the keys that could...

RIP Dave

December 6, 1920- December 5, 2012

the circle of life

LA County Fair

the Peruvian and i have have not been to a county fair in 15+ years.  we decided to check out the hype of the LA County Fair yesterday thanks to LAUSD having a furloughed school day.  it was HOT.....temperature hot (88*) for this preggo to be walking around so much.  we obviously skipped out on the rides but did partake in some fair food and exhibit scooping.  nice to get a good workout in (4+ hours of walking) but we think we'll probably wait another 15+ to go back.  highlight for us: mini goats, i want one now for the back 40.

breakfast

oatmeal with bananas sauteed in coconut oil
little brown sugar and cinnamon
pretty much perfection

*thanks to celia for the idea*

seasonal goodness

farmer's markets, with all of their ripe summer fruits and vegetables, are beyond inspiring and DELICIOUS this time of the year.  today did not let me down.  i picked up some amazing organic peaches, apricots and strawberries.  there's something to be said for eating seasonal and local.

with the heat also upon us, i wanted to make something cool and easy.  strawberry sorbet it was!

Organic Strawberry Honey Sorbet

2 pints ripe, organic strawberries

1 organic meyer lemon

1/2 c. honey

2 T. vodka

-cut green stems off of all strawberries and add to blender with lemon and vodka

-blend until strawberries are completely pureed

-add honey and blend for another 30 seconds

-pour mixture into an ice cream maker and follow manufacture's instructions

(i love my cuisinart ice cream maker not only for it's affordability but it's ease in use and cleanup)

*makes about 4 cups sorbet*

i can't blog!!!

maybe it's the summer, maybe i've lost my mojo, but i've been busy with life and not very motivated to write lately.  so here's some photos i've snapped along the way during my absence

my cosmic sister, lola

this needs to be on a shirt or poster

thrifting adventures with the brick house

sound bath in joshua tree with my ladies

am bike rides by the LA "river"

backyard bbq's

lots of driving all over CA

CANCER SUCKS

yet another amazing soul was taken far too soon from this earth due to nasty cancer.  so sad about this one.  i was lucky enough to see the beastie boys in concert throughout my teens and twenties, each equally amazing.  RIP Adam, MCA, Yauch. this video gives you a glimpse into their magic if you missed them live.  

dj'ing a couple of weeks ago at the Wolves Kill Sheep art show in LA got my creative juices flowing again.  time to figure out another gig and at the least...play more wax at home.  the sun is out and summer is around the corner!

american leather?!

high point market is going on now through april 26th. furniture companies display their newest designs about to hit retail.  apartment therapy has been tweeting photos from the show and i must say american leather is blowing my mind right now with the pieces they're displaying.  i wouldn't have guessed in a million years they'd produce something i'd really like to own.  below are two delicious morsels from the show (photos via apartment therapy)

teal tuffted couch luv

preserved lemon deviled eggs

something different from the norm.  i combined a few recipes i've seen and came up with these tasty babies.

3 hard boiled eggs

3 1/2 T. Greek yogurt

1/2 t. preserved lemon (i used Friend in Cheeses from Santa Cruz)

couple shakes of Tabasco

salt to taste

cut eggs in half.

mix yolks with all ingredients. make sure to taste before you add salt as most preserved lemons contain salt. you don't want to over do it.

top with chives, maybe even a dash of smoked paprika if you've got it.

wa-la!

warm weather brings out the bbq

cooking whole fish is not only economical, it's easy and tasty too. all the "dirty work" is done when you purchase it and ready to be filled with whatever you dream up.  tonight i used leeks, lemon and cilantro and salt.

cut a few slits on each side of the body and slide in some lemon slices.  wa-la! it's ready for the grill.
6 min on each side over medium-high heat.

saute more leeks with a little olive oil and crimini mushrooms, s&p.  when they are browned, add a splash of apple cider vinegar.

trader joes has a delicious new frozen item: kimchi rice.  cook as directed and top with fresh cilantro and lemon.

when the fish is done, top with the leek mushroom mixture and you've got yourself a fine meal.

the big 3-4

my birthday is on the very near horizon.  last weekend i ventured into the desert with some friends and my husband to stay in an AMAZING house, enjoy outrageously good homemade food, drinks, conversation, LAUGHS, the view and my last days as a 33 yr old.

details of our trip to come soon.....

winter fruit

we eat in season, so why not drink seasonably too?!  southern california has citrus trees growing abundantly EVERYWHERE.  my backyard can attest to this.  i had pink grapefruits and vanilla vodka on hand and decided to mix them together to see what i'd get.

