Reader, we let you down last week. We missed, not one, but two posts. Granted, we had a fair enough excuse (visiting our lovely friends WAY upstate at Farm Sanctuary), but that’s no excuse. So, in an effort to patch things up between us and you, internet, we have for you our lovely homemade barbeque sauce recipe. Why make barbeque sauce at home, you ask? Well, first off, and most importantly, it tastes 110% better than even than best store-bought stuff, if we do say so ourselves (and we do). Secondly, it’s completely HFCS-free. What’s HFCS, you ask? Really? Did you ask that? Well, HFCS is high fructose corn syrup and, to put it lightly, it’s the downfall of our civilization. Maybe that’s not putting it lightly, but, despite what those bizarro commercials claim, the stuff’s gross, bad for you, and supports the overproduction of corn, which seems to be all our country wants farms to grow anymore. That and soy, we suppose. But, main point being, this barbeque sauce is good, yo. And quite the addition to any summer grilling event. Plus, the recipe yields something like one liquid ton of the stuff and it freezes well. So, unless you hook yourself up to an IV of this, it’s a once or twice a season kind of job.

So here’s what you need:
• 1 large Vidalia Onion (or other sweet, non-geographical-indicator-type onion), chopped
• 1 large fresh mild pepper (depending on propensity for heat, Pablano—which we usually use, Ortego Chile, Paprika, or, if you’re anti-heat, a Bell Pepper)
• 8-10 canned Chipotle Peppers (Goya makes these, as do a number of other companies, and they can be found in most grocery stores wherever tacos shells and salsas and such are kept)
• 8 medium Garlic Cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped
• 2.5 – 3 6 oz. cans of Tomato Paste (get a nice traditional Italian brand or an organic one)
• 1/3 cup Black Strap Molasses (other kinds are fine too)
• 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Bourbon
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (we like Spectrum Organic)
• 1 tbsp Hickory Smoke Flavor/Liquid Smoke
• 1.5 cups of Water
• 1 tbsp Coriander (ideally freshly roasted and ground, but store-bought, pre-ground is totally fine)
• 1 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (we like Droste)
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Clove (again, ideally freshly ground, not roasted though)
• 1 tsp Nutmeg (freshly-grated, if possible—freshly-ground nutmeg RULES)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon (freshly grated, is possible)
• Salt, to taste

So, really, this is pretty easy. Lots of ingredients, but well worth it. First off, heat the oil in a pan on medium heat (as usual, we recommend a large, deep cast iron skillet—they = the best). Once its warmed, add the onions and garlic and saute until soft, allowing the onions to become a little translucent and making sure the garlic doesn’t brown too much. Bring the heat to low and add the smoke flavor, sugar, bourbon, molasses, vinegars, spices, and cocoa. Stir gently and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring a little as you go. Now cut the peppers into large chunks and add them along with the tomato paste, salt, and 1.5 cups of water. Now go read a nice book or surf the interweb for a while and allow the ingredients to simmer for about 1.5 hours covered, stirring every now and then and adding more water if it starts to look too thick or anything looks like it’s burning or drying out. Remove from heat and allow to cool for half an hour or so, long enough that you’re not endangering your life if there’s any splashback with the blender. Then, puree everything in batches in your blender, adding the batches to a pot and then stirring well once it’s all in the same place. Now, friend, you have a wonderful homemade barbeque sauce, sure to wow your friends and family on everything from a veggie burger to seitan on the grill to a spoon when you need a quick, savory fix.

Enjoy. And, again, our most sincere apologies.

This week’s Song of the Week comes from Brooklyn’s Blank Dogs—essentially the work of one super-prolific writer and performer, Mr. Mike Sniper. Starting in 2007, Sniper began putting out release after release under the moniker, Blank Dogs, with little to no explanation of who the band was and absolutely no shows to support the recordings. That all changed last fall with two highly anticipated shows in NYC. Now Sniper’s got a new album out that, from the sound of this track, Tin Birds (download to the right and down), continues to push the new new wave sound. Stereogum put it best when they said – “It’s like Joy Division vocal lines with the Cure’s synth and guitar melodies filtered through ancient submerged keyboards and eroded recording equipment.” Check them/him out in Philly July 9 and at South Street Seaport in NYC July 24.

So, yes, yes. I know we’ve been a bit behind on the posts this week. And, yes, yes, I know it’s not Thursday anymore, but I just couldn’t hold this one two weeks.

