Note: Hit the audio button in the top left of the video if you like audio. This is a short Vine video from Harley Morenstein (the guy from Epic Mealtime who looks like an alcoholic lumberjack) of a guy wearing a suit covered in Mentos being dunk-tanked into a vat of Coke. It's a teaser for their upcoming show EpicMealEmpire premiering July 26th on the FYI channel. Can anybody tell me if I get that station? SPOILER: I don't. But only because I don't have cable or satellite service. Or a TV. Or...a microwave? Holy shit I've been robbed. Thanks to Linsdsey10s, who has numbers in her name. Now I'm jealous.

Hello everyone! Okay so I have to highlight a recent home tour and article that I just found in my inbox from the beautiful Est Magazine because it’s a pretty swank pad based in Germany and as an American living here at the moment, it’s always exciting to see what’s happening in my own part of the world. I feel like everything beautiful and cool that is what I consider tasteful, enviable, drool-worthy… is coming out of Los Angeles or Sydney at the moment. I know that’s NOT the case, as this home clearly shows, so that’s why I really want to highlight it. If you don’t live in southern California or Australia one can feel a bit like they are missing out on all of the interiors fun!

This home is in Wiesbaden, Germany and is owned by interior designers and stylists Lea Korzeczek and Matthias Hiller of Studio Oink, a design studio focused on set design and residential interior design. I adore their marble floor, which really surprised me because normally I don’t go for tile or marble in living spaces (wet spaces, yes – kitchen, entry, laundry, bathroom, etc.). The marble is so classy I think, and being beige vs. the gray marble you normally see, it is warm and welcoming as marble can often feel very sterile. I wouldn’t go as far to say that this apartment feels “warm” though, it still has a coolness about it but that is obviously what this talented duo was going for – something upscale and posh. Mission accomplished. James Bond could live here.

I personally like the details, like the texture of the wall behind the art above, the coastal-theme artwork, the soft tones, the lighting, the wooden chairs and the gorgeous sheepskin throw. I, of course, like the addition of fresh flowers – especially the floppy romantic peony. Well done.

Here are some of their other projects below; also quite stunning and minimalistic but with pretty accents that draw you in. Their rooms look like they could be in films. I particularly adore the kitchen below…

The fresh green plants really call to me, especially the above shot with a peek of greenery through the old wooden windows… These photos are all so light and bright, a big vitamin D injection for sure.

What do you like about these spaces? See anything that calls out to you?

PSST: Studio Oink also has a blog that I just started following called Grand et Petit. Check it out. They have a lovely little online shop too.

(images: studio oink)

A recent study has found that couples with a television in the bedroom are more likely to bone, and more often. A personal study has found that only having an AM/FM clock radio almost always leads to masturbating solo.

The very important research looked into the relationships of 2,431 people to see how the TV affects their sex life, if at all. Of those surveyed more than half (2/3) firmly believe that their sex life was "healthier" because they had a television in their bedroom, and 50% of that group were totally stoked that they could watch their favorite show while having sex. As for the 26 percent of people who opt out of having a TV in the bedroom, they're of the belief that a television would interfere in their sex life, and, presumably, are happy without it for this reason. But those who are all for the TV in the bedroom, 37 percent of them claim that it allows for improved sex lives because, and I'm sure you already know where this is going based on the fact that people are all about watching telly mid-sex, they can watch "erotic" movies together.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? "Wall-to-wall flat-screens?" EXACTLY. I'm going to increase my likelihood for sex at LEAST 10,000%. You think just having them there is enough or do I actually need to pay for cable? "You're never getting laid." I can't even remember what tits look like. Thanks to Lana, who wants to know what happens if you put a TV in the bathroom.

A tropical haven in Seminyak, The Legian & The Club in Bali delivers sun, surf and sand aplenty. There’s also some gourmet Asian-fusion cuisine on offer, thanks to a brand new chef and an unlimited supply of fresh seafood – we’re licking our lips already… 

Style Oceanside opulence
Setting Beach central

Why this week? New executive chef Luke MacLeod and his team have prepared a ‘Seafood Indulgence’ experience every Friday, served on the sun-deck by the Ocean Bar. Guests can feast on tuna tartare, sashimi, red prawn curry and the like, before ending the evening on a (sugar) high with coconut pannacotta or Balinese chocolate cake. Lucky Smith members also get 10 per cent off meals in the resort throughout their stay. Chef MacLeod can be booked for a personal chef service.

