Cayenne & Carob

Spring Fun: Sorbetto

2011-03-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

Mashing the grapes for grape-mint-lime sorbetto (last summer).
Sorbetto is best the day it is made, but I'll eat it anytime.

Last summer, I borrowed a friend's ice cream maker for a few weeks. The result was a series of sorbetto experiments. Our favorites, the aforementioned grape-mint-lime and nectarine-apple with maple syrup. With the help of our juicer the possibilities are endless.

I'm still fiddling with the sugar substitutes/concentrations to make something low sugar - maybe this summer I'll be more successful. The grape-mint-lime was made with 1/2 the amount of sugar that the recipe called but the texture was more granada-like and there would have been no way it would form "scoops."

I used this Lottie + Doof Framboise Lambic Beer Sorbetto recipe, which was adapted from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto by Pearce and Zecchin, for the proportions.

~4 cups fresh fruit juice of your choice
1 lemon (juice only)
Simple Syrup (1:1 water and sugar)

Over medium heat combine water and sugar. Whisk often and simmer until all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

This is where things get a bit tricky - how to add sugar syrup while taking into account the sugar content of the fruit you used. I am no expert but will point you to this technique over at Fresh Sliced Fruit Daily. Look toward the bottom of their Tangerine and Grapfruit Sorbetto recipe, hint: it involves a raw egg.

photo credit: Cayenne 07.19.10

Copenhagen: Noa Noa Danish Clothing Store

2011-03-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

This palena cotton ticking dress by Noa Noa came home with me!

The Bohemian Wardrobe Company, is an online shop that sells the Danish clothing brand Noa Noa.

US source for Noa Noa, Narcisse in Portland, OR; I know where I am headed next time I'm in Portland.

I fell in love with this whistle tunic but it was 100% wool, which I'm allergic to, but you can buy this from Inis.

Their carefree bohemian-style translates into super cute clothing for little people too.

photo credit: top and bottom two images from the Noa Noa website

Copenhagen: Winter Street Style

2011-03-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

Francine by Lars Daniel

Mette, Copenhagen Winter, by Phil Oh on Street Peeper

Linnea, waitress, on The Copenhagen Street Style blog

Inspiration: Copenhagen, Denmark!

2011-03-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

A recent visit to Copenhagen -- my first trip to Europe -- has me itching to blog again. Stay tuned!

photo credit: Nyhavn winter classic by Flumm_Jesus2

Year of....

2011-02-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Hour!!

Be that for the drinks or food, you will find me out and about on the early side.

There was another option pretty high up on the list, but I was more excited about a year of h-a-p-p-y hour.

image credit: Happy_Hour_Club_CA by PopKulture

Wake-up: Tis the season...

2010-12-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

...for giving at KIVA. I've mentioned Kiva before and I just wanted to remind you this holiday season that this is a wonderful, fun way to give a hand up. I am still re-loaning the $100 that TEB gifted me through Kiva.

I give in $25 increments and my most recent loan was to a man in Columbia that makes leather goods by hand. You can search by many different parameters, e.g. female, type of industry, location. Give KIVA this holiday season.

Disclaimer: I have not been paid or compensated in anyway by Kiva. I truly believe that they have a great business model and that they help people all over the globe.

Wake-up: Tis the season...

2010-11-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

...for union suits. yah know, the one piece jumpsuit PJs. Outfit the whole family!

Teenager:

Jack Wills' Shelderton All-in-one, $90

Exhilaration union suit, $20 Target

Trendy Aunt and Uncle:

J. Crew classic union suit, $70 (grey and red stripe)

Sports enthusiast:

Burton midweight one-piece, $100 (made for outdoor sports)

The Parents:

LL Bean two-layer union suit, $50

Baby:

Polarn O. Pyret classic striped eco romper, $50

Quick Dinner: Veggie Soup Base

2010-11-27T14:05:00.000-08:00

Looking for a way to use up some turkey leftovers? Try my quick dinner veggie soup base. I normally bake some foccacia during the time it takes to make the soup base.

The secret ingredient is a German seasoning called Seitenbacher Vegetarian Vegetable Broth and Seasoning. I found it at Rainbow People whole foods grocery store in Juneau. Silly me for rationing my one small bottle when you can go buy loads of it on amazon right here. It is cheap, ~1$/ounce, light weight, and vegetarian making it perfect for backcountry travel or the urban hiker who has to hall their groceries for blocks (yup, that is me on both accounts).

Vegetarian Broccoli Soup Base - perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers

Inspired by GP's Detox broccoli and arugula soup recipe, I blogged it here.

Makes 2 servings (multiple 4-6 times to make enough for freezing)

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic minced

1 onion chopped (any kind you have on hand)

1 head broccoli chopped (including the thick stems)

2 1/2 cups water + Seitenbacher (according to directions for amount of water)

1/4 tsp course salt

1/2 lemon juice

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Once onion is soft add your water and Seitenbacher. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer until the broccoli is soft (~20 minutes). Purée with an immersion blender in the pot or transfer to a regular blender (be careful blending hot liquid and don't fill the blender more than halfway full). Freeze all your extra soup base in tupperware or ziploc bags (lay flat on cookie sheet until frozen to have stackable units).

Now comes the fun part. Clean out your fridge and add whatever looks good, e.g. brussel sprouts. After Thanksgiving we torn up some turkey and threw in some mini tortellini (the dried kind from Trader Joes). Simple. Your done. Enjoy!

photo credit: Cayenne 06.22.10

Wake-up: Fall has arrived

2010-11-15T03:52:00.000-08:00

Yup, fall is here. I quite enjoy fall with the beautiful colored leaves, crisp air, and layering of clothing that circumvents having to wear a heavy jacket.

My capitol hill neighborhood is bursting with color.

Red leaves across the street from our house.

photo credit: Cayenne 11.06.10 and 11.13.10

Weekend: DC Tweed Ride 2010

2010-11-14T16:16:00.001-08:00

There were many a dandy and quaintrelle on the streets of DC this Sunday afternoon, including myself. We had so much fun dressing up and riding from Lincoln Park to Stroga in Adams Morgan.

Many ladies had on high heels and everyone was dressed to the nines. I will be expanding my tweed collection in preparation for next year and also looking for some seersucker for the summer ride. Ride info here on Dandies & Quaintrelles: Redemption through Style.

photo credit: grey suit by maxedaperture; quaintrelles ride in heels by Oisercage

Wake-up: I'm still here...

2010-11-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

...exploring bustling DC.

...finding a routine.

...commuting 2 hours a day.

...enjoying happy hours.

...settling into the house.

All this takes up the majority of my time and leaves so few spare moments for blogging or cooking. Am I cooking? - not so much, just the quick dinners that I've posted for the past two years here on Cayenne + Carob.

Am I reading blogs? - a few but mostly enjoying the more graphic blogs.

I don't know where this blog is going to end up after my career transition. In the meantime you can still find me on twitter and on Pinterest.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Looking for neat architecture, interior design, or fashion/style there is a cache of boards for you to browse through. I pin a dozen images a week so go check it out. Keep up with me there while I figure out what I'm doing here.

Follow my pins via RSS feed.

photo credit: Cayenne 09.25.10, American Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore, MD)

Wake-up: Bed on the Floor

2010-09-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

I moved to DC with no furniture, thus am still sleeping on a mattress on the floor. We mistakenly bought off craigslist the wrong size mattress so even that is not going to stay.

As always craigslist is touch and go - we bought a large table and four chairs for only 80$ but then the mattress was advertised as a queen but when we got home it clearly was a full size (our fault really, seller was foreign). A mirror we purchased at IKEA was cracked along the edge hidden by the cardboard packaging. And we are still searching for an inexpensive couch.

I wish my floor bed was as serene as the one above with the Swedish Crux blanket by Pia Wallen. Buy from Pia Wallen website (~800$ USD).

photo credit: Pia Wallen Crux blanket found via Door Sixteen blog

Weekend: Workshare at Clagett Farm

2010-09-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

My first weekend in DC we completed a workshare at the Cheasapeake Bay Foundation's Claggett Farm. Two of my good friends reccomended this great farm where you can work for 4 hours in exchange for 1 share in their community supported agriculture food box. Two adults working a 4 hour shift on a Saturday morning mean we took home 8 pounds of 4 different kinds of squash, and 4 pounds total of green beans, okra, tomatoes, and all-you-can-pick herbs.

Our work on the farm included picking 3 different varieties of beans, cucumbers and cleaning up a rotting melon field. There were black widow spiders involved in that last task. By 1p we felt as though we definitely earned our workshare. I hope to be able to do a workshare once a month depending on if we can a ride out to the farm.

Clagett Farm

11904 Old Marlboro Pike
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
301.627.4662

CSA pricing: 600$ annually for new members (pick up in Dupont Circle)

Workshare info: workshare opportunities are available Thursday-Saturday. Call 301.537.3038 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the Thursday or Friday before the Saturday you would like to come to the farm. Bring a water bottle, work gloves, and a good hat to shield the sun. The farm is located approximately 30 minutes from Capitol Hill by car.

Directions: follow the driving directions written on the website

photo credit: Cayenne 09.04.10

Washington, DC: Home Sweet Home

2010-09-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

I truly did intend to show you some of my California summer roads trips before making the big move across the country to the east coast. Alas, once I proclaimed such a plan, I promptly had no time to blog - I am sorry. The last few weeks have been filled with visiting family, moving into my new house in a new-to-me neighborhood, and starting orientation for the fellowship I will be completing in the coming year.

photo credit: U.S. Capitol Building by Cayenne 09.06.10

Weekend: Bike to Brunch at The Pearl Hotel

2010-09-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

My very last bike to brunch at the Pearl Hotel was in August. The first Sunday of every month The Pearl Hotel has a special deal - if you bike there for bunch, their brunch special runs you only $10 and includes bottomless mimosas and one of their delicious brunch entrees.

