We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea: March 2009

Friday, March 27, 2009

Solid Light Films

Anthony McCall is a British artist who makes what he calls 'solid light' films--explorations of beams of light as they encounter various densities of air particles presented by vapour, smoke, fog, etc.

I've sadly never seen this in action (there's a piece languishing in the SF Moma's permanent collection vaults!) but the description alone is enough to make me swoon! I've always wanted to do this sort of thing with sound...

Friday, March 13, 2009

All the President's Girls

While Annie K. Evans is clearly channeling Elizabeth Peyton in a major way, I can't help but be charmed by her series of paintings of presidents' mistresses. I love the way they're all grouped together on her site, regardless of era or aura of tramp. Who wouldn't fall for some of these lovely ladies? (Or that gent?)

Monday, March 9, 2009

Desktop Fireworks

Still getting to the bottom of how this one works exactly, but a number of examples of this fine new technology (a.k.a. augmented reality) have cropped up recently--could it be the next generation of printed matter?

Desktop Fireworks from Saqoosha on Vimeo.

Too Many Cooks (recipes we can't live without)

Shakshouka

Onions Garlic Ginger Tomatoes Tomato Paste Anything else you have in the cupboard Spices (cumin, pepper, thyme, etc) One egg per person (some people may want more)

Chop onions, garlic and ginger and sauté. Add tomatoes and paste, along with spices and whatever else you feel like adding. Simmer until tasty, then crack eggs into the sauce and cover until poached but not cooked through. You could top with goat cheese (or any other similar cheese). Serve up so that each person gets at least one egg in their serving.

Dad's Apple Pie

1 cup flour

1 stick butter

1 cup ice water

5-6 T sugar (1 for the crust, the rest for the fruit)

5-6 sliced and peeled apples (granny smith; if you use a sweeter apple, use less sugar)

1 container raspberries

Leave the butter out until it reaches room temperature. Then cut the butter and sugar into the flour (using a pastry cutter or the way Dad does it, with two knives going cross-ways) until it's crumbly. Slowly add the ice water 1 T at a time, whirling with a knife. Before the dough gets sticky, it should start to cohere into a ball; feel free to help it out by patting the last few chunks together with the knife. Err on the dry side; you can always add more water if need be.

Cut the dough ball in two and refrigerate for an hour if you have time (optional). Preheat the oven to 425F. Flour a smooth surface, and begin to roll out one of the dough balls in smooth, even strokes. When it's a little bigger than the pie dish, set it aside and repeat with the second dough ball.

Lay out one of the pieces inside the dish and fill with apple pieces. Dot raspberries into the spaces. Sprinkle approximately 4-5 T of sugar and place the top crust. Poke a few holes in the crust with a fork, and cut off the excess dough around the edges. Crimp edge with the fork. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, and then turn down to 350 for another 20 or so minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Enjoy! I highly recommend rolling out the excess crust again and cutting into small pieces to make roll-up jam tarts, or wrap bits of crust around chocolate chunks. Bake in the oven alongside the pie; they'll be done in 15 minutes or so and will sate your hunger until the pie comes out, or will console you later when the pie's all gone.

We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea

Friday, March 27, 2009

Solid Light Films

Friday, March 13, 2009

All the President's Girls

Monday, March 9, 2009

Desktop Fireworks

We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea

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Too Many Cooks (recipes we can't live without)

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