Lindsaycdavison

This won't be your forever kitchen. But these smaller-scale improvements will get you past the worst of the cringing — when every time you walk in the room you either zero in on that one feature that drives you crazy, or you want to take a torch to the entire place and start from scratch. You'd be surprised how easy it is to cover up the unsightly bits, and raise the room's level with just a few DIY projects. Even if you're a renter and plan to be there for a good long time, these are affordable enough for you to consider.

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From The Kitchn → How To Clean and Disinfect a Dish Brush

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We get comments in response to our posts all the time that follow the lines of, “I can’t do that in my house. Because cat(s)." As a total dog person, I admit I'm clueless, but there are a few things I've learned about living with furry felines over the years. This is all good decorating advice, straight from the mouths of smart readers.

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Most wedding themes revolve around a color palette or a very loose vibe like "nautical" or "romantic." But every once in a while, some creative couple somewhere takes the idea of a theme wedding to a whole 'nother level–tackling a pop culture concept with elegance, some cheek and, yes, tons of style.

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Everyone dreamed of having a treehouse, right? Well, one LA artist is making it so you can have a piece of that childhood fantasy right in your tiny apartment with mini treehouses designed for houseplants.

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From The Kitchn → 30 Recipes You Should Know By the Age of 30

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From The Kitchn → The Kitchn's Guide to Cleaning Your Small Electric Appliances

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A former Wall Street office building is now the home to a new venture by coworking pioneers WeWork that opened on Monday. As shared living space surrounded by private space, WeLive is coliving, like dorms for adults.

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From The Kitchn → Roasted Radishes Are the Vegetable That's Missing from Your Life

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Summer is quickly approaching (thank goodness) and with it lots of outdoor time. If you're looking for a fun summer activity that doesn't involve running (just me?) but fuels healthy competition, bean-bag toss is a great option.

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Artist Jessie Kanelos Weiner on one of her watercolor works:

Paris was brokenhearted after the November attacks. I had this visual in my head the dark days that followed, but I was worried the idea of brass knuckles was treating violence with violence. But finally, I shared it and was swept away by the response. I forget how powerful the creation of timely images can be, especially during times of crisis.

The American watercolor illustrator’s biggest project to date is Edible Paradise: a Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables. See images from it here.

The post Brass Knuckles for Paris appeared first on .

There's something about a personalized gift that feels special, thoughtful and, well, personal. For a wedding party, anniversary gift or maybe just that friend of yours who's likely to monogram anything that doesn't breathe or move, here are a handful of spots to snag the perfect custom gift.

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A third incarnation of Les Halles is now ready to be unveiled – with a design somewhat implausibly known as the canopée des halles, and supposedly apeing a tropical rainforest. Ahead of the opening (scheduled for April 6), I was given a sneak preview.

Conceived by architects Patrick Berger and Jacques Antiziutti, the green structure is certainly impressive, as is the goal of the project: to make Les Halles the centre of Paris once again. Whereas the previous construction – the work of several architects and a hodgepodge of conflicting visions – was more akin to a bunker, this time the aim is to open the forum to the light and make it a place of passage.

A colossal project – delivered late and over-budget – it has of course already attracted much criticism. One writer recently described it as a “bony whale,” the mouth wide open and ready to swallow a shoal of krill (hordes of shoppers who will shortly be diving into its depths). In the same article, the metallic structure is also compared to a “horizontal Eiffel Tower.” One can only hope it follows a similar trajectory in public opinion: rejected at first, adopted and loved later.

Whatever the merits of the design may be, and how relevant a mega shopping complex is in a world moving online or back towards the small-scale, the engineering is worth celebrating. The roof is at once open and closed, providing an air escape to avoid transforming the centre into a gigantic wind tunnel but with panels positioned at an angle that ensures rain doesn’t slip through. In fact, not only does it stop the rain, but it also captures it, channeling it towards new fountains being put in place in the surrounding gardens.

All architects seek the perennial, hoping that their construction – particularly one as central and historic as Les Halles – will become a new visual symbol. Will the canopée last longer than the previous design (barely 40 years)? Looking at photos of that design (such as the one below), I’m surprised to note that I can hardly recognise it. Demolished only a couple of years ago, it has already been erased from my consciousness, perhaps a sign that it was never saved there in the first place.

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The post Sneak Peek at the Brand New Les Halles appeared first on .

