a little life

Soon to be sewing kit...

2011-08-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

I found a vintage medical field kit at an antique store in Michigan! Once I remove the scalpel and suture set I think it'll make a fine sewing kit, no? Well, maybe I will keep the suture kit...you never know ;0)

Spring Indie Covers

2011-05-17T12:30:00.001-07:00

Landed myself one awesome playlist after visiting Plum Goods store in Santa Barbara. And, they're all covers! I swear Katy Perry never sounded so good ;0)

Summer in Review...

2010-08-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE INTERNET!!!

2010-07-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

Oh, my! I feel like I've been in the middle ages for the past few months. We've moved to a new home, and with the move came a debacle of epic proportions. Let's just say, Comcast isn't our favorite company in the world. However, we do now have a way to fry out brains with megabyted media once more.

Anyway, besides the new digs, I've been busy, busy, busy enjoying the joys of potty training, new preschools, new neighbors, and summer camps. We head up to Portland the end of this month, and Alexi gets to have his tonsil's taken out. On top of all that I've been taking a lot of pictures, but haven't had any way to upload them.

Got some sweet shots of the twins, and also took some wedding photos for a fabulous couple. The wedding venue looked like a location out of an Anthropologie catalog. The light and the fantastic pond, such a pretty day!

I'm a Bad Blogger...

2010-05-09T22:08:00.001-07:00

Woops, I've been such a bad blogger...super busy these days: photographing, writing, kids in school, traveling, and now we're moving in 2 weeks! Ack! So I guess I have an excuse (even if it's not a good one).

Last night we went up to San Francisco to a Frenchy restaurant with our friends from the neighborhood. They both hail from Montreal and were super happy to try this place. Food was pretty fantastic (but is it bad to say my favorite was the hazelnut chocolate thingy at the end?), and the wine was even better. The best part was meeting the chef, though :0) . He was very traditional French, and enjoyed the fact we were sporting two full fledged French speakers with us. I was too embarrassed to ask him for a picture with all of us, but the waiter was more than happy to take a bunch of the 4 of us.

When we got back home our goddess of a sitter, Izza, had miraculously put all 4 kids to bed!

All in all, it was a good night, indeed!

The One in Which the Easter Bunny Brings an iPad...

2010-04-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it wasn't the Easter Bunny. The UPS guy brought the iPad, but he might as well have been the Easter Bunny for all anyone cared.

Since the forecast expected rain on Sunday we decided to switch our annual egg hunt and party for Saturday instead. In conjunction with the festivities our iPad arrived, and everyone got a big kick out of it's arrival and joke implications.

Kids had fun, we drank a lot of yummy wine, and shared many laughs with great friends. All in all, a perfect holiday weekend!

Alexi...

2010-03-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Adventures in Baking...

2010-03-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

Math and his friend made some delicious Molasses Crinkles over the weekend with me. We made two batches. One with shortening and white sugar and flour, and one with butter and whole wheat flour and cane sugar (to see if we could tell the difference). Guess what? You can't! Yum!

Molasses Crinkles:

3/4 C shortening or butter
1 C sugar
1 egg
1/4 C. dark molasses
2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Cream shortening and sugar
2. Add molasses and egg - beat well
3. sift all dry ingredients into wet
4. chill dough at least 1 hour (or overnight)
5. form into balls and roll in granulated sugar
6. bake 350ºF on un-greased cookie sheet 12-15 min.

Yum!

Boys Love Trains...

2010-02-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

To my son, on his 9th year of being...

2010-02-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you're in bed recovering, and have nothing to do all weekend?

2010-02-21T18:25:00.000-08:00

Edit some newborn and engagement photos of course!

Enjoy!

More Newborn Deliciousness...

2010-02-15T20:03:00.001-08:00

Weekend in Wine Country

2010-02-14T20:33:00.000-08:00

The grandparents arrived on Thursday night and the two of us ran off to Napa for a weekend getaway. Wish I'd have taken a few more photos, but we were relaxing so I figure it was a good excuse to leave the camera alone :0) We ate at some pretty great restaurants, drank a lot of yummy wine, and had ourselves some very luxurious days at the spa. The place where we were staying had a farm across the way and I snapped a few of the horses before we left. In all, an awesome trip!

Cuties

2010-02-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

I've been such a bad blogger lately...but here are some cuties I couldn't resist posting!

I guess I'm all In...

2010-02-02T00:33:00.000-08:00

So I've been dabbling with the thought of starting my own photography business for awhile now, but this year I'm gonna do it (or at least try)! Website is in the works, just got booked for another wedding, and nothing feels quite as official as watermarking your photos ;0)

A day at the park...

2010-01-23T17:20:00.001-08:00

What are we eating?

2010-01-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

NYC Part Deux

2010-01-14T23:36:00.001-08:00

Sandcastles in the Sand

2010-01-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

LOL, I love this How I Met Your Mother video. Barney was totally right, "You know, if you re-edit there's a tampon commercial in here somwhere.""

NYC Food Fantastic!

2010-01-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome time during our excursion to NYC, and since we didn't have the kids we took that opportunity to hit up a ton of eateries. We were lucky enough to snag a few high end reservations, some hole-in-the-wall NY style pizza, and even met my cousin for drinks on the last ever night of Tavern on the Green!

