RYAN REINECK

Happy Birthday Ellen

2011-10-20T15:40:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite things is making a birthday feast. I'm talking about the kinds of meals that take (at least) a couple of days to make and involve a week (or more!) of planning and preparation: table placing, drink tasting, menu writing. A decorated cake is a must, in my book. Recently, a good friend moved back to town and her arrival happened to coincide with her birthday. This was obviously cause for a very special meal.

Baker's note: Lemon curd and cream cheese frosting is extremely soft!

Chive Blossom Pizza

2011-06-07T19:08:00.003-04:00

Here's a beauty! White pizza with ricotta, shaved asparagus, chili flakes, smoked sea salt, and drenched in chive blossoms and white truffle oil when pulled from the oven. Thin, crisp, and full of floral flavor. Perfect for a late spring night, and none too soon. Summer is creeping in!

Picking Paint

2011-04-17T13:27:00.005-04:00

I'm moving in a couple of weeks, so we're picking some neutral gray paint to cover the beige walls in the living room of our new place. I'm partial to Farrow and Ball's beautiful colors and perfectly edited palette, but their prices are a little impractical for a rental. So we had the paint shop match their Cornforth White and mix it up in a Benjamin Moore base. According to Color Charts, another Benjamin Moore color, Nimbus, is a 94% match for the Farrow and Ball shade, so we also tested that one.

I painted Nimbus on the left and the Cornforth White match on the right. It's hard to tell, but the F+B color is less beige, more gray, and slightly more dimensional. Right next to Nimbus, it almost seems more blue, but all in all it's the clear favorite of the two. On to the next project!

Collecting Grange Chairs

2011-04-09T18:43:00.001-04:00

I'm gearing up to move and furnish a new apartment in a few weeks. I sold all of the furniture I built in Princeton, so aside from a few favorite pieces, we're starting from scratch. First project: collecting a set of antique Grange chairs. According to Martha, these chairs were custom-designed for individual textile workers in the 19th century, so each one is slightly different. I'm hoping to find a set of six chairs, which I'll strip or sand, repair, and refinish. I found my first two at the Brooklyn Flea today. We're on our way!

Sisters

2011-02-22T20:39:00.001-05:00

End of Fall

2010-12-18T14:34:00.001-05:00

Fall Foliage Fun

2010-10-20T17:33:00.001-04:00

I'm pressing leaves today in preparation for a little fall craft I've had on my mind. More to come on this one.

Some Recent Dinners

2010-10-17T12:26:00.002-04:00

Chicken Noodle Stew for Two (or more)

2010-09-22T20:59:00.008-04:00

What is it with soup? Everyone seems to think making soup is some kind of long, drawn out ordeal. Or at least everyone I've been talking to. When I told people at school that I was making chicken noodle soup tonight I got a chorus of oohs and aahs. Somebody asked how I was going to manage it—our class didn't end until 4:30, after all!

(I guess I should mention that making soup on my electric stove in Princeton can be something of a safety hazard. The biggest coil burner gets a little finicky when a heavy stock put full of soup lands on it, and it sometimes (or, almost every time) sends out a few little sparks of excitement. It knows how good the soup is, too!)

Anyway, I want to debunk this myth about soup. Soup's not hard to make, and it needn't take much time at all. So here I'm going to lay out a quick and easy way to make chicken noodle stew for two. I'm calling this a stew because I only had one quart of chicken stock in the freezer. If you have two, add the second and soup you've got.

Equipment:

a nice long wooden spoon
a stock pot (we're not making a huge amount soup, but use a biggish one)
a digital meat thermometer

Ingredients:

one quart of chicken stock (homemade if you have it on hand, but storebought will suffice. if you're buying it, make sure it's stock and not broth)
one whole chicken breast (sometimes that's two pieces, sometimes they're attached)
one large carrot
two medium stalks of celery
one small onion
two big cloves of garlic
half a bunch of kale
two red potatoes
one small leek
egg noodles—about a third of a regular sized bag (or more or less depending on your taste)
a lemon
a bit of thyme
a little parsley (optional)

Before you begin, preheat your oven to 450 degrees, rinse and dry your chicken breast and place it in a small roasting dish. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees—don't let it overcook and dry out!

