Fall is Having an Identity Crisis.

October is being a tricky minx. It knows that I want it to be cold and autumn-ish, and that is why it is now 90 degrees outside.

October is trying to spite me. But you know what? It's totally okay, because I'm taking the high road, and embracing this "Oops, we forgot to tell you it's still summer for a few more days" situation. I don't hate it.

Yesterday, I left my air-conditioned office, and was smacked in the face by dry October heat. So I did what anyone would do, when it's 95 degrees in mid-October. I went home, put on a bathing suit, and laid on the beach for an hour. And because it was still hot out when I was done (literally done, like cooked), I went inside and invented the best, "It's 90-degrees in October cocktail".

Recipe after the pictures. You're Welcome. Happy Friday.

Lemons from my parents' backyard in Santa Barbara.

Fresh mint from my tiny window garden.

I didn't have a strainer or a cocktail shaker.

I made do with a tea tumbler. Resourcefulness.

This drink is best enjoyed outdoors in the fading summer/autumn light and warmth.

"Solstice"      
 *Thanks to my dear friend Blake for coming up with this very appropriate drink name.
Serves 6

1/2 c. white sugar
2 1/2 c. water
4 - 6 lemons

(or... go to the store, get some Simply Lemonade and skip the first three steps. I'm not judging you). 

12 oz. vodka
6 oz. peach schnapps
20-30 large mint leaves

Directions: Slice the lemons in half and juice them, then strain juice from the pulp and seeds. Mix in a pitcher with water and sugar. (If you bought lemonade, then skip the above steps, you lazy bum...)

Separate the mint leaves into six portions , and then muddles the leaves (or if you don't have a mortar and pestle, chop it up and roll it between your fingers) and then put the leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker (or if you're me, a tea strainer).

Add ice to the shaker, and then add lemonade, 2 ounces of vodka and 1 ounce peach schnapps. Shake vigorously (really vigorously), and then strain into a glass. Garnish with more fresh mint and a twist of lemon.

Note: if you don't want to make them one at a time, you could also mix it all up and pitcher and just serve over ice, but word of warnings, the lemonade makes the mint turn kind of brown, and not pretty after a little while.

Also note: If mint isn't you're thing, this recipe is equally good with rosemary or lavender. Now hurry! Go make this and drink it outside while it's still sunny and hot out!

On Food, Love, & Life.

 "Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with complete abandon, or not at all." - Julia Child


Sometimes I'm afraid people read my blog and think my life is too good to be true.

Truthfully, its pretty darn good, so I can't complain, but its not perfect, and neither am I. To prove my point (in case you missed the last post about my dubious experience with criminals), I want reveal one of my many  flaws:

I'm an emotional eater/cook. Some people drink. Some people do drugs. I cook and eat. I cook when I'm happy. I cook when I'm sad. I sometimes cook when I'm angry, or jealous, or bored. It doesn't sound like that big a deal, but when you've had a hard day at work or a fight with a friend, and then you cope by purchasing $68 worth of groceries for one night's dinner, it can become a problem.  On not-so rare occasions, I've then gone home, prepared an elaborate meal that took 3 hours to cook, and a) eaten all of it in one sitting, or b) been too tired to eat more than a few bites. Neither one of these is a good situation (unless you happen to be my roommate in scenario b).

It goes without saying, the more upset or anxious or sad I am, the more intricate the recipe I will probably attempt to make. There's something about cooking that's therapeutic. There's something calming in knowing that even if I can't make my relationships turn out right, I can take 15 ingredients and combine them into something that's going to turn out perfectly. Or at least, its supposed to turn out perfectly.

But things don't always go as planned. Sometimes even the best planned meals burn, or turn out too salty or bland. And sometimes the ones that you throw together at the last minute with whatever is left in your fridge wind up being the best. And sometimes it just takes practice.

Practice reducing a sauce with heavy cream and wine so its not too runny, but also so it doesn't turn into congealed goop.

Practice searing a meat so its flavorful and done, but not dry and tough.

Practice makes food perfect. Except when it doesn't. That's when you sigh,  order thai food take out, and hope it works out better the next time.

There's not always a perfect recipe to make food turn out just right. There sure isn't a recipe for life and relationships.

You just chop, and dice, and sautee, and simmer, and cross your fingers.

