Mast Brothers

Images via Shop Composition and My iphone.

My valentine had it right when he showed up at my door with a bar of Mast Bros wrapped in gilded paper. This handmade chocolate is made by the brothers themselves and with flavors like black truffle and sea salt, it really is a one -of- a -kind treat. Located in the heart of Williamsburg, the Mast Brothers Chocolate factory is a tiny little shop where you can watch the chocolate transform from bean to beautiful bar. When Sarah came for a visit last weekend, I decided to take her there so she could finally experience my delight.

Beautiful People

People In Order: 1. Age from James Price on Vimeo.

Thanks for sharing this Rex! For such a simple concept, this video makes a real impact(tee hee) and as an amateur drummer, it shows me it's really never too late to start!

Last Night's Steak Success

photo by: Misha Gravenor for Epicurious

Last night I was craving red meat. I hardly eat it at all, so when I crave it, I take that as a sign from my body that I need some iron and protein in juicy meat form. Jake and Rex were coming for dinner, and I had to find a recipe that these two picky eaters could enjoy. They both love steak, so when I found this simple, quick recipe on Epicurious I knew it would be a hit. The recipe was for two, so I just added one more piece of steak, and a tiny bit more shallot and butter, everything else was fine proportionally. It only took twenty minutes to make! The Epi recipe calls for brown sugar in the balsamic reduction, but the shallots caramelized beautifully without it and I'd rather not add sugar to my food if I can help it. Needless to say we all thoroughly enjoyed the meal, which was enhanced with a full bodied red from Jake and some Époisses de Bourgogne cheese and baguette from Rex. Mmmmm.

Steak with Parmesan Butter, Balsamic Glaze, and Arugula

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese plus Parmesan cheese shavings
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 12-ounce rib-eye steak
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 4 cups (lightly packed) arugula
• 2 large lemon wedges

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Steak-with-Parmesan-Butter-Balsamic-Glaze-and-Arugula-350090#ixzz0fod2at12

The Arborealist

I wish I had art directed this exquisite video by iamamiwhoami: Gnarly trees, people as branches, the woods coming alive!?!? My favorite things!

V-day Special

All Photos From The Daily Green

Take a look at these sexy petites choses! All are made from organic and or scrap fabrics and are just so lovely looking. I would love to add a few of these pieces to my lingerie collection, and to make room for the new, I'll be donating the bras I never wear and the ones that just don't fit well to The Bra Recyclers, who collect lightly worn bras for women who don't have access to them. Got Bras? Give yours away for V-day and maybe someone special will pay it forward with one of these eco-chic replacements!

Eat Your Crayons!

Sarah DH just showed me this SICK blog, Luxirare, that focuses on two of my favorite things: "killer clothes and fine cuisine." The author, Ji, is a super creative woman who makes all kinds of amazing things, from black suede ankle boots to these nifty crayon health food bars. She is seriously an artistic Wonder Woman, well worth checking out...especially if you liked to eat your crayons as a kid.

ALL PHOTOS BY LUXIRARE.

Lilikoi

Rex just showed me this video and I have to say it hit my wanderlust where it hurts. I haven't REALLY traveled in a while and I'm getting antsy. (Visiting my Grandparents in India was technically traveling, but my ability to adventure and explore was limited). I've been tossing around some romantic ideas, (Vodka Train from Beijing to Moscow anyone?) but those subway ads for Iceland are really winning me over. The cheap airfares are just one reason to go though, the other is Sigur Ros, the magical Icelandic band that sings gorgeous songs about nature and all number of whimsical things. The lead singer Jónsi has a solo album coming out, and Lilikoi, which apparently means "passion fruit" in Icelandic, is the track/video that really struck me. The footage at the beginning is from Iceland, a unique place in that its natural beauty remains widely untouched. Most of all, it shows people around the world embracing life passionately, and it's making me want to take a journey!

Portland's Heart of Green

Portland has consistently proved itself to be a green leader for American cities. Just this morning I stumbled upon two very interesting new developments taking root in the Pacific Northwest. The first is the spread of a simple but alluring grassroots idea: free tool libraries. These libraries, which work just like book lending libraries, are designed to make tools accessible while encouraging community and sustainability. I definitely could have used one of these in BK when I was trying to build my own shelves!

The second, a larger scale project, is a new design for the re-vamping of Portland's federal building. The re-modeled building will have a 200 ft. vegetation wall and solar panels, which combined will reduce the buildings energy consumption by 60-65%! This expensive project has been met with quite a bit of opposition, but ultimately it is an investment for the future of the building as well as for the environment.

I've never been to Portland, but it seems like a pretty forward moving/thinking place. My hope is that one day NYC can really commit to going green and take on these types of projects, both small and large scale, for our neighborhoods, as well as for the rest of the world to see.

Thanks to Rex Arrow for showing me this building!