Before and After - West Vancouver Home Demolition

1930s American Bungalow - interior images and the story here
I'd originally posted about this home on November 5th 2013

When I spoke with the contractor back in November he told me the home would be small as the woman and her two sons didn't want anything large. I'd hate to see their interpretation of large!

When She Came There The Cupboard Was Bare

stacy reynaud

You remember that guy back in 2002 that survived a week trapped in his car living off fast food condiments found in his glove box right?

This is my go to recipe when I have no food in the house. It's similar to my Leningrad Stew that I lived off when I was very, very short on money and unemployed. I remember having to stretch $10 in grocery money over a week (thankfully, it was just me). You can buy a lot of rice, beans and nearly rotten vegetables for $10.

What you need:

1. 1 can mixed beans
2. juice of half a lemon
3. 3 tbsp olive oil
4. 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5. 1 tsp crushed garlic 
6. salt and pepper to your liking
7. plus any veg you may have around  - I use cucumber and celery
8. for extra protein add one hard boiled egg and some crumbled feta

What you do:

1. rinse beans until all the bubbly foam stuff is off
2. combine oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl
3. add beans
4. toss until all the beans are well covered
5. add optional veg and toss again
6. let marinate for a few hours if you have time
7. serve at room temperature topped with cheese, hard boiled egg, tomatoes - whatever
8. keep some fresh sour dough bread on hand to soak up the saucy goodness left over

Serves two

Adapted from Moosewood Cookbook - my all time favourite cookbook!

Keep your pantry well stocked with various varieties of beans, vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice - you'd be surprised at how many different recipes you can come up with.

West Coast Modern Vernacular Home

Deep Cove mid-century vernacular image Stacy Reynaud

Built on steep slopes in wild landscapes West Coast Modern Vernacular homes - with sloped roofs and natural wood siding - are a natural fit for our Pacific Northwest rainforest.

West Coast Modern vernacular. image stacy reynaud

Not to be left just for the privilege of the cliff dwellers, the 1970s saw toned-down designs making their way into suburban neighbourhoods like West Vancouver (not to mention an awful lot where I grew up - Langley or Brookswood, more specifically.)

Mid-century West Coast Modern image stacy reynaud

West Coast Vernacular image stacy reynaud

West Vancouver mid-century vernacular image Stacy Reynaud

West Vancouver West Coast Modern home image stacy reynaud

West Vancouver home demolition stacy reynaud

Arthur Erickson 6028 Eagleridge Dr. West Vancouver West Coast Modern vernacular image stacy reynaud

Merrick House image Stacy Reynaud

The ultimate West Coast Vernacular home - Merrick House. Built 1974.
Currently in the draft stages of a conservation plan by the District of West Vancouver and Birmingham & Wood Architects.

 

The Granddaddy of West Coast Vernacular, Charles Moore's Sea Ranch - a movement referred to as Bay Area Modern.

Originally published October 19, 2012

My Morning Routine

The socks and clogs are mandatory.

Marie Antoinette Blue

or maybe Versailles blue - not so much Wedgwood blue. Ice blue?

Whatever the colour is it reminds me of Marie Antoinette so let's do a search of Marie Antoinette blue shall we.

Anyway, I'm giving away my chairs that I bought back in 2012.  I've decided to ditch the deck dining table and chairs and go for something more along the lines of this beauty from 1976:

hair image via the very cute blog Cute Colored Hair
room image via Wikipedia

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups - Vegan Recipe

stacy reynaud

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
One, two, three, four ingredients -  simple enough for me to make!

What you need:

• 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips (or regular)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp nut butter - we used almond butter
• 2 tsp good maple or agave syrup

+ one shallow cupcake tin or a shallow candy mold
* recipe made a single tray of 24 small bite size cups

What you do:

• grease molds with coconut oil
• melt chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth and liquid - stir briskly
• melt almond butter and maple syrup together - stir until smooth
• drop 2 tsp of the melted chocolate into each of the molds
• place tray in freezer for 5 minutes - remove when chocolate is hard
• add 1 tsp of nut butter mix on top of hardened chocolate - smooth out to cover all the chocolate
• cover the nut butter filling with melted chocolate
• place in freezer until hardened - about 20 minutes
• save the recipe on Pinterest

Store in the freezer until you're ready to eat them for breakfast.