And sometimes, just sometimes, its perfect.

                                                                          ~

Below is one of my favorite comfort food recipes, that I stole adapted from my good friend and ex-roommate Liz (she's the author of Twenty-Something). This recipe always makes me feel better. It's something about the richness of wine and heavy cream and the summer-y taste of lemons and artichokes. Enjoy!

Lemon & Rosemary Chicken in White Wine Cream Sauce

Tall, Dark, and Handsome Turnovers

So, I posted a photo on my facebook yesterday, and it caused a bit of a commotion. I don't know if it's the novelty of eating chocolate for breakfast, or if it's just that I pretty much admitted that I'd rather be laying in bed with this treat than getting up and doing anything productive (see caption), but people seemed overly overly scandalized, if not envious, so I figured I'd come clean about how easy it was, and post the recipe so everyone can enjoy it. I should also admit, that yes, I did make myself go to work after I made this.

Here it is:

Ingredients:

• 1 ready made (refrigerated) puff-pastry pie crust (I usually like Pillsbury, but this time I used one from Whole Foods because it was the only one I could find. Don't judge me). 
• 1 1/2 cups blackberries (or raspberries)
• 4 tbsp. Nutella

Spread out the pastry dough and cut into quarters. Dollop one tablespoon of nutella onto each quarter. Top each quarter with whole berries, and then fold up the corners (like a three-cornered hat!). Bake in the oven at 450 for forty minutes or until golden brown and flaky.

Turnovers. As in, "I'd like to turnover and go back to bed with this".

At the end of that 40 minutes of baking, your kitchen is going to be filled with the most delightful bubbling, berry and chocolate aroma, which will effectively paralyze you and force you to stay in bed and eat this.

At least, that's what you should tell your boss happened when you show up late for work with chocolate on your face.

This place felt like a summer Friday night, when it was really Thursday in February. UPDATED!

 I posted this at the end of last week, but for your viewing pleasure, I've added more pictures!

Do you ever just have a night in the middle of the week that's so amazing, that you think to yourself "Wow! How is it NOT a weekend?" Well, that was my Thursday night. I said I wasn't going to post until I did something really fun and cool, and then BAM, really fun and cool happened practically instantaneously, and literally 1 block from my apartment.

I'm almost reluctant to post about this awesome new spot that I found, because I'm selfish, and I want to keep it a secret, but seriously, it's so good, I know that lots of people are going to find about it anyway, so I won't hold out on you (plus everyone who reads my blog is pretty cool anyway, so I'd like likely want you to hang out with me at this place).

Here's the scoop: Last night I met up with my dear friend and co-conspirator Annalise Dry for a quick drink after work. We wanted some place laid-back and beachy, but with good food and beer. Enter, Venice Ale House. Now, I love the boardwalk and all of it's craziness, but there's definitely a demand for some better quality food and drink options. Don't get me wrong, cheap street food is alive and well on the beach, but you'd be hard pressed to find anything that's not pizza or a churro in most establishments on Oceanfront Walk. Venice Ale House is filling a big void.

It also manages to seamlessly blend the kick-back Venice vibe with delicious organic food, artisan drinks, and really great service. Por ejemplo, this really neat flight of beer served on a skate deck!

Annalise pointed out to me later that there are art installation on the ceiling that are made out of different parts of skateboards, and I know that this won't matter to any boys reading, but there are skateboard trucks installed underneath the bar as purse hooks. That feature alone is enough to make me come back, but let's get down to the other great things about this place...

Our bartender Allie, was phenomenal. Not only did she carefully pick out the beers in our flight, she was very friendly and knowledgeable about each one, and even let us sample a couple to figure out exactly what we were looking for. Allie hand selects the beers that are on special, as well as the seasonal and featured beers that they rotate through. She picked us out what is bound to be a new fave, Lagunitas Lil' Sumpin.

She also custom made me one of the best cocktails I've ever tasted: Strawberry-lemonade mint mojito. This sounds like something you could get anywhere, but this cocktail has a secret: it's made with Soju (soju cocktails are starting to pop up in certain beer and wine bars, because they don't technically qualify as hard alcohol). It has a very light and delicate taste and the fresh strawberries, blueberries and mint makes this drink flawless.