Jean-Georges: Cosmo, Caesar salad with lemon and chili salt, Cheeseburger with Russian dressing, Roasted cod with leek vinaigrette, Mocha buche de noel.

Daniel: White Cosmo, Handmade spinach tortellini, Jerusalem artichoke soup with foie gras, Amuse-bouche of harvest squashes, Duo of dry aged beef, Chicken demi-deuil, Fresh baked lemon madelines, Chocolate carmel lava cake, Honeycrisp apple confit, Manjari chocolate mousse with nougat foam.

Bar Americain: Vidalia onion soup, Mojito, Bloody Mary, Lobster club with crispy ham and arugula.

Gramercy Tavern: Amuse-bouche of potato and romano cheese, Spelt pasta with brown butter broccoli and cauliflower, Maine Crab with egg crepe, Amuse-bouche of panna cotta with granola and blood orange sorbet, Venison with bourbon sauce, Duck with sweet potatoes and grilled endive, coconut cake, truffle and tart assortment, coconut tart with amaretto sorbet.

Pizza Suprema: Peperoni and white cheese pizza

Happy Christmas!

2010-01-01T16:18:00.001-08:00

I've been bad about blogging lately. We just finished our NYC trip and are currently chillin' in Phily. More on that soon, but here are some photos from holiday break..

My Favorite Things Calendar Swap!

2009-12-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

I signed up for a Calendar Swap put on by My Favorite Things last month. The gist was you got paired with a partner, and then you'd sent each other a new 2010 calendar. I thought the swap would be a fabulous way to start off the holiday in anticipation of the year to come.

My partner, Amy, is pretty much awesome. Coincidentally, we have a ton in common. We're both moms, we like photography, cooking, and we even honeymooned in the same place!

I think the hardest part of the swap was choosing a style for someone you don't know well. Thankfully, there are some amazing options out there! I sent my new friend an INK+WIT since I've been obsessed with letterpress lately. I thought it was cool that she could cut off the bottom and use the top prints to frame later.

Photo by INK + WIT

Amy sent along a 2010 Calendar she picked out for me not long ago. Great minds think alike...she sent me a BEAUTIFUL set by 1canoe2. Thanks so much, Amy...I really, really, really LOVE it. And thanks to My Favorite Things for arranging! :0)

Fall in December?

2009-12-04T11:03:00.001-08:00

Seriously! The leaves are just starting to turn and fall off. The kids spent an hour just playing in foliage :0)

I think it's my sons' lot in life to be surrounded by beautiful women, too...

I'm insane...

2009-12-01T10:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the things I make my kids do frightens the hell outta me... Seriously? What was I thinking here? It seemed like a brilliant idea at the time. I think they look like wreath monsters...or The Thing That was Once Holiday Cheer gone amuck...

My Husband is a Dork, but I Love Him...

2009-11-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

I tried to Google something on my husband's side of our family computer and it came out something like this, "dso a ijoriejarne." Seriously, looked like I just mashed my face against the keyboard, right? It was then that I realized he'd switched his keyboard over to some nerdy efficiency keyboarding program instead of normal Qwerty. Then, it dawned on me I was even nerdier because I knew exactly what was up.

Laaaambert the Sheepish Lion!

2009-11-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

OMG, this was one of my all-time favorite videos as a kid. Still makes me cry!

Happy Thanksgiving From The Boley Family...

2009-11-26T19:28:00.001-08:00

Sometimes They're So Sweet!

2009-11-25T19:20:00.000-08:00

Mexican Lunch

2009-11-24T14:37:00.000-08:00

For some reason my dental issues have again arisen during vacation. When in excruciating pain the only logical way to drown out the misery is heavy duty margaritas, right?

Fun with Great Grandma Ardys...

2009-11-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa's House...

2009-11-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

And I Will Love Him, and Squeeze Him, and Call Him George...

2009-11-20T00:26:00.001-08:00

Some Winter Wonders...

2009-11-17T12:58:00.001-08:00

So back during Halloween we went to a party and Alexi gobbled up some pretty awesome pumpkin soup. Camilla was kind enough to share the recipe with me, and I have to say it's still just as good as I remember it!

Pumpkin Soup

1 sweet potato (cubed)
1 butternut squash (cubed)
1 onion (diced)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
1 nubbin of ginger (minced)
1/4 C olive oil
16 oz chicken stock (or veggie stock)
dollop of tomato paste or spaghetti sauce
salt and pepper to taste
fresh thyme

Gently cook the ginger and garlic in the olive oil...don't let it burn! Add the veggies and cook a bit longer. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover with stock. I used a pressure cooker (5 minutes, people!), but you can just do it the old fashioned way and the veggies will be soft in about 30 minutes. In a blender, purée the soup in batches. Return to pan and add tomato paste/sauce.
For some reason the ginger just gives it an extra kick of flavor...so no cream needed!

Also, I saw this simple Italian way of enjoying some Chianti (over segmented oranges) in a magazine and had to share at book club yesterday! Sort-of an old-world version of Sangria.

In the Holiday Spirit...

2009-11-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

I'm kindof obsessed with letterpress at the moment. Letterpress is an archaic style of relief printing, but it's all the rage again. Thick, cotton fiber paper stock is pressed with blocks that have been etched and inked to create a bold, tactile transferred image.

I'm also getting into the holiday spirit. These look like some fun things to help get me started...

Letterpress retro coasters

Some pretty cards

Buckle decorations by d.Sharp
Aren't these the cutest Advent bags?
Gift tags with silk ribbon This little bird isn't letter press, but it's made from a paper map of France.

Sweater Love...

2009-11-09T21:05:00.001-08:00

I love sweaters. There's just something about a crisp fall day and a beautiful sweater. Now, make that sweater an Anthropologie sweater and my day has just improved 100 fold. This sweater makes me want to live in dreary London, or in the French country side. I'm obsessed...

Photo by Anthropologie

Cousin Fun...

2009-11-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

Alexi spent a nice afternoon playing with his cousins!

High Tea at the Omni...

2009-11-06T20:43:00.000-08:00

Today I met The Hub's cousin, Susan, for High Tea at the Omni William Penn hotel downtown. Have you ever met a person for the first time and hit it off with them so completely you feel like you've been friends forever? Susan and I have been conversing with each other over Facebook for awhile now, but this is the first time I've been in her neck of the woods since being introduced. We both agreed it would be a fantastic idea to ditch our children, pretend to be grown-ups, and partake in high tea, if only for an afternoon.

We had so much fun commiserating, taking pictures, and sharing our family stories. Oh, and the food was divine...those tea sandwiches must have crack in them (seriously addictive). We could have used another 8 hours to finish our gab session, too...pesky kids!

As you can tell from the empty plate the food was pretty good!

Pinky's up!

I decided to dress like a Brit, but we left our fake accents at home.

My Kid's Pumpkins....

2009-11-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

I bet my kid was the only one on the block with a Flux Capacitor pumpkin...

Happy Halloween From Indy and Lil' Stinker

2009-11-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

It's not too late!

2009-10-30T18:15:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I was really bummed to find out that Gourmet Magazine has gone under :0( As one of their parting tidbits they did a feature on red wine caramel apples for fall.

I jumped off the idea by slightly modified my own caramel sauce recipe. I added a 1/2 red wine reduction into the caramel sauce for the pears. Glorious grown up snack!

Germ-a-phobia

2009-10-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

It's the day before Halloween and we've been infiltrated by the dreaded germ. Math's mad at me for keeping him home from school, and missing his Halloween party. I'm hoping he'll be well enough to even go trick-or-treating tomorrow :0(

I never used to be a germ-a-phobic, but today I am. I'm leaving for out of town in less than a week, and yesterday Matthew came down with his bi-annual cold. Seriously, the kid hardly ever gets sick, but of course he would get sick right before I'm about to leave (and supposed to take his highly infection prone brother with me). *sigh*

I've been stripping sheets, opening windows, washing toys, sanitizing every doorknob, light switch, and banister in an effort to stave off every germ known to man. I'm ignoring all Jesse's admonishments about stupid Swine Flu (they're not getting the vaccine). I'm pumping the kids and myself with vitamins and cold remedies that I know only work on a psychological level, but I do it none the less.

But what's a cold without a little love and chicken soup, right? I made the broth base last night with chicken thighs and a pressure cooker (get's all the collagen and vitamins out in half the time!).

So cross your fingers for us that we come out of this healthy and ready for travel!

The One in Which My Husband Takes Me Out for a Fabulous Dinner and Surprises Me with a New Lens...

2009-10-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

Last night was our date night. For some reason Jesse decided to make reservations at a great fondue place for a romantic dinner, and surprised me with a brand new lens!

Everything's Better with Butter...

2009-10-27T18:38:00.001-07:00

This butter is amazing...it's super tasty slathered over crusty French baguettes with a little jam :0)

New and Improved

2009-10-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Well, not really improved, but it is new. I tried my hand at some web design this past weekend. It was painful, but it's aesthetically much better looking than the old blogs. I still need to hire a real designer to glom all this stuff together into a cohesive thing, though.

In other news, I got a job as a free lance writer a few months back for Homewood Suite's new travel blog. My first paycheck arrived in the mail yesterday, so I guess it's official :0)

Borderline Obsessed...

2009-10-22T19:08:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I've come across an album that I could listen to almost every single day over and over and over. When we heard Blind Pilot at a Decemberists concert back in July we were immediately smitten.

I kept an eye out for their next tour and was excited that they'd be playing here in San Francisco, and even more excited it was at a venue I've been wanting to check out.

The Great American Music Hall is a small concert hall that hosts a variety of live performances. It also serves some pretty good food! We scored some killer seats since we purchased Dinner Tickets (entrance, reserved table, and meal). I was pleasantly surprised how fresh the salad was. The food was tasty, the service was great, and the drinks were strong. Seriously, can't go wrong with that combination. It didn't hurt that the opening bands were more than decent, and Blind Pilot was incredible...totally delivered as the main event!

Food looks good, eh?

Opening bands, The Low Anthem and Mimicking Birds

Blind PilotThat second Chupacabra really did me in...

