Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Leftovers and Happy Mistakes

Tuesday is my baking day. Usually I make bread, but the recipe I like makes two loaves and we hadn't finished the second one yet, so I decided to try something else. First I made crackers. They are ridiculously easy to make, and my first batch turned out pretty well. I made parmesan crackers with Italian spice. I will be trying this again.



My assistant likes the crackers.


After I finished the crackers, I wanted to make some cookies to use up the leftover frosting from our Easter cookies.



These were the only cookie cutters I could find. Maybe they will help me keep track of just how many cookies I eat! : p











A happy mistake: as the dough got softer they turned into Salvadore Dali cookies!






The Persistence of Memory by Salvadore Dali





Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War) By Salvadore Dali




I have always been intrigued by Dali's work, but I didn't really know anything about him, and pretty much just thought he was cool but weird. When my cookies started melting, I started looking at more of his paintings and reading their titles. I was really surprised to see how they all seem to have religious themes or really deep kinds of thoughts behind them. I started feeling a little foolish about parodying his work in dough.

This is a detail from one of Dali's works. It is my current favorite. The painting is called The Madonna of Port Lligat.



I love how still this image is even though everything is floating. It doesn't at all look like anything is going to fall. I love how the Child is looking down as if trying to understand his own nature. I love how he is so small and delicate, but also powerful. Mother and Child is such an earthly relationship, but there is something really otherworldly about this pair. The more I look at it, the more I see all the symbolism. I think it could really help me understand adoration. I am kind of excited to think about it some more.