H&M Home Coming Soon to the United States

When it comes to low cost high style design, H&M is one of my absolute favorite stores.  As in with the mere mention of the letters H&M, I get itching to head over to the closest location and drop a few hundred dollars on a new wardrobe.

The only thing that's stopping me at this second is my current plan to slim down before my birthday.  Then, you know, it's game on.

But then H&M announces they're going to bring their home decor line to the US and all bets are now officially off. I clicked my way to H&M UK to shop the kinds of goods I might be getting my hands on in the near future.

Here are my favorites!

Ceramic Box. This metallic gem of a box ix something I could only dream of making in pottery class.  Until I get to master potter status, this H&M buy will have to do. £7.99

Labeled Candle. Similar to Le Labo and other high end candles, this lab looking candle comes in various colors and is fragrance free. Perfect for placing on the table during dinner parties preventing that pesky scent clashing problem. £3.99

Cushion Cover. This comes in large and small sequins. The large sequins are cute but the small ones are just so luxe! £3.99

2 pack Guest Towels. How adorable would these be folded and placed on a the guest bed?  No charge, of course. £6.99

Jute Basket. I'm looking for attractive baskets to catch my gym gear and DH's bicycling gear so they're convenient to reach without being an eyesore.  These are so cheap, I might just pick up a few spares. £9.99

Read More

Cricut Pirate Party Decor

George Kitteh is a Pirate

Confession time: I can't draw a straight line.  At least, not without the proper tools.  In fact, for most things I can't do I have a tool that will help me do it.

Straight cuts? Paper cutter.

Pretty lettering? Stamps.

Awesome pirate adventure cutouts? Cricut.

So when couple friend of mine decided to have a pirate birthday party for their 8 year old daughter, I naturally volunteered to help with decor and such.

And by decor I mean an adorable bunted banner that I've been trying to make.  And some pirate sails meant to be attached to straws. And a little flair for the birthday present wrapping.

By the way, I only spent $2.00 total on all these projects combined. Using, you know, hundreds of dollars worth of craft tools investments. I spent about 3 hours total and went through 1 already used cricut mat.

Enjoy!

Bunted Pirated Banner 
Paper - Red, white and black (cut into paper sizes that work with my Cricut) poster board.
Cricut Catridges - George and Shapes, Life's a Beach, Paper Doll Dress Up. (Thanks MIL for letting me borrow from your stash!)
Other Supplies - Crop-A-Dial Big Bite, Jute Twine, glue and a paper cutter.

1. Cut 1 poster board of red paper into triangles on a paper cutter.  I believe my triangles were about 4" by 7". I needed 20 triangles to spell out "Happy Birthday Kaeli" including the spacing triangles and made extra just in case of mistakes.

2. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out the letters (surprisingly pirate like that George Font) in white and circles in black. The letters were set to 3" and the circles were set to 3.5". I made 18 of the black circles.

3. Using the Life's a Beach Cricut cartridge, cut out the skull and crossbones at 1" on white paper. I cut however many of these I could fit on my cricut mat assuming that I would use them for the sails and even as confetti if there were that much left over.

4. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out two 4" circle in white.

5. Using the Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut cartidge, cut out a 3.5" pirate ship and a 6" pirate flag in black. (For some reason the pirate flag is not true to size on my Cricut so I had to cut a 6" to get to a 4".)

6. Assemble the lettered triangles by gluing the skull and crossbones at the bottom of the inverted triangle. Center the black circles above the skull and crossbones and between the 3 sides of the triangle attach.  The glue the white letters to the center of the black circle.

7. Assemble the spacer triangles (to go between the words) by gluing the white circle in the center of the red inverted triangle and gluing the ship or the pirate flag on the center of the circle.

8. Punch small holes with the Crop-A-Dile at least half an inch in the 2 points along the top of the inverted triangles.

9. String the jute twine, without cutting so the twine takes the hanging weight pressure instead of the paper, through each hole and knot to hold in place.  Remember to leave some extra jute twine before the first letter and after the last letter to have something to hang up the sign with.

10. Bask in the awe of your creativity.

Straw Sails (or Food Sails)
Paper - Red, white and black poster board cut into sizes that work with the Cricut.
Cricut Catridges - George and Shapes, Life's a Beach
Other Supplies - Crop-A-Dial Big Bite and glue.

1. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out the uneven rectangle shape to 4" on red paper. I made one for each child I thought was going to attend the party.

2. Using the Life's a Beach Cricut cartridge, cut out the skull and crossbones at 1". I used leftover skulls from the bunted banner but again, if cutting these skulls, it's better to just cut as many as will fit on a page.  Skull and crossbones come in handy right?

