Photo Figures

 
I came across photographer Erin Tyner's work on Etsy the other day. For this series called Half Awake, she combines household items, natural objects, and train figures that are under one inch in height. There's something so haunting and beautiful about her photos. I keep revisiting them. I'd love to see how she set up each shot.

Sugar and Spice

I thought a plain popover paired with strawberry butter was as good as it got. Of course, coating something in cinnamon and sugar never hurts. These sugar-crusted popovers are heavenly, like a popover and a doughnut in one. They're the perfect breakfast sweet to pair with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee, and they're mighty cute if I do say so myself.

Sugar-Crusted Popovers
Recipe courtesy of David Lebovitz

For the puffs:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup (140 g) flour

For the sugar coating:
2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (60 g) melted butter

Softened butter, for greasing the pan

 

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Liberally grease a nonstick popover pan, or a muffin pan with 1/2-cup indentations, with softened butter. For the puffs, put the 2 tablespoons melted butter, eggs, milk, salt and sugar in a blender and blend for a few seconds. Add the flour and whiz for about 10 seconds, just until smooth. Divide the batter among the 9 greased molds, filling each 1/2 to 2/3rds full. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the puffs are deep brown. Remove from the oven, wait a few minutes until cool enough to handle, then remove the popovers from the pans and set them on a cooling rack. If they’re stubborn, you may need a small knife or spatula to help pry them out.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Thoroughly brush each popover all over with the 1/4 cup (60 g) of melted butter, then dredge each puff generously in the sugar and cinnamon mixture to coat them completely. Let cool on the wire rack.

Can I Live Here?

I am in love with this home in Brooklyn. All that bookshelf space, the exposed beams, the built-in knife holder, that precious pup. This makes apartment-hunting seem really depressing.

[spotted on: the chirpy bird]

Comfort Food

It seems summer has decided to end in Seattle, so I spent yesterday's dreary afternoon cuddled up on the couch watching the Cooking Channel with a dish of warm, cheesy pasta, which was perfectly fine with me.

[meal inspiration courtesy of and baby makes three...; recipe courtesy of smitten kitchen]

Thoughts of the Week

Patience and persistence are the keys to this do-it-yourself art project.

I'd like to test my palate while holding this cheese palette.

Adorable tiny people in adorable tiny clothes.

Nothing better than the fruits (and vegetables) of summer labor.

This bowl was made to be filled with candy.

I think it's going to be a pancake kind of weekend.

Let the fall shopping commence.

Any fun weekend plans? I'll be cleaning out my closet and continuing the search for a New York apartment, but I think ice cream breaks will be involved. Enjoy the long weekend!

Such is Mango

This mango parfait is simple, fast and perfect for a weekday treat. It's suitable for breakfast or dessert, my two favorite meals, and it has me convinced that crunchy, toasted coconut should be incorporated into all yogurt parfaits.

PS - When it came time to title this post, all I could picture was Chris Kattan saying things like, "Can you put the sky in your mouth?"

Mango Parfait
Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food

To make the mango puree:
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water

Combine mangoes, sugar, and water in a blender and puree until smooth. Makes 3 cups.

For parfait:
4 tablespoons Mango Puree
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon toasted coconut

Spoon 2 tablespoons mango puree into a tumbler and add 1/4 cup Greek yogurt. Repeat layers and top with toasted coconut.

Questions and Ampersands

Update: The Seattle Art Museum contacted me and let me know that the sculpture's inner pole had rusted and needed to be repaired and repainted. They're hoping to reinstall it soon. Mystery solved.

One of the things I'll miss most about Seattle is the Olympic Sculpture Park. I live just a half a block away and it is my go-to location for afternoon walks. My favorite sculpture is a piece by Roy McMakin called Love and Loss, which features a big lit-up, rotating ampersand.

At some point in the last month, I noticed the ampersand was missing, which begs the question what happened to it? Was it in need of repairs? Was it stolen by an evil conjunction collector? We may never know.

[photos by: natalienerksa; M.V. Jantzen; Jenny Jimenez; cynicole b]