Monday, July 26, 2010

gazpacho libre


all day today i was craving some gazpacho, probably because it was so hot outside.

when i lived in albuquerque, there was this great bbq place across the street from my house that made the best chunky gazpacho, i think the restaurant was called geezamboni's. they served it in a big bowl topped with home made tortilla chips, yum!

well of course, i can't even think about gazpacho without paying homage to pedro almodovar and those crazy women on the verge for introducing me to the traditional spanish sope to begin with. mmm gazpacho...

i've never made gazpacho myself but today i found an easy recipe on epicurious that i tweaked a little to my own taste and it turned out to be a fast and easy recipe for dinner but i know it will taste even better for lunch tomorrow after marinating over night. lorenzo made some home made crunchy garlic bread that was a perfect complement to the soup as well as having a nice glass of white wine to go with it. i thought the haagen daz dulce de leche ice cream would make the perfect easy dessert.

here's my simple recipe:
1/2 white onion diced
2 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 pounds of cored, peeled and diced tomatoes
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/3 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
3 big dashes of hot sauce (i used frontera)

puree first four ingredients in a food processor, then combine the tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, cilantro and tomato paste and blend leaving it somewhat chunky. season to taste with salt and pepper and hot sauce. transfer to large bowl and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

as a garnish, i topped it off with a little more olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. it was delicious!

Friday, July 23, 2010

ooh lou lou

yesterday over at rdujour, they featured another great post about my girl lou.



aside from this great article, they listed almost every other article i have seen written about her. if you go here, you can see it all.

lou rocks!

happy birthday hem


since i've been MIA from bloglandia the past few weeks, i've missed out on some very important events...like hemingway's birthday on july 21st.

hemingway is my all time favorite author. i could read a moveable feast over and over and i usually find myself reading it in the summer. but there are so many others like his notorious book the sun also rises which upset all of his friends because he discussed their bad behavior while in spain for the bullfights.

i really hope to go visit his homes in key west, ketchum and cuba one day. i hear his house in key west is over run by feral kitties that he insisted be allowed to remain at the house. how cool and grey gardens of him.

happy belated birthday hem!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

checking in

hi everyone, i just wanted to check in and let you all know i'm still alive and well. i'm still recovering from the big move and now i'm traveling for work. i hope to check in periodically when i can and then i'll be back at the end of next week with more regular posts. thanks for hanging in there!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

feliz cumpleano


i absolutely cannot believe that i was too distracted yesterday to wish frida kahlo a happy 103rd birthday. she is one of my favorite style icons and has influenced me so much as a person. so frida, salut to you, this one's on me!

live forever

i don't think i've ever mentioned to you that if i could go back and do it all over again, i would study art history and travel the world, buying and selling fabulous artwork and amazing antiques. all the while, documenting my adventures a la indiana jones. however, i don't necessarily have an eye or penchant for fine art.

i do however, like what i see.

several months ago, i wanted to mention one of my favorite artists, elizabeth peyton. i tried to put together a post on her but it just wasn't coming together and i just wasn't finding the best images of hers to show. i just filed it away for a later post.

well, yesterday, i was doing my usual quick walk-through of anthropologie and found a book about her and her artwork called live forever. it was a really cool book. i didn't purchase it yet because, to be honest, it was pretty pricy and i'm trying to behave myself right now but i cannot wait to get it. her illustrations are just so rich and amazing. i really feel that she paints my colors, whatever that means.


i just love this one from the book called "elizabeth and liam"


and this is the first piece of hers that i ever saw and fell in love with. i just love poppies.

so while it may not be fine art, it just fine by me!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

go rafa!


can't wait for tomorrow's match. good luck rafael!