Amanda Victoria Duncan

    20 Dec 2011

    Iceland Photo Archive: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Reykjavík, 1950s

    icelandphotoarchive:

    This is a photo of Austurstræti, one of Reykjavík’s oldest streets, taken at Christmas time in the mid- to late 1950s. The parking lot on the right was originally the site of the city’s fifth oldest hotel, the Hótel Ísland, which opened in 1882 and was destroyed in a fire in 1944. In the sixties the car park became a gathering place for the city’s youth, and got a particularly hard-to-translate nickname, Hallærisplanið. (“Uncool Square” or “Insufficiency Park” come close, but not really). In the mid-nineties the city built a new square, Ingólfstorg, to replace what were by then car parks on both sides of the street. Still popular with young people (skaters have replaced punks and hipsters), it’s used for concerts and other events in summer. In winter it has occasionally been turned into a skating rink.

    Photo: Óskar Gíslason 

    Reblogged: icelandphotoarchive

    29 Nov 2011

    What I made for Thanksgiving, in the year 2011

    Holiday season is here! While most of us have our holiday traditions to look forward to, I think its fun to mix it up every year with something new. For Thanksgiving this year, I was in charge of desserts (a big, sorta scary first for me) and table setting (old-hat, but I still tried to make it interesting). I also learned a quick way to make quiche. Here’s the scoop on each:

    Thanksgiving Dessert (both recipes from Diana’s Desserts)

    Cranberry-Pear Crisp

     Fruit goes in ramekins  Topping goes on!  Baked to perfection

    Spiced Pumpkin Torte with Nut Topping

    Springform makes this possible  Browning the nut topping  the finished product!

    Thanksgiving Table Setting (fold instructions here)

    Waterlily Napkins

    my new favorite folding skills  Table setting coming together

    Thanksgiving Breakfast

    Quiche

    This one is crazy simple: Get a frozen pie shell, fill it with desired ingredients until is about 2/3 full (I used cubed ham, cheddar, parsley). Beat three eggs and a cup of milk together and pour over your toppings in the pie crust. Bake it in a 350 degree oven for an hour. Check with a toothpick. enjoy!

    so delicious!

    20 Oct 2011

    This is one B.A. fantasy Christmas present from the annual drool-book of unrealistic presents from Neiman Marcus: Johnnie Walker Private Scotch Tasting Fantasy Gift In 1820 in Kilmarnock, Scotland, an enterprising young man named Johnnie Walker created powerful scotch blends that remain unrivaled in taste to this day. Now you can experience the smoothness of these perfectly aged libations during The Ultimate Scotch Tasting—your chance to host a truly exceptional gathering in the comfort of your own home. You and 20 guests will be entertained by an authentic Scottish bagpiper, while a Master of Whisky relays the history and palatable attributes of the five premium marques in the Johnnie Walker® portfolio: the Blue, Black, Gold, Red, and Green Labels. You needn’t lift more than a snifter, as a top-notch event planner will be on hand to orchestrate the entire evening. Guests will leave with a custom-engraved bottle of Johnnie’s premium-blend Blue Label for their personal enjoyment. The best part? 100% of the proceeds from this tax-deductible event will go directly to amfAR™, The Foundation for AIDS Research—now that’s something to raise your glass to! Five available.

    This is one B.A. fantasy Christmas present from the annual drool-book of unrealistic presents from Neiman Marcus:

    Johnnie Walker Private Scotch Tasting Fantasy Gift

    In 1820 in Kilmarnock, Scotland, an enterprising young man named Johnnie Walker created powerful scotch blends that remain unrivaled in taste to this day. Now you can experience the smoothness of these perfectly aged libations during The Ultimate Scotch Tasting—your chance to host a truly exceptional gathering in the comfort of your own home. You and 20 guests will be entertained by an authentic Scottish bagpiper, while a Master of Whisky relays the history and palatable attributes of the five premium marques in the Johnnie Walker® portfolio: the Blue, Black, Gold, Red, and Green Labels. You needn’t lift more than a snifter, as a top-notch event planner will be on hand to orchestrate the entire evening. Guests will leave with a custom-engraved bottle of Johnnie’s premium-blend Blue Label for their personal enjoyment. The best part? 100% of the proceeds from this tax-deductible event will go directly to amfAR™, The Foundation for AIDS Research—now that’s something to raise your glass to! Five available.