Basil Mint Pesto, Sorrel Basil Pesto, & Basil Lemonade

This year I planted an entire packet of sweet basil, and I suppose the original idea was to thin out the starts as they got bigger. But, I didn't have the heart to pluck the little guys out, so I transplanted each one individually and ended up with about 80 basil plants.

I gave a lot of the plants to friends and family, but I still have loads, so needless to say, my freezer is filling with pesto, and we've been eating lots of basil-inspired meals.

Here are a couple of regular old pesto recipes, adapted from a book called Pestos! by Dorothy Rankin, and some of the ways we've been eating them.

Basil Mint Pesto
1 cup fresh mint
1 cup fresh basil
2 medium garlic cloves
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

This pesto made a nice addition to fresh pea soup; I added some extra olive oil to a couple of tablespoons of pesto and drizzled it over the soup. Another way to eat this is mixed into your favorite potato salad. (Sorry no pictures; I'm new to the blog world and haven't gotten used to photographing things as I go with later blog-posting in mind...I'll get the hang of it though, I hope.)

Basil Sorrel Pesto
2 cups fresh sorrel
1 cup fresh basil
1 medium garlic clove
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

I used this as a filling for tofu omelette and sprinkled fresh chives over the top. It was light, fresh, and summery. It 's also good in risotto.

Of course there are lots of ways to use basil besides pesto...I like this basil lemonade recipe...it's refreshing and interesting on its own or in cocktails.

And finally,she's kind of hard to see, but here's our cat, Cheeky, resting in the grass on a warm afternoon.

Happy Summer!

Vietnam’s Most Expensive Bridal Gown at $117,000

A wedding dress with 222 diamonds and 100 red rubies? It’s certainly a dress to die for. Here is one of the world’s most expensive bridal gowns in Vietnam which is retailing for US$117,000.

The wedding gown is named Bach ngoc xiem y which means gown with hundreds of gemstones and is the creation of Huy Vo who is a young fashion designer.

Created from white silk and satin this wedding dress has been decorated with big gemstone made flowers and each flower comprises of 22 big rubies and 8 big diamonds. Forty man days were required to create this masterpiece which totals to 320 hours of hard work. First runner up Miss Vietnam will be modeling this wedding dress. If you are interested in purchasing this piece of art then you will need to visit the 3rd floor of Ruby Plaza after 30th June to get it.

Image and link source: vietnamnet

simple key

that lead you to success

a shape

Lady, get crystal studded luxury car accessories from Me Mo

Car accessories for men?? Nah!!! Here are some luxurious Italian car accessories but only for the ladies. Me-Mo, a seller of in-car fashion items has added Isotta Fraschini car accessory brand to its kitty.

Their Urban Glow Swarovski crystal embedded car accessories range comprises of several luxurious car accessories with touch of glamour to them. The luxury car accessory range comprises of leather and crystal gear knobs, leather gear boots and leather, chrome and crystal drinks holders.

Its aurora borealis Moon Unit handbrake comes with 304 Swarovski crystals and is priced for $275. The crystal studded pink leather and chromed aluminum steering wheel is available for $650. I must tell you this is just the beginning.

So if you are a lady who loves her car and would like to add zing to it by including some luxurious accessories to it then Isotta Fraschini is for you.

bokeh

A single magazine issue for just $6,500!!

Have you ever spent $6,500 for a single magazine issue? I hope you haven’t jumped out of your seat by now but here is a magazine which can surely be dubbed as one of the most expensive magazine in the world. Nomenus Quarterly will be available as a limited edition offer with a single issue costing you $6,500.

What makes Nomenus Quarterly special is a combination of beautiful art direction, creative contributors and curated fine art which sets it apart from others.

So what is there in Nomenus Quarterly which makes its worth a purchase:

The current issue features artists such as Oliver Chanarin, Adam Broomberg, Alec Soth, Elizabeth Peyton and a host of other names.
Poetry by Arnold Klein
Row and Costello Tagliapietra
Fashion editorials featuring the clothes of Jean Paul Gaultier
Interview with Sally Singer

Mind you only ten copies are available so get your issue before it’s gone and if you are still wondering why you should shell out $6,500 for it then you will only get to know when you get a copy for yourself.

Image and link source: luxuo

imperfect

Albert Einstein photograph fetches record price!!!

Pictures speak louder than words and if we look at this iconic photograph of Albert Einstein then it even fetches more in today’s world. A 1951 photograph of Albert Einstein has fetched $74,324 counting it among one of the most expensive Einstein photograph.

This renowned pic was taken by photographer Arthur Sasse and the it is somewhat special as Einstein sticks out his tongue hence adding a distinct flavor to it. Nine copies of this particular pic were ordered by Einstein himself and one of them was signed for news anchor Howard K. Smith.

The man who was lucky enough to purchase this Albert Einstein photograph was David Waxman who owns a New York store which specializes in autographs and scientific books.

Image and link source: luxuo

The Majesty: For a luxurious sleep

A good sound sleep never comes cheap and this has been proved by £52,000 worth hand made bed launched by Vi Spring. Dubbed as Majesty(it deserves a name like this), the bed set includes a mattress, headboard, divan and scatter cushions.

