Local Travels: The Guggenheim Museum

A few weekends ago I went to The Guggenheim Museum to see the “Picasso Black and White” exhibit (the show closed on January 23rd).  My favorite piece in the “Picasso Black and White” exhibit was the “Woman Ironing (La repasseuse)” painting, which is part of The Guggenheim’s permanent collection.  The work feels like desperation and hopelessness made tangible. Photography of the exhibit itself was not allowed, but the building itself provides plenty of spectacular visual moments.  I also snapped a few iPhone shots of Gabriel Orozco’s “Asterisms” exhibit.  The collection of found objects and corresponding photography of the objects made for an intriguing show.

Snaps: Roosevelt Island Tram | One View, Five Days

Hands down, my current commute is the best I’ve experienced.  A few minutes of spectacular aerial New York City views beats a subway ride any day.  These are a few favorite snaps looking up the East River from the Roosevelt Island tram.

In My Home: Snapshots of Our Gallery Wall & Coffee Table

iPhone photographs edited with Snapseed

(1) Our Alice Gao Instagram calendar finally makes it up on our gallery wall.

(2) The (too rare) joy of a clean coffee table, made even better by some unopened tulips, Ellsworth Kelly, and Kinfolk Magazine.

Recipe Files: NY Times Recipes for Health Quinoa Salad with Lime Ginger Dressing & Shrimp

The New York Times Recipes for Health is a terrific resource for delicious, healthy meals.  The salad featured in this blog plot (with a grilled shrimp recipe courtesy of Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything) is a new favorite.  If you’re looking for some new recipes to add to your cooking repertoire, I highly recommend checking out the site.  I love that you can search for recipes by ingredients or “themes” (appetizers, desserts, soups, summer pantry, winter greens, etc.).  I have yet to be disappointed by a recipe from this collection!

 
NY Times Recipes for Health Quinoa Salad with Lime Ginger Dressing & Shrimp (original recipe here)

Dressing ingredients:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (more to taste) – I added twice as much, and think I’ll add even more for next time.
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste
Pinch of cayenne
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil or walnut oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk

Salad ingredients:
3 cups cooked quinoa (3/4 cup uncooked)
4 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced thin
1 small cucumber, halved, seeded and thinly sliced on the diagonal – I used small cucumbers, and simply sliced them on the diagonal (no halving or seeding).
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
12 to 16 cooked medium shrimp, peeled - I used 10 shrimp, grilling method follows this recipe.

Whisk together dressing ingredients.

Combined cooked quinoa, scallions, cucumber, and cilantro.  Toss salad with dressing.  Top each salad with 3 or 4 shrimp.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp (via Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything)

1 large clove garlic
1 tablespoon coarse salt - I would use less next time.
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice - I used lime juice instead.
Shrimp - I chose to devein the shrimp.

Mince and mash garlic with salt until it forms a paste and transfer to a small bowl.  Mix in the cayenne and paprika, then add the olive oil and lemon (in my case, lime) juice.

Cover shrimp in paste.

Grill shrimp, turning once.  Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side.  I preheated our Le Creuset skinny grill on the stove top (you can make the dressing while the grill heats up), and then cooked the shrimp once the grill was quite hot.

Dogear Press Projects: 2012 Aars Family Christmas Card

This past December I had the absolute pleasure of designing the 2012 Aars family Christmas card.  You might remember Allison from this blog post featuring her beautiful photography.  And if you haven’t checked out her blog (You Have Your Blog, We Have Aars), I suggest you head over there right away - it’s an amazing source of inspiration and creativity.

Allison provided the photo of her adorable son Isaiah (don’t you just love the expression of wonder on his face?) and the text that you see on the card, and then gave me free rein to play around with the design.  The top image is the card that Allison and her husband Michael ultimately selected, and the bottom is another option I sent to them.  I like the clean and modern feel of the first design, but also liked the whimsical feel of the second.  Do you have a favorite?

And again, thank you to the Aars family for thinking of me to design your family Christmas card!

Welcoming 2013

design by Dogear Press

bokeh texture courtesy of Jill Wellington via Lost & Taken

Wishing you the very best for the year ahead.