Although I don't have a photo of it, they also had a wonderful grass fed beef burger on the menu that rivals the burger at Father's Office. The reason there's no picture is because Annalise and I practically devoured it whole before we had the good sense to try and photograph it. Yum.

If all of that weren't enough, I also discovered today that they do occasional wine and beer pairings...Last month they did a beer & chocolate pairing. Yep, I almost died.

I could go on for another 1,000 words about how great this place is, from their great local art and fantastic music selection, down to their organic ketchup (as an aside, I'm not the kind of girl who insists on organic anything, but one taste of this Muir Glen Organic Ketchup, and you will be ruined for anything else. Don't say I didn't warn you). Truthfully though, I don't want to talk about it anymore.

I just want to go back again and again..... I have a crush on this bar.

**Big thanks to the GM, Thomas Elliot, for answering the 100's of questions I asked last night. Also thanks to A-Dry for taking these pics with her magical-beaming iPhone.

Check out their site: http://venicealehouse.com/

This is for Holidays with loved ones....or days when you just don't get out of bed all day.

So much is going on, I don't know where to start! It's almost Christmas, and this weekend was a crazy whirlwind of holiday fun, involving a white elephant party, (where I had the serendipitous pleasure of meeting one of the awesomely infamous members of the BadMan Blog) as well as participating in a rain soaked pub crawl, and dressing up like the spirit of Christmas Cheer, if christmas cheer took the form of a very festive black girl in holiday pajamas and rain boots.

By the time Sunday morning rolled around, I was done. I mean, done. I had planned to go to yoga in Brentwood, and maybe brave the rain and take on a Farmers Market, but then my body said "Yeah right, silly girl, you're not going anywhere." I slept in until probably 10AM okay noon, and when I woke up, I was ravenous. And that's where I got the inspiration for this post, because I decided to make one of my favorite holiday breakfast foods: Strata.

In case you're wondering what that is, here is the scientific definition: Strata n.1. if scramble eggs and toast got married and then had a party with all of your favorite omelette toppings inside a baking pan, Strata would be their lovechild. 2. The delicious breakfast you make for your friends/family during the holidays, when it's cold and rainy/snowy outside so they'll fall under your spell, love you forever, and do whatever you say (Unless you are SJP in the movie Family Stone, because she tries to make this dish and it ends very very badly).

Anyhow, I was starving. So, I gathered up all the ingredients in my tiny kitchen, and set to work.

 And after 30 minutes in the oven, here was the end result:

Well, that was the end, end result. but here's what strata looks like before you devour it whole:

Yum. Even with my sub par blackberry photography, that still looks kinda good, right?

 So you're probably wondering, "Why the heck are you blogging about what you had for breakfast?" And the answer is, because I love you. I'm giving you this recipe so you can bring breakfast cheer to all. Plus, it's so easy to make, but everyone who eats it will think you're a genius. Note: this recipe is not for the health conscious, and frankly, neither am I. It has cheese, and cream, and other delicious naughty ingredients. Like Julia Child, I believe the only time to eat something low fat is while you're waiting for your steak to cook. Also Note: I made this in my toaster oven in a pan that was probably about 5" x 8", so I've double the measurements for you. So here's the recipe. 

Merry Christmas from the Tiny Kitchen!

Holiday Strata

very lightly toasted sourdough, cut into cubes (enough to layer on the bottom of a pan)
6 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups jack cheese (or whatever kind you like)
1 cup mushrooms
salt & pepper
2 cups bruschetta (this is just chopped tomato, garlic, and fresh basil mixed with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper)

Lightly grease a shallow baking dish and layer toasted bread cubes in the bottom in a single layer. Spread bruschetta and mushrooms over the bread cubes, then layer cheese over the top of that. Combine, eggs, cream, and sour cream in a  separate bowl with salt and pepper.

 Pour egg and cream mixture evenly over the bread and topping, and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until eggs are firm or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Some recipes for strata say you need to let this refrigerate over night, and use day old bread, but I've made this multiple times, and I don't think it makes a difference. Also, if it does, I don't care, because I'm impatient when it comes to food.You can also add bacon or sausage to this, and it's even more wonderful. Just fry it up, add it to the mix, and bake.

Twist: for a little southwest flair, swap out the bruschetta and mushrooms, and add salsa and green chiles. Bomb.

