Did you all have a nice weekend? Ours was super lazy and relaxing. We survived Carmaggedon, which turned out to be not such a big deal… it seems like everyone left town for the weekend or stayed home. Even downtown Santa Monica, which is usually swarming with people all summer, was relatively calm. It was so nice to stay local and have absolutely no weekend agenda!
We thought we’d share two pretty treats we’ve made recently. On the left is a cranberry margarita– we swear by Dr. Swami & Bone Daddy’s Top Shelf Margarita Mix. It’s a long, silly name, but it’s the best! On the right is some homemade strawberry chocolate chip ice cream. We got these delicious (and huge!) organic strawberries from Whole Foods, and we mixed them with sugar, cream, vanilla, and a little lemon juice… it made the. best. ice cream. ever.
I think I’ll try making peach ice cream next. We’ve been eating tons of sweet juicy peaches lately. Summer fruit is the best!
- Jessica
Did y’all have a nice 4th of July weekend? We celebrated with made-from-scratch waffles (I’ve been tweaking the recipe for a couple years and it’s finally perfect), topped with homemade whipped cream and tons of berries. We set up a table in the backyard and basked in the nice warm sunshine– it was lovely! I have a feeling our little 4th of July brunch might just become a yearly tradition.
We watched fireworks (LOTS of them) from the top of the parking structure at the Grove. It’s a great spot for a panoramic view of L.A. and when 9:00 hits there are fireworks shows in every direction. I think I counted 13 different shows! AND it wasn’t super crowded so we didn’t have to deal with grumpy crowds and insane traffic. WIN.
Where do you go to watch fireworks (or fire off your own)?
- Jessica
P.S. last year’s 4th of July post
We’ve never really been wine drinkers. Up until about a month ago, most of what we’d tried kinda reminded us of drinking stomach acid. But we’ve slowly started introducing some red wines into our repertoire, and you know what? There’s some good stuff out there! We’ve discovered a few bottles that we’ve really enjoyed sharing with friends. Of course, since we don’t really know what we’re doing, we’ve made all of our selections based on the design of the labels. We pay way more attention to typography and graphics than we do to the description of the wine. Above are a few of the wines we’ve tried recently, along with a couple that look pretty intriguing.
My personal favorite was the Jam Jar Shiraz… lots of yummy berry notes! Curt liked the Luchador (but mostly because the label is freakin’ sweet), and Jen was a big fan of the House Wine.
For those of you who are wine drinkers… got any recommendations for us?
- Jessica
This is what happens when Curt goes grocery shopping with me.
- Jessica
Last week a friend asked me “what type of beers do you like?” and I drew a complete blank – total deer in the headlights. I really like beer and I had nothing, zlich, brain fart. I’m by no means a snob or an expert on beer, but when you don’t like wine and frosty brews happen to be the new “it” gastro pairing, I’ve found ways to try a lot of great beers. Unfortunately, I forget the names of most of the micro brews I come across, but here’s a few that I could remember. Maybe there’s a few up there that you haven’t tried yet. Let us know what your favorite brew and pairing is!
- Curt
We’ve been eating really healthy lately, which means no sugar. And while it’s nice to fit into old jeans again, it’s not nice when bloggers post all these enticing pictures of sweet treats! Doesn’t a s’mores cookie sound like the most amazing thing you’ve never tried?!
1. Crustabakes‘ Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart via Creature Comforts
2. Donuts from Butterflyfood spotted on Celia‘s blog
3. Meringue-encased Lemon Cakes on {this is glamorous}
4. S’mores cookie from Etsy’s Cookie Crowd via Oh Joy!
- Jessica
January 12, 2011 | In
Food
Plenty of our blogger friends are offering up their 2010 “best of” lists. For most of them that means albums, movies, or significant events from the completed year. For us, it seemed fitting to recap with food. We tried lots of new restaurants (whether new to the world or just new to us). We cooked up new dishes in the kitchen and put the stand mixer to good use with various baking experiments. We even went on a couple of foodie vacations! So, if you’re ready for the fully food-tastic review, read on…
Continue reading…
If you live in LA, you HAVE to get on this. Over 300 LA-area restaurants are participating in dineLA’s Restaurant Week, and that means you can eat at places like Bouchon, Spago, The Little Door, or even one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants… for dirt cheap. Each restaurant comes up with a special prix fixe menu for the event, ranging from $26-$44 per person. We’re sooo looking forward to dining at District on Sunset and The Bazaar by Jose Andres. Mussel Chowder and Crispy Pork Belly. Gooooood times.
If you want to make reservations and quite possibly have the meal of your life, click here.
- Jessica
WARNING: This post may cause cavities.
We’ve got hot chocolate, cupcakes, and donuts. Take your insulin and read on… Continue reading…
Why do all the stores/restaurants/bakeries in Portland have such cute/cool/clever names?! Anyone else notice that?? I love it. Anyway, we’re nearing the end of our Portland whirlwind, but we’ve still got a few more spots to share: A bright and cheerful deli servin’ up old school sammies, and a hip new restaurant on the Northeast end with delicious food and mad style. Continue reading…
