mipmup.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week.

• floral jumper. i love european baby clothes; they are so bright and fun. just like childhood should be! (tutti bella is a gem of a resource.) 109.

• artisanal preserves from armenia. i think it's much more inventive to bring your host a beautiful jar of preserves and a wedge of cheese. i want to try the pumpkin and apple, walnut, sour cherry and golden fig. they also have my personal favorite: pickles! but not just any old cucumber pickles: yellow pear tomato pickles! mmmmm. if you live in the bay area, you can find them at farmstead cheeses and wine. (i am going to email them to see where else we can buy their products.)

• laptop case. it seems i'm always on the lookout for a new laptop case, but i never actually buy one. this may prove to be the exception. as a bonus, it is leather-free. 135.

• toy elephant. this "giant" elephant (about 24" high) is handmade in kenya by kenana, a group of farm women who use wool from local sheep and spin it with reclaimed bicycle wheels. they also use natural plant dye in all of their toys and sign each one. each purchase supports medical treatement knitters and their families. i'm especially fond of their warthog, too. their site has many other critters (like an octopus with a muffler and cap) so be sure to check it out. 96.

• recycled glass wine tumblers. i love our stemless wine glasses and would love them even more if they were made using recycled glass like these. 79, through 30 september.

mipmup's friday favorites is a weekly look at fab-u finds. g'ahead: subscribe to the friday favorites feed.

photo credits: tutti bella  .  harvest song  .  rare device  .  eco-artware.com  .  vivaterra

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week.

• rain boots.  since i'm trying to embrace fall, i figured these boots might help us all get in the spirit. price not listed.

• jill bliss stationery. mix 'n' match stationery by one of my favorite artists. with stickers!  8.95.

• throw pillow. hand-made, hand-printed and even hand-dyed! you can also customize your piece. bed linens and wall art also available. [found via freshly blended.] 66.

• modern baby blanket. i'm not one for teddy bears and ballerina slippers. i love this brand's style: bold, interesting, creative and unique. zutano is hereby dubbed "mipmup's favorite kiddo clothing line of all time." 34.

• tear drop necklace. i love the form of this piece and the color is just striking. [recommended by life begins at 30.] 40.

mipmup's friday favorites is a weekly look at fab-u finds. g'ahead: subscribe to the friday favorites feed.

photo credits: kamik  .  chronicle books  .  three sheets 2 the wind  .  oliebollen.com  .  ruby

new recipe: humble pie.

just when you think you're confident in the kitchen, you go to reach for a saucepan sitting on the stove that's been sitting in a 400° oven for 20 minutes. sans protection.

needless to say, i've survived, but i think i have my first official kitchen scar all over the palm of my hand.

the roasted chickpeas i was making? not so fortunate. they ended up all over the kitchen floor after said pan went flying out of my scalded hand.

what to do if you are humbled in the kitchen.

salsa three ways.

still on a quest to hold onto summer for as long as humanly possible even though the morning air is scented with fall. to this end, i bought a bunch of heirloom tomatoes and roasted them up to make salsa three ways over the weekend. one of them nearly killed me, so that one is in the fridge and needs to be approached with extreme caution. don't worry, i've modified the recipe to make it a wee less scary. two of the recipes are adapted from doña martha's kitchen, my new favorite secret source for authentic mexican recipes. my recipe for tomatillo salsa can be found here. i like the fact that these are no-oil, as well.

since i'm not a big chip person and we never go through an entire gigantic bag of tortilla chips, i like to buy los perricos tostada shells. you can find them in your standard grocery store. they're much more inexpensive than a bag of chips and taste great (it's probably the coconut oil!). it's also one of the only chips my better half and i can agree upon (he likes thick, crunchy; i like thin, crispy.) you could also simply make your own (basically fat-free) version by toasting fresh (or frozen) corn tortillas in the oven at about 250° for 10 minutes or so, turning occasionally. recipes after the jump. enjoy!

before we begin, a cook's hint: as someone who has experienced firsthand the wrath of chiles on my hand (i held my hand in water and in milk for two hours at a party once), i learned my lesson and how. i now use medical-grade, powder-free latex gloves when handling chiles.

salsa casera
though this is called "liquid fire," this isn't the death salsa. it actually came out quite approachable, but maybe it's because i used thai chiles.

6-10 thai bird chiles or chiles de arbol, stems removed
1/4 large white onion
12 tomatillos
3 large heirloom tomatoes
1 large clove garlic, smashed
about 2 cups filtered water
1/2 tbsp. sea salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

preheat broiler. broil tomatoes on top rack of oven for approximately six minutes, turning occasionally, until blackened. add chiles, onion, garlic and salt to pan and cover with water. simmer approximately 10 minutes until softened, but not falling apart. place mixture in food processor or blender. note: since mixture is warm, liquid can spurt out of the blender or processor. remove filler-cap on the cover before blending and use caution. remove skins from tomatoes and discard. add tomatoes to the processor and purée until well-combined. add cilantro and process briefly, a few quick pulses. serve warm or at room temperature.

makes about 1-1/2 cups.

salsa con jalapeños y serranos
this is the death salsa. i don't know if it was the fact that some of the chiles were homegrown or what. all i know is that i took one bite (and i'm someone that wants my taste buds to actually ignite) and that was it. to this end, i've modified the recipe to reduce the number of chiles used and increase the tomatoes. jeez, my stomach is still mad at me.

