Dreaming of Nature

It has been a long time since I took to painting and this is the first painting that I have painted in just under a decade.  I recently met some inspiring souls that are so good at their "craft" that they made me want to be creative again!  Thank you!

Grandma's Flower

I painted this flower in 1999 for my grandma because she loved them.  I know she's still watching over me.

Michelle's Seven Layer Dip :: It's time to party!

After many hours of watching food network I have managed to perfect my foods that I like to make for larger gatherings.  This is one of my favorites for Tom's Annual Christmas Extravaganza!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 gloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 16 oz can of re-fried black beans
• 8 oz package of light cream cheese
• 8 oz of light sour cream or 2% greek yogurt
• 16 oz of salsa
• 6 oz package of shredded mexican blend cheese
• handful of sliced jalapeño peppers
• baking dish or aluminum tray

Directions

1. Caramelize onions and garlic in olive oil.  Brown ground beef and cook through.
2. Add taco seasoning per instructions on the packet.
3. After the ground beef is cooked through and mixed with the taco seasoning, create your first layer in the aluminum tray.
4. Then layer on the re-fried back beans.
5. Mix cream cheese and sour cream together.  Layer the mixture over the re-fried black beans.
6. Add the layer of salsa.  You can add extra veggies to this layer if you want like diced green peppers, zucchini or even more tomatoes.
7. Sprinkle grated cheese  so it covers all of the salsa.
8. Finish off with 5-6 jalapeño peppers.
9. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and center is heated through.
10. Enjoy with blue corn tortilla chips!

Annie's Austrian Cocoa Cocconut Cake

While in Greece I had a cooking lesson from our Austrian neighbors.  Here's the recipe that I managed to translate from German...

Ingredients

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 package of vanilla sugar (in the US we can substitute with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 2 eggs
• 1 package of 2% greek yogurt - 7 oz or 200 grams
• 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup of shredded coconut

Directions

1. In a bowl mix the sugar, vanilla sugar and eggs.  
2. Add the greek yogurt, milk and oil and stir well.   
3. Sift together the cocoa powder, cinnamon, flour and baking powder and then combine with the wet ingredients.  Mix on slow speed for one minute.  
4. Then stir in the dry coconut and mix on high speed for two to three minutes.  
5. Pour batter into a bread pan that is buttered and floured or lined with parchment paper.  
6. Bake at 320 degrees fahrenheit for 60 minutes
7. Let the cake cool and then enjoy!

Note this was made using an electric hand mixer.  I am told that you can substitute coconut for nuts or any other item that you might like in a cake.  This is also supposed to make a good cupcake base.

Michelle's Guacamole

There are some things that I have perfected making over time. Guacamole is one of them...

Ingredients

• 2 avocados - halved, seeded and peeled 
• 1 roma tomato (or any other tomato you fancy) - diced
• 1/2 small red onion - diced
• 1/2 a jalapeno pepper - seeded and finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic - finely diced
• 1 bunch of cilantro - chopped
• 1/2 lime - juiced 
• 1 tsp salt (or taste)
• 1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• 2 tsp hot sauce

Directions
In a bowl place the scooped avocado and lime juice. Fold in the onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

Blueberry Flax Muffins (Bethany Mavis)

Ingredients

• 1½ cups whole-wheat flour
• ¾ cup ground flaxseed
• ¾ cup oat bran
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 bananas
• ¾ cup almond milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour muffin pans or use cupcake liners. Place raisins in a small bowl. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour over the raisins. Let sit for 5 minutes, then drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine flour, flax, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Stir in grated apple, blueberries, drained raisins and walnuts. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add almond milk, eggs and vanilla; stir to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir just until all ingredients are moistened. Fill muffin cups ¾ full and bake 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Yields 18 muffins.

The Setai Fifth Avenue Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
• 1 lb Butter
• 4 Eggs
• 3 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Baking Soda
• 2 Cups Chocolate Chips

Directions

1. Combine both sugars and butter in bowl.  Cream together until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, scrapping down the bowl after each addition.  Add the vanilla extract.
3. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda into a separate bowl and then add to sugar mixture, just to combine.  Mix in chocolate chips.
4. Place rounded tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet and back cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove tray from oven, allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes before removing them.
6. Eat and enjoy!

Grade Pending

I recently have switched from a Blackberry to an iPhone for my personal phone.  I do, however, still prefer Blackberry for corporate use.  Since my introduction to iPhone, I have been paying a lot more attention to mobile apps and how they can help us get through our every day life.

