Jared and Inna

Hot Dish

2009-04-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I received a newsletter from grist.org that mentioned a new facebook application called Hot Dish. The application is part of a research study on how those in the 16-25 age group could use the app to spread the word and make an impact on climate change.

Hot Dish has since become a favorite activity of mine (as many of my facebook friends can attest). As part of the competition, the users complete challenges. One of my latest challenges was to create a "Screw Earth Day" video. Now, I'm really no video editor but I'll share it with you nonetheless. Ignore the last minute as I could not figure out how to cut the song!

Passover 2009 - Another crazy trip to Longmeadow

2009-04-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

We have gotten too busy to post regularly to our poor abandoned blog but luckily most of our friends and family have gotten too busy to read it!

We are visiting Longmeadow this week to celebrate Joy's birthday and passover and trying to make light of what would otherwise be a fairly sad week (our first pesach without Sabah and other hard times for the fam.)

No matter how crazy, it is always nice to be here and spend time together.

There are a lot of great news coming up so we'll work on being better with our updates.

For now, I leave you with some pictures of our growing indoor garden!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-12T15:30:00.001-08:00

IMG_0234, originally uploaded by livesimply.

We started 2009 in our usual manner - our Yosemite Party! Click on the picture above to see photos from this year's trip.

This was the most fun we've had there yet and hopefully that is some indication of the year to come. It's our first year as a married couple and we are really excited for all that is to come.

2008 was very eventful for our family - both ups and downs - and we are grateful to have shared the roller coaster with those we love.

We wish everyone a year of laughter, health, and success (however you define it.)

Our post-wedding photo shoot

2009-01-03T14:20:00.001-08:00

20081130-0257 Inna & Jared.jpg, originally uploaded by Matt Floreen.

Click on the photo above to see a taste of our photographer Matt's amazing work at our post-wedding photo shoot!

Thanksgiving Wiikend

2008-12-07T14:42:00.001-08:00

Click here for more photos from the weekend!, originally uploaded by livesimply.

This year we spent our first Thanksgiving as a couple in LA (we've gone to MA to be Jared's parents the last few years). While we missed our Leavitt/Thaler traditions, it was fun to spend time with our Russian friends and family.

Jared cooked up a great Turkey (I of course still argued for a tofurkey - I lost.)

We also made our famous pop-overs, mashed potatoes and the Michael Leavitt oyster stuffing (no pearls this time.) My parents whipped up some Russian dishes and we finished off with Jared's lava cakes and my chocolate cheesecake. All in all - a success. You can find recipes for some of these dishes below (per our diners' request!)

We spent pretty much the rest of the time playing wii and there is absolutely nothing funnier than watching our parents play. My dad is going to kill me for showing the world this video but - its just too good.

The Recipes

Chocolate Cheesecake
You will need a springform pan!

Ingredients:

For the cheesecake crust:

8 ounces/225 g semisweet chocolate wafer cookies (I use whole foods brand chocalate animal cookies)
5 tablespoons/75 g unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake filling:

8 ounces/225 g good-quality semisweet chocolate (I use Scharffenberger and I think it works best), chopped
1 1/2 pounds/700 g cream cheese, room temperature (I use a cream cheese substitute found at whole foods with a long German sounding name - its right next to the cream cheese. A lot less fat and a better tasting cake)
1 cup/200 g sugar
3 tablespoons/30 g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons/10 ml vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Method:

To prepare the crust:

Finely grind the cookies in a food processor. Blend the butter into the crumbs to form a moist sandy texture.

Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom (not the sides) of the springform pan. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.

To prepare the filling:

Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, then set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir the chocolate until melted then set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, flour and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended.

Stir the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture to blend. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the chilled crust.

Place the cheesecake on a heavy baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the cake puff slightly but the tops do not crack and are slightly darker in the center. The cakes will be slightly wobbly but will become more firm as they cool.

Turn the oven off and leave the oven door open to allow the cakes to cool for 1 hour. The cheesecake will have cooled but will still be slightly warm. I find that it's best to refrigerate them overnight before serving.

Popovers

Makes 6.

