A Day at the Beach

Today I spent the day at the beach
with Micah and my mom.

We went to a few different beaches,
but they were all areas that hold
a special place in my heart.

Pismo Beach was the first stop.
I went there so much while in High School and College.
I have so many wonderful memories
of the times that my friends and I spent there.

We ate Clam Chowder at Splash Cafe.

Then went to walk down the Pier.

My mom and I.

One must walk down the pier when you go to Pismo.
I can't even tell you how many pictures I have on this Pier.

I know Sea Gulls can be annoying...
but I love the memories I have of chasing them as a little girl.

Micah and I.

Our second stop was Hazard Reef.
A small little hidden beach in the town of Los Oso.

It's about a 10 minute walk to the beach, but it is beautiful.
The walk is through a forest of Eucalyptus trees.
The smell of the trees alone brings a flood of childhood memories.

The beach is very rocky,
but provides so many tiny shells to collect.

And it is a fun beach to go to if you like Tide Pools.
I love Tide Pools.

My favorite is the Sea Anemones.
My dad taught us early that it is the funnest thing ever
to stick you finger on the neon green part
and watch it slowly close around your finger.

And I love to find starfish.
But I don't like to peel them off the rocks.
So I just pet them.

Me. Happy to be at the beach.

Our last stop was Morro Bay.
This is the area that my family and I
vacationed at most when I was a child.

When I watch the waves crash on the beaches,
I remember the many hours my mom, sister, and I
would spend watching my dad surf the day away.
We were so proud of him.

Morro Rock.

Sail Boats for Micah.
When I watch him sail....
I become just as proud of him
as I was proud of my father when I was a child.

Happy 2 years till I'm 30

What a special Birthday.
My "two years till I'm 30" birthday.

It actually turned out to be a two day brithday!

I made a trip down to Santa Monica to meet up
with one of my longest and dearest friends.
I have know Kelly for 25 years.
And even though we live hundreds of miles apart,
when we get together it feels like we were never apart.















So we shopped in Santa Monica...
Ate a birthday cupcake at Fred Segal...













And had our fortune told on the Santa Monica Pier.




















On the second day,
Micah took me to my favorite place on earth...
Disneyland.

Since we went on February 8th (my birthday),
I was able to get into Disneyland for free!
What a wonderful surprise from Micah.
















This is my favorite spot in Disneyland.
It is the Snow White Fountain.
My mom has a picture of me when I was 5 years old
standing in this same spot.
23 years ago!




















Micah....
Loving Disneyland...
Not to happy about riding "It's a Small World".
The song kinda gets stuck in your head.

Chicken Gardeno

When I was growing up my family would always go to The Olive Garden for lunch after church on Sundays.

My favorite dish to order was the Chicken Gardeno Pasta.

Over the past few years I have been craving that dish so much, yet it is no longer provide at that restaurant. So I made it my goal to try and recreate that dish.

Tonight was the closest I have ever gotten to achieving that. And I am very proud of myself.

My mom and I sat down with some Cabernet Sauvignon, the movie "Elizabeth, the Golden Years", and my delicious pasta creation.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 head roasted garlic
• 1 chicken breast, diced
• 2 shallots, sliced
  
• 1 red bell pepper, cleaned, seeded and cut into strips (6 ounces)
• 1 large zucchini sliced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 1 cup diced (stewed) tomatoes
  
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, made into roux with 2 tbsp butter
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound pasta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tbsp dried basil leaves

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook diced chicken until done. Set aside.

In the same pan, cook onions over medium heat until soft, about 1 minute. Add peppers and carrots to cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

Stir in pre-made roux and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken stock, milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir chicken, zucchini, diced tomatoes, and basil. Let simmer until zucchini is done.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Toss pasta with vegetables and sauce.

Serve garnished with Parmesan.

Coming to California
I had only 4 agenda items...
1) To spend time with my family...
2) To spend time with my friends...
3) To see my new nephew (he hasn't arrived yet)...
and 4) To shop at Anthropologie.















#1 has been completed and will continue to be. My mom and I have spent many nights making wonderful dinners. And yesterday we had a wonderful time shopping.















#2 has been completed as well. I was able to hang out with my dear friend Krystin on Tuesday and once again see her amazing babies. (We will also be going out on the town tonight for dinner and a movie - and I plan to see more of her during my time here)















#3 is in the process. I have spent a lot of time with my sister and her family. No new baby yet, but just spending time with them is such a treat. My nephews have grown so much. I miss the Finch family.















