favorite night


the favorite day was coming to an end, but it was ok because my favorite night was ahead. we got over to brooklyn and enjoyed our pizza on the stairs of BAM pre- Paul Simon. little did we know the night would be all "American Tunes." with guests, Olu Dara, Grizzly Bear, Josh Grobin, The Roches, Gillian Welch, and not in the program but the icing on my cake that day- Amos Lee. paul simon was shockingly small, especially compared to many others on stage, but sang like the champ that he is. josh was funny to me, until he opened his mouth and sang like an angel. he sang bridge over troubled water with paul simon and it was probably one of the most beautiful duets i've ever heard. amos lee was amazing, and hearing paul simon sing 'only living boy in new york' in new york is something i won't soon forget. after the show we stopped in for a brooklyn brew in brooklyn- of course that's what i ordered.

flour and sugar


strolling through soho i made a point to drop into some places i love... or places i knew i would love. of course we had to stop into magnolia which although it's great, i think i'd like to venture away from their cupcakes and try out the owners new home cookbook. we also went into once upon a tart which is so wonderful and enchanting. i sat there a couple years ago, had a coffee, read a book, and listened to loud opera music. talk about wanting to live in nyc... once i got back into soho later on that day to meet up with anne, we also ran into Balthazar. it's beyond beautiful inside with wonderful chandeliers and low lighting. if you know me you know how i love low lighting. of course i took a picture and was told it's not allowed. if only they knew the free advertising they'd be getting from me... :) although it was kinda hard to peak into the restaurant next door, i did try and dream of the day money grows on trees and what it must be like to just eat out at places like these all the time.

Grandaisy



after walking several more blocks we landed in soho, and on sullivan street. sing it adam duritz. i'd been a couple years ago to see anne, so it was fun to be back again. this time it was buzzing with people dropping in for bread, a light lunch, or a sweet. thankfully we saved up and got a pear pastry, ricotta cheesecake and almond pound cake. so good and so fun to sit there are more and more people strolled through. there isn't much seating which makes it fun to see all the people coming and those that go outside to enjoy the benches. later on that night anne had a friend at the bakery pack up some pizza for us, so we chowed down on pizza bianca, cauliflower, artichoke, potato, and mushroom pizza. the crust is so thin and it can is served at room temperature- so good! the next day i'd discover it at dean and deluca in Rockefeller center. love me some grandaisy...

chelsea market


thursday was in fact my favorite day. maybe of life thus far. maybe. post martha we walked to Chelsea Market, home of great markets and specialty stores and the Food Network. i love walking through the beautiful halls of the brick building- so exciting. we stopped into amy's bread and got a light lunch knowing goodness was to come at grandaisy...

oh martha


here's the moment you've all been waiting for. ok not all, but i hear this is an anticipated post. so, i'm going to start from the beginning and hatch through some of the best consecutive days of my life, starting of course with martha. i took the red-eye and thankfully arrived early enough that we were able to get to martha and stand in line where i realized i was much younger than her 'average viewer' who knew? and that the show was live, and as the intern non-chalantly said, "all chefs." dream come true. as the woman came around asking if anyone had questions for martha, i came up with one in my head; having baked cookies the other day without a recipe, i wanted to ask martha what the correct proportions of flour to sugar to butter should be. good one i thought... well, thanks to the show being Take Your Child to Work Day only kids were allowed to ask. We finally got through security and entered the waiting room which was filled of pictures she'd taken from her Bedford Home. Of course Martha is also a photographer. Croissants and Evian were there for us, and of course big pictures of the one and only. Joey came out and got us warmed up, told us how to clap and how to say 'mmmm' when something good was made. who knew. when we got in there, of course the set was beautiful and i asked that we sit up close so we got in the front row of the raised section. and then hip hop started... usher and all- my share was vibrating and martha was getting us excited. as if i wasn't already. the show was so fun with guest chefs Jim Batsacos and Margot Olshan. Once it was over we were able to take pics of Martha and while we were leaving, we bonded with Joey. Now thats a good thing.

diamonds on the soles of my shoes


words are silly if i'm going to try and express how excited i am for this week; specifically Thursday. This morning my mom called singing, 'i'm going to martha, i'm going to martha" and it's true- her email to martha expressing how grateful she'd be if she and my dad could go, along with hints and dropping the fact that she just bought martha's 1991 gardening book and that its her birthday weekend have scored my parents 2 seats. don't worry my outfit is already picked out- dress to impress she said! i'll be wearing pearls and j.crew central to hampton myself out for the viewing, and in hopes of getting some seriously good seats. after the show i'm hoping to visit anne at Grandaisy and then later that evening the two of us are going to Paul Simon! talk about a legendary day...

good things


i love trying out new places in sb - makes me realize that it's got more going on than one might think. Friday some friends and I hit up Chad's for their happy hour as it's going to close down soon, and then had dinner at Quantum. From the looks outside I was anticipating techno beats and LA flavour, but thankfully it was much more Santa Barbara. Audrey and I split their SB Burger which had chiles and guac and then since Food and Wine recommended it this month in their travel section, we splurged on a snickerdoodle spiked milkshake- cinamon McConnell's ice cream- so good.

the rest of my weekend was spent down in Malibu Canyon with my church. i got a chance to hang-out and meet some new people- i especially like chelsea and jeff mumm- haller.

double chow-colate


I made these cupcakes a couple nights ago in efforts to make something sweet for 2 nights of needing/wanting to bring dessert. although not as simple as i thought, they were a hit. they looked much better freshly powdered than the next day... but on day 3 they were still hotly pursued. that extra layer of chocolaty goodness does the trick.

