yes. break.

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shooting a special cake...

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big scarf in steven alan home

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pretty light in steven alan brooklyn

it's been a great week; a very relaxing, rewarding week. and it feels so great.

after christmas day, i began to shoot some new recipes i've come up with (and they're really, realllllly goooood, if i do say so myself). i think what's really great about writing recipes is that once you get an end result (hopefully positive), it's gratifying. i've been feeling a lot of that this winter break. plus, i get to eat all of my dishes, so that's nice too.

it's also been great to spend more time with my mom, dad, and brother; to be able to go out shopping or just talk during the day. i also get to cook with my mom again; that feels nice. everything that has to do with free time is nice. free time is nice. watching an entire harry potter marathon is nice. sleeping in is nice. 

break is nice.

oh god, i'm going to have a lot of trouble when school starts again.

enough of my crazy rambling. have a great week everyone!

style & tech « 01

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i present to you my first ever wallpapers– all inspired by the happy, merry feelings of the winter holidays! 

style your desktop with these hand-drawn, photographed, and/or designed graphics (made by me!).

have a jolly holidays everyone!

the tree

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personally, the merry holiday feelings do not begin until my family and i pick a christmas tree. in this sentence i effectively used diction; from the use of the word 'pick', we can extrapolate that izzy selectively chooses her trees, meaning that she rejects all other trees until she finds the perfect one. we once again witness the human condition to strive for perfection, even if that means hurting the feelings of poor trees in the process. 

BAM. english analysis studying done. QED. oh look, geometry studying done, too. 

this week is crammed with before-break tests, quizzes, and assessments– too many? never... but it's overwhelming at times. during my study sessions and work periods, i enjoy listening to covers of classic holiday songs and ballads to keep reminding myself that the winter break is near.

as i was saying before i went into my tree analysis, today we drove upstate to select the perfect arboreal figure. now in the Rael family, there's a lot that goes into consideration when choosing a tree: its height, its color, its fullness, its ability to fit in the stairwell, its scent, and other beneficial factors. we ended up deciding on a full, 11-foot tree with green pine needles and a blue-grey underside, while also having an extremely prominent pine-y smell. i say it's perfect. truly perfect. it's pretty bare at the moment, but it will be filled with ornaments by tomorrow morning.

let the holidays begin.

have a lovely sunday, everyone. 

p.s. below is the playlist that i listen to during the holidays. enjoy.

p.p.s. happy last consecutive date of the century.

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izzy's xmas wish list

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'tis the season of gift giving... it's inevitable that i might have a few desired gifts this year. i realized that as i grow older my christmas list becomes more minimal, both artistically and, well, literally. this christmas i'm eying a few bold items (from left to right):

1/ i've always wanted to touch this bubble necklace whenever i visit the moma store. what a statement piece.

2/ eames. red. rocking chair. enough said. 

3/ this mug is so rad. i always see them around the shops in williamsburg..

4/ my mum has a iacoli & mcallister necklace like this one. but this one is way cooler.

5/ noguchi lamps = life. i think i need another one...

6/ "but mom it's a house nightlight!"

7/ this mason jar candle smells like heaven. fig heaven.

8/ i am love with everything associated with building block. especially this bag.

9/ a stainless steel ring? count me in, please.

what is on your wish list this season? 

have a stress-free weekend everyone!

to be thankful

today is the day of turkeys, of cranberries, of sweet potatoes, and of gravy. yes, for some, this day might be all about food and its preparation, but really there's another meaning behind it.

i don't really mean celebrating the 'first thanksgiving' where the pilgrims hosted a thanksgiving meal for local native americans, maybe for some of you this might be the case. i'm talking more about the 'thanks' in thanksgiving– the way we celebrate it in our household today.

for my family, thanksgiving is a time to reconvene with other parts of family that we don't get to see often. today we reflect on how thankful we are to be able to spend time with extended family, and realizing we have so many possessions and opportunities to be thankful for.

especially in our high-tech and plugged-in world, these notions can be so easily tossed aside and overlooked; even though it is these things that are the most important when celebrating thanksgiving day. 

personally, i am thankful for a lot of things that i often take for granted. 

i am thankful for:

having a home and a loving, supportive family

being able to attend school in a safe environment

the food that is not always so readily available for others

the opportunities that have opened doors for me

living in an appreciative community

my education

having caring friends

really the list could go on and on.

so tonight, or whenever you have a chance to, reflect on what you are thankful for; be appreciative of what you have, remember the importance and message behind thanksgiving, and eat your sweet potatoes. 

have a lovely thanksgiving everyone!

p.s. this is my favorite part of the charlie brown thanksgiving movie. enjoy.

goldy locks

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it's that time of year here in new york city. cold. windy. bitter. horrid. treacherous. barbaric... i mean cold. i know that when the scarves come out, so does the porridge. and i love it. 

so today, i'm going to give you some porridge inspiration; some of my favorite recipes from my favorite blogs and photographs of my own. 