Gaga Over Grizzly Bear

2009-10-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Snickerdoodles...

2009-10-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

For some reason, to me, it's not fall until I've made some snickerdoodles. And I'm a snickerdoodle snob at that. I don't like the cakey ones, and I don't like the hard as rocks ones, either. They have to be crispy on the edges, and chewy in the center. And they have to have a ton of cinnamon sugar over every square inch, too. And I can't bake! This was a conundrum for years...

But then ol' Emeril saved me (I watched so much of his show while pregnant it's a wonder Matthew didn't call him "Daddy" that first year of life).

Anyway, here is his recipe (slightly modified).

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup shortening
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp almond extract
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
scant dash of nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

With a handheld or standing mixer, beat together the shortening and butter. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extract. Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Mix the 3 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Roll the dough, by hand, into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar. Flatten the balls into 1/2-inch thick disks, spacing them evenly on unlined cookie sheets. Bake until light brown, but still moist in the center, about 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Rainy Day...

2009-10-14T13:23:00.001-07:00

The Jayhawks make me happy

We're Back!

2009-10-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

We were up in Ashland, Oregon last weekend to hang out with family and catch a bunch of plays. The kids had a blast (especially Matthew, our budding thespian). The food was great, and we drank more coffee than I care to admit. It was fun to be somewhere that felt like fall. Unfortunately, the closest thing we got to a family portrait was one of all our laptops.

Waiting for Music Man to start, Fresh out of Much Ado About Nothing

Lithia Park where both kids made new friends

Dinner before Don Quixote
Outside Haper's before breakfast
Coffee is good
Lillie Belle Artisan Chocolates
Agave, we went here twice!
Technological Family Photo, Poe Home

People keep asking me what the boys are wearing. Math is in H&M and Alexander Neck&Neck.

On the Road Again...

2009-10-08T00:50:00.000-07:00

We're headed up to Ashland, Oregon for our annual Shakespeare Festival trip. It sounds lame, but it's really fun... Really...

Napa

2009-10-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

We went to Napa last weekend for a whirlwind tour of wine country with the kids. It was tons of fun, relaxing, and hot! We ate a lot of food, and I even got to read!

The "New" Chucks...

2009-10-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Leave it to the Parisians to get it right. Bensimons are all the rage again, just like Converse sneakers. Comfy canvas and rubber soles are classic and mod at the same time. Me want.

PS - Made in kid sizes, too!

Overachiever Parents Scare the Crap Outta Me...

2009-09-25T00:32:00.000-07:00

OMG, proud much?

Pondering Pavlovas No More!

2009-09-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

I've been pondering pavlovas in a bad way for the past month. I've wanted to try to make them, but was intimidated by the meringues. I put it off, and put it off. Then today the urge struck and I was undaunted no more! Mmmm, they were yummy, too! This is such a fancy looking dessert...would make any dinner guest feel extra special, I'm sure :0)

Meringues:
5 large egg whites (room temp)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar (I used champagne pomegranate cause that's all I had around besides balsamic).
1 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
1 1/2 C sugar
pinch salt

Topping:
1 C cream + 3 Tbs sugar
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 C frozen raspberries
3 Tbs honey
1 Tbs sugar

Other necessary items:

Parchment paper
pencil
gallon zip-lock bag
pastry bag attachment if you're feeling frisky

Preheat your oven to 275F.
Find a small bowl or plate about 6 inches in diameter. Trace 6-8 circles. Flip over paper and place on baking tray

For meringues:

Mix cornstarch and sugar in a small bowl.

In a large clean bowl (no oily residue or the meringue won't build) beat whites and pinch of salt on medium till bubbles are barely still present and soft peaks form. Ramp up speed and slowly add sugar mix. After the sugar/cornstarch has been dissolved (should not be grainy when you rub a small bit between your fingers) add the vinegar and vanilla. Beat on high till whites are glossy and stiff peaks form.

Spoon the meringue mix into the zip-lock bag with the corner cut off (a makeshift pastry bag). If you want a fancy tip make sure you put that inside the bag first. Pipe meringue using the circles as a guide. Make sure you go around the edge a second time to create a lip to make a little "bowl."

Lower the heat to 250. Place in the middle of the oven and let bake for about an hour. Check back often to make sure the meringue doesn't color. They should be white and dry/crisp to the touch. Once cool, peel off and store in an air-tight container till ready to use (good for a few days).

Topping:

Heat frozen raspberries, sugar, and honey on the stove till warm. Sieve to make a raspberry sauce. Cool. Add coulis to fresh raspberries.

Beat cream and sugar till fluffy.

Construct:

Place one meringue disc in the center of a plate or shallow bowl. Spoon whipped cream in center of the nest. Top with raspberry sauce. Voila!

PS - What to do with your leftover meringue still in the bag? Add some mini chocolate chips and some crushed peppermints. Pipe out little dollops and you have yourself some delicious meringue cookie snacks (I confess I didn't share any with the kids or the husband, and I don't even have a picture since I ate them all before I remembered I should have taken one).

I wanna go!

2009-09-20T22:02:00.001-07:00

Oh, the bandlist is so tantalizing. I'm even willing to confront personal boundary issues and communal toilets...

End of Summer...

