Happy New Year!

The Architect and I wish you a very happy new year!  For those of you having a New Year's Eve party, I will share my friend Noelle's fabulous champagne punch recipe.

Champagne Royale Punch - Serves 12 or so.

Ingredients

4 bottles of chilled champagne.  No need to use the good stuff.  A cheap asti will do.
1 cup raspberry liqueur.  We used DeKupyer Razamatzz.
1/2 cup orange liqueur.  We used triple sec.

1 quart of cranberry juice cocktail.
1 bag each of froze strawberries and raspberries.
1 ice mold.  We used a bundt pan for the ice mold.

Directions

Fill a bundt pan with the cranberry juice cocktail.  Throw in half a bag each of the strawberries and raspberries.  Freeze until firm.  Can be made one day ahead.  When ready to unmold, invert the bundt pan onto a plate and place in the bottom of sink.  Run hot water over the top of the bundt pan to release the ice ring onto the plate.

In a punch bowl combine the raspberry liqueur, triple sec, and champagne.  Add the rest of the frozen strawberries and raspberries.  Stir to combine.  Add the ice ring you made with the cranberry juice.

Cheers!

Image from our trip last year to the Icehotel in Sweden.

Ice Cube talks about Los Angeles and The Eameses

Things I knew about Ice Cube:

1. He's a rapper.
2. He was in the rap group NWA.

Things I didn't know about Ice Cube:

1. He studied architectural drafting before becoming a rapper.
2. He has a healthy appreciation of mid century architecture in and around Los Angeles.

This video is a nice homage to L.A. and The Eameses.  Best line in the video: "The Eames made structure and nature one. This is going green 1949 style, bitch. Believe that."