Easy Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:
frozen spinach - 1 package; thawed
shallots - 1/2 cup
garlic - 2-4 cloves
butter - 2 Tbs
nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
heavy cream - 1/4 cup
Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup

Directions:
Saute minced shallots, garlic & nutmeg in butter.  Add spinach allowing it to cook down slightly and absorb the flavor of the spices.  Stir in heavy cream and parmesan cheese.  Salt & pepper to taste.

Goes great with just about anything.  My family usually enjoys this side with chicken cutlets.

Have variations?  Please feel free to share them. 

Cyber Punk

Take a walk on the Intergalactic wild side with sensual and seductive Android Club-Girl & Boy Cool.  Are you ready for it?

1. punk star hot pink & black tutu; mtcoffinz

2. light up led respirator gas mask; theskywaspink

3. men's pinstripe buckle top; supernalclothing

4. intergalactic dungeon master d-ring leather cuff; batwingsbattleaxes

5. bitten with rage tulle skirt; mtcoffinz

6. antique silver metallic leather cuff bracelet; unearthed

7. urban assault top; robotickittyfashions

8. red & black pirate cybrlox hair; sistersofthemoon

9. cheshire cat pink purple trashed skirt; mtcoffinz

10. neon orange industrial biohazard necklace; headlesstessdiy

11. heirconn male long sleeve shirt; zenity

12. hot pink & gray mini top hat; crypticculturegear

Scrambled Apple Pancakes

I'm not a fan of pancakes, they are just way too heavy for me.  This morning, my husband made some scrambled apple pancakes that were so good, I just had to share it with you.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
- pancake mix
- apple
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon

Directions:
Make the pancake batter according to box directions.  Peel, core and dice up one apple.  Add the apple, dash of vanilla extract and a lot of cinnamon (approx 1 Tbs) to the batter and mix it all together.  Pour the entire batter on to the preheated skillet (use butter or non-stick spray - he used salt-free butter). Once the batter starts to bubble, use a fork to scrambled it and keep tossing until the entire batter is cooked.  Top it off with syrup and bacon.

This makes a great breakfast or dessert (minus the bacon).

Go Ask Alice

1. Steampunk Cuff; edmdesigns

2. Alice in Wonderland Corset; nightbirddesigns

3. Red heart Burlesque Mini Top Hat; olgaitaly

4. Tea for Two; whiteapple

5. Save The Date; royalsteamline

6. Alice; savoytruffles

7. Wonderland Tea Party; steammachine

8. The Observer; ghostlovejewelry

9. Air Force Love Print; geekdetails

10. Shantung Skull Wristcuff; ragdolliesmadhouse

11. Queen of Hearts Surgical Mask; blackorchiddesignsca

12. Burton-style Mad Hatter's Hat;madhattery

Double Take

One of my goals in 2010 is to spend more time creating and less time procrastinating.  Anyone who knows me well, knows that my creativity is as schizophrenic as can be.  The ideas seem to come and go and are all over the place.  With that I've been on a Two Finger Ring kick lately.  I'm sharing the beginnings of the Collection with you guys here.  What do you think?

Passage

The Key is symbolic of guardianship and passage.  It represents knowledge, mystery, answers, curiosity, opening and closing.  Think about it...one needs a "key" to open a locked door.  Once the door is unlocked and open you may gain access or passage.

I have a very old skeleton key that belonged to my grandmother.  I found the key lying around shorty after she passed away.  I tried every lock in the house and the key did not open one door.  I decided to keep it.  It sits on my bureau at the feet of a statue of Naga Kanya.

Some folklore legends says that if you carry an extra key on your key ring you will always have the answers.  ...I wonder if this is what that lock-less key was to my grandmother - symbolic of her intuition and always knowing the way. 

Bitter Sweet

Came home to find out that the 2 Finger Celtic Knot Evil Eye Ring sold today.

...another one-of-a-kind design added to the gallery of "gone but not forgotten".

2010 Kitten Koffin Zombies Calendar Ad

Woo Hoo!  We tried something new this year and placed an Ad in the 2010 Kitten Koffin Zombies Calendar and I am so glad we did!.  We used the MerCurios sticker art for the ad and it looks great in the calendar!

Our ad was in placed in July with Bombshell Sarah, Calendar Girl of the month.  Now if only she was wearing our jewelry!

The entire calendar is sick.  If you like the retro pinup culture of the 40s and 50s or can just appreciate a good looking woman, then this calendar is definitely for you.

The 2010 Kitten Koffin Zombies calendar is available almost everywhere, or you can purchase it directly from their website here.

If you'd like to know more about Frenchy St. Claire, the guru behind Kitten Koffin Zombies or how to become a KKZ Calendar Girl, check out their website for all the details.

How crazy is this?

Here are pictures of icicles that formed right outside of my bedroom window during the last snowstorm.

The smaller icicles are leaning toward the window and the larger icicles are actually resting on the window.  If you look closely you can see that the icicles that border the window on either side are pointing toward the ground.

How crazy is this?  Is it just a coincidence that my altar - my sacred place for prayer & meditation - sits just on the other side of the window?

Two's Company

Every girl needs a piece of bad ass jewelry in their trinket box!  I personally, have a thing for BIG jewelry...the BIGGER, CHUNKIER, BOLDER, the BETTER...and Evil Eyes, have I mentioned my love for Evil Eyes? 

