Saturday, December 12, 2009

Have a Blue(berry) Christmas.



Great recipe from this morning's Times, courtesy of Rose Shulman...

Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes:

These are denser than ordinary whole wheat buttermilk pancakes. Make up a batch, freeze them in packets of three, and thaw in the microwave for a quick, substantial breakfast.

You'll Need:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Process:

1. Combine the milk and rolled oats in a bowl, and set aside.
2. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the buttermilk and whisk together. Then whisk in the vanilla extract and the oil.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and quickly whisk together. Do not overbeat; a few lumps are okay. Fold in the oats and milk. Let sit for one hour, or refrigerate overnight.
5. If necessary, spray the hot griddle with pan spray. Drop by 3 to 4 tablespoons onto the hot griddle. Place six or seven blueberries on each pancake. Cook until bubbles begin to break through, two to three minutes. Turn and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute on the other side, or until nicely browned. Remove from the heat, and continue until all of the batter is used up.
6. Serve hot with a small amount of butter and maple syrup.

Yield: A dozen pancakes.

Advance preparation: You can keep these, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze for up to a few months.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Rudolph the Red Nosed ____________ .

The NYC Parks Department brought a couple of reindeer into Central park today for kids (and infantile adults like yours truly) to pet. Needless to say, I was inspired. Thus, some Etsy finds to celebrate Santa's transportation department...












Monday, December 7, 2009

Seedy.

I am very near completion of knitting a scarf I have been working on for about two weeks now, and am determined to finish at least one more prior to Christmas. However, I would very much like to learn and master the seed stitch for the next one; I just love the chunky, Early American look of it!






Christmas List

My mother asked me to hurry up and come up with a Christmas list. I have thought and thought (there's really no stand-out item that I desperately yearn for), and here is what I have come up with:


Hail to the (Holiday) Chief

There is no danger in me stating that no one does the holidays better than Ms. Stewart. Her website is chock full of wonderful ideas for edible treats, homemade gifts, and decorations. I tried many of them out for Thanksgiving (the pinecone, feather-plumed turkey placeholders were by far the most popular of my Martha-inspired creations), and cannot recommend them enough. There's nothing like gathering in the kitchen for Martha Craft Time! As an added homage to Martha, I have included a clip from my favorite of all Martha episodes...

























Sunday, December 6, 2009

Holiday Hydrangeas

I know it - I am odd. I am likely one of the only girls on this earth whose favorite flowers are hydrangeas. My mother (who might as well be Martha's second-in-command) and I got into a rather heated debate tonight regarding the utility of my choice flower during the holiday season. I, loyal hydrangea-lite that I am, was insistent that they can be used with equal enthusiasm during the winter months as during the spring and early summer. My mother laughed.

Thus, proof:



Snugglies.
















Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Must Be Santa - Bob Dylan

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Cover up your White Winter Hymnal.

There are so many amazing cover of Fleet Foxes' "White Winter Hymnal" on Youtube, all with their own distinct personality. I am quite taken with all of them, and simply had to declare this publicly. Below, the original by Fleet Foxes followed by the covers.







Saturday, November 14, 2009

Burberry's "Art of the Trench"

My scholastic productivity is doomed by the existence of Burberry's new trench site.

http://artofthetrench.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/business/global/10burberry.html?_r=1





Sunday, November 8, 2009

I hate Kate Spade because she creates perfect things that I cannot afford.







Friday, November 6, 2009

Love at First Sight

I don't want to win the lottery. Just everything in the Boden look book :]

http://www.bodenusa.com/

















Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Jack Wills University Outfitters, UK

My wonderful friend Edie is currently in graduate school in Brighton and recently introduced me to on of her favourite local British shopping haunts, Jack Wills. While some of their clothes ring too much of Abercrombie circa 2001, I am enamored with their website and love their accessories and outerwear. If they invited me to be in their next seasonal film (likely), I certainly would not say no...
















Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Further justification for my transfer application to UCL...

Aaaaaaaand I'm transferring...

Friday, October 23, 2009

Because you can never Keep Calm enough...






Inspiration = 9F

ggg thanks 9F for inspiring an impromptu British Tourism Council video search on YouTube :)

Monday, October 19, 2009

Oh, Kate.














Sunday, October 18, 2009

New England's Most Haunted Places









Bah Humbug.







Weekend splurge of necessity, not luxury (so I justify...)

I had intended to wait far longer before purchasing new Uggs, but my trip to Boston yesterday and subsequent return to undignified temperatures in NYC prompted a change in the 2009 Ugg purchase timeline...

As an aside, something I have never understood is why the Ugg advertisers always place the boot models in locals that don't really look as if they require Uggs. It calls to mind my days in Miami when the temperature would hit 68 and everyone would rush out and buy ski parkas and sherpa everything. Oh, nostalgia.



Pedal Peepers in Vermont

"And then there were the trees, a patchwork of scarlet, orange and yellow that transformed a vista into something so perfect it almost didn’t look real."

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/travel/18bike.html







Thursday, October 15, 2009

B-to-the-S

Oh, how this angers me.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Hot hot heat.

It is now officially autumn in NYC, and for the first time this year, even I have to admit that it's cold. For those of you who are blissfully unacquainted with NYC radiator policies, most buildings in the city have automatic heat adjustment. What is this, you ask? Why, it is the scourge of Satan.

In order for the heat in most buildings to kick on, it has to hit 42 degrees outside and stay that way for 72 consecutive hours. Not until hour 73 is the Heat God (a.k.a. fancy thermo-computer in the basement) satisfied that it is, in fact, winter. Once Heat God has ascertained the season, he proceeds to blast/melt you out of your apartment by turning your radiator against you and smothering you with 100 degree heat. Which then forces you to either open your windows (if it's not snowing/raining) or turn on your air conditioner (if it is) in order not to wake up transformed into a pool of human paraffin on the floor.

While I am praying for Hour 73 right now, I know that the moment my radiator comes to life, I will be wishing for this very moment - sitting freezing at my computer wearing five coats, staring lustfully at my radiator, with my tiny space heater blowing directly on my scuff-covered feet.

Sigh.





Friday, October 9, 2009

Reviewed.

The highly anticipated (by me) New York Times review of my cause célébre(r).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/arts/design/09lincoln.html









Thursday, October 8, 2009

"Finding Autumn Gold in Unexpected Places."

Beautiful New York Times article -

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/travel/escapes/09foliage.html











Wednesday, October 7, 2009

An Education

= where you will find me this Friday night.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Pick-me-ups

I have had a bad week. Ergo, I spent money at my favorite place - Therapie on Columbus at 75th. As if I needed an owl-shaped mug and more hand towels.


Saturday, October 3, 2009

A tiny tragedy.

Abercrombie only has size large left in this delicious Ava jacket :(

Friday, October 2, 2009

Pendleton Woolen Mills

www.pendleton-usa.com