risotto rice pudding topped with sauteed pineapple - craving this right now!!

I am 'working' at the library right now...but all I can think of is this fantastic-looking rice pudding and pineapple combination!


Risotto rice pudding

½ cup Arborio (risotto) rice
8 cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
2 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
~ Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Combine the rice, milk, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring every 5 minutes as the mixture starts to thicken, for about 30 minutes.
Continue cooking until the rice is tender but not too mushy, about 15 minutes longer. The milk will be thick and the rice tender, but the mixture will still be very soupy, which is what you want. (As the pudding cools, it thickens, and if it is too thick while still hot, it will firm up into a thick, stodgy lump without the unctuous creaminess of a great rice pudding.)
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cream together and stir into the rice pudding. Continue cooking the pudding over medium-low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the eggs are cooked through and pudding is creamy and glossy, but still fairly soupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Grate a little nutmeg, if you like, into the pudding. Remove the vanilla pod.
Pour the pudding into a serving bowl or individual serving dishes and press plastic wrap over the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 to 3 hours. Serve cold.

via bourbonnatrixbakes

short on time so more pretty pictures! (also, hooray for march!)

courtesy of the sartorialist and because i'm addicted

inspiring looks from lookbook!

 

(snow = my life for the past 2 months in new england)

now that I'm taking oil painting...

 these SUPER REALIST paintings both astound and motivate me...how are these paintings?!
I especially love the oil paint tubes, just because those have become a familiar sight for me as I've been spending late nights at the studio...

tuxedo strawberries - wow! (and such a lovely antidote to all valentine's day themed desserts...)

 

chocolate-covered strawberries are one of my all-time favorite desserts. they're healthy, right? it's fruit, so it's totally justifiable that these strawberries are covered in chocolate, right? 

in addition to the fact that dark chocolate has antioxidants and strawberries are very good for you, these tiny tuxedos are just super artsy and cool and dress-y. 

via cafe fernando, istanbul

pretty images

via the Sartorialist and cupcakes and cashmere!

oatmeal obsession by association

 

Okay, so recently a certain family member (...Teta, my aunt...) has been obsessing over oatmeal! and especially oatmeal from an unlikely gourmet source called Chez McDonald's. While I admit I was skeptical at first, lounging around and helping my mom go through her closet while eating $2 oatmeal from  a fast food chain was about as delicious as it can get. With the dried cranberries, raisins, and brown sugar, this oatmeal was fantastic. The next day at the airport I decided to try Starbuck's take...and it was also a very satisfying little meal! I liked the texture a little more than option number one, probably because it was thicker and less runny and also included nuts as a topping! About a week ago, I also tried the Jamba Juice option with bananas and brown sugar (this steel cut option was probably the winner!). 

Anyway, oatmeal is definitely the new cupcake.

also, check out all the different kinds of oats used in oatmeal below!

• oats:

  this is the general term for the grain. It’s pretty much the equivalent of saying “wheat” or “rice.”

• oat groats:

  whole edible oat kernels that come out when the two protective outer (inedible) husks from oats are removed. These are the least processed form of oats (unless you straight pick oat grains from the field), so they require longer preparation in the kitchen, e.g. soaking, longer cook times.

• steel cut oats:

  oat groats that have been chopped into a few pieces by steel blades. Steel cut oats take about 15-20 minutes to cook on the stovetop. They are also called “coarse-cut,” “pinhead,” and “Irish” oats.

• rolled oats:

  oat groats that are steamed to soften then flattened (i.e. “rolled over”) into thi flakes, steamed, then toasted. Because they are thinner than steel-cut oats, they take a shorter time to cook. Rolled oats can be “thick-” or “thin-rolled,” and “old-fashioned,” “quick-cooking,” or “instant.”

• oatmeal:

  we are thinking that this usually term refers to any form of cooked oats, which almost always looks like a porridge, but in a specific sense, would be considered a ground form of oats. We could be wrong.

• “old-fashioned”:

  refers to rolled oats that you cook on the stovetop (or in another way) because they aren’t “pre-cooked” to make them quick-cooking or instant.

• quick-cooking:

  a form of rolled oats, but they are cut into smaller pieces, then steamed and rolled. Like the name says, they cook quickly.

• instant:

  cut, rolled oats that are cooked then dehydrated. You only have to add water to eat them. These usually come with sugar and “flavorings” added, so we are not fond of these (as we mentioned earlier).

• oat flour:

  oats finely ground into a powder. Oat flour can be used for baking, but behaves differently from wheat flour because oat flour does not have gluten.

• oat bran:

  the outer husk of the oat that has the bulk of the grain’s fiber. Whole oat groats are separated into the bran and the oat flour

• Irish Oats, Irish Oatmeal:

  same thing as steel cut oats. Popular brand: McCann’s Irish Oatmeal in the metal canister.

• Scottish oats:

  this is the one that confuses us. First of all, we can’t figure out if Scottish and Scotch are two different things. In either case, these can be ground oat groats that cook faster into a porridge, or these are the same thing as Irish/steel cut oats.

• muesli:

  a mixture of rolled oats (and other grains sometimes) with dried fruit and nuts.

• granola:

  like museli, made of rolled oats (and other grains, sometimes) and dried fruit and nuts, but toasted. Granola usually has added sugars/sweeteners.
  
  via tastespotting.com

LOVING these colors and silhouettes and COLORS (Gucci Spring 2011Ready-to-Wear)

 I cut this look out from a newspaper article a while ago, and still look at the image everyday for inspiration! Absolutely my favorite color combination I have seen in a very long time, and this is such a clean, sleek silhouette.

 one of my favorite combinations!

 favorite color ever = this royal blue. If you know me, almost my entire closet is blue.

 this fringe is fantastic! also, every time I pick out an outfit, blue and orange work their way into it.