Our favourite bits… Each room at the Legian is blessed with sea views and glimpses of Seminyak’s sandy shores. Make the most of the Italian-made Acqua di Parma toiletries and the big canopied beds in rooms envisioned by interior designer Jaya Ibrahim: his use of natural materials and artwork by local artists achieves a relaxed, contemporary feel. Nab a seat at the Ocean Bar, where mojitos, daiquiris and margaritas accompany the spectacular sunsets. The Club, a private compound opposite the Legian, is the ultimate hideaway for those who like seclusion and personal butlers straight from The Guild of Professional English Butlers.

Mr & Mrs Smith say… ‘Each villa has a dedicated butler, and ours is Vina, who is not even slightly Lurchesque or Jeeves-like, but a smiling Balinese lady who combines serenity with the efficiency of an elite military unit. She unlocks a wooden door and we step into our secret garden. There’s a 10-metre swimming pool fringed by hibiscus and frangipani, an outdoor dining balé, manicured lawns, day-beds and, in the middle, a Balinese palace that, thanks to further ponds, appears from certain angles to be floating on water. Vina’s introductory tour has more highlights than we can immediately absorb.’
Read the full Mr & Mrs Smith review by Amy Cooper…

Browse more of Mr & Mrs Smith’s hotels in Indonesia or call the expert Travel Team. Smith members enjoy exclusive extras at all stays.

*Copy compiled by Katherine Williams

I feel ridiculous.

This is so easy. But it tastes SO FAB. I’m embarrassed to tell you about it but apparently not too embarrassed to tell you since it’s here.

It’s so a make-Monday-better type of thing. An I-drank-way-too-many-summer-beers-because-they-taste-so-good-with-citrus type of thing. A perfect pool-pig-out-food-and-still-wear-a-swimsuit type of thing. A leave-extra-room-for-one-of-those-chocolate-peanut-butter-haagen-dazs-ice-cream-bars type of thing. An I-can’t-stop-shopping-all-these-summer-sales-but-forget-to-bring-a-snack type of thing. An idea-you-must-share-with-invisible-internet-friends-on-your-annoying-blog type of thing.

It can be lunch or dinner or whatever you want!

I don’t know whyyyyy it just tastes so good.

Okay I do know why.

It’s the corn and the honey and the garlic and the herbs and the lime and all that. And once it sits, it’s just phenomenal. I cannot eat chickpeas any other way at the moment. I’ve been making this salad on Sundays for the last couple weeks and eating it until it’s gone. CANNOT STOP.

Um, and last week after I made it, I had some leftover whipped feta from a party and get this… spread the whipped feta on toast… topped it with the chickpea mixture. UGH. Dead. Just delicious.

More than once I came back from working out and was starving and just dug in with a fork for breakfast and didn’t even care. Tastes that perfect.

I like to heat the vinaigrette a bit so the garlic cooks and you’re not all omg-I-just-ate-a-huge-chunk-of-raw-garlic-in-this-bite. Sometimes I can deal with it and sometimes I can’t, and with this salad, I prefer not to. There are so many other things you can add to this based on your preferences too – you can even coarsely chop the chickpeas and use it as a vehicle for chips. For weeks I was eating it with some toast spread with coconut oil (as pictured) but now… the whipped feta just wins. It’s ridiculous to do it any other way.

And!! The best part is that it takes minutes to throw together and LASTS. I like it best once it’s sat in the fridge for a bit so all the flavors can marry (I hate that expression) but it’s not anything close to terrible if you want to eat it right away. It may even be a bit warm from the dressing which is serious stuff. Good serious stuff. Seriously serious.

now you have room for ice cream.

©How Sweet It Is.

stay-ocean-minded:

handmade stamped necklaces: in love with mine bunniesinLA will forever & always be the best jewelry store!

