beautiful light

mod meets squad

pink walls

via apt therapy

Jabrisco

Broccoli peanut Sauce----serve on penne 2 heads broccoli 2 large cloves garlic ¼" thick slice ginger 1/4 tsp. ground coriander 1/4 tsp ground cumin ½ cup coconut milk ½ cup chunky peanut butter 2 tbsp roasted peanuts 3 dashes crushed red pepper (or to taste) ¼ cup stock/water 3 tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. lime juice salt pepper

time 25 min serves 3-4

1. Peel the tough outer skin of the broccoli (You can skip this step, but the broccoli won't be as tender). Cut broccoli into small, bite-size pieces. Place in a steamer basket, or on a plate on a steaming rack, in a large pot with 1" water; cover and steam until tender (check after 7 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, mince garlic and ginger as finely as possible. If you have a mortar and pestle, use it to mash the garlic, ginger, and ground spices; otherwise, just smash up the garlic and ginger as well as you can using the side of a big knife. Roughly chop the roasted peanuts.
3. In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk on medium-high, until bubbles begin to form.
4. Add garlic, ginger, ground cumin, ground coriander, and crushed red pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the peanut butter and chopped peanuts, along with the stock and brown sugar. Cook until smooth, approximately 10 minutes
6. Add the lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over steamed broccoli, with rice.

Last Night's Dinner

Had this for dinner last night. It was quite quick and had those three important components: nutrition, deliciousness, and complex flavor

Soba Salad with Spinach, Edamame and Miso Dressing

Published: September 18, 2009

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 to 4 ounces soba noodles

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

2 cups edamame (frozen are fine)

2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Juice of one lime

2 tablespoons white or light miso

1 tablespoon mirin or 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

10-ounce package fresh spinach, washed and trimmed

1/4 cup chopped scallion

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Drop in the noodles and carrot and cook until tender, 2 to 4 minutes; add the edamame for about 15 to 30 seconds just to warm, then drain everything in a colander. Set aside.

2. In a large salad bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, miso and mirin or sugar. Add spinach, noodles, carrot, edamame, scallion, and toss; then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with grated ginger at the table.

kitchen improv

table table

Above: Ostell's dining table is the Mt. Lebanon Shaker Work Table with wooden wheels of solid clear cherry with a hand-rubbed oil finish; prices start at $1,190 for a five-foot-long table at Shaker Workshops.

Back roads

License plates can be a great siding option too.

yariba

Cafe Rustico

80% of the materials used for this house would have ended up in the landfill. The man that creates them started a "homesteading" initiative to build homes with single moms, low income families and artists. Typically his homes are built for under $50,000 using recycled materials.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/garden/03recycle.html?_r=1

storybook

This article is a dream!

salad to try

Green Salad with Dates, Smoked Almonds, Goat Cheese, and Dates
1 week of lunches for 2 people

1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
1 head red-leaf lettuce, shredded
1 small head red cabbage, shredded very fine
1 fennel bulb, finely shaved
6 shallots OR 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup dried dates, pitted and chopped in quarters
1 cup toasted salted almonds, roughly chopped
1 12-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and well drained
4 ounces goat cheese or smoked goat cheese, crumbled
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Dressing:
3 tablespoons light vinegar, like rice vinegar or Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup light oil, like very light olive or safflower oil

Avocado

Mix the greens and cabbage in a large bowl. Toss with the finely chopped shallots or red onion, dates, almonds, and legumes. Toss with the goat cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whisk the vinegar and oil together until emulsified, then pour over the the salad mix and toss.

Serve with avocado chunks.

salad to try

ig Green Salad with Dates, Chicken, Smoked Almonds, Goat Cheese, and Dates
1 week of lunches for 2 people

1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
1 head red-leaf lettuce, shredded
1 small head red cabbage, shredded very fine
1 fennel bulb, finely shaved
6 shallots OR 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup dried dates, pitted and chopped in quarters
1 cup toasted salted almonds, roughly chopped
1 12-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and well drained
4 ounces goat cheese or smoked goat cheese, crumbled
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Dressing:
3 tablespoons light vinegar, like rice vinegar or Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup light oil, like very light olive or safflower oil

Avocado

Mix the greens and cabbage in a large bowl. Toss with the finely chopped shallots or red onion, dates, almonds, and legumes. Toss with the goat cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whisk the vinegar and oil together until emulsified, then pour over the the salad mix and toss.

Serve with avocado chunks.

chickpea snack

Spicy Oven-Roasted Chickpeas
about 2 cups

1 15 ounce can organic chickpeas
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon chunky sea salt
2 teaspoons spice like garam masala

Heat the oven 400°F. Pour the chickpeas into a colander and drain and rinse very well under running water. Pat dry.

Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and spread out on a large cookie sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until brown and crispy. Turn and stir every ten minutes so they don't burn.

Take out and toss to taste with salt and spices.

popcorn at work??

Here's what you need: popcorn kernels and a paper bag. That's it.

Fill the bag with about 1/4 cup of kernels, fold the top of the bag over a couple of times and microwave on high for about 2 minutes.

If you prefer, you can add some oil to the bag beforehand, but your bag (and your microwave) will get pretty greasy, and it's not necessary for the popping process. We prefer to add oil or butter after the popcorn is popped.

This is the fun part. You can stick with the classic butter and salt, or experiment with other toppings. Here are a few suggestions:

• Nigella Lawson's Party Popcorn – One of our favorite ways to eat popcorn, this sweet and spicy recipe combines melted butter with paprika (we use both sweet and smoked), cinnamon, cumin, sugar and salt. We also like to throw in a little chili powder. *
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground paprika
  • 4 teaspoons table salt
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
• Olive oil, za'atar seasoning and salt – We love this lemony, nutty flavor combination.

• Za'atar Seasoning Blend

  2 Tablespoons dried thyme
  2 Tablespoons dried sumac
  2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted or un-toasted as you prefer

• Olive oil, fresh ground pepper and a little grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil alone – A great way to really enjoy a flavorful oil.
• Caramel Popcorn – Try Emma's recipe that can be made entirely in the microwave.
• Peanut Butter Popcorn – Faith's recipe for peanut butter caramel could be adapted for the microwave.

via kitchentherapy

Gothic?

I think these color combinations are great.

The mantle color is Olympic (from Lowes) it is called 'Widow's Walk'.

stephen43215: The dining rm./ kitchen/ bedroom color is also Olympic- 'Oswego Tea'

Via apartment therapy

Kombucha power

Here is a link to an article about the healing properties of Kombucha. I have purchased an organic plain variety in order to create my own "mother" or "Scoby" in order to create large batches of this otherwise expensive bev.

http://www.foodrenegade.com/kombucha-health-benefits/

How to make your own Scoby:

http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-grow-a-kombucha-scoby/

A great video of a guy making his own Kombucha

www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Big-Batch-of-Kombucha/

Vintage Watches

I spoke with a jewelry designer yesterday at a trunk show. It was fun to meet her and in addition to making jewerly, she collects vintage watches. Here is a nice one

Rough hewn

practice

Couch possibility?

Bob mitchel + gold

mobile inspiration

Made from paper!

butcher block

Well organized, light, open etc with nice use of butcher block on island

Buying in blight: pros and cons

From Nytimes

Wow

From NYtimes

bottle wall

This home was built for $500