For the soup base:

Warm your soup pot over medium heat. Cut the onion in half lengthwise (from root to root) and peel off the skin. Slice thinly. Add a few splashes of olive oil to coat the bottom of your pot, swirl to heat the oil, then toss in the onions. You want to cook the onions for a while, so do this step first and then start preparing the other vegetables. After about 15-20 minutes, and with the occasional stir, the onions should start to turn brown (not brown as in black as in brunt, but more of a mellow caramel color). That means they're going to taste really good, so be patient and wait for it.

In the meantime, remove the roots and dark green parts from the leek. Cut it in half and then slice the stalk into thin half moons. Cut the potato into medium sized chunks—you want them to cook relatively quickly but not fall apart. Cut the carrot in half lengthwise and slice into 1/4"-1/2" half moons. Cut up the celery and slice up the garlic, too, but don't worry about getting it too fine.

If your onions are lovely and brown by now, toss in the leek. Cook for two minutes, stirring a few times. Add the potato. Cook for two minutes more, stirring. Now add the carrot and celery and garlic, and give everything a few minutes to get a little bit soft, but not mushy. Pour in the stock and cover the pot.

While your soup is coming to a simmer in the pot, start work on the chicken. You can either cut the raw chicken breast into pieces and saute them with a little olive oil and thyme in a frying pan, or roast the breasts whole, drizzled with a olive oil and the herbs, for 20-30 minutes in an oven set to 425. Either way, the chicken should be just barely cooked through—not at all pink, not at all dry.

After your vegetables have simmered in the stock for at least 20 minutes, check them for softness. They should be neither too soft nor too hard—definitely not crunchy. Tip in the cooked chicken and the egg noodles, and cook for a few minutes more (or for about a minute less than the noodle package instructs). Test the noodles for doneness. Remove the pot from the heat, ladle the soup into bowls, and squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Garnish with chopped parsley.

On second thought, you really could serve more than two people with this recipe—or serve two for two nights in a row.

Kites on Camel's Back

2010-07-29T02:29:00.004-04:00

I've had this obsession with building a box kite for a long time running, and I thought this trip to Boise would be the perfect opportunity to get this project off the ground. Jack and Ella like to fly kites, right?

I never made it to the hardware store to buy the dowels and paper I needed, so the kite idea remains grounded for now. But the kids came through with kites of their own.

Live from Boise

2010-07-24T14:13:00.006-04:00

We were in Boise this week, with lots of fun things, old and new, on the schedule. Like flying kites, swimming in ponds, floating the river, trying all kinds of milkshakes and curly fries, etc. etc. etc.

It's pretty amazing just how much new stuff I discover about this place every time I visit home. My list of to-do's grows longer and longer each time and it's a challenge to pack everything (family, friends, food, not to mention thrift stores) into a 9 day stay. A few things, though, can't ever be gone without:

Now it's time to load up and head even farther west.

Catching Up

2010-05-25T20:59:00.002-04:00

I've been doing all kinds of catching up lately: on reading and writing, knitting and cooking, and now, finally, I'm catching up on blogging. Spring sprung and has already dashed out the back door, but it wasn't without some festive scenery and circumstance around here. So now, as I sit in a warm attic with all the windows thrown open and a little fan running full blast in my face, is as good a time as any to look back on cooler temperatures.

