Linda O'Donnell Design & Illustration

Loving the Veggie Life! 08/16/2011

I recently switched to a vegetarian lifestyle and have been experimenting with the most amazing foods and recipes. I made these mind-blowing black bean croquettes and wanted to share the incredible experience with you.

Black Bean Croquettes
Makes 4 servings

2 cups cooked dried or canned black beans, drained but reserve the liquid
½ cup minced onion
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
About ½ cup coarse cornmeal
Corn oil for frying

1. Mash beans but don't puree. Use a food processor or blender. You want a few bean chunks for texture. Use a little bean liquid or water if the beans are too dry to mash.
2. Combine the beans, onion, cilantro, egg and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add cornmeal by the tablespoon until you've made a batter that is barely stiff enough to handle. You should be able to shape it with your hands without it sticking, but it should be quite fragile or the cakes will be dry.
3. Add corn oil to a large, deep skillet and turn flame on medium. Shape the bean mixture into patties 2 to 3 inches across. When the oil is hot, place them in the skillet. Don't crowd them; you may have to work in batches.
4. Cook the croquettes until nicely browned on all sides, adjusting the heat so they brown evenly without burning before turning, 7 or 8 minutes total. Keep warm in the oven or under aluminum foil until ready to serve, or serve at room temperature.
5. Garnish with salsa, fat-free sour cream and fresh cilantro sprigs, if desired. Brown rice with roasted or fresh corn make a nice accompaniment.

VARIATIONS: You may add any of the following alone or together for extra zing in the batter: a dash of cumin, minced jalapeno, fresh chile, hot sauce or fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Nutritional info (without garnish) cals: 322kcal | fat: 15.78g | carbs: 35.58g | prot: 10.61g
Discovered in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman (Modified for a Southwestern flare)

Dig in and enjoy!
—Linda

Knitting "The Dude" 06/08/2011

After knitting 3 garments for myself, I'm making a sweater for my hubby Scott. He loves the movie "Big Lebowski." The main character played by Jeff Bridges (Dude) wears this sweater throughout the movie.

The talented designer Andrea Rangel charted the sweater.
Click here for the pattern.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. So far, I'm loving the project. It's my first real color work that's not in the round.

You can also follow my knitting projects on Ravelry.

Happy knitting.
—Linda

Zombies Are People Too 06/06/2011

As competitive photographers, my husband and I like travel around taking photos of the beautiful, the ugly, pristine and neglected. We consider ourselves equal-opportunity photographers. The most recent event that drew our attention was the Asbury Park Zombie Beach Party held on May 28, 2011.

Special FX artists transformed the living into the walking dead who played volley ball, visited the "biting" booth, played carnival games and lurched up and down the boardwalk. It was a perfect day for everyone, both alive and reanimated.

Here's some pics of the friendlies we met...all willing to model their lesions and decay proudly.

Beach Zombie (a.k.a. Scott) went for a stroll on the beach.

Ginger and Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island showed off their Hollywood glamour at the party.

Attica - a very colorful and well-dressed zombie.

To view more Zombie Beach Party photos, click here.

Enjoy!
Linda

A Mystery KAL with a Great Outcome 05/09/2011

I recently participated in a mystery KAL (knit along) with knitting designer Laura Nelkin. She donated proceeds (almost $600) to Americares toward rescue efforts in Japan. So inspiring! Such a great cause. She kept us all in "stitches" eagerly awaiting our next clue. It was fun not knowing what our project would be when it grew up.

Here's the final results...a beautiful beaded eyelet scarf. I liked it so much, I decided to keep it for myself…something I rarely do. If you'd like to knit something beautiful for yourself or a loved one AND donate to a great cause, the pattern is still available. Find out more by clicking here.

As always, be creative and be happy.
—Linda

Size Does Matter … at least in knitting 04/13/2011

The subject of "gauge" …how often is that discussed among your knitting circles? Being an avid knitter, I understand how tricky it can be to size your knitted piece to a particular person or age group.

Here's a great jumping off point for those that knit hats:
I found this helpful chart that cross references the correct circumference and height of knitted hats for your subject's age or size. This will help you achieve the right size hat. All you have to do is figure out how many stitches are needed to "get gauge."