3. Glue the skulls to the center of the red rectangle. Let dry.

4. Punch two hole in the red rectangle about 3/4" from the top and bottom of the skull.  Small holes for skewers, paper punch holes for straws.

5. Insert skewers or straws through the sail.  Place in drinks or stick in food trays.

Pirate Birthday Wrapping Flair

Paper - Red (cut into a triangle), white and black (cut into paper sizes that work with my Cricut) poster board.
Cricut Catridges - George and Shapes, Life's a Beach.
Other Supplies - Glue and a paper cutter.

1. Cut 1 poster board of red paper into a 4" by 7" triangle on a paper cutter.  I used a leftover triangle from the bunted banner.

2. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out the word "Happy Birthday" to a 1" size in black.

3. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out a 4" circle in white.

4. Using the Life's a Beach Cricut cartridge, cut out the skull and crossbones at 1". I used leftover skulls from the bunted banner.

5. Glue the white circle to the inverted red triangle.  Glue the skull and crossbones to the bottom point of the triangle.  Let dry.

6. Glue the black letters onto the inverted triangles spaced with the "Happy" along the top, "Birth" in the middle and "Day at the bottom. Let dry.

7. Glue the triangle to a flat surface on the package.

Other Cricut Pirate Party Projects
Fantablulous Cricut Challenge Blog - It's a Pirate's Life
Grealish Greetings - Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me…
Crazy About Cricut - Pirate Challenge

Read More

Painting and Pimm's

The weather in southern California has been erratic.  As in random thunderstorms interspersing weeks of perfect summer weather and sweltering days of hell like heat. When the weather gets particularly devilish, my favorite beverage is Pimm's Cup.

Now, Pimm's the liqueur was made long ago by some guy who owned an oyster bar in London, which I can only assume was the man's English alternative to bitters. So obviously it's good for you.  Specifically Pimm's No. 1, (they made others that didn't do so well at market) is a tonic made of gin, herbs and quinine. I've never had a shot of it before so I don't know what it tastes like outside of a Pimm's cup, which adds a whole lot of deliciousness covering up any unpleasantness in the Pimm's flavor. 


Pimm's cup is  the official drink of Wimbledon tennis tournament, the Henley Royal Regatta and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, according to Wikipedia, the other being champagne.  Champagne being my first favorite drink makes me think I should be going to a lot more of these Royal events and Operas.
But one cannot drink a pitcher of Pimm's cup alone.  Well, one can but one would then have consumer far too much goodness for one day.  So, during my recent painting meetup with a group of Martha Stewart like ladies, I whipped up a few batches.

Pimm's Cup


Now, there are a lot of ways to make Pimm's Cup. Before everyone gets up to protest my Pimm's Cup's authenticity and add their recipe, note that 90% of the recipes out there don't agree.  We don't have Schweppes lemonade over in the States, for instance.  Ginger ale, though delicious, is a contentious point.  And if strawberries aren't available because some people like to enjoy Pimm's Cup in the off season, it's ok. Plus, who knows where you can find borage anyway?  There's a huge mint plant in my garden, that's what's going in mine.

That being said, substitutions are ok but here are the core ingredients: Pimm's, a citrus fruit, carbonated lemon beverage or ginger ale, cucumber, fresh herbs.

Ingredients


1 bottle of Pimm's No. 1
1 bottle of Trader Joe's Sparkling Lemonade (Or Sprite or 7up or Squirt if it's not available.)
1 small cucumber
1/2 a small basket of fresh strawberries
1 orange
1 large sprig (or branch, whatever you want to call it) of mint

Directions

1. Hull the strawberries and slice in half. Slice cucumber into thin slices. Slice oranges the same way. Place it all in the pitcher.

2. Crush some fresh mint leaves reserving the top on the branch for garnish.  Place in the pitcher.

3. Fill the pitcher half way with Pimm's and the other half with Sparkling Lemonade.

4. Use the branch of mint or long spoon to mix the ingredients in the pitcher. Lease the mint branch in the pitcher.

5. Pour over ice. Optional: garnish with mint, cucumber, strawberry and orange in each cup.

Other Pimm's Cup Recipes
Bon Appetit - The Pimm's Cup
NPR - Refreshingly Old School: Pimm's Cup
CHOW - Pimm's Cup Recipe

Read More

Cookware Lust

I'm lucky enough to have a fairly well stocked kitchen.  My Kitchenaid stand mixer, whom I aptly named Duncan, and a dozen of his closest attachments, a hand-crank pasta maker that rarely sees the light of day (I promise one day, squid ink fettuccine), a Cuisinart ice cream maker that allows me to freeze liquids at will.  Yes, I should be able to make almost anything.