Clams and Cake

2010-04-28T22:17:00.006-04:00

It should be some kind of new tradition, this: Linguini con le Vongole and good ol' American yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

We used Mario Batali's recipe for linguini with clams. It was hands-down the best pasta I've ever cooked, and highly ranked on the list of best-I've-ever-eaten. As this recipe reveals, the trick to perfect al dente pasta—and this is a trick you can use (and, after making this, I have used) in almost all the pasta you make—is to cook the pasta to within one minute of it's stated al-dente time (so, 8 minutes instead of the 9 printed on the package for my go-to linguini), then strain it, throw it into a big sauté pan with your already simmering sauce, and let it cook, stirring it around for a minute or two. Just like mussels and clams, pasta absorbs most of its cooking liquid in the last couple minutes of cooking, so this creates an amazing flavor and texture. You'll want to use a really good pasta though, because you can taste the noodles (in a good way). In my book, eating clams more than once a week is kind of disgusting, so I've been making Batali's recipe without the clams—doing and using everything else exactly the same—and have gotten really excellent results for a basic pasta with red sauce. The clams really add a whole new dimension to the dish, but it holds its own without them, too.

Good Morning

2010-04-23T10:55:00.002-04:00

Why should pancakes be so special? I'm on a new kick—eating pancakes as more of an everyday breakfast. Maybe everybody else already discovered this, but pancakes don't have to be stuck at the back of your recipe box, patiently waiting for next weekend's blowout breakfast feast. So maybe they're not quite as quick or cleanup-friendly as oatmeal, but a nice change of pace nonetheless.

Making pancakes is all about your griddle. It's gotta be flat and well-seasoned. If you only have a frying pan, you'll only be able to make one larger pancake at a time (unless its a really big frying pan). The flat griddle allows you to cook up to four smaller pancakes at a time—without having them run into one megapancake. I'm using a vintage griddle that came highly recommended from a friend, whose family has been using it for as long as she can remember. It's also got a great and unforgettable name—"HAPPY DAY GRIDDLE-GRILL"—a nice way to start the morning!

2010-04-15T19:17:00.001-04:00

Snow Day

2010-02-10T13:44:00.002-05:00

I'm on the roam today. It may be cold and wet, but the weather is prime for a walk.

My New Roommate

2010-02-03T21:28:00.005-05:00

About two weeks ago, I received a pretty unusual package. It came in a long, skinny box and was kind of warm when I picked it up. It's been in the mid-thirties or below for the past month, so I knew something was up...

Yep, something was definitely up. I wasn't going snow-crazy when I thought the box was warm, I was feeling the residual effect of the glove-warmer that was wrapped around the root ball of a little tiny Meyer lemon tree from Four Winds Growers in sunny CA. This guy popped up on my doorstep courtesy of Rachel and Eric, who must've had a premonition—I had really been wanting this exact tree last June when I moved to Princeton. Well, the tree is now happily installed in the bathroom (at least until the summer), the sunniest and warmest room up here during the day. Updates on buds, flowers, and fruit to follow.

Cooking Nigel

2010-01-30T10:43:00.006-05:00

Have you seen Nigel Slater's latest book, Tender? It's a godsend—one of my new favorite cookbooks (sometimes it seems like almost every new cookbook is my new favorite). I love the way it's organized. Let's say you're at the grocery store and you notice some particularly fresh and vibrant sprouting (aka veggies from the broccoli family) or a long, crisp turnip. Turn to one of Nigel's 40 or 50 page sections on those and dozens of other main ingredients and you'll find a gang of recipes as well as some nicely sentimental prose (Nigel's specialty) on homegrown varieties. The garden diaries in each section are encouragingly simple and the photographs (by Nigel's boyfriend) are printed on the same uncoated paper as the text, something I love in a good cookbook. The photos make the book among the more beautiful in my cooking collection. But if Nigel's writing isn't enough to get you going ("I opened the fridge this morning and saw last night's chicken leftovers winking at me...") then there's probably something wrong with you.

His Bread

2010-01-19T22:29:00.004-05:00

This time last year, I was singing the praises of a no-knead bread recipe from Mother Earth News. The recipe called for some fun-to-acquire equipment: a baking stone, a wooden pizza peel, and some semolina flour, etc. I had also toyed around with a similar recipe in the New York Times, by Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery. Inspired by the craze surrounding that recipe, Lahey recently published a book, My Bread, which contains a fully illustrated version of the recipe along with dozens of other no-knead-inspired breads, pizzas, and desserts. I can be quite picky with my cookbooks, but My Bread is beautiful—loads of nice photos of the breads, artfully arranged with beaten up cast-iron dutch ovens (the book will make you want to double your collection of Le Creuset, so start saving up before you even buy it) and beautifully worn bread boards.

