“you know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams” dr. seuss
My Morning Coffee
Countless memories roaming this city free, wild and unknown
escaping, emerging, enlightening
souls deepen with each conversation
sips of
morning coffee
walks of sunlight
high above the sky
smiles and love beyond
my imagination.
so thoughtful and free,
and unconditional with me.
I can honestly say craving pumpkins is not my favorite thing about Halloween…. , it’s certainly not easy, my fingers get sore and soft, and I don’t like cleaning them out. I do appreciate a good craved pumpkin and always get excited seeing everyone elses designs. Check out VOGUE’S designer series called smashing pumpkins… the pic below is my fav!!
Since pre-Colombian times, Mexicans have celebrated El Día de los Muertos, a ritual in which the living remember their departed relatives. From October 31 through November 2, graves are tended and decorated with ofrendas, offerings, and families expect a visit from loved ones who have passed.
Ofrendas dedicated to the deceased, usually foods and beverages, are also put in homes on elaborately decorated altars with glowing votive candles, photos, chocolate and sugar skull heads (calaveritas).
Delicious solid chocolate skulls are available from Vosges Haut Chocolat—perhaps the best calaveritas one can hope to find, in three flavors, Leche, Barcelona, Red Fire.
The Red Fire is the most true to the ancient Maya and Aztec spiced chocolate beverage; the Barcelona is an interpretation of modern Mexican chocolate, which is flavored with ground almonds; and the newest flavor Leche, a treat for all chocolate lovers. There’s no dispute: try one of each! ($3) Order here.
Hello my sweeties!
my my my… this cozy weather certainly has my eyes peeled for some yummy cookie recipes. I love me some cookies…!! found this great blog with a recipe to Alexis and Courtney’s Chai Tea Smores. Alexis Siemons is a freelance writer and tea consultant living in Philadelphia. Courtney Apple is a Philadelphia-based photographer specializing in editorial and lifestyle photography. Check out their recipe below and let me know!
Chai Tea S’Mores
Makes 8–10 crackers, depending on desired size, and 4–5 s’mores
Chai Tea Graham Crackers
(Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries via 101cookbooks.com)
Preparation
1. Add 5 tablespoons of whole milk to a small saucepan. Heat on medium-high until steaming. Remove from heat. Add two teaspoons of loose-leaf masala chai tea to the infuser and steep in milk for 6 minutes. Remove infuser. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Whisk chai tea-infused milk, pure vanilla extract and honey in a small bowl. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of the dry loose-leaf masala chai tea leaves, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
3. Mix with a handheld mixer or food processor. Add in pieces of chilled butter and stir/pulse to incorporate.
4. Pour in wet ingredients and mix until dough starts to come together. The dark brown dough should be soft and speckled with bits of black tea leaves and masala chai spices.
5. Sprinkle counter with flour and work the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Cover in plastic and chill in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 2 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dust the counter and rolling pin with flour, and roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 1/8 of an inch thick (keep in mind that the dough will rise and you want to be able to bite through the s’more).
7. Cut out 8 to 10 4-inch by 4-inch squares of dough (wrap and chill scraps for a second small batch of tiny crackers for tea). Using a spatula, gently remove each dough square from the counter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pop the sheet into freezer for 10 minutes to quickly chill until firm.
8. Remove crackers from freezer and, using a toothpick, draw a line down the center of each cracker and prick a few dotted rows to create an authentic graham cracker appearance. (Note: Don’t break through the dough.) Bake for 20 minutes until firm and slightly brown (rotate sheet at 10 minutes for even baking). Let cool before assembling s’mores.
Oven-Roasted Chai Tea S’mores
Assemble the S’mores:
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place half of the graham crackers on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (these will be the bottom half of your s’mores). Top each with 1 to 2 Cardamom Marshmallows (remember that they will expand when baked in the oven).
2. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 4 minutes until the edges of the marshmallows have browned.
3. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Immediately top the hot marshmallows with pieces of chocolate. The heat of the marshmallows will perfectly melt the chocolate pieces. Top with remaining graham crackers. Sprinkle each s’more with powdered sugar. I recommend eating at least one right away. But if you’re taking them along to share with friends, tie them up with string to keep the sweet sandwiches intact.
