m+m: the golden west

on my business trip last week, i somehow found myself in baltimore (it originated with the orioles game).  having long held a rather bad impression of the city (sorry baltimore people), i thought i'd look into trying to find those hidden gems.  good thing my coworkers appreciate (and trust) my selections of dining establishments.  we ended up in hampden, an area near john hopkins, that began the process of gentrification in the early 90's after it was discovered by artists.  most famously known for the backdrop for a handful of balitmore native, john waters, films (like hairspray), the area now has honfest - where people tease their hair into beehive do's.  we ended up at the golden west cafe (as recommended by design sponge guest write ann ditmeyer).  this eclectic joint has a kitchy interior, with record covers lining the walls and giant animal heads busts.  the craft beer list was extensive (i had a lagunitas) and the food was delicious (i had a brie, pesto and apple sandwich with sweet potato fries).  there was definitely a local hipster crowd that lingered (artists keep flexible hours) long past our two beer lunch.  and with tables alongside the glass storefront, it's ideal people watching.

pinterest . pin board

in many creative fields, the use of inspiration boards is widely used. it helps the designer form their vision, the client express their tastes, and provides the snapshot for the final product. i used them during my studies and practice of architecture, critiqued a few iterations of one assisting with a condo redesign, and have many fragmented ones for my own personal use. i always have my eyes open for inspiration, for good design, for that perfect color.... and since my friends are very aware of this, one of my girlfriends told me about a website, www.pinterest.com. Pinterest allows people to post their own virtual pinboard. Once you're logged in, it's really easy to get caught up peeking around.

baby . brunch . bubbles

my best friend, carrie, is about to have her first baby, roen, in just a few short weeks.  while she had a couple baby showers and has been gifted oodles of hand me downs, when going through all her goods, we realized she was limited on what her little man could wear as a newborn.  i know she loves to get crafty, and i know she loves any excuse to go to the fabric store - so i decided to host a baby brunch with our girlfriends to embellish plain white newborn onesies.  we got a wide selection of fabrics, stencils, puffy paint, iron-ons, transfer paper, etc so that everyone could express themselves (some ladies had a slight creativity block). after noshing on my frittata creation (recipe below), alix's homemade muffins and mum's champagne - we produced some adorable little outfits.  but most importantly, carrie was beyond happy and had a blast.

basil frittata with roasted red pepper pesto
(recipe is a random creation of mine)

frittata:
preheat oven at 400 degrees
in a pan with a little EVOO saute diced garlic (two cloves) & shallots (one), 5 min or until browned
mix into a bowl with eggs (10), s&p, chopped fresh basil (3 tablespoons) and milk (i used almond)
in another pan, cook thinly sliced potatoes in EVOO
lay potatoes in a greased cast iron skillet, and top with egg mixture
place in oven for 30 minutes or until mixture is cooked

pesto (can be made up to a day in advance):
preheat oven to broil
place two whole red peppers and broil until skin is piercing, place in a sealed plastic bag to cool, wash under cold water and peel off skin and slice off top
in a food processor, mix peppers, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, s&p, almonds, 1 tablespoon EVOO

remove frittata from oven, set aside to cool.  arrange a bed of arugula and place frittata on top, spread pesto evenly overly frittata and garnish with avocado slices

art d'strada . going green

it's a misty saturday morning, but frankly the gloomy coastal weather is giving me an excuse to catch up on some "chores" around my house before i head downtown for the little italy art d'strada.  i'm looking forward to checking out what artworks are created from recycled and salvaged material, and for my own 'research' i will be keeping an eye out for any industrial designs stemming from plastics.  i am also excited to see what food trucks show up.  having only eaten at the miho truck, i do know that the mobile foodie trend has really taken off in san diego, so there is bound to be some good eats.  

press release: Come and be apart of a new unique event in Little Italy North – Art d’Strada; which will be held on Saturday, September 24th from Noon to 8:00pm on India & Kettner between Grape & Laurel.  This is an event that will be showcasing the Arts and Design District in a “green” light; with music from local bands, artwork created by local artists from recycled & salvaged materials, and food by Little Italy North businesses & local food trucks.

The recycled & salvaged material artworks will be on display, as a group of industry judges go through the local shops & galleries to judge on the following catagories: Best-in-Show, “The Trashiest,” and WOW!  The winners will be announced on the Architectural Salvage stage on the corner of Kalmia & Kettner at 7:00pm.

Do your part and bike to the event, but if you are visiting us from far…we have parking!  Parking is located on the corner of Juniper & India Streets.

peanut lime noodles

i was scrolling through my iphone, which includes an extensive backlog of food photos.  i saw this delicious noodle dish i made from a recipe by ellie krieger, a NYC based author and dietician.  i followed her recipe for the most part, but doubled the sauce (i have a thing for sauce) and added broccoli and chicken.  

