flip burger boutique: part 2

robert & I went to atlanta over the weekend so he could see the guided by voices reunion tour & so I could visit with my sissy. we had a great weekend. I took robert to flip burger boutique (last time I went with kara). we went for a late lunch at 4pm, so the place was empty. and as always, the food was delicious.

{flip burger bar}

{love the two booths stacked on top of each other}

{bacon burger & the most delicious french fries}

{the turtle milkshake was amazing}

homemade fettuccine

I have a feeling we spend way too much money at the grocery store on fresh pasta (I'm kind of a carboholic). so in order to save some money, I bought robert this pasta roller/cutter attachment for our kitchenaid for christmas last year. I had visions of pasta in soups, on salads, baked in casseroles, you name it, we'd have made it for just pennies.

 except that it sat in the box for a whole year. we both made it once after christmas & then put it away & totally forgot about it. so I whipped the sucker out, dusted it off & spent some time making dough & cutting pasta. it's actually much easier than it looks. 

{step one: make dough, knead & let rest}

{step two: roll out pasta, fold, repeat}

{step three: continue to roll until it becomes thin & transparent}

{step four: add the cutter attachment & feed pasta sheets through}

{step five: let dry & freeze or refrigerate until ready to cook}

the high line

while visiting nyc, I got to meet my good friend dani for a picnic-lunch at the high line (she works right below the park in chelsea market). the high line was originally built in 1934 as part of an elevated rail system. when the interstate developed in the 60s, the rail eventually became obsolete. it lay unused for decades, until recently.

the city recycled it into a mile & a half long urban park. it's extremely peaceful in the midst of a noisy, bustling city. I had such a nice time walking the park & enjoying the greenery. just another reason why nyc is such a cool city.

{such cool landscaping}

{we sat on these steps & had lunch}

{how brilliant- they salvaged the old tracks & made rolling benches to lay on}

{what a beautiful juxtaposition}

{original stained-glass windows}

{public art, "the viewing station"}

cucumber sandwich

I was feeling british today, so I made a cucumber sandwich for lunch. with a cup of hot english tea, of course.

robert's birthday cake

this year I kind of skipped out on robert's birthday. I was out of town. on a trip that I myself planned. not thinking about the date of robert's birthday when I scheduled it months ago. it saddened me a whole lot more than it did him. I don't think boy's really care much about celebrating birthdays like we ladies do.

so anyway, I really tried to make it up to him by giving him some great gifts, making a delicious italian meal & by baking a cake of his choice, which happened to be "marble cake". sigh. I'm not gonna lie- I was seriously disappointed with his choice. I mean, who chooses "marble cake" over a delicious vanilla cake with buttercream frosting? or a rich chocolate lava cake. or red velvet. heck, even carrot cake sounds more fun than "marble".

and then I found this recipe, which saved the day & got me excited about "marble cake": mocha hazelnut marble cake. so there. I made it & it was delicious. sorry for judging you, marble cake.

“hembakat är bäst” {"homemade is best"}

as if ikea isn't cool enough, they now have a new baking book called, “hembakat är bäst” {"homemade is best"}. isn't the food styling brilliant? evelina bratell did all of the styling & carl kleiner photographed the book. these images should hang in a modern art museum!

metallic pumpkins

I love the look of these gold, silver & bronze metallic pumpkins spotted here. what a cheap & easy way to add a little pizazz to your ordinary fall decor.