Unlike most popover batters, this one is smooth, not lumpy. High heat is crucial to the speedy, high rise of the popovers. When it's time to fill the popover pan with batter, get the pan out of and back into the oven as quickly as possible, making sure to close the oven door while you pour the batter into the pan. Popovers made in a 12-cup muffin tin won't rise nearly as high as those made in a popover pan, but they can still be quite good. See the variation that follows if you can't locate a popover pan.
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions

1.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until well combined, about 20 seconds. Whisk the flour and salt in a medium bowl and add to the egg mixture; stir with a wooden spoon or spatula just until the flour is incorporated; the mixture will still be lumpy. Add the melted butter. Whisk until the batter is bubbly and smooth, about 30 seconds. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2.

While the batter is resting, measure 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil into each cup of the popover pan. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place the popover pan in the oven, and heat to 450 degrees. After the batter has rested, pour it into a 4-cup liquid measuring cup or another container with a spout (you will have about 2 cups batter). Working quickly, remove the pan from the oven and distribute the batter evenly among the 6 cups in the pan. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, without opening the oven door. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake until golden brown all over, 15 to 18 minutes more. Invert the pan onto a wire rack to remove the popovers and cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.
3.

Muffin Tin Popovers
Makes 10
Proceed as above, using a 12-cup muffin tin in place of a popover pan and using only the 10 outer cups of the tin. You will need an extra 2 teaspoons vegetable oil to grease the muffin tin.

Yelp Holiday Party

2008-12-05T17:36:00.001-08:00

3470_0289
Originally uploaded by Yelp.com

This past Wednesday was our second year attending the Yelp Holiday Party and this year they really outdid themselves by having it at the Exploratorium.

We spent the night running around like little kids playing with all the fun exhibits while taking in all that the open bar had to offer with the awesome djs catering to our ears.

As fun as it was, I don't think we could go back...it will never be the same.

Oh and...we're really white.

Our City

2008-12-05T12:03:00.000-08:00

Our awesome neighbor Bhautik shot this video from the roof of our house. This is what we get to see everyday. We're pretty darn lucky.

Dawn and dusk in mini San Francisco from captin nod on Vimeo.

A glimpse of the wedding!

2008-11-03T11:53:00.001-08:00

Mexican Coffee

2008-10-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, settling back in has taken a wee bit longer than expected! I think we're almost there though. Without further ado, a glimpse into our honeymoon:

The first night we spent in Acapulco, Roberto, our guide, took us to Linda Vista - where we had a mediocre (we're SF foodies mind you...) dinner with a gorgeous view. The whole experience was worth it, however, to try this coffee:

Back and Married!

2008-09-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

In front of City Hall with our marriage license

I don't know where to start!

Jared and I returned to LA from our honeymoon last night. This morning Jared took off for Dallas and Dash and I returned to SF. It is SO good to be home and Dash survived his first (and probably last) airplane ride. We are so overwhelmed by the love we felt at our wedding and were so sad to see everyone leave!

Don't forget to stop by and see the pics our guests took: http://www.flickr.com/innajaredwedding and if you have some to contribute, let us know and we'll send you the password.

Our honeymoon was amazing and we'll post more on some of the highlights in the coming weeks but here's a glimpse:

Coming down the the wire!

2008-08-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

Me again...just about to dig in on the packing process for a month of travel...yes, a month. We're heading down to LA on Tuesday to make all the final arrangements, then the festivities begin, which you all know about, then next Tuesday we leave for the honeymoon for a week. After we get back I head to Dallas for a client event, and Inna comes back to the Bay Area. After Dallas I've arranged a short jaunt back to Longmeadow before heading to New York for another week for a big technology conference. Luckily, Inna's joining me in NY and we'll get to do a few more vacation-ish activities.

So, we have to pack for a week in LA, rehearsal dinner and brunch outfits, gifts and other wedding accoutremounts, honeymoon clothes, then I have to pack a separate bag or two for Dallas and NY! Oy!

Anyway, the whites just finished drying, Inna's napping, so a'folding I go!

A Surprise Guest at the Wedding?

2008-08-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

So I was talking to my best man Henry last night and he told me that he invited someone special, but wasn't sure if she would come.

Surprised and a bit worried, knowing that we just successfully completed the seating assignments, I asked who it was...and I'm not kidding when I write this...he said:

Kathy.

Griffin.

Yes, the comidian. Henry thought it'd be great if our favorite Life on the D-List star brought her camera crew to the wedding, so he went up on her web site and sent her an invitation. He even promised that if she came that she could deliver the Best Man speech in his stead. Checking her tour schedule, it looks likes she's open. So maybe she'll come. But she does get a lot of fan mail, so maybe she won't see the message and she won't. But Henry's got the dumb luck that she just might!

