Saturday, January 28, 2012

still life font

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i can cut intricate shapes out of vinyl free-hand in one go. i can take amazing photographs. i can sketch in sharpies and have my lines come out correctly as i put them down on the page (or plastic bottle, or any given surface). no pencils for me.

i was always the kid that could draw the line art bear in the newspaper that would garner you a grand prize. my dad and i were recently talking about my grade 11 art teacher that gave me a poor grade because he thought art came easy to me and he had assumed that i didn't put any effort into my painting because of it (jealous, much, mr. miata?). i can draw what i see, but i am hyperaware that i cannot create something from mid-air. when i sat down to design some a friend's logo, i figured i would be able to draw what i formed out of string on my lap; it proved more difficult than expected, so i took photographs of each letter i created. a special thank you to andrew's extra pack of star wars shoelaces.

Friday, January 13, 2012

dance dance dance

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i am cleaning my computer room and need to type out a random note i need to recycle and commit to memory.
- chainé right, tuck right knee to chest, fan left leg to do an inside jumping turn
- pirouette with knee at knee to sauté arabesque
- saute de basque chassé seconde
- turning sauté arabesques front/back
- turning pas de chat in parallel
- piqué saute de basque

Sunday, November 6, 2011

my bride with the fantastic pre-reception food

cream puffs and homemade beef stew that's even better than what you can get at din tai fung? yes please! click here to see her same day edit by avec lumiere out of california.

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

borscht; steam the beets, simmer the veggies in white wine

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•3 quarts beef or chicken broth
•1/4 tsp butter
•2 garlic cloves, minced
•white wine
•1 turnip, thinly sliced
•1 teaspoon dried marjoram
•2 celery stalks, trimmed, thinly sliced
•1 carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
•1/2 head shredded cabbage
•1 bay leaf
•salt and pepper to taste
•4 beets, peeled, grated
•4 tbsp lemon juice
•sour cream

other recipes involve:
•no beets at all!
•1/4 cup dill, minced
•2 onions, diced
•1 leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
•2 parsnips, peeled, thinly sliced
•whole allspice berries
•potatoes
•bacon
•meat
•2 Tbsp tomato paste
•6 Tbsp honey
•beet stalks and beet greens
•pickle juice


Scrub beets, cut off tops an inch from the base. I steam them in a double boiler and peel off the skin with gloves when they've cooled. Reserve any juices that have dripped into double boiler. Other recipes bake them in foil or boil them.

Bring broth to a simmer while you prepare the vegetables. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat with the butter. Add garlic. Cook for 1 minute and stir in the marjoram.


Add the celery, turnips, carrot, and cabbage. I add a generous splash of wine to minimize the use of butter. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly tender, about 8 minutes

Add the vegetables and bay leaf to broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer partially covered for 10 minutes before grating the beets directly into the soup. Add any beat juices that dripped into the double boiler. Simmer, partially covered, until the soup is flavorful and the vegetables are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice.

Cover and chill in fridge for a few hours or overnight. Reheat before serving, but not to boiling or the color will disappear. Serve with sour cream.