Design | Freddy Taylor: Bean Bags

I love the simplicity of this project! Freddy Taylor is a third year Graphic Design student at Edinburgh College of Art. Freddy says, "I try to engage multiple disciplines when designing, exploring areas such as publishing, packaging, type, print and moving image. Pushing both concept and the boundaries of visual communication is very important to my process, as I aim to combine enthusiasm with experimentation to produce strong, enjoyable final outcomes."

Brief  |  Walk into any supermarket, choose a brand you dislike and re-brand & re-package, anything goes.

Concept  |  Try and reflect the honesty of the organic brand and product through innovative packaging and a new logo.

Prototype  |  Made from shower curtain, sealed with hair straighteners and then screen printed.”

Drink | Bing Cherry Muddler

A few weeks ago when I started Design & Dishes I was compiling a list of blogs that I love and appreciate. Being a graphic designer I have a large list of design blogs I follow regularly, but getting in to the world of food blogs was relatively new to me. Then along came Sprouted Kitchen, a food blog by the amazingly talented Sara Morris. Sara is a food loving, health craving, veggie fiend, who enjoys the culture of enjoying a meal with friends and family. She's also incredibly sweet and was kind enough to respond to an email I sent her, congratulating her on her success with Sprouted Kitchen. It's one of those blogs that you just can't wait to see what's coming next. I crave her posts!

This beverage comes from Sprouted Kitchen. Click here for the original recipe! Hopefully I did it justice as I was unable to find Rainier cherries. I also think using the basil infused vodka I made last week really added to the overall flavor!

BING CHERRY MUDDLER  |  Recipe inspired by Sara Morris at Sprouted Kitchen

8 Rainier cherries
Few leaves of lemon basil
2 tsp. turbinado sugar
2 oz. vodka
Crushed ice
Sparkling water

1  |  Pit and halve the cherries. Put the cherries, lemon basil and turbinado in a glass (or pitcher if making more than one), and muddle it with a muddling tool, or the bottom of a wooden spoon. Get aggressive, you need to get as much juice out of the cherries as possible.

2  |  Fill a glass with 3/4 full with crushed ice. Add the vodka and muddled cherry mix and fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water.

Dish | Peach, Prosciutto & Ricotta Crostini

This particular snack feels Italian in nature - mixing savory and sweet - but instead of the classic melon consider using peaches! It's simple and delicious and makes a perfect appetizer or small lunch for one. Knowing me, I'm probably going to make this 2 to 3 more times while Ryan is in Europe.

PEACH, PROSCIUTTO & RICOTTA CROSTINI  |  Recipe inspired by Bon Appétit June 2011

12 slices ciabatta bread
1 ripe peach
1 tablespoon fresh ricotta (preferably sheep's milk)
Freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices of prosciutto
Honey

1  |  Grill bread slices.

2  |  Halve, pit, and thinly slice peach. Spoon about 1 tablespoon ricotta onto each toast and sprinkle with ground pepper. Tear prosciutto into feathery pieces and drape a few slices over ricotta on each. Drizzle each with honey and top with 2 peach slices.

Design | Eos Coffee

I am loving Spain right now! I feel like everything I've seen - as far as design goes - has been from Spain lately. I tried finding more information on the studio responsible for this project but unfortunately their site is down at the moment. I was able to find more information over at Lovely Package: a packaging design blog.

Eos Coffe, designed by Noem9 Studio: 

The alarm might go off at 5:00 a.m., but the day doesn’t start until the French press offers up that nutty cup of morning fuel. From the first sip, the discerning coffee drinker knows that no matter what the day holds, she’s ready for it now.

Even better, she knows that she can face the world in good conscience: grown organically, distributed via fair trade and in packaging meant to reduce its carbon footprint. Eos represents the sensibilities of an enlightened, modern international food company – even its name (the Greek goddess of dawn) suggests a new beginning. With a nod to simple design elements and exotic roasts, the brand stands out for its flavor, not for fancy packaging.

While Noem9 is updating their site, but sure to check their blog out!

Design | Endeavour

The Endeavour Kitchen Series is the creation of Nikolaj Kirk and Mikkel Maarbjerg, two chefs whose creativity and curiosity has earned each of them a prominent role in Danish gastronomy since the mid 90’s.

NIKOLAJ KIRK  |  The former head chef of several of Denmark’s leading restaurants, Nikolaj Kirk has chronicled his culinary world travels both in a series of cookbooks and in his regular appearances on Danish television.
Mikkel Maarbjerg

MIKKEL MAARBJERG  |  is the chef behind the success of Ensemble and Kommandanten — two of the best-reviewed restaurants in Denmark. Maarbjerg has received more Michelin stars then any other Danish chef.

THE CULINARY STUDIO  |  Together, they founded Kirk+Maarbjerg, a culinary studio that champions food activism through research and development, team building chef courses, product development and creative catering. Quality and esthetics - two key values of Kirk+Maarbjerg, both in and out of the kitchen - also serve as the foundation of their Endeavour Kitchen Series.

Be sure to check out the entire line of knives here!

Drink | Herb-Infused Vodka

I have been talking about doing this for weeks so I'm really excited to finally be posting this! I got the idea to make herb-infused vodkas a few weeks back when I saw this post on Design*Sponge! It's seriously as simple as getting the vodka of your choice, buying and/or picking herbs, and putting them in a few lidded jars or bottles and allowing the mixture to infuse for several days. I started with some spring and summer basics: mint and basil.

HERB-INFUSED VODKA  |  Inspired by Ashley English for Design*Sponge

1  |  Clean and dry a glass container with an air-tight lid. Place several sprigs of whatever herb you’d like to infuse in the jar, along with additional flavoring agents, if using. Cover with vodka. Secure the lid tightly.

2  |  The amount of time required for infusing will vary. If infusing an herb by itself, allow up to two days, shaking the jar several times daily. If using additional flavoring agents, allow at least one week. Keep out of direct sunlight and store at room temperature during the infusing process.

3  |  Strain solids off using either a fine-mesh wire strainer, coffee filter or cheesecloth. Transfer the infusion back to the jar used for processing (after cleaning it out) or into a decorative bottle for gifting. Store the infusion in the refrigerator (and consume within 1 month) or the freezer (consuming within 2 months).

Design | Betty & June: Boutique

I've seen this project pop up on a few blogs lately and it keeps catching my eye!

Betty & June is a contemporary women's boutique located in downtown Abilene,Texas. The small shop was branded by graphic designer Ryan Feerer. The project description comes from Feerer's site: 


I did the branding and packaging for my friend's boutique here in Abilene, Texas. All of the bags, tags, and business cards were hand stamped. Its quite a bit of work but feels more personable this way. Also, its more cost effective in the long run. Its pretty hip for Abilene... which is a wonderful thing!

This is just outright adorable!