Declaring
Your Independence
By Maureen Hardegree
Supplies:
1-inch square tiles (72 blue, 48 red, and 48 white)
Clay flower pot (standard 6-inch)
Mosaic adhesive (any glue that can adhere to glass and pottery)
Grout (I used non-sanded, white, pre-mixed grout.)
Tile nippers (to cut half-tiles for the rim)
Craft sticks (like Popsicle sticks, for gluing tiles and applying
grout)
Sponge
Rubber or plastic gloves
Disposable bowl
Water
This pot takes a little patience, but the results are worth it. It
will take three days from start to finish.
Day One:
Use a tape measure to draw horizontal dotted lines around the
circumference of your pot at 1-inch intervals with a pencil. I
decided to put blue tiles on the pot rim, with a red-and-white
stripe below, but you could make a pot with just one color or even
use broken tiles for a more fluid design that requires no dotted
lines.
Glue one quadrant of the pot exterior at a time. Butter the tile and
the surface of the pot in a thin layer. If you overdo the glue, the
tiles will slide. Stagger the tiles (like brick) when gluing, to hide
imperfections. If you follow the pattern I set, you'll need to cut
tiles in half for the exterior lip of the pot. Make certain to use
the scoring
 wheel
to cut your center line, then place the tile in the middle of the
nippers and press. You may go through a lot of tiles before you have
enough cut correctly to finish the exterior lip. Save the broken
ones for another project!
It'll take about one to two hours for each tile quadrant to dry.
You'll know you can start on a new quadrant when the mosaic glue
turns clear and the tiles don't move. Once the exterior is complete,
tile a row of blue on the inside lip of the pot.
Even if you think everything is dry, wait to grout for 12-24 hours.
Day Two:
Once all the glued tiles are completely dry (12-24 hours), clean off
excess glue. Either mix the grout to an oatmeal consistency
according to package directions or buy pre-mixed. I prefer
pre-mixed. If your grout lines are larger than 1/8 inch, you should
use sanded grout to prevent cracks. I used non-sanded, which doesn't
require sealing. Put your gloves on for this part; grout can be
messy. Using your craft sticks, push your grout into the grooves
between your glued tiles. The sides of the sticks are great for
leveling. Once you finish the exterior of the pot, grout between the
tiles on the inside lip and finish with a generous layer at the top,
to make the top edge of your pot smooth. Wait 15-20 minutes for the
grout to set up. Then fill your disposable bowl with water, dip the
sponge in and squeeze it out. Wipe off the excess grout with the
damp sponge. You may have to refill your bowl with fresh water more
than once. You'll know you're done when there's no residue left on
the tiles.
While you're waiting for your grout to dry, you can pick out some
flowers and buy some potting soil at a nursery.
Day Three:
When the grout is dry (12-24 hours later), clean the tiles one more
time with a damp sponge. Rub off any residue with a rag. Add some
potting soil and some bright red, white or blue flowers for a
festive salute to the Fourth for your porch or picnic table.
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Alpha
Hero Care Part Two - Feeding
Your Italian Stallion!
By Trish Morey
The wonderful thing about Mediterranean men is that they come in so
many flavours! If a Greek tycoon doesn't do it for you, then why not
try an Italian playboy? He's got style, he's got flair and with any
luck, he's got you!
But once you've got your Italian stallion in the stable, what do you
feed him? Well, one thing's for sure, your gorgeous alpha guy didn't
get to be leader of the pack by eating lentils. Here's something
much more likely to feed him up for the busy nights ahead - Osso
Buco, a winter warming, rich veal dish that's a speciality of Milan.
The name means "hollow bones," and when you cook it you'll find out
why. And to accompany it, what better than Risotto Milanese! Feed
your guy this kind of tucker, and he'll forget he was ever a
playboy. He'll be yours and yours alone! That's my kind of
happily-ever-after.
Osso Buco (serves 6)
2 kilograms (4-5 pounds) veal shanks, cut into approximately
6-centimeter (2 1/2-inch) slices
90 grams (3 ounces) butter
2 carrots, chopped
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 sticks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic
Flour
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons oil
800-gram (16-ounce) tin tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
430-gram (8-ounce) tin beef consomme (substitute good beef stock if
unavailable)
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
2.5-centimeter (1-inch) strip lemon rind
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Heat 30 grams (1 ounce) butter in pan (I use a large Le Creuset
casserole from start to finish for this dish. It's perfect as it
goes from range top to oven.). Add carrots, onions, celery and
crushed garlic clove. Cook gently until onions turn golden brown.
Transfer vegetables to a dish off heat. Coat veal shanks with
seasoned flour. Heat remaining butter and oil, and brown shanks well
on all sides. Remove to another dish. Push tomatoes with their
liquid through a sieve or blend to do likewise. Drain any fat from
the pan and add wine, beef consomme, tomatoes, herbs and lemon rind.
Bring sauce to boil; season with salt and pepper. Pour into
heat-proof jug or bowl.
To assemble: Transfer vegetables back into base of pan. Stack shanks
on top of vegetables, standing them upright (with bone vertical).
Pour sauce over shanks, cover casserole and bake in moderate oven 1
1/2 hours until veal is very tender, stirring occasionally.
To serve, combine the chopped parsley, grated lemon rind and
remaining crushed garlic and sprinkle over the top. Serve with
Risotto Milanese (recipe follows).
Risotto Milanese
375 grams (12 ounces) long-grain rice
60 grams (2 ounces) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups hot water
2 chicken stock cubes
1/4 teaspoon saffron (Use the real deal. I know it's expensive, but
the result is so much better.)
30 grams (1 ounce) butter, extra
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat butter in a non-stick pan; cook onion until tender. Add rice to
pan; stir until well coated with the butter mixture. Add wine and 1
cup hot water. Add saffron and crumbled stock cubes; stir well.
Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered. When water is almost
evaporated, add another cup. Repeat with final cup. Reduce heat;
cook until water is absorbed and rice tender, about 20 minutes. If
rice is still too firm, add approximately another 1/2 cup of water,
cook as needed (different types of rice will need different cooking
times). When cooked, stir in extra butter, Parmesan cheese, salt and
pepper until butter melts and risotto is just gorgeous, creamy,
golden delish!
Trish Morey writes passionate love stories for Harlequin Presents
that feature gorgeous alpha heroes with Mediterranean backgrounds
ranging from Greek to Italian to Australian (Melbourne is the Greek
capital of the Southern Hemisphere after all!). Her first Presents
release, The Greek Boss's Demand, was a number one
Waldenbooks best seller, so be sure not to miss her upcoming August
release, The Italian Boss's Secret Child. You can visit Trish
at her Web site at
http://www.trishmorey.com.
To read last
month's Stuff to Make article, click
here
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