Everyday Prorsum

A Proper Party.

2011-12-29T19:46:00.000-08:00

All the prep work from the posts below was nothing compared to the party that was had for these two love birds...

Together, all of their friends threw them a Surprise Engagement Party :)

After the planning, baking, and cooking was done... all we could do was wait for them to walk through the door. It was hard for all of us to keep quiet!

Yes, you better believe I made all of the desserts.... right down to the chocolate ganache frosting on those mini-cupcakes :)

Yes, I put together that gorgeous arrangement as well. Notice the bread sticks too!

Vanilla Custard & Berry Napoleons? No problem! I was literally putting the finishing touches on these babies as Sam & Erin were heading up the elevator...

Not to forget that it was ALSO Erin's birthday!

After we'd love a few, we decided to quickly take a group shot. Such a happy little family!

The night before the party... they had no idea what we had in store for them! I think it was quite a success. Special thanks to everyone to helped by bringing food and drinks... and to Sarah B. of course for doing a lot of the planning, while I did the cooking & baking!

Thyme & Parmesan Breadsticks.

2011-12-29T19:32:00.000-08:00

Like I said, I had to make everything by hand for this special little party. It only makes sense to make the best of things when you are hosting one of the Food Editors from Better Homes & Gardens. I felt the pressure, but I was up for the challenge :)

Funny, what mixing a few key ingredients will produce! I think I threw in flour, yeast, salt, some herbs, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and olive oil into my mixing bowl and slowly mixed them all together.

The batter quicky became thick and dough-like. I rolled the dough into a long loaf -like shape and cut small pieces off of it, and then rolled the small pieces into long bread sticks.

After baking them for about (15) minutes or so, they were ready to eat!

Making about (50) or more of these yummy sticks was fun, but not as fun as eating them. This is all that was left after the party. I have to say, they are quite the people pleasers!

Pumpkin-Chocolate-Oatmeal Cookies.

2011-12-29T19:15:00.000-08:00

Prepping for Erin & Sam's Engagement Party was quite a task. I had decided that I was going to make (3) different homemade desserts, as well as snacks, for the party... and I only had a couple of days to make it happen!

So I went to town. I made the pumpkin puree the night before attempting to make and bake the cookies, so lucky for me I had part of the recipe done ;) It actually called for puree in a can, but I knew I could make my own and be an over achiever.

After picking up all of the different spices I needed from allspice, I went to town and threw together the batter. The smell of everything mixed in was kind of intoxicating. If I remember correctly, I used freshly ground nutmeg, clove, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger.

Then I threw in one of my favorite ingredients... dark chocolate!

I scooped small spoonfuls onto a parchment sheet and into the oven they went!

Yum. I taste tested more than a few before the party... :)

Meredith Gardens.

2011-12-29T18:59:00.000-08:00

I promised all of you (but mostly myself) that I would make it over to see the Meredith Gardens before the end of Fall.... lucky for me, the Summer and Fall both went late into the year for the first time ever and I was able to make it down right before they closed the gates!

I loved this little gazebo area. To bad it wasn't a day that was open to the public so I wasn't able to really sit an enjoy for too long.

On Fridays, anyone can go down and have lunch and just enjoy the scenery.

I didn't get to see much more than half of the gardens because Better Homes & Gardens were doing a photo shoot for their Spring/Summer issues. Can you believe they were already planning those shoots as the rest of us were preparing for the coldness.... which luckily still has not struck too bad yet :)

Rekindled Love.

2011-12-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

If you know, you have to know how much I love weddings. I love to plan them... attend them... and work at them too! I fell in love with the idea of weddings a long time ago.

The moment that realized how much I loved them was when I read "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". I don't remember the exact quote from it but I do remember that when Eddie meets Marguerite in "heaven", she explained that she chose weddings as her "heaven" because they are a time of supreme happiness and she wanted to experience that happiness forever...

So, after leaving the wedding industry for a while, it should be no surprise that when Saley from DiVine Flowers asked me to help her coordinate, I jumped right back on board! Take a look at the world that I love t be a part of. How could walking into this wonderland not make you smile inside?

The entire room was so fragrant with the essence of roses. If I remember correctly, she said she used over 10,000 of them.

I love when weddings have a lounge area. It makes the setting so cozy and relaxed.

Candy Bars: Not just for kids anymore.

I really enjoy decorating the honeymoon suite. I know that by the time that the couple makes it up, they are either too exhausted to care or too drunk... but the thought they might appreciate it makes me happy.

There few things that I am truly passionate about... weddings are one of them!

Pumpkin Puree.

2011-11-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried to make your own pumpkin puree? Sure, it's easy to throw one in your shopping cart while you're at the grocery store, but I had a thought this year... "What's really in this, and why haven't I made my own before?"

So, after Halloween had come and gone, I used the (4) pumpkins that Joseph had grown in his garden. I was delightfully surprised how easy it was to make my own puree.

I started with (1) medium sized pumpkin.

I cut it in half and scraped everything out of the center, and then cut them into quarters.

I ended up using two more pumpkins because one didn't look like enough. I buttered up the pumpkin slices and baked them for (2) hours.

The apartment smelled SO good. They looked really pretty when they came out too.

I let them fully cool and then I scraped out everything from the skins. Once I had most of them scraped out, I threw them into the food processor.

And this was the finished product. I had to let it strain over night to get all of the excess liquid out, but once it was done, it was perfect. The endless possibilities I thought to myself: pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies! I love pumpkin flavored everything, it's the best. Stay tuned for what I actually used it for :)

Breakfast Treat.

2011-11-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

What's your favorite breakfast food? Mine just happen to be eggs...

And this morning, since I had a late start into work, I thought I would make something that happens to be my weakness: Garlic & Herb Baked Eggs. It's quite sinful. I thought I was starting a new diet this week but I just couldn't resist making them since I had all of the ingredients.

The only thing missing?? A nice crisp piece of a french baguette. Shoot!

It's the perfect way to start the First Snow Day in Iowa :)

Lamb Burgers.

2011-11-08T22:53:00.000-08:00

Did you get a chance to see what we did with the massive lamb leg in my previous post?

Well, this is what we did with the left overs, and I must say, I impressed even myself with the following creation:

I diced up all of the left over rare lamb leg meat, and discarded the parts that I thought were too cooked. Then I threw the pieces into the our food processor.

I processed them on a consistent setting until I thought that the meat was well ground and ready to handle.

Erin, Joseph, and I talked about what flavors we thought would compliment our lamb-burgers. After a quick trip to Gateway Market, we picked up some Feta Cheese, and stuffed the inside of the burgers with it.

I carefully combined the "top" and "bottom" of the patties halves and molded them closed to seal the cheese in during the grilling process.

I threw them into the grill pan on medium-high heat and let them cook on each side for about (6) minutes, per side.

While they cooked, I drizzled oil all over our "buns" and thew them into the oven to quickly brown.

I periodically checked in with the meat to make sure it was cooking to perfection.

Once the buns and meat were done, I threw them onto plate and had Joseph & Erin dress them with the condiments that they liked.

The small bar of condiments included everything from sauteed mushrooms to avocado to jalapenos. The final end result was a.maz.ing. The flavor combinations that we created were incredible. The meat was perfectly seasoned from the night before and all of the spices really stood out. I can't wait to make these again.... or even a slight variation!

Braised Lamb Leg.

2011-11-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

A while ago, Erin and I collaborated in the kitchen and made the most amazing Braised Lamb Leg. One of the many perks of her job at Better Homes & Gardens as an Associate Food Editor requires her to take her work home with her, literally. The lamb board sent her a huge lamb leg to try, so to our gain, she brought it over and we made a dinner night out of it.

We had this massive lamb leg and started by poking small holes into the top of it.

For added flavor, we peeled a bunch of garlic cloves and inserted them into the holes.

While Erin finished up with inserting all of the garlic cloves, I started slicing up potatoes and onions to go into the roasting pan with the lamb leg. I threw them into a saucier with some salt, pepper, and broth, and brought the broth to a slow simmer.

While we cooked, Joseph photographed and made sure we had something to drink.

Someone has to make sure the cooks are taken care of!

Once the broth was simmering, I added some fresh thyme to the mix.

Erin and I concocted a small batch of special herbs and spices that we would smear all over the lamb leg.

Erin sprinkled the fatty side of the leg first.

Once the top was all covered, she started to rub it in.

...and then turned it over and did the same to the bottom of the leg.

Once it was coated in herbs, we flipped it over and threw it in the roasting pan with the onion & potato mix.

Into the oven it goes!

After a couple of hours, we were ready to serve it up and finally eat!

While the lamb was braising, I made some sides: Kale with Sauteed Mushrooms.

Red Wine Risotto.

And finally.... everything came together :)

The meat was SO tender and flavorful. It was one of the most memorable meals that I have ever had or made. Up next? What we did with the leftover lamb leg.

Favorites of September & October 2011.

2011-11-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

So you've noticed that I haven't blogged in TWO months.... I haven't! Where has the time gone? I had to look through my last couple months worth of photos to see what I have been up that it seems as though it has only been a few weeks since my last post.

As I reminded myself of the recent happenings and reflected on them, I put together a compilation of photos that really brought a smile to my face or stood out among all things. I haven't included everything yet as I am going to do individual posts for the bigger and more important things, but I think you might enjoy these... for now:

1.) Fall is by far one of my favorite seasons; the changing colors of the leaves, to the slight chill in the air, and the need to wear a scarf :) Oh, and champagne is always in order!

2.) Weekly bonfires is also one of my favorites. I think sitting around a bonfire and just watching is so therapeutic, especially after a long and stressful day or week. It's kind of like watching a candle flame, but in larger terms, obviously.

