Compared to the past few weeks, this is an inspiring assortment of fall’s best colors, flavors and textures. Ok, so saying the “past few weeks” is a bit of a stretch — we forgot  to pick-up the box two weeks ago. Curses! In the fine tradition of community supported agriculture, this stuff happens. Not to cry over lost leeks, on to celebrate what we do have.

Today’s box:

• Pomegranate
• Cauliflower
• Green onions
• Filthy, muddy, first spinach of the season
• Collard greens (Southern April sez, “YES!!”)
• Flat leaf parsley
• Eggplant
• Arugula
• Pep-pep-peppers
• Red kuri squash
• Fuyu persimmons
• Delicata squash
• The EXTRA SPECIAL CLOSE-UP SHOT: cabbage.

woohoo.

What does this bunch of goods inspire? A lot of raw eating, that’s for certain. Slice up the persimmons and pomegranate for a snack, wash the leafy greens for salads (gack) or a quick sauté (because salads are for the weak). Most of the veggies would be a good compliment to the sort of hedonistic meat dishes mandated by Fall weather.  There are also some risotto superstar ingredients (squash, oh hell yes, and maybe something I hadn’t thought of before?).  Do you have any not-to-be-missed preparations? Please do tell!

And now, the healthiest eye candy you wish you could eat through a computer:

The first is tomorrow night…Cocktails and Crafts with Etsy!

From Facebook:

Etsy is opening a new engineering office in San Francisco (interested?), and we want to get to know our neighbors.

We don’t have office space locked down just yet, but thanks to our friends at Covered Communications and Pier 38 we’re not letting that slow us down!

The women from Women 2.0 will also be on hand, raising money for Women 2.0 Labs, a summer entrepreneurial incubation program.

Come on by June 10th between 7 and 10 pm PT to meet Chad Dickerson (Etsy CTO) and make some sweet, geeky crafts (did someone say DIY screen-printed mousepad?) and have a cocktail or two on us.

When: June 10th 7-10 p.m. PT
Where: Pier 38
Who: You and anyone you want to bring along!

For more info, visit Women 2.0 and Code as Craft.

The second event is this weekend. Juliette Melton, of lightbulb terrarium fame, is having her first terrarium art gallery opening at Modern Eden! So go pay her a visit and perchance purchase one of her amazing light bulb terrariums while you’re at it.

From Facebook:

On Saturday June 12th, join us in celebration of our new art gallery. Over a dozen local artists will be showing their work from paintings, sculpture, and jewelry. Hope to see you there and bring your friends! Thanks for the support.
~Bradley and Kim

For questions or more info, e-mail us at: info@moderneden.com

So if you’re looking for something to do, get out there and support San Francisco crafters!

Yay! Today is the big reveal. BEHOLD THE PINWHEEL GARDEN OF FORTITUDE…

Yes I wrote it, and no, those aren’t my hands in the tutorial photos. You totally want to make one of these pinwheel gardens and then subscribe to Photojojo‘s crazy fun newsletter. If you haven’t seen their amazing photo-accessory store, I basically wwwant all of it!

]]> http://thehipsterho.me/2010/05/photojojo-tutorial-how-to-grow-a-photo-pinwheel-garden/feed/ 0 http://thehipsterho.me/2010/05/a-note-from-housekeeping-lets-get-phy-personal-personal-2/ http://thehipsterho.me/2010/05/a-note-from-housekeeping-lets-get-phy-personal-personal-2/#comments Tue, 04 May 2010 19:10:53 +0000 april http://thehipsterho.me/?p=726 I’ve started this blog post approximately 30 bajillion times. In my head. Without ever writing it down. (Can you imagine the mental constipation?? Ah, here’s that sweet relief.)

Fact of the matter is that I write all day long. I get paid to write. My job is to write. Can you guess what I’m NOT aching to do when I get home every evening?