Love caves? Love trampolines? Now you can combine the two in one riveting experience. Adventure company Bounce Below installed three giant trampolines inside the sprawling belly of Llechwedd Slate Caverns for visitors to bounce on. The trampolines are safely suspended from the cave walls and ceilings, and a host of vibrant LED lights illuminate the subterranean playground.

Read the rest of Bounce Below Suspends Three Massive Trampolines Deep Inside a North Wales Cave

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Post tags: Bounce Below, Caves north wales, eco design, green design, Llechwedd Slate caverns, sustainable design, trampoline in a cavern, Zip World

Note: Image may contain some spoilers so hopefully you only glanced at it if you don't keep up with the show. This is artist nedesem's cartoon of Game of Thrones packed into a single image. I feel like he really captured the essence of the series. The artist I commissioned to paint my portrait? He really captured the essence of a naked man with a sad looking pecker. He did me zero favors. It's so embarrassing watching my guest's reactions when they see it hanging in the foyer. You'd think I'd posed while eating Cheetos and dropped one between my legs. "Flamin' Hot or regular?" Flamin' Hot. "So your penis is bright red?" Like an atomic fireball. Thanks to Kel, who's convinced George R.R. Martin is actually a violent sociopath that only calms his urges by killing off characters in his books.

New York City is a terrible place to summer. Whereas some water-bound towns have cool breezes rolling in off the ocean all day, we can better rely on the hot exhale of garbage trucks. Offices are set to roughly the same temperature as a polar ice cap, but subway platforms are so unfathomably sweltering that on my first day in NYC 14 years ago, I — adorably, like the wee baby New Yorker I was — uttered the words, “Is this even legal?” It’s a rare day that you don’t walk down the sidewalk and have a window a/c unit drip you-don’t-want-to-know run-off on your head. Flip-flops may cool your feet outside, but you may never recover from seeing the new color of your toes at the end of a day, and it always seems like everyone but me has Summer Fridays. The city tries, it really does, to make things more livable: the 14 beaches are free, there are dozens and dozens of free public pools, something like a zillion sprinkler parks, and you know all those endless photos you see of children frolicking in spraying fire hydrants? Hardly a symbol urban decay, it’s actually legal and encouraged. But the fact is that from July 4th on (and possibly earlier this year), anyone that has the means to be elsewhere is, and the rest of us plebes schvitz it out on the pavement.

And this summer, we’re going to do it grandly. We are going to embrace the heat. We are going to pretend we are someplace tropical and glamorous. Our summer house awaits… uh, in the blender.

... Read the rest of frozen coconut limeade on smittenkitchen.com

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© smitten kitchen 2006-2012. | permalink to frozen coconut limeade | 170 comments to date | see more: Coconut, Drinks, Lime, Photo, Quick, Summer, Vegan

Care for a side of recycled furniture with that burger? Famed New York burger chain Shake Shack recently opened its latest branch in DUMBO, Brooklyn, and it features tables and other furnishings made of reclaimed materials by BK-based designer Mark Jupiter. Jupiter has been an Inhabitat favorite thanks to his ability to rework historic materials into new treasures, and we’re thrilled that even more people will be able to enjoy his work thanks to the opening of the new eatery.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: barclays center, Custom Made Furniture, DUMBO, dumbo furniture, handmade furniture, heart pine, jane's carousel, mark jumpier furniture, Mark Jupiter, mark jupiter shake shack, Reclaimed Materials, reclaimed wood, reclaimed wood furnishings, shack shack dumbo, shake shack, woodworking

Even though there are lots of recipes available for slow cookers (aka crock pots), there are approximately a gazillion more traditional recipes designed for your stovetop or oven. This conversion chart turns just about any recipe into one for your slow cooker.

Read more...

The GOODS from Chicha

Vancouver, BC | Chicha Restaurant is launching their Peruvian-inspired brunch menu this Saturday, June 21st. Chicha’s food comes from Allison Flook and Shelome Bouvette’s love of latin food, colourful presentations, and creating fresh dishes with clean yet complex flavours. Their brunch menu will include items traditionally eaten in Peru for morning/early afternoon meals. The “Classico” ceviche, for example, will be made fresh to order with seasonal, local sustainable white fish (currently Halibut), corn, sweet yam, red onion, and cilantro. There will also be creative items that have been equally “Peruvianized” (modern twists with Peruvian ingredients). Take the Huevos Benedict for example; cassava root, zucchini, and corn cakes topped with free range poached eggs, a topping of your choice – aji panca chili maple glazed double smoked organic bacon, chicharron (crispy pork belly and salsa criolla), or sauteed aji amarillo chili and cumin-scented spinach – mounted with an aji amarillo chili hollandaise and served with crispy red nugget potatoes tossed with rocoto chili, tomato, and scallions.

