Heart of Light

Handsome Coffee

2013-05-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

Everyone in Los Angeles has already been to Handsome but I didn't see why that should stop me.

{afternoon espresso}

We've been testing out different espresso bean options over the last several months. D and I splurge on beans because we figure we save so much by not buying coffee out that we deserve to treat ourselves.

{handsome coffee}

We tasted both the Dandy and the Dapper. D settled on the Dandy for now. They don't carry a decaf espresso, so I'm still sticking with my Intelligentsia for the time being. Still can't handle daily caffeine. Bummer.

The run commute

2013-05-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I was sitting in traffic trying to get home and I googled "run commute" on my phone. And yes, it turns out there are people who run to work.

{gear}

It took me a full month to think about the logistics before I decided to just try it and see how it went. Now I've been doing it for just over two months and I'm hooked. Get ready for an incredibly wordy post about running an incredibly short distance. I can't help myself.

(Minimal) gear:
Backpack
Running shoes
Clothes, ideally with a pocket of some sort

Basic routine:
Wake up, shower if I didn't shower right before bed.
Make breakfast (smoothie or eggs) and package it up.
Run to work.
Get to work, sit down outside and eat breakfast while cooling off.
Get dressed, put on makeup, tell myself that my hair looks perfectly fine even though it's about a 50/50 chance.
Hang up my running clothes to dry out, start my day.

I'm using a Camelbak with the water insert taken out. It's more than enough space. I can put my entire purse in there if I want to and that's what I'll do if I'm planning on going out to dinner after work. It does add weight (at most, 15 pounds - I checked) and the first week will feel hard but then you get used to it. I don't think this Camelbak is meant for running. It has supportive straps (which you need, for sure) but they're meant to go around your hips. Great for hiking, doesn't work for running - those suckers ride right up. I end up cinching the straps around my waist instead and the end result is that the backpack sits a little oddly on my body and sometimes rubs my back. I'm considering upgrading to a better solution but running packs are expensive. If I find something that works, I'll update you.

Workout pants with a couple of good pockets are the best because I can tuck my phone into the front pocket and zip my keys in the back. Sadly, I only have one pair like this so I make do the rest of the time. I want to figure out a way to have a phone pocket on the straps of my running backpack. Some of the backpacks meant for running have them built in.

I do listen to music while I run outside but I'm careful about it. I only keep one earbud in and the volume is low enough that I'm still able to hear the street sounds easily. My route is very public so I'm not too worried about safety but I keep an eye out and an elbow ready.

I have the option of showering at work but it isn't completely necessary during coolish weather. I know, that sounds horrible. The key is showering right before you run and then giving yourself a cool off period before changing into your work clothes. 30 minutes is the best but 15 will suffice, at least for me. I don't sweat while I run, because the wind wicks it off but as soon as I stop moving I start sweating. During the summer, I will be showering.

Am I saving time? The time is almost a wash. Sometimes I beat the bus, more often it beats me by a few minutes. I avoid a lot of frustration though. There's no waiting for the bus to arrive and there's no sitting in traffic. I do leave the house a little earlier than normal because I have to build in the cooling off period. But I have to eat breakfast anyways, so the timing ends up being similar. I also consider this multitasking, because I'm getting in some exercise while commuting.

Some people that run to work are comfortable doing their cooling off in their office while catching up on their morning email. This might be okay in my workplace but I still feel weird about it and I prefer to cool off outside. It's nicer to change if you have a private office and/or a single restroom, but you can do it in the regular restroom. I now have favorite bathrooms around campus.

I usually run to work at least three days a week, and I average about 5 - 6 runs each week. Some days I only run one way or the other. Some weeks I'll run every single day.

The most direct route to my work is just a hair under two miles. It is not a pretty route. The 405 splits my commute right in half (and is also responsible for the horrendous traffic snarl that is motivating me to run in the first place). When I was planning this I tried to find a better one but there really isn't one. Oh well.

This mostly works for me because:
1. The distance is just right - a minimum of two miles, which I can increase easily with different routes. It's just long enough to make daily walking annoying for someone as impatient as me but it's short enough that I could start running it even without being in top shape. Other people who live further from work sometimes blend their commutes, busing it part way and then running the rest.
2. I have access to a shower at work if I need one because my gym is close by and I have a permanent locker there.
3. My normal commute is on the bus, so I always have the option of only running one way if I need to (although the traffic is even worse in the evening, so there is a high level of motivation to run both ways).

{ready}

Lately

2013-05-14T09:57:00.002-07:00

{lights, potted plants}

{gorgeous salads}

{the cutest packages}

{circe nesting}

{simplest dessert}

{road to the getty}

{saturday breakfast with beauty's}

{pinata}

{kale salad, hands}

{popped}

I have been working, a lot. This isn't a plea for sympathy. I like working. It just takes up most of my time and energy, so there's not a lot of motivation left to hop on the computer at night and edit photos.

We've been barbecuing, a lot. With friends, with family, at home. The weather demands it.

I have made Kate's cookies three times in the last three weeks.

