Sol LeWitt @ Mass MOCA

Check out the massive Sol LeWitt "Wall Drawing Retrospective" at Mass MOCA in North Adams, MA. The exhibition is on now though 2033! So there isn't exactly a rush, but don't you want to be the first on your block to see this! I do! Plus you get to go out to MOCA, and that is a pleasure in its own right. If you haven't been out there yet.. GO...what are you waiting for!!

http://www.massmoca.org/

Mid-Century Martini

After much searching...I have found the perfect martini glass. This glass has a subtle flare that hugs your libation. This glass would be as at home in your home as on the set of Mad Men. I highly recommend it for your next cocktail party, now all the cool kids will want to come!

LINK

Valenkis!

Winter in Boston is always hard on the footwear. I have been hard-pressed to find a pair of boots that are cool and at the same time keep me from being too cold. I think I've finally found the solution, and they are from Russia...the land that really knows winter. The Valenki is the traditional felt boot worn by Russian peasants and soldiers alike. They keep my feet toasty warm, and are very cute too. In a time where all you see on the fashionable feet around town are the ugliest of Uggs...isn't it time for a change. I love my Valenkis!!

http://www.akaculture.com/buyaka.html

Here the website to buy the boots. The AKA Culture site has a lot of cool images, including the one on this blog. Visit it for lots of boot options and cool ways to accessories your boots.

Particle Zoo: Subatomic Particle plush toys

Particle zoo is a really cool manufacturer of plush toys that all represent the various subatomic particles in the atom. They are the perfect gift for the science geek in your life... or you can just keep them all for yourself and be "the master of the universe!" They are very cute. Check them out:

Particle Zoo

Cello...with soul.

I just heard a great piece on NPR about this cellist, Ben Sollee. Now I'm obsessed. He has a really unique sound mixing his Appalachian roots with soul and classical training. He is currently touring with Bela Fleck. Unfortunately, they played in Lowell last week and I missed it. My heart broke a little
when I realized that. Check him out on his website:

http://www.bensollee.com/

Montreal: Jardin Botanique de Montréal

The Jardin Bontanique, or the Montreal Botanical Gardens (for the non-French speakers), is a not-to-be-missed experience when visiting Montreal. With its collection of 22,000 plant species and cultivars, 10 exhibition greenhouses, some thirty thematic gardens, and teams of researchers and activities staff, the Montréal Botanical Garden ranks as one of the world's largest and most spectacular botanical gardens... and I believe it! The statistics don't fully shed light on how spectacular this collection really is. We spent the entire day walking in the many outdoor thematic gardens, some of which include the Chinese gardens, Japanese gardens, the Alpine gardens, the water gardens and many many more. The indoor green houses also had spectacular collects of flowering plants and succulents including an amazing number of orchids. We only spent one day there, mostly because that was what our ticket included, but we could had spent days there. It was beautiful! I have included a photo we took of the water lilly garden.



Here is their website:

Montreal Botanical Gardens

Best Bread Ever!

Since getting back from our honeymoon to Montreal (more on that in future posts!) I have been experimenting with finding the recipe for the perfect loaf of bread. Ladies and gentleman, I think I've found it! I thank my friends and family for their patient taste testings, although I didn't really have to force feed any of them...if you know what I mean. So here is the recipe! Try it out...be patient, and you will be greatly rewarded!

Cooks' Illustrated "Almost-No-Knead" Bread

I made a few changes to the recipe, that made it a bit easier for me. Here are the steps I took after using their ingredients.

1. I mixed the ingredients all at once in my Kitchen Aid mixer.

2. Let mix sit covered with plastic wrap for 18 hours on the counter.

3. Transfer the mix to a lightly floured surface and folded the mix once or twice on my board, and let it rest under plastic wrap for 15 mins.

4. Floured a tea towel on the counter top. Gently formed dough into a ball and placed it on the towel seam side down. Let it proof (rise with out messing with it at all) for two hours.

5. Preheat oven with large 5.5 quart cast iron large casserole pot in oven for 30 mins.

6. Slide hand under tea towel with dough on it and gently dump it into hot pot.

7. Replace cover and bake for 30 mins.

8. Remove lid and cook (15 mins approx.) until browned.

Enjoy!!