love; ten things i love this week

1. The out pouring of love surrounding an amazing man's departure from the world as we know it. I loved Mastin Kipp's tribute the most. Very inspiring indeed. LOVE!

2. This video created for Apple in 1997, narrated by Steve Jobs. It never did get released. I actually can't get enough of watching it! Soooo inspiring! LOVE!

clipartoday.com

3. Hugs. One of the greatest things Americans have taught me is to hug. I hug everyone now! Australians are not the best huggers around, let me tell you, but I manage to soften a few hearts when I do hug. LOVE!

modelsownit.com

4. Having my nails done by my good friend Kiera. She too has been inspired to paint crazy nails and was sooo looking forward to doing mine for the longest time! The nails in the pic aren't mine as I didn't get a chance to take a photo before they began to chip! Bright red lepoard print nails are defintiely fun to wear! LOVE! 

5. Crimping my hair! I have been in search for one this past month and told a friend who pulled out hers from way back when and gave it to me. It makes my hair look ridiculous, but I love it!

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6. Driving. Yep, I'm back chauffeuring to keep my belly full and it feels great to be on the road again. I think I was born into this world with a steering wheel in my hand...seriously! LOVE!

7. This picture, or should I say, this warning. I couldn't find the original author but I do love it!

8. Parfait's! I've made two batches just in this last week! The great thing about these 'raw' desserts is that they are great for you! LOVE!

9. Hearing the news that my brother is now having green smoothies for breaky!!!! This is a BIG accomplishment as he is sooooo traditionally Italian in his choice of foods. The green smoothie LOVE is spreading! Check out my friend glo's post on how to make a green smoothie here. LOVE!

10. Forgetting that someone owed you money and getting it just when everything looks bleak as hell! YAY!!! LOVE!

pink; every girl loves pink

artknowledgenews.com

Last night I had dinner with a good friend of mine and Kate Gilmore's name came up in conversation. I mentioned I will write about her today and have found myself sitting on this post, procrastinating for about five hours. You see, Kate Gilmore is one of those artists I have been avoiding writing about here on eatpinklove since I began this blog in November last year. Why, you ask? Well, she is an obvious contemporary artist for me to write about as the reasons why and the contexts within which she uses the colour pink is exactly the way in which we would expect artists (especially female) to use the colour in their works.

Go to her website and you are confronted with an image of six women, all different shapes and sizes, facing the same way and confined by the colour pink. It really sets the tone for what Gilmore explores in her work and what you are about to enter into by clicking on her projects page. Traces of hard core seventies feminist artworks are very aparent once you click onto her list of videos. 

I think the reason why I am not into artists who work in a similar vain as Gilmore is because I'm not for violence of any sort preferring the 'kill them with kindness' approach rather than the anger fueled, forcefulness and bashing approach of this style of work (have I been living in California for way too long or what??!).

Every Girl Loves Pink is no exception to the violence within Gilmore's practice. She constructs to deconstruct; a vicious cycle that is seen as the struggle of women over the history of women-kind throughout the decades, centuries and millenniums.  But it could also be seen as the struggle of all of humanity, regardless of gender identity.

I can appreciate artists such as Gilmore producing works like this as the struggle she is focusing on in her work is very real for a lot of women  in today's society. I just don't feel it is relevant in the way I choose to live my life as a woman in the culture I was born into.

eat; eatpinklove meets margaret

flowers.vg

With Melbourne having the second largest Greek population in the world outside of Athens, it is no wonder that Melbourne boasts some of the worlds best Greek restaurants. Their food is fresh, quick to prepare and tangy. I do love a vegetarian mezethes (thats Greek for small dishes, like tapas), picking at amazing taste sensations with a wonderful loaf of bread and a great glass of red for hours and hours!

