Bouquets

Duston Todd again.

Prabal Gurung

I think it's fairly obvious I prefer relatively architectural clothing. This is from Prabal Gurung's Fall 2010 Collection.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren Fall 2010 Collection. I love that jacket...

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

I guess I'm in a pasta mood.

Recipe from Italian Chef.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, chopped fine
8 ounces pancetta, chopped coarsely
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 pound spaghetti
4 large egg yolks
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large sautè pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and pancetta and cook until the shallots are softened and translucent and the pancetta is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat while you cook the pasta
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente. Drain and add the pasta to the sautè pan and place it back over medium-high heat.
4. Add the egg yolks, Pecorino Romano cheese, and black pepper, and cook, stirring vigorously until pasta is well coated and creamy. Transfer to individual pasta dishes and serve with extra Pecorino Romano cheese on the side. Serves 4-6.

Duck Breast with Noodles

I love duck! This looks absolutely delicious. I might only be able to make it for special occasions (as I rarely have the required spices available), but still. I'd like to save this.

Recipe from A Bird in the Kitchen.

Yields 2 servings

Ingredients
2 six-ounce boneless duck breasts, skin on
kosher salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon five spice powder (5 grams star anise, 5 grams cloves, 5 grams cinnamon sticks, 5 grams anise seed, 2 grams sichuan peppercorns, blended in spice/coffee grinder)
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
6 ounces ramen/chuka soba noodles
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF

Rinse the duck breasts and pat dry. Score the skin of the duck breasts in a crosshatch pattern to promote rendering. Season skin and meat with kosher salt and pepper. Rub the five spice powder into both sides of the duck breast. Heat a heavy, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until very warm. Place the breasts, skin side down and cook without touching for 3 minutes. Flip the breasts over and cook for a further one minute. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 3 minutes for medium rare, 4 minutes for medium, 5 for well.

Take the duck out of the oven when it reaches 125-130ºF for medium rare and let rest for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce and honey in a small saucepan and boil until reduced by 2/3. Transfer to a heat-proof container and set in the freezer. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add the noodles. Boil for 1 minute, shut off heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Drain. In a large mixing bowl combine noodles, green onions, cilantro, black sesame seeds, sesame oil, and a drizzle of the honey-soy glaze.

Slice the duck breast and serve alongside the noodles with honey-soy glaze on the side.

Frank Tell's Color Theory

Pasta with Cheese and Black Pepper

This looks like a simple recipe I will be able to cook quickly when stressed or short on time.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
1 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Salt (optional)

Directions
Cook spaghetti in well-salted water to your al dente tastes in a large, wide-bottomed pot. Drain spaghetti, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water.

Dry out pot, then heat the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add drained spaghetti and 1 cup of reserved pasta water and jump back, this will splatter mightily.

Add butter, 3 ounces cheese and ground pepper and toss together with tongs. Taste, adding more pasta water, cheese, pepper or salt (which should not be neccessary, as Romano is very salty) to taste.

Serve immediately, sprinkling with reserved cheese and an extra grind or two of black pepper. Serves 4 as main course.

Socks

I definitely appreciate her thigh-high, yet conservative looking socks.

Image from Garance Dore.

Lemon Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

We have so many lemons grown in our backyard, so I'm trying to gather up lemon recipes to try out while I can!

Recipe from Heidi Bakes.

Ingredients
2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons lemon extract (I always use 1 tsp lemon extract & 1 tsp vanilla)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter until light & fluffy. Gradually add both sugars and beat until fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape the bowl. Beat in lemon zest, yolks, extract & salt. Add flour & beat until just blended.
At this point, you can either stuff the dough into your spritz cookie gun and shoot them on out OR you can simply roll the dough into a small ball and flatten with a glass that has been dipped into either powdered sugar or granulated sugar.
Bake until the cookie are barely brown along the edge. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.
For the lemon butter cream, use 2 sticks of butter, several squirts of lemon juice and keep adding powdered sugar until get consistency desired.

Rose.

The contrast! The structure! I love it.

Image from Garance Dore.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

I always seem to have these ingredients lying around, so this would be the perfect cookie to bake spontaneously!

Recipe from The Baker's Daughter.

