Now on to the Tate Modern. Last week I went to have lunch with Ryan and it was a beautiful day so afterwards I decided to take the a semi-long walk over the Thames and on to the Tate to check out some art. The museum is huge, so I can’t truly write about the whole thing but I’ll tell you about some of the things that I liked best. (Sorry for the iPhone pictures)

When I arrived, I was a little tired from the walk so I stretched out on the lawn outside the museum. It was lovely, sunshine on my face, grass between my toes, and ample people watching to be had.

The Tate is free, but to get a map they ask you to pay a little bit. I put some money in the tin and the security guard came over and said, “thank you for your contribution.” I was a little surprised, but probably he stands there all day and sees people just take the maps.

Since school has just started and tourist season is over it wasn’t very crowded. But, I think even if it was crowded, it might be ok because the space looks cavernous. It was nice to get to walk around, look at whatever I wanted, and not be squashed.

I loved the feel of the museum! I liked that it was full of other people so it didn’t feel lonely, but wasn’t too crowded. And I really liked the playful ways the museum displayed the art. Look at the how the frames are close together and a little uneven, but still visually appealing.

Now you might be thinking, “Mariel, stop all your museum talk. Who cares about how paintings are hung?” But take a moment and think about your last visit to an art museum. It probably had pristine and painfully white walls with about three paintings on a giant wall. Can you picture that? Doesn’t that seem a bit cold? Whereas this feels a bit homey. It feels like how I might want to hang my art and family portraits on my own walls.

Also just look at this tiny picture hung up high. It’s amusing.

I also saw an Alexander Calder mobile. At the time I had just finished updating a lesson plan for Live It Learn It about sculpture and Alexander Calder. It was cool to get out of my own head and see, in person, what I had been writing about. Why is a mobile cool? I’ll tell you what I wrote in the lesson plans. He was the first to make sculptures come from the ceiling, not the floor. Also his sculptures move, and because of the wind, not because of any mechanics.

I particularly liked a gallery called Poetry and Dream with photographs by Henry Wessel. They were photos he took of ordinary moments of strangers – basically things he saw from a car or walking around. It was cool and a different way to notch up people watching. In my head I like creating stories about the people I see around me, and these photos seemed like a different way of doing that. Below is my favorite one in the series. It is provocative and surprising and a strange thing for a stranger to show someone else.

My favorite thing I saw was Wassily Kandinsky’s painting called Lake Starnberg. Kandinsky is probably my favorite painter. I love the use of bold colors on everyday scenes. I like that it both looks bright but not quite cheery. And I love the abstract, rounded, and clear brushstrokes. Just love it.

I also spent a lot of time in a room full of Rothko’s. My photos do not do the room justice. The paintings were a series of black and maroon paintings. I sat in the middle of the room on a big wooden bench and absorbed it. The room felt calm and serious, but not sad. I know Rothko is one of those painters that people often see and think, “that’s just color.” But I like that. I like that color can make a room have a mood for a feeling.

Perhaps one of the best things I saw was this interactive wall. It’s cool that an art museum asks for feedback and reflections through art! Visitors can submit their drawings and writing about the museum and then have them displayed above on the wall. This is awesome! Not only is the museum getting visitor feedback, but visitors get to feel like artists by having their work displayed. Seriously, what could be better than having your own work on the wall of an internationally acclaimed art museum!?

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Eric, Abraham, and me circa 2010

It’s the holiday season, and that often means cookies out the wazoo. Growing up, one of my favorite things about preparing for the holidays was making cookies with my brother, Eric, and my cousin, Abraham. As we got older, I often had to bully them away from their video games to come decorate cookies with me, but once we were there, we always had a blast together.

For us, and I suspect for most people, gingerbread and sugar cookies are holiday staples. So, this recipe is a new take on two cookies you might already be making. If you already have go-to cookie recipes then all you’ll need is a set of nesting cookie cutters. I have circle cutters, but I’ve seen snowflake ones too, which would be really cute. Basically, you make the dough for both cookies then use the cutters to alternate layers and you’ll get an awesome bullseye look. As another option, you could just make sugar cookie dough and then divide it in thirds. Dye one-third red, one-third green, and leave one third plain. You can then make the same bullseye using Christmas colors. Go crazy.

The other reason I like this recipe a lot is because it looks like art (to me, maybe not to you). I’m a fan of the blog Modern Art Desserts, which is basically about a kitchen in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the desserts they make that either look like or are inspired by the art in the museum. They’re stuff is really awesome, and now I can be awesome too because my cookies are art-inspired. Anyway as I was arranging my finished cookies it hit me that these cookies reminded me of a Wassily Kandinsky painting called Squares with Concentric Circles. What do you think? If you dyed the sugar cookie dough, these cookies could totally look like this art.

So there you have it, not only are these cookies holiday staples, they are also inspired by high-art. The people who you share these cookies with will be impressed… maybe.

Anyway, for real these cookies are worth the effort. The balance of butter-sugar and ginger spice is perfect. It’s literally two cookies in one. What’s better than that? Anyway, enjoy the holiday season. With this recipe, I know you’ll be ready to own that office-cookie-swap or holiday-bake-off.

The sugar cookie recipe I’ve already shared over the summer, but I’ll write again below. The sugar cookie recipe, gingerbread recipe, and bullseye idea are all adapted from my favorite cookie book, The Art of the Cookie. You’ll make about 2 dozen cookies. 

Ingredients:

Nesting cookie cutters

Sugar Cookies-

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk

Gingerbread Cookies-

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground all spice

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsbp molasses

1 tbsp ground fresh ginger

Directions for Sugar Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a large bowl mix together the sugar and butter, using an electric mixer.  Beat for 2-3 minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat on low until completely mixed.

4. Still on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until mostly mixed in.

5. Add the milk and mix until totally incorporated.

6. Scrape down the bowl, press the dough into a rough ball. Then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for one hour, or as long as over night.

Directions for Gingerbread Cookies

1. In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and all spice.

2. In a large bowl mix together the sugar and butter, using an electric mixer.  Beat for 2-3 minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg, molasses, and fresh ginger and continue to beat on low speed.

4. Still on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until mixed.

5. Scrape down the bowl, press the dough into a rough ball. Then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for one hour, or as long as over night.

Directions for Cookie Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Flour your work surface and rolling pin.

3. Roll out a portion of the sugar cookie dough, and a portion of the gingerbread dough, until each is about 1/4 inch thick.

4. Using your largest cookie cutter, cut out a circle from one dough. (In the picture, gingerbread)

5. Using your second largest cookie cutter, cut out a circle from the second dough. Using the same cutter, cut out a hole from your first circle. Fit the second circle inside the first circle. (So here, put the sugar cookie circle, inside the hollowed out gingerbread circle)

6. Continue cutting out concentric circles. I used a straw for the smallest whole.

7. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes. You want the cookies to be a little bit browner.

8. Serve and impress everyone who takes a bite!

Messy Level- This is definitely worthy of three spoons. You have to make two doughs, and so you use a lot of bowls and measuring spoons. Also, you have to use many cookie cutters and cookie sheets. It takes a lot of detail work and flour (as usual) gets everywhere.

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