We were recently able to chat with one of our favorite women’s designers, d a c e, from the far-away land of Vancouver, BC—home of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, the third-largest film production center in North America, the New Pornographers, and, it turns out, one of the most productive and innovative sources for women looking for fresh new takes on classic looks.

With their exciting fall line hitting the streets next month and seven years of designing now under her belt, we talked with designer and founder Dace Moore about the inspiration for her clothing, terrible nicknames, and, yes, Twilight. Check it out. Fall ’09 preview photos by André Pinces.

So, forgive the somewhat trite, superficial initial question, but, first thing’s first: Dace is a really cool name. It’s monosyllabic, it’s a four-letter-word, it’s totally unique, it’s got tons of nice rhyming words; all the hallmarks of winning name. Is that a family name or just something your parents liked the sound of?
Ha, ha. My dad named me after a character in a fictional novel that he was reading.

Okay, so, obviously being blessed with a cool name makes naming your company easier, but—and I promise, after this, we’ll get off the name—what’s with the spacing and lower-casing of the company name: d a c e? Given our line of work, we’re always intrigued by company brands and such, so please forgive the non-fashiony question.
I really liked it spaced out. Dace is a simple name and my collections are classic, so I wanted to go with something timeless – that we would never grow out of.

Nice. So, you first started making garments when, as a single mother, you taught yourself to sew and started piecing together fabrics from thrift stores. Superb origins of the d a c e story, by the way. For anyone out there looking to get their feet wet in the fashion world, can you talk briefly about how you went from self-taught fashion mom to running one of the coolest women’s lines out there?
Your questions make me giggle! When I began sewing, I started doing a lot of collaborative fashion shows with friends and selling my designs at a local consignment store. I noticed that people were purchasing them and asking me where they could buy them. It kind of just took off from there. I went to school for design and started working for a skate/snowboarding company (as a designer) here in Vancouver. I wouldn’t have been able to start my own company if I hadn’t gotten that experience working in design.

Do you still make clothing for your daughter?
No! She does steal my clothes now, though! Luckily, she’s getting a lot taller than me now, so she’s starting to not fit everything!

Coming from such down-to-earth, humble beginnings, have you found it off-putting to be thrust into the world of high fashion?
I guess sometimes. Mostly I feel it when I go away—to tradeshows or fashion shows—and I come across some designers that have a lot of attitude, and there’s no reason for it.

Any ‘listen to how crazy THESE people in the fashion industry are’ stories?
No way! I don’t want to get in trouble!

We’ve followed your line since 2005 or so now, and it seems like your lines are getting a little slimmer, closer to the body. We’re fans of this, but just wanted to ask what sort of choices you’ve been making for the evolution of d a c e through the years.
This is such a good question. Over the past seasons we’ve been trying to produce styles that are flattering on all body types. We try not to make styles that only fit one specific type of person. As well, I have a rule: It’s not going in the collection unless I love it. So we’ve really been trying to pay even more attention to the little details and make sure that everything looks magnificent.

Well, superb job up to this point. You’ve always been great with your focus on cut, fit, and form and highlighting that focus with generally solid or simple fabrics, venturing out of that field only for the occasional exciting pattern (like with the Bonnie Tunic and Virginia Dress last season—very nice). What would you say, in your opinion, are the most important aspects to any piece?
I would have to say fabric. The fabric is what initially inspires me to design a specific piece.

This past spring, and, from what we’ve seen so far of the fall line, you seem to be drawing even more inspiration from the natural world. The wonderfully-shot lookbooks seem to be magnifying this even more, but there seems to be this great, easy, rolling feel given off by many of the pieces and ensembles. Like watching overblown home movies of kids walking through the woods in the 70s. It’s a cliché question, but what sort of things inspire the look of your lines? Are we way off? Is it totally robots and cyborg unicorns?
You are correct. It’s totally cyborgs and unicorns. Just joking. You’re right, I do gain a lot of my inspiration from the natural world. Especially since I have been horse back riding on a weekly basis for the past year. Also, I’ve been really inspired by the look of Francoise Hardy (in the 60’s). She’s so beautiful and when I see photos of her, she never looks over-done, just simple and understated. It’s inspired me to make clothes that are easy to wear.

Oh, yeah, totally. We love her. Such an amazing look and general aesthetic. Alright, another somewhat trite question: Do you know of any celebrity types who are big d a c e fans? Any champions of the brand?
Well, Fiest has been ordering clothing from us. As well as Nelly Furtado. We know that Mindy Kaling (from the Office) has the same jumper as Katie. Zooey Deschanel, Anne Heche and Lindsay Lohan are known to own a few dace pieces as well.