To be fair, it’s not that I mind writing. It’s the baggage that comes with a well-crafted blog post. It’s the documentation, photo editing and wordy review that overwhelms me. (For instance, I’m not even writing this post in Wordpess. I’m writing it in a text file because I’m afraid I’ll see the formatting bar and won’t finish. Look—SUCCESS!)

Since I started working again, it’s taken time for life to equalize. At least I’ve started cooking and baking again! Not so much on the crafty side of things. I certainly feel guilt guilt guilty for neglecting my little pet site that I watered and tended almost every day of my experiment in unemployment and self discovery.

The great news is that my job is going well. Chronicle Books is still putting out amazing books (HELLO James Beard Award Country Cooking of Ireland!) and I must say, concocting Tweets and Facebook message is not at all a bad gig. I get home fairly early every day but plop down in front of my laptop right off the bat? No sir. I don’t know how you crazy bitches can have jobs and blogs and be perfectly styled and have lovely homes. Itmakesmewanttomakeamicrowaveablebrownieinasingleservingmugandwatchteenmom.

This is all a convoluted way of saying that I’m ABSOLVING myself of the guilt that’s been building up over the past couple months at my lack of THH upkeep. It’s not that I don’t have the energy to keep posting. I have energy. However, it’s spent on other more important things like taking showers, vacuuming every once in awhile and actually feeding myself and loved ones.

This is all temporary of course. I absolutely will pick up The Hipster Home again one day. I still get comments, emails and page views (!). It would be foolish to let such a beautiful and eternal creation like THH to die an unholy internet death of neglect.

After my time with Chronicle is finished, I’ve got an actually real and full-time (first since I was laid off Sept 08… HOLY SHIT!) so there’s THAT whole new adjustment period. GOOD BYE HOURLY RATES! I can’t even believe it. I’m giddy. Overjoyed. And a leeeetle bit stressing (weird dreams? check!) but all in all it will be ok. I’ll be ok and you’ll be better than ever.

Since I believe in making commitments and since THH was started on a self-promise of posting at least twice a week for 6 months, I’d like to put this into a digital contract for you all. I will maintain (albeit sparsely) the twitter account. And I will hold THH dormant in my heart until at least August 1, 2010 (if not sooner), after which I will reevaluate my time and make a new statement regarding posts and the future. I started THH because I felt like I was consuming a lot of content without giving back. But now I’m barely consuming any and as such, don’t feel like I absolutely must write here all the darn tootin’ time. There’s that word— equalize —again.

INTERNET HUG! You guys are the best, you really are. Thank you for reading. Thank you for being patient. Thank you for your support and kind words and barf barf barf you are completely awesome individuals that I may or maynot have actually met at some juncture.

KISSES!

P.S. Do you have questions? Comments? A riddle I might solve for ye? Leave me a high-five in the comments and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can… BEEP.

(I’d like to add the following footnote: SWEET JEBUS ALMIGHTY, ITS GOOD TO SOUND LIKE MYSELF AGAIN HERE, capslock and all.)

1. Colors- the brighter the better,  featuring crazy geometric patterns is best.  See also: kelly green, orange, gray, navy blue, sparkles.



2. Observing the world around me- When I’m stumped by a project, it’s amazing how frequently the solution will appear just by looking around

(All of a sudden, I noticed my week-old Valentine’s day flowers. Stunning in the light.)


3. The Internet- which features makers and doers of the world who share their work and inspiration in thousands of blog posts a day. (See also: Blog I Love)
4. My CSA box, the farmers’ market and Rainbow Grocery- hurrah for bugs, taking 20 minutes to wash one bag of spinach and having someone else send you a box of edibles every week. Also hurrah for other people’s carefully grown heirloom produce. Veggie boner.



5. Cookbooks- the pretty pictures, the idea of using a big, fat combination of ingredients with separate preparations making something wholly delicious, BAKING. Oh lord, put me in the kitchen with a good cookbook and I’m set for days. (See also: a collection of favorites featured in a tacky Amazon affiliate page, my General Store)
6. The area around San Francisco- you can drive anywhere from 1-4 hours out of the city and reach some amazing terrain. Driving up the 1 on the coast feels like you’re on the edge of the world. Field, road, car, cow, cliff, ocean.

