Month: October 2019

Sunday Edition: Let’s Stop and Think For A Minute

This morning I promised my mother I’d take her to church – for a special remembrance service for my father, who passed away a few decades ago. My mother is a traditionalist, and although it’s been quite sometime, she still wishes to do the service once a year near or on October 13th  – which is when he passed away. I woke up early, thinking that if we didn’t have this thing called the internet full of information, would our lives still be as stressed out as it has become?  And that led to many other topics of concern and so this Sunday, I am dedicating to simply stopping for a minute to think about…   {featured image source and full credit}

Food: Saturdays Are For Baking

I’ve been craving cinnamon swirled baked goods – mostly brioche with my mother’s recipe. But I decided to go with this one instead – a simple loaf, which can either be smothered in Marscapone and cherry Jam or eaten simply with a cup of coffee, I think the fact it is an easy recipe to follow, I will put my hair up, wear my cozy slippers and head to the kitchen to bake before anyone wakes up: Eh hum – don’t let the butter scare you – it’s a croissant style loaf. INGREDIENTS 1 3/4 cups warm whole milk 1 tablespoon instant yeast 2 tablespoons honey 4 1/2 – 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 2 teaspoons kosher salt 6 tablespoons (1/2 cup) salted butter, at room temperature 2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, sliced into thin pieces 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 egg, beaten, for brushing  {more} After breakfast, hopefully we can pull off a trip to Napa to see the colorful Autumn landscape and have some wine of course 🙂 – stay tuned! And oh, what are you doing this weekend?   

Food: Dinner Tonight – White Bean, Chicken, Squash Soup

Walked out of the house this morning at 5:30, headed to my commuter train, and I actually shivered. It was breezy and cold. Did I mention just how much I love this time of year? Well, I do. So, while on the train, I normally go over my to-do list, which of course includes dinner for the family, and considering the cold, although it will hit up to the 70’s mid-day, I know by dinner time it will dip down–just in time for a bowl of soup and toasted second day old Italian bread. This recipe is the perfect combination of ingredients and so easy to make and can be made with a crockpot as suggested. INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons salted butter 1 pound chicken breasts or thighs (use bone-in for additional flavor) 2 shallots, thinly sliced 4-6 cloves garlic, minced or grated 4 ribs celery, chopped 3 sprigs fresh thyme + 2 tablespoons thyme leaves 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 6 cups low sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc 1 cup grated parmesan, plus 1 parmesan rind 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes kosher salt and black pepper 1 can …

Travel: Beautiful Small Towns in America

Since my quick and dirty trip to Montana, mostly landing in Idaho, Utah, before finally Great Falls, I got to see not only the beautiful scenery, but also get a glimpse  of small towns settled between the majestic mountains and winding rivers.  This is a trip I’ve been planning for years, to explore the U.S.  Except I don’t know which season is best – Spring or Fall, which I think I am leaning more towards. Driving from one state to the next, in sections. North, East, South, since I’ve seen the west, time and time again. With that plan in mind, I’ve tagged this list of 50 most beautiful small towns in the U.S. and figured you might want to see for yourself some of my favorites and perhaps plan a similar trip.  

Decor: A Home in Lake Tahoe, California

One of the perks of living in San Francisco and the bay area is the proximity to all the creativeness that has defined the Internet. One particular, which I use often, is Instagram in all its glory. So, naturally, this article sparked my interest – to see how the man behind the creation has set up his home…in this case, Lake Tahoe, California – which to me is totally in line with the app design. 🙂

Food: Dinner Tonight – Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, Honey, Apple Panini

I bought a first generation Panini press a decade ago from Williams-Sonoma (similar to this one) with the intend to press-grill a few of my favorite ingredients together into a delicious sandwich to pair with my homemade soups. But then ‘bread’ became a bad carb choice and I put away my Panini press. Fast forward to today, as we learn how best to eat, bread and other carbs or variations thereof, in moderation, my eyes lit up when I saw this recipe. So, Panini it is tonight for the fam! INGREDIENTS 8 slices sourdough bread 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 4 tablespoons apple butter 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 1/2 cups shredded havarti cheese 1 honey crisp apple, thinly sliced 8 slices cooked bacon honey, for drizzling 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves  {more} And of course with a great recipe  comes a wonderful film recommend – Lost and Found – a film made in Ireland – five stories intertwined and very greatly told.  Not too many stories have me at the edge of my seat, but this one did. 

Let’s Start Monday Right

I hope your weekends were grand and that you had a chance to decompress from the hustle and bustle of every day life. Perhaps your Monday is just beginning where in other places it’s nearing bedtime or beyond. But since I live in San Francisco, and my day is just beginning, as usual with the commuter train experiencing delays, I sit in my car near the station and list down all the beautiful things I want to share with all of you this week.

Travel: Best Places to Go In October If You Have Photography In Mind

Took a 24 hour trip to Montana Friday to Saturday for business and although I was to arrive on Friday by noon – thinking I can have dinner with family, I ended up experiencing all the construction taking shape in various airports on the western side of this country, trying to get to my destination – since my original flight from San Francisco, with stopover in Seattle to Montana went south.  I barely had time to wind down a minute Friday night only to fly back early Saturday morning, – meaning I had to be at the airport by 5 – so you figure the numbers. 🙂 By the time I opened the front door to my peaceful abode, I felt as if I had missed out on so much – in just the twenty-four hours I was gone.  Do you ever feel that way? While walking a number of airports, with posters and signage pointing to travels  around the world, I couldn’t help but feel the need to travel in the best month of …

Zucchini Muffins Kind of Day

I watched a movie on the Hallmark channel last night – where the perfect single mother bakes zucchini muffins for a road trip to drive her perfect daughter from Los Angeles to Oregon, where she would be attending college. Cute movie, great chemistry among the characters Amy and Noah, and perhaps it is one of the only films from Hallmark where there is actual sexual tension portrayed between the characters. So, besides the chemistry, all I could focus on was the zucchini muffins. Funny how things work on the ‘interweb’, because all of a sudden this recipe popped up across my screen and naturally, since it’s all gluten-free, I decide to bake them over the weekend and…share with all of you right here: INGREDIENTS 1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 medium/large) 2 eggs 1/3 cup olive oil (or avocado oil or coconut oil) 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt 3/4 cup almond flour 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or superfine rice flour) 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 …

Food: Dinner Tonight – Roasted Squash-ghetti

I bought my first squash over the weekend for this season knowing exactly the meal to make. My version is simple – ground Italian chicken sausage, corn kernels, shredded Parmesan cheese, fresh cut cilantro, naturally the squash cut in half, and broiled…and voila the simplest and easiest dinner your family is guaranteed to love. But I am not one who follows a measurement – and if you have trouble imagining how to work with the ingredients I have listed, then please follow a similar recipe, where you can take away the ingredients you don’t want and still get the best of the simplest Squash-ghetti dish: INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1 head garlic 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage or ground chicken 1 small yellow onion, chopped 1 can (28 ounce) crushed San Marzano tomatoes 1 dried bay leaf 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg 1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese or mozzarella cheese 1 cup shredded provolone cheese kosher salt and black pepper …