You Can Thank Me Later: Fave Raves #1

Yay it's almost Thanksgiving! If you're like me, that's pretty much all you can think about right now, and I promise there will be a delightful post with pictures about my thankfulness for friends and family, and the various holiday gatherings of both, but it's a short week, (which has nothing to do with the length of my posts, usually) and I have something special for you today:

Fave Raves.

You're so excited, I know!!! And you're also wondering "What the heck is a Fave Rave?!"

Glad you asked. Fave Rave is a list of 5 people, places, or things that I am currently obsessed with. Sometimes, I get bored and stagnant, and I need something to look forward to, and the best cure for that is a list of straight up Awesomeness.

So, here's the first of many Fave Raves that I intend to occasionally spice up my blog with, and you're welcome.

1. C&O's Trattoria
 Okay, if you live in LA, and you haven't been to this restaurant at the beach in Venice, you have been deprived, and I'm crying a little for you. I just rekindled my love for this cute Italian bistro because I recently went there on a first date, and also for a group birthday dinner. Besides the absolutely wonderful food and my stellar dining companions, I realized what makes this place so special is the ambiance. You can sit on the heated outdoor patio, the trees are strung with twinkle lights, and at a special point in the evening, everyone sings "That's Amore". It's the perfect setting for a big meal with  a group of friends or a nice dinner date, and you can't go wrong with a big bottle of chianti on every table. If that atmosphere and the singing don't loosen you up, that sure will.

It's like: having dinner in a beautiful backyard in Italy.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This book should come with a warning label: Don't start reading this if you have somewhere to be or something important to do in the next 3 hours, because you will skip it in order to finish this book. Seriously, I stayed up all night reading this book. and by all night, I mean until 11:30PM. Ever since I read the entire Twilight series in 5 days, I've been incredibly a little ashamed of myself and my reading preferences, but this book is written for the exact same crazed teenage girl audience, and has 100 times more literary merit. I don't want to give away the plot, but the heroine in this book makes Bella Swan look like a toenail clipping. I defy you to read this and not be dazzled by it. Thanks, to my good friend Liz for turning me on to this addiction.

It's like: Crack cocaine. In book form.

3. Pencil Skirts
Okay, hear me out on this. I know you're like "Seriously. Pencil skirts?" Yes. They're cute, you can wear them to work, and they're very Fall weather friendly (like I know anything about that), but up until recently, I always thought they were for Other People. Super skinny Other People with no butts. Boy, was I wrong. I just purchased the best pencil skirt from Charlotte Russe in the new Santa Monica Place mall, and I can't believe it, but I don't look like a whale. It's very forgiving,  incredibly flattering, versatile and most of all so comfortable. Plus, it was under $30. I would like to wear it to work every. single. day. Get one:http://www.charlotterusse.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4327874&cp=4078198.4238852.4238872

It feels like: a really, really sexy pair of sweat pants.

4. Movember
Now that I'm done talking about skirts, I can bring up more important topics. Like curing cancer. My good friend Scott recently invited me to a Movember Party, which is basically a bunch of guys with mustaches raising money for prostate cancer research. During the whole month of November, these guys grow out ridiculous awesome mustaches, and put on fun events to raise funds for Livestrong (remember those little yellow bands?). Well this is a kicked up version of cancer research fundraising. There are teams, and games, and galas, and it's a great cause and lot of fun (even if you are a girl and cannot and do not want to grow a 'stache). Check it out here, and donate to team 'Save the Dudes!': http://us.movember.com/

It's like: Tom Selleck asking you to donate to charity. And no one says no to Tom.

5. Smitten Kitchen
This is the food blog to end all food blogs. Deb, the woman who writes this blog is a triple threat: she's a really funny writer, an amazing photographer, and makes the most delicious recipes that I've ever laid eyes on. If this woman wasn't already married (and a woman) I'd marry her. I went through a phase last year where I'd get bored at work around lunch time, and pick something to make for dinner solely based on what was on Smitten Kitchen that day. I may or may not have gained 6 pounds. Seriously, if you're in a cooking rut, or just want to drool for a while at your desk, take a peek: http://smittenkitchen.com/

It's like: porn. Yeah, I said it.

Do you have something/someone/some place awesome you think I should feature in a future Fave Rave? Tell me, because I'd love to check it out.