Happy knitting!
—Linda

PREEMIES
1 -2 lbs 1kg
Baby's Head Circumference is 9" - 10" 23-25 cm  (so hat circ. should be about 7.5" -8" 18-20 cm) Height of hat should be 3.5 - 4" 10cm

2 - 3 lbs 1.4 kg
Head Circumference 10" - 11 1/4" 25-28 cm hat circ = 8.5" - 10" 22-25 cm   Hat height = 4" 10 cm

4 - 5 lbs  2 kg
Head Circumference 11 1/2" - 12 1/2" 28-33 cm hat circ = 9" - 11.5" 23-28 cm Hat height = 4 to 4.5" 10-11cm

5 1/2 - 6 lbs 2.7 kg
Head Circumference 12 1/2" - 13" 31-33 cm hat circ = 11" - 12" 28-33 cm Hat height = 5 to 5.5" 13-15 cm

CHILDREN
Newborns

Head Circumference 13" - 14 " 33-36cm; hat circ = 11.5" - 13" Hat height = 5.5 to 6" 13-15 cm

Baby - 3 to 6 months
Head Circumference: 14" - 17 " 36-43 cm; Hat height= 6.5 - 7" 15-18 cm

Baby - 6 to 12 months
Head Circumference: 16" - 19 " 41-48 cm ;  Hat height = 7.5" 18 cm

Toddler - preschooler (12 months - 3 years)
Head Circumference: 18" to 20 " 46 -48 cm; Hat height = 8" 20 cm

Child (3 - 10 years)
Head Circumference: 19" - 20 1/2" 48-51 cm; Hat height =8.5" 22cm

Pre-teens and Teens Hat
Head Circumference: 20 1/2" - 22"   53 -56 cm; height 9-10" 25 cm

ADULTS
Women
Head Circumference: 21.5" - 22.5" Hat height = 11"

Men
Head Circumference: 23" - 24" 58.4 cm - 61 cm; Hat height = 11"-11.5"

The Creative Process and Knitting 01/17/2011

I've been creating as long as I can remember—savoring the process, testing theories and perfecting technics. I stand in awe watching a project take shape, coaxing materials into specific form, tweaking details and aiming for a flawless outcome.

Throughout my childhood, mom would discover me completely consumed, assembling my newest creation with purpose like a little mad scientist…stringing beads, glue and glitter, crocheting, painting—even sawing and hammering away in dad's workshop. With choice of medium vast and varied, my creative purpose obediently followed into adulthood.

Knitting equally fascinates—how a single strand of fiber manifests into something dimensional. Being attracted to unconventional style not easily found in mainstream venues, knitting affords me the added bonus of creating the unique and one-of-a-kind pieces that I crave.

I'm always on the prowl for the next special, more challenging pattern—itching to push the creative envelope, needing to learn and grow. You guessed it! I'm an over-achieving Type A personality.

My latest endeavor, a cabled sweater, is coming along nicely. There are plenty of twists and turns to hold my interest. And it's been a blast to do.

How do you create? What creative elements do you need to be inspired? Feel free to share.

Happy creating,
Linda

Cheesy Chicken & Cauliflower Pie 01/05/2011

This recipe is one of my childhood favorites but modified to be Weight Watcher's friendly. It's a great winter comfort food dish. Try it. I guarantee you'll like it. And each serving is only 8 WW Points Plus value.

Cheesy Chicken & Cauliflower Pie (serves 4)
1 large head of cauliflower, cleaned and cut into flowerets
1 pound lean ground chicken
1 large onion, finely chopped (or onion powder to taste)
1 clove garlic (or garlic powder to taste)
½ cup reduced fat cheddar cheese (or the cheese of your liking)
2 Tbsp 4C grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp Smart Balance Light Spread with flax seed (or your favorite version)
¼ cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix ground chicken, 1 Tbsp Romano or Parmesan cheese, garlic, onion, salt and pepper (to taste) in a mixing bowl as if you're making a meat loaf. Add any other ingredients to your liking but NO TOMATO SAUCE please. No eggs are necessary since chicken has a softer consistency than ground beef.

Press the chicken mixture into a 9" x 9" buttered pan (or use non-stick baking spray) to cover the bottom of the pan. This becomes your pie crust. Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes.

