Framed Friday: Easy Spring Rolls.

I have to say that spring rolls were something that I never thought I would make, and I’m still not sure what possessed me. But one day I just woke up with a burning desire to make these, and I have to say that they were:

1. Delicious!!!
2. Super-easy to make.
3. Probably the best way to use up leftovers that I have ever run into.

Honestly, the hardest part of the whole thing is finding these.

These are technically called rice noodle wrappers, and when I say they are hard to find I actually don’t mean hard at all – they were in the first market I walked into. And if worst comes to worst, I know you can absolutely find them on Amazon, which is my go-to source for pretty much anything that I have trouble finding out in the real world. Anyway, the key to making these is to have all your ingredients organized before you start out. Any combination of things that feels good to you is fair game, but just to get you started, here are the combinations I went with: shredded cooked chicken, fresh parsley, shredded carrot and chopped mango. Chopped cooked shrimp, mint leaves and shredded carrot. Sliced avocado, basil leaves, cucumber cut into tiny strips, and shredded carrot.

So!  Fill up a wide bowl with cold water,  take one of the rice wrappers, and dunk it in the water until it is pliable (this will take less than a minute). Take it out and lay it on your work surface and then cover the bottom third with your choice of filling, leaving about a one inch border on the edge. Fold that bottom edge over the filling and roll it over once. Tuck in the sides and finish rolling until you have a nice tight roll.  That’s it – you have made spring rolls!!

These are fabulous with whatever dipping sauce you like best – soy sauce, chili sauce, or make a wonderful peanut sauce by mixing up peanut butter, a little warm water and a little lime juice until you have the right consistency for dipping. Perfect for weekend snacking!!

~ Kate, Framed

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Kiki & Polly.

A few weeks ago Joanna notified me that I’d won the Kiki & Polly giveaway on her blog. Not only did it make my day, but intensified the crush I’ve had on portrait artist Lisa Golightly tenfold. Lisa is super talented and speedy (it didn’t even take her two weeks once I emailed my photo), she’s also sweet as can be. I can easily think of ten events Lisa’s work would be perfect for in life. My portrait showed up in the mail yesterday, along with a few little sample pieces, and I immediately ran out after work to buy a frame. I stupidly forgot to photograph it in its environment, but couldn’t wait to share my winnings with you.

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Bread Pudding or Bust.

In my experiences people either love-love or hate-hate bread pudding. I stand firmly in the former camp, although I didn’t even try the gooey concoction until well into my 20s. My favorite is here in Oklahoma City, at a barbeque restaurant that used to house a speakeasy called The County Line. Their bread pudding is served up as a huge piece in a bowl, studded with raisins and covered in sugary whiskey sauce. The best part? There’s always leftovers for breakfast the next day. I recently came across some recipes that were savory versions of bread pudding that I’m anxious to try as well. {As always, click on the photo to go to the recipe.}

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Brawlers.

I’ve been spotting a ton of great masculine pieces lately, and so far the Brawler series by illustrator Fredrik Tjernstrom has been my favorite. Can’t you just picture them adorning the walls of a billiard room or library, the air heavy with cigar smoke and rolled up shirt sleeves everywhere?

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Printed.

Mike Oncley

the cocktail gallery

mrYen

The Sasquatch

I have a cozy corner in my living room. In it sits my favorite chair, a tea tray table and two walls of revolving artwork. Some of it is mine, but the majority are prints I’ve picked up over the past few years. Each one is special to me and I’m always looking for the next piece to add to my collection. Right now these are all riding mighty high on the list.

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Mapping Stereotypes.

Europe According to USA

Europe According to Gay Men

Europe According to Britain

I’m such a geography jerk, I love maps. In fact, one of the things I always have my eyes open for is a set of classroom maps. You know, the kind that get pulled down by a string? I’d love to hang them in my non-existent dining room. I love these prints by Yanko Tsvetkov that map stereotypes of Europe through other demographics’ eyes are fantastic.

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