AOTD: Arte Luise Kunsthotel, Berlin

"Dozens of artists, mainly German, decorated the rooms of Arte Luise Kunsthotel in Berlin, Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, artists camped out in this neoclassical building in the Mitte district of East Berlin until it evolved into a hotel in 1999."

Some are really creepy and awesome. {via SF}

A Genuinely Good, In-Flight Experience?

Seattlest reviews Virgin America.

Peepes Dioramas

Check out this year's Peepes Diorama entries to The Washington Post - I definitely don't think they're as good as last year's, but still worth a peep. {Peeps Diorama Contest}

Made the Fettuccine Bolognese

Finally made the fettuccine bolognese sauce, and it was amazing! It doesn't look food-styled and perfect as in Martha's photo, but it was super delish. I went ahead and added 2 tablespoons chopped olives, and a jar of chopped artichokes. I also couldn't find pancetta, so substituted bacon, and didn't want to buy fresh parmesan so just used regular ole parmesan topping. I think it was still classy. Next time I'd even go ahead and add mushrooms, and I'd serve it with toasted baguette bread :)

Multipurpose Peepes

New uses for Peepes? {slideshow}

Guinness Cupcakes!

Too late for this year, but maybe next? {via BCLK}

Postless....

I have been a bad blogger and haven't had time to surf...so I leave you with this delightful Patty's Day spread by Hillary and Annie. I think the green ranch was maybe taking it a step too far. But a green medley!

Businesswoman buys world's most expensive home

Ukrainian businesswoman buys £80m home in Kensington, South-West London:

"Builders have for the past 18 months been installing an underground swimming pool, gym, sauna and cinema. Due to be completed in April, the house has at least ten bedrooms and a secure 'panic room'."

{article via daily mail}

I'm ready for summer.

Meaning, I'm ready for bbqs and summer cocktails.
{Watermelon Margaritas}

Spirituality

Nice quote passed on from one of the wise BS-ers....
"Authentic spirituality awakens the soul, reconnects us with the sacred, and fills us with the passion of life. Spiritual development is not about religious rituals and practices; it is about waking up to the wonder of life." -- David N. Elkins

Making Coq Au Vin [kawk aw van]

Finally made the Coq Au Vin, and it was amazing!
Note: new Martha pot. {recipe on recipemogul}

By popular demand, the La Grenouille’s Grand Marnier Soufflé Recipe from my {40th Anniversary NY Magazine Post} It seems ridiculously complicated - so if anyone decides to make this, please report back to Mogulling and let me know how it went! Oh, and take pictures of the end result too!

For the pastry cream:
1/2 vanilla bean, split
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 medium egg yolks
(reserve and refrigerate whites overnight)
2 1/2 tablespoons custard powder or cornstarch
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sweet butter

For the soufflé:
Unsalted butter and sugar to coat ramekin
2/3 cup pastry cream (one No. 8 ice-cream scoop)
1/4 cup egg whites
3/4 Tablespoon granulated sugar

Prepare the pastry cream a day ahead (it makes 6 servings, and will keep refrigerated for 3 days). Combine vanilla and milk in a medium pan and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low. Cream the sugar and eggs in large bowl. Add powder and flour, and mix until smooth.

Pour about a ladle of the hot milk into the flour mixture, and stir to dilute everything, then pour back into the milk and whisk. Bring back to a boil while whisking quickly. When mixture reaches a boil, turn off flame and add butter.

Beat mixture with a wire whisk or an electric mixer until pastry cream has cooled to room temperature. Store in refrigerator with plastic wrap applied directly to surface.

To make soufflé: Preheat oven to 400. Brush ramekin with butter, fill halfway with sugar. Spin to coat well, then discard remaining sugar.

Heat pastry cream in a double boiler over high heat, adding Grand Marnier when cream is warm. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together by hand or with mixer until soft peaks form. Fold the whites into the pastry-cream mixture, one half at a time.

Spoon into a soufflé ramekin (approximately 5 inches wide and 2 inches deep), and tap ramekin on counter to settle. Bake for about 8 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Floating Manse

Lake Union floating home by Architects, Vandeventer + Carlander.
I think I love the zebrawood kitchen. Zebrawood rules. {via AT}

Itty Bitty Mini Manse: Spite House

Alexandria Virginia's Spite House:
"Built in 1830 to keep traffic out of the narrow alley, the two-story house is only 25 feet deep."
{slideshow} | {full article on the Spite House}

NY, The Strategist: 40 Year Flashback

"The Upper East Side apartment
of a pair of art
collectors showcases the best of the
current art scene"







"Bell’s sleek-bodied Trimline phone
is a fashion accessory for
the home"







"Light as air and rich as Rockefeller, the dessert soufflé is the 'ne plus ultra' of culinary sophistication"