But recently, I've hit a wall because of a lack of kitchen equipment.  How can I be expected to make savory madeleines without a madeleine pan?  Or the multitude of Danish, Japanese and Vietnamese delicacies like aebleskivers and tako yaki without a pan with inverted domes?  Paella: Not in a normal skillet, thank you very much.

Here are a few of the kitchen tools I'm currently lusting after.

9 Quart Dutch Oven. The gold standard in enamel dutch ovens is obviously Le Creuset.  Without it, my world is devoid of properly braised dishes like Osso Bucco and homemade artisan 5 minute bread loafs.    $335 at Le Creuset.

Paella Pan.  I've watched enough Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain to know that paella needs to be nurtured to culinary perfection in a proper paella pan, preferably over a hand drawn wood fire. Pan sizes vary and my preferred size is 17" which serves 10. $39.95 at Sur La Table.

Madeleine Pan. My mother always had a fond place in her heart for madeleines, I think it's the French influence on Vietnam baked goods. How surprised will she be when I present her a dozen filled with bacon, chives and goat cheese? Totes surprised. $25.00 at Williams Sonoma.

Aebleskiver Pan. I grew up with a pan like this in my mother's pantry.  She used it to make Bánh Khọt, a shrimp and pork cup held together by a coconut pancake batter. Later, I saw something similar in Little Tokyo where a women adpet at forming dough balls filled with octopus with a flip of her wrist and a wood skewer. When my husband's family bought a vacation home in Solvang, I experienced Aebleskivers and fanatic bees for the first time.  All these will be possible in my own kitchen (less the bees) once I have this magical pan. $39.98 at Fjorn Scandinavian. 

What are you lusting after for your kitchen?

Read More

85 Degrees Bakery Cafe - Irvine, CA

In a recent trip into Irvine, my husband and I stopped in at the lauded 85 Degrees Bakery.  It was as crowded as we had heard but totally worth the wait for special Taiwanese bakery goodies that I can't find in my own Asian mecca of a hometown.

Seasalt coffee, green tea and squid ink pastries are the hot tip.

Read More

Concert on the Greens at Seacliff Country Club - Huntington Beach

During the three months of summer, Huntington Beach natives get perfect beach weather, Tuesday Market Nights on Main Street and for the particularly lucky, Concerts on the Greens (actually the driving range) at Seacliff Country Club once a month.

For about $25-$30 per person plus gratuity, this gem of a club provides a Barbeque buffet, All-You-Can-Drink (or rather, All-You-Should-Drink) beer in a commemorative pint glass and a dance party of a concert.

A perfect way to spend a Summer Friday Night with friends and family.

Read More

Hmart Korean Food To Go

Sometimes a girl wants a fish filled to the gills with roe. And a sea urchin roe chaser.  Korean feast with the little sister consisting of yellow corvina, mixed veggies, uni, seaweed salad, krab cakes and nutritional rice.

Cheap eats from H mart, my favorite Korean market and sponsor of the Kimchi Chronicles.

Read More

OC Mix Mart - Costa Mesa

- Great Decor.
- Spice Shop.
- Cheese Shop with fermented baguettes.
- Freshmade gelato including a flavor that uses the Cheese Shop's double cream brie, raw wildflower honey and marcona almonds.

Definitely an OC Highlight.

Read More

Chinese Chicken Soup for the Soul

I've been getting really sick lately, I'm sure because of the quantity of alcohol I've consumed and the fact that someone around me is always sick. I saw my best friend two days ago after she was just getting over a cold and now here I am with the sniffles.

I usually lose my appetite when I'm sick except when it comes to chicken soup. Something about warm chicken broth that warms the body and the soul really motivates me to get some food in my system.

In my college years I learned a pretty good chicken soup recipe that included making my own chicken stock to start with. Since I'm no longer a student with a load of time on my hands I opt for a crockpot chicken soup or my favorite: Chinese Chicken Congee.

My mother, the traditional Chinese mom, claims that this porridge like dish is the only real thing you should eat when you're sick. Whenever my mom is sick I make it a habit to return the favor. Here is the long recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup of white rice
6-8 cups of chicken broth
3 table spoons of Chinese cooking wine
1 whole chicken
1 large onion
2 fingers of ginger
salt to taste
msg optional
green onions to garnish

You start by submerging a whole chicken in water in a large stock pot. Place the large onion skinned and halved in the pot. Cover and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes and turn off the heat. Leave covered for 1 hour or more. Ideally you should end up with 6-8 cups of chicken broth this way. When cooled remove the chicken from the pot.

