Monday, March 26, 2007

Geometry

My least favorite subject in school, geometry, has now become one of my favorite design elements... Each of the five artists featured this week have certainly mastered it! I have also included a snippet about the importance of the kitchen triangle, a yummy recipe for Filet of Beef Triangle Tea Sandwiches and one of my favorite mathematic quotes from Albert Einstein, enjoy!

14K Gold Fibonacci Earrings by Lisa Wigger of LEELOO Studio- $550

Fibonacci Earrings 3x1 in 14K Gold by Lisa Wigger. These earrings are part of the Fibonacci Collection and feature three leaves in varying sizes. The earrings are available in sterling silver or 14K gold. Earrings measure approx 4.5 inches.These earrings come with a matte finish but are also available in a shiny finish. Visit leeloostudio at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=73245 or her website at www.leeloostudio.com.

Triangle Wall Piece from Timothy Adam Designs- $110

This triangle wall art piece is made from 1/4 inch steel rod framed in an angle iron frame. It stand 30 inches tall and is 20 inches wide. Visit timothyadamdesigns at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5528484

Disco Dots Purse from Girly Girl Bags- $30

Stand out in a crowd with this funky purse, the mod polka dot home dec fabric is echoed in the bright polka dot fringe. White home dec lining fabric also features pink and green polka dots, while the handles contain silver flecks for more disco-ness. All seams have been double stitched for durability, and it's lined in fusible fleece for softness and body. 12 1/2" x 10 1/2" and 1" deep with a patch pocket and magentic closure.
Visit girlygirlbags at
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5577551
Rock-N-Royale Necklace from Totemic- $90

A one-of-a-kind, rock-n-roll, art deco necklace made from a vintage deck of playing cards and Fender celluloid guitar picks!To create this piece I painstakingly adhered triangular sections of the most intricate face cards onto nine Fender triangle guitar picks and coated them with several layers of flexible, water-based varnish for durability - varnish also adds a vibrant sheen!16 1/4 inches and linked together with stainless steel jump rings - secured with a brushed nickel sister-hook clasp. Guitar pick dimensions are 1.75 inches along each side of the triangle. Visit totemic at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=514028

Collection of Lollipops Greeting Card from Art of Andrew Daniel $3.50

Lollipop collection, not to eat! :) Here is one greeting card that you can send to your friend or loved ones. This 5" x 5" card comes with an envelope and a plastic liner. An image of birds is on the back. Visit artofandrewdaniel at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5536335

The Kitchen Work Triangle- The concept for the kitchen work triangle was developed by the Small Homes Council of the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois in the 1950's. An invisible "work triangle" is created in the kitchen by the arrangement of the sink, stove and refrigerator. The placement of these three elements in relation to each other is intrinsically connected to designing an efficient kitchen. All of the elements in the Triangle need to be close together to keep movement in the workspace to a minimum. Keeping the triangle tight also limits unwanted traffic from passing through your work space. (excerpt taken from www.renovationexperts.com) ,visit their site to learn more about how you can design an efficient kitchen.

Recipe- Charlie Palmer's Filet of Beef Tea Sandwiches with Roquefort & Walnut Crust

Ingredients:
2 cups California walnut pieces
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp chili oil or pepper
1 tsp orange zest, grated
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 cups Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp Armagnac (French brandy)
18 slices white sandwich bread, thinly sliced
1 lb. filet of beef, medium-rare, thinly sliced
2 cups watercress leaves
Directions:
Toast walnuts in shallow baking pan in preheated 300°F oven about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until aromatic. While nuts are toasting, continue as below.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in small skillet over low heat. Stir in chili oil, orange zest, cayenne and garlic salt. Cook gently about 3 minutes, stirring to combine. Pour mixture over hot nuts and stir to coat. Return nuts to oven 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Remove nuts with skimmer and transfer to paper toweling to drain 10 minutes. Transfer to clean paper toweling and drain 10 minutes more. In food processor, chop nuts coarsely. Remove 1 cup and set aside. Process nuts remaining in food processor in on-off flicks until finely chopped; transfer to shallow dish and set aside for finishing sandwiches. In same food processor, place softened butter, cheese and Armagnac. Process to combine. Add reserved 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts and process until finely chopped but not pureed. You will have 1 1/2 cups walnut-cheese mixture.
To assemble sandwiches: Spread very thin layer of walnut-cheese mixture on 6 slices of bread. Cover with layer of beef and then a layer of watercress leaves. Place another slice of bread on top, spread with very thin layer of walnut-cheese mixture, cover with layer of beef and layer of watercress leaves. Top each sandwich with a third slice of bread and press down firmly. You will have 6 whole sandwiches.
With long, sharp knife, trim off crusts. Cut each whole sandwich diagonally into quarters, thus making triangles.
Spread edges of each triangle very lightly with remaining walnut-chesse mixture, then dip sides into reserved finely ground walnuts to finish. Cover tightly and refrigerate until serving.
Serves 12.

Quote of the Week- If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut. -Albert Einstein

Weekly Contest- If you've enjoyed visiting MoCo Cafe this week please subscribe to my blog to win weekly prizes! This week's prize is any item in my shop at www.cocoblackdesigns.com, valued at $25.00 or less, I even pay shipping. See the tool bar on the right for more details and the subscribe by email link- Have a great week! -Cheri, aka Coco Black