While chicken shell is baking, cook cauliflower in water. I add garlic powder and onion powder for added to the cauliflower during cooking. Cook until fork tender. When done, drain really well. Mash with a electric beaters until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste, Smart Balance, Butter Spray and Romano or Parmesan cheese. Be careful not to make the cauliflower too thin or runny. It does not thicken after sitting like potatoes do. Set aside.

After 30 minutes, remove chicken pie shell from the oven. Carefully drain any liquid that may have leached from the meat. Wipe any liquid from the outside of the baking dish. Spread cheddar cheese evenly across the meat. Spoon mashed cauliflower into the chicken pie shell. Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower gets slightly browned on the top.

Serve with a side salad or a colorful root vegetable like brussels sprouts or winter squash.

Enjoy :)
Linda

The Graphic Design Triad 10/27/2010

People often asked what programs I use when creating graphics and doing my design work. My answer is always the same; "The design triad, of course." Every design task is different. And the task at hand determines which program I use. Each has its own attributes and functionality.

Here are a simple break down:

Adobe PhotoShop (a.k.a. PS) is most commonly used for performing photo touching and preparing photos for use on the Web, in print, for multimedia, and so on.

You can change colors, touch up distracting areas, remove backgrounds or perform a complete overhaul of the photo. There is a multitude of special effects to mix and match and create a completely different look for your pics.

Here are some of my before-and-after photos showcasing the "Magic of PS":

Cocktail Shaker: Shiny objects can reflect everything in the room. No matter what you do during photography, they often require some photoshopping. After I airbrushed this piece, you'd never know it was a trouble maker.

Cocktail Plate and Glass: Blocks are often needed on the set to lift and hold pieces in place. They can later be removed using PS and no one is the wiser.

Pitcher: This item arrived to the photo shoot missing a handle. In PS, I simply selected the handle of a smaller pitcher, duplicated it and seamlessly marrying it to the broken piece.

Pie Crust Saver: The factory sent the wrong color. No worries. A simple color correction in PS and, voila, we have a red pie crust saver!

Adobe Illustrator (a.k.a. AI) is, as the name suggests, an illustration program. You can create many things with AI, including illustrations and line drawings. It's extremely flexible and I spend most of my design time here. Like PS, it has special effects for your creations and you can even incorporate photos in your design.

AI can allow you to create practically anything. Here are illustrations I've done of a sea turtle, a sweatshirt design for our Ireland trip, a line drawing demonstrating the use of a product and a photo mixed with a mechanical drawing for a new bottle shape. The possibilities are nearly endless.

My personal AI moto … "If you can dream it, you can create it."

And, last but not least…

Adobe InDesign (a.k.a. InD) is used for desktop publishing, including laying out of ads, catalogs, brochures, postcards, flyers, sell sheets, sales kits ... anything that has a page structure.

InD mixes together text, photos and objects and allows you exacting control over font, character, paragraph and image styles and formats … all in one program.

Some samples of files I've created with InD are:

GREAT ADVICE:
If you want to learn how to use these programs, my best advice is to download a free trial and play around in the program for a while. Become familiar with their environment … then take a class. What you learn in that class will make more sense and stick better. After class, practice right away. Like learning a second language, if you don't practice, it will quickly be forgotten.

For more samples of the creative possibilities these programs have to offer, visit my online portfolio by clicking here.

Happy designing! ☺
Linda

Kickin' Chili Con Chicken 09/27/2010

I made the best chicken chili last night. The flavors are rich and complex. I've tweaked the ingredients over the last few years for a perfectly balanced dish. So, spice up your dinner tonight.

Enjoy!
Linda

Chili Con Chicken
1 pound ground chicken breast
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cocoa (or ground coffee)
½ teaspoon red pepper sauce
1 can (16 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained (I puree them)
1 can (15 ½ ounces) red kidney beans, undrained

Heat olive oil gently in a 3-quart saucepan. Cook and stir ground chicken, onion and garlic until browned; drain. Stir in other ingredients except beans; break up tomatoes if you didn't puree them. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.

Stir in beans. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until desired consistency, about 20 minutes.

NOTE: You can puree the beans before adding them to the mixture for a smoother chili. This also distributes their flavor evenly throughout the dish.

Serve over brown rice and top with chopped sweet onion and freshly snipped cilantro, if desired.