drinks

beyond design

| heather parlato


words by everynone

speaking of words, if you’re really tired of hearing buzzwords or jargon of the day that are making your day suck, you can now unsuck them at muledesign’s unsuckit.com

food

i can’t tell if it’s the grilling aspect, or the hot weather going with spicy food thing, but these 2 from saveur caught my eye: grilled thai chicken with lemongrass and coconut milk and tandoori salmon.

on the sweeter side of things, i didn’t know either of these desserts were possible, but they’ve both got me curious, and i have both of the main ingredients in the house… rose geranium ice cream with pistachios, from thekitchn.com and sweet lemon and black oliver wafers, from seriouseats.com. yes, you read that right, a cookies with oil-cured olives in them.

drinks

my friend emily does it again with some delicious twists on iced tea: beyond mint & lemon: 5 ways to punch up iced tea, from thekitchn.com.

read up on the health benefits of tea & coffee: reduce risk of heart disease with tea & coffee by wellness writer, alisa bonsignore, one of a great collection on health & fitness at her blog whatwouldbettydo.com.

housewares

soft map quilt
[image: re-nest.com]
i don’t write about housewares much, but this quilt compelled me to. if i had a million extra hours in my own life, i think few things would make me more happy than creating a quilt of los angeles, but since that’s likely not going to happen, go appreciate haptic labs for doing what they do: softmap quilts from haptic labs, from re-nest.com.

los angeles

it’s the very LA reading list for august 2010 from los angeles magazine: the reading list: LA authors. LA topics. august ’10 books.

remember those devastating fires we had last year in angeles crest forest? you know how there’s that fantastic place, treepeople, that helps spread trees of all kinds all over los angeles? you know imogen heap? she’s donating the proceeds from a specially-created song to fund replanting of the national forest to the north, and i think it’s really cool: donate $1 to treepeople for a unique improv track from imogen heap, from greenlagirl.com.

the grind

i liked this piece by penelope trunk on how she’s pushed through difficult situations by continuing to write and put herself out into the world: when you’re feeling lost, don’t hide.

beyond design

| heather parlato


kitties! & puppies! eating melon fruit pops!

los angeles

looking for a good beach day or 5 before the summer is over? let los angeles magazine help you, they love that stuff: a day at the beach.

another feature i hadn’t noticed before, los angeles magazine has a monthly run-down on area-specific reading. i’m a sucker for books about my city, this is definitely something to consult when i need my LA fix: LA reading list: LA authors. LA topics. august ’10 list

food

roasted red pepper gazpacho
[image: luna cafe]
as someone who loves both roasted peppers and gazpacho, i wanted to share this recipe from cafe luna roasted red pepper gazpacho linked from saveur. check the links in the article, she describes some other pretty outstanding gazpacho ideas!

i’ve seen eggplants popping up here & there at the farmer’s market, which means we’re ready for fantastic eggplant recipes. caponata with capers, from la cucina italiana sounds amazing!

it never occurred to me to throw tomato leaves into my tomato dishes for more intense flavor, but the kitchn links to some articles that say the chemical in the leaves enhance the tomato flavor, and they’re safe to eat: fresh tip: use tomato leaves to boost flavor.

i liked to a great recipe for fennel liqueur awhile back, and i’ve been seeing the blooming flowers all over LA lately. here’s some more encouragement from the kitchn to go out and harvest some of your own: summer foraging: fennel pollen.

michelle obama is still working hard to get her child nutrition bill past, i’m glad she’s been relentless about this! & thanks to serious eats for the link: michelle obama urges congress to pass child nutrition bill.

drinks

herbal sun teas
[image: design sponge]
this is such an awesome idea from design sponge: small measures with ashley: herbal sun teas & simple syrups! if you’re growing herbs outside or pick them up periodically for cooking, consider making some of these unique teas.

christmas in july

| heather parlato

ommgang & ipa

last weekend, one of our favorite pubs, lucky baldwins had a christmas in july festival, where they put a selection of winter beers on tap in summertime. they advertised a flemish sour style ale, ommegang zuur, which is along the lines of this tart & sour style i’m really liking lately. lucky’s specializes in belgian beers, but many they serve are belgian style from the states, or local breweries who are producing exceptional beers. this beer from ommegang was very good, i’ve never had anything from them before & don’t even see this one on their site.

i could really use another relaxing beer afternoon today, but alas it’s just tuesday. ha.

beyond design

| heather parlato

los angeles

proposed LA civic park
[image: fastcodesign.com]
as a native of a city notoriously greenspace-poor, the idea of a large civic park in downtown LA is really exciting. exclusive first look at LA’s civic park: will it create a center for the city? from fastcodesign.com shows you some of the models and plans.

