guest blog / Samantha Pynn: The juice and the soup

PART ONE - THE JUICE

Oh how exciting, this is my first blog post for my dear sweet friend Arren Williams. I realize this is the Arren Williams' Design Lab, but my post has bubkes to do with design, excepting the good looks and sleek lines of the Breville's ikon Hemisphere Blender and Die-Cast Juice Fountain Elite.

Arren's 'Lab', however, is of the utmost relevance.

I spend a good deal of time chez Casa Arren-Williams-David-Pimentel. Naturally, food and drink play a key role in our relationship. They are both great cooks and David is a master baker. In fact, one day they plan to open a bakery in Portugal. Coincidentally, I plan to have a small juice station in a bakery in Portugal owned by two handsome men, funny that. Do I hear the voice of Arren Williams screaming "stay on topic!"? Oh yes, the lab. So my contribution to our get-togethers is alkaline experimental juices made of organic cucumber, kale, parsley, ginger, lemon and celery (sometimes I treat them by adding a beet to the mix). I used to lug my juicer to their house and yell "surprise! I'm making you healthy tonight!" But now that they have their own juicer, I will only have to bring the veggies. If you're wondering what alkalizing is -- as my mother would say "use the Google" --there's lots to research. But in short, it's about eating a whole lotta raw vegetables.

If you're interested in alkalizing yourself, I highly recommend the book on my nightstand, Alkalize or Die by Dr. Theodore A. Baroody.

 

PART TWO - THE SOUP

Last week, Arren and David participated in my alkalizing broccoli and leek soup experiment. Let's use scientific methodology.

Problem: Arren and David aren't alkaline enough. I want to make a delicious soup that they will want me to make everyday.

Observation: Arren's grimace at the sight of the two giant heads of broccoli suggests he may only want the soup weekly.

Materials and Apparatus: Every bowl, spoon and pot in Arren's rockin' kitchen and Breville's ikon Hemisphere Blender.

Procedure: Wash veg. Lightly steam veg. Put in blender with veg stock. Blend.

Data and Work: I observed that Arren was quite bossy with me in the kitchen, but he did teach me that you must cut leeks down the middle and wash them. I also observed David laughing his head off at the giant pile of dishes, the green puree in my hair, all over my sweater and on the tile (hey, that's what backsplash is for). The soup tasted slightly bland until David fixed it with cumin and some other secret spice (likely butter and sour cream). I ate three bowls. Arren and David ate one.

Analysis: I shall make the soup weekly and they will grow to love it.

Conclusion: Soup is best when shared with friends.

(Click here to check out Samantha Pynn's new web series for HGTV.ca The Switch)

Shoptastic and restotastic Istanbul

Here's a smidge more Istanbul info for you, though it's definitely not the last of it! The two main guides that we definitely wouldn't have survived without, and you should absolutely grab if you're going, are the Luxe City Guide Istanbul and Istanbul Eats. The Luxe Guide reads like it was written by a stylish insider who's downed a bottle of Veuve and then tells you you should see, here, here and definitely here! As you follow the directions you'll be laughing and spinning around to check street names, must-see shops and attractions. It's definitely fun. Istanbul Eats, on the other hand, was an incredible guide to the best places to chow down with the locals. Some spots were fancy, most were not, but honestly, this guide didn't steer us wrong once. It's based on a blog of the same name, which is also worth a look too - have a boo at it here. Oh, and for a more in-depth look at some of the delish places we hit - almost all from Istanbul Eats - check out my world-travelling other half's kid friendly blog here.

We used the Luxe City guide to traverse the higgeldy-piggeldy back streets in the neighbourhood around The House Hotel to shop vintage. And oh lawdy, is there lots and lots of choice. Basically it's an excuse to get semi-lost and have a poke through crammed-to-the-rafters shops that run the gamut from mid-century retro to grand baroque (we saw a stunning crystal hot air ballon chandelier, really!). I could've filled a tractor trailer, let alone a suitcase! Take a look below at a couple of snaps of what I found...

{Giving it} Zoku Quick Pop Maker

Giving it is all about my take on what makes a great gift. Okay, I don't care whether it's minus whatever outside, I think the Zoku makes a brill present. In fact, it can make frozen pops in as little as 7 minutes. Seriously, an iced up chocolate fudge, latte and Baileys number would totally sort me out or even, ahem, something healthier with fruit. For more info, and to check out a demo video, click here. The Zoku Quick Pop Maker is available at Williams Sonoma.

I'm not in London but I would like a teapot

I do like it when trad companies like Wedgwood get a little subversive. In place of all the lovely gear they normally do with folks like Martha Stewart and Barbara Barry they've taken an edgy side-step to collaborate with illustrator Will Broome on a line destined for Flash - a swanky yet short lived pop-up restaurant that has appeared in London, at The Royal Academy of Arts Burlington Gardens, as part of the Academy's GSK Contemporary Season. The restaurant closes for good on Jan 19th (click here if your heading to the UK and want to try and get a table), but the Will Broome collection, limited to 1000 pieces in each style, will continue to sell through Wedgwood until they've all found a good home.

