More Sunny Treats

We used to make popsicles when we were kids, but it mainly consisted of us pouring root beer or fruit juice into popsicle molds and then pretending we weren't disappointed halfway through consuming our icy treats.  The flavour never lasted more than two sucks and then we were essentially left with an ice cube on a stick.

Something tells me these recipes won't disappoint. I was walking home in the heat (!) and stopped into the magazine store to get some gum where I happened to crack open the newest issue of Bon Appetit. Gwyneth is on the cover looking perfect as always, but the two features that caught my eye was one on crostini, and one on frozen desserts featuring a beautiful layered semi-freddo and several recipes for popsicles, including this one:

Peach-Vanilla Cream Pops

(makes 8-10)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 4 cups sliced peeled ripe peaches (about 4 medium), or 16 ounces frozen sliced peaches, thawed
• 1/2 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons amaretto (optional)

Preparation

• Place sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Transfer syrup to a small bowl; chill. Discard vanilla bean.
• Purée syrup and peaches in a food processor until smooth. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium pitcher; strain, pressing on solids to extract about 2 1/4 cups purée. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Divide among molds. Cover; insert ice-pop sticks. Freeze until firm. Dip bottoms of molds into hot water for 20-30 seconds to loosen pops. Remove pops from molds and serve.

Recipe + image via June 2011 issue of Bon Appetit (click for more tasty recipes for frozen popsicles (like honeydew and lime!) and granitas)

Blackberry Honey Yogourt Pops

(makes 8-10)

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 6-ounce containers fresh blackberries (3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups)
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt (preferably organic)
• 5 teaspoons honey
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

• 1 ice pop mold (preferably with cover) for 10 pops (each about 1/3- to 1/2-cup capacity)
• 10 ice pop sticks or lollipop sticks

Preparation

• Bring 2/3 cup water and sugar to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Transfer simple syrup to small bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour.
• Place blackberries in processor; puree until smooth. Pour blackberry puree into strainer set over medium bowl. Using rubber spatula, press on solids to extract as much puree as possible. Discard seeds in strainer. Measure 2 cups blackberry puree and place in another medium bowl for pops (reserve any remaining puree for another use). Add chilled simple syrup, yogurt, honey, and lemon juice to puree; whisk to blend.

• Divide mixture among 10 molds (each about 1/3- to 1/2-cup capacity). Top with mold cover, if available, and insert stick into each. (If cover is not available, cover top of mold with plastic wrap, pulling taut; freeze until partially frozen, then insert stick into center of plastic wrap and into pop mixture in each.) Freeze pops until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Dip bottom of mold into hot water 10 to 15 seconds to loosen pops. Remove pops from molds and serve.

Recipe + image via August 2010 Bon Appetit

There are so many popsicle molds on the market right now, but I especially love this 

stainless steel model from Onyx!

Sunny Treats

Sunday morning we got a bit of a surprise - it was hot AND the sun was out. Both in the same day; we hardly knew what to do with ourselves.  So we bought some coconut milk and a bunch of strawberries, lemons and limes and made strawberry lemonade (spiked with vodka and triple sec...) and strawberry coconut milk ice cream and spent the better part of the afternoon on the back deck.

Recipe & image via fitsugar.com

Ice cream

* 1 16 oz. can of lite coconut milk

* 1 cup strawberries

* 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

* pinch white stevia*

Optional toppings: chocolate sauce, coconut, walnuts, almonds, dried fruit, flax…

*note: if you don’t like stevia, replace with 4 medjool dates or 2 tbsp of agave nectar and blend with the rest of the ingredients.

DIRECTIONS

To make the ice cream:

1. Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth.
2. Pour into 2 freezer safe bowls and place in the freezer for at total of 1.5-2 hours, removing every 30 minutes to whisk so that it doesn't set into an ice cube.
3. When it gets to a soft serve ice cream consistency it's done!

Tromple l'Oeil

Denim as art?  

When I first saw this image on The Coveteur's website, I thought it was a really cool work of abstract art. Turns out I was way off. They're vintage jeans haphazardly arranged in a heap, but the effect is quite attractive. 

The Tuxedo Cookie

That's kind of a lie. The only things these tuxedos have in common with the cookie I made this weekend is that they're black and white, and easy to pull off with the right ingredients. 

