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

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…

In late January, we officially launched GBM. There weren’t any exciting food posts, but I did share a beautiful video about the satiny smooth espresso from Intelligentsia.

In February, we made sliders and cake balls for our Super Bowl party. We also talked about awesome vertical herb gardens and helvetica cookie cutters!

In March, we kicked off the Grizzly Eats series. We discovered delicious (and cheap!) banh mi in Westminster, we shared our favorite place for Mexican food in Laguna Beach, got AMAZING fish tacos from Ricky, and ate BBQ in two very different settings: here and here. I also got a little baking-happy and made blueberry muffins and lemon bars.

In April, we made overly cheesy mac n’ cheese, and then to make up for the damage to our cholesterol we shared one of our favorite weeknight recipes– Asian Lettuce Wraps. Easy, healthy, yummy. Also: Homemade Pop-tarts and Easter Candy!

In May, we went on an awesome weekend foodie trip to Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico. Tacos, Tacos, Tacos!!! It was epic. Check out the entire Comida de Baja series here. Curt took me to Mozza for my birthday. Also in May, we ate Roscoe’s and Umami in the same weekend. Maybe not the smartest idea, but it was delicious. There’s nothing like fried chicken and waffles… followed by a burger the next day. We’re probably crazy.

In June, there was a tasty recipe in my Real Simple magazine: Spiced Chicken with Couscous Salad. Delish! We also recapped our Denver trip.

In July, it was all about the sweets. We cooled off with some homemade Coconut Avocado ice cream, baked a Coconut Cream Pie, discovered maybe one of the most amazing cookies ever, and fantasized about tracking down the Lake Street Creamery truck and getting a sundae made with Donut ice cream. Yeah that’s right, I said donut.

In August, I discovered Which ‘Wich while visiting my sister and baby nephew in Denver. I was instantly smitten. Now there’s one just a few blocks from my work, and I’m not going to admit how frequently I eat lunch there. We also checked out the new Santa Monica Place shortly after its grand opening, and dined on amazing Latin-Asian fusion at Zengo. I began my month-long search for the perfect red velvet cupcake recipe, and we ate birthday cake with a super cute birthday girl.

In September, an awesome little sandwich shop called Soda Pop‘s opened up in West Hollywood. We were a little obsessed. I continued in my quest for the perfect red velvet, and we made breakfast for dinner (it was perfection). At the end of the month, Curt went on a business trip to Boston and returned with stories of a magical, mythical lobster roll from Neptune Oyster.

In October, it was taco time! We were there for the opening week of Tinga, an upscale taqueria on La Brea. A couple weeks later we took Bill‘s advice (again) and discovered the deliciousness that is Mexicali Taco & Co. Oh baby. We topped off that meal with a visit to Sweet Rose Creamery in Brentwood (salted caramel!!!!). Oh, we also celebrated our first wedding anniversary, which meant sushi at our favorite local spot followed by snuggling in bed while watching When Harry met Sally. Lastly, we asked for your suggestions and compiled a google map in preparation for our trip to Portland.

November was a doozy. First, we had to talk about all the food we ate in Portland: Breakfast at Mother’s Bistro, lattes at Stumptown Coffee, afternoon snacks at Clyde Common, southern food at Screen Door, more awesome breakfast at Pine State Biscuits, sandwiches at Kenny & Zuke’s, better-than-bar-food at Tasty n Sons…not to mention sweet treats from Saint Cupcake, Cacao, and the infamous Voodoo Doughnut. Believe it or not, we didn’t stop when we got home. Curt went to Tacos Leo when I had to work late one night, but a week or so later we grabbed some friends and checked out A-frame (which was incredible) in its opening week. And to round out the month, there was Thanksgiving dinner and my mom’s famous Apple Crisp.

With all the Christmas festivating, things got pretty quiet for GBM in December. But these Coconut Snowballs were so insanely delicious… there’s gotta be some kind of redeeming factor in that, right? Right.

Anyway, we hope you had fun recapping and reminiscing with us! Here’s to plenty of good eats in 2011!

- Jessica

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…

First up, Cacao. This beautiful little shop in the West End neighborhood is rich, relaxing, and even a bit sensual… just like good chocolate. We stopped in on a cold drizzly day and the hot chocolate and salted caramels really hit the spot.

Saint Cupcake Deluxe is built into the front of Noun. Ah, what a beautiful marriage! We grabbed a few mini cupcakes before leaving and they were gone by the time we got back to the car. The toasted coconut cupcake was almost life-changing. The picture above is by Traci French (it’s too beautiful. had to share it.), and this one is Curt’s…

And lastly, one of the most renowned spots in Portland, Voodoo Doughnut…

Nothing is too crazy for the daring duo behind Voodoo Doughnut. They’ll top their treats with Oreos, peanut butter, Cap’n Crunch, even bacon! Just check out their menu. Totally worth waiting in line outside in the cold.

Well, kiddies, that concludes our Portland Whirlwind. We’ve had fun recapping our trip and we hope you had fun reading about it! If you ever get the chance to visit the City of Roses, go!!! And don’t forget, you can check out our Portland map here.

- Jessica

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.

Kenny & Zuke’s is just steps from the Ace, so on our last day when it was cold and rainy we stopped in for brunch. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with eating a big ol’ sandwich–and pickles– at 11 AM. Their bakery case looked AMAZING but we were already stuffed.

Tasty n Sons just opened up this spring but it seems they’ve already got quite a loyal following. It’s in the same little area as Ink & Peat, so we stopped in for happy hour. Good, cheap food! Yay!

Dessert’s up next!

- Jessica