December 2011
5 posts
4 tags
“Without this playing of fantasy, no creative work has ever yet come to...”
– Jung - posted by lovely friend Tex - for a good look at one of the ways he plays check out Why The Nose.
6 tags
Linguini, brussels, pine nuts and lemon
Making this tonight from here to bring over to dinner with Allison, Jeff and Geri.
Linguine with Brussels Sprouts, Lemon and Pine Nuts Serves 4 Adapted from Epicurious -2-3 cups finely sliced Brussels sprouts -2 tablespoons butter -1 tablespoon olive oil -1 teaspoon lemon zest -1 pound linguine pasta -1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping -1/3 cup pine nuts 1. In a...
3 tags
Today's Recipe - Soft Pretzles
The kids love pretzles and while I love baking the sweet stuff, I think we should make something savory tonight. I don’t have much experience with yeast and rising, but tonight we are gonna try this one:
Ingredients
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2...
7 tags
Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate and Anything...
Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee w/ Sea Salt Recipe
From here
INGREDIENTS:
2 cup unsalted butter 3 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoon light corn syrup 2.5 cup finely chopped almonds 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Coarse sea salt
PREPARATION:
Line a deep cookie sheet (13x9”) pan with foil and nonstick spray. In sauce pan, heat butter, sugar, corn syrup and 2 tablespoons water. Heat...
4 tags
Egg Nog, Egg Schmog
While my sister and I can remember our father drinking egg nog from the carton (ewwww), I’m not a huge fan and we are having a small East Bay Holiday Soire tomorrow. We will buy the half gallon from the market and we will spike it, but I found this Cuban recipe for a Coquito on the Always Order Dessert blog and had to give it a try.
I am substituting coconut milk for cream, as it is what I...
November 2011
1 post
“Daddy, can you hold me? This place is a hot mess.”
– Zoë while hiking in the woods - there were a ton of trees down. Drakes Estero, Point Reyes, November 5, 2011.
September 2011
1 post
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and...”
– Maria Robinson
August 2011
1 post
5 tags
April 2011
7 posts
4 tags
Thinking about Poppy and Poppies, Life and More
This past Wednesday is what would have been my father’s 65th birthday. It is odd how this time of year, we are all reminded of him because of the poppies that are blooming all over California. I’ve tried, but cannot seem to grow these wildflowers, I can’t pick them (a strange California law) or buy them and they aren’t as prolific in other states.
They bring beauty to my...
5 tags
“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our...”
– Eskimo quote - sent from my mom on my dad’s 65th birthday. She said “ I’ll hope to see stars tonight. Maybe the same can be said of poppies.”
“Optimism: The doctrine that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly,...”
Cookies
They must have been good, because I’ve eaten 10 of them. A little too hard, next time only bake for 10 mins.
4 tags
Peanut Butter Cookies
Gonna have to make these with the kids tonight! From Ella from Smitten Kitchen. I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Peanut Butter Cookies Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
The brilliance of these cookies is that they have include two different formats for peanuts–three if you use chunky peanut butter. They’re crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside. Bake a batch...
3 tags
February 2011
1 post
January 2011
4 posts
2 tags
Engaged Parenting Reminder
A friend posted this on Facebook - a person without children, but who was once a child herself…
Engaged Parenting
I guess it is a good reminder, in this Age of Interruption to put away the phone and the computer, get on the floor and connect with my lovely kids. I love that my Jonah still likes to hold hands…
WatchZoë needs mushrooms
“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass…
It is about learning to...”
– Anonymous - Posted from cool Burner/Yoga Instructor Peter Guinnosa
7 tags
A New Day, A New Year, A New School
Other than a quick dose of Salmonella (which ironically helped me kick off my weight-loss campaign), the Holidays and New Year have been lovely. Having John around and not completely stressed out about work for ten days was awesome. Spending the holidays in San Luis Obispo where we had at one point six dogs in the house, is always so relaxing and enjoyable. We did a ton of hiking and found the...
November 2010
4 posts
Thanksgiving Menu
Just woke up from a little nap. Had a lovely evening last night, cooking, playing games, cleaning, prepping and hanging out with the family. I’m thankful all the time for my friends and family and health and children and home and dog(s) and the spirit of my father living through me. It is funny, that Thanksgiving makes us all remember to be publicly thankful. What other days should we have?...
