eggs in tomato sauce

(photo via smitten kitchen...sometimes too lazy to cook and shoot at the same time, I'm working on it)

thanks to nellie she turned me on to smitten kitchens blog. I think I spent at least a few hours browsing recipes and drooling all over my desk.

I came upon this beauty and had to have. we brewed it up last night for dinner and I want it again for breakfast.

so easy. all ingredients that I typically have on hand. in place of the glug of wine, I added a glug of boysenberry balsamic vinegar. did not regret.

next time you all come over for lunch...or dinner....or breakfast, I'm making you this.

babycakes

I love cookbooks. I read cookbooks. In fact the other night grant caught me reading every word, page by page out of my newest favorite, babycakes.

vegan, gluten free and mostly sugar free recipes. who doesn't want to have her cake and eat it too? lets get real, I am 30+ and this body is starting to need more tending to. I need to help it any way I can. a "mostly" sugar free life can't hurt. MOSTLY being the key word.

I am all about moderation, but these recipes make me feel like I'm splurging! we made the zucchini muffins and were in love! so dense and moist and wholesome tasting. made with spelt flour, flax meal, agave nectar etc... I will totally be making these again.

last night we made a peach and berry cobbler recipe from this same book, and were not as much in love. didn't really work for us. I think I just need to tweak it a little. I should probably just fly myself to nyc for a taste test at the babycakes bakery. that seems like the logical thing to do.

anyway, BUY it. then you'll have an excuse to shop at whole foods and by things like coconut flour and red food coloring made from veggies and fruits.

(I bought mine courtesy of uncle costco)

homegrown

we have been growing and eating these little beauties. very delish.

we also planted strawberries with our meyer lemon tree. I was going to photograph our first ripe strawberry for the blog... but ate it instead.

tea, skating & scones

in celebration of banans birthday I took her and kateford to the beehive tea room for lunch. I think we ordered one of everything. anna had peppermint tea while kate and I enjoyed dark european hot cocoa. I think my favorite thing we ordered was the scones (english scones w/jam). love the food and the quaint decor.

then after a short photoshoot in memory grove, we wizzed on over to classic skating were we pretty much owned the floor....well.....they did. I was a bit rusty. I think the last time I was on skates was junior high. I think if I had a couple more hours I could have gone pro. It was pretty awesome. great idea ann. your birthday was fun.
then we started our roadtrip back to LA with a stop at mom's cafe in salina ut for some hot scones (the utah kind, deep fried and covered in honey butter). I had been craving and we had to have! we got there right before closing and gave ourselves gut bombs gorging on delicious gooey bread.

(all photos taken on my iphone)

....next adventure, yosemite national park!

feelings

g and I saw this a couple of nights ago. I liked it, I did...but for some reason it also made me feel a little teary. this could be for many reasons one being I am a girl and like to get teary around the same time every month. I talked it out with g after the movie and this a short list of things that watching brought out in me:

• a deep desire for my nyc
• furthered my itch to live in europe
• made me really want to go to culinary school (the french culinary school in ny to be exact)
• am I living up to my full potential?
• I make a lot of mistakes
• nervous that if I wait too long I might never be able to bear children.
• I would love a WAY nicer kitchen (I think about this daily).
• do I feed other people enough?
• what's my storybook ending?
• am I ok accepting and recognizing my own success without the validation of others?
• I want to write/compile a book.
  
• I'm pretty sure one of my best skills is eating. I am growing in front of your very eyes!
• there is something about the act of "creating". nothing is more satisfying. whether it be the act of seeing , composing, capturing with my camera or growing, stirring and eating. magic!!!! complete magic. I think if I had a nice garden I could eat out of, meal time would make me cry with happiness. thank you earth. thank you sunshine. thank you for the ability to see and create.

after this post movie rant, g wrapped his arm around me and told me he loved me. then we walked arm in arm back to the little blue house. despite all my never ending questions and earnings for more, I have something I never have to question...and every time his arm wraps around me and he looks at me with those eyes that say, "you're crazy, and I love that crazy", I am reminded.

with g my questions feel safe. how awesome is that?!

the end.

blueberry parfait

I think this is the summer of the blueberry. so good. I can't stop.

fresh organic blueberries
trader joe's organic vanilla yogurt
and vanilla almond granola.

simple and yum.

and smoked meat

me and the hus-band are flying to the great state of texas today to visit my parents.
I don't want to make any promises I can't keep, but I'm pretty sure I'll be eating a lot of this while I'm there.

I'll keep the blog up and running while I am away.

goodbye earthquakes in california. hello tornados!
(did you fellow californians feel those this week? It's like a bulldozer rammed into the side of my house.)

pasta w/ peas and prosciutto

(photo of a photo)

listen dudes, this recipe is SO good. pretty much every thing I make out of my "everyday foods- great food fast" cookbook is really good.

this is the best pasta dish I have had in a long time. It was surprisingly fresh and light tasting. I loved the lemon zest against the taste of the prosciutto. PLUS it was fast and easy.

trust me. make it. eat it. love it. recipe here.

(ps. make a lot so you have leftovers. you will miss it when it's gone)

artichoke

add butter and lemon for dipping and voila!
sometimes dinner is just so pretty.

love burger

the "fellas" have frequented this spot for quite some time. right next to some of their favorite surf spots in san clemente, love burger has become the breakfast spot of choice after a morning of peeing in wetsuits. love those boys (one in particular).

what you order is the breakfast special with french toast, 2 eggs and 2 pieces of bacon. if you are "bunker" you order it with an extra slice of french toast.

It may look greasy...because it is and it may look calorie ridden, because it is, but it also looks extremely tasty...because it is!

wow, looking at the close up makes me seriously hungry.

breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. going out for breakfast is my favorite morning activity. makes me feel like I still live in new york city.

pumpkin ravioli w/ gorgonzola cream sauce

(photo by cooking light)

I clipped this recipe out of the magazine a long time ago and it has just been sitting in my recipe binder waiting to be made. I know it's kind of a fall/winter dish but my man requested some sort of pumpkin pasta dish awhile back, and he gets what he wants.

truth be told, it was a bit weird. If I made it again I would add more cheese to the filling and maybe something sweet. I would also make my own pasta. the wonton wrappers are pretty tasteless.

the sauce was pretty delicious, but it has gorgonzola in it?! how could it not be. I added a little pepper and salt to the sauce and used half 1% and half heavy whipping cream to make it creamier. I also fried some whole sage leaves in browned butter for a garnish.

overall I have to say I was pretty disappointed.

Recipe online here.

You can assemble the ravioli a day ahead, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. The ravioli will float when they are perfectly cooked.

Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 30 round wonton wrappers
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Preparation

Spoon pumpkin onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels, and spread to 1/2-inch thickness. Cover with additional paper towels; let stand 5 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl using a rubber spatula. Stir in breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt, minced sage, pepper, and nutmeg.

Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to keep from drying), spoon 2 teaspoons pumpkin mixture into the center of wrapper. Brush edges of wrapper with water and fold in half, pressing edges firmly with fingers to form a half-moon. Place on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch. Repeat procedure with remaining wonton wrappers and pumpkin mixture.

Fill a large Dutch oven with water; bring to a simmer. Add half of ravioli to pan (cover remaining ravioli with a damp towel to keep from drying). Cook 4 minutes or until done (do not boil), stirring gently. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon; lightly coat with cooking spray, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining ravioli.

Combine milk and flour in a saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter, stirring until butter melts. Gently stir in Gorgonzola.

Place 5 ravioli in each of 6 shallow bowls, and drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons Gorgonzola mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons hazelnuts. Serve immediately.

Laura Martin, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007

carlsbad strawberries

(obviously the photos of me are taken by grntl...pretty good if I do say so myself, oh and dude, I think you have something in your teeth)

we took a break in between shooting emily and steven's wedding and treated ourselves to some strawberry shortcake.

the flower fields in carlsbad were beautiful. I didn't take any photos because we didn't have much time and didn't want to pay the entrance fee.....but we did have time for some delicious strawberries.

the man helping us told us that they let people go and pick their own strawberries at the fields during the summer. wouldn't that be great? we totally want to spend an afternoon picking berries and then make homemade jam.

berry trifle

this has become my go to dessert recipe for large groups on warm days. I think I like making it so much because I get to use my trifle dish.

