“Sandra Bullock associate buys New Orleans home - Everything Alabama Blog” plus 4 more |
- Sandra Bullock associate buys New Orleans home - Everything Alabama Blog
- Our Garden: Tomato tasting - Contra Costa Times
- Tick-Tock Goes the Fabric Clock - New York Times
- Judges couldn't wait to clean their plates with these desserts - Spartanburg Herald-Journal
- Pitching a Tent, Spectacularly - New York Times
| Sandra Bullock associate buys New Orleans home - Everything Alabama Blog Posted: 02 Sep 2009 10:51 AM PDT NEW ORLEANS -- An attorney for actress Sandra Bullock is linked to a real estate transaction for a mansion bought in the Garden District of New Orleans -- a section of the city bordered by the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line. The mansion is near properties owned by actors John Goodman and Nicolas Cage and the home previously owned by writer Anne Rice. Bullock has been a frequent visitor to New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and during a visit to the city in May, she said she would love to own a home in New Orleans. The actress has been a generous supporter of Warren Easton High School, one of Louisiana's first public high schools, which took on 10 feet of floodwater during Katrina and incurred some $4 million in damages.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Our Garden: Tomato tasting - Contra Costa Times Posted: 02 Sep 2009 01:57 PM PDT      Big excitement in the garden this week. First, there was the terrific tomato tasting that brought about 100 fans out on what had to be the hottest day of the year thus far. We contributed 62 pounds of produce — mostly tomatoes — to the food bank. And then perhaps the biggest news — we have a fence. The terrific people at CK Management Systems in Danville donated the entire thing at considerable expense to themselves. And this isn't the first gift they've given. The company, owned by Gary Cartwright and his two sons, Alex and Matt, also installed our irrigation system. We are overwhelmed by their generosity. With the economy like it is, very few company have money to spare, but these gentlemen stepped up to the plate to help with our cause, receiving nothing in return but our gratitude. If you see them around, be sure to thank them for their community support. You'll find their contact information listed under our sponsors. While we're ecstatic with the news, we do know some beings who aren't happy with the Cartwright family — the squirrels. We're sure they're busy plotting ways to get under, around or over the new fence. But Matt Cartwright and his crew recycled our old fencing to create an underground barrier, and the new fence, made of a small mesh to prevent the squirrels wriggling through, extends about 5 feet above ground. The top is fitted with netting. We're hoping the arrangement will let the bees in and keep the squirrels out. Plenty of other food is available to them that is less trouble for them to get.What you missed Even though it was an exceptionally hot day, we had a great turn out for our first tomato tasting, organized by Master Gardener Kitty Rosania. We had 25 varieties to sample: Jet Setter, Thai pink, Sungold hybrid, Better Boy, Sweet 100s, Early Girl, Gold Sugar, Duro, Purple Cherokee, Lemon Boy, Blush, Zapotec, 1805 Heirloom yellow pear, West Virginia heirloom Hillbilly, Super Marzano, Black Krim, Soldaki, Costaluto, Speckled Roman, Cold Set, Viejac Parndiaz, Beefsteak, Nebraska Wedding, Delicious and Sun Sugar. You don't realize the subtle differences in the taste of a tomato until you sample several all at once. Our Garden online Follow the progress of the garden and check out our how-to videos. Go to Contra CostaTimes.com/ourgarden or InsideBayArea.com/ourgarden. Follow Our Garden's progress at twitter.com/gardeneditor. Sponsors The Bay Area News Group-East Bay thanks Our Garden's sponsors: Ace, Walnut Creek Hardware, 2044 Mt Diablo Blvd., Walnut Creek, 925-705-7500 Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority, 1111 Civic Drive, Suite 275, Walnut Creek, 925-906-1801, www.wastediversion.org. CK Management Systems, 315 Diablo Road, Suite 220, Danville, 925-943-7323, www.cklandscape.com. Contra Costa County Cooperative Extension and Master Gardeners Hamilton Tree Service, 127 Aspen Drive No. 211, Pacheco, 925-228-1010 Marsha McCollum Leutza, representing Botanical Interests, 337 Cleveland Ave., Petaluma, 94958 Merlot Nursery, 701 Northgate Road, Walnut Creek, 925-943-1958 Monster Worms, Dave Anderson, P.O. Box 1211, Antioch, CA 94509, 925-890-5773, MonsterWorms.com. Mt. Diablo Nursery, 3295 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, 925-283-3830 Orchard Nursery, 4010 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, 925-284-4474How to help If you're interested in volunteering or becoming a sponsor, call Joan Morris at 925-977-8479 or e-mail jmor ris@bayareanewsgroup.com or e-mail the Contra Costa County Master Gardeners at ourgarden.mg@gmail.com. Join us Visitors to Our Garden are always welcome. Join us every Friday for classes on a variety of gardening topics. Sick Plant Clinic If you've got ailing plants or problems with insects, bring the plant, damaged leaves or bugs to our Sick Plant Clinic every Friday. Master Gardeners will be available after the 10 a.m. class to take your questions and diagnosis your garden troubles. Have general gardening questions? The Master Gardeners can help with those, too. About our Garden Our Garden is tended by the Contra Costa Master Gardeners. For more information on the Master Gardeners visit ccmg.ucdavis.edu; to contact them call the help line, 9 a.m.