Southwestern Roasted Potato Salad

I grew up hating sweet potatoes mostly due to the trauma of over-baked sweet potatoes with a layer of marshmallow sugar-coma on top. (Of course, if you enjoyed that treatment, you are a sturdier character than I am.)

With that said, I was invited to present a recipe to a throng of 250 ladies recently and I decided to share a recipe my mother created. Well, I had always wanted to give sweet potatoes a fair treatment and gave my mom's a try.

Wasn’t I surprised when it came out to be delicious? Thankfully, the 250 ladies also agreed. On a side note, though this is my mom’s prize-worthy recipe, she has yet to make it herself which remains a testimony to her awesome skill.

Southwestern Roasted Potato Salad

4 medium North Carolina potatoes (Garnet Yams), peeld, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 Cups)
½ Cup, plus 2 TSP olive oil, divided
1 TSP salt
1 TSP freshly ground pepper
1 TSP cumin
1 TSP dried oregano leaves
1 (15.5 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Pint grape tomatoes
1 Cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ Cup chopped, fresh cilantro
3 TBS fresh lime juice
3 TBS fresh orange juice
1 – 2 TSP ground chipotle pepper powder

Preheat: oven to 425°

In a large bowl:
Toss sweet potatoes with 2 TSP of olive oil. Spread potatoes into a single layer on a baking sheet. Season with salt, black pepper, cumin and oregano.

Bake: Stirring occasionally for 35 – 40 minutes, or until potatoes begin to brown or are fork tender. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool

Add: Black beans, red onion, tomatoes feta and cilantro.

In a small bowl: Combine lime juice, orange juice, chipotle pepper and ½ cup of olive oil, whisking to form a smooth vinaigrette. Pour vinaigrette over salad, toss gently.

Serve.
(This refrigerates well too.)

Surrendering to mediocrity

Some of us start out with dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers, teachers, craftsmen or writers. When I was little, I wanted to be both an astronaut and an artist but I was told I would have to be smart to be an astronaut. Since I didn't believe I was, I surrendered to discouragement. 

My first job was in high school, working the grill at a major fast food chain. That chain was very skilled at training me to be a good assembly line worker. Processing requests, filling orders and staying busy until my shift was over. There was no time to cast vision, dream or think outside my work experience. There was no need because it was all done for me. They only needed employees to process orders cost-effectively and efficiently. Nothing personally vision-related happened until my shift ended and I went home, exhausted, stinking of oil and sweat.

If you go to that chain today, it's easy to find an employee to process your order but rarely do you find one who delights. It's also easy to find businesses excelling at creating those kinds of mediocre workers. 

The problem is that it's too easy to surrender. It's hard to fight for what you want and it's hard to act on your dreams but it's important. I'm sometimes jealous of my peers who didn't let that happen to them, because I learned it when I was older.

Whatever your job, we habitually have the tendency to find ourselves processing orders. The selfish part us that wants to stay behind the scenes, keep our heads down and plow away at our inboxes as they fill. We often find ourselves, seldom dreaming of better ways to create and share new ideas to make our community better, happier places. We have often settle for processing orders and running along a razors' edge of burnout.

Then we gripe.

The selfish me that wants to surrender? He tells my dreams to "shut up and get back to work" because mediocrity wants to become the king of all minutiae and offer perpetual discouragement to the me I want to fight for.

We have to kick him away, carve out time and get back to dreaming big. Because if we don't, we surrender to mediocrity. 

(Almost a) One-pot Steak & potato recipe

Lately, I've become fond of making so-called "one pot meals." Probably because deep down, I want to be lazy. To combat that slippery slope, I make this in two sauce pans – for the win!

• 1# of trimmed and cubed Ribeye steak
  (you could substitute sliced Polish Sausage because it works just as amazingly well)

• 1# of small red "creamer-style" potatoes - quartered
• 1 or 2 zucchini, sliced into 1/2" chunks
• 1TB Sesame seeds
• 2TB olive oil (divided)
• 5 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 small white onion, diced

In a large pan, heat 1 TB olive oil and saute the potatoes, onions and garlic on medium heat - stirring occasionally. When the potatoes start to brown, add the zucchini, sesame seeds and toss to make sure they're fully integrated.

As you start the potatoes,  simmer the ribeye cubes in a smaller pan with remaining olive oil at medium heat. I like to marinate the steak for several hours before. I'd give you the recipe but who has time to make their own marinade? I like C.B Stubblefield's as they tend to always be phenomenal.

I also like Ribeye because it tends to be a really tender cut of meat.

Oh, stir the meat occasionally too. My wife usually hates steak so I make sure that the slowly-cooked meat is tender and delicious. Cubing it small helps the steak arrive that way and makes my wife happy. So, when the steak has browned evenly and your potatoes have cooked through (it should be roughly around the same time), combine, season to taste, stir and serve.

When I served this last night, I gave my son a taste of the steak and potato mixture, he hugged me.

Hard.

The whole shootin' match serves 4 and can be served as a single bowl of joy. Garnish if you're that sort of person. I'm not.

Sit, walk, stand: a study in Ephesians

Sit, walk, stand: A study in Ephesians, originally uploaded by samjessup.

Ephesians Series Key Art

I'm working on a series for this Fall that will cover the entire book of Ephesians. The artwork above will be used to create a bulletin shell, powerpoint bits as well as other promotional hoo ha.

The concept that was given to me by the speaker is oriented around moving from "sitting" with Christ (Ephesians 1:1-3) then moving to "walking" with Christ to "standing" firm in Christ against the enemy. All those concepts are mentioned in Paul's letter to the 1st century Christians in Ephesus.

Much of the letter to the Ephesians is built around how God's kingdom has been revealed to us having been mysteriously hidden in the Old Testament. It was always there, now it's been made clear.

With those things in mind, I was motivated to illustrate breaking the barrier between the earthly kingdom to reveal God's kingdom. I also thought to add a couch (representing sitting) and a tree (metaphorically 'standing' firm). The distance between the two representing walking distance.

I'm considering going adding a sepia tone effect to the broken glass but I'm stopping until I get more input. There are not many things more discouraging than supplying a completed concept as a first draft only to have it radically changed!

A partial list of artists whose work I really love to see.

Hugh Syme
Graphic artist and cover designer for Rush (amongst others). I think he's been doing Rush's artwork since the early 1970's. Following his work has helped me see how the integration of collateral is a significantly powerful tool. I always look forward to seeing his next project, especially when it's a Rush album.
HughSyme.com

Gary Dorsey
I used to be an acquaintance of Gary's when I lived in East Texas. I've eaten dinner with his family and I have often taken notes from his work to inform my own. He's really an overall nice guy and back in the day, I kept finding myself hired to manage projects he wisely abandoned. I just had a hard time filling his shoes. Every few years, Gary releases a major update to his site which always makes me envious.
Pixelpeach.com

Paul Millins
I'm lucky enough to be friends with this man. He's probably the most brilliant landscape photographer I've ever known and he is the most humble artist. Paul is quietly confident, hard-working but never stupidly vain. A rarity that's always refreshing.
MullinsStudio.com

Von Glitschka
Followed this guys work for years. I found his work on the Howdesign.com forum. He is an illustrator whose reminders consistently hammer a good creative process. His advocacy for hand-drawing any proto-design is his strength and certainly the reminder I always need. My default tends to live and stew inside my head. His expressions with texture and vector line work have totally shaped my understanding of what excellence can and should be.
vonster.com

Paul Lee
I found Paul Lee quite by accident via Fudgegraphics.com (a site well worth following). His inspirational work has really forced me to think well outside my common framework. Beautiful blends, textures and elegant simplicity. I'd like to be as talented as he is when I grow up.
paulleedesign.com

A change in opinions...

In 2008, I voted against President Obama as much as I voted for the other guy. At the time, I found myself afflicted with the hand-wringing dispensed by talkers on the "right" on radio and television. I actively worried that the Obama as president would sell-out the American public, that his so-called 'socialist agenda' would destroy the country as we know it.

You know, all the talking points/hot buttons of the time.  And as much as I didn't really terribly admire John McCain's position on things, I was truly excited about Sarah Palin as potential Vice-President. She seemed to be a breath of plain-spoken fresh air.

At the time.

Two years later, I have completely reversed my opinion. I've watched John McCain unveiled as a cynical career politician. He seems content to mouth whatever it takes to appease an angry, anti-immigrant Arizona. Sarah Palin has become a shrill mouthpiece of the new GOP. Promoting a 'win-at-any-cost-despite-the-rhetoric' agenda. She's willing to promote whatever it takes to get attention and shifting blame anywhere but herself. I have seen her give ascent to conspiracy theories, saddle-up to white supremacists (her ghost-writer for "Going Rogue") without apology.

They both appear to be empty suits available to be filled with whatever passes for statesmanship and I am ashamed of my support for them. Clearly, there are politicians in both parties to be disgusted with.

On the other hand, President Obama has quietly earned my respect and support. He's certainly more moderate than the "anti-Christ' he has been purported to be. Especially since the 2008 election. I have begun to discover that I am dissatisfied with seemingly racist and bigoted hatred for the President and all things Democrat. While I may disagree with the man on certain principles, I can at least admire him for the dignity and pride that his office has not had in decades.

Sadly, the GOP lost my general support for now. I will vote my conscience, as I should.

Conference room comps

Conference room comps, originally uploaded by samjessup.

The color scheme on the previous comps did not work as well as I thought. I still loved the original concept so I recalibrated with a new color scheme.

I think this works so much better now.