Weekend Recap, Because I Have NO IDEA What's For Dinner This Week.

Many moons ago -- you know, when I was in my early 20s -- I used to have to be at work by 5am regularly. Being the socializer I was, I often went out the night before and somehow made it to work bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to take on the day. This ability is no longer my reality.  In fact I packed so much into this weekend that when my alarm went off this morning I couldn’t figure out if my radio was playing music or if I had been hit by a truck and the sound I heard was angels singing.  Then I realized it was Bon Jovi on the radio and while it is many things, Wanted: Dead or Alive isn't quite what I would call a Pearly Gate Anthem.  And my day began.

You all, I am TIRED.

I realize that all of you with adorable babies and multiple children are probably rolling your eyes and thinking Holly, you don’t know tired – so I won’t make this a post about trying to one up your fatigue. Instead I will show you some pictures and tell you some random things and we will call it a post for the sake of documentation, mmm kay?

For starters I spent the weekend checking a few more things off my summer bucket list  so you know despite my tiredness I am sublimely happy.  Friday my mom came out to visit for the weekend. She actually lives close by, but we both had similar errands to run and we were going to the same party on Saturday so we just made a weekend out of it. It was basically a girls weekend + Garrett.  You know he loved it.  

My mom can shop with the best of them, and Friday we did just that. After a crazy intense workout Friday morning, we headed out for most of the day to take care of business.  Taking care of business with my mom always involves at least one trip to Target where we A to Z every aisle in the store.  This is dangerous and while I love it, I do not recommend it if you are trying to save money.  My mom is a fantastic shopping enabler!  By the time we got home on Friday night we had just enough energy to have some dinner with Garrett, during which my mom got a long overdue lesson about the strategy of Formula One racing, we did a little prep work for the brunch I was hosting on Sunday, and then we all headed to sleep.

On Saturday morning we woke up early and I got to check my first item off the Summer Bucket List: Have a picnic in the Plaza in Sonoma.  My cousin Jim’s birthday was on Sunday so the bulk of my family met up in Sonoma at Sebastiani to eat and celebrate because that is how we roll.  Ok, truth be told we didn’t picnic in the Plaza, but my mom and I did get to see the plaza, because that was where we got sandwiches.  Qucik PSA: The ONLY proper sandwich choice when picnicking up in wine country is The Sonoma Cheese Factory.  They make the kind of sandwiches that God would make if heaven were a deli. Paleo diet be damned, when in Sonoma there must be sandwich consumption. I believe that is written in the epilogue of The Bible.

Then we headed over to have a picnic at a winery so I’m just going step in and call that close enough -- CHECK!  I seriously LOVE chilling with my family.

There was lots of wine drinking and baby squeezing and joke-cracking that afternoon. It was a fun, yet too short, visit with my family. All the photos are here if you enjoy that business.

Unfortunately Garrett had to work and miss out on the Saturday afternoon fun which was a bummer, but when we got home he went all out and put together an impromptu scotch/whiskey/bourbon tasting for the three of us while I did a few more things to prep for my brunch.  I don't even like any sort of brown liquor, quite frankly, but I highly recommend comparative tasting.  That's probably the coffee/wine geek in me, but it was so much more fun to taste the differences between all the different types rather than just drink a glass of brown stuff.  My favorite at the end of the tasting?

Who knew?  Never thought I would enjoy scotch on purpose.

Saturday night Garrett suggested we bust out some old family movies and all watch them together and if you guessed that this melted my mama’s little heart, then you guessed correctly. That Garrett knows just how to get brownie points, so the 3 of us stayed up way too late laughing and reminiscing about old family stories. Also, about how awful the fashion was in the 90s. I turned off those videos with no clear understanding of what purpose the mock-turtleneck served, and with extreme wonder surrounding why people ever wore matching sweatsuits. Awful, really really awful.

Sunday morning again came too quick, and my mom headed out because she babysits my little cousin Chelsea on Sundays and Mondays. After a whirlwind of a weekend my mom was off to baby wrangle. It’s a good thing I made a huge pot of coffee because you can tell by the look on her face that this little chicky doesn’t want to sit still for long. My mom needed all the caffeine she could get:

After she took off, I checked another thing of the Bucket List: Have a dinner party in my backyard before it gets sweltering. Except I didn't actually have dinner, I had a brunch, but I’m just going to call it complete anyway because Bobby Brown told me that was my prerogative. CHECK! Since Sacramento is always sweltering I thought my best bet for getting to eat outside was to do breakfast instead of dinner. Sarah, Elizabeth, Amy and Elisabeth came over and I would show you a picture of that lovely afternoon except I didn't take a single one!  I think that is the sign of good conversation if you can get 5 women in a room who document their lives via blog and not a single one busts out a camera.  Either that, or they thought my tablecloth was ugly.  I'm going to hope for the former.  

We had lots of coffee, cocktails and food -- so much food actually that I forgot to even serve the bacon I had cooked.  And no Garrett and I didn't have bacon for dinner, why would you even think that?????  Actually we didn't ONLY have bacon, there was also blueberry cake too.  We like to make sure we get in some fruit, you know?  

By the time evening rolled around I basically only had enough energy to play fashion police on the couch while watching my DVR.  For example -- WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE:

photo found here

After contemplating that I was obviously too exhausted to do much else besides go to bed.  And now we are back to the grind on a Monday.  How does that even happen?

How did you enjoy your weekend, peeps?

________________

Partyin' Partyin' Yeah! *

I put together a little BBQ on Saturday night that started out as an intimate evening with family and a few friends.  We were celebrating the fact that Garrett was turning 30 and what better way to do that than with some hot dogs and beers and a cigar bar for the boys, right? 

By the end of the evening, however, there was a lot of this going on: 

I hadn't even realized what a good dance floor our patio made.  But once I did there was no stopping me.  And there was a lot more of this:

I think it is safe to say a good time was had by all. 

I started out in a cute party dress but the weather didn't cooperate so eventually I ended up in capris and a sweatshirt.  The latter outfit ended up being way better for shaking your booty to Snoop Dogg though.  

I have lots of things to say about the night:  how I have some of the nicest and most considerate friends on the planet, how I really feel about party planning (OMG!), and about HOW RAD MY WHOLE FAMILY IS, but I am about to go throw my 11th load of laundry in the washer and the plumber is going to be here any minute to fix our kitchen sink and guest bathroom toilet, so ya know -- real life is calling.  

In the end though, Garrett had a fantastic time!  Since that was the overall goal, I feel pretty happy about things.  The only thing I am bummed about was that I wanted at least one picture of us together looking happy in our cute outfits to commemorate this birthday milestone.  When all was said and done, there was only this:

But damn if we were happy as clams at high tide in this picture.  See also: maybe a little tipsy.  But frankly that too is worth commemorating. 

*Apologies if you now have a Rebecca Black Earworm
__________

Nutella Banana Bread

My friend Natalie (hi Natalie!) sent me this recipe a few weeks ago and I have mentioned it casually on Facebook or during random conversations only to met my by the same reaction every time:   


"I need this recipe, IMMEDIATELY!"

Something about Nutella seems to get everyone worked up into a lather, and I have to say, I finally understand.  Can you believe I had never tried Nutella until I made this for the first time?  My life is forever changed and I say that without even a hint of hyperbole.  The problem is I bought the two pack in Costco and now every time I pass the cupboard where it is stored I have to use absolutely every ounce of strength I have to not grab a spoon from the drawer below and dive in. 

I mostly look like this when I walk around the house now.  The situation is getting slightly out of hand. 

I've been avoiding sugar, flour and other refined grains since August of last year so this is definitely a treat for me, and hopefully now it can be a treat for you!

Gooey Nutella Banana Bread
My comments in italics below


2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 heaping cup Nutella
Directions


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray. (I used a 9x5). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda & salt.


3. In a separate large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, milk and vanilla. Beat until blended.


4. Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until flour is incorporated (don’t over mix).


5. Spoon Nutella into a small dish and soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds. (Eat a spoonful out of the jar.) Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until blended well. Spoon Nutella batter alternately with plain banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Swirl batters together with a knife.


5. Bake 50 to 60 minutes (I did about 65 minutes) it will seem a tiny bit undercooked but that’s what makes it good. Cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.


*Then, experience true bliss for the first time.


_________

You Would Think It's The Lunatic Fringe...

Here's a nice video from Robb Wolf and Art De Vany's appearance on Nightline last night that will function as a 5 minute answer to all those questions I keep getting about what my weight loss secret has been. 

It is also the cliffs notes answer to the question of "What have you and Garrett been up to lately?"  

Well, this is it. 

All in all, pretty nice coverage, I thought. 



I haven't forgot about my forthcoming post on transitioning to a Paleo kitchen.  It's coming soon!

The Story of Our House

So our front and backyard? 

Finally done. 

Actually, it’s been done for over a month now but I just haven’t had it in me to post the Before/After pics.  I know, I suck.  Part of the reason is because since finishing, it is almost painful to look at the before pictures.  It’s not that our new yard is so super fancy that it blows our old yard out of the water -- I mean, come on, our budget was spent on really fabulous things like Extreme Trenching and Improving Drainage, etc so obviously this hampered the Porno Pool w/ Grotto, you know?  I just want you to manage your expectations here.  But my hesitation to post these pictures had more to do with the fact that every time look at the Befores, it is all I can do to not shout – I SWEAR WE WERE NOT WHITE TRASH!

But before I tell you the story of the yard, I feel like I should tell you the story of this house so you understand why the yard got to the condition that it was in.  It’s not like one day we just started throwing garbage in the backyard and stacking things – it was, er…well, a much more complicated process. 

So once upon a time in 1999 Garrett’s parents bought him this house when he went off to college.  They were assuming (quite intelligently, actually) that when he was done with college a few years later they could sell the house, recover their expenses, and pat themselves on the back for their smart investing. This was only possible for two reasons --  1)  Real Estate in Sacramento in 1999 was incredibly cheap  and 2)  Their son was an 80 year old man living in an 18  year old’s body and could responsibly care for a house at such a young age.  As you can imagine there was no way in hell my parents would ever have purchased me a house when I went off to college, and righfully so!  The only thing they didn’t anticipate was Garrett getting comfortable here and never wanting to leave (and who can blame him – our little house is really quite cozy) and that the real estate market would take a massive nose dive.  Have you heard?  It blows.  So for now we rent from his parents, live in sin, and it works out well for all involved. 

But back in 2007, after almost a decade of Garrett living there but before I moved in,  it was becoming apparent that the house needed a little updating.  It was about 900 square feet, had one bathroom, 3 tiny bedrooms, and only outdoor laundry.  Garrett and his parents hired a contractor and 6 months later basically had a brand new house.  It was still 3 bedrooms (though much roomier at 1200 square feet), but it had a second bathroom, a remodeled master suite, and an indoor laundry room.  Due to the dumpsters, tractors, contractors, and new foundations being laid though, what it DIDN'T have at the end of that 6 months were pretty yards.  The front and back yards died a horrible death and instantly got put on the the "Things To Do At Some Point When the Remodel is Done" list.  And then life went on for about 2 and a half years:  Garrett started a new job, we moved in together, we merged all sorts of aspects of our lives, Garrett quit the new job, and  it just never seemed like the right time to start a large scale yard remodel, so we didn’t. 

But by August of this year Garrett had quit the soul sucking full-time job and had been working part time for a few months.  We had fallen into a new life rhythm and it finally seemed like the time.  We started interviewing landscapers, getting quotes, and finally in September we started with the front yard looking like this:  

And come November, it started looking a little more like this:

A nice new driveway that can fit 3-5 cars now instead of just one.  And some low maintenance bark/shrubs/moss rock...see?

And inside that gate, a new little patio:

Of course now that the yard is done we have no Patio Furniture Budget, but that is neither here nor there.  


Now, onto the backyard!  


I just want you to remember to tell yourself that we are not white trash, mmmkay?


Here was our back patio and "lawn" before:

And what was left of my "Garden Beds":

Here's another look at what were my Garden Beds and our shed:

No, that is not where the Uni-bomber lives.  That's our backyard!  

And of course, here was our lovely side yard:

But then November came, and after about a month of many strange men being at my house at all hours of the day 5 days a week (sometimes 6!) the yard began to look a bit more liveable.  

Now look at that side yard:  

Which leads right onto our new patio:

And look -- we actually have a lawn now!

And Garden Beds that look like, come spring, they might actually grow things:

Though, uh, who is going to teach me how to garden now that I am responsible for 120 square feet of soil?  OY!  HALP!


Anyway, as you can see there is no Porno Pool to my dismay, but I am pretty happy that things are simple, clean, functional, and more importantly don't make our neighbors think that we are total crazies!  


I am trying to convince Garrett that we should have our wedding here since we could easily fit 75 people in the back to witness a little holy matrimony.  Plus -- it would be free!  (Well, the venue at least.) 


If you are interested in seeing more, all of the photos are here. 

Asked and Answered

Friday night after a long week, Garrett and I sat down over a glass of wine and started talking about the ups and downs of our day.  When I got to the downs I told Garrett about how I was was a little bummed that we didn't get a Christmas tree this year.  We don't have kids, but we're pretty festive and we had talked about getting a tree this year (since we didn't last year) and decided to definitely do it. 

First we had planned to go right after Thanksgiving --  but honestly, after running the 5K, the siren song of having 3 more days off just to relax had a greater pull than the idea of having a festive and decorated house.  So I lit a balsam scented candle and said we'd do it next weekend.  Then the following weekend had us attending 2 parties, with one very late night out so come Sunday we lit the candle again and decided we'd go next weekend.  Oops, except "next weekend" was this last weekend, and this last weekend Garrett was heading out of town.  Unless we wanted to go the weekend before Christmas and do a rush job -- and I didn't mostly because I'm morally opposed to paying $50 for a tree that is only going to be up for a week -- it was looking like we weren't going to be getting a tree, and I was bummed.  