I've yet to venture beyond the basic no-knead recipe, which I've been making a few times a week. Tonight's loaf:

Catching Up

2010-01-19T22:23:00.003-05:00

The semester is over, but I'm not finished. Two papers written, one to go. You have to do nice things for yourself when everyone else is on vacation and you're stuck in a rut or the library. As I've mentioned before, I'm sure, it's extraordinarily cold in my apartment sometimes. So I've been killing two birds with one stone: having a nice pot of tea as a break from writing, and heating the house while the kettle steams away on the burner.

Creepy Quality

2010-01-14T00:57:00.000-05:00

Doesn't the quality of this make it seem like it was filmed yesterday? Watch in HD!

Wrong Way Up

2009-12-22T21:21:00.002-05:00

I can't get enough of the 1990 Brian Eno/John Cale collaboration, Wrong Way Up. It sounds so...relevant.

Long Nights

2009-12-15T23:11:00.003-05:00

It's going to be a long, cold winter in my attic. The heat was supposed to be broiling up through the floorboards and keeping me toasty warm, but sometimes it's so cold that I have to jump into bed and scuffle around under the covers until my legs and feet regain consciousness. Long nights and leaky windows have been getting me down lately, but then I came across this essay from the Guardian, which kind of makes me excited about the approaching solstice. Long nights are great!

Big Food Weekend

2009-11-29T22:03:00.007-05:00

Thanksgiving wasn't enough for us, so we kept going. We plowed through pounds and pounds of leftovers and threw in a few little surprises around the edges.

Friday night: turkey plate, round two.

Saturday morning: soft-boiled eggs on homemade potato rolls.

Saturday night: turkey pot pie.

Tonight: smoked eggplant bharta (madhur jaffrey) and turkey and spinach curry. For the record, Jaffrey's eggplant killed Mark Bitman's curry (but in his defense, it was only a leftovers user-upper).

And finally: salty caramels—a test batch.

I was too tired of cooking to photograph: croissants and fried eggs; apple and granola crisp; tuna, boiled egg, and mint sandwiches.

happy thanksgiving

2009-11-26T23:07:00.005-05:00

This year's menu:

Cider brined turkey

Onion and herb stuffing

Roasted sweet potatoes and carrots with parsley*

Brussel sprouts with pine nuts and parmesan*

Mashers and gravy

Ari's cranberry sauce

Tassajara potato rolls

Pumpkin and sweet potato pie*

Mum's eclair

*Courtesy Marjory Sweet

The evening began with a pre-meal walk and a little glass of champagne and ended with a pre-dessert walk and, to inaugurate the holiday season, a little Christmas Gift from Phil Spector.

The stock is on the stove. Lots of plans for leftovers, too (14 lbs of turkey for 3 people)–more to come on that later.

Warping

2009-11-11T18:50:00.002-05:00

Last July in Nova Scotia

2009-11-10T18:02:00.004-05:00

Winter is creeping up on me and while warm rooms and hot drinks are things to look forward to, the sad part of the season is already here: when the radio says 'good afternoon' at 4:30 but it already looks like midnight outside.

In July, back when daylight lasted forever, we went to Nova Scotia (where it lasts a little bit less but still a lot). The drive was long (16 hours over two days each way) but worth it.

Brideshead '82

2009-10-27T20:12:00.008-04:00

The 1982 production of Brideshead Revisited by the BBC is so beautiful that I can't tell you all about it, because you simply have to see it to believe it. Be careful, because if you're anything like me it will make you want to shop for lots of pre-war flannel suits, club collar shirts, expensive silver trays and other antique kit.

