Lemon Sunshine Cake

About this time of year, I crave lemon confections. There's almost nothing as decadently refreshing as a slice of spongy lemon cake. I adapted this recipe to use butter instead of oil and stress the use of lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Lemon Sunshine Cake

1 lemon cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1 4-serving package of lemon instant pudding
(I used Jello pudding)

1 cup water

4 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

zest from half a lemon

1/3 cup (approx) powdered sugar

5 tablespoons (approx) fresh lemon juice

remaining lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Blend cake mix and pudding mix together. Add water, melted butter, and eggs; mix well. Stir in lemon zest; note, batter will be thick. Pour into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for around five minutes before removing. Stir together glaze of powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, and zest. Drizzle glaze over warm cake.

Michael Graves

St. Coletta School, Washington D.C.

Humana Building, Louisville, KY

If the animators responsible for The Incredibles, Wall-e, and Meet the Robinsons, had a patron saint, it would be Michael Graves. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1934, Graves eventually became one of the New York Five and is a household name thanks to his collaboration with Target on domestic products. His buildings and products are futuristic and strong, but not entirely cold like some other modern designs.

Graves uses glass, marble, and metal to paint a picture with his architecture. His work takes chances and liberties with the skyline that stay pleasing in spite of their age. Some may push the envelope with modernism as Graves does, but their work never manages to break out of the current trends, resulting in a heavily dated look as the years pass.

In his product design, Graves uses a great deal of glossy metal and a signature grey blue. His pieces are almost always easy to identify and, like his architecture, lend artistic whimsy to a home no matter the interior scheme.

With hundreds of architectural triumphs to his name and his products revered in homes everywhere, Graves has quite the legacy. His bold style pushes boundaries without becoming garish, cultivating an inspiration of confidence and fine attention to detail.

Louwman Museum, the Netherlands

Sources: Wikipedia, Michael Graves & Associates

A Fond Farewell

The NBC series Chuck debuted on September 24th, 2007. I fell in love with the characters and the clever storytelling. Chuck was fun without being overly rude; the emotions were real enough without being melodramatic. Numerous close calls of cancellation were averted by zealous fans, but sadly, Chuck wasn't going to make it past five seasons. Good stories and great people inspire and that's what Chuck Bartowski and his friends have done for me. You've had an amazing journey; thanks for letting me tag along!

Thank You Chuck

original vector art

© Rachael Sinclair, 2012

Coffee: An Infographic

"Actually, this seems to be the basic need of the human heart in nearly every great crisis - a good hot cup of coffee." -Alexander King

Anyone who knows me will attest to my love for coffee. I started drinking coffee in college. The coffee shop was a great a hangout and wonderful place to sketch. Since, I've developed a mature and discerning taste for the much-loved beverage. To me, coffee is an art, a science, a miracle. Coffee is my wine.

For such a small thing, the coffee bean has a huge impact on our lives and the global economy. Coffee is the #2 most traded commodity on earth behind oil. Why not, it keeps us going! This infographic has been in the works for some time. I wanted to show the coffee journey in graphics to fit a simple yet rich beverage. Enjoy, and remember, friends don't let friends drink bad coffee!

Earth to Cup

original vector art

© Rachael Sinclair, 2012

Merry Christmas 2011

Recently, I joined Pinterest. (You can follow the link in the sidebar to my boards.) I was skeptical at first; there are so many blogs and sharing sites. I found I love being able to 'bookmark' inspirational images and sites by using a visual. Over the past weeks, I've pinned a lot of interesting things, including some vintage typography. You can visit the BibliOdyssey blog post here to see some examples of the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps that inspired my piece. I went for an old paper look and threw in some decorative elements. 'Merry Christmas' was hand drawn, scanned, and digitized. The moderate amount of work I did on this piece really made me appreciate the old techniques. Every designer needs to know what goes in to something as simple as a word.

Have a happy holiday everyone!

Merry Christmas

original digital art

© Rachael Sinclair, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

Over the past year, I've collected a number of the individually packaged Lego Minifigures. I have always loved Legos and I keep my Minifigure collection in my office as a source of smiles and inspirations. As Thanksgiving approached, I couldn't help but see the pilgrims and as Lego Minifigures. I know Lego has made Native Americans, but to my knowledge, they've never made pilgrims. I'd buy that set! I'm thankful for all the blessings in my life and I wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings!

 

A Lego Thanksgiving

original vector art

Pasta Fagioli

As winter approaches, we find ourselves seeking warmth. Soup is a great food for the cooler months both for its ability to warm us, but also keep us satisfied. One of my favorite soups is the Italian staple, pasta fagioli. With its bright, autumn-colored vegetables, it's not only filling, it's beautiful.

The soup has a base of tomatoes, a deep pinkish red. Add to that the translucent white of onions, the rich orange of carrots, and the wick green of celery. Great northern and dark red kidney beans round out the rustic rainbow with added spice of basil, thyme, and oregano. Use these colors in old fashioned design or anything dealing with cooking, food, or produce. In a room, the hues of pasta fagioli add lots of pop. They're bold and not for everyone, but can be a source of great interest in the right setting. The kitchen here features Behr French Pale Gold (350D-5), Startling Orange (S-G-230), Deep Garnet (110F-7), and Antique White interior flat enamel (1823).

The next time you need a hearty meal, I recommend pasta fagioli. It's fairly simple to make and can feed your creativity as well as your body. The recipe below is the one I use and was originally taken from Top Secret Recipes.

Pasta Fagioli

1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 large carrot, julienned (about 1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce can vegetable juice (such as V-8)
1 tablespoon white or balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
8 ounces (around 1/2 package) ditali pasta

Brown meat in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat and drain. You can add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic with the meat, or transfer meat to a bowl so vegetables get more contact with the pan. Saute the vegetables for about 10 minutes or until they begin to caramelize. Optional: deglaze the pan with a little brewed coffee. Add the remaining ingredients (including the meat if you set it aside), except pasta, and simmer.

After soup has simmered for 45-50 minutes, cook pasta in separate saucepan until al dente. Drain the pasta. Add pasta to soup and cook for 5-10 more minutes. As an option, you can keep the soup and pasta separate as the pasta will continue to absorb liquid, making your soup thick. If you do this, add pasta to the bottom of the serving bowls, pouring the soup on top.

Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and fresh-baked garlic or herb bread.