Sharpshooting in Allegan

If you're on the chase for the perfect antique for your collection, then I have the perfect hunting ground for you.

The last Sunday of every month April thru September the county fairgrounds in Allegan become the largest antique dealer I've ever seen. 400 vendors!

We spent over three hours there today—in the hot, hot sun—browsing the massive spread of furniture, kitchenware, jewelry, everything really!

If you've got killer instincts, you have two chances left to prove it in 2011: August 28th and September 25th the show will be open 8 am to 4 pm.

I was in Spain the first half of this month, eating delicious tapas and unique desserts. This meant I didn't cook much, and in truth, I really missed my kitchen. When I came home, I immediately hit the farmers market, only to have the garden catch up the next day and I found myself drowning in fresh produce. Hey, a girl could have worse problems.

All the fresh fruits and veggies got me digging in the recipe binder for the dishes I'd tucked away, earmarked "summer". I tried Broccoli Rabini for the first time—turns out, it's rather bitter and I don't like rapini, but the linguine dish was quite good, and I would definitely repeat this recipe swapping the rapini for spinach. And despite the fact it was 90+ degrees almost every day this month, I made a minestrone soup using fresh tomatoes, green beans and spinach that was shockingly fresh and good. As always, this is just a listing. If you want full recipes email me!

This is the soup that is so amazing. I could eat this every day.

So many things went wrong when I was making this recipe, so I don't know if the failure was me or the recipe. I thought this would be a great after drinking snack for soaking up the alcohol, but instead, this is bread to make you drunk! The wine does something weird when it combines with the bread. Food shouldn't be stretchy. Plus, after baking it, my house smelled like a win-o.

I actually just made a quarter of this recipe in a bread pan and it totally worked. And it was delicious—I ate half the pan (ie. half a bar of cream cheese). So refreshing.

Burger of the Week #15

Seeing food on rocks? Time to kill? It's time to rock those burgers.

Find out how to make a painted rock burger on HGTV.com.

Trend Spotting: Spain!

Espadrilles

The shoe of Spain. In cities where they walk a lot, a comfortable shoe is important. There was a shoe store every 20 feet in Barcelona. I felt right at home in my Toms. By the by, I'd totally be a Toms spokesperson—if you're going on a vacation involving any sort of walking, it's Toms all the way.

Harem Pants

I noticed harem pants in Italy 4 years ago. Was slightly horrified to find that they now come in a full bodysuit variety, and in loads of loud patterns and colors. This bold statement was purchased in Granada.

Cupcakes

Just like home—you can get pretty personal cakes in Valencia too.

Macaroons

Martha's been spreading the word in Spain too—macaroons are in! These beautiful pastries were spotting in the San Miguel Market in Madrid.

That Big New Building on Fulton Street

Well Grand Rapids, we've been waiting a long time for this. But this evening, members finally got a preview of the new UICA.

The space is far from complete, but it was great to get inside and see the progress that has been made. I love the high ceilings, expansive windows and bright, natural light. There's lots of great walls for hanging art, plus a fabulous new movie theater and the makings of a gorgeous clay studio.

Community Day is this Saturday, 2-7 pm so stop by and check it out!

The Whimsy of an Architect: Antoni Gaudí

Much of the awe and wonder that was Barcelona was due much in part to the architectural stylings of Antoni Gaudí.

Gaudí is perhaps the visionary behind the best-known representations of Catalan Modernism. Each of his works are an individual masterpiece, often marked by natural forms and religious aspects.

Not unlike Frank Lloyd Wright, Gaudí designed the entire space—exteriors, interiors, lighting and heating, hardware, furniture, fonts... in short... everything that determined a spacial experience.

Here's a few highlights:

Sagrada Familia: A brilliant combination of Gothic and Modern forms. Gaudí took over this project in 1883 and devoted the last years of his life to it, until his death in 1926. Construction has progressed slowly, and the estimated date of completion is 2026, the centennial anniversary of Gaudí's death.

Park Güell: Up a hill, overlooking the city of Barcelona is a massive garden complex. Originally part of a plan for a commercial housing site, it has sense been converted into a municipal park. The focal point of the main terrace is a winding mosaic bench, reminiscent of a sea serpent.

Caso Batlló: An apartment building built in 1877 that Gaudí restored in 1904. His goal was to avoid straight lines completely, creating a very organic space, reminiscent of the back of a dragon or dinosaur. The facade is decorated extensively with complex mosaics.

Casa Milá: Completed in 1912, Casa Milá is known for it's roof architecture, a collection of surrealistic chimneys.It also has a bench similar to the one in Park Guell, from which there is a nice view of the Eixample district.

Casa Vicens: This home was Gaudí's first important commission. He was hired in 1883 by a ceramics merchant—evident in the tile work on the facade!

Burger of the Week #14

The Tomato & Mozzarella Burger: The Ultimate Summer Burger. (left)

This is from July 2005's Real Simple.

I have the perfect tomato ripening in the garden that I have my eye on. I think it will make one heck of a bun.

In the meantime I'll have to make do with my garden stacked morningstar burgers! (right). Yeah... that should work.

Who needs meat?

Cellos that Rock.

Tuesday, July 19th. I've had this day marked on my calendar for some time now: "Buy 2Cellos Cd".

This cd is unlike any recording I've heard before. The energy hits you with surprising force.

I first spotted these boys on DudeCraft. Their dueling cellos video on YouTube has made them a sensation. I'd personally like to nominate them for YouTube Video of the Year.

And right now their new cd is available for only $7.99 on iTunes. Trust me, this an honest to God cultural experience worth way more than 8 dollars!

Duel on, boys, duel on.

DIY Summer Camp

Kid's all over the world are enjoying their summer vacation. Which means moms everywhere are beginning to pull their hair out.

