October 27, 2011

story time.

alright, so halloween has always been a significant holiday in my life....

when i was young, vo and vavie (grandma and grandpa) use to get a bunch of refrigerator boxes and set up a crazy maze of darkness that you had to crawl on hands and knees in order to get into the house (already a childhood hit). inside you would find a gigantic spread of all things fatty, salty, sweet, and cheesy. let me tell you, i probably had about a twenty percent carotid blockage by age ten due to this awesome night. we usually made our costumes and vavie (grandma) was always decked in some over the top queen outfit with a megaphone was near by. after munching and peoples arrival, we would crawl back out of that sweet maze and hop into a boat mounted on a trailer that was pulled by a tractor (alright so we sound a little like jack and coke, dorito casserole rednecks that lived in a double wide- ill give you that). this lovely boat/tractor contraption would drive us down the tiny little evans road street where we would 'trick-or-treat' to approximately ten houses (don't hate because these houses got about ten trick-or-treaters so we go loads of candy). once back at home we would carefully divide and trade the goods and since i was never and still am not a big candy person, an occasional 'nerd' or lollipop was consumed. 

flash forward to seventh grade, where I (for the first time) got to go trick or treating in 'the arbors'- aka a middle schoolers dream of a halloween night community with so much pre-teen giggles and awkwardly provocative costumes- where i distinctly remember wearing a tight long sleeve t-shirt with a scoop neck (woah, go big em). it was 'like awesome and cool and i like saw everyone from school'. 

high school halloween was filled with coed hot tub/pool nights paired with thrown together outfits, overly eccentric make-up and staying up well into the night doing absolutely nothing (but having a great time, none-the-less). 

college came around and we all know what that means- scantily clad kitty and half naked gi-joe come out to play. while i may not have participated in those wardrobe choices, i have had some incredible halloween nights accompanied by my roommates, cheap costumes, the bf, booze, and dancing (sorry mom and dad). 

i say this all because i am headed home this weekend to celebrate halloween. last year's halloween outing proved to be one of my most memorable and fun nights of college- and im doing it again. woo woo!

happy early halloween! have fun and stay safe! talk to you next week!

October 25, 2011

fall pasta.

this has quickly become one of my favorite go-to dishes. 
bucatini with turkey sausage and zucchini.
found it this summer in real simple magazine (love) and have been making it quite often since.
great steaming hot for dinner or cold the next day for lunch.
i highly suggest!
Ingredients
  • 12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 pound Italian-style turkey sausage links, casings removed
  • 1 pound zucchini and/or summer squash (about 4), thinly sliced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces), plus more for serving
  • 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
Directions
1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the zucchini and/or squash, onion, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are golden and very tender, 15 to 18 minutes (reduce heat if the pan begins to darken).
4. Toss the pasta with the sausage, vegetables, Parmesan, oregano, and ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry). Serve with additional Parmesan.
p.s. i highly suggest fresh manchego instead of parmesan and fontina, spinach chicken sausage (TJ's) was a great alternative too.
enjoy!

October 24, 2011

517 1/2.

i realized that i never introduced you to my apt.
welcome to 517 1/2.
yes, our address ends in 1/2.
our "rustic" college street.
come on in.
my little humble abode.
or humble a home (abs).

stop on by if you're in the neighborhood.
warm welcome to obama who is down the street this afternoon...
thanks for all the traffic and low helicopters el presidente... 
i'll be parking it on the couch for the night:)

October 23, 2011

sunday.

from top to bottom, sunday is a great day.

growing up sunday was the day that we went to church, had a great big breakfast, gardened with dad, split a can of dr. pepper in the afternoon, had a fire in winter, made tea and popcorn, and mom was always cooking something that smelled great for the rest of the week. since then it has changed some but that same feeling still exists.

i know its also the laundry, homework, catch-up and recharge day. but you can't deny that staying in lounge wear, eating great food, and starting new isn't a great feeling, can you? case and point.

so sunday goes something like this.

awake late to a crisp morning where you can roll over and get those extra zzz's cause life can wait today. grab a cup of coffee from a real big mug that stays so hot and today you actually get to enjoy the smell of coffee in your house cause you don't have to rush to work or school (and if your me a little extra half and half goes in that cup on sunday, just for good measure). that cup of coffee is followed by a great breakfast, whether it be brunch with friends, homemade pancakes, or an incredible portuguese veggie and egg spread, it always delivers. of course a large food coma usually accompanies this bliss but none the less, it was delish and just what you needed (insert nap here if needed). the rest of the morning and early afternoon is filled with laundry, light cleaning, homework, and random catch-up stuff. a little adelle or david gray pandora is a must for these hours and tube socks are a necessity to ensure complete comfort. once the 'to-do' list has been completed it's cook-for-the-week-night and a little soup making and veggie roasting takes place. while you wait for that to finish, a couch corner and a magazine are your best friends. top that off with a bit of your fallish soup, chat with your compadres, and take an extra long shower. hit the hay early and monday will be a breeze.

yea, soak it up. enjoy your fall sunday, wherever it may be and don't forget the tube socks.

October 21, 2011

food for thought.

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world.
If you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change you are among the top 8% of the wordl’s wealthy.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or torture, or the horrible pangs of starvation vou are luckier than 500 million people alive and suffering.
If you can read this message you are more fortunate than 3 billion people in the world who cannot read it at all.

October 17, 2011

diddy.

i got me some diddy tonight with el paulo and the roomies. mmmgood.
best part is that i get a week long sleepover with el paulo this week. 
yea thats right... ice cream, nails, and pillow talk.

October 16, 2011

delivery.


mom and dad came this weekend. 
and they delivered the goods.
(sorry-pics form the iphone)
bags, baskets, and flats of produce.
tomatoes, kale, carrots, beets, leeks, chillies, sweet peppers, apples, figs, bell peppers, jalapenos.
hannah and i love produce delivery week.
it's our favorite week of the month.

and a special shout out to vavie, who came down to la for her first time to see the sights and watch hannah's game. she brought loaves of homemade zucchini bread and we are forever indebted.

thanks country folks:)

October 12, 2011

succulents.

alright, so this is a little out of left field and i know that i am jumping on this wagon a little late,
but im loving succulents.

maybe its because they are everywhere in LA?
maybe its because i experienced my first vertical succulent wall art- and fell in love? 
maybe its because i got one and now all i see are succulents- everywhere?
so here is my first succulent,
her name is 'hermione' and she resides next to my bed.
love her.
got her because i was inspired by these hanging ones on a little LA adventure that i took.
then went on pinterest- obviously- and found the most incredible ones on there.
(my pinterest has some to the right- red button:)

so the saga continues because i live with botany/biology nerds,
 and of course we had to look at the root systems and see how they hang that way.
this continued on and now i've been doing some investigating and as always,
all roads lead to 'sunset magazine' (my fave) where i found this.

doing it.

October 11, 2011

walnuts.

they came,
they saw,
they conquered. 
i think la is still recovering.

great weekend with the walnuts,
can't wait to see you all in a few.

October 7, 2011

October 6, 2011

work it girl.

so i "work" here in santa monica.
and by work i mean nanny for a ten-week-old little boy in a fancy law firm for the nicest first time mom that still nurses and changes him.
so basically i am a paid grandmother that sits, snuggles, plays, and takes stroller walks.
mind you i have my own "office".
rainy view from the "the nanny" office (brentwood and santa monica). so rough.

yesterday was especially fabulous.
rainy, full office kitchen of teas and coffee, thai food, and a little snuggler.
i'll take it.

on another note, been getting my booty kicked daily at the gym.
"guts, butts, and thighs" is then devil.
barely can sit down on the toilet (over-share?).

have a great one!

October 2, 2011

weekend recap.

friday evening:
me,
the boy,
homemade bbq chicken pizza and salad,
a cold beer,
card games,
popsicles,
and some good ol' snuggling,
t-h-e b-e-s-t e-v-e-r.

saturday day:
switched teams for a day (sorry ucla undergrad),
went to the usc (grad school) side,
tailgated with great el paulo,
made new friends,
hung out at 'traditions' pub to watch the game,
got some tb (supremed it),
laughed lots.

saturday night:
missing the boy that i left 10 hours prior,
decided to go back to see him from usc,
(best decision ever),
watched movie,
ate quesadillas,
snuggled more,
so in love (mushy i know).

sunday morning:
homemade oats (so yum),
got my lower back pain evaluated by the pt himself,
he's such a smartie,
costco trip,
date lunch,
happy 'see you later alligator' and drove,
unpacked and settle back in,
hw and reading.

i just can't get enough of the boy.