{NY "The Strategist", 40th Anniversary flash-back}

Vintage Denny's

1983 "Mannings Cafeteria" aka Old Eyesore Denny's. I think they should make it into a bowling alley and paint it rainbow in memory of Sunset. {via myballard}

Seattle is screwed

New study released simulates the impact our iminent 9.0 + "megaquake", and it's not looking good... {supercomputer megaquake}

Heaven is Martha's Prop Room

I am in a pedestal phase right now, too. Drool.
{Peek inside Martha's Prop Room}

Staying Motivated

These tips were recommended by the Director of Group Exercise at my gym, Priscilla Bell. I think they're helpful, especially since the only thing I seem to stay motivated about lately is watching tv and eating.

1. Try not to think of your goals in terms of outcome. A goal of losing 15 pounds is great but it is also end-result focused. Try thinking '"what am I going to do today that will help me reach that goal".

2. Write down all the pain you associate with being in your present position. That may include "my clothes don't fit" or "I don't have any energy". Then write down all the pleasure that you associate with achieving your goal. For example, "I'll feel great in a bathing suit" or "my energy will improve". Review the list regularly.

3. Make your goals action-oriented. Instead of "by June 1st I will be able to wear a bikini" make it "by June 1st I will be able to run 5 miles without walking".

4. Try to stay away from the 'All or Nothing' attitude. If it is going to be difficult to make it to the club for your scheduled 90-minute workout, don't give up entirely. If you can't do 90 minutes, just go for an hour or even 30 minutes. When it comes to exercise, any activity is better than nothing.

5. And finally, if you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right. Attitude is everything so stay positive and you will meet your goals.

AOTD/MOTD: Nautilus

"The metaphor was to feel like an internal inhabitant of a snail, like a mollusk moving from one chamber to another, like a symbiotic dweller of a huge fossil maternal cloister. This home social life flows inside the Nautilus without any division, a harmonic area in three dimensions where you can notice the continuous dynamic of the fourth dimension when moving in spiral over the stairs with a feeling of floating over the vegetation." {giant seashell house}

Bah!

{groundhog cupcakes}

Total Eclipse of the Heart

So my reporter in the field, Kim, was an eye witness to this, as she walked over to Cal Anderson Park to watch the Eclipse Wednesday night. Little did she know...{please note guy with Say Anything-style boom box}

Genius

As a lady who spills often, I really appreciate this. They should invent a "classy" version for cocktail parties. Because can I get a witness on the appetizer plate/wine glass balancing act? Yeah, that is not cute when you're trying to network. {Col-pop}

AOTD: Jim Denevan

"Jim's work is made on beaches, where you can find him at low tide working for up to seven hours with just a stick he's found on the beach. His resulting freehand images are stunning and temporal, for as soon as the tide rolls back in, the images disappear" {via casasugar}

Lunar Eclipse Tonight

Partial lunar eclipse: starts at about 5:40 p.m.
Full eclipse will happen from about 7 to 8 p.m.

Seafair Pirates in Sports Illustrated

I guess that the Seafair Pirates appeared in some recent photo shoots for Sports Illustrated? And apparently, Victoria Glenn, a teacher at the NY Fashion Academy in Ballard, spent roughly three months crafting the intricate details for the captain's gear. "The red coat has gold embroidery. The pockets are especially big so Craft can stuff them full of goodies. The buttons have skulls on them." That is kindof impressive. {seattle pi}

Manses: stalking famous ones

Satellite images of celebrity mansions. Interesting. Stalker-ish.
{celebrity houses}














Cher's manse.

For those of you who are not celebrating presidents...

Can I get a witness on this crazy every-room-has-a-theme hotel?
{madonna inn}

Eames Stamps

Eames stamps coming to a Post Office near you this summer.
I'm totally requesting these. {via AT}

Cupcake decorating

Toadstool Cupcakes - ! Perhaps a delightful accessory
to a teddy bear picnic?

Dog Suitcase

This is adorable. {How-to Doggy bed suitcase}

Awkward: Balloon Dresses

Twisted Balloon Fashion - that's a "thing" now?
{balloon dress gallery}

Hamburger Phone

People are kindof wild about Juno's Hamburger Phone.
If you want, you can buy your own: {Uxcell, $15.99}

Wants, not Needs

Things I'm currently lusting after...

Mini Pink Chandelier : Target. $69.99









Velvet Tufted Headboard : Urban Outfitters. $270









Hamilton Beach Gourmet Panini Press : Target. $39.99









Stainless Steel Margarator : WalMart. $98

Marketing.

Cast your vote in Cupcake Royal's "cupcake caucus".
Results will be posted on Monday on their site. {CR}