Be Kind To Your Feet

A few years ago I was browsing in Global Table and ran into one of those extraordinarily, effortlessly stylish women.  She was tall, tan, bohemian...everything I'm looking to be during the summer but never quite seem to achieve.  But what I recall about her most was her sandals.  They were unusual, a little edgy and struck me as quite innovative.  When I inquired as to where she found them, she told me they were made by Matt Bernson.  And because I have occasional stalker tendencies, I went home and tracked the shoes down online, and for your viewing pleasure have posted them here:

I never ended up buying them, mostly because at the time Mr. Bernson wasn't selling them on his website.  They were only available through various boutiques, the names of which I could never remember when I was out shopping, so I remained Bernson-less.

So imagine my joy when I was browsing on Piperlime the other day and discovered that the site carries virtually his entire line now!  AND he is also finally selling them on his own site, for a couple of bucks cheaper.

Love this one for a little color:

If I'm pretending to be a starlet a la Gwyneth I think these gladiators would do nicely:

But even so, I think these Barracudas are my current favorite...or obsession really.  I have them bookmarked.

So once it stops raining and I drag myself out to get a pedicure, perhaps I'll be in the mood to buy them.  And I'll be a mini-step closer to being that effortlessly stylish, bohemian woman that someone else admires in Global Table.  I think the tan and tall part is sort of a lost cause though.  

How Lovely

My sister and I share a love of nice stationery. So when her birthday rolled around this year, I thought that some special note cards would be an appropriate gift. But it can be a bit difficult to find a compelling design. Obviously companies like Mrs. John L. Strong makes a fabulous product, but good lord, have you seen those prices?!! And a lot of the other options with high quality paper (an absolute must in my book) are totally devoid of any whimsy.


So I decided to look into making a set myself. I had heard wonderful things about a website called PaperSource, and my sources did not let me down. PaperSource not only sells their own stationery designs, but also sells notecards, folding cards and envelopes in every size and color under the sun. They sell decorative paper, gift wrap, crafting supplies and, my current obsession, embossers! Is it overly lame to emboss my initials on note cards by the way?


In the end, I purchased a cute little ladybug stamp, a red stamp pad, parchment colored note cards and envelopes, envelope liner templates and decorative paper with which to line said envelopes.


And I got to work stamping away:






And lining away:



Lining envelopes is stunningly easy, in addition to being immensely satisfying. All it requires is this template kit, some decorative paper that you find pleasing, scissors, a couple of paperclips and a glue stick, et voila!


A cute little stationery set.

Soap Me Up Soap Me Down

My morning shower is the most luxurious period of my day. At least, in the normal course of events. Therefore, I take my choice of soap very seriously. And, after a trip to my favorite Bay Area store during my last visit, I have finally found one worthy of the lofty position that soap holds in my life.


First of all, my favorite store? The Gardener. My mother claims that when this store first opened they did actually sell gardening supplies, but now it mostly sells various objets...the type of sleek, perfectly balanced, very tasteful household and outdoor accessories that affluent Berkleyites tend to favor. And that the odd Bay Area native now living in New York who is decidedly not affluent also loves.


Things like these Japanese flower shears, for instance:

Hinoki bathmats (and way cheaper than the ones from Viva Terra!).





And organic style tableware.





Sadly for all those non-Bay Area residents, the website does not represent the full breadth of the inventory in the stores, but if you do live out there in god's country and can visit the bricks and mortar store, you are among the lucky ones!


Anyway, back to my soap. As I was walking through the Ferry Building and was drawn into The Gardener store, I detected the fresh, invigorating scent of lemongrass. Where on earth is this coming from, I mused. From a basket of La Lavande soap, apparently. I couldn't resist picking up a few bars ($3.50 each) to take back to New York with me.


As it turns out, they not only smell phenomenal, but also create a silky, lush lather. It is all a very welcome experience first thing in the morning, from when I pull back the shower curtain and get a hint of the olfactory experience to come, to when the hot water hits the bar and I am swept away by the citrusy, astringent lather.

Even Paul, who is, despite being otherwise unconcerned with grooming products, quite picky about his soap, commented on the loveliness of the scent and lather. And let me tell you, there is no higher recommendation than the thumbs up of a big burly Englishman when it comes to genteel soaps.