(Lake Tahoe)


(Driving through the redwoods)

Thanks to The Goode Life for passing on the spirit stick.  Tag, you’re it living well!

What inspires you?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to chop all my hair off. As I told the Mr., “as near as I can get to a feminine buzzcut.” Slowly I’ve worked towards that but it’s time to commit. My present asymmetrical haircut just needs a trim.  I’m still having fun at this party but I think it’s best to leave early.

So, how about a little help from you guys? The last thing I want to do is walk into my amazing hairdresser’s place and say, “Give me that haircut from the girl in Breathless.” PS  Jean Seberg.

Or say, “Give me the subtle elegance of my girl, Audrey Hepburn.” (unoriginal)

Let’s hear it, are there any other classic short-haired hotties?

(Mia Farrow)

Alice Water’s Apple Tart on the Smitten Kitchen

I should’ve know such an absolute doll of a recipe would come from the impeccable and never-faltering Smitten Kitchen. The original recipe includes a glaze, made by simmering the apple peels with sugar and water. Don’t bother. This recipe is absolute perfection as-is. The crust is the bees knees. The apples melt in your mouth. If you don’t have a tart pan like me, it always comes out looking “refreshingly rustic”. (ahem)

Ina Garten’s Butternut Squash Risotto

One of the only things I enjoy making with butternut squash is risotto. Actually butternut squash is the only reason I tried my hand at risotto in the first place.  The original recipe I made a few months ago was vegetarian. The next version was vegan. This Ina Garten recipe is the DEAD OPPOSITE. Stick of butter, bacon, cheese, saffron, the works. I really did enjoy the new take on risotto that this provided but I think I’ll stick with the guilt free vegetarian version! If you do go ahead with Ina’s recipe, this is best served to 5-6 other people to avoid leftovers (which are awesomely tasty.)

Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread Cookies from Lottie and Doof

For a few weeks, the Mr. has been craving French Laundry shortbread cookies. Since we had lemons, I pulled out a recipe waiting in the wings from Lottie + Doof. These were a lot easier to make than their French Laundry friends but that’s probably because they use more ingredients than butter, flour, sugar and a vanilla bean. Verdict: completely tasty. I got to use one of my new cookie cutters for these! I figured that a heart would be more appetizing than a dog bone (purchased for doggie biscuits.)

That’s it for now, y’all. If you’ve got some old winter favorites, send them my way, why don’t you?

(Photo by The Small Stakes)

Have I told you lately how much I love WHOLE CAKES?? It is for reasons like this that they are #1 in my baked goods list. That cake topper would look fricken precious (not in a good way) atop anything but a majestic cake. Darling Dexter knew awesome when she saw it and for that reason I am grateful. You too can own a cake topper! For only three easy payments of $13.33… (just visit togetherforever’s etsy shop.)

My life philosophy is that color matches color. Chris Benz apparently believes the same thing which is why his Spring 2010 collection is ah-MAZING. Of course the one and only  Oh Joy! spotted his work the fastest, bringing about what, I’m sure, is an internet flurry of interest in this designers work. See also: sparkles match sparkles. Oh my, that yellow dress makes me want to CRY it’s so cute.

These boots are a real life find. One day, on my way to work, I spotted a woman in the brown pair. The next day, almost the same place, I saw a completely different woman wearing the black! Obviously I was behind the two women and immediately was drawn to the back contrasting zipper. After that second spotting, I knew it was my job to figure out who makes those shoes. Turns out these suckers are from… are you ready?… Steve Madden! WTF? I was as surprised as you. Second of all, I was taken aback at the steep price: $199. For Steve Madden boots? And I wwwant them?? What’s the world coming to?!? Le sigh, you wwwant them too, don’t ya? Well you can get these Steve Madden Roady Boots in black and tan.