3.) Scott Yoshimura, is my favorite too, of course. We all attended the release of his bands' new CD. Raygun, in the East Village, hosted the event and provided PBR while playing the new Envy Corps CD.

4.) I have a hard time saying no to a party! Joseph, Jenn (another one of my favorite people), and I attended the HUE event at The Des Moines Art Center. The color of the evening was Vermillion. It was a pretty fun time with a lot of fun people like Betsy Pearson & Lucy Shay, also a couple more of my favorite people :)

5.) Aside from cooking (which I will be posting more pics of later), I have also been baking up a storm. From cakes to cupcakes to cookies and even napoleons!

6.) Oktober Fest. Enough said? It was a blast! My favorite was that I got to hang out with all my long-time favorite people: Joseph, Sarah, Meredith, Bethany, Seth, and even some new ones like Mr. Sorenson, and his sister Emily, and her boyfriend Zach!

...And the one and only Garrett of course!

7.) We all attended the World Food Festival last month. It has grown so much since the last time I went... maybe 4-5 years go. It was awesome to see all the new additions to the once very small festival.

8.) Doing all things Fall is what I missed most about the Midwest while living in California. We never really saw the change of seasons or got o fully experience them. SO, we had to go to Apple Orchard picking and Pumpkin Patch searching. More on this later, but just a little teaser for now!

9.) Brunch. Probably of my favorite things that I picked up in San Diego. It was a must, ever week, for us and will continue I'm sure through Winter :)

10.) Camping, I have to confess is not one of my favorite things, but with the right people, it makes for an amazingly fun time.

11.) Weddings, one of my all time favorite things. You get to hang out with all the people you haven't seen in ages as well as all the people you love. We had (2) weddings within a matter of weeks within each other. Congratulations to my cousins' Debby & Chito, as well as my long time good friend Marci and her new hubby Andy :)

Squash Blossom Pizza.

2011-11-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a little something that I forgot to post from a couple of months ago. I didn't get many pictures of the process, but Erin did, check out her blog post here.

We bought the pizza dough at Gateway Market and then while I made the garlic and white cheese sauce for the base, Erin fried up the squash blossoms. I had never had squash blossoms before and they totally made this pizza. They really taste like you are eating squash. We added some pieces of squash from Joseph's garden, tomatoes from Sarah's. Viola! We topped the pizza with the blossoms once it was all done, and I drizzled some honey on my slices to add a little sweet to the super savory taste. Love it!

French Madeleines.

2011-09-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sneak peak into the video that Joseph made while I made homemade Madeleines for the first time. I have always loved the idea of them but never got around to buying the special baking pans for them. What do you think?

joey baking madeleines from joseph wanek on Vimeo.

More cooking, baking, roasting, and braising to come!

Homemade Pesto Pasta.

2011-09-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

Some days after work, all I want to do is sit on the couch and order take-out.

But then most days I am sitting at work and thinking about what I want to eat for dinner and once I figure it out, I have to go through a mental list in my head to figure out if I have everything in my pantry/fridge....! It's kind of exhausting but also exciting to think about coming up with new recipes or just trying a new recipe in general.

A few weeks back, I talked myself into making pasta. I was at work, and thought, "I haven't used my new pasta extractor yet, I am going to use it tonight..." So I went home and started a simple egg noodle pasta. Needless to say, I didn't know how long it would take...

It was really easy at the beginning. A simple twirling of a few eggs in a pile of flour.

....and then it was really hard to get the rest of the flour to mix in.

Finally, I added one more egg and small amount of flour and got it to all come together. Then I realized that it would have to sit for about (30) to (60) minutes before I could put it into the pasta extractor. Oooops!

Not a problem though, Joseph and our friends weren't home yet, but once they got home and Joseph setup the machine, we went to work on the pasta!

It took us a while to get all of the pasta made. At first we thought that we wouldn't have enough but surprisingly that small ball of dough made probably made enough pasta for (6) people.

While Sarah, Erin, & Joseph put the dough through the extractor, I made a quick little tomato, caprese-style salad.

After about (30) minutes or so of extracting, I thought "...maybe I should have just bought the Kitchen-Aid Pasta Extractor Attachment!"

But it wouldn't have been as fun for all us if our Kitchen-Aid did all the work ;)

Once we were all done extracting, I quickly threw it all in boiling water for about (4-5) minutes until al dente. Then I strained it, threw it into a big bowl and tossed it in Joseph's homemade pesto.

I grated some Parmesan Cheese over all of it, tossed it again....

Finally, I topped it with tomatoes and basil leaves from Joseph's garden and time to eat!

BHG Tour.

2011-09-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

If you remember Joseph's birthday post at all, you will definitely remember that fabulous cake that our friend Erin brought from a Better Homes & Gardens shoot. Well, after it was all gone, I had to take the cake stand back over to Erin's work, which is at the Meredith Corporation.

I sent Erin a text and let her know that I could drop it off anytime, and she responded quickly and told me to bring it right over.... which is super convenient because Meredith is right across the street from our apartment! I thought I was just going to drop it off at the front desk but Erin invited me in and asked me if I wanted a tour! Of course I did!

Erin's office has a such a wide array of cookbooks, I wish my cookbook collection looked like that!

Can you spot the cake stand in this picture?

I loved all the pictures that Erin had posted on her walls. She picks images that she really likes, recipes that she wants to try, and food that just inspires her for the magazine and at home.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a whole collection of Better Homes & Gardens back issue magazines at your disposal?

After Erin showed the all of the test kitchens, photo shoot sets, and food-filled meeting rooms, I was in total bliss. I didn't want to leave, it was like a big wonderland inside of the Meredith Corporation! It's no wonder it's so hard to get a job there.

I walked around the grounds on my way home. The gardeners for the magazine do such a splendid job.

This image changes seasonally, and what the best part about it? My living room window looks right out to it. I can't wait to have lunch with Erin in the actual Test Gardens. They are only open to the public one day a week, so I better get down there before the summer weather is gone! I'll be sure to document it well when I actually go.

Zombie Burger + Drink Lab.

2011-09-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

The best part about new restaurants opening? I would have to say be able to try menu items for free for their Soft Opening Parties :) The latest hip, new place to open in the East Village is Zombie Burger + Drink Lab. George Formaro, the owner/chef, wanted to open up a place that combined burgers and zombies... clever, huh? It features crazy combinations of burgers, spiked milkshakes, and cocktails. Take a look...

Shannon had a couple extra tickets that she generously shared with Joseph and I for the Pre-Opening Shake Down. We were the first group of people to get to try everything :)

Can you see the excitement in Joseph's eyes?

The menu was crazy! You can check it out here. I ordered the Raygun Burger (monterrey jack cheese, fried jalapenos, caramelized onions, bacon, guacamole, & chipotle mayo). It was really good, super greasy, and left me feeling comatose.

Shannon ordered the Flamethrower Burger (buffalo sauce, blue cheese, onion rings, & ranch mayo) I don't really remember how good it was, but I'm sure I liked it because I love buffalo sauce!

And finally, Joseph ordered the mother of all of them, the Trailer Trash Zombie Burger (american cheese, fried pickle slices, chicken fried bacon, cheese curds, & ranch mayo) I just had a small bite of Joseph's but it was quite tasty. I don't think I would be able to finish a whole once, especially because we all ordered a double... I can't imagine even eating a triple!

If you haven't tried it yet, head down to Zombie Burger + Drink Lab. You're in for a real treat! Even if you aren't a fan of burgers, you will find something on the menu that you won't be able to resist...

Mobile Printing Press Party.

2011-09-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of a Printing Press on Wheels? Had you said that such a thing existed more than a few weeks ago, I don't think that I would have believed you. After attending Domestica's AIGA Iowa + Type Truck + Poster Party, I fell in love all over again with letter pressed everything!

A group of us got together and drove down to the East Village to attend the event. The weather was typical that of a hot Midwest afternoon. We tried to stand in the shade of the truck to stay cool... and drank a couple of beers too, of course. There was a long line to get into the very small but very cute truck!

Kyle Durrie, the letter press printer from Portland, is making a cross country road-trip to teach workshops, doing demos, and inspiring people with her letter-pressing skills. She began her trip in June and it will last about (9) months. Interested in having her stop in your town, click here.

I had to make sure she had been through San Diego, and of course it was one of the first places she had already stopped :)

She had traveled through most of the Southwestern States and made her way to Iowa.

Kyle was really sweet, patient, and a great print pressing teacher!

I'm not sure how many people had already crammed themselves into her little truck but she made it seem as though we were her first group. I think I would have been a little grouchy, especially because it was so hot and humid!

The two colors she had out were Red & Blue.

We all decided to make a joint one, and wanted to make one half blue and the other half red.

It's all ready!

Next step? Picking out the paper's color and thickness.

Ready to lay it down... very carefully... making sure it's centered is hard!

One, two, three.... roll! And out it comes. Do you love it, or do you love it?! So much fun. Thank you Type Truck & Domestica for hosting the event, truly unique!

Farmer's Market Meal.

2011-09-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

If there are two things that I really love they are.... Duck and Farmers Markets. The first Farmer's Market that I ever went to was in Des Moines. I had never seen anything like it. Every weekend I was so enthusiastic to wake up early every Saturday to get to the Market and see what was new... well I continued that tradition in California, except I didn't love it as much as Des Moines'.

That being said, as soon as I moved back to Des Moines, I was ecstatic to get to the Farmer's Market. To my surprise, it was much bigger than it was when I first moved to Des Moines, let alone in the last three years! I was in love, again....

Here is my latest find at the Farmer's Market. Chicken? No, it's Duck! It's kind of hard to find duck in Des Moines and once I saw it, I had to have it... even though it cost me a pretty penny! I started out by searing it to make sure all side and corners were nice and golden brown.

While it browned, I cut up all the veggies I could think of that I had in the fridge. I had also scoped out a pretty cool veggie.... Purple Carrots! When I first saw them, I thought WTH? I asked the vendor if they tasted any different and he told me to try one... they were delicious and only $1! I took all of their supply.

Once the duck was just browned, I set them aside and sauteed the veggies in the duck fat until tender.

In another "pan" I sauteed some bok choy that I had also found at the Farmer's Market.

After the bok choy was softened, I set it aside in a bowl and started to make some risotto.

I just love risotto. Don't you? It's one of my favorite dishes.

Once the rice was ready and soft, I added the cooked bok choy back into the mix.

I added all the last ingredients and then topped it with Fresh Italian Parsley.

After the veggies had cooked, I added the duck back in along with some red wine, stock, and oranges.... I covered the dutch oven and slowly braised everything for about an hour. Voila, this is what it looked it, fresh out of the oven!

As it slightly cooled, I made a quick salad and topped it with home-grown tomatoes, thanks to Joseph!

How did it all look? Beautiful. How did it all taste? Even Better. Ugh, I want to make it all over again just so I can eat it all over again :) Love, love, love it!

Cheese & Wine.

2011-09-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, our friend Erin had us over for a fabulous Wine & Cheese Party on a Sunday night. She setup this awesome display all on her own....

In case you didn't know, Erin is kind of a big deal. She is currently the Food Editor as Better Homes & Gardens. She knows a lot about cooking food, seasonal trends, and how to throw together a party, obviously!

I loved all the different dinnerware, bowls, and platters that she used.

I especially loved her "cheese board". I am working on some tree trunk seats right now... you'll see them once my living room is complete!

The Wine & Cheese Party was a success... you should have seen what was left on the plates (or lack thereof). She had this fabulous little Guava Jam and small touches of different flavors here and there that really brought out the flavors of the cheese and wine, of course!

Want to know what Erin is up to on a weekly basis? Check out her blog here.

Joseph's Party (Act: Two).

2011-08-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

After we got all good and ready, we all jumped on our elevator and started to make our way downtown...

Group Shot: Attempt #1

There we go, now everyone is in...sorta!

Our first stop was The Lift.

Shannon finally met us with us, but she didn't have a party hat... shoot!

Dancing is always a must, so we made our first-ever appearance at Sinners & Saints.

It was actually a lot cooler than I thought it would be. We jumped on the dance floor and starting snapping all sorts of pictures and just having a good time.

We went to the second floor and ran into the Liars Club (we love to hate it and always make our way there at some point in the night)

All the Party Boys.

Another round? Ok!

Our last stop was at Mickey's Irish Pub/Patio. At that point the night was pretty blurry. I think Katie even turned into a Zombie!

By 2:30 a.m. most of us had disappeared and went home, expect Joseph, Elisa, Katie, & Tony. They went to play at a playground and wander through the woods!

The last three to survive the night's shenanigans. They didn't get home until 5:00 a.m. Like I said... never a disappointment ;)

Joseph's 25th.

2011-08-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

If you've even been to one of our parties, most of the time you know that you are guaranteed a very eventful, fun-filled night, and Joseph's 25th birthday party definitely did not disappoint.

Joseph designed the invitation himself.... he even made his own party hat days before the party. He bought all of the supplies so that everyone could make their own party hats with explicit phrases (Joseph-esque themed phrases).

Cake? Check!

We tried to order a cake last minute (I should know better, I used to work at a cake shop) and couldn't get one that we wanted. BUT our friend Erin came to rescue and gave us a cake that was made in the Better Homes & Gardens test kitchen for a photo shoot. Wow! Talk about VIP ;)

Let the hat making and drinking begin!

Joseph wrote random, very inappropriate examples on my chalkboard!

Sarah famous quote, "Don't ruin our pictures bitches!"

Group Shot :)

Erin: "Don't Stop the Party"

Joey: "Where's the Bubbly?"

Meredith: "Hot Mess"

Bethany: "20% Lesbian"
Seth: "Unreadable" (But it was literally unreadable)

Katie: "Get Renshaw-ed"
Tony: "Pants?"

Jessica: "Bottoms Up!"

Joseph's ready to blow out his candles and make a wish! (Secretly he's hoping he doesn't get any older... the next day he went out and got anti-wrinkle cream..hehe)

Any this is only the beginning of the night!

Breakfast Bruschetta.

2011-08-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my friend Nancy Bodine for giving me delicious recipe to make Breakfast Bruschetta.

Nancy and I worked together at Williams-Sonoma, and like most of us who worked there... we enjoy cooking and trying new recipes! Nancy was super sweet and gave me some of her homemade Pesto. She packaged it up for me, put it in a small cooler and dropped in a couple of her own recipes. So this past weekend I tried one!

I'm not sure if this is how Nancy's Bruschetta turned out, but this was my take on it. I cut and toasted the a fresh baguette, spread a little butter on each slice, topped it with some scrambled eggs, her homemade pesto, and some cream goat cheese from Gateway Market. Joseph was teased the entire time I was making it with all the yummy smells, so by the time it was done, he was ready to eat!

Final Verdict?! Delicious. I don't know that I would have thought this recipe up on my own, but I am so glad Nancy brought it to my attention.
Thanks Nancy!

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.

2011-08-15T12:35:00.001-07:00

One of the many perks of working for Williams-Sonoma? Getting to meet amazing cookbook authors and testing their delicious recipes all while on the clock. Who could ask for a better way to spend the work day?!

Actually, Jeni Brinton Bauer was our first cookbook author to come to the West Des Moines Williams-Sonoma ever, and it was such a blast. I personally had to make (5) batches of her to die for Ugandan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (pgs. 148-149 of her book) as well as her Berry Crisp Ice Cream (pgs. 196-198). I spent a big part of the day before her signing preparing. It was actually a lot easier to make than I thought it would be and I got to taste the results first :)

The next day, it was all about setting the store for Jeni's arrival. We were all so excited to meet her and know everything about her.

First look at her Berry Crisp Ice Cream creation. It was divine. The sweetness of the brandied cherries, was set off by the creamy not-so-sweet vanilla ice cream, and the "crisp" was a unexpected joy too!

Is that her?! NO, it's just my good friend Nancy, being silly and getting excited to meet Jeni herself.

There she is! She was so SUPER sweet and pleasant to work with and talk to. She talked to every single person and told us all about what inspires her flavors and what is she working on next. She was so taken aback by Des Moines. She loved the mix of old and new buildings in the downtown area. I told her all about the East Village and told her that she needed to run down to RAYGUN and get their famous "IDAWAHIO" t-shirt which pokes fun at people who confuse Idaho, Iowa, and Ohio, the famous potato-corn-tire "state" (Jeni is from Ohio).

She even took a picture with the team before she jetted off to Meredith's Better Homes & Garden's Ice Cream social, in her honor.

She is featured in August's issue of Better Homes & Gardens. The photo-article layout is beautiful and just makes you want to run and out all the unusual ingredients and combinations that she's come up with in her book.... Beet Ice Cream being one of them... it is truly a sweet treat :)

New Place.

2011-08-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

The process of looking for the perfect place to live is quite frustrating.... mostly because the perfect place does not exist unless you are building & designing it yourself. So the closest thing we found was the Gateway Lofts building in downtown Des Moines.

Joseph and I literally looked at every condo and apartment building in the entire Des Moines metro. All the buildings had pro's and con's but we kept going back to the Gateway Lofts... but would you believe me if I told you that there was a waiting list?! Seriously...??

We thought it wouldn't be until late Fall that we would be able to get in but luckily we something opened up the 1st of July and we jumped at the opportunity! No it didn't have a patio or work-out room but they were two things we were willing to give up for 1,300 sq feet and underground parking (for the winter months...ugh!)

The first full day we spent in the apartment, it was a bunch of prepping because we were going to have people over during the 80/35 concert series weekend. We cleaned, unpacked, and organized as much as we could... all the while sipping on some bubb, of course ;)

Above is part of our lofted bedroom. I love the sky-light above the bed!

This is our work-in-progress living room, looking down from our bedroom. We are still deciding on color accents as we speak. We are going to paint the big wall behind the TV and have added some stuff since this picture but it at least gives you an idea.

This is one view of one side of the kitchen. Across from this is the counter area, stove, fridge...etc.

This is the another view of part of the kitchen area. I'm standing in the living room, and the stairs lead up to our bedroom. I am waiting to show you the second bedroom and bathroom(s) because they aren't finsihed yet. I am waiting on rugs and other accents before I can showcase them ;)

Like so far?? Getting this place for its official photo-op is taking a lot more time and money than I expected. We have twice the size place that we did in San Diego, so our old stuff didn't make quite a dent in filling this place up.

Stay tuned, more to come!

80/35.

2011-08-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Obviously I'm still behind in blogging since the epic 80/35 concert weekend was the first weekend in July :)

BUT in all seriousness, 80/35 was truly a lot of fun. If you aren't familiar... Des Moines started this Woodstock-ish concert weekend a few years ago which has slowly attracted some pretty big names... like Edward Sharp & Girl Talk. Why 80/35? It's the two big interstates that cross each other in Des Moines. Cute, eh?

The concert series started on a Saturday morning and features a few different stages, some free and some required a $25 ticket per day. I don't remember the line-up, mostly because I just went to enjoy with friends but Edward Sharp was pretty amazing.

Since it was also the first day we had moved into our new place*, we would walk back to our place in between bands that we really wanted to see. Really it was so we could get "re-hydrated" and out of the heat. These two decided to deck themselves out in glitter.... a lot of which is still in the cracks and crevices of our bathroom!

