shirleyoujest.com

hot buns

It's here ...global warming. Everywhere you look, apocalyptic signs of heat stroked cows, boiling rivers and wilting lettuce.

So what can one do under such circumstances?

Bake. Literally.

(This is going to be like one of those Simpsons episodes when it starts out with Bart crashing into a tree and ends up with Homer running for president.)

I decided that since I was swarming in hot humid London, I couldn't possibly sweat any MORE, so why not throw something into a 200C oven?!

Let me preface this all as well by saying that we just bought a handmixer. Ah, ha! The gal's equivalent to a guy getting a new power saw (same chop/cut lust... smaller scale, yummier outcome).

In the last 2 days, I have made:

- Zucchini (Courgette) Mushroom Onion Soup
- Chilean Chicken & Raisin Cornmeal pie (from scratch)
- Hummus
- Baba Ganoush
- Chives/Parmesan biscuits
- Multitudes of smoothies

My mincing/chopping/pulverizing obsession has been exacerbated by the fact that I am jetlagging, once again. Up at 3am every night? Why not whip together a little baba ganoush to wile away the wee hours? No problem.

Along the way, I have discovered a whole new world of cooking/food blogs. I mean, don't get me wrong, given the fact that there are rubber chicken fetish blogs and 'We [heart] Artichokes" blogs, I knew the chances of there being a multitude of cooking/food blogs out there was pretty darn high. But, forgive me as I embrace my estrogenic side... I just never bothered to search them out, until now.

a full belly
The site that started it all...

kokblog
Totally reminds me of Swedish design - simple and straightforward with an endearing touch. Swedish cooking blog with sweet illustrations.

101cookbooks
Bay area gal with chic site. Good links.

The Hungry Cabbie: The Eating Adventures of a NYC Yellow Cabbie
One of my fave blogs, cabbie writes about eating his way through NYC. (sidenote: I seriously fear for his arterial health). Did a post on Chi-town and our local SUPERDAWG! How cool. I'm definitely getting my suburb pals to bring me one in October!

bunnyfoot
Vegan site, but she has great non-vegan stuff too.

Who knows if this new obsession will wane as the heat dissipates ... if my new handmixer will suffer the same fate as the lettuce spinner. But all I can say is that I no longer live in mortal fear of paprika, sage or julienne. I'm not saying we're all BFF just yet, but let's just say we're new friends with benefits [wink].

phone discharge

It was so hot today that my face got stuck to the telephone and I had to stop and peel it off.
...very slowly, several times.

cling film

i am back from san francisco.*
i am hot.
therefore, i am cranky.
henceforth, the following is an unfortunate byproduct.

- - - - - -

things i learned my 10 days in san francisco:
1) taking steroids can make one's hands and tongue swell, thus eating say, a hamburger, is counterproductive x 2.

2) s miyake** will probably never buy one of my prints.

3) just because you have a powerbook/mac/laptop thingey and stand in front of a bunch of people at a club DOES NOT make you a dj. yes, you CAN (and should) do more than play ONE beat over and over and over again*** cuz in the end, it just looks like you're checking your email in front of class.

4) when you climb up and down and up for 4.5 hours, your ass will hurt for approximately, on average, 3.5 days afterwards. both cheeks.

5) virgin still has crap seats permanently fixated at 9o-degree angles, but david attenborough still rocks the planet earth series/birds of paradise banter.
i [heart] sir DA.

6) there are two people in the world, of whom i am acquainted, who own reo speedwagon, on vinyl.

7) we live in a world that touts bust gel. almond flava!

8) when you don't water plants for 10 days, in temperatures over 25C, THEY DIE. all of them. herbal dust.

9) cotton really is rotten.

and finally...

10) if you stop picking at it ... it will eventually go away.

Notes
*londoners/brits repeatedly refer to san francisco as "san fran"... it's really intensely immensely annoying.

**this guy has been trying to get a hold of me for 8 months (!!) to see prints and i suck because i still have not been able to get it together enough to show the guy my stuff. i should just send him a print for free. balance out my flake karma.

***ironically, a very good example of mixing is "Over and Over" by Hot Chip - posted previously for auditory pleasure.

ye olde

It's funny because have been here in London for about 3 months or so and haven't posted anything London-y (!) Esp considering that we live right next to the Camden markets which have the most amazing markets, stalls, crafts, olde thingeys, etc... it's prob because this is just home, so it'd be like posting about your local neighborhood corner shop (!)

I'll have to grab the cam, dodge the punks (did anyone tell them the 70's are over??) and goths and do the neighborhood, but thought I'd post a few lovelies from my recent ye olde forage at the Camden Stables. It's def been my fav of all the markets by far. Also extremely dangerous as it's just down the block (eek).

I've been fascinated by vintage whiskey and beer bottles and bottle labels recently. Actually always have been, but esp now since they're so readily available here.

Have a gander... I mean, tell me you aren't just hankering for some Syrup of Hypophosphites right about now...

            

Also some mineral water marine bottles, assuming hung up cuz they were on a boat? Prevented breakage?

I have no idea, I made that up.

Maybe they put purty flowers in them.

Managed to pick up a bunch of stuff this weekend, all of which I know I'll regret once packing time comes again... did I mention I have a weakness for things made of metal, iron and wood?

Urgh.

waxing poetic

"Ode to 4th of July in Scotland"

It began on a climb atop a Scottish mountain to fly a kite... Download file (watch by clicking here, there's no sound so you'll just have to whistle along)

         

Waded through heather, mosses, wild orchids and cotton a most fibrous white...

         

Basked in the tranquility of the rocky beach, turbid sea and pewter sky ...

   

And closed the trip by watching dolphins skim surfaces, and wet dogs run by...

   

My, wasn't that a lovely little ditty? All unicorns and moonbeams, done and said?
Ack well, what can I say, had to mix it up and that was the only thing I had in me head...

except fer the swarms of midges
which I was trying to shoot...
literally and figuratively