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti
• 2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets
• 2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed
• 2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 scallion, cut into pieces
• 3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce. Divide into 6 serving bowls and top each serving with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables. Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve.

is this what they call heaven

it's been a long day, and at this point i'm mentally, physically and emotionally drained. work had been nonstop all day from all angles and began way too early, as i was awoken from a wonderful slumber of vivid dreaming with a call for help crafting an answer within 30 minutes (don't people know i need coffee to function).  a great gym session gave some relief this evening, as did the chopping for my roasted red pepper pesto.  but i now find myself sinking into the floor, using my pup as a pillow, enjoying a glass of sauvignon blanc that I had been wishing was in hand hours ago.  as the grassy notes sink into my taste buds and i zone out to mike snow pandora radio, i can't help but think of those snow capped mountains, the fluffy baby sheep in the wide open green fields, the plates of creamy cheeses and endless crisp wines that we indulged and imbibed on our biking adventure through marlborough, new zealand - i was convinced at the time that this is what they call heaven.

mod dog

i've spent much of the evening cozied up on my living room floor with Sasha watching a Sex and the City marathon, its mindless fantastic entertainment to distract me from the quick downward turn my pup has made since coming home from the vet only hours ago (she hasn't even budged for a nibble of freshly roasted chicken).  she's been quite the spoiled four-legged friend, where for many years she was able to count her sheep while being spooned by me in up in my bed.  when i finally came to the realization that it wasn't all that great (and mildly gross) that my crisp white sheets always had a fine layer of black hair, i decided that maybe i should buy her a big comfy dog bed for the floor (muttropolis has some great stylish options).  but had she been one of those dogs that lived in a doghouse, she would surely have been a mod dog!

MAGIS Dog House

Graypants repurposed Dog House

Luxury Caravan Dog House

Hundehaus Cubix: The Modern Doghouse

fab . design resource

my girlfriend from LA sent me an invitation to join Fab.com, an online resource that offers up to 70% off of retail (they have Moooi items, which are fantastic) as well as design inspiration.  i know if i let myself peruse the daily deals, i could do some damage.  so while i do my best to stay clear of the sales, i do enjoy snippets of inspiration - it keeps open optimism.

pure.fresh.zen

i spent much of the weekend cleaning and purging loads of excess "stuff" from my office at home.  i had about a years worth of design magazines, although neatly stacked in my armoire, they were unncessary to keep.  as i flipped through the dog-eared pages i came across a story on the dutch stylist, ANOUK B.  although it is a bit minimalistic for my taste, there was something quite appealing about the stark white pallete counterbalanced by natural elements.  pure, fresh, zen. 

silky soft ears

a farm pup from charlottesville, virginia.  for almost the past 10 years i have been so lucky to have the big brown eyes and silky soft ears of the sweetest dog in the world.  she has been with me through so many milestones in my life,  like velcro on my side.
she had slowed to a crawl, could barely make it on our lagoon walks, and her already slim figure was fast shrinking.  so i took her to the vet, which he revealed to me that she had a giant liver tumor.  while he guessed that she wasn't in pain (yet), he gave her a shot, told me to go home to think about what another day is worth, and to come back next week to talk about quality of life.  as much as i selfishly want to do everything and anything to keep her here with me, i know that is not realistic.  I want her to have a happy ending, of love and comfort, and not to prolong any pain.
i spent the entire day with sasha.  i took her to cardiff beach like we used to do so often.  i could see the glimmer of excitement inside of her, a slow wag in her tail.  she used to bound through the water, sprint in giant circles on the sand - but today she was pushed by the white water and kept looking up at me too tired to walk anymore.  i brought her home and sat outside in the sunshine so she could roast herself in the grass as she loves to do.  let my thoughts wander and tried to grasp the reality of everything that is happening all around me.  i lay here on the ground with her wrapped up like a giant burrito in her yellow blanket, she loves to stare at me.  i cannot even imagine what she is saying.  her eyes kill me, tug at my already hurting heart.

M+M: bakehouse

Coffee (preferably iced) is an essential piece to my mornings.  I could easily make it myself, but I find that just like a good sandwich, it somehow tastes better when someone else is brewing it.  While I frequent Starbucks at home, when I travel for work I enjoy finding the local coffee shop.  In Charleston, South Carolina, I have become a huge fan of Bakehouse.  Inside the adorable cafe, large reclaimed wood tables become the perfect spot to enjoy a sweet treat in the sun soaked space.  After a few trips to Bakehouse, I have decided that the homemade biscuits with egg and cheese is buttery heaven.

happy camper

After our camping experience, my friend sent this Jim Gaffigan link, which was absolutely hilarious.  I also learned he is coming to Humphrey's by the Bay on Shelter Island next week on his tour.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdqIpYhM6PE

bright palette in the sky

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky" ~Rabindranath Tagore

my favorite time of the day.  the best perch to watch.  my faith that color can replace that which has faded.  the best company to share the silence.  

mt.whitney

Mother nature hasn't been that forgiving this season up at Mt Whitney.  With record precipitation and chilling temperatures, the high season for reaching the summit has been anything but a simple feat.  After getting rained out from torrential downpours in July (where people were wading down the mountain in water), our group was lucky enough to get reassigned to a weekend in September.  Arriving that weekend, we knew we were up against cold wet weather, but we had faith that we'd still make it to the peak.  Despite the rain, thunder, lightening, hail and white out storms - there were many moments of sheer beauty climbing up Mt Whitney.  The dark clouds eventually swooped in from the south, and a horrible storm broke lose preventing us from reaching the last leg up the 99 switchbacks to the summit.  But, we are all determined and I have no doubt, we will be back soon enough.