THIS WEEK AT THE KITCHN, RE-NEST, APARTMENT THERAPY & UNPLUGGED

This week was a big kahuna!  Not only did Nick and Ms. Kelly tie the knot, but I launched my first Basics Photo Course and had a few favorite tours go up all over the Apartment Therapy Network.  It was busy . . . This summer is going to be slammed, I can just feel it coming.

Anyway - If you want to catch a glimpse into my photo/writing world this week, check me out over here:

Re-Nest, a favorite tour of my fairy godmother's home (where D and I got married several years ago!) . . .

Unplugged, Juliet Zulu are the coolest Production Company in Portland

Apartment Therapy, a fresh loft in downtown Portland, with a very sweet, creative couple dwelling there with a kitty called "Gypsy"

The Kitchn, my favorite Vegan cookies - simple, easy and very tasty!

Have a relaxed weekend friends!

THIS WEEK AT THE KITCHN & RE-NEST

The fun of the week was in shooting lots of interesting spaces and foods -- but also, I got the best hair cut and color of my life, from this dear lady.  Robin, you are truly an artist with hair and never have I felt so glamorous!  And, getting my hair done in a powder pink 60s trailer was unheard of amounts of awesome.

I'm shooting and writing so much for Apartment Therapy these days, instead of breaking out the links individually, I'm just going to show you my feed for each site.

The Kitchn

Re-Nest

and, coming soon, home tours for Apartment Therapy!

THIS WEEK AT THE KITCHN & RE-NEST

This week was so productive!  After a big weekend project that wrapped on Monday, I decided to read my book (CLEOPATRA, a Life -- have you read this? It's amazing) at about 7:30 on the couch.  After 2 minutes, I was out like a light, happy to get some rest after a big push.  Sometimes the body just knows that 11 hours of sleep is what a girl needs! Yes.

I've been plugging away meeting some very inspiring folks for Re-Nest and styling some great food shoots with a big haul from a neighborhood Estate Sale.  We are enjoying the fluffyness of the trees and all the blooming flowers.  I love the Spring time view from our perch in NE.

For The Kitchn, I got to feature a celebrated food writer from Turkey, Cenk, talking about his favorite eggy breakfast, menemen.  Have you heard of it?

And a recipe for Raw Vegan Chocolate Cacao Mousse.  This stuff is so freakin' amazing and wild.  You'll never guess the main ingredient.

A Kitchen Tour of my pal, Katy, at a Coop House in Isla Vista.  This kitchen and cook work to get meals out for 18 people every day!  It's totally unconventional and absolutely wonderful.  One of the best tours I've done.

On Re-Nest, I'm covering Filly Designs, an eco-friendly fashion design house & a sustainable dream pad with a spectacular chef in the kitchen.  I love this house.  It's got great light and makes use of reclaimed and FSC wood. 

ps - photos above were shot by my friend, Shelby, who kindly invited me over to hang with her baby boy Sawyer (my little buddy) and cook up some food, then photograph it - what a lovely morning!

THIS WEEK AT THE KITCHN & RE-NEST

I had the opportunity to write about my favorite way to eat spaghetti.

Rave about a sweet, colorful blog and what the creator eats for breakfast.

How I think about Hosting Dinner Parties -- My Tips will surely help a newcomer to the field of swishy swarays, a la Holly Golightly.

And an amazing, solar-heated Green Home that is right down the street -- I love NE Portland!

Enjoy every moment of this weekend, y'all.  I'm planning on a little work and a little fun.

THIS WEEK AT THE KITCHN & RE-NEST

I had two fabulous recipes up on The Kitchn this week.  Both cakes.  Both sumptuous.  I have a serious weakness for cake, chocolate being my favorite, but my passion for all other flavors, a close second.  