The food at The Pearl is fantastic and I've previously written about the food here and bunch here. Catch September's bike to brunch this Sunday, September 5th. If I was in San Diego I would be there!

photo credit: Cayenne 08.01.10

Weekend: San Diego Zoo Sunset

2010-08-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

We have season passes to the San Diego Zoo and realized that we should have been using them more. With a season pass we can just bop over there for an hour or less to take a peek at the animals and views from the aerial tram.

This sunset was taken from the zoo parking lot and the silhouetted palm trees are quintessential southern California. I think I'm going to miss this strange place with no seasons...

photo credit: Cayenne 07.31.10

Back-to-School: Polarn O. Pyret

2010-08-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

The August/September fall season definitely has a back-to-school feel despite the fact that I'm no longer a student (thank goodness after 20+ years of being one) and have no kids. But I have niece, MRC, that I love to buy clothing for. Remember the Olive Juice clothing I bought earlier in the summer, well she got it just in time for the first day of school.

This morning DesignMom, in celebration of her 15 year wedding anniversary, posted a giveaway from Polarn O. Pyret, which was irresistible. Thanks to her for the introduction to this fantastic swedish clothing-brand that is famous for its striped clothing.

I think I've always wanted striped leggings, even when I was a little person. Polarn O. Pyret has a great summer sale going on right now and my niece will be getting another back-to-school package in the mail.

photo credit: red checked shirt and striped leggings from the Polarn O. Pyret 2009 Holiday collection on flickr.com

Road Trip 2010: Santa Barbara

2010-08-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

The first place we stopped on the drive north was Santa Barbara. Now I've stopped her before and was nonplused - too busy, not enough direction and bad food. This time was different. We met up with a friend who directed us to wine tasting at Giessinger Winery out of Cucamonga Valley. We tasted some 15+ wines for just $8. I fell in love with a blueberry + blackberry chilled red wine that happened to be the most expensive wine they sold. A smooth port was what we brought home instead.

Then we stopped at Cafe Luck for a light French dinner. The mussels in white wine sauce were delicious and we mopped up the excess sauce with french baguette. We ordered almost every one of the sides to split between the three of us: french fries, onion rings, ratatouille, mac and cheese with truffled ham, and green beans with toasted almonds.

After all the food and drink we only made it to San Luis Obispo and the El Toro roadside motel.

Giessinger Wine Tasting Room

210 State Street

Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3834

(805) 568-0820

Cafe Luck

18 E Cota St

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

(805) 962-5393

cafelucksb.com

photo credit: Santa Barbara Sunrise by Patrick Smith Photography

Wake-up: Road Trip up the Coast

2010-08-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more perfect than a spontaneous summer road trip up the California coast. We have (somehow) managed to swing two of these trips this summer. For the rest of the month I'll highlight some of our favorite stops that we took along the way as we drove along the coast to northern California.

photo credit: Airstream's Bambi 422 Trailer from CarScoop

Weekend: Summer Sunset

2010-08-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

One of the things I'm going to miss the most about San Diego are the sunsets. Our grey, mist-filled summer has made for some dreamy sunsets along the coast.

I still do wish the water would warm up enough for me to partake in one last boogie boarding season.

photo credit: Cayenne 08.01.10

Up, up, and away...

2010-08-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

I'm up at the crack of dawn this morning to drive out to Temecula, CA, for a hot air balloon ride with TEB. Today is also our 4 year anniversary, though we did not intentionally schedule the hot air balloon ride with that in mind. Happy coincidence!

photo credit: Up by VivaLaQueen

Big News: I'm moving to...

2010-07-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

...Washington, DC! Yup, I am one month away from my big move to DC and I could not keep it a secret any longer. Now you know why I have been feeling incredibly overwhelmed. Posting will continue to be light here on Cayenne + Carob but I'll pop in every once in a while to say hi!

photo credit: vintage luggage picture from Emblem Magazine's Tumblr

Weekend: Beach Time

2010-07-23T17:01:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we were able to get in some beach time; I lounged reading and TEB went out surfing. I think it was our only two days of summer this year as we are now back to the grey and misty weather.

photo credit: Photos were taken with my new iphone4 using the ShakeItPhoto app. Having never owned a smartphone before, getting the phone set up contributed to me feeling overwhelmed. Things are on the upswing.

Weekend: Overwhelmed

2010-07-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Time for a little Cayenne + Carob summer hiatus.

photo credit: Going UP! by just.jane and The perfect plunge by Fradzly @ Shutterhack

Wake-up: Summer Camping

2010-07-05T03:33:00.000-07:00

There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.

~Ansel Adams

I love two things about this photo - the vintage teardrop trailer and the expression of the woman. Wonder who is taking the picture...and can I have one of those beers?

I am hoping that this summer has at least one camping trip it in for us. Our trip will be tent-style and probably involve backpacking.

photo credit: 1960s teardrop travel trailer by Christian Montone

Weekend: Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T01:55:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

photo credit: Berry Pop by MizMagee

Inspiration: Olive Juice for Little People

2010-07-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

I could not resist these cute outfits from Olive Juice that were on the Gilt Group website this weekend. My niece will have a few new school outfits for the fall! Shhhh...don't tell her.

images from Olive Juice website

Gilt Groupe is one of those invitation only websites where some great designer fashions are listed. I browse often and buy little because I am not really needing anything right now. Click here for my personal invitation link and check it out for yourself.

Wake-up: New Business Cards by Moo

2010-06-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

I just got my new business cards from Moo. They turned out way better than I expected. I chose mini cards, which are about half the side of a regular business card. They were printed on heavy stock and the printing image and my personal information seemed like high quality printing.

I ordered one of their graphic designs (huge selection) on the "image" side and put my contact information (LinkedIn address and email) on the "info"side. You do have the option to leave the "image" side blank and to add your own logo on the "info" side in addition to your name. The only drawback was that I could not use one of their cool designs on the "info" side.

Looking forward to networking and handing out my new cards!

photo credit: Cayenne 06.23.10

Weekend: Swedish Waffles

2010-06-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Been working like crazy to meet a few work deadlines this week. So sorry about the lull over here on Cayenne + Carob. I hope your weekend is relaxing.

I'm looking forward to some waffles made with our new swedish waffle maker. Thanks to TEB's mom for sending us this fun present! Anyone have waffle recipes to share? So far all I have managed to make the waffles with Toro Vaffer mix. I'm hoping to mix up something a bit healthier.

photo credit: Cayenne 06.18.10

Wake-up: Summer + Winter Stripes

2010-06-21T02:54:00.000-07:00

It would have been great to have a cozy, lazy morning in my bed, but alas today is Monday. I actually also wish that my bed looked like this with the horizontal stripes of the DwellStudio Draper stripe ash sheet set.

After much debate I ordered the West Elm version, stripe print sheet set in white/feather gray. With shipping and tax the knock-off was half the price.

I have been admiring Making it Lovely's new bedroom makeover with her newly painted walls (color "zinc"), West Elm striped sheets, and Crate and Barrel Abigail green paisley duvet cover (on sale right now).

I think the paisley works with the wide stripes because the paisley is a much smaller print so it offsets the dramatic stripes. I think it is going to work perfectly with my Ph.D. quilt that my mother made.

While on a quest for striped sheets I also considered the pureDKNY pure comfort sheets in thunder and custom made linen sheets from LinenMe. I have used both of these brands and they have held up perfectly after 2+ years of use.

photo credit: DwellStudio Draper Duvet Set, see website; Making it Lovely's bedroom now and read more about the transformation here

Inspiration: Lichen

2010-06-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

Tie Dye sleeveless shirt dress made by Wiksten; Rachel Comey suede dress at Jumelle; fabrics from Uniform Studio; Shabd "aurora" tights; Portal grey felt ipad bag (for the entire Mac family); Winding Indus Tank from Anthropologie

photo credit: lichen on rock in Denali National Park taken by TEB 05.18.10

Washington, DC: Food Adventures Part II

2010-06-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Founding Farmers (Farragut Square)- My friends like good food, I like good food, and that seems to attract other people who "like good food." On our only free night during the week that I was in DC, we carefully chose Founding Farmers (FF). Sure we had a lot of options but FF was appealing because it touted itself as sustainable, trying to buy local (in-season) ingredients. The menu was classic American food with homecooked-style dishes like mac 'n cheese, chili made with grass-fed beef, burgers, rips, and steak.

I was totally blow away by the mussels - they melted in your mouth - that came to the table steaming hot and marinating in a smooth white wine pesto sauce. I have never been a fan of mussels, having tried them only 1-2 times previous to FF. Since falling in love with the FF's mussels, I have ordered them in Juneau and San Diego; none were as good as the FF mussels. We also tried the slow-simmered sirloin chili (pretty good), and Lemon Meunière Diver Scallops, which were another table favorite. See more reviews on Yelp here.

Cork (U Street) - I have soft spot for tapas because they suit my eating lifestyle - I want to try just a little bit of everything. So tapas to share with friends at Cork is just perfect. They have a zillion wine choices and tapas made with locally grown and harvested vegetables. We shared the roasted brussel sprouts, lemon and black pepper dusted calamari and rock shrimp, chick peas in saffron broth with swiss chard and tomato, and sauteed kale. I know we had some meat in there but I cannot remember which meaty dish we chose. I can tell you that every veggie place was amazing. Seems like everyone else love's the food at Cork too, yelp reviews.

Busboys and Poets (U Street) - After dinner at Cork we walked down the street for dessert at Busboys and Poets. On a Friday night these U Street favs were packed. Just a short browse through the books before we were sitting at our table enjoying tea, coffee and carrot cake. Go see and be seen at Busboys and Poets.

photo credit: Founding Farmer's Restaurant byJonathan Thorpe; Cork Wine Bar by Brian Liu published in the Washingtonian; Busboys and Poets by scotty.trimmier

Washington, DC: Food Adventures Part I

2010-06-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Finally, I am wrapping up the DC posts. To recap I made two trips to DC in Marchand April. At the time I was living in Juneau, AK.