Bethany and I... most likely enjoying an nice cold adult beverage ;)

Emily Svec, Joseph, and I. Not my photo but I was tagged in it!

Everyone gets a little friendlier when they've been drinking.

Obviously Katie really enjoyed our mannequin ;)

Back to the concert series!

It was so HOT all weekend long, but that didn't stop us!

The nights were cool, and the shows... amazing! It was a really really fun weekend. Can't wait until next years! (This photo was taken by Anna Jones, a Des Moines photographer. Her work is pretty awesome, check it out here)

*more on our new place soon!

Fourth of July.

2011-08-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I am ever going to make it past a month behind on blog updates.... but that is okay, right? It helps all myself and everyone else on special times in life.

What does your Fourth of July consist of? Usually for us it means, pool time, relaxing, tons of champagne and an abundance of lobster, crab legs, and overall really good food. This year's Fourth was a little different because all the bubbles had gone to our head and we jumped into our firetruck and this is what it looked like....

We had ton of people over at Joseph's parents house and we all piled in and drove up the driveway and into the neighborhood.

Des Moines is seriously the BEST place to live. Seriously, who drives around the neighborhood with an old firetruck while blasting music and blowing the siren! People either looked at us like we were insane fools or were just as excited as we were :)

Was it dangerous? Of course! But it was also memorable and a ton of fun!

After about (15) minutes of parading around the South Side, we drove back home and parked it right back where it was before we left... it might just be another year until we use it again... or quite possibly Labor Day weekend... hehe!

I've Never.

2011-07-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

I pride myself on trying out new recipes or coming up with a good meal, but I think most people who enjoy cooking feel the same way. So if I see or hear of a new kitchen gadget, I like to try it too.

For (3) weeks in June, Joseph's mom and sister were in Europe for a school trip, so it was up to me to do all the cooking around the house. And since Joseph's dad bought a smoker, I thought I would see how well it worked, especially since I had never smoked anything before.

I decided to use it for Father's Day. It wasn't that hard to use at all. Joseph's dad showed me how to turn it on and I took care of the rest.

I even made my own pork butt rub! It had a lot of Spanish paprika, some cinnamon, brown sugar, among other secret ingredients ;)

Another thing I have never made before... Cole Slaw! I've never had one that I really liked until I had Grandma Moore's. Her's tasted different and had a nice texture. I asked her for the recipe and served it with the Smoked Pulled Pork... which I add Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce to, and served it as Sandwiches. Yum!

On different night, I made this home made spaghetti sauce with pasta and a fresh Summer Salad with stuff from Joseph's growing garden, yummmm!

Luna Bistro+Catering.

2011-07-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of...

Luna Bistro+Catering

It's this cute new place in Des Moines East Village. Since visiting the week it first opened, we've tried to make it there every week or every other week at least. The decor is super cute and the food is amazing. Here is what we had...

For me? The Pork Cheek Tacos. AH-MAZING! I split each taco into two and had four smaller tacos (well I shared them of course). I learned from the chef/owner Chris that they had served them at this years Winefest, and obviously they were a hit.

Shannon had the Porchetta Open Faced Sandwich. Never heard of it? Try it! Slow roasted porchetta-style pork chop over bread. Yum!

And finally Joseph had the Hangar Steak Sandwich. Uh, delicious! The only negative part was that there wasn't more! The steak was cooked perfectly, and the lemon parsley olive oil was refreshing.

They served lunch daily and have a small wine and beer list. It's cute, cozy, and offers a great lunch option. If you happen to stumble upon it, at least stop in for a small plate and glass of wine.

You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Grandma's Braid Bread.

2011-07-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

Does your family have a recipe that has been passed on from generation to generation? Or is there anyone who makes something special every time there is a family gathering or special occasion?

When I think of someone or something like that, I think of my Grandma (on my mom's side) because every Christmas she makes her amazing tamales. I have yet to taste anyone's as hers. The only down side is that she lives in Arizona, so I either have to go there or she has to fly here for the holidays. I've had her show me how to make them, but I forgot to write down the recipe, she does it by memory.

For Joseph's family, it is tradition to have Grandma Moore's Braid Bread at Thanksgiving. Last year for the holidays, we stayed in California so we asked Grandma Moore if she would share her recipe with us. I made it and it turned out okay. It looked like hers, smelled like hers, but didn't taste like hers... even the texture was a little off.

So, a couple weeks after moving back to Des Moines, we asked her to show us how to make it and we would document it. I told Joseph that we should all get together and learn how to make it, so Sophie joined us and this is what we learned.

We learned that this particular recipe has been passed down from generation to generation. As we stood around her kitchen listening to every instruction, you could see and hear how dear this recipe is to her heart.

She told us how she remembers having this bread often during the Great Depression. She remembers her mom making it, the smell of it baking and then eventually learning how to make it herself.

Every detail of her recipe is important, and not written on the recipe card. She told us how she knows when the yeast is ready to be added to the flour and eggs. How it should taste, and feel after its been all mixed together.

Even the eggs had to be added and let sit for a certain time.

The thing that reminded me about my Grandma, is that like her, Grandma Moore doesn't go by the specific measurements that she has written down. There isn't a specific measurement she says, because she does the recipe based on how it feels in her hands.

"More flour" she says!

Once she feels like the dough is ready, she shows us how to knead it. And you better believe that she has her own way of doing it.

Once she shows us, Sophie and I both try it out.

Grandma Moore wasn't shy about telling us that we were doing it wrong, and re-teaches us. Explaining her pull not push-or-smush method.

Once she was satisfied with our kneading, she told us to separate the dough into (3) equal parts. We had to make them into long "ropes".

It was then time to braid the three pieces together.

...and voila! The finished unbaked product.

I would have taken a picture of the fresh out-of-the-oven product, but that was prime eating time, just warm enough to spread some butter on. And believe me, it didn't even make it off the baking sheet, it was eaten that quick!

Thank you Grandma Moore for teaching us how to make your special bread. When the day comes that you can no longer make it (which we all pray is never, or at least not anytime soon), I hope we can continue your tradition.This post is for you, love you!

Mayan Sacrifice.

2011-07-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Can you think of a better idea to celebrate our return home, the Kentucky Derby, and the start of summer than a Mayan Sacrifice themed party?!

The official kick-off to the party was a Mint Julep and race track betting. (Unfortunately, my horse did not win)

The DJ arrived just in time to start the real party!

There was plenty of food, friends, and of course, fun!

It's unbelievable how many people are ready and willing to do crazy flips and tricks off the diving board.

Say Cheese! :)

A few seconds after this picture was taken, the hula-hooping contest began!

Did they purposely coordinate their outfits?? We'll never know for sure.

Kind of a cool picture, right? I think so. It pretty much summarizes what most people remembered (or didn't remember) from the all day, all night party.

Chicago.

2011-07-12T09:34:00.001-07:00

Since I hadn't seen my family in over (6) months, Joseph and I drove the 4 hours to the Chicago-area to visit my mom, dad, sisters, and friends.

The weather was odd while we were there. One minute it was bright and sunny, and then cloudy and humid, and finally a huge storm rolled through!

We just kind of hung-out, grilled, and shopped. It's always nice to visit there.

One of my favorite people in the world: Becky! We can sit and talk on the phone or in person for hours on end. We've been friends since our Freshman year in high school and haven't stopped talking since. She's one of my best friends. (Those are my glasses she has on!)

My little sister is kind of a rebel.
Random piercings? Check.
Fire Red Hair? Check.
Multiple tattoos? Check.

But I love her all the same.

And this little guy? My god-son!
Isn't he so adorable? I always have to pay him a visit and when I drive out to Chicago.

Not a very flattering picture of me but still cute all the same.

Diego to Des Moines.

2011-07-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

After a three day stretch of non-stop driving, it was nice getting "home" to Des Moines. First thing we did? We went straight to Lucca for dinner in the East Village with Joseph's mom and to visit Sophie too!

The next morning, I continued my daily routine* of a morning run (2.2 miles) and oatmeal for breakfast.

(*for those of you still wondering, yes, to date I have lost about 14 pounds since leaving San Diego. Hard to imagine right? Ugh. It feels good being right back where I was three or four years ago)

The next couple of weeks consisted of visiting our local hot spots. Carl's Place? It may be a total dive bar, but a lot of Des Moines' trendsetters pay a routine late night visit here.

Martini Night? Yes, please. Wednesday night is The Lift's weekly hot spot because of their 2-for-1 Martini's.

I made a new friend at The Lift for Cinco de Mayo: Scott! He's in a band, no big deal ;) His girlfriend Kristin is really sweet too!

First Farmer's Market of the year? DEFINITELY. I have yet to visit a Farmer's Market better than Des Moines'. Not even San Diego's Little Italy Mercato stands a chance to ours here! (Although, it my favorite in SD)

Packin' It Up.

2011-07-11T17:01:00.001-07:00

Working until the very last minute (seriously, until the day we left).... probably not the best idea!

10.) Packing and Saying Our Final Goodbye's

As we started to pack the first and even the last boxes, it still hadn't hit me that we were leaving. I just thought in my head that we were moving to a different apartment or going on a long road trip that for some reason required we bring all of our stuff with us.

Still, looking at this picture, I can't remember feeling sad, just ready to get on the road. It didn't phase me that we were moving ourselves and all our of belongings across the country. Looking back at this picture, I really miss it. I miss our old apartment, our old/new friends, our old hang-out spots, and my old job. There's something about Des Moines that hasn't filled that void yet, but I am determined to find it :)

Oh San Diego, how I miss thee and all of the people, places, and memories that are still there too! I can't wait to return and relive all of those experiences. Until then, farewell and thank you.

As I have always said, I am terrible at Goodbye's, so we'll see you later ;)

Farewell Party.

