I’m taking the day off work to get the home base in some semblance of order. Our being sick and insanely busy this month has it looking like a circus tent exploded on the premises. But first, photos, taken by myself and Stephanie, from a little post-Conjoined afterparty. There was Nancy Reagan’s mac-n-cheese with bacon, wine and introducing friends to the horrors of Visitor Q. Also cheeze piggies and zesty puppies. I have photos and impressions from the show itself to go through, but that will happen later. For now, gaze upon late-night bohemian debauchery, starring Stephanie Inagaki, Ulorin Vex, Ales Kot, Taslimur and Aaron Hawks.

                          

Good morning, universe.

In just four short days I’ll be cramming my cargo into a little rocket and zooming off to Yantaló. The pile of books and supplies at my front door has gone from this:

…to this:

On Monday, I’ll do my best to post photos of the contents. it’s time for some serious suitcase Tetris! And maybe more prickly pear juice.

LA is filled with all manner of cactus and this fruit is fairly easy to find in parks and stores alike. Some troublesome varieties, however, are exceptionally difficult to juice because their delicate pulp is loaded with hard seeds – one literally has to mash the stuff in a net strainer to achieve the above result.

While it was worth it, as soon as Ales and I drank the delicious results, I embarked on a search for a bottled version – somehow to no avail. If anyone here is in the know, please share.

Amidst the D4RT prep, I’ve been whipping the house into shape. It had fallen into considerable disarray while I was busy and it just so happens that, two days after my return from Peru, my mother-in-law is coming to visit for the first time from the Czech Republic. Besides, I don’t come home to a mess if I can help it.

We’ve rearranged the bedroom as part of this process, and purchased my very first [!] dining table, which isn’t here yet.

There were a few moments to visit with friends, too. One is a skilled mixologist and blew my mind with a masterly array of what I affectionately call “old man drinks”.

It’s science!

We also went to FYF, got long-overdue Thai massages, watched lots of movies in bed and spent time with Micron. I got trip vaccinations which made my arm feel like lead for 24 hours, shot a few SG sets and did some other stuff, some of which was documented in the field.

And last, but certainly not least, I have officially reached hair nirvana, thanks to Vivka’s dyeing skills. She did such an incredible job that the process will receive its own post when I have the time. I leave you with this.

Eeee!

                          

Me, running on wet sand in Malibu. Photo by Stephanie Inagaki.

My purple make up brushes. Photo by Stephanie Inagaki.

                          

When we were tasked with providing lunch sandwiches for day 2 of Hicksville, I knew I’d need to step it up. I rarely eat bread and loathe most sandwiches, with the rare exception of tea sandwiches and fancy gourmet fare. Because I suffer from an acute case of the fancies, you see. The only experience I’d had with preparing this sort of thing was the time we made cucumber-goat-cheese sandwiches for our housewarming party, so this was a fun challenge.

What makes a gourmet sandwich gourmet? High quality ingredients and optimized flavor and texture combinations. In this case, there were two more stipulations to consider: 1. The sandwiches could not be made in advance 2. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian options were required. For the non-veggie version, I decided to go simple, with a  tea-sandwich-inspired –

Curried Chicken Salad with Arugula, on Fluffy White Bread

This wouldn’t have been so simple had I made the chicken salad from scratch. Fortunately, a local Gelson’s store makes a mean curried chicken! All I had to do was chop it to a salad-y texture [messy and fun], and pack it up in an air-tight container. The arugula was sealed and packed separately, as was the bread.

This is a fast and tasty solution if you’re planning a picnic and don’t have a lot of time to devote to the task of food. The arugula ads crispness and zest to the chicken salad – nothing more is needed. Ideally, I would have made these with croissants, but 20 croissants cost more than I had budgeted for the trip. Next time!

With the meaty sandwich dilemma solved, I turned my attention to –

Apple Sandwiches with Fennel, Cranberries and Caramelized Onions on Rye

This is an incredibly delicious, light, crisp sandwich that’s perfect for summertime lunches and picnics.

Ingredients

• rye bread
• Granny Smith apples
• dried cranberries
• 1 fennel root, thinly sliced or shaved
• 1 pound sliced onions
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 teaspoons diced fresh rosemary leaves
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp citrus balsamic vinegar – you could use a mix of regular balsamic vinegar and OJ
• Cheese: we used provolone on some, and brie on others

Method

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over moderate heat. Add onions with rosemary and cook until translucent and golden – roughly 10-15 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and vinegar, then cook until vinegar evaporates. Set aside and let cool.