Gucci Spring 2011 Ready to Wear

chocolate-peanutbutter frozen banana bites - could this possibly be the best and healthiest dessert EVER?

FROZEN BANANA BITES

What you'll need . . .

• 2 large bananas
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• Unsweetened coconut flakes

1. Set out a large plate or bowl with a piece of parchment or wax paper on it.
2. Cut up the bananas into good-sized chunks. Each banana should give you around 5 to 6 pieces.
3. Heat the peanut butter and chocolate chips in the microwave on high for about a minute. Then stir until smooth.
4. Dip the banana pieces in the chocolate-peanut butter mixture. Lay them out leaving some space between them on the parchment/wax paper. Then when you've "covered" them all, use the remaining mixture to spoon over the tops (for even more chocolate-y goodness).
5. Then sprinkle the unsweetened coconut flakes on top. Transfer to the freezer for about an hour until hardened.
6. You can enjoy them like this (but they really aren't frozen yet -- and when they're frozen, the banana tastes like vanilla ice cream) . . . I suggest then covering with some plastic wrap (or really you can do all of this in some kind of Rubbermaid container) and let freeze overnight.

via neverhomemaker.com 

flaming strawberries on chocolate cupcakes - wait - FLAMING strawberries?!

okay, this is quite possibly the most innovative and genius and creative and science-chem-nerdy dessert that I have ever come across! The strawberries are hollowed out and filled with a bit of liquor, then ignited with a match - crazzzzzy! While the recipe is offered in all seriousness, the warnings that sprinklebakes  gives are pretty hilarious: do not eat the flaming strawberries, make sure the strawberries are leak-proof because you are setting the alcohol on fire, etc.

 

ALSO, sign me up for sound vibration paint sculpture class please!

 

"The creative studio dentsu, teamed up with photographer linden gledhill to create this series of paint sculptures using sound vibrations. The series was part of a campaign for canon’s pixma ink printer brand. the photographs and videos begin by wrapping a membrane around a small speaker. Ink drops were placed on this membrane and the speaker was turned on. Once it began to vibrate the ink begins to jump up and down. High-speed video cameras and still cameras were used to capture this including circling around the sculptures to see them from all angles. Experimenting with different sounds and frequencies created the various pieces."

http://www.dentsu.com

absolutely CANNOT WAIT FOR ITALY next fall !

These pictures have just made me realize how excited I am to study abroad in Italy next fall! traveling, eating amazing Italian food, going to art museums, browsing little shops off the beaten path, testing every single gelato flavor, making sketches in the piazzas...the list goes on and on and on!

via funzug.com

ALSO:

 

such a cool take on suede! also LOVE the bright sky-blue belt and the unexpected lime/olive boots...

via

the Fashionist

what a stylish couple + new streetstyle blog that I L-O-V-E !

I have always been a huge fan of The Sartorialist streetstyle blog - it is a daily stop for me! So imagine my surprise and excitement when I found this new and incredibly beautiful streetstyle photography blog called the Fashionist.

This pictures seems to really capture the motion and chic-ness of a fashionable couple in action. It makes me want to fabricate a story about their lives: Where are they going? Why is he carrying a hot water bottle as a purse? Did they plan the ketchup and mustard combination? What type of feathers is she wearing? How long did it take him to grow that salt and pepper beard? Do they wander the streets of Milan fashionably on a daily basis?

spicy orange crescent cookies - now doesn't that sound interesting?

I was just looking at one of my favorite food blogs, behind the skillet, and came across these sweet/tart and spicy cookies (crazy right?). I really really want to experiment with this unusual combination and maybe even come up with other combos...basil and lemon cookies? mint and strawberry? oregano and lime? thyme and apple?

anyway, here is the recipe!

Spicy Orange Crescents
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Orange Extract
1 Tsp Orange Zest
2 cups Cake Flour (Germany: type 405)
1/2 cup finely chopped Almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
extra Powdered sugar for rolling (a good cup at least)

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.   Add extract and zest and mix until well blended.

In another bowl, sift together flour and spices, and stir in chopped almonds.  Add this dry mixture to the butter mixture and beat until all well blended.

Form about 1 Tbs of dough into crescent shapes (roll into a log between hands then bend slightly) and place on a parchment-lined cookies sheets.  Bake at 375 F/ 190 C for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly browning/golden on the edges. 

Cool for a few minutes on sheets then transfer to cooling racks.  When just very slightly warm, gently roll the cookies in powdered sugar to coat.  Return to racks and allow to cool completely. 

my Building and Bag

 

I was walking home from my internship at the museum and decided to document how BE-A-UTIFUL Currier looks in the late afternoon...absolutely love living in an old(er) brick building, despite the occasional spiders in the basement or leaks (ah!). 

Speaking of the museum, below is the bag that all the ladies who I work with are literally in love with! I just recently started using it because I no longer need to lug a backpack around everyday...who knew that something as commonplace as pop-tops could be turned into a slightly edgy and completely unique bag, with the help of a little string?

{my pop-top bag!}

my bed(dorm)room + collage

 

my bed(dorm)room wall and corner! even though I decorated this wall in the beginning of the year, today I finally took photos and never really realized how it looked as a whole. somehow flattening and minimizing a corner of my room made it more of a collage / piece of art to me than ever. This was also inspired by a collage-making session earlier today when I made this: 

 

very inspiring short documentary featuring 'the sartorialist'

I was really captured by the simplicity of his view on fashion / photography / art...this made me think of his sort of career in a different light.

so I just really want to have the ability to work red leather pants!

 

via because i'm addicted