Hand Lettering

I've been playing around with some hand lettering for my business name. Here's a peak on round one. More to come… have a great weekend!

Beautiful Celeste Potter animation

I don't really watch a whole lot of videos online, but for whatever reason I was compelled to watch this yesterday. It is so captivating and haunting that I wanted to share it with you here. I love the loose style, wonderful shapes, textures and pacing. The song — "No Turning Back" by Sarah Blasko — is beautiful and strong and the animation is by the brilliant Celeste Potter. I found it on the talented illustrator and surface designer, Jess Gonacha's blog.

A box of sunshine

Oh my, citrusy goodness. We received a big old box of juicy ripeness — oranges and grapefruits plucked from their Florida orchard and shipped with love. From my mom. Yes, that's right. The same mom who prepped oranges for us like grapefruits almost every morning when we were kids — sliced in half with each individual section cut out ready to eat with that special little spoon with the serrated tip. I can hardly make myself put that much effort into eating a grapefruit, nevermind tiny orange sections. But she did. All the time. Thanks, Mom!

Za'tar and Aleppo

Doesn't that sound like the name of a fable or a fairy tale? They are actually an herb and a spice featured in two recipes I recently tried. Za'tar is a kind of thyme that grows wild in Lebanon, and in more recent years has been cultivated. It is also the name of a spice blend featuring that herb, as well as crushed red sumac, sesame seeds and salt. The one time I had it was at a place in Brooklyn where it is slathered thickly onto flatbread before baking. It was absolutely delicious and the memory of it remained strong in my mind. I got a bag of the spice blend as part of a gift box filled with herbs and spices at Christmas so decided I would try to recreate that bread. This dough is a pleasure to work with — loose yet not sticky. Lots of fun to knead.


Flat Bread Baked with Za'tar
Adapted from Saveur

Makes three 8" breads.

For the dough:
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more
for greasing sheet pan

For the topping:
1/4 cup za'tar blend
5 Tb. olive oil

1. For the dough: Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add milk, 1/2 cup of the oil, 2 Tb warm water, and yeast mixture and stir until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 10-15 minutes. Shape dough into a ball, dust with flour, then transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover bowl with a clean damp kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot to rest until dough has doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

2. For the topping: Mix za'tar and oil together in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a sheet pan with some olive oil and set aside. Turn dough out onto a clean surface, divide into thirds, and shape each piece of dough into a ball. Roll 1 dough ball out on a lightly floured surface into an 8" round and transfer to prepared sheet pan. Using your fingertips, make indentations all over the surface fo the dough, then brush with generous amount of topping. Bake flat bread until lightly browned and crisp around the edge, about 10 minutes. Repeat rolling out , indenting, topping, baking process with remaining dough balls and topping mixture, greasing baking sheet with more oil as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The gift of herbs and spices also included a bag of Aleppo pepper and I made Muhammara — a spicy roasted red pepper and walnut spread to go with it.

New prints in the shop

Shop update! I finally have a few new prints in the shop. Stop by and have a look, won't you?

Keen on sneakers

Sneaker in profile

Study in black, white and red

Back to school: Pencil Case Roundup

Bello Berry Designs
Orange Pigs and Circles Pencil Case/Pouch

I seem to be switching bags and their contents an awful lot lately. This includes shifting my drawing materials — mostly pencils and markers — back and forth and all around. I can never seem to get them all and inevitably have left the one I really want in the bag at home. What I really need is a good old-fashioned pencil case. Sensible, well-designed and stylish. These are a few of my picks from Etsy…

Chii Designs
Red leather pencil case

Aylla
The Mini True Romantic Pouch

Pocket Carnival
Woodland animals pencil case

Urchin Bags
Recycled bike inner tube pouch

And one bonus coin purse/clutch I found during my search that I just couldn't resist sharing. I just love it and its springy cheer!

Kimberly Jones Designs
Red Tulips clutch

Boy meets girl

MONTAUK, originally uploaded by kevinmccauley.

It was two years ago today that the boy and I had our first date. Montauk, an old fisherman’s bar, fresh flounder, getting the car stuck in the sand, trying to dig it out with plastic cups, racing to catch the last ferry. No wonder life is good!

