SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER

My husband and I are busy people and with a hectic schedule comes an often lackadaisical approach to mealtime. More often than not we find ourselves heating up frozen food or eating cereal for dinner. Really responsible, I know. But every once in a while I get inspired and last night was no exception. We have a lovely roof deck on our apartment building, complete with big gas grills and nice dining tables.

So last night, with the gorgeous summer weather, I decided to whip up a tasty dinner on the grill to enjoy on the roof. And, if I do say so myself, it was quite tasty! So, if you will indulge me, here are a couple recipes I made last night that I thought you might like.


Dad's Grilled Shrimp
A recipe concocted by my father-in-law that is as delicious as it is easy. All the ingredients listed below are highly approximate; add them to your taste.

1 1/2 pounds (or really as much as you like) of deveined, shelled shrimp
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of good quality maple syrup
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/8 cup of cilantro
juice of two limes
salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper

step one | Add the maple syrup (reserve the two tablespoons for later), honey, olive oil, cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper to the bowl of a blender or cuisinart. Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

step two | Put the shrimp in a large ziploc bag and pour in marinade you just made in the blender/cuisinart. Allow to sit in the fridge of for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.

step three | Open the ziploc bag and pour off the marinade. Put shrimp on a large plate/platter and drizzle the remaining maple syrup on top. Add the dash of cayenne pepper and an extra pinch or two of salt and pepper.

step four | Put shrimp on the grill, carefully making sure they don't fall through the cracks (if you have a gas grill set the temperature to between 300 and 350 degrees; otherwise put shrimp on the hottest part of the grill). Grill shrimp for two minutes each side. Remove from grill and enjoy!



Katie's Amazing Asparagus
Perfect for a quick solo dinner or a big dinner party. Crazy easy given how tasty the result is! Again the ingredients are flexible; feel free to experiment!

1 bundle of asparagus, the thinner and fresher the better
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
Pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

step one | Snap off the ends of the asparagus (they should snap easily where they want to be broken off). Lay asparagus on a aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Turn the broiler in your oven to high and put an oven rack in the topmost position. (Make sure your baking sheet fits on this rack.)

step two | Drizzle olive oil and soy sauce on the asparagus. Sprinkle kosher salt and, if using, sprinkle sesame seeds too.

step three | Put baking sheet in the oven under the broiler for between 5 and 10 minutes. Once the spears start to become crispy and the stalks start to wrinkle they are done! Serve and enjoy!


Happy cooking!

p.s. I also made the Smitten Kitchen recipe for blueberry crumb bars (see last photo) and holy cow they are good. See the recipe here.

THE WEDDING FILES: REGISTRY REDUX, KITCHEN

I am back after a fabulous, relaxing weekend with my favorite ladies. Just what I needed with less than two weeks left until the wedding! Eek!

Speaking of weddings, I thought it would be fun, over the next couple of days, to put together a guide to wedding registries. These will be my favorite picks for practical, beautiful, and fun wedding gifts that the happy couple will use for years to come. Without further ado, here is a list of the best wedding gifts for the kitchen, all cherry-picked from my favorite culinary superstore Sur La Table.




Perfect for a wedding shower gift or a multi-part gift, these Joseph & Joseph tools are pretty and practical. $49.95




This 14-cup food processor from Cuisinart has been a work horse in my mother's kitchen for twenty years. It can do pretty much anything, so for $199 it is a bargain.




Everyone needs a good baking dish or two. This set covers all your bases, from bread loaves to cupcakes. $149




Just like the food processor, a Kitchenaid stand mixer will last your entire life and will repay its investment time and time again. So bring on the cookies, cakes, and baked good batters get a group of friends together to buy them this beauty. $349




Doing double duty, this brilliant pan has both a griddle and grill surface that fits right over your stovetop burners, making Sunday morning  breakfasts (read: pancakes and bacon!) a cinch. $60




Get them a beautiful Le Creuset french oven. It's always a hit, because they last forever, come in amazing colors, and can tackle everything from a casserole to a saute dish. $305




When in doubt, stick with practical. Even grooms will appreciate this badass Wusthof seven piece knife set, and it will be put to good use in every meal. What more can you ask for from a gift? $150




While less frequent in the cooking rotation, I am totally in love with this roasting pan. Perfect for your first holiday feast together! $200




Also a bit less frequently used but no less beautiful or practical, this marble pastry board, not only works on pies and pastries but would also double as a lovely cheeseboard or serving plate. A good engagement party gift, no? Particularly if you paired with a pretty pie plate or rolling pin. $40




I don't drink coffee but even I know that this Bodum chambourd french press makes some damn fine tasting brew. We figured it was a good space saver if you didn't want a coffee pot hogging precious counter space and registered for one to soothe or coffee-crazed parents. $30 - $60 (depending on size)


That's all for today! Stick around for other registry-oriented posts on table and serveware, electronics, and homegoods later this week!

GETTING FROSTY WITH BABYCAKES

Ha! I have heard lots and lots about the adorable Babycakes Bakery here in New York. But given my stickler status for super delicious baked goods, I was skeptical about their propensity for vegan goodies. Well, after coming across their awesome-looking cookbooks over the past couple months and recently discovering their cheeky/silly demo videos (like the ones above) I am totally sold.* Clearly a pilgrimage to their shop needs to be made pronto!


Learn more about Babycakes here, read their blog here, read an interview with sweet (ha! see what I did?) founder Erin here, and watch more of their super cute videos here.




*Is it just me, or do you also imagine you look like this while you are baking? i love baking so much, I totally feel like a rockstar when I do it. Only my kitchen doesn't have such good lighting. ;)

70TH BIRTHDAY BONANZA: THE CAKE

I have finally managed to sort through all my photos from this weekend (woo, there are a lot!) and I am very excited to share all the fun DIY projects I have been working on for my Dad's nautical birthday party over the last several weeks. Hope you are ready for some major crafting, because this week is party week!Without further ado let me present the centerpiece of any good party: the cake! My mom and I decided to have the party catered but, being an amateur pastry chef, I wanted to take responsibility for the dessert. I had a vision for a sweet nautical cake and, as you can see, I got pretty into it. Care to make your own version? Let me give you my insider tips!size and shape | I prefer round layer cakes as they can be put on a pretty pedestal (this one was from Crate & Barrel several years ago; similar one here) for an optimally professional display. To make this cake I used three pans each in two different sizes: nine inches (buy here) and six inches (buy here). To prepare the pans butter the bottoms and sides; sprinkle flour all over the buttered sides and tap off the excess; cut a round of parchment paper and place in the pan (trace the bottom of the pan with a pencil and cut just inside those lines; fits perfectly every time!). Another key to making a layer cake is to shave the top of each layer so that they are flat and can stack easily. Also, another insider secret is to stick several wooden dowels down the middle of the cake to anchor the layers to each other and keep everything upright. It works like a charm!recipes | Let me share a dirty little secret: I don't make the cake batter from scratch! Scandalous, I know! You can certainly do that, and I have had good results from a completely homemade cake, but when you are going to be spending a lot of time on the decoration I recommend a quick little shortcut: cake mixes. Specifically I used three boxes of Devil's Food cake mix and folded in a bag and a half of high quality semi-sweet chocolate chips (I prefer Ghiradelli) right before pouring the batter into the pans. The chocolate chips make for a nice change in texture from the rest of the cake and up the chocolate factor exponentially. For the frosting I just made a basic buttercream, doubling this recipe but cutting the proscribed sugar in half. You can use your best judgment for the sugar input, just keep tasting it as you incrementally add the sugar and stop when it's at your desired level of sweetness.decorations | To make the scalloped effect on the side of the cake, I followed this easy instructional. I decorated the sides of the bottom layer with these sugar pieces and then topped it with these signal flag toothpicks. I then topped the whole thing with an array of striped, blue, white and red candles. The overall effect was perfect for a seaside party for a classy man like my Dad.What do you think? Would you try a big party cake like this? Do you have any baking tips to add?

LET IT BEGIN

I handed in my last two papers today. I can't tell you how quickly relief turns to holiday spirit! All of the sudden I am in the holiday mood and can't wait for Christmas on Friday! All afternoon I will be watching holiday movies and writing cards. And I can't wait for tomorrow when I will be picking up a few last minute things, doing some baking, and wrapping lots of presents. Yup, it's almost here!

What do you all do to get in the holiday spirit? Drop me a line and let me know!

I will try to post once more this week and then I will see you in the New Year!

(In case you were wondering, the above photos are of my Christmas tree which, according to my boyfriend, is "perfect" and according to me smells divine.)

FEELING CRAFTY . . .

If you have been reading this blog for a while you know that I love books. In fact, at this moment as I look around the room I realize that there are hundreds of books within arms reach. Nerd alert!Anywho, while I have to read art history books for my dissertation every day, I get a hankering to read craft and decorating books whenever possible. I get a little jittery unless a do something creative or crafty every couple of days and craft/design/DIY books help stave off that craving until I actually have time in my schedule to make something. That said, I have a constant wishlist of these books saved up in my Amazon cart tantalizing me with fun, inspirational ideas. In case you have similar craft cravings, here are a bunch of the books I have had my eye on . . . one | made by hand, $18.94 | Lena Corwin is a master and this book looks incredible!two | paper to petal: 75 whimsical paper flowers to craft by hand, $15.80 | I have a soft spot for fresh flowers (a rare thing that's actually cheaper in NYC!), but this book might cure me of that habit.three | find & keep, $18.15 | Colorful collections become cool projects? Sign me up!four | playful: fun projects to make with + for kids, $16.73 | Sometimes kids craft books have the best projects! Simple, fun, and graphic, this book has gotten rave reviews and I am dying to sneak a peak.five | martha stewart's encyclopedia of sewing and fabric crafts, $24.92 | I bought a sewing machine this summer and am all about fabric projects these days. Martha's book is basically a bible leading me to a sewing promise land.six | a field guild to fabric design, $18.10 | Speaking of sewing, it is surprisingly hard to find fabric that meets my crazy colorful pattern-plenty standards. Tips in here could spark a serious fabric design habit.seven | decorate with flowers, $17.34 | I am excited to learn all the new ways to use flowers to liven up our tiny apartment. As if I need another excuse to hit the flower stand at the local bodega!eight | design bloggers at home, $21.37 | I draw most of my inspiration from fellow bloggers, so to steal a glimpse into their picture perfect homes is too tasty to miss.nine | surprise-inside cakes, $18.75 | Technically not a craft or design book, but how irresistibly cute do these cakes look? Yay for creative baking projects!ten | pretty packages: 45 creative gift-wrapping projects, $15.57 | I am obsessed with dressing up gifts in fancy packaging and the tips packed into this book look like they would definitely help me step up my game even further.eleven | project kid: 100 ingenious crafts for family fun, $15.86 | More family fun; the cover alone is out of this world. (Get it?! Spaceship? Insert pitying chuckle here.)twelve | bright bazaar: embracing color for make-you-smile style, $20.56 | This is the only book of the group that I actually already own, but boy is it awesome. If you aren't afraid of festooning your home in bright color (or if you are but want a change), don't miss this!
That's is. Anything I missed? I am always happy to add to my wishlist . . . Hope you have a lovely weekend! See you next week!

MEASURE UP

In my apartment, when figuring how many teaspoons fit into a cup, I use these conversion magnets. But wouldn't it be cool to have the lovely poster hanging on your kitchen wall instead? I love the color, font, design and, at $30, even the price.

Check it out (in several more colors!) at the Etsy store SweetFineDay here.

No wall space? How about a conversion chart printed on your apron? This one cleverly has the chart printed upside down, so you read it while you are wearing it! Smart!

Get your own (also in more colors), for $18.95, at the Etsy store Distinctgraphicz here.

Now let's get to baking!

