Spanish Avarcas
Dutch Tubs
How cool are these portable, wood-burning Dutch tubs by Weltevree? They weigh just 165 pounds, so you can cart one around with you (hitched to your bike, on top of your car, on a raft behind a canoe even!) and take an off-the-grid soak wherever you end up. The smart design allows a wood fire to heat a coil that causes hot water to rise and circulate into the tub while cold water flows into the coil to be heated. Plus, you can cook your dinner in a wok above the very fire that warms your tub. I discovered these when El Cosmico announced they were getting a couple — as if I needed another reason to get to Marfa, stat.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
If I know you and you're getting married, just ask and I'll make you a batch of Mexican Wedding Cookies. They're small, tasty, and totally white-wedding-y. It's become kind of a tradition for me to make these for friends, and this past weekend we went to the third wedding I've made them for (not counting our own). I thought I'd share my official recipe, which correctly reminds us that Mexican Wedding Cookies are a delicious dessert any time of year. Using the real Mexican vanilla a friend brought me back from Oaxaca really took this batch to the next level!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar + extra for coating
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup raw pecans, toasted
Preheat oven to 350 and place the pecans on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until they're lightly browned and fragrant. Allow to cool. In a medium bowl cream the butter, vanilla, and almond extracts together. Add the powdered sugar and mix in. Add flour a little at a time until it's fully blended in. When the pecans are cool, place them in a food processor or chop with a knife until fairly fine. Measure 1 cup of finely chopped pecans, and stir them in.
Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and then shape into 1 inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper about 1 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack. Roll the cookies in powdered sugar so they look like snowballs. When completely cooled, store in an airtight container. Recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.
*Remember, Mexican Wedding Cookies are a delicious dessert anytime of year!
Wary Meyers Candles
I've loved the designs of the duo behind Wary Meyers for quite a while. They do awesome, 70s-inspired interior design and art installations, and they also have a web shop where they sell rad original art prints and vintage books and things (like an amazing hammock chair, bullshit jeans, and a crazy wine tote). And now, apparently, they make candles. They're just as awesome, arty, and informed by the siren vibes of the 70s as their other projects, and they're hand-poured and made of food grade paraffin and soy wax with phthalate-free fragrances and essential oils. To top it off, the packaging and glass are made of recycled materials, and each glass holder is hand-painted with an adorable, one-of-a-kind, gold leaf emblem. Check out the far-out scents on offer:
"A deep, lush, Caribbean scent composed of beachy coconut, dark suntan oil, and fresh green cannabis. Takes you back to your beach chair when the hot day turns to hot night and you didn’t even realize it. Blissful and nostalgic."
"The sweet fragrant smell of a ripe summertime watermelon drenched in salty seawater and sliced open on a driftwood table on a seaweed-lined beach. Sweet, salty and refreshing."
"The rough-hewn balm of cedar and woodsmoke, drifting low and winding its way through the deep Maine hinterlands. Undertones of native balsam, burning pine, and primitive musk. Manly, yes, but with a soft, close whisper of patchouli on the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace."
"The enchanted scent of heliotrope, yellow dandelions, and fresh summer green grass with soft floral notes of weeping willow, buttercups & fairy dust. The hot air shimmers and the dragonflies hum on a lazy afternoon of daydreaming in a light-drenched, butterfly-filled meadow. The sun is out, the birds are singing."
I'm pretty excited to get my hands on one of them — as far as fancy, artisanal candles go they're a reasonable $28 — but it's hard to choose. Am I more in the mood for a seawater infused watermelon? Or cosmic moon leche? Which scent/vibe would you go for?
Messy messy v. Messy cute
If you're like me, you usually have big ambitions for elaborate hairstyles and then procrastinate until it's almost time to leave the house to attempt them. Too many times, it ends up in disaster and brushing your hair back into the same old straight style. I've been trying to give myself more time, but also — more latitude, and that's where Messy messy v. Messy cute comes in. Perfection is usually boring anyways. If you can achieve Messy cute, I say go for it — own the few flyaways or the slightly asymmetrical angle. This Bumble and Bumble stylist had to muss his perfect fishtail braid, but we can probably just skip that step. Pics via the Opening Ceremony blog.