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1/ raw buckwheat porridge

luise and david from green kitchen stories share this wonderful raw buckwheat porridge recipe. while it is not a traditional, warm porridge,  it's just as tasty. i would recommend this one if you're in a hurry in the morning (as you can easily make it the night before). personally, i make this recipe pretty often– i love the nutty taste of raw buckwheat and the sticky-sweet consistency. 

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2/ pearl barley porridge with spice-poached pears

a completely new and unique take on the standard porridge... barley and poached pears??? who would've thought to pair (hehe) the two? i think that it's brilliant to be honest. also can we take a moment to appreciate that thick coconut milk on top? yeah. this kind of reminds me of my own porridge recipe...

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3/ overnight bircher müsli 

and from one of the most well-photographed blogs on the entirety of the internet: "super delicious overnight bircher muesli" from what should i eat for breakfast today.  generally, bircher is very simple, combining yogurt, oats, grated apple, and some (almond) milk. exotic toppings and flavors are optional, but totally recommended. if you want a simple, classic bircher recipe, this is it.

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4/ izzy's oats

lastly but not leastly (.......?!!?), i'll share my own personal recipe that i make on a every-other-day-to-day basis. it's really simple, but adaptable. it never seems to fail me.

1/2 cup oats

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup almond milk

1 tbs maple syrup

01/ in a blender (i use a small nutribullet), blend oats until ground into a somewhat fine flour

02/ in a small bowl, mash banana until only slightly chunky

03/ in a small saucepan on medium-high heat, combine ground oats, banana, almond milk, and maple syrup. if the consistency is too thick, add more almond milk or water. stir until everything is fully combined. taste just to make sure everything is on point

04/ serve in a bowl, top with fresh fruit (maybe more bananas), nut butter, seeds, and/or dried berries. enjoy.

breakfasts like these are especially great on test days (which is every day). just saying.

have a great midweek everyone!

found artists: drew tyndell + (friday) links

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remember the last time i found a rad artist? well i've found yet another. (so many cool creatives everywhere!)

when i saw one of drew tyndell's hand-drawn gifs floating around the tumblr-sphere, i was in awe. i mean, the precision and hand needed to create such pristine gifs is absolutely insane. 

take the first gif. just don't move your mouse or anything and really look at it. just keep watching it. and watching it. and watching it. you never really want to look away, do you? (i know i don't). imagine what sort of planning is behind making these... 

this morning i was scrolling through his portfolio and was looking at some of the other animation work he's done. turns out he did this clip for cartoon network. just wow. 

enough said.

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because i didn't get a chance to post them on friday, here are my collective links for last week!

1/ orchiette? stew? comfort? yes. please. thanks.

2/ so i got a new scarf...

3/ i went to go see this movie with a bunch of friends last weekend. it blew my mind in the most extraordinary way.

4/ we all know who's the best first lady...

5/ i literally screamed when this premiered last night.

6/ speaking of which, if you haven't seen this clip from the newsroom, then you probably haven't lived. (skip to 3:11 if you want to hear just the speech).

on a more personal note, i apologize for being on a mini-hiatuses in-between posts. ninth grade has been pretty tough.

have a fantastic week everyone.

"oui oui i'm orange french toast"

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we all need a little french toast in our lives. a lot of you instagrammers have been asking for this recipe for a while now... so i obliged.

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do you know why french toast deserves to be in all of our lives? because it's just one of those meals that fills your heart with the most absolute joy.

a.k.a. french toast is queen.

because it's fall season, (i didn't do another pumpkin-flavored thing, i promise), i incorporated the 2 fruits that we have in most abundance in our home at the moment: oranges and pomegranates. 

first of all, pomegranates don't really need to be modified or blenderized (it's a word) in any way. i think of them as little ruby jewels. enough said– they just got sprinkled on the top for both the beauty-aspect and flavor-bomb-aspect of the dish.  

i didn't want to just throw the orange slices on top (although you can), but get the hint of orange in the toast. orange zest. problem solved.