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE (NOT SO) SECRET LIFE OF THE OBSESSIVE IMAGIST

I had a little panic attack this morning when I opened my computer and saw the date. December 12th! What?!! How are we halfway through December already? I feel like 2015 is stalking us like a lion in the Serengeti. Wasn't it only yesterday that we were preparing for Halloween?

All of this panic sent me into the typical tizzy of an a classic overachiever, leaving me thinking, what have I done with myself over all this time? Well, it turns out that when time flies is usually not because you are having fun, but because you are busy as all get out. This fall, while not making as much progress on my dissertation as I would like, I still managed to submit several (labor intensive) fellowship applications, write essays for a professor's amazing new book, interview two very cool artists for my dissertation research (this guy and this lady!), help curate this show and put together its catalog and probably some other things I can't remember. So, you know what, dear readers, let's all take a moment every once in a while to give ourselves a break! We work hard. We get things done. And though you may never check off all the items on your 'to do list' in one day/week/month, you are still making a difference. You are still moving forward (just keep swimming!). And that's what matters.

Don't you feel better now about 2014 winding down?

But, I do realize that this blog is supposed to be about art and design and eye candy and not so much about me blathering on about work. So here are a couple of instagram shots I took this fall of fun things I did to take my mind off of the stress of school/work/life. Hope you like them!

above | Over Thanksgiving I checked out the newly renovated Harvard Art Museums. The building is beautiful. The collection is amazing. The conservation studio is to die for. I highly recommend you head over there yourself.

 

Plus they have a crazy awesome organization system for pigments and restoration materials. It took all my strength not to break into this private room and drool all over those gorgeous cabinets and rainbow colors . . . 

above | I like to relieve stress by baking. For Thanksgiving I made apple pie and cheddar sage biscuits. They were tasty. That is all.

above | Last week I had the privilege of doing a little side project under the guise of my calligraphy business: The Wright Hand. I promised not to spill the beans about the client's identity (Sorry!) but let's just say that I addressed 400 beautiful holiday cards for a luxury beauty company.*

not pictured but still cool! | In other random crafty news, I am also hosting a holiday crafting event tomorrow at the wonderful Jo Malone store on Bleecker Street! We will be making holiday baubles from 12pm - 6pm. Stop on by and see me!

above | My fabulous family friend, Andrew*, set me up with some sweet tech recently (hooray for new computers!) and as I thank you I used the opportunity to send over a little holiday care package (tips for making your own here). I somehow managed to resist eating all the goodies—including chocolate peanut butter fudge and chocolate chip cookies with sea salt—before sending them off. Heroic restraint, I know.

And that's pretty much it! I am looking forward to some serious Christmas celebrations in the coming weeks and kicking 2015 off right. In the meantime, no more debbie downer stuff.

As always, you can follow all my exploits on Instagram here. I would love to follow you too, so drop me a line with your info and I will get on it! Until then, Happy Friday and Happy Holidays!

*I have removed parts of the addresses on these mailings for the privacy of the recipients.

TOO PRETTY TO EAT: GRADIENT CAKE

As you may or may not know, I am obsessed with baking. Obsessed! However I don't always have time to make the delicious confections I dream up in my head or read about online. With that said, I think I might have to make time for this amazing cake project from Not Without Salt: an ombre fondant cake! Seriously, how gorgeous does that look?


Find the whole tutorial here.


(thanks to Mint for the heads up)

VALENTINE'S DAY DINNER

This year my sweetie and I decided to keep it quiet on Valentine's Day—we're making a nice romantic dinner at home. My recipe folder is chock full amazing inspiration and it is so hard to decide. Chicken Stir-Fry Wraps? Fettuccine with Peas, Shallot and Herbs? Steak with Arugula and Balsamic Mushrooms? Salmon Fillet with Citrus and Thyme? They all look delicious.

Either way I know I am going to tackle this fun baking project: a Heart Cake! Though I will certainly keep the red velvet cake in the middle, I think I might switch it up and make the rest dark chocolate. No matter, there is a great step-by-step tutorial on the blog 'I Am Baker'. I will let you know how it comes out!