I went to Yard with a friend who told me the chef Nye Smith was famous for his offal at St John’s in London, so I wasn’t surprised to see game and fish on the menu (pigeon, deer heart salad, rabbit, and whole dorade cooked in salt). The gnocchi starter in a doe ragout was so good I considered ordering it again as a main dish. For a former industrial space near Père Lachaise, it’s surprisingly small, seating maybe 20-25 people. With an open kitchen, it quickly gets very noisy. I look forward to trying out the Back Yard (tapas and wine bar next door, with an outdoor terrace) when the weather improves. If you go, be sure to reserve in advance.

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The post Care for a Deer Heart Salad? appeared first on .

Name: Mina
Location: Birkastan — Stockholm, Sweden

We live in a 107 year old flat on Rörstrandsgatan in Birkastan, with a view of Karlberg canal. It's 107 square meters (1,830 square feet).

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This Old House has a new owner. Time Inc. sold the home improvement brand to former Time Inc. exec Eric Thorkilsen and a private equity firm, TZP Group.

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Project by: Phil and Bowha
Location: Bakersfield, California

This beautiful home is located in the Southern California community of Rosedale, which was historically a country town that was founded as a colony of English farmers back in 1891. In recent times, this Census-designated area (which is located about 10 miles west of the great city of Bakersfield) has now become one of the fastest growing and most popular suburban communities in Kern County, continuing to grow in its population and attracting many young families as well as professionals who now happily call the area home. The neighborhood in which this home is situated in is known for its traditional, colonial style architectural designs in the homes, which have lots of charm and attracted us to the area.

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It takes a real Apartment Therapy fan to appreciate the Starz hit series Outlander. We've been hooked on this series since Claire went shopping for a blue vase at the start of the first season. Now we're counting down the days for the best eye-candy to come back to Starz on April 9th. Ready to throw your own Outlander-inspired dinner party? We've come up with two party decor moodboards, building on last season's rustic farm tables in the Scottish Highlands and this season's dreamy Parisians spreads. You're formally invited – which 18th-century dinner party invitation would you accept?

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I have to admit, I've never really thought of the ceiling as something you can DIY. Christina proves that you not only can, you can do it beautifully. And while this project may not be for the DIY-faint of heart, it can definitely provide some inspiration.

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Frédéric BISSON

I hated butter when I was a kid, unless it was melted in mashed potatoes. Fast forward 20 years and here I am, living in France, regularly licking butter off my fingers while making tart crust or smooshing fat slices onto naked hunks of bread in the morning. Somewhere along the line, someone slipped me a sliver of Echiré and changed my world. There’s no going back once you’ve experienced the tender melt of cultured-cream butter on the tip of your tongue. But I wondered: what exactly makes this ubiquitous ingredient so good here?

JenSteele; jules

According to Luisa Weiss, author of My Berlin Kitchen and founder of the blog The Wednesday Chef, the easy answer is fat. “The main difference between American and European butter is that European butter has a higher percentage of fat than American butter,” she explained over the telephone from her home in Berlin. American butter averages 80 percent fat, while European standards hover around 85 and 87 percent, with the legal French minimum being 82 percent. It’s not a huge difference – we’re talking 5 to 7 percent – but it’s enough to give European butter a deeper, richer flavor than its American counterpart.

Luca Cerabona

The slightly more complex reason lies in a stage of butter making that is nonexistent in industrial American butters and increasingly rare even in France. Culturing, when the cream is left to ferment (up to 18 hours in the case of Echiré) before being churned, is reserved for select beurre de baratte, resulting in a tangy, slightly acidic butter popular with pastry chefs.

So what does this mean for American bakers using French recipes? Not much, says Luisa, unless you regularly make pastry. “You might notice a difference in puff pastry dough where you’re folding in lots of butter,” she says. In a recipe that relies heavily on butter for both flavor and structure, bakers might notice that American butter is a bit firmer; French butter would feel more “malleable.” But ultimately, “that shouldn’t keep people from making European recipes,” Luisa reassured me.

T. Tseng

Bernard Laurance, author of Baklava to Tarte Tatin, agrees that French butter is better, whether you’re baking or not. It’s the best, in fact. An avid traveler, he’s made it his mission to taste everything he can (including butter) since starting his blog Cooking with Bernard five years ago. “I’ve had great butter in Portugal, England, Germany… but French butters remain in my top-ten list. And it’s not because I’m French, I swear.”

He cites France’s strong connection to terroir and tradition as one of the reasons you’ll still find butter made in wooden churns at your local cheese shop. Certain elements of the process have been automated, of course, but the materials remain the same. “The cows are also roaming around eating grass, which contributes to a rich, flavorful milk,” he adds.

