Friday Favorite: My Tagine!

Ever since I made my preserved lemons, I've been wanting to do some more Moroccan cooking! I've been reading up on recipes, cookbooks, etc--but was missing one thing. A tagine. Until now.

Thanks to my good friend Tarlan, I am now equipped with my very own tagine! I can't wait to cook up some yummy Moroccan food in my new tagine.

Lonely Day Pie

What do you do when you're down or lonely? I have friends that work out (jealous, wish that was me), and others that clean (also jealous.) Some drink (yea, been there too.) Others? They must sit at home and just sulk (ok, been guilty of that too.)

But me? I have to do something to make my mind off of things. I will often turn to the kitchen and cook or bake. What did I choose to do Sunday when I was feeling lazy and slightly down on a grey Sunday? I chose baking.

Decided to take out one of my new cookbooks and try a new recipe. And since I had some fresh yummy apples from the Farmer's Market, an apple pie sounded as good as anything. Plus I needed practice rolling out dough and making pie crust.

The only problem? When the pie was done, I didn't feel like cutting into it. It seemed so silly and like such a waste to cut a small sliver of pie for just one person. (plus, shhh, but I really don't have that much of a sweet tooth.) Back to the original problem, the whole lonely thing. What's the fun in cooking and baking if there's no one to cook and bake for??

The only saving grace? All of my wonderful friends that while not physically with me, with me on email, text message, Facebook, and Twitter. Thanks for the love and support. Guess I'm only physically alone. Until then? Anyone want some apple pie?

My Turkish Coffee

One look into my empty coffee cup, and even the manager of my new favorite local restaurant, Tuba, could tell. My heart hurt. Those were his exact words. Ouch.

As he, with insane accuracy, told me what the coffee grounds said, I couldn't help but wonder. Will my luck turn around this year? Will there be new love interests? Maybe the next time I get my coffee grounds read, the outcome won't be so gloomy.

Flash Mob: Dining Style

Where was I and what was I doing at exactly 8:00 p.m. last Friday? Here are some hints:

I was at Incanto! It was 7x7 magazine's first ever Flash Mob Friday, and my friend Defne and I wanted to participate. And participate we did. We sent in more than our fair share of pictures for the Flash Mob.

And with each snap, we'd break out into endless giggles. We came up with funny captions for each of our photos and while they may not have been funny to anyone else, we thought we were hilarious.

On top of the great laughs and girl time? We had some amazing food in the newly renovated Incanto (referred to as Incanto 2.0)

The delicious 'Head and Shoulders' (which we referred to as 'Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes') was so good! If you ever see that on the menu, you MUST get it. The Boccalone sausage and smoked eel was another hit. As was my old favorite, the spaghettini. We ended the night with the most delicious caramel corn ice cream. SO GOOD!

I can't wait for the next flash mob. Until then, click here on 7x7's website to see the other pictures submitted. Kind of fun to see what was happening in SF restaurant's all around town at the exact same moment in time.

Friday Favorite: My KitchenAid

This little guy was working OVERTIME over the holidays:

One of the best purchases I've ever made. And sadly, for most of the last few years, due to lack of kitchen counter space and outlets, I rarely used it. Now? In my new home? Not only is there space for it on the counter, but also space for it in my cabinets when I conveniently need to hide it. What should I make next?? Maybe something from my new Baking cookbook? I can't wait!

Brothers

I am a lucky gal. I have an amazing sister and although I didn't grow up with brothers, I've since been given the gift of brothers. My very good friend Matt is like an older brother to me. I've known him for more than 10 years, and have been through a lot of ups and downs with him. We've known each other through boyfriends, through living abroad, through new jobs, through new homes, through his parents' divorce and through my mom's death. He is one of my dearest friends, and I am so thankful to have him in my life.

With Matt, came Adam and Brendan. His brothers. They became my friends too. What I love the most is seeing how different they all are. I love and appreciate each of them for their own uniqueness and for their own traits. I love that they each have their own lives and are happily pursuing their dreams. I love watching them come together and I love being a part of their family. I also love what each of them bring out in me.

I save my small knowledge of pop culture for Matt, and get fashion tips and celebrity gossip from him. He is one of the best traveled people I know and I'm always trying to meet up with him in some exotic location. He is the best person to go shopping with, and is one of the most stylish people I know. I love that I can talk about anything with Matt. I appreciate that I can be myself around Matt. Matt is fiercely loyal and incredibly generous with his loved ones. Matt and I can be in different time zones and a world away and not talk for weeks and then just pick up right where we left off...

Adam is someone I look to for inspiration. Adam inspires me to get out of the city and to spend more time outdoors. I respect Adam's ability to make a difference in the lives of so many people. I love reading about the trips and hikes he takes and goes on with his dad and mom, and I find myself envious of his close relationship with them both. I have utter respect for Adam's incredible independence.

And Brendan. He has the distinction of not just being like a brother to me, but a younger brother. Brendan is who I go to when I need to feel young again. When I want to hear how much my alma mater has changed since I graduated, and the person that makes me dig up old college pictures and memories. He's also who I go to when I want to be someone's big sis. Brendan has been politically charged since he was young, and is going to have a place in politics. Brendan is going to change the world. He is a natural leader and is already rallying his friends and peers, getting them out there and educating people an issues that matter most to him.

I am thankful for Matt, and for his friendship. But I'm also forever indebted to him for sharing his family with me as well. I absolutely cherish my time with this family of mine and hope for many many more good memories with them.

And in the meantime, Happy Birthday Brendan!!

Scenes from an Urban Hike

On my recent urban hike through San Francisco, I was surprised by how many different types of architecture there was!

This was practically a palace right out of the Mediterranean



I loved this little earthquake cottage!



GORGEOUS! Almost like a cabin in Lake Tahoe



And one of my favorites? This bush outside of this house--they were the perfect little round balls. Straight out of a Dr. Seuss book

I loved checking out all that SF had to offer. So many different types of homes. I can't wait to explore a different neighborhood on my next urban hike!

Friday Favorite: Pink Pig

I couldn't resist. Christmas Eve--my cousins and sister are at my house. We were making Christmas cookies! My sister had this great set of cookie cutters--Christmas trees, snowmen, gingerbread men, snowflakes, etc. But me? What shape cookies did I want to make? Pig shaped cookies.

I had received this adorable pig cookie cutter and had never had the chance to use it. No time like the present!

Take A Hike!

I am kicking off the New Year with lots of time out doors. And am quite proud of myself. I recently had the opportunity to go on a beautiful hike in Marin, and it was GORGEOUS. Martha and Kevin, two ‘new friends’ of mine that I barely knew, were kind enough to invite me to their housewarming party. Which was a hike and then bbq in their new home afterward. It was perfect!

The hike was a combo of trails, the Miwok trail, Coyote Ridge Trail, and a few other trails that we were on for a short period of time. We weaved through the eucalyptus trees at the start of the hike, went through a narrow portion where we were hiking single file, and then hiked through a more open pasture section. We made our way through the Zen Center, through the gardens there, pass some stables, and then ended up on Muir Beach. It was a bit of a chilly day, but the scenery there was still incredible. The hike back home was a little bit more difficult, with a good portion of the hike being a virtual vertical climb. Ouch.

But all in all? A really nice way to spend a Saturday morning. And here are some of the stunning photos from our hike. I can’t wait to get back out there. Enjoy!

The eucalyptus scent was so fresh!



It was a bit cloudy, but you could see the SF skyline peeking through the clouds



As we hiked down this ridge, we could see the beautiful Zen Garden below us



An amazing field of flowers...so pretty



We made it to Muir Beach!



The long (and steep) hike back...but with such pretty views of the water!

Loner

After back to back days of craziness and of running around, this girl, just wants to be alone. And personally? I have found that I am loving my time alone a little bit more and more the older I get. Sure, I crave time with my friends. And I love having friends over for wine, for dinner, or just to hang out. But sometimes? A little time solo? Perfecto.