Ground Hog Day
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Ground Hog Day today. Lots of sunshine here, so that seems to indicate that we’ll have more winter. Not a bad thing really. I notice that we’re pushing the seasons more and more. We no sooner get through Christmas, than we market Valentine’s Day…. Then we promote Easter! All of this is in the name of marketing and sales. We’ve turned Holy Days into Holidays. The difficulty with that approach is that even our concept of Holy is conflicted with the recognition that the majority of Canadians are not of European descent. Our calendars are slow to recognize religious Holy Days of faiths other than Christian/Judeo. Our patterns of immigration suggest that we must all become more aware of other faiths. The mosaic that is Canada is rich in this regard. But I digress. As a Canadian, I like winter. I embrace the cold cleansing that truly differentiates us from most other countries.
I received a large shipment of burls from my brother and nephew at Stinson Studios in Tamworth earlier this week. It was so much fun to open up the crate and go through the paper wrapping to inspect each piece! There was one burl in particular that caught my attention. It was a medium sized oblong burl taken from a Yellow Birch tree. It has such a distinguishing colour and grain that I know people will be keen to see the beauty and uniqueness of this piece. Jesse cut out a canoe paddle blank from an ash board and sent it to me. I have to begin some work on this blank to create a canoe paddle for a surprise birthday gift. It seems like I’ll have a few more weeks of winter to work on the canoe paddle. I’ll enjoy winter, and look forward to open water of summer!
Bill
Cooking with Stinson Studios: Salmon Gravlax
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Hello Everyone,
I’m really enjoying the pate boards in my collection! I’ve used them to present appetizers, cheese and bread, and even pate! You can find some recipes for pate from a previous blog. But I found another use for my favorite pate board! I turned it upside down, and now I have a cutting and serving board. I’m careful not to cut anything using a sharp knife, but Don tells me that even if I did make a knife mark on the board it is easily repaired with a bit of fine sandpaper going with the grain of the wood.
We’ve been getting snow recently and as we spend more time inside, Kathy and I have invited friends over for some visiting and celebration. One of the appetizers I really like to prepare is called Gravlax. I think it has a Scandinavian connection in that it is a sugar and salt cured fish. You begin with a full salmon, or you can purchase half a salmon in a fillet form and prepare it using half of the following ingredients. Make sure that all the bones are removed. You may have to use a small pair of tweezers to pick out the fine bones that you can feel when you run your fingers over the fillet. Place two large bunches of fresh dill spread onto one of the fillets. Sprinkle ¼ cup of coarse salt and the same amount of sugar onto the fillet. Scatter two Tablespoons of freshly crushed pepper onto the fillet. Top with the other fillet, skin side up. The fish should now be wrapped in tinfoil and placed in a deep glass dish. Top with a 5 lb weight. Refrigerate for 48 to 72 hours turning the salmon over every 12 hours.
Remove the salmon from the dish and scrape away the dill and marinade. Pat dry. Place a fillet skin side down onto a cutting surface and using a sharp knife, thinly slice on a diagonal angle to create thin pieces of cured salmon. I’ve found that dark pumpernickel bread goes well with this cured salmon, but you can use most any bread or crackers in your presentation on the pate or other cutting board. I’ve also presented a Dill Mustard Sauce to accompany the fish. To make this sauce, mix together 1 cup of sweet mustard, 1 cup of sour cream, and ½ cup of chopped fresh dill.
Gravlax makes a great presentation dish on your turned upside down pate board!
Enjoy!
Bill Stinson
Cooking with Stinson Studios
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One of the things I bring to Stinson Studios, is my love of cooking. With that in mind, I’m going to periodically post blogs with recipes for foods that not only taste fantastic, but serve well in a Stinson Studios piece. Don and Jesse recently mailed me a box full of different bowls, utensils and serving boards. I was immediately struck by the look of the Pate boards and the new Dip Boards and thought I would start with them.
I’ve taken the following recipes from The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook, and I’ve included some personal suggestions based on my experience with these recipes. Both recipes work very well in our Pate Boards. Simply place some Pate in the dip area of the board and serve crackers, small pieces of bread, or vegetable sticks on the flat surface of the board.
