A Painter's Kitchen

O'Keeffe's Kitchen Sink, Ghost Ranch, 1975  by Dan Budnik

Just when you though you had seen "everything but the kitchen sink" when it comes to Georgia O'Keeffe -- we give you Georgia O'Keeffe's kitchen sink.

When she was 24, Margaret Wood met the 90-year-old Georgia O'Keeffe.  She was hied to be Miss O'Keeffe's companion, staying with her at night and preparing her evening meal and her breakfast.  Alas, Margaret Wood was not much of a cook at the time, so Miss O'Keeffe taught her.  Years latter Wood compiled recipes that she cooked into A Painter's Kitchen: Recipes from the Kitchen of Georgia O'Keeffe.

As one might expect from an elderly woman living in the middle of nowhere, the recipes are simple, filled with natural ingredients.  An avid gardener, O'Keeffe was an early adopter of the writings of Adelle Davis who's book Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit was a huge bestseller.  With all of her care for nutrition, making her own yogurt, milling her own flour, and growing her own vegetables, she never shied away from good steak.

 

Each recipe in the book has a headnote memory of O'Keeffe; food they ate, books they read, stories of travel and friends.  O'Keeffe had an old Chambers Stove from the 1940's.

Photo from the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

Like so many houses, the kitchen was the focal point of the house, with three different rooms radiating off the kitchen.

Photo from the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

During the waning light of fall, O'Keeffe spent a lot of time pouring over recipes, she seemed to be a big fan of Prevention magazine.

Photo from the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

She was always reading about vitamins, minerals and natural foods.  She had a real love of nuts and grains.  This recipe featured several different kinds of nuts wrapped into a single muffin.

Atomic Muffins

1/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cashews

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup unbleached flour

1/4 cup soy flour

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

2 tablespoons brewer's yeast (optional)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 cup safflower oil

2--3 tablespoons honey

1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop the almonds, cashews, pecans, and sunflower seeds (or other nuts of choice). Combine the flours, brewer's yeast (if desired), baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.  In a smaller bowl, beat egg then and add the oil, honey and milk. Add the liquids and nuts to the dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Grease a muffin tin and fill to 2/3 full.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until nicely browned. Serve with butter/oil and fruit preserves. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Generally, we are not big fans of "nuts in our food" but we might just make an exception in honor of Georgia O'Keeffe.

If you are a fan of O'Keeffe, this cookbook is a perfect addition to your collection.