Margaret is one of my oldest friends. She didn't want me to take a photo of her while cooking so I stole her pic off Facebook (lol!). Margaret and her sister Alex are non identical twins and I met Alex at art school (my first attempt at art school!) when I was 19. They are of Greek heritage and we have always indulged in our passion for food over the years, cooking, baking, trying new recipes and sharing what we have learnt. Last weekend, I met up with Alex and Margaret and we made a wonderful Greek feast, indulging our taste buds. I chose to focus on the Dolmathes (stuffed vine leaves) we made as it is one of my favourite Greek foods and there is a BIG difference between home made and store bought. 

Traditionally, the leaves are picked off the vine and blanched in salted water, but we just used a jar of vine leaves in brine that you can get at any supermarket stocking European foods. 

What you need;

34 grape vine leaves

1 cup medium grain rice

2 Tbls olive oil

1/2 bunch dill

1/2 bunch parsley

3/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Start by rinsing the grape vine leaves under running water to wash off the brine and set aside to drain. Keep four to one side to use on the base of your cooking pot.

Wash and finely chop the fresh herbs, set aside. Finely chop the onion.

Place oil in a pot and saute onions until transparent. Wash the rice under running water while the onion is cooking. Once the onion is cooked, toss in the rice and cook on a medium heat for five minutes, stirring often. The aim with the rice at this stage is to coat it just as you do when cooking Risotto.

When the rice is ready, take off the flame and let cool a little. Once cool,  toss into the awaiting bowl with the chopped fresh herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now the fun begins!!!

Place a leaf on a board and 'open' it up so it lays flat, making sure the 'veins' of the leaf are facing up. Add a tablespoon of the rice mixture towards the bottom of the leaf, remembering the rice will swell up once cooked. Now you're ready for the rolling!

The pictures above show you step by step how to roll. Start by folding over one side of the leaf to cover the rice mixture, followed by bringing in the other side. Lift the side closest to you up and over the mixture and start to roll the Dolmathes into a sausage shape. Continue this process until all finished.

In the same pot you used to saute the onion and rice, line the base with the four vine leaves you set aside earlier. This will prevent the bottom ones from burning. Gently place the Dolmathes into the pot, carefully stacking as you go along. Add 3/4 cup of water.

Place a plate over the Dolmathes and then the lid on the pot. Cook on a medium/low heat for about half an hour. Check if cooked by trying one; the rice should be just right.

I love Dolmathes cold and by themselves but this was actually the first time I tried them warm. and I must say, i didn't mind it at all. Margaret served them with a cold yogurt/mint sauce (made by adding shredded mint, squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt to Greek style yogurt) and wedges of lemon. 

BTW, how '1970's cookbook' do these photo's look this week?!?!?!

Buon Appetito!

love; ten things i love this week

1. This photographer studying in France. Gotta love a bit of flickering going on!

2. This GIANT disco ball by artist Michel de Broin! I must say, I do love a disco ball so much so that I had one in my loungeroom in the last place I lived at in Melbourne a few years ago. Check out more photos here and flick through to the video documentation at the end. LOVE!!!

3. Having a girly weekend with my friends Alex and Margaret. They are Greek and so the food thing is as HUGE for them as it is me. What a wonderful feast!!! I'll be posting Margaret's recipe for Dolmathes on Monday!!! LOVE!

4. Cooking straight out of my mums garden. Seriously, gotta love a mum who's a keen gardener! Takes all the work out of eating fresh! She has just planted Kale for my green smoothies...YAY!!! LOVE!

5. Playing the 'Damsel in distress' card with Australian Customs and having my real horses tails returned to me after the fumigation process in a week rather then 8 weeks!!! Gotta love that!!!!

6. This website. I have 'failed' soooo many times it's hilarious!!! LOVE!

7. Being back in Melbourne. Maybe it's because I have plans to come back to the States, but at the mo, I'm loving being here in this city. I'm definitely loving the cafe and bar culture that Melbourne is famous for. LOVE!

8. Google Street view! I can actually show you all where I live in Melbourne!!! My Mum and Dad bought this house in 1974!!! Can you believe it?!?!? This view is from a view years ago now, but nothing much has changed except for my neighbours crappy car being sold. LOVE!!!