I've found these great crafts for kids online. Maybe they can help inspire a quiet and creative afternoon!

Domino Rocks from Martha Stewart: Much in line with Martha's beach games, I think these rocks are beautiful as well as clever and useful!

Paint your own Superhero: I'm a kid at heart, so I fully intend to do this. You can purchase the unpainted wooden people one Etsy.

Firefly Jars: These jars are stunning even without the lightning bugs. But I think this is a beautiful idea. And particularly I love the instructions: "Flick glow-in-the-dark paint onto the inside of a mason jar. Allow to dry."

Make a Terrariums or Herb Garden: Let the kids bring the garden inside! For a how to on terrariums check out Better Home and Gardens.

Also be sure to preserve you summer vacation memories in a memory jar or a shadow box!

Have fun and stay sane!

Evolution of an Artist: Pablo Picasso

When I think about the work of Pablo Picasso I immediately think of Cubism and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and the historic impact of Guernica. And if I continue to think I'll eventually remember that he once had a Blue Period and a Rose Period

While in Spain we were able to see Picasso's early work at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona and also his later work, including much of his cubist work and Guernica itself, at the Reina Sofia in Madrid. But what I really loved, were the unexpected pieces, particurily this "doodle" of Jaime Sabertes*, which ultimatly just seemed like maybe Picasso was entertaining himself during a boring conversation, poking fun at a good friend.

Also, at on display in Barcelona were Picasso's 58 renditions of Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas (1656). Viewing these were fascinating because it truly seemed to be an obsessive compulsive exploration of one painting, and it was interesting to see what parts remained consistent and which ones he altered the most. We also got a chance to see Velezquez's original Meninas at the Prado in Madrid. Having seen Picasso's manipulations only made this painting more fascinating.

On our 12 day journey we hit four art museums. Interestingly, this was not initially part of our vacation plan. But in the mission to seek out air conditioning, it was a pleasant surprise. I am happy to have had a chance to explore Picasso's progression from his early fine arts training as an academic realist, his ventures into cubism and surrealism, and his transformation into to commercial mastermind.



*Jaime Sabartés met Picasso in Barcelona at the tavern Els Quatre Gats. The poet became one of Picasso's closest friends and his private secretary for over 50 years. Much of the funding for the Picasso Museum in Barcelona came from the donation of Sabartés and from Picasso himself at the suggestion of Sabartés. In 2008, the Picasso Museum has opened a new Sabartés Room, which includes several Picasso portraits of Sabartés.

Burger of the Week #13

It's 90+ degrees in Grand Rapids.

I just came from a cookout where the lucky grillmaster (and incidentally birthday boy) got to sweat it out next to a flaming grill. I don't know about you, but when temperatures raise too high above 80, hot meat is the last thing that sounds good. That's why I'm glad we have freaky fair food to fall back on.

Meet the Ice Cream Burger.

"You take a bite of burger and drink a bit of milkshake. It tastes just like that."

So only one question remains... freaky fair food or freaky fun food?

A Night at the Museum

Did you know Grand Rapids had a Frank Lloyd Wright house? The Meyer May House was commissioned in 1909 by the clothier Meyer S. May. Steelcase acquired the house in 1985 and did a tremendous job restoring the property to its original design. It's a prime example of Wright's prairie style home.

A friend of mine has been a docent in the home for 2 years. I had the pleasure of being his guest at a dinner thrown for select docents.

The 5-course meal was catered by Steelcase's executive chef and served on the Wright designed china in the May house dining room, set for 12 (and those chairs are about as uncomfortable as they look).

I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity. It isn't often you get to exist in an actual museum.

If you live in the Grand Rapids area an you haven't been to the home I strongly urge you to check it out. It is a stunning piece of meticulous architecture and design. The home is open for free tours 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Where in the World is Little Jerry?

I had a stowaway on my trip to Spain last week.

This isn't the first time Little Jerry has hitched a ride. Check out some of his other misadventures.*

*See more of Jerry's time in Austin at the 2009 HOW Design Conference here.

(Be patient while it loads—it's worth it!)

Whats the deal in Barcelona?

I'm back. The much anticipated trip to Spain has come, and already gone. As everyone continues to ask "How was it?", I find it's hard to wrap up a 12 day, 5 city trip succinctly. So I stick with, "Hot."

And it was hot, 85-100 degrees everyday. But it was also beautiful and surprising—and over the next few weeks I hope to share some of my experiences. Starting now.

One of the first things we noticed was a strong presence of Art Nouveau art and architecture, specifically in Barcelona. This is not something I typically associate with Spain.

But we began to take note of intricate wrought iron balconies, lavish plant forms and mysterious femme fatales adorning unmarked buildings, and of course, Gaudi's mesmerizing curvy lines. By the end of day two, we were saying, "Whats the deal with Art Nouveau?"

Art Nouveau sought to modernize design, with its curving lines, stylized flourishes, and flower motifs. (In contrast to modernism's later emphasis on simplicity and geometry.) It was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—the time when Picasso was in Barcelona visiting the bohemian cafe, Els Quatre Gats, and Antoni Gaudi was making a mark on the city with Parc Güell and Casa Batlló.

Top: Façade of a house. Light posts on Passeig de Gracia.

Middle: Phamacy Façade. Picasso's 4 Cats. Park Guell.

Bottom: Interior of the Palacio de Musica. Exterior Façade of Casa Batllo and Casa Amatller.

Art Nouveau may not have been something I expected to find in this city, but it will definitely be an association I make in the future.

Burger of the Week #12

Hamburger Sleeper?

If ever a bed deserved it's own facebook page, it would be this one.

I would have some heavenly dreams here— happy frolics of dancing french fries and shakes.

Sigh...dream on.