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 1 tsp butter
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
½ tsp baking powder
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans
3/4 cup white chocolate

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In medium bowl, using a stand or hand mixer beat the butter and sugars until creamy, approximately for 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla.
In small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and rolled oats. Add flour mixture gradually, blending thoroughly. Stir in cranberries, pecans and chocolate.
Roll tablespoonfuls (or 1/4 of a cup) of dough into balls with hands.
Bake until the cookies are pale golden brown and cookies are soft, 12 to 15 minutes (cook for 15-20 minutes for the larger sized cookies).
If making ice cream sandwiches, let the cookies cool fully before spreading the softened ice cream. Freeze until you are ready to use them.

Nonchan's House

I appreciate the lightness of this house in Japan designed by Masatoshi Shikada and Kaoru Kuzukawa.

Images from SpaceInvading.

Potato Leek Soup

Ever since leaving Berkeley, I've been constantly craving this soup!
Recipe from Kiss My Spatula.

Ingredients
1 lb fresh leeks
1-1 1/2 lbs potatoes, diced
2 bay leaves
20 black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups organic chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup whole milk
plain yogurt
parsley or chives

Directions
Halve the white part of the leeks lengthwise and rinse under cold running water. Clean thoroughly. Slice thinly crosswise and set aside. Prepare bouquet garni by placing bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme together in a small piece of cheesecloth. Bundle and tie with string. Set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add the chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved bouquet garni, chicken stock, potatoes, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart.

Remove the bouquet garni. Working in small batches, puree the soup in a blender. Secure lid tightly and place towel over lid for extra protection. Stir in milk and adjust to taste. Serve immediately with a big dollop of yogurt and chopped parsley/chives.

Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Yes, I am very much in a food phase. But I adore peanut butter, especially when it is warm and melty, and have been craving a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Honey means that it is especially tailored to my sweet-tooth leanings.

Recipe from Chronicles of a Curly Head.

Ingredients
2 slices of whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon of chunky or creamy peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon of honey
1 large banana

Directions
Lightly toast the bread. Then spread 1/2 Tblsp of peanut butter on each slice of bread. Cut the banana into 1/4" thick slices. Turn on grill. While grill is heating, drizzle honey over each slice of peanut butter bread. Cover one slice of bread with banana slices. Grill until sandwich is golden brown.

Potato Pizza

I LOVE pizza. I really enjoy potatoes. I must try this.

Recipe from CookEatLove.

Ingredients

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 pizza dough, frozen and thawed or own homemade dough
3 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons minced chives
sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and pat dry. I have used a microwave to do this as well.
2. Unroll dough onto a 14-in. pizza pan coated with cooking spray; flatten dough and build up edges slightly. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter with garlic; brush over dough.
3. Arrange potato slices in a single layer over dough; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with cheeses and bacon. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.
4. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Happy Pills!

I'd love to go to this store designed by Studio M in Spain!

Images from Dornob

Easy Peach Pie

Yes, more food recipes to save for later...

Recipe adapted from Food Tale.

Ingredients:
1 big can of peach
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoon normal flour
200 gram light sour cream

Arrange the peaches in a pie dish.
In a big bowl, mix together sour cream, 3/4 cup sugar and flour.
Pour the mixture on top of the peaches. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar on top.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35-40 minutes or until brown/golden.

Wrap House

The Wrap House by Future Studio in Hiroshima City, Japan.

Images from Dezeen

Samoa Cookies

Recipe from Sweet Cakes Bakeshop.

Samoas Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
up to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (or milk chocolate, if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)

Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Calvin Klein

Hidetoshi Nakata.

Images from The Cut.

Tomato Sauce

I am rather eager to test out this very simple recipe for tomato sauce soon...

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions
Adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking

Serves 4 as a main course; makes enough sauce to lightly coat most of a pound of spaghetti

28 ounces (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste (you might find, as I did, that your tomatoes came salted and that you didn’t need to add more) and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with spaghetti, with or without grated parmesan cheese to pass.

(Recipe from SmittenKitchen)

Kuri

It would almost seem that the roof, of this house in Japan designed by Katsuhiro Miyamoto & Associates, is nearly about to slide right off the structure.

Images from Dezeen.

Hairpiece

I enjoy her hairpiece.

Images from OnceWed.