Artist & Illustrator Amber Albrecht

Home, From the Hill

Ink on paper, 2009

by Amber Albrecht

Leisure Lost

Illustration for Reverie Sound Revue

Ink on paper, 2008
by Amber Albrecht

Acorn & Ohbijou
7" Cover 2008
by Amber Albrecht

You are looking at just a few samples of the amazing and inspiring work of artist and illustrator Amber Albrecht. I absolutely adore all of it and wish I could see it in person. I recently found her web site via the Drawn & Quarterly blog and just love everything about her style. The line work and textures are so intricate and detailed and her color choices are perfect – especially her use of black and white. Be sure to check out more of her work on her well-designed web site, including the different sections for drawing, prints and illsutration. I just wish she posted her images larger in order to really see the detail work.

If you are lucky enough to live in Quebec, be sure to check out the Invented Memories exhibition at the Eleanor London Cote Saint-Luc Public Library through February 28. I will be jealous but do write and tell me all about it. Otherwise, you, like me, will just have to wait for the Petit Livre soon to be released from Drawn & Quarterly.

Big bowl of winter: Buffalo Chili

With a package of ground buffalo packed away in the freezer from our meat CSA and the wintery mess outside, a steaming pot of chili seemed like the perfect choice last weekend. Besides, anything that should be topped with cheddar cheese and sour cream before serving is a winner in my book.

Buffalo Chili
Adapted from Whole Foods

1 Tb olive oil
2 lbs. ground buffalo meat
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Poblano or Anaheim pepper, seeded and chopped (optional; Anaheim is less spicy)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/4 Tb chile powder
Sea salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
2/3 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 Tb brown sugar
1 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tb adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
1 bay leaf
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 bunch green onions, green parts only, sliced in rounds, for garnish
Chopped cilantro, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese for garnish

In a medium sized pot (about 4 quart capacity), heat oil over medium heat and add ground buffalo. Brown meat, stirring occasionally and breaking up large chunks, until all pink is gone, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pot and discard excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.

Bring back to medium heat, add onions, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and Poblano or Anaheim (if using) pepper and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, scraping bottom from time to time to get all the browned bits of meat folded in with the vegetables. Add jalapeño pepper and cook for another 3 minutes stirring from time to time. Add garlic, cook for another minute and then add cumin, oregano, coriander, salt and pepper. Let spices cook for another minute, stirring.

Return browned meat to the pot. Stir in tomatoes and beef broth, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, adobo sauce and bay leaf, stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, taste sauce and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat to a slow simmer, cover with a lid and cook for about 30 minutes. Add beans and continue simmering, covered, for another 10 minutes or until beans are warmed through.

Serve in bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro, grated cheese, sour cream and/or green onions.

Now I Can Say I've Tried It: Kumquats

Their bright cheery color and sweet size alone win me over with kumquats — not to mention the name. It just kinda rolls of the tongue. But it turns out I love the taste, too. It's not surprising since I'm a huge citrus fan, but I was always daunted by the thought of peeling each little itty bitty orb. Silly, I know now. I never realized you can eat the skin. Just pop the whole thing in your mouth for a bright burst of tart yet sweet.

I thought for my first try other than tasting one on its own, I would bake them into a quick bread. But while digging around online, I came across this thread on Chowhound. It has so many more great suggestions. I ended up throwing together a salad suggested by one commentor who had tried a similar one at Zuni.


Farro Salad with Kumquats
Farro
feta cheese
sliced kumquats
spring onions
arugula, beet greens, or other leafy green
Toasted pine nuts or walnuts, optional

Cook farro as directed. Mix all and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

I know, I know. Not exactly an exact recipe here, but come on. It's a salad. It's up to you. Put in however much you feel like. Add to it. Subtract. Skip the kumquats all together — well, don't go that far. They're the best part!

I had actually never tried beet greens either. I chopped them quite small in the salad since they are so bitter raw, but it was a perfect blend with the bright, tart citrus flavor.