The Tuxedo:

sharp tailoring and a hot pair of shoes

(source)

The Cookie:
flour, sugar, butter, and a tall glass of (almond) milk

Homemade Oreos

Recipe and image via Smitten Kitchen


Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies

For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note]
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

*Warning - these cookies are so delicious that you will be asked to make them again and again. They're simple enough to make that this won't be a problem. And also, they provide a really good base to play around with flavours, which is a bonus in my books (chocolate biscuit with lime or coconut icing, espresso cookies with ice cream instead of icing...).

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I like that ties have become a thing lately. The other day we were perusing a line of ties that this guy makes from vintage sourced fabrics and sells online and wishing that we could incorporate them into our wardrobe. He bases his designs on deconstructed vintage ties, and they're such works of art and craftsmanshp that I would easily never wear a necklace again if I could trade them in for these beauties.

Chloe Sevigny and Freida Pinto at the MET Gala

Take Me To The Riviera

The recent buzz and press from the Cannes Film Fest has inspired a bit of French Riviera wishful-thinking...that, and I just started reading Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is set in the 20s and begins on a beach "halfway between Marseilles and the Italian border." 

Were starlet Rosemary Hoyt to be transported to the beaches of the French Riviera today (or better still, were I to be), here's what I envision her to strut the Croisette in:

silk and linen cropped jacket, jaeger. blue cropped shirt, miss selfridge. rolled hem scarf, lauren by ralph lauren. whistlestop sandal, madewell. deacon fine-twill cropped pant, elizabeth and james. bamboula ltd market tote, madewell. super (tm) sunglasses, blonde havanna, madewell. dazzling nailpolish, chanel. bonjour tristesse, francoise sagan. 

image via polyvore

 

Scarf Tutorials by Liberty London

I inherited my grandmother's collection of silk scarves a number of years ago, and wore them as headbands for a brief period, but they have been tucked away in my closet ever since. These tutorials from Liberty London are definitely making me want to unearth them - their 'scarf stylist' Lauranne Plat makes it look so easy (and so effortlessly chic).

Deep Silk Georgette Scarf, Christopher Kane for Liberty

Hermes for Liberty Scarf

The Chiffon Knot:

The Oversized Knot:

The Bow Tie:

Crazy For Peter Pan Collars

The Peter Pan collar is evocative of children's clothing from the 1950-60s. As Peter Pan never did wear a collar (in the book that is, in the Disney cartoon his tunic had a pointed collar), I'm going to go ahead and make the claim that his namesake clothing feature must be so-called because it is The Collar That Will Never Grow Old.

Its recent revival into mainstream clothing lines (below, versions from The Gap and Topshop) adds an element of vintage charm, no doubt influenced by the likes of Alexa Chung who is frequently photographed in collared blouses, and whose fall 2010 collection for Madewell included dresses and blouses with these sweet rounded collars.

Then:

(source)

Now:

(source)

ad for fall 2010 - alexa chung for madewell

(source)

(source)

Prepping For Summer: The Summer Drinks Edition

To preface, it is hardly even spring-like here and the sun hasn't shone in over two weeks, but I'm not letting that get in the way of my optimistic outlook for June, when I surmise that Summer will arrive with a vengeance to make up for the major let-down that was/is Spring.

Here are some drink options to help get the Summer Menu ideas churning -- 

[and let me just say in reference to the beer cocktail suggested below, that I once had beergaritas at a summer bachelorette party (margaritas made with Wildcat beer - a super cheap beer that I would never consider drinking on its own), and they were wildly delicious (and dangerous)]

1. Raspberry Beer Cocktails

3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

3 1/2 (12 oz) bottles of beer, chilled

1 (12 oz) container of frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate, thawed

1/2 cup vodka

lemon and lime slices to garnish

Stir together the first 4 ingredients. Serve over ice, garnish with berries and citrus slices.

Recipe and image via The Kitchn via MyRecipes.com

2. Spiked Lemonade (or Vermontucky Lemonade)

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 1/2 cups cold water (plus more if desired)

1/4 - 1/2 cup maple syrup

bourbon

ice

Mix lemon juice with 2 1/2 cups water and 1/4 cup maple syrup. Taste for sweetness and either add the remaining maple syrup if desired or add an additional 1/4 cup cold water. Stir to mix. This will yield 1 quart of maple lemonade.

Fill a glass with ice. Pour your desired amount of bourbon over the ice (1 or 1.5 shots), fill the glass the rest of the way with maple lemonade. 