In my Breakfast with a Blogger Column, I had the pleasure of sharing a stellar breakfast cake, from Big Girls Small Kitchen, infused with layers of marmalade, cardamom and pistachios -- it's equally nice for afternoon tea -- actually, it's perfect any time of the day (it's pictured above).  Phoebe and Cara pen a sweet and sassy cooking blog and have their first cookbook coming out in only two weeks.  These girls are my NYC friends to-be, I can feel it.  I hardly know them, but adore their work and vibe all the same. 

My other culinary endeavor yielded a strange and delicious dessert -- Chocolate Chip Cookie-Stuffed Yellow Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing.  I clearly have issues.  Read all about this cakeball/cookie/cupcake progeny over on the post.

Have a beautiful weekend!

THIS WEEK AT THE KITCHN & RE-NEST

There's not one cloud in the sky.  The coffee cup is full of rich, aromatic, Portland brew.  I'm typing this post across the way from my fav vintage fashion double decker bus, Lodekka.  Things are looking up!

On Re-Nest, I had the opportunity to visit Pigeon Toe Ceramics, one of the most beautiful collections of simple, elegant pottery.  Lisa, the owner had great, creative energy and it was rad to visit her studio, watch her do her thing.

And, on The Kitchn, I had a really fun week of work! 

Scrambled Egg Toasts from Deb of Smitten Kitchen -- so cool to connect with one of the most successful food bloggers out there.  She taught me how to do eggs proper style!

Daria and Greg's Kitchen Tour is straight fabulous, chicness.  Get ready to be jealous of this stunner of a kitchen (and pad!).

Restaurant Recipe: Wild Ramp and Lemon Risotto from the DOC.  This recipe sparked a little debate in the comments section, pretty interesting . . . The risotto is a stunning, Spring time meal. 

Weekend Snack: DIY Power Bars - (ingredients featured in above photo) need a tasty, homemade snack?  These are perfect for a gal on the go and totally hit the spot with sweet and saltiness.  I can't make it through meals without nibbles and teas, these bars are a go-to for me when working. 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!  Full of good food, design and strolls around town or better yet, in the woods!

THIS WEEK AT THE KITCHN & RE-NEST

I have to admit, I'm feeling a little burnt out and ready to move on from my Portland blues . . . The rain has brought beautiful blossoms, but also many big sighs from my furrowed brow.  When will you come back, big sunshine?

On Re-Nest, I photographed a stunner of a green home, right around the corner from D and I (pictured above).  The home had that wonderful mix of lived-in relaxed vibes with creative, hi end flourishes.  It is up there with favorite Portland spaces!  Check it out.

And on The Kitchn, I'm making a totally traif Matzoh Brei, a delicious Passover concoction my Grandmother would have loved to poke around on her plate.  Have you had matzoh brei yet?  It's the ultimate comfort food.

Lastly, I'm talking about those divine homemade pop tarts again, with Kasey of Turntable Kitchen.  This recipe is a MUST!

THIS WEEK AT THE KITCHN & RE-NEST

I had another glorious week over on The Kitchn and Re-Nest.  In fact, I had the great pleasure to feature my parents' loca house on a green tour, complete with images of the dog maxin out in the sunshine.  It is occasions like these, and opportunities to test recipes for delish morsels that make this work so rewarding, and so much fun.  I'm reminded to stop and enjoy the creativity and stories I get to share with a greater audience -- instead of searching for the next thing!  Relax.  I recommend it.

On The Kitchn, I'm talking about:

Eggs in a Basket from Joy of Oh Joy - we all know how many names this adorable breakfast has, anything you call it, it's freakin delicious.

Recipe: Shirred Eggs with Soldier Toasts - pictured above - you'll never fry an egg again.

Craving Summer Recipe: Gluten-Free Peach Crisps - This is why God invented the freezer section, as my friend Emma said.

Weekend Snack: Radish Toasts - This is a first for me, I did a water color illustration to describe this simple recipe.  The painting portion of my brain wanted to come out and play!