You'll also start to say things like "Oh, Chahhhles" ALL the time, if you're anything like me.

New season, new projects

2009-10-05T19:05:00.001-04:00

Partial English

2009-10-04T11:29:00.001-04:00

Anyone for a few pointers?

2009-10-02T16:40:00.002-04:00

Treat

2009-10-01T14:56:00.000-04:00

Earlier this evening

2009-09-28T22:09:00.001-04:00

More Classic I&T

2009-09-27T20:59:00.004-04:00

This is too too great to be missed, so I can't resist:

I wanna dance like they dance at 8:20 every day.

Record of the Week: Ike and Tina Live at Carnegie Hall

2009-09-27T20:40:00.005-04:00

I unearthed this double album from 1971 at the Princeton Record Exchange last week. It's two full hours chock full of uh-k? UH-k and other little special Ike and Tina-isms. Her rapport with the crowd is unmatched, and it really comes out in the meat of the record—an extra-long performance of Proud Mary (with not one but two encores)

Disclaimer: You won't be able to watch this video without jumping for joy and dancing, or at least running in place really fast and/or shimmying. I DARE YOU to try.

Welcome Home, Pt. V

2009-09-27T10:49:00.004-04:00

My parents wanted to see my new apartment, so I took some photos.

Going to Maine twice in as many months really propelled me into a whole new world of housewares. Rug: L.L. Bean; Chair: Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers; Lamp: made by JL, of Le Havre, Nova Scotia.

The best thing about building your own furniture is making shelves that perfectly fit all of your stuff. My record player set up has really benefitted from this.

That little stained glass remnant is a gem from home, cut from one of the old houses they demolished in the North End of Boise to make way for a church parking lot (which as of late August has yet to be built).

Another Maine find, at the flea market at the Old Mill in Brunswick: a very earthy kilim rug that looks to have been dyed naturally. Blanket: Swans Island; Bed: from Skillman's in Princeton.
Living in an attic creates a real challenge for finding good furniture that will fit on sloping walls or under angular ceilings. I built this bookshelf with extra large shelves for monographs.

We're getting there

2009-09-27T10:38:00.000-04:00

After the fried chicken

2009-09-15T20:47:00.000-04:00

Today's Project: Sarah's Bookplates

2009-09-07T14:10:00.002-04:00

Welcome Home, Pt. IV

2009-08-06T19:17:00.002-04:00

Two views of the study & guest room:

I'm sticking with a "mostly animals" theme in here. I hope my future guests like painted dogs and dead bugs.

Most of the plants are on my wrought iron terrace (fire escape), but a few snuck in here to enjoy the great light in this northern window.

Full Moon: TONIGHT

2009-08-06T09:38:00.001-04:00

Look out your window at 8:57 PM.

Welcome Home, Pt. III

2009-08-05T20:56:00.004-04:00

On the right: two kinds of basil and a bit of sage await their nice big new pots. On the left: my blackberries are going crazy in this wet weather.

Welcome Home, Pt. II

2009-08-05T20:53:00.002-04:00

I am thankful for the bounty of beautiful foods and flowers available in my new town.

Welcome Home

2009-08-05T20:48:00.003-04:00

I'm back after a long hibernation. Hoping to post more often these days because I've moved to lonely Princeton, NJ for graduate school. Would you like to take a distended tour of my new house over the course of the next several weeks? OK, let's go!

This is my bathtub.

Great Falls, NJ

2009-03-30T18:50:00.009-04:00

Annie and I drove to Paterson, NJ today for a visit to the Great Falls. They're the second largest on the East Coast after Niagara, you know.

Jack and Ella II

2009-03-23T20:11:00.000-04:00

Flashback: Al G. and Me

2009-03-15T19:51:00.000-04:00

A year ago we went to Marfa but Al couldn't resist a stop at Prada so I followed him.

A year ago we sat under a tree together, but at different times.

Staying Warm

2009-03-02T19:45:00.003-05:00

Lots of big snow here lately, so the heaters are hissing and the kettle is always on.