9. Cooking up a vegan/raw feast for my fam. My mum and brother are very traditional in their approach to food, preferring a plate of pasta over anything else. This was a real treat as I made a raw dessert and starter and introduced them to healthy and satisfying Indian inspired vegan food. I was soooo excited that I forgot to take pics!!! :0( LOVE!!!!

10. Smash Poodles!!! Click on the 'toy poodle male/female' to see some hilarious pics! Some of you have already seen my profile pic of some amazing looking poodles over the last week or so and I have had some very interesting reactions to them. I LOVE THESE DOGS!!! I'm working on visualizing an apartment in New York, a partner who is a writer, a Smash Poodle named Lucy and a Main Coone cat named Tony. LOVE!!

eat; sauteed vegies with quinoa and a honey/tahini dressing

riseearth.com

I'm sorry to say that I am now without Natalie's great camera and having to take photos with my shitty point and shoot :0( Well, thats at least until I can get some funds together to get myself a kick arse Canon, which I have thrown out there to the universe! Until then, my photos may look a little sad, but the food will never taste sad at all!!!

At the mo, it's Spring here in Melbourne, Australia and some days are a little chilly for my liking. The warm foods have come out and I'm loving Quinoa right now (check out this fabulously strange video David Lynch created on cooking his favourite food!). My last supper in L.A was Cafe Gratitude's 'Gratitude Bowl', which is basically sauteed vegies with either quinoa or brown rice and a choice of dressing. I decided to try and replicate this dish the other day and I must say, I think I did a pretty great job! It is super easy to make and will last a few days in the fridge.

The basic rule here is use whatever vegies you have lying around and start with the harder vegies such as sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot etc, then once they are half cooked, add your softer vegies; zucchini, eggplant, fresh corn kernals, capsicum, etc until cooked. Once cooked, turn off the heat and toss through your leafy green. Simple. I've written 'hard' vegies and 'soft' vegies in the recipe below so you have the freedom to add whatever is in the refrigerator.

When cooking Quinoa, you can do so in a rice cooker if you have one or simply use a pot and the absorption method. I like to add a vegie stock cube to the water to give the quinoa extra flavour.

What you need;

2 cups 'hard' vegies cut into small cubes

2 cups 'soft' vegies cut into small cubes

2 cups shredded leafy greens (spinach, kale, silverbeat, collards)

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 birdseye chilli if you like it hot

3 Tbs olive oil

1 1/2 cups quinoa

3 cups water

1 vegie stock cube

Honey/Tahini Dressing

1/2 cup tahini

juice of half a lemon

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp honey or agave

pinch of salt

water to dilute

Start by cooking the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa under running water to 'remove' the bitterness that is associated with the grain. Pour in a pot, add the three cups of water and the stock cube. Place the lid onto the pot and bring to the boil, turning down the heat to simmer once at boiling point for ten minutes. Keep an eye on it making sure the water does not all disappear before the grain is cooked.

In a large saucepan, add the oil, onion, garlic and chilli. Saute until cooked. Add the 'hard' vegies, stir through and place the lid on top, keeping the flame at a medium heat. Stir occasionally, making sure it doesn't burn. Add a splash of water if need be. 

Once the 'hard' vegies are half cooked (about 5 minutes) add the 'soft' vegies, stirring them through. Again, lid goes on and if need be, add another splash of water. If using kale or collards, add them too as they need more cooking time than silverbeet or spinach. Cook for a further five minutes on medium heat adding a pinch of salt to the vegies.

Once cooked, turn off the heat and if using spinach or silverbeet, toss them in whilst still hot, placing  the lid back on so it 'cooks' through with the heat. 

To make the dressing, simply whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Add as much water as you need to create a dressing consistency, little by little. You can never go back if you add too much water, so start with a little at a time until its just right.