2011-07-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

There's nothing better than throwing a big party and having all of your friends come... but it if its a farewell party, it isn't quite the same.

9.) Throw a Farewell Party @ Nunu's (For old times sake)

A little part of The ExDes Group. What cuties, eh?

Sarah & Joseph.

A little part of the Sushi Deli crew.

Awwww, Shannon! She's always there to party ;)

Of course, our last rendezvous had to be at Nunu's with these three!

Classy to Trashy.

I wish Erin and I had more time to become closer, but I'll await her arrival to Des Moines. Yes Erin, I am expecting you to make the trek out here, there is a lot going on in Iowa :)

Favorite Places & Things.

2011-06-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

I do believe that we take things for granted. Whether the things that we take for granted are tangible or not.... we forget to be grateful, we forget to appreciate, and overall forget to enjoy.

8.) Enjoy my Favorite Places, Things & People.

What would I do without these two people in my life? They help balance all aspects of my life. Not to say that I don't have other close friends in my life, but Jessica & Lourdes mean the world to me. I love them, and know that they love me too.

Our pool at our complex. Something about it was so inviting and comfortable. I loved the pool, hot tub, and fire pit areas. I felt at home here.

Our weekly home-made meals. I think it's important to splurge at least once a week on good food, good wine, and of course good desserts ;) What's life worth without splurging? We work hard to splurge once in a while, right?

I'll miss all of the amazing foliage. Before we left, Joseph was able to pick out all of these succulents and arrange them beautifully. Love it.

The awesome "regulars" at my job. Sheila, if you are still reading my blog, I miss you and am so grateful to have met you. Let me know when you roll through the Chicago-area. The champagne was amazing. Thank you!

Walking around the East Village after a fabulous meal at Cafe Chloe ;)

Going out with friends downtown. I still haven't been anywhere that compares to the nightlife in San Diego. I love and miss it already.

The caviar custard at Cafe Chloe. Uhhh, SO delicious.

Ok, fine. EVERYTHING about Cafe Chloe ;)

Sheila. Thank you for the weekly bouquet of "Just Joey" roses from your garden. They were so beautiful and fragrant. I have yet to find a Just Joey bush, but when I do, I will be sure to buy it and blog about it :)

The Beach.

2011-06-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

Living in San Diego, you would think that we'd be going to the beach EVERYDAY. It may have started out that way but it quickly faded (for me anyway...) You get caught up in work and your every day routine that you forget to make time to get out there.

We lived within walking distance to the San Diego Harbor so we never forgot the water was there but you get used to seeing it everyday and forget to really stop and appreciate it.

7.) Go to the beach... one last time.

Del Mar Beach

I personally had never been to this specific beach but my friend Erin from work would always come here and wanted to us to go. It was a beautiful day... so why not?!

I really like the natural beauty of this picture... maybe its the bright color of the moss against the cool slate color of the sand?

Joseph really is a great photographer in my opinion, but I guess my opinion is skewed. I wish he could see how good he is at it.

Snapshot: Friends.

We've grown a lot together...

San Diego and California, in general, has a lot of natural beauty... but I guess every place does.

Joseph, always trying to explore new things!

We walked and walked until the sun was about to set. It was quite beautiful.

As I sit here today, putting together this post, I am reminded of how much I secretly loved San Diego. Yes, I bitched and moaned about how expensive it was and how far away all of our close friends and family were... but I made some life-long friends in San Diego and had my own little version of a "family"... yes you all know who you are :)

Massage.

2011-06-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

For my birthday I received a fabulous gift card to the Spa at the luxurious Se Hotel for a massage. I hadn't used it because I was hoping for the perfect day that I could just have a relaxing day, but working in management, that rarely happens.

6.) So I decided to pick a day before our trek across the country!

Se Hotel Spa

The hotel itself is beautiful and it has an awesome restaurant too, Suite & Tender. The spa is on the 3rd floor and I was greeted with a drink before my massage.

I wasn't in the waiting area long, but I wish it was my living room. Plush sofas, relaxing feel, and overall a place to just get away from the noisy city.

I was shown into my "room" or bungalow.

The massage itself was SO intense. I was very sore after he was done. I got a deep tissue and I'm not kidding you, I was on the verge of tears...

But after he was done, my body felt so relieved. And I got to take a steam shower. I don't think that I had ever taken one but it was hot and steamy and just relaxing. Loved it. If you've never been here, try it. Expensive, but worth every penny for the experience.

Seaworld.

2011-06-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Is it strange that I had never been to a Sea World before? Sure my parents took us to Disneyland, Disney World, and Universal Studios but never Sea World. I didn't think it was weird, quite frankly I never felt like I needed to go but....

5.) We added it to our list of things to do!

Sea World.

I found a coupon online that took $25 off the ticket price, score! The day we planned to go was a beautiful day and our friend Shannon decided to ditch work and come too (her family was in town too so they were all excited to go)

First stop, sea-lions! Some were being all crazy and fighting while others were sun bathing and relaxing.

We went under these underwater tunnels to see all of the different kinds of sharks.

Scary!

Later, we found a show to go to. It was called Blue Horizons... "where dolphins fly and birds come come to life.." or something like that ;)

It was actually a really cool show. It was extra cool since I was kind of tipsy. I love that amusement parks serve alcohol, especially if you're taking your kids.... I'd go crazy!

They had people dressed up as different kinds of birds and would do all sorts of tricks with the dolphins.

We saw a lot of sea life. The Shamu Show show was pretty cool too but I didn't get any pictures of it. We also didn't get to sit close because it was packed, which was okay because the front rows all got soaked!

It was really fun :)

Flower Gardens.

2011-06-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of the Carlsbad Flower Fields? Well apparently Joseph had because we kept checking on the status of the flowers at the flower fields!

4.) Visit the Flower Fields of Carlsbad

Beautiful Renuculus, eh??

I think this was by far my favorite! I don't know why, but I just thought it was beautiful.

Awww, little Josie!

They had the most amazing variety of renuculus flowers.

We had someone try to capture the natural beauty of the gardens. Mission accomplished? Maybe not?!

I just LOVED this picture (taken by Joseph Wanek)!

Not sure how far the gardens stretched, but it had to have been a LONG way.

They had a beautiful selection of orchids....

...and roses, and different hybrids of poinsettias! Even some that the general public hasn't even seen! If you haven't been, I highly recommend it, everything was beautiful. I was looking for the "Just Joey" rosebush that I am familiar with, but they didn't have it :(

If you happen to run across it, I'm sure you won't be disappointed at all. The blooms are a beautiful Orange hue and the scent is intoxicating. Let me know if you find it.

Paragliding.

2011-06-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

About (2) years ago, I bought Joseph a Gift Certificate to go paragliding off of the La Jolla Cliffs. A year went by and he never got around to doing it, but having less than a month to get it done, we consistently checked the winds to get drive up and do it.

3.) Go Paragliding

I'm not sure if Joseph was nervous, as he's gone ski diving and hang gliding, among various other dangerous things.

It didn't take long for the instructor to get both of them all strapped in.

Within a matter of seconds, the kite was lifted off the ground.
(I stayed on ground to document, of course)

Off, off, and away!

Their photographer caught some of these awesome pictures.

He had a lot of fun and said it was beautiful up there. Pretty cool way to say goodbye to one of his favorite places in SD.

Runner.

2011-06-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

I've never been much of a runner.... more of a jogger?? In other words, I hate to work-out. But after living downtown San Diego and having a city full of restaurants and bars to go to often and all within walking distance... I gained some weight! Not to mention that I worked full-time at a bakery.... SO....

2.) Try to lose weight before leaving SD

After our trip from Hawai'i I ran out to the mall and bought some running shoes, gave up drinking for a couple of weeks, went on a high-protein diet, and starting running. Did I reach my goal? You'll see later ;)

But seriously, don't those running shoes make you want to run to show them off!

Sprinkles.

2011-06-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

After deciding to move back to Des Moines (for various reasons), we made a list of things that we had to do, places we had to see, and things we had to eat before leaving the Golden Coast. The several posts will be a compilation of what I remembered to actually document :)

1.) Eat as many cupcakes at Sprinkles, as possible (Joseph's request)

For those of you who haven't heard Sprinkles, they are pretty much the people who started the cupcake craze all over the U.S. They started out in a little boutique in Beverly Hills and have been expanding since getting national attention.

Their design and cupcakes are simple.

Once they became a hit, they started producing their own cupcake mix line. (I haven't tried making them but I'm sure they don't compare to the real thing)

Cute packaging, right?!

Yumm! Joseph is obsessed with red velvet and I with chocolate, but they have so many flavors, all offered at different parts of the day. Have a Sprinkles close to you?? It's worth a visit :-)

Mussel Bisque.

2011-05-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

So aside from getting tired of looking through various photo albums trying to pick out pictures from Hawai'i, I also had to starting packing, and tying up a bunch of loose ends because we decided to move and leave San Diego! (More on that to come, but for now, I will catch up on what I did, cooked, and ate during my last month in California)

As with any soup or bisque I had to saute the veggies and have them soak up the flavors of the onions, garlic, and various spices.

I had already prepared and cooked the mussels a little before cooking the veggies for the bisque. The hard part was cleaning the outsides of the shells, but this time I did it a little faster since I knew what I was doing!

I had to save the mussel "broth" that I had cooked the mussels in and had to run the liquid through a sieve to get rid of all the gross particles that they had given off.

And viola! I added the broth to the veggies, as well as the mussels and then whisked in a small amount of cream :) It was delicious, I'm wanting to make it again, very soon!

Surfing & A Luau.

2011-04-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

Joseph booked some surfing lessons for everyone so we drove to the site. It was about (45) minutes from our villa.