if you’re pressed for LA visitor’s ideas of the green variety, being visited by greenie friends, or just want to show some love for your city, my friend emily just published a green city guide to los angeles, for re-nest.com.

food

citrus cured salmon
[image: mattikaarts.com]
i pretty much fell out of my chair when i saw this recipe for citrus-cured copper river salmon, and reading about it confirmed that my instinct reaction was appropriate. my mission is to find the cut of salmon that can live up to this amazing preparation, today!

it’s zucchini season, and thekitchn.com is ready with this curious-sounding baked treat: zucchini and olive breakfast cake, french-style. french or not, i have the zucchini and my interest is piqued by this flavor combination.

it’s also a great time of year for a healthy chicken and pepper salad. roast chicken and yellow pepper salad, from lacucinaitalanamagazine.com is simple and delicious!

finally, if you’re looking for something zinger-fresh for your summer dishes, try lemon and olive oil sauce (Ladolemono), from saveur.com. yes, this is one of those times to whip it.

drinks

coffee splash
[image: lifehacker.com]
For all of its wild popularity, caffeine is one seriously misunderstood substance. It’s not a simple upper, and it works differently on different people with different tolerances—even in different menstrual cycles. But you can make it work better for you. what caffeine actually does to your brain, from lifehacker.com [thanks to @josh_ross for the link!]

beyond design

| heather parlato


ok go film a time-lapsed video in echo park at the lake where i go running. it looks like the geese are big fans!

food

porcini tortelli
[image: lacucinaitalinanamagazine.com]
it’s porcini season, which means that in many farmer’s markets, your local mushroom supplier will have fresh porcini for sale if they’re selling within a day’s travel radius from where they’re picked. i’m going to try out this goat cheese, chard and porcini tortelli among other things [maybe a porcini & cheese pizza]. here are some more great recipes for fresh porcini from saveur.com:
porcini and barley soup
seared copper river salmon with fresh porcini mushrooms
straw and hay: porcini fettucini

ever wondered what to do with yucca flowers? emily ho collected some great recipes & suggestions for how to use this desert flower: seasonal spotlight: yucca flowers.

a conversation on lebanese iced tea led me to this list of rose water iced tea recipes from the big apple: lebanese iced tea.

on spring
[image: greenlagirl.com]
there’s a new organic eatery in LA state historic park that has contracted with the park to grow organic vegetables on park land. Many L.A. food spots now use local produce in their dishes, but On Spring’s the only one that’s specifically contracted with the state to make locavoring easy on a state park. Now, Angelenos can go for a stroll in the park — then enjoy fair trade, organic coffee, healthy soups, and fresh salads and sandwiches made with produce grown within a 200-mile radius. exciting!

diy projects

homemade chicken coops
[image: kathy lafleur]
i am fascinated with the growing popularity in keeping backyard urban chickens. until i have a yard, i can only enjoy cambria bold’s collection of homemade coops from afar: pimp my coop: cool cribs for this season’s “it” chickens. i’m loving the green roof on this one, pictured above.

use these tips to propagate plants you already grow or find in your travels, and add to your garden or trade with friends: simple tips: propagate plants for free vegetation.

between eating eggs and making homemade cat food, i have a lot of eggshells. thanks to abby stone for sharing these uses for egg shells, most of which i never would have thought up myself! 8 excellent uses for eggshells.

industrial architecture

flipper bridge

what do you do when you have to bridge 2 countries who drive on opposite sides of the road? the flipper bridge offers a safe exchange and a lovely bridge structure. thanks <a href="kottke for the article.

creative retreat: tuesday

| heather parlato

i’m on retreat this week and the studio is closed. however, i have lined up a selection of getaway-themed posts to enjoy while i’m gone. one is set to go up each day, so stay tuned…

what’s a retreat without refreshing drinks? whether they’re smoothies that incorporate good nutrition with amazing flavors, or alcoholic elixirs to sip by the pool, liquid tonics delight your senses and are a required addition to any retreat. all recipes are from epicurious.com

non-alcoholic delights

pineapple, arugula, macadamia nut smoothie
[photo: jenifer altman]
pineapple, arugula, macadamia nut smoothies
morning sun
liquid iron
cantaloupe aqua fresca with beet swirl
pom-ade
spiced milk tea [masala chai]
jasmine honey lassi
basil lemonade
terragon-spiked lady grey iced tea

cocktails with a twist

cucumber saketinis
[photo: jenifer altman]
cucumber sake-tinis
sangria blanca
blackberry poblano margarita
curry-spiced bloody marys
the produce stand
punch a la noix de coco
pimm’s cup
vodka rosemary lemonade fizz
michelada

beyond design

| heather parlato


i always loved the book report assignments that called for a building a diorama. this little apple store diorama is super cute, i like looking at all the cutouts this person did to make it. and HEY what’s he trying to say about apple loyalists driving mini coopers? [guilty!] thanks gregory han & unplggd.com for the link.