2009-09-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

So the last of the Heirloom Tomato season is hitting California in full force. Coincidentally, we've also being hit with another heatwave, too. This totally hits the spot on a hot day!

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

4 Large heirloom tomatoes
2 cucumbers (seeded)
2 small cloves garlic (minced)
1 onion
3/4 C good Spanish olive oil
salt and pepper

Chop all ingredients and blend on high till smooth. Strain with a medium mesh colander for thicker consistency or a chinois for a super smooth one. Chill.

Optional toppings:

Fresh lump crab meat
Freshly steamed sweet corn
Diced Cucumber
Diced avocado
Chopped fire roasted peppers
Sour cream

Weekend Getaway

2009-09-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

So The Carneros Inn just sent me an e-mail confirming my spa appointments. So excited!

photos by Carneros Inn

We're heading to Napa in just under 2 weeks for a mini family vacation (a first for us as a family of 4). Math has two days off from school, and we figured we'd treat ourselves to a fun little family excursion. It was between Costanoa and Napa. Napa won out, though Costanoa looks like a lot of fun...we might have to try that with some friends sometime.

We rented a cute little house in downtown, and plan on spending the weekend playing, eating, relaxing, and spending some quality time with the kids for two days. Then the last day I got a complementary cottage at the Carneros Inn to go with my spa treatments, so I suppose the husband and the kids will hit the pool. We don't plan on touring any wineries this time...saving that up for when Jevan and Casey come out, but maybe we'll buy a bottle or two...or 20 ;0)

Being the psycho that I am, I've already itinerarized our trip. I did this last time we went to Portland, a cataclysmic snowstorm hit, and effectively wiped out all my careful planning. So while I plan, I also won't be surprised if it all gets thrown out the window and we stay inside in front of the television all weekend (it's vacation, right?).

If anyone has any dining suggestions let me know! We've never been to Napa so we don't know where all the good restaurants are. I just Yelped everything so I can change stuff out pretty easily.

Saturday
Check into house
Lunch at Joe's Brewery
Napa Firefighters Museum
Napa Mill/Oxbow Wine Merchant Wine Bar (to buy wine)/ Grocery shopping
Make Dinner
Maybe go out if we can find a sitter for the kiddies

Sunday
Morning hike (Valley View Trail)
Park/Exploring town
Drive to Calistoga
1:00 Solbar for lunch at Solage Resort
Walk and coffee shop
Petrified forest
Old Faithful Geyser?
Flat Iron Grill for diner
Nighttime hot springs swim

Monday
Check into Caneros Inn cottage for the day
Boon Fly Cafe for breakfast
Spa services in the morning
2:00 reserved lunch at Thomas Keller's Buchon
Nap/Chilling at Caneros
Stop at Tartine for dessert/coffee in San Francisco on the way home

Yay, excited! Did I say that already?

In the Meantime...

2009-09-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

We've been watching Castle till all our regular shows come back this fall...it's actually pretty good if you're a Fillion fan. The banter is pretty witty and, even though the show is somewhat predictable, the characters are lovable.

Can't wait for Greys, Dexter, How I Met Your Mother, Heroes, and Dollhouse to return!

Me and My Pink Flower Days...

2009-09-13T03:56:00.000-07:00

50mm fixed, f/4, speed 1/100, ISO 800
TTV border and texture

Movies I'm looking forward to this year...

2009-09-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sherlock Holmes

A Serious Man

New Moon

The Road

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-09-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Just saw 9 last night. I really liked it! I saw the short by Shane Acker awhile back, and since then I've been waiting for this movie to come out. It was nice to see an animated movie for a more grown-up audience for once. Kinda wish Pixar would try that out sometime, too...

Back to School...

2009-09-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today my kid started his first day of 3rd grade. Wow, time flies!

I'm not one of those parents who can't wait for their kid to go back to school. Sure, I like the ritual of it...buying new school supplies (this year a laptop!), getting new back-to-school clothes, the posturing of organizational skills that will never come to fruition. But, I like spending time with my kids. I like taking them cool places, and I like having them around (most of the time).

Every year I vow, "This will be the year I get my shit together! I will stick to a bed-time, I will gather lunches the night before...I will not sleep in!" And every year I fail miserably. We're just not schedule people, and therefore it's hard for us to get excited about schedules.

Regardless, we are really excited about this school! If any of you know me, you know finding the right school has been a long and arduous process. We found a new progressive lab school 15 minutes from our house. I'm excited to be part of something from the beginning. I'm a little sad to see my little boy growing up so quickly, but happy for his opportunities and triumphs.

Too Much Tomato Paste?

2009-08-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

I seem to be on a food kick lately. Anyway...

I don't use tomato paste all that often, but when I do it's usually only a tablespoonful to add a little richness or zing to a sauce or a stew. I know the can it comes in is smaller, but it seems so wasteful to dig out a spoonful and throw the rest away. I hear that they sell this stuff in tubes, but I haven't run across them yet.

So this time I did something different. I put the remaining paste into a ziplock bag (aka, instant pastry bag), cut the end, and piped out tablespoon size dollops onto a saran wrapped cutting board. Placed the board in the freezer for an hour. Then peeled those little suckers off, put them into a freezer bag, and dumped the whole lot back into the freezer.