The Mr. has a serious addiction to his Vans. Even though he has flat feet too, he doesn’t mind his arches scraping the pavement (ew?) in his slip-ons. I can’t do it. It totally bugs me! I didn’t think there would ever be a Vans shoe that would entice me. Then one day lil ole me was meekly scanning my google reader when I saw that Enchanted Royals had posted this show stopping pair of  Sophie Vans. Yes please! I’ll take two pairs. Retro refashioned. Love it.

I enjoy popping over to Mint to see what’s cooking. Recently, she posted a project that I adore. The Smock Shop exists to help starting artists make ends meet. Andrea Zittel created a simple smock pattern that artists have made into their own unique visions. All completely and utterly wwwantable! Head over to the site to check out the many variations.

I don’t have much to say about these dip-dyed curtains from Remodelista except that I find them mesmerizing. I think it’s the dark blue that really draws the eye. Or maybe the fact that our bedroom curtains are that exact shade without the white top. Either way, I love these curtains, totally wwwant them and think that they don’t belong in any room with a bed (where, clearly, you’d be wakened the second the sun peeped out.)

One day, the girl came across a bundle of kale that said to her, “Miss, won’t you take me home? I’ve always wanted to be a snack food but my brothers and sisters all laugh at me. I’m running away to find my true calling.”

Puzzled, the girl said to the Kale, “Well sure. You are such a lovely shade of green and so delicious already. I will gladly help you!” Away they went.

Recipe after recipe, the girl couldn’t fulfill the Kale’s dream.”You are so hearty and work so well sautéed that I can’t imagine you next to popcorn or potato chips.”

“That’s it!” the overexcited Kale replied. “You shall slather me in oil, salt and pepper and leave me to bake in a hot oven!” The Kale knew deep in its stalk that he was right. He would finally be listed in the Big Book of Snack Foods.

The girl was more uncertain. “Hmm, the oil does sound about right. But will you crisp? Will you still be delicious? I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

She took great care in washing and drying the Kale in his Final Preparation. She pre-heated her oven and tossed Kale in oil, salt and pepper. One final time she asked, “Kale, are you sure this is what you want? You’d be so delicious cooked in butter and red pepper flakes.”

“Yes. I am quite certain. I think you’ll be delighted with me when I’m baked.”

With a tear in her eye, the girl loaded Kale into the oven and waited.

When enough time had passed, she opened the oven and to her complete surprise, the Kale was right! He had transformed into a crispy, tasty snack food! She popped a leaf into her mouth and crunched and munched the night away, leaf after leaf.

After the excitement of a new discovery had worn off, she recoiled. “Oh my, what is that smell!” The next minute, the girl had fallen into a food coma before she was able to identify the smell’s origin.

The next day she awoke and left for a long journey across the kingdom. She brought more the kale on the trip, hoping the flavorful and healthy snack food would give her energy. Alas, the smell overpowered her carriage and she was forced to throw it out. From that day forward, the girl baked her Kale chips but was careful to share them so that not one leaf remained!

The End.

(This story may or may not be actually inspired by real life. If you’d like to enjoy your own nutritious and magical discovery, you can re-create this recipe from Apartment Therapy’s The Kitchn.)

I also wanted to point out a few ch-ch-ch-changes around here! Last night, while watching Olympic men’s free skate, the Mr. hacked WordPress for me. It was the 21st century equivalent of being fanned and fed grapes. (GLORIOUS.)  Take note…

Look! The Twitter Mess (right sidebar) is no longer a disaster! It’s formatted and pretty and if you don’t follow THH on twitter, you are missing out! But now if you’re too lazy to click over, you can read my thoughts three at a time!

Next, please apply your attention to the BOTTOM of EVERY POST. THH has recommendations! Not only do you see the post title but a pretty, pretty picture preview. There are still some bugs to fix but it works.

He also made a few other cosmetic changes that’ll make your viewing experience like buttah. Welcome to The Hipster Home: now with more formatting for your pleasure.

So did the Mr. and I miss anything? Do you have some feature requests. Go ahead! I’m all ears.