Mostly I was bummed because I am dying to replace the memory of the last time we got a Christmas tree.  I've told you about this, haven't I?  How we marched down to Home Depot, picked out the prettiest tree on the lot, smugly tied it to the roof of our car, and then realized that we had tied our doors closed?  Yeah, not my sharpest moment. 

Anyway, so no sooner do I express my dissatisfaction with our Christmas Tree Situation and my phone buzzes.  It's a new text message from my cousin's husband saying:  "Want a Free Christmas Tree?"  And for a minute I felt like I was on candid camera or something, but obviously without hesitation I said YES!!!  And 4 hours later we had a tree in our garage.  That he delivered!  Saving me from tying my doors closed or tying it to myself or something equally as unsavory!  It was a huge tree, actually and it needed a little surgery before it could come inside, if you know what I'm saying.  So  Garrett handled the actually trimming of the branches and stump, and I handled the light and ornament trimming while he was out of town.  And it's so cute!  My mom came over, we busted out all my childhood ornaments, played cheesy Christmas music, and by Saturday night we had this:  

Except imagine it looking even better because I take terrible pictures! 



The house smells fantastic, it is beautiful to see at night, and even though it takes up half of our tiny little living room -- I LOVE IT. 

I think I'm going to call it my own little Christmas Miracle.  Well, you know, unless Santa shows up at my door with the winning lotto ticket.   

Out of Office Reply

I know I've been a blogging slacker lately but after this weekend, that will all change I'm sure.  I'm off to The Blathering this weekend in Chicago for 48 hours of fun and fabulousness, and aside from the fact that my plane leaves in about 12 hours and I haven't packed, I couldn't be more excited. 

See ya on the flipside!



Schooled

Look, Facebook is the devil.  I know.  I hear it from Garrett all the time, since he refuses to join (even though he is the only person I know who loves just about every single person he went to high school with.  For real.)  I once read a funny status update that said "Remember when stalking via the internet was weird and creepy?  Now it's just what we all do at work on Thursday mornings when we're bored"  and I am convinced truer words have never been spoken.  I'm sure it won't end well, and at least I'll admit that I sometimes have a Crisis of Douchery when I'm posting about what I'm doing, or what I'm thinking or what I'm cooking -- but, hey! everyone else is doing it, so why the hell not?   (Though for the record, no I don't want to jump of that bridge with you.  Sorry dude, gotta draw the line somewhere.) 

That said, there are moments on Facebook where the brilliance is just too, well...brilliant for me not share.  So with that, I present you this Q&A for your reading enjoyment.  Maybe you will learn something too! 

That right there is the *Magic* of Facebook.

Ask And You Shall Receive

Wasn't I just bitching that I wanted some inspirational resources about improving my writing?  I opened my Reader this morning and found this:  60 Tips to Improve Your Non Fiction Writing

I've been dying to get back to doing some yoga and today's Deal Ticket and Living Social Deal were both Yoga-centric.  (Though neither really worked out for me, I thought it was kind of a coincidence!)

Lately I've been trying to sell Garrett on the idea of getting bikes.  Not fancy bikes, just fun bikes -- we LOVE riding bikes yet we don't actually own bikes and I just think that's ridiculous, hence my prodding.  Today, I got an email from my old roommate that she is sending her old mountain bike up with her brother who is coming into town and he's going to drop it off at my house!  Hooray for giving away stuff you aren't using!  

Wanna join our bike gang?  We are pretty fierce?

(This picture is actually a picture from a biking wine tour with friends and family in Sonoma and while I'm doing some asking I'd just like to say right now, Universe, that I'd like another one of those, ok?)

I've been having a bit of wanderlust but bemoaning the fact that everything costs SO! MUCH! MONEY! but it turns out I have to do a bit of traveling for work and Garrett and I may turn that into a long weekend in Yosemite.  Also we are trying to plan sometime to go see his parents who live in New Mexico and all of a sudden it hit me -- Southwest Roadtrip, maybe?  A car rental, overnights with friends, and some downtime with parentals sound like a pretty affordable getaway, no?  Plus I keep forgetting that I am going to Chicago in November!  Well, not really forgetting, but now that it's getting closer it just seems so exciting!  Wanderlust, I will tame you.   

It feels so nice when things in life just align, you know?  Just wanted to take a minute to document my gratitude!

And of course brainstorm for some badass things to ask for -- what do you wish the Universe would drop in your lap?

Reading and Ritual

I finally updated my goodreads profile the other day and came to the sad realization that in the Month of May I didn't finish a single book.  Since reading is pretty much my favorite way to spend down time, I was obviously a bit disappointed.  It is especially sad when you compare it to last May when I read 8 books!  Granted last May I spent 12 days in Maui where I read 6 of those books and spending the early mornings drinking coffee on a lanai is far more conducive to reading than the hustle bustle of everyday life --  but STILL!  That is no excuse. 

