Sunday, August 30, 2009

bainbridge

saturday morning we packed monster's day bag and popped on the ferry to bainbridge island to visit the beautiful home of shayn-di. It was an absolutely delightful little craftsman bungalow that felt like we were hours away from seattle and in the midst of the countryside.
















monster fell in love at first sight ... I think he's trying to defect and get adpoted ...





























































































awesome craigslist diy paint and upholster project by the lovely jendi
















monster was ZONKED on the ferry ride home ..
he's unamused and slightly embarressed of the ferry photo session .. can't you tell?
thank you shayn and jendi for a beautiful day!

sunday succculent project

some photos of my most recent succulent/brick project. my latest engineering bricks from earthwise + stolen succulents from boobie's house. thanks boob!


















interesting engineering bricks with 8 holes instead of 3. these were a bit tricky, but might be a good way to incorporate many plants in a small space


















the goodies. engineering bricks + 1/2 potting soil + 1/2 cactus soil + succulents. add water.


















thick hearty roots. I hope these will survive the winter!









































on the landing outside our front gate. I think the neighbors are impressed :)

Thursday, August 27, 2009

earthwise

I recently discovered the wonderful world of salvage. I thought I had a pulse on all things old, vintage, re-used, re-purposed and re-vitalized ... UNTIL I discovered this haven that is part ocd junkyard, part pack-rat and part fremont market underground treasure trove.

My purchases ...
.
old windows of all shapes and sizes
.
You have to love a store that has succulents strewn all over the place .. growing in random pots, nooks and crannies
.
How lucky! To buy a claw-foot tub that includes old rubber ducky decals.
.
Earthwise is pretty key to happy crafting in Seattle. There are a few other stores including Re-Store and Second Use that are worth checking out.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

RAMEN

my last meal would HANDS DOWN be a salty-savory bowl of ramen from menya kisu in koto-ku district of tokyo. D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. best food experience in my 24 years thus far ...

MENYA KISSOU. home of tasty. apparently hour long waits are the norm, and they often run out of noodles. surprise surprise. they only seat 10ish people at a time.
yummmmmmmmmmmm. I found a pretty decent recipe for ramen broth in a recent issue of food & wine. hoping to purchase noodles from one of An's friends parents who owns a ramen noodle factory and mastering my very own tonkontsu broth and delicious soy aged egg.
Until then .... Samurai will be my noodle haven.
.
SHOYU RAMEN RECIPE
BROTH
4 pounds chicken necks and backs
One 3-pound rack of pork baby back ribs, cut into 4 sections
1 large leek, halved lengthwise
2 ounces fresh ginger, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
4 garlic cloves
4 quarts water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shoyu or other soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
One 3 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder butt, trimmed and tied
Salt
One 12-by-2-inch piece of kombu (seaweed)

RAMEN
Shoyu or other soy sauce, for seasoning and brushing
24 ounces fresh or 16 ounces dried chuka soba (curly noodles), boiled until al dente
5 ounces baby spinach, steamed
4 large soft-boiled eggs, peeled and soaked for 1 hour in equal parts soy sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 thinly sliced scallions, 2 sheets of quartered nori (dried seaweed), rice vinegar and togarashi (Japanese chile powder), for garnishing and seasoning

Directions

Make the Broth: In a large stockpot, combine the chicken, ribs, leek, ginger, garlic, water and shoyu. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil. Season the pork butt with salt and brown it well on all sides over high heat, 12 minutes; transfer to the stockpot. Simmer the broth over moderately low heat for 2 hours, until the pork butt and ribs are just tender; skim any scum that rises to the surface.
Transfer the pork butt and ribs to a platter and refrigerate. Strain the broth and discard the remaining solids.

Return the broth to the pot. Add the kombu and simmer over moderately low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let cool, then chill and refrigerate the broth overnight.

The Next Day, Prepare the Ramen: Preheat the broiler. Skim the fat off of the broth and discard the kombu. Bring the broth to a simmer. Season with shoyu and keep hot.

Untie the pork butt and slice it across the grain 1/3 inch thick. Cut the ribs between the bones. Arrange the pork slices and ribs on a large baking sheet and brush with shoyu. Broil 8 inches from the heat for 3 minutes, turning once, until the meat is crisp; keep warm.

Divide the cooked noodles among 8 bowls and ladle 1 1/2 cups of broth into each one. Add the spinach in piles. Drain the eggs, cut each one in half lengthwise and set a half in each bowl.
Arrange 2 slices of pork butt and 1 rib in each bowl and garnish with the scallions and nori. Serve the ramen immediately, passing the rice vinegar and togarashi at the table.

Make Ahead
The broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months; discard the kombu after 1 day.

Monday, August 24, 2009

georgetown studios

For those of you who haven't seen it yet ... feast your eyes on the urban decay :) Frost yourselves ...





If the weather cooperates .... possible to transform this space into greenery urban-scape like marvimon house??




bbq ...



Actual photos of the blank canvas space are at ... georgetown studios ...

See you all for Taste of Georgetown!! Yip yip!

succulence succulents


sempervivum rosettes in mini pots salvaged from earthwise


sempervivum minis holed up in engineering bricks


They look like alien plants with their squiggly wiggly antenaes and thick watery-gel filled insides. I love them. Hoping to plant as many succulents as our lil home can hold. I WILL have a wall of succulents in bricks to get married in front of. So far ... they're living in pots and a few engineering bricks. If I can make my way back to Earthwise Salvage .. I will quicly multiply the amount of brick + succulent twosies that will cover every surface of our 5ftx5ft back porch and front entry ...