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so here we are. me, you, and the french toast that you definitely need to make. also, it's vegan, and takes around 7 minutes to make and 3 minutes to eat. that's how i can make it almost every morning if i have 10-ish minutes to spare. 

this recipe has almost everything you need, and it makes just enough for just you. no sharing!

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move aside pancakes, french toast is here. 

for the french toast:

3 pieces of whole wheat bread (i used cinnamon-raisin)

1/3c almond milk

1 tbs maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

orange zest

(optional) 1 tbs spelt flour

pomegranate seeds for garnish

for the yogurt:
1 package (14oz) firm tofu

2 tbs maple syrup

2 tbs almond milk
 

01/ drain water from tofu, and cube it

02/ in a blender, blend cubed tofu, maple syrup, and almond milk until completely smooth

03/ (if too thick, add more almond milk)

04/ in a small bowl, whisk together almond milk, orange zest, maple syrup, cinnamon, (and optional spelt flour which add thickness)

05/ heat a frying pan at med-high until hot – spray with canola oil

06/ as quickly as possible, dunk each side of the bread in the milk mixture

07/ place soaked bread on heated pan (there should be a satisfying sizzle happening here)

08/ once each side is crispy and brown, flip over

09/ when all the toasts are perfectly golden, stack the toasts, and drizzle with the yogurt and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds

stress & friday links

let's talk about stress. 

as a freshman at a completely new school that is also completely unfamiliar, i have a lot of stress. stress = little sleep = anxiety about not sleeping = being unconfident about stuff. so therefore, using the transitive property, stress = not being confident about stuff.

i think that what's hard for me to fully understand is that struggling is part of being a teenager. that being uncomfortable when you don't grasp a concept or when you are around other people is normal.

although i am writing these statements now, i realize that even i haven't comprehended them yet. which kind of sucks, but i think i'm getting used to it. 

to all my fellow students: you will make it through. 

to all of my fellow non-students: you will make it through.

to myself: just stop freaking out.

okay. just had to put that out there.

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on a much happier note, here my friday links for this week. 

1/ this kale + squash salad is definitely going on my "have-to-make-this-now" list

2/ i've never heard of a bostock before... but i think i need one. or four.

3/ can we all just agree that this can easily be the greatest flour shot of all time?

4/ i think this is very relevant. plus, ruby is one of my favorite cartoonists...

5/ can we just appreciate the fact that the newsroom season 3 is premiering next month (!!!!!!!!!! internally screaming !!!!!!!!!!)

6/ i think i am in love with the coloring of this movie

have a lovely weekend everyone.

really rad pumpkin donuts + an announcement

as you all may or may not know, i am starting a column on kevin's blog, thou swell. every month, i'm going to post a recipe of mine and talk a little bit about why i chose it, (and quite possibly, why it's so good)... 

this month, i am sharing a really rad pumpkin donut recipe with a sweet glaze. 

to check out my post, and to get the recipe, head on over to thouswell!

found artists: elle luna

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last week during the school day my mom sent me a short email; its subject being: "check her out. i think you'll like her".
linked in the email were 3 links to different posts on an artist that my mom had discovered. her name is elle luna. i read the linked posts from start to finish and instantly fell in love with her work.

elle's not just amazing because of her incredible artistic talents, but because of the message that she's sending to others.

one of the links from my mom's email that really stood out to me was the post that elle had written on medium about having to face choosing between should and must.

in this current context, it might make no sense at all... should? must? why would we have to talk about these things? how are they any different from one another?

in her post, elle talks about those differences, and how must is far superior than should because when you choose must, you're choosing to be "your truest, and most authentic self" (as she puts it).

i think that this constant weighing between them not only relates to me, but to a lot of other teens my age. it's just this jumble of teenage feelings, and worries, and hormones, and this persistent fear of being able to "fit in", as we put it, that makes choosing either should or must so difficult.

i can relate to her a lot. i think she's my new role model.



have a great rainy day, everyone.

i am fifteen

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it's kind of hard for me to believe that i'm turning fifteen today.

the big 1-5– the year of the quinceanera (that i am not having).

