My New Crush: Pinterest

I’ve been in a creative slump.

Since moving to SoCal, many of my former magazine subscriptions have now lapsed – including one I accidentally let slide away (Sunset, don’t worry: you’ll be back on my doorstep next month). And while I love my cookbooks (I wrote an entire post devoted to them), I also long to try fresh tastes and trends. And yet I’ve found myself relying on old standby’s and Trader Joe’s’ freezer section to get us through spring.

I was feeling flummoxed – somewhat despondent, even (I really hate that word. It feels so Sylvia Plath. And yet, it is spot-on.). Everything I prepared was beginning to taste stale and the same. And I was bo-red!

And then I met my muse. Oh, Pinterest. You are a soul-saver.

Pinterest is like my own personal magazine – chock full of exactly the sections I want to read. Since meeting her, I’ve found loads of new recipes, DIY crafting projects, and countless must-have items for my closet. Oh, and a lot of pink-hair ideas.

This month, I set myself a goal to cook at least one pinned item each week. I’m keeping track, too – adding a quick note/thought to my pin to recall if I’ve made the recipe. The results have been pretty terrific, so I wanted to share with you which recipes I’ve enjoyed:

• Summer corn cakes – This is a spot-on recipe, bursting with summer flavors. The only thing I changed is making the cakes a bit larger than recommended.
• 4-ingredient chicken – Pretty tasty. I used boneless thighs and baked for 25 minutes. Next time I might add some fresh ginger to amp it up.
• Pomegranate and quinoa “super food” salad – I love that this girl’s from Iowa, just like my mom! This salad is texturally and tastily pleasing. Next time, I’ll buy some fresh shrimp and bake them like this as a topper.
• Raw basil-dressed vegan salad – Yum, yum, yum! Even though I didn’t use the avocado (not ripe enough), this turned out great. A wonderful base recipe – something to turn to when I have a fridge full of half-used produce.
• Red lentil coconut soup – A perfect balance of spicy and sweet.
• Handpies – As I wrote earlier this month, I wanted these to be jammier, sweeter. But the basic concept is perfect, and I’ll be trying different combinations of these all summer. In fact, the softening apples on the counter may just make their way into a cheddar-apple version tonight….
• Gingerbread waffles – ahMAZing. Next time I may whip some orange butter together for an extra nod toward the Jitterbug Café in Wallingford (RIP), but these are fab just on their own.

Looking back on this list, I think it would make a mighty fine menu for an outdoor summer soiree. Add a Jack & Diane to wash it down, and you’re good!

What about you? What are your favorite pins? And while we’re at it, what’s your Pinterest handle? You can find me @amydishes, of course! 

(PS: Any blogger whizzes out there? I can't get the silly "Pin this" button added to my site... Need help - thanks!)

No Fuss - California Style

Since moving to SoCal 6 months ago, I've been thinking a lot about what defines California style.

This applies both to fashion as well as cooking.

So much of my Seattle wardrobe doesn't make sense here, not just because it's too hot but also because it's too fussy. No one wears high-heeled boots or even strapped wedges to the beach except for in fashion shoots. Forget about constructed dresses and hairspray. None of these are practical in an outdoor lifestyle consumed by the beach and warm sun. When we first arrived, I consistently found myself overdressed at events. It's usually best to be a little dressier, but I felt over-done. I've since traded most of my heels for flats and sandals, stopped blow drying and coloring my hair, and stashed away the more tailored pieces of my wardrobe. Instead, my favorite well-worn jeans plus a light tee have become the staple. Maybe a scarf or some jewelry for an accent, but that's about it.

The same goes for cooking. I'd struggled to find my style here in the SoCal kitchen. In Seattle, the home chef reigns as the skies rain, sending us deep into cookbooks and the bowels of quirky markets looking for super ingredients to delight and even one-up our foodie friends. Here, that's just too much. There's no need for a cabinet full of high tech gadgets and fussy ingredients. In fact, I hardly even cook anymore - it's too warm and too enjoyable to spend excess time in the kitchen (and too crazy at the grocery store to take any more time than needed to get the staples). Plus the ingredients are so fresh, it's nice to simply prepare them to let them shine, cleanly.

Our focus has changed. We eat well - but we and eat and move on. No more fuss.

Case in point are the fresh strawberry hand-pies I made Sunday night, after gaining inspiration from Pinterest. These represent everything about California style - they're casual, flirty, and impossibly simple. They feature fresh, limited ingredients, don't take much time to prepare, and are a light treat. These could easily be adapted to feature whatever filling suits your fancy - I'm thinking peaches in the summer, apples in fall, and even lemon curd into winter. Be flexible and fun with your ingredients - just don't be fussy.

PS: This post and pies made to Father John Misty's new album, Fear Fun, as is most everything I do these days. It perfectly captures Los Angeles living (J. Tillman, formerly of Fleet Foxes and Seattle, is also now an LA resident). I think he likes it here, too: "How was I to know that milk and honey flowed just a couple states below?"

Status Report

During a recent visit, my mom politely reminded me that I haven't posted here in nearly two months... It's not that I haven't wanted to write. It's just that I haven't had much to share.

In the 3 months that we've lived in LA, I can count on two hands how many times I've turned on the oven to create a proper meal. LA is the land of salads and fast stove top sautes. Plus, we've been adjusting to our new schedule (including my husband's crazy commute), which means quick meals - sometimes even impromptu trips to grab a bite out, even on a weeknight - are in order.

This weekend, I did make these awesome veggie burgers - which took nearly 2 hours, but were delicious (and made extras, so now we have half a dozen stashed in the freezer for future).

I have had a few baking incidents, including those lemon bars that ended up being waaaaay too tart (And pithy. Next time I won't include the rind, as directed.) And a funny little episode with a Dutch Baby where I wound up using 4 times the amount of flour instructed and jammed the Cuisinart. (As a wise owl - ahem, mom! - has oft repeated: Read the recipe at least twice before you start. Now I know why!)

I'm also not quite sure where I am with meat vs. vegetarianism. Oh yeah, that old debate. It's resurrected!

All told, I haven't felt there's that much worthy of sharing - but at least now I have an entry in my time-log for 2012!

More soon, I hope - including the continued quest for that Glenwood Tomato Soup. My current question: Is it Velveeta?

La La Love You - LA's Bounty

I am in love with California's bounty. No dis on Seattle intended - after all, our homegrown tomatoes and state-grown apples are things of beauty. And the fresh salmon, flown in from Alaska, is heaven, one slab at a time.

It's just that SoCal's produce - much of which grows year-round - is fresh, delicious, plentiful.

Just look at the size of those shallots!

And artichokes!

It's also inexpensive! I really didn't believe farmer's markets were cheaper than (or even equivalent to) what I could get in a top-quality grocery store at home. I've had many a conversation about this, including a discussion with Angela from What's My Deal? But California is a game-changer. A trip to the farmer's market no longer leaves my wallet $30-40 lighter; here, we can fill our bags for under a 20-spot.

An even better deal is free-99. We can stretch our arms into the communal lemon tree in our apartment building's courtyard to pluck a ripe fruit anytime we need some zest. I see a lot of lemon bars in my future. In fact, I'm prepping to make a batch of David Lebovitz's whole-lemon bars this week for our new neighbors.

A current rave that brings this all together: simple salad. In my last post, I raved about the Olive Pit's 18-year balsamic vinegar, so luscious and aged that it drizzles like syrup over a salad. Paired with an equal drizzle of olive oil and a crack of pepper is all I need to top intensely dark green spinach and a harvest orange heirloom tomato for my favorite salad of the moment. (It's pretty great with chunked tuna and garbanzo beans for extra protein, too.)

This picture really doesn't do it justice. The green of that spinach was so dark, it was like a forest at night. I felt healthier just handling it.

This is what's on my table right now. I can't wait to discover new local gems - like the persimmon I've been eyeing at the store. Stay tuned!

An LA Story - The Next Installment

I've been absent.

The past few weeks have been go, go, go!

In September, we visited LA. In October, we moved to LA.

My last few weeks looked like this:
Rented apartment in Westwood
Nate accepted job
Returned home to Seattle - go time!
Sold furniture
Packed house
Cried
Enlisted more help to pack house (Thanks, mom!)
Listed house for rent, found tenants
Continued packing
Said goodbyes
Packed truck
Hit road (at 10/10 - 10 a.m., for those who like numbers)

Our road "trip" took a little over 3 days. We travelled with my mom and stepdad (so thankful for their help!) + our two cats. Our itinerary and highlights along the way:

• Day 1: to Ashland. Cats were quiet. Lunch @ Oaktree. Dinner in Medford/Denny's.
• Night 1: in Ashland. Remy-cat kept us up all night, literally bouncing off the hotel walls and yowling.
• Day 2: to Bakersfield (hint: this is a LONG way from Medford). LaQuinta Inn for breakfast. Lunch at the Olive Pit - yummy, syrupy balsamic vinegar on the Greek salad. More on this soon. It's become a staple on my salads. Dinner at McD's. Those Filet-o-Fish sammies are still quite delicious.
• Night 2: Remy now drugged on tranquilizers. Felt like our hotel was in the 'hood and fretted about truck in lot - with all of our possessions - all night long.
• Day 3: LaQuinta again for breakfast + one of those new SBC iced lattes from gas station. Zing!  Arrived in LA to a traffic jam on the 405 + a heatwave - in the high 90s. Unpacked half of truck - helpers Aunt Sharon & Uncle Tom also brought amazing pastries from Porto's. Ate 3 cream-cheese puff pastries with big grains of sugar, unabashedly. Put a moratorium on moving around 4.30. Too. HOT!
• Night 3: Dinner at Native Foods Cafe - vegan & delicious. Crashed asleep.
• Day 4: Up at 9 to unpack the 2nd half of truck (all boxes + a few heavy items); all boxes done by 11.30, but it took nearly 2 hrs to get the other items - just 3 heavy pieces - up the stairs. Oh yes, did I forget to mention? We had to haul everything up 30 stairs in this 90+ heat. It should be noted that next time we move, we will hire movers.

Yes, it's been crazy - but thrilling and dare I say fun, too. We're excited for what lies ahead! Now settling! More soon, hopefully with some pictures.

An LA Story, Part 2

Our next move?
The view from the hilltop Silverlake apartment is sweeping. To the right and down, houses cluster together amid the trees. Off in the distance, mini skyrises form geometric blocks flanked by the famed Hollywood sign rising monolithically in the backdrop. Further afield: a gauzy haze covering what I know to be Santa Monica and the Pacific. Dreamy.

I could get used to this.

We're here for two weeks in LA, housesitting for my oldest friend in the world while she and her family gallivant around eastern Europe. For us, the trip is a little bit R&R and a little bit work. We're here to decide whether Los Angeles will be the next move in our game of life.

It got off to a fantastic start. We arrived yesterday morning, and as the wheels bumped down at Bob Hope airport in Burbank, Nate and I exchanged glances. It's Go Time. Decisions ahead. But first, a bit of downtime to settle in.

We crashed into catnaps following the early rise, then were off to a posh Hollywood Hills house (now a working studio for a friend of Nate's) for a BBQ/birthday. If anything will sway our decision, it's the remote chance that we could possibly land a view like this:

Or this:

It's still much too early for a decision, but first impressions mean a lot.

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Sept 6 update - Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!
The temperature on the LA Times website says it's 90 degrees. We're only partially there, headed for 98 degrees tomorrow, then possibly 100. Thank God for air conditioning.

On a related note, I'm going to need to rethink my beverages if we move to LA. My steaming cup of coffee seems wildly inappropriate. At Starbucks yesterday, I tried a lime "Refresher" - a drink being testmarketed here in LA + also in Arizona. It uses green coffee for its base. The barista described it as akin to a mojito, minus the booze. I thought it too limey - it tasted like the tart pith. Nate thought it tasted like hay (what green coffee smells like). I'm not so sure it's a hit. Apparently there also was a passionfruit flavor that was so successful, it's already sold out.

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Sept 9 update - Gonna take a trip...
We saw Band of Horses last night at the Wiltern, a historic old theatre similar to the Paramount Seattle. I slagged off this band for their first album (yawn-inducing). A couple of songs on the second album piqued my interest. But the third effort, Infinite Arms, is on regular rotation now. BoH was supposed to be opening for Kings of Leon, but KoL had to cancel the tour while their singer gets himself straightened out. So BoH culled together a short, spotty headlining tour. So happy we are in LA right now to get to this show because they sounded pristine.

Forever ingrained in my mind will be the live rendition of "Laredo." I already love the song, but as they played it live, I felt the goosebumps rise on my arms as I watched from our mezzanine level seats. The band, warmed up and grooving, was clearly at their peak of the night. The swagger, the harmonies, the confidence... I didn't want the moment to end.
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Sept 19 update...This is happening
So, it's been 10 days since my last entry. That week and half has been full of questions, answers, and action. First, here are some scenes from coffee shops where we had good talks and made some decisions.

The honey-vanilla latte at Urth Caffe - a thing of beauty:

And the pastries at Intelligentsia (paired with a smooth Gibraltar on the side - a double shot of espresso gently caressed by a topper of cooler-than-normal steamed milk, so that it emulsifies):

Lest you think all of our decisions were made in caffeine frenzies, I present the famed flaming margarita at El Compadre:

So after caffeine and questions (my specialty), we made a decision: We are moving to LA!

We've found a place in Westwood, only partially decided upon due to proximity to the Paris Bakery and its macarons:

We move in just a few weeks.

Honestly, we knew deep in our hearts that we'd end up in LA. It was just a matter of securing a place (done), a job for Nate (done), and a renter for our Seattle house (not done - are you interested?).

It's time for an adventure, new scenery, and some sunshine. More to come in the weeks ahead!

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship

Jack, meet Ginger. Ginger, meet Jack.

Jack - this gal Ginger... she's just your type. A little sweet, a little spicy, and she'll keep you warm on a cool night. But she's also just as comfortable on a summer evening. She's refreshing, surprising. Even a little zingy. 

Ginger - let me tell you about Jack. He's strong and rugged. A classic. But he's also sweet. He'll feel like a warm hug enveloping you. And that honey-coated throat. Oh me oh my. He'll have you wrapped around him in no time.

I just know you two would make a nice pair. You should meet, soon. Icebreakers will be no problem. You'll be comfortable in no time. 

Like any good match, remember - both of you bring equal weight to the relationship and complement each other. This one's 50-50.

I think this is the beginning of something beautiful.

Jack and Ginger (Sweet and Spicy)

Crush ice and fill a highball glass. Mix equal parts Reed's Extra Ginger beer and Jack Daniel's Honey into the glass.

Stir.

Sip.

Sigh.