I made this on easter, and I think everyone really enjoyed it. It has a few steps but is really quite easy...plus it has a lot of pretty colors.

berry trifle

1 large angel food cake (I use a boxed cake)
2 small pkg instant (or cooked) vanilla pudding
2 small pkg raspberry jello
3 cups hot water
1 cup vanilla ice cream
2- 10 ounce pkg frozen raspberries
3 bananas
1 pint heavy whipping cream

dissolve jello with hot water, in serving dish. add to hot jello mixture the ice cream and frozen berries.

let jello set at least 4hrs (or overnight)

while jello is setting up, bake your cake and whip the heavy cream (adding powdered sugar and vanilla to taste at soft peak stage then continue whipping until stiff peaks form)

once jello is set layer with torn angel food cake, vanilla pudding, and whipping cream.

cover and keep cool in fridge. once you are ready to serve, slice the bananas and layer on top.

enjoy!

easter sunday

the nanny goat making some delicious cinnamon rolls

grant and I hid easter eggs. can you find the one in the lemon tree?

mini tramp, big hit with the little people

grant gave baby wright a little chair to sit on and we covered him in a blanket. he sat there for a long time.

my steph

almost walking!!!

taking photos of tani...I either get this face (upbove) or this side (below).

what a great day. church with grant's parents, then dinner with family and friends. I loved having all (but one) of my nieces and nephews in one place. matt and nikki where also there (no photos to prove..sorry)... I truly feel like they are family too. did I mention there was sunshine and perfect 70 degree weather? I love california.

bake shop interview

(source of images)

meet the fabulous bake shop blog creator. montage creative does documentaries on random interesting people and caroline's interview just went live on their blog. see/hear.

not only does she bake delicious treats, but she is a talented graphic designer and art director AND one of my best girls. there are only a handful of people you can call at 3am during a crisis, she is one of mine.

love you care! here is to you and the celebrity that you are!

froth

I am a girl who really digs some froth. this drink is a thurston family breakfast staple. orange juice and banana whipped into a frothy delight. I've pretty much been drinking this a lot lately. my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

righteous mac and cheese

once upon a time I ate the best mac and cheese. It was in NYC and was made by JD. the key ingredient..blue cheese. blue cheese lovers get ready for obsession.

I emailed JD for the recipe, after YEARS of craving and these are the directions he sent me:

"I've got to say you timed this perfectly, I just whipped up some mega mac for my woman's grandmother, who thinks she knows everything about cooking, and I humbly blew her mind.

Ya know babe, the problem is that there is no specific recipe, its a balance of strong intuition and spiritual logic. Just focus on what makes the mac most delicious, and work with that. Take a deep breath in through your nose and imagine the breath as a blue light filling all the dark spaces in your body, then say "creamy mac"...

Honestly though, noodles cooked just right, a little al dente, the creamiest cheese you can find, a mild cheddar is best, if its sharp it tastes weird with the other garbage. Depending on how you feel add some seasoning, fresh basil, and some love. Make that into a traditional mac-n-cheese. Put that shii into a pan, like a brownie pan. Sprinkle the top with a super lite layer of bread crumbs, not too much that it sucks the juices out. Then put some blue cheese on top of that, bake it for like 10 minutes in the oven as hot as you want. Then usually I put some crumbles on it, or if you can find some legit blue cheese dressing put that crap on and wamo kablamo you've made new friends!

And if you're looking for love grill some brown sugared peach slices topped with a sweet (just mixed with a little sugar) mascarpone cheese for dessert. Get creative baby!"

JD, I made it. I added fresh basil...some aged cheddar, blue cheese and lots of enlightenment. the result... a few extra pounds! who cares! g and I are getting fat and happy together! WE LOVE CHEESE!!!!!!

thanksgiving for the new year

some of the best subjects for a photo EVER!

mom's homemade pumpkin pie and one of my favorite pass times, watching through the window.

if you want to print a thanksgiving roll basket wall size, let me know. I understand.

kitchen window. strange things seemed to appear....

baby wright was OBSESSED with being perched on the window, sink sprayer in hand...so close to figuring it out..

faith's adorable place cards. she is so creative. best party director hands down.

family prayer (staged!!!!...they loved waiting for that one)

the perfect bite. one of g's and I's favorite challenges.

faith got the whole family outside playing "shark". tag game with safe spots. I had a good time not trying very hard, but grant was sliding and sweating and tripping kids to get to safe spots.

have you ever seen sneakers that white?! I'm impressed dad. what is your secret?

saying goodbye can be hard. goodbye thanksgiving. goodbye christmas, BUT saying hello can be very fun. hello 2009. hello getting married. hello photo projects. so many things I am excited to say hello to. It's going to be a good year.

later 2008.