i mean, it's just another year that i've been alive, in a quite literal sense. 

about 6 hours into fifteen-dom i realize that being fifteen is just like being fourteen. it's not like you're turning thirteen, your first "teen" year; or eighteen, your "last" "teen" year, and you're not celebrating your sweet sixteen, either. so i ask, what is it then?

fifteen. just fifteen. 

so instead of saying fourteen you say fifteen. that's basically it. you say you're fifteen and that you're a freshman in high school. that's all that you think has changed.

physically.

i don't feel different, i don't look different, i don't sound different, i don't know any different, but i know that i have changed, and will continue to change. and yes, that is both a good thing and a bad thing.

good in the sense that i am becoming more knowledgable and that there will be more opportunities for me.

bad in the sense that i am actually getting older, physically and mentally, and that i will have to hold more responsibility on my shoulders. but there's no stopping it. there's no stopping any of it. and i have to deal with it.

i went with a couple of my friends and my family to two of my favorite places in new york (state) to celebrate my first few days in fifteendom. naturally, i took my camera with me to capture the moments. 

i'll let the film give you a sense of the joy i felt on that day.

so to this i say, happy birthday, me.

may this sixteenth year of existence (and your seventeenth and eighteenth and nineteenth, too) bring you good and amazing things.

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if you're reading this, i just want to say thank you. to all of my friends and teachers and classmates, i wish you the absolute best in the future ahead. i'll miss you all. 

FIFTEEN! + pumpkin muffins

it's kind of hard for me to believe that i'm turning fifteen today.

the big 1-5– the year of the quinceanera (that i am not having).

i mean, it's just another year that i've been alive, in a quite literal sense. 

about 6 hours into fifteen-dom i realize that being fifteen is just like being fourteen. it's not like you're turning thirteen, your first "teen" year; or eighteen, your last "teen" year; and you're not celebrating your sweet sixteen, either. so i ask, what is it then?

fifteen. just fifteen. 

so instead of saying fourteen you say fifteen. that's basically it. you say you're fifteen and that you're a freshman in high school. that's all that you think has changed.

physically.

i don't feel different, i don't look different, i don't sound different, i don't know any different, but i know that i have changed, and will continue to change. and yes, that is both a good thing and a bad thing.

good in the sense that i am becoming more knowledgable, and that there will be more opportunities for me.

bad in the sense that i am actually getting older; physically and mentally, and that i will have to hold more responsibility on my shoulders. but there's no stopping it. there's no stopping any of it. and i have to deal with it.

so to this i say, happy birthday, me.

may this sixteenth year of existence bring you good things.

have a wonderful friday, everyone.

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(izzy's birthday) pumpkin muffins

makes 12

1.5c spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp chinese five spice

1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground anise

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree

1/2c plain greek yogurt (i used 0%)

1 flax egg or egg

3/4c coconut sugar

optional: 1/4c pumpkin seeds + turbinado sugar

01/ preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 12 muffin tin with canola oil

02/ in a medium bowl, sift spelt flour and combine with baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, five spice, nutmeg, and anise

03/ in a separate, larger bowl, combine pumpkin puree, yogurt, egg, and coconut sugar. make sure it is thoroughly mixed

04/ pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients

05/ with a spatula, carefully fold ingredients together until just combined. make sure not to over-mix because then the muffins will be dense!

06/ using a ice cream scooper or large spoon, scoop the muffin mixture into individual muffin tins

07/ sprinkle each one with a pinch of pumpkin seeds, and a generous smidgen of turbinado sugar

08/ bake for 22-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when entered in the center of the muffin

09/ let cool, then gobble down

autumn

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*click on the photographs to view larger

when you come to the realization that today is the first day of fall, it kind of just hits you. i mean, weren't we just in summer yesterday? weren't we still in the warm weather with the grilled peaches, corn on a cob, and hot breezes?

where did it all go?

it's not like i miss it with all my heart or anything. yeah, i do miss all the stone fruits, and the fact that i don't have to wear a coat, but there's just something so cozy and good-feelings-y about autumn. tea. pumpkins. squashes. chilly weather. big duvets. long pajamas. new wool hats. TEA.

all of my friends say they miss summer. i've missed fall. 

moving on...