Recipe and image found on Smitten Kitchen

3. Apricot Juleps (image source)

3-5 springs of mint leaves, torn into pieces

2 ounces of apricot puree

1 ounce of freshly squeezed orange juice

1.5 ounces of bourbon

.5 ounce of apricot brandy

.5 ounce of simple syrup

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and then strain into a glass, topping it up with club soda and garnish with mint.

Recipe courtesy of Style at Home

4. Infused Vodkas (image source)

There are a million and one flavour variants that could be used to create this DIY drink - seasonal fruits and herbs being the most obvious (I saw bacon infused vodka in my searches, though, so really anything is possible). Design Sponge has listed these herb pairings based on the book The Flavor Bible:

• Cilantro Pair with: ginger, chile peppers, figs, cucumbers, cumin seed
• Basil Pair with: strawberries, cucumbers, orange peel, peaches, pineapple
• Lemon Verbena Pair with: apricots, blueberries, cherries, cinnamon stick, red currants
• Lemon Balm Pair with: fennel bulb, honeydew melon, black tea, nectarines, blackberries
• Tarragon Pair with: lemon thyme, celery seeds, lemon peel, pink grapefruit, bay leaf
• Dill Pair with: cucumber, coriander seeds, cilantro, capers, lemon balm
• Mint Pair with: apples, cardamom seeds, whole cloves, grapes, peaches
• Rosemary Pair with: pears, lemon peel, orange slices, apricots, plums
• Thyme Pair with: whole allspice, bay leaf, celery stalks, cranberries, sage
• Lavender Pair with: peaches, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, lemon peel

What could be more delicious and summery than a drink made with any of the above vodkas as a base?

Scout & Catalogue

I've been eyeing the bags on this etsy store for a while now, and I feel I may crack soon because they're too beautiful to resist. Scout & Catalogue's collection of scarves and leather bags are made by Toronto-based designer Breanna Musgrove, and are largely influenced by her sojourn in Mexico in 2009/10. If I had the cash money, I'd order up a nesting doll of bags: the cream lace pouch nestled inside the purple clutch, which in turn would be nesting perfectly in the blue tie-dye tote.

the libro plum leather clutch

scavenger pouch in pink stripe (up-cycled fabric)

scavenger pouch in pastel navajo (up-cycled fabric)

la dama cream lace and leather pouch

the traveler tote in constellation

Check out Scout & Catalogue's blog here for news and updates (and in particular this post to see the limited-edition bags that are making me hesitate to order anything should she get more material like this and re-introduce this style). 

190 Bowery, NYC

This cozy little kitchen with the cobalt-blue pressed tin wall has plenty of character and loads of charm. Shocking that it's actually one of 72 rooms in this downtown mansion in New York City's Lower East Side. According to this article in the New York Magazine, most real estate experts had pegged the building as abandoned. In reality it is occupied by a family of three - photographer Jay Maisel, his wife, and daughter - who bought it for just over $100,000 in 1966. Maisel uses the first two floors as gallery space, and has kept the architectural features intact - it was once a bank. Quite a spacious family home with its six floors, roof top patio and garden, and apparently rooms still being discovered...

all images via new york magazine: "the 72-room bohemian dream house"

Spring Into Summer With A Flourish

These looks from Steven Alan and Club Monaco's Spring/Summer 2011 lookbooks have a bit of everything I like for summer: lots of stripes, pleats, drapy fabrics, and a dash of sparkle. Throw on some canvas slip-ons, a leather saddle bag and I am more than ready for warm weather. And sun. Another week of this rain isn't doing the general morale any good.

Steven Alan (source)

Club Monaco (source)

Crazy For Scalloped Edges

"Show frills and femininity this season" - so said an advertisement from 1940 for a dress ("frock") pattern with scalloped details at the shoulder. It seems as though anything goes this season, but there is a definite trend towards a more ladylike silhouette with lots of feminine details.

1. chloe scalloped trim oversized sunglasses 2. coral crop top 3. bright floral tee 4. petite mustard crop tee 5. suede clutch (all by topshop) 6. see by chloe poya leather satchel 7. blue scalloped hem shorts by topshop 8. chloe scalloped ballet flat in cream

image sources: costumes from here and the Pittsburg Press, March 11, 1930, chloe sevigny, lauren santo domingo, camilla belle, polyvore