Monday, April 23, 2012


Last night my family all gathered around my dining room table for a farewell dinner for my daughter and son-in-law, Betsy and Ben Nanson and their children, Zoe and Bing, and last, but not least, Lincoln, my furry buddy.
Tuesday morning the moving van arrives to load up everything they own and off they go to their new home in Memphis, Tennessee! Ben is an architect and has just accepted a position with a wonderful firm in Memphis. It was a fun and happy evening….no tears, just happiness for them and their new exciting life! I just keep thinking that it is only an 8 to 10 hour drive from Kansas City. I used to drive to visit them when they lived in Denver. No Sweat!
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 I am painting most of the time now, even waking up at 4 AM and jumping out of bed, anxious to get back to my easel! Part of me is greatly relieved to be excited about painting again, yet there is that other part that can’t decide if what I am paintingis good enough to hang! It is so difficult to remain positive!
There are two important events coming up; one in May, one in June. I must have MANY new paintings to show!
May 12th, the day before Mother’s Day, I will be showing my paintings along with the other 8 Somerset Ridge Painters. We will be featured at Somerset Ridge Vineyard. We will be out in the vines with our paintings! The other Painters are Ada Koch, Audrey Benskin, Vicki Johnston, Winnie Davis, Maria Johnson, JoAnne Carlton, Kristin Goering and Patsy Brown.


Please come and see us! It is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!


I will be returning to the vines in June for the Vineyard’s 4th Annual Art in the Vines! I can't believe we started Vines 4 years ago! There will be 25 artists participating this year, bringing Kansas City’s finest local artists together for a two day event in one of the Midwest’s most beautiful settings. For further information, go to www.somersetridge.com There you will find dates, times and driving directions. Please Join Us!
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Are you getting your menu ready for a big Cinco de Mayo celebration? I am having a little gathering at my house, just to be together with
friends and to eat and drink our favorite Mexican dishes and beverages! It is a day for Tamales(!) Enchiladas (!), tons of melted cheeses and Sangria! Today, as I was going through my collection of Mexican/Southwestern recipes to come up with an interesting menu, I realized I wanted all of them! There is something about Mexican food that just plain HITS THE SPOT! All those cool crunchy vegetables, all of those hotter than hell peppers and spices, all of that warm gooey cheese…..my, oh my….I do love them!

Here is a great recipe for you to try. Hope you enjoy it. It is from one of my favorite blogs, Lisa Fain’s Homesick Texan .The wonderful photo is from her also. http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2010/01/queso-flameado-recipe.html


Queso Flameado
3 cups shredded asadero cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack

Queso flameado







1 poblano chile
1/2 cup Mexican chorizo


1. Heat the poblano chile under the broiler for five minutes on each side or until its blackened. Place the chile in a paper sack, close it and let the chile steam for 15 minutes. After this time, rub off the skin, remove the stem and seeds and cut into strips.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Break up the chorizo and cook it in a skillet until it's done, about five minutes. Lightly grease a medium-sized cast-iron skillet or a casserole dish and add the cheese. Top with the crumbled, cooked chorizo and poblano strips and cook for 15 minutes or until bubbling.
4. Spoon out the melted queso flameado onto tortillas. Serve immediately.

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy
oil painting by Kay Tucker

Somerset Autumn on Wea Creek

Somerset Autumn on Wea Creek
Oil Painting by Kay Tucker, Private Collection

Floral

Floral
oil painting by Kay Tucker

Kansas Storm

Kansas Storm
oil painting by Kay Tucker, Private Collection

Watercolor Collage

Watercolor Collage

Tempo al Tempo....All in Good Time

Tempo al Tempo....All in Good Time
48"x36" sculptural painting by Kay Tucker