Sarah Walker The Curated House, Author at The Curated House

Gluten Free Foodie Fridays | Chocolate Brownies

Every good girl needs a vice, right? I don’t smoke and usually stop at one glass of wine {OK, sometimes two}. I eat pretty clean and just have one cup of coffee per day. So what’s my vice? Chocolate. Yes. I know. It’s not particularly shocking. It really just makes me like every. other. woman. on. the. planet.

Well, if you’re like me, you need variations on a theme. I have found one good brand of bar chocolate that {thank you, Lord!} is not sweetened with cane sugar as I’m allergic to the white stuff. And you all remember those glorious Honey Patties from Heavenly Organics, right? They are my mainstay sweet fix for SURE. But every once in awhile I want something that feels a bit more like a proper dessert. So…dissatisfied with the excessively dry recipes I had found for gluten free brownies, I decided to craft my own.

I really took one for the team here {translation: I probably put on 5 lbs in the “testing” phase} and tried several different variations before landing on this super simple yet decadent brownie recipe. My goal was moist and rich, and I’d love it if you would test them in your own kitchen and let me know what you think!

Here’s the simple recipe:

THE GLUTEN FREE FOODIE’S

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:

Dry:

1 cup raw cacao

1 cup coconut sugar

2 cups almond flour

Wet:

1 tbsp ground flax + 2 tbsp ground chia mixed with 6 tbsp boiling water and set aside

1 cup sweet potato puree

3/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Start by mixing the flax, chia and hot water together in a small bowl and set aside. Next, mix all the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a stand mixer, combine all the wet ingredients, adding the chia/flax mixture. Slowly add the dry ingredients one cup at a time while the mixer is still going.

Grease a 9×9″ brownie pan with either butter or coconut oil. Using a spatula, pour the mixture into the square pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow them to cool {the hardest part!}, cut and serve!

I’d be thrilled to hear from you if you decide to try these out in your own kitchen! They’ve become a regular for us, and I really have to regulate how often I make them as it’s easy for the pan to disappear pretty quickly. Best made when you know friends are coming over to share them with you!

Wishing you a flavourful weekend.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|May 3rd, 2013|0 Comments

Going Green With Your Makeup Routine | Luscious Lips

I’m so excited to share my top 5 picks for Luscious Lips this Spring! Natural and organic can also be fierce and fabulous, and I’ve got just what you need for the perfect pout.

ONE: I’ve learned that luscious lips begin with good preparation. I’ve tried all manner of lip balms and treatments in my time, and one rises well above the rest. Not surprisingly, it comes from the amazing Tata Harper and her team of organic innovators. There are three different lip treatments in her line, but my favourite is BE ADORED, a rosy-tinted lip treatment that softens my kisser and gives it a subtle, natural-looking pomegranate stain. {That is more than just a description! The stain of colour is literally derived from pomegranates!} The magic for me is this lip treatment’s ability to increase volume with their Bio-Fill technology which is, of course, derived from totally natural and organic ingredients like olive, apricot and avocado oils. BE ADORED works beautifully on its own or as a base for the rest of my top picks for perfect pouts!

TWO: Remember the post on Cheeks? I know I already raved about Vapour’s Multi-Use Stain {in Crave} in that post, but the product is so fantastic it deserves a second high-five. The colour is much more subtle than how it looks onscreen, and while it applies as a clear and radiant peach on my cheeks, with a more concentrated hand on the lips it creates the perfect orangey-red pout. For my fair complexion with slightly golden undertones, this makes for the perfect dramatic red lipstick. LOVE it!

THREE: Once again, this product is one that makes the grade in two separate categories! RMS Beauty’s Lip2Cheek {in Smile} is my go-to fave for something bright and fresh without being too sachrine a colour. The coconut oil base means it blends beautifully and leaves lips soft and supple.

FOUR: I always have to have one classic lipstick in my bag that I can wear with just about everything. I think of it as an enhancement on what nature intended – polished enough to look like I’ve pulled myself together, but not so dramatic that I look overdone. For me, that lipstick is Vapour Organics Siren Lipstick in Desire. It was the lovely ladies at Saffron Rouge who put me on to this must-have makeup find, and the texture of this lipstick is perhaps what impresses me most. Many products that are adequately moisturizing disappear about 30 minutes after they’ve been applied. Vapour’s Siren Lipstick, however, softens with staying-power to match. It’s the perfect all-day “never let them see you sweat, pull it all together with a smile” product. I’m jonesing to try pretty much every shade they’ve got!

FIVE: For gloss, why not go for something totally dramatic, like Vapour’s Elixir Lip Plumping Gloss in Bitten? My thanks again goes out to the ladies at Saffron Rouge for this fabulous find. This gorgeous lip-shiner was named People Style Watch’s #1 Lip Gloss, and the texture is amazing. Never sticky or tacky, just outrageously sexy, gossamer shine. Full-on glamour in a tube.

So those are my top five picks for luscious lips this Spring! I hope this leaves you empowered to be green, clean and organic with your makeup routine while totally embracing your fierce and fabulous self! Watch for more recommendations on body and hair, and some makeup tutorials to come!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|May 2nd, 2013|0 Comments

Design Find | David Wiseman

I love it when I stumble upon a prolific maker. A creator whose creativity cannot be confined to just one small line of products or offerings, but whose capacity and imagination are seemingly limitless. A creative who sees the world with wonder and endless possibility. Discovering the work of LA-based David Wiseman, I have no doubt we have found just that.

A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design {RISD}, Wiseman is steeped in the skill and tradition of time-honoured craftsmanship, which he uses as the foundation for his exploration and experimentation with contemporary design. He is indeed a prolific maker, with a body of work that covers a stunning spectrum from large scale installations to furniture, lighting and objets.

{Warning: The following images may lead to drooling and extensive wish lists}

OBJETS

Words cannot describe how “right” David got it with the creation of his Bronze Facet Vase collection. {pictured above} The gentle assymetry. The allusion to nature. The unswervingly modern edge. The use of material. The variations on a theme. Stunning. Palm-bitingly “right.”

This series of salt + pepper wells is refreshingly unexpected, drawing upon nature whilst creating an idealized, almost fantasy-like collection.

I’m utterly smitten with this porcelain owl {pictured below} delicately perched atop a bronze branch so realistic I want to reach out and touch it to see if it’s real. I would love to use this sculpturally simple statement as the art installation in a bathroom I’m working on.

FURNITURE + LIGHTING

How enchanted is this branch chandelier? {pictured above} My dream room as a little girl would have had a ceiling strewn with these, winding their way across the room as if to lead me out into a secret garden. {And when we get to David’s installations, you’ll see that he clearly peered into my childhood dreams when I was sleeping.}

This table version of the cherry blossom chandelier would make a understated yet sophisticated statement on a tablescape {think weddings!} or across a mantle for a refreshingly Narnia-esque, winter wonderland take on seasonal decor.

INSTALLATIONS

Wiseman’s installations are truly the stuff of fantasy worlds come to life, with clients like Dior calling upon his genius to create massive, bespoke art pieces for their flagships from Shanghai to New York.

{image courtesy of Dior}

What a find! David Wiseman is certainly on my list of designers to watch, and I have no doubt he will become an iconic maker whose pieces will be collectable heirlooms in years to come.

Happy Tuesday!
xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|April 30th, 2013|0 Comments