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Swedish Grace

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Swedish Grace is one of my favorite tablewear designs. It is so discreet, subtle yet it stands its grounds year after year. Designers are Swedish Louise Adelborg and Pia Törnell for Rörstrand. Check it out here

Not long ago I told my parents that I am collecting the Swedish Grace. They went blank. And looked at eachother with that … look. And told me that we used to have a LOT of Swedish Grace in the 60-ies. But they threw it away. Got tired of it.

G.o.t. t.i.r.e.d. o.f. i.t.! I’m just saying. Well, I say no more really.

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Love the all white. When you arrange the food on these plates its colors comes to life in a very special way since the tablewear does not overcrowd the lovely colors of the ingredients. This is truly art.

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More Swedish Grace products here

 

 

 

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Cuppow for Mason Jars.

Turn a canning jar into a travel mug. How cool is that! How sustainable and eco-friendly is that! How fashionable is that considering that mason jars are cool just the way they are anyway?

And should you freeze or burn your delicate fingers you can always use a knitted or crocheted cozie. I am sure Wendy‘ll make’em for you if you ask nicely.

Cuppow is a reusable, BPA free plastic lid. It is designed to fit on a wide mouth mason jar. A standard ring is used to fasten it into place. It works equally well with wide mouth models of pint, pint and a half and quart jars.

$7.99 for a Cuppow.
www.cuppow.com

You’ll reach Wendy here or here or email her by clicking here

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Ginger Syrup from Morris Kitchen.

 

I am passionate about anything kitchen. As long as I can remember I have always come home from any of my trips with something for the kitchen. Be it something edible, drinkable, kitchen utensils or kitchen adornment. What can I say? I am a kitchenish nerd. I love to bake and cook too. And preferably something I’ve never done before, from a country far away from mine. So it is. I have long ago given up the idea of trying to blend in. I walk into any restaurant and just by reading the menu I change their menu with what I order. A little something from that dish, combined with that thing from that dish and sprinkle that with that if you have it in your kitchen. Ask your chef. Pretty please.

May I say not everyone is too happy about my way. Neither am I sometimes, but I just can’t help myself.

So; Big Happiness when I came across the Morris Kitchen’s Ginger Syrup!

I love ginger. I remember the time I was chasing around Beijing trying to find fresh ginger. The problem was I didn’t speak Chinese. The Chinese I met didn’t speak English and it was totally hopeless trying to explain with sign language that I was looking for ginger. To make a long story short, I found some powdered ginger in a 7-elevenish store with a picture of fresh ginger on the package. I brought that with me, showed it to people pointing at the pic and was directed to a place where I could finally lay my hands on my precious fresh ginger. Happiness.

When I don’t have a Morris Kitchen Ginger Syrup on hand, I grate, chop, mince fresh ginger. Ginger is something I use in a lot of dishes. My morning smoothies for instance.

But that’s another story.

Have a look at the bottles. Beautiful!

 

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Starbucks.

My friend Charlotte just came back from a visit to the Big Apple. Yup. You know it. The New. The York. The City. The city of cities.
And she brought with her a very NYC:ish cup don’t you think?

You may say what you want about Starbucks. But is is a phenomenon that is alive and kickin’. And spreading all over the world. But I have to say that I think the best Starbucks’ you usually find in the U.S. Not in Europe. Not in Asia. But back home.

I love the Starbucks ice cream. There is something to be said about coffee flavored ice cream (but then again I love Frappuccino too).

It is, in a way,  a nice idea that at your local Starbucks you can find something that suits your palate. I stumbled across Salty Latte at Starbucks in Kyoto, Japan. Loved it. Naturally I didn’t find it in Europe. Or the US. Until a visit to Chicago. Eureka! Salty Caramel Mocha (oh, well, for those of you that know me – you know that I have a tendency to change the menu a bit, just a tiny bit and I got my Salty Caramel Latte *happy*).

And you know what? They must have a mean graphic design department because when they do something, it always looks good.

Look at the design of the packaging, subtle and less-is-more. Like!

…and here’s a Starbucks card made especially for Newyorkers

 

maybe a trip to NYC would be in order…almost only to get your hand on a NYC Starbucks Coffee Card…almost (as if there aren’t many other reasons to go there…) and while I’m at it; need some New York Inspiration? Not to worry, it’s all at www.newyorkinspiration.

