Mouth Watering Recipes and Eye-Popping Art

Soo you like to cook do ya, so do I. There’s just something relaxing, almost meditative at times I find when I cook. I get in that “Zone” doing the prep work of washing, cutting, slicing, dicing, mixing ok you get the picture. Then turning on da burners and pulling out the pots and pans, adding water to some, oil to others. Then the magic happens all the spices and seasonings start to jell with the vegs and meat or what every it is your cooking at the moment. The aroma builds and tingles your senses of smell and taste. You just can’t wait to dig in and chow down on your latest creation, even if it is only eggs and bacon with toast.

Well, what if I told you that there was a site out there that did just that, tingled your senses of sight, smell, and taste. Its call They Draw and Cook, which is run by Salli Swindle and her brother Nate Padavik. Not only are the recipes delish but the artwork depicting them is even better. As you sit there in front of your screen scrolling through the recipes, reading the ingredients, you eyes are assaulted by the wonderful colorful art that brings them to life. Just as there is an array of recipes to choose from, there’s even more of one in illustrative styles. It's a feast to behold.

So next time you're hungry and in need of a recipe or just looking for some great art to enjoy, stop on over at They Draw and Cook. Even better if you have a recipe that you’d like to draw and submit I’m sure Salli and Nate would be more than happy to post it right along with all the others. Submission details are on the site, so be sure to read and follow them before you start.

Finding Art in the Wild

Recently I had the chance to go hiking with several friends, at Pisgah Nation Forest, which is located in the western mountains of North Caroline. Since we got a late start we decided to check out some sites closer to the trail head that we usually pass by on our way to trails deeper in the forest. In doing so, we got to spend the night sleeping next to this waterfall. It was just a small waterfall that we had passed by dozens of times but had never stopped at, but had always said someday we would. I don’t know about you but to me there is something special about waterfalls, almost magical. I’m not sure if it's the sound they make or the power you feel of the rushing water as it cascades over the edge, or the quiet pool of water they make, that you find at the bottom. On this day, none of those things drew my attention quite like what I noticed a few feet away from the shore.

There on a big flat rock which was just below the water's surface was a curious sight. Someone had stacked rocks, not just randomly placing them there, but arranging them with great care and thought as to how they would fit one on top of the other to create a miniature monolithic rock sculpture. As you can see it had to have taken some trail and error to get the rocks to balance just right. I thought of the person having to stand in the still chilly mountain water contemplating just how they wanted to go about placing each rock after they had picked it up of the bottom of the creek bed. It made me wonder what their selection process was as to what stones to pick up and which ones to pass by as the combed through the various rocks in the stream.

Then I thought humans since time began have always found ways in nature to tell of our passing through it, whether it is the monolithic boulders at Stonehedge, the cave paintings that can be found throughout the world, or this little pile of rocks stack so carefully. We all want to make a mark on the world. Leave behind a little piece of ourselves so that others may know of our passing. On this trip I got to witness one such passing, deep in a forest, along a small creek I was touched by another human that wasn’t even there, in ways that neither of us could have imagined.