Free Recipe eBook Offer – Minimalist Cooking

If you look to the right of this post you’ll see a plug for something called The Minimalist Cook and a free recipe ebook. Well, here I have to declare an interest, this is not Google or affiliate advertising, it is my wife, Meg Wolfe’s, blog- or rather one of her. blogs.

She used to be a cook with her own commercial kitchen but she had to give that up due to health reasons and is now channeling her energy into writing about cooking. She has always had a love of writing and the language and has built up years of experience in the cooking field so this was a very logical step.

That explains the cook part of the title but where, you may ask, does the minimalist part fit in? Well, we have downsized a lot recently, big barn of an energy hogging house effectively in the middle of nowhere, to a small compact, well insulated property in the middle of a town center. This was done partly through choice but, it must also be said, a lot through necessity. Anyway, to cut a long and boring story short, we both actually got to enjoy having less stuff around, spending less time acquiring stuff and more time disposing of stuff. Meg has extended this approach and is really developing the whole minimalist cooking idea. Read more…

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

I have just finished reading the novel Spin by Robert Charles Wilson . The Novel is good old fashioned hard science fiction but with character development and a depth that is rare in the genre. Now don’t get me wrong, I am extremely old school and tend to think that characters in science fiction novels should do two things and two things only, push the narrative along and explain the sciency stuff.  What they should not do is be flawed and have emotions. Oh, and it goes without saying that they should never ever have sex.  The reasons for this is twofold, I like plot, I like stuff that makes me feel connected to the larger universe and I like stuff that makes me go wow but the main reason is that science fiction writers tend to be crappy  at doing human emotions and really really crappy at doing human sex.

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Understanding Modern Art – Pablo Picasso and Cubism

Cubism – A Working Definition

Cubism originated in the first decade of the twentieth century. It is an abstract art form where the normally observed view is dissected by the artist and then put back together again, but with the conventions of representational art removed. Complex shapes are reduced to basic geometries, depth cues are removed, and faces which would not be visible to the observer from one position are nonetheless represented on the canvas. It is definitely one of the more academic art forms and the first branch of Cubism, Analytic Cubism, was well named. Read more…

Understanding Art – What Is Minimalism?

This is an article that I wrote for syndication. If you want to post this article on your own blog feel free but it must be posted as is including the two text links at the end. The links are to good content rich web sites and not spammy or sloggy sleaziness.  No need for a byline or a link back here but if you drop a comment you’ll get a back link out of the deal.

Most of the great artistic movements can be seen as either an extension of a preceding movement or as a reaction to one. Minimalism falls into both categories. It was a direct and forceful reaction to Expressionism in general and to the raw emotion and anti-intellectualism of Abstract Expressionism in particular. Minimalism was, however, firmly rooted in one overarching movement of the time and that was Modernism, which had already started a reductive process. It also provided the bridge between Modernism and Post Modernism. Put simply, it sought to do away with all external references, especially emotional and historical, and to create art that was completely self contained. Read more…

Simple Tuna Salad Recipe You Can Make Before Work

Hereis another recipe. I have no intention of turning this into a recipe blog and I promise that the next post will have nothing to do with food. It will be a piece about minimalism across the arts.  Expect it sometime over the weekend.  This Tuna Salad is really good though.

Not only is this a simple tuna salad Mediterranean style, but it is also an extremely healthy one. No processed ingredients are used and best of all, the top stays firmly on the mayo jar! This recipe will provide enough for several large plate servings where it is the main attraction or for many more where it is part of a larger catering operation such as a buffet. Of course if it is just for yourself then scale back accordingly. This salad is best made before going to work as the flavors really intensify while it is stored.

To make the dressing:

• 4 Tb good olive oil.
• Juice of 1 whole lemon.
• 1 Tb Dijon mustard.
• A few finely chopped tarragon or basil leaves, to taste, or 1 ½ tsp dried tarragon or 1 tsp dried basil.
• Fresh ground pepper & Kosher salt to taste.

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