 

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Ketchup.

If any of you have read my Story Cooking stories you know by now what I think of ketchup. All the “regular” ones anyway – I have to insert that here because I’ve had a change of heart.

I met Sir Kensington. And what a man he is! Long gone are the days when you squeezed ketchup from a plastic bottle. Long gone are the days when you hysterically shook the glass bottle and nothing came out. And nothing came out. And nothing came out. And suddenly waay too much came out and totally drenched your food [hence the saying; ketchup effect].

Sir Kensington have given us the chance to elegantly scoop up the amount of ketchup you prefer. And it is not any ketchup either. We’re talking gourmet ketchup here.

So, folks, head towards your nearest Whole Foods and get your hands on your very own Sir Kensington Ketchup. You won’t regret it.

(and for those of you that rather have it delivered, visit www.sirkensingtons.com and procure it directly from him/them/there)

XOXO,
Designmekka

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Stuff from Clay by Lera & Mera.

We all have to eat, right!? And we all should eat on beautiful plates!

I stumbled across these beauties one day. And I am in love. What can I say, I am a sucker for beautiful things. I surrender. These ceramic plates, bowls and more can be combined to infinity and back. I love the idea of solid colors mixed with patterned in different styles.

Imagine plating up a beautiful salad, or any other dish for that matter, on a serving plate like any of these. And then spooning, almost swooning, that beauty onto another beautiful setting. Ahhh, can it get any better. That is what I call slow-food. Or maybe wow-food?!

I found this introduction to the company and the products;

The Origins
The small Italian town of Vietri, at the coast of Amalfi, is renowned for its fine pottery. Everywhere in town you can see evidence of the creativity that the clay have achieved over many centuries.

The colors are taken from the stunning nature that characterizes the region of Campania, and even today the colors are mixed by hand. Here are the origins of the beautiful, vibrant handmade pottery from Clay & More originates from here.

Lera & Mera – the company
Lera & Mera (Clay & More) is the agency for Solimene’s products in Scandinavia. We have many years of experience in both the region where the ceramics are made, as well as the Italian language, which ensures good cooperation.

Solimene’s plates and bowls are sold worldwide. The quality is fantastic. It is sustainable and handles high impact very well (have in mind that it is clay material which is a porous material). Thus it should be ensured that the plates et cetera are really dry before placing them on a moisture-sensitive surface.


The Products
The pottery from Solimene is characterized by colors and patterns that can be combined in as many ways there is creativity. Above all, it is the dishes in all fantastic Mediterranean colors that is the foundation of our range. The plates consist of a basic range of different base colors. To these, you can combine both patterned and solid-color plates of many sizes and shapes. You’ll also find bowls, serving dishes, jugs, cups and various types of coffee cups. The possibilities for variations are endless and it’s only you and your own imagination that dictates the outcome.

All products are dishwasher safe. The ceramic is also free from cadmium and all manufacturing compliance with EU standards of environmental and health standards. As all products are handcrafted, and thus unique, some differences exist in the production with regards to colors and patterns.

OK, here it comes; where can you get hold of it? Easy, peasy – get your fingers to tap this on your key board: www.leramera.se

Enjoy your food!

XOXO,
Designmekka

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Salty things to show a little love.

I was in Japan and discovered salty sweet things. It was sort of the revelation for me. And since then…I am in love with salty sweet stuff. So, although I haven’t tried these. I am sure I would like them.

This is the story behind the goodies (taken straight from their website):

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Salty Road was born in late June 2011. Friends had opened an organic produce stand near the beach in Far Rockaway, Brooklyn, and had the idea to make some really good quality salt water taffy to sell on the boardwalk. Since I had been working as a candy maker at Liddabit Sweets, I decided to make it for them to sell. I had been warned about making taffy by hand– it was really laborious what with all the hand stretching, cutting and wrapping. But it was love at first pull. The taffy I was making was different than any other I had tasted before.  The taffy was softer, almost airy, creamy like a milkshake with a distinct salt crystal crunch and a true vanilla flavor achieved by adding real vanilla bean.  My taffy recipe has been perfected since that first pull and everyone agrees that it gets better and better with each batch – – – and my arms get stronger and stronger!
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http://shop.thesaltyroad.com/