The hubs said I should wrap them in crescent rolls...haven't tired it yet, but sounds good, doesn't it?

Cornbread Muffins...

2009-08-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

These were really, really good...but I can't take credit for the recipe. Earlier in the year my friend Subha made miniature versions of these for book club.

Box Cornbread mix (the kind that you need to add egg, milk and butter, not the just add water kind)
8oz can whole sweet corn
1/4 C chopped jalepeno peppers
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Mix cornbread according to instructions. Then add remaining three ingredients. Bake in unlined, greased muffin tins (the outsides get all nice and crispy brown this way). Consume.

Preparing for Winter...

2009-08-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

With the start of school (and cold season) I've finally gotten around to making some lemon-honey tea base for me and the kids. I guess this stuff is ubiquitous in Korea and other Asian countries, but here in America it probably looks like you're drinking marmalade jam.

The first time I ever tired this was in Oregon when my Korean neighbor invited me over to share in my first ever Korean food experience. While she was gathering up things like shrimp flavored Cheetos and salty toasted nori for me to sample (this is probably why it took me another 3 years to ever try Korean food again), she also mixed up some Korean honey tea. She produced a glass continaer from the very back of her fridge and dug out a giant dollop of amber colored jam that she uncermoniously gloped into a cup. She poured boiling water over it, and handed me my mug. Wow, the most glorious thing I've ever tasted...it was fruity, and warming, and totally blissful. I was suprised to find it only contained two ingredients as well...sliced lemons and honey. She said when she ever had extra lemons she sliced them up and added them to her jar...extra honey? Same thing.

I guess you can buy this stuff pre-made at any Asian market, but why bother when you can use fresh, organic ingredients, and put it together yourself? Honey is a natural preservative and after awhile the lemons kindof dissolve into the honey to make a fragrant, sweet, marmalade like concoction. This would make a really thoughtful dinner party gift. A perfect hot drink during the cold months, and very soothing to a sore throat!

Carefree Caramel...

2009-08-21T21:20:00.001-07:00

I love caramel sauce...not the crappy squeeze bottle stuff from the grocery store...the REAL stuff. And it's really easy to make. Just three items: sugar, butter, and cream...Voilá! Caramel sauce.

1 C. sugar
1 stick butter (salted or unsalted...salted caramel sauce is yummy!)
1/2 C cream

Pour sugar into a large saucepan (stainless steel is best since you can see the color of the caramel better than in a black-bottomed one). Heat sugar over medium-high till the edges start to bubble and loosen. Slowly drag a spatula through the molten sugar to evenly heat. Watch sugar very closely...you want it to be amber colored. Don't let it scorch or it will taste like burned caramel, ick! When sugar is no longer grainy looking, but instead glassy and coppery brown, lower the heat and add the stick of butter. Whisk vigorously till all the fat is combined. Pull from heat and let cool for 10 seconds. Add cream and whisk again.

Sauce is now ready to be combined into ice cream, poured over brownies, or just licked straight from the pan (something I would never dream of doing).

Will keep up to two weeks in the fridge. Warm slightly before using.

Journal...

2009-08-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

So I just bought my first journal.

For me it's always seemed a bit "teen angsty" to keep a journal. These past two weeks I've been sitting in on some lectures given by Math's new school about Emotional Intelligence and progressive education modalities. The speaker suggested all people should keep journals to keep track of their thoughts and ideas and inspirations. A person can keep an on-going log of things to remember or simple observations that seem meaningless. Years later you can look back at what your ideas and thoughts looked like in relation to your ideas and thoughts now. It seemed like a simple enough idea, and not as angst ridden as I might have thought. I'm not exactly one to perpetuate on-going logs (as my random blogging suggests), but I figured it might be worth a try. I think I'll sit it next to my bed for a little night-time reflection.

This journal itself is really cool! It's handcrafted by a women's co-op in Nepal using only sustainable tree bark. It feels great, and looks really cute.

Blinded...

2009-08-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

Okay so I'm totally and completely enamored with Blind Pilot right now. Every time I listen to their album I fall a little bit deeper in love. They were an opener for a concert we saw in Portland and they were pretty awesome live. The band's sooooo Portland...they did a bike tour all up and down the west coast (Bellingham, WA to San Diego), toting their instruments behind them on home-made cargo trailers!

Grecian Getaway...

2009-08-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm yearning for a trip to Santorini in a bad way. I would stay here. And it would be awesome.

Photos by Starwood Hotels & Resorts

How About Them Apples?

2009-08-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

These photos make me happy...

Spainish Gifting...

2009-08-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

I am a lucky, lucky girl.

My friend Rosa just returned from her summer in Spain, and she brought back with her a multitude of thoughtful and downright awesome gifts.

One was an adorable Bimba & Lola coin purse (coincidentally it just so happened to match the new purse I just bought in Portland). Rosa dubbed this her new favorite store in all of Spain. I checked out the website...woah. I wish, wish, wish we had one here. Here's a few pieces from their fall line... Anthropologie-esque with a twist!

Another gift was two more pairs of Vul•ladi shoes for Alexander. I love these shoes...they're comfy and they're cute, and the Spanish Royals love them :0)

Happy Birthday, Husband, Happy Birthday...

2009-08-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

3 Things I love about my husband's birthday:

His birthday is a palindrome
He always mentions to me me when the time is 8:11 and now I notice it even when he's not around
He's older than me, and therefore will be 30 before me ;0)

Fuck Yeah Cilantro (and Basil)...

2009-08-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this website about Cilantro you should check it out immediately. It's really funny.

I'll be truthful and say cilantro isn't my favorite herb. I do enjoy guacamole and salsa which needs to have cilantro to taste right, but it wasn't until recently that I came to enjoy this unique tasting herb. I like it even more when cooked...my friend makes an Indian cilantro latke to die for. In any case, I came across these nifty mini cubes at Trader Joe's on Friday.

I don't know about you, but every time I buy fresh herbs I usually use 4 leaves/sprigs and the rest always rots away in the crisper till I throw it out. Then I buy fresh again a week later. We have some fresh mint growing, but I kill everything I grow so fresh plants aren't an option for us. I think this is such a wonderful way of portioning for dressings and instances where fresh-frozen will suffice. Plus, I plan on making my own organic pureed herbs after I finish these so I can re-use the tray!

I Can't Wait...

2009-08-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

One of my all time favorite books is now a movie! I can't wait to see this, but I'm really hoping it doesn't turn out to be yet another book-to-screen flop. *holding breath*

New Self Portrait...

2009-08-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

f/2.2, 1/100, 85mm fixed. Retouched in Photoshop CS4.

Sookie Stackhouse...

2009-08-03T11:45:00.001-07:00

I never really had a big thing for vampires. I liked the movie Interview with the Vampire, but I think everyone did. I'm not an Anne Rice follower, and I certainly don't find anything remotely sexy about drinking blood or pointed teeth. So it was a huge surprise to everyone, including me, when I got hooked on the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. I read, and re-read all four books with gusto, and even tolerated the movie despite the lame acting...the story was worth it!

In any case, after I got off my Twilight high, my sister recommended reading the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Again I scoffed. Twilight was one thing, but more vampires novels was not something I planned to make a habit of. I heard good reviews of the HBO show, True Blood. The show is based on the books, and that's what lead me down yet another slippery slope of vampire novels. I picked up the series after watching the first episode. I demolished the first 8 books in 2 weeks. So I'll see this series through, but then I'm going to have to find a new series...hopefully unrelated to the undead.

Tomato Salad...

2009-08-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

I made a simple heirloom tomato salad for dinner last night. Very simple. No basil. No dense dressing. Just a little balsamic and some nice salt since I wanted the tomatoes to stand out. Very delicious!

2 Heirloom Tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick
Fresh mozzarella sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
High end sea salt like Fleur de Sel or a flaky one might be nice like Maldon.
1 tsp balsamic
1 Tbs Spanish olive oil
pepper

Mix pepper, balsamic and olive oil together. Arrange tomatoes and mozzarella. Drizzle with dressing, and sprinkle with generous amount of salt before serving.

Speaking of Gourmet...

2009-07-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

Check out this post by my sister in law, Casey.

I want to be at her house for dinner tonight!

Photo by Casey

Magazine Love...

2009-07-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

My first copy of Gourmet Magazine arrived today...just in time for Dinner Club next week :0)

First Night in Portland...

2009-07-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

We made it into Portland and traipsed around our old haunts the first night. We hit up Powells and bought some books in the Pearl. We ate at Henry's and enjoyed some great drinks and grub. We made our way to 23rd Ave and lamented not living in NW Nob Hill anymore. We wished for days gone by...memories of hitting up Mio Gelato at 11:30pm with Math and his scooter...those were the days!

We were sad to see that some of our favorite places were no long in business due to the economic recession (23rd Ave Books and Music Millennium gone!), but were happy to see some new establishments that were fresh and thriving. We ate at Papa Haydn's for dessert and I gotta say the Baccone Dolce is still just as good as I remember it :0)

Despite all the nostalgia I still don't think we could move back...we've got too much keeping us in California (friends, schools, jobs) and we'll likely be anchored there for awhile yet.

Sushi Love...

2009-07-18T00:46:00.000-07:00

The Fams and I hit up our favorite sushi joint in Bend. It's not high end and it's not fancy, but the fish is consistently fresh and I love the bento box. It's become a family tradition visiting Yoko's when we're in town, and anyone will tell you we're not ones to break with tradition (new ones get added and the rituals can be long, lengthy, and costly on the stomach at times).

Alexander had his first experience with sushi and enjoyed what he could fit in his mouth. I've gained like 50 lbs already from this trip...help!

Nighttime in Oregon...

2009-07-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

The Hubster gives Alexi his first guitar lesson. My first attempts at light painting. Fun times.

Oregon Clouds...

2009-07-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

Afternoon Lunch...

2009-07-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Metolius Meanderings...

2009-07-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

We went for a little hike up to the head of the Metolius (a hole in the ground where glacial water pours out to form the start of a river), and then to check out the small town of Camp Sherman. Camp Sherman was complete with an old-school general store so we picked up some lunch and snacks. The store also housed a very impressive stock of flies and gear for fly fishing enthusiasts. It's hard to believe bits of string and fluff could be so appetizing to fish (since we found Cheetos to have a similar effect)!

