Friday, June 14, 2013

what should a couple of santa barbarans do in nyc?

The Husband and I are heading to NYC in September to visit friends and explore. I've never been before, and it's been years since The Husband has. Any recommendations for things to do and (most importantly) eat? I basically plan on munching my way through the city. And buying some jewelry here.

PS. An eloper's guide to NYC. We may splurge on a dinner or two at places on this list. And another NYC guide from the contingent of evil hipster brides.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

a great recipe + poached egg tip

This past weekend, The Husband and I made this delicious chard and white bean stew. We followed the recipe to the T, minus using large lima beans we already had around, adding extra veggies, and using rainbow chard for extra color. We served it upon toasted french baguette rubbed with garlic and with a poached egg on top.


It was really, really hearty and soooo good. It's definitely been added to our recipe rotation. Poaching eggs is not easy, though! I am definitely going to purchase an egg poacher tray thing. If The Husband can't pull it off (he is beyond talented in the kitchen), there's no way I will be able to.

I was a little leery of eating a poached egg, since I contracted mild food poisoning a couple weeks ago for the first time. Not. Fun. A poached egg is not cooked thoroughly enough to eradicate any possible salmonella that may be present in the egg, which is of major concern to anyone who is in ill health, pregnant, etc. We turned to Harold McGee's On Food & Cooking book to see if he had any tips on cooking a safe poached egg, and he did!

McGee recommends that, after poaching the egg in a pan, transfer it to a pot of water heated to 150 degrees. While keeping the temperature steady, allow the egg to sit in the hot water for 15 minutes. This will safely eradicate any bacteria that may still be lurking in the runny yolk. We tried this, and it did not affect the integrity and tastiness of the poached egg at all. So, if you've been told by a doctor to avoid poached eggs because of food-borne illness concerns, fear no more!*


*not that I think I'm better than your doctor or anything, so don't be stupid about this.

Monday, June 10, 2013

artist: bruno catalano


Bruno Catalano is an artist from southern France whose sculptures are blowing my mind. This series of sculptures, called "Les Voyageurs," are all of people with their suitcases in hand and the middle of their bodies missing. Maybe that is what they are setting out to find in their journeys...


These sculptures are each one whole piece, delicately wrought and connected. You can currently check these out in person if you travel to eastern France.

Thanks to The Husband for sharing this with me!

Saturday, June 8, 2013

our anniversary trip!

The Husband and I celebrated one wonderful year of marriage with a day trip out to Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Santa Barbara. Santa Cruz Island has an amazing history. The Channel Islands have never been attached to the mainland, so there are many native species found nowhere else in the world. Santa Cruz had also been used for ranching, sheep raising, grape growing, and a ton of other functions in the 1800 - 1900s, before the island was purchased by the NPS. It is currently being restored to its original / native state.


Thursday, June 6, 2013

around here...

Oh hey! It's been a while. Things have been a little crazy around here lately. Stay tuned for a real post soon...we went to the Channel Islands for our wedding anniversary and we have lots of great photos and tips to share.

Until then, check out what a shower repair project looks like in our house:

(yes, it was exactly as annoying as it looks)