eclectic design inspiration

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

XXX MUST SEE XXX

Did the XXX get your attention? Awesome.

Below is the trailer for Food Inc., a documentary I recently saw that has totally changed the way I view the things I eat and the food industry as a whole. The wheels in my head were already turning over this issue, but this film got them SPINNING.

I'm such a believer in the power of this documentary that I'm just about ready to hand over my Netflix password to anyone who wants to watch it. (There will be a quiz later to make sure you didn't just rent season 1 of Breaking Bad.) Watch the trailer and I think you'll be convinced...


Monday, July 25, 2011

Recipe: Yummay Avocado Sandwich



Tonight I made my mom's recipe for her favorite avocado sandwich that she made all the time when I was a kid. It brings back vivid memories of sitting at the kitchen table with my little brother and sister, drawing with crayons and singing Raffi songs over and over and over. Great times.

The sandwich itself is simple, healthy, and great for summer - it's a recipe worth sharing.

Here are the ingredients for 1 sandwich:

2 slices of thick sliced, grainy whole wheat bread, like Dave's Killer Powerseed Bread
1 small avocado (make sure it is perfectly ripe - firm, but the stem cap should easily pop off)
4 white mushrooms
1 small handful of sprouts (optional, obviously.... dang E. coli)*
1 small handful of mozzarella cheese
Lawry's seasoned salt

*Before sprouts became synonymous with E. coli, they were an important part of the sandwich. Now we leave 'em out, but if you're a daring individual and like raw-egg cookie batter and oysters on the half shell, you might as well put them on the sandwich because it adds fun texture. Fun, if you're the adventurous type.

And this is what you're gonna do:

1) Toast 1 piece of bread so it is lightly browned
2) Slice up avocado into chunks, and slice mushrooms so that they are about 1/4 in. thick
3) Place piece of toast on cookie sheet, place avocado on top, and then cheese on top of the avocado
4) Spread out the mushrooms on the cookie sheet next to the sandwich-half
5) Sprinkle Lawry's on top of sandwich-half and mushrooms
6) Place cookie sheet in the oven under the broiler - keep an eye on it to make sure the toast doesn't get burnt (a little trick: place a knife between the cookie sheet and the toast to create space so the toast doesn't get soggy)
7) Pull cookie sheet out of the oven when cheese starts to brown and pile mushrooms on top of the sandwich-half
8) Finish by topping off the sandwich-half with sprouts (if you want to) and then the other piece of toast

Dunzo!

And as you see in the photo above, I had this sandwich with a salad because I'm trying really hard to be healthy. But now I'm sitting here chowing down on jalapeno kettle chips and thinking about how much better of a match they are for this sandwich. They complete the meal with a crunch and a kick. Even if you're trying to be extra healthy - make them your spluuuuurge. And then it's only Subway for you tomorrow. ;)

Sunday, July 24, 2011

It's been a long time, a long time


Los Roques... once upon a time I was there and took this picture


Ya been missing me? Don't worry, I haven't dropped this blog for some new blog about Gael Garcia Bernal movies, even though that would be typical. I've just been on a little hiatus from blogging ever since summer started - it's been insanely busy. But I've missed writing about casseroles and table-top vignettes and flowers and will be back very soon. :)