What's Cookin'?

It occurred to me the other day, now that sanity has returned with the start of summer vacation, that I haven't done much cooking lately. I love to cook, but there hasn't been much time to get into the kitchen and try out new recipes. Over the last week or two I've rekindled my relationship with the kitchen, and I'm happy to say our love is stronger than ever. Here are some of my latest creations along with accompanying recipes in case you'd like to reconnect with your kitchen.  

Simple scallops. These are cooked in a scrumptious butter shallot vermouth reduction sauce. Even I eat these and I hate seafood. The recipe can be found here. If you're going to get fresh, as opposed to previously frozen, sea scallops, which I recommend, I suggest getting dry vs. wet scallops. What is the difference you may ask? Dry scallops are not treated with any chemicals, which causes them to absorb water, thus making them bigger, but not as tasty and also more difficult to cook. If you are lucky enough to have a Whole Foods in the neighborhood, they sell dry scallops, which is where I bought these.

Everything is better with bacon right? Well, that includes asparagus. This is so simple and it's a hit every time. All you doing is drizzle some asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Assemble the asparagus into bundles (I do 3 asparagus each) and wrap one stripe of bacon around the bundle. Since it's BBQ season you can throw them on the grill or (if you are indoors) get and handy grill pan. Cook for 15 minutes or until the bacon is crisp, turning occasionally.

A different type of white pizza, for those of you who are sick of the traditional peperoni version. I buy the pre-made dough from Trader Joe's, but I really should try to make it from scratch one of these days. The idea of adding yeast and getting the dough to rise seems like too much of a science to me. Anyway, for this pizza's topping, I spread the dough with fresh ricotta cheese and a touch of mozzarella. I added marinated artichoke hearts, red onion, and a little salt and pepper.  Above I served it with a semi-antipasto salad with slices of salami.

Summers are great for eating outdoors. Even in the dark! Above is a spread of appetizers that I made one evening. The appetizers include stuffed bacon mushrooms, artichoke Parmesan crostini and shrimp cocktail. The recipes for the mushrooms and crostini can be found on my A Yummy New Year post. For the shrimp cocktail, I made the sauce, which is super easy. I found the recipe here on the food network website, courtesy of Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa.  I don't eat shrimp (due to my weird food rules, which I won't get into), but I was told by my husband and guests that the homemade cocktail sauce was superior to the store bought stuff.

So, what's cookin' in your kitchen?

Every Rose Has Its Thorn

It's turning into another lazy summer (not that I am complaining) and I haven't been doing too much lately. Part of this is due to William's surgery last week. He is like a zombie dog with a cone on his head and needs someone around to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. That person would be me and sometimes my husband. Being housebound, I took to cleaning my closet yesterday which was a long overdue project. This was not an easy task due to the fact the springer spaniels need to be within an inch of their owners at all times and therefore William kept bopping into me with his cone everywhere I went. He also has a habit of touching his nose to everything he sees and leaving a residue of slobber behind. Silk Kate Spade dress? Sure, I'll drool on it! (That's supposed to be William's thoughts, not mine, although I'm known to salivate over a Kate Spade dress too!)

Anyway, I tried to move some of my winter items to the back and pack up bulky sweaters while moving summer items up to the front. In doing so I came across some pieces that I didn't remember from last summer, including this neon rose top from H&M. Today I paired it with these Merona shorts from Target for a little mixing of patterns. Target was my intended destination for today, so I thought I would show them a little love by sporting their fine goods.

In our backyard, the rose bushes are in full bloom. I thought the roses looked similar to the floral print on the shirt, so I had to take a few pictures. In the process of doing so, I scratched myself on the thorns of the roses. But you know what the sage Bret Michaels always says, "Every rose has its thorn."

Outfit: Shirt: H&M (Last summer), Shorts: Target/Merona, Bag: J. Crew Factory Vera, Bracelet: J. Crew, Flip Flops: J. Crew

Oranges and Grapes

When you can't make it to Napa, Paso Robles or even Temecula for that authentic wine tasting experience,  you can always take a sojourn to the Galleano Winery in Mira Loma, California in the Cucamonga Valley. For most Angelenos, the winery is not too far and gives you a little taste of the vineyard without all of the traveling. My husband and I actually joined their wine club this year and we went to pick up our selection of wines and do a little tasting.

Not only does Galleano Winery offer a nice selection of affordable wines, most notably their Zinfandel's, it also has a charming ambiance. The winery has a rustic down on the farm feel to it and I tried to capture that in some of the pictures below. The thing that really sets this place apart is the herd of guinea pigs that they keep on the premises. Each year the number of piggies seems to dwindle, but I still love to look at them and listen to their crazy squeaks.