    

No milk, just cool gear

I've had a soft spot for the Drake Hotel in Toronto ever since we held my 40th birthday there a couple of years back (it was a raucous, well-attended affair with a hot playlist from DJ D Parie, all jammed in the Underground bar). Now, apart from all the regular goings on at the Drake too numerous to mention, they've taken it upon themselves to open the Drake Hotel General Store in a vacant storefront next door.

The space is so fresh they haven't even had an opening party yet - that happens tonight - but fear not, they're already packed to the gills and the paint has dried. It's kind of a corner store / art installation / quirky design gallery all mashed into one with vintage shop fixtures that look they were grabbed from Goodwill and given a quick wipedown before being pressed into service.

Theirs is quite the kooky selection of goods, from ultra saucy x-rated colouring books to lollipops, clothing and accessories. My quick faves are below - The rhino, grizzly bear and moose shot glasses in goth black glass, the gnome dishware (yes, there's more than the pitcher) and mini wind-up music boxes that play 'Singing in the Rain' and 'Stairway to Heaven'. In other words, while you won't be popping in for a carton of milk, the shelves are stocked with the kind of cool finds that you didn't know you needed, but really, really do. [Images 2 and 3 by Justin Adam]

   

  

 

 

Kitchen Confidential

Can I say how much I love, love, love the way this kitchen for Canadian Family turned out? I had the pleasure of working on the project with Jen Reynolds, CF's editor-in-chief, and the results were shot by the always sassy Michael Alberstat (make sure to check out his portfolio).

Jen's drab old kitchen didn't reflect her century home's feel or her eclectic sense of style (it was as dull as dishwater) so we spent time layering charm back into the space; making sure it worked for her family and had all the bells and whistles Jen had always wanted (like those smashing fridge drawers from GE Monogram). Here's a quick rundown - The kitchen was planned and installed by Home Depot, the antiqued painted cabinetry is by Kraftmaid, those new windows are from Jeld-Wen, the sink and faucets (including the pot filler above the cooktop) are Kohler. As well as the fridges, the oven and cooktop are from GE Monogram (the SmartDispense dishwasher is GE Profile). And finally, that gorgeous Persian rug was lugged back years ago from Iran by Jen's husband Neil!

You'll have to grab the Winter '09 issue for the inside scoop on the whole project, but I wanted to share a few of the shots below.

 

Tea with Joe

Wednesday was all about deadlines. I was literally glued to my laptop, banging away to get a gift guide done for the National Post (look for it mid-Nov) so, by the time I was done, I was desperately in need of a cuppa. I was in luck; Dammann Freres, a storied French tea company that's been around since 1692 - honestly - is making it's debut at Pusateri's glam Flower & Gift store up on Avenue Road in Toronto. The store is well worth a visit (I don't wanna hear from any whiners about needing passports to head north of Eglinton), and the tea? Delish. My fave was L'Oriental, a flavoured black tea with citrus-y notes, but there's quite the range to choose from, and at $18 for a pretty tin they'd make an easy-peasy hostess gift. Oh, and the rest of the store is jam-packed with beautiful flowers and scads of vases and accessories, many of which were exclusively hunted down for the store.

Next stop was the Joe Fresh Style fashion show for Spring/Summer '09 down at the tents for L'Oreal Fashion Week. I sat with the Flare crew and thoroughly enjoyed the looks tripping down the runway, but for me it was so all about the colours. Navy, grey, white, grey/blue, a buttery ecru, acid yellow and hits of sorbet brights. All I could think about is what a fresh and modern colour palette that could be for a space!

Take a look at the snaps below for a feel of Pusateri's store, the tea, and the Dammann Freres swish patterned teacups and teapots, as well as one sneak peek from the runway.

    

    

  

Have it, want it

I made Pear Butter on the weekend, I know, very Martha of me, but we ended up with two bags full of ripe pears from my in-law's garden and I had to think of something. Apparently I'm part of a trend, lol; a new generation getting into preserving, canning and pickling and all that jazz. I have to tell you, listening to my Italian contractors talk obsessively about the best way to make and can tomato sauce (the trick, apparently, is to let the tomatoes dry for a day or two to concentrate the flavour) I'm not the only one. My trick for the Pear Butter (it's all in the pureeing) was the indispensable and goodlooking Ikon Blender from Breville - Check out their line if you're hunting for well-designed countertop appliances.

Otto can't make a smoothie, but how about a shot of espresso? This little guy is the very racily styled  '08 Australian design award winning stovetop espresso machine that has caffeine fanatics drooling. You'll have to sign up online and wait a little for an Americano, since the first orders ship out in November.

Oh and btw, the Pear Butter is delish.



An apple a day

Just got my sticky mitts on the October issue of Canadian Family and thought I'd share. I was the prop stylist on the food feature 'How do you like them apples?' and, I have to say, I'm inordinately proud of the results. The shots are dark, rich and perfectly Fall, with tons of texture and a wonderful vintagey feel. It's always rewarding to dig out a worn printed napkin that I've had for years and then see it fit perfectly into a shot. I got to work with such a fab team on this one - Photographer, Yvonne Duivenvoorden (make sure to check out her gorgeous portfolio), food stylist Claire Stubbs and Canadian Family's art director Jeff Hannaford.

Take a look below, then pick up the magazine for all the delish recipes.