Closet Genius

And by that I mean a genius that designs brilliant closets, not that really smart but cute girl that plays dumb so she doesn't tear down the ego of lesser mentally-abled boys.  Whoever designed this closet at Hyatt at the Blue (Doral, Florida) belongs in the inventor's hall of fame along with the creator of Post-it notes, wings on a maxi and heated eyelash curlers.  

The exterior is sleek and modern, in a tall, deep chocolate brown (sounds like I'm describing a pint of Guinness, I know):

But wait...there's more!  The absolutely brilliant use of vertical space just blows me away.

You may not be able to tell, but in order to reach this without a step stool or stepping on a buddy's back while he is on all fours, you'd have to be seven feet tall.

So how do you get to your fancy duds?  Witness the magic:

Just pull down on the handle!

Yes!!!!  I was transported to a wonderful, wonderful place when I opened my closet doors and feasted my eyes on this contraption.  Being both an addict to fashion and a slave to gadgety things, you can imagine the salivation occurring as I pondered the sheer volume of clothing I could store in this thing.  

And you don't have to permanently stay in a Hyatt to have one of these (although given my love of hotels, I wouldn't mind).  I found these on www.organizeit.com!  Happy days.

Go Green or Go Home

Hummus is one of those foods that can have an infinite number of variations - garlic hummus, sun-dried tomato hummus, horseradish hummus.  But what happens when you substitute the usual chickpea with...edamame (soybeans! yes, soybeans!)?  Yummy green goodness.  Edamame has just about the same texture as chickpeas so it's perfect.

Stuff that you mix together (aka Ingredients):
-- 16 oz bag of shelled edamame
-- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, the more virginal the better
-- 1 Tbsp tahini (Mediterranean sesame paste, available at Middle Eastern markets or Whole Foods)
-- 2 cloves of garlic
-- 2 cups lowfat Greek yogurt
-- 1 oz tiger blood (Ok, just kidding.  It's not like it's commercially available anyway.  Charlie Sheen has a lockdown on the supply chain.)

1.  Start with a 16 oz bag of shelled edamame. Boil according to directions.  Strain when cooked, set aside.

2.  While the edamame is boiling, place the tahini in a bowl.  I know, it looks like goose diarrhea.  Disregard the appearance - trust me - it adds great nutty flavor to the hummus.  Add water a few teaspoonfuls at a time and mix/mash with the back of a spoon until you get a runny consistency.  

3.  Smash some garlic with the side of a big knife.  Get rid of the skins.  Duh.

4.  Place the edamame in a BAB (big ass bowl), add garlic, tahini, salt, pepper, olive oil and yogurt.

5.  And with THE best invention for lazy cooks like myself, the hand blender (by Cuisinart), blend ingredients to a smooth baby-poo-like consistency.

6.  And the finished product...bon appetit!  Serve chilled or at room temp.  I like adding a little extra cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive oil over top when serving.  Excellent on pita, chips, crackers or as a dip for fresh veggies.  Nice spread for paninis too.  

Writer's block.