Since I didn't have a shirt with grapes on it, I thought oranges would do. As you will see from the last picture this matched my husband's big orange Dodge Challenger. In fact one women told me, as I was getting out of the car, "you match the car."

 

Outfit: Shirt: J. Crew perfect shirt in Citrus, Skirt: J. Crew Postage Stamp Sailor Mini, Bag: Prada, Shoes: J. Crew Ballet Flats,

Adding Insult to Injury

At the end of every The Price is Right show, Bob Barker (and now Drew Carey) likes to remind us that we should spay and neuter our pets to help control the pet population. Well, we did just that last week with William. He's now less of a man, but hopefully he will be calmer and (not that I would have minded) he will not be a father to any baby springer puppies. Contractually his breeder required that we do this and the operation is also something that helps to calm male dogs down and reduce aggression. William definitely needs some calming down.

If it wasn't bad enough that he is now not all "intact" with his man parts,  he was also issued a big lampshade cone which you will see him sporting in the pictures below. The whole ordeal for obvious reasons was quite humiliating for him and we are trying not to laugh too much when William collides into furniture and doors due to the enormous cone attached to his head.

William hopes that you all have a wonderful weekend. No matter what you are doing, I guarantee that it will be better than his!  Although, he is on a bunch of sedatives and pain meds, so maybe it won't be all that bad.

Hot Pots and Spots

Let it be known that I love Shabu Shabu. Shabu Shabu is a Japanese style of dining which involves cooking your own food in a hot pot. I first had Shabu Shabu in Taiwan while visiting my best friend and her family, who graciously put up with a picky eater like me though out the duration of my visit. While trying to expose me to the local food, without scaring me too much, they took me to a Shabu Shabu restaurant and it definitely left a lasting impression. I was skeptical at first (cooking my own meat...shouldn't the chef do that?), however I instantly fell in love with the concept of cooking thin tender pieces of meat to my liking along with an assortment of veggies.

Years later when I moved to LA, a coupon for Shabu Shabu showed up on my doorstep. I convinced my now husband that we had to go (he had never had it and was also skeptical), but after the first bite he was hooked too. Since then, I actively seek out Shabu Shabu and will travel far and wide for the best. In fact, Shabu Shabu is the meal we had the night my husband proposed to me, so as you can see Shabu holds a special place in my heart.

So here I am at a Shabu Shabu restaurant in Orange County clad in dots and ready to cook in the hot pot. I like to wear a T-shirt for such dining because Shabu Shabu tends to splatter.

 

So that's that for the spots, now on to the hot pot and the yummy food. Shabu Shabu, for you Shabu virgins, starts with some fresh veggies. These usually include cabbage, spinach, carrots, green onions, tofu and in some cases (although not here) mushrooms.

Then you get your choice of meat (usually beef, but sometimes pork and fish) in a variety of sizes (make mine a large!). This always reminds me of a scene from Lost in Translation when the characters are trying to figure out what to order and all of the pictures of meat look the same on the menu.

Next is the fun part. Swish Swish. It's into the hot pot for you meat and veggies! This particular Shabu Shabu place lets you concoct your own broth to cook the meat in. The ingredients they give you to play around with include hot drops, soy sauce, green onions, sesame oil and a variety of relishes. I just throw it all in and hope for the best.

The other thing I like about this particular Shab venue is the cool art work. They have some murals on the walls and some other original paintings that are very cute. 

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Outfit: Skirt: J. Crew Postage Stamp Mini in Scatter Dot, T-Shirt: Target, Shoes: Kate Spade, Bag: Chanel, Belt: Urban Outfitters 

Scallops, Sycamores and Martinis

While I didn't eat any scallops last night, my dress had them in spades. For a night out on the town, I donned my new J. Crew Scalloped dress in Bright Poppy. My husband and I went to one of our favorite dinning spots which is located amongst a grove of sycamore trees. You will see a picture of me standing next to one such sycamore tree below.

A few words about the dress I am wearing. I bought it off of eBay due to the fact that it sold out instantaneously. I was enamored by the whimsical scallops and mod styling of the dress. I also thought it would make a cute dress for work, but as luck would have it, it is too short to wear to work. I guess that's one of the curses of having long legs. I was hoping to style it with a blazer or with a striped shirt underneath, but it is definitely not work appropriate. Well, it is a cute dress for going out in and having cocktails. Speaking of cocktails, I ordered a Tanqueray martini dry.

