This week we’re sharing another recipe featured in the Simply the Best story from Issue No. 11, in which we asked several photographers about their favorite dishes. This panzanella reminds photographer Melina Hammer of warm days in her mother’s garden as a child. It’s easy to understand why with the handfuls of freshly picked basil and vine-ripened tomatoes. If you have these summer essentials growing in your garden—or have access to them at a farmer’s market or store—this might be the perfect thing to make this weekend. We plan to make it all summer long.

Essential Panzanella

The success of this salad is in the quality of the ingredients. Look for heirloom tomatoes that burst with juice and flavor, as well as great bread and fresh herbs. The combination of these is such a rewarding—and simple—meal you’ll want to eat over and over again.

Ingredients

1 loaf of bread (I used challah, but any country loaf will do)
large handful of shallots
a number of perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes*
good extra virgin olive oil
aged balsamic vinegar
large handful of basil leaves
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

*I like a variety of hues and flavors—like the savory, intensely juicy Cherokee Purples and bright, acidic Green Zebras

Tear loaf of bread into bite-sized pieces. In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, fry bread in olive oil. Peel shallots and cut into large wedges. In a bowl, toss shallots with olive oil, then grill on all sides. Cut tomatoes into bite-sized chunks.

Once all ingredients are ready, combine on a large serving platter, and dress with the balsamic and olive oil, and scatter with a bit of large flake sea salt, cracked pepper, and the basil leaves. Make enough for guests to have seconds, because everyone will ask for more.

Enjoy!

New York-based Melina Hammer‘s love for eating well and cooking led her to focus on food photography, and a bit of lifestyle and travel photography as well. She blogs about her latest culinary adventures at lickingtheplate.com.

{Photograph by Melina Hammer}

As a fan of WhoWhatWear, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the latest venture from the founders of the fashion-centric site: Domaine, which is devoted to shelter and lifestyle content. There’s plenty of decor inspiration, as well as entertaining, organizing, and DIY stories. (Bonus: With many of the features—such as this one about a space done by the L.A. design collective Commune—it’s easy to click and shop if you see something you like.) The interior shown here is gallerist Maggie Kayne’s Southern California ranch house. I love the laid-back beauty of her home; these photos immediately went into my inspiration folder.

Since it’s a cold and rainy morning here in the Bay Area, I’m looking forward to settling in with a mug of tea and checking out more of the content on Domaine. (And think about all of the ideas that I can potentially incorporate into my own space!)

{ Images via Domaine }

Using natural colored stoneware covered in a multitude of glazes, Denver-based ceramist Michael McDowell, known as Mud Puppy, has captured my attention big time. Each of his pieces has a modern edge, yet still feels very natural and handmade because of the carefully applied glazes. My favorite in his collection are these terra cotta pods with sheer splashes of ocean blue and thick opaque white drips. Whether displayed in a group or solo, these pods will make any plant absolutely sing.

Michael also makes hanging airplant pods, perfect for Tillandsia. Each stoneware pod hangs from a strand if thick hemp, but can also be turned right-side up to function as a regular planter.

Lastly, unglazed, simple, and sculptural, Michael’s moon chimes are drop-dead gorgeous. Each moon bell is handcrafted and fired twice, once to remove moisture from the clay and a second time to entire the chimes can withstand being outdoors. I especially love them grouped all together in a combination of glazed and unglazed ceramic.

{images via Mud Puppy}

I’ve got a new book on my nightstand that’s keeping me reading into the night, Kern and Burn: Conversations With Design Entrepreneurs.

Today the barrier to turning an idea into a viable product or company is lower than ever with tools like crowd-sourced funding and social media. And the skill sets of many designers are perfectly suited to leverage them. Kern and Burn contains 30 interviews with design entrepreneurs who had an idea that they thought could be great and took the risks to make them happen, resulting in some of today’s most interesting products and companies. Each candid conversation addresses a core tenet for success, like Make Something You Love, Learn by Doing, and Make Your Idea Real. It’s fascinating and motivating to hear about the experiences (both the triumphs and the failures) that have led to products I personally use and admire, like TeuxDeux and Warby Parker.

In addition to its interesting interviews, Kern and Burn is a beautiful print publication you can curl up with, something we clearly love! I was lucky to snag an advance copy, but the book just started shipping yesterday.

{Images via Kern and Burn}

Confession time: absolutely none of my bedding matches. My linen closet houses a mish-mash of sample sale finds, one-off designs by yours truly that never made it to production, or pieces where I couldn’t find the full set. I like to think that it’s all part of some well considered master plan, but really it’s all about comfort and juxtaposition. I tend to pair one-color printed sheets with a quirky statement pillowcase and then layer on ethnic-inspired printed quilts, ever-so-soft matelasses, and a home-made crocheted throw. It’s … eclectic.

