Downtown LA Arts District

Hey ya'll!

If you're looking for something fun to do tomorrow (Saturday, 7/21/12), head on over to BloomfestLA in the Arts District downtown. I went last year and it was a blast! Lots of music, arts, food trucks and the incredible Pie Hole!! Here's the band lineup: 

Although I'm not familiar with any of the bands, it's still a really fun LA experience and it's free.  

I think parking is ~$5.

Take advantage of cool stuff to do in LA!!

I was in the area for the Pie Hole a couple weekends ago and had just gotten my camera back from being repaired (yay!). Here are a few pics of the neighborhood:

Adventures in Instagram: Misc

Sleep sweet!

This is a self-portrait of an amazing street photographer, Vivian Maier:


Bo, not so ready for the hiking pack...

the girls:


 Crouching tiger, hidden shark:


Rita's yawn:


Now for some food!
Homemade pesto for homemade bruschetta! delicioso!

 
Homemade chicken pot pie:

Pesto Pasta:

 
My first attempt at a pulled bacon bbq sandwich:


Mojito!

   
Just because:

The cactus garden:


Victory dance! We finally finished the exterior siding after over a year of work, wow!

Pesto Pasta dish

 This meal was amazing. I'm salivating just thinking about it. Thank you, Sam!

Homemade Egg Nog!

Last night, Sam and I made homemade eggnog! We used Alton Brown's recipe on food network's website. It was quite incredible! Here's the process via photos:

Ingredients:

Separate eggs, whites and yolks:

Beat yolks til they lighten in color, then add sugar gradually til it is dissolved:

Add milk, heavy cream, bourbon and nutmeg:

Empty that mixture into a separate bowl. Then beat the egg whites in the mixer:

You beat until they are "soft peaks" (sort of the consistency of foamy whip cream). Then add a bit more sugar and beat until they are "stiff peaks" (a bit more stable, see picture below):

Whisk two mixtures together and chill (we waited about an hour):

Then serve with a dash of nutmeg on top:

The perfect compliment to your holiday meal! Merry Christmas everyone!!

Food

It's been a while since I've had a post, I've just been behind on editing photos and such. It continues to be summer in full swing and I am enjoying every minute of it. Here are a few pictures of food, because food is good.

Mint Julep

My first attempt at Ratatouille!

I've just discovered the wonders of kale!

Kale salad with beets, walnuts, and goat cheese.

And of course: classic chocolate chip cookies.

Happy Independence Day!

Used Betty Crocker yellow cake mix and cream cheese frosting:

As founding father, Alexander Hamilton once said: "I will always remember this profound cake as a metaphor for the ethnic, socioeconomic, and political trials and tribulations that have decorated the American historical landscape..."

Followed years later by the quote of Abraham Lincoln: "Upon running out of raspberries, the strawberries are representative of the trying times this country has faced, during which we must make do with what we have!"

Cappucino Muffins

In line with my cooking/baking craze this past week, I made snickerdoodle cookies and cappuccino muffins. They both were incredible. With all the good food from last week and hardcore hours (longer work days) from this week, I'll have to watch out for those extra pounds! ;) Not the best combo...

This weekend, our dear friend Renee came into town for a visit.

We had a great time visiting, watching the Hopelessly Devoted play at a burlesque show, and admiring art at Dominic's art show. We even fit in some landscaping work on Sunday, just before some homemade thai food from our friends Nick and Ashley. Great weekend :)

...landscaping photos to come!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Betty Crocker's Lemonade recipe:

1 cup lemon juice (our tree has little lemons, so 8 lemons ~ 1 cup juice)
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups water

This makes about 4 glasses. I'd suggest doubling this recipe. I ended up making fresh lemonade 3 times this weekend because it was just so good!

Perfect refreshment for a hot day!