the smiths

the smiths

are you kidding me!? HELLA CUTE... by far, the freshest family in hollywood

much love, faris

dream home

dream home

images and all info from NY Times, shown to me by dear friend Rach ;)

Complete with a chicken coop and fresh honey from the beehive. Contemporary yet soulfully filled mid century interiors void of sterilization (aka not something you'd see outta DWR), my dream home sit atop Little Italy making the mesmerizing NYC to an absolute fairy tale ... maybe one day ... maybe not ... at least I have my dreams

xo faris 

(back from my nap:)

Nneka

Nneka

peace & love,

faris

colombia...

colombia...

I'm back... and feeling kind of bitter sweet. I had intentions of updating this thing while I was traveling but I couldn't reason the amount of time it takes me to post something while there. Sorry, deepest apologize. I had an amazing time, duh. I took time off work to visit dear friends in Bogota I MISS YOU NATY & JUANK!!! The dearest friends anyone could ever have, really. The type you can spend 6 years without seeing one another and come together again and not miss a beat... and we don't even share the same first language. It felt good to speak Spanish again... I hadn't done so, so consistently since 2006... Words were a bit slow at first but my understanding was only slightly worst from where I left off. Much better than I anticipated.

During the work week, I headed to the coast sola... Another thing I hadn't done since '06, travel alone. It's liberating navigating foreign land, but I would be lying if I didn't admit my moments of loneliness. Memories are better when shared, so above are some of my memories to share with you Oh that sounded so corny (Naty & Juank remember what corny means? ;)

Since Reagan, first thoughts that pop into most Americans heads' when they think of Colombia is cocaine cartel, drug lords and corruption. Now you can certainly find trouble if you're on the hunt, but if you want to strike up a conversation friendly local, indulge in well spent calories, walk cobblestone, and dance till sun soaking on the turquoise coast, Colombia maybe your place.  With that being said, I think I studied too much about social inequalities to truly enjoy one place too much saturated with poor and privilege dichotomy... I guess Colombia is a land of deep juxtaposition. 

It felt good to be out again. I hope to never stay in the country for that much time again... Too many beautiful things out there. Living that blessed life... Anyways y'all, I'm back, sorry about my absence, I'll try not to do it again, but I probably will...

Much love, 

faris

steak, tomato romesco & the magic bullet

steak, tomato romesco & the magic bullet

[TO MY ANIMAL LOVIN FRIENDS: I'm so so sorry. I love meat, and eat it very rare, moo-ing is absolutely normal. I hope it doesn't offend you nor deter you from reading the recipe for the tomato romesco because it's DELICIOUS and would be great with some tofu... 143]

My older sister, Lauren, introduced me to Mark Bittman a bit over a year ago. I adore his contributions to the NY Times in his MINIMALIST column and monitor it religiously. His style of cooking is non-intimidating and incorporates flavors from all over the world. Most importantly, his recipes are simple and don't demand the finest ingredients, he suggust them if you have them, however encourages subsitution when you don't want to leave your house ;) In addition, he includes short and charming videos to augment his writing. The following recipe is a very slight rendition of his steak with tomato romesco   simply because I subsituted ingreditents I didn't have.

steak, tomato romesco & the magic bullet

1 lb. of flank or tri tip steak

1 handful of almonds I have small hands by the way ;)

1 handful of cherry or plum tomatoes you want the small ones

5 garlic cloves

1/2 lemon

2 t olive oil

2 t balsamic vinegar

1 t white vinegar I used white vinegar and balsamic vinegar because I didn't have sherry

crushed red pepper flakes to your liking

salt and pepper to taste 

Rub down the steak with some salt and pepper. Heat up a skillet on high with some olive oil if you have a cast iron, it would be better, I only have steel so it'll have to do...  You want it to be really really hot, so turn on the kitchen fan before your roommates start to haller at you. When you see the heat, add the seasoned steak, almonds and tomatoes to the pan. Add some more salt and pepper to the almonds and tomatoes. There will be smoke and the tomato and almonds will get blackend...you want this for a smokey flavor that will come out in your romesco. Sear this side of the meat for about 4 minutes. Flip the steak and scoop the tomatos and almonds into a blender or food processor. In my case, the magic bullet ;) 

Turn the oven on broil and place the pan without the tomatoes and almonds into the oven. Broil for 7 - 12 minutes, depending on the thickness and likeness of your steak. 

In the magic bullet that now holds the tomatoes and almonds add the olive oil, garlic, squeezed lemon juice, vinegar and salt to taste and blend away. You want a good gritty consistency... and there you have your tomato romesco. mmmmmmmmmm

Once steak is done, let it sit, so the juices can settle maybe about 8 minutes or so slice, and serve with your tomato romesco. Very easy, and very yummy. Tell me what you think!

ENJOY!

much love,

faris

for real??

for real??

photos

I can't let you know how much I LOVE Kelis. I think she's fly as hell, I mean, I put her in the same vein as Aaliyah, if you know what I mean. But with that being said, we all have our moments of not-so greatness...  I love you Kel, but this is one of them...

Are you for real rockin a grey rat tail, with a irodescent pink lycra/patent leather suit, the McQueen shoes and some feather lashes..? Now each of those items are relatively fly on the individual level well minus the grey rat tail, but as a collective, its a no go my lady... 

More power to you for rockin some crazy ish... but I can't help but shake my head to this one.

much love, 

faris

Peter Callesen

Peter Callesen

This week was the beginning of my night classes at the local city college hence why I haven't posted with such frequency, soso sorry. On Tuesday, I attended what I thought was going to be 3D Design Drawing but turned out to be simply 3D Design class. At first I was a little skeptical mainly because of the intense attendance policy but I've settled with excitement that it's not just another drawing course. Through the semester we will be using a variety of mediums to create 3D art. Our first medium: Paper.

Via our first lesson, I learned to Peter Callesen. His work is world renowned so I feel that many people may already be aware of who he is, however it's my first introduction.



Most of his work simply uses A4 paper which is in between letter and legal. With the most simple medium, he's been able to transform paper something we can all relate to into something magical. His themes are laced with romanticism and tragedy, givin you that "ah-huh" and "how the hell did you do that" sensation. What's even more amazing and not to mention sustainable he only uses the paper that he cuts out for the shadow to construct his 3D forms. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyways, thanks for reading. I'm new to this blog world and love receiving all your feedback and the flattery that comes with ;)

much love and until next time,

farisita