amidst, the unavoidable stress and calamity of the holiday season; hasty shopping, excessive consumption & recounting triumphs and failures of the year gone by, it is important to remind ourselves...
O, the days of wild abandon:
of vanilla cigars & gin & juice
of honey dripping off your body at night
and ants in the sheets come the morning light
of hoisted up in the shower, twisted & sudsy sex
of breaking the soap dish; not seeing through the steam
of grilling summer peaches for lunch & letting them char & letting them burn
whilst roaming hands went where they needed to be
of having
and wanting
and having again
and again
of the first precocious kiss you planted
of the first name I wrote (it was yours) in the snow
of
our initials carved at Coney Island; witnessed by the freakshow &
the sand & cotton candy & the boardwalk of our future, good
intentions
of soon-to-come growing, great dividing distance and ever increasing melancholia
of jealous tongues of lying teeth of lips imparting desperate, vitriolic goodbyes
this reminds of the time i spent at an Ashram. My heart wasnt't healing right when i kept tearing out the sutures. but the harmonium did soothe me some. waves of sound hitting me in the dewy morning grass amongst the praying, robed strangers
O Ryan Gosling, you are creating unrealistic fantasies in the minds of lusty beings near and far... and now this! Goslingophila has taken hold of my white blood cells. Someone please send for help.
“I will remember your small room, the feel of you,
the light in the window, your records, your books, our morning coffee,
our noons our nights, our bodies spilled together, sleeping, the tiny
flowing currents, immediate and forever, your leg my leg, your arm my
arm, your smile and the warmth
of you
who made me laugh
again.”
The Brownie Bake-off Challenge of 2011! Except, I am the only baker, the competitors be the very recipe's themselves.
A few weeks ago I was having brownie cravings and I wanted to know once and for all what exactly my feelings were on the matter (a very serious matter indeed). What constitutes a good brownie? Should it be fudgy & dense? Or rather, cakey with a nice crumb? Is cocoa powder the key element or chocolate itself?
I enlisted the help of my gorgeous friend, Liz and armed with a truck load of butter and chocolate (including a single origin chocolate & dark cocoa from Monsieur Truffe) we broke out the mixing bowls and spatulas.
First of all, I couldn't NOT make this brownie...with the incomparable Julia at the helm, I had more than couverture & luck on my side; I had the genius of Childs.
The Adjudication
L.L (lovely liz): Still a little 'goopy' in the middle. Not too sweet, crunchy top, flavour plus. 7.5/10
The Frockette: Not overly sweet, rich fudgy centre, cracked surface but soft crumb texture 7/10
"Raw Brownie" I thought it would be remiss of me not to include a healthier option, so when I stumbled upon this recipe whilst perusing the uber healthy & excellent blog, My New Roots; I new I had to try it. Its only sweet ingredient is Medjool dates (which in other news, is also an uber delicious foodstuff) and it is bound together by cocoa and nuts!
The Adjudication
L.L: Only a hint of date flavour, good texture, not as indulgent as the others, more of a healthy treat. 6/10
The Frockette:a lil bitter, more of a fudge than a brownie, walnuts add an earthiness, a human error on our behalf...needs more Dates! (for sweetness) 5.5/10
"Baked:New Frontiers in baking! Brownie!" Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito are a dynamic Brooklyn duo who celebrate & excel at American style baking. Think homely, rustic, wondrous baked goods that the likes of Oprah, The New York Times & David Lebovitz have raved about.
The Adjudication
L.L: This chewy, sweet, consistent brownie is rocking my world. addition of sea salt is a win! 8.5/10
The Frockette:...they're f**king good. Salty. A decent crumb with a dense, chocolate centre. Cocoa is the way to go go 8.5/10
New frontiers in baking and flavour bombs! The baked boys have won over our taste buds and hearts.
Natalya Lobanova's drawings are so sharp and darkly hilarious; they are little notes of hidden truths. i dig her blog happy 2 b sad and you should too. Head on over there. Maybe even treat yourself to a zine.
I read voraciously during my first year of University. I made a makeshift bedside table out of volumes of poetry and plays. I also had a rather odd habit of reading whilst walking. I recall being terribly engrossed in some novella on the way home one day, and suddenly feeling a yanking sensation on my head. You see, my hair had become quite tangled in the low hanging branches of some tree....It was one of my nerdier moments, yes.
Just me & my new Tattly's. (Thanks, Frank Chimero. You the man.) This swissmiss enterprise is pretty darn playful & whimsical and has made me sweet on several designers. Design crushes for all!
What a beautiful and creative way to present a recipe! My mouth is still agape. agog. a googley eyed and what not. This is now on my list of 'must bake' items. *subtly drools on computer*
I really do love Miranda July's sense of whimsy, melancholy and exploration of the macrocosm/microcosms of life, of the heart, of each moment. Regurgitator ain't alone in the sentiment; "Miranda July, I think adore you".
...the time i drank far too much and first kissed your lips. our mouths tasted of dirty martinis. olive and gin and longing. my memory is patchy but i recall drawing imaginary, concentric circles on the seam of your pants with my shoeless, stocking encased foot.
a ladder ran all the way up- just where i wanted you to be.
Vocalist and guitarist.... violinist and autoharp player?!
Marques is classically trained and intuitively soulful. An accomplished instrumentalist who was once found busking on the graffitied street corners of Brick Lane and is now touring the world. I plan on seeing him in NYC but he is also playing at Splendour in the Grass in Queensland in July! Do yourself a favour and get your hot, little hands on a ticket.
This is the kind of song that would be appropriate to slow dance to whilst standing on your lover's feet. Rugged up in blankets and completely oblivious to the wet, weary weather.
If you should happen to find yourself southside in ole' Melbournetown I strongly suggest you pay this charming Balaclava local a visit. It's a hidden gem and oh so adorable. Food and coffee are pretty darn good, too. Aye Aye, Little Captain!