Now I am back in San Diego and catching you up on my adventures on the east coast. Fortunately, I have friends in DC who love good food as much as I do. We had many food outings that I will share with in two posts, cuz well the single post I wrote was much too long :-)

Teaism (Dupont Circle and Penn Quarter) - Since I have lived in DC, some 7 years ago, Teaism has expanded from its quirky row house and added a new location down by the National Mall. I did not visit the original Dupont Circle location and I hope it still has its rustic and cozy feel that makes for a perfect brunch hideout (see photo above of an upstairs table). I was not excited about the *new* location's stark, modern and streamline interior. The food has also expanded to include inventive lunch/dinner fare. I did enjoyed my ginger lemonade and cucumber ginger salad. Stick to the Dupont Circle location.

Meze (Adams Morgan) - I met up with old (high school) friends at this lively Turkish tapas joint in Adams Morgan. Though I am particularly fond of tapas, the small plates at Meze were unique and flavorful. The most adventurous dish we tried was liver (beef, I think, for the record moose liver is waaay better) and onions. Grab some friends and a table at Meze, you won't be disappointed. We were leisurely and did not notice the slow service that people are complaining about on yelp, FYI if you are in a rush.

Mai Thai (Dupont Circle) - Thai food was on the top of my list of foods-to-eat-once-out-of-Juneau. Chan's Thai Kitchen is an excellent thai restaurant in Juneau but it is located in Auke Bay, definitely not within walking distance of downtown. In fact, I was only able to eat there once. They also did not have any dishes with wide rice noodle, which I LOVE. I ate at Mai Thai on both my trips to DC. Both were excellent and I ordered my usual spicy drunken noodles. Their spicy levels are not consistent since my first visit the food was only mildly spicy and on the second visit, I could not even finish my dish it was so spicy. This place is perfect for large groups and they are pretty speedy on the service side.

Le Pain Quotidien (Spring Valley, Bethesda, MD) - I liked the French and rustic feel of Le Pain Quotidien. I coffee and the parmesan and pesto omelet - delicious and a large serving. LAH had creamed farro. We both had no idea what farro was but she said it was yummy. Google has informed me that farro is a wheat grain, debatable on which species of wheat, in its whole form. On my next trip I'm going to check out Down Dog Yoga and get breakfast at the Le Pain Quotidien in Georgetown.

I should probably start writing yelp reviews but I am feeling a little lathargic about doing that. Anyone have other ideas for where to compile my favorite eats in different cities?

photo credit: Tea + Conversation (@ Teaism) by Chocokat; Meze by mjabbasi; Le Pain Quotidien Specials by spectreman

Wake-up: Monochromatic Blooms

2010-06-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little monochromatic on this Monday morning.

source list: vintage Rosenthal Classic Modern Pattern (Germany) coffee pot from TEB's mom, gerber daisies from TJ's, Rie Munoz print from my parents.

photo credit: Cayenne 06.13.10

Weekend: Brunch at The Pearl Hotel

2010-06-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Looking for some classic southern California fun this weekend? Trybiking to brunch at The Pearl Hotel. I have raved about the food at The Pearl before.

Grab a bike and peddle over to the Pearl on the first Sunday of every month. Biking will get you half off the regular 20$ brunch special price. That means choose from ~10 brunch entrees and get unlimited mimosas.

photo credit: Cayenne 05.02.10

Fairbanks, AK: Georgeson Botanical Gardens

2010-06-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite lookouts to view the distance mountains is Georgeson Botanical Gardens. While you are on campus check out the the Museum of the North, UAF.

photo credit: Cayenne and TEB @ University of Alaska Fairbanks, top view is of the Geophysical Institute 05.16.10

Wake-up: Transition to summer

2010-05-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

I took TEB to Alaska a few weeks ago to see a season other than winter ;-) We had a really wonderful trip with my sister graduating from college, 18 hrs of sunlight, and celebrating the first week of summer with my 7 year old niece, MRC.

On one of those looong days (with plenty of sunlight) we drove to Denali National Park. The place was just waking up - the flora was starting to green and the fauna stretching their legs, and summer employees had arrived and were exploring the hiking trails, like we were. Since Fairbanks is only 2.5 hour drive north of the park it was the perfect day trip and we hiked until 11p before heading home.

More details on summer fun in the Fairbanks area coming up this week.

photo credit: TEB 05.18.10 pussy willows

Weekend: Bug Invasion

2010-05-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

Anyone know what kind of bugs have invaded our cute succulent? This is actually one of our favorite little porch plants and we hope it is going to survive. I thought it had lady bug eggs on its flowering stems, and now that they have hatched the coloring definitely means NOT lady bugs.

Sorry for the creepy, crawly pictures. Maybe our peaceful jasmine buds and blooms will calm your mind. :-)

photo credit: Cayenne 05.29.10

Movie Night: Objectified (2009)

2010-05-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

Objectified a new(-ish) documentary film by Gary Hustwit (director of Helvetica). Objectified is a must-see, especially if you loved Helvetica!

photo credit: Objectified Poster from here

Washington, DC: Homemade Sushi + Berry Rosemary Crumble

2010-05-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

Homemade Sushi - Interviewing in DC meant that I got to spend time with two of my very good friends LAH and SOA. SOA had us over for dinner one night and we feasted on homemade sushi and a berry rosemary crumble.

Unfortunately my pictures of the crumble did not turn out but it certainly stole the show. Here is the recipe for Blackberry and Rosemary Crumble from Tyler Florence. The rosemary is so key here and I cannot wait to try it myself. Huge containers of black berries were at my local Trader Joe's this morning. Someone throw a dinner party so I can bring this!

Blackberry and Rosemary Crumble

Recipe from Tyler Florence

for the crumble topping, mash together the butter, sugar, flour, and rosemary in a large bowl using your hands.

In a large bowl, mix the blackberries, sugar, arrowroot, and lemon juice together. Pour and spread the blackberry filling into a glass baking pan. Crumble the topping over the blackberry mixture. Bake for 1 hour on a nonstick cookie sheet (to catch any overflow) until the topping is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve the crumble with vanilla soy ice cream.

Time: 1 1/2 hours

Serves: 8

Crumble:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

11/2 cups sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

Needles from 2 rosemary sprigs

Filling:

2 quarts fresh blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot)

Juice of 1 lemon

photo credit: CNC and LAH 03.05.10; Fresh picked Blackberries!!! by KimFearheiley

Wake-up: May Grey + Jasmine

2010-05-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

Despite the May grey our jasmine "tree" is blooming away. I love our blustery prelude to full blown summer sunshine in southern California. I think it might actually be colder than Fairbanks is right now.

photo credit: TEB 03.14.10

Washington, DC: Julia Childs' Kitchen

2010-05-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

This is my last post on my recent trips to Washington, DC. Saving the best for last, I say. After our walk through the National Sculpture Garden my friend LMH and I ran into the Natural History Museum to gawk and peer at Julia Childs' kitchen!

The little blue kitchen was packed with cooking paraphernalia and trinkets. It felt lived in, and used, exactly how a kitchen should feel in my opinion. I loved the table in the middle of the kitchen, cuz it reminded me of my own childhood kitchen where the kitchen table was where we did craft projects, cooked dinner, and did homework.

Congratulations: College Graduation

2010-05-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my sister, SDC, who graduated from college today! She has worked very hard through her twenties to raise her daughter, work a full time job, and go to college. I could not be prouder of her accomplishments.

photo credit: My sister's Graduation Day by Lowry Lou

Washington, DC: Georgetown Cupcakes

2010-05-13T01:56:00.000-07:00

The cupcake craze is still going strong in DC - I had to stop by Georgetown Cupcake for a little break from shopping. After I long wait in line, I tried my favorite flavor - carrot cake. As I was contemplating the frosting to cake ratio (too much frosting I decided), I wondered, why much frosting on top when layered in the middle would be much better? So you cupcake people, make me a cake with layers of frosting between layers of cake! GO.

Georgetown Cupcake Yelp Review
3301 M Street NW
(between N 33rd St & N Bank St)
Washington, DC 20007

photo credit: Cayenne 03.05.10

Washington, DC: The National Mall

2010-05-12T02:15:00.000-07:00

I was fortunately enough to take TWO trips to DC recently. In March, the weather was spring-like with crisp air, a few blooms, and blue skies. Oh I was happy to see some blue sky after all the rain in Juneau, AK.

My friend LMH was nice enough to host me for a few days and we ran around the National Mall the morning before I had to jump on the plane. You can see a peak at the Capitol Building, the National Sculpture Garden, and the National Archives building.
I was particularly enamored by this very "real-looking" metal tree sculpture. It was almost as though the artist has dipped a tree in metal.

photo credit: Cayenne 03.06.10

Wake-up: Inspiration in the Blogsphere

2010-05-10T05:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a peak at my *starred* posts from last week - Inspiration is everywhere.

Enjoyed Door Sixteen's renovation of her NYC apartment and now captivated by her round up of white-on-white (plus black) rooms - dreaming about my new apartment in black and white.

Tiny House Blog posted the most petite, yet serene, guest room ever.

As a wearer of glasses I loved Black Eiffel's Girls with Glasses Fashion photo shoot.

Oh Happy Day's birthday surprise is indeed a SuRpRiSe, wish I could pull something like that off.

I had the paloma for Cinco de Mayo (substituted gin and Trader Joe's Italia Grapefruit Soda) and am inspired by Coconut + Lime's Dark and Stormy cupcakes.

I wish that I had made my mom this dahlia flower brooch from not martha, tips for creating this felt-no-sew-pop-of-color right here.