If you plan on preparing ingredients ahead of time as I did, you can pack up the caramelized onions, bread, cranberries and cheese, as well as sliced fennel – it keeps well for a while. There’s no pre-slicing apples, though – this has to be done right before construction and consumption.

They weren’t actually open-faced, but I was too busy eating one to get a shot of the complete thing. Mmmf.

                          

I am returned from a flurry of cathedrals, cobblestones, ancient history and art. Evidence bombardment begins.

Heathrow

A disturbing iPod dock

Tea + appetizers + Light Asylum shirt at Gordon Ramsey’s Plane Food restaurant

Steak Carpaccio

Foie Gras

Epic gift from Mom – the Alexander McQueen bee skull ring

Mom, being awesome and enjoying the menu

Sleepy after the flight, on the way to drop bags off at our hotel

Rome, being beautiful at night

The best gelato of my life

                          

I’m a detox enthusiast because it’s an amazing way to re-boot my system and to test/get in touch with my body. There is a clarity and sharpness of senses that surfaces after the initial two or three cranky hunger days which makes it even more worth it. I’ve read that it’s a good idea to do a few days’ worth of detoxing every season, which is something I’d like to attempt, but haven’t had a chance to yet. In fact, I haven’t detoxed since The Master Cleanse last year, around this exact time. The lemon+cayenne+maple syrup concoction the MC relies on was too acidic, not at all nutritious, and definitely not something I would want to ingest for more than a few days, so I decided to try something more sustainable.

On Sunday morning, I mentioned that I was going to be embarking on another detox, this time with soups and juices, and I’ve gotten a lot of questions about whether I was using any specific plan, what I’d be consuming, etc. I wasn’t necessarily planning to document this process because I’m kind of winging it this time around, but hey – what’s the internet for! You asked, so I’m going to tell you all about it.

Since we’re busy people and don’t have a juicer yet, Ales and I are going to be drinking Trader Joe’s soup and juice this time around. Fortunately, these are affordable – so far we’ve only spent about $50 on a ton of stuff. On the menu:

• Grapefruit Juice
• Cranberry juice
• Mango nectar
• Garden patch vegetable juice blend
• Lemon Ginger Echinacea juice
• Green Plant food beverage
• Tropical carrot juice blend
• Tomato soup
• Butternut squash soup
• Black bean soup
• Carrot ginger soup

Starting tomorrow, I’m planning on [very] roughly using this 3-week model, possibly in combination with that delightful salt water flush from The Master Cleanse and gallons of water with fresh lemon. The plan consists of a liquid diet followed by eating raw and then mostly-raw. Ideally, I would like to do at least eight soup & juice days and think this is an attainable goal. I’m also looking forward to eating 75% raw in the final days of this process. We just got an adorable Ninja food processor at a gift exchange party and LA’s been fairly warm over  the past few days, so making fresh guacamole, a variety of salsas and raw soup is definitely in the cards.

I’m excited to see whether this will alter my household’s eating habits long-term, and to tell you about our liquid detox experience as it progresses. We start tomorrow!

                          

On Saturday, roughly six months after we moved in, Ales and I had a little rocket-warming party to celebrate what’s finally beginning to feel like home. We don’t have people over too often, so I decided to feed our friends in addition the customary alcoholic offerings. Being nowhere near the expert level necessary to hold a full on dinner party for thirty people, hors d’œuvres seemed the most reasonable plan of action.

Let me preface the rest by saying that, though I’ve prepared some of these things before, I have never prepared this much food for a party, certainly not on my own. I gave myself four hours to get it all done and to get dressed, which was not enough time. Fortunately, I have lovely friends who helped! Next time [and hell yes, there will be a next time], I’ll probably begin everything six hours prior, to be on the safe site. On to the menu!

Cucumber and goat cheese sandwiches

This is exactly what it sounds like. It’s my spin on the classic cucumber sandwich, which is usually made with cream cheese. Just cover two pieces of bread with goat cheese, add a layer of peeled cucumber slices in between, cut off crust and then cut in two. Super easy, kind of time consuming. Worth it.

