Tuesday, November 30, 2010

cabin fever

i moved yet again which means that i am deeply obsessed with interior design, style and inspiration. i'll leave you with one (of many) styles i'm wishing that i could pull off. total cabin fever....i want it all: the clothes, interior, even the snow. crazy, i know.



Tuesday, November 23, 2010

black friday

actually, i despise black friday. huge crowds of people willing to crush each other to death for a half price hd tv is truly american consumerism at its worst. did you know that some stores are opening at 3am to appease these lunatics. honestly, after copious amounts of turkey and wine i don't understand how people can get up so early. so to counteract the strip mall shopping that will hit its stride at the end of the week, i leave you with some images from edinburgh. a vintage shop and the most amazing hat shop i've ever been to.



fabhatrix. fab indeed.
as i begin holiday shopping, i will keep these 2 shops in mind.

Monday, November 15, 2010

bitter and sweet

81 degrees in oakland on this fine mid november day warrants a new salad creation. so here goes:

beets, blue cheese, radicchio,
drizzle white balsamic, drizzle olive oil, pepper,
drizzle honey, rock salt

it's an odd combination and certainly not for everyone but i really enjoyed the bursts of bitter and sweet the radicchio and honey delivered. not to mention it has the most beautiful RED color.

serve this bleeding salad with this serving set from anthro. xo

fennel soup


this soup is so good. loosely adapted from an epicurious recipe, this is really an amazing illusion of creaminess without a drop of cream or milk. it's so clean, and modern, it begs to served in this mid-century modern tureen.

3 large fennel bulbs sliced (6 cups)
1 leek, white and pale green parts sliced
1 HUGE shallot, diced
6 tablespoons of butter
a splash of extra dry sherry
6 cups of chicken broth
teaspoon fennel frond (or more to taste)

3/4 cup of packed, raw baby spinach

saute the fennel, leeks, and shallot in the butter until translucent (about 10 minutes?). add splash of wine cook another minute or so. add the broth and frond and boil for 30-35 minutes.

after the fennel is very tender turn off the heat. let cool slightly before pureeing in the blender (don't skip the cooling, that soup is hot! believe me). Puree in batches. During the last batch add the raw spinach. the heat from the soup will cook it sufficiently. add it all back to a pot and heat back up on low.

enjoy.

this soup is seriously good. next time i will try low sodium chicken broth because it is otherwise very healthy!