Erica Berman

French butter is as remarkable for its diversity as for its flavor: doux, demi-sel, salé… where do the butter-curious begin? “La Grande Epicerie,” says Bernard. He suggests having a tour of the dairy aisle to get a lay of the premium land, then heading to a local cheese shop for farm-style butter. “Instead of bringing flowers or a bottle of wine [as gifts], I bring four or five types of Bordier butter. It’s the same price and more interesting,” he says.

When choosing butter, Bernard suggests pressing lightly to assess the firmness. “I want my butter to be tender, even when it’s cold,” he says. His go-to brand, Au Bon Beurre, stays unctuous even in the fridge, where Bernard keeps all his butter to keep rancid flavors from developing. Luisa has another strategy: “I have two sets of butter, one kept at room temperature for spreading, and one in the fridge as a back-up and to bake with.”

While salted butter is the only butter for many French people (I’m looking at you, Bretagne), Americans should avoid industrially-produced salted butter on their home turf. “Because of salt’s role as a preservative, a lot of the salted American butter ends up staying on the shelf a lot longer,” Luisa explains. This can lead to a rancid taste unlikely to be encountered in a fresh carré of demi-sel. If you’re lucky enough to be in France, Bernard recommends using beurre doux for cooking, especially for pastries as large salt crystals may tear the dough, and saving the best salted butter for slathering on bread.

Chris Pople

Related Links

• In search of buttery French food? Pay a visit to Rouen in Normandy, known for its cream and butter.
• Chef Ludo Lefebvre shares his best, buttery recipe for a real French omelet on Bon Appétit.
• Explore more of Brittany’s unique cuisine – from seaweed butter to distilled hard cider – on Travel + Leisure.

Written by Kate Robinson for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Take your relaxing up a notch. Design students have combined the lazy summer vibes of a hammock with the soothing nature of a rocking chair for the ultimate in chill.

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I already have a recipe for homemade hamburger and hotdog buns, here on the blog, but this is a different one and I think I prefer this one for the hamburger buns, to be honest.

The other recipe is great for the hotdog buns though, so give that one a try.

Yesterday I was making sloppy joes for dinner and realized that I had completely forgotten to buy the bread.  Good thing about making your own is that you don't have to rush out to spend money, and they usually turn out better, cheaper and more delicious than store bought anyway.

These do take time to rise, but aside from that, they are easily one of the easiest bread recipes you'll find.




1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (such as Fleischmann's ActiveDry Yeast(R))
1 pound all-purpose flour, or as needed - divided
1 cup warm water (105 degrees F/41 degrees C)
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk


Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Place yeast into bowl of a large stand mixer; whisk in 1/2 cup flour and warm water until smooth. Let stand until mixture is foamy, 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk 1 egg, melted butter, sugar, and salt thoroughly into yeast mixture. Add remaining flour (about 3 cups).

Fit a dough hook onto stand mixer and knead the dough on low speed until soft and sticky, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape sides if needed. Poke and prod the dough with a silicone spatula; if large amounts of dough stick to the spatula, add a little more flour.

Transfer dough onto a floured work surface; dough will be sticky and elastic but not stick to your fingers. Form the dough lightly into a smooth, round shape, gently tucking loose ends underneath.
Wipe out stand mixer bowl, drizzle olive oil into the bowl, and turn dough over in the bowl several times to coat surface thinly with oil. Cover bowl with aluminum foil. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.


Transfer dough to a floured work surface and pat to flatten bubbles and form into a slightly rounded rectangle of dough about 5x10 inches and about 1/2 inch thick. Dust dough lightly with flour if needed. Cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round shape, gently tucking ends underneath as before.

Use your hands to gently pat and stretch the dough rounds into flat disc shapes about 1/2 inch thick. Arrange buns about 1/2 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Dust buns very lightly with flour. Drape a piece of plastic wrap over the baking sheet (do not seal tightly). Let buns rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Beat 1 egg with milk in a small bowl, using a fork, until mixture is thoroughly combined. Very gently and lightly brush tops of buns with egg wash without deflating the risen dough.

Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned on top, 15 to 17 minutes. Buns will stick together slightly where they touch. Let cool completely, tear the buns apart, and slice in half crosswise to serve.

This ain't your typical treehouse. This house is built around an actual, fully grown tree.

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So dedicated are we at Apartment Therapy that three of us gave up our Friday nights to watch the new season of Fuller House to see if it's worth your time. Taking to our work chat room, we typed away our observations as we let the bad dad jokes, nostalgic catchphrases and strange guest stars wash over us.

