FEBRUARY=BLOOD ORANGES

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

Stucco does not make a house warm and LA winters are not always warm.

When in need, Orvis makes a great slipper. Some would even call it stylish. 

Available at OK Store LA

http://www.okthestore.com/gallery.php

Rudy I

Rudy A.K.A. Little Fish

Early Winter 2007-February 2011

Your feistiness will be missed and may you rest in warm waters.

McAlmon Guest House

Cued by the crash of 1929 and the need to put food on his own table, R.M. Schindler built houses for not necessarily rich people, but people interested in his architectural ideas, and integrating the Southern California landscape and lifestyle into their daily lives.

 I know from correspondence, between Victoria McAlmon and the architect, that Ms. McAlmon was afraid to sign a cost plus contract as she had $6000 for the mortgage and $1200 for additional costs only. R.M. Schindler compensated with using inexpensive but durable materials (stucco and plaster), but he also gave her a great suggestion.

When Victoria purchased the lot, there was already a bungalow (built in 1923/1911 depending on sources) built near the top of the property, situated on a steep bluff overlooking Glendale and the San Gabriel Mountains beyond. The architect suggested that instead of tearing down the existing structure, he slides it down the hill and wraps it in the same plaster skin that the new house would be made of, enabling Victoria to use it for a tenant, hence offset her mortgage.

He proceeded to add a living room, a patio and garden, and put the old structure on top of a three-car garage.  He then wrapped the whole building in a De Stijl like unifying plaster shell, forming a complex and deceptive building out of a bare bone bungalow.

The shingles from the old structure can be seen from certain angles and the blue wood siding is clearly visible, yet if one stands on the sidewalk, the front house looks like a natural companion to the main house, and it even appears to be larger.

*Photo by Julius Shulman

Perfect Valentine's Day Gift

Smythson of Bond Street

During my bachelorette days, dinner was usually served late and it was rarely anything other than tomato soup out of carton.

Looking at this kitchen, one can tell it wasn’t built for someone who cooks. It is narrow with limited counter space and no room for a breakfast nook. It even has two sets of swing-doors that when shut, create a narrow hallway and close it off from the rest of the house.

I’m guessing Victoria had help in the cooking department or as a working woman, it wasn't the most important thing on her mind. Still, there’s a lot more counter space than in my previous Miracle Mile studio and L has great Alessi cookware.

We’re both great fans of Mark Bittman A.K.A. the Minimalist and considering I’m a fish-eating vegetarian, who will eat eggs, the frittata was a natural beginning.

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

5 eggs

Any combination of hardy vegetables or protein

Herbs

Cheese

Salt and pepper

1.     Set the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.     Cut up whatever vegetables and protein you may want in your frittata. I like to mix things like shallots or scallions with Brussels sprouts, kale and asparagus or zucchini and peppers.

3.     Carefully melt butter or oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. I swivel it around to make sure the edge to make sure the finished frittata doesn’t stick to it.

4.      While the vegetables and/or protein are sautéing beat the eggs until fluffy, adding any herbs, cheese, salt and pepper last.

5.     When the vegetables are cooked through, pour the egg mixture over it and let it cook until the edges begin to settle and turn eggy (5-10 minutes).

6.     Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the frittata for another 10-20 minutes.

Tip 1.   Adding any kind of potatoes, making the frittata slightly reminiscent of a classic Tortilla Espanola, has been greatly successful.

Tip 2. If you like tomatoes in your frittata, add them just about a minute before adding the egg mixture.

Serve with a side of salad or sautéed greens. 

My first encounter with the house was at night. Even in the dark, the guesthouse appeared larger and I had to remind myself to proceed all the way up the stairs as instructed. When the door opened up, a marvelous view of Glendale appeared through the living room window.

L served his famous “Maurice”....

1oz dry gin

1/4oz Italian vermouth

1/4oz French vermouth

1 dash Angostura bitters

Juice 1/4 orange

Recipe courtesy of Bartender’s Guide by Trader Vic 

Victoria McAlmon

Victoria McAlmon (1879-1969) was in her mid fifties when she commissioned architect, Rudolf Michael Schindler to build this house. At the time, Spanish Mediterranean architecture dominated Silver Lake and I was curious to how and why this woman would hire a modern architect.

I’ve done some digging around and what I have found are bits and pieces of information, leading me to believe that Victoria McAlmon was an extraordinary woman, who devoted much of her life to fight for civil rights, equality, education and a beloved brother.

Victoria graduated with a Ph.B. in 1912 from University of Chicago at Minneapolis Minnesota within the field of teaching and she did graduate work at Columbia and University of Minnesota. She must have gotten involved in politics on a local level, in Minnesota, probably before women gained the right to vote nationally. She became the first female President of the Minnesota Woman's Trade Union League, ran for office with the Farmer-Labor Union and Minnesota’s Supreme Court.

On a personal level, was close with her family and especially her brother, Robert Menzies McAlmon, a writer, poet and publisher, who never found his footing in the U.S. but spent the years between the wars in Paris, publishing early works of Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein.

I’ve come to the conclusion that Victoria was a ”fiscally responsible bohemian.” She visited her brother in Paris and was clearly drawn to literature and art, which is apparent in her correspondence with his biographers and fellow poets, including Carlos Williams, but rather than move to Europe, she came to California, where she found employment as a vocational and Placement secretary at Los Angeles Junior College and got to be part of the social transformation. She wrote and spoke on the subject of education, functioned as an AFT organizer, and was a member of the advisory council of the State Employment Service. Somewhere along the way, Victoria most likely crossed paths with R.M. Schindler’s wife, Pauline Gibling Schindler, who hosted salons, lived a bohemian life but was interested in social change and pushed her husband to take it into account, so with the sense of change in the air and some help from The Housing Act of 1934, a collaboration evolved.