How essential is the food processor to a minimalist kitchen?

I know that at first this seems like a petty and unimportant question, but I think it fits into a larger discussion about how we can be thoughtful about our actions as consumers, how we make our spaces more efficient, and how we can prioritize products that earn their keep over the long haul.

Rehabbed store bought pie crust, Chicago, IL. 2013

I don't have a food processor.  I keep going back and forth on whether I should buy one so I can make hummus, tapenades, and so many other things.  Then this morning I had a run in with a broken up store bought pie crust and Susan mentioned a future solution employing the food processor that made me think a little more about adding this mechanized tool to my arsenal.  I think in the past I would have considered it obvious, yeah just get a food processor, or one of those mini ones if your kitchen is small.  But I'm trying to be a super thoughtful consumer these days, so I'm wondering what you guys think about the usability and versatility of the FP.

I am trying to keep my kitchen ultra minimalist (i.e. manual tools like a moka pot instead of an espresso machine etc),  I'm doing this partly because my space is very tiny which I like for a lot of reasons, but mostly because I want to acquire as few material things as I possibly can so I can spend less, add less to landfills, and have a less cluttered/hopefully more efficient living space.

Obviously, if I want to make a large majority of my food at home though (which I do want), I'm probably going to have to make at least a few concessions.  But before I make these concessions, I want to make sure I'm choosing tools that are super versatile and can get used often enough to justify the space they take up in my small cocoon of prep/storage space.

So my questions are:  Do you use your food processor often?  What could I make with an FP that I'm not even considering yet?  If you could only have 1 or 2 mechanized kitchen tools, would you make the FP one of them?

Icy Spray

I've always known I wanted to include photographs in my shop, but it wasn't until today that I've finally been able to introduce the first one for sale.

I took this inaugural image along the turbulent wintry shore of Lake Michigan.  As is probably obvious, immediately after I clicked the shutter, I was covered in water which soon turned to ice.  I literally ran a mile home in some subfreezing temperature, out of fear that my bare hands and my sweet dog were getting frostbite.

 Find Small Batch's premiere photographic print here.

All images copyright Allie Hasson.  All rights reserved.

Family Monograms

I'm pleased to announce today that hand-painted, custom-made family monograms are now available in the shop.  Each painting is 4"x4" and comes with a high resolution digital scan, so the design is yours and can be printed on anything and as many times as you'd like.  These are great on notecards, holiday cards, tote bags, framed on the wall, and anywhere else you can imagine.  What would your family monogram look like?

Check out the shop for more details.

Better with Age

For the past two years, the pumpkins we've carved have been pretty sad.  We either way overshot our carving skill level in the design phase or just chose something that wouldn't really take into consideration the notion of how jack-o-lanterns work (Let's just do a moon!).  This year, we knew our limits and we considered how the light would filter through best, and I'm really happy with the way this guy came out.  Cheers to getting better with age!  

Frightened Pumpkin, October 2012.

Iceland Film Review #4

Here are a few more photos to round out the Iceland series.

The first three I took at a stop on our trip to Myvatn.

The following two images are from a waterfall called Goðafoss which means "waterfall of the gods."  It's called this because "after the Icelandic assembly adopted Christianity in 1000, its leader threw his pagan idols into the falls." 

Quote from National Geographic Magazine

Iceland Film Review #3 (Ponies!)

This post is the third in a series of posts about Iceland.

Ponies along Ring Road, May 2011.

The color in these images came out really dull, but I loved those ponies too much to not post them.  They were so docile and very meek compared to some of the horses I've met here in the states.  We stopped along our trip to Akureyri when we saw them, and I was not disappointed.

Looking at the photos later, I wondered if maybe I liked them so much because their whimsical manes and petite stature reminded me of the unicorn posters of my elementary school years.  One year at our book fair, I spent all the money I had on this exact poster without a second thought.  Ha!  (I still kind of like it.)

Shop Opening Announcement: Small Batch!

Over the past few months, I've been preparing paper goods for a new venture I officially opened yesterday called Small Batch.  Small Batch is an online shop that will feature several series of calligraphic paintings-- the premiere series is up now and is called Gentleman's Toasts (though they are of course, for everyone, gentlemanly or not).  The paintings feature classic toasts illuminated in rich hues mixed specifically for each individual piece.

SB also offers small scale gouache paintings that visually explore patterns in relationships.  These paintings appear similar to maps and reference my interest in plate tectonics.

Please check out Small Batch, and email if you are interested in custom work!

Thanks to everyone who has already been so supportive of this project.  I couldn't have done it without you!