Chicken Liver Pate with Basil
1/3 cup butter, softened 75 ml 3 tbsp cognac or brandy 50 ml
1 onion, chopped 1 ¼ cup packed fresh basil leaves 50 ml
1 clove garlic, minced 1 ¼ cup light cream cheese 50 ml
12 oz chicken livers, trimmed 375 g Pinch of salt and pepper Pinch
1. In skillet, melt half of the butter over medium heat; cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Place food processor blade in a freezer to cool.
2. Add chicken livers; cook for about 5 minutes or until browned but still slightly pink inside. Stir in cognac; cook for about 1 minute or until almost evaporated. Let cool.
3. Transfer to food processor where well cooled blade from freezer has been inserted. The cooled blade ensures that blended liver does not stick thickly to blade. Add basil, cream cheese, remaining butter, salt and pepper; puree until smooth. Spoon into serving bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chilled and firm. (Make ahead: Refrigerate for up to 1 day or overwrap with heavy-duty foil and freeze up to 2 weeks.)
Mushroom Pate: Omit chicken livers and substitute 9 cups (2 L) mushrooms (1 ½ lb/750 g). I’ve used a variety of mushrooms combined to make this recipe. You can even hydrate some dried exotic mushrooms to create a richer more earthy flavour. Chop mushrooms coarsely; add to softened onions and garlic. Increase heat to high and cook for about 10 minutes or until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms are beginning to brown. Continue as directed. Both recipes make about 2 cups (500 ml) of Pate.
If you try out these recipes I’d love to hear what you think,
Bill Stinson
Another Stinson in the Mix
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Hello Everyone,
Don and I have been brothers for longer than I can remember! We followed similar paths and it always seemed to include the out of doors. After university and working for Outward Bound Schools, I worked in outdoor education for Waterloo County Board of Education. I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to teach in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut that last nearly fourteen years! My three daughters were born there and continue to live there, now residing in Yellowknife. I came ‘south’ a number of years ago to complete a graduate degree and joined MacEwan University in Edmonton. I’ve been able to use this area as a base for further outdoor adventures. I’ve canoed, kayaking, skied, dog sledded, and hiked much of northern Canada. Most recently, I’ve been kayaking in my hand made kayak touring rivers in northern Alberta. Don and I try to get a trip together most every year and we’ve paddled the northwest coast of British Columbia and found it be incredibly inspiring. A couple of friends and I are retracing the Fur Trader’s Route from Rocky Mountain House to Thunder Bay. Every year we do another stretch of this trip and we’re well into Saskatchewan now. This past summer we paddled through the historic area marking the Riel Rebellion. During these trips, I like to organize the food and do much of the cooking. I’ve written a book outlining some of the many trips I’ve taken over the past forty years, and included stories and recipes for the food I’ve prepared. You may find Meals and Memories: A Celebration of Food on the Trail, at Mountain Equipment Coop outlets, or through Trafford Publishing.
I continue to teach as an adjunct professor with MacEwan University, but I’ve been able to do many more fun things of late, and working with Don and Jesse, is one of those exciting things!
More from me soon,
Bill
Welcome Uncle Bill
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Stinson Studios is growing! We’re expanding in every conceivable way, with new products and the building of new tools and machines. Our success at the NYIGF (New York International Gift Fair) this past January and August has brought with it a whole range of new international stores and galleries carrying our work. With all this going on, Dad and I have been struggling to spend enough time actually making things. We decided it’s time to call in reinforcements, and who better than family.
You’ll learn more about Uncle Bill in the upcoming blogs and news from Stinson Studios.
Jesse
Last Open Studio of 2011
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The cooler and longer nights are upon us. The hardwood trees have begun their changes to the spectacular autumn colours. Even the ground colour has turned to golden and red. We can smell the changes in the air. The hair on our horses is getting thicker as they prepare for cold weather. With this change in seasons, comes the end of our Open Studio weekends. The last one of this year will be Sept 24th-25th. Why don’t you make the drive out to our Studio to visit us?! We’ve been working hard and have got some new products to show you. Come and see!