That’s good to know about Mindy. You know, just in case we show up at the same party… Okay, this question’s from Troy specifically: Why no men’s clothes? Please make him a lovely frock or something…
Ha ha ha. I’d love to see Troy in a frock. But the truth is – I love seeing guys just wearing t-shirts and jeans.

Fair enough, I guess. Alright, here it comes: Quickfire Round.
Favo(u)rite thing about Canada?
British Columbia.

Favorite stores, in Canada or the US or wherevs, that carry d a c e?
If I have to pick, I would say our hometown stores because they’ve been supporting us since our first season. But we really love working with all of our stores.

Bizarre pet peeve?
Combo: Ugg boots and mini skirts (together).

Oh, that’s not bizarre. Favorite designer who’s not you?
Lover.

Nickname in gradeschool?
Monkey Face Dace.

Ouch. If given a choice, preferred nickname in gradeschool?
Tiffany – I hated my name when I was younger. I grew up in a really small town, so I got bugged about my name a lot.

You showed them! Favorite city in the US? New York, right? Right…?
OF COURSE!!!! I know the subway system like the back of my hand!

That’s one up on us. Band you can’t stop listening to right now?
Old 70’s rock. No particular band, though.

Favorite book you’ve read in the last year?
Please don’t tell anyone… Twilight.

Alright…we won’t tell. Wait…
Seriously, how about a men’s shirt? Maybe an ascot, that’d be easy?
Just for you – we’ll make one for Troy.

Movie you’re ashamed to love dearly?
Ok…. Twilight! Please don’t think I’m crazy. But he just looks so good in the movie… and most of the time he’s just wearing a t-shirt!!!

Interview you wish would end right now?
I love this one! I can keep going!

Crap, that hasn’t happened before…

Keep an eye out for the new fall season this July and check out their sale on spring items over at dace.ca. And become their fan on ye olde Facebook.

We at raven + crow studio recently teamed up with vegan super-store, MooShoes, in an effort to put an end to horse-drawn carriages in New York City. In support of the on-the-ground and lobbying work of the NYC-based Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, we designed and printed two original posters with which we hope to soon cover the city. We’re asking interested business owners to put up the posters in their shops and get the word out.

When we first visited Central Park—a long, long time ago— we were both immediately struck by how SAD the horses seemed. Obviously that’s not the most articulate of arguments to move the more than 200 horses in the industry to more fitting environments, but it is one that I think is intuitively…’felt,’ for lack of a better word…by many people who first encounter them. But after attending a filled-to-capacity public hearing at city hall earlier this year and starting to do some reading on our own, we soon found out how hard it is to deny that these usually majestic animals are living out truly depressing, shortened lives in an environment that’s so very far from natural or safe.

The main and most compelling argument against banning the carriages from the city is that we would be eradicating over 200 jobs in a time that’s undeniably hard for everyone, especially blue-collar workers dealing with the expenses of living in and around New York City. But the truth is that it never should have been a job in the first place. These horses are living and working day-to-day in one of the most crowded, active cities in the world, pulling carriages in the middle of congested NYC streets, all to entertain the tourists of the city. It’s no different than the exploitation of elephants or other wild animals in the circus, some could even argue it’s worse.

Others (BanHDC, PETA) can argue these points much better than us—which is why we’re trying to contribute in an area in which we’re more skilled—but it’s something we feel passionately about and something we want to change about our city.

If you own a business or have a space you can put up one of these posters, or know someone who does, email us and we’ll get you some. And for the rest of you, come out to this Saturday’s rally at noon in Columbus Circle. It’s an international event and will have cities around the world participating, so get it on, ya’ll.

Whipped Cauliflower

Woolverton Inn – Stockton, NJ

Yes, yes. I know it’s not Monday. But it’s close, right? Regardless, today we have a nice track from one of our favorite bands from last year, Windmill. If you’ve never heard them before, it might take a little getting used to. Matthew Dillon’s voice can be a bit off-putting at first, but 2008’s Puddle City Racing Lights was one of our favorite albums of the year, so we’re really excited about the follow-up planned for later this year, Epcot Starfields. We hear it’s Epcot Center themed…? Alright, then. Check out the first, very, very sad track, Epcot Slow. It’ll auto-download when you click on the image down and to the right.