27 Sounds in a Kitchen

2008-11-09T00:14:00.002-05:00

Curious Audubon Bird

2008-10-08T14:54:00.003-04:00

Quite a bit of knitting

2008-09-19T14:43:00.006-04:00

There's been quite a bit of knitting going on around here lately.

Jack and Ella

2008-09-19T14:43:00.003-04:00

Meet my niece and nephew, Jack William and Ella Elise Howard. They're (just only) 4 and (almost) 2. On this particular day in Boise, we made balloon animals.

Rainbow Books

2008-08-20T15:37:00.002-04:00

Here's another of my local favorites, a little bookstore in an old North End house with a particularly large selection of vampire romance novels and historical mystery books. My favorites!

The Good Samaritan Store

2008-08-20T14:09:00.002-04:00

Out for a little thrifting with Mum. This one is a few blocks from our house and has a nice assortment of clothes and books and junk. Sometimes it smells a little like pee, just like a real old person.

Cookin', cousin

2008-08-20T01:47:00.001-04:00

Policemen Around the World

2008-08-10T01:49:00.005-04:00

These are illustrations by Richard Erdoes from a 1967 children's book, Policemen Around the World. Has anyone else noticed that children's books have become more and more shoddy in recent years? When last in London, I had hoped to bring a Noddy book back for my niece and nephew, only to find that the Noddy I knew from the books my Mum read to me as a kid has been replaced by a grotesquely three-dimensional computer animated impostor. They'll never get to Rupert, though.

It's Decided

2008-08-09T19:17:00.003-04:00

Lee Bontecou

Untitled, 1962

Welded iron, canvas, wire, and velvet

Lean Wolf's Complaint

2008-08-09T19:10:00.003-04:00

Says Iron Hawk, a Sioux Chief, as quoted in William P. Clark's Indian Sign Language (1885): "The whites have had the power given them by the Great Spirit to read and write, and convey information in that way. He gave us the power to talk with our hands and arms, to send information with the mirror, blanket, and pony far away, and when we meet with Indians who have a different language from ours, we can talk to them in signs."

Terlingua, TX

2008-06-29T16:41:00.003-04:00

Just west of Big Bend National Park on 170 lies Terlingua, TX, a ghost town that lacks all markers of that title. One dead giveaway is the bunkhouse, occupied not by people of the heavens but by actually living persons. Another is the grave yard, which is still in use by the (few) remaining locals.
My favorite graveside ornament here was a stone painting in which two Turkeys square off in a game of croquet.

The Mystic Gitanas

2008-06-21T22:34:00.004-04:00

Spotted these ladies at the Fiesta Del Sol in Alpine, TX. Twice yearly, Alpine hosts a solstice celebration. There was also a full moon a few nights ago. Lots of strange magic, if you ask me.

Temporary Relocation

2008-06-18T16:24:00.003-04:00

I've been temporarily relocated to Marfa, TX to work for Judd Foundation. The furniture in the intern apartment here is simple and sparse, not because they're cheap but because that's the way Judd wanted it.

2 photos by Annie Leibovitz

2008-04-28T20:38:00.002-04:00

This picture of Susan Sontag by Annie Leibovitz is one of my favorite photographs, mostly because I wish I could lay around in thermals and sweatshirts all day like that. I think about it every time the thermals come out of the bottom drawer of my dresser, which is less and less often now that it's warming up outside.

This one is of Philip Johnson in the Glass House, New Canaan, CT. What a view, right?

A little snack

2008-04-27T13:39:00.005-04:00

The weather was really great last week, so I moved out onto Alex's fire escape with a little chair to do some work. With all of that reading, I worked up quite the appetite, so I ducked back in the window and made a little snack.

