The Nest

Simple. Clean. Fresh. That’s the design, photography and recipes of the Stone Soup blog on simple cooking and eating. Jules Clancy from Australia writes lovely little posts on recipes that use very few ingredients, and she offers free e-cookbooks. Perfect for late summer.

My poor, poor neglected blog. How I have missed thee. I have been so busy with work and freelance work, my beauty of design blog had to take a summer break. Well, this photo from the Reno Slow Food group was inspiration enough to get me blogging again. Just look at that array of locally produced and cooked food. Beautiful! Fall is the perfect time to hole back up in the kitchen and create edible art. My new interest for the season is the Slow Food movement. I am determined to know more about where my food comes from and eat like a locavore. It’s a challenge, but one I am willing to take on…with knife and fork in hand.

I really adore the items that Uncommon Goods sells. They are fun, unique and unusual. I especially like their design oriented recycled and reclaimed items like their recycled windshield glasses, their reclaimed wine barrel lazy susan and their reused chopstick soapdish and basket. Happy Earth Day!

I decided to celebrate the Inauguration and the welcoming of our new, cool president with a vegetarian lunch: curried rice with peas, soy meatballs, herb salad with parmesan ranch dressing and a blood orange. Eclectic meal for an eclectic man.

Powell’s Books

Japanese Garden at Washington Park

Rose at Washington Park

Chocolate-mint cupcake from New Seasons

Rosemary infused coffee at Pix Patisserie

For our annual Halloween party I created a black light bar and made drinks that glow in a black light. Tonic water glows well under a black light because of the quinine in it, so I made “Gin & Bubonic” and tonic water ice cubes. I also had “Dr. Rotten’s Ultimate Embalming Fluid” (Tampico blueberry juice and tonic water) and Toxic Waste (Mountain Dew). Our guests loved it…but were scared to walk past the haunt that hovered over the bar (me).

For years Celestial Seasonings tea had the same staid design on their tea boxes, but I was pleased to see a new warm and beautiful design for their African rooibos and honeybush teas. I am usually a green tea drinker, but I have become hooked on the deep flavor and smell of rooibos and I love that it is caffeine free. It’s a nice feeling to know that I am drinking tea from the leaves of an exotic bush that grows in beautiful Africa. It helps to ease, but not cure, some raunchy traveling withdrawals.

If I were to fall in love with a woman, it would be Misty Tosh. She is fierce, fun, feisty and gorgeous. The beautiful, colorful blog of her fascinating life and travels makes me want to sell everything and run off with her to Baja and enjoy margaritas and Coronas on the beach.

This is an ode to summer called the I-Am-Going-To-Miss-Summer-and-Farmer’s-Markets-Delightful-Treats-Lunch. Beautiful late summer lettuce and tomato salad with olive oil and homemade white balsamic vinegar, partnered with a bowl of organic strawberries. Must be eaten outside in the last warm sunlight of the season.

Tonight I am going to visit the West Street Market and then try to view the photos of Franz Szony at his gallery downtown. I love his style of freakish photography and Photoshopness. It would be great if he could do his version of portraits of all the famous faces in town. This woman above is definitely a wine walker.