cold-killer soup.

I have a cold.

I know, I know. so does everyone else. (I guess everyone else has the flu?) but this is slightly remarkable for me. I have a cast-iron immune system, likely from eating a lot of dirt as a child. I never get sick, ever.

but after a few late nights, a couple of fêtes, and a bucket of stress, I too have succumbed.

however, I'm not going down without a fight. last night I could feel it approaching, so I took an incredible amount of supplements, drank a pot of tea and passed out.

I awoke at noon, feeling better... but not 100%. time to break out the big guns. this killer soup is my own concoction, and it features a list of ingredients that any cold would be terrified of.

mushrooms contain immune-boosting compounds and a boatload of B vitamins. cilantro has powerful detoxifying and anti-viral properties. garlic and scallions contain allicin, a sulfuric compound with potent antibacterial and anti-viral effects. ginger has been used as a cold and flu remedy for centuries. water chestnuts have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to relieve fever and break up chest congestion. chicken broth acts as an anti-inflammatory, and temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus. the hot component of chili peppers, capsaicin, thins mucus and promotes saliva production, which can make that dry, scratchy throat feel a lot better. five-spice contains star anise, which is the source of the main compound in tamiflu.

also, this is meant to be a guideline of sorts. if you hate an ingredient, leave it out. who cares? cooking isn't as much fun if you follow recipes to the letter.

- - - - - - - -

cold-killer soup.

asian fusion, armed with cold-fighting properties on several levels.

ingredients.

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 roasted chicken breast, shredded with a fork
• 1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 2 bunches scallions, chopped
• a knuckle's worth of ginger
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• one package baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• five-spice
• crushed red pepper flakes
• togarashi (optional)
• 7-8 thai chilies (optional)
• good sesame oil
• buckwheat soba, udon, ramen, spaghetti, whatever.

directions.

1. in a stockpot, start water to boil.
2. in a dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons or so sesame oil over medium-high heat.
3. to dutch oven, add garlic, ginger, five-spice, thai chilies and crushed red pepper flakes.
4. when the spices become aromatic, add the sliced mushrooms, shredded chicken and scallions. keep stirring until they are tender.
5. add chicken broth and cilantro, stirring to make sure nothing's sticking to the bottom. bring to a simmer.
6. meanwhile, prepare the noodles of your choice to your preference.
7. put some noodles in your bowl, and top with a few ladles of soup and veggies. sprinkle some extra crushed red pepper and togarachi on top.
8. devour with reckless abandon, and eat as much as you can.

- - - - - - - -

there you go. easy, kinda quick and terrible news for your cold. i feel better already after two bowls.

mid-century dreams.

damn, i want a house.

ms. svanas is in town, and somehow we ended up wandering around denver looking for houses. why, you ask? because we went to the denver dumb friends league and saw a literal ton of dogs that i wanted to adopt and give belly rubs to. long story short, we can't have dogs in the haus.

...which, naturally, leads to wanting a house, right? no. we're just crazy. or are we?

we have a furniture-hoarding problem. we have a severe lack of wall space for all of our thrift-store art. but most importantly, i am secretly a 1950s housewife who needs some counter space and a backyard to roll around with the aforementioned dogs.

let's back up for a moment.

this isn't about materialism. this isn't about some style agenda. this is about that time in your life when you realize you want a real house; somewhere to "grow up" in, make our own and generally have a damn blast. i want to re-tile a bathroom, design my very own backyard, and plant a bunch of cacti. throw a few parties, make a few new friends... and have our dear old ones over all the time.

we drove around krisana park, lynwood... and drooled. i mentally painted them all neutral grey, spiffed up their oversized brass door handles and built fires in their asymmetrical fireplaces.

it'll happen soon, i'm certain. not going to rush it. (but can't stop thinking about it.)

easy vs. simple.

the word 'easy' is intoxicating.

easy dinners! easy workouts! easy ways to lose 143 pounds! easy home decor tips! oy gevalt. for lazy-ass people like me (read: highly-motivated, but not always ready to get out of bed) 'easy' was extremely exciting.

oh-em-gee, i can make all of my lunches for a week in an hour on sunday?! i'll have abs if i just use this thing three times a day for only 5 minutes?

but i've found that 'easy' is bullshit. what if i don't want a crock pot full of stew on wednesday? and some of the 'easy' pinterest-fodder recipes are really horrible for you - BUT SO EASY. i can just see the legions of mormon housewives (pinterest's #1 demographic, apparently) frothing at the mouth. 'PRAISE THE PROPHET I CAN MAKE THIRTEEN POUNDS OF TACO MEAT IN THE CROCK POT TONIGHT.' #politicallyincorrect

i've given up on easy. i'm all about simple now.

what, you say? they're the same thing, you say? hell to the no. simple isn't necessarily easy; nor is easy necessarily simple. an 'easy' taco recipe calling for taco seasoning mix isn't simple at all, because the food now contains a ton of chemical-laden crap and some delicious red #4. a 'simple' taco recipe might take 2 hours, but only have 6 ingredients. that's my kind of taco. (i guess i'm hungry? and get your minds out of the gutter.)

this applies everywhere, really. 'easy' is usually a time-saving shortcut, and the results are almost always mediocre. 'simple' might take a while, but you'll be infatuated with the result.

from a food standpoint, 'easy' things are also often things that end up making me miserable. too lazy to make dinner? let's have nachos from qdoba, and then i can lie around with full-on sodium bloat and general malaise. too lazy to figure out lunch? how about a bag of pretzels and a jar of salsa? great idea! #not

i'm on this rant, currently, because of lunch. i've been on a search for an 'easy' lunch formula forever. something i could make ahead of time, not spend too much time on and, obviously, it had to be something delicious.

...and all anyone really ever says is 'BRING AN APPLE AND SOME PEANUT BUTTER TO WORK! OR SOME YOGURT! SO EASY!' bitch, i'm hungry. i've tried the whole bento thing, i've tried making huge buckets of baked chicken on sunday night... nothing worked.

well, lovely people. i've found my solution. it's not really 'easy,' but it's very simple.

i make a giant batch of this curried roasted cauliflower soup every week (sorry chica, stole yo' photo), and i buy a box of baby arugula. the soup recipe is a fluid thing; sometimes i use a ton of chile molido, sometimes i add coconut milk... who cares? it's all good in the 'hood. (i apologize.)

lunch then is as simple as pouring said soup into a bowl, microwaving it (or not) and throwing a little lemon / garlic oil / s+p / pine nuts on some arugula. so damn simple. and super-good for you, delicious and wholesome. #hippiealert

i love simple. easy's great too, but it smacks of lazy. i'm too damn lazy as it is.

disclaimer du jour: i ain't hating on mormons, busy moms, or hippies. i'm simply saying that in my own little world, simple is the way to go and 'easy' always gets left behind.

MANIFESTO MOMENT: SIMPLE IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN EASY.

we're back.

rowhaus is back!

it's been a totally absurd couple of months. new jobs all around, trips everywhere, and the haus is (as usual) a revolving door of gorgeous vintage things. we've had three different couches since we've updated last, if that gives y'all an idea.

rowhaus as a business is here and there still; a succulent arrangement, a new piece of furniture, some staging consulting... but mostly we're so damn busy with our shiny new employment (and thank whomever upstairs for that). that's why i'm revamping. i want a place to share current obsessions, new projects, vintage finds, and a recipe here and there.

it's not going to look like elle decor in here all the time, for sure. but we have damn good taste (if i do say so myself) and we figure out how to do it all on a budget.

just two guys, a grumpy black cat named hemingway, and a little rowhaus.