The view from the road was gorgeous.

Everyone took lessons, while I soaked up some more sun. Apparently the instructor has given lessons to everyone from Zac Efron to Helen Hunt for that new movie coming out, "Soul Surfer".

Looks like everyone had fun. Joseph thought it was going to be a lot more intense, but since he surfs here in California, it was easy, he said.

Can you guess where we went later that night?!

That's right, a LUAU!

During "happy hour", while everyone settled into their seats and got their drink on, the food cooked.

Yes, underneath that huge pile of dirt was our dinner. These guys had to dig it out of the ground.

It was a PIG. It had been cooking under hot rocks that they covered with dirt all day long.

...patiently waiting our dinner to be served!

We all loved the pig, it reminded me of a Mexican dish called "carnitas".

After dinner, the show began. Honestly, I pictured something else my mind... I thought it was a little boring. The sunset and the music was nice though, and it I guess it was more about the experience.

Towards the end of the show, they picked out people from the crowd to come up and dance. To Austin's luck, they picked him and he had the final dance with the "Hawaiian Princess". They did a little dance together and naturally they fell in love ;)

Sunsets.

2011-04-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

How could you not love waking up to this view?!

The next morning, after breakfast, we starting exploring the island a bit. We drove to one end of the island to see lava. None of us realized that all that dark stuff was lava rock, we thought it was dirt!

The rest of the day we spent by the pool, soaking up the sun and sipping on bubbly. It was totally relaxing.

For dinner, we went to Gannon's at the Wailea Golf Course. It is known for "the place" to watch the sunset.

One of our favorite things to do on vacation for dinner is watch the sunset.

Joseph's parents!

The sky was beautiful.

Joseph... snacking on something.

Even though the food wasn't amazing, everything else was!

Welcome to Hawai'i.

2011-04-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting to posting our pictures from Hawai'i... there are SO many, therefore having to look through all of them day-by-day, and picking out the best is really hard. Anyway, here is a start!

We arrived in Hawaii Friday morning (the day after the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan) and drove to our Villa in Wailea.

We parked our Jeep and grabbed our bags.

Cute plates!

As soon as we entered the villas front desk, we were "lei-d" by the staff.

First things first! They had some local beer in the fridge, so we sat down on our penthouse patio and soaked up the sun.

The view was beautiful, we got to see the sun setting every day!

After our beer, we decided to do a little exploring and walked down to the beach.

Our walk to the beach and out of the villa's property was really lush. There were so many flowers and plants all over the place, it definitely felt like paradise.

Picture time!

We took a little walk along the water. There was a sidewalk that took you from hotel to hotel. We were next to the Grand Wailea Resort and the Four Seasons.

After about an hour of exploring, we walked back to our villa and got ready for lunch.

We went across the street from our villa to the Shops of Wailea (they had a Louis Vuitton... dangerous!). There was a little burger place there across from the Tommy Bahama Restaurant. we ordered some burgers and our first Mai-Tai's of the trip.

Since the rest of Joseph's family wasn't getting into the island until later that night, we did the grocery shopping and of course, bought all of the provisions. Veuve Clicquot -- a must!

Tired from the day, we sat down to a few glasses of champagne and enjoyed the sun set. It was pure bliss.

Semilla Madre.

2011-04-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

After our (3) hour lunch... (yes we were at the restaurant for that long... and the funny thing was that so was everyone else that were eating there) we headed over to see Lourdes' good friend Jaz' who has recently opened up a new store! It's in the heart of Playas and it's called:

Semilla Madre.

She used to operate it within her house but she said that became too much, so she rented a little space on the main street in Playas.

She sells organic fruits, veggies, cheeses, meats, and her own art too!

She recently got into this new thing of painting rocks. Someone in Mexico City saw them and asked her to make really big ones for their garden. She is super excited about it.

We spent a couple hours with her here since she didn't close until 7:30 p.m. But even as she was closing, people were still trying to come in and purchase stuff.

Some plants and herbs that she sells outside too.

I loved this horse tail, it is everywhere in California and Mexico.

After we closed shop, we headed to her house.

I loved her place. It has such an artistic flair and is totally calming.

Some artwork she is working on. She sells these all over Mexico and are really popular. She is now trying to break into the L.A. market. After showing us a new massage room in her house, we headed out to a local cafe and enjoyed a bottle of wine before we headed back to San Diego.

It was the perfect little day trip that we needed to get out of the city.

La Querencia.

2011-04-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

After exploring the Culinary Art School, we were ready for lunch, not to mention that it was a few days before Lourdes' birthday, so we thought that we would celebrate by going to her good friend's restaurant:

La Querencia
(click here for the full website)

I can usually tell if I am going to like a place by the outside, and I was pretty sure I was going to love it.

We were seated right away, and it was really visual stimulating. The colors, the music, the vibe...really cool. The decor was modern with a interesting twist.... hunting! I guess the Chef loves to hunt, so he has stuffed animal heads and bodies on the walls. I could have done without, but it was still interesting.

LOVED these little centerpieces. I am pretty sure the flower had been dried out and added to the live greens, even if Lourdes disagreed with me ;)

They had a kitchen area as well as a bar/fish area. It looked kind of like a sushi bar, but not.

Everyone received this tray of different sauces that the Chef created. He learned how to make a lot of his recipes from his mom but of course attended Le Cordon Bleu. The sauce varied from mild to incredibly hot... it literally burned my entire mouth. The bread was terrible.... for as amazing his food is, he needs to contact Bread & Cie (San Diego) or La Mie (Des Moines).

Lourdes pretty much took the initiative and ordered everything for us. She told me that I HAD to try this martini. It was a Tamarindo martini...so good!

You order your meal(s) from this chalkboard. I had no idea where to even start, so I let Lourdes take over. We decided on doing "La Gustaccion", which pretty much translates into the "Chef's Tasting". We eat whatever he sends over, and he continues to cook until we tell him that we are done.

First thing's first... an appetizer shot. It was filled with all kinds of fresh fish, tequila, chile, and lime. It was totally different from anything I have ever had.

Next, we have beets that had been reduced in some kind of alcohol and then topped with the most mild blue cheese that I have ever had. Yum!

I'm starting to get full... but I couldn't resist trying more and the next thing was a Lamb-burger. Ugh, my mouth is literally watering right now.

This was the last entree that we had before dessert (which I forgot to take a picture of.... it was a crepe cake) This was a chorizo stuffed prawn with a little lamb leg. It was a little much for me with all the different meats, but still tasty.

After our martini, we enjoyed a nice red wine from a local and prestigious winery in Valle de Guadalupe called Vina de Liceaga (click here for their website)

Thank you Chef! It was delicious.

Culinary Art School.

2011-04-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Last week, Lourdes and I make a trip down to Tijuana solely for the purpose of viewing Tijuana's new and very trendy Culinary Art School.

I read about it here (page 60) and thought to myself "I have to see that school, it look so cool." Once I found it out that it was literally right across the border, I knew I had to go right away, and it didn't take Lourdes much convincing to come with me since we both have a love for cooking and all things fabulous, of course.

Welcome to Culinary Art School!

The entire building is very modern and a lot smaller than I thought it would be.

This is pretty much it. It's almost like one big house.... which I would want to live in :)

The kitchen areas were small. I would think that they have between 50-100 students. We watched and observed everything, and we're pretty sure that they teach all of the kids at the same time, as opposed to small groups.

The far left hand side of these "stairs" are indeed stairs, but the other side is a fountain! For some reason, I thought there were just big puddles of water on the steps and I began to walk on them... quickly realizing it was actually a fountain that was not running at the time. Oooops!

Pretty!

I really love the contrast of the green with the building.

On our way out.... onto the rest of our day* in Tijuana!

*more to come!

Mardi Gras 2011.

2011-03-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Fat Tuesday!

"What were your food splurges?"

"Did you make a King Cake?"

"Did you give anything up far lent?"

Those are some of the most common questions everyone is asking everyone else the week that Fat Tuesday & Ash Wednesday falls on. Me... the only tradition I have is making homemade Jambalaya :) I have this recipe that I always use out of an old Bon Appetit recipe.

Everyone that tries it, falls completely in love with it.

The prep for this is so time consuming. You literally spend at least 1/2 an hour chopping, cutting, and combining all of the veggies. And then you have to saute them for another 30-45 minutes. Once that is complete, you add clam juice, all of the meats you decide to use (ie. chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp...etc) and you cook another hour or so... I think.

Now I can't remember and I don't feel like looking for the recipe ;-)

Alas, you add white rice to the thick, spicy, meaty delicious and dig in! SO worth the wait and all the hard work.

This year, after several bottles of wine and an awesome dinner, a small group of us wen to Rich's to celebrate... even though all day I said I was going to stay home! Oh well, it turned out to be a really fun night at the last minute.

Dining Out.

2011-03-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite past times? Going out for dinner! I'm not crazy about take-out because you lose the experience, the atmosphere, and the freshly plated food that a restaurant has to offer but I just love trying new places for dinner. I always have, but I love cooking a mean gourmet meal too.

Working a 40+ hour work week doesn't make it that easy to have dinner on the table by 7:00 p.m. so we usually end up eating by 9:00 p.m. I just think of ourselves much like Europeans ;) Anyway, here are two places we've gone that I really enjoy:

1.) Banker's Hill Restaurant

This restaurant is kind of off of the map. I didn't hear much about it and I still don't think that there is a HUGE hype around it but there should be because the food and the atmosphere is really unique. The decor is very rustic with a lot of wood and metal elements, but the succulents as you see in the picture softens the place and it is very cozy.

They have a few couple of different dining areas. I have yet to sit outside in the "succulent garden", because it has been cold and it doesn't look that cozy but I plan to once it warms up! The bar area is dimly light and kind really relaxes you after a long stressful day at work.

