clouddrift

That long weekend just crept up on me completely unexpectedly. Not that I'm complaining or anything...

Alors, I now have nothing planned, so I expect I'll probably spend this time lazing around, doing absolutely nothing.

a chandelier that projects eerie tree shadows.
wonderful foreign words.
the collection of google doodles.
colors.

wander.

Sometimes I get tired of the people around me. Sometimes the every days don't make much sense. And all I want is to go somewhere.



Somewhere far, preferably.

Where nothing matters, really, but the now.

/ 1 / 2 /

sprouts from the earth.

Hello, they say. Barely emerging from the ground one brisk spring morning. And then only a few hours later, under the hot afternoon sun, they shoot up, pompously, the big green leaves appearing out of nowhere, as if by magic. I'm sure if I were watching them for that few hours I would have seen them move.

clouddrift.

Just as I was getting excited about spring.. summer seems to have arrived. Summer, with its watermelon drips, and sunburns, and dresses. I attemped to make chocolate ice cream but due to the incompetence of my ice cream maker it never froze and came out more like a chocolate milkshake. And inevitably froze into a solid block. I ended up breaking it into many tiny pieces so that I wouldn't have to wait for it to thaw every time I wanted some. The only drawback? I can't stop myself from going into the freezer and eating little bits of frozen chocolate now. Anyways, I just realized that popsicles would be a lot easier to make than ice cream, and possibly more fun to eat. I don't have a popsicle mold yet but once I get one.. who knows what will happen.

the history of typography—in stop motion.
how to tell the difference between helvetica and arial.
lab beakers in the kitchn.*
the popsicle project.
and 33 popsicle recipes.
butterbeer.

*This reminds me of that time in middle school where we cooked pasta in the lab beakers in class. Good times. 

simple rhubarb compote.

For the rest of the blogosphere, it may be rhubarb season or ramp season, but for me, it's exam season. AP exams. SAT exams. The never-ending slew of multiple choice questions. Only a few more days. (But of course we all know the chaos never ends...)

And meanwhile, in the middle of it all, the food doesn't go away. Going grocery shopping is actually a nice stress reliever. Last week the rhubarb was extremely fresh and vibrant. Although, I've never quite understood its popularity. It's fibrous, sour, and tough. But it looked so pretty that I had to buy it. And finding recipes for it was no challenge. Once it cooks, the fibers break down and the sourness turns into a nice tartness with a little bit of sugar added. While I still can't say rhubarb is amazing, it's not bad at all. Here are a few recipes.


This rhubarb compote is a quick little recipe—kind of like jam, but considerably easier to make.

Rhubarb compote.

2 cups rhubarb (3-4 stalks)
1/4 cup sugar

Combine rhubarb and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the rhubarb releases its juices and starts to break down.*
Spoon into a jar. Eat it over oatmeal, toast, yogurt, whatever.

*Other recipes say that at this point you should remove the rhubarb with a slotted spoon and cook the remaining juices until they become thick and syrupy, then pour the syrup back onto the rhubarb. When I did this, there wasn't any juice left in the pan. However, stuff like this happens to me a lot. Chances are it will work for you.

And now a cobbler. Strawberries and rhubarb are apparently good together. Or they just happen to be in season at the same time. Anyhow, I prefer it with less biscuit and more fruit. Perhaps you, as most other people, like it with more topping. In which case, double the topping part (except for the egg. technically should have been half an egg according to the original proportions).

Strawberry rhubarb cobbler.
Adapted from reading my tea leaves.

2 cups strawberries
2 cups rhubarb
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cold butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of salt

Heat oven to 375°F, toss fruit with half of the sugar and spread into a skillet. (8-inch or 10-inch would work.)
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or with your fingers. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Drop mixture onto the fruit by heaping tablespoons.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden yellow.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream or nothing at all.

clouddrift

It's getting insanely hot outside. The first time this year that I actually don't want any more sunlight in my skin. Oh well. I shouldn't complain.

food art.
colors of the earth.
colors of the kitchen.
how we taste colors.
40 inspiring workspaces.
safari.
rain room.

a binder clip bag

I found this interesting because when I was little, I used to pretend binder clips were tiny purses. It seems there are other people in the world who share my point of view.