Last week I spent a few minutes browsing some of my favorite reading blogs (minutes!  ha!  I kid. I kid.  It was more like hours) and immediately pulled up a second browser with my local library's catalog system ready to request whatever piqued my interest.  I ended up with about 20 new books in addition to the other stuff I previously had on hold.  These have been slowly but surely making their way to the hold shelf at the library and I have been stopping by to pick them up little by little on my way home from work and I contend there is nothing more exciting than a stack of new books, fresh from the library waiting to be read! 

I wasn't joking yesterday when I said I am inspired to try and create a life that I don't want to escape, and one of the things that gets me giddy when planning some escape time is:  Can I squeeze in some uninterupted reading time? I mean hours to read all to myself is such a luxury unavailable in the everyday life, right?   Well forget that, I say!  I have come up with a solution that makes this luxury come standard in my everyday life.  I've been setting my alarm for 5am -- which I know makes some people's mouths drop -- so please don't think I am recommending this for everyone.  But for me?  I'm a morning person and basically the second I get out of bed, I'm up and ready to have a conversation or take on the day or whatever.  I know that sounds sickening, but it was not my natural state, trust me.  I spent over 10 years in the coffee industry and part of that job description is that you learn to get up at unimaginable hours, so mostly it's a non-issue for me as long as I go to bed at a decent hour.  So the other day I asked myself -- why am I not taking advantage of that? 

Getting up early is someting I love.  Uninterupted time to myself to read is also something that I love.  So why not combine the two (especially when it is summer and it is BEAUTIFUL in the morning) for a little daily luxury?  I have started almost everyday for the last week with almost 2 extra hours to read, drink my coffee, enjoy the weather before it gets crazy-hot, and just RELAX!  I mean my backyard is no Maui Lanai but it has totally felt like a mini-vacation every single day, not to mention I've been tearing through books like gangbusters (Well for me at least, I read dreadfully slow).   I'm just so happy to be able to make one tiny intentional change that so far is making a world of difference. 

So, now that that is out of the way -- tell me, I've got my Library Catalog Browser open...what are you reading right now???

Time Of Our Life?

I’ve been reading a number of things about personal finance, simplification and consumerism lately. These are things I think a lot about anyway just because I find them fascinating, but with all the recent lifestyle changes we have been making I have found myself even more committed to making sure we are doing the best we can with our finances, saving where we can, DIY’ing when it makes sense, and generally being cognizant about Need vs. Want. With Garrett working part time right now there’s really no glossy way to put it, our income has been reduced by almost half.


That is actually kind of a panic inducing number when you think about it – but in actuality it really hasn’t been that stressful. I know what you are thinking, “But Holly, what do you mean things haven’t been stressful, I read your blog. You’re life has been a ball of stress lately.” And to that, I would agree, but I would also clarify: I’m not saying we haven’t had stressful things going on – um, you are correct to note just about every post over the last two weeks -- but the reality is that this stress would have been there no matter what, whether we were both working full time making twice as much money, or not. And my point is that our reduction in income hasn’t made life more stressful and in fact, I’m going to posit the exact opposite.


What has been amazing over these last few weeks with all this stress going on is that with Garrett’s new part time gig at Peet’s (free coffee, FTW!) it has been so incredibly awesome to have him around because he is well suited to be Captain of Team Fix It. These types of stressors are things Garrett handles better than I do, so he’s kind of the obvious choice. So even with all the craziness going on there is definitely a more relaxed energy around our house. For me, it has been because Garrett has been majorly owning life on the home front (instead of us both juggling to split it) and for him, the fact that this new job is about 90 Bazillion times less stressful than either of the jobs he has had in the last 5 years is improving his quality of life in ways we didn’t even plan for. No doubt we have definitely had to contemplate decisions about purchases more carefully, and we have had to (sadly) say no to a couple of experiences that we would have normally jumped at the chance to be a part of, but overall life with less money has felt (dare I say) better.


This is weird, right? Stick with me for a minute and I will explain away the crazy, I promise.


I read something recently that that sort of inspired me, and also did a little dot connecting for me in my head. The post was about creating a life that needs no escape, and the part that really resonated with me was this:

I think that for a lot of people, vacations are as much about getting away from normal life as they are about seeing new places. Most people get two or three weeks of vacation time each year. Do you really want to have two or three great weeks per year, during which you try to get away from whatever it is you do with your time the other 49 to 50 weeks? I would rather have 52 great weeks and no desire to escape from my life.

I think what resonated for me was this idea of being intentional with your life. You are in the driver’s seat, so why not be creating a life that you want to live, instead of planning all these things to do when you finally get some time off from life? Even though the above post came from a financial blog, I feel like this idea of creating a life you want to be living encompasses so much more than just saving your money (though that is a big part of it). I think it is about defining what you value – and really, when you get caught up in the hustle bustle of everyday life, sometimes you forget to ask yourselve if the tasks on our to do list are really aligning with what it is you truly value? Defining your values, figuring out what excites and inspires you, and determining what success looks like for you in your own life is hard enough. Add on trying to actually achieve these things in the context of the well meaning others around you (with their own opinions) and it becomes almost this radical idea.


For us, the past couple months have been a little bit radical. We have definitely had much less disposable income to kick around, but what we found is that we had an overabundance of time -- and as it turns out that was something that we were ALWAYS craving! Time to get things done, time to plan, time to execute and of course time to breathe – all these things were luxuries before. But it turns out, with just a few tweaks, we unintentionally created this life where all of that comes standard. So even though we’ve been doing some penny pinching, having a little less money lately has really forced us to think about what we truly value, and many of those things: time with our family, having dinner together, being outside, exercising, reading, working in the yard, tending to our little garden, catching up with friends – don’t really require millions of dollars. But having the time to spend doing them? Priceless.

Beauty Pressure

A while back, one of my favorite bloggy peeps Amy over at Just a Titch invited me to a fun and girly yoga party that was sponsored by Dove.  I love Dove products, truly, so obviously I was excited.  Pretty much everything they make smells delicious and works wonderfully, and back in the day even before they had fancy scented stuff, their plain old white soap was the only bar soap I had ever used that didn't leave me feeling like I was covered in soap scum.  Needless to say, I'm a fan and was stoked to be invited!  Although the day of the party I felt awful and was probably the worst yoga student EVER, it was a very nice event and really stuck in my mind what a great company Dove is to sponsor events like that for local bloggers.  


And so today, when I ran across this, I just had to post it because really, how can you not love Dove when they spend Marketing Money on things like this?

Spring Fever!

The problem with living in Sacramento is that the second it gets even a little bit warm, I want to be by the water, soaking up the sun with a great book in hand, and well -- the Sacramento River just doesn't really do it for me.  I mean, sure it's fun to raft down in a moment of excrutiating heat and desperation, but I prefer the ocean! the beach! the sand! icy cold beverages!  Why does coastal living in California have to cost an arm and a leg (and then your firstborn! yikes!) 

I'm already dreaming about the weekend -- customary for a Wednesday, I'll have you know -- and although I don't think we'll be headed to the beach, we may head up to Oroville and do our favorite hike up to Feather Falls because at least if we aren't going to get to see the ocean, this is a nice substitute:

via

I am also woefully behind on my bookclub reading, so I best make some time to do that this weekend as well. 

What are you fantasizing about doing this weekend.  Do tell -- it makes the week go by faster, I promise!

I Can Make ANYONE Love Brussels Sprouts

Ah, Brussels Sprouts! Nature's cruciferous little cast-off.   How can you hate something that is so cute???

Growing up in my house, brussels sprouts (and please note the 's' at the end of brussel so that you won't be rudely corrected by some bitchy cooking aficionado as I was) were strictly verboten. My father had an unfortunate choking incident with them after being forced to eat them as a child, and let me tell you if there is anything more powerful than a traumatic childhood food memory, I don't know what it is. 

Just about everyone I'm acquainted with has some story about a time they were forced to eat something, and now as adults they staunchly refuse to partake if for no other reason than 'because they can.' As a child this meant no brussels sprouts in our house, at the request of my father, and no seafood of any kind at the request of my mother. The latter is kind of a humorous story for another time, but rest assured I have all but overcome my mother's hatred of fish and now could live happily as a pescetarian.

But today I want to talk about brussels sprouts.  Deeply delicious brussels sprouts.  And if right now you are thinking that I am at least one card short of a full deck -- I urge you to resist judgment, at least until the end of this post.  I mean, it involves bacon, people.  We can reserve judgment if it involves bacon, can't we?  Okay, so let's get started with these little delicacies...

So the first rule of Brussels Sprouts Club is Never Talk About Bruss...wait, that's not right. 

The first rule is No Boiling or Steaming.   If I can impart even a small culinary nugget of widom on you today, let it be this:  If you think you do not like a vegetable, please try it roasted at a high temperature with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.  If you think you REALLY don't like a vegetable -- roast it in bacon drippings.   This is sound advice, I swear.

You see that shiny goodness on your brussels?  That is the magic of bacon!  And it is the result of you rendering about 8 slices of chopped up bacon (or "lardonnes" if you want to be snooty about it) in an oven proof pot or pan (I use a 7 qt Dutch Oven) and then removing those slices of bacon and adding about 2lbs of cleaned brussels sprouts.  While you are at it, give them a little shower of salt and pepper...and don't be shy about it.  Good seasoning is key here -- especially with the salt. 

