Treehouse Restaurant -- Restaurant Design Gone Wild!

If I were to pick one niche category that I'm obsessed with, it's definitely the intersection between food and design. We're talking restaurant design, table settings, food plating and styling, and the different sensory experiences that can be effected through these intersections. No wonder I was totally blown away by this amazing restaurant in New Zealand called The Yellow Treehouse Restaurant. It's just what it sounds like--a restaurant that's actually a treehouse 10 metres high in a forest of redwood trees.


The pop up restaurant opened officially over the weekend, and will be seating guests for lunch and dinner for one month, until Feb. 9th. Curious to see how the menu would interact with the setting, I downloaded the PDF version to find that, as I suspected, you can't cook a whole lot of stuff in a treehouse. But I'm happy to report there are no birds on the menu--how awkward would that be? Worse than boiling a calf in her mother's milk might just be eating a bird in its own nest. Anyhow, the fare seems local, largely vegetarian, and mostly out of convenience for the lack of appliances one can safely use in a redwood forest.


Overall, a very cool design concept, but the food? I've yet to be convinced. If you happen to be travelling to NZ anytime soon, though... let me know!

DIY Madness--Custom Crayons!

This weekend, I took my own advice and tried out one of the ski resorts I budget found last week. With dinners out on either side of my daytrip and other miscellaneous expenses thrown into the mix, the lift tickets and rentals quickly became the most "budget" thing in sight. Exhausted, sore, and not yet ready to start another week, I decided to start the week on the right foot by bringing you a different kind of budget savvy-ness: a DIY project. It's been a while since we've had a good DIY project here on eatmywords, but this one is sure to please.



Now, you have to understand, I love coloring. For at least the last five years, I've always had a coloring book nearby in case I had a sudden craving for pretty colors. This project satisfies those kinds of needs--and gives lots of possibilities for how to do that. See, with a simple silicone tray (like the ones I used for shaping cheesecake bonbons a while back) and some old crayola colors, magic can happen! Just melt, pour, refrigerate, and repeat! Layor colors in rainbow order or gradations for a really pretty end product. Throw them in a mason jar with a ribbon and viola! -- a perfect gift for your artsy-fartsy or five-year-old-wannabe friends.

See a great photo step-by-step here! Ah, if only I could be a professional color-er...

Food Porn: Aebleskiver Madness!

Ok, one last thing and I'll stop reflecting on the holidays and the new year. I promise.

For Channukah, TWB's mom bought me a nicer version of the aebleskiver pan that I budget found a while back (see how I turned that into a verb?). Anyhow, I've been experimenting with it quite a bit, and to (what I have considered) great success! So far, I've made a breakfast variety with caramelized apples as well as dessert varieties with chocolate and whipped cream.

I've done chocolate outside and cream inside, and I've also done the reverse--both have their pros and cons, but they're beautiful either way. With that, here's some food porn for your weekend--and the recipe follows!



Aebleskiver Batter

What You Need...

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp sugar (add more for dessert varieties)
  
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• About 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

What You Do...

In one bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In another, melt the butter and add the wet. Combine and bake with very low heat in a special, cast iron aebleskiver pan like the one shown here.

Totally Chic or Totally Geek?

I was flipping through a rather unremarkable magazine when I saw an image that caught my attention--it was a piece of fabric, but illuminated with all the colors of the rainbow. It was flat and flexible, but an obvious source of light that glowed in gorgeously vibrant hues. Immediately, I googled LED-embedded fabric and sought something similar to share with you.


What I found was monochromatic, but perhaps more practical than a piece of fabric that is every color all at once. The all-white light is more elegant and chic, just like white-colored Christmas lights in comparison to the tacky multicolored ones. Would I want this in my house though? I'm not sure. And would I want an LED-embedded headboard, like the one you can see through the LED-embedded curtains below? No thanks.


I'd love to see how designers incorporate this into a room--next season of Top Design, anyone? Check here for more images and info.

Budget Finds: Ski Deals and More

Today's Budget Finds exceeds the normal $25 budget, but with good reason: a ski trip is virtually impossible for less than even $100. But believe it or not, it is possible to ski without breaking the bank, even without a car, a lodge, or your own pair of skis.

You see, it was only last year that I learned how to ski. I imagined I'd enjoy the speed and adrenaline factors, but I never thought I'd have sufficient coordination or--gasp!--athleticism to get off the bunny hill. I'm still not fully convinced about my athleticism (let's not kid ourselves), but I can safely say that I picked up the sport swiftly and committed myself to making up for lost time. By my counts, I still have 20 years of not skiing to account for!

Clearly, the budget factor kicked in. And that's when this link right here saved my life (and my new-found hobby). With a list of one day ski packages from NYC (including transportation and lift tickets) that all clock in at under $100, this is a real golden nugget to keep on your favorites bar. Some resorts even feature lodge accommodations as low as $99 for a four-person suite, which comes out to our perfect budget finds number: $25 a pop.



Plus, a little bird told me that Megabus is giving away free bus tickets! Use the promo code "greenbus" to get access to free fares between January 14 and March 23. I just booked a few for myself! Talk about budget finds...


pssssst! If you decide to plan a ski trip, will you please invite me to come along? I'd just love to join you :)

Eames Elephant Chairs -- so perfect!

Not long ago, I stumbled upon these adorable chairs by Charles and Ray Eames. It doesn't fail to fascinate me how these two created designs a half a century ago that still look so strikingly modern today. And though there are many Eames designs that have stayed popular through the decades, I'd never seen these before. How could I have ever missed them? Elephants are my favorites.





And who is to say that they wouldn't make cute endtables, too?

Good Enough to Eat... Again! -- Chickpea Deliciousness

It's a new year, and that means that many of us have made resolutions that we won't try hard enough to keep. Mine? To keep cooking, and to expand my repertoire of healthy, light dishes. Goodness knows I eat indulgent meals often enough, so I think a bit of balance will go a long way. To kick off the year with such a start, I tried out this fantastic chickpea-based recipe--it's vegetarian, but packed with protein nonetheless. And with some chicken on the side, it's a hearty meal for strict carnivores. Packaged up in tupperware, it reheats quite nicely after a day or two, too!



Lemony Chicken Stirfry
closely adapted from Serious Eats



What You'll Need...

4 tbsp. olive oil
3 shallots, diced
2 cups cooked chickpeas (canned is fine)
2 cups chopped kale (spinach would be fine too)
1 red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced and halved
1 lemon

What You Do...

1. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil and sautee chickpeas with a hearty pinch of salt. Add shallot and sautee until the chickpeas start to turn golden in color. Add in the kale and cook until wilted; remove from heat. (Note: the more you cook the chickpeas, the more they develop this wonderful nutty flavor... it's an unexpected treat!)

2. Heat remaining oil, sautee zucchini and red pepper for about 3 minutes or until just cooked. Add the chickpea mixture, zest from most of the lemon, and juice from half the lemon. Mix them all together, remove from heat and finish with salt and pepper to taste.