Margarita Icebox Cake
For summer editions of Ladies' Supper Club we usually come up with an outdoor theme, which allows us to enjoy the weather and gives ladies who don't have quite enough in-of-doors space the chance to host a Supper Club. This weekend we spent the afternoon at a beautiful spot in Tilden Park, and made 'icebox' recipes that could be prepared and chilled ahead. This Margarita Icebox Cake was a pretty big hit. It's not...unrich, but the brightness of the lime (and spike of tequila) keep it from being overpoweringly heavy. I made quite an effort to source some agar agar, a vegetarian gelatin substitute, but couldn't find it anywhere (not even Berkeley Bowl, hard to believe). Most vegetarians in attendance could remember having had a jello shot recently though (hey, we were all in Vegas just the other weekend), so exceptions were made.
Margarita Icebox Cake
Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
- 1 tsp grated lime zest + 1 lime cut into thin slices
- 3 cups pretzels
- 6 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 tsps unflavored gelatin (or substitute agar agar)
- 10 oz margarita mix*
- 1/4 cup tequila
- 1/4 cup triple sec
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- *I made my own instead of using pre-made: mix 5 oz fresh lime juice, 5 oz water, and 2 tbsp agave nectar.
Directions
Crust: Heat oven to 350 and place rack in middle. Grease a 9" springform pan and line the perimeter with a 3' strip of parchment paper. Process coconut and lime zest in food processor until coarsely ground; reserve 1/2 cup. Add pretzels to remaining coconut mixture and process until finely ground. Add melted butter and pulse to combine. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely.
Filling: Combine 1/4 cup of water and gelatin or agar agar in small saucepan and let sit until gelatin softens, about five minutes. Add margarita mix, tequila, and triple sec and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until gelatin dissolves, about five minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Using mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream on medium-low speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form. Using clean bowl, whip sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese until combined. Add 1 cup margarita mixture and whip until incorporated. Fold in one-third whipped cream, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream. Pour filling into crust. Refrigerate until just set, about 1 hour.
Topping: Stir remaining 1/2 cup water into remaining margarita mixture. Pour mixture through fine-mesh strainer into 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Pour over filling and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Remove sides of pan and parchment. Press reserved coconut mixture onto sides of cake and top with lime slices. Serve.
Pluie
So the question is: is more more when you start out with less-is-more pieces? You can pick up the crescent plus more barrettes and combs at Pluie's site (they include a handmade pouch so you can carry your comb with you) or Shopbop. Plus, check out Pluie's dreamy lookbook video to see some of their other styles:
La La Las Vegas
We rented a cabana by the pool where thankfully it was shady enough to hang out comfortably despite the furnace-level temps.
We ate a delicious brunch at the Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan. I believe I was quoted as saying "Your plate isn't done until you feel like a monster." Above: rice pudding with dulce de leche, strawberry cream puff, carrot cake, pistachio gelato in mini waffle cone bowl, raspberry rice crispy treat.
We traipsed around the Cosmopolitan admiring pictures of the vintage Vegas days and performers of yore. People just don't dress up like they used to.
We stayed
at the Tropicana, which people tended to grimace at when I mentioned, but it's been recently renovated. It may have “...this image as the place where my grandparents used to go,” but I love that about it. Mending is better than ending, and there are plenty of tacky new mega-resorts. Why not keep a place around that has some history but update it in a similar style? It did seem updated, and it was a great choice for a bunch of girls who wanted to hang out by the (giant, five-acre) pool.
Of course, some of the newer resorts are pretty nice, particularly the Wynn, where we went in search of vegan food — did you know Steve Wynn is vegan? There are vegan options at all of the Wynn's numerous restaurants (including vegan room service!). I'm not vegan but I am pescetarian, and I'm always excited to find restaurants with healthier, meatless options in places that typically don't cater to vegans or vegetarians. Viva Las Vegan!
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