Recently in my studio I started shaping 12 gauge copper wire with my bare hands - not an easy task, let me tell you - and the 2 Finger celtic knot ring was born.  


From there, I fell in love with the bold, edgy nature of the 2 Finger Ring, a la Brass Knuckles or as some call them Anti-Brass Knuckles.

Shortly after, two more designs were born -- Simple Skull & Eye in the Sky.



 

They were so well received that you can expect to see more 2 Finger Rings from MerCurios in early 2010.

PAMA Glazed Chicken

I asked Santa for PAMA for Christmas and in true Santa fashion he came through!  I've been cooking with it ever since.

We love chicken in my house, and a favorite is balsamic glazed chicken, you can see the recipe here.  So last night I thought why not try updating it using PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur.  Just as I predicted, it was good!  While I know there are many ways to create & modify this dish, here's what I did:

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts filleted
1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1 thinly sliced medium onion
2-4 finely chopped garlic gloves (depending on how much garlic you like)
1 cup white wine (I had chardonnay on hand)
1/2 cup PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
3 Tbs white balsamic vinegar (you can omit if you like)

Directions:
1) heat 3 tbs olive oil in a skillet over med high head and cook the chicken about 3-5 minutes on each side until almost cooked through; remove to a plate to keep warm.
2) add onion, cook about 5 minutes until soft.
3) add garlic & sundried tomatoes cooking until fragrant.
4) add white wine, PAMA & balsamic vinegar bring to a quick boil.
5) reduce heat to med low, return the chicken to the pan and simmer until chicken has cooked through and the sauce has reduced.

I served this over jasmine rice.

If you try this or a version of it, share your thoughts!

Mango Tomato Salsa

A family favorite all year round! Fresh chicken taco's with mango salsa. If mangoes aren't your thing, substitute peaches, pineapple, pomegranate or just leave the fruit out all together.

Keep in mind I don't use measurements, everything is by eye and to taste.

Mango Salsa Recipe:

• 4 Vine ripe tomatoes (plum or beefsteak tomatoes will work too, I just prefer vine ripe tomatoes)
• 1 Mango diced
• Red onion minced (about 1/4 cup)
• Cilantro chopped fine (about 1/8 cup)
• Lime
• Kosher salt (a pinch or 2)

Directions:
Cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove the spine and seeds & dice what remains. Cut one end off of the mango & peel it. Stand the mango up on flat end and slice it. Once the mango is separated from the pit dice it.

Take the tomatoes, mango, minced onion, cilantro, salt, juice from one lime and toss them in a large bowl until everything is mixed and coated.

Enjoy over tacos, with tortilla chips or in a salad.

MerCurios

Bio Mary Jo Peritore

About the Jewelry

MerCurios - born of a mercurial nature, steeped in schizophrenic aesthetic.  The creations of Mary Jo Peritore are eloquent and unexpected, sweetfully sensual and unapologetically hardcore.  Her vision and design philosophy are rooted in emotion, spirituality, mindfulness of her impact on the earth and...just a bit of goth punk.

This unique collection includes rings, bracelets, and chokers that are crafted in copper, brass, stainless steel, silver or gold and are wrapped, chained, tied or twisted.  Many are embellished with curious charms, gemstones and crystals.  Ever eco-aware, Mary Jo uses reclaimed sources as her materials of choice for most MerCurios pieces.  Carefully chosen elements are shaped and shifted into truly one of a kind pieces of jewelry.

Speaking of shape-shifting, oh, the many moods of a girl...pick your piece according to the type of woman you feel like in each moment.  Rock and roll girls will covet unique pieces such as sexy hammered links with chunky skulls, stunning skeleton key bangles to unlock mysteries and bohemian bass ass two finger rings which provide a pretty, yet powerful punch.  Soulful gypsy girls will want to don a beautiful and bewitching evil eye pendant or a come-hither corset ring adorned with a word of inspiration.  Romantic dreamy girls will wish for a wrap bracelet made from blown glass, flowing copper wire and ethereal organza ribbon.  Spiritually progressive girls will love the cathedral chains and koi featured in some of the newest pieces.  The inherent character of MerCurios is one of metamorphosis, expect the specific designs of the pieces to change at the whim of the artist.  However, the aura of the line will remain constant - organic, raw, industrial and chaotically couture.

About the Artist

Born and raised in Queens, New York, Mary Jo has more than twenty years of valuable experience in the fashion industry and was employed by several companies including Liz Claiborne and Emanuel Ungaro.  She has created and executed trunk shows, fashion shows, wardrobe workshops and training seminars across the country.  It was a natural progression for Mary Jo to grow from her fashion career into a self taught jewelry designer and craftsman.


Mary Jo's pieces have been featured in the book 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew by Garth Johnson (Quarry Books, 2009); CLEO Magazine (September 2010); CLEO Magazine (October 2010); STATUS Magazine Issue 15, (October/November 2010); CLEO Magazine (March 2011); Accessories Magazine (May 2011).  Look for the MerCurios shop at www.mercurios.net.



Mary Jo not only puts her mind, heart and soul into her jewelry, her first and foremost source of love and inspiration is her family.  She is a proud wife, a progressive mother and the epitome of a modern fusion of Factory and Rockabilly Girl.  Read about her life and work at www.mercurios-jewels.blogspot.com.


MerCurios is also on Facebook  at www.facebook.com/mercuriosjewelry.