Phrenology Helmet

Where have I been?!

Anyway...

How cool is this bike helmet?

Eye-Fi

Oh. Em. Gee.
Camera memory cards with built-in wi-fi.
You can set up the pro cards to upload directly to your own FTP! Holy crap!

http://www.eye.fi/

Camera Tape Dispenser

$21.99 at Modcloth

Chest Hair Shirt

I soooooooooooo want this.

Salmon Gyoza, Two Ways

I had these two 8 oz salmon steaks in the fridge that needed to be cooked, but I was not in the mood for the reish* flavor of a full salmon steak. So I got crazy with the wonton wrappers.

Ingredients for the Gyoza, Variation 1:
- 8 oz salmon steak, chopped finely
- 3 large asparagus stalks, chopped finely, green parts only
- chives, chopped finely, to taste
- 1 egg white
- salt and pepper, to taste
- about 20 wonton wrappers
- 1 tsp vegetable oil, plus more for frying
- water

Ingredients for the Gyoza, Variation 2 (aka Crab Rangoon meets NY Jew):
- 8 oz salmon steak, chopped finely
- chives, chopped finely, to taste
- whipped cream cheese (I think I used about 1/4 cup?)
- about 20 wonton wrappers
- vegetable oil for frying
- water

Ingredients for the low-fat creamy lemon dill sauce:
- 1/4 cup low-fat mayo
- about 3/8 cup fat-free sour cream
- lemon juice, to taste
- chopped fresh dill, to taste
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
- pepper, to taste
- chives, to taste

To make the gyoza:

1) Combine all ingredients in a bowl except the wrappers. Let chill for 10 minutes

2) Now, I personally could give two shits about correct gyoza stuffing. If you're a traditionalist, you can google the pleating process etc. I just took as much as I could shove into each rectangle, wet the edges, folded into triangles, and pinched the edges until they stayed closed.

3) Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan to fully cover the surface. Turn the burner to high. When the oil is hot -- you know, it sputters, a drop of water bounces around, etc -- you're in business. Reduce heat to medium. Place a few gyoza in the pan, without over-crowding. My pan fit about 9 comfortably. Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until you get a nice browning on the bottom.

4) Pour about 1/2-cup of water into the pan and reduce heat to low-medium. Cover the pan and let the dumplings steam until the dough is fully cooked. This varies, but I'd guess about 10 min. You can tell when it's done because the dough gets all bubbly and clingy onto the filling.

5) Drain the dumplings on papertowels.



To Make the Dipping Sauce for Variation 1:
Combine and chill. That's it, seriously. Should last about 4 days in the fridge.


I like variation 1 served cold, but I think most people like 'em hot. Variation 2 is good with soy sauce.

Enjoy, kiddies.




*Reish, spelling estimated, is a Caribbean word (I think Crucian) that describes the fishy flavor of fish. There isn't a better word for it in English.

Tangy Summer Salad

The very persuasive pickle salesman at the farmers' market last weekend said the magic words -- "These would be great in a dirty martini!" -- and thus talked me into a significant purchase of pickled green tomatoes. Now I like a proper cocktail as much as the next urban twenty-something, but a working woman of 5'2" can only handle so many martinis per week. And so the Tangy Summer Salad above was born.

Ingredients, to taste:
- watermelon chopped to bite-sized cubes
- crumbled feta (on the mild side if possible)
- diced pickled green tomatoes
- blackberries
- balsamic vinegar
- sea salt
- fresh-ish thyme.

On Repeat

"Odessa" by Caribou

Marty Markowitz Taps That

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is gettin' techie wit it, nanananananana

Switched at Birth, Take II

Actually, Chris looks more like Vigo from Ghostbusters II, no?


While we're on the subject of actors and 1980s film characters...

Am I right?

Switched at Birth?

Is it just me, or are Annie Leibovitz and Christopher Walken looking a lot alike these days?

Windfaux Shopping

Our converted railroad apartment translates to a windowless living room. Soooooo...

...I made one! I bought a used window at the Park Slope Flea Market for $10. Then I found a poster of the city from the proper angle and mounted it to foam core with spray adhesive. Then I tacked the poster to the back of the window with hot glue, so that we can change the image seasonally. I screwed in some d-rings to the top, installed two picture hooks, and voila! Windfaux.

Holy Matzoh Balls

As Passover overlaps with March Madness this year, here is a game to celebrate!

Happy Passover! Let's see if you can beat my score of 20878 on the Ultimate Matzoh Ball Game.

Plastic-Eating Mud!

The latest on the Gowanus Canal.

via F***ed in Park Slope.

Hot News Coming @ya!

MoMA has acquired the "@" symbol into its collection. Read @ll @bout it here.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

I owe you an apology. My new job is crazytown -- no, not your favorite band, I just mean I'm very busy. I've been slacking on my blogposts. I'll do my best to increase activity.

Today I am featuring the blog A Collection a Day. The old Jewish woman who lives in my soul loves tchotchkes and knickknacks (and latkes, too, of course). I am particularly fond of the vintage signage letter collections, like E from day 65 and 3 from day 51: