Going Home

Even though I have not lived there for over 10 years, I still refer to mom and dad's house as "going home"; it's the one place I feel truly comforted in my soul. The smells, sounds, everything is the same even though many things have changed since I last occupied a room there. It is now the place where our family congregates; where grandchildren make new youthful memories. It is a wonderful country home on the top of a hill, 40 minutes from the nearest town. Our ice cream would always melt on the way home from the grocery store and friends would "pack snacks" for the car ride out to our house. I used to dislike living so far away from everything; now I see it as a paradise, a quiet retreat where family can spend time together laughing, playing, riding motorcycles, swimming, cooking, and simply enjoying life.

cute little Rydin in his winter hat

sweet miss Ella having fun with her cousins

a beautiful sun disappearing behind the rolling coastal fog

Rydin acting like his papa on the tractor

Rydin feeding the animals with his gramma

Ella wanting to see her picture on the camera... too cute

{top picture: Diego being a loving big cousin and pushing Rydin all over on his little tractor}

Capturing Life

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

{I love this picture of my father as a young boy}

Fringe Scarf

I had some time to kill before we left for our Noir Film date so I decided to make a quick scarf... this was so easy and it took all of about 15 minutes start to finish.

My Inspiration:

*cute Ms. Avila and her ever so stylish ensemble

*I saw an easy how-to while flipping through this book (p.s. check out her blog... really creative DIY projects for the thrifty fashionista!)

How-to:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a weakness for homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies... right out of the oven, warm chocolate melting into every bite... few things can beat it. Here is my go-to recipe for this lovely treat. I try and up the "good-for-ya" factor by using whole wheat flour. Organic, when available, is encouraged and I LOVE rich, dark chocolate chips (more antioxidants, of course).

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 c. organic sugar
3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 organic eggs
2 cups chocolate chips, 60% cacao

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl combine the flours, salt and baking soda. In a medium bowl mix together the butter and sugars.* Add the vanilla and 2 eggs and mix until creamy. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until barely combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Place heaping teaspoonfuls on the your sheet** and bake 10-12 min. until golden. You know what to do from here...!

*I prefer to mix all the ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon and find that the final product comes out nicely, but a hand or standup mixer would be just fine.

**A baking stone is my method of choice. We were given a very nice one as a wedding gift that I love using.

forageSF + Local Bloggers

I have three words at this moment: so.so.Rad! I am new fan of this local blog site forageSF and am so excited about this underground avenue of food awesomeness, including a secret supper club called The Wild Kitchen and group foraging excursions. We attended a panel discussion on Tuesday evening at the library consisting of these 4 local food/wine bloggers (including Iso from forageSF):

The San Francisco Public Library is currently hosting an exhibition devoted to the local history of food called San Francisco Bites. If you have a chance to check out the cool memorabilia on display and any of the classes/discussions/lectures coming up, take advantage of it! Everything is free and sure to be appreciated by all levels of foodies. I am looking forward to the upcoming mochitsuki making class.

I Shall Not Hate

I listened to this interview this morning on the way to work. Such a horrific tragedy against the backdrop of war:

"Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish was a well-known Palestinian gynecologist who spent years working in one of Israeli’s main hospitals. On January 16, 2009, two days before the end of Israel’s brutal 22-day assault on Gaza, his home was shelled twice by Israeli tanks. His three daughters and his niece were killed. He has just written a book about his life called I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity. He joins us in our studio for an extended conversation." -Democracy Now

The Israel/Palestine controversy and claim to territory is such a complicated matter. Regardless, atrocities such as this and the violence that claimed 1400 lives during the assault, as well as similar war aggressions happening worldwide are unacceptable. In his new book, I Shall Not Hate, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish talks about the need to for people to come together to discuss their differences and to reach a peaceful resolution between Palestinians and Israelis. Such courage and strength emerging from unimaginable loss. This story is not easy to listen to, but worth the attention as it encourages peace, love and justice in a world that refuses to seek such beauty. A truly inspiring man.

Film Noir Festival

Starting this Friday is the 9th Annual Film Noir Festival. This will be our first year attending the festival and we're very excited about the great films this year! We have tickets to see the double feature matinee this Saturday:

STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT (1944) Dir. Anthony Mann
GASLIGHT (1944) Dir. George Cukor

The festival takes place at the Castro Theatre January 21-30, 2011. Built in 1922, the Castro Theatre is a San Francisco landmark and one of only a few movie palaces from the 20's that is still in operation today. We are just as excited to see the theatre and experience the ambiance as we are the movies. If you are in town, come check it out!