Outfit: Dress: J. Crew, Shoes: Kate Spade, Clutch: J. Crew Factory, Necklace: J. Crew, Glasses Bracelet: ASOS, Bangles: J. Crew

Tartine and the Caste of Bags

I think I have three categories of bags in my closest. The first category would be the bags that don't see the light of day too often. These are the beauty queens of the group (Chanel, LV etc.), yet sadly are relegated to being shut-ins for fear of damage to their flawless exteriors. The second group of bags are the ones which are well cared for, but make it into the regular rotation more often. If these bags get scratched or some random kid drops his/her ice cream on them (this has almost happened on more than one occasion) it won't be the end of the world. And then there is just my canvas bag. It's a big canvas bag with a cartoon bunny on it. It can go anywhere without fear of stains. The canvas "bunny" bag is definitely at the bottom of the totem pole. It can be thrown into the washer. I don't think you can do that with Chanel. 

The Tartine bag from J. Crew would fit into the second group of this caste. I bought the bag on sale with the intention of wearing it often this summer. It's compact, yet carries all of the essentials (I travel light for a woman I'm told). It's simple in style and classic. Last of all, you can't go wrong with navy which is perfect for all those stripes and other nautical pieces in my wardrobe.

Some reviews complained that the bag showed evidence of wear (straight out of the box or from the store) and that the leather scratched easily. I have found this to be true of the leather used in the Edie line of bags from J. Crew, so I was prepared for this flaw with the Tartine. Luckily, my Tartine purse came with just a small scratch. Also I think with these types of bags, a little scratching adds some character. The other thing I like about the Tartine bag is that you can wear it three ways: On your shoulder, cross-body, and as a clutch.

While the Tartine bag might not be at the top of the social hierarchy, she seems like a loyal and practical addition to my repertoire of bags. Plus, she'll look a little classier than my canvas bag!

 

Outfit: Shirt: J. Crew Tilda, Shorts: Gap Outlet, Bag: J. Crew Tartine Satchel

Mint Candy Stripes

I recently purchased the following Kate Spade bow belt in a color which is apparently exclusive to Nordstroms. This color is aptly named, Mint Cream. When the belt arrived a few days ago, I was officially smitten. I'm glad that Kate Spade makes this particular belt in Italy and the quality certainly shows. They had a similar style belt (in brown) at Target that was made from PVC and priced at $19.99. I paid double that for this belt (it was on sale) and it was worth every penny.

This bow belt will compliment a wide array of skirts and dresses, but today I decided to wear it with a seersucker mini skirt from Marshalls. The skirt was only $17, so you can't beat that. I thought the pastel orange stripes of the seersucker would look great with the mint. Very refreshing for summer. My husband commented that I looked like a candy striper, hence the title of today's post.

  Since it was such a hot day, and I was in such a minty mood, I had to order one of my favorite cocktails, the mint julep. I would have preferred it in a traditional pewter cup, but hey, I'm not picky.

 

This last picture really doesn't have much to do with anything except for the fact that the fountain featured here has a mint patina to it and I thought it was cute. Who doesn't love a cute little sheep?

Outfit: Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft, Skirt: Marshalls (Kenar), Belt: Kate Spade, Bag: Dooney and Bourke, Twilly: Louis Vuitton, Shoes: J. Crew

When the Working Day Is Done...

Girls, they wanna have fun!

Yesterday marked the end of not only the workday/workweek for me, but work period. Well not indefinitely, but it is officially the beginning of my summer vacation. Thank goodness! Honestly, it hasn't hit me yet. When the alarm didn't go off at 5:30am this morning and I realized I would have over two months of blissful sleep, it was somewhat of a surreal moment.

Last night to celebrate I went to a concert at the Greek Theater. I think the title of my post and this snippet of my totally 80s inspired outfit should be dead giveaways in regards to who I saw.

If you guessed Cyndi Lauper, you would be correct. I was too young to appreciate 80s music as it was happening, but for some reason I love the music now (and a bit of the fashion). I found tickets for the Cyndi Lauper concert for only $12.50 on Groupon, so my husband (who oddly loves 80s music too) and I had to go. (The ticket price was quite the bargain considering the beer I bought at the concert also cost exactly $12.50.) For those of you who are Cyndi Lauper fans, she played her entire She's So Unusual album with amusing anecdotes about her life and the making of the recording. Oh, and for some reason Fran Drescher of The Nanny was also there, go figure.

I decided that nothing says the 80s quite like a purse that looks like a piano, or since it's the 80s let's just say an electric keyboard. This wasn't the most practical of choices for a concert, but it did garner lots of compliments from other Cyndi fans.

I thought this dress, purchased last year at Target, when paired with a denim jacket was a good look for Cyndi. It's probably not something I would normally wear, but I thought it was appropriate given the circumstances. The faux pearls from the J. Crew factory outlet added just the amount of 80s flair needed.  Unfortunately, it was very cold at the Greek Theater (There's that practicality thing again) so I was dancing to keep warm.