While you’re here, we promise to have the cider press going and if you’re interested, you can even give us a hand tossing some apples into the press. Or you can just have a glass of the freshest cider you will ever taste! We use a scientific formula to make our cider. One part wild apple from the trees back on the farm, and one part from local domestic trees. Not that scientific really….
The Studio will be open from 12pm to 4pm on both Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th. We hope to see you here!
The Stinsons
Thank You
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What are the proper words to use to call a customer who becomes a friend?
We have been selling salad bowls and other bits of our work at retail art and craft shows for almost 30 years. I can’t speak for all exhibitors, but for us Stinsons, doing a show is like a combination of a final exam and a blind date. You work hard for months beforehand, pour your time, imagination and a million other personal things into a physical object and then stand there in public, fully exposed, as strangers evaluate this part of you and decide if they want to take you home. Well, “you” as in the bowl not “you” as in me they guy who made the bowl. Thought if it is a really big bowl, I do usually offer to carry the bowl to the persons car.
When Dad tells people that the One of a Kind Christmas Craft show is the hardest thing we do all year, he is not kidding. Even though we never seem to have a really bad year, every time a big show comes around, a small part of us worries that maybe this is the year. In the 12 days we are in Toronto, Dad usually losses 8-10 pounds from forgetting to eat. I spend most show nights staring at the ceiling and go from a one coffee a day habit to an intravenous drip. Do you know what saves us each year? It’s the people. “Are the salad bowls are made of wood?….. Are you sure?” No not those people, though stimulating questions like that do make me blink and keep me awake.
No, I’m talking about the people who come back year after year and become more than just customers. They become friends. For 17 years we have been staying in Toronto every One of a Kind Show, with a man who bought a salad bowl 20 years ago and then invited us into his home. There are people who bring sandwiches and snacks because they know Dad forgets to eat during the 12 hours a day we stand in our booth. We are even lucky enough to have a few old customers/friends who kick us out of our booth and start selling our work for us by talking about the bowls we made that they have been using for 20 or 30 years. Most recently, I was exhibiting at a show in Ottawa this past weekend, where I was presented with a nice card and housewarming gift by a couple who’d purchased burl bowls from me for the past couple years. They even wandered in and helped with part of our booth take-down at the end of the show.
I guess this is a thank you, to all the people who make up this informal Stinson Studios community. Whether someone buys a bowl by email or at a show, for themselves or as a wedding gift, drops off a sandwich or just comes by our booth to say hello, it all helps us make the things we do.
Thank you.
Where Are My Pants?
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Have you ever had one of those dreams where you need to be somewhere important and you realize you forgot your pants?
I haven’t had the dream, but that was me this morning. The Ottawa Originals Spring Show was due to start in 45 minutes and I was staring at a suitcase full to shirts, socks and boxers…….. No pants. No matter how far I frantically dug into my suitcase, I just kept coming up with shirts. Nice shirts, but still just shirts. So what to wear? Towel? Ripped and stained setup pants? I went with the setup pants. Luckily my brother lives in town and I might be able to borrow something relatively clean from him for tomorrow.
Wish me luck,
Jesse
We’re going to NYC!….. no really
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Wonder of wonders, we just got acceptance to the New York City International Gift show. Unless you are a Canadian and have tried applying to shows in the USA you might not understand why we are little incredulous. In an attempt to move into the USA retail market, we applied to 6 different USA art shows last year and all six replies we got back read variations of “No Dogs or Canadians Allowed”. Well, that is not entirely fair. I think a couple of those shows let dogs in if they did their business in the USA. Imagine our surprise when this world renowned wholesale show decided to overlook our nationality handicap. My only reservations have to do with the sleeping arrangements. Dad snores loud enough to wake himself up. We shared a hotel room in Vancouver and he had to hide the pillows each night in case I was forced to smother him in his sleep. Maybe we should budget for an extra room.
See you in NYC.
Jesse
Laurie Grassi Design Blog
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We have been lucky enough to attract the attention of Laurie Grassi, a current editor of special issues at Canadian House & Home, and design blogger extraordinaire. Laurie has recently written a blog discussing our work. Check it out at;