At this point you are going to pop that bad boy in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes -- and the trick here is that you want the sprouts to be in a single layer so they actually roast, not steam.  Steaming makes for a soggy sprout and we want ours to be crusty and delicious when it's done.  After about 30 minutes your sprouts should be cooked but not completely browned, and at this point you will take them out and throw in what is left of the bacon bits you rendered earlier (c'mon...you know a couple of those pieces made it into your belly, you are only human after all).  Then you want to throw in a little more than a handful of chopped walnuts (whatever looks good to you, you can't screw that part up) and put them back in the oven altogether for another 10 minutes. 

After 40 minutes of roasting they will look about like this:

And they will smell even more incredible!  At this point, Garrett and I just grab forks and go straight for the pot.  I will assume you are far more civilized than we are, but if not -- I really can't blame you. 

Caramely, nutty, roasty, and of course BACON-Y people, BA-CON-Y.  I just can't emphasize that enough.

Can you give them another shot?  Seriously.  This recipe might change your life.  

Food Fighter

My Christmas gift to myself was a subscription to The New Yorker and although I absolutely love that magazine, I haven't actually gotten into the rhythm of reading something that comes every week seeing as it has been years since I've had such a regular subscription -- and if we are being totally honest it was US Weekly, and I think we can all agree the word to picture ratio in that particular magazine is probably exactly transposed in comparison. 

Anyway, the point is I am waaaaay behind on my reading, but this weekend I came across this article in the Jan 4th issue profiling Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and thought it was a really fascinating read.  I know it is kind of long but it is totally worth it!  I found all the Scandal! Drama! Spirituality! Veganism vs. Capitalism! far more interesting than I had initially thought.  Now granted, I am currently involved in a torrid love affair with Whole Foods, but I think it would be pretty entertaining to anyone who thinks about food and loves a good soap opera-esque human interest story.  

Hell, maybe The New Yorker and US Weekly aren't so different after all.  

Ah, San Diego...

Yeah, it was pretty much just like that. 

It was a quick weekend.  It was a full weekend.  But man-oh-man, was it a good weekend.

It started off a little rocky though on Friday night.  We had both worked full days on gone straight to the airport so we were a little bit early for our flight.  We checked in with no delay and headed immediately to the bar because, well we were on vacation and what else were we going to do?   After an hour and half of unwinding we decided to make our way to the gate since it would probably be boarding soon only to find out that our flight?  IT WAS CANCELLED.

Okay.  

Luckily they were able to get all of us on the 9:00 flight, but needless to say this put us a bit behind schedule.  We finally got to our hotel -- which by the way I can not recommend highly enough (cute! conveniently located! clean! dog friendly!) -- and crapped out immediately.  The following morning we were due at a 9am wedding, so we needed to get some serious beauty rest after our travel ordeal!

The wedding was and intimate ceremony in Balboa Park (which, WOW!) and then the reception was at an awesome local brewing company.  And I'm starting to think you just can't go wrong with that.  Love, Holy Matrimony, Beer Garden -- it's really quite the wedding trifecta, in my opinion.  After the wedding we headed back to the hotel to relax before going out for a bite to eat, and if you don't think this looks like a damn good start to a Saturday night, well then I don't even know you AT ALL:

  
So after dinner we met up with my cousin Jenny at a bar for drinks, because really, what's a vacation without some excessive imbibing? And then somehow we ended up at a random club...let me rephrase...at DA CLUB but ohmygod it was so fun and we danced like absolute fools.  Garrett and I stayed only a short time though, because I was wearing an acrylic sweater.  Yes, a sweater, and have you ever tried to dance in a club in a long sleeved acrylic sweater?  Well let me assure you, you would also not hang out for long -- it was HOT!  And not in a cute way.  So we started to head back to the hotel but got distracted by another fun looking bar, so we said what the heck! And got a drink and of course our groove on once again, which says alot for the evening, since Garrett usually hates to dance.  I will let you do the mental math about how much beer we had enjoyed to make dancing sound like the best idea ever, but I will give you a hint.  It involved the following variables:

So when we had had enough of dancing to songs that we enjoyed but most of the bar seemed too young to recognize (Hello, Bust-a-move? C'mon, really, youngins?) it was about 2am, so the next logical step was obviously to head to a hot dog shop, right?  Right.  Glad we are on the same page about that.  And in case you are wondering, it was pretty much the best hot dog ever in the moment.  

Sunday we headed out to Vista for a BBQ with all of Garrett's family who were in town and it was such a good time to just enjoy the amazing weather out in his aunt and uncle's backyard (hello, it's January! And in Sacramento?  It feels like January) and chat the afternoon away.  We couldn't have asked for a better day and when we got home Sunday night we were beat! 

