Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich

It's been a long hiatus! First I was in Europe and then I was moving to Philadelphia. I'll try to catch up with posts before school starts!

I do love mozzarella and tomato. Recipe from The Kitchn.

Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich
makes 1 sandwich

Olive oil
2 slices bread
1/4 small tomato, sliced
4 thin slices mozzarella cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 clove garlic (optional)
4 leaves fresh basil (optional)

Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat and coat lightly with olive oil. Place 1 piece of bread in the skillet. Lay two pieces of mozzarella cheese on top of the bread. Lay the tomato slices on top of the cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the rest of the cheese on top of the tomato and top with the second piece of bread.
Check the bottom of the bread; if it is looking golden, flip the sandwich. Place a cast iron skillet on top of the flipped sandwich and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes to finish melting the cheese and toasting the bread.
Option: Rub both pieces of bread with the cut half of a clove of garlic before assembling the sandwich.
Option: Add a few leaves of basil in the center of the sandwich with the tomato.

Emergent North

The graphics by Lateral Office are lovely. There are for my future inspiration... I'm sure I'll need a lot in studio this fall.

Images from Architizer.

Museum Aan de Stroom

This building, by Neutelings Riedijk Architects, is in Antwerp, Belgium. I really admire its lightness and now I am a bit tempted to make a day trip to Antwerp from Brussels...

Images from ArchiCentral and Bustler.

ExCel Phase II

The colors, the colors! It's like a sickness, I swear. This extension in London by Grimshaw is so interesting. It's very modern-industrial, but the bright color adds a pop of warmth to the design. I wish I was visiting London this summer!

Images from Dezeen.

Grape Pie

This is such a GENIUS idea. Why ARE there no grape pies? It's baffling! Apparently it's super juicy, so the crust gets a little soggy, but I hope I get to try this anyway. I do like grapes.

Recipe from The Kitchn.

Ingredients
2 unbaked pie crusts, such as those from this recipe
Approximately 2 1/2 pounds green grapes (weighed before stemming)
1 cup white sugar, plus extra for top crust
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup elderberry flower syrup
1/4 cup dark honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
Heat the oven to 425°F. Pat one pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan. Place the pie pan into the freezer while you prep the filling.

Pluck the grapes off their stems and place them in a large saucepan or pot. Add the sugar, nutmeg, lemon juice, elderberry flower syrup, and honey. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently. When the mixture is quite warm to the touch, whisk in the salt and cornstarch. Cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture is boiling and thickened slightly.

Remove from the heat and use a slotted spoon to remove the grapes from the liquid. Put all the grapes into the frozen pie crust, then pour in enough of the syrup liquid to fill the pie crust. Leave about 1/2 inch space between the top of the crust and the liquid. Top the grape mixture with the pieces of butter. Press the second disc of pie dough on top of the pan, and crimp the edges together. Cut a few small slits in the top, and sprinkle the top crust generously with sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is well-browned and filling is bubbly. Let cool completely before serving.

OR^2

I can't decide if this is visually intriguing or kind of grossing me out. Something about the close-up images makes it look like people's insides, or something. Anyway, still interesting. This was designed by Orproject.

Images from Dezeen.

Menzies Research Building

Images from Dezeen. Designed by Lyon.