Three years ago, I planted peony bulbs in my garden, excitedly waiting in anticipation for the pink fluffy blossoms characteristic of peonies to appear. But for the past two years, only leaves have popped up. No blooms. No blossoms. Just leaves. After reading something about peonies, I realized that I had planted the bulbs too deeply, which causes them not to bud. This spring, I dug them up and replanted them, and with much delight, buds began to form in April! I was so excited, but as they opened up, the heat and sun were so strong that same week that they soon became burnt, and the leaves fell almost as quickly as they formed. I was heartbroken! But as I kept looking at these withered blossoms, there was something so graceful, refined and strong about them even in their demise. Some of you may not agree that they are beautiful, but I’m a firm believer of beauty even in brokenness.

I’ve recently begun to try and better define my style and to capture the essence of what truly inspires me. I think it has something to do with finding beauty in everything, even when the world may find it ugly, broken or not worth a second glance. And not just beauty in nature, but also beauty in people, objects, places, and ideas. Just some thoughts… would love to hear what you all think and how you would describe my style. Much thanks!

I recently had a delicious lunch with my friend at Farmhouse Local, a new cafe and general store located in Larkspur, California. Farmhouse Local is a neighborhood gathering spot that showcases local artisanal ingredients and purveyors both in their food and products. The restaurant and shop are run by Jeanine Samuel and chef David Monson. Love the idea that it is both a shop and a restaurant — wonderful concept celebrating all things local!

My friend and I tend to share things whenever we try new places, so this time was no exception. We shared the Organic Cauliflower Soup with Smoked Trout and Green Onions. The soup was my favorite! I loved the creaminess and the touch of saltiness from the smoked trout — delish!

The soup was followed by a Chinese Chicken Salad with cara cara oranges, almonds, snap peas, crispy rice noodles and a miso vinaigrette. The salad was very refreshing and light, with a great balance of sweet, salty and sour. My friend is a huge fan of the Chinese Chicken Salad from Comforts Cafe in San Anselmo, and she said it was just as good!

We finished with the Diestal turkey, salami, and san andreas sheep cheese panini with baby arugula leaves. Although I don’t normally like arugula on its own, placing the arugula leaves inside the panini added just the right green peppery bite to the deliciously cheesy rich sandwich.

Farmhouse Local is currently open for breakfast, lunch and takeaway dinner, and their little store, full of local products, is such a fun peruse!

They also offer private events, inhouse catering and a private patio to sit in — true California style!

Farmhouse Local is a charming and delicious addition to Marin. The staff are also super friendly and really take pride in their offerings. Visit at 25 Ward Street in Larkspur, California the next time you’re in the area!

I so love this time of the year! I love the flowers blooming, the bees buzzing, the weather warming. All of it. I just can’t get enough. The rest of my family can’t wait to see it disappear. They hate it… with a passion. They are miserable as the pollen blows gracefully through the air and straight into their lungs. My husband has tried just about every allergy remedy possible from medication to eating local honey to using some sort of sinus rejuvenation oil (which makes him smell like a walking eucalyptus tree). His new relief of choice is to close all of our windows and doors as if we’re in a lockdown. No air in. No air out. As a spring and nature lover (and strongly despised by my husband for not being allergic to anything), the thought of this confinement is awful. I have pleaded with my dear husband for many years to buy outdoor furniture, so that we could sit outside and enjoy the sunny California weather and beautiful flowers, but I have yet to convince him. I guess what’s the point of spending hundreds of dollars on outdoor furniture that no one else will dare sit in, but myself.

So for all of you who share the same allergic sentiments against spring as my family, please do enjoy spring behind closed doors and windows in the comfort of your homes and behind a computer screen. I’ll brave the elements and share with you as much as I can of all that is growing (and blowing) outside.

P.S. If any of you have any great allergy remedies, please do share. I’m sure my husband will thank you!

Let me begin by saying that some things are just not meant to be vegan or gluten-free. I’m a huge fan of healthy food — more vegetables, less meat, more whole grains, less wheat — but I’ve come to realize that some recipes and foods just taste better in their undisturbed state. I initially tried to make this recipe gluten-free by substituting coconut flour for all-purpose flour in an overly eggy gluten-free recipe I found online. As soon as they came out of the oven, the popovers instantly deflated and tasted like coconut flavored egg hockey pucks. They did not taste good (although my youngest son, a.k.a. our “Little Chef,” ate half the plate and said they were great. He’ll eat just about anything… except for tofu).

So I decided to make these popovers the old-fashioned way. Of course, I could not resist doctoring them just a smidge. I did use half all-purpose flour and half whole-wheat flour. Plus almond milk instead of dairy milk.

The butter is pure full-fat unsalted butter at its finest. If I’m going to eat butter, I decided I’m going to eat real butter. I did not take a picture of the plain butter. I prefer to fool myself into believing this recipe is healthier than it really is.

The star of this recipe is truly the roasted balsamic strawberry butter. It is mixed with a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of local honey from local bees (Why in the world do we have local honey in our home? I will tell you more about that in a future post). The tartness of the strawberries combined with the sweetness of the honey is heavenly.

Eventually, I hope to get my hands on King Arthur’s gluten-free multi-purpose flour and try their highly-rated popover recipe. Until then, I will have to settle for this not as good for me (but still quite delicious) recipe instead.

To truly capture the essence of the strawberry flavor, I mashed the roasted strawberries ever so slightly, resulting in a creamy butter laced with chunks of berries and infused with sweet ribbons of honey. So decadent. So good.

Whatever popover recipe you decide to use, this is a simple and delicious recipe to try (if not for the strawberry butter alone). This recipe would be especially good for Mother’s Day or a Mother’s Day brunch! Now if only I can figure out how to teach our Little Chef how to make these for me for Sunday breakfast…

Popovers with Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Butter

Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Butter

1 pint Strawberries, cut into small chunks
1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter ( room temperature)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tb. honey

Place the cut strawberries into a roasting dish/pan and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Toss slightly, and place in oven for 15 minutes at 425 F (check after 10 minutes to make sure they don’t burn).

Let strawberries cool and then mash with a fork or potato masher. Whip butter with a fork or mixer until smooth. Add strawberries, salt and honey and blend well. May be chilled or used right away. You’ll probably have extra, so use the rest slathered on toast or english muffins.

Popovers

2 eggs (room temperature)
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. almond flour
1 C. almond milk (room temperature)
1/2 tsp. salt

While strawberries are cooling, mix ingredients for popovers.

Increase oven temperature to 450 F. Grease 6 6-ounce custard cups or 12 3-ounce popover cups. Heat pan in oven while preparing batter. In a medium bowl, beat eggs slightly. Mix in flours, milk and salt until just smooth. Fill the baking cups half full.

Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for 15 minutes more. Immediately remove from cups and serve hot. Slather with strawberry butter, and don’t forget to share!

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“Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope – a slight change, and all patterns alter.” - Sharon Salzberg

When I was a little girl, I loved kaleidoscopes. I loved peeking through that long cardboard tube filled with a jumble of beads. Although it looked plain and simple on the outside, it was fascinating to see the patterns inside change so dramatically with just a slight twist of the wrist. The sky reminds me of a kaleidoscope. Like life, it changes from one moment to the next in the blink of an eye. Seasons change. Time passes. My kids are getting older. I’m getting older.

In the wise words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

P.S. I’ve recently popped back onto Instagram and have really been enjoying it! Follow my feed here!