Archive   |   July, 2011

blogwatch: where we’ve been clicking this week

Posted by in surfing

concrete

Pictures hidden in concrete : like invisible ink for home design! Via Fresh Home Blog.

Haven’t the time to leisurely browse the 6th issue of Rue Magazine? Well CasaSugar did, and picked 5 ideas to steal.

Check out what this Etsy seller can make with ordinary household castoffs like mixer blades, at theinteriorRevolution.

Tour the home of a Richmond-area lighting designer with Young House Love. Inspiration is everywhere — lots of industrial salvage mixed with traditional antiques in a lovely way.

Beat the brutal summer heat by making this DIY waterfall spinkler at Curbly. It only takes 10 minutes…

DIYLife interviews landscape designer Margie Ruddick, who was recently in hot water with the city of Philadelphia for her wild, naturally grown yard.

Simple Coconut Ice Cream? Yes, please. At fleur du poirier via Tastespotting.

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kinda genius: michael ruhlman’s kitchen tools

Posted by in cooking, shopping

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Michael Ruhlman is awesome. He’s an amazingly talented food writer — his book Ratio is a must for anyone who wants to cook & bake sans recipes, and his blog is an endless source of hilarity and inspiration. So when he’s not busy writing, or hanging out with his buddy Tony Bourdain, he can also add inventor to his list of job titles. I’ve taken notice of his new bamboo scrubber (above), and it is firmly seated at the top of my “things I need” list. Other tested and true implements include the bad ass perforated spoon (yes, that is the real name), designed to assist in poaching the perfect egg; all strain kitchen cloths, reusable cotton strainers that are so much better than cheesecloth; and the spanker collection, acacia wood paddles that get to the corners of pans for even stirring and deglazing. These are artisan tools, indeed. Find the aforementioned items — plus a nice selection of Ruhlman’s favorite other kitchen gadgets and spices — at his Open Sky page. — Megan B.

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the dude’s abode

Posted by in surfing

dudesabode

If you’re familiar with the phrase “the Dude abides,” you’re familiar with this Venice, CA bungalow, available now for a cool $2.3 million. The house that Jeff Bridges made famous in The Big Lebowski is now on the market. It looks quite a bit nicer in photos than it did in the now-classic Coen Brothers film, but at that asking price, here’s hoping they throw in a rug that really ties the room together. Maybe you could attend a showing just to see what condition the house’s condition is in. (Feel free to add your own Lebowski-isms in comments!) — Mary T.

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help! busting that must

Posted by in cleaning, decorating

Musty blanket
Musty Blanket 2

While I was out and about a few weeks ago, I came across the prettiest vintage wool blanket in a secondhand shop. It was love at first sight – I grabbed it and wouldn’t let go until I was at the register. Sadly, while it’s lovely to look at, I failed to follow the cardinal rule of vintage shopping: always, always do a sniff test. Now, I’m stuck with a beautiful, but musty blanket – and I simply can’t cure it!

I’ve dramatically improved things by washing it in a wool shampoo (an excellent thing to have on hand – wash on warm, delicate cycle, and air dry). I’ve tried hanging it out to air dry for a couple of days. I’ve Febreezed and I’ve Lysol’ed and it’s all been to no avail. The biggest degree of improvement, oddly, seems to have come from accidentally leaving it in the trunk of my car for a week in hot summer weather. Something about baking in the heat for so long seems to have helped quite a bit.

I’d really love to banish the rest of this funk and enjoy this beautiful find…have any of you encountered this problem? I’d love any tips or tricks you have to share! –Becki S.

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real life test kitchen and my final bake-off entry: chocolate spice cake with vanilla buttercream

Posted by in cooking, dessert

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“This recipe is a can’t-miss!” my friend insisted. Well, Nordic Ware, spending a bit more than I’m used to for bake ware. When I made the cake, I used reduced-fat sour cream, and I’m wondering if that combined with my first foray into bundt pan baking was what made my cake just slightly dry. I didn’t have time to do a test run, or I would have taken it out of the oven sooner — I’ve learned that judges like moist. The cake’s flavor, however, was quite good — like a nice chocolately version of gingerbread.

So my cake didn’t stand a chance against some entries like a peanut butter/chocolate thing that was covered in Reese’s Cups and peanuts (bleah, personally), but I did hear from a lot of people that my frosting was the favorite! I usually just whip up my own with butter, milk, and powdered sugar, but this time I followed a recipe from my re-issue of imple vanilla buttercream frosting that was delicious and easy and held its shape amazingly well. Now that’s a can’t-miss. — Mary T.

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