Split Pea Salutation

Gee, have I mentioned that Garrett has been out of town for what feels like an ever-loving eternity quite some time?

Well, guess what? He's coming home tonight and that puts a big, fat smile on this face! He will be travelling pretty much all day today (3 hour drive to the airport, 5 hours on a plane with two stops--eek! that's a lot of take offs and landings!) So I thought it would be nice to welcome him home tonight with a big hearty bowl of split pea soup! And I love this recipe so much I thought I'd share.

You can find the original recipe instructions here and the only modification that I made was that I added some ham because I happened to have some left over. YUM! But it is also quite delicious without the ham, so feel free to omit!

So for starters, the first step in any good soup recipe in my opinion is as follows:

1. Grab Your Favorite Beverage



Mine happened to be a delicious bottle of Apricot Ale, and I'm telling you, it is Nectar of the Gods.

2. Start the Sizzlin'



Saute your onions and garlic with a little Olive Oil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper (the smell is super dreamy!) until the onions are translucent (about 10 mins).

3. Add the Goods



This includes your carrots, potatoes, 3/4 of the split peas you are using (reserving the other 1/4 for later) and of course your stock of choice. This is also where I added my ham.

4. Bring this baby to a boil!



Then go ahead an simmer, uncovered for about 40 minutes and make sure to skim off the "foam" that rises to the surface from the split peas cooking. After about 40 minutes add your remaining split peas. This will give the soup some texture and then of course simmer for another 40 minutes.

*As a total sidebar. Make sure to stir FREQUENTLY otherwise your solids can burn to the bottom of the pan, which makes for icky soup (trust me, I've done it). So just keep skimming and stirring and don't get too sucked in to that riveting episode of Law and Order because burnt soup is No Bueno!

5. Lastly, Enjoy!



And frankly, this is the easiest step. It is a wonderful treat on a cold, winter night and I can't wait to serve it to Garrett this evening after a long day of travel!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we will tonight!

The Little Studio: Bathroom + Kitchen Edition

So I realized that I had showed you the before pictures of my new little studio (emphasis on the little), but I hadn't yet posted any update pictures so I thought I'd show you what I did with the kitchen and bathroom.

(Bedroom/Office/Closet Pics to Come!)

So here is the Main Area where I spend a good portion of time. It houses the kitchen, the dining area, and off to the right you get a sneak peak of the bathroom.



The thing about a studio is that there is very little space. This challenge has probably been my favorite part of living here because often I have had to really streamline my material things and be creative about storage. Part of my solution has been to repurpose some items like this bar from Pottery Barn:



This actually functions as a home for my favorite cookbooks, but also instead of storing bottles in there it has become something of a dry goods pantry. And because the space is limited, I really have to be organized about the food I keep on hand, which I love. I took some great ideas from this website about what to keep on hand, and it has really made my pantry not only more organized but healthier! When you don't have much room for storage, I am more likely to store something that will make up part of a delicious, healthy meal rather than some impulse buy snack food purchase.

One of the other storage solutions I have found instrumental in this space is my Ikea Expedit Bookcase. I turned it on its side and, voila! Insta-storage!



With little cabinet space, I had to find a solution to the question of where to put a lot of my cookware. It also made me realize that the things I stored needed to function in multiple different ways. For example, the bottom right corner stores my All Clad Multi-cooker which is a multi-tasking lifesaver, as it only takes up as much room as a stock pot, but it also includes a strainer for cooking pasta and vegetable steamer basket. This guy may seem big, but in the long run saves me SO MUCH SPACE!

In the actual prep area you will see that the space is limited (are we seeing a pattern, yet?), but I actually found some creative solutions, again from Ikea that really helped me fit everything I needed in there without taking up all my counter space.



The first was maximizing my wallspace with the Grundtal line of rails, hooks, and holders. It really allowed me to keep the things I use all the time within arms reach but without having them take up valuable prep space.



Yum...Coffee.

I also used that same line of products on the other kitchen wall to maximize my knife and spice storage.



Since I cook A LOT, I still store some spices on the counter, but this obviously helped keep that to a minimum!