Monday was the day we checked out and headed home, but  more importantly it was also the day we had breakfast at Brians24.  And god knows the the weight of the world was on my shoulders about that!.  The Monte Cristo?  Well, it was just okay.  I can't say it is the answer to the sweet/salty conundrum, but it hit the spot all the same.  Afterwards we made sure to enjoy every last drop of the San Diego sunshine by heading over to Coronado, making our way up to La Jolla, and finishing our day with pretty much the the best bacon burger on the planet (New Year's Resolutions...whaaaaaat?)  or at least in Ocean Beach.  Then it was time to make our way to the airport and back to Sacramento. 

After a day frolicking on the beach in the 78 degree sun, it was a bit of a rude awakening to have to go to work in the pouring rain on Tuesday morning.  But hey, you take the good with the bad, and this trip was definitely a refreshing dose of goodness!  Family, friends, great conversations, a wedding, too much good food, the ocean, sunshine on your back...I really couldn't have asked for a better beginning to 2010!

I can't wait to do it again!

You can find the rest of our photos here.

I'm Sorry, What Were You Saying...

(This post is a part of Gwen Bell's The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. Thanks for the great inspiration idea, Amy!)

Best Moment of Peace



I'm not trying to leave you with the impression that I have sea turtle and pikake flower bumperstickers on my minivan or anything, or talk about the same repetitive topic over and over, but obviously this little trip to Maui I took this year was...um, what is the right word? Momentus? No. Significant? No. How about we just say that alot of shit happened there that made me feel grateful, so I'm sorry if a lot of my "Best Of" moments have to do with that, okay? Okay.

Whew! Glad we got that out of the way.

So as for moments of peace this year, I'll be quick to say that in Maui I had quite a few of them, and they mostly looked like that picture above -- which was pretty much the scene every morning at breakfast in our condo, flip flop toes included. Each morning we would get up ridiculously early, which you know I love (a benefit of flying out from California, we were 3 hours behind, so waking up at 6am felt like sleeping in!) and wander out to the lanai with two of my absolute favorite things in hand -- a piping hot cup of coffee, and a book. And literally for a few hours we would just read and watch people walk on the beach and listen to the waves crash and plan out what we wanted to see and do that day. And when we got tired of that, we just walked over about 10 feet to the pool and did some more thinking and reading and lounging, and you know generally just seeing the world from another angle like Jewel and stuff. God what ever happened to Jewel anyway? And while we are on the topic, Lauryn Hill? Did she just disappear into the ether?



So yeah, if that isn't peaceful personified, I really don't know what is.

My Life Philosophy Nicely Summed Up

"The greatest crimes in the world are committed not by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It's people who follow orders who drop bombs and massacre villages.

As a precaution to ever committing major acts of evil it is our solemn duty never to do what we're told: this is the only way we can be sure." -- Banksy

(via Intellectual Properties)

I'm going to keep this in mind over the next few weeks because I'm mulling over some pretty big decisions. I want to make sure those decisions are being made based on what I truly want, not based on someone else's arbitrary idea of what is right.

I love finding clarity when I least expect it!

The Banana Bread to End All Banana Breads

Generally I am not a picky eater although I do have a few food opinions about ingredients that just shouldn't go together. For example, in my opinion, chicken on pizza is criminal. Cheese with fish? Disgusting. And surprisingly, fruit with chocolate (except maybe strawberries) just doesn't really do it for me. I don't really have OCD tendencies where I feel that my food shouldn't touch or anything like that, but some things are just not meant to be mixed.

All this is to say that when I initially read this recipe for banana bread with chocolate chunks, I furrowed my brow a bit. It seemed like two great tastes that should taste great together, but I just wasn't sure, you know?

That is until I tried it!

This is the most moist and flavorful banana bread with a crispy outer crust and a soft, tender middle. The chocolate chips sprinkled throughout only increase the decadence, and made me forever a believer in the combination of chocolate and banana! It freezes nicely wrapped in foil, but if you are anything like me, I doubt it will even last that long.

*Baker's Note*
Though I chose to go the chocolate chip route, I am sure that you could omit those and you may still have the best banana bread ever. If you try it sans chocolate, let me know!

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chunks
adapted from rachaelray.com

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 bananas, mashed (1 cup mashed banana)
1 cup chocolate chunks (I just used semi-sweet chocolate chips because that's what I had around)

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F .
Grease and flour a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan (or use baking spray, such as Baker's Joy brand).

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and salt.
Mix in oil, bananas and eggs.
Stir in chocolate chips (do not overmix!) and pour into prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean about 70 minutes.
Cool loaf in pan.

Thought it was a perfect party, now it's just a lot of Ed Hardy

Still not done laughing at this.



via Jonniker