summer time = ice cream time!

We have an ice cream-maker attachment for our KitchenAid mixer and try to make ice cream or sorbet (fondly referred to as sorbetto by me) whenever possible.  Since it's getting warm, we have officially broken out the tools and made our first ice cream of the season, strawberry!!

We used the strawberry ice cream recipe from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book by Bruce Weinstein.  The book is fairly straight forward, most of the recipes have just a few ingredients, so it's not too intimidating for a not-so-serious cook!

photo from amazon listing

The recipe calls for more strawberries than we had so we (Ryan..) added pineapple.  The ice cream came out sweet and strawberry-tasting..but there was a slight bitterness to it too.  We think that the bitterness may be from the pineapple, even though it was not particularly bitter.  It is especially tasty with chocolate chips!

I think the next flavor we should go for should be coconut.  It's fresh and fruity for summer, and we happen to have coconut milk on hand.  I think a sorbet would be perfect!  In addition to coconut milk, we will also need coconut water (I haven't seen this around anywhere)..and sugar.  That's it!!  <3

Old Navy Wish List!! (and more)

Old Navy is great for summer clothes!  I'm been craving a shopping trip, and I think I can make a stop this weekend.  Here's what looks good!
Swimsuits, like this pink retro stripped bikini!  It looks like a little Missoni number, for ($16.50 a piece) a total of $33?

old navy "warm combo" bandeau halter top and boyshort swim bottoms (for some reason the colors look slightly mismatched here..)

I like their little dresses for summer too, they're great for casual days!  I was expecting a bit better of a selection, but hoping they have more options in the store.  This might work, it's a good color!

jersey v-neck dress "orangentina" is the color... $24.50!!

Already have these!  Classic metallic flip-flops $4.50 on sale for 3.50!!

While on the topic of shoes..  I have been looking for a nice pair of sandal-booties for the summer, but not too bootie-ish, more sandal.. I like these but haven't decided to purchase yet!  Have to make sure there is nothing better out there first.

corso como "key" $89.95 - $118.80 polishedsense.com and shoes.com

that's it for now.. <3

cake success! Tres Leches!!

Yum!  Ryan made another great cake this weekend!  (Pan) Tres leches - Spanish for three milk cake!  This was awesome!  He decided to make it for a dinner party we had, and it went over well.  I was the biggest fan, so it is fitting that I get all the left overs!

Ryan used a box vanilla cake, and prepared it as packaged.  When the cake was cool, he poked holes in the cake, (I helped with this part) poured the three milks over the cake to soak over night.  The three milks are condensed, evaporated and heavy cream (although we used part 2% milk, part heavy  cream).   Ryan also made fresh whipped cream to top the cake, and added fresh strawberries.  Gorgeous!!

We don't have a picture of the cake before it was mostly eaten, just from the next morning, for breakfast!  Yum!!  Adding this to my list of winners! <3

Me channeling grandma Gladys!

At least i think so!!  Maybe it's just the glasses..
We had a great trip to Florida last month for Jerry's birthday!!  We made stops on the east and west coasts and saw lots of family!  I always have time for a little sun! More family photos are coming to our photo page!
<3

Buttermilk Pie - Salty and Sweet!

So, Ry made this delicious buttermilk pie this week.  At first taste it was definitely interesting..with a super salty crust, made with oil, not butter, and a sweet custard filling.  I think he was actually disappointed with how it turned out, unfortunately.  The second day, after the pie had chilled in the fridge, I loved it!!  Not exactly sure what the difference was, maybe the chilled custard.  Also, the crust absorbed some the filling, which was nice!

I'm encouraging Ryan to make a second round, especially since we have buttermilk left in the fridge!!  He wants to try with a butter crust, instead of the oil, and I think that is a fine idea!  All in all, I think it was a great recipe!  He found it on YouTube - here  by India Galyean.
<3

Interview with an Interior Designer!

This is a post I started nearly a year ago, a recap of a informational interview with my aunt Joan Lerner, and now-retired interior designer, former president of the NJ chapter of American Society of Interior Designers, NJASID. She had a lot to say and was supportive of me and my interests. Her latest endeavor is a fun and thought-provoking read - Among Us Women. A story of friends, women's issues, and scandals with design notions woven through. Her book was a voted on, and selected as a finalist in a contest on Book Bundlz - books unleashed!

Here are my brief notes from our conversation:

asid student chapter, associates degree, meetings
marketplace design center
asid headquarters - DC
get more info from another designer
internship programs

economy - may be suffering
architect of interior design firm - need credentials for legitimate firm

commercial vs residential

learn: read and make blueprint, standards, space planning, contractors, convert room into accurate plan - measured,
dimensional drawings

who has best courses for this?
______________________________________________________
Selected schools:
Drexel University Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design - MS Interior Design
Moore College of Art & Design - MFA Interior Design
Philadelphia University School of Architecture - MS Sustainable Design, BS Interior Design
Temple University Tyler School of Art - MA Architecture

Selected accredited online schools (from ASID site):
Rhodec International (www.rhodec.edu)
Art Institute of Pittsburgh's Online Division (www.aionline.edu)
Academy of Art online program (www.academyart.edu)
Limperts Academy (www.limpertsacademy.com)

<3

too early for spring shoes..

Really love these sandals from JCrew.

Zee curtains!

Custom made by Ryan and me! Really fun! <3

Quakes

My mother was interviewed by the NY Times yesterday. The reporter didn't know that he had found one of the best people to ask about Morris County, - my mother has lived there her whole life. The inquiry of the day? Earthquakes! It is as strange as it sounds, earthquakes in NJ! These were just little tremors, - three within the last month. The full story at the NY Times site.

Unfortunately, Mom's face didn't make it into the article, so here is a recent shot.

A Yummy President's Day

In honor of President's Day the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. displayed presidential portraits, made of cupcakes! The artist used over 5,000 cupcakes to create the faces of Presidents Lincoln and Obama. What a fun idea! For a cute story on the event, NPR has more!

Photo found on New York Times blog The Caucus