it's been 2-ish weeks as a high-schooler. i feel these subtle changes arising. with age comes responsibility, but at the same time new opportunities. the other thing that comes with responsibility is homework. and no, no, i'm not complaining and/or ranting about homework. i'm just saying that the quantity of the (horrid) stuff is greater than it was last year. i have less time to really do the things that i love (i.e. recipe-making, shooting the recipes, posting the recipes, having more content for the blog, etc.) 

it's a pang in the heart, really.

in fact, i started writing this post at about 5:21ish in the morning. it's 5:52am, now. 

happy first day of autumn, everyone. 

buckwheat porridge for design*sponge

a video? but izzy, you never make videos!

i actually do, sometimes... and this is why:

for the past couple of weeks, i've been writing, shooting, and taste-testing for this marvelous project i did with the amazing women behind design*sponge.

i was not only astonished to get an email from such a well-known blog, but to be asked to create a recipe video for their friday column!

how awesome is that?

from 1 to 10, i give it an 11.

as the final result, i created a warm, ginger buckwheat porridge, topped with a poached pear, and a thickened coconut milk. to see how i made it, watch the video above.

to see the recipe, visit my feature on their blog.

have a wonderful weekend everyone

hello? + links/photographs of my week

one the many problems of being a part time blogger is... *sad and weak drumroll*... figuring out what to write about. i guess that's why a lot of people do friday links, or color-coded moodboards, or interior posts... (*coughcough* me *coughcough*). 

i think what the point i'm trying to get at, here, is that curating for a blog is not easy. it's especially hard when you're also a full-time student. the thing about blogging (in its entirety) is that you're trying to post what you would read, yourself, while thinking about what your readers would want read, too. difficult, isn't it? you probably don't want to hear me blab on about this "ya gotta stay committed" sort of stuff, but i'm not listening!

i realize that being completely and utterly honest, and sharing that with your audience, is what makes the blog interesting because there's so much stuff about the writer and there's so much other stuff about stuff and there's so much writing and photos and information and jumbles of words and you just can't stop writing and there's just so much to do and there's so much to say and show and tell! but you can't. and when you try to blog, you get blogger's block. it happens. it actually happens to me every time i carve out some time to write here. and it sucks. but you know what? i think, and it usually comes to me, anyways. 

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1/ molly's funfetti cake from scratch is actually fabulous... does homemade mean healthy? i think so.

2/ really want to try this (vegan) farro salad with cashew cheese. have yet to make cashew cheese... maybe this is clear sign to do so.

3/ this tumblr post made me bawl. tell me if you get it.

4/ frank ocean though. 

5/ did someone say pumpkin spice latté? 

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have a wonderful wednesday, everyone.

transitions + high school

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yes, i am at school right now. yes, i did throw this type sort-of thing together in about 5 minutes. no, i'm not not busy at the moment. no, stop. i am a high schooler. yes, high school. high. school. 

it's my second day as a ninth grader. a high schooler, officially. (a high schooler with pretty rad friends, i might add). i never thought that i'd become who i am today. and what's absolutely crazy is that i have no idea who i'll be next year, or the year after that, or the year after the year after that.  i try not to think about it really, i just want things to happen the way they happen. (i'm not trying to sound the least bit deep or anything)... 

as a 14 (almost 15!) year-old middle school graduate, i realized something. i realized that i have accomplished so many fantastic, wonderful, astonishing, and mind-blowing things in the mere 15 years of my very existence. whoever is reading this now, just think of all of the great things that you have done too! i mean really. if you're 34, 19, 12, i don't care, just think. how did you accomplish those things? did you achieve these moments because you were afraid to take risks, step out of your boundaries, and assure yourself that you can do absolutely nothing?

NO!

of course not! who does that? who does any of that at all? recognize that you've done these marvelous things and gone to such an extent because you were NOT afraid to take risks, step out of your boundaries, and you were able to assure yourself that you can do absolutely EVERYTHING.

remember these three things:

1. there are no such thing as failures– only learning opportunities.
2. everyone struggles, you are not alone.
3. and don't take life too seriously.

even i have to think back to these three simple notes.

read them over and over, i promise they will get you through a lot if you remember them. 

on a simpler note, have a great weekend everyone. 

a super exciting announcement + (almost) friday links

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as all of you may or may not know, i'm doing a project with VSCO. (sneak previews above)

i, izzy rael, am going to be part of VSCO's Artist Initiative project. exciting, isn't it? for the next few weeks, i'm going to be creating, shooting, and writing a book of all things creative. 

that's all i am going to tell you.

you can see the official announcement on the VSCO journal here. stay tuned and watch out for specific photographs on my grid, using the hashtag #artistinitiative. 

