These greens keep lasting! I got them, post-Christmas for 3 bucks. Score.

I got tired of buying hydrangeas. They lasted one day! Just one day! And then withered. It is definitely not hydrangea season anymore.

Alas, as of today, we can no longer do this on our George. Grill a sandwich, that is (nothing to do with the grapes). Time to buy the Griddler. (Sounds like the Grimace crossed with the Riddler.)

My fridge, Jan 3, 2010
[click image to enlarge]

They say you can learn a lot about a person by the contents of their refrigerator.* So here's mine. Oh no, this picture makes me hungry.


*I'm pretty sure that only I think this; but now that you've read it, don't you think so too?

[image from Design Wonderland]

I came across this image on Design Wonderland. I love the idea of serving your guests in I Love NY style. That gives me a good idea.

Mosaic Storage Container Set by French Bull, set of 3, $26.

After clicking through a series of colorful images on Hostess with the Mostess, I found this set of Mosaic Storage Containers by French Bull. Having just cleaned my fridge to the point of sparkling spaciousness last week (I keep opening the door to admire my handiwork), I think these containers would be a nice addition. Is it uncool to talk about melamine on Earth Day? Look at it this way: they would certainly cut down on plastic wrap consumption...

Drat. Out of stock. Oh well, I can wait. Or I could get the polka-dotted set. And the serving spoons. And the matching plates. French Bull always creates a snowball effect of desire in me.

poor sad buried Ganesh, circled

I keep a statue of the Hindu deity Ganesh in the kitchen, because I figure the kitchen is the first room you enter when you enter our apartment; and as such, the kitchen is a symbol for the whole apartment. Or perhaps I am just far too food-centric. But I thought that Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings, Patron of Arts and Sciences, deva of Intellect and Wisdom, might be most effective if I placed him in the kitchen.

So you can see my distress while eating breakfast this morning when I finally really noticed the giant wall of baking supplies blocking Ganesh. Yes the irony of the situation was not lost on me. And so I got to work removing the obstacles from the Remover of Obstacles. And as soon as I was done clearing a path, the sun came out. Thank you Ganesh.

Ganesh as he presides over my set of fruit-shaped coasters
I have lime, lemon, orange and pink grapefruit.


Ganesh, in situ

I wanted to continue this morning with the comment I put forth in the previous post about Fred Flare. Just to be fair, this serpentine brownie pan which is available for $40 on fredflare.com is clearly marked with the designer/company credit. Baker's Edge. Now that is more like it.

It is an interesting item, don't you think? The clever pan design, which is patented by Baker's Edge, gives the brownie lover 70% more delicious chewy edge on every brownie portion. Yum. I like how they have thought this through.

Meet the real people behind Baker's Edge. The company is based in Indiana.

the kitchen counter by candlelight

my Mexican lasagna

Last night's meal called for some atmosphere. After the tasty all-smoked-fish-from-Acme NYC Marathon brunch we enjoyed with my parents on Sunday, I was in an entertaining mood. I added a little atmosphere with candlelight and flowers to our evening meal, even though it was just the two of us. I whipped up a Mexican lasagna which worked out rather well.



If you are in the mood to try this dish, I'll tell you the layers from the bottom on up: a little tomato sauce, a little extra virgin olive oil, a lot of Valentina extra hot Mexican hot sauce, which you can find in certain markets in Queens. I recommend buying yourself the 12.5 ounce bottle to start, and then working your way up to the larger size when you realize you cannot get enough Valentina. Valentina is excellent with beans, tortillas, even eggs. But back to the layers. Stir. Layer corn tortillas, black beans cooked with coriander powder and coriander pods, sauted broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, onion. Layer two: repeat with more corn tortillas, tomato sauce, Valentina, beans, veggies. Top with third layer of corn torillas, sauce, Valentina, and sprinkle lots of ground chipotle pepper (gift from my Mom) for that smokey spicy goodness. I didn't have any of that crumbly Mexican cheese, cojita, so I crumbled feta on top, which worked out well too. Serve with cold yogurt to cool the heat.

Pretty darn healthy, wouldn't you say? If I had zucchini on hand I would have added that to the sauted veggies. And corn too. Add whatever you want. Bake in the oven, covered for 15 minutes, and uncovered for 5 at 450 degrees.

Dear Click Clack Containers,

I am sorry I made disparaging remarks about your costliness the other day, comparing you to a Japanese square watermelon and the like. I now can fully appreciate your quality airtight seals and your fun-to-use clicky clacky snap-shut handles. You have to understand where I am coming from. I live in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, which is full of dollar stores. I am afraid that I have been conditioned over the past couple of years to expect to pay just one dollar for anything I want. I now realize that quality sometimes costs more, and it is worth it to spend a little more to get long-range pleasure from a purchase.

Today I bought couscous from C-Town and it came in a cardboard box. I had some room with the ramen, so I just stored the couscous right in the original box. But I have peace of mind knowing that my foodstuffs are safe and sealed.

Thank you again for your great product.

Sincerely,

Elaine Perlov

As I said the other day, I had to buy containers (what else?) at The Container Store (where else?) to store all of our pasta, grains and assorted other foodstuffs. As I was in a shopping mood, still triggered by our visit to Foster's homeware in Philly, I wandered over a few aisles and found this clear plastic pebble-like sink mat by InterDesign, a favorite houseware brand of mine. My first instincts were, "Yes, I do want to create that faux Zen feeling in my sink!" and "Yes I do deserve to look at something lovely while I do the dishes, to brighten up an otherwise mundane, seemingly never-ending task. Seemingly, ha. It is never-ending."

And then my second instincts said, as they can do in their doubting, practical, undermining any spontaneous pleasure sort of way, "But wait, is this sink mat just going to create extra work for myself? Will this mat be working for me, or will I be working for this mat, cleaning it in addition to the stack of dishes? Will I become obsessed with making the clear pebbles sparkle? That can happen you know."

Luckily my first instincts won out, and I plunked down the $9.99 at the register, and strolled down Lex on my merry way to the E train on 53rd, swinging my bag filled with joy, containers, and a brand new pebble sink mat to brighten up my mundane existence. Doesn't that just tug at your 'nesting' heartstrings? Well it should.

The InterDesign Pebble Sink Mat, in situ

My food after Click Clack. Peace of mind.

Today, I spent my day sorting food. And repackaging food into pricey airtight rectangular containers made in New Zealand which I had to purchase at The Container Store. I remember seeing these containers, perfectly shaped for small urban kitchen cabinets, a year ago. I wrote down measurements in my notebook for all the food I needed to store, and marched to the Click Clack display with my tape measure. Thankfully, all the sizes I wanted were in stock at the 58th Street store. We simply don't have the space for round containers. As I write this, all I can think of is the costly Japanese square watermelon, apparently invented to save space in store displays, and in people's refrigerators. But can that really be true?

Anyway, too many dollars later, I have the perfect containers to keep my food airtight and yes well bug-free. If it weren't for the critters, I would not have spent the too many dollars. I would have kept the food in the packages they came in, as I always did. But now that I own the Click Clack containers, I am pleased as punch, and feel that at least it is a good investment. I kind of like click-clacking them open and closed. And I have the peace of mind knowing my lentils and other foodstuffs are safe.

In my mind, the Click Clack containers are similar to the Japanese square watermelons.
Costly, but great space savers.

Not so junky right? Yes I am pleased with it too. So I took a picture to show you. It has stayed neat for a year. The key to it: these wire organizers (the large one that holds my chopsticks doubles as a bread basket. Just add waxed paper cut to size. I got the idea from Salamander in Boston, a great restaurant, now sadly out of business. The small ones double as jewelry displays which I fill with colored aquarium rocks.)

I like how everything fits so nicely. I am not tempted to buy more coasters, because they fit! No overflow. I made the little care packages in half-baggies (on the counter) when we moved. So precious. They crack me up. One contains a happy face bottle opener and 2 neon pour spouts (good for Balsamic vinegar). The other, sushi grass! And soy sauce containers shaped like little fishies. I saved them from my lunches in Japan back in 1990. I had to save something. I did get rid of my Parisian sugar collection though, which I saved from every cappuccino I drank in Paris.

There is much debate about whether the use of well-placed mirrors will double your prosperity according to Feng Shui principles. A contested theory: place a mirror behind the burners on your stove and you have double rice (double riches). Whenever I move into a new aparment, one of the first things I set up is my toaster mirror and little hanging Buddha. Just in case the mirrors do work, I have double toast! Personally, I feel luckier and wealthier.


And in an unrelated story, I promised to show you more works of the venerable Bede Murphy that hang in my apartment. Here is one reflected in the toaster mirror. This painting is even nicer when viewed directly. Hee.