Special surprise recipe! Chicken Piccata

During this pandemic, I've been cooking more than ever before, trying new recipes and actually enjoying cooking!  What???  My friends know that I've never been interested in culinary art, but now, I'm searching for things to fill my days, and since my husband and I used to love going out to eat, this is the next best thing till this pandemic is over!   We often cook together too, which I have to admit, I'm hoping Dick will love it so much that he will take over someday. (wink, wink)  I've decided that from time to time, I will be sharing some of my most favorite recipes.  And as a bonus, I am adding one of my latest paintings, just for kicks.  This painting is available for the first person to text me for only $50, half of my usual price!  This chicken dish is a combination of many different recipes that I found online, and I concocted my own version, based on our own tastes.  Hope you enjoy it! 

"Creative Energy"      7" x 11", watercolor and collage

"Chicken Piccata"

6 chicken thighs 

Flour (optional)

1/2 t. Kosher salt

1/2 t. Black pepper

3 T. Butter

1/2 c. Dry white wine

1/4 cup Capers, drained

3 or 4 t. minced or chopped garlic

1/3 t. thyme 

1 T corn starch

3/4 cup chicken broth

3 T. Fresh lemon juice and sliced lemon

3 Chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Optional:  Coat chicken with flour lightly, if preferred.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Using 3 T butter to pan, fry chicken for 5 minutes.  Turn chicken over. Cook 2 - 3 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and place them in a 9 x 13 pan.  Baste chicken with some of the butter that is still in the skillet.   Add corn starch, wine, capers, garlic, 2 T. lemon juice, and thyme to skillet.  Cook 2 minutes till slightly thicker.   Add sauce to 9 x 13 pan, but try not to pour over the chicken, so that the chicken will remain crispy on top. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes till internal temp of the chicken should register 190- 200 degrees. (I put loose foil on top of the pan for the first 15 minutes, then removed it for the last 15 minutes to allow the chicken to get crispy.  Sprinkle evenly with green onion, garnish with sliced lemons.  Serve over jasmine rice. 

Day 21 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Imagine Butterflies"      $75
Watercolor and Collage      7" x 10"

I started this painting several days ago, and then didn't quite know what to do with it.  Sometimes, paintings need to brew awhile to tell you what they will become.  I had tried a new technique when I started, and it really had me scratching my head on where to go.  I had collaged 1/2 of a butterfly, and decided to wire draw some more butterflies to accompany the first one.  Whenever I teach, I tell the students not to use the whole image that is on napkins.  Only use a part of the napkin image and then add your own touch to it.  Make it your own.   Once I added the red unifying color to weave around the butterflies, it all came together.  Just goes to show that if you try new things once in awhile, you might make a breakthrough.  Below is my beginning. 

Step One

S=Day 11 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Wine with Friends"      $75
Watercolor, Collage, Acrylic painting       7" x 10"

I had started this several days ago, and just didn't quite know what to do with the beginning, so I thought, why not add a couple of wine glasses, since I had collaged the word, "Wine", in the painting.  That's when my problems started.  It's really hard to add something "real" in these abstract paintings without a "plan" beforehand.  But, I stuck it out and kept layering till I got a painting that I was happy with. I actually had to get out my acrylics though and my Molotow markers (acrylic markers) for details.  This is what I call an illusionary painting.  My goal was to have the viewer search a little bit for the wine glasses, so they are partially transparent and ghostly.  Here are my steps, for you to see the progression of this painting. 

Step 1- first wash and adding collage

Step 2- Negative painting around wine glasses
and making a dark pathway to the edges.

Day 10 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Valentine Wishes"         $75
Watercolor and Collage          7" x 10"

Happy Valentines Day a few days early.  I wanted to post this one now, in case anyone wants to purchase this for their sweetheart or possibly for themselves.  The hearts in this painting truly just showed up!  I love the way the big heart seems to be breaking up into little hearts and then they are blown in the wind, as if you were blowing a kiss.  May you all have a special Valentine's Day!  Love yourselves and be happy! 

Day 9 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Looped on Life"       $75
Watercolor and Collage      7" x 10"   

 This is one of  my favorites of this challenge.  I started like usual, and the collage pieces that had loops.  So in the finishing touches, I added line-work, using my wire drawing technique, to repeat the loops from the collage.  I'm teaching this technique at several workshops coming up.  Bradenton, FL on April 10th and at Dillman's Resort in northern WI on June 18 - 21.  It's my new favorite thing to do!  It has helped ALL of my artwork AND I'm a better drawer now too.   Check out my website, www.karenknutson.com  to see my schedule.

Day 4 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Hidden Butterflies"     7" x 10"
Watercolor and Collage     $95

Somewhere in the middle of this painting, I decided to add images of butterflies.  My objective was to make this painting abstract first and then if the viewer happened to find the butterflies that was great, but that wasn't what I want the viewer to see first.  I told you that my colors would most likely change after I had been in Florida a few days and it really has!  Our view of a golf course with all the greens and a small pond outside our house is totally influencing my color choices. 

Day 3 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Recollecions"    7" x 10"
Watercolor and Collage     $75

I am a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and my goal when I started this was to get more geometrical angles in this painting.  I collaged with old pattern pieces, which I used back in the day when I sewed most of my clothing.  You didn't know that about me, did you?  Colors used in this painting were scarlet lake, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, raw sienna, new gamboge, and Holbein cobalt turquoise.  It always amazes me how these turn out.  I just let the painting guide me as I go along. Many of you have requested progressive photos.  Here are the steps to this painting:

Step One, Dry brush with watercolor

Step 2:  Add Collage

Day 14: 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Rest Stop"        $99 (SOLD)
11" x 14"   Watercolor and collage

Yes, another bird!  I've done so many crow paintings, and I still get excited every time I start a new one!  Adding collage for the feathers and adding brightly color napkins and collage papers is such fun.  I always have loved quilts, and I think my paintings even resemble quilts sometimes.  Too much work to actually sew one. To read about the process of the charcoal pour for this painting, check back to Day 11 of my blog.  Almost to halfway of this challenge!! Thank you, Leslie Saeta for posting this 30 day Challenge.

Day 11: 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Crow's Perch"   $99 (only during January) SOLD
11" x 14"    watercolor and collage

Today, I'm preparing for the charcoal pour workshop that I'm teaching in Cape Coral on Thursday - Saturday.    This is one of my favorite workshops.  We sprinkle charcoal powder onto the watercolor paper and then throw a big bucket of water onto the paper, so that the charcoal spreads outs in a splatter fashion.  We do this outside, of course.  It's nice to be in Florida, where it's nice and sunny for this procedure.  This procedure is explained in Discovering the Inner Eye, Experiments in Mixed Media by Virginia Cobb.  This is my favorite mixed media book!  It's filled with inspiration and great paintings by one of my favorite artists, Virginia Cobb.  The bird's feathers are collaged, using napkins, collage papers, etc.
So, I figured I could get away with saying that this is a landscape because the bird is perched on a tree.  You knew I'd have to cheat somewhere along this journey, right?