in other news... thank you to all who have sent condolences my way today regarding Kublai Khan Paw Paw Chow Chow Chow.... :)

my life in sb


the past 48 hrs. have been a good reminder of why i live here. not that i need reminding- but i do like when i think, 'gosh i live in paradise.' i finally discovered on a run why people think so highly of the street pedregosa- the houses are incredible- so incredible in fact i felt as if i'd read a book in my childhood about them. there is also a house whose whole front is this huge panel that opens up so there was a woman in her living room, reading a book- no walls. as if i didn't already know santa barbara was full of people with thick wallets, this confirmed it. i wonder what they've all done to either build these homes...or possibly own them.

bringing it down to my not so thick wallet, today i stopped into Our Daily Bread to get a pop and roll to go with my lunch and was told by the cashier, who i think is beginning to recognize me, 'for you?! $3.00." vip treatment- 10 cents off my roll. awesome. similar to the farmers market experience i had when ana was in town- "ranuculus for you? $4."

in foodie notes- i blanched some spinach and arugula the other night and had it under my salmon. also had some spaghetti squash with tj's green olive tapenade mixed in and some parm- that and a glass of red vino for my heart of course made it quite classy if i do say so myself...

this morning i woke up early, ran from lazy acres down by the beach and came home to realize a lot of the roses are blooming outside my kitchen window. ah, the good life.

rub with love


it's been awhile since i posted a recipe but today i thought i'd give my 2 cents on the salmon rub with love i received as a birthday present and finally polished off this afternoon. it's a great resource to have on hand and can be purchased at sur la table, however it's similar to a barbecue roasted salmon recipe that was a staple in our house while i was in high school, and one where you can make the rub and have it on hand whenever you pick up some salmon.

the ingredients include:
2 TBS brown sugar, 4 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp grated lemon rind
3/4 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cinnamon

marinate the salmon in pineapple juice and a splash of lemon juice.... rub with your own love, and bake at 400 in a baking dish for 20 min more or less depending on the size of your catch.

cupcakery


i'm catching up on my tivo and martha had her 'cupcake week' while i was away. turns out there is a place in pasadena i'll have to stop by next time i'm down there, or maggie will have to review it and then tell me if it's worth the drive by. Violet's Cakes is the owner and baker's dream- another one of those people who leaves their corporate job, goes to the Le Cordon Bleu extension in Pasadena...and starts a bake shop.

beautiful letdown

this song is near and dear to my heart this week amongst the craziness that it is... thankful that this world is not my home.

It was a beautiful letdown When I crashed and burned When I found myself alone unknown and hurt
It was a beautiful let down The day I knew That all the riches this world had to offer me
Would never do In a world full of bitter pain and bitter doubt I was trying so hard to fit in
Until I found out I don't belong here I will carry a cross and a song where I don't belong
But I don't belong

It was a beautiful let down When you found me here Yeah for once in a rare blue moon I see everything clear I'll be a beautiful let down That's what I'll forever be And though it may cost my soul
I'll sing for free We're still chasin our tails and the rising sun And our dark water planet's
Still spinning in a race Where no one wins and no one's one

I don't belong here I'm gonna set sight and set sail for the kingdom come
I will carry a cross and a song where I don't belong

velvet elvis


i forgot to mention i read Velvet Elvis last week- a good quick read and one i'd recommend for those that are happy with the church now, have problems with it, want to have problems with it, etc. a pretty general audience with some refreshing takes on what Christ really says about our lives- who we are in Him and who we're called to be. there was also a chapter about how much Jesus enjoyed meals, and eating in groups... preach it.

exceeding expectations

i'm finally sinking into some r&r after a more than exciting few days in vegas. turns out i like that city when it's done well. the last night there was spent at Fiamma which will probably be the best Italian meal I've ever had and will have for a long time. such good appetizers, sea bass, and ambiance with some good company. i'd write more if this blog were going to go personal, but since it's not ;) i'll just say the company was good and i enjoyed it a lot. i started the next day with a muffin and coffee from the Bouchon Bakery- SO good. the last day we finished up with the show and i hung-out with some of the guys from the UK for a bit then hit the flight to burbank and settled back into life in ca. hopefully some more exciting travels are around the corner for work... dallas... and more importantly...hopefully the UK!

viva las


so i got in last night around 6 and the fun began. fun said in a sarcastic tone. kinda. got to the venetian which is as classy as i'd hoped, and met up with some co-workers at the canaletto right by the gandola rides and the river through the italy-like part of the hotel. the sealing makes you feel like you're outside, pretty cool. then it was off to the belagio where we met up with more euros and then off to the wynn. sat outside for a drink and watched the light/water show. also recommended an English woman we were with to try out a margarita- her first! the waitresses forgot their pants, but other than that it was nice. then it was a long dinner at Okada. peaked my head into daniel boulud's restaurant- classy. wined and dined to say the least... the night ended with a drink at the bellagio catching up with my old boss from AOL. the bar we were at had a minimum charge for a drink at 20 bucks- ridiculous. late night of expanding my british lingo and admitting to liking parts of las vegas, but then again limos and someone else picking up the tab is never bad. today has been a long day and apparently now i'm off to the mgm. oh viva las...

Run Fat Boy Run


movie recommendation- go see it. witty and fun, and without the office around for some time, some good humor back in my life. love those brits. also some good motivation for my own running and training, though i don't think i'll ever run a marathon. also, the girl in it has her own bakery. winner.

Chicago Cut


Finally got out of the hotel and downtown to Gibsons for a good steak, wine, and atmosphere with the co-workers. Had my first Oregonian wine, Van Duzer at the piano bar, learned what it means to order 'blue' steak, and fit in with all the other business people in the packed steakhouse. I love me some Chicago.