)))BOOM(((

this baby is a real gem and i will make it again for sure. think creamsicle but better.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
fresh grapefruit juice strained to remove pulp
vanilla vodka (i used stoli leftover from a previous party)
ice
sugar

-i juiced 3 large pink grapefruits
-add strained juice to a shaker with a handful of ice and a few shots of vodka
-shake what your mama gave you
-use leftover grapefruit skins to wet the rim of the glass...dip in sugar
-pour yourself a drink

.::enjoy::.

morning ride

LA "river"

a rare sight

i've missed you rain.....

Winter Goodness

we have one orange, one avocado, one tangerine and two meyer lemon trees.  they are LOADED with fruit right now.  i'm not complaining in any way shape or form but i need recipes to use all this fruit!  we've been giving it away to our friends and family and eating/drinking it almost every day at our own house.  so as you can imagine, i'm always on the hunt for new orange/lemon recipes to try.

coincidently, my friend erin emailed me the other day from the bay area, sharing a WONDERFUL recipe she tweaked from Gourmet magazine.  it's too good, easy, cheap and healthy to keep to ourselves. it also has lentils which i love....so here it is:



Rice and Lentil Spinach Salad with Oranges and Dried Cherries

yield: Makes 6 servings

active time: 20 min

total time: 35 min

1 package Trader Joe's Ready to Eat Lentils

1 package Trader Joe's Frozen Rice Medley (Brown Rice, Red Rice, Black Barley)

1/4 cup finely chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot)

2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (i used apple cider vinegar since it's what i had on hand)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 oranges

1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped (i left mine whole.  i also used golden raisins the first time i made it since that's all i had)

1/4 cup olive oil

2-3 large handfuls organic spinach 

put one package of rice (three come in a box) in a pan and heat over medium heat until totally defrosted.  you can also put a package in the refrigerator earlier in the day to defrost and skip this step.  

when the lentils come out of the packaging, they need some breaking up.  do this in a large bowl.  add rice.  

Stir together shallot, vinegar, and lemon juice and let stand. Finely grate zest from 1 orange and cut away remaining peel and pith of both. Cut sections free from membranes and cut sections into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss warm rice with lentils, shallot mixture, orange, zest, cherries, oil, and spinach and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

see how easy that was?  and just wait until you taste it.  DELICIOUS!

desert dreaming

our "room" @ hicksville, Joshua Tree

the weight

❤❤❤

today's craigslist scores:

getting my sand on today to bring this baby back to life. (big round, white marble slab-top not pictured)

and THIS just makes my heart flutter.  hot, hot barcelona day bed in PERFECT condition with the softest leather ever....i don't want to tell you how much i paid.  it's illegal it was so cheap.  more photos to come on both

day at the museum

my husband had the day off from teaching for the MLK holiday.  we've been wanting to go to the California Design, 1930-1965: "Living a Modern Way" exhibit ever since it arrived at the LACMA.  we discovered last night, every holiday, target pays for the general public to go to the museum for FREE...all day.  so cool! ta-dao, we had a sweet date planned.

my mom also knew we wanted to go to this exhibit, so for christmas, she gave us $$ for tickets and lunch/dinner.  the gift of an experience is far superior to a "thing" you soon forget about.  i highly recommend this route for anyone.

here are my highlights from our day and what i savored most, enjoy!

spine chair

mini shell chair

milo b. coffe table/planter

rattan seat for 2

doggie bag

dreamy avanti by studebaker 

another weekend

:::make it a good one:::

lb swapmeet

my swapmeet score: turkish kilim pillow

post swapmeet victory meal @ don chentes, best carnitas burrito in our hood