-noon Monday through Thursday, 925-646-6586; or reach them by e-mail, mgcontracosta@ucdavis.edu. schedule All classes in Our Garden are at 10 a.m. Fridays at the Contra Costa Times headquarters, 2640 Shadelands Drive, Walnut Creek. There is no charge for the classes. Sept. 11 -- Fall gardening. Bonnie Brusseau of Orchard Nursery will talk about cooler weather gardening. Sept. 18 -- Cover Crop planting. Join us as Master Gardener Janet Miller explains the benefits of a cover crop, and we put one in. Sept. 25 -- Attracting birds and butterflies, Cecil Williams from Wild Birds Unlimited in Pleasant Hill Oct. 2 -- Bees in the garden. The Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association will show us how to attract bees to our gardens and live in peace with a backyard hive. Oct. 9 -- To be announced Oct. 16 -- To be announced. Oct. 23 -- Winter care of deciduous fruit trees, Janet Caprile, Contra Costa County farm adviser Oct. 30 -- Grafting and scion exchange, Master Gardener Idell Weydemerer from the Rare Fruit Growers Association. Come say goodbye for the winter. We'll be back with spring classes in March. About our Garden  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Tick-Tock Goes the Fabric Clock - New York Times Posted: 02 Sep 2009 03:59 PM PDT The Grandpa Clock, an update of the grandfather clock by Jansen + Co, an Amsterdam design firm, appears to be more illusion than reality. In fact, though, it is a working clock. The body of the clock, an image of an antique printed on fabric and laminated to paper, comes rolled up like a scroll. Unfurled, it stands 65 inches tall — once it has been affixed to the wall with a nail, that is. The clock itself has antique-style hands and operates on one AA battery. It can be ordered for $75 at CITE, 131 Greene Street (Houston Street), (866) 764-0888 or citenyc.com.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Judges couldn't wait to clean their plates with these desserts - Spartanburg Herald-Journal Posted: 02 Sep 2009 12:38 PM PDT But wait. Let me back up and explain what I'm talking about. I was quite honored recently to be asked to judge the city of Spartanburg's Tastiest Dessert Contest, in connection with Saturday's Spartanburg Creative Tastes festival. I mean, how could I pass up an opportunity to sample top desserts from some of the city's best restaurants -- for free, I might add. Sounds like a sweet gig to me. We recruited two other judges: The Stroller, aka Lou Parris; and Chef Clint Button, an instructor with the culinary program at Spartanburg Community College. I think I can safely speak for my fellow judges in saying that we had a very good time. Not only were the desserts excellent, but it was fascinating hearing stories from chef and Stroller. There were five candidates: Red Wine Poached Pear with Blue Cheese Ice Cream from brasserie ecosse; Daddy's Sunday Chocolate Cake from Broken Tea Pot Tea Parlour; Key lime, lemon meringue and chocolate raspberry gourmet mini cupcakes from Home & Garden Classics; White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse from Justin's Steakhouse; and the previously mentioned Margarita Trifle from II Samuels. All the desserts were delicious -- each in their own way. I was happy to see that every restaurant did something completely different, and many were elegantly presented. And although food contest experts suggest only taking a bite or two of each dessert, they were all so good that we often cleaned our plates. Of course, there had to be a winner. The Margarita Trifle was just a perfect combination of a well-made dessert presented in an artful way. It was presented in a margarita glass, sprinkled with salty pretzel crust pieces and crowned with whipped cream and a slice of lime. The lime filling was a lovely creamy consistency, and its sweet-tart flavor contrasted well with the salty, crunchy pretzel crust pieces. Congratulations to II Samuels and Lansberry for their Tastiest Dessert. After sampling the restaurants' delicious desserts, I wanted to find out more about who made them and how they came about. Lansberry ran her own catering company (Sue's Way to Your Heart) for 13 years before she started working with II Samuels owner Sammy Ridgeway. Lansberry is self-taught and says she has always loved baking and cooking. She says the Margarita Trifle began its journey several years ago as a pie for a Cinco de Mayo party at Wofford College. It has evolved into a trifle served in a glass, with the pretzel crust baked separately and crushed before being added to the dessert. It's on the menu most of the time at II Samuels, she says. Phillip Furness, head chef at Justin's Restaurant, said