Tiger in a Jar

Spotty posts these busy days but it seems there is so much, total inundation - saturation of pretty blogs.  Not feeling that inspired between the mundane and the repetitive.....

except for this lovely (and total credit goes to pod for this):

garden from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.


Go and lose yourself for a while. And go to tiger in a jar with your other spare 20 minutes. It's a great place to linger.

First Day + Candles

First day back to school for a whole bunch of Brookline little citizens....and on a wet, rainy day, no less.  After a gloriously sunny, summer-y weekend, the rain today makes the walk to school feel maybe a little more welcoming,  I would imagine.  I know my two were very excited about today, crazy school-loving knuckleheads that they are.

And non-sequitor:  I thought I'd commemorate today with a soy candle.  Cedar Moss seemed to make the most sense today.   Soft, warm, and perfumed.  Just seemed to make sense.  School and candles, right?

image | S A I P U A

SAIPUA, and Sarah Ryhanen is one of my all-time faves for a computer excursion. 

And you can find more wit and beauty here:  

• SAIPUA blog 
• flowers 
• instagram (IG, for your cool kids)
• twitter.

New Music | Bellx1

These Irish guys sound so familiar and sooooo nice. This one's getting a fair amount of radio play - and it's still good. Enjoy the humor and the song.



Bell X1 - Velcro from Bellx1 on Vimeo.

Back to School | Back to Oxford

Sturdy. Solid. Built to last.  Easier still to carry some lose change in your pocket.

And - will most likely  remind you of your dad.

N.D.C made by hand

Paul Smith

Dieppa Restrepo

Sartore

fiorentini + baker

fiorentini + baker again

So stoked-psyched-jazzed-pumped-hyped over these Oxfordian legends.  
And happier still that Mr. E. Bay delivered a new pair to my door for a fraction of the original price.

Would the Real San Marzano Please Stand Up?

When I need tomatoes (off-season), I pretend to be some snobby cook and collect pretty cans of San Marzano tomotoes:

image | cloudy iphone

The San Marzano tomato.  These iconic red plummy tomatoes are grown just outside of Naples, in the volcanic earth near Mt. Vesuvius - a super specific area that produces super juicy and super delicious tomatoes.  The go-to when it's NOT tomato season.  And apparently, not all San Marzanos are really from San Marzano.  Faux tomatoes, falsely labeled. *Gasp*

According to the Gusti Blog, written by Beatrice Ughi, an Italian-born, NY-based specialty food importer, there are several ways to identify the real San Marzano.  Herewith:

First thing you do, you check the tin's label:

it MUST say "Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese Nocerino D.O.P."

it MUST have the symbol of the Consorzio;

it MUST have the symbol of the DOP;

it MUST have a "N° XXXXXXX", which is the Number assigned to the tin by the Consorzio.

With anything labeled organic, diced, chopped, pureed, etc. it gets even more complicated.  But. If you want the real deal, the San Marzano tomato makes all the difference in a solid authentically Penne all'Arrabbiata.

(credit goes to Diner's Journal for the scoop on this)

Boston's ICA Hosts Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series | August 20

I'm not kidding.  Whether you love or hate the cantilevered building, professional athletes from around the world will be leaping off of it into the Boston harbor on August 20.  80 Feet.  Into the harbor.  Free and open to the public.  Gasps welcome, too.

In case you need a better visual, here's the promo.  Vertigo much?



Full death-defying details *here*.

Bespoke Me

I know.  Me and scarves.  I have nothing short of an obsession.....and today's all about taming this Brian May head of hair I've got, due to the rain and the humidity.  And the rain.  So, a well-arranged scarf seems like just the ticket to solve my frizz-a-thon.

Only this scarf is different.  Bespoke.  By Hayden-Harnett, those ever-so craft devils from Brooklyn, NY.