#4 has been joyfully completed and now I am trying to stay away from Anthropologie like the plague. I bought some wonderfully beautiful things and now I am done. Or at least that is the plan as of right now.

**These pictures are by Kate Breakey. I find them so beautiful.

Spicy Dinner

Tonight my mom got off work early.
So we had a wonderful time
making dinner together.

We had Curry Noodle Soup
along with Gin and Tonics.

Curry Noodle Soup
via Bon Appetite

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon chili paste
2 13.5- to 14-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk, divided
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups snow peas, trimmed
2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled red-skinned sweet potato
1 pound dried rice vermicelli noodles or rice stick noodles
3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add next 4 ingredients; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in curry paste, curry powder, and chili paste. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk (scooped from thick liquid at top of can). Stir until thick and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add remaining coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, and sugar; bring broth to boil. Keep warm. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover and keep chilled.

Cook snow peas in large pot of boiling salted water until bright green, about 20 seconds. Using strainer, remove peas from pot; rinse under cold water to cool. Place peas in medium bowl. Bring water in same pot back to boil. Add sweet potato and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Using strainer, remove sweet potato from pot and rinse under cold water to cool. Place in small bowl. Bring water in same pot back to boil and cook noodles until just tender but still firm to bite , about 6 minutes. Drain; rinse under cold water to cool. Transfer to microwave-safe bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Bring broth to simmer. Add chicken; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add sweet potato; stir to heat through, about 1 minute. Heat noodles in microwave in 30-second intervals to rewarm. Cut noodles with scissors if too long. Divide noodles among bowls. Divide snow peas and hot soup among bowls. Scatter red onion, green onions, cilantro, and chiles over soup.

First Day

Micah and I are on a bit of a vacation.
As of right now...
I am in California visiting family and friends
and he is in Nebraska visiting family.
But that will soon change.

But on the first day of our trip....

we went for the very first time to IKEA.
This was an experience...
a) because we had never been to one
b) I was not expecting it to be that huge
c) we both left kinda overwhelmed and without buying anything.

Dreaming of Summer

It has been snowing for the past 3 days
and I am beginning to miss Summer.

Here are a few of my favorite summer pictures
and what they remind me of.

Summer gardening...

The Raven
and their $2 margaritas...

Flathead Lake
(right now it is frozen over)...

Summer Iced Tea and Lime-aide...

Fresh Herbs...

Hiking and Trailing in the Mountains.

Finally

I was finally able
to watch this movie
the other night.

I really am a fan.
The first one made me cry....
this one is making me wait anxiously
for the next addition.

Easy Caprese

This is the easiest appetizer to make.
And it is so delicious.

Caprese Salad

1 Tomato (sliced)
Mozzarella Cheese(sliced)
Fresh Basil Leaves
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil

- Layer in this order: Tomato, Basil, then Mozzarella Cheese.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Serve!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I made these for the Bridal Shower last night.

I always love it when I need to use food coloring in a recipe!

Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish




Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

**Thanks to this chef for the recipe.

Bridal Shower

This is what I have been doing for the past week.
Planning a Bridal Shower for my
soon-to-be sister-in-law Danielle.

And with all that preparation
I think that it went great.

We had lots of goodies that I was able to make.
I tried two new cupcake recipes:
Coconut Tres Leche and Red Velvet Cupcakes.

We had the always present Brie with Fruit.

And I also made a Caprese Salad,
which was to die for!

This little decoration was fun to make.
Or should I say, it was fun to watch Micah go out
in the snow with a saw and hack a branch off a tree
so that I could spray paint it black and stick it in a vase.

Me and the Bride-to-be.

Singing

From a cherished recommendation...
I watched this the other night.
It is now one of my favorites.

Friday List

Here a few things I found this week...

This is gorgeous.
I wish I could get married again (to Micah)
just so I could wear this.

Feminine Black....
I need an all black outfit like these.
Photo by The Sartorialist

This reminds me that I need to wear my "Wellies" more often.

Would you not love carrying these around
the airport when you travel.
They are adorable.

Snowballs

Micah got in a snowball fight
with the neighbors.

The neighbors were 3, 5, and 7 years old...

... but they did start it first.

Silly boys.