I spent a weekend in Oakland and Marin with some lovely ladies and came back feeling refreshed in that way you only do after a two day grown up slumber party. I've resolved to figure out a way to make this happen more often.

May is always crazy but in a good way. Birthdays, bridal showers, weddings. My goal is just to enjoy and make it through. I'll sleep in June! That's my motto this month.

Cocktails and taxes

2013-04-16T15:57:00.003-07:00

We put off our taxes until last weekend so we told each other we'd tackle them Friday night.

And then we got cocky. We weren't just going to do our taxes, we were going to enjoy them! And we weren't going to buy TurboTax, we are smart enough to do our taxes by hand!* I made dinner and mixed up a couple cocktails and put on Sam's Town (it's our household power album) and we pulled out all our various documents.

Guess what? There isn't anything that makes taxes enjoyable. And I'd recommend not mixing them with cocktails because I spent 20 frantic minutes thinking we owed $3000 and while it was a definite buzz kill, it wasn't a literal enough buzz kill because the two of us together couldn't figure out where we'd gone wrong.

We figured it out eventually, printed everything and (thank god) decided to review it on Sunday before mailing. At which point we found two more major errors. I'm 99% sure that our final calculations were correct.

Note for next year - buckle down and do them in late March, celebrate with drinks afterwards. And possibly purchase TurboTax, if only to avoid the strange worksheet calculations.

I'm planning to post this week but I've been avoiding my computer. We'll see how it goes.

* My justification was that I did my taxes by hand for years but I had conveniently forgotten that it was back when I used the easy form and had no information to fill in. You can definitely do your taxes by hand but it takes a lot more concentration.

Krav Maga, 4 months in

2013-04-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned in passing that I started Krav Maga classes and a few of you have asked about it. If there's anything I didn't address, feel free to ask in the comments and I'll reply. I'm not an expert by any stretch but I'm enthusiastic.

{gloves}

Krav Maga is fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine, which is to secretly be capable of serious ass kicking. I'm not sure where this originated because I've never been beat up by anyone other than my sister (we had some pretty good sister-style fights growing up) but I think it has to do with a disconnect between my mental and physical confidence. I won't hesitate to speak up in any situation but I've always been keenly aware that I'm pretty timid physically and if push came to shove I'm not sure I could hold my own.

I'd read about Krav, which is basically street fighting based on the Israeli Defense Forces training, and then a Groupon popped up and it was meant to be. After our Groupon was up we got a good deal on a year long membership and called it our Christmas gift to each other.

I've been going 5 - 8 hours a week since early December and I didn't start to turn a corner until a full two months had passed. I should have guessed this would be the case because my athletic coordination ranks just above that of a sea slug. I've spent most of my life trying to get out of any and all group sports, occasionally by hiding in a bathroom stall with a book (summer daycamp grades 4 - 6, I'm looking at you). I will run and swim and ride but please don't ever ask me to participate in any game involving aim. Krav isn't really choreographed but it does involve simple sequences of movements that I find incredibly challenging.

I hate being bad at things so it was hard to willingly subject myself to several hours a week of being the worst. I sometimes dreaded going. If I had a particularly rough class I'd feel bummed out when I got home. There's a lot of pressure because you partner up and working with someone below your skill set can really ruin a class. I'm keenly aware that I'm not the best partner yet and I feel guilty about it, even though everyone else presumably was bad at some point as well.

But, as I said, I started to feel a change around two months. I am getting better. When I have a good class, I feel amazing. I know from past experience (a few years of ballroom dance classes that were highly humiliating at first) that once I get the muscle memory built up I'll start progressing faster. I'm not going to let myself be limited by my comfort zone.

Obviously, Krav is very physical. It's focused largely on self defense but we learn offensive moves as well, so that we can hold up in a fight if we're in a situation where bailing out isn't possible. There's also a mental aspect to it. The instructors stress the importance of getting used to the physicality of being hit so that if you're ever in a situation where you do get hit, you have some frame of reference and you don't freeze up. I take this to heart because even in the safe environment in class my mind will blank out the second someone starts choking me, even though I know it's coming. And yes, people do choke you in class, but it isn't as creepy as it sounds.

We spend time punching (with boxing gloves and strike pads), kicking and doing drills. It isn't cardio most of the time, so I still need to supplement with a bit of running. I don't think I've lost any weight, but I am developing new muscle.

I also take immense pride in the gnarly bruises I often get. Not everyone appreciates them, so that could be a pro or a con depending on your point of view.

If you're thinking about taking a class, go for it. Wear exercise clothes you'll be comfortable moving around in. Don't get discouraged if you feel like you're behind. If you're naturally timid, try to break away from that - one of the most annoying things for an experienced person is partnering with someone who is afraid to touch you. Above all, SHOWER. I'm a generally clean person but I'm now obsessively clean. Knowing you're likely to end up in a headlock or clamping your thighs around a stranger's neck will make you more aware of that. You don't want to be wondering if your breath is okay when you're supposed to be focused on learning.