Weekend: Unpacking and organizing

2010-05-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been ages since I have posted to this little blog. These last two weeks flew by and during that time I was mostly in transit: 1 week in DC, 4 days in Juneau, 4 days in Anchorage, and 4 days in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Now I am settling back into life in San Diego. I managed take an entire week to unpack and my chameleon room is not nearly as organized as I would like it to be.

Next week I will share with you a little more about my recent trips to DC. Till then have a great weekend!

photo credit: I cleaned by room today by ClickFlashPhotos/Nicki Varkevisser

Weekend: Happy May Day

2010-05-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

Happy May Day and happy birthday to my niece MRC who turns 7 today. Someday I hope to be in Alaska for her birthday so that I can plan a maypole party. Martha Stewart has 3 dances and instructions for making the maypole and flower cones.

Barbar's Pole

Single Braid

Spider's Web

Read about how May Day is celebrated around the world here.

photo credit: mayday, mayday by Bryan Ledgard

Weekend: In Transit from DC

2010-04-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

After spending a week in DC, I am en route to Juneau on this fine Saturday. The early morning flight really did me in and I am anxiously awaiting my circuitous flight to Juneau, via Ketchikan and Sitka. I am happy to be able to get home in just one day.

photo credit: sometimes I dream... by Katelyn Vonfeldt

Wake-up: Juneau Wild Oven Bread Share

2010-04-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

With just 13 days left in the 2010 Legislative Session, I will be leaving Juneau not long after the gavel is dropped. One of things that I will miss about Juneau is the Wild Oven Breadshare. My roommate and I have been getting a freshly baked loaf of bread each Saturday and it totally makes my entire week. The bread is hardy, none of that cardboard tasteless white stuff, and is as fresh as can be.

If you sign up and pay your dues then each week you can pick your bread (after 3p on Saturday) in the lobby of the Rainbow People Food Store. No worries if you forget on Saturday, I am sure it will still be there on Sunday. I know from experience on this one.

The Wild Oven owner and baker has made some changes to the breadshare for the spring/summer season. The changes offer greater flexibility and I hope it convinces you that you NEED to eating Wild Oven fresh bread. Now you can order online, can skip weeks, can order up to 3 loaves/wk, and there are three bread choices per week.

The Wild Oven breadshare starts Saturday, April 17th. You must purchase 10 loaves to reserve your share at just $6 per loaf.

Soon you will be able to sign up here on the Wild Oven "under construction" website. In the meantime keep track of them on Facebook, Wild Oven. For more info contact the Wild oven baker at wildoven@gmail.com

photo credit: Cayenne

Spring in Juneau: Flashes of Color

2010-04-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Signs of spring are becoming bolder - soon they will speckle the hillside like the brightly colored houses of Juneau.

Identity Challenge: Can you identify the plants above? Hint, here are some options - salmonberries, crocuses, young pine boughes, cranberries, tulips, devil's club, or wild rose bushes.

photo credit: All photos taken by Cayenne and/or TEB. Winter/Spring 2010 in Juneau, Alaska.

Los Angeles: Diddy Riese Cookies (Westwood)

2010-03-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Diddy Riese in the Westwood area of LA is one of those craving-filling-must-stops if you are ever in the area. LMD and I have stopped there a number of times after a delicious dinner at Native Foods a few blocks away. Why not have a tasty vegan meal and then go get the real dairy - good thing San Diego is only a 3 hour drive away.

I had my first Diddy Riese ice cream cookie sandwich some 10 years ago, though the establishment has been round since 1983. I hear their specialty was just 50 cents back then. Inflation has the cost at about 2$ but still a great deal and well worth a visit.
Congrats to EM who will be moving to LA in the summer! I cannot wait to come visit and of course go get one of these cookie/ice cream monstrosities in Westwood.

Check out the yelp reviews for Diddy Riese and Native Foods.

photo credit: Cayenne 07.08.09

Weekend: Spring Equinox...

2010-03-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Happy vernal or spring equinox! Definitely not spring in Juneau yet but these pictures are from my 16 hour layover in Seattle a few weekends ago.

photo credit: TEB 03.07.10

Movie Night: AVATAR in 3D IMAX

2010-03-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

Right before I moved from 300 days of sun to 300 days of rain, TEB and I went up to Irvine to see AVATAR on the super big IMAX screen in 3D. It was an absolutely amazing experience and totally worth the 2-3 hours of motion sickness that I suffered on the drive home. At least I did not throw up like I saw some people doing outside the movie theater. Irvine Spectrum, where we saw the movie, is 66'x90' and Edwards Mira Mesa (biggest in SD County) is 36'x58', so ~1/3 the size. Read more about film formats here.Avatar was nominated for 9 academy awards and they won for best cinematography, art direction, and visual effects. The Avatar world was amazing and completely stretched the imagination. Good thing the cinematography was so phenomenal because the plot was hard to stomach. It was the classical story of colonization where the white man saves the indigenous people from being wiped out by the other white men.

photo credit: crowd watching Avatar by Adobe MAX Conference, IMAX comparison images from cinematical

Celebrate: Cherry Blossoms

2010-03-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

Just one week ago I was en-route home from DC (more on that later). The flight schedule is such that it takes two days to get to Juneau, via an over-night-stop in Seattle. I was a little tired at this point after spending a day running around DC looking at the sights and then a 5 hour plane flight.

When I walked into the Cedarbrook Lodge lobby there was TEB - he had flown in from San Diego just so we could spend an evening together. I was so surprised. It is not often that I am completely unaware of something like that but it was totally off my radar and it was wonderful.

By the way, if you are even in need of somewhere to stay within 5 minutes of the Sea-Tac Airport then stay at Cedarbook. It is next to a bird estuary and the design is very modern, sustainable cabin. They also have hot breakfast and serve only locally grown food.

photo credit: Cayenne 03.06.10

Weekend: Snowed In...

2010-03-13T10:31:00.000-08:00

It is still snowing! Friday no planes flew in or out of Juneau - might be another one of those days today.

Juneau, AK: Silverbow Bakery and Cafe

2010-02-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite weekend spots is Silverbow. They are the only place downtown, besides the library, that has wireless internet so you can imagine that I spent a good amount of time there when I first arrived in Juneau. Silverbow is a little bit of everything:
- Tuesday and Wednesdays they show movies for free.
- They sell bagels, obviously.
- They also sell homemade bread, soup, cookies, and sandwiches.
- They are a hotel with a hot tub.
- They host art shows on 1st Friday and other random receptions.

Only 2 blocks from the capitol building this place is even convenient as a lunch spot. I'll order my usual please - cup of warm soup with an everything bagel, toasted with butter.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.10

Juneau, AK: Hike to Herbert Glacier

2010-02-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

We were determined to actually see Herbert Glacier this time out on the trail. Leaving our running shoes at home was a good idea - hiking was the way to go.
Ice covered rocks lined the trail as neared the glacier and our turn-around point.
First peak at the glacier (left) and looking back down the trail we just journeyed from (right)...then the glacier!
Thanks to LH and CA for a braving the windy and rainy conditions for a snowy 9 mile hike out-and-back to view Herbert Glacier.

photo credit: Cayenne 02.06.10

Weekend: Morning Sunshine

2010-02-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

The weekend has mostly been a working weekend - the good is that an early morning spinning class got me up in time to see sunshine on the Douglas Island mountains.

photo credit: CA 02.13.10

Juneau, AK: Pie in the Sky

2010-02-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

Just 2 blocks from the Capitol Building is my go-to coffee shop, Pie in the Sky. Andrea the owner is very personable and she happily makes my morning soy cafe au lait. The berry scones are a treat. The pies are delicious and I'm looking forward to trying the gluten-free chocolates one of these days.

I skip the lines at Heritage Coffee in the morning and head to Pie in the Sky. Perfect.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.10

Juneau, AK: Alaskan Fudge Co.

2010-02-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

One of the good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) things about my walk to and from work is that I pass by a super tasty fudge shop called the Alaskan Fudge Co. With fudge name like Juneau White Out, Mendenhall Mudd, and Fool's Gold, you really cannot go wrong here.

All the fudge is made in their Juneau shop. Sometimes I just cannot resist and come home with some caramel corn. It never lasts more than 24 hours in the house.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.09

Wake-up: On my walk to work...

2010-02-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

I am lucky enough to be able to continue my eco-friendly commute that I enjoyed in San Diego, here in Juneau, AK. One of my favorite things about downtown Juneau is that it butts right up against the Tongass National Forest, meaning that houses only sit about 1 block high on the mountain (also for the reason that it is too steep to build higher). Think San Francisco but way smaller and at the base of Mount Juneau. Top left pic shows the view from my entryway porch and top right is looking north on South Franklin Street directly in front of my apartment.

I live a short 7 block walk from my office at the capitol building. Bottom left is the looking back at where the houses ascend up Mount Juneau. Bottom right is the view north just 2 blocks from the Capital building outside my favorite morning coffee stop, Pie in the Sky.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.19

Weekend: Girl with the Yellow Rubber Boots

2010-01-31T11:46:00.000-08:00

You know your adjusting to living in Juneau when you wear your rubber boots even if it is NOT raining. :-) Thanks be to my friend EM who convinced me that I needed these yellow beauties four days before I jumped on a plane to Juneau, AK.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.10

Wake-up: Officially Unplugged

2010-01-25T06:09:00.000-08:00

Before I moved to Juneau it never occurred to me that I should worry or plan to be in a situation without internet. I thought of all kinds of other things like the fact that there is no clothing stores in town but I'm use to that from my Fairbanks days. After living here for 1.5 weeks I have to now accept the fact that I don't have internet unless on the weekend I hit the library from 12-5p or I somehow miraculously get moving early enough to go to Silverbow Bakery and Inn for breakfast and internet.

All this makes planning things and working infinitely more difficult. Being this unplugged is very annoying and makes me sad. Not only did I move away from my friends in San Diego but I now have trouble keeping in touch with them and blogging is down to a bare minimum. I'll be back next weekend with an update.

photo credit: power hungry from t-squared

Weekend: Wilderness Running

2010-01-24T16:46:00.000-08:00

A friend, EH, invited roommate CA and I to hit the snowy trails for a run with her and her puppy. I was so thankful for an excuse to get out of downtown Juneau and out in the woods. We spent an hour running on the Herbert Glacier Trail (28 miles out of town). It was 4.5 miles to the glacier but we only made it about half way there. The snow-covered ground was really uneven ice and that made for some treacherous running conditions. I clearly need to invest in some long, running tights (somehow since living in California I only have capri-length pants) and spikes for my running shoes.

Juneau is surrounded by mountains and this is our spectacular view as we drove back to town.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.23.10

Weekend: Here comes the sun...

2010-01-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

We finally saw the sun today!

photo credit: Cayenne 01.23.10, view from living room window

Weekend: Rain, rain, go away...

2010-01-17T16:06:00.001-08:00

view out of the public library windows

I suspect that Juneau will feel more like home once I stop waking up in the morning with the hope that it is not raining. It is does not ultimately bother me too much because the fog is beautiful and so are the mountains-at least the terrain is spectacular. Also I think that once one has the right gear, the weather fades more into the background. I wear my gortex jacket and hunter rain boots everywhere.

At the moment our flat does not have internet. We have to rely on the public library and 2 coffeeshop/bakeries in town to get our internet fix. Unfortunately, all options are very limited hours and often close by early evening. I'll try to post when I can but posting will probably be pretty light during the week.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.16.2010

Juneau: Room with a View

2010-01-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

view out my window, looking left and right

Here is the view from my bedroom window on the day I arrived in Juneau, Wednesday, January 13th. It was taken about 3p in the afternoon and it had just dumped a foot or so of snow, yet it was raining at the time. Much of the this snow has since melted, as it has rained everyday since Wednesday.

The land mass you see just to the right of the concrete building is Douglas Island. During low tide one could walk across to this island but there is also a bridge. I hear that you can also ski along the west side of the island, not sure about the snow conditions since it seems pretty wet to me. I love that I can see the water out my window and to the east we butt right up against the mountains.

I'm happy this place is diabolically opposite of my hometown of Fairbanks. It is dry, dry, dry in Fairbanks and we have snow like sand that sparkles like diamonds. Juneau has fuffy, wet and perfect-for-making-snowmen-snow.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.13.2010

Living in: Juneau, Alaska

2010-01-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Changes are afoot and the biggest one is that I have temporarily moved to Juneau, Alaska. Juneau is probably the one city in Alaska that everyone has heard of because it is our state capital. It is the 3rd largest city in our vast state and is about half the size of Fairbanks, my home town. I arrived here yesterday after catching a 6:30am flight in San Diego. The flight from Seattle to Juneau is only 2 hours, about half the amount of time it takes to fly to Fairbanks. The other option is to ferry over from Hanes, here is no road to Juneau.

map of downtown Juneau

I am here for 3 months working as an intern for a State Representative from Bethel. I hope to gain some valuable health policy experience through this Representative's involvement on the Health & Social Services Committee. I will be posting as much as I can about my experiences living in Juneau.

photo credit: Alaska map from UAS

Goodbye San Diego!

2010-01-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

I had less than a week to prepare for my "move" to Juneau. I managed to update my wardrobe, visit with my friends, catch a 3D IMAX avatar show, walk on the beach to see a few good San Diego sunsets, and revive my dream of owning a vespa after seeing a beautiful yellow parked outside the public library. I think I did pretty well considering my time frame.

photo credit: Cayenne in January 2010

Blog-tag-sale: SHIRTS

2010-01-09T12:15:00.001-08:00

funky Industry brand shirt with grommets, express dress shirt, and t-bags going out shirt!

I've included the best pictures I could manage, measurements, condition, flaws, and price (not including shipping). All clothing are from a pet- and smoke-free home. If you would like an item leave your email in the comment sections and I will confirm that the item is still available. First one to comment, gets the item. Payment only via paypal (unless you are local to San Diego and will be picking up in person). There are no returns.

I am open to reasonable offers and please leave questions in the comments.

{10$} Black Express Dress Shirt - size 4
Basic black button down shirt in the old Express style. Has fantastic seams to make it fitted and great long arms. Best for a smaller than 34 inch chest. Gently worn but still has a lot of wear left in it.

Measurements:
16.5" armpit to armpit, 15" smallest part of trunk, 15" shoulder-seam to shoulder-seam, 24" shoulder-seam to cuff

{10$} Black + Charcoal Industry Knit Shirt - size SMALL/PETITE
Unusual scoop neck, long sleeve knit shirt by Industry. Grommet detailing and contrasting neck and cuff bands in charcoal really make this shirt. Worn less than 10x.

Measurements:
15.75" armpit to armpit, 19.5" armpit to cuff, 14.5" armpit to bottom

SOLD ~~{30$} T-bags Pink and Orange "Vegas" Shirt - size X-SMALL~~
Retro print, jersey knit halter top by T-bags. Not bra compatible. Best for 34" or less bust. Worn a total of 3x, including 1x in VEGAS. It really is a flattering clubbing top and in perfect condition. I bought it at full price ~150$ before T-bags gained popularity, I really hope this one finds a new owner.

Measurements:
11.5" unstretched bust, 11" width underneath bust, 16.5" armpits to bottom, 3" shorter in back vs. front

SOLD ~~{5$} Black Bebe Halter top - size SMALL~~
Black (pictures make it look more of a charcoal) jersey knit with 2 velvet bands halter top. Bra compatible but this one has pretty good support w/o it. Forgiving bottom as it is slightly a-lined. It has been worn twice. Tuck it in or out.

Measurements:
13" unstretched bust, 12" width below bust, 14" armpit to bottom

Blog-tag-sale: SKIRTS

2010-01-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

marimekko-style print brown/black H&M skirt, red sidewell and green fei skirts from anthropologie!

I've included the best pictures I could manage, measurements, condition, flaws, and price (not including shipping). All clothing are from a pet- and smoke-free home. If you would like an item leave your email in the comment sections and I will confirm that the item is still available. First one to comment, gets the item. Payment only via paypal (unless you are local to San Diego and will be picking up in person). There are no returns. I am open to reasonable offers and please leave questions in the comments.

{15$} NWT Brown/Black print skirt from H&M, size 4
Scandinavian-inspired black and brown print skirt with 2 front pockets, belt loops, and removable belt. This is a high-waisted skirt on a true-to-size 4 person and low-waisted on a size 2. Fully lined, has back zipper and good construction for an H&M piece. Purchased in Spring 2008 and never worn.

Why am I letting it go?
I having finally accepted the fact that I don't look good in high-waisted skirts.

Measurements:
14" waist, 20" length

{15$} Green fine-wale corduroy skirt by Fei from Anthropologie - size 2
This was my favorite Anthropologie piece for a long time and it still has a lot of life left in it. Removeable tie in the front with belt loops. Button and zipper on the front and 2 front pockets. Has a side zip pocket on the front about half-way down the thigh. Purchased at full price about 8 years ago.

Measurements:
14" waist, 17" hips, 36" length

{15$} Red draw-string skirt by Sidwell from Anthropologie - size 2
Fun, red draw-string skirt with grommets by Sidwell. Fabric is 60% cotton and 40% polyamide. This is a high-waisted skirt on a true-to-size 4 person and low-waisted on a size 2. Two front pockets and 1 back slash pocket. Purchased at full price about 8 years ago.

Measurements:
14" waist, 22" length

Blog-tag-sale: PANTS

2010-01-09T11:52:00.001-08:00

Brand new mountain hardware hiking pants + anthropologie liquid brand black dress pants!

I've included the best pictures I could manage, measurements, condition, flaws, and price (not including shipping). All clothing are from a pet- and smoke-free home. If you would like an item leave your email in the comment sections and I will confirm that the item is still available. First one to comment, gets the item. Payment only via paypal (unless you are local to San Diego and will be picking up in person). There are no returns. I am open to reasonable offers and please leave questions in the comments.

{40$} Gray Mountain Hardware Zip-off hiking pants - size 2
Virtually brand new mountain hardware hiking pants that zip-off into shorts. Low rise with zippers on the bottom so you can take convert into shorts without taking off your shoes. 100% nylon material, 2 back flap pockets, and 2 front pockets plus a single zip pocket (see left photo, on the left side).
Why am I letting them go?
Seriously only worn for a day and then washed. They shrunk after washing and I liked them so much I bought the next size up.

Measurements:
14" waist, 28.5" inseam, 18" hip, 7.5" waist to crotch in front, 15.75" waist to zip-offs

{20$} Anthropologie Liquid Black Dress Pants - size 2 (tailored)
Classic cotton boot-cut black pants with textured verticle lines (see 2nd photo). Tab-front and no pockets create a very stream-line pant. I had these taken in down the entire length of the pant (too wide) so double check with the measurements below. Worn 1x and in perfect condition.
Measurements:
15.5" waist, 8" waist to crotch in front, 31.5" inseam, 16.25" hips

Blog-tag-sale: JACKETS

2010-01-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

brown suede banana republic and cream retro crop swing jacket!

I've included the best pictures I could manage, measurements, condition, flaws, and price (not including shipping). All clothing are from a pet- and smoke-free home. If you would like an item leave your email in the comment sections and I will confirm that the item is still available. First one to comment, gets the item. Payment only via paypal (unless you are local to San Diego and will be picking up in person). There are no returns.

I am open to reasonable offers and please leave questions in the comments.

