Saturday, April 25, 2015

Weekend Pattern Downloads from Hannah Lee! By: Grace Bonney

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This weekend Hannah Lee spoiled us with two extra pattern downloads for Saturday and Sunday. I’m heading down to Philly this weekend, so I’m sharing them both today! Best wishes for a great weekend everyone- and thank you so much again to Hannah for sharing all of these patterns with us this week. If you missed any, you can download them here and you can check out more of Hannah’s work on Instagram right here. xo, grace

CLICK HERE to download the teal pattern!

CLICK HERE to download the yellow pattern!










via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1JorirZ From Grace Bonney

Friday, April 24, 2015

Naps, Bubble Baths, The Company of Loved Ones + Best of The Web By: Sabrina Smelko

A hideaway dining table using IKEA mirror By: Jules IKEAHacker

2 way mirror

Materials: Ikea MONGSTAD Mirror and Ikea stool

This is a hack to turn the Ikea mirror into a stowaway dining room table that seats 6 people. Great for people with small apartments but who still want to host dinners/events.

Steps:

1) Attach two hinges to bottom of mirror
2) Attach two eyelets to side of mirror
3) Attach two hooks to wall
4) Attach mirror to wall via other end of hinges

Use:

1) While in the ‘up/mirror’ position, the wall hooks feed through the eyelets and prevent the mirror from falling down.
2) In the ‘down/table’ position, the stool supports the table end opposite from the wall.

hideaway dining table

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Optional steps:

1) The back side of the mirror isn’t perfectly level so I glued a couple pieces of cork board down so that the eating surface was uniformly flat.

2) I stapled a cheap water proof liner to the backside (table side) of the mirror. I always lay a table curtain down when in use, so the liner just provides an extra level of defense.

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3) I have six foldable chairs that I keep hidden in the closet/storage when I’m not using the table

hideaway dining table

Questions? Ask me on Twitter! @virtualtseng

~ Nick Tseng

The post A hideaway dining table using IKEA mirror appeared first on IKEA Hackers.



via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1DZ5ejd From Jules IKEAHacker

In the Kitchen With: Janet Fletcher’s Lamb Meatballs By: Kristina Gill

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I go through cookbook phases periodically. At times, I really want varied recipes from someone whose writing and food tastes are interesting to me. Other times, I really seek out books based on a single theme.  This week’s recipe for Lamb Meatballs in Warm Yogurt Sauce with Sizzling Red-Pepper Butter comes from the latter category. It appears in the most recent book by author Janet Fletcher, Yogurt: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. I chose this recipe because it is simple, yet a bit more complex in flavors than what we usually run on the column. It is truly versatile and can be eaten alone, or served over grains (as pictured) or egg noodles, as Janet recommends. The recipe also makes me daydream about taking a trip to the Eastern Mediterranean to eat more really great food!  Kristina

Why Janet loves this recipe: A gem of a recipe from the Eastern Mediterranean kitchen, these succulent meatballs bathe in a sauce that will have you scraping the bowl. I have seen similar recipes for whole lamb shanks or chunks of shoulder, but meatballs cook more quickly. They are browned first, and then simmered in broth, but the magic happens just before serving, when yogurt and a beaten egg are whisked in to thicken the juices. Sizzling red-pepper butter provides a final flourish. Serve with bulgur or rice pilaf, or with egg noodles.

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Photographs (c) 2015 by Eva Kolenko

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Lamb Meatballs in Warm Yogurt Sauce with Sizzling Red-Pepper Butter
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
– 1 pound ground lamb
– 1 large egg, lightly beaten
– 1 ⁄ 2 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
– 1 ⁄ 2 cup finely minced yellow onion
– 1 teaspoon dried oregano
– 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
– 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon toasted and ground cumin seeds (see first note below)
– Freshly ground black pepper
– 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
– 1 cup chicken broth
– 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
– 1 large egg, lightly beaten
– 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced (see second note below)
– 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
– 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
– 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
– 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon medium-hot coarsely ground red pepper such as Aleppo or Maras pepper (see third note below), or hot paprika
– 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon toasted and ground cumin seeds

Preparation
1. To make the meatballs: Combine all the ingredients up to and including the freshly ground black pepper and mix well with your hands. Shape into 24 balls, dipping your hands in cold water as needed to keep the mixture from sticking.

2. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs; they should fit in a single layer. Fry gently, turning the meatballs with two soup spoons so they brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off and discard any fat in the skillet.

3. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the broth. Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet and simmer until they dissolve. Return the meatballs to the skillet, cover, and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, and then transfer the meatballs to a plate using a slotted spoon.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg, garlic, dill, and mint. Slowly whisk in about 1 ⁄ 2 cup of the hot broth to warm the yogurt, and then pour the yogurt mixture into the skillet. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sauce visibly thickens and just begins to simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the meatballs to the skillet and turn to coat them with the sauce. Cover and simmer gently until hot.

5. Divide the meatballs and sauce among 4 to 6 warmed bowls.

6. To make the sizzling red-pepper butter: Put the butter in a small saucepan or butter warmer and set over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the red pepper and cumin and swirl the pan until the butter foams and sizzles and the pepper’s aroma rises. Drizzle each portion with some of the red-pepper butter. Garnish with chopped dill.

Note 1: Toasting and grinding cumin seeds: Ground cumin is much more fragrant if you make it from whole seeds that you toast and grind only as needed. Put the seeds in a small dry skillet and cook over moderate heat‚ swirling the pan often‚ until the cumin darkens and becomes fragrant‚ 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool‚ and then grind into a fine powder in a mortar or spice grinder.

Note 2: Grating versus mincing garlic: I typically use a Microplane‚ a rasp-style grater available at kitchenware stores‚ when adding garlic to yogurt. You can also mince the garlic finely with a knife‚ but I find that grated garlic infuses the yogurt better. It practically dissolves‚ so you don’t perceive any little bits of garlic in the yogurt.

Note 3: Maras and Aleppo Pepper: Aleppo pepper is from Syria (though also grown in Turkey)‚ Maras pepper is from Turkey‚ but both of these coarsely ground red peppers have a fruity‚ earthy flavor and a medium-low to medium level of heat. Keep in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator or freezer up to 6 months. (You can find them online here, here, and here.)

Recipe adapted and reproduced by DesignSponge  from Yogurt, by Janet Fletcher, copyright (c) 2015, with permission of Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

About Janet: Janet Fletcher is the author or co-author of more than two dozen books on food and beverages, including Cheese & Wine, Cheese & Beer, and The Cheese Course. Her weekly email newsletter, Planet Cheese, is read by cheese enthusiasts internationally, and she is a member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. A longtime contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle, Janet has received three James Beard Awards and the IACP Bert Greene Award for her newspaper journalism. Her food and beverage writing has also appeared in numerous national magazines, including Saveur, Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, Culture, and Food & Wine. She lives in Napa Valley, but teaches cooking and cheese-appreciation classes around the country.

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via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1Gfzuod From Kristina Gill

Home Ec: Open Storage Solutions By: Garrett Fleming

Home Ec: Open Storage Solutions

Recently, I went through my closet… again. No matter how diligent I am about not letting “stuff” accumulate, my apartment somehow always gets back to a state of bursting at the seams. After doing a serious evaluation and determining that I simply cannot get rid of anything else, I am forcing myself to seek out new, clever storage solutions. In the past at Design*Sponge, we have focused a lot on beautiful objects you can use to contain your collections. These gorgeous pieces look great on a shelf and are treasures in their own way. For today’s Home Ec, however, we’ll be taking a look at some open storage solutions.

What I love about open storage solutions is that they’re perfect for showing off your belongings. As a curator, I like flaunting my thrift-store finds and vintage goodies. They were meant to be seen and enjoyed by me and my guests, not shoved in a box in the closet. Many of you can relate, I am sure. Being a renter, I am also always hunting down smart ways to make a visual impact without compromising the bones of my space. Today’s fun and easy solutions check both of those boxes, so no need to worry about upsetting those crusty landlords. Once you’ve taken a look, don’t forget to leave your own tips in the comment section below. I am sure you guys have even more great insights, so let’s all help one another out. Enjoy! —Garrett

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This post and the Home Ec section are brought to you by Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day. Visit the Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Home-Grown Inspiration section featuring 20 DIYs, including seven from Design*Sponge!










via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1DHCbxl From Garrett Fleming

Pattern Download from Hannah Lee: Day 5! By: Grace Bonney

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We’re coming to the end of Hannah Lee’s awesome week of free downloadable patterns, and before we head into the weekend (Hannah drew pattens for this weekend, too — so stay tuned!), I wanted to share today’s beautiful geometric print. I love the combination of textures and the small, hand-drawn geometric elements — it’s the perfect bit of color and print to decorate your phone and computer backgrounds. Thanks so much to Hannah for today’s design! xo, grace

CLICK HERE to download today’s free pattern from Hannah Lee.










via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1bAMs8K From Grace Bonney