Another West Vancouver Home Demo

Dundarave

One tree was saved.

Design Lover - Gucci Dinnerware

1996

How to Make Thai Noodles

This was good, easy and even better cold the next day.

What you need:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp Sriracha or Sambal oelek or Tabasco (we used Sriracha)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp honey or brown sugar (we used honey)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 8 oz dry spaghetti or vermicelli (we used vermicelli)
• 2 cups sliced tofu
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 long English cucumber, seeds removed and cut into thin strips
• 1 red pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts (we used sesame seeds and peanuts)
• 1/4 cup cilantro to garnish (we skipped this as I detest cilantro)
• Food processor or blender
• large bowl
• a pot to cook the noodles
• frying pan to saute the tofu

What you do:

• Combine the first eight ingredients (peanut butter through sesame oil) in a blender or food processor
• Puree until smooth - add more water if it seems to thick
• Set aside
• Saute the tofu and set aside
• Cook the vermicelli until Al dente, drain, rinse and let cool
• Combine the vermicelli, tofu, peanuts and vegetables in a large bowl
• Pour half of the sauce over the top, toss to coat noodle mixture - add more sauce if desired
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro
• Serve in a deep bowl

Makes four servings

adapted from Angela Shellard's Romancing the Stove Column -  North Shore News

Come One Come All

The yard sale tables have turned!

1306 Bidwell Street (Vancouver's West End)

This Sunday - May 27

10-4

Dolce & Gabbana, you're invited too.

The Staples Residence - Another West Coast Modern Demolition - or not

Staples Residence image  Stacy reynaud Back in May 2009 I stumbled upon this home accidentally. Being in such a bad state, I thought it was abandoned.

stacy reynaud In October of 2011 I received an email, from a fellow Vancouverite and West Coast Modern lover - who, oddly enough, was also a real estate developer, informing me that this home was now for sale -    
stacy reynaud  for $3 million. The Staples Residence was designed in 1966 by Bruno Freschi for Erickson Massey Architects (Arthur Erickson and George Massey)


  Wanting to capture this iconic piece of Northwest Modern before it was torn down I got on the phone to one of my real estate agent colleagues. I want to make it clear that I wasn't just snooping, in West Vancouver standards, water front property for $3 million is a steal and I thought that perhaps I'd be able to wrangle up some fellow West Coast Modern lovers, buy the place and shoot a documentary of us bringing it back to all its former glory.

  My favourite area was the kitchen. A galley kitchen at its finest

   and 100% in its original state!

stacy reynaud  Original carpeting, single pane windows, electrical - you name it - even the leaks Erickson is synonymous with.

stacy reynaud

stacy reynaud

stacy reynaud  Built on the face of a cliff in Horseshoe Bay the home - surrounded by old growth trees and the buffer for Westerly winds - seems quite precarious.

stacy reynaud  Kitchen, dining room, living room and lounge encompass the first floor of the 2600 sf residence.

stacy reynaud

  Second floor hallway looking up from the living room.

  detail

  The second floor consists of two bedrooms a bath and a master bedroom with ensuite.

  Each of the smaller bedrooms has a sliding door leading out to a terrace at the front of the house.

  The master has a walk in area with enclosed closets - that I love.

Erickson Massey 1966 image stacy reynaud  It also has a southwest facing deck

   and amazing views.
Master Bedroom Staples Residence image stacy reynaud

  The 1966 back entrance to the living room.
images Stacy Reynaud
The back yard.   All in all I figure the home needs about $500,000 to $1 million in renos and upgrades. The home did sell sometime between last October and April. It is, however, for sale again - and no, I haven't found anyone willing to join me on the adventure of a life time yet. For more images please visit my Staples Residence set on Flickr.  

Tip of the Week - Coffee

Add your coffee grounds to your rose bush, they love it.

The Owings Residence

Big Sur, California

Architectural Digest 1996

Quote of the Week - Henri Matisse

You study, you learn, but you guard the original naivete. It has to be within you, as desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover.

How to Make a Sparrow Veggie Burger

I love sloppy food, particularly old-school vegetarian sloppy food. My love of sloppy food attracts me to the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. In Astoria, NY, this episode of The Sparrow Tavern and Chef Pablo Garcia's wicked Veggie Burger sent me off on a search for the recipe.

I found it!

Thanks to Yum Veggie Burger: Veggie Burger Reviews, Ratings and More reader Beth for posting the Sparrow Tavern veggie burger recipe.

What you need:

These are all approximate based on the video clip—toy around with them. 

Veggie Patties 

• 2 shredded carrots
• 1 large shredded zucchini
• 1 cup barley
• the corn off of one corn cob
• 1 cup green peas
• 1 large sweet potato
• handful of scallions
• Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 diced red pepper
• 5 large chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• pita bread
• lettuce or bean sprouts
• pickles (optional)

 What you do:

• mix all ingredients together and let sit for one hour
• measure out six-ounce portions - about the size of your palm - and form little patties
• place patties on a lightly oiled baking sheet
• cook in the oven till done in the center - worked out to be about 45 minutes on 325, but monitor them
• remove from the baking sheet and cook in a lightly oiled frying pan until crunchy on the outside
• drizzle sweet cayenne sauce in pita
• add lettuce (and whatever else you want)
• add pattie
• add more sauce

Sweet Cayenne Mustard Sauce

• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt (or mayo or Veganaise)
• 3 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup brown grain or Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup agave or maple syrup
• mix them together

Yield -  about six thick patties. Next time around, I'd make eight out of the same recipe.  

** We've done variations in a wrap with asiago cheese, bean sprouts and tabouli



Big thanks to Yum Veggie Burger: Veggie Burger Reviews, Ratings and More reader Beth for posting the Sparrow Tavern veggie burger recipe.

Last Weekend I Deleted the Memory Card

I spent last weekend snapping pics of the demolition of another piece of significant West Vancouver architecture - 2362 Haywood - and scouring West Van church flea markets. Shot some great images saved them and then accidentally deleted them. Just means I need to go back to the house as I had a great convo with the guy doing the demo. He had no idea (of course). He showed me the paper lined walls - dated September 16, 1954 - which I snapped but lost.

Here are some snaps from 'the big camera' (that doesn't usually accompany me) and a few from 'the little camera' after a quick drop in to our local thrift shop yesterday.

 

Sometimes I crave pickled herring. Other times I crave feta stuffed jalapenos. Parthenon on Broadway (in Kits) has the best ones I've ever had.

I thought this would work to hold our turntable as the glass is very thick.

Here's its taller sibling. Might pick this up for our dining room to act as a room divider.

I know I just wrote about getting a picnic table for our deck but the ball and claw with six distressed leather seat chairs is only $250. If it's still there next week (when we have access to a truck) I'm getting it for our deck.

Flo's first venture on the deck (she's not fat, she's fluffy).

We picked up the IKEA Brimnes daybed for the spare room. I'm thinking about decoupaging it and then staining it - like the little demo we did here.

New neighbour. No lap dog eating bald eagles - yet.

We have concrete beams on the deck which needed some creative thinking in order to hang our outdoor lamps. We're using thin wire wrapped around each beam.

The led lights are going to be webbed through the beams and loosely hang on the wire. Stay tuned - picked up three more boxes of them yesterday.

Sunday's moon from the deck.