inspired: lilah horwitz & nick olson

Makers. That is what Lilah Horwitz and her beau Nick Olson call themselves. And what a beautiful way to look at it. I like to fancy myself a bit of the same. That incessant need to create with your hands, to add something beautiful to this world. I understand it, but I sure don't live it as much as they do. I'd love to find out just how they got the bravery to leap into the life that they lead.

That life? It starts on a beautiful plot in the heart of Virginia. They built themselves a home there. It has a whole wall of windows that, in a fantasy-like way, open in all different directions. The rest of the cabin houses fixtures, furniture, and knick knacks that they picked up at garage sales around the country. Half Cut Tea made a wonderful film about it. Give it a watch. It's the perfect pick me up for this Sunday afternoon.



I then went on to look more into each of their work and fell in love with what Lilah's up to. She's right, you really can tell that her work is hand stitched, even on a computer screen. It's so particular, hand done, like nothing you've ever seen before. See some of my favorites for yourself and check out more of her work here.

gluten free fig newton recipe

This post was previously published on Free People's BLDG 25 blog. Thought I'd bring some of the contributing over to Numie :)

When life gives you figs, make fig newtons. It’s a lesson I learned after stumbling upon free figs one Friday afternoon. We were getting ready to leave the office, and noticed someone had left a flat in the kitchen with a free sign. In season and ripe, I couldn’t help myself. They reminded me of fresh markets in Israel and long summers in Italy. I grabbed a bunch and quickly got them home.

Over the stove the figs turned into preserves. When it came time to assemble, I jazzed them up with a little goat cheese and rolled everything up in a gluten free dough. The perfect in season treat, they’ll win over even the biggest gluten free skeptics. You can ask my boyfriend, he ate more than half the batch in one day. Don’t tell him I told you ;).

Fig Preserves:

Ingredients:

3 ½ Cups Fresh Figs – Stemmed & Quartered

1 Cup Raw Cane Sugar

1 ¼ Cup Water

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions

- Throw all ingredients in a sauce pot and bring to a boil

- Once boiling, turn flame down to a slow simmer

- Let simmer until preserves lightly cling to the pan when you drag a wooden spoon through (2-3hrs) 

- Remove from heat and let cool

Gluten Free Pastry Dough:

Ingredients:

*Adapted from Gluten Free Homemaker

¾ Cup Brown Rice Flour

¾ Cup Millet Flour

¼ Cup Sweet Rice Flour

¼ Cup Potato Starch

1 Tbsp Xantham Gum

2 Tsp Sugar

1 Tsp Unflavored Gelatin

½ Tsp Salt

1 Large Egg

8 Tbsp Butter

¼ Cup + 1 Tbsp Almond Milk

Directions: 

- Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl

- In a separate bowl, beat together almond milk and egg

- Combine the milk and melted butter with the dry ingredients and mix with a fork

- Using your hands, mush the dough into a ball and work it until smooth.

- Wrap the dough in plastic, and let refrigerate for at least an hour

Filling:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Preserves

4 Tbsp Goat Cheese

Directions: 

- Mix ingredients together in a bowl and set aside

Assembly: 

- Roll out the dough on a well (gluten free) floured surface until about a ¼ inch thick

- Making a 4” x 15” long strip, cut off rough edges to make a smooth rectangle 

- Line one half with fig preserve and goat cheese mixture 

- Fold dough over the top and press edges closed

- Cut into approx. 1.5 inch fig newtons

- Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes

surround me with flowers: the nyc botanical gardens

I finally made it to the NYC botanical gardens. I've been hoping to get there all summer to check out the 'Wild Medicine' exhibit, but hadn't found the time. At last, over labor day weekend, I got there. The exhibit was great - I learned about tea, antioxidants, citrus fruits, and all other kinds of things. For instance, did you know that nutmeg is good for an upset stomach, but taken in excess and you'll hallucinate? (Don't get any ideas.) 

Beyond the exhibit, I fell in love when we found the cactus and succulent wing of the conservatory. I've started a little collection of my own at home, but this put all of that to shame. Cacti twice my height, huge blooming flowers in electric colors, and fat prickly basketballs - the place was awe inspiring. 

I never wanted to leave the beauty of that conservatory. Mother nature gives me so much joy. I could spend eternity surrounded by her plants.