snippets of my weekend

snippets of my weekend

snippets of my weekend

more apologies

It has been hectic in these parts. I apologize for the absence. Again. 

I'm currently (not) enjoying a liquid diet imposed by my dentist due to recent oral surgery. Ouch. And work is getting busier by the day...

But in the meantime, enjoy this photo.

Can we be friends?

via flkr

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I'm jonesing to get this new bio of one of my favorite authors, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

The Telegraph says it's pretty good. Review here. 

I'll buy the book before my next trip. 

Things are busy enough here in the meantime.

Van Gogh's sunny cake

Found this great recipe for  

Vincent Van Gogh's Sunny Sunflower Cake 

via kitchen scraps

Vincent Van Gogh's Sunny Sunflower Cake 

INGREDIENTS

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup butter, melted

plus more butter for greasing

1/4 cup runny honey

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sunflower seeds, shelled

zest of 2 lemons (save lemon juice for icing)

100 ml cream or milk

For icing:

1/2 cup butter, soft at room temperature

pinch of saffron

4 cups icing sugar

juice of 2 lemons

pinch of salt

PROCEDURE

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Butter up a 9-inch round cake pan.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Tip in the melted butter, honey, sugar, egg, cream and lemon zest. Mix thoroughly until smooth, then stir in the sunflower seeds.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and blap the whole thing in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the lemon icing. Cream the butter (and optional saffron) using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment until it is light and fluffy. Alternate by adding a quarter of the icing sugar and a quarter of the lemon juice until it is all thoroughly incorporated. Keep in the fridge for later.

Set the cake aside to cool for 20 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely before icing. Cut the cake in half horizontally to and put some icing between the layers before covering the whole thing in the remaining icing. Keep in the fridge until ready to eat.

Serves 8 people and goes nicely with a cup of tea or some absinthe.

I got beef.

So, the freezer is slowing shutting down. 

And our freezer full of steaks, ground beef, elk, and burgers is slowly thawing.

They need to be consumed this weekend...

Beef party!!! 

Saturday evening! 

Bring a grain, a vegetable, but do NOT bring any meat.

Call me for details.

Metro Lines

On Neil Freeman's blog, fake is the new real, he did a post on the line drawings (to scale) of city public transit systems. Above is London. 

Beijing is so ordered.

Seoul looks like a knot of hair.

Philadelphia trails off into space.

I don't even know what's going on with Madrid.

And surprisingly, Moscow looks most effective.

Varga Bar

Oh. My. God.

Varga bar is opening next Wednesday 5/20!

Sneak Peak via Meal Ticket!

Tap List:

• Founders Breakfast Stout
• Founders Double Trouble
• Founders Backwoods Bastard
• Sly Fox Helles Lager
• Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Stout
• Victory Prima Pils
• Victory Root Beer
• Victory Lager
• Green Flash Triple
• Stone Ruination
• Legacy Hoptimus Prime
• Russian River Damnation
• Flying Fish Farmhouse Ale
• Flying Fish Imperial Espresso Porter
• Flying Fish Cask Ale
• Bells Porter
• Allagash Triple
• Ithaca Apricot Wheat
• Rogue Hazelnut Brown
• Rogue Imperial Pilsner
• Dogfish Head 120-Minute IPA
• Dogfish Head Black & Blue
• Troegs Hopback

And Growlers! Roger is going to piss himself!

photo by Drew Lazor via Meal Ticket

Fin

I'm loving this "Fin" print on Keep Calm Gallery.

I absolutely want this on my wall asap.

currently loving...

Peter, Bjorn & John's new-ish album

Living Things

Peter took over XPN last Friday and I also loved his selections.

snippets of my weekend

Lights!

I just got these Commercial String Lights via UPS from Partylights.com !!!!

I am so excited. I want to string them up. Anywhere.

Outdoor parties just got a whole lot more fun...

I know I am using them in our backyard for 

Roger's upcoming birthday party, 

but maybe for the engagement party as well?

Siete de Mayo

The rain finally let up last night, so I surprised Roger by taking him on a bike ride with a 6pack of Negra Modelo in tow to La Lupe, where the best tacos in the city are served. It was a lovely night and it seems like La Lupe was still recovering from Cinco de Mayo, so Siete de Mayo was chill. 

Queso Taco + Chorizo Taco + Flan =  love

Afterwards, we took a nice long bike ride home, ran into a dog who despised skateboards so much, he ran after them (while some one was riding it, mind you) and bit it out from under this poor kid's feet. We also discovered a Banjo-centric concert happening behind the Mummers Museum. 

Philly Love.

36 Hours in Philadelphia

This week's NYTimes 36 Hours is right here in Philly.

It's a nice little slice of the city. 

I especially like the inclusion of Fabric Row, Zahav, 

& biking Kelly Drive.

And I'm glad all of my secret Philly spots weren't published.

Save Arts in Philadelphia!

Please take a moment and send this Action Letter to our State Decision Makers about the dire situation of Arts funding in Pennsylvania. 

The Pennsylvania State Senate is calling for ZERO funding for arts and culture in the FY 09-10 state budget.. If the Senate version (SB 850) prevails, there will be no arts and culture grants in the state of Pennsylvania starting on July 1 of this year (PCA and PHMC).

Institutions (like our beloved ICA) depend on these to-be-cut grants for their  exhibitions. I'm not usually one to send out dire-situation action letter requests...

But this one is important to me.

Please take a few clicks. And send the letter.

Many thanks,

Darcey

Domino Tag SALE

Oh man, these are times when I wished I lived in NYC.
A Domino Magazine Tag Sale at the home of one of the former editors!
Most things under $500!
Can you imagine the finds??
Jealous. I am a preemptive shade of (envious) green.


If you're a lucky duck who can go:

Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
at 13 West Ninth Street (Fifth Avenue)
garden apartment
cash only.

Wedding Shoes

How about these Kathryn Amberleigh flats for the wedding? 

Gorgeous.

5 things

5 Reasonable Things I'd rather be doing

(if location, obligations, & weather were variable)

5. Getting caught up in a really good story with a cup of Earl Grey.

(if the weather is dreary)

4. Having a beer on Standard Tap's roof deck.

3. Eating warm apple cider donuts from Northbrook Orchards.

2. Biking with Roger. Preferably in Cape Cod when the sun has just gone down.

1. Sailing. Anywhere. With good wind & clear skies.

More rain, rain, rain in reality. Sigh.

Britannica

I'm lusting after this Britannica dress from Mod Cloth. 

Love the easy shape, the pinstripes & the buttons.

Under $100 is nice to see too. 

Apologies!

My apologies... things are hectic around here lately. 

My mind feels like this Doris Salcedo installation . 

I promise. I will get back to writing soon.

snippets of my weekend

Another weekend full of rain... 

meaning fewer opportunities for shooting. 

I'm sure Pickles is enjoying her time in the spotlight.

Rain, Rain

Take a look at the forecast for this week.

Terrible, isn't it?