Treehouse redefined

I never had a treehouse. I was never really attracted to them; until I saw the Yellow Treehouse Restaurant. That's right, a restaurant in a treehouse! If you were one of those weirdo children who hosted pretend dinner or tea parties, it can finally be a reality; that is, if you happen to be in New Zealand. Something tells me a restaurant like this wouldn't be too successful, or desirable, during the winter months in the Northeast.

The cocoon-like structure was brilliantly executed by Auckland New Zealand Architects. They have an amazing layout of the design process from beginning to end on their website (and can be found here).

New Zealand previously wasn't in my Top 10 Places to Travel, but they certainly moved up a few notches thanks to the Yellow Treehouse Restaurant. Photos via CONTEMPORIST.

Frying Solo: Holy Pesto!

There are very few things in this world I love more than Purell. Nothing makes me feel more sterile than coming to work in the morning after a germ-filled T ride, pumping a glob onto my filthy hands and killing 99.99% of germs (p.s. whatever that .01% is, it must be pretty damn scary). Anyway, if you didn't catch my point, it's that I love pesto. It, like my other favorite recipes, is pretty hard to mess up, which is probably why I like it. You essentially throw a bunch of ingredients into a blender/food processor and you're done. The one frustrating aspect, besides having to wash the dishes afterward, is that it is not easy to save. It gets brown no matter how much oil or lemon juice you dump into it (please also read this as a warning as to why you should never buy pre-made pesto in a store; you never know what they put into it to keep it fresh. Then again, I guess that can be said for most store-bought items).

One other non-random item I want to mention is that you should feel free to change the amount of each ingredient below based on which flavors you enjoy more. In other words, this isn't baking; it's not a science. Feel free to experiment; in cooking and in life. I'll quiet down now and get to the recipe...

Ingredients:
30 basil leaves - a good basil leaf will be the same size as a dollar bill if you folded it in half length wise and then folded it again non-length wise (is there a word for non-length wise?).
2 garlic cloves
Half a lemon worth of juice
1/4 cup pine nuts (raw or lightly browned in a pan) or walnuts
1/4 cup EV dubs O
salt 'n peppa
small hunk of parmesan cheese

Execution:
Throw all the above ingredients into a blender/food processor. Blend/food process away until it looks like... pesto!

Why it's worth executing:
Here's the deal: there are way too many ways to use pesto for my holiday-brain to suggest. One of the easiest and tastiest is to grab some fresh mozzarella, tomato & brioche and assemble yourself a tasty little sandwich. You can also:

• toss it with pasta
• mix it with ricotta, stuff it into shells, top it with Heavenly Slow Roasted Tomato sauce and bake
• toss it with arugula, throw in some peas and shave some parmesan on it
• make a deconstructed bruchetta (slice of bread, pesto, Heavenly Slow Roasted Tomato & top with some mozz - and bake)

As always, pictures to follow; in addition to more formal recipes of the above-mentioned delicacies.

A Gift That Gifts: TOMS Shoes

A couple of years ago I was reading some magazine - either Vanity Fair or Vogue. They had a little blurb about a company that would donate a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes you purchase. Love it. I immediately went to their website and checked it out. My husband and I ordered 2 pairs that night; back when they only had a few colors available. Him a 14 in navy. Me a 9 in olive.

We thought for sure TOMS were going to be the hottest things around. Two years later, I can count on one hand how many times I have seen someone wearing a pair. I guess this is a good time to mention I'm not all that observant. Their website proves that; in 2006, they donated 10,000 pairs of shoes to children in need and in 2008, they have increased that number 2,000%. For a pair of shoes that retailed for $34 in 2006 and between $42 & $70 in 2008, that's quite impressive (the pair for $70 are suede on the outer and fleece lined). A new style of boots is also out this winter for women that retails for $98 (and are vegan friendly).

Point is, with the upcoming holiday season, a time for giving, there is no better time to give a gift that gifts, especially in this economy. I especially encourage giving TOMS gift to anyone under the age of 5, mostly because when you hold the shoe in your hands, you can't stop making baby noises while shamelessly uttering "oh you're so cute!!!"

Company: TOMS
Website: www.TOMSshoes.com
Price Range: $34 - $49 for children, $42 - $98 for adult