On the fence...

Snapped while wandering around Silverlake in Los Angeles, a couple weeks back. Simple, rustic and charming.

Good design.

Just a little pause to appreciate some good design.
What makes it good? It's simple, too the point and clean. No frills, no excess text. But at the same time, it's not as plain as you think: It's just a little offset. The center, after all, can be so boring. Well done.

Blueberry pie for breakfast?

A simple joy in summer: tasty pies made from amazing fruit. Even better? Not having to stress over the perfect pie dough (my father is much better at it, anyhow...) As a special treat this week, David picked up a blueberry pie for us from Urth Cafe, and man was it delicious! Who says you can't have pie for breakfast?

secret muffins

I did an awful lot of baking this weekend-- cupcakes, muffins and two types of cookies. Add that to a fresh batch of lemonade with basil-infused simple syrup and a little Saturday-night get-together, I'm chalking this past weekend up as a pretty productive one.

A highlight of my three-day weekend was a trip with David to Culver City's Surfas, part restaurant-supply store and part gourmet grocer. I could easily fill up cart after cart here with goodies to outfit my dream semi-commercial gourmet kitchen! Half-sheet roll pans, baking cups, gel food colorings, bar supplies, perfect iced-tea pitchers and delightful baking supplies: you shall be mine! Someday..

Until that day, we're making do with what we have, using what's currently available in the kitchen, and keeping myself entertained with little things- like sneaking leftover chocolate Easter eggs into batches of banana muffins.. Can you say 'yum?'

up in smoke...

there was a devastating fire in a warehouse building across the street from our loft in downtown los angeles, last night.

this is what greeted us as we made our way home just after midnight. blogdowntown.com has some amazing shots of the aftermath (we saw this sight leaving for work this morning, but i wasn't able to grab any shots. the building is now boarded up.)

see more of my rooftop-view photos.

iDaft

Now, this is the most fun I've had all day, but I've had a pretty boring day. Nonetheless, if what you really need right now is a good excuse to have a midnight dance party, then please make your way to the Daft Punk Console. You can be your own Kanye West (or Daft Punk, for that matter) and remix the classic sound drops from Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."

Now that is a good use of your time on the internet!

what i'll miss :: peet's coffee

I know, I know: Peet's Coffee & Tea is no longer a Bay Area exclusive. You can find little outposts of this local legend all over the West Coast now, and thank goodness for that. The decades-old company has always had a great emphasis on quality over quantity, and their growth has been slow. But within the Berkeley/Oakland area, you're always within a mile or two of a Peet's, which makes easy work of satisfying that craving for an iced latte and a tasty, chewy vegan ginger cookie.

what i'll miss...

Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area my entire life, the thought of living somewhere so different from the little chunk of Northern California that I know and love seems really intimidating. How will I find my way around? Where will my favorite meals come from? What charming local secrets will I discover before anyone else? What will I miss?

There are many, many answers to that last question. As I prepare to embrace a new chapter in my life, I want to chronicle those things... I hope you enjoy a little peek into what makes the Bay Area 'home' to me.

raspberry-yogurt cake

I had the urge to bake last week, and I finally found the time to follow through. I baked up this delicious raspberry-yogurt cake from a 2008 issue of Bon Appetit magazine (recipe available here.) There are a couple of culinary curveballs in this recipe, so be sure to follow it to the letter. Just as suggested, I have found that a fair-sized slice of cake is great compliment to my evening tea, or as a morning, er, snack. (They keep telling me that cake isn't breakfast. However, I'm not too inclined to believe that!)

Yes We Cab!!

You know, it's not every day we make history with our votes. And it's not every day we make history with our wines. And well, I don't make wine, but luckily I know someone who does!

David and I had a brilliant idea over brunch back in December- a wine to toast Barack Obama's inauguration, called 'Yes We Cab!' Goofy, yes, but we thought it would be charming all the same. A quick call to our winemaker friend, Brendan Eliason at Periscope Cellars in Emeryville, CA and another to local artist friend J.B. Lowe and the idea is a reality!

If you're in the SF Bay Area, you can pick up your own bottle of Yes We Cab at the Periscope tasting room, at Solano Cellars in Albany and at both Vintage Berkeley locations (on College Avenue and Vine Street.) Special thanks to James Cardinell with Vinos Unico.

The fine folks at Periscope are hosting a screening of the inauguration, and will be showcasing Yes We Cab that night. Bottles will be available for purchase, so get one while you can! Get all the info on the event, here.

clearly up to no good.

I've been trying to spend some quality time with friends, lately. One person I seem to manage to meet up with at least once a week with is my buddy Jason, who can always be counted on for some random adventure, often involving delicious food. I snapped this photo after we had finished a day of devouring cupcakes at Cupcake Camp, coffee in South Park, dinner at my favorite Mission eatery, Maverick and then some ice cream at Bi-Rite.. what a perfectly delicious San Francisco afternoon!

tea time.

Just a quick break from the making, the baking and everything else to share a spot of tea, with you. I hope you are all keeping warm this winter.

harvest.

a quick photos of some of yesterday's prime supplies: granny smith apples and valencia oranges. they are the secret ingredients in the cranberry sauce that my family begs for every thanksgiving. they always ask for a recipe, but i don't really have one. in the words of boyfriend david, you simple "put these things in a pot. cook until tasty."

the best kind of cooking.

what you've got til it's gone

Things have gotten a little quicker around the studio. Why? Despite my hesitation about opening the box, I finally set up my new PC. It's new, shiny and runs Windows Vista (hence my hesitation.) But after I've gotten all the kinks worked out, Photoshop installed and the scanner working, I'm feeling pretty good about. Vista be damned! I'm determined to enjoy the faster processing time and extra RAM.

Also, can I tell you how happy I am that my scanner is working, again? Very happy.

a quiet moment.

Just another quiet night at home.

new toy.

I finally, finally got around to purchasing a remote release for my digital SLR. Finally! So far, it's not quite as sensitive as I'd like it to be, but maybe I just need to get used to it.

This is my favorite photo, from the few test shots that I did, today. Say hello to Andy, or rather, Andy's elbows.

good morning.

Just a little frame from breakfast this morning. David and I called this "breakfast polenta" -- it's just polenta cooked up with a little sugar and cinnamon, and I've added dried sour cherries during the cooking process. Top it off with a little almond milk, and hey, delish.

Important Events and Important Ideas

I've spent a week mulling this post over.. And by now, nothing I have to say will be new or novel or really stunning. But I still feel the need to comment. The past two weeks- the week leading up to the election and the week after- have been an incredible roller coaster.

Last Tuesday night, for the first time in my life I felt pride in my country. Surrounded by old and new friends, watching the results filter in as polls closed across the nation, cheering with each small victory.. It was unlike anything else I've experienced, and it was a far, far cry from a cold November night in 2004, where I nearly got in a bar fight (yep, I admit it) involving a Bush supporter and the still-fresh wound of my cousin's death in Afghanistan.

Last Tuesday was hopeful, epic, stunning and truly something of a unique experience. Watching Obama's landslide victory, in a room full of people who can finally stand up and say that they have president that they can believe in was uplifting. After a week of working extra-hard to spread the word about California's Proposition 8, watching it's narrow victory in the polls was nothing short of heartbreaking. In the week since the election, my dear California has been awash in vigils, rallies and protest marches against the legalization of discrimination, and the hate that has been written into our constitution. The Prop 8 campaign was full of nothing but lies and hypocrisy, but I can take a little comfort in the fact that it will surely be overturned, in time.

But in the end, I am nothing short of hopeful for what is to come.

I'll leave you now with some choice words from Keith Olbermann, about Proposition 8.

One more day. One more chance.

By tomorrow evening, America will have entered a new era. I have nothing but hope for the future.



One more day, folks. We can't give up now.

departure gate

This is what my October has looked like. On and off of flights, back and forth to Los Angeles. Lots of work, and lots of play, too. Spent some time in Pacific Palisades, discovered a great little cafe that serves My New Favorite Thing, Ever (tm): a green lemonade. That's lemonade with mint and a shot of spinach juice. I know it sounds weird, but it was amazing.

Also spent some time in the Coachella Valley with David, visiting Joshua Tree and touring the Salton Sea (as much as one can 'tour' a mostly-abandoned, completely desolate mid-desert lake that is barely able to sustain life.) It's been a tough few months since he moved away, so it was wonderful to be able to spend some quality time together.

Now I'm thrust back into life back in Oakland... Off to work, and the real world.