Lastly, in the kitchen, I made sure to keep all my accessories bright and cheerful to reflect the vibe of the house. How great is the acid green and light turquoise paint on the walls? I never would have chosen those colors myself, I'm just not talented like that, but I love, love, love them! It's helped inspire my choices of colorful cookwear -- I mean how could you have a plain white tea kettle with such fabulous paint on the walls?



And even though it can get a little cluttered, I love posting my favorite pictures on the refrigerator. It inspires my photography, and reminds me of how lucky I am to have such great friends and family in my life!



So that's the kitchen and dining area, onto the Loo!

The bathroom, like everything else, is small, but it's the perfect size for me and I have found some creative storage solutions to make sure I have all my favorite girly products available. Can't scrimp on those! The paint is a little more neutral, but the tile in here is the real showstopper! Full of greens, browns, and even some purples, it is definitely a great detail.



I absolute LOVE the pedestal sink! But that also came with it's own storage challenges. The previous tenant left the plastic drawers to left of the sink, and even though they are not the prettiest, they have been super useful. And the apothecary jars on top are from (where else?) Ikea and they allow me to keep my most used items at my fingertips at all times.



And last but not least I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of the Little Shower. Not because it is particularly fabulous or anything, but I thought you might want some photgraphic proof that I do actually use the products I recommend here!



So there you have it! That's my Little Studio -- well the kitchen and bathroom, at least. Next up I will give you a little tour of the other half of the house, so Stay Tuned!

The Time Of My Life?

Is this for real?

I'm so tempted. But I'm pretty sure it will be an 11 out of 10 on the Look-Like-An-Asshole-While-Doing Scale.

Although has that really ever prevented me from doing anything in the past?

I'm about to get a little whiny...you've been warned.

So Garrett has been out of town for 7 days now (BABY COME BACK!) Wow, I hope I just got that song in your head for the rest of the dayfrom those obnoxious Swiffer commercials where the old school brooms and mops beg to be "taken back" while a surly housewife rolls her eyes. Argh! I hate those ads. So, yeah, you're welcome.

Anyway, since he's been gone (oh god, now I'm hearing Kelly Clarkson -- Jesus, Calgon Take Me Away!) I have observed that my life really is pretty different when he is not around. It's not that I am lying around on the couch, eating bon bons, and pining for him -- but there is just a whole different vibe (especially on the weeknights) that I've been noticing during the last week So I have noticed the following:

1. I grocery shop A LOT less.
When you are are only cooking for one person, you do a lot less meal planning. My kitchen creativity has definitely suffered in his absence; however, my bank account has been singing HALLELUJAH! Also, I hate the grocery store between 5 and 6pm, which always seems to be when I go there during the week when I'm cooking for us both. This week, I have totally avoided that! Woo Hoo for stress relief! So I guess that's okay, but...

2. Apparently, I turn into a vegetarian!
Speaking of cooking, I have not cooked meat since he left! And this one was kind of a shock to me, because I like meat just fine. Actually, this isn't entirely accurate, seeing as the enormous batch of split pea soup that I made did have some left over ham in it, but in general my entrees have been meat free in the interim, and I also have been shopping around on the internet and bookmarking delicious looking vegetarian recipes. I think my inner vegetarian is trying to get out. Ack! What's happening to me?

3. I really commit to some AWFUL television.
It's not like I don't watch TV when Garrett is around, I certainly do. And he definitely watches his fair share of silly TV with me (Top Chef, CSI: Miami, etc). But in the last week or so I seriously have not missed an episode of Oprah, Rachael Ray, Real Housewives of Orange County, The City, The Bachelor (hello! the worst offender!) Gossip Girl...I mean I promise you I have left the house, but my DVR has been working overtime to record my girly guilty pleasures. And I have "made time" to watch them all...while filing my nails, to boot! And I know this sounds great, but seriously...

4. I laugh ALOT less.
And really, folks, this is the fact that I have tried to deny but it so much of the reason that my life is so differnet when he is gone! And I hate that. I like to laugh. God, do I sound like a bad internet dating ad? "Likes to laugh and likes long walks on the beach." Seriously though, Garrett is one of the funniest people that I know and he keeps me in stitches pretty much from the moment he wakes up (sometimes even when he is sleeping!) until we go to sleep at night. And even though I have a pretty good sense of humor and I definitely look for reasons to laugh throughout the day, there is such a shortage going on as of late, and that is a downer!

