Louise Fili Ltd.

This is a woman who has been inducted into the Art Director's Hall of Fame.  Louise Fili Ltd. specializes in logo, package, restaurant and book design.  The work is simple and straightforward and has the air of tangibility that I always love.  

Louise Fili Ltd. 

Chipotle Sweet Potato and Chicken Tacos

INGREDIENTS : sauce

• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo (these vary in heat)
• 2 limes (about 4 tbsp.)
• 2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil

INGREDIENTS : filling

•  2 lbs. sweet potatoes
• 2 large chicken breasts (about 1-1.5 lbs.)
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 bunches chard, stems removed

TO SERVE

• Tortillas
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• Greek yogurt or sour cream
• Salsa or Rick’s Picks Handy Corn

DIRECTIONS

1. In a blender, mix garlic, chipotle peppers, lime juice, vinegar, and salt. Slowly add the olive while blending. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thinly slice the sweet potatoes (I use a mandolin). Place on cooking sheets (try not to overlap), drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake the sweet potatoes until nice and done, about 15-20 minutes.
3. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, cook the chicken breasts in boiling water. When cooled, shred into small pieces with your hands or a fork. 
4. Wash the chard, remove the stems and roughly chop. Sauté chard in 1 tbsp. olive oil with a little salt.
5. Combine sweet potatoes, chicken, chard and red onion in a large bowl. Pour on sauce and mix well.
6. To serve, warm the tortillas (I used my gas burner) and pile high with the chicken/sweet potato mix. Garnish with cilantro, yogurt, and salsa

a recipe from stiletto nyc's julie hirschfeld

20 Super Foods!

1. blueberries  2. apples  3. sardines  4. quinoa  5. yogurt  6. steak  7. pomegranates  8. olive oil  9. buckwheat pasta  10. almond butter  11. wild salmon  12. goji berries  13. tarragon  14. chiles  15. eggs  16. kale  17. oats  18. lentils  19. parmesan  20. avocado  |  read article    

A Calendar Project By Oscar Diaz.

Spanish designer Oscar Diaz has designed a calendar that uses the capillary action of ink spreading across the paper to display the date.  Each month, a bottle of colored ink spreads across a sheet of paper embossed with numbers, coloring them in as it goes.

Peacock Feathers On Your Floor.

British fashion designer Matthew Williamson's free-spirited gypsy patterns and vibrant colors dance across the Peacock Light rug. Hand-knotted in Kathmandu, the flamboyant wool and silk piece sports a pattern inspired by, as its name suggests, the exotic bird's feathers against a cream or navy ground.

A Sketch I Once Had.

So I was once on a plane home from somewhere a couple years back when I quickly got the vision of the store I will someday own.  I sketched it all out - down to what the floors will look like, how the light will shine in through the transom windows - thinking about it, I should find that sketch.  The main focal point in the space though was a huge tree sculpture - it was going to be painted in a rich gold.  Any way, this email came across today and I had to include it on my blog because this is the closest thing I have seen - definitely more natural and organic than my original thought but the concept is there.  The artificial trees can be commissioned from Nature Maker in California.

strangeclosets.com

STRANGE CLOSETS : Tate Gunnerson's blog.  He describes himself as a "mild-mannered freelance writer, location scout and trend consultant who discovered his passion for design while rehabbing a pre-war Chicago building."  In addition to publishing Strange Closets, he contributes regularly to Chicago Home + Garden, CS Interiors and the Huffington Post.  BLOG

Cord Chair by Jacques Guillon

Avenue Road Website

Ping Pong Door - Seems So Logical - Why Haven't I Seen It Before?

link

Reminders From Regina Brett (90 Years Old) of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone... 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry wi th someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks. 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 19.. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23. Be eccentric now.  Don't wait for old age to wear purple. 24. The most important sex organ is the brain. 25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words "In five years, will this matter?" 27. Always choose life. 28. Forgive everyone everything. 29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 33. Believe in miracles. 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. 35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 36. Growing old beats the alternative--dying young. 37. Your children get only one childhood. 38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back. 41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 42. The best is yet to come. 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 44. Yield. 45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.                         

Quote of the Day - Albert Einstein

"Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving."

Herbal Delight

Just ran across a really cool idea... an herb garden built into your kitchen design (lined with stainless - even the drainage goes through your sink plumbing).  Jim Dase - a designer at Abruzzo Kitchens - thought of the idea for a Glencoe family who loves to cook.  They even put grow light bulbs in the can lights and decorative fixtures.  Purpose within design - or, more simply stated - design with purpose - I like that.   

Quote of the Day - Albert Camus

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."

Chunk A Lunk Singing D Happy Birthday!!!

Quote of the Day - Albert Einstein

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”