Infusing grandeur into otherwise drab Mondays with five things/ideas/events for the week:

I.  I just spent the weekend in Lake Tahoe with my dad’s side of the family, some of whom I hadn’t seen since my first big case as a lawyer (circa 2011). After attempting to explain why I left big law, I decided the easiest way to show them what I do now is to make a ridiculous meal Saturday evening. My aunt, who lives in Alaska, brought fresh-caught halibut for all of us, so I based my menu around the protein. I immediately knew that I wanted to make a meyer lemon beurre blanc (butter, shallots, and vino make everything better), but I was less clear on how to prepare the fish. A few minutes searching through cookbooks and my go-to recipe sites, led to the decision to poach the halibut in olive oil. You might think this means that I fried the fish, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Poaching the fish in olive oil heated to around two hundred degrees (meaning you can stick your finger in the oil without burning it) slowly cooks the fish in around ten minutes, there is no messy flipping or stove-to-oven transfer, and the result is moist melt in your mouth perfection. I highly recommend giving this method a try: heat enough olive oil to completely cover the fish on medium-low in a large pot (if it starts to get anywhere near boiling, reduce the heat), salt and pepper room temperature fish in small pieces (3″x 3″ is the largest piece I made), place the fish in the oil and then leave it alone for 8-12 minutes (until the fish is white all the way through), remove from oil and serve immediately.

II.  I’ve had a long-term love affair with the curated wall. I’ve written about picture walls, ceramic animal heads on walls, prints on walls, DIY art projects on walls, and combinations of all of the above. Never have I ever, however, seen a wall capable of changing as often as my mood. I’m obsessed with the idea of this matte black wall fitted with narrow shelves to showcase books, figurines, art, candles - basically whatever your heart desires. 

III.  As an event planner, solving wedding-related problems is part of my job description - but with my brother’s nuptials on the horizon, this has gone into hyper-drive. One problem that seems to be universal is the wedding favor. What item is relatively inexpensive, reflective of the couple, and useful to the guests? Lucky for us, I didn’t have to think about this very long after stumbling upon a POPSUGAR article titled 45 Wedding Favors People Will Actually Use. I love all of the ideas, particularly the candy bar with custom bags and potted herb starter kits (the new succulent).

IV.  Time to indulge me in nerding-out for a moment… A couple years ago, I went on a big physics kick, lapping up everything I could from basic Newton’s Laws of Motion to barely digestible (for someone who never took the subject in school) theoretical concepts. Much to my surprise, one of the easiest authors to learn from was Albert Einstein (Feynman and Kaku coming in close behind). As you might have noticed, my favorite physicist has been all over the news as of late - his gravitational waves were finally found earlier this month, and then more recently the proposed 5D black hole that violates the laws of general relativity was announced. If you’re anything like me, and either need a quick refresher or know almost nothing about black holes, I found a fantastic bare-bones tutorial (involving pastel ponies and a monkey) from PBS. Trust me, it’s both fascinating and brief enough to hold your attention.

V.  With Krispy Kreme, Cruffins, and Cronuts all passe, what is the new new in the breakfast pastry world? Allow me to introduce you to the “Everything Croissant” from Neighbor Bakehouse in San Francisco’s Dogpatch district. Imagine all of the toppings for an everything bagel (poppy, sesame, garlic, onion, and sea salt), except on an exceptionally flaky butter croissant, plus cream cheese - all baked together into one of the best breakfasts you’ve never imagined. They also do innovative confections like the Brown Butter Hazelnut Financier with Candied Orange Peel and Gluten-Free Raspberry Lime Coconut Macarons. Check it out now before the rest of the country catches on.

Have a wonderful week!  xx tt