{50$} Banana Republic Dark Chocolate Brown Suede Jacket - size SMALL
This is perfect condition suede jacket that has precise tailoring and is the perfect dark, dark brown. So dark that you can wear it with black or brown. Two flap front pockets and a single pleat in the back. Fully lined, heavy, and warm.
Measurements:
18" armpit to armpit, 15" shoulder-seam to shoulder-seam, 25" shoulder-seam to cuff, 24" shoulder-seam to bottom, 15.75" smallest part of jacket Why am I letting is go? I probably wore this a total of 10 hours the entire time I've owned it. I have been keeping it around with the hopes that we would buy a vespa scooter and I could wear it to scoot around (with driving goggles and scarf flying in the wind) - no such luck. It is time to give it up.

{10$} Nick & Mo Cream Cropped Retro-style Jacket - size SMALL
Cream colored cropped jacked with retro styling, large buttons, and 3/4 length sleeves. This jacket was one of my favorites. It easy went with jeans and over fancy dresses. 3 buttons, 2 front pockets, and fun polka dot lining Why am I letting this go?
I washed it a few days ago and it shrunk! Has lot of life left it in and it goes with everything. I so wish I had not put it in the dryer. Now its new owner can easily throw it in the washer and dryer.

Measurements:

16.25" armpit to armpit, 13" armpit to cuff, 10.5" armpit to bottom

Blog-tag-sale: DRESSES

2010-01-07T23:41:00.000-08:00

I'm starting off my blog tag sale with dresses. I've included the best pictures I could manage, measurements, condition, flaws, and price (not including shipping). If you would like an item leave your email in the comment sections and I will confirm that the item is still available. First one to comment, gets the item. Payment only via paypal (unless you are local to San Diego and will be picking up in person). There are no returns. I am open to reasonable offers and please leave questions in the comments.

{50$} J. Crew Sophia Dress - Dark Green Silk Tricoline, size 4 Petite Beautiful and versatile dress that was never worn and in excellent condition. Still has tag attached. Bought on sale for ~120$.

Measurements:
Bust 15 inches - there is a lot of give in the bust due to the splice, bra can be worn with this dress, best fit for someone with less than a 35 inch bust.
13 inches at the smallest part of the waist
31 inches from the underarm seam to the hemline, I am 5'5" and this dress hits me below the knee.

SOLD ~~{30$} Anthropologie Brown/Cream Swirl Dress with Yellow Sash~~
- size 4 PetiteStriking strapless cotton poplin dress with brilliant (and removable) cotton-linen yellow sash (5 inches wide) by Tabitha from Anthropologie Fall '06 or Winter '07. Light boning (4 total) in the sides to support the strapless style. Worn a total of 3 times. Dress is in great condition but has a water mark under the left bust, see detailed pictures. Dry-cleaners could not remove it and I was too scared to try on my own. Barely noticeable, in fact I wore it to 2 weddings with the mark. Originally 168$. Measurements:
Bust 15 inches - measurement taken with dress laying flat, I believe bust would best fit someone with less than a 35 inch bust
13 inches at the smallest part of the waste.
33 inches from underarm seam to the hemline, I've 5'5" and it comes 2 inches below my knees.
SOLD ~~{30$} Marimekko for Anthropologie Navy Blue Dress - size 2~~Fantastic and casual a-line marimekko print cotton dress. Dress is unlined and has side-seam pockets. I wore this dress twice to dinner parties. In excellent condition and ready for a new home. Or someone handy with a sewing machine and who loves Marimekko fabric.

Measurements:
Bust 15 inches - there are small bust darts but this measurement is pretty accurate, in my option someone with smaller than a C cup chest would get the best fit.
14 inches - under bust, a-line from there
25.5 inches - underarm seam to hemline

{20$} Free People Brown + Green Summer Dress - size 0The details make this dress: ribbon straps, side-button closure, and large weave cotton brown with textured green lines. A-line shape and spliced bust make the size versatile. Worn <4>Measurements:
Bust 17 inches
15 inches - under bust, a-line from there
34.5 inches - underarm seam to hemline

Blog-tag-sale: Starting Tomorrow

2010-01-06T23:20:00.000-08:00

The new year has brought the urge to purge my closet. I am offering up clothing that is gently or never (gasp) worn. Over the next few days I will be posting items for my blog-tag-sale in categories: dresses, jackets, skirts, pants, and shirts. Prices are negotiable and suggested based upon original purchase price (I'll tell you, if I remember) and the current condition of the item. The first person to comment that they want the item, gets it. First up: DRESSES.

It would be so nice if my closet looked like Chez Larsson's closet above. You can read about her closet purge here. Inspiring. I am preparing for a big (temporary) move and don't want to store or drag extra stuff with me.

photo credit: Chez Larson flickr stream

Happy Holidays: from Fairbanks, Alaska

2009-12-29T11:01:00.001-08:00

As promised here are the highlights of our holiday in Alaska. My sister and niece decorated a lovely tree that we still are enjoying. TEB and I got MIA a book on ZOO-ology from Anthropologie (not on their website but here it is at Barnes & Noble). She loved it and we were able to use it to fend off present opening until after breakfast. We also strung a garland made of glass beads and bells on stretchy string for the tree. Lots of mandarin oranges have been consumed and "Santa" ate the sugar cookies + water that MIA left him (Santa also ate the fresh carrots left for him at my parent's house). Scrabble was played.

photo credit: Cayenne 12.25.09

Sunday Supper: On Hiatus...

2009-12-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday Supper is on hiatus for a bit. It might come back in an altered form or not at all and I need a few weeks to think about it. I do think that Sunday Supper at Cayenne & Carob has served its purpose; I was in a no-cooking-funk and scheduling one day a week to cook helped me get back to my normal cooking routine.

For now, I leave you with some snapshots of what we ate for Christmas dinner in Alaska (left to right): half-dried salmon (my favorite, reference this post on other ways to prepare salmon), my mom's famous fruit salad, jarred salmon covered with cucumbers (decorated by aunt Dorthy with radishes in the shape of mushrooms and curled celery), macaroni and bacon bake (made by aunt Sister), and muk tuk (whale blubber).

photo credit: Cayenne 12.25.09

Happy Holidays: from Seattle

2009-12-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

For the past four years I have celebrated the holiday season with two families: TEB's family in Seattle, WA, and my family in Alaska. Here is a glimpse of our Seattle holiday festivities complete with mulled wine or glogg, lefse, and twinkly lights in downtown Seattle. I'll be back after the weekend with a peek into the Alaska version.

photo credit: Cayenne + TEB, December 2009

Wake-up: Holiday Decorating

2009-12-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

I am with my family in Alaska for the holiday season. Given that we are spending 2 weeks away from our San Diego home, I went minimalist on the holiday decorations. I put up the Christmas bears next to a tree silhouette quilted by my mom, surrounded by mini presents.
The plants got a few decorations from some hanging mittens and Swedish straw ornaments. Looking forward to January!

photo credit: Cayenne 12.13.09

Sunday Supper: Ultimate Ginger Cookie

2009-12-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

I'm sharing my ULTIMATE ginger cookie recipe with you today. I promise that you will bake these up, everyone will love them, and you will making batch 2 within a week.

Ginger Cookies
by Cayenne (my notes say food network but i don't remember exactly)

1 ½ cups unsalted butter (or use salted butter and leave out salt below)
2 cups light brown sugar
½ cup unsulfered molasses
2 eggs
3 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (or just add all whole wheat)
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1 cup candied ginger, finely chopped
~2 cups Turbinado sugar (can be found at trader joe's, brown in color and has large crystals)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy; Add molasses and eggs and mix well. Combine flour, ground ginger, baking soda and salt and add to butter mixture; Blend in fresh and candied ginger.Pour turbinado sugar on a plate; roll tsp-size dough into ball, roll in sugar; press flat the dough balls on parchment covered baking sheet (or press down in cross-hatch pattern w/ fork). TEB figured out a quick way to coat multiple dough-balls at a time.

These cookies are going to flatten out a lot. Bake about 10 minutes for soft chewy cookies; ~12 minutes for crunchy cookies.

N.B. a kitchenaid mixer really helps mix up the stiff dough or coerce some muscle in the house to stir - that is what I did.

photo credit: Cayenne 12.16.09

Sunday Supper: Nevermind, just COOKIES!

2009-12-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

Apple and Carrot Shortbread Cookies:

Apple and carrot shortbread recipe was adapted by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks and was originally from Good Tempered Food by Tamasin Day-Lewis. I am not going to copy the recipe here to encourage you to head over to one of my favorite online recipes sources.

I followed the recipe exactly, unusual for me, I know. I speak from experience that this dough keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days. My house was sans rolling pin prior to the making of the Apple and Carrot Shortbread cookies.

Next up are the Everything Oatmeal Cookies from Susan of Food Blogga. When I was in Alaska last month my sister said to me, "I want to make some cookies with oatmeal, chocolate, fruit, coconut, etc." Sounds like she is craving the everything-and-anything-you-got-oatmeal-cookies. So we got to mixing and cupboard hunting. Turns out we pretty much had everything on the list for Everything Oatmeal Cookies. They sure were good!

Next week we are skipping supper again for my favorite cookie recipe. You are going to want to give them to everyone you know, I promise!

photo credit: Cayenne 11.03.09 and 11.05.09

Sunday Supper: Sorrel Pesto

2009-12-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

Sorrel showed up in my organic CSA food box over the summer. In a pinch and short on time, I blended it up into a wonderful, tangy pesto. You are going to love how quick and easy this is after all that hard Thanksgiving cooking. Sorrel looks like a longer, skinnier spinach and it has a lemony taste. Read more about this magnesium and calcium-rich green here.

Sorrel Pesto
by Cayenne

Serves 2-4, freeze the leftovers

1 bunch sorrel
4 garlic cloves
2 handfuls shaved Parmesan cheese
3-5 tbsp olive oil (your favorite stuff)
1 handful pine nuts
Salt + pepper to taste

Wash sorrel as you would any other leafy green. No need to spin off the water. In a mini cuisinart (or whatever blending tool you have). Add handfuls of leaves, garlic, 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Whiz. Whiz. Whiz. Keep adding sorrel leaves and olive oil until a slightly dry paste is formed. Thin out the paste with a few tbsp of water. Whiz in the pine nuts. Taste. Add salt + pepper and cheese. Whiz. Throw over your favorite pasta. Maybe add some fresh tomatoes, olives, and parsley. I freeze the leftovers in small tuppers, they defrost well in the microwave.

These weeks are flying by, next week's Sunday Supper will be sweet and a bit more festive.

photo credit: Cayenne 08.16.09

Winter Wishlist: Boots

2009-11-30T10:19:00.000-08:00

Winter Wishlist Boots: I am thinking about gearing up for cold weather in a wet environment. Strangely enough San Diego and Fairbanks, AK have one thing in common despite the drastically different temperatures - dry, low-moisture climates. Living in rainy climates is very foreign to me. I lived in DC for 3 years but I don't think that I mastered the cold, windy and wet winter. Here is what I have on my wishlist if I have to move to where it rains more than 3x/year.

1. Tall waterproof and warm boots that can handle icy sidewalks.

Cydwoq desk boot, pictures from Ped Shoes, 440$. I normally wear European size 39 but sized way down to 37.5 in these American-made shoes. The tailoring was near perfect and good for people with slim calves.

2. Aquatalia by Marvin K, Spunky boot in chocolate brown, 400$. I owned these for about a week before I took them back due to the price. To date they have been the most comfortable boots that I have put on. They have a cushioned foot bed and a narrower calf, though you can see from the photos that the calf area was still a bit big on me. The lug sole is great for slippery sidewalks and all the reviews I read said the suede holds up in rainy weather (Seattle-based reviewers). I am waiting for these to show up on Sierra Trading Post next year. I think the Aquatalia Kerry Suede Waterproof boot is a beauty too.

Wouldn't all these boots look lovely with the Lole plaid Stylish jacket, 190$ (polyester, not wool!).

Sunday Supper: Lentil and Sausage Soup

2009-11-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Clean-out-the-fridge Turkey (or Chicken) Soup.

I made this soup back when I "tried" to roast a chicken (on the list for a redo next year). I think it would be perfect when made with turkey stock. I hope you remembered to save your turkey carcass from Thanksgiving dinner! See Thursday's post to read about preparing homemade stock. Stock keeps forever in the freezer but only a few days in the fridge. Jar it and freeze it. Might as well make extra soup and freeze that too.

Lentil + Sausage Soup
By Cayenne

Hot Italian Sausages, sauteed and broken into smaller pieces
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 cup of turkey or chicken stock
handful or two of mixed, dried lentils (bulk aisle at whole foods)
1 bunch kale or chard, destemmed (use the stems but add them earlier) and chopped
handful of cubed, cooked potatoes
cayenne pepper
salt + pepper

In a largish soup pot saute the sausage (you want the pot to be big enough for the entire soup). Once the sausage is browned add the onions, cook for 1-2 minutes. If there is a lot (more than 2 cm) of grease in the pan drain some of the grease off. Otherwise go ahead and use it for flavor. Throw in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the stock and lentils, bring soup to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

You can stop at this point and freeze the soup for later when you can add whatever you can find when you defrost it. The rest of the recipes depends on what you are adding to the soup. Always add things that take longer to cook first and the more delicate veggies near the end, e.g. any greens or already cooked squash or potatoes. Carrots, the woody stems of kale and chard, or uncooked potatoes will take a bit to cook so add those early on in the cooking process.

Taste at this point so that you can add cayenne pepper, salt, fresh black pepper to suit your spice preference. I use very little salt in my food because my mom never salted anything and TEB just happens to be really sensitive to salt. For this particular soup I would not add any spices until the very end. The sausage adds a lot of spiciness and salt so I would not be surprised if the soup only needs a touch of pepper.

photo credit: Cayenne 08.09.09, 09.11.09

Weekend: Creatures of Buck Mountain

2009-11-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the house on top of Buck Mountain (Orcas Island, WA). I wanted to show you some of the hidden creatures at TEB's parents' house.
A small Velkommen sign welcomed us to this mountain top retreat. On the left you can see the outline of a wood dragon that protects the main house. I think this is a traditional wood-style that is found on Norwegian churches.
This handmade viking ship sits atop the stone mantle in the main house (there are 3 other small buildings: a guest house + sauna, a cache, and a studio). TEB's grandfather in Norway hand carved this replica.

When sitting and joying the hot tub, super nice when it is foggy and the wind it blustering, Mr. Turnip-head (Orcas Island Pottery) is reminding you to keep those pine needles out of that toasty warm water. From one of the main house windows you will find Saint Francis of Assisi looking in. As the patron saint of animals he keeps the squirrels and deer safe.

photo credit: Cayenne 11.26.09 Orcas Island, WA

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of WA on this beautiful Thankgiving day. Tomorrow we will be giving thanks with family and friends. It is never too late to have a Thanksgiving dinner.

Save those turkey carcasses because this week's Sunday Supper will make good use of them. In fact, turn it into turkey stock by doing the following:
1. Place turkey carcass in a large pot and fill with water until turkey is covered
2. Fridge clean-out = add whatever veggies (roughly chopped) you find in the fridge, e.g. carrots, celery, onion (save the potatoes, yams, and squash for later)
3. Spices - a bay leaf or two depending on how big your turkey was, 5-10 peppercorns, garlic, and any left over fresh herbs you have.
4. Bring to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer covered for 2-4 hours. Add extra water if it is gets too low.
5. Strain entire pot so all you have left is a nice broth. Will keep for a few days or you can put in glass jars and freeze (leave a few cm of room at the top for the liquid to expand once frozen)

See you Sunday for Supper!

Sunday Supper: Ina Garten's Red Spaghetti Sauce

2009-11-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Ina Garten's Red Spaghetti Sauce from Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook.

Pasta is a good ol' standby in my house. One can always find various kinds of pasta (Swiss Egg Noodles, organic whole grain penne etc) and a jar of pasta sauce hidden somewhere in the kitchen. Jarred pasta sauce is always a little bland so I saute up some onions and garlic, maybe throw in some kale or whatever left over veggies are in the fridge. I always thought homemade red sauce was this extra step that I could not possibly have time to do. It was only recently that TEB and I found crushed tomatoes in the pantry and were forced to make the stuff from scratch. It turned out delicious, I might never go back to the jarred stuff. Well maybe only as a second backup.

Barefoot Contessa's Red Spaghetti Sauce
by Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (double if you love garlic, like i do)
1/2 cup good red wine (used whatever old stuff was in the fridge)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in your favorite pan (for some flavor I use my cast iron pan). Saute the onions until they are translucent, then add the garlic. Cook until very fragrant ~ 1-2 minutes.

Add the wine and cook on high heat until almost all the liquid evaporates (4-5 minutes). Add the canned tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

Serves 6, with 1 1/2 pounds cooked pasta and lots of shaved Parmesan. I pile on the black olives and leave them off for TEB who is a member of the "I hate black olives club." This is another recipe to keep on file for when you are cooking for a crowd.

photo credit: Cayenne 09.23.09

Wake-up: Marimekko Christmas News

2009-11-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

During an 8 hour layover in Seattle, TEB and I ventured down to Pike's Place Market. We bought some carrots from one of the veggie vendors and fresh donuts. On our way to lunch with TEB's family at SAM we quickly ran through Tuuli, a cute shop that features Marimekko textiles. In the Marimekko Christmas Newsletter I discovered these lovely illustrations of how to use fabric to wrap gifts. I might just try it for this year's Christmas presents. I was getting a little tired of my recycled paper bag + stamp combo.
Tuuli
1407 First Avenue
Seattle WA 98101
Tel: 1.206.223.1112
tuuliseattle@gmail.com

photo credit: images from marimekko christmas newsletter 2009

Sunday Supper: Homemade Life's Turkey Meatballs

2009-11-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: versatile Turkey Meatballs from Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette Blog.

I have a fantastic recipe for you today - turkey meatballs. These guys were debuted at a dinner party my friend, and fellow foodie, AA and I threw in celebration of our other friend JLR's super fabulous PhD defense. There were many stars at this shindig including an anise-flavored beet salad and a delicate tres leches cake with blackberries. I am not sure what recipe AA used for the tres leches cake but this one from Sunset/Myrecipes looks similar. Somehow no pictures exist of the beet salad but it definitely worth making again and next time I'll take pictures so I can post the recipe.

Now back to our main course: turkey meatballs. You have just enough time to test this out for the biggest turkey-eating day of the year. I will speak from experience that this recipe is easily doubles (or triples) and transitions into crowd finger food with the addition of toothpicks. Four days after our dinner party TEB and I made a double batch for a gathering in Alaska (more on this later). The only time consuming part was baking 2 batches in the oven. In my sister's normal-sized oven we could only cook 2 cookie sheets worth of meatballs at a time.

I suggest that you brown the meatballs in a cast iron pan on the stove and then freeze the meatballs if you are making them for Thanksgiving. You should be able to make them weeks in advance. Then the day of the party just throw the frozen meatballs in the oven until they are warmed through.

