of mould)
1 lb (or more) white chocolate (for coating bottom of mould)
White sparkle luster dust (for decoration if desired)
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Assembly
Melt white chocolate in double boiler over low heat.
Meanwhile mix up peanut butter filling (1st 4 ingredients).
Melt dark chocolate in double boiler over low heat.

Coat bottom of moulds with melted white chocolate.
Freeze briefly to firm, then push in a ball of pb mix into each mould.
Fill each mould to the brim with melted dark chocolate.
Freeze briefly to make it easy for chocolates to be released from mould.

Decorate
Brush face of calaveras lightly with lustre dust if desired.

Busy morning

Finished designing the week’s story at the Why Files (day job), did chores, and shot a rabid (or sick with something, staggering stiff-legged around the dogyard) raccoon. All before 10am. Feeling a little Annie Oakley right now. Although if I were trully amazing, I would have done all of this before daybreak.

And if I was really Annie Oakley I wouldn’t have needed instruction.

It was all very 21st century here’s-how-you-shoot-a-raccoon gun-learnin’ experience. I’m sure it looked very funny (well not to the raccoon) as I get guidance from husband J on my cell: “Check that none of the bullets in the barrel are dented…ok take that one out…Red button means safety off!….Line up the bump with the groove…call me when you’re done.” Click.

OK, big swig of diet Coke…no shaking allowed you a tuff bitch now…put him out of his misery quick…ear protection in place (god how nerdy I look I’m sure)…focus…wait till he’s backed up to fence and still —swaying only slightly with sickness…kneel…aim…squeeze-don’t-pull…and (muffled) bam-echo…and he’s down, twitching. Did it.

Dogs safe to let out into dogyard now. Heading out to carve some (woodcut) blocks.

-Later y’all…

First print of the year…

(Finished in first week of January, but belated posting)

January 15, 2012

For a folio exchange called Everything Eleven (and some A/P ones will be used for my Bestiary), this one’s called:

Eleven Polish Posing

'Eleven Polish Posing' • 3 color reduction linocut with some hand-coloring on Rives Lightweight • 14in x 4in • January 2012

(more than) 11 polish drying

He’s a White Crested Black, cockerel (under 1 year old), all grown up (he is one of my summer 2011 chicks). Quite the beauty, and not too mean as far as these fellows go. I have a bunch of young polish cocks in the barn pen, separate from the coop. When it came time to decide which polish would migrate to the coop (all the pullets and some of the cockerels), this guy was a no-brainer. Although he has about 6 or so other equally handsome brothers of the same breed, when I went to gather up some of “his” girls to take to the coop, he swooped down and tried to grab them (literally) out of my hands. He didn’t try to attack me, but rather tried to grab his girls back. I knew then that I had a good caretaker, mate for those girls, so I swooped him up too. At the very least he would look out for them and not let any of the bigger chickens pick on his girls.

(click any image to enlarge)