Recipe | A Little Snack
Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich
2 slices whole wheat bread
1/2 a banana
some peanut butter
honey

Tangerine Pomegranate Juice
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup tangerine juice

A little bit about water

2008-04-27T13:09:00.007-04:00

I've been carrying lots of old Joan Didion in my bag lately and reading it whenever I have a minute or two to spare, usually on the subway or outside in the grass. I'm working my way through The White Album right now. My favorite so far is an essay called "Holy Water." I guess she's really into tap water:

"The water I will drink tonight in a restaurant in Hollywood is by now well down the Los Angeles Aqueduct from the Owens River, and I also think about exactly where that water is: I particularly like to imagine it as it cascades down the 45-degree stone steps that aerate Owens water after its airless passage through the mountain pipes and siphons. As it happens my own reverence for water has always taken the form of this constant meditation upon where the water is, of an obsessive interest not in the politics of water but in the waterworks themselves, in the movement of forebays and afterbays and weirs and drains, in plumbing on the grand scale."

Here are some pictures of Joan herself, looking great as always:

Almost Spring

2008-04-02T11:14:00.004-04:00

It's almost spring here in New York (although it's only 42 degrees outside right now), and spring-like things are starting to happen. My planter box is still holding onto the last vestiges of winter (e.g. dead brown plants), but a little green is starting to peek through here and there. I decided to help it along a little bit.

Baked Doughnuts

2008-04-01T16:18:00.007-04:00

I found the idea of baked (yeast) doughnuts (as opposed to deep fried doughnuts) pretty intriguing, so I tried out this really simple recipe I found on 101 Cookbooks, which I am hereby endorsing as an incredible food blog.

Now, if you're looking for a seriously "rib-sticking" (and by this I mean unquestionably good) doughnut, head for Doughnut Plant at 379 Grand Street in the Lower East Side, where the Tres Leches doughnuts are actually filled with tres leches. They also roast their own nuts, make their own chai, and use only homemade preserves in their jelly-filleds. I leave you with this:

Stretching Towards Bedleham

2008-03-18T20:28:00.005-04:00

We only listen to yoga instructors that are Ford models in Elmo t-shirts.

Pizzitola's Bar-b-cue, Houston, TX

2008-03-18T19:56:00.005-04:00

I'm in Texas for a week with a traveling art history seminar. Our first stop was this eighty year old barbecue place in Houston, which we were led to by Marilyn Oshman, a local patron of some wacky folk art (more about that later).

Marilyn explained that Pizzitola's has the best barbecue because it has the oldest pit. She's a loyalist.

No Knead Bread

2008-03-13T12:49:00.001-04:00

On my wishlist:

Thesis Topics

2008-03-08T22:58:00.003-05:00

Robert Morris?

Donald Judd?

Or Sophie Calle?

Field Trip: 101 Spring Street

2008-03-08T22:34:00.010-05:00

Today's adventure was a secret trip to Donald Judd's house. The building is closed for renovations, but our minimalism professor managed to get us a tour.

Donald Judd Residence
101 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012

First floor:

Third floor:

Fourth floor:

Fifth floor:

Photos weren't allowed, so I can only show you these not very high quality images from the internet. Thing I learned: silverware is best stored on a long shelf where each piece can be individually laid out.

Two Sides

2008-03-03T21:15:00.002-05:00

I made dinner a few nights ago. On the side we had balsamic roasted tomatoes with lemon roasted asparagus.

Day Trip to Philadelphia

2008-03-03T20:45:00.005-05:00

A quick day trip down to Philadelphia yesterday, with an itinerary including 2 museums, one market, a little browsing, and—without fail—eating. We packed it all in.

Labour and Wait

2008-02-29T11:24:00.006-05:00

If I could, I would own every item from this little shop in east London. It's only open on weekends and can be a bit out of the way, but you're sure to end up with something really great at the end of the day.

Labour and Wait
18 Chesire Street
London E2 6EH

Alpaca Scarf

2008-02-28T11:01:00.004-05:00

A restaurant near my house was receiving a delivery of potatoes in burlap sacks last weekend, so I decided to weave something burlap-inspired. This was a quick project, and SOFT. It's also really wide. Just like a potato sack!