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but you're probably all here for the awesome links i'm about to share with you... so i will not deprive you further.

1/ izy, the purely magnificent, internet-famous baker, just released her own announcement for her new cookbook, Top With Cinnamon! woohoo! guess who's going to be first in line when you come to sign books in new york...

2/ i'm in love with this video for green kitchen stories' raw buckwheat & walnut porridge. 10/10 great.

3/ can i please just buy all of these ceramics? please? thanks.

4/ for my mum's birthday, (happy 39th, mom!) my dad and i grilled up this easy, yet incredibly sophisticated zucchini and ricotta flatbread. heck yes. 101% recommend before summer ends!

5/ where incredible graphics, doctor who, sherlock, and harry potter collide: my new fandom tumblr! i'm almost 15, i still get to do these things. dooweeooooooooooooooo.

simple brownie bites for simple people

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i'm not really a simple person, actually.

i'm more... eclectic? i don't know. hip? no.

hipster? yeaaaa-no.

but i like these brownies.

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i've been really into fresh ginger lately; fresh ginger porridge, fresh ginger soba, fresh ginger tea... it's just so, so, so good. GINGER PEOPLE. i swear it will be the new kale in a couple of months.

fads, for goodness sake.

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but let's quit talking about me for a second here. i'm writing right now to tell you about these brownies. these are actually SO GOOD and they use 3 ingredients, and take about 3.14159265359 minutes to make. that's right. (i timed it exactly).

i know i say this about the majority of my desserts, but seriously. let's get real. 3.14159265359 minutes *coughcough* nerd pi-jokes *cough*, 3 ingredients. that's pretty radical. insert nerd-surfer face here. (please tell me you get it..."radical")

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other than those two little things, these brownies are super duper versatile. you can add whatever spices you'd like. now that i'm thinking of it, i should've added some cayenne! sweet/spicy = my kind of party.

3 ingredient raw brownie bites (for simple people)

makes 6 bites

loosely adapted from laura

3/4 cup raw buckwheat groats

1-1/3 cup pitted dates (preferably medjool)

1/4 cup cacao powder

pinch of salt

(optional) 2 tsp vietnamese cinnamon

01. in a food processor, blend buckwheat until a flour forms. (little chunks here and there are a-okay)

02. add pitted dates, cacao powder, salt, and cinnamon and process until a large ball forms

03. once everything is thoroughly combined, roll out "brownie dough" using a damp rolling pin until about 1 to 1.5" thick

04. cut the dough into 6 even bite-sized pieces of brownie

05. press in more buckwheat for extra crunch, or even emmy's cacao coconut super cereal like i did. (emmy's organics is awesomeness)

PDX

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grapefruit rose + passionfruit-sichuan peppercorn sorbets at fifty licks 

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papa + q

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farm cabbage 

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farmer girl

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one of five dishes on the vegetarian tasting menu at racion

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capturing light

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downtown.

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the berries we picked

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book selection at table of contents

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pick-your-own sunflowers

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table of contents #selfie

well. it's been a great 10 days here in oregon with my family, and at jazz camp.

i've made relationships with people i will never let go of, and i'm one step closer to becoming an even better musician.

i finally made my way to fifty licks, a super small batch hip ice cream parlor in portland. they have a lemon-saffron sorbet cocktail with shiso leaf. (6 more years. 6 more years...)

we went berry picking at sauvie island farms. you can't really get a real farm experience in new york, right? i probably ate about 2 pounds of blueberries and golden raspberries. the aches were worth it. plus we got to sit in a vegetable cart. win.

while we were in downtown, portland, we made our way to clyde common in the ace hotel for brunch. and stopped to peek around the little shops around the area. 

the coolest shop of them all, which wasn't actually located downtown, was table of contents. it was so beautiful i wanted to cry. i was going to buy a pair of maison margiela hammer pants, but apparently "they are cool, but not cool enough for you", according to my mom. eh. fine.

we went to ración last night. my first tasting menu, and definitely not my last. it was good. great. fantastic??? right. it was the perfect finish to the end of our trip here in oregon.

i won't ever forget this one.