The Great Ramp

I broke down this weekend and bought a bunch of ramps.  I know that I've lambasted this diminutive cousin of the onion previously, implying, I suppose, that the emperor has no clothes.  But the balmy weather this past Saturday was so intoxicating that my cynicism was momentarily suspended when I saw these plucky little green shoots, and I felt compelled to shell out the $2.50 for a small bunch.

I was inspired by the Amateur Gourmet's post about Franny's spaghetti with ramps to try them in pasta, and was quite enamored with Franny's idea of cutting them lengthwise to mimic the shape of the pasta.  

However simply sauteing them in butter and oil seemed a bit boring, so I added some fresh mint, which brightened the taste up considerably, and a poached egg, which added a silky, luxurious element (and served as a healthy, cheap protein component if the nutritional aspects are at all important to you).

I can think of few indulgences more satisfying than preparing this dish for yourself (along with any friends/loved ones) for a weekend lunch.

Spring Pasta With Ramps

Yields 1 serving

3 ounces linguine, bucatini or spaghetti 

12 ramps, cleaned, trimmed of roots and cut lengthwise into several strips

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt

1 egg, poached

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, and salt liberally.  Drop pasta in to cook.

Set water (there should be about an inch in the pan) on to boil in an egg poacher, or if not using an egg poacher, set a quart of water to simmer in a medium sized pot. 

Heat butter and oil over medium heat.  Once butter has melted, add ramps, salt to taste, and saute until tender, adding mint approximately halfway through the cooking period.  

About two minutes before pasta is cooked, set egg into your preferred vessel to poach.  About one minute before pasta is cooked, drain (reserve a cup or so of the cooking water) and add to pan with ramps and mint.  Toss to coat with butter and oil, and let cook for a minute, adding pasta water if the pasta is not sufficiently loose.  Turn out onto plate and top with the poached egg.  Sprinkle Maldon salt over egg to taste and serve.

Worth Adding To Your DVR

Just watched the first two episodes of Southland today and am LOVING it.  So gritty.  Little Ryan Atwood is all grown up!

Weekly Bouquet

Oh what a glorious Saturday!  I not only shunned a coat this morning but also wore a summer skirt and was not a bit sorry.  The weather cooperated quite nicely and I was able to drink up the loads of sunlight as I wandered around Union Square.  A few more bits of green have shown up, so now in addition to ramps we've got spinach, watercress and dandelion greens.  And, joy of joys, my favorite purveyor of potted herbs, Binder Farms, has returned after their winter hiatus.  Hooray!

Although the potted flowers at the market have hit their stride with crocuses, orchids, flowering tree boughs, daffodils and hydrangeas, the cut flowers are still a bit one note with tulips dominating the scene.  So, as I've had my fill of tulips for the time being, I had to resort to Trader Joe's for my bouquet this week.

I picked up a bouquet of red and orange ranunculas ($5.99) and two bunches of daffodils ($1.29 each!) and combined them:

And now they sit happily on my bathroom counter, ready for the week ahead!

Soba Soba Everywhere

I am counting down the days until my CSA delivery begins (sadly, it is still two months away) and have been scouring the farmers markets for any glimpse of green.  Miniscule bunches of ramps seem to be the only thing going at the moment, and as much as the professional food community seems to rhapsodize over them, I really don't see what all the fuss is about.  Perhaps they are yearning for green even more than I?

So to quench my yearning for food reminiscent of warmth and sunshine, I turned to my loot from my trip to the fabulous Katagiri and was drawn instantly to my stash of soba noodles.  They struck me as clean and healthy, exactly what I am searching for this time of year.  And since it was marginally warm today I opted for cold noodles.  I even was able to scrounge up some green by cracking open my package of wakame seaweed.

And to offset the austerity of the noodles themselves I dressed them quite liberally with a soy and vinegar dressing.  If you are feeling fancy some sesame seeds strewn over the top would be lovely.

Cold Soba Noodles With Wakame

Serves 1

3 ounces soba noodles

1 tablespoon dried wakame seaweed

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon mirin

1/4 teaspoon wasabi powder (optional)

1 teaspoon black vinegar (optional) 

Bring pot of water to boil.  Add soba noodles, cook until al dente, approximately 4-5 minutes.  A minute before noodles are cooked, add wakame seaweed to the pot to soften.  When noodles and seaweed are ready, drain and run cold water over noodles to stop cooking.

In the meantime, mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.  Toss with cold noodles and seaweed and commence eating.