I'm glad we're all quitting smoking these days (or trying), but I do miss the proliferation of matches and their cover art that used to be found everywhere from smoke shops to restaurants. Here are some nice examples of early to mid- twentieth century Indian matchbox covers from the flickr set of Agence Eureka.
The street photography of Vivian Maier
The works of nanny and photographer Vivian Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) can be seen on this wonderful website. So much to see there, and beautifully presented in large images organized into portfolios. A documentary about her fascinating life "Finding Vivian Maier" will be released in theaters in March 2014. See the trailer here. Can't wait!
October 29, 1953. New York, NY | vivianmaier.com
June 1954. New York, NY | vivianmaier.com
November 4. 1955, San Francisco, CA | vivianmaier.com
May 5, 1955. New York, NY | vivianmaier.com
September 18, 1962 | vivianmaier.com
Curried seitan panini with slivered collard greens, red onion, grilled zucchini & gruyere
I like experimenting with meat alternatives, so I'm always picking up items at the grocery store that interest me. My local Whole Foods Market carries Sweet Earth Seitan (Wheat Meat) in a curry flavor, and since I'm keen on curry these days, I picked it up. I've had such great vegetarian sandwiches at some of the wonderful restaurants here in Los Angeles, such as Mendocino Farms, Veggie Grill, Native Foods and Juicy Ladies. The things they do with Tempeh, tofu and Seitan!
I made this panini on a Wednesday afternoon when I was feeling the need for a splurge... but being early in the New Year, I wanted to keep the cheese, bread and calories on the low side. In the top photo I used homemade sandwich bread from my friend Susan Valiant from Mabel's Kitchen in Fresno, CA., a thick, dense and salty white bread. The second version uses a lower calorie Sourdough bread from Francisco International from Ralph's supermarket. Each slice is 60 calories, and although the sandwich looks flatter after pressed, I assure you it's still delicious and satisfying.
INGREDIENTS
4 slices sourdough bread (Francisco International Sourdough Sliced Bread)
1/4 cup Light shredded Mozzarella
2 oz gruyere cheese
2 pieces Sweet Earth Curried Seitan, sliced lengthwise as thin as possible
1/4 thin sliced red onion
1 cup Collard greens, sliced thin (Trader Joe's is actually selling packaged shredded collards right now)
1/2 medium zucchini, sliced thin on the diagonal
Olive oil spray
Heat skillet on medium high, add olive oil spray, add onion, then thin-sliced zucchini. Cook until onions and zucchini are browned then add collard greens. Toss until wilted, add seitan strips and cook a bit more until setean is warm. Set aside.
In panini press, oiled grill pan or on grill: spray olive oil on one side of each slice of bread. Add gruyere cheese on bottom, then add veg and seitan mixture. Add Low-fat cheese on top. Place second slice on top and press on grill until cheese melts and bread is browned to a nice crunch. If you don't have a paninii press, just use another pan or even your spatula to press it, and turn sandwich as each side gets brown.
2 SERVINGS
Vintage cook books
If you enjoy looking through cook books, here are some interesting early twentieth century examples. What's fascinating about some of these is how the culture of food changes over the years. While some recipes remain constant, others seem quite bizarre in retrospect. I also love having a few vintage cook books in my kitchen to remind me of my mom and grandmother.
Sunset All-Western Cook Book by Genevieve A. Callahan 1936 via eBay
New York World's Fair Cook Book by Crosby Gaige 1939 via
The New Basic Cook Book 1957 via ABE books
Fish and Seafood Cook Book 1940 via eBay
Hawaiian and pacific foods by Katherine Bazore 1940s
Epicure and Charcoal 1955 via Pinterest
Ronald Searle
British cartoonist and caricaturist Ronald Searle passed away in 2011 at the age of 91. Here are just a few of his witty and beautiful book covers.
"Lampooning the foibles of the English class system as well as clerics, politicians and even other artists, Mr. Searle was often described as a latter-day version of the 18th-century British graphic satirist William Hogarth. His cartoons combined an ear for linguistic nuance with a caustic pen and brush. With just a few well-placed lines, he pierced the facades of his targets without resorting to ridicule or rancor." —The New York Times. Read more here.
This book cover took my breath away. This is definitely one I'd like to own. THE DOG'S EAR BOOK (1958) Geoffrey Willans & Ronald Searle via flickr
Modern Types by Geoffrey Gorer and Ronald Searle 1955 via magalerieaparis.wordpress.com
"Filles de Hambourg", 1969 via magalerieaparis.wordpress.com
"The terror of St Trinian’s" (1952) also via magalerieaparis.wordpress.com