3 fresh jalapeños, stems removed
3 fresh serrano, stem removed
6 large heirloom tomatoes
3 large cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tbsp. sea salt

preheat broiler. broil tomatoes and chiles on top rack of oven for approximately six minutes, turning occasionally, until blackened. remove skins from tomatoes and discard. add all ingredients to molcajete and grind until just combined. note: if you don't have a molcajete, use a traditional mortar and pestle or simply a large ceramic bowl and a wooden spoon to press ingredients together.

makes about 1-1/2 cups.

roasted tomato-basil hummus.

i've been getting seconds from the farmers' market lately to take advantage of the quickly-waning summer season's bounty at a good price. this week, i roasted tomatoes in the oven (super easy: halve tomatoes, place on baking sheet and roast at 200° overnight) and pondered on what to do with them. when a houseguest came a'callin', i knew i'd use some of them up. for a quick snackie, i made roasted tomato-basil hummus, loosely based on (and inspired by) the sun-dried tomato version at 28 cooks.

roasted tomato-basil hummus
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
5 tbsp. olive oil
5 large leaves, or about 1/4 cup of fresh basil
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. tahini
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup roasted tomatoes
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

add all ingredients to food processor and purée until smooth. if it looks too chunky, add more oil and process again. serve with crusty bread and (of course) red wine.

[for giao, who sweetly requested more posts on cooking.]

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week.

• delicate earrings. i love these shoulder-grazing lovelies. £55.

• whale coin purse. how cute is this?! and handmade! 18.

• lotta jansdotter postcards. i want to be lotta jansdotter! her designs are organic, incredibly beautiful and fresh. a must-have for your stylish correspondence wardrobe. 15.95.

• astrosatchel satchel. more handmade fantastic-ness. you know me, i always love a punch of color (i refuse to use the word "pop"). price not listed.

• piacenza arca bowl. a table always looks so lovely with a signature piece. this one fits the bill! 43.50.

mipmup's friday favorites is a weekly look at fab-u finds. g'ahead: subscribe to the friday favorites feed.

photo credits: mirror mirror  .  astrosatchel.com  .  buyolympia.com  .  lotta jansdotter  .  rose and radish

it's a sign.

can mcdonald's and gm dig an even deeper grave? apparently so! how? by offering 42 million toy hummers in happy meals! what's wrong with this? from ronaldmchummer:

1. hummers pollute high levels of smog-forming chemicals that cause or worsen asthma, which hits hardest among children. learn more.

2. hummers are the worst example of the lack of commitment to cleaner and more efficient vehicles by general motors and other american automakers.

3. hummers spew the pollution that causes global warming, contributing to killer heat waves and hurricanes.

4. hummers are gas guzzlers, helping keep america dependent on oil from the middle east and threatened by the region's extremist politics.

5. at current gas prices, filling up a hummer h2 costs almost $100 — money parents could spend on healthier food for their kids.

create your own sign.

related new york times article.

[via vegan lunch box.]

i have white walls.

i hate to admit that, but i do. for whatever reason (laziness), we have never taken it upon ourselves during our three-year stay in this house to paint them. so when i read this by artist and blogger "grow wings" on color, i got a little disappointed in those white walls:

i don't understand why there isn't more color in the world around me. i don't understand why so many cars are silver and white, instead of goldenrod and violet and cobalt and teal, or why the favorite house hues in the us seem to be brown, grey, and beige. would anyone list those as their favorite colors? i don't think so.

she's so right. so to make myself feel better about the colorless walls, i took these shots to remind myself that i do have color in my house, just not on the things holding up the roof. 

tell me, or show me: what's colorful around you?

about this photo
top row: laundry bag, kitchenaid, bed linens, tea kettle, grosgrain belt, favorite dog toy, mouse pad.
middle row: wrapping paper, throw pillow, wonder woman cup, the dog, memo cube, camera strap, salt cellar.
bottom row: spatulas, vintage apron, fireplace screen, candles, wooden bowl, dog collars, morning glory.

hiking to help.

remember my friend amanda, who just became a far-too-young widow after losing eric, her 25-year-old husband to cancer? i'm helping her to publicize "5,000,000 steps," a fundraiser for the leukemia/lymphoma society. eric always wanted to hike the appalachian trail, but never had the chance. in honor of eric's dream, his uncle will begin hiking on eric's death anniversary from georgia to maine (over 2,000 miles!), hoping to raise $20 a mile, for a total donation goal of $43,492. as an avid hiker and having lost close relatives to cancer, i hope you'll support this cause.

donate.
trail journal.
learn more from amanda.
about the trail.

dogs like bricks and cats.

our neighbor's cat likes to enjoy our yard almost daily. and without fail, haley acts surprised every time she's visiting first by jumping around exuberantly and then by contemplating her from afar, which makes for a very good model dog. she does the same thing when we see any other cats during our walks. interestingly enough, own indoor-only cats rule the roost at home and torture poor haley by occasionally swatting her face while she sleeps or attacking her legs if we play "la vie en rose" by louis armstrong (i know — so weird) as if to solidify the hierarchy. i wonder if her excited behavior is the doggles version of projecting.