The menu is creative and delicious. I usually order the Duck Confit or the Grilled Steak is awesome too. If you like a good burger, they have that too. The mussels are spicy and quite delicious and they also have a great wine list. Their desserts are inventive and simple. Yummy! Overall one of my favorite places, even though Joseph discovered it and not me ;-)

2.) Basic

Basic, that is pretty much what it is. They offer basic pizzas and then you add all of the topping that you want. They have a HUGE bar area and a small dining area. Their drinks are pretty good and the pizza is awesome. Thin crust, greasy, and gourmet.

The decor is pretty basic too. There is a lot of big sofas, metal coffee tables, low seating, and just an overall casual place. You have to be 21 to get in, so no kids, sorry! I guess most places we aren't kid friendly since they are all in the city.

New Places to Try

1.) Cowboy Star in the East Village
2.) Pamplemousse Grille in Solana Beach
3.) Tapenade in La Jolla
4.) Hane Sushi
5.) Prepkitchen in La Jolla

.....and the list can go on and on!

Mussels.

2011-03-30T11:26:00.001-07:00

Do you ever go to a restaurant and see a specific appetizer or entree that you just have to have, even though you have tried various versions on it? Joseph and I do that all of the time. I personally always love to order duck because I love the rich flavor and different ways to cook it but another item would be mussels.

I had never really had them until we moved to California. Now I see and order them from anywhere between a gastro-pub to a fine dining establishment. I love the flavor that they offer, even though I can't stand the flavor of oysters.

After years of trying different chefs versions, I thought "why haven't I tried making them", the concept seemed to easy, and I am usually am pretty full after eating them for an appetizer. So, I went on a search for them and found them at Whole Foods.

Almost every recipe I looked through, called for (3) pounds, so that is exactly what I bought. Let me tell you now, it is a lot of work to clean these little suckers. Not to mention you have to distinguish the live ones between the dead ones. Not only do you have to soak them to get the sand out of them, then you have to pull out their "beard", and scrape the gunk off the outside of them. Joseph wanted to help me but I told him that if he saw what they looked like before I was done cleaning them, he may not want to eat them!

BUT, once they were clean and I started making the "broth", it changed everything. In my big red Creuset pot, I melted butter with garlic, onion, fresh parley, and white wine. I may have added a few other fresh herbs but it is escaping my mind right now. Like I said, there is a variation of recipes from broths to bisque's to red sauces, but I stuck to the simplest form, as this was my first time!

Once I added the mussels and steamed them with this great broth, they opened up and this was the end product. I served them with fresh lemon wedges and grilled pieces of a french baguette.

Were they good? Need I say that we finished them in one sitting?! They were amazing. If you have the time, I would recommend making them but it is a lot easier ordering them off a menu and having a chef make them for you. I have such an appreciation for that chef in the kitchen making them now!

Here are some of my favorite places to have mussels:

1.) Cafe Chloe in the East Village
2.) Cody's in La Jolla
3.) Banker's Hill Restaurant

L.A. Times.

2011-03-30T10:57:00.001-07:00

I can't remember if we went to L.A. to watch the Oregon Ducks play at UCLA before or after my birthday, but there were some good times to be had!

Joseph's family flew out to see the game because their cousin is the Coach at Oregon, and he was playing in L.A. So why not, right??

Honestly, I don't remember the name of the hotel we stayed at?! Haha, the past month has been such a blur, so much going on! But it was actually a pretty nice hotel and the weather was awesome.... considering all of the rain we have been having.

Once we got there, we went out to lunch in the area... again, I can't remember the restaurant! It was mediocre though. I had a Lobster Hoagie, but just ate the lobster out of it, yummy :)

We walked on the pier nearby and enjoyed the sunny afternoon. Joseph's grandparent's came out from Nebraska too!

Later that night, we went to see the game. The Ducks lost, but it was kind of cool watching the game at our floor seats and watching the dancers & cheerleaders. It reminded me of high school.

The next day, Joseph, Sophie and I went to Universal Studios since Sophie had never been! It's always fun going with people who haven't experienced it.

Later that night we went to dinner at Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills for my birthday dinner. The food and atmosphere was really amazing. You wouldn't believe who sat at the table next to us.... Ryan Seacrest! You can barely see him in that picture and once he saw the camera flash, he kind of sat back in his chair. Hilarious!

After dinner, we went out in West Hollywood with Michelle, Topher, and their cousin. Since Michelle lives in L.A. she showed us a good time and we visited some of the hottest clubs. Joseph and Michelle swore this was Kristin Cavallari.... they obviously don't know their celebs, or they were just really drunk ;)

That's the end of my birthday month, let's move on now!

Birth-Day.

2011-03-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

If you remember correctly, I worked last year on my birthday, at both of my jobs. I didn't think it was that big of a deal but everyone insisted that I take the day off this year. So I did, and it was a very relaxing, fun-filled day.

Joseph and I went to Cafe Chloe for breakfast and then came home to this....

A Baked Almond Fruit Tart from Extraordinary Desserts! Yummy. It served as my "birthday cake". Not only was it beautiful, but it was so delicious. One of my favorite things.

After Lourdes dropped off a car load of gifts from co-workers at work, regular clients, and a few gifts from herself, I made this little cheese plate for all of us to enjoy (even all of the cheese were gifts! Who doesn't love getting yummy gourmet goods for their birthday?!)

We also opened a bottle of wine and walked down to the pool with our drinks and snacks. The sun was out and it was the perfect weather... until it wasn't... it started to rain, but not before my friend Shannon dropped off some beautiful Red Roses and Stargazer Lilies.

After all of the snacks, wine, and running out of the rain, we came back up to the apartment to get ready to go out to dinner. There were a few different places that I wanted to stop at but after everything was said and done, we went to Craft & Commerce for drinks and ended up staying there for dinner.

I think this picture of Jessica and I and the picture of Joseph above, were the only pictures that I got from the night.... oooops! Sorry, but we had a really nice night.

The next morning, I was able to get a few pictures of almost everything that I had received on my birthday. I even got more stuff the week following too :)

I felt truly blessed to be so fortunate and have such amazing and thoughtful people in my life.

Sadly, all of the flowers died within a week but they looked so beautiful.

The orchid is still alive though :) and most of the wine and champagne is still awaiting to be opened and enjoyed by myself and those around me that I love.

Thank you everyone for making my 26th birthday so special!

XOXO.

iPhone4.

2011-03-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you that know me... know that I've had the same iPhone 3G for two years (well, not the same exact one that I had when I bought it, but the same model... yes, I broke three iPhones in less than a year...oops!)

Anyways, I had my latest one for a year, with the same cracked screen. I kept telling myself that I was going to wait until the White iPhone 4 came out, but it never did. BUT then all of the sudden, Verizon picked up the iPhone and I couldn't resist switching.

The day before my birthday, I was ready to throw my iPhone 3G off the deck. I so fed up with it that I told Joseph we needed to go to the Apple Store so I could buy a new one. After the extensive process of switching carriers and activating a new phone... I had it... and Joseph bought it for me for my birthday :) Yay!

This picture reminds me of some kind of ad for the iPhone. As soon as I got it, I called my mom... but of course she was sleeping. So when she called me the next day, we FaceTimed!

It blows my mind how far technology has come! I still remember those big brick-sized cellphones that first came out. Yikes!

Flowers

2011-03-06T01:44:00.001-08:00

I can't think of many people who don't love getting flowers, no matter what the occasion, if not at all...

For my birthday this year*, I was showered with flowers from so many people, and I have to express how much I loved them all. They were all so beautiful. One of my favorite bouquets came from Jessica:

Aren't they beautiful?? You can see the various types of Hydrangea, Orchids, Hyacinth, Parrot Tulips, Berries, and even some bushy grass blooms. They were all of my favorites thrown into one single bouquet. Every time I walked through the door and saw them, they made me smile :)

*More about my birthday details coming soon!

Squid Ink Pasta.

2011-03-06T01:22:00.001-08:00

Have you ever tried or even heard of Squid Ink Pasta??

Sure, I've been to a many Italian restaurant, but I had never heard of of it... so naturally when I saw it on the menu at Benecotto, it was totally turned off to the idea. But I decided to ask the server more about it, and learned that it was featured on the cover of San Diego Magazine. So, I had to try it....

and I LOVED it. It was so good, with a creamy red tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, and shrimp! Yummy!

A few weeks ago, after a meeting at work in Little Italy, I stopped at a little shop and thought of picking up some things for dinner... and my surprise, they had squid ink pasta! I bought it up, along with a block of Parmesan cheese and drove right home!

I decided to make my own version of that tasty pasta but without the shrimp, white sauce instead of red, and added grilled veggies instead.

I took the Parmesan cheese and threw it into the food processor that I got from my mom for Christmas.

Here it is: Squid Ink Pasta

I made homemade Alfredo sauce....

Grilled the veggies, as well as a few cloves of garlic too!

Once everything was cooked, I quickly cooked the pasta, tossed it in the Alfredo sauce, added the veggies with the diced up roasted garlic and served with some fresh Parmesan cheese. It was SO good. Joseph didn't realize that the pasta was actually made with squid ink, he thought that it was just called that because it was dark in color!

Malibu.

2011-02-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

What's better than an impromptu day trip to Malibu?

A friend at work needed to switch shifts, which meant I had a full day off and then didn't go into work until late the next night, so what to do? How about a mini-road trip to Malibu & Santa Monica?

We met up with our good friend, Caitlin at the Malibu Country Mart.

It is a totally cute area. Every store is a high-end boutique like john varvatos, Ralph Lauren, James Perse, kitson, JCrew, & alice + olivia.