Listening to feedback from friends, Shelome decided to have items for those who prefer savoury tastes but don’t feel like eggs. There will be items like Tuna Tataki salad (black quinoa crusted local Albacore tuna, avocado, pea shoots, crispy wontons and nori with a Rocoto chili and ginger vinaigrette), and the popular traditional chicharron sandwich (pan seared pork belly, glazed sweet yams, salsa criolla). For those who like sweet over savoury, expect buttermilk and sweet potato waffles served with pisco glazed mango, dulce de leche crema, and fresh fruit.

Details

Modern Peruvian inspired tapas
136 East Broadway | Vancouver, BC
Telephone: 604-620-3963
Web: www.chicharestaurant.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Gallery

The People

Allison Flook: Owner/ Executive Chef
Shelome Bouvette: Owner/ Executive Chef
Kumiko Umeno: Owner/ General Manager
Paul Clark: Bar Manager

About Chicha

Chicha restaurant is a modern Peruvian inspired tapas restaurant just west of Main on Broadway in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood.  The plates bring forth interesting new flavours focusing on the use of Peruvian ingrediants, bright and eye catching presentations, and are meant to be shared amongst good friends and family.

Chicha restaurant was started and continues to be owned and operated by three friends and first time restaurant owners Allison Flook (Executive Chef), Shelome Bouvette (Executive Chef), and Kumiko Umeno (General Manager).  Shelome and Allison have a history of history repeating and have worked in kitchens together time and time again over the past years; namely Lolita’s and the Alibi Room.  Kumiko never worked with these two prior to this venture and worked in the industry for years before leaving 6 years ago to work in finance only to come back last year to open a new restaurant and adventure with her friends.

The bar manager is Paul Clark formerly with the Cascade Room.  Paul creates all the cocktails, in house infuses Pisco and in house made syrups.  The cocktail menu changes seasonally and their is a different feature every day.

The wine list is made by consultant David Stansfield and changes seasonally.  The Spring/ Summer list is due to be out soon and is expected to offer a larger offering and branching outside South American wines and including more European and BC wines,

The restaurant is open 7 nights a week for dinner and late night (full menu until close); midnight Sunday- Thursday and1am Friday and Saturday and lunch Tuesday- Friday from 11.30am-2.30pm. There is talks of brunch happening soon.

Fun things happening at Chicha

Double Pisco Tuesdays: $5 double pisco cocktails. Choose from Chilcano or Pisco Sours.

Beer and Slider Mondays: $10 for featured 20 oz pint and two sliders. Choose from fish, pork belly, or veggie sliders.

Allison Flook co-owner and executive chef is training and raising money to take part in this years Apron’s For Gloves Restaurant Rumble.

Getting your family to eat their veggies can often be difficult. Well these kid-friendly zucchini tots are the perfect solution! They make a great side for breakfast or dinner!

I shared this recipe a few years ago, and we all loved them, but the only issue was I made them in a mini muffin tin, and they stuck to the pan. Here's a photo of them as mini muffins...


Then last year I made these cauliflower tots and baked them on a baking sheet and they were perfect. So last night I decided to try it out with this recipe, and the results were zucchini tot perfection – no more sticking to the pan!


I also like how they got a little crisp on the edges – so good! My husband LOVED these, and he's pretty particular when it comes to eating zucchini. One advice is to be sure to squeeze as much water out of the shredded zucchini, I just used paper towels. Some moisture will still remain, but they will turn out just fine.

