the arugula files

How to Hold a Top Chef Quickfire (Sliders!)

The Top Chef finale is this Wednesday.  Um, I think.  There's been so many finalists that, as a good friend recently said, "there are more almost-endings then Lord of the Rings."  Whatever happens, I'm rooting for Antonia.  She makes the food I want to eat.  Second runner up: Mike.  I'm sorry Richard, I don't like freaky chemicals in my food, and besides that you are super annoying this season.  Too much angst. Who cares who wins, unless of course, you are playing the game yourself.  That brings me to tips on how to hold your own Top Chef Quickfire. 

Easier Living with Russel Wright

I have to take a minute to tell you about Russel Wright, one of my favorite modernists.  Wright, an industrial designer, is most well-known for his American Modern dinnerware collection, which he designed in 1939.  The set featured above is from that collection and I've been scooping up for a pittance at thrift stores around DC and Baltimore, and on ebay.  People say Russel Wright "revolutionized the American home and how people lived there." Gone were the days of formal, ten piece settings.  Instead Mr. Wright created inexpensive dinnerware that emphasized informal living.  I'm down with that.  Plus, isn't it pretty?  That's a photograph, but doesn't it look like a still-life painting?

How to Throw a Mid-Mod Dinner Party

The mid-century modern house we bought last spring has led to all things vintage.  I love hunting around thrift stores, picking up sea foam Russel Wright pieces, and egg yolk yellow fondue sets.  To celebrate Christmas mid-mod style,  Marcus and I threw a little mid-mod dinner party.  A few photos and tips for you to get ready for the Mad Men premiere, whenever that might be.

Still Holiday Shopping? Here Are Some Ideas for the Foodie in Your Life

 

1) Apple and peach blossom raw honey from Toigio Orchard, for the tea drinker.

2) Hendricks Gin, for the sophisticated drinker. {hat tip to Sangeetha for the introduction.}

3) Owl plushie, for the person who likes owls.  (So what if they don't have anything to do with food.  This shop is one of my favorites on the internet, so I'm obligated to tell you about them.)

4) Acacia salad bowl, for the lover of organic materials.

5) Nesting doll glasses, for the person who loves kitsch.

6) Kotobuki piglet bento box, for the person who spends too much money buying lunch.

7) Xenia tiles, for the functional art lover.

8) Meadow Chevre from Firefly Farms, for the cheese lover.

9) Miss Dahl's Volumptuous Delights, for someone looking for the female version of Jamie Oliver.

 

Thanks to my husband Marcus for making this post pretty. He thinks there's too much "bric-a-brac" on this list and likes last year's list better.  "It's more practical."  I think I'll get him socks for Christmas.

 

Black Friday: Visit Table Top DC

It's Black Friday, the day when we all get our consumer on, get ahead of Holiday shopping, and spend money to stimulate the economy.  If you haven't been to Table Top DC, a small shop located on 20th Street in Dupont Circle, check it out.  I like to give the place a cruise after the farmer's market (they open at 12:00 on most days). You can also shop online. 

The buyer at this shop is really more of a curator, with a sharp eye for design and whimsy.  Currently, I'm in love with these tiles and this clock and this tote and this charm.... (Santa, are you reading this?).

Corn "Peelers" (Are They Worth It?)

Just yesterday I said I would stop writing about corn.  I lied.  Before we switch the seasonal menu board, I want to tell you about corn "peelers."  I am completely skeptical of one-use kitchen tools.  Yes, I own plenty, including such unneeded absurdities as a melon ball-er and a salad spinner.  What's next...electric scissors?   

I was perfectly happy using a knife to cut corn off the cobb, until I almost sliced my hand off.  After that incident, I decided to buy a corn peeler.  (I ordered this one for $9.99).   I think my hand is worth the price.  But, really, life changing hand injuries aside, are corn peelers worth it? 

5 Local Food Blogs You Should Read. Seriously.

I haven't had much time to spend around here.  Write a post?  Puh-lease.   I don't even have time to read my blogs (and there are over 500 in my RSS).  Here are a few local food blogs that I wouldn't miss, and some I'm just getting to know. 

• I Flip for Food.  Angela and Mark are making their way around the DC restaurant scene.  Recently they've been to every restaurant I wish I had time for.  Until I do, I eat vicariously through their blog.  They cook too, and Angela makes mustard+pasta sound good.
  
  
• Apron Anxiety.  Much like US Weekly, this blog is a guilty pleasure.  Written by Alyssa, more widely known as Chef Spike's fiance, it's more of a gossip/lifestyle diary than a food blog.  Who cares if she writes about food?  There's lots of over-sharing to pig out on.  If I could write as well as Alyssa, I would quit my day job.
  
  
• Frozen Fix.  If the ice cream truck bells I hear in my neighborhood led me to the frozen fix, I would run down the street to catch up with it.  Apricot Champagne Sorbet, Green Tomato Goat Cheese Ice Cream, Sesame Ice Cream--all you need is a cone.
  
  
• Mrs. Wheelbarrow. If there is such thing as a can-aholic, then Mrs. Wheelbarrow needs a twelve step program.  She cans, entertains, and teaches cooking classes, making Martha Stewart and everyone else around her look lazy.  I'm thinking about taking her Thai cooking course.  Check her out on NPR.
  
  
• Tales from the Fruit Cellar.   This girl hoards peas, loves peanut butter, stalks this "silver fox," and helps raise chickens.  In other words: I want her to be my BFF. 

Yes, I know you read smitten kitchen and orangette, but what's your favorite new food blog?

 

 

 

 

 

Matryoshka Doll Measuring Cups

I love these little measuring cups.  Aren't they the cutest?  I doubt I'll use them for measuring, but I might hide things in them.  I'm not sure what.  Any ideas?