Inspiration

It's rare to find a documentary that is uplifting, especially when
that documentary concerns food and health issues. But Food Matters
manages to do it, and what they are saying makes sense.
The body can heal itself when given the proper tools.

I won't go on and on about it, but here is a little preview
and the whole film is streaming right now in Netflix instant
watch. I will say that the preview is considerably more dramatic
than the actual movie-but they've got to get your attention, right?

Valentine

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change"

Latest Obsessions

Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cookies
You'd never know that there were beans in these cookies.
(I used 100% unsweetened chocolate to avoid any soy and
extra sugar-by itself the chocolate is too bitter but is perfect in
the cookies!)
They are extremely addictive, and thankfully fairly healthy

Physical Graffitea
Amazing tea/herb shop in the East Village. The husband and I went in
today and left with 3 different teas.  Thai Rooibos, Chamomile, and
Scottish Toffee Pu-erh. They also specialize in medicinal blends
and herbs and they have kombucha on tap! (and they can host tea parties!!
who wants to get fancy?)

Gillardi Dogliani Cursalet
A dreamy dolcetto from the lesser known Dogliani appellation,
just south of Barolo. I got to taste the 2010 and 2011 back to back,
both were delicious but the '10 won me over with the lush fruit, dusty
tannins and smooth finish. Never have I been so fond of a Dolcetto.

The Strand
Let's be honest, when am I not obsessed with the Strand? Every time
I go in I am able to find exactly what I'm looking for and sometimes
things that I didn't know that I was looking for. I heart used book stores.

The Mind of Chef
It's like No Reservations but for serious food nerds/chefs. The show follows
David Chang to various locations and is narrated by Anthony Bourdain.
Warning: Will make you want to travel.

Soap Nuts
Another part of my personal crusade to detox our home products.
Giving these a shot as a new laundry soap.  I'll let you know how it
goes.

Menswear Dog
Too darn cute. (Thanks, Diddy!)

Preferred Medium

 Collage is my favorite medium.
I get lost flipping through magazines,
painstakingly cutting out images, and trying
to piece them together in a way that feels right.
I love the element of chance that collaging entails.
I've looked through these same National Geographics
over and over again and every time I manage to find
new images that I had overlooked before.
Which amazes me.  What makes each time different?
Why does that image intrigue me now, but didn't the
last time I flipped through?  The mind is an amazing thing.

My file of collages is getting bigger. Most are finished, some
are not- and possibly never will be.  Here are a few finished ones
that I made recently.

A Year in Books: January

I read 6 books in January:

Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution-William Echikson
The 13 Clocks-James Thurber
Mr Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder- Lawrence WeschlerSouth of the Border West of the Sun-Haruki Murakami
Icelander-Dustin Long
Champagne- Don & Pete Kladstrup

I thoroughly enjoyed them all, but I will probably have to
go back and read Icelander again. There is a lot to take in
and things that I'm pretty sure I missed the first time around.
13 Clocks and the Murakami book have their own kind of magic in
them- which is something that I prefer in fiction.
Champagne tells the amazing history of the region and the real
stories behind the famous names (Perignon, Hiedsieck, Pommery, etc.)
Which makes it extra sad that big corporations eventually take over.
le sigh. Still a great read.

What did you read this month???

Windy City Weekend

Last weekend we went to Chicago.
It felt so good to be in another city and around family
it was also nice to get inspired.
The husband and I both left with a renewed sense of creativity.

We went to Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art,
The National Museum of Mexican Art , and The Garfield Park Conseravatory
and meandered through different neighborhoods, popping into different shops.
We found a few wine shops that were inspiring, a vintage store that made my
dreams come true, and a bookstore that was an overwhelming maze.

We drank cocktails that were artisanally prepared in a kitchen, ate
the best Spanish tapas that we'e ever had, gorged on hot dogs topped
with foie gras, consumed some real Chicago deep dish, and had a
4 course meal prepared for us by Peter and Chelsie.

We started with Beef Carpaccio

















Then had homemade pasta with tomato sauce

















Roasted Salmon

















and a flourless chocolate cake, topped with candles for
the birthday girl.




















It was an awesome weekend, we're already thinking about our next
trip back <3

Green Frustrations.

For the last few years I've been trying to cut out the crap.

Buy less processed food, de-tox my cleaning supplies

as well as my body products, not buy things with 

artificial fragrance, etc.

The process is frustrating.

A lot of products that are labeled "green", "organic", or 

"natural" are just as toxic as everything else. The realization 

of this has made me want to throw things.

There are so many homemade recipes online, for everything

from laundry detergent to mascara.  I feel like I'm falling down the 

rabbit hole of things that I might choose to make instead of buy.

And it almost makes me feel crazy, but it shouldn't because I'm trying

to make the right choices about what I put in and on my body.

I don't want to be the person that knows and does nothing.

This may not make a whole lot of sense, and perhaps it's just the

ramblings of a weird hippie.  But it's something that I'm currently

dealing with and felt the need to vent.