I have tons of zucchini recipes here on Skinnytaste, so many I created an entire Pinterest board called Yummy Zucchini devoted to it. A few of my favorites are Zucchini Enchiladas (perfect for meatless Mondays), Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella, Zucchini Pizza Bites and one of my summer favorite's – Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats. For breakfast you can try this Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread, even the pickiest of kids will enjoy them!
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Freelance designer and stop-motion animator Micaël Reynaud (previously) creates animated GIFs unlike any we’ve seen. His process involves the use of video techniques like slit-scanning, time-lapse, and various forms of masking to create what he refers to as “hypnotic very short films.” Indeed many of these animations are pulled from fully realized videos which you can watch over on his Vimeo channel. Reynaud’s work has not gone unnoticed in the art world, the pigeon GIF above was a finalist in the first Saatchi Gallery Motion Photography competition, and he recently won the 2014 Giphoscope International Art GIF contest. You can scroll through dozens of his creations over on Google+.

kimberley hasselbrink is a san francisco food and lifestyle photographer, and her new book released yesterday, VIBRANT FOOD. with staple recipes perfect for every season, we can’t get enough of her beautiful foodie photos – which you can also indulge in on her website and blog, the year in food. we were so excited for a sneak peek, and even moreso because kimberley is sharing one of our favorite recipes from VIBRANT FOOD:

SUMMER BERRY-COCONUT MILK ICE POPS

• Recipe and first three photos reprinted with permission from Vibrant Food written and photographed by Kimberley Hasselbrink (Ten Speed Press, © 2014); Last five photos by Kimberley Hasselbrink via The Year In Food.

To promote the new Transformers movie coming out, the popular ride-sharing service Uber (not the one with the pink mustaches) is offering rides in Optimus Prime this week. But only in Dallas, Phoenix and Los Angeles, and the date for Dallas already passed. But tomorrow (Thursday) the 19th from 1-7pm in Pheonix and Saturday the 21st here in Los Angeles you can request to ride in Optimus Prime. Obviously, demand is going to be off the hook and there's only one of him, so please nobody try to get him here in Los Angeles until I've already taken my turn. I deserve this. Keep going for a shot of the app that suspiciously shows two Optimus Primes in service. Maybe there's MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.

Residents of Berlin have been invited to bring in their sofas to the Alte Försterei stadium so they can drink beer, eat sausages, and watch the World Cup matches on the big screen. In Vancouver, the chances of that happening at Swangard, BC Place, Rogers Arena, or the Pacific Coliseum are unfortunately nil, but it’s nevertheless good to dream of such things and to keep hope alive that we – as a city – will eventually graduate up from our crawling, rioting infancy. Photo: @Hackepete. Many thanks to reader CA for the link.

MORE CIVIC IMPROVEMENTS

mymodernmet:

Russian art and design studio Brain Mash crafted a series of three-dimensional paintings that seem to pop from the walls. Viewers are invited to interact with the colorful, realistically-rendered works as a part of this mobile exhibition.

Scenes from Burning Man, shot by Trey Ratcliff Open Fullscreen for optimal viewing Fullscreen Folkert

In arguably the only respectable use of robotics, 29-year old paraplegic Juliano Pinto used a full-body robotic suit to kick the first kick at the opening ceremonies of the World Cup yesterday. The exoskeletal suit is mind-controlled, so you think, "left foot step", and the left foot steps. You think "Kick," and it kicks. You think, "Kick ass," and everyone around you dies. Thankfully that did not happen. Keep going for a very short video of the kick, and a longer one about the suit.

A car that hovers over the ground sounds like something from a popular science-fiction movie, but it may actually become a reality. Toyota has just revealed that its team of engineers are working on a real-life hovercar technology to make its vehicles more fuel efficient.

Read the rest of Toyota is Working on a Real-Life Hovercar!

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Post tags: flying car, green car, green transportation, Hiroyoshi Yoshiki, Hover Car, Toyota, Toyota Hover Car, toyota prius

katietheblog:

a-s-h:

now with extra hops

This beer tastes a little bunny.

(via) Taiwanese barman Po Sheng Hsu channels his inner Bruce Lee (complete with yellow jumpsuit) to flaunt his flair bartending skills. “But I just wanted a beer…”

TAKE ANOTHER BREAK

via http://www.flickr.com/photos/daniel8275/2180739003/in/faves-hiorws/

awwww-cute:

The mailman brings my dog a treat every day. This is what she does when she hears the truck approaching our street