Deviled eggs with smoked paprika

• Boil ten eggs for 15 minutes, then peel and slice in half
• In a bowl, combine yolks with mayo, mustard powder and black pepper. Sometimes I use cayenne pepper, instead.
• Using whatever you can, fill the whites with yolk mixture. Some people have special filling thingies, but we cut a hole in a ziplock bag.
• Sprinkle with smoked paprika. Done!

Spam Musubi

I fucking LOVE this Hawaiian dish. I loosely followed this recipe, adding Siracha to the sauce [AMAZING] and skipping the rice wine. Also, I just rinsed the rice 4 times and cooked it as usual in the rice cooker, and since I don’t own a musubi press, I used a wide rice spatula to compact the rice. Do it. This will take about an hour and is, once again,  completely worth it. Even Courtney, who had said that there is no way she will eat Spam, was into it.

Bacon-wrapped dates

• Wrap pitted dates in uncured bacon, securing with a toothpick. You can stuff the dates with goat cheese beforehand, but I didn’t this time, because we were also serving fondue, and I wanted to have a lactose-free item.
• Heat over to 350 F, bake for 20 minutes. Dassall.

Also on the menu:

• Trader Joe’s pigs in blankets with TJ’s organic BBQ sauce on the side
• TJ’s beer fondue – this is amazing. It comes in a bag, and though you may say to yourself, “Do I really want to eat something that comes from a bag?”, yes, yes you do. We had sliced apples and French bread for dippin’.
• Truffles
• Black seedless grapes

Overall, it was all fairly simple, the only snag being time. Nothing burned and all the food was consumed with rave reviews, save for a few apple slices and the three truffles in the picture above.

                          

With only a few days left until 2011, this will be the final Biorequiem post for 2010, but I’ll still be around on FB and Twitter. Now, photos from a fantastically delicious Russian dinner at my mom’s with Ales and Micron. Mom knows how to BRING IT, as always. ♥

Micron, modeling her new snow princess harness with mom.

Deviled eggs with caviar. Mmmf!

Rack of lamb, ready to be baked.

Micron the Destroyer

Appetizers: salad, bread, various cold cuts, smoked salmon, cheeses, champagne

NOMZ

Lamb with garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts

See you on the other side, dawwgs!

                          

The sun has come out in LA after a solid week of glorious rain, much to my chagrin. Fortunately, it’s still cold enough to crave winter food, so I’m going to share a simple recipe for a quinoa-stuffed squash. It’s takes about 30 minutes to prepare and is easy to modify to make vegetarian. You will need:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 cup quinoa
• a protein of your choice
• dried cranberries
• walnuts or cashews
• butter
• cinnamon
• cumin
• coriander
• honey

You’ll notice no exact measurements – that’s because with this recipe, I eyeball everything. It’s not scary as long as you keep testing!

1. heat oven to 400F
2. halve and seed squash, using a sharp knife, scoop out some of the insides then coat the halves in butter, cinnamon, cumin and honey
3. bake cut sides up on a foil-covered cooking sheet for 20-30 minutes, or until soft
4. rinse quinoa well, and cook [Note: I buy pre-rinsed Trader Joe's quinoa so there's no rinsing necessary! Also, since I made this, I started making my quinoa in the rice cooker and suggest you do the same]
5. while the quinoa cooks, take a protein of your choice, chop it up and cook in butter [you can use olive oil, but I prefer butter for this recipe]. Spice with a little salt, honey, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, coriander and cumin.
6. add cooked quinoa to the mix once it’s done, along with dried cranberries and nuts – walnuts or cashews work well. Blend well in the pan.
7. spoon into cooked squash, then slice.

Enjoy!

                          

Less than two years ago I said “I like to cook but don’t really do it”, and now I’m a motherfuckin kitchen master. OK, maybe not quite a master, but I do cook all the time, and love discovering new recipes. Mmmf is my favorite term for something amazingly delicious, thus it is the title of favorite culinary stuffs I post here from now on. Bon appettit!

To start, here’s a ridiculously simple step-by-step to lead you to orangy, beety bliss. You will need:

• Beets
• Scrubbing brush
• Foil
• Fresh orange juice
• Balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper

1.

Wrap scrubbed beets in foil, bake them at 400°F for 1 hour. Once de-ovened, let cool, then peel [the skin will just slide off if you give it a tug] and slice into nice, thick chunks.