Public service announcement

2013-04-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

Just thought you should know that the avocado pasta recipe from Oh She Glows is ridiculously good.

{avocado pasta}

I was apprehensive, because the idea of heating avocados icks me out. But for this recipe you toss the creamy avocado sauce with hot noodles and while it just heats through, it doesn't really get hot.

She warns you to serve it immediately, but I don't think that's completely necessary. It's great fresh and I certainly wouldn't re-heat it but it tastes perfect straight out of the fridge. You know how creamy sauces are gross cold because the fat congeals? This doesn't happen - the sauce stays perfectly creamy and doesn't harden when cold. So, so good.

I used wide noodles and modified only slightly, by adding a few handfuls of arugula to the bowl before pouring the hot pasta over it and then adding the sauce. As you mix it all together the arugula wilts and I like the slight bitter contrast it adds.

I will say this - the recipe recommends using a food processor but when I tried it I found it messy and not very effective, and I'm normally a huge fan of the food processor. The volume wasn't big enough and the oil splattered everywhere. The first time I used my little blender and the sauce turned out creamier (I think because it emulsified better?) so I'm going to stick with that. I don't have a full size blender (we're in the market!) but I'm guessing that would work as well.

If you have an avocado surplus around, you know what to do. And it doesn't take any longer than boiling a pot of water and cooking the noodles.

The weekend, briefly

2013-04-09T11:19:00.004-07:00

{lemon + basil}

{dates for stuffing}

{saturday afternoon}

{coolhaus + space cat}

We cooked (way too much food) on Saturday and then spent the whole evening eating it with a good friend. It was almost too chilly to sit out on the balcony but we braved it.

Prompted by this smart lady, we made it downtown for the NorthernGRADE event on Sunday where we resisted buying anything although I was sorely tempted by this gorgeous waxed weekend duffel and D by this jacket. We had to walk around the block a couple times before getting our willpower in check and then we got Coolhaus sandwiches and proceeded to make a huge mess of ourselves. Success?

Friday flowers

2013-04-05T05:03:00.000-07:00

I make so much more effort with the table when I'm having a girlfriend over for dinner. Perfect excuse to buy flowers.

{set}

These freesia didn't even make it a full week, but they were lovely while they lasted.

{freesia}

Lately

2013-04-03T14:57:00.001-07:00

Little bits and pieces from the last few weeks ...

{girls' night}

{cheese platter}

{meyer lemon cocktail}

{dregs}

{eggs, cracked}

{blown eggs}

{coffee and cream}

Girls' night with Emily - a whole platter of cheeses and a bottle of bubbly. Almost none of that cheese was left at the end of the evening. We take cheese seriously.

Cocktail experiments have been happening. I'll share if I hit on anything really amazing. Even the misses are usually fun.

Afternoon espresso tasting with D. We're on the hunt for our favorite espresso beans and have to try all the contenders.

And, of course, Easter! I made cinnamon rolls, we ate quiche and drank coffee and decided that next year, definitely, we'll get ourselves together and make some kind of adult egg decorating tradition. We usually dye the eggs and hide them but the youngest person in our family is now a 15 year old boy and the egg hunt was starting to seem unnecessary. We ran out of time to figure out an alternate option this year but man, does D have plans for next year. Just you wait.

Shortcake season

2013-03-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again ...

{shortcake dough}

{scoops}

{first strawberries}

I make strawberry shortcake at least once a year because it's the traditional birthday dessert for D's grandma. I normally use my Tassjara recipe but this year I tested out Dorie Greenspan's*. The advantage is that you can scoop out the dough rather than rolling it. Normally I'd scoff at the measly time savings (rolling out your dough only adds about 10 minutes to the whole process) but I was recovering from a cold and that extra 10 minutes in bed made me a more pleasant party guest.

Verdict? I personally prefer my usual recipe, but this one is very good. If you have a fear of rolling pins, you might consider it. Strangely (to me) it doesn't call for eggs and I found the shortcake a bit denser than I like. Shortcake, like biscuits, are a very personal preference.

Those are literally all the pictures I took this weekend and that's all I've got for this week. We're approaching a critical time at work and I'm wiped out and overwhelmed. I've got a few looong posts in draft (clothing plans! Krav! budget follow up! run commute!) that I'll hopefully get up over the next few weeks, once things calm down around here.

* I will frequently type out recipes even if I haven't altered them because this blog serves as my place to store recipes I love and also because some websites (Martha Stewart, I'm talking to you) delete and move links like crazy. However, I'm happy with my current shortcake recipe so I won't be typing this one out for future use. You can find it many places online, including right here.

Friday flowers

2013-03-15T05:01:00.000-07:00

For the first time in forever ...

{flower trio}

{flowers}

{floral}

I haven't been buying flowers lately but I had coffee with Kristin on Saturday and she sweetly brought me some of the extras from Angel's daughter's party. (Kris is my dear friend from high school who did our wedding flowers so she knows how much I love them and Angel was our wedding planner and her taste is exquisite - thanks, ladies!)