Its comfort level can be judged from the fact that it includes a number of springs and natural fillings which is much more than any other normal bed available in the market.

It comprises of 6,240 hand-nested springs with individual sewn pockets and comes with layers of cashmere, silk, cotton and lambs wool. Along with the mattress is the President divan which has been created from sourced beech and upholstered in fabric from JAB ANSTOEZ elegant Grandezza collection.

The high class Jacquard fabric has been combined with gold and silver prints which include Jade, Black, Midnight, Conker, Cobalt, Amethyst and Crimson.

When we spend one third of our lives sleeping then why should we compromise on our sleep rather we should sleep luxuriously.

Image and link source: response source

Applesauce Carrot Cake Muffins

One more from Step Up's Goddess Baking Night....

These are great. They don't photograph well, but the volunteers and teens of Step Up do, so I photographed them instead. They're a close runner up to Ellie Krieger's apple muffins that I love. In fact, one disappeared from the fridge and was eaten by my husband- he's not a muffin guy, so it's a testament to their tastiness. This recipe was developed by Marisa Angebranndt, the p(resident) baker of wannahavacookie as a healthier way to make carrot cake.

I enjoyed one for breakfast this am, they're very moist and tasty- didn't keep me full for that long though- need to pair it with a fruit next time.

Applesauce Carrot Cake Muffins

Yields 25-30 muffins, prep time: 30 minutes

4 eggs

2 cups Splenda baking sugar

1 cup natural unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup veg oil (is it healthier to use canola oil?)

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose baking flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp table salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots (8 medium carrots)

Preheat oven to 350. Grate carrots. Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) into a bowl, whisk and set aside. Line muffin tins with muffin liners. Mix wet ingredients into a bowl (eggs, Splenda, applesauce, veg oil, vanilla extract) and whisk to ensure there are no lumps.

Mix in dry ingredients and carrots and stir. Scoop mix into muffin pan until they are 2/3 full- don't overfill. Bake for 25 minutes and switch trays half way through to ensure they get evenly baked.

Healthy Baking Goddess Day

This past week, I went to a "Teen Goddess Healthy Baking Night" at Step Up Women's Network.

I got to meet a lot of nice people, bake some new healthy treats and teach the teenaged girls how to bake with a little less fat and still have fun...

Marisa, a Step Up Member and (P)resident Baker from wannahavacookie, came in to show the girls some of her healthy baking tips while networking with other women who could help her promote her new business venture! Mission accomplished- too bad my blog has 5 readers.

We made awesome cherry almond dark chocolate clusters. I don't even like cherries and I kept sneaking them from the fridge last night. My only regret is not taking more when I left.

It's an Ellie Krieger recipe- she has great "luscious recipes for a healthy life" as her cookbook promises...the night of baking inspired me to flip through her book to find some more gems.

I met her a few weeks back at The Taste of the Upper West Side, where she was enjoying a chilled illy issimo espresso courtesy of yours truly...here she is with her husband, she was as nice as she was on TV.

Ellie Krieger's Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters
Yields 12 clusters or 24 mini clusters, prep time- 20 minutes
155 calories, 10 grams of fat, only 3 grams of saturated fat (for a regular cluster, not mini)

1 cups almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
6 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

In a medium bowl, toss together the almonds and the cherries. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Microwave chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 20 seconds, repeat 5-6 times until mostly melted. Remove with an oven mitt and stir for a minute to dissolve all lumps.

Stir the fruit-nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Put them in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature.

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Please give a warm welcome to world’s most expensive espresso machine

How expensive an espresso coffee machine can get is I only realized when I came across this superautomatic espresso machine from Concordia Coffee Systems. Priced between $10,000 and $40,000 this espresso machine can single handedly grind and brew coffee, steam milk and add flavored syrups for customers which includes the like of Mayo Clinic, United Airlines, Harvard University and Seattle's Best Coffee.

The superautomatic espresso machine is known to make a whopping 165 variety of drinks which accepts cash and debit cards for purchases. It won’t replace the baristas but it has emerged as a replacement for ordinary coffee machines.

Thousand such machines have already been sold and this is just the beginning. So say a warm welcome to one of the world’s most expressive espresso machine!!

Image and link source: nwsource

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Sorry for my "imbalanced" cutting skills... hehehe

Drop

My dream lens (I) : Canon EF50 f/1.2L USM

Specification :

Focal Length: 50mm
Maximum Aperture: f/1.2.
Optics: 8 elements, 6 groups
Diaphragm: 8 blade rounded
Filter Size: 72mm.
Minimum Focus Distance: 1.5'(0.45m) from the image plane (the back of the camera), marked.
Size: 3.384" diameter x 2.581" extension from flange (85.96 x 65.56mm), measured.
Weight: 29.894oz. (592.3g), measured, naked.
Hood: ES-78 plastic bayonet, reversible. Included.
Case: LP1214 pouch, included.

Samples :

@f/1.2


Canon EOS 5D Mark II @f/1.2


@f/1.2


@/f1.2

Credits link : http://www.fotoriesel.com.au/shop/images/canon_ef_50mm_f1.2_l_usm_lens.jpg
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