Tasty Little Mod

As a big fan of all things 60s, it's no surprise I have always coveted the Mondrian dress. Inspired by Piet Mondrian's iconic painting, but created by Yves Saint Laurent in 1965. Hey, even the Partridge Family bus gave a little nod to Piet.


So imagine my deeeelight to discover that fancy baker extraordinaire Caitlin Williams Freeman had created a Mondrian inspired cake for the SF MOMA. Yes, I said a CAKE people!! Caitlin is one of the co-founders of Miette Patisserie, the most adorable bakery ever. Check out her notes and then some yummer pictures of the cake—which is covered in chocolate ganache. Mmmm. Anyone wanna meet up for a slice some day??

Tasty Treat of the Day.

So the other day one of my Flickr pals, the lovely Shutterbean, posted an asparagus tart she had made. The ingredients are simply puff pastry, asparagus, gruyere cheese, lemon and a little salt and pepper. And whooooooooo chile I have been cravin' it ever since. I used ready made pie dough, because I happened to have some on hand, and it was still deeeeelectable. And truthfully SO easy. It's one of those dishes that looks impressive but seriously can be whipped together with a little salad in minutes.

Oh, I added a little sauteed shallot as well and it gave it a really nice flavor.

Thanks Miss Tracy for the fabulous suggestion. (PS Shutterbeanie's food photos are always amazing, so please be sure to check her out!)

Salad at sunset.

It’s been hot hot hot here in Northern California so we’ve been eating outside all week and there is really nothing better. The sky turns that amazing golden color and the hot air becomes just a touch cooler. To beat the heat, I bought a big ol tasty watermelon that we’ve been snacking on. A nice slab of crisp, juicy watermelon is just the thing on a hot summery (aka April in San Francisco) day. Last night I decided to experiment and try the watermelon in a salad. It may sound weird (and I definitely got a few nervous looks from the hubs while I was chopping away), but I have to say it was pretty darn tasty. Super refreshing and the perfect touch of sweetness.


Alex’s Sweet Summer Salad
+ salad greens (we used mache from Trader Joe’s)
+ thinly sliced red onions
+ chopped avocado
+ feta cheese, crumbled
+ chopped candied pecans for a lil crunch
+ watermelon
I dressed it in a little balsamic & olive oil salad dressing but you could use whatever you like. YUM!

A fun tidbit about mache. These are the same tender little greens that Rapunzel’s mother craved while she was pregnant. Her husband snuck into the neighbors yard to pluck the sweet leaves for her—of course she turned out to be a witch and imprisoned their daughter in a tower. Not the most neighborly lady, eh?