And for Re-Nest:

Beret, Program Director at the Master Gardening Program here in Portland for my Creative People, Living Green column.  She's an amazing person with an incredible knack for ecological education.  

Last, but certainly most wonderful, a green tour of Richard and Cissy's Daring House by the Sea -- the home I'm lucky enough to return to every couple of months, and bask in all that is love and art and good food and great dinner conversation. 

Enjoy!

Any weekend plans for y'all?

We are playing Smash Putt, a performance art piece meets mini golf for N's bday, and I'm planning on making a strawberry icebox cake...

STRAWBERRY MILK OVER ON THE KITCHN

It is rare that I cross post a recipe or idea here on this blog, that I have simultaneously going on over on The Kitchn . . . But desperately silly times call for some attention.  This DIY strawberry milk is so 50s, yummy and insanely happy, I implore you to take a visit over there.

Just had to let y'all know.

Feel the strawberry milk love!

LISTEN UP: GOOD NEWS

Hi Doll Faces,

I don't even know where to start with this one -- There's lots lots lots going on in our little tree house in NE Portland.  With the advent of the Spring season, I just feel like jumping for joy and possibility of reinvention.  The snowy streets (that's me jumping in the middle of our road, Dave on the Diana camera), have given way to daffodils, camellias and hyacinth all around.  The cherry blossoms have pink nubby buds, just waiting a few more days to burst forth, into one of my favorite times on Earth.  The clouds parted, in my mind and in my sky . . . 

Along with blogging for The Kitchn, I have joined the team over on Re-Nest, Apartment Therapy's Green Design website.  I'll be photographing beautiful, eco-chic Portland homes and doing Interview pieces with the latest local green talents.  I'm thrilled at this opportunity.  And, I was interviewed by Kimberly, of Hip Tranquil Chick, on all things food, blogs and photo related -- I'm humbled at the very notion that she titled our podcast together, "Dreams Into Reality."  How bout that!?

As I sort my schedule out with new writing/photo routines, I'll be getting back into the groove of regular, food-musings over here.  

- For now, here are a few links of all this great stuff -

• my interview with Kimberly Wilson (click on the pink chandelier image with cursive font reading, "tranquility du jour" -- the interview is 35 minutes long) : Hip Tranquil Chick podcast

• check out Re-Nest (my first profile runs tomorrow)

A GIRL IN ASIA INTERVIEW

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Liz, of A Girl in Asia, in her new series -- Behind the Blog. I met up with Liz when we were in Ho Chi Minh City, her current stomping grounds (she's lived all over the world for the past few years -- even had her baby girl in Bangkok!) and she was a delight. Liz is as worldly as she is friendly . . . We had a great brunch and she introduced me to the cutest little cafe in Saigon.

Click here to read full interview.

FEASTING ON ART RECIPE CONTEST

(the strawberry-lemon trifle shines in the sunlight)


(ingredients rest on Vietnamese plaid silk)

Pierre Auguste Renoir, Strawberries, 1905
oil on canvas, 46 x 28 cm, Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris, France

One of my favorite blogs, Feasting on Art, is holding a contest to celebrate her first year of blogdom -- Written, cooked and photographed by Megan, the site is dedicated to the creator's love (and academic understanding) of fine art and food. She creates recipes inspired by art work, contemporary and traditional, then posts the results. Megan is an inspired individual, who's blog I really enjoy.

With all that said, I'm so excited to enter a contest again -- a few summers ago, I was a downright contest fool -- entering I think about 5 contests in a 2 month period. It was a lot of fun and I love finding new parameters I normally wouldn't impose on myself. I find barriers a means to transcend with new and innovative ideas! That's probably why I loved school so much -- assignments made me excited for the challenge (I'm 100% nerd, for sure.)

Anyway -- back to the task at hand -- The contest can be viewed here, but basically entails the participant to create an innovative recipe using the ingredients shown in the Renoir painting -- lemons and strawberries. While not two fruits I usually associate with pairing together, their bold tastes can stand so strong by themselves-- I was surprised and delighted with the marriage of flavors.