Feeling Less Thankful Than Thankless Today
Thanksgiving is always a good reminder to me to feel thankful, but today, I just feel thankless. At Jonah’s school, I’m working as a room volunteer, a morning recess volunteer, the school captain for Alameda SOS, an art docent volunteer and I am constantly knocking on the door of my son’s elementary school principal to ensure that the school is a safe place for my son and all the kids...
My dad's dad's mom's Sweet Potato Recipe
My good friend Katrina asked me where this was posted so that she could make these again this year. You can find the original post by him on his blog or below. Missing my dad and his love for life. So thankful for him and my mom for all that they give us. A photo from Thanksgiving 2007 at Disneyland! Great Grandma Sexton’s (My Dad’s Dad’s Mom, Helen) Sweet Potato Recipe...
“To pretend is to know oneself.”
– Fernando Pessoa
October 2010
6 posts
4 tags
Art Docent Program at Henry Haight Elementary
The schools in California are hurting, now more than ever and I fear that they will continue to have their budgets cut. We talk about the alternative of sending our kids to Charter or private schools, but if all the middle-class families take their kids out of public schools, wouldn’t we just be spraying the fuel on the fire? This year, my son is in 1st grade and I am the room parent of a...
“Smile at each other,
smile at your wife,
smile at your husband,
smile at your...”
– Mother Teresa - posted by the lovely yoga head Peter Guinosso
WatchCelebrating Jessie’s birthday on Lake Sonoma… Yes, that’s me getting undressed in the beginning of video?!?
July 2010
4 posts
Creatively Using Leftover Fish
I typically have a hard time eating leftover fish, but the tuna loins that John, Jonah, Eddie and Shea caught in Cabo in June were fantastic last night, both seared with wasabi and soy sauce and then in fish tacos, that I can’t let it go to waste.
Tonight we are making Pasta with Tuna, Tomatoes, Garlic, Capers and Olives. I’m sure we’ll make a pizza for the kids - extra...
“I wouldn’t recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but...”
– Hunter S. Thompson
Bad blogger
I am one.
June 2010
1 post
Tattoo Revisited
I was so severely disappointed with the artwork that the artist I met with gave me (after waiting for 2 months), that I didn’t even want to revisit it with her. My fault or hers, she was so completely off the mark. It moved to the backburner, but I’m thinking about the tribute tattoo again and am working on my own design - once I’m at a good place, I’ll work with a...
May 2010
3 posts
“So chuck it - chuck it in a bucket - oh chuck it - chuck it in the deep blue...”
– Julia Lee - always a good reminder to keep a bucket nearby!
April 2010
1 post
Playing with Gilles’ iPad.
March 2010
18 posts
Planting the Summer Garden
Perhaps we took on more than we could deal with, but I think this is a complete list of what we planted this past weekend:
More blueberry plants
More strawberry plants
Asparagus - first time, we’ll see what happens
Peas - from seeds that we started ourselves
Apricot tree - still not planted, so probably can’t be truly added to this blog post (but I’m excited)
4 or 5...
Professional Likes, Loves and Mehs
I was recently asked by a new client, authors of The Dragonfly Effect, what I liked to do, what I love doing and what I don’t like doing. While you would think that these things would roll right off my tongue, that didn’t happen so much. As I’m at a point in my life where I’m questioning “what’s next?” this is certainly a good exercise.
Here’s what...
Intervention Dinnerware →
Loving the plates that question if you need a second helping! Could possibly help with diet…
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the...”
– Rainer Maria Rilke ~~ a friend of a friend and a friend I would like to be better friends with (‘cept she lives in Australia now) posted this on Facebook this morning. Thanks Holly!
2 tags
Kefta Kabobs
Having a tiny bday potluck BBQ this Saturday (then off to Tahoe on Sunday for 3 days of no skiing because of stupid f’ing foot) and we are going to try something new. Always scary to try something we’ve never done before when cooking for others, but what the heck - these people like me, even if the food sucks. Plus, I’ll make my white sangria and keep everyone good and wasted!
...
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Favorite site right now.
2 tags
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