he's worked in restaurants for about 15 years. He developed the White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse by changing up a dessert that's on the menu at the restaurant. He thought raspberry sounded appealing with white chocolate. Ann Bearden, owner of Home & Garden Classics, has taken continuing education courses from the Culinary Institute of America. Her shop started producing cake mixes called Sugah Cakes last year and began selling cupcakes in January. The shop now serves lunch. She came up with the cupcake for the contest by taking several flavors Home & Garden Classics offers regularly and adding special touches. She added a meringue topping to the lemon cupcake, a whipped cream icing and filling to the Key lime cupcake and a raspberry filling to the chocolate raspberry cupcake. Steve Leitch, owner and chef at brasserie ecosse, earned his culinary degree in Scotland and was a chef at prestigious restaurants in Kiawah Island and Greenville County before opening his own restaurant about two years ago in downtown Spartanburg. He said he took the classic combination of pears, blue cheese and red wine and made it into a dessert. His creation combines sweet, savory and salty. Suni McMath, co-owner and chef at Broken Tea Pot Tea Parlour in Woodruff, after working in other fields such as governmental policy and interior design. Her love of cooking came from grandmothers who were talented cooks and being exposed to many cuisines growing up as the daughter of a military man. She developed Daddy's Sunday Chocolate Cake for her father-in-law's birthday one year. She says he was her greatest fan and most constructive critic and when he came to Sunday dinner, she tried to make things that would surprise him -- especially desserts. McMath says it took about a month to perfect the cake for him. It's been a family and customer favorite ever since. I thought it would be interesting to find out what desserts appeal to these chefs and bakers, who, with their culinary skills, can make anything they want. I was surprised to find that two of them chose the same favorite dessert -- both Bearden and Furness love Key lime pie. Lansberry said it was hard to choose just one. Her favorite cake is a white chocolate cake in her repertoire that's similar to Italian cream cake. Her favorite cheesecake is a deep-dark chocolate one that she makes. McMath said her favorite is Daddy's Sunday Chocolate Cake topped with a scoop of Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream. Leitch said he's not a big dessert eater, but he enjoys any that's cooked with love, such as a home cook's apple pie or cobbler. I echo his sentiment. I appreciate all the love put into the entries in the Tastiest Dessert Contest.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Pitching a Tent, Spectacularly - New York Times Posted: 02 Sep 2009 03:59 PM PDT Zaha Hadid's glowing orb in Millennium Park has landed — elegantly late, as new contractors struggled to keep her cutting-edge fabric architecture, stretched over 7,000 bent aluminum tubes, from toppling in Chicago's famous winds. Ms. Hadid's Burnham Pavilion references Chicago's proud design past while hinting at a bold urban future. One of two centerpieces commissioned as a centennial homage to the 1909 Plan of Chicago by Daniel Burnham, Ms. Hadid's cocoonlike structure was the last guest at the party: the pavilion by the Amsterdam-based UN Studio opened — on time — in June. Both of them welcome the public through Oct. 31. Burnham defined how the gritty industrial city grew, inspiring its necklace of lakefront parkland and widening boulevards to create a better transportation and circulation system. "It was the first strong statement in America that we can't let unbridled speculation and the whims of developers control the city," said Emily J. Harris, executive director of the Burnham Plan Centennial, which is coordinating hundreds of programs. "The goal was to use the historic plan to get people to start thinking about the need to plan boldly for the future." Ms. Hadid's design was challenging: every curve in the frame was unique. Roof gashes — the skylights — echo Burnham's idea for diagonal streets, opening the city's rigid grid. Ms. Hadid said her team "tried for a new object that was lightweight, achievable through fabrication and technologies, manipulating natural forms in a seamless and elegant way," and believes it could be manufactured for schools and housing. An installation by Thomas Gray offers a collage of sights and sound — the roar of the El, the ruminations of children on the future of Chicago. With many projects on hold, including the Chicago Spire by Santiago Calatrava, the Centennial "demonstrates to the world that the tradition of making big plans and delivering on them is alive and well in Chicago," Ms. Harris said. She hopes the temporary pavilions will leave a lasting impression on the International Olympic Committee, which picks a host for the 2016 Summer Games on Oct. 2. Chicago is a finalist.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Add Images to any RSS Feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment