i really do. but, i'm not really one of those girls who have dreamed of their wedding for years and years (honestly the only thing i really need at my wedding in the far and distant future is a photobooth). i just love all of the little projects and quirky decorations (not to mention the cakes)! i always look at wedding decorations, menus, cakes, etc...as inspiration for parties, apartment decor, and whathaveyou. for example, maybe i should keep a 5" cross section of a tree around the apartment to use as a cake stand.

woodgrain wedding cake and mossy tablecloth (via housemartin)

diy string chandeliers (via ruffled)

meringue mushrooms with cocoa powder dusted "dirt" (via marthastewartweddings, weblogs)

(via ruffled)

(via ruffled)

(via ruffled)

vegan pot pie

as i noticed that i had a number of different vegetables piling up in the fridge it seemed like a good idea to make something for dinner involving everything-but-the-kitchen sink. and since i got a new set of ramekins for xmas, i wanted to try making personal pot pies!

i am first and foremost going to be honest that i think the crust could have been better. i think that making a crust more like a puff pastry would have been better than the doughy, bready crust i made. not that it was bad, it was pretty good. just not astounding. until i improve on it, i'd suggest using a sheet of puff pastry. but the filling was pretty awesome.

1 block of firm or extra firm tofu
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced potato
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. chopped sage
1 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper

first, cut the block of tofu into small cubes and press between clean kitchen towels to drain the extra water.

preheat the oven to 375° F.

saute the tofu with a few tbsp. of olive oil until the sides are slightly browned, then set aside. in the same pan, add the vegetables and cook until the veggies are just barely tender.

add the flour, soy sauce, and stock to the pan and stir. add in the sage, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste and remove from heat. mix the veggies and the tofu together.

roll out your crust and cut into square, leaving enough to just hang over the ends of the ramekins. spoon the veggie/tofu mixture into the ramekins and drape the dough on top.

place the ramekins on a pan (it's easier than putting them in and taking them out one by one) and into the oven. cook for 25-35 minutes.

cookbooks as art collections

today i stopped into barnes and noble to return a book that i had gotten for christmas. the book was nice, but after last summer when i had whittled away my possessions and sold about 2/3 of the books i owned, i've been thinking more and more about what the difference between a regular old book and the sort of book that you keep forever. substance and topic, is, of course, probably the most important reason, but on the subject of photo books and cookbooks, you need a little something more.

when i was younger i had one of the photo books that had one page for every famous photographer and photographer for the past 200 years. it sounds pretty impressive, but the book was tiny, the pages were small. what was the point? i could search on my computer to find a larger image if i wanted to look at photographs. but there is something about holding an image in your hands and being able to admire for a while. i've been looking at more and more cookbooks and found that, although most have similar food photography, there are plenty that have beautiful cover designs and/or astounding images hiding inside.

look at these two cookbooks. these are beautiful. they're beautiful. i want them in my kitchen, just because they would look so lovely stacked up next to the cutting boards. i want them.



and then i saw this book, and i knew the other two would have to wait. NOMA, time and place in nordic cuisine. it's a phaidon book, so obviously the cover is well designed. but when i opened it up, i began to wonder if it had been misplaced. the images inside were far too beautiful to be for a cookbook, i thought. i mean, look at those diptychs.

but the recipes are there, along with a hand-designed fold-out map of the nordic region, diary entries from rené redzepi, the head chef and owner of NOMA restaurant in copenhagen.

(images via ditte isager)

bloodmilk by jl schnabel

speaking of jewelry i love, i realized i haven't yet posted any of my dear friend jess's work. bloodmilk is some of the most beautiful jewelry i've ever seen. in fact, up until i met jess, i didn't think that there was such a thing as jewelry so dark and haunting. i even had the honor of photographing a line of her work before i moved. getting to handle and try on all of her pieces while shooting was the most fun i've had in a looooong time...but by the end of the day i wished i was taking everything with me! i can't wait to move back to philly and see if i can get her to make another pair of lovely shoulder-grazing tooth earrings like the ones below! see more of her work at bloodmilk at etsy.

blood and thistle sterling silver ring.

bear tooth engagement ring.

the prophet. sterling owl claw.

sterling sparrow claw and chain earrings.

the underworld. 2 finger owl skull ring.

sparrow claw conjoined ring.

bear tooth earrings.

sparrow claw ritual.

 (jewelry via bloodmilkbyjlschnabel, images via christinabrown)

i'd like to thank whoever bought and returned this originally $60 body chain necklace to my store

(via urbanoutfitters.co.uk)

because when i found it, it was on sale during employee appreciation and i got it for $6. xmas yes.

fresh fruit and ricotta tart

after making a few cups of homemade ricotta i needed something to use it in (although i honestly wouldn't have minded eating it by the spoonful!) and decided on making something sweet instead of using it in a pasta dish like i normally would. this recipe is great because it only takes about 45 minutes including baking time.

for the crust:
2 cups flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cold water

for the filling:
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs

mix together the flour, sugar, oil, and water and press into a pie tin or tart pan. let chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and preheat the oven to 400° F. after the crust has chilled, set the crust into the oven for 10 minutes.

while the crust is baking whisk the ricotta, sugar, and eggs together and then fill the crust with the mixture. partially press some fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc...) into the filling and bake at 400° F for 20 minutes. top with remaining fresh fruit.

how to make ricotta cheese in 10 minutes

when i was in bordeaux i spent one day walking from bookshop and bookshop and simply perusing. there was one book that i wish i would have bought that i read from cover to cover while window shopping. it was a book on how to make chevre (goat milk cheese). it looked like it would be fairly simple, requiring only goat's milk, vinegar, molds, and a little patience. later, while searching the internet to try and find a similar set of instructions i found that ricotta seemed to be the entry level into cheesemaking and figured that i would give it a try before devoting a few days to making mozzarella or chevre. but i didn't think it would be so easy! it only takes like 15 minutes tops! it's pretty safe to say that i'm never buying ricotta at the store ever again.

this is everything you need to make ricotta cheese.

2 cups pasteurized (not UHT or ultra-pasteurized) whole milk
2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt

this makes about 3/4 cup ricotta, so double, triple, etc...the amounts as needed.





it's important to use regular pasteurized milk as opposed to UHT or ultra-pasteurized (which is usually used for organic milk) because Ultra High Temperature milk has been briefly heated to 275° F and doesn't work well for making cheese (via thefoodlab). you can also use buttermilk or lemon juice in place of vinegar, and thefoodlab made a few different batches to compare.

add the milk and salt into a saucepan and heat on medium/high. stir continuously to prevent the milk from sticking to the pan and/or forming a skin.

right before the milk begins to boil, remove the pot from the burner and add the vinegar, then slowly stir for one minute. when stirring, do not separate the curds, which will almost immediately begin to form.

after the minute is up, place a towel over the saucepan for a few minutes to allow it to rest. pour the curds and whey into a colander lined with a few layers of cheesecloth, a thin dish towel, or damp (not sopping) paper towels to drain.

the amount of time you let the cheese drain is up to you thefoodlab suggests about 5 minutes for creamy curds, 15-20 for a spreadable, but not runny consistency, and and 2+ hours to overnight for dry, crumbly curds.

i let mine drain for about 5 minutes before i couldn't help myself and had to try a spoonful with a drizzle of honey. it was AMAZING.

urbn terrain

although i've known about its existence for a while now, i only looked at the terrain website for the first time the other day (when patrick told me about a grow-your-own mushroom log) and i'm in love. they even have their own version of the cross section cutting boards that i love! and the best part is that all of these items are either just above or under $30 (via terrain).

dried morel mushroom wreath and acacia salt & pepper logs

flour sack mushroom dishtowel and 12" ash cross section cutting board/serving platter

hickory cross section coasters and porcelain nesting measuring cups

grow-your-own shiitake mushroom log and 8" ash cross section cutting board/serving platter

cinnamon sticky buns

my family isn't big on holiday traditions, but ever since i can remember we've made sticky buns every christmas morning. this recipe takes a bit of foresight - you can either make it the night before and pop it in the oven the next day or wake up a little early and give yourself at least three hours if making them the day of - but they're worth it!

for the dough:
1/4 cup warm water
1 package of dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups flour (+ extra for kneading)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 stick of butter
3 large egg yolks
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. orange zest

first add 1 package dry yeast, a pinch of sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water into a large mixing bowl. allow the yeast to proof for five minutes and let it sit until it's foamy.

mix in the flour, sugar, milk, butter, egg yolks, salt, and orange zest until it reaches a doughy consistency. pour onto a floured surface and knead for about five minutes. set into an oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for an hour.


while the dough is rising, you can start making the filling and topping.

for the filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 stick melted butter, separate

for the topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
3 tbsp. honey
1 tsbp. corn syrup
2 cups of walnuts (set aside)


take the dough out of the bowl and punch down. allow it to rest for about twenty minutes, then roll out into a large rectangle (approx. 10"x14") and brush with the melted butter. sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top and roll the dough up longways. set seam down and cut into slices

to make the topping, mix the brown sugar, butter, honey, and syrup in a saucepan and heat on low until melted. pour the mixture into a greased glass pan (approx. 9"x13") and then pour the walnuts in an even layer on top of the mixture.

place the buns in the pan on top of the walnuts. if you have the room, try to space them for them to rise. cover with plastic wrap and set into the refrigerator. you can either let them rise for a minimum of one hour to overnight.

regardless of the amount of time you let the buns rise, give them 5-10 minutes to get back up to room temperature once you take them out of the fridge while you preheat the oven to 375° F.

bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown. after removing the pan from the oven, carefully invert the pan onto a tray or serving platter.