Category: favorites

rug crush: tikau

tikaui mean BIG TIME rug crush… enough to justify all caps.

in a post several months back, i moaned and groaned how after being in a new apartment for almost two years, we still had no rugs. except bathmats, which don’t count. truth is, i’m very picky about rugs and would rather have a naked floor than something that’s just… meh.

enter my favorite store in the world, tiina the store, with all it’s amazing finnish design. they had various rugs from tikau all over the store this summer, and as i love stripes (my facebook quote is “i like stripes”. or it was, anyway. i think they get rid of that.) i was unable to resist.

i digress. long story short, the unbleached wool, handwoven black & white striped rug seen in the upper left corner of the photo is now on my bedroom floor. and i LOVE IT. (more caps.) even my dog loves it. (proof here)

ps. since it’s a woven rug with no pile, i got the thickest rug pad available at abc carpet & home. the way to figure out what size you need? easy, you have them cut it 1″ less all the way around. extra ps: take a cab home.

(photo)

 

eat it: sesame noodles

sesamenoodlessesame noodles…. ever since realizing that i can totally make these at home, they’ve become a bit of a problem. a little bit healthy and a little bit not, i want them at almost every meal. this dish has everything – great texture, great flavor….they’re irresistible to me.

now, for you by-the-book types, i know my version is kind of japanese and maybe kind of thai, and kind of not really authentic at all. but this is how i do it, and it’s good!

for the sauce:

2T tahini

2T creamy peanut butter

1T each of mirin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and siracha. either regular sesame or toasted sesame oil is fine, and you can add some hot chili oil as well, if you have it!

1t grated ginger

juice from 1/2 a lime

for garnish:

handful of rough-chopped cilantro, thinly sliced scallions, and sesame seeds.

for the noodles:

the options are many. in the picture above, i used regular old pasta noodles (actually my last choice – just what i happened to have on hand) but you can use ramen, udon, rice noodles, or buckwheat soba noodles. my new favorite noodle is the black bean “spaghetti” from the brand Explore Asian. they have two ingredients (black beans & water!) and about 25 grams of protein per serving and almost half your daily requirement of fiber. they’re a perfect backdrop for the sauce.

the sauce! oh yes. easist thing ever – mix everything in a bowl, and toss with the cooked/rinsed/drained noodles. scatter the sesame seeds, scallions, and cilantro over the top. if the sauce seems a little thick, add a tablespoon or so of the pasta cooking water or regular hot water to thin it out.

(photo by laura kinsey)

 

holding on to winter (clothes)

3_11_13_winterroutine

i am a huge summer fan… i love the beach, the sun, and being able to go outside without having to layer on a sweater, jacket, scarf, gloves, hat, and sometimes, boots. that’s six extra things!

but every year when it starts to warm up, i am stricken with anxiety about what to wear. this is mostly because even though winter isn’t my favorite season, i love winter clothes. there are two other issues, though:

1)  i am a creature of habit and once i find the thing i love, i like to wear versions of it a lot. i like to find one great pair of sandals that i can wear every day all summer. i will wear one pair of jeans for a year. i like one bag to keep all my crap in. i am not one of those girls who switches up the bag to match the outfit. no. that is how i lose stuff…

2) i am not into your typical “spring looks”. florals have to be basically amazing for me to consider them. i effing hate that mint green trend from last year and have my fingers crossed it does not resurface. (i feel the same about you, emerald green, a.k.a. color of the year. no thank you.) my favorite colors to wear are black, grey, navy, khaki, ivory, and sometimes, blush tones. these colors don’t exactly scream “spring”, and it can be hard to find stuff in this palette at this time of year. so, for lack of anything seasonally appropriate to wear, i cling to my too-warm winter clothes for way too long. they’re familiar and i don’t have to think too hard about getting dressed. i like that.

this year, though, i’m going to try not to procrastinate. i’m going shopping. and i’ve made an executive decision to wear my favorite nail polish colors all summer long, even if they scream winter.

1. allsaints top/ 2. rag & bone scarf/ 3. madewell t-shirt/ 4. mz wallace clutch/ 5. essie nailpolish in Hot Cocoa and Power Clutch/ 6. pants from joie/ 7. club monaco shorts/ 8. rag & bone camo jeans/ 9. madewell denim shirt/ 10. knotted leather ring from by boe/ 11. linen sneakers from superga/ 12. allsaints t-shirt

 

 

 

friday favorites

possibly the most hilarious thing ever.

i can’t read 50 shades of grey. i just can’t. i heard the writing is baaaaad. and the voice on the e-book sounds like your mom. well, not YOUR mom. just like a mom. i’ve heard.

anyway, i like a parody and i like cookbooks and i like chicken so this book might make it onto the shelf. i needed a recipe for “Dripping Thighs” anyway.

you can read more about it… oh, everywhere…

huffington post

follow this cookbook on twitter

actually, while you’re on twitter, follow @RuthBourdain, too. worth it.

coverage on eater.

does anyone remember this alluring chicken photo from the nytimes dining section last september? it has it’s own twitter, too.

and a facebook page with a modest 490 followers devoted to 50 shades of bacon. amazing.

enjoy!

 

black & gold…

….these are the colors i look forward to the most when fall and winter arrive. i’m not ready for it yet, but these items have already caught my eye.

watch/ shoes/ bracelet/ clutch/ purse/ ring/ tank/ earrings/ bra

 

friday favorites…

happy friday! i’m really craving a nice long brunch this weekend. i’ll take an old favorite or somewhere new. we’re talking about an indulgent brunch here, one that starts with a cappuccino, moves on to a few bloody marys, and involves something sweet. and lasts for so long that it just makes sense to have a pizza afterwards. what are you going to do to celebrate your weekend?

enjoy these little dribs and drabs….

these will put you in an italian state of mind, and you only have to go to the west village…

or learn to make your own ice cream here in brooklyn…

i need to get this cheese grater…

i tried this last weekend… on sourdough bread with sliced grape tomatoes and truffled sea salt. it was good. it was sooo good…

if you love the summer-camp-for-adults vibe of ruschmeyer’s, you’ll love it here…

speaking of hotels, there’s a king & grove hotel in my neighborhood. and it has a pool…

speaking of pools, how does swimming near the brooklyn bridge sound?

or maybe you’d like to swim under it. looks fun, right?

this video teasing mixologists is cracking me up. i’ll take a moist yoga mat, please…

have a great weekend.

(image credit)

friday favorites

i love these food photographs by myan soffia – they’re really cheering me up on such a dreary, rainy, NYC friday. so are her gorgeous shots of Los Angeles and the nature surrounding the city. (all available in her online shop, sixth & main).

some other friday favorites…things to see, eat, dream about:

this reminds me of elephant ears and carnivals…

i’m not really one to enter a lot of sweepstakes, but this one from west elm seems like it might be worth the effort…

speaking of morocco, (see above!) take a peek at this amazing spot…

a bloody mary with sausage? maybe…

this apartment! love it…not totally sure why every man’s apartment has to have a guitar perched somewhere. but this is still pretty great…

the Cindy Sherman exhibit at MoMA. i saw it last night and it’s amazing…

the “short suit“ trend…i’m on the fence. thoughts?

this ice cream looks like it’s to die for. and you can make it yourself!

enjoy. happy weekend!