Wash the cup of rice. Rice is notoriously dirty because of the insects and rodents that get into the warehouses so you should always clean your rice before cooking it. I like to saute the rice in some oil until lightly browned to add an additional nutty flavor but this is not necessary.

Peel the ginger and cut the pieces into small almost toothpick like sticks. Remove the meat from the chicken. The meat should almost be shreddable with a fork. Remove the large boned and place them back in the pot. Add the wine, rice and ginger to the pot and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the salt to taste.

I know MSG gets a bad wrap but my mom always made this soup with msg and it just doesn't taste as flavorful without it. I always add msg to taste. Allow the soup to simmer until the rice grains are virtually indistinguishable like little starchy explosions.

This should make a medium thick congee, if you prefer it thinner you can add water to thin it out. Serve in a large bowl, top with a generous amount of shredded chicken, a sprinkle of thinly chopped green onions/cilantro and the option of black pepper and chili garlic.

(Picture courtesy of Google Images.)

Read More

La Mer Collections Odyssey Wrap Watch

Designer Martine Ilana and I are obviously kindred spirits.  We both have a hard time finding beautiful watches that are the right amount of femine without being fussy. Except she's a completely brilliant watch designer who actually ended up making the watch she was looking for and I'm merely a gal lusting after her creations.

La Mer Collections, her line of women's watches, not to be confused with La Mer the iconic beauty line, features hand assembled watches with straps made of luxury Italian leather in some of the the best color combinations and timeless style. 

La Mer Collections watches can be found at Bloomies, but you head over to the website you can customize your very own watch making it a near perfect solution to my earlier watch dilemma. 

Read More

Martha Stewart Custom Stamps Review

I can't wander around any store with a Martha Stewart section without getting completely caught up in it.  Her magic breaks down all my defenses and I end up spending more than necessary on things I never knew I needed.

This time it was a custom stamp kit from Michael's.  Excuse while I start to justify, but I had been looking for an address embosser or self inking address stamp to the tune of $30.  You know, because I send so many letters (I don't) and the stamps will save so much time on the return labels.

Plus, I reasoned to my DH who didn't understand the value of this stamp set, I could make thank you cards and birthday cards and all the cards that I would normally go to the store and spend a few bucks on.  Pop out a few custom made cards and the set has nearly completely paid for itself.

So I bought two. They're different though and one font set isn't enough variety to make cards out of. Duh.

Without further ado, here are the stamp sets.  So far I've used them for 4 special occasions. Like Easter. And birthdays.

And now I've shared them with the world making everyone's life easier which is practically a public service so totes worth it.

Right DH?

The Good
Stamp packaging is great.  Only one set comes in a handy case. All the letters from both sets fits in the one case making organizing a cinch. The letters pop into lines in the case so they don't jumble.  There's a clear area of the case that holds rings and stamp mounts allowing the user to see everything when the case is open.


Circle stamps are the coolest. The round stamps have pretty border frames or the option to place words in a circular arrangement.

A lot of uses. Aside from address stamps, these stamps will help me make gift tags, jar labels, book inserts, recipe cards, invitations, zomg.

Clear mounts make it easy to accurately place the stamps.  This is a huge upgrade over wood stamps which take a little bit more planning to get in the right place.


The Bad
Pulling apart the letters.  In the circle stamp collection the letters broke apart really easily.  The rubber was thick and perforations pulled apart cleanly.  But in the set with the case, the letters were hard to pull apart on the perforations.  I tried using a knife and an X-acto and ended up use an extra sharp razor to break them apart.

Custom stamps are tedious. As in sometimes tweezers are necessary to get the ltters in place. And there are a lot of letters.

The case is not big enough.  The case doesn't hold all of the stamp mounts making it an appealing idea to pick up another case. As for now I'm keeping the mounts that don't fit in the case in their original packaging. Not perfect.


The Ugly
The stamps are not always level.  I don't know if this is my inexperience but it's extremely difficult to get the letters to stamp at the same thickness because they vary in height on the mount.

It takes a lot of tries. In order to get the letters level, I would do a practice stamp, move the uneven letters and stamp again.  It took about 4 tries per stamp before I got it to an acceptable place and even then it wasn't perfect.  As a result, when I was finished with the stamp, I didn't want to undo my work and make new stamps.

Final Verdict
I would buy this again instead of the address stamps.  The two sets only cost me about $40 at Michael's and give me a lot more options.

The creative possibilities exceeds the issues that will likely go away with a little more practice.

Plus, the compliments we got from the tag I put on our Easter hostess gift was worth the effort.

Read More

The Crab Pot in Alamitos Bay

I'm known for getting weird hankerings and having to have them. Yesterday it was lobster after a comedic conversation about why there's never been a lobster buffet. I don't think, dear readers, you need any further explanation.

It was a beautiful Southern California day yesterday where the sky was blue, the clouds were like cotton and the sun was perfectly shining in the sky. I immediately thought of the Crab Pot on Alamitos Bay. Yes, it might have been pure exhaustion from the previous two days or just a complete brain fart, but I assumed the Crab Pot would have lobster also. Turns out I was wrong, but it is a great season to get a good deal on Alaskan king crab legs.

Alaskan king crabs are fished only during October and January usually all done within a matter of a week or less and then shipped world wide. Turns out, they're usually frozen right on the boat so very few places actually carry fresh off the boat never frozen crabs. I've never had them that way in the first place and once my fishmonger explained to me that a lot of seafood is frozen right when it's caught for bacterial reasons. I don't know if this is true or if he was just telling me that because he didn't have any fresh out of the water sashimi grade fish.

During the month right before the fish, Alaskan king crab legs usually go on sale to make room for the new catch. During the fishing seasons, because of the freshness, the prices skyrocket. I suppose that's why at the Crab Pot their usual $33 plate of 1.5 lbs of Alaskan king crab legs was on special for $19. Fiance got so excited he immediately ordered it and said he was going to come back every week. I awaited the actual taste test.

We started with a sourdough loaf, which, if I had one thing to complain about, was that it didn't come complementary. I mean, hello, you're a seafood restaurant and you're going to act like bread and butter is a chargeable appetizer?! What kind of cheap restaurateurs...

Fiance also ordered a bloody mary, which he said was one of the best he'd had in a long time. Impressive considering he had just had one last Sunday from our favorite bartender. Our meals started with soup (clam chowder for me) and salad (with blue cheese for him.)

The food came out pretty quickly. We both ordered the Alaska King Crab legs so they came out in the same bowl. We each got a few lemon wedges, two containers of clarified butter, and tools to release the delicious crab morsels with. The crab legs were accompanied by red skinned potatoes and corn on the cob, all generously sprinkled with some cajun seasoning.

The crab was delicious, down to the last bite. We'll have to come back again, with friends.

They leave the bowl by the side of the table so that you can throw the carcasses in them. The service was great and each table equipped with it's own heat lamp was a brilliant addition as the sun started to set.

All and all a great Sunday spent watching the boats go by, hearing the lapping sound of water on the docks and the breathing in the fresh ocean air.

Our tab came out to about $46 without tip. Not too shabby for this delicious crab filled feast.

Sorry for the sub par picture quality. I forgot my camera and had to settle for my cell phone.

(From the Archives December 10, 2007.)

Read More

Cherry Blossoms for Home Decor

Is there anything more ubiquitously spring than Cherry Blossoms?  From San Francisco to Washington DC the season of the Cherry Blossoms is met with festivals and hoards of people returning to the outdoors once again.

Also known as Sakura, the Cherry Blossom Trees do not actually fruit.  Rather, thay are purely ornamental and bloom in beautiful shades of pink with a pervasive floral aroma dropping petals as the season goes on.

Cherry Blossom branches are a great option over bouquets of flowers.  They vary in size, give a sense of casual organic elegance and make the whole room smell better than any candle or plug-in.

Luckily for me, my florist, Flowerworks, a family owned and operated little shop, is able to procure almost anything my flower lusting heart desires.  A few weeks ago she ordered me 5 branches of Cherry Blossoms for a piddly $35.

Tips on Buying:

1. Size. When I received the branches, they were taller than me and basically the girth of a small tree.  Make sure whatever branches you get you pick ones that are the right size for your needs and transportation.

2. Buds: Pick branches that have a high blood to bloom ratio.  The buds will continue to bloom as long as the branches are well cared for giving you fresh flowers for longer than branches that are already fully opened.

3.  Blooms: Healthy branches will have fresh, just bloomed looking flowers.  The petals should be well hydrated and not paper dry.

Tips on Caring:

1.  When you get your branches home, immediately snip the bottoms with pruning shears, as you would any floral bouquet, on a bias trimming at least one inch from the bottom.  Place in water immediately

2.  Place the branches in a stable vessel.  Mine were particularly large so I used a gold hammered vase with rocks on the bottom to counteract the weight of the branches and eventually just placed them in a rectangular heavy leaded vase.

George Kitteh loves the smell of Cherry Blossoms.

3. If you are going to arrange them beyond placing them in a vase and letting the branches fall where they may, use natural cord or twine the tie the branches instead of using floral wire.  This is both healthier for the branches and blends in with the wood for a seamless arrangement.

4.  Change the water regularly.  I didn't use my typical mix of flower-fresh water additives to keep the branches around longer just in case it would affect the buds opening so changing the water was important.

5. Check the branch bottoms regularly to see if they need trimming to keep water flowing.  Sometimes the branch bottoms will close up and you'll need to cut them with pruning shears again.

Wilma Catner just loves the luxury.

Additional Cherry Blossom arranging resources:

Northern Life Magazine
Martha Stewart
eHow

Read More

Bathroom Renovation: Planning Board

Almost a year ago, my husband renovated our little love shack with hardwood floors, crown molding, new windows and paint throughout.  It was a glorious finish to almost a year of living in construction hell. Now we're ready to start again with a full bathroom remodel.

Bathrooms are very challenging for such small spaces.  Everything has to be functional like a ship while maintaining a relaxing and calm ambiance. Styles vary wildly and so many different finishes and textures results in clashing decor.

Have you ever heard that most top level executives make most decisions within 9 minutes?  If my bathroom remodeling choices are any indication of my management ability, I'd be unemployed.  Wall mount or pedestal? Corian or Tile? Modern or Traditional?

Enter the planning board.

1. Nordic Brushed Nickel 3-light Bath Sconce. This brushed nickel light fixture can fit into most bathrooms decors from traditional to modern. $101.99 at Overstock.com

 2. Interceramic Habitat Canvas Ceramic 16" x 16". Giving the appearance of fabric texture with the cleanliness of tile, these canvas ceramic tiles make bathroom floors interesting. $2.95 per sqft at Quality Flooring For Less.


3. Texture Style by Norwall. This scrubbable wall vinyl mimicks seagrass lending a natural serene feel to bathroom walls. $11.99 a roll at Mallone's Wallpaper Shop.

4. ELIANE Illusione Beige 8 in. x 12 in. Ceramic Wall Tile. Rectangular wall tiles are a good option in a bath surround, placed vertically instead of horizontally for the illusion of height. $1.86 per sqft at Home Depot.

5. Woven Natural Sea Grass Baskets With Faux Leather Handles. In terms of accessories, baskets add a natural touch that complements the seagrass wallpaper while organizing bathroom shelf clutter. $114.02 on Amazon.

6. allen + roth 24" Rustic Oak Foley Bath Vanity with Top. It's the perfect size for a small bathroom. With the floor under the vanity visible the vanity opens up the footprint and makes the room look bigger than it really is! $229 at Lowe's.

7.  Glass Shelf with Satin Nickel Rail. To corral all the daily little items and get them off the sink surface, this glass shelf is just gorgeous. $37.99 at Organize.com.

8. EKBY JÄRPEN/ EKBY BJÄRNUM Shelf. These might not be moisture safe but I'm willing to take a chance because the shelf width is so easily adjustable, the price is so low and the lines are so clean. It'll be back to the drawing board in a year if they don't work in the bathroom. $19.99 at Ikea.

9. allen + roth 32"H x 22"W Foley Rustic Oak Rectangular Bath Mirror. This mirror is great and the wood matches the vanity.  I might end up just using my existing bathroom mirror and adding molding to frame it instead. $59.00 at Lowe's.

10. Nordic Brushed Nickel 1-light Bath Sconce.  These sconces are just perfect to frame a bathroom mirror and go with the 3-light sconce above. $49.99 at Overstock.com.

Read More

Temecula Highlights: Old Town Shopping

There's two parts of Temecula really worth visiting on a vacation trip: the local wineries and Old Town. Everything in-between seems to be suburban sprawl.

Old Town consists of little antique shops, tasting rooms, restaurants and touristy shops with a western feel.  There's even a little place called the Gambling Cowboy that I've been told serves liquor out of glass boots!

Here are a few of the more interesting shops we stopped into on our recent trip to Old Town Temecula:



American Prospector Treasure Seeker
28900 Old Town Front Street #101
Temecula, CA 92590
(951) 676-2555

My husband has just picked up a hobby of gold prospecting.  No, seriously. He and his buddies head out to the river with a pack full of tools like pans, sluices, shovels and buckets and comes back with dirt filled with flecks of gold. (Ok, filled might be overstating.) There's a whole community of hobbyists out there!

In southern California there's a handful of gold prospecting shops like American Prospector Treasure Seeker.  It has one of the larger selections of dry and wet prospecting tools, books, and a friendly Native American statue that greets customers at the door.

The shop is family owned and ran by avid prospectors who are members of numerous local clubs who own land claims and know how to find the shiny gold nuggets.