Alpaca Scarf

Warp & Weft: 100% alpaca

Nói albinói

2008-02-27T00:25:00.005-05:00

Just finished watching this film from Iceland, Nói albinói. Lots of great snow scenes, which never get old, even in the deepest, darkest winter months. The colors are all very chilly, too, and make me excited for a long winter's nature hike this weekend.

David Mellor

2008-02-26T19:03:00.007-05:00

This might be my current favorite shop in London, and is by far the best for kitchen supplies.

David Mellor
4 Sloane Square
London
SW1W 8EE

Aside from David Mellor's own designs (mostly cutlery and candlesticks), the shop also sells a great assortment of other beautiful things. The treasures are in the basement! My favorite mugs came from here, by Andrew and Joanna Young in Lower Gresham, Norfolk—but more about them later.

Vanilla Milk

2008-02-25T23:39:00.004-05:00

Late February is really cold, so I've found that a good bedtime snack is a warm mug of vanilla milk. It's simple and gets you in the mood for some good warm sleeping.

Vanilla Milk
8 ounces milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Warm your milk and stir in the vanilla and sugar. You may want less vanilla and less or no sugar, depending on your taste. I think this is best served by itself, but a cookie or two wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

New Weaving Project

2008-02-25T17:02:00.001-05:00

Alpaca scarf

Warp and weft: 100% undyed alpaca

Old Weaving Project

2008-02-25T16:59:00.003-05:00

Wool scarf

Warp and weft: 100% wool

7.5'' x 58''

Tea Report: The Tea Box at Takashimaya

2008-02-25T13:25:00.005-05:00

If you're looking for blackcurrant, organic Indian, or other delicious teas, The Tea Box in the basement of Takashimaya is your spot.

February 24th at the Met

2008-02-25T12:46:00.008-05:00

On our way into the Met yesterday, this caught Ari's eye. It's one of those old guys who sits outside selling little sculptures made out of wire or something. Apparently, he's also an avid sketch artist, with an eye for sultry lust and the downright dirty:

WILD!

The Met was full of old friends, like Sol,

Ag,

and the Bechers.

But the highlight was the new Jasper Johns show, Gray, which is basically about how depressed Johns was after Rauschenberg left him in the lurch. Zing!

Another top pick was the new displays of Oceanic art. I'm a big fan of Oceania's, and her totem poles and decorative ceilings don't disappoint.

Music Recommendation: Bob Dylan

2008-02-23T12:42:00.009-05:00

I think all of my readers should listen to Desire by Bob Dylan. Especially the songs "One More Cup of Coffee" and "Romance in Durango". And "Joey". There's nothing like Emmylou Harris's harmonies. Great sing along material here.

Bob autographed this for me after I complemented his patchwork coat. Cool!

Back to Blogging

2008-02-22T22:18:00.019-05:00

Dear Reader,

Welcome back, to both you and I. Despite my lengthy absence, I have returned and hereby solemnly swear to post regularly, if only to entertain Milano's most earnest request. With this inaugural post, words make their modest debut on this blog. Let's welcome words and celebrate:

—

Casa Luis Barragán

General Francisco Ramírez 14

Colonia Ampliación Daniel Garza

Mexico, D.F. 11840

One great thing is that all of the furniture in the building was designed by Barragán and is site-specific, so he never moved it around. He had a plan and stuck to it. Now that's resolve.

2007-09-29T21:50:00.000-04:00

2007-02-14T22:46:00.000-05:00

2007-01-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

2007-01-07T14:46:00.000-05:00

2007-01-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

2007-01-07T14:29:00.000-05:00

2007-01-06T00:32:00.000-05:00

2007-01-06T00:30:00.000-05:00

2007-01-05T22:02:00.000-05:00

2007-01-05T21:56:00.000-05:00

2007-01-01T23:30:00.000-05:00

2006-12-31T04:16:00.000-05:00

2006-12-29T20:33:00.000-05:00

2006-12-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

2006-12-27T17:46:00.000-05:00

2006-12-27T00:18:00.000-05:00