Once the quinoa is cooked, 'fluff' it up with a fork just as you would couscous. Place about 3/4 cup in each individual bowl and scoop the vegies on top. Drizzle as much dressing as you would like on top and serve. YUM! A wonderful winter warmer that will warm the cockles of your heart!

Buon Appetito!

pink; my kylie collection

http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/37/Kathy_Temin/370/33387/

I was trying to find a pink work by Daniel Von Sturmer  for todays post as he is having his first show in Los Angeles and is a fellow Australian, but I can't seem to find one (get onto it Daniel!!!). So, to celebrate his first showing in Los Angeles, I've decided to go with Kathy Temin, another fellow Australian and of Daniel's generation of artists. She has created sooooo many pink works, it's great! 

It all began with her installation called My Kylie Collection created in 2001.Temin was an avid fan of Kylie Monogue whilst growing up in the '80's and with this installation, she pulled together her teenage collection of Kylie memorabilia to comment on celebrity culture and it's influence on teen culture. Here is a great article on the history of the process of the work and ideas surrounding the installation.

What's interesting about this instalaltion is how we relate to it. Almost every teenager has a celebrity obsession at some point and to some degree. We recognise the ludicrously of our obsessions when confronted with this installation, reminding us of the amount of money and time we spent thinking about our celebrity crushes during our teen years. What did it mean? How did it shape who we are today? What if we were to meet our teenage celebrity crushes as adults today and how does it reflect on who we are if we are adults still carrying these obsessions? Hmmm. Lots to think about with this work.

Since this installation, Temin has enjoyed huge success on the Australian art scene, her most memorable work being created as artist-in-residence in New York titled Auditions for a pair of Koalas (2002) where she did a call out for Americans to come and audition as Koalas for a video performance. They were asked to 'act' like Koalas, even though the actors had never seen how koalas behave in the wild. Very funny indeed!

Feel free to write who your celebrity obsession was as a teenager and if you still have it today as an adult in the comments box below. I'd love to hear what you had in your collection and if you still own them today.

love; ten things i love

Seeing I haven't posted since I was in New York a few weeks ago, I thought I would back track and list the top ten things of my last week in New York.

1. This image of a nanny with little twin girls in pink. Check them out with their little shopping bags looking like grown ups! LOVE!

2. Going to a Tiki bar with my friend Bonnie. Seriously, why did I wait to be on the East coast to go to one?!?!?! These Pina Colada's were AMAZING!!! Must try the Volcano next time I'm at a Tiki Bar!

3. Eating Indian at probably the most fire hazardous place on earth! This restaurant in the East Village, New York is a MUST experience. If you suffer from claustrophobia, probably not a great idea!!!

4. Seeing this random guy who strung up a hammock on traffic light poles at a busy intersection in New York. Well, why not?!?!? Gotta love that!!!

5. Coming across this MASSIVE sculpture of the world along my travels to the carousel in Queens. Absolutely stunning!

6. Having cold Borscht at Veselka in the East Village. This is one of those iconic places that's open 24 hours! Great Ukranian food and this soup was definitely a fantastic cool-me-down whilst in the midst of a New York summer. LOVE!

7. Buying up BIG at Baltazzar! Cakes go on half price special daily at 7.30pm. I probably shouldn't be giving away this secret, but I always go when I'm in New York, spending the evening having cakes for dinner, and think this experience should be shared!...YUM!!! Not vegan, but this is when I say I am vagan (vaguely vegan), not vegan. I mean seriously, how can anyone resist a french dessert?!?!?

8. Project Parlor in Bed Stuy. This is where I frequented as it was stumbling distance home! Gotta love that about New York! And this is where we took our cakes from Baltazzar and ate cakes with a few Bees Knees! LOVE!!!

9.  These 'Don't Honk' signes all over downtown Brooklyn. Seriously?!?! LOVE how ridic it all is!

10. Enjoying a last meal with my friends Katya and Bonnie of pasta and garlic bread :0) We haven't been together in about three years so this was a fitting meal, seeing I would ALWAYS cook pasta for my friends when we were hung over. LOVE!