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Measuring just a little over 1meter wide, 3 meters long and 5 meters high, the property at 39 Rue du Chateau d’Eau is the smallest building in Paris. But how did it get there and what purpose does it serve today?

As is often the case in such examples, the origin of this property seems to have been a dispute. Originally the gap between the two buildings (situated opposite the town hall of the 10th arrondissment and alongside the Marché Saint Martin) was a narrow passageway, but following a disagreement about ownership and access, one of the parties decided to end the argument by filling the space with a new property.

The property was officially recognised with its own number in the street, but was never really more than a tiny shop unit at ground level (originally a shoemaker) with a room above, which actually connects to the first-floor property at number 41.

A newspaper article at the end of the 19th century describes the property, pointing out that the room was home to a baby, the cot apparently taking up the entire space. Peeking up into the open window on the day I passed recently, it seems that it has more recently been converted into a kitchen.

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The post And You Think Your Flat is Small appeared first on .

La Ruche Qui Dit Oui

While the idea of requesting a doggy bag in a restaurant feels foreign to the French, steps towards reducing food waste in the country are a source of national pride. Restaurants that serve over 180 meals per day are now being pressured to provide doggy bags to customers who request them, a practice that is rare- but might change- among French diners. The initiative is the result of a growing anti-gaspillage or anti-food waste movement, which has lead to groundbreaking legislation in the country.

While the doggy bag measure is one step towards reducing annual food waste in France, which amounts to over seven tons of food each year, other larger sweeping laws are tackling the problem on an industrial level. One such measure is a unanimously passed law that was enacted in early February requiring supermarkets to donate unsold and almost-expired food to charities.

VENOX360

Huge supermarket chains, such as Carrefour and Monoprix, account for over 60% of food waste in France. These chain stores are also guilty of contaminating unsold food – by dousing it in bleach or otherwise rendering it inedible – before disposing of it, in an effort to deter dumpster diving. Starting in early February, food that would’ve gone to the dumpster will now be sent directly to food banks and shelters to feed those in need.

France is home to numerous associations and individuals dedicated to significantly diminishing food waste. Disco Soup is one of many grassroots French associations that aim to heighten awareness about food waste by organizing events and discussions related to the topic. These participants in the anti-gaspillage movement have had an influence on the industry, leading to the abundant measures and efforts being made today.

Alexandre Morera; Mikhail Dubov

In 2015, the supermarket chain Intermarché offered a 30% discount on “ugly” fruits and vegetables, giving misshapen and deformed produce their own aisle in the store. More recently, pressure has been applied to French restaurants, encouraging them to stock doggy bags or to-go boxes for customers who can’t finish their meal, but don’t want the leftovers to go to waste.

The French are supportive of anti-waste measures when it comes to food, but there have been some concerns related to the use of the oh-so-Anglo doggy bag, principally how it will mar the impeccable presentation of a meal, resulting in an insult to the chef. While the French may be at the forefront of the anti-food waste movement, the perfection of carefully prepared food isn’t wasted on them either.

ellevalentine

Related Links

• Let’s eat ugly! The New York Times covers the Ugly Mug campaign started by Nicolas Chabanne.
• Bryan Pirolli talks about new legislation on recycling food waste on Travel + Leisure.
• Emily explores eco-friendly community gardening in Paris, a movement that’s more popular than you’d think.

Written by Emily Dilling for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

You know you’ve made it to the big time when Le Bon Marche dedicates an exhibition on the main floor and its window displays to you.

Style doyenne and fashion superstar Iris Apfel, the toast of the town no matter where she goes, has landed after being absent from Paris for over 10 years.

The opening of “Iris in Paris” on March 4 attracted some bigwigs in the fashion industry clamoring to meet the one and only, including jewelry designer Aurelie Bidermann, designer Dries Van Noten, retailer Linda Fargo, and the multi-hyphenates Sofia and Alexandre de Betak.

The window scenarios by Eric Giriat have Iris visiting the Opera Garnier, The Grand Palais, a park, a flea market (bien sur!), and a fashion show. Inside the exhibition shows some of Iris’s most iconic looks along with a video. She has collaborated with the store to design a collection of accessories including a red Mongolian wool handbag, a bracelet, an oversized string of ceramic beads, and an edition of her iconic eyeglasses (probably the most famous pair of glasses since Jackie Kennedy’s). If the glasses are too much for your style or pocketbook (325€), you could still attain a bit of Iris style with a tote bag with the glasses emblazoned on them for only 9€.

