4.30.2010

patina is for champions...

This morning I ventured out to an estate sale ... I was seriously overwhelmed at first and just about to leave when I spotted a table stacked to the rafters with jewelry. I took some time to sift through the piles and managed to match together some awesome pairs of earrings. Antibacterial soap was in serious order to say the least.

I don't normally like red, but I loved this bracelet:



My favorite find:





I also re-discovered my grandmother's antique tin collection, some of which I'm hoping to incorporate in my new apartment:






Hello, Don Draper! I think that this will make for a lovely little jewelry box:

This could be a pretty stationery box:

I love the detailing:

To clean or not to clean?

4.29.2010

Brown Sugar Walnut {possibly any nut} Torte ...



My Grandmother Jean was not only an artist but a very skilled baker. She had a knack for expertly crafting swiss roll cakes {my sister and I attempted a Buche de Noel two years ago which resulted in a chocolate mousse explosion} but her Brown Sugar Walnut Torte was and still is everyone's favorite.

It's very simple but delicious and graces the table at every single holiday, from Thanksgiving, to Passover to Chinese New Year {we celebrate all three}. We experimented with toasted almonds instead of walnuts, and I think we may be onto something ...






The egg white beating process continually amazes me ...







Normally, I would post the recipe here but it's a prized family secret.

Tosca Delfino ...


My friend, Tosca, is incredibly talented. She lived all over the world, went to fashion school in Milan, interned for Missoni {too jealous for words} and lived down the road from me in Bondi! She is a swimwear designer and will soon debut her collection at Sydney Fashion Week. Her designs are 70's inspired and embody a great balance of style, practicality {including a sunbathing hood on one piece} and quirk. Here are some preliminary images from her upcoming look-book:



I love her custom prints and cannot wait to get a new swimsuit for the summer ...


Her talent extends well beyond the realms of swimwear - here's a dress that she made for me and it's just about my favorite thing in the world {and by world I mean my closet}:



Her website will be up and running soon, you can check it out here.

Images via www.toscadelfino.com

4.23.2010

carb of choice ...

Banana bread is just the best ... ever. It's so simple to make, it starts smelling insanely good after about 15 minutes in the oven and you can even delude yourself into thinking that it isn't that bad for you. Molly Wizenberg's recipe for Banana Bread With Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar slaughters that delusion with one fell swoop {well, technically two} of chocolate chips, but it is indescribably good!

Some very ugly bananas



The addition of dry ingredients

Taking form ...

A sprinkle of chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar

Voila!

Banana Bread With Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar
From Molly Wizenberg's Orangette

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour (for you, Uncle Dean)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For topping:
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray an 8" square pan.
2.) In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add the eggs and stir well to combine. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla, and stir to mix. Add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set aside.
3.) In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
4.) Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

*     *     *     *     *

As for my weekend plans:

"There are two places in the world I wouldn't want my daughter to be ... Vietnam and Colgate during Spring Party Weekend." -- Walter Cronkite, 1972


Ohh man ... this banana bread is going to be our sustenance ... can't wait to see you, Macocs!

4.22.2010

some loveliness ...




Peonies are the prettiest.
Images via weheartit.com

slightly hazy ...


There's nothing like a collaging shindig via skype. Especially when top secret information transpires ... ohh man.

4.20.2010

oh, how i love thee ...


Francoise Hardy
















These photographs have inspired me to find a perfect trench, knit dresses and stripes ... lots of them.


Images via weheartit.com