Ollie Social – Kimchi Making Class

The polar vortex is in FULL FORCE in New York City! Winter is one of those times where I just don’t want to go outside, but I do still want to have fun! Ollie Social is a membership program with huge perks, it’s great because they always have a fun event on their calendar for you and friends to enjoy. this particular event was held at Breather, a co-working space in Chelsea.

I enjoyed their kimchi making class, lead by “forward ROOTS” – a woman owned and operated company that specializes in making amazing kimchi sauce (there’s a vegan version too!) Check out her website: https://www.forwardroots.com/products-1/

Ollie Social believes in discovery, wellness, sustainability and inclusiveness. I found their kimchi making class to be really great because I learned a lot about the background of kimchi, different kinds ingredients used in developing the flavor and most importantly – it was a lot of fun!

Thanks for having me, Ollie Social! Check out their website: https://olliesocial.co/

Starbucks Roastery Reserve NYC

Hi everyone, and happy new year! I recently checked out the new Starbucks Roastery Reserve, which is a super grand version of a regular Starbucks store. This one is three stories, 23,000 square feet of pure coffee goodness located in Chelsea, Manhattan.

Because it was 2pm, and I wanted to sleep at night, I opted for the decaf  hacienda asacua which was like velvet. Super smooth and very sweet. There are 5 “experience bars” in this location and they are as yummy and cool as they sound!

Fluffy cloud marshmallows recipe

It’s holiday time – which means it’s time for hot chocolate and sweet potatoes (all topped with marshmallows, of course). This recipe will make you the fluffiest lil clouds you’ve tasted AND its super easy to make!

I start by adding the sugar, salt, vanilla, gelatin and corn syrup together in a saucepan.

Use a mixer to mix this together for about ten minutes, or until it thickens. Once thick, pour in a glass pan dusted with confectioners sugar and let sit overnight.

I use a cutting board to chop the marshmallow sheet into squares.

You will need:

2 envelopes gelatin

3 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup confectioners sugar

3 cups corn syrup (I prefer to use the Karo brand)

1 cup cold water

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

Philadelphia

I’m back in the blogosphere after disappearing for a few years (9 to be exact!), but I’m a lot more in touch with my creative side now, so I hope to start blogging regularly. I will also continue to update my food Instagram  (ig:foodiewithamap) BUT I feel like a lot of people are also more interested in what I like to do other than food so I’m happy to use this platform to share and inspire!

Fall is one of my favorite times of year – it’s when the trees shed their fire toned leaves yet remain strong enough to brace winters ice.

This weekend I visited Philadelphia; the city practically breathes American history!

Below: Philadelphia City Hall 

 

Also visited the awesome Rittenhouse Square park which was covered in watercolor trees and leaves all over the ground. Enjoying natures beauty makes me so happy.

Below: leaves in Rittenhouse Square

Lunch was at Suraya in Fishtown. Filling, light Beirut/Lebanese food. The food was SO delicious and interior design was cute. The restaurant itself is huge; it has a bar, a coffee/pastry counter and a garden. They also have a market with small items like teas, dates, dishes and spices for sale.

Below: Suraya restaurant 

Until next time – xo Farrah

Tord Boontje

One of my favorite places to look for inspiration, whether it’s writing, painting or decorating, is the website of dutch artist Tord Boontje. All of his work seems to emit an eerily enchanting vibe. Everything is magical.

Check out more of his work at his website: Tordboontje.com

-F

All images via House Beautiful

 

Aspen

Furniture: David Sutherland

Cutler Anderson

Flora

Took some pictures of  stuff growing in our backyard earlier this morning.  Not gonna lie, our backyard landscaping is a bit overgrown at the moment. Personally, I like it like that and the critters on the plants seem to agree. The roses look absolutely beautiful in the midst of the tangled seedling sprouts and weeds.

Giddy Up

I came home today to a  cowhide on the floor and immediately fell in love. Somewhere in between planning to steal it for my own room and deciding where to put it, I felt a teensy bit bad for the poor cow. But then I remembered that I love steak and that it would look ridic in my room anyways.

Who doesn’t love this card? I wish people sent postcards more often.

My parents collect western antiques. The saddle dates back to 1970’s and the altar (which we use as a console table) is from the same time period.

Hoping to be able to add pictures more often that my cameras working again! Yay!