Monday, July 23, 2012

Kale + Spinach Pesto

Did you know that you can make pesto out of pretty much anything? It's true. Pesto just means "paste" in Italian. All you really need is some fresh ingredients and a way to grind them up together and, bam, you have pesto.

Now, traditionalists will tell you that pesto contains fresh basil, pine nuts and parmigian cheese. Personally, I don't go in for the whole "traditional" thing. Nor do I go in for the whole, "cheese" thing or the whole "forty-dollar-a-pound-pine-nut" thing. I make pesto my way and this week that meant making it with kale, spinach and reasonably-priced cashews.

Ok, you wanna know the truth? I had a heck of a lot of kale on my hands. I was forced to harvest our entire crop after aphids thad their way with my sad little brassicas. I also had a bunch of lovely local spinach from my friends at Bounce Back Farms. And as usual, I had some olive oil, garlic, lemons and cashews kickin' around. So, this pesto was inevitable.

And you know the best thing? Pesto is good with everything. Pasta is just the beginning. Pesto loves sandwiches, salad, pizza and chicken. It's also amazing when paired with this other versatile wonder and scrambled.

This recipe makes a generous two cups. Too much? Go ahead and half it. Or, you can do what I did: put some in a jar in the fridge (which will last about two weeks), and put the rest into ice-cube trays, pop out when frozen and save for later use.

The traditional way to make pesto is with a mortar and pestle. Unless you have a giant mortar and the desire to get a great arm workout, I'd use a food processor I were you.

Ingredients:
4 cups packed fresh kale
2 cups fresh spinach
1 handful of fresh parsley
3-5 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)
1 cup whole raw cashews (or the nut of your choice)
1/2-1 tsp sea salt (to your taste)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Juice of 1 whole lemon
1/3-1/2 cup Olive Oil (add more/less for thicker/thinner pesto)

Coarsely chop kale and process in food processor until sem-fine. Add in spinach and parsley and repeat.

Add garlic, cashews, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pulse until fine and crumbly, being careful to not to let the cashews turn into a paste.

With the lid on you food processor, turn on and slowly add olive oil until desired consistency is obtained.

Store in the fridge for about two weeks or freeze for about two months.

Put your pesto on some baguette with a fresh tomato, goat cheese and balsamic reduction. It will change your life.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Top 5 Reasons to Buy Vintage

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Even someone like me, who dabbles in vintage selling, often wonders: why do people opt for vintage clothes when these days it seems easy to find "vintage inspired" look-alikes everywhere, from urban outfitters to walmart.

I figure fans of vintage style must ask themselves, "why would I buy this 'used' when I could buy it for the same price or cheaper brand new?"

Well, there are all sorts of reasons to buy vintage and each retro dresser probably has their own set of top 5. Maybe it's an authenticity thing, or being into "the story" behind an item once loved by a stranger. Whatever the reasons, all you have to do is look around Etsy to discover there is no shortage of shoppers who believe "real" vintage is the way to go.

Here's my top 5 list. What's yours?

5. Quality
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When grandpa says, "they don't make'em like they used to", the man speaks the truth. I'm sure you've heard this one time and time again. Back in the day, things were just made better. Clothes were made with sturdier fabrics, stronger stitching, and more conscious design.

Nowadays, clothes are made to deteriorate with just a few wearings and washings. And why not? The powers that be want you back in the stores, buying up the latest trends faster than you can say "high-wasted-geometric-neon-romper."

4. Thrill of the hunt
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Shopping should be fun. You know what's not fun? Trolling though rack after rack of the same shabbily-made crap, searching for anything but "this season's" colours that flood every store and offer no alternative to the mainstream. At least, I don't find that all too enjoyable.

What I do like is going into a store and hunting down the perfect item. I like feeling that I've discovered a treasure, like I'm getting away with some devious deception by getting my hands on a good deal.

Though many vintage shops are well-organized spaces, they still offer that thrill by having something unexpected on every rack. You never know what you might find at the back of the store or on page 456 of your Etsy search.

3. Be original
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Speaking of the same crap in the same colours, I've never understood why people want to dress alike. I understand trends, but why you would want to wear the exact same dress/shirt/hat/tiny mustache necklace as your best bud is beyond me.  Isn't it supposed to be embarrassing to walk into a party wearing the same dress as someone else?

It's true that vintage has become an unstoppable trend, but that doesn't mean you can't make your look original. Sure, when all your friends saw your super-cool leather-fringe bird-vest, they all rushed out to buy the modern copy at the mall. But, does theirs have the original, authentic native beading? Does theirs have a grateful dead patch where a hole has worn through? Does theirs smell sweetly of tobacco and suede? No, they do not. And therefore, you, and your vest are totally way cooler.

2. Shop local
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You like to buy local vegetables, right? So why not local clothes too? Sure, the vintage you buy probably wasn't made in your town, but if it's being sold at a local vintage shop, that's almost as good. Many independent vintage shops source their goods locally, so you know it hasn't traveled from China any time recently. And for that matter, it likely never traveled from China at all, since clothes used to be made on the home front a lot more often than today.

What's that? You don't have any local vintage and that's why you shop on Etsy? Well, be happy that your doing your part to support a small business and help their community thrive in the meantime.

1. Support the little guy
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Speaking of supporting small business, what's most appealing about this for me is not supporting some soul-sucking, money-grubbing, human-rights abusing, all-round-not-very-nice corporation. Guess what! There is a reason that leather bag at urban outfitters is only twenty bucks. It's because it was made by small hands for almost no pay and marked up about five hundred percent.

Don't get me wrong. I am no saint when it comes to this stuff. Sometimes, you can't resist the sale. Sometimes, you have to shop at the dollar store. But, if you choose to buy "real" vintage from independent sellers who actually share your passion, it's a win-win for everyone.