The Ramblers’ Friday Five

When we aren’t cooking and baking, or feeding goats and fending off evil roosters, we’re curating new interests and harboring questionable habits for old ones. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been into this week!

Erin’s Week in Favorites

1. My mind is on summer and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. I may be temporarily persuaded by a snow globe flurry, but I can’t be tricked for long. My heart is geared up for camping trips and car windows rolled down. So, of course, I’ve become totally captivated by these “Stingray Tents.” It’s a tent. It’s a treehouse. You can take it wherever you want. Count me in…but, uh, who’s buying?

2. Speaking of summer, let’s talk about parades of people dressed up as mermaids on Coney Island. The Mermaid Parade is the largest art parade in the country–a celebration of mythology, “honky-tonk rituals of the seaside,” community pride, and summertime. I  love the camaraderie that went down when Sandy threatened extinction for the event. See you there?

3. On a similar, yet very different, note, I’ve been dying to go to Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra’s Jazz Age Lawn Party! And, this year, I’ll actually do it. There’s period dress, dancing, food and drink, and great music. What more could a gal ask for?

4. I’m loving this National Parks Checklist Map! My U.S. National Park experience is limited, and that’s about to change. This summer I will begin my effort to see more, explore more, and mark more.

5. I love to canoe. In my most recent trip, I roved with a group on a river through farmland and under covered bridges in the Green Mountains of Vermont. We stopped on a clay island for lunch and poetry. There aren’t too many better ways to spend a day. Recently I’ve happened upon so many pictures of canoe picnic parties, canoe picnic dates, and canoe picnics for one. That’s it! This summer I will have a picnic meal out on the water.

Jillian’s Week in Favorites

1. Cherry Bombe is a biannual magazine that celebrates two of my favorite things: awesome women, and delicious food. The issues are full of amazing content, from profiles of female food producers and interviews with up-and-coming chefs, to recipes and food styling tutorials.

2. I’ve always been enamored with children’s books, but my job certainly encouraged my obsession.  Carin Berger is an incredible children’s book author, designer, and illustrator. Her books are stunning, tactile and emotive; most of the pages are designed with cut-paper, fabric scraps, old tickets stubs, and other pieces of memorabilia.

3. This podcast is hosted by Molly Wizenberg (an inspiring chef and food writer who I feel like is basically one of my best friends, even though we’ve never met), and Matt Amster-Burton. Their witty banter about all manners of food is engaging, inventive, and always makes me feel like I’ve had a great conversation with friends.

4. I don’t tend toward movies and television as often as I tend toward books, but every now and then I find something that I just can’t get enough of. The West Wing‘s writing is sharp, the characters are well-developed and interesting, and I’ve even learned a bit more about politics and government as a result of watching.

5. FitSugar is a great site in general to turn to for fresh fitness ideas, but I especially love their workout playlists—some are timed to help you run a specifically timed mile, and some are put together specifically to work well while doing intervals. The Morning Yoga Sequence Playlist is lovely, as is the accompanying yoga sequence. I like to constantly switch it up with my yoga practice, and this is always a favorite in my weekly mix.

 

The Ramblers’ Friday Favorites

When we aren’t cooking and baking, or feeding goats and fending off evil roosters, we’re curating new interests and harboring questionable habits for old ones. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been into this week!

Erin’s Week in Favorites

1. For her first cookbook, Rachel Khoo opened a two-guest pop-up restaurant in her tiny Parisian flat to cover the costs and test recipes. Now, she has three cookbooks and her own BBC series. Her charming web series can be found on BBC food. When I’m bumping into butcher blocks and counter tops in my kitchen, I channel her grace…and try to keep my Khool.

2. Emilie of Griottes is constantly wowing me with her colorful images! You can even search her blog by color, which is fun. I love, love, love these Pantone Tarts, which are all color coded to the exact Pantone color. Which is your favorite?

3. Okay, I’m on a French kick this week, but everything Tiger in a Jar touches is pure gold. This film company is American, but this piece focuses on a fromager from Burgundy, France, to celebrate artisan food producers and the international movement to support local farms and sustainable food.

4. Ah-ha, this isn’t French! I’m reading Annie Dillard’s An American Childhood and I’m enraptured by how she describes what it feels like to be a child–the sense of growing up and growing into one’s skin. She carries such a strong voice that is steeped in wit. It’s vividly nostalgic and sharply humorous.

5. I love this studio session of Through and Through by My Bubba (formally My Bubba & Mi). Their music feels like honey-slow summer days, which is just what I’ve needed this polar-vortexed week. If that video didn’t sell you, maybe their jingles will.

Jillian’s Week in Favorites

1. Emily Blincoe is an amazing freelance photographer from Austin. Her images are crisp, inspiring, and quirky. While all of her work is great, I’m loving a project of hers called The Collection Collection.

2. I, like many others, love Instagram as a way to share moments. My favorite account is Darcy the Flying Hedgehog. It’s filled with adorable pictures of hedgehogs (my favorite creature), and it continues to melt my heart. While Darcy has sadly retired from modeling, the archives are worth exploring.

3. I became familiar with Haruki Murakami during my senior year at College. He instantly became my favorite author, as he combines magical realism, science fiction, dystopian realities, romance, and pop culture. I’m finally making my way through 1Q84, and I’m relishing every page of it.

4. Story of Eve, a film company out of Northern Ireland, creates beautifully intimate short films. Most are wedding related, but they also make nature-focused short films, with breathtaking images of the Irish coast and countryside. Their work is made special by the personal connections they form with their subjects.

5. Brussels Sprouts are by no means a “unique” ingredient anymore—they’ve exploded onto the culinary scene and are popping up everywhere, and I couldn’t be happier! These little guys are delicious, nutrient-dense, and gorgeous. I’m loving this recipe for Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts with Honey and Sriracha recipe from Food52.