I even blanched more of the beet greens, squeezed them dry and threw them in an omelette with some scallions. I guess my body was craving some dark leafy greens to make up for all the things like buffalo chili, Swedish meatballs and spare ribs we've been having in honor of winter!

I still have a handful of kumquats left in the refrigerator and may just try that quick bread yet.

Have a great weekend — try something new if you have the chance! You can check out some of the other new foods I've tried here and here.

Blog It Forward Mashup

Heads up! The 'Blog It Forward' mashup starts today! Organized by Victoria over at sfgirlbybay, this event will feature 300 bloggers posting about what inspires them. Every day from now until March 24 a different set of blog will feature a post about what inspires them personally and then link to the day before and the day after's blogs. For more details, read here, check out the schedule and today's opening posts:

Creature Comforts

Design for Mankind

Heart Fish

Hula Seventy

Ink on my Fingers

Oh, Hello Friend

Paper Pony

Poppytalk

sfgirlbybay

Smile and Wave

Check 'em out and find some new lovelies!
I'll be posting as part of the mashup on March 4. Watch for that super charming logo!

Homemade chocolate wafer icebox cakes

I've been carrying around Allysa Torey's Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake recipe from Magnolia Bakery in my recipe box for years now. With just four ingredients including store-bought cookies, it was just too simple to let go. I finally made a plan to whip it together to take to a Super Bowl party along with the buffalo chili I had made. That was before I went to the grocery — chocolate wafers were nowhere to be found. I got home and dove into google, immediately landing in the wonderfully awesome Smitten Kitchen. I'm so glad I did. Deb has made this simple recipe even more decadent and wonderful: hello homemade wafers and individual portions!

I have a food processor that is sadly too small to make this — and many other — recipes. Fear not, it is still doable. I will give directions for both techniques.

Chocolate Wafers
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert

Makes 55 to 65 1 1/2-inch wafers.

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c. plus 2 Tb sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
14 Tb (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
3 Tb whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

By hand: Whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut butter into about 12 chunks and add them to the bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingertips until formed into crumbs. Combine the milk and vanilla in a small cup. Add to the bowl and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to form into a ball. Transfer the dough to a large cutting board and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.

In food processor: Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Cut the butter into about 12 chunks and add them to the bowl. Pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Combine the milk and vanilla in a small cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade or the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.

Form the dough into two logs each about 8 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper or foil and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, or until needed.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the logs of dough into slices a scant 1/4-inch thick or thinner. (If you slice them as thin as you can to make them extra crispy and delicate, watch the baking time carefully. It will be less.) Place slices one inch apart on the parchment paper to allow room for them to spread. Bake, rotating the baking sheet from top to bottom and back to front about halfway through baking, for a total of 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will puff up and deflate; they are done about 1 1/2 minutes after they deflate.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks, or slide the parchment onto racks to cool completely. These cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or be frozen for up to two months.

Note: These cookies should crisp as they cool. If they don’t, you’re not baking them long enough, says Medrich — in which case, return them to the oven to reheat and bake a little longer, then cool again.

Icebox Cupcakes
Much easier to eat than an entire cake, these cupcake sized treats are perfectly rich and chocolatey. The cream covered wafers soften up into a cake-like consistency when stored in the the refrigerator overnight.

As Deb at Smitten Kitchen says, the wafers are just a little too big for the average cupcake liner. Simply press down the sides a bit and you'll have no trouble. You could make the wafer a little smaller, but either way works just fine. This recipe makes about a dozen cupcakes, but this will vary depending on the size and thickness of your cookies, and the height of your stacks. Five apiece worked well for me.

1 batch of Chocolate Wafers (recipe above)
1 cup whipping cream
1 to 2 spoons of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whip cream with a spoonful or two of powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla or any flavoring of your choice, until the whipped cream holds firm peaks. Spread about two teaspoons whipped cream between each cookie, to the edges, and stack them until you reach the height you’d like. If you spread whipped cream on top of the final cookie, you will end up with a softer lid — a good thing — though a brown cookie on top looks neater.

Set them in the fridge at least overnight or up to a day. The cookies will soften as they set, and become cake-like.