Recipe adapted from Healthy Happy Life

Quote of the Week - some guy in the 70s

The price is outrageous, but so is the quality.

100 Dollar Decor Style Steal

Rattan peacock fan chair and macrame tables from Macrame Enchantment, 1979

Wicker glass top table and four chairs $100 

Personalize and spray paint it black

Pop by Stacy Reynaud's Instagram for more style inspo

How to Tell if A Pineapple is Ripe

stacy reynaud

Pineapples don't ripen after they're picked. If your pineapple isn't ripe turn it upside down so the sugar flows to the top to help sweeten it.

If a pineapple is ripe its leaves will pull out easily.

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8 of The Best Decor Finds on Craigslist Vancouver April 16

 mid-century mirrored fireplace screen | Josef Hoffmann Prague dining chairs | the folding screen I've dreamt about since I was nineteen | free ficus tree

free elephant palm | Balinese wooden trunk with inlay | vintage cane chaise lounge | hammered brass pot (for the free elephant palm)

To see more of my uncovered treasures follow me on Facebook or Instagram. Thanks!

images © their respective owners

How to Make a Vegan Tuna Sandwich

Vegan Tuna Sandwich Image stacy reynaud

What you need:

• 1 can chickpeas | garbanzo beans
• 1/2 lemon
• 2-3 tbsps hummus
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp agave syrup
• a couple spoonfuls of regular mayo, vegan mayo, plain yogurt or soy yogurt
• a couple of pickles

What you do:

• drain and rinse the beans well
• add the beans to a large bowl
• add all the ingredients except the pickles
• fold the ingredients - except the pickles
• mash - I tried using a potato masher, but it was useless. Use a heavy-duty fork instead.
• taste a little bit and add extra lemon, cayenne or agave as needed
• fold in the pickles - I used four

Serve as a sandwich, on crackers or eat straight from the bowl.

Makes about four sandwiches

adapted from Healthy Happy Life

Stacy Reynaud

Quote of the Week | Clothes and the Man - Edward Spencer

Good clothes look better when they are nearly worn out than very cheap clothes look when they are new.

stacyreynaud

From the Archives - The Duffel Bag Mystique

The Gold Rush 1898 duffel bag evolution - Chilkoot Pass Alaska

Even the word duffel bag conjures up images of three day old stubble and mud caked motorcycles all interwoven with vetiver, tobacco, musk and dirt.

Lost treasures from both Kurt Cobain and the Rolling Stones have been found in duffel bags. The duffel bag as Ark of the Rock and Roll Covenant?

Whatever it may be, the duffel bag only gets better with age.

Etsy Ciao Baby Vintage find

originally published February 16, 2011

Wink and Howie's Place - A West Vancouver Mid-Century Home Demolition

You remember this home. In February 2012, I posted about Wink and Howie's cute little place they'd lived in for 40 years. They sold in the summer of 2011 because of declining health (I bought their teak bedroom and dining suites). Well, last weekend, we decided to do a drive-by to see if the home had been restored - as we thought it would be back in 2012. Good God - no. It's been replaced by a concrete monstrosity with Parthenon-worthy Doric columns (the most massive Greek temple columns) and Baroque balconies. First image of the series.

How to Make Vegan Brownies - Vegan and Raw Recipe

Vegan Brownie Recipe image Stacy Reynaud 

Raw Vegan Brownies

Super fast, super easy, super good. 

Call these vegan brownies a breakfast energy square; no guilt is involved. 

What you need:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
• 1.75 cups pitted dates
• 1/2 cup raw cacao
• two pinches of sea salt
• parchment paper
• food processor
• medium size bowl
• small rectangular glass container with a cover (we used one of those glass airtight food storage containers )

What you do:

• Place walnuts in food processor and process till finely ground.
• Add cacao and a pinch of salt and blend.
• Add dates one at a time to the running processor (through the top feeder tube) - the ingredients should look like cake crumbs, yet stick together when squeezed (if they don't, add more dates.)
• Add the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and fold in the almonds.
• Transfer to a parchment paper-lined glass container.
• Press and mold the brownie mixture into the glass container.
• Sprinkle the other pinch of coarse sea salt on top.
• Place in freezer for about 45 minutes.
• Remove from freezer and slice into bite-size servings.
• Cover and store in the fridge.

Makes about eight to ten bite-size brownies - double the recipe for more

adapted from Karla's Closet and My New Roots