Single Serving

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Worth Repeating: HEY by The Pixies

Yeah I think I listened to this for an hour straight cruising the spot... I can't get enough of it!

Field Trippin': Starstruckartf*ck

I have a friend that's an industrial designer & he asked me to check out his show, I was swamped all week so I planned to go on the last day of the showing. The invite said open til 6 I go at around 3 of course the exhibition had been taken down & he picked up his pieces that morning... FAIL only me!

BUT one piece was left behind, this really cool lamp the Gallery Director fell in love with. I love how as human beings we have the ability to make the most beautiful things.

I stared at the lamp for a while & felt super proud of my friend for creating something so whimsical yet modern♥, I had my ipod on... as usual & decided to cruise around the place more.

The exhibit was held at The Loft at Liz's this really cool spot above a restorative hardware store. I was amazed at all the beauty, when it comes to building homes we don't really give such attention to details anymore.

I grew up in a bodyshop that my father owned so the smell of the place alone was intoxicating... porcelain, copper, brass, metal, paint, epoxy, fiberglass... dust ahhhhhhh. I also loved watching my dad take something that was destroyed & making it new again, I'm fascinated by it really.

I cruised around for 2 hours it was beautiful. Unfortunately on my way out I noticed a beautiful Windsor Chateau styled apartment complex being destroyed, probably replaced by a crappy cookie cutter apartment with GASP carpet.... UGH! I am SO over unorginality.

Speaking of true originals check out my boy James' website & peep all of his stunning creations http://www.newcaliforniacraftsmen.com/

NCAC's lamp♥

I was so drawn to this

Voluptuous gals need love too

I hade NEVER seen these sconces before in my life...

apparently they were VERY popular at a time gone by *sigh*

This pretty much describes my mood... all the time

Let there be light

porcelain knobs♥

Sea of knobs

This makes me cry EVERY time!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Worth Repeating: The F-Word by Babybird

Today is Monday I hang once a week at Ange's house & catch up on FN shows & Oprah episodes I've missed since I'm living the cable/DVR free post Bush life... terrible!

What has now become my weekly obsession is my Gordon Ramsay's The F-Word Marathon... damn I want to mop every bit of that man up with a biscuit & lick the plate after♥.

The show is SO well produced, seriously one of the best produced shows I have ever seen... informative, honest, brutal, sexy, provocative, HYSTERICAL, dark, eye popping, salivating, fetching, thought provoking, vulgar & the food is just magnificent....

I end every marathon session with a cold shower after... FACT!

Who knew English food could be so damn posh? Bloody brilliant. The best part after I watch is that I can't get the theme song out of my head ALL week... so here's a shout out to my main man Gordon ♥ & the infectiously catchy The F-Word by Babybird now on repeat on my ipod.

Ab Work/Brain Food: Eff Bush!

This guy is really talented & makes Obama funny!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Cooked: MIA2LAX

So my friend Danny... whom I see EVERY Blue moon, & I go back almost 16 years. He moved out to LA a year after I did & we recently reconnected on Facebook. I always post what I've had for dinner on there & we got to chit chatting & he's like make me dinner next Thursday I miss home cooking I was like HELL YEAH!

Oh did I mention he's a Producer & has a gaggle of shows on MTV. That's it, I had to get to cracking. After my fun field trip to the Argentinian market I couldn't decide what to make as an appetizer.

It was between Lamb & Drunken Cranberry Empanadas, Salt Cod Fish Balls or Lobster, Shrimp, Pineapple & Avocado Salad with a lime vinaigrette & Shredded Fried Yucca.. couldn't pick one & hell... I don't do small so I made all three!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Star Studded Cast: Lamb & Drunken Cranberry Empanadas

Getting the cranberries drunk in Haiti's finest!

Browning with the real "mojito"

the rest of the cast get to join

mashing the garlic, salt & peppercorns (Pink & Black)

The #1 selling empanada dough in Argentina in LA, so cool!

One of the best things I have ever purchased at The 99 Cent Only Store

So light & flaky & Frankie did such a good job on his first night... YAY!

Egg wash substitute... FAB!

Boiling the potato & salt cod

Mashed the cod & the potato, ready for seasoning

breading station, panko & flour

YUM! They were just dancing in my new Sammy Davis, Jr ... I ♥ my Rat Pack!!!

Lime Vinaigrette with Australian Paw Paw Olive Oil

Vinaigrette & salad basics

Grating the Yucca

Frying them

Drying them out

Lobster, Shrimp, lettuce, red onions, cilantro & avocado

The crispy Yucca & Flake Salt

Even though he was looking forward to classic Cuban faire I felt it was important to show my range & add a different take on each dish. I thought Lamb & Cranberries would be an exciting alternative to the common ground beef & raisin ones you find all over Miami, I also felt having something from Argentina would make him feel he was more at home in the streets of Miami than having just all Cuban food. Salt Cod Fish Balls aka Boulette Poisson or Bolinho de Bacalao are a very popular Haitian & Brazilian dish.

The salad was my take on Nuevo Latino cuisine which is all the rage on South Beach. I used my Stepmom's vinaigrette recipe, had some leftover shellfish in the freezer & thought I can kick up the texture a bit & honestly didn't think about it until I saw the frozen Yucca at the store. I've never had it or made it before & there are absolutely NO words to describe how sensational it was. Every bite had a different surprise, the red onions, pineapple, avocado, lettuce, lobster & crispy yucca I salted with Pink Australian Flake Salt was so refreshing & so satisfying, I can't WAIT to make it again! ♥

Appetizers... DONE!

He wanted Black Beans & rice so I decided to make it Haitian style & added bacon, dumplings & a habanero. The Palomilla steak I made, I originally wanted to use an Argentine cut they use to make Churrasco but they sold out so the butcher convinced me to use Flap Meat instead & so I had no choice but to settle for the flap... sounds so unsexy, right?

Yes it was much cheaper but honestly fattier than a skirt or flank steak but I still appreciated the texture & the cut of the meat. For dessert I made Coconut Black Rice Pudding.

I have to admit this is my very first time I have ever cooked with coconut milk, the consistency is very similar to condensed milk so to thin it out I added fat free evaporated milk. I did make this Caribbean style & not like the Thai Black sticky rice so I should have avoided adding a full cup of sugar to the party.

Hey, you live & you learn. I loved experimenting with this dish though. I added some Cardamom & almond essence I bought at an Indian market & pie spices, which I have never done before.

I must have gained 10 lbs from the smell alone in my apartment... heavenly. It tasted fantastic warm, but once I chilled it it just was way too sweet, it wasn't a complete bust... just needs a little tweaking.

Look, I have a sweet tooth but this was just headache inducing sweet like Paula Deen's Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding... shame on that woman trying to kill everyone!

Star Studded Cast: Palomilla Steak