100,000 Staples
Approx floor area 600x300cm
Stacks of staples were broken into varying sizes from full stacks about 12cm high down to single staples. These stacks were then stood up and arranged over a period of 40 hours.
Click here to see feature in March 2012 issue of National Geographic Magazine and watch the video here.
Whole Wheat Gnocchi with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Lemon Garlic Brown Butter
Brussels Sprouts season is pretty much over, so I thought I’d have one last hurrah. Speaking of seasonal eating, I downloaded a free app called Locavore that tells you what’s in season, what’s coming up and where to shop for local produce.Now if only I could remember to go to the farmer’s market on Saturdays. Am I the only person who thinks Sunday is the best grocery shopping day? Greenpoint is trying to get a Sunday market going in McGlorick Park. Crossing my fingers…
16 oz Whole Wheat Gnocchi
1 1/2 lbs Brussels Sprouts
4 Tbsp Butter
6 cloves Garlic with individual papers wrapping on
1 1/2 tsp Lemon zest
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to tasteFill a sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop brussels sprouts into fourths and toss with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil until coated. Spread onto a baking pan, one layer thick. Sprinkle with salt and roast on bottom rack of the oven, stirring occasionally. Cut the tops of the garlic cloves off. Make a container out of aluminum foil, add garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven with the sprouts until soft. Add gnocchi to boiling water and cook for a few minutes until they float to the top. While they’re cooking, melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat, careful not to burn. Remove roasted garlic cloves paper wrapper and stir into butter. Drain gnocchi in a colander. Once butter begins to brown, remove from heat and toss the gnocchi in the brown butter. Add lemon zest and toss well. Add roasted brussels sprouts and toss again. Salt & Pepper to taste. Serve immediately topped with fresh parmesan.
I like chocolate.
Balls out, as the Aussies would say, it’s my favorite. As Easter approaches I often wish that I had given up chocolate, so that I’m not tempted to buy all the Cadbury eggs and eat them like peanuts. Actually I lie; one year I gave up chocolate and attempted to make up for all the missed pleasure. That was the year my church decided to intricately scatter little chocolate Easter eggs all throughout the pews. I was good though, I waited until the end of the service and as soon as the preacher said go , I out-ran all the other children and grabbed all the chocolate my grubby little hands could hold; which was a lot more than the average child, seeing as how I was 22 years old.
However, I have noticed that recently I get so much more pleasure in the actual purchase of chocolate rather than the actual consumption. This means I’m likely getting old or crazy, or both. It signifies old because each time I buy some chocolate, I say to myself ” I’m an adult now, I can buy what I want “. Which actually indicates that I have the processing capacity of an excited 5 year old with money. The crazy comes in when I actually eat the chocolate and realize that I was not as good as I imagined.
What happened? Did chocolate change since I was a child? I think that part of the answer is yes; we have reduced salt and trans-fats in foods in Canada over the past 30 years. Another reason it may taste different is that we have the most taste receptors before we even leave our mother’s womb. This is why children often have specific liking- and hilarious faces to go with dislike.
So science and nutrition aside, what am I supposed to do? Buy chocolate only to be disappointed every time? No!
I think I have come up with a strange but logical solution that will satisfy both my pleasure and the economy. I call it “Get and Forget”. I will still continue to purchase chocolate but I will not eat it, I will just store them. This allows me to be excited at my child minded purchase, and prevent the inevitable disappointment. When I have collected a crazy amount of chocolate, I will just give it away. Doubling my pleasure and warm fuzzy feelings.
So really, this goes out to my boy-friend, friends and co-workers. I’m not going crazy ( or if you know me personally, I’m not going MORE crazy), I just want to get the best pleasure collection in the world and then forget that I have it.
Please ignore the chocolate, or eat it. I know it might be your favorite.
kj
- Thanks to Eric for the “Get and Forget” inspiration
Asparagus and Sesame Spread
1 lb Asparagus
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 tsp Siracha (optional)
Toasted sesame seeds for garnishBring water to boil in a large pot. Snap off the ends of the asparagus and add to water. Remove after 2-3 mins, drain and run under cold water. Add asparagus into a food process, add remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. Spread on bread and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