Which is why I'm so happy there are only 5 days to go! Because clearly, when Garrett is out of town I get over analytical and write posts that have absolutely no point except to say "Get back here, boyfriend! I need some snuggles!" But you know, the wordier version.

2008: Year In Review

Wow! Has an entire year passed already? That was qu-ick! It's been a good one though -- A Year of Firsts! And of course filled with friends, family and lots of travel, so I thought I'd do a quick little recap.

January

January started off with a bang -- of thunder that is! The weather last year was definitely XXXXTREME and I resolved to be a little less extreme with how I spent my free time.

I wanted to read more (which I definitely did) and see more movies (TOTAL FAIL). Overall I did okay with the 2008 Resolutions, although you know I've got more coming for 2009 (I'm still kind of marinating on them -- post forthcoming).

January also brought that "incident" wherein I "lost" my second laptop at work, only to find out 2 weeks later that my co-worker had seen it on my desktop and locked it up in a "secure" spot, only to promptly forget about it.

Yeah. Anyway.

February

February was fun and rough all at the same time. Garrett and I celebrated a lovely Valentine's Day out in the wineries in Plymouth...

...and it was so enjoyable that I came home and promptly GOT THE FLU! (Thank you St. Valentine.) I was down for the count for over 7 days and it is by far the sickest I have been in decades.


March

March held some highs and some lows. Unfortunately Garrett and I took our first plane trip of the year down to San Diego for a funeral. His Uncle's passing was sudden and unexpected; in the end, however, the visit really allowed Garrett to do some connecting with his family and for me to meet some of those family members for the first time -- which was a real blessing!




Plus there was Rock Band! And we all know that no one can have a bad time when they are playing Rock Band!

April

April started off a year that was full of fun filled family adventure! I really hope to repeat that in 2009. This year my extended family saw each other more than we have in many past years and it was SO! MUCH!FUN! As we all get older our times together just get so much more...well, FUN!

Our first gathering was in April when we headed down to Fremont to cheer on my cousin John who was graduating from the Police Academy.


We were all incredibly proud, and as such had to throw a little party to show it, and some of us clearly took it more seriously than others...


May

In May we celebrated Garrett's 27th birthday, which always makes me happy! Of course, because it is the day he was born -- but ALSO, because for the next 6 months it looked like he was only 2 years younger than me, instead of 3. (I'm a cougar in training -- ROWR! haha NOT really.) I also found myself down in San Diego for work, and what better town to be stuck "working" in because my cousin Jenny lives down there.


We really got to just lay low and hang out, which was great! I got to spend time at the beach, plus we went out on the town with some of her friends one night, which was just what I needed after a hard week of working:



After coming back from San Diego, Garrett and I went to a wedding here in Sacramento for two of his good friends who are from San Diego. Try and keep all that straight in your head!


Anyway, it was a beautiful wedding, and by far the biggest one we have ever been to (there were hundreds of people there)-- and -- it was the first time Garrett has ever been a groomsman. As one who is always the bridesmaid around here, I found that novel and so of course I took way too many pictures. But seriously, how could I not when there were so many handsome dudes in tuxes walking around?





June

In June we were back down in San Diego again (I know, right? Do you see a trend?) for Garrett's cousin Davin's wedding. I think the Universe is telling us to buy a vacation home down there by the beach, but that is just my opinion.

It was another fun filled family affair with EVEN! MORE! FAMILY! this time. The wedding was somewhat untraditional (the bride wore yellow, and they walked down the aisle to the theme from Indiana Jones) but the emotions were all the same. Lots of love in the park that day -- and also DELICIOUS paella!


We also spent June discovering discovering a fantastic band, as well as watching Garrett's uncle get his degree from Cal State East Bay.
We were super proud of Johnny's accomplishment and so we had to do some celebrating!




July

July was a whirlwind of travel and music -- just how I like it! We headed down to Monterey for the 4th of July where it was so cold I had to wear a scarf out to watch the fireworks! It was a welcomed relief after the mid-summer Sacramento heat, and as always it was SO FUN to spend time with my cousins (plus Sara and Paul were FANTASTIC hosts!)