Busy weekend in the kitchen

The world contained

I have a wee terrarium.
I bought a set of three.
I gave two away.
I kept the third for me.

Get yours from Miss Mossy.

Happy Weekend!

The taste of spring makes for pearly whites

According to the interwebs the combination of strawberries and baking soda is a great natural teeth whitener. The boy made this discovery and promptly went out and bought a huge plastic box of wintery California strawberries. After one miracle application (no, I don't have photos of that one and, yes, it was a grand success, he claimed through his pearly whites) the box was pushed to the back of the refrigerator. After several days, I pulled those hard little nubs out and made this tasty bit of spring sweetness.They were no spring beauties, but baked into this bread, it's hard to complain.

Walnut-Strawberry (or Rhubarb) Quick Bread
Adapted from King Arthur
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) mashed strawberries*
1/2 cup (3 7/8 ounces) vegetable oil

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour (or spray with non-stick vegetable oil spray) a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the walnuts, flour, sugar, soda, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon, eggs, strawberries and vegetable oil. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, whisking until well-blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a rack to cool completely, 1 hour or longer. For best flavor and easiest slicing, wrap the bread while still slightly warm and let it sit overnight.

* I chopped the strawberries and tossed them with a bit of sugar. Let them sit for a while at room temperature and they will be a breeze to mash.

Nick Dewar, your shining star will be missed

All illustrations by Nick Dewar.

The wonderfully talented illustrator, Nick Dewar — master of simplicity, color and concept — passed away yesterday at just 36 years old. I imagine he must have had the most wonderful sense of humor. You can read about him here and more nice things here. Or peek inside his world here.

Warm radish and red onion pickle

I'm missing Gourmet magazine. I'm sorry Conde Nast, but Bon Appetit just isn't doing it for me the way Gourmet did. Not that I don't have a zillion recipes clipped from past issues still waiting to be tried, mind you. And let's not even get into the fact that despite subscribing to two food magazines and having a shelf full of cookbooks, nine times out of ten I turn to the internet first to find a recipe.

It was a bad sign when I found myself poking through food magazines at the library last week. I checked out a couple issues of a magazine I had never seen before — Fine Cooking. I marked lots of pages and recipes and tried this tasty pickle last night. I switched out the vinegars: It called for apple cider and sherry which I traded for white wine and balsamic, respectively, because I don't like the first and didn't have the second, so… It's easy and can be made ahead, but adds a nice tangy bright flavor to marinated steak.


Pan-seared skirt steak with warm radish and red onion pickle
Adapted from Fine Cooking, Feb/Mar 2009

For the steak:

2 pounds skirt steak

1/2 c. plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 c. fresh lemon juice

2 Tb Dijon mustard

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 tsp honey

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

4 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pickle:

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tb white wine vinegar

1 Tb honey

1 Tb balsamic vinegar

1 tsp ground coriander

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch red radishes (8 or 9), halved and thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 small jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced

1. Marinate the steak: Trim any large patches of fat from the surface. If necessary, cut the steak crosswise into pieces 8 to 10 inches long. In a 9x13-inch baking dish (or similar), whisk 1/2 cup of the oil, the lemon juice, mustard, lemon zest, honey, pepper flakes, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Arrange the steak in the dish and turn to coat with the marinade. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.

2. Make the pickle: In a medium saucepan, stir together the oil, white wine vinegar, honey, balsamic vinegar, coriander, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the radishes, carrot, onion, and jalapeno and toss gently to coat. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are wilted and the radishes are no longer crunchy but are still firm, 4 to 5 minutes. Give it one final stir and remove from the heat. Set aside, uncovered, while you cook the steak.

3. Cook the steak: Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the steak to the hot skillet in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until deeply browned on both sides and cooked to your liking--medium rare will take 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer the steak to a carving board and set aside. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and cook the remaining steak as above.

4. Let the steaks rest for at least 5 minutes; then slice thinly across the grain and transfer to a large platter. Pour any accumulated juices over the steaks, top with the warm radish pickle, and serve.

Good news: Fine Cooking has a fine web site!