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The post Iris Brings Advanced Style to Paris appeared first on .

The creator of the show, which wrapped its revival on Monday with a surprise cliffhanger, says he expects the show to return, though no plans are set.

How to feel slightly better about eating four kinds of cheese: go!

About six different kinds of vegetables are involved (you know, real vegetables this time. Not, like, just corn.) and they cancel out everything and anything about the cheese. Except how wonderfully melty and delicious it is. Oh and except for the fact that there are four layers of it.

Four! I love life.

I grew up eating hearty dinners. Not super huge dinners, but they were definitely the biggest meal of the day. My mom cooked almost every night and it was always a complex meal. And while I love a great big brunch on the weekends or even a lunch that sometimes carries me over late into the night, day after day, I still love having a big warm, comforting dinner. The portions don’t have to be huge but I like it to feel… dinnerish. If that makes sense. I’m talking a salad, a side, an entrée, and maybe even another side like applesauce.

Like a super high maintenance dinner.

And hi, yes, I’m a child. The only different between now and twenty years ago is that I’m no longer covering the applesauce in cinnamon sugar. Begrudgingly, I should add.

Today, the universe says that hearty breakfasts are where it’s at but the family table at dinnertime is still my favorite. It always will be.

Now for a not-so-secretive secret? I didn’t eat lasagna for years. In fact, I probably didn’t eat it for the first twentyish years of my life, due in large part to my lack of tomato sauce love.

Then! A few years ago I started making butternut squash lasagna (my all-time favorite recipe is in my cookbook) and was hooked. It led to white pizza lasagna, a whole bunch of skillet lasagna, and then just last year, right after I had Max and felt hunger like I’d never felt before (seriously! sooooo hungry after having a baby.), had my aunt’s lasagna that she makes with sandwich pepperoni (omg so good).

Needless to say, I want all the lasagnas now forever. I’M INTO IT.

I don’t need the meat though, so veggies it is. This is a super easy way for me to eat all the vegetable I can, and not only that, Max decided he would eat the veggies he usually pushes to the side (mushrooms, roasted reds) too. Because they taste like heaven!

Oh and you bet this caused a divide at the family table for dinner. It’s over a week later and Eddie is still asking where the meat is. Five minutes ago? He asked.

We are at the top of the cheese empire right here. Mozzarella, parm, provolone AND burrata, which may as well be classified under heaven and not even cheese. Cream stuffed fresh mozzarella balls? I cannot.

Not at all.

I love each and every part of the filling. The ricotta swirled with the herbs and a ridiculous amount of parmesan. It melts into the provolone which melts into the burrata which melts into the mozzarella.

But the veggies! Broccoli, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, red bell peppers, orange bell peppers – all roasted. So much flavor right there. And the tomatoes! Bursting and almost popped, they are scattered throughout the filling but also set on top for the prettiest, burnt and bubbliest, cheesy over achiever topping you ever did see.

It’s as hearty as it comes and I love serving it with a big salad. Super cliche lasagna side, get it?  I’m actually going to be sharing said salad, the howsweeteats house salad, in an embarrassingly easy post later this week. Whooooop.

Also! This is the vegetable lasagna that I made last year (minus the burrata) for my freezer meals before I had Max, and it freezes so well. I like to bake it then cool completely and freeze. And just a word of advice: if you’re freezing it for a family of four or less, I’d make it in two 8×8-inch pans. ‘Cause let me tell you, it can be rough eating a gigantic pan of lasagna for one week.

Rough. But fabulous.

cheese peekaboo.

Most of my understanding of the category of diner sandwiches we know as “melts” comes from the hyper-local archive of culinary amusements I know as Foods My Husband Will Order For Himself When Left To His Own Devices. I can’t give away all of his secrets — well, I can, but for a fee — but I have been given permission to tell you that the list is topped with Regrettable Chinese Takeout With a Life-Threatening Amount of Sichuan Peppercorns (to be repeated next time, no lessons learned), and somewhat further down the list, only if the day has been long and terrible enough, is a tuna melt — as in jarred mayo meets canned fish meets something square and flat that only passes for cheese in America. Did it not always come with a side of steak fries, which I want to steal because you should know by now that fries don’t count when I say I’m not hungry for dinner, I’d probably be breaking our house “don’t yuck my yum” rule even more often than my offspring.

... Read the rest of broccoli melts on smittenkitchen.com

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