Lately, romantic and text-heavy pillowcases have been tugging at my heartstrings. Simple, yet funny, a statement sham gives your bed a sense of humor and might just send you off to sleep with a smile on your face! These two from Elsie Green are the perfect blend of 350-threadcount organic cotton and lovey-dovey sentiment for my inner romantic spirit.

Xenotees initially captured my attention with their cat shams, but these suggestive pillowcases might be just want you need to spice things up.

Of course, leave it to Urban Outfitters to take pillowcases to a bold, typographic place. These are especially lovely as an inspirational—and aspirational—statement. I imagine waking up to these sentiments would lead to the most productive day of my life!

Lastly, Salvation Jane’s sentimental and romantic sham pair will have you engaging in some pillow talk in no time.

For the article Simply the Best in Issue No. 11, we asked several photographers to tell us about their favorite dishes. Today I’m excited to share the recipe behind the mouthwatering image above: Jessica Comingore’s mom’s granola, which was a staple in their household—and continues to provide fond memories for the two. Says Jessica: “Every time I visit, we’ll start our day with a bowl of graole on the patio, catching up on life.” Sounds like an especially nice way to mark this Mother’s Day weekend!

Ingredients

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp maple extract

Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, almonds, walnuts, milk powder, sunflower seeds, and salt in a 13x9x2-inch metal pan.

Whisk vegetable oil, water, honey, and vanilla and maple extracts in a medium bowl to blend. Add to dry ingredients in pan and stir to coat completely.

Bake until granola is golden and crunchy, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely. Granola can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Jessica Comingore is a Los Angeles-based photographer who got her start in interior design. While managing residential and commercial projects and contributing to a textiles line, Jessica developed and honed her photography skills as well. In 2011, she launched Jessica Comingore Studio. In addition to shooting interiors, Jessica also provides branding and design services.

{Photograph by Jessica Comingore}

Despite Joanna’s post a few weeks ago on cool Mother’s Day gift-wrapping ideas, I admit: I’m still unprepared for Mother’s Day. Thankfully, San Francisco designer Cat Seto created this printable card just for us. So at least I—and you!—don’t have to make a trip to the card store between now and Sunday.

You can download a hi-res version of the card here; we recommend printing it out on cardstock. And be sure to check out Cat’s new line of stationery, Ferme à Papier, which we especially love for its painterly quality. The collection officially launches at the National Stationery Show in New York later this month. (Of course, we love that an issue of Anthology makes an appearance on Cat’s desk, shown below.)

With a hint of nostalgia and plenty of whimsy, the designs by Ben the Illustrator bring to mind happy days full of child-like glee and open-eyed wonder. The patterns achieve the perfect balance of playfulness and modernity.

Each print features a saturated color palette rooted in primaries. And that eggy yellow might just be my favorite color in the world, especially when paired with a tomato-red and stark white!

Ben’s work shows a great range of techniques: crisply drawn shapes mix with painterly brushstroked abstractions; thin linework stands in contrast against solid colored grounds. Each print creates a small world with lots to explore.

{Images via Ben the Illustrator}

If you are looking for a special way to celebrate this Mother’s Day weekend, make your way to Heath Ceramics. The beloved California ceramics company is hosting its annual open studio at three locations: San Francisco, Sausalito, and Los Angeles. You can get a behind-the-scenes look at the Heath story on tours of the factory, the glazing and mold-making processes, and the new San Francisco creative campus. In addition to these tours, each location will have a variety of activities including tile glazing, flower arranging (with Moon Canyon and Studio Choo), and even a chance to cast and glaze a classic Heath bud vase. Some activities are RSVP only, so visit the Heath website for more details and to sign up.

{Photos via Heath Ceramics}

Meg and I are big fans of NYC-based photographer Michael Mundy and his site, An Afternoon With. AAW focuses on Michael’s “simple, tranquil and sophisticated images of interiors [that] are revealing and resonate with the character of their inhabitants.” (We were fortunate enough to collaborate with Michael for a story in Issue No. 2 of Anthology.) 

Michael has released two limited-edition publications that feature some of the folks he’s photographed for the site. The second issue’s launch last week coincided with the three-year anniversary of AAW. You can purchase both in his shop, along with a small selection of his prints. We’re crossing our fingers that Michael will offer more editions of AAW in the future!

AAW – Issue 1

AAW – Issue 2

{ All images courtesy of An Afternoon With }