Houseplants

When considered, it's odd that we think of our houseplants as "healthy". They are splendid green and stout, and shiny-leaved, and have cute new shoots; and yet they're all equally root-bound in their little pots, incapable of growing really any bigger, shedding as many old shoots as sprouting new ones. A sort of vibrant, deeply pleasing yet suspended animation right in your living room.

Interesting thought for the day. Source: me

A Good Vinaigrette is Incredibly Satisfying

There's few things in life so satisfying as shaking up a delicious, fresh, classic French vinaigrette in a Mason jar; 

— juice of ½ a lemon
— 2 tsp Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon if you must - Maille preferred)
— 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
— 6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
— sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Shake the bejesus out of it until it's clearly emulsified (60 seconds should do it). A tip of the hat to the French Kitchen - A Cookbook for the ratio/measures. I merely leave out the sugar they include.

To dress a salad, chop a whole garlic clove in half, rub the cut end around the inside of the bowl fill with leaves and toss until lightly coated with your fresh vinaigrette. Revel! And store the rest in your jar in the fridge for the other salads you're now going to want.

To otherwise enjoy it, whilst it's freshly made try dipping fresh baguette in it. You'll be surprised at how nice that is, comparing it to years of dipping in olive oil floating over a little drowned puddle of balsamic vinegar. 

Mornings at the Llama Barn

Well we all got in the car on Friday afternoon and traipsed up the coast with, apparently, half the city. Mendocino is a quaint seaside town on the north coast of California about 3 hrs drive away according to Google. Well it's 5.5 hours drive on a Friday evening. But it was worth it to stay in the apartment added to the barn of the owners of a local ranch... all the old hippies up there love llamas, for reasons unknown. We don't care, we loved them too!

La Pavoni Europiccola bi-annual rebuild

Two years of 4 to 6 shots per day and your average La Pavoni Europiccola is going to be due for a rebuild. It's not too hard, but you need to be handy and have the necessary tools.

1. Descale, 50/50 mix distilled vinegar/water, boil (just), vent some into the steam tube and the group head, and leave for a few hours

2. Middle of the process looks quite intimidating... 

3. As it's coming back together, take the opportunity to really polish everything. Rebuilt...

4. Worth it. Smooth easy pulling, strong steam, delicious shots.

 

To do this kind of rebuild yourself, watch and follow the guides from Orphanesspresso.com - also where you should get your parts. They know so much about these machines and tend to have the best seal/gasket kits available at any given time.

Europiccola The Rebuild Part 1 - 5 Minute Breakdown - YouTube

Europiccola The Rebuild Part 2 - Rising from the Ashes - YouTube

Tiny spider

When I got up this morning, I noticed a tiny little spider had moved in on my Arc lamp... with a perfect tiny little web.

(shot SOC, Canon EOS 7D and 50mm f/1.4 lens)