It's a little far outside of the main part of Old Town (about 1/3 a mile) but still a short walk.

Temecula Valley Cheese Company

42072 5th Street #101
Temecula, CA 92590
(951) 693-9500

Not one to pass up a opportunity to buy cheese,  I scoped out this little shop that turned out to be more like someone's home.  A home with Freedman & Cash playing Eric Clapton hits in the casual dining room where the most delicious of cheeses and wines were served. 

Originally, I was just going to stop in and buy a small block of cheese and ended up sitting down for a 4 cheese and wine paired tasting. It was relaxed, calming and thoroughly charming. A must visit for anyone craving the wine country lifestyle on a trip to Temecula.

The dining room is relatively small with an occupancy of about 15 people but there's an adorable outdoor seating area for those who want to enjoy the breeze.

Spice Merchants
41925 5th St # 101
Temecula, CA 92590-2739
(951) 587-2223

On a search for pink peppercorns to use in a Parisian macaron recipe, Spice Merchants was our last and my favorite stop of the entire trip.  

It was like Willy Wonka decided to sell spices instead of candy!  A dozen types of peppercorns (including long Balinese), fragrant teas and rare spices and grains.  I could have spent hours smelling and tasting all the spices (which Spice Merchants encourages), sipping on tea samples and chatting with the sales people and customers about recipes.

I can completely understand why early trade was based on rare spices!  Why aren't there more of these shops?  Must we be relegated to stale spices in sad little plastic jars down cold megamart aisles?

In the end, we picked up bamboo rice (a grain in a pretty jade green color), habanero powder, long and pink peppercorns.

They also have an extensive collection of Hilmalayan pink salt plates and blocks. I already bought a 6"x6"x2" brick on Overstock.com for $17 but Spice Merchants prices were very competitive.

So there you have it!  All the highlights of my trip from Temecula without any details about the terrible time at Pechanga. I do not understand the joys of gambling.

Read More

Temecula Highlights: Callaway Vineyards

Temecula surprised me this weekend!  I worked in this little bedroom town for two years and never experienced anything beyond the psuedo Orange County strip mall developments. The Temecula I found this weekend, after a 7 year hiatus, was filled with little nooks and crannies of culinary treasure.

Here is the first highlight of my trip!

Callaway Vineyards and Winery

32720 Rancho California Rd.
Temecula, CA 92589  
(951) 676-4001

Callaway is a local favorite because of its Meritage Restaurant, discounted tasting room and free winery tour.  It's a smaller more business oriented property than some of the other resort-like estates making it perfect for a quick stop rather than a long leisurely afternoon.

Beware of those party limos filled with inebriated youngsters!  Since it's a convenient and popular stop there's a large amount of unsavory traffic that takes away from the wine country ambiance.

The Tasting Room:

It's crowded with very few tables so you might have to wait for a spot at the tasting bar and then suffer through some elbowing while standing back to back with fellow tasters.


Of the 10 wines we tasted, the 2008 Reserve Calliope Red and 2010 Reserve Late Harvest Cabernet Sauvignon were our favorites.

The Calliope Red was very complex in aroma and taste.  A mix of 45% Syrah, 26% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre, 4% Cinsault resulted in a berry chocolate nose and a spicy flavor with notes of coffee and smokey leather.

The Late Harvest Cabernet was very fruit forward with cherry, strawberry, currant and licorice notes. I don't usually like sweet wine but it was well balanced and pleasantly surprising for a late harvest.

The Meritage Restaurant:

When we arrived at about 2pm the wait for a table was 45 minutes.  We ducked into the Tasting Room during the wait and when we came back the crowd had dissipated and we were rewarded with a well positioned table facing the sprawling hills of grape vines. Score!

Originally, the plan was to have a few tapas since we had dinner plans at the hotel but menu was so interesting that we ended up ordering three items!

Red Wine & Mascarpone Risotto Fritters with Crab & Anchovy Marinara:

An unusual choice of red wine in a risotto instead of white resulted in a burgundy ball of ricey complexity!  The sauce alone was too pungent but the fritters paired perfectly with the seafood based marinara. Truly inspired.



 

Potato and Spanish Chorizo Croquettes with Gorgonzola Sauce:

Light and fluffy, the potatoes were ethereal in a way that traditional croquettes are too heavy to achieve. The chorizo came in Spanish ham like chunks instead of the expected ground meat adding solid texture to the ball. The gorgonzola sauce was so mild and melty, at first we couldn't tell it was gorgonzola at all!

Crispy Steak Fries with Parmesan, Parsley & Peppercorn Aioli:

What was supposed to be a small plate of fries ended up being the equivalent of a bag of potatoes!  They were crispy on the outside and lava hot and starchy on the inside.  I don't want to know how long they were sitting in oil to get to this potatoed perfection but it was worth it.

It's no wonder The Meritage was listed as one of the Inland Empire's best restaurants.  Not only was the food delicious, the portions were so filling that we spoiled our dinner. 

Callaway was the perfect first stop on a weekend long trip through Temecula.  Stay tuned for more on our travels.

Read More

Matzo Ball Soup for the Soul

My first experience making Matzo Ball Soup was at a Seder Dinner my friend Steffany hosted a few years ago.  I was so honored to be invited, I went on a mission to find a proper hostess gift in the form of Kosher wine and dessert.  Sadly, living in the suburbs, I was only able to find a couple of bottles of Baron Herzog wine. Good but not great. I did, however, find some coconut macaroons from Katella Deli in Los Alamitos and bought a small container of creamed pickled herring on the advice of a kind deli regular.Score!

First attempt at Matzo Ball Soup

Before Seder dinner, I helped her form some matzo balls before she dropped it into her broth that she had simmered overnight.  It seemed pretty simple: a little bit of fat, a little bit of matzo meal and some water. We read through the Haggadah, my husband being the youngest at the table hid the matzo and we drank many sips of wine.  By the time we had the Matzo Ball Soup, I was starving.

I don't know if it was the warm glow from the wine, the religious spirit uplifting me or just the sheer hunger, but that soup was simply amazing.  This soup, I thought, must be the Jewish version of congee. A simple starch cooked in some broth to make a cure for all ailments.

Dearest Husband, when sick, does not enjoy congee like I do.  Naturally, when he recently got sick and rejected my beloved congee, I offered to make Matzo Ball Soup.  He was unreasonably excited.  Poor sick baby.

Not remember exactly how Steffany made hers, I scoured the internet gathering up all the little tricks of fabulous home cooks.  Schmaltz.  Seltzer water. Dill. Egg separating. It was going to be a little more challenging than I thought.  I set out in hopes of making light, airy and flavorful matzo balls.  Here's how:

Matzo Ball Soup

Finding chicken fat for schmaltz was the most difficult part of this recipe.  I ended up buying a whole chicken and removing the fat and skin from the chicken to render out the fat.  This yielded approximately 2 tablespoons of schmaltz.  If staying Kosher is not an issue, butter or even bacon fat is a suitable alternative to this ingredient.

Matzo meal can also be made from matzo crackers.  It does come already processed into mealy form but if that's unavailable, take matzo crackers and put it in a food processor until it resembles bread crumbs.


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons shmaltz
• 2 large eggs, separated whites from yolk
• 1/2 cup matzo meal
• 2 tablespoons seltzer
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill 
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6  cups chicken broth
• 2 chicken breasts, skinless, bone-in
• 1 cup of carrots, diced
• 1 cup of celery, diced
• 1 cup of onions, diced
• 2 dill sprigs 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Bring a stockpot to medium heat.  Saute carrots, celery and onions in olive oil until the onions are translucent.  Pour chicken broth into the stockpot.  Add 2 chicken breasts.  Bring to a medium low boil.

2. In a dry ingredients bowl, combine matzo meal with fresh chopped dill and fresh chopped parsley and salt. 

3. In a wet ingredients bowl, take egg whites and whip until they form soft peaks. Fold in egg yolks one at a time. Fold in cooled shmaltz and seltzer.  Fold in the dry ingredients mixture from Step 2. Be careful not to over work. It seem like the mixture is slightly too wet to hold a ball shape.   Place mixture in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.

4. Skim any gunk that might have boiled to the top of the stockpot.  Remove chicken breasts from the broth.  Remove chicken meat from bones and place bones back in the broth.  Shred chicken into desired chunk size and add back to broth.  Add 1 sprigs of dill. 

5. Remove matzo meal mixture from the refrigerator. Form balls into desired size.  I prefer something a little smaller than a golf ball, about 2 bites per matzo ball.

6. Bring stockpot to a medium boil.  Drop balls individually into the soup.  Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes.  The balls should rise to the top when done.

7. Again, skim any gunk at the top of the stockpot. Remove and discard bones and dill sprigs.  Ladle soup and a couple of matzo balls into a bowl.  Garnish with snips of dill from remaining sprig.

8. Enjoy the warm soothing goodness.

Other Matzo Ball Soup Recipes
Smitten Kitchen - matzo ball soup
Saveur - Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
All Recipes - Oma's Fabulous Matzo Ball Soup Recipe

Read More