Weekend of pictures {+ French chocolate boat}

{Mitch Epstein, Madison Avenue, New York City, 1973}

{Stephen Shore, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, August 13, 1974}

{Jan Groover, untitled, 1978}

{William Eggleston (an old fave), untitled, from Los Alamos, 1965-68}

Fun fact: Until the 1970s, only black & white photography got respect, color was "vulgar"! These vivid pictures from a weekend exhibit caught my eye - artists who made color photos an art.

~ Wishing you a colorful week! ~

P.S. And, oh my, this also caught my eye: Leave it to the French to make a sea-worthy boat out of chocolate (see BBC news clip).

(Images via Starburst (#1-3), the larkey experiments and TalkTalk. This post mysteriously disappeared, but is back now - with the chocolate update).

Wild mushroom and chicken soup

(via)

(clockwise from top left: shiitake, oyster, chanterelle & crimini)

I made this for my significant other in our first month of dating; he still asks for it 5 years later. Soup seems unromantic, but this one is quite aphrodisiac (those ingredients:)) and earthy-cozy to boot!

And before I sign off, a big thank you to Amber Blue Bird for sweetly passing on blog awards! More soon:)...

~ Have a cozy and wonderful weekend! ~

***

WILD MUSHROOM AND CHICKEN SOUP (Serves 4)
Adapted slightly (by omitting time-consuming morel soak) from a Great Soups feature in New York Magazine's 1996 Food Issue, with top chefs' recipes (though I sadly can't find the chef's name.)

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme, stems discarded, or ~1-1/4 teaspoons (~1/5oz or 6g) dried thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 cups (1.5 litre) chicken stock
• 8 chicken drumsticks and/or thighs, skins removed
• 1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into 1/2-inch-wide (~1.5cm-wide) strips
• 1/2 pound (8oz or 240g) crimini mushrooms, with stems, sliced in half
• 1 cup (~225g) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced 1/4-inch (~0.5cm) thick
• 1 cup (~225g) oyster mushrooms, stems removed, quartered
• 1 cup (~225g) chanterelles, tips of stems removed, quartered
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons (~10ml) balsamic vinegar
• Optional: 1-2 cups (~225-450g) peas
• Optional: 1 bunch chives, finely chopped

Bring the first 7 ingredients to a boil in a soup pot. Add drumsticks and thighs, simmering for 30 minutes. Remove drumsticks and thighs; set aside. While soup continues to simmer, debone chicken when cool enough to handle, discarding bones.

Add chicken breast and peas to soup. Simmer until the breast meat is cooked, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and the meat from the drumsticks and thighs. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until mushrooms soften a bit (a few minutes or so); stir in vinegar & chives and chow!

Little notes:
As always, feel free to play with the recipe! If you have leftover wild rice, that's also nice to add; if you're pressed for time, you can easily skip the chicken breast, etc.

Karen Millen's minimalist luxe

Thanks for all your fun(ny) comments yesterday! Here's a positive London post (to atone :)). Ever since British Boy wanted to get me a dress from Karen Millen in Covent Garden (3-month anniversary gift), I've had a Millen soft spot.:) Everything's so minimalist-luxe this season.

P.S. The dress ploy must've worked, it'll be 5 years for us. ;)
P.P.S. Millen's suede over-the-knee boots get all the press attention, but I also like the below shoe (and dress)...

{Flower peep toe}

{Jewel hand-sewn bead dress}

(All images via Karen Millen.)

Photo du jour: A beach by any other name

Small beach near Ko Olina, Hawaii...

As a fun contrast, this is also a beach...but in London (where my significant other is from). I like to wind him up (tease him) about it. ;)

{An August Break Continued post: Top photo taken on island of Oahu. Bottom photo of Bankside Beach taken in London, UK.}

French food meditations

It's hard to dispute the French when it comes to food :)...

"Tell me what you eat: I will tell you what you are."

"The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star."

"Dessert without cheese is like a pretty woman with only one eye."
(Isn't this so French, somehow?)

From this French classic (1825 and still going strong!)...

(Images via Pingu1963, The National Cafe, ChinDeep and notes from the usa.)

The magic hour

{End-of-world feeling from "Days of Heaven," see young Richard Gere?}

Hope your weekend was great! I've been trying to get an earlier start these days, and you know what? Being up at the magic hour is nice in a super-quiet, end-of-the-world way -- barely a soul is stirring!

~ Wishing you a magical week ahead! ~

(Image via Sarahnomics.)

Mom's camera in Beijing

{Forbidden City, Beijing, China}

{Rescued baby pandas, Beijing Zoo}

Did I ever mention we procrastinate a lot in my family? (Well, mainly me.) We finally organized photos from my mom's Beijing trip 2 summers ago! I remember being stuck in London, envious.

Although I think my mom had more fun meeting people than seeing sites: Like this Swedish couple who were celebrating the Olympics & home team love. Go sports fan style! :)

~ Have a fun and lovely weekend! ~

(Thanks Mom!)