food

strawberries with zabaione and bresaola with cucumber, from cucina italiana
[photos: lacucinaitalianamagazine.com]
one of my favorite cooking magazines, la cucina italiana has some great stories of italian food and recipes for all occasions. i tend to stick with desserts that are a bit tart and/or low in sugar, and this strawberries with zabaione sounds like a nice mix of fresh fruit, rich zabaione and a touch of balsamic vinegar. while i was digging around on their site, i saw this arrangement of bresaola and cucumber salad with a bit of pecorino and almonds. i love simple italian antipasti like this, a few ingredients to bring out the natural flavors of the food.

the mother’s day food articles have started up. if you’re the type to treat mom to breakfast in bed, epicurious.com has a rundown of mother’s day breakfasts in bed that even kids can make. you hear that dad & teenagers still living at home? momma loves you, and she’s hungry!

more on sustainable seafood, greenlagirl.com reports on greenpeace’s supermarket scorecard so you can support the store that gets high grades in sustainable seafood practices.

wine

dessert wines
[photo: wine producers]
i was recently in central valley wine country with some friends and we got to talking about how we’ve come to appreciate dessert wine, now that we know how to pick out what we like. and how timely, thekitchn.com has a great list of suggestions here: dessert wines for dessert week.

i like to make extracts, infusions and liqueurs at home, but i tend to avoid those with too much added sugar. this recipe for strawberry liqueur caught my eye because it uses only the natural sugar of the strawberries to sweeten it. strawberries are in season now, so if you are like me and probably can’t eat a whole flat in a week’s time, try out this preservation technique.

eco-awareness

reused boxes
[image: gregory han]
if you find yourself moving and still need more than your usual sources can supply, check out re-nest.com‘s suggestion to buy reused cardboard boxes from usedcardboardboxes.com.

another great re-nest.com find: the dba 98% biodegradable pen!

beyond design

| heather parlato


everyone has played one of these games, and seeing them in live action is totally hilarious! from mfeedia.com

diy projects


[photo: thehipsterhome.com]
the craft zine blog posted a how-to on these little mini terrariums in upcycled lightbulbs and jars. what a great use of cute containers!


[photo: designspongeonline.com]
sewing 101: how to make a shower curtain from designspongeonline.com. i think this project is a really cool way to make a washable, colorful shower curtain from fabric you really like.

food


[image: kana76]
try this: sweet and smoky broiled grapefruit from thekitchn.com. i love grapefruits and i think this sounds delicious. maybe a good way to prep fruit for savory sauces as well. great idea!

sharing a great standby recipe that i love from epicurious.com, these szechuan sesame noodles are spicy, nutty and tangy. i’ve been making them for years with buckwheat soba noodles.

drinks


[photo: rockscissorpaper.com]
pour mom a drink from rockscissorpaper.com is an interesting sounding cocktail recipe using elderflower liquor. i love the flower garnish, perhaps my mom will have hers with nasturtiums.

in honor of tax day, this cocktail for tax night: the tax night relief is a fun idea, from thekitchn.com.

it’s helpful to become familiar with wine lingo by heather stober fleming for southcoasttoday.com is a good reference for defining all the common terms in wine tasting and character. always good to refresh your knowledge, which helps you pick out more nuance next time you taste.

music

my sister has been nominated for singer of the year by the jazz journalists association! additionally, my client gerald clayton has been nominated for up & coming artist of the year. very exciting, and they’re in excellent company. can’t wait to find out how they place on june 14!

beyond design

| heather parlato

rsvp to view an advance screening of DIRT! [thanks greenlagirl.com].

diy


[photo: gregory han]
how to clean and deodorize with tea from <a href="apartmenttherapy.com

green your dental hygene from re-nest.com. i’m always looking for workarounds, and dental implements are one of the harder things to do yourself.

food

if you’re in california and have lemons [or eating seasonally and want to keep them through to the next season] here’s a great way to put them up: how to make preserved lemons from thekitchn.com.

i’m doing a lot of cookbook cooking this week, so copyright prevents me from sharing those recipies, but i did pull out this old favorite from a few years ago fish with curried cucumber & tomato salad from epicurious.com.

drinks!


[photo: missginsu.com]
make your own citrus bitters from missginsu.com. i make a lot of extracts and infused vodkas, so i think this bitters prep will be a nice addition to my pantry & eventually my cocktails!

i bought blood oranges this week specifically to make this! spicy blood orange jalapeño margaritas from thekitchn.com

dale cruse continues his get to know a grape series this week with blanc du bois.