Several years ago NYC decided to grade restaurants based on sanitation.  My ex-coworker has come up with an iPhone app that allows you to figure out the grade of a restaurant even if the sign says "grade pending".  This is yet another example of a useful piece of technology.

Download Dan's app here.

The database that this app runs off of from the NYC Department of Sanitation might be a good database for FoodNOW to start with?

Livehoods

I came across this article about a Carnegie Mellon Mobile Research Project called Livehoods.  Livehoods is a new way to understand what "local" means using social media.  This is a fascinating way to understand the world in which we live.  Read about livehoods at livehoods.org.

Foodspotting

In early 2011, Dave M informed me about this food website, foodspotting.com in doing some research for my foodNOW idea.  What makes this foodie website unique is that it focuses on dishes and not reviews of specific restaurants.  "Foodspotting is the easiest way to find and share the foods you love: Instead of reviewing restaurants, you can recommend your favorite dishes and see what others have recommended wherever you go."  I recently came across them again when reading Inc. magazine's 30 under 30 piece where the company was profiled.  What has caught my eye is that this year they want "[to] become as smart-as-Pandora recommendation engine for nearby food."  Another thumbs up for the original idea owner, me!

Art meets Tech at the bar...

I came across an article in the WSJ that talked about smart innovative companies that are using every inch of their product label to promote their brands!  I would expect to see more vanity-barcodes to crop up as companies try to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market place.  This is of course, is dependent on figuring out how to ensure their scanning reliability.

Design Barcodes Inc. (man, skyline); Vanity Barcodes LLC (3)

Vanity Barcodes designs one label for $375 a pop.  There is some concern that vanity-barcodes may not work with all scanners.  However, by the looks of the Garden Barcode pictured below, I would believe that it is possible to design some artistic barcodes that should always scan.

 

With the advent of smart phones, the QR code (otherwise known as a matrix barcode) has gained popularity.  Will we also see these matrix barcodes morph into artistic expression?  Apparently this has already been done by Duncan Roberston who embedded the letters BBC into a QR code.

 

Let's call this the "bARTcode" phenomenon!

My Bedroom

This is one of my earlier paintings done in high school.  It was inspired by my childhood room and what I had wished it looked like!

Oven "Fried" Chicken

Have you ever wondered how Korean fried chicken can be made in a healthier way? Well, I've perfected Michelle's slightly healthier version of Asian fried chicken so please enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken wings (I just use the wing part if I want the chicken to be extra crispy, but I also like the Trader Joe's Organic wings pictured here)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup of flour
• non-stick cooking oil spray

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pat dry chicken and place in a medium sized mixing bowl.
3. Drizzle olive oil on wings and toss.
4. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
5. Dredge chicken in flour making sure all sides are covered evenly.
6. Place on foil lined baking sheet skin-side up.  
7. Cover floured chicken with non-stick cooking oil spray
8. Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden brown AND don't forget to turn them over half way through!
9. Put wings in a medium sized bowl and toss with spicy garlic ginger glaze for oven "fried" chicken.

Spicy Garlic Ginger Glaze for Oven "Fried" Chicken

Ingredients

***this glaze is for two pounds (about 20 wings) of oven fried chicken wings***

• 1 tablespoon chopped/minced garlic (I use chopped garlic out of a jar when I’m lazy, but fresh always tastes better)
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
• 1/4 cup sushi rice seasoning
• 3 tablespoons organic sugar (white or brown)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions

1. Finely chop 2 fresh garlic gloves.
2. Finely grate ginger.
3. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.
4. Bring to a boil, simmer (till semi-sticky consistency), stir and let cool.
5. Pour over oven "fried" chicken wings.

An intellectual curiosity, curated content…

The need for intelligent filtering
As technology continues to improve, more and more people will begin to feel the effects of information overload. We are bombarded by content from all directions and most of the time we have no idea where to look. We have no idea what is or is not significant. Out of this phenomenon emerges an important trend to watch in 2011—how we apply intelligent filtering through artistic “curation.” Historically, the term has not been used outside of the art world. That said, welcome to the age of the digital curator. One of the most critical roles a business can play in today’s information society is to lend a helping hand in the process of intelligent filtering.

What’s the buzz around curated content?
Content curation is mastering the art of sourcing and sharing only the best ideas. The digital curator participates in the act of finding, organizing and presenting the most valuable content on any specific issue. This is a powerful concept because curation does not focus on creating new content, but does focus on sharing what content is significant. This emerging media space is where opinion leaders will continue to provide and prove their added value.