Turkey Meatballs with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts with Lemon-and-cumin Yogurt Sauce
By Molly Wizenberg, Homemade Life, blog post A Man Who Knows Meatballs

3 lb. ground white-meat turkey (or 1:1 light to dark meat)
3 small yellow onion, *FINE* mince
3 eggs (or more depending on how dry the mix is)
¾ cups finely chopped cilantro or parsley
1 ½ cups toasted pine nuts
1 ½ cups golden raisins (chopped)
1 ½ cups fine bread crumbs
A few pinches ground cumin (3-4 pinches)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
A few pinches freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Lemon-and-Cumin Yogurt Sauce
1 cup Nonfat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (save zest)
1-2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2 pinches ground cumin
1 pinch ground chili
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350-375 degrees.
In a large bowl mix all ingredients except olive oil and yogurt sauce. You need plenty of room for mixing (especially if you double this recipe as we did) with your hands. Depending on how fine you mince the onions will determine how easy it is to form the meatballs. If you go super-fine then you might be able to use two teaspoons to gently roll the meat mix into a ball form. If your onion is in larger chunks then use your hands to make balls approximately 1 inch in diameter. Of course the larger you make them the longer they will take to cook.

Coat cookie sheets with olive oil and place your round meatballs in rows. Don't crowd them or they will not cook evenly. Bake for 25-45 minutes (depends on the size of your meatballs).

Meanwhile, make the Lemon-and-Cumin Yogurt Sauce. Mix ingredients to taste in a bowl, and keep chilled until serving. For large parties have toothpicks handy and make the meatballs small enough to be bite-size. As a main course for our 6 person dinner party the average was about 5 meatballs per person. These make great leftovers and if you get tired of cooking meatballs the meat mix can be freshly cooked the following day.

photo credit: Cayenne 11.01.09 and 11.05.09

Wake-up: Under-the-weather in Fairbanks, AK

2009-11-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends! I had to take a last minute trip north to Alaska last Wednesday. Then I got really sick (no I don't think it was swine flu but I had a fever of 102). I am only now feeling well enough to read my inbox and pop over here to let you know why I did not post Sunday Supper yesterday. I spent most of Sunday sleeping.

TEB, MIA and mom drove out to the Knotty Shop for ice cream and shopping. Grandma and Jimmie even came over for dinner and I slept through it all. I woke up to head over to my sister's house, help TEB put MIA to bed and watch a little TV. I have been using my natural medicine cabinet and feel so much better today. Sunday Supper will be back next week.

photo credit: Winter warmers by H is for Home

Sunday Supper: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds + Mulled Cider

2009-10-31T23:55:00.000-07:00

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds + Mulled Cider

There are many things I love about fall but two of my favorites are roasted pumpkin seeds and mulled cider. I have to confess that my most recent attempt at roasting pumpkin seeds has been my one-and-only success. Mulled cider is so easy to make, especially once I tell you my little trick - pre-packaged mulling spices. I keep the pantry stocked because you never know when you need to spice up that old red wine or to warm your insides with some delicious cider. The recipe is very simple: Heat your beverage of choice (red wine or apple juice) with 2-3 tablespoons of mulling spices over the lowest heat setting as possible for 30 minutes. That. is. it. Now keep reading for the easy roasted pumpkin seeds recipe.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
By Cayenne, adapted from NW

Spray oil
Sesame oil
Salt & Pepper
special seasoning (optional)
cookie sheet
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Rinse your pumpkin seeds well and get all the little bits of pumpkin outta there. Spread on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry or let them air out for a bit. Take a cookie sheet and spray with a bit of olive oil (I use the Misto Olive Oil Sprayer).

2. Put the pumpkin seeds into a small bowl and add a drizzle of sesame oil, mix well. Spread seeds in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Give them lots of room. Crank some freshly ground pepper over them.

3. Now comes the part where you can dive into your spice drawer and use just about anything to seasons these guys. I used Denali SP'ICE Alaskan Alder Smoked Sea Salt for one batch and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning for the other batch. My favorite was the alder smoked salt.

Bake for 5-10 minutes but check them often.

photo credit: Cayenne 10.23.09

Weekend: Happy Hallooween

2009-10-31T18:28:00.000-07:00

BOO!

Sunday Supper: Vegan Asian-style Lettuce Wrap

2009-10-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Vegan Asian-style Lettuce Wraps

I was inspired to create this recipe after envying all the people eating vegan lettuce wraps at my friends' spectacular wedding. Their entire menu was vegan and unfortunately for me the lettuce wraps had cilantro (yes, I am one of those cilantro haters). Everyone raved about the deliciousness of the lettuce wraps and I wanted some too.

Vegan Lettuce Wraps
by Cayenne, sauces from RecipeZaar

1 package veggie ground (I don't have a brand preference just as long as it is plain flavored)
couple cups green cabbage shredded
handful shitake mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced and separated into green portions and white portions
1-2 tablespoons ginger, grated
water chestnuts, canned and sliced
1 head butter lettuce

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Special Topping Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp hot mustard
2 tsp water
1-2 tsp garlic and red chile paste

The key to stirfrying all this up is to having prepped before you start cooking and to add spices until it "smells fantastic." Seriously, you want to smell that ginger and garlic as it cooks in the pan. I store the ground filling, lettuce, and sauces all separate in the fridge so it makes a great lunch for the next few days.

1. Prep all stir fry ingredients and mix up the sauces.

2. Heat sesame oil in large frying pan or wok. Dump in the veggie ground and cook until heated all the way through.

3. Add the garlic, onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms to the pan. After a few minutes throw in the ginger. Now it should start smelling delicious. When almost done add the stir fry sauce. Cook until cabbage is tender and the mushrooms browned.

4. Plate the stir fry into lettuce cups and drizzle with the Special Sauce.
photo credit: Cayenne 10.18.09

Sunday Supper: Jamie Oliver's Grilled Mushroom Risotto

2009-10-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Grilled Mushroom Risotto from Jamie Oliver's book Jamie at Home, recipe here.
Grilled Mushroom Risotto
Adapted slightly by Cayenne, from Jamie Oliver's cookbook Jamie at Home

6 ⅓ cups chicken stock (approximately and definitely used homemade)
~~Handful dried porcini mushrooms~~ (could not find any)
Olive oil 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
~~2 sticks celery, trimmed and finely chopped~~ (was out of celery)
14 ounces risotto rice - found at Whole Foods on the top shelf of the rice section)
⅔ cup white wine (or vermouth)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large handfuls wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (don't use button mushrooms) Few sprigs fresh tarragon and/or parsley, leaves picked and chopped
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons butter
2 handfuls freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil

1.Saute the onion (and celery if you got it) with the olive oil. Turn up the heat and add the rice. Mix well with the onions and get coated in oil. Add the wine and keep stirring until the rice has soaked up the wine.

2. Add a ladleful of stock, slowly and gently stirring the rice so that it does not stick. Keep up the simmer and adding stock after each batch has been sucked up by the rice. Taste the rice every so often to see if it is done. This step took ~30-40 minutes. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding ladles of stock.

3. When you think the rice is just al dente, take a dry large cast iron pan and grill the mushrooms until they are juicy and soft. Throw the mushrooms and herbs into a bowl, squeeze half a lemon over them, and maybe at a touch of salt (I did not add any extra salt).

4. Remove the risotto from the hot burner and stir in the butter and the Parmesan. I had to adjust with a bit more stock and cheese. Keep gently folding the cheese in until you get a creamy texture.

5. Put a lid on it and let the risotto sit for 3-4 minutes. Pour yourself a glass of wine (ya know the rest of the white wine that you used at the beginning of the recipe).

6. Plate the risotto with a pile of mushrooms, dusting of Parmesan, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Our friend AD was over for "dinner" (it was 10:30p by the time this dish was done) and everyone declared it a success. I had to alter the recipe quite a bit and the risotto was still delicious. I will be making this again as I have since found dried porcini mushrooms.

If you can find the dried porcini mushrooms. Add this step at the beginning: heat the stock to a low simmer. In a bowl cover the porcini mushrooms with hot stock and let sit until soft (just a few minutes). Reserve the stock but remove remove the porcini and chop. Add the porcini after the wine has been absorbed. Continue with step 2 above.

photo credit: Cayenne 10.09.09

Sunday Supper: Jamie Oliver's Old Fashioned Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

2009-10-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Old Fashioned Sweet Shortcrust Pastry for making Sweet Pies straight from Jamie Oliver's book Jamie at Home, recipe here.

Making pie crust is scary because the results are highly variable, at least in my experience. I was looking for a go-too pie crust that I could count on and I believe Jamie's recipe is just that recipe. I was surprised at both how stressful it was to make this crust and how easy it will be to make it in the future. Just do a little practice before bringing this out for Thanksgiving.

Pie Crust Recipe
makes about 2 pounds

3 1/2 cups organic, all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 cup icing sugar (confectioner's or powdered sugar), sifted
1 cup plus 2 tbsp good quality cold butter, cut into small cubes
zest of 1 lemon
2 large free-range or organic eggs, beaten
a splash of milk (substituted soy)

I really think having cold butter is the key here. You don't want to change the chemistry or consistency of the butter before or while it is combined with the flour. Chill your butter and a large cookie sheet in the fridge before starting.

1. Cube the butter and put it in the freezer while you prep the flour (~5-10 minutes).
2. Sift the flour from a height (12 or so inches high) onto the cold cookie sheet.
3. Quickly, but thoroughly, work the butter into the flour by smooshing it between your thumbs. When the mixture is a fine crumb add the lemon zest (or orange zest, pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, or vanilla seeds)
4. Beat the eggs lightly and add to the flour/butter mixture. Add a splash of milk as you gently work the mixture into a ball.
5. Divide into 2 balls. Flour lightly and pat it into a flat round. Wrap each round with saran wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

That is pretty much it! Mix up your fruit with your favorite spices and maybe some agave syrup (or sugar if that is your preference). Roll out your crust and be inventive with shapes and pans.

I had company over for this pie crust making extravaganza. One friend brought fresh tiny apples from Julian so we used those for the filling. We made 6 muffin-size pies and a regular pie with a bottom and top. In addition I was able to make a regular pie with a lattice top. It really was so easy. Now go make some pie crust!

photo credit: Cayenne 09.20.09