In any case, Kathy or not, we're going to have an amazing time! Two weeks and counting!

Honeymoon booked and we're ready to go!

2008-07-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

As I write this we are one short month away from being Mr. & Mrs! We are so overwhelmed by emotion!

Everything is coming together for the wedding and we FINALLY decided on a honeymoon destination. Our first choice was Belize but we only have a week to spend on the honeymoon (and a mortgage to pay!). We thought we would go somewhere local to unwind and take a longer honeymoon next year. That didn't feel right either - so I present to you our honeymoon destination:

ACAPULCO MEXICO!

I know its not the most glamorous place but we'll have all the ingredients to decompress and relish the moment - including riding horses on the beach, swimming with dolphins, yummy food, our own driver (an Acapulco native!) to tour us around and visits to amazing places like Taxco:

and we'll be staying at the gorgeous Grand Mayan:

3 Months and Counting!

2008-06-01T23:37:00.000-07:00

That's right. There are exactly 90 DAYS until our wedding! Hitting the double digits really makes it feel real!

We haven't updated in awhile because we've been keeping REALLY busy. May was the month of travel for us: we visited Chicago, Longmeadow, and LA. On our way back from LA we took a drive up the coast and spent a night in quaint Morro Bay.

While in LA, we took care of a few wedding tasks. We had our tasting with the caterer (you are all in for a treat!) and spent a day at the flower market getting inspiration. If you've never been - it's a very impressive place.

Now back to our regularly scheduled life.

Party, Passover, and the 130 day Countdown!

2008-04-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

We have had so much to blog about that well - we haven't blogged at all. Time to catch up on some of the big events in our lives!

March 29, Jared's parent's graciously through us an amazing engagement party. It was somewhat like having a practice wedding and all the love and attention was truly overwhelming (in a good way). We are still working on thank you cards to all of you who were so generous with your thoughtful gifts so keep an eye on your mailbox for a special note! Orie, a family friend, was our official unofficial photographer - he is incredibly talented and we can't wait to see the shots he took (and post them here!).

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind since we got back. For some reason work, bills, and other annoying responsibilities don't just pause to allow you to enjoy a rosey engagement period. Because we had just returned from our trip to MA and we have trips to Chicago and LA planned this coming month - we decided April would be spent here on the homefront. Unfortunately, this meant that we had to be away from family on Pesach.

We made the best of the situation by having a lovely seder for two. We cooked some of the traditional favorites (matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, haroset) and put some of our own twists on the menu like a mashed Sweet Potato dish, Black Cod, and a new tradition - chocolate toffee Matzah (I'll happily share the recipe).
Our quiet evening turned out to be quite memorable. It was lovely to spend a quiet thoughtful evening together, observing our jewish heritage and talking about the really important things in life. We also had a bit of a laugh over the "Great Matzah Shortage of 2008." Luckily, we were able to score a box just in time - yes, one box.

Dash was not to be left out of the Pesach festivity - he took care of our lamb shank when our seder was over. I think this may be his new favorite holiday. Until his Bark Mitzvah of course...

And last, but certainly not least, today is the 130 day mark until our wedding! Each day we grow more and more excited and check more and more items off the to-do list. It's all coming together! Be sure to watch the website for LOTS of updates in the near future!

Registries...the ups and downs

2008-03-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day?!? If you haven't guessed, I've got a little time right now. Inna's at her women's group and I'm home with Dash, decompressing after a hectic day at work. Rather than whip out the Wii -- which I was kind of thinking about doing all day -- I'm cleaning up a little and doing this.

It has been wonderful getting gifts for our wedding -- everyone is being so generous and we're so thankful for each and every present. But it's astounding how much packaging these gifts come in. We're trying to keep our wedding environmentally responsible and it's been rather disconcerting having to recycle piles and piles of packing material and throwing out all the bubble wrap. I guess it's a necessary evil but wonder if there's a better way.

Bed Bath & Beyond sends us a registry catalog and announcement cards with every gift. Really?!? Do they actually think we need that? We've got a pile of them and haven't opened one. Like we do with our bank statements, phone bills and catalogs, I called Bed Bath & Beyond and requested that they stop sending us those catalogs in the hope that we can reduce a little waste. We'll see if it works...stay tuned.

Another trip to LA...complete

2008-03-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Just got back from yet another whirlwind trip to Los Angeles. Drive down Friday night, then back up Sunday night. This time we got a lot done (thanks to Inna's killer planning skillz).