Models for content curation
Content curation can be broken down into micro-activities:
• Amalgamation: presenting information in a single location
• Refinement: conveying content in a more simplistic format
• Distillation: finding insights within a collective data set
• Mashup: mixing content to create a new point of view
• Chronology: organizing information sequentially to show an evolving understanding

Curating companies and services
Many of the world’s top businesses have adopted and successfully monetized the curation of content. Amalgamation, refinement and distillation are at the heart of Google’s product offering. Millions of people use google.com as their digital curator. Sites like wolframalpha.com (whose goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone) and hunch.com (whose computer algorithms hope to provide highly-customized recommendations) have followed in Google’s footsteps. At this year's SXSW festival, Ogilvy debuted a visual notes service called Ogilvy Notes that refines ideas into pictures. Last year, Bloomberg launched a real-time financial news “mashup” service called First Word which is the “go to spot” for Wall Street traders who want short, succinct, and relevant company news. Smart brands understand this process of intelligent filtering and those that adopt models for content curation will likely win more trust and attention from their customers.

Michelle's Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I absolutely love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and can't really find them in stores. These are especially delicious right out of the oven with a glass of milk!

Ingredients

• 7  tablespoons butter or margarine (I like Blue Bonnet), softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 egg
• 1/2  teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4  cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups oats (if you use butter) or 1 1/2 cups oats (if you use margarine)
• 3/4  cup chocolate chips (I like Trader Joe's semi-sweet ones)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In medium sized bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. 
3. Add egg, honey and vanilla and mix well. 
4. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well. 
5. Incorporate oats and chocolate chips.
6. Spoon dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets.
7. Bake 10 minutes or until light golden brown.

Spicy "Firecracker" Chicken Marinade

So this is Adam's recipe!   He makes his a bit differently since he uses red pepper chili flakes and grills the chicken in the oven.  I like the grill pan better since I find the chicken comes out more tender this way.  It might be a bit faster as well =).

 Ingredients

***instructions are in relative proportions except where noted***

• 1 soy sauce
• 1 lemon juice
• 2 oil
• 1/2 chili (flakes, powder or sauce)
• 1/2 garlic
• 1/2 mustard
• dash of salt and pepper 
• 1/3 cup flour (for coating the chicken) 
• 2 chicken breasts

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients (except flour) together in a medium sized bowl to make the marinade.
2. Cut chicken breast into chunks or strips.
3. Coat the chicken pieces with flour.
4. Mix the flour dusted chicken pieces into the marinade bowl and make sure all pieces are nicely coated.
5. Cook chicken pieces on grill pan.

Thinking Visually!

About six months ago I stumbled upon a creative agency called Cognitive Media in London.  They believe in communication through "scribing" and "visual synthesis".  This concept tries to combat information overload and in my opinion does a good job of capturing audience attention.  Watch the video below to get an idea of how ideas get disseminated through video scribing.



I had thought this idea was worthy of some attention since I hadn't seen it before.   Low and behold, Ogilvy has started offering a similar service which made an appearance at this year's SXSW with Ogilvy Notes!  I'd expect to see more visual thinking as information overload worsens.  See what Ogilvy has to say about the art of distilling information into visual notes below.



Why is this concept successful?
They take us back to the basics!  It is simple, straight forward and entertaining.  The artistic style is reminiscent of reading cartoons which for me are funny and instantly gratifying!

Tidbits & Quotes...

Sometimes I come across tidbits and quotes that are worth remembering:

• "Don't make decisions out of fear." -- Bethenny Frankel 
• "Life is too short not to eat well." -- EATALY
• "The human capacity to transform something into emotions, that is luxury."  -- Alex Atala

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

I had some leftover buttermilk so I decided to make pancakes.  They turned out buttery, fluffy and delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (for pancake mix)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (for pancake mix)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (for pancake mix)
• A pinch of salt (for pancake mix)
• 2 teaspoons sugar (for pancake mix)
• Handful of chocolate chips (for pancake mix)
• 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. Whisk together egg whites and the buttermilk.
2. In another bowl, whisk together egg yolks with the melted butter.
3. Combine buttermilk mixture with egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
4. Add all the ingredients for the pancake mix into the large mixing bowl.
5. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together (it's okay if it is a bit lumpy).
6. Spoon the pancake batter onto a buttered frying pan and sprinkle on chocolate chips =).  When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the pan side of the cake is golden, flip the pancakes and cook 2 to 3 minutes.