2.

Combine 1/2 cup fresh orange juice and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar in a pan, bring to a boil. Reduce for about 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on this careful not to overcook, or else. Trust me, I learned the hard way.

3.

In a large bowl, combine beets, reduction, salt and black pepper.

4.

Serve it up!

                          

‘Suup! I’m dedicating today to learning new visualization techniques. There is a lot of exciting stuff in motion, and the next couple of months are going to be a beautiful tornado of activity, travel and, oh shneep, most likely moving in the midst of it all. As such, extra helpings of level-headed tranquility and organization are in order. Hence today’s plans. Here’s what’s going down.

June

MOVING

Unless something goes horribly wrong, in the next 24 hours Ales and I will be signing a lease for a little amethyst house nestled on a hillside in Echo Park. It’s magic.

Naturally, preliminary painting plans are in place, albeit a little prematurely. Here is what we hope to do with the place, assuming our Feng Shui adviser approves. Ales’ mother studied the art for ten years and is a seasoned interior decorator, so we shan’t spill a drop of paint until she gives the go-ahead.

If you’re in LA and have spare boxes, I’ll be most grateful, because literally the moment the lease is signed we’re going to start packing. You see, the move must be swift, because…

DARK ARTS FESTIVAL

In the second week of June, I’ll be hitting the road to make an appearance on the 11th at the Dark Arts Festival in Salt Lake City with a certain Clint Catalyst and Paris Sadonis. I haven’t taken a road trip in ages, and even though this one will be brief, I’m very much looking forward to the drive. Will be documenting everything. EVERYTHING. Details to come.

Photo-break

RECENT FOODS

1. Breakfast of soft-boiled eggs, sliced tomato and French cheese
2. Maple bacon-wrapped garlic and rosemary pork roast, about to be cooked. FUCK this is good, and here is the recipe.
3. Sesame oil scrambled eggs with crackers topped with chipotle hummus

RECENT TUBS

Right. So! Here is what’s happening immediately after Salt Lake City.

E3

Sawa and I will be shooting at the APB booth in the South Meeting Hall of the LA Convention Center. This is going to be quite an undertaking, as we’ll be at the booth all day, every day of the convention. Then…

July

NYC

Ales and I are heading to NYC, 8th through the 14th. On July 10 we’ll be posing for a very special Doctor Sketchy as Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita. It’s a Devil in Moscow Sketchy’s, so be there or be damned for all eternity.

On the 12th I’ll finally be getting my back tattoo finished by the incomparable Tim Kern. Those are the only in-stone plans as of this moment, and more slowly brewing. Very much looking forward to squishing my East coast peeps.

COMIC CON

Ales and I will make our annual pilgrimage to San Diego. I’ll be covering all sorts of fun stuff for Chinashop, while Ales zooms around taking care of bidness.

I love Poladroid so very much. Here is my head:

So that’s my grand 2-month battle plan, as I see it. I also want to shoot more, draw more, Coilhouse more, spend more time with Ales, read more [currently reading A Rebours, as it's perfect for moving time], blog more, travel more, and spend more time doing nothing at all. Doable, right?

…Right?

What’s your plan?

Adorable spirit guides to ensure that your week is a success.

                          

This is what my never-ending 365 project is reduced to at the moment, for the most part. That’s because I’ve been reading and drawing and, by Da Vinci’s nuts, even painting!

That’s not the big news of the day, however. Today on Coilhouse, we are revealing several major developments, among them our brand new media kit, a dropped in-store price, tripled distribution, and working with Last Gasp to bring Coilhouse Magazine to more independent stores than ever before. Mhmm, we’re rather thrilled. Read about all the impending excitement here, especially if you’re a small business owner who’s been thinking about advertising with us.

Download the media kit here!

As for me, in recent days I’ve been enjoying a withdrawn, cocooned state, oscillating between moments of hyper-productivity and extreme hibernation. Feeding my brain, collecting data – all those things essential to the creative process. The flurry below is a few odds and ends from the past week or two. More to come next week.

Blackberry/strawberry shakes [+soy milk + honey].

Eggs nested in kale, made from a simplified version of this recipe – amazing.

Milk tea, eggs scrambled with sesame oil, anise crackers with chipotle hummus.

One of my stickers, proudly decorating someone’s hard drive

Ales and an adorable beast.