We kicked off Saturday morning with a tasting at Layers with the owner, Janelle, who I must say, makes some tasty cake and has a real eye for design. One of my groomsmen, Giacomo, joined us. We really liked the pumpkin cake, but what we'll have at the wedding is a secret...

Next, we split up and Giacomo and I went tux shopping, while Inna and her mother met with the seamstress to get her wedding dress fitted.

We then converged back at Inna's parent's house for a meeting with our caterer and discussed all the scrumtious items that will be served at the wedding. Again, not giving any details...but rest assured, you'll leave full, tastebuds atwitter.

Sunday morning, 8:00 a.m. - Malibu Jewish Center...meeting with landscapers to figure out how we're going to turn a 6,000 sq. ft. undeveloped plot of land into a beautiful ceremony site.

Splurge brunch at Inn of the Seventh Ray right in the heart of Topanga Canyon. We're still waking up in the middle of the night drooling about the buffet. It was truly stunning (and sustainable and organic) and I highly recommend making it a priority if you're in LA. It's a favorite of Inna's, but was my first time. You literally eat in the woods, a creek running by you, deer roaming past...not to mention the amazing food. Go. Just go.

Back home, changed and flew to the next meeting...with the videographer, Sketch Images. Check out some of their highlight reels...we can't wait to have one of our own!

Next, our friend and wedding photographer, Matt Floreen got married to his love, Rachel. After a beautiful ceremony we joined them for an afternoon tea and cake reception. (Thanks for inviting us!!)

After that, pooped, but determined, we high-tailed it home, back up the 5 to San Francisco. Feed Dash, pj's, pillow, comforter...rest at last. Phew!

Picture Perfect

2008-02-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

As expected, the craziness of wedding planning, trips to LA, a perpetual flu, busy work schedules, and myriad of other excuses, we've fallen behind on our blogging already.

We couldn't resist posting this one though - last weekend we had a chance to take our engagement photos with my good friend Matt, he is quite the artist! We are waiting to get all the shots from him but for now get a sneak peek on his blog!

Bling

2008-02-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

Jared and I had yet another memorable weekend. Saturday night, we went out for a nice dinner and then transformed our condo into our own private dance club. We, along with Dash - who is an amazing dancer, grooved by candle light until Jared dropped on one knee and presented me with my engagement ring!

It was a beautiful moment and I am quite impressed with his ability to pick out such beautiful jewelry! I could not be happier to be his bride and it feels so real now!

To cap off another sweet weekend together - we celebrated our something sweet Sunday with a chocolate cream pie and a raspberry cheesecake.

Love themed dessert: a perfect end to a perfect weekend.

Elephants Never Forget

2008-02-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

First it was the right ear, then the left.

Then the tip of the tail, the head...bits of fluffy matter strewn about. It was sad to watch him be tortured so, but he endured. For weeks, Dash slowly eviscerated his toy elephant. His favorite toy, elephant was with him when he came to us. We played with it all the time, getting Dash comfortable with our home.

But it's time was short. The end drew nigh...

Then he did the unthinkable...

unceremoniously removed elephant's heart...

the squeaker.

It was horrible. Inna cried.

Elephant was buried in a white shroud and laid to rest in the stainless steel receptacle in the kitchen. But elephant will not forget. Elephants never forget.

Well, I guess it's all part of the circle of life...now, he's on to a little bear named Hope.

Something Sweet Sunday

2008-01-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

After an epic weekend of milestones, Jared and I decided to start a blog to keep our memories organized and share them with our friends and family.

On Saturday night we celebrated our engagement, our new home, and our new dog with many of our friends. We really enjoyed our first party in our new home and, despite worries that we couldn't fit our oversize guest list into the space, the whole evening went swimmingly.

We had so much fun in fact that it took us all of Sunday to recover. A few naps for me and a day full of wii for Jared and we are [nearly] ready for "the mondays." Before we let our weekend go, however, we were inspired to start a new tradition: Something Sweet Sunday (SSS). Since we live above an unusually wonderful Whole Foods with an art gallery-like bakery, we are going to round off each weekend with a selection from their sinful display. We will then tease you with pictures!

Our first SSS - a beautiful chocolate cupcake, cannoli, tulip mousse cup, and a turtle tartlet. We forgot to take pictures before we bit into it so - here they are midway through.