Quilt Show...

2009-07-12T21:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Sisters is the mecca for quilters everywhere, and the show is an annual event. Let me tell you, these people take quilting to a whole new level of bizarre and beautiful.

And yes, that first one is a quilted car cover. I can't make this stuff up people. I love my husband's hometown...

First Day in Sisters

2009-07-12T19:11:00.001-07:00

We made it! We're here and the boys have been hard at work setting traps, exploring, riding their tractor, and running around.

Over the River and Through the Woods...

2009-07-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

Literally!

We're on our way to Sisters, Oregon to visit the family for about 10 days. To get a good idea of what it's like to live in The Hubster's small hometown click here. Next weekend the grandparents are giving the kids a 3 day camping extravaganza while Jesse and I spend the weekend in Portland to see the Decemberists with Tom and Anne!

Yay!

Fourth of July Festivities...

2009-07-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

So our internet has been acting wonky so I haven't been able to blog much lately.

Last weekend was the 4th of July and we decided to have a little pool party/cookout with the rest of our friends who were left behind to spend their holiday in the Bay Area. We live in a rather international neighborhood, and most of our friends are back in their home countries for the summer visiting their families. In past years this has been true for us as well (at least the visiting family part, none live anywhere as exciting as Spain, Brazil, or India, but we still look forward spending our holiday with them).

In any case, we figured why be miserable and alone when we could be blitzed and well fed? 4th of July is about the most American holiday you can get...what's not to love about over-indulging in food, beer, and bad political jokes? Don't answer that.

Here's some highlights:

My Favorite Indulgence...

2009-07-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

Summer Salads...

2009-07-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Theme this month for dinner club was "Summer Salads." Most of us are away for summer vacation right now so it was a small crowd...we supplemented this by making popcorn and watching Twilight ;0)

Minted Lemon-Limeade

Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Yuki's Persian Salad

Susan's Strawberries with Sweetened Condensed Milk

Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

1-2 lbs fresh spinach
1 large container mandarin oranges (I like the glass packed ones in the refrigerated section)
1/2 lb thick cut bacon
1 shallot
2 Tbs sherry vinegar
1 Tbs sugar

1. Saute bacon and remove with slotted spoon.
2. Add shallots to remaining fat and saute till soft
3. Add vinegar and sugar.
4. Pour hot vinaigrette over salad greens.
5. Add mandarin oranges and bacon.

Toss to combine

Trader Vics...

2009-07-02T12:16:00.001-07:00

Alicia, being knocked-up and all, lent us her driving skills for the night so we could party like it was 1999...

Yea, Trader Vics, nothing like your Mai Thai mess of happiness the next day...

Playdate...

2009-06-27T14:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we met up with my friend Kristen and her kids. I got a few really cute shots of her boys while at our favorite park.

And When He Looks Like This...

2009-06-26T02:14:00.000-07:00

I can't possibly begrudge him a single moment. Bring it on kid, I can take it...

The Only Thing Saving Me Right Now...

2009-06-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Is dessert...Alexi is killing me this week.

Yesterday I went to Whole Foods and saw (what I thought was) a great deal on organic raspberries. Then went to Costco and found a whole flat for almost the same price as the two half pints I just bought. So now I've got 4 pints of raspberries...

Raspberries with sweetened cream is my FAVORITE, but Alexi made me share most of them with him (well, really demanded, he screamed "Bite! Bite! Bite!" over and over). Can you tell I'm in a dark place right now?

Once he went to bed I needed a drink: Lillet shaken with ice over raspberries and a slice of lime. Add that to a raspberry sorbet with mixed fruit and a creme fraiche sweetened cream. Gotta take the bliss when I can get it.

It's a Pink Flower Kindof Day...

2009-06-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

"Man"imal Style...

2009-06-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, tell me this wallet isn't gorgeous? It's masculine, and simple, and hand made. What's not to love?

Ryan, writer of one of my all time favorite blogs, Pacing the Panic Room, held a Father's Day contest giving away a Makr Carry Goods wallet to the owner in possession the most dismal money container (see examples here). The Husband's wallet most certainly qualified in the dismal category, but I decided to just get one outright since I'd been on the hunt for a cool, unique wallet for awhile and this one fit the bill (no pun intended). I fell in LOVE with the Makr line, and now The Hubby is the proud owner of a Minimal Ox. Thanks Ryan and Jason! He opened it this morning and is very happy with it!

Father's Day Pancakes for My Man...

2009-06-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

The man loves blueberry pancakes made with fresh frozen wild blueberries. They're smaller and sweeter than regular blueberries, and over the years we've found them to make the best pancake addition around :0)

Pete Yorn...

2009-06-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Yay! Since I was needing some new tunes for the car I am so excited this just came out.

And I'm hooked...

2009-06-20T01:53:00.000-07:00

Just finished a marathon 6 episode run of Season 2...eyeballs are burning.

In some ways I'm glad we've waited this long to start watching Lost...for one thing I don't have to wait a week for the next one to air...on the other hand, I've noticed my sleep's been drastically reduced.