"Your image.  Your imagination.  Your scarf."  On either sand-washed silk or silk chiffon.  In four sizes.  I went for the gargantuan 40x40.  Natch.  And three weeks delivery seemed fair enough.

image | by me capri 2007

And until 9/1, save 50% with BESPOKEME at checkout.

oeuf à la coque

image | me

4 minutes.  3 if you really prefer runny.  And you've got  the best little package of something close to yellow nirvana or hollandaise, laced with protein goodness.  Like a sunny yellow gravy.  And you really only need one. Egg, that is.

image | schwurlie

Compendium of egg boiling perfection and information can be found *here*.

of Monks and Potions

image | teelicht

Since the 1400's, Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella has been producing all sorts of balms and creams and tinctures of herbal wonder.  In 1612, the Dominican monks opened this farmacia to the public.  It is now one of the oldest in the world.  And we were lucky enough to literally stumbled upon it as we were headed to the Florence train station.

It's claimed that not many of the original recipes have changed much over the past gajillion years.   It certainly was one of the most spectacular sites we came upon on Florence. 

and nearly all the flowers and herbs and natural whatnot is grown in the hills of Florence - just for the added local Florentine magic.

My Gosh - What Ganache!

Being one that has something close to an obsession to sweet and savory combinations (and would dip french fries into my chocolate frosty when I was college), this ganache that we had in Florence, made with the oil from local, organic olives was molto delizioso.

I can't say enough about this recipe and how mighty fantastic and easy it is to whip together. Given to me by our hostess, Elisabetta Galardi of Fattoria di Poggiopiano, it's like nearly every recipe from Italy: a few, simple ingredients of the freshest quality makes for a non-fail dish.

all images | londoneats

For the chocolate and olive oil ganache:

• 8 oz. dark, semi-sweet chocolate (64%), chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Heat the cream and sugar in a saucepan. Boil for 30 seconds. Pour over the chocolate, and stir until smooth (if not all of the chocolate melts, return to the saucepan and warm very gently until smooth, and return to the bowl).

Allow the mixture to cool slightly, and add the olive oil, stirring constantly. Allow to cool completely until firm (in the fridge, if necessary).

Serve on warm toasted sourdough bread, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle some kosher salt over the top - take a bite, close your eyes, sit back, and sigh (and maybe you'll find yourselves in Tuscany).

Franklin Park Zoo + Widow Grass

It's all about what you wear on your head. 

And I really wanted to see some dancing....but like most Boston audiences, they're a little too-cool-for-school.  Enjoy.  and Happy Thursday!




Grass Widow "Milo Minute" from what rabbit on Vimeo.
Grass Widow plays for gorillas Gigi, Kiki, Kira, Kimani, Kambiri and Kit, at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Massachusetts.



Directed by Aubree Bernier-Clarke

Produced by Laurel Braitman

Production Assistant: Mikey Stoltz



Our utmost thanks to the hardworking staff of the Franklin Park Zoo and the gorillas.



wizardmountain.org/grasswidow

animalmadness.com/music-for-animals

The Triumph of Neptune

This is the sign of an old umbrella shop that sits at the end of our little street in Brussels.  A very cool sign that I tried countless times to photograph to no avail:

image | tim borco (way better frame)

When the sign was rolled up into the top of the window, this appeared:

The front of one of the most creative restaurants I've ever enjoyed in Brussels.  Neptune.  Featuring one menu at €36, or roughly $50, that changes weekly.

Simple. Clever. Artistic.  Mostly Organic. Mostly Local.  Six tables. And the heart of the chef poured into every dish.




And if one had endless hours, time could last forever here.

48 rue Lesbroussart 1050 Ixelles - Bruxelles / Brussels

and more about this culinary wonder, check out Cooking for Four Hands and LEFOODING.COM (and enlist google translate, if necessary).

Introducing the Dutch Cargo Bike

This makes total sense to me.  I hate driving, take my bike or public trans whenever I can.  But this grocery sherpa would so much rather use this cargo bike than strap on multiple backpacks or satchels to carry bags up from the grocery store.

bakfiets.nl

It's called a Dutch Cargo Bike or 'Bakfiets'.  We saw them all over the place last month in Brussels and Amsterdam, in the lands of Bikes First, Cars Second.  And I usually saw this:

Perfectly safe, helmetless happy riders taking a cart load of helmetless kids off to some other helmetless destination. Frankly, I'd be happier finding my way over to South End Formaggio for a week's worth of wine and cheese.....helmet or not.

Also, here's a link to a recent NYTimes article about how the Dutch have mastered the art of safe biking and fresh bread in Amsterdam.

Menu Design In America, 1850-1985

And I'm back. Back from a good month-long swing through Europe with family, back from a good two week break from the blahgity-blahg, and back from a mental vacation of that school-work routine.  I have loads of stuff to share with you, unique little finds, discoveries, gems that I came across while in Brussels, Paris, Florence, and Amsterdam but today, it's all about Menu Design in America, from TASCHEN.

image | TASCHEN

One massive collection of menus, dating from 1850-1985. "Menu Design is an omnibus showcasing the best examples of this graphic art. With nearly 800 examples, illustrated in vibrant color, this deluxe volume not only showcases this extraordinary collection of paper ephemera but serves as a history of restaurants and dining out in America."

Ever the sucker for typeface and graphic design + historical reference to the culinary habits of early Americana, I thought this was definitely worthy of my first post back.

above images | the village voice 

above images | TASCHEN

domani l'Italia!

To Florence @ 4:00 am, 16 July, 2011 -  an ungodly hour to anyone - 'cept anyone that hasn't been to Florence, Italy. Or anyone that hasn't been to Florence in over 20 years, when you fell in love with both the man you'd marry and a country that made you swoon.

Since our two weeks in Brussels, we've had a lovely and short and fully loaded, three day stint in Paris.  We've been back in Brussels for the work week.  And tomorrow we leave for our official vacation.  Four years ago we took the family to the Amalfi coast, seaside lovers that we are.  This time we will be staying at an agriturismo,  a villa in Fiesole, that is known for it's Chianti and bold reds and spectacular views of the Arno river valley.

"Will we have to work on the farm?"

"Only if you're lucky."

Demain, Paris (avec les enfants)

And we're off to the City of Light tomorrow.  A quick visit, that will include something for the young folk (tourist-trap nation, I'm sure) and something for us (underground, secret awesomeness).

Maybe a picnic with the padlocks ("love locks") on Pont Des Arts.....

Or maybe a lot of oohing and ahhing while we pass by Notre Dame with a trip on the Seine.

and then a stroll through the Marais to Place de Vosges - 

And all those historic, ancient, fire-hazard-y restaurants that I love so much....

One thing you can bank on: we will walk, we will eat, we will drink, and we WILL take it all in.

Going Dutch (at the Beach)

  We've had unusually warm and sunny weather this trip.  Brussels is positively summer-like.  And so with that, we headed out to the beach last weekend.  Took the train up to Knokke-Heist, a small, resort-y stretch of beach, close to the Netherlands.

It was also like stepping back into time.  Very 70's, very blonde, very Charlie's Angels or Starsky and Hutch.  Loads of shorty-shorts, retro swimwear, and polyester or nylon.  Not unlike this.  I tried so hard to grab a couple of photos of these adorable little speedo-ed kids but it was hard.  Also, bordered on the very creepy.

We prepared for cold, dreary seaside weather.  It wasn't.

And the sea was warm.  We all went in, even rode some waves.  Dutch style.

Le marché de Place du Châtelain, Bruxelles

Every Wednesday afternoon, rain or shine, from 1 to 7:30pm, there's an outdoor market where you will find everything from flowers, olives, dried meats from cypress, quiche, pastry, loads of wine, and a amazing variety of homemade ethnic food (Thai, Moroccan, Vietnamese, etc.) all in a gorgeous setting.  Just outside of Brussels (like a kilometer) Rue du Châtelain is a small, little road lined with awesome little bistros, homes, and outdoor cafes.

This weekly market is one of the reasons I love Brussels.

Everything, from the artichokes that are the size of my daughter's skull to the small, juicy strawberries to the people to the animated conversations to the outdoor sophistication.  No fried dough here.  No.  Just a bunch of Bruxellois and me, in my glory.

When we arrived, I finally embraced the good fortune we have of being here as a family.  I could go all nonchalant, like none of it's a big deal, been here before or ho-hum or even cynical but the fact is, I'm elated.  I'm over-the-moon with joy that my family and I are getting another piece of European action.

And more importantly, that I get another chance to take a bunch of stealth photos of what I find beautiful here.