Recipes »Churros Donuts

Homemade via Mike

Thanks to Mike for the following recipe and bringing them to my party!!

The churro donuts were a modified recipe, but here’s a edited version with my additions

1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoons mexican chili powder
1 lime
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup butter, melted
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a donut baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, chili powder and flour.

Mix buttermilk, eggs, honey, zest from the lime and the juice from one half of the lime and butter in a separate medium bowl, and stir into the dry ingredients. Spoon the mixture onto the prepared pan filling them halfway.
Bake 8-9 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.
While donuts are still baking, prepare two bowls.  one will have the lime juice from the other half of the lime, and two tablespoons of buttermilk.  the other will have a mixture of 2 parts sugar, one part cinnamon.
while the donuts are still warm roll each one in the liquid mixture followed by the sugar mixture. let cool and enjoy.

See more: Recipes


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 29, 2010

Movies »Mulholland Drive

directed by David Lynch (2001)

With such a unique point of view and mind, a David Lynch project is always worthy of excitement, even if the results are extremely uneven and sometimes downright unbearable (see Inland Empire). It’s a pleasure then to revisit Mulholland Drive, even if it loses some of it’s stunning effect upon second viewing – there are just so many odd surprises first time round, it’s hard to recapture. By all means this should have been a confusing mess, and with dropped plot points, characters and strange twists, it nearly is – but somehow it all manages to work beautifully if not confoundedly.

It’s not surprising that the project was cobbled together from a pilot for a much larger television series. The fact that ABC, in a climate of prudence, rejected the pilot is a shame. While elements like the monster behind the diner, the hunk lover Billy Ray Cyrus, the cryptic cowboy, the appearance of both Lost’s Jacob and Robert Forster, the blue box, and the magic performance are all effective in the film, I’d love for all the ideas to have had a chance to flourish over time and we all would benefit from a new Twin Peaks style series to become obsessed with.

Click here for the rest of Mulholland Drive

See more: Movies


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010

Songs »En Glissant

by Yvette Horner

The haunting En Glissant by Yvette Horner came to my attention via family on facebook and is one of the songs shot for the Scopitone, which friend Marcus explained to us over on RC a ways back. Horner, virtually unknown in America was a French accordion star.

See more: Songs


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010

Hunks »Miles Davis

“The Prince of Darkness”

Miles Davis is one cool cat with a radiant smile and a world of influence on the landscape of jazz (too much to touch on here). Plus, a tough life left him looking like a very powerful warlock, which is awesome.

Click here for the rest of Miles Davis

See more: Hunks


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010

Style Icons: Male »Fernando Botero

Colombian Painter

The work of Fernando Botero is a family favorite and I grew up looking at his lush, abstracted portraits of exaggerated fat people. He’s never questioned his choice in subject and is simply drawn to the forms. Far from a novelty, though his paintings are exquisite and recently he gained acclaim for his politically volatile Abu Ghraib paintings. He is Columbia’s foremost artist and considered “the most Colombian of Colombian artists”.

Photo credit Roel Wijnants Fotografie

Click here for the rest of Fernando Botero

See more: Style Icons: Male


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010

Style Icons: Female »Jean Muir

Classic Designer

Timeless, flattering, and subtly daring, the fashions of Jean Muir would be as welcome and beloved today as they were in her heyday. The elegant Scot is considered among the finest dress makers to ever live even if her name is perhaps less known than fellow greats Chanel and Vionnet. I’d live in her dresses if I could right now and feel that the drapey, often printed dresses with impeccable details have influenced today’s designers of easy high fashion. She was also a big proponent of the turban, which you know makes me love her more.

Click here for the rest of Jean Muir

See more: Style Icons: Female


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010

Restaurants »Bonchon Chicken

325 5th Ave and Various Locations

Korean fried chicken has been on my to eat list for ages and I finally managed to meet up with a friend for lunch at the newly opened Bonchon on 5th ave st only just days ago. While this particular location still seemed to be working out some kinks (three irate to-go men where fuming for over 30 minutes before their orders arrived) we fared better seated in the unfashionable black leather booths. The timelessness of the ambiance –  in a karaoke joint kind of way – was further enhanced by a large screen that played videos from the past few decades from solo Nick Lashay to Lady Gaga to Sarah McLaughlan. All of this matters not to the food though, and who goes out for fried chicken to be surrounded in sophisticated elegance anyway?

The chicken is great – must be that “secret taste” they brag about on their site. We split a medium (plenty for two people with normal appetites, small for those that want to pig out) platter, white meat, half and half soy garlic and sweet spicy glaze. The difference to KFC or similar is significant. This is crispy, almost light (at least by fried food standards), with non of that face shining greasiness. This is because they remove the fatty skin before frying.

The glazes, which I worried would be sticky and overwhelming are sparingly applied and quite good – not gooey or too saccharine. I preferred what we believe was the garlic glaze and the kimchee coleslaw makes for a nice side – and that’s coming from someone who does not count herself a fan of the  cold (usually bland) picnic staple.

I plan to try and compare with Kyochon, the space agey place up the street which I’ve been told does Korean fried chicken in a totally different way. While I may be very late to this culinary trend, I am happily won over by it.

See more: Restaurants


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010

Desserts »NYC Icy

100 Avenue A

First, People’s Pops and now NYC Icy, this is turning into my summer of frozen treat delight!  This critical fave seems to have opened, closed, reopened all over the city many times before settling into this hole in the wall shop off Thompson Square park. I haven’t been in the area but have been meaning to swing by and curse myself for not making the trip sooner. Soft, smooth sorbets and cream ices come in an array of tantalizing flavors. I opted for a tart but balanced blueberry lemonade and an absolutely amazing and refreshing cucumber. Jim’s malted chocolate was quite decadent. I really can’t recommend this place enough and can’t wait to go back for more (then eat it in front of the gutter punks).

See more: Desserts


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010

Spend a Couple Minutes »Mix Your Polishes

Fun Color Combos

It’s certainly not a revolutionary one, but the idea of mixing up my nail polishes just occurred to me and makes for an easy way to all dazzle to my razzle. First go I tried neon pink and true red (colors I have always loved together) next it might be grey and florescent yellow, what do you say to that?

See more: Spend a Couple Minutes


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010

TV Shows »Foodography

On the Cooking Channel

There are some guys I just kind of like and am glad to see working. I like that Nathan Fillion got a job in Castle, (even if it’s unbearable), I love that the beeper king, Dean Winters is excellent in the Allstate commercials he took over from America’s real first black president, and I think it’s nice to see Mo Rocca hosting a food information show. He lends a bit of un-obnoxious humor to the often obnoxious genre in the new (pretty sweet) Cooking Channel’s Food(ography).

The show goes along with the channel’s slightly new take on food television. Instead of Al Roker or Marc Summers taking us to the Skittles factory for the thousandth time (though I still do kind of love seeing stuff being made in factories), Foodography has an approach that is slightly more in line with the foodie culture of today. Interesting and hip places are visited and there’s at least some actual research and information about the history of the subjects. While it still sometimes suffers from cheesy pun intended writing, it’s pleasurable lite watching that has even added a few go to places on my list.

See more: TV Shows


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 22, 2010