Yes, we do have some of these stores in San Diego and other malls in the surrounding areas but these particular boutiques only carried super luxe items like the Globetrotter Collection at JCrew and other "collections" pieces that you can't find in normal stores, which makes sense why all the celebs shop in this particular country mart.

After walking around the entire mart waiting for Caitlin, we decided we needed to get an afternoon cocktail.

Obviously Caitlin was ready for a cocktail too!

I spotted this cute little place called "Crumbs". They sold cute little cookies, cupcakes, and brownies.

No, we didn't try any but they looked really fun. We ordered coffees instead and just enjoyed looking at everything. But seriously, do you think people in Malibu are eating these sweets?!

Like I said, the boutiques were super luxe. I had never been into a JCrew quote like this one. It seriously didn't even look like a JCrew store. I perused their collection for a while but it felt like I was in some kind of JCrew museum.

After a little shopping and drinking, we decided to get some lunch. We drove down to Santa Monica and decided to have lunch at BOA Steakhouse. It was a pretty nice day out and the heaters on the outside patio definitely helped.

We got this yummy Prawn appetizer.

Caitlin ordered the BOA Cheeseburger.

Joseph ordered his typical veggie panini.... even though I tried to convince him to get the Lamb-burger.

Since he decided against it, I ordered the Lamb-burger, which the server talked up. He was right, it was delicious. I want another one as I sit here thinking about it.

After lunch, we walked down to the Santa Monica Pier to get on the Farris Wheel. Some guy offered to take our picture, so we let him.

Turns out that he had just got married! I thought it was super cute, but Joseph thought it was weird.... what does he know ;) He did take their picture though... I see a Wedding Photographer in the making!

Before leaving, I wanted to make one last stop at cb2! Love it. It was so fun to be able to just get up and go for our mini-trip. Isn't it crazy how the different life can be from one year to the next?!

allspice.

2011-02-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

One of things that I love most about Des Moines is their support for local businesses.

While we were back visiting for the holidays, we stopped by the East Village, of course. It's always exciting to see what is new or has newly opened up. I was really excited to stop into this little place...

allspice

We got a little box full of a small assortment of all of their ground Chile powders. I didn't even know where to start, there was so much to look and so much that I wanted. The store owner helped us pick out some of the best and a nice variety in spiciness. I picked up some bay leaves as well, since I knew we were out.

Jospeh's mom had already shipped us three types of peppercorns, but while we were there, we got some Tangerine Balsamic Vinaigrette and Blood Orange Olive Oil. The store owner combined the two and let us taste it.... sooooo good! We also got some White Truffle Oil. Seriously, the best. We have made Truffle Fries, Truffle Popcorn, and Truffle Fettuccine Alfredo.

Love, love love allspice, click here to check it out.

Mushroom Risotto.

2011-01-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I love risotto! Now that I am thinking about it, I like a lot of rice dishes: fried rice, paella, Mexican rice, Puerto Rican rice... the list goes on and on!

What are your favorite rice dishes??

Anyways, I was at work and really craving Mushroom Risotto. It was literally all that I could think about as I sat working on payroll. As soon as I got off, I drove over to Whole Foods and picked up some mushrooms, chicken stock, and fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley. I went to work as soon as I walked into the apartment.

I think I was most excited to use my new Le Creuset dutch oven...

I started with melting butter with onion, and garlic. Then added the mushrooms, celery, and a little bit of garlic. Once they were all covered with butter and lightly sauteed, I added the rice, white wine and some saffron. The hardest part of making this dish is having to slowly add the chicken stock over a course of (30) minutes as you are smelling all of the rich flavors.

I topped it off with a little more Parmesan cheese for garnish, freshly chopped parsley, and enjoyed my creation. In my experience with making risotto, it is very temperamental. But having cooked it more than a few times, I think I have gotten better every time. Cooking with my new dutch oven was life changing, I don't know how I didn't have one already!

Breadsticks.

2011-01-17T22:16:00.001-08:00

Years ago, I went to eat at Bravo! for lunch in Des Moines and since the were full, we had a drink at the bar while we waited for our table. They had these amazing crispy bread sticks that you could munch on while enjoying your cocktail. I would crave them all the time. I've tried making them in different capacities but I finally found a recipe that reminded me the most of them.

I found the recipe in Thomas Keller's ad hoc cookbook, and just added a few extra spices like: Herbs de Provence & Rosemary. Keep in mind that they already had Parmesan cheese in the flour mixture, yummy! The thinner you roll them, the crispier the come out.

I had to bake them on the top rack for (8) minutes first, and than turn them all individually and place them on the second shelf for another (8) minutes.

I doubled the recipe because we had friends coming over for a little get together and probably made about (8) batches of them.... I think I over did it ...but....

Once they were out of the oven, I couldn't keep my little display full of them.

Along with hummus, veggies, and other little snacks, these suckers were the first to go! Soooo good. I want to eat more right now as we speak!

Presents.

2011-01-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love gifts?!

Let me share with you, some of the fabulous things that I got...

After years of wanting one, Joseph's parent's got us this beautiful Kitchen-Aid Mixer. Love, love, love it. We also got the Barefoot Contessa's new cookbook "How Easy Is That", (and have even used a few recipes out of it already), a new shower curtain & bed spread set from cb2, and tons of new clothes from J.Crew.

Joseph's sister, Sophie, got me the 1st season of Mad Men and Bethenny Getting Married? Two series that I love!

My mom got us this amazing Cuisinart Food Processor (we recently made hummus and our own bread crumbs). It came with a DVD with recipes and how-to instructions.

Jessica got me those mixing bowls because I always looked at them on my trips to Williams-Sonoma but never purchased them myself but always talked about getting them next time.

My sister, Grace, got me these cute little biscuit cutters.....

....and a metal sieve that I wanted.

Becky and Dan got us clothes and a cute Chicago ornament!

Kate & Tony got us both some really cute ties...

And Caitlin got us a little fondue set, candles, and ice cube makers :)

But this week, I finally got my gift from Joseph. The new Louis Vuitton iPad case! I have been wanting it for so long and they stopped making them but it seemed like all the celebs had one. I kept checking back at the store and after months of saying they were discontinued, they were re-released the first of the year by special order only. I love it!

Thank you to everyone :)

Christmas.

2011-01-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

Experiencing Christmas in California was so completely different from any other Christmas that we have experienced in the past.

After having breakfast and mimosas, we quickly threw on some clothes and drove over to Coronado.

Instead of a "snow angel", Joseph made a sand angel.

We decided to walk up to the Hotel del Coronado and have a drink by the fire pits and enjoy the sunset.

While enjoying our bubbly, I ran into so many co-workers! We were all sporting the same Timex watch :)

Once, we were ready to head back home....(mostly because I had a ham in the oven)... we quickly stopped and watched the ice skaters before walking back to the car.

The rest of the night, we played with my gift to Joseph, an Xbox360 & the Kinect.

A few days after Christmas, we headed back to Des Moines to spend the New Year. More to come regarding the fun time we had there soon!

Christmas Card.

2011-01-16T16:21:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering how many pictures we had to take to get the right shot for our Christmas card.... it was a many!

This is me, posing for the camera.... trying to figure out if the lighting was right.

We "hired" Jessica to take our Christmas card pictures. And by hired, I mean paid her with food and wine :) She was more than happy!

We wanted it to look holiday but California too!

We drove up to La Jolla, near Torrey Pines State Park.

Another Test Shot.

This was one of my favorites, but decided against it....

We chose a winner! The sunset was beautiful and the temperature was great. My favorite picture of us in a very long time.

Holiday-ish.

2011-01-09T22:15:00.001-08:00

To get in the holiday spirit we did a lot of holidays things...

One night, we went to December Nights in Balboa Park. You get to walk around all of Balboa Park and try a different foods, listen to Christmas songs, and enjoy the holiday season. I got to try Warm Chestnuts that had been roasted on an open fire... and they were actually really good. We ate a lot, drank a lot, and had a lot of fun, overall.

On a separate night, Jessica and I cut snowflakes out of magazine and catalog pages, while Joseph watched. I think he might have made one or two but in reality I did all of the work ;)

They turned out really cool! My favorite pages to cut snowflakes out of were from the J.Crew catalog because of all the cool and funky colors. Can you tell which ones are mine??

It was really fun to walk into the house and see the snowflakes during different points in the day.

And of course we had to get a fresh tree! After much debate (and at a very late hour, I must add) we decided to drive down to Rite-Aid and pick out a tree from their "lot" for the second year in a row. Joseph, Jessica, and I literally took almost (30) minutes trying to pick the perfect tree. Every time we thought we had found "the one", I decided I liked a different one better :)

Finally, after Joseph said no more, I grabbed one and Joseph threw it in the back of the car. We drove home, dragged it in the elevator and through the apartment, cleared a corner for it, and went to work. It was so cute!

Tates.

2011-01-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

The minute that Thanksgiving is over.... what is the next thing on the mind?

Christmas, of course!

I remember when I was in middle school and high school, I used to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving with my mom all day. We would either be the first ones at Target or Kohl's. I literally remembering having to get up at 3 a.m. and then driving to the stores and standing in the cold, waiting anxiously for them to open their doors.

Well, as soon as I moved away from home, I stopped doing it! I miss it sometimes, just the excitement of pushing and shoving people in order to be the first through the doors. But now, I have simpler pleasures like:

Tate's Cookies from Tate's Bake Shop in Southampton. We got so used to having them every year and since we didn't go home to Iowa this year for the holidays, Joseph's mom shipped us a few boxes Tate's to California!

They are the best chocolate chip cookies. They are crunchy and buttery and thin. Serioulsy, if you have not had them, you need to! Check them out here.