homemade ice cream: shake it

My friends and I had homemade ice cream tonight- without the churner or a long wait. This method is quick, fun and foolproof (nearly- potential messes are dependent on plastic.) If you've never had ice cream this way, you should. And for your convenience (and entertainment), I've included a short instructional video....

restaurant rated: founding farmers

Last weekend, my friends and I had dinner at Founding Farmers in DC. I had heard good things about this unique restaurant, but nothing could have prepared me for such an amazing dining experience. The concept of Founding Farmers is a fascinating story in and of itself: a fully sustainable green restaurant owned by 40,000 or so local farmers with a mission of providing customers "true food & drink." Check out this video from USNews for more info.

The atmosphere suitably blends a chic urban style with the 'family farmhouse kitchen' look. We sat on wooden stools at a long table made of reclaimed driftwood. Had we known our meal would last three hours, we probably would have requested more comfortable seating. But it's important to note here that meals should be eaten this way: slowly. Founding Farmers has a reputation for being slow, and they need no excuses. You will not find a restaurant that serves a more fresh meal, and the chefs are culinary geniuses.

The menu is extensive and seasonal, and our server, Charles, was excited to give explanations of dishes and answer our questions about the restaurant. Each plate was full of flavor (and luckily, everyone was eager to share.) After savoring my handmade pasta dish (which was tossed in a light broth with asparagus, thick-cut bacon and mushrooms), I wasn't sure if I had room for dessert. We were all happily stuffed, but my friend kept singing praises of the dessert menu. We decided on a slice of carrot cake, cheesecake and red velvet cake to split among the six of us. As I am not usually a fan of carrot cake, I was surprised when I found myself wanting to continue eating it alone. This recipe changed my mind about about carrot cake, and thus, the restaurant earned my utmost recommendation and gratitude.

Founding Farmers is a testament to the pleasures of real food, as well as the future of "green" dining. If you are in the DC area, make reservations at Founding Farmers, and I promise you will not be disappointed.

actual location: 1924 Pennsylvania Ave NW DC
cyber locations: www.wearefoundingfarmers.com
hours: daily 8a-10 or 11p, more details
price: $$
seating: bar, table, booth
cash/credit: both
brunch: yes, sundays

RESTAURANT RATED:
Food: A+
Drink: A (they make their own ginger ale, c'mon)
Service: A
Atmosphere: A

flavor of the (memorial day) week(end)

Memorial Day makes me think of chilling and grilling out in the sun. Not that I spend my holiday this way, but isn't that how we Americans like to celebrate long weekends in the summer?

After your hamburgers or barbecue, digging into a vanilla ice cream-topped berry dessert is a great way to end a meal. Strawberries are actually the freshest right now, but this King Arthur Flour recipe for Blue Ribbon Pie looks delicious. A perfect afternoon pie for the long, lazy weekend.

I absolutely love this chair, and not just for its name (it's called the Lazy Bastard.) True, this seating may be more suited for the bookworm-types and less for the beer drinkers, but I don't think it would take long to become a favorite in any home. Find out more about it and its designer, Montis, here. Dwell also featured some other lovely products in their weekly review that I believe are worth sharing, so check them out.

And how about hanging these blown-glass beauties out on your deck for your friends and neighbors to admire? I'm a big fan of this new multi-bulb lighting trend. This photo is from MoCo LoCo's post on modern lighting at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, which took place last weekend in New York.
Obviously, there are numerous ways to create this effect with the DIY method by using recycled glass, Christmas ornaments or assorted plastics. Here are Modern Urban Living's Top 10 homemade chandeliers, just to give you some ideas.

weekender: fine arts edition

Starting this week in Charleston, SC, the 32nd annual Spoleto Arts Festival will be taking over the streets. This year's events include a racy theatrical performance inspired by Mozart's "Don Giovanni," a punk operetta "Addicted to Bad Ideas," and a one-man dance performance to a choreographed light show and soundtrack by the highly acclaimed Japanese Hiroaki Umeda.



Ticket prices for these and other performances are fairly steep for the average Charleston resident, so there's also the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. This arts festival caters more to families and children, and really takes advantage of all Charleston has to offer by utilizing the arts community and its venues. If you've never been to Charleston, this is certainly a great time to visit. And if you can't make it to the festival this year, allthingscottage will feature a detailed re-cap of some of the top acts. Stay tuned.

For anyone in the district, this is a great weekend for jazz. The National Gallery of Art begins its free "Jazz in the Garden" concert series, featuring R & B jazz vocalist Lady A on Friday at 5pm. If you're more interested in jazz instruments and have some cash to contribute, head over to Twins Jazz. Cuban saxophonist Luis Faife will be exhibiting a blend of latin jazz on Friday and Saturday at 9pm.

Speaking of jazz, there will be no jazz festival this year for New Yorkers. Festival Network, the company responsible for hosting the acclaimed festival has lost some big sponsors amid the financial crisis. On the other hand, this may mean that all the big jazz acts will be touring more this summer in a city near you, so don't get down about it.