I had the best time arranging them into a trio of vases. There's something really relaxing about putting flowers together for yourself. I zone out a little and just enjoy it. Makes me want to get back into my weekly flower tradition but it'll probably have to wait until spring is more firmly established.

Those little guys in the bottom are flower frogs and I don't know how anyone arranges flowers without them. You can usually buy them at the Japanese market or you can order them online. I have a bunch of different sizes and shapes.

My new favorite potato salad

2013-03-14T05:10:00.000-07:00

Dustin has a problem with traditional potato salad and this has the potential to cause marital strife because I can't imagine how anyone could dislike potatoes and mayonnaise.

Luckily we've found a compromise.

{potato salad}

This is a vinegar based potato salad but it uses bacon fat instead of oil. It's heavenly. If you're veg, you could leave out the bacon and swap in regular oil and it would still be very good, I think.

Potato salad with vinegar and bacon (recipe is from here, serves 6)

2 1/4 pounds medium-size waxy potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
6 bacon slices, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (fennel fronds also work well)

:: Steam potatoes until tip of a knife easily pierces the center of slices. This was about 10 minutes for the Yukon golds and red skinned potatoes, significantly less for the purple potatoes. Set potatoes aside in a large bowl.

:: Sauté bacon in large skillet over medium heat until brown, about 3 minutes. Remove bacon and set aside. Reduce heat to medium. Pour off some of the fat. You want to use 2 1/2 tablespoons of drippings, which is more than you might think.

:: Add the chopped onion and cook for about 2 minutes, until golden. Whisk in the vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer until mixture is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

:: Pour the dressing straight from the skillet into the bowl with the potatoes. Toss gently (I actually use a soft spatula instead of a spoon to cause less breakage). Add your chopped bacon and fresh dill and toss. Transfer your salad to a smaller bowl if you'd like. Equally good warm or at room temperature.

A few little things -

I use my handy mandoline for slicing the potatoes.

We got a tri-color blend of waxy potatoes rather than the red potatoes the recipe calls for. Purple potatoes are gorgeous but they seem to cook more quickly. Steam them separately! Any waxy potato should work, just stay far away from russets, which have the wrong texture.

The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water but I just use 3/4 cup white wine vinegar. I love vinegar and I don't think it's overpowering here.

2.5 tablespoons of bacon fat seems like a lot. It's more than you need to cook the onions, so I low balled it the first time I made this salad. Then I realized that the point of the bacon fat is not just to cook the onions, it's to make the dressing. Whether you're using bacon fat or oil, I recommend using the full amount in the recipe. I promise it doesn't taste greasy at all. If you want to make the dish lower fat, you could easily cut the fat down and it will be delicious but it's so much better as written.

Taste off

2013-03-13T05:12:00.000-07:00

We had a double blind beer tasting contest last weekend. You know how everyone has their loyalty to some cheap beer, usually left over from college? I'll still defend Miller Lite, even though I haven't had it in a few years. The blind taste test has been on our list for ages, ever since D watched Beer Wars. We kept putting it off because we thought it would take too long to plan and then last week we decided screw it, let's just do this and we invited a few friends immediately.

{double blind}

We got tallboys (Bud, Bud Lite, Coors, Coors Lite, MGD, Miller Lite and High Life) and I covered them in brown paper grocery bags and sealed the top with masking tape. Once they were wrapped I held them out to D so he could put numbers on them while I looked away. The masking tape around the top edges made pouring a little messy but no one cared. I should have gotten a picture of the finished product but all this was happening five minutes before our friends were supposed to arrive.

{beer tasting}

We laid down more brown paper grocery bags to set up personal tasting stations, panicked when we realized we didn't have enough glasses for everyone and then remembered that luckily we still had leftover plastic cups from the wedding. There are no pictures of the actual tasting because it was fairly intense. Everyone wrote their guesses down on their cards, we all debated around the table and then peeled off the paper to reveal the beers. I was able to correctly identify Miller Lite, but I failed at everything else.

{palate wrecker ipa}

After the tasting, we moved on to a meal and much fancier beers. The Green Flash Palate Wrecker IPA was excellent.

Update - I've had several people ask about our glasses (I'm flattered!), so here is the info. They're all Bormioli Rocco bodega glasses and they're affordable little workhorses. We saw them last year at Mill Valley Beerworks and loved them and then stalkerishly emailed the owner who very kindly told us the manufacturer. I have all three sizes and they work great together. The short stout ones are the mini size - I use them for tastings and they're perfect for shaken cocktails. The medium are exactly the right size for a full beer, also great for juice or wine. We use the large ones as water glasses. I got all ours here (mini, medium, large) but you can probably find them from other sources.

The weekend, briefly

2013-03-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

Really just isolated snippets, because I didn't take my camera everywhere.

{coffee with cream}

{black bean salad}

{boots}

{hot sauce testing}

{birthday cupcakes}

The best part about opening up some whipping cream is getting to put the leftovers in my coffee for a few days.

We made my favorite black bean salad and I added avocado. Why not?

Another family birthday party complete with a serious discussion of hot sauce, cupcakes, and a game none of us knew the name of that's a combination of telephone and pictionary. It was good. Here is my favorite drawing of the night, from D.

Handy

2013-03-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

Just in case any of you don't read the Fearless Flyer* as devotedly as I do ...

{whipping cream}

Trader Joe's now has shelf stable whipping cream! I only keep whipping cream in the fridge from Thanksgiving through Christmas, so it's nice to have an option I can store in the cupboard. I was really glad I had it last week when I decided to make the salted caramel brownies last minute.

The container is fairly small, and once you open it you keep it refrigerated. It's ultra pasteurized, so if that skeeves you out then you won't like it. I have no issue with it and although ultra pasteurized milk in general tastes slightly different I didn't notice any difference in the final product when using this small amount. I haven't tried whipping it (not sure if the high pasteurization would change how well it whips and flavor is key in whipped cream) but I'm going to keep it around for impromptu batches of scones and things.

* Definitely thought it was a real (and hilarious) magazine when I was a kid. I still love it.

Donuts!

2013-03-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

Our friends had a whisky and donuts party a few weeks ago and I now feel qualified to tell you this - Ms. Donuts in Echo Park has the best cinnamon sugar cake donut you can get in Southern California. It's been settled. Too bad (luckily?) it's nowhere near our apartment. Here's a partial shot of the carnage. There were even more donuts on this table a little bit later.

{donut party!}

We got our dozen from The Donuttery, which I'd never tried before. They have crazy flavors and they were conveniently located along our driving route that day, so those were the main selling points. The red velvet was a little much for me, but their apple crisp cake donut was good. I generally prefer classic donuts, though.

{the donuttery}

I had a donut hangover for two days, by the way. Totally worth it.

Also, under no circumstances should you ever dunk a donut in whisky. You're welcome.

Combining finances

2013-03-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all your input on the budgeting issue last week! I love reading over your suggestions and seeing what works for everyone. We just finished our first month with the punch cards and it's been great so far. I'll admit that we ended up eating random stuff out of the cupboard for the last two nights of the month but we survived. I'm working on making a template of the punch cards but please be patient with me because it means wrestling with making a writeable doc in Adobe.

If you hate discussing money, do yourself a favor and skip this long post.

As I mentioned, 2013 is different because Dustin and I are combining finances for the first time. We've been living together for 7 years, married for 1.5 and I guess we're ready. Sharing money is a big step for me. I've been working in some capacity since high school and I love having my own money. Those numbers in the bank feel like tangible security to me.

Prior to marriage (and for 1.5 years after) we'd shared a joint checking and savings account and had a joint credit card. Once a month we both deposited equal amounts of money in the joint checking account, transferred equal amounts of money to the joint savings account and then all our joint expenses went on our credit card and got paid from our joint account. It worked perfectly, partly because we both earn exactly the same amount of money and so we didn't have the awkward situation where one person has more disposable income than the other.

Our sharing but separate set up worked great, but it started to get more complicated once we got married. Both our healthcare costs started coming out of my pre-tax paycheck, which means I was suddenly taking home slightly less and this seemed like a good time to transition (obviously we could have easily remedied this by having D reimburse me or contribute more to our joint account but we both felt ready). If either of us wants/needs to change jobs in the future, we should feel supported and pooling our money is a good way for us to get to that place. At this point it's more of a mental shift than anything, because we do still earn roughly the same amount of money.

In February we started depositing our paychecks in our joint account, then transferring a monthly allowance to our individual accounts. I'll still have my personal retirement account and we'll still have personal savings along with joint savings. Almost all our expenses will go on the joint card but our allowances will be dedicated for clothes, times when we go out solo, gifts, etc. We aren't ditching our personal cards because they carry credit history but also because we both appreciate having some personal space. I have no issue with the fact that my favorite lip gloss costs $20 and I have weeks where I buy two cookies a day at Tavern but I like pretending I have a thin veil of privacy because no one else sees my statements. D has similar issues with shoes, I think. I don't know. That's the point of the cards. Anyways, the idea is that as long as our personal spending fits in with our joint goals, it's no one's business where the allowance goes.

Annoying logistics:

We didn't even have to set up new bank accounts and this was still a huge pain. I sat down with a spreadsheet and wrote down all our balances (checking, savings, credit cards, student loans, retirement) for both our joint and individual accounts. I wanted to start from zero so I figured out what we each needed to contribute to pay off our credit card statements (we don't carry a balance on any of our cards, so we zero it out each month) and how much we needed to have in our personal accounts to avoid fees. Previously this hadn't been an issue because I'd had direct deposit going to my personal account and if you do that most banks will waive a monthly service charge without requiring a minimum balance. We transferred money from our savings accounts to make sure we had more than enough in both our personal and joint accounts because we weren't sure how long it would take for re-routing to take place. Then we re-routed our automatic withdrawals for our student loans and retirements to our joint account. I re-routed my direct deposit to our joint account.

We're checking everything carefully for a couple months to make sure it all worked. So far one of my student loans re-directed successfully but the other didn't (bizarrely, they are serviced by the same company) so I had to pay it manually.

