Mind the Gap

In Tokyo!  there's a scene (within Interior Design by Gondry) where the protagonist tells his girlfriend that ghosts inhabit the tiny spaces between buildings. These slivers of separation seem specific to super-dense cities,  an architectural mark of population distribution. No matter how ubiquitous, it's something you'd barely even notice until pointed out. Walking home from the grocery store this morning, I finally saw it. So I decided to  document our haunted little city and some of its haunted little spaces. 
Moral of the story: Goddamn this is a gorgeous place to live. It's no wonder we have so many ghosts.

PS : one of these is mine! I'll never tell!

Heffalumps on Parade

Just in case you'd forgotten Disney's odd fixation on trippy elephants:

Pink Elephants on Parade

Heffalumps and Woozles

You're welcome, signed #yourchildhoodonacid

[Recipe] Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Funny story: this food project came out of a seemingly random urge to melt chocolate. Maybe on an existential level it represents a repressed desire to DESTROY. But honestly I think I just wanted some chocolate and for whatever reason I wanted it in liquid form. Because the best part about cooking is licking spoons along the way, amiright?

WHAT I USED
For the shell
4 squares of a dark chocolate bar //Lindt's 85% Cacao
1/2 stick of Butter //Kerrygold Unsalted
1 Tblsp of Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 packet of Stevia //or Sugar to taste


For the Filling
2 Tblsp Peanut Butter // Trader Joe's Crunchy Valencia with roasted flaxseeds
1/2 packet of Stevia//or Sugar to taste
Dash of Cinnmon
Drop of Vanilla

Misc.
4 Muffin tins
a working Freezer
Walnuts to squish on top //Not necessary in the slightest, I just like 'em because they look like brains.

Break up the chocolate into little pieces and put in a microwave safe bowl with the butter. If you put the chocolate on top of the butter, there's less chance of it burning in the bowl. Microwave for one minute. Stir up til the mixture is smooth. Then, add in the whipping cream and the stevia/sugar. Pour a bit of the melty chocolate goodness into each muffin tin to form the base layer. [Only pour out about half - you'll need the rest for the top layer later!] Then, stick the muffin cups in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, mix all of the filler ingredients together. Once the base has frozen solid, add a dollop of peanut filling to each muffin cup and coat in a layer of melted chocolate. Top with a walnut. Stick everything back in the freezer and wait for it to freeze again. THEN EAT.

This recipe should make 4, but if you accidentally pour too much chocolate in the base layer, it'll only cover 3. Derp.

NUTRITION SPECS:

Many thanks to WickedStuffed.com for the awesome recipe.
[I'm ctorbot on MFP // Let's be friends!]

Henna'd!

Before & After (inside)

The upside of using chopped n' dried plant matter over red chemical dyes is that your hair comes out healthier, shinier and the color lasts longer. The downside is that you have absolutely no clue what your hair will look like once you wash out the swampy mess. So, for my internet brethren -- I'm posting pictures of what happens to medium brown hair when you soak it in Lawsonia inermis (You Say Vanity -- I Say "For Science!") Plus I needed to break up my [Recipe] posts, those are getting a little out of hand.

You can buy body-art quality Henna for cheap from a graduate student of Henna's histories, traditions and biology on her website Henna for Hair.  I mixed 200g with lemon juice, let it sit for 12 hours and then added some water the next morning. Put it all up in my hair, roots first, and let it sit for 6 hours. It came out a super brassy red that has since darkened a bit (the change is pretty subtle in these pictures but I promise it's there). 

Day1 (outside)

Day 6 (outside)

I'll probably update it in a few months to see how long it takes to grow out. 
Check out how henna changes other people's hair on the Mixes and Hair Chart page.

***UPDATE: 2 months in.

Tags: What henna looks like on brown hair. Using henna // What color henna  

[Recipe] Cauliflower-Sushi Rolls

I'm telling you guys, cauliflower is crazy versatile. Whether you're watching carbs or just feel like experimenting in the kitchen, there's never a bad reason for injecting your day with its delicious fiber-goodness.

These specs will make you about 20 pieces but it's all super flexible and the ratios can be adjusted as you see fit.

FOR CAULIRICE:
1 smallish head of cauliflower
at least 1 oz of cream cheese
Splash of Rice Vinegar
Pinch of Salt


EVERYTHING ELSE
Nori Seaweed Papers
1 cucumber - julienned
1 avocado - thinly sliced
Few squirts of Sriracha
1 Package of Smoked Salmon

To make the cauliflower rice, chop up the cauliflower until it's rice-y texture (...surprise!). You can do this in a food processor, blender, cheese grater OR just chopping it really fine with a knife. Stick the shreds in a microwaveable bowl and nuke for about five minutes (or until you get a texture you like). Cauliflower releases tons of steam when it cooks, so when it's done let it sit for awhile to air it out. You want the "rice" to be moist for rolling, but you don't want it to be toooo wet. Mix in some cream cheese (to taste)-- this will help it stick together.  While the mixture is sitting and cooling off, you can start chopping up the fillings!

Anything you can slice thin, you can stuff in. 
Some good staples are cucumber and avocado to keep it fresh n' crunchy :-3 One day I'll level up and use sushi-grade raw fish, but I'm still new at these kitchensperimentation games so I figured I'd play it safe and use smoked salmon. Still delicious, lasts longer in the fridge and less risk of dying an gruesome infectious death. But you can totally add whatever your heart desires! 

Pros use special bamboo mats to roll up the sushi, but I just used folded parchment paper and it worked perfectly fine. Some people just use their hands. Lay out the seaweed paper, shiny side down. Scoop out some cauli-rice and spread it out flat, leaving about an inch of seaweed free at the end farthest away from you (in the picture, I left space at both ends, like a tard.) Watch out as you spread, the seaweed paper softens as it gets wet so it can be easy to tear. Then line all of your filling in the middle and if you like it spicy, squirt a little Sriracha on top. Grab the end closest to you; fold over the middle and then roll the rest up! Slice it as thick as you like, but be careful not to rip the seaweed as you cut it. I had to test out some knives before I found one sharp enough to do clean cuts.

COMPLETE!! NOW EAT EVERYTHING!

Last but not least, nutritional specs for the curious: