Need a Little Quality, Taste and Style?

If you need a little wardrobe brush-up - heck, even if you don't - I recommend reading the first chapter of Tim Gunn's "A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style," available free at Bravo.com. It was a delight to read, even for a non-fiction phobic like myself. The advice offered sounds like common-sense, but sometimes we just need a wake-up call from a well-spoken fashion expert. Gunn's writing style has made realizing my closet is a travesty a true delight.

I am heading to pick up a copy tonight.

Dollhouse Murders

Growing up, The Dollhouse Murders was one of my favorite novels. If you missed it, it was the story of a dollhouse that mysteriously acted out murders. That was fiction, but it turns out that a woman named Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962) actually built 18 minature crime scene dioramas for student analysis.

Though barred from attending medical school because she was a woman, Lee dedicated her life to the science of crime detection. Combine that with a love of dollhouses, and voila.

The dioramas are collected in the book, The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Maybe I'm a little morbid, but this sounds really cool.

Via Apartment Therapy.

Blogging Bon Appetit's May Issue

ARTICLES:
"Bon Appetit's" May issue is a travel special edition. It covers where to eat in places like France, Spain, Italy, and Austria and some local recipes for each region. Though not listed on the cover, there is a great article and accompanying recipes from Istanbul. I have to divulge, that I am extremely partial to Turkey and wax poetic on the topic whenever I get the chance. My husband is an Istanbul native and my mother-in-law is the most amazing Turkish cook.

Luckily for everyone, May's Turkish recipes are already available on the site. My personal favorite is Mucver, or zucchini patties, pictured above. If you have the chance to go to Istanbul, do not miss out. It's an amazing place. If you can't head to Turkey, I have a few restaurant suggestions:

Dallas:
Sevan (this is not a Turksih restaurant, but serves a very closely related cuisine)
2221 Greenville Ave
Dallas, TX 75206

(214) 821-0601

Cafe Izmir (again, not actually a Turkish restaurant, but it serves many Turkish dishes)
3711 Greenville Ave
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 826-7788

New York:
Turkish Kitchen
386 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10016
(212) 679-1810

BOOK REVIEWS:
Page 38's book reviews offer two selections that caught my interest. The first is "Off Duty: The World's Greatest Chef's Cook at Home." I have always wondered what famous chefs cook for themselves and their families after a long week at the restaurant. This book offers an answer. Featured chefs include, Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter and Alan Ducasse. I found some additional details listed under "Good Reads" on Eddybles.

The second is "Harumi's Japanese Cooking," by Harumi Kurihara, the Japanese Martha Stewart. I found some additional information on the book at Trends in Japan. Harumi offers tips on easy Japanese home cooking, including sushi.

PRODUCTS:
Morphe sugar bowl and milk jug
in stainless steel.
$95 for the set.










The Josephine carafe and glass.
$210 for the set.

The Good Egg

If you happen to hunt for eggs this weekend, The Good Egg will give you plenty of ideas for what to do with what you find.

Of all my cookbooks, this one changed my outlook on food the most. I had no idea how many amazing ways there are to enjoy an egg. I can't remember why I picked it up, but I went from eating the occasional egg in a breakfast taco into a 6-month egg odyssey.

My personal favorite: Eggs scrambled with chopped bacon and basil baked atop a hollowed-out half French loaf and topped with Parmesan and thinly slice tomato. A perfect dinner for a spring evening.

Rooms

A review of Rooms, a book celebrating luxurious and bold interiors from around the world, piqued my interest. The Amazon.com description notes "sumptuous photography" by Derry Moore. Unfortunately, there is no way to see inside the book for a sample.

I did find Derry Moore's Web site which has some spectacular images of homes as well as portraits and images of India.

I will definitely check for this in the bookstore the next time I am out.

Arabesque: My Long Delayed Review

I truly enjoyed reading Arabesque. The cookbook covers the cuisines of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon, with an introduction and overview of each country's culinary traditions. While I am most familiar with Turkish cuisine, I noticed distinctive overlaps in both ingredients and even food names, especially between Turkey and Lebanon.

All of the Turkish recipes that I would hope to see were included, except for my favorite lentil soup. I was especially pleased to see a recipe for cigarette borek (filo dough filled with cheese and Italian parsley, rolled into a long, thin tube, and fried). I was also interested to find a recipe for veiled rice with chicken. It's a rice dish baked in a puff-pastry shell and it's delicious. These are both dishes that are hard to prepare and therefor often passed over in Turkish cookbooks.

I haven't delved as deeply into the Lebanese and Moroccan recipes as I would like to. To be honest, I am a terribly slow reader and I started in the Turkish section. From what I have read, the recipes are thorough and easy to follow. In the past, I have run into problems with the preparation instructions of my Turkish cookbooks, likely due to translation issues.

I would recommend this book for an adventurous chef or a food junkie. Even if you don't plan to prepare these recipes, the history of the cuisines and the photos are worth the read.