Lately

2013-03-05T11:44:00.002-08:00

This could more accurately be called things we have eaten lately because I haven't been hauling my camera around as much. We're still getting used to each other although I think D just discovered how to change the focus settings and I think our relationship (with the camera) is going to improve dramatically. Stay tuned.

{red velvet donuts}

{grilled cheese}

{meyer lemon}

{caramel, overcooked}

{baking}

{family barbecue}

{birthday desserts}

We haven't been keeping bread in the house much lately, which just makes the occasional grilled cheese sandwich that much better. Topped with avocados from the tree, which are particularly good this year.

D traded some of our avos for a Meyer lemon supply and we've been reveling in them. Meyer lemon juice and tamarind simple syrup cocktails. So good.

We had a family birthday party on Saturday, which justified a little bit of baking. I hadn't baked anything since the holidays, so it was nice to get back in the kitchen again. I made Deb's caramel brownies and her Meyer lemon tart. I overcooked the caramel like crazy so it was a danger to everyone's dental work but still delicious.

Greek sandals

2013-02-28T13:49:00.000-08:00

The sandals I'd been wearing for over two years finally broke and I had a sandal emergency. Shut up. I live in Southern California and sandal emergencies are REAL.

I really wanted a pair of the Ancient Greek Sandals that I've been seeing all over the internet and Jamie loves her pair and I trust her.

But, I couldn't quite do it. They are pricey, guys, and I prefer to spend all my disposable income on silk shirts and eating out too much. Priorities.

When I was in Greece, everyone would just go down to Plaka and get sandals that I remember looking really similar to these ones. A bit of internet sleuthing and I was happy to discover that some of those shops will ship internationally. For $45 after shipping, I figured it was worth a shot.

{greek sandals}

They took a few weeks to arrive, which I expected. I read some reviews which recommended half sizes should size up, so I did and they fit perfectly. They're definitely more rustic than the Ancient Greek Sandals. The ankle strap on the left sandal was slightly longer than the right, and I had to punch an extra hole in it. But I lived in them for a good chunk of October and November and they're incredibly comfortable and it seems like they'll hold up well.

I got this pair, from this shop. Please ignore the weird platform flip flops they're desperately trying to get rid of right now. UPDATE - they also have an Etsy shop and they sell the same pair I have.

As promised, they do darken. I only have a phone picture of them in their current state, but they're getting better and better.

{sandals, 5 mo later}

I wrote this post shortly after I bought them but I didn't want to publish it right away in case they broke after two weeks. Now it's been a few more months and I'm still in love. I'm wearing them again today because we're having a few days of 80 degree weather, so it seemed appropriate to update it and put it up for those of you who are getting ready for spring.

2013 budgeting

2013-02-19T16:12:00.001-08:00

I've come up with new "budgeting" attempts the past two years and they've been flops. I didn't stick with my spreadsheet in 2011. I ran out of time to post all my purchases last year.

So at this point I'm somewhat embarrassed to be introducing yet another strategy, but hey! Third time's the charm, right? Right.

We let ourselves live pretty freely last year, without worrying too much about a budget. After saving for the wedding it was nice to have a year just to relax. We didn't go into any debt, but we didn't put a whole lot into savings either. This year we're going to tighten it up a bit. I drew up a really detailed budget and we have monthly goals for each category. (We've actually made a big change this year and we're fully combining our finances. I started to write about that here but it made this post even longer, so I'll go into it separately, if anyone is interested.) Keeping track of how much we've spent is our sticking point. There are basically three options that you see most commonly:

Track spending with receipts. D used to do this and it drove me nuts. His half of the table was perpetually covered in tattered old receipts that he needed to either enter or confirm in Quicken. Now we only save receipts for things we might need to return and once the return date is passed we toss them.

Track spending with an online program, like Mint. In theory I love this idea and I know other people have had great success with it, but I'm slightly freaked out by the idea of handing access to all my finances over to anyone. I know they are supposed to be totally secure. It still freaks me out. We also weren't sure how well it would work with our joint/personal set up.

Give yourself a certain amount of cash and when it's gone you're done. This will never, ever work for me. If I have cash, it disappears almost instantly. I spend it in the vending machine on snacks I don't need. I buy random items at the drugstore when I'm walking past. I think it's because there's no record of it so I never have to admit I spent it. I hate putting charges of under $5 on my credit card, so I'll just resist those things if I don't have cash. I love my credit cards and I love the cash back rewards.

{tracking}

Instead, we're testing out a new system that combines the concept of the cash allowance with our credit cards. D designed little cards for us that will slip behind our credit cards. Each card has different denominations on it to represent the money we have to spend that month. The idea is that they function like punch cards, except that neither of us carries around a hole punch (which would be way more fun), so we just have to cross them out with a pen. Our joint card has our "entertainment", "groceries" and "household miscellaneous" categories on it while our personal spending cards just have our allowances. I've already budgeted for our set expenses (phone, internet/cable, hair cuts, etc) so those don't need to get recorded anywhere.

I do most of the grocery shopping so I carry the joint punch card and D brings home receipts so we can mark them off as necessary. I know, we're back to receipts! But it will be relatively easy compared to entering them on the computer.

Will this work? I don't know but it's the best idea we came up with, so we're going with it.

I'm terrified of our grocery budget because we currently spend at least 1.5x that much almost every month. I think we can hit it, though. Honestly, a huge portion of that excess is coming directly from our fancy cheese and alcohol consumption. I'm not going to cut those out but I am going to try to be aware of how they fit in our overall budget. We'll make up for it with lots of farmer's market eggs and veggies and judicious use of cheaper cuts of meat from suppliers we're comfortable with. I also bought a 10 lb bag of my favorite black lentils which D thought was crazy but he'll soon realize how genius it was.

If we can't hit it we'll re-evaluate. I'd just like to be able to put more money in savings and it seems impossible given LA rental prices and the fact that we'll be paying off our student loans for another 5 - 10 years.

And once again I ask myself, as I do every year, can we live without cable? And then I hear that Game of Thrones is starting again and I put it on the back burner. But if it comes down to Humboldt Fog vs. HBO, I think the cheese might win.

P.S. - Can I just tell you how grateful I am that we started this project in the shortest month of the year? We really need to re-calibrate our spending.

Gin!

2013-02-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

When we were making the tarragon cocktails I couldn't find the specific gin they recommend in the recipe so I used Hendrick's instead. It's my go to gin and it works well in almost all cocktails, so it's a safe bet.

But then we happened to be in Bar Keeper and while they didn't have the Watershed gin we were smitten with the tiny bottles of St. George. It's a California distillery and they have three varieties so we got small bottles of the two top contenders to test out. I would have gotten the third one as well but I was trying to be good. That reminds me - I need to tell you guys about our budget this year. Later.

We went home and had a gin off. Naturally.

{gin off}

The terroir is extremely pine-y (Like Pinesol! But so good! the owner of Bar Keeper exclaimed when we asked), which sounds off-putting but it's astringent in the best way possible and perfect for sipping neat. The botanivore is like an amped up Hendrick's but it veered just a little sweet for me, especially when tasted side by side with the terroir.

{st. george gin}

The terroir won a place on our bar tray. We'll go back for a full sized bottle soon.

Almost completely unrelated but I can't resist sharing ...

{bar keeper}

how much do you love the coasters from Bar Keeper? If you're in the area, go. They have vintage barware mixed in with science equipment and standard glassware and an amazing selection of alcohol and bitters.

P.S. - It's Valentine's Day and I didn't make any cute cookies or cards this year. Bummer. On the other hand, gin is appropriate, right?

Eating and drinking

2013-02-13T05:55:00.000-08:00

This recipe is the only reason I've opened the oven in the last month. It's one of my favorites and I've finally convinced D of how awesome it is (although he doesn't eat it with an egg - crazy). It needs no modification, but you can add sliced fennel bulbs if you happen to have them lying around. If you happen to have white wine open then you can use it instead of chicken stock. I also go heavy on the carrots. If you have a cabbage skeptic in your house, this could change everything. At least, everything cabbage related. Let's not sell it too hard.

{braised cabbage}

We made these tarragon cocktails for a party and we've been drinking them for two weeks to use up the simple syrup. I'm not the slightest bit tired of them because they're that good. I can't wait to use the recipe as a template and swap in other kinds of herbs. Lemon and rosemary? Grapefruit and fennel frond? I am on it.

{tarragon cocktail}

I realize that tablecloth is crazy wrinkled but I have no intention of ironing it. I'm thinking maybe if I ignore it the creases will magically fall out. Or we'll just pretend it's a textural choice.

Lately

2013-02-11T05:12:00.000-08:00

Work, work, Walking Dead marathon (!), work, family, krav maga, work, miserable cold, work, parties, work, NEW BUDGET, cocktails, work.

You're all caught up!

The year is off to a great start, actually. I've just been slammed with new projects at work and then prioritizing all my free time with people I love. I'm tired and we're eating scrambled eggs at least four nights a week and I'm not particularly inspired at the moment but I know it will pass when things ease up and right now I'm just enjoying where I am.

{saturdays}

{shadows}

{party}

{flying dog flight}

{leaves}

{weekend cocktail}

{winter fruit}

You should know I can't take any credit for those gorgeous appetizer plates but I did eat about 20 of the bite sized wedge salads. So clever.

Posting will probably continue to be sporadic until this work cycle is over but I miss being here and I have a few things I want to share soon. I haven't opened up my Google Reader since a few weeks before Christmas and I'm terrified. I know I should just delete and move on but I hate missing out on everything you guys have been doing so I keep telling myself I'll set aside time to at least skim through but then it doesn't happen. Someday soon.

The holidays, briefly

2013-01-02T05:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas is always a whirlwind for us. We generally go to 5 different houses over the course of two days and the fact that everyone lives within 20 minutes of each other (but an hour away from us) is the only thing that makes it possible. We can't bear to cut it down because we love seeing everyone but I'll admit that I sometimes daydream about holing up in our apartment and doing absolutely nothing. This year I compromised and splurged on a hotel room for us on Christmas Eve. It was bittersweet, because it was the first year we didn't wake up at our parents' homes (yes, we've put that off for a looong time) but it felt right. And it was so much fun to grab a drink together in the hotel bar late on Christmas Eve and then get room service in the morning. A little bit of alone time was exactly what I needed in the midst of all the extended family togetherness.

{wrapping cookies}

{xmas baking}

{gingerbread, terrarium}

{christmas flowers}

{christmas circe}

{cookies + champagne}

{california christmas}

{christmas walk}

{NYE 2012 - at home}

I focused on keeping the holiday simple. I spent one day baking, which was amazing. I haven't had the luxury of that time the last few years and I made the most of it. I'd like to officially nominate Christmas to be on a Tuesday every year. We had holiday parties on Saturday and then Sunday was completely free for baking and wrapping and drinking egg nog. I still bought a few cookies to round out the selection but it was nice to have some of our family favorites in there.

We did very little shopping this year. D and I didn't exchange gifts and we only got a couple small things for family. It feels more peaceful this way and it lets us focus on spending time talking with people and just hanging out. And eating cookies, of course. Christmas is all about cookies.

We spent the in between week sleeping, hiking and getting a few meals out with friends. And we saw two movies, which is a crazy record for us. We have entire years where we haven't made it out to two movies together.

I feel like the new year always catches me by surprise. I don't like to make too many plans until the first day actually arrives, and then it takes me about a week of daydreaming before I'm ready to think about anything vaguely resembling a resolution. I'm hoping we can use this weekend to take stock of the year that just ended and talk about the year to come. And maybe I'll have that ready by next week.

In the meantime, I'm painfully aware of how I fell short on one of my resolutions last year, which was to post all my purchases. I have the items listed, but I need to pull posts together and then get up the courage to post them (it was a shopping heavy year) or admit defeat.

Holiday cocktail - cranhattan

2012-12-21T08:35:00.003-08:00

When we went to the Border Grill holiday cooking demonstration last year I fell in love with their cranhattan. It's a good strong cocktail and it makes the most of festive cranberries, which I'm a sucker for at this time of year. The prep is going to look a little daunting, because you have to make two components before you even start mixing the drink. Luckily, you can make them ahead of time (this weekend, maybe?) and have them on hand for any holiday guests that drop by.

{cranhattan}

So, a Manhattan is usually bourbon and vermouth with some bitters. The cranhattan recipe calls for tequila and brandy but I wanted to stick with bourbon so that's what I did. It's great both ways, so you can use whatever you have on hand. I've modified the recipe slightly because I tested it out a few times and decided that I like it less sweet. This is a strong drink. If you normally prefer light, sweet cocktails, you will hate this, there's no way around it. I'd rather you know that now than after you've wasted several cups of cranberries.

For some reason this doesn't really hold up as a pitcher cocktail, which is the one downfall. It's best mixed one or two at a time and served over a couple ice cubes.

Cranhattan (recipe from Border Grill, slightly modified - makes 1 cocktail)

2 oz bourbon (or anejo tequila)
1 oz cranberry puree (for a sweeter cocktail use 1.5 oz)
1/2 oz cranberry liqueur
Ice, for cocktail shaker
3 drunken cranberries

Mix everything but the cranberries in a cocktail shaker. Shake thoroughly and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with drunken cranberries.

Cranberry puree (makes 3 cups - enough for 24 cocktails, can be frozen in an ice cube tray for later)

1.5 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 orange, zested and juiced
3 cups water
1.5 cups sugar

Combine everything in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook until cranberries break open and begin to break down, about 8 to 10 minutes. Puree (in a blender or with an immersion blender), strain through a doubled up piece of cheesecloth and chill until ready to use.

* The original recipe makes 6 cups of cranberry puree but that is a TON of it. I cut the recipe in half and froze the leftovers in this ice cube tray that holds 1 oz per cube. *

Drunken cranberries and cranberry liqueur (makes 20 - 25 berries and about 1 cup liqueur - enough for 16 cocktails)

1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup bourbon (or brandy)

Combine cranberries, sugar, water and 1/4 cup of the alcohol in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook just until cranberries start to pop and split open, 5 - 8 minutes, swirling the pan to stir and watching carefully. Once a few of the berries split open the rest will follow, so be ready to remove from heat immediately. Allow to cool to room temperature. The berries should remain intact with a single split that allows them to soak up the liquid. Once cooled, add the remaining 1/4 cup alcohol and refrigerate 1 - 2 days before using.

* I poured the berries and liqueur into a jar and put it in the fridge, shaking it gently a couple times a day - you can make it several days ahead of time and it will hold up perfectly fine. *

I know I've been heavy on the bourbon cocktails the last few months. I'm always partial to it but it's ramped up because we've been getting the Bulleit bourbon in the gigantic bottle from Costco. It's a crazy good deal.