Being in Turkey at the moment, I knew I wanted to incorporate the richness of the luxurious strained yogurt into the dessert. And with the prominence of lemon juice in just about every dish here, sweet or savory, led me to thinking of a lemon reduction sauce. Lastly, the almond cookies so popular in all the pastry shops would have to make an appearance, especially since I don't have an oven at the moment -- What would bind it all together? Strawberries within a trifle! Thus, I give you STRAWBERRY & LEMON TRIFLE, TURKISH STYLE.

This is a simple recipe, more just an assembly of perfectly ripe and flavorful elements. It would be perfect after a pizza dinner or baked potato -- it's very light and refreshing, a great palate cleanser. The trifle also makes a delicious mid-afternoon snack.

Strawberry & Lemon Trifle, Turkish Style
juice from 2 lemons
2 or 3 hazelnut cookies, broken into smallish pieces (you could substitute shortbread or digestive biscuit, if you don't have hazelnut cookies on hand)
3 tbsp sugar
2 c chopped strawberries
1 handful chopped almonds
1 c strained plain yogurt ("Greek" as called in the US)

Method:
Juice the lemons, pouring the juice and 1 tbsp sugar into small sauce pan on medium heat. Reduce into a lemon syrup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Chop strawberries and stir in 1 tbsp of sugar, let marinate on counter about 20 minutes. Stir in last tbsp of sugar into the plain yogurt. Chop almond and crumble cookies slightly.

Now get all your ingredients out and ready, layering about 1 heaping tbsp of each ingredient, pouring a little lemon syrup onto each layer as well. It doesn't matter what order of ingredients you choose, just try to stick with the order you decide, for a nice presentation. Finish with a little extra lemon syrup on top of the individual trifle, to really unify all the flavors.

You could make one large bowl, traditional trifle style, or serve individually, as I've done here.

GUEST POST ON MOCHATINI

I had the opportunity to write a piece and create images of the textures of Vietnam at a wonderful style blog, Mochatini.org, authored by the lovely Manvi. Want to see and know what Vietnam feels like?

Click here.

GUEST POST AT EVER THE NOMAD

An article I wrote about our city in Goa, Panjim, is featured on the travel blog Ever the Nomad today. I'm excited about this piece and the connection made with Anja, the writer/host of the site, a very intrepid traveler herself!

Click the above link to read the article.

LEELA & DAVE'S GREAT ADVENTURES: INDIA

This is fun -- One of my blog posts was published in the Fullerton Observer, as well as one of Dave's new ink paintings. Here's a snippet of the article.

BOOK A DIRECT FLIGHT TO PRET A VOYAGER

(screen shot from Pretavoyager -- I love the Boarding Pass graphic.)


I have had the pleasure and honor to be interviewed for Pretavovager.blogspot.com. This is an inspiring blog, written by Anne-- a graphic designer, writer for DesignSpongeOnline, global communication student, travel maven and new pal based in Paris. The questions she asks of her Boarding Pass features are very insightful and illicit serious travel musing. It was an awesome experience to reflect on all the fortunate adventures I've had, not to mention the current journey with D. Check it out!

A Walk down Memory Lane

The Leela Cyd Project my Dad and I collaborated on during high school and early college is featured today in Colors Magazine Online . . .

Leela Cyd + The Kitchn

I am so excited to mention that my recipe and blah blah about pizza blanco was a featured on

the Kitchn -- an amazing food site.  

Very very happy Lee.

The Oregonian

Hooray!

An excerpt of my itinerary idea was selected and published as a finalist for a "weekend getaway" piece in the travel section of the Oregonian.  It was a contest of budget travel, 500$ or less in 3 days.  Although I did not win the big prize, I will receive a cookbook and an apron.  I cannot wait!