The following week we headed down to Los Angeles to see one of our favorite bands perform and to see some old friends.




We rented a Prius, made some great mix cds, and headed down the highway! Even though it was a quick and dirty trip and we pretty much ate our way through So Cal, it was SUCH A BLAST!

I also celebrated my 100th blog post here, and as such felt compelled to tell you all about my purchase of the world's smallest pair of underwear, and I also recapped what a crazy band The Red Elvises are after we caught their show at Old Ironsides.

And to end the month we headed over to Sonoma to help my cousin Jim celebrate his 31st Birthday by wine tasting on bikes! (It seemed like a good idea at the time...haha)

It was a really special day and we were all lucky to have gotten to celebrate with him!


Whew! July was a busy, busy month!

August

So in August I had to take a vacation! :) Unfortunately it was not the kind of vacation you really want to take. I had a GIGANTIC presentation in September to prepare for in the Emerging Leaders Program that I spent all of 2008 participating in at work, and as such, I spent August preparing for that presentation. I sort of took a vacation from my life and was eating, sleeping, and breathing work. The end result was phenomenal though, and I'm so happy that I participated in the ELP program. If the only price I had to pay was giving up one month of leisure activities, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

September

September was filled with reunions of sorts. The first was that I reunited with my social life! And then quickly thereafter with two of my good friends from high school. My friend Natalie married her sweetheart Irwin in a beautiful ceremony down in the Bay Area, and I got to see her family (who I hadn't seen in ages) and my good friend Jen and her main-man Will (who I also hadn't seen in ages).


I also reunited with my family as we spent an incredibly raucous weekend (after an incredibly stressful but succesful presentation at work) at The Cabin up in Arnold -- aka "The Treehouse". How can you be stressed when you have a cold beer in your hand and this is your backdrop?


Answer: You Can't.

And I wasn't. That is until we all heard on the news that our cousin Ned was getting canned? WTF, Milwuakee?????

Continuing with the family news, my aunts got married (score!) up in Chico and we all got to celebrate...with the absolute best signature cocktails, I might add.

And as an absolute non-sequiter, I also came to the realization that my boyfriend has a doppleganger. Who knew?

October

Holy Moly, what a month!

I moved into a cute new Bachelorette Pad. My first time ever living alone!

I turned 30 and threw an amazing party where I got to hang with all of my family and friends.

And Garrett and I revisited our roots by dressing up as Peet's employees for Halloween.

Considering it was the place we fell in love, I was more than happy to relive those days!

...and beyond that, hoo boy, I slept! Because moving and throwing a party in a two week period can really exhaust you!

November

November saw history being made, and I think we will all remember where we were and how we felt when Barack Obama got elected -- no matter who you voted for. Garrett and I spent the evening together, and I (of course) just bawled through his speech. His charisma and ability to bring people together are exciting, and for the first time in years I have felt hope when it comes to politics in this country.

I also celebrated my three year anniversary with Garrett and finally got around to telling the second half of our love story. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with that man, and I feel incredibly lucky to have found him all those years ago!

Lastly, I took a crazy sailing trip for work AND SURVIVED! I wasn't sure how I would do, but in the end it was more fun than I could have asked for, and I feel pretty lucky at the end of this year, not only to have a job, but to have a job that requires me to hop on sailboats and check out views like this:


December

This December has gone by faster than any I can remember in recent history. Did you notice that too?

I traveled to LA for work, but also got to see a good friend (and eat the best! meal! ever!

I had a fun celeb sighting.

And of course celebrated Christmas with my family by eating way to much and sleeping on the couch. (Sorry no pics of that...haha)

But the best news by far was Garrett got a new job! And we are both so excited about what opportunities 2009 is going to bring for both of us. I hope you all enjoyed that little (er, rather, HUGE) Year in Review and I hope you have happy and safe New Year's Celebrations this evening.

It has been an amazing year connecting with all of you through this blog and I can't wait to see what 2009 brings!

Merry Christmas From A Couple of Chuckleheads Wearing Antlers

As an apology for spending another year purchasing yet not actually sending Christmas Cards (I have amassed quite a collection, you know) I give you this lovely photo.

I hope all of your holidays are safe, happy, and most of all LAZY! Because I swear to you all I will not be getting out of my PJs or my slippers tomorrow unless forced to against my will.

Much Love and Good Wishes!

Pitchfork's Top 10 Albums of 2008

Pitchfork Media's list of Top 10 Albums of 2008 is out today and I was excited to see some of my favorites make the cut!

1. Fleet Foxes -- Sun Giant EP/Fleet Foxes
I have been effusive in my love for Fleet Foxes all year and I couldn't be happier for their success. They were an incredibly humble band with a fantastic sound!

2. Portishead -- Third

3. No Age -- Nouns

4. Cut Copy -- In Ghost Colours
So it has been no secret that Cut Copy gets me out of bed some mornings. There album is dancy and fun and if you need a pick me up you should give it a listen.

5. Deerhunter -- Microcastle

6. TV on the Radio -- Dear Science I just looked in my iTunes and I have an old TV on the Radio album and have never listened to it. Hmmm...I guess I need to bust that out!

7. Vampire Weekend -- Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend was an integral part of my LA Road Trip 2008. This album has been something I have connected with all year -- I love their voices, their sound, and OF COURSE I love the song Oxford Comma. I mean what English nerd wouldn't have love for a snarky song about punctuation?

8. M83 -- Saturdays=Youth
Love, LOVE, Love this album! Such emotion! They also have a unique sound and this album is very accesible if you have never listened to them.

9. Hercules and Love Affair -- Hercules and Love Affair

10. DJ/Rupture -- Uproot

Drugstore Cowgirl

During "these challenging economic times," (by the way I have just about had it up to here with that expression) I think we can all agree that doing your part to save a little here and there is definitely worth looking into.

Well I'll be the first to tell you, beauty products are not usually the first thing that comes to mind when I start thinking about "cutting back," but lately I have been stepping out of my comfort zone, and making just about all my beauty related purchases at Target and I have come across some fantastic products whose praises I want to shout from the rooftops! But then it started raining, so here we are. No rooftops, but effusive praise, nonetheless.

The first product that I want you to run out and purchase IMMEDIATELY is Softsoap Fresh Pear & Apple Blossom Shower Gel. Now I am fairly picky about my bodywash, as I have CRAZY sensitive skin, but can I tell you...this is not only incredibly gentle, mildly exfoliating, and super lathery when used on a puffy sponge BUT, and I am not even exaggerating a little bit here, IT IS THE BEST SMELLING SHOWER GEL THAT WILL EVER HAVE GRACED YOUR STUFFED UP WINTER NOSTRILS! It's delicate, fruity, and a little bit floral all at the same time, and it lasts forever, so you will smell shower fresh throughout your entire day. Delicious, and under $4.



My second favorite Target purchase as of late is Luxurious Volume Shampoo and Conditioner by John Frieda. Now I will admit, I was a little leery at first (the claims on the bottle are pretty crazy and I have no idea whether or not they are true). How exactly does one measure 110% more volume when it comes to hair?. And I was 99% sure that nothing could beat Alterna Life Volume Shampoo and Conditioner, but at $50 a bottle (ouch, that hurts to even type) I just had to try and find a competitor. And although it's no Alterna, what I can tell you is that it smells delicious, leaves my hair clean and fresh, and I have noticed a bit more 'bounce' in my bob, so I guess that means it's working! And with each bottle, under $5, I've got $90 left over for spend on some good root lifter! Any recommendations?



Last but not least is the product that I was MOST skeptical about. I am a longtime fan of Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel but at about $40 a bottle I am open to suggestion. I have used Neutrogena face wash before and never fallen in love so I certainly wasn't running down the aisle to get this in my cart. That is, until they introduced the Grapefruit. If you must know, Pink Grapefruit is my downfall. My kryptonite, if you will. If there has ever been a Pink Grapefruit flavored anything available, I have purchased it. I absolutely love that smell and somehow just can't say no. So I didn't, and one day in passing just threw it in my cart. What the hell, at under $6 it won't be a crisis if I hate it, and lo and behold -- I LOVED IT! It gets the bulk of my eye makeup off (score!), is gentle on my skin (yay!), and smells AH-MAY-ZING (natch!), so I really can't recommend a better inexpensive alternative.



So there's my two cents, for what it's worth. Anyone want to go to Target?