Today was a nice hazy Sunday milling about at the farmers market with my girlfriend and her baby in tow. Later, we did a little window shopping on Main St. It was there in the window display, a dark turquoise velvet blazer caught my eye and lured me in. After trying on not one but three blazers, I noticed the prices were extremely reasonable, then later realizing it was a re-sale shop ( buy, sell, trade) with affordable designer pieces in excellent condition. Unlike most trading post where you rummage through unorganized clothing to find the “good stuff” this shop was filled with well picked items and was perfectly displayed. The Closet trading post has been open two months, and the house was packed, women giggling about, gesturing approvals with their eyes on what each one picked, and looking as if they were in the know. The overall feel of this shop is a bit different than most vintage, trading and consignment places. It’s style is contemporary so your first impression is not thinking vintage-resale shop.
I walked outta there feeling good and satisfied with a Marc Jacobs and Nanette Lapore blazer each only $34.00!! There’s a handful of new shops around Samo and Venice who’ve also adopted this recycling theme but with a spin. A concept that flourished in the 90′s, with shops like Wasteland and Buffalo Exchange, who reinvented places like Goodwill, Salvation Army and Aardvards, knowing full well that this age-old trading concept will never go out of style. For more info: http://theclosetsb.net
I swung by my whole foods yesterday to pick up some chocolate chips to make the “best chocolate chip cookies ever” recipe. ( write up to come). My husband reminded me to get the “good” chocolate chips rather than the generic kind, which i mistakenly grabbed one time. After picking up my baking goods and walking by the organic peanut butter selection. I spotted…
Artisana 100% Organic Raw Nut Butters. Naturally, I grabbed a few to try… mmmm! These yummy snacks come in a squeeze packet similar to energy boosters, or kids snack treats. They are loaded with amino acids and comes in it’s purest form, free of additives and sugar. The best part was it costed $1.48 a pack… not bad for a healthy on-the-go raw snack, and one that can certainly fill your chocolate or coconut cravings.
check it out!
psssssst! it’s vegan. http://www.artisanafoods.com/products/new-products
Last weekend I attended Radiance Movement run by Phannie Haver and Madison Moross. I met Madison this year while at Vardo after a yoga class at Exhale. We had small conversations that stirred into bigger ones, chatting about her organization The Big P project. A collective organization based on shifting the paradigm in creating positive change in the planet. This was all to impressive… she looked so young, a baby, and border-lining a child of mine!! I just couldn’t believe someone that young cared about the planet?
So I asked… Do you mind me asking how old you are? with her big beautiful gracious smile, she responded an old soul at 23. It was then that I had hope in the generations after me. Since then I met the wonderful Phannie Haver her dance partner in crime, and together they created another bold community project called Radiance Movement.
A big scoop of the westside community, artist and their friends came together Saturday night for their opening. I was incredibly inspired by their actions… two very altruistic forward thinking young adults who aren’t partying on a saturday night but doing something good for there community and themselves. bravo!
Here’s more info: Please check them out on facebook by clicking here. and you can also click here for their work on the BIG P Project.
“Radiance Movement is dedicated to providing dancers with exceptional training while sustaining the body without injury, as well as making the joy and benefits of dance and meditative arts accessible to everyone in the community.
Our aim is to keep our movers well, and to cultivate wellness through movement. We believe that no matter what background, eperience, age or condition… we can all dance for life.
Together with our right-hand-man, Nick Ware, and as an extension of our not-for-profit project, The Big P Project, we’ve also created a business model aimed at giving back to the community and environment that supports us. We will dedicate 5% of our profits to a fund that provides class scholarships, minimize our environmental impact (according to the Big P Philosophy) and choose to maximize our partnership with socially-responsible organizations.”
Every night is a date night for me and my babe. and more often than not we find ourselves in downtown (LA)…, grabbing a bite or checking out the local artist (like our pal James Hall at his photo exhibitions). Afterward, my babe likes stopping by COLES, specifically for their Old Fashioned. COLES are famous for their old fashioned, and when you get one there you’ll know why (It’s the BOMB!).
Like the good old days, an Old fashioned is a sip slowly quality drink, perfect for long conversations. They prepare it with One big ice cube, bourbon and the most amazing maraschino cherries around. Not your typical bright red fake colored cherry’s. these are sweet marinated dark red Luxardo cherries imported from Italy, which I believe is the secret to enhancing the flavor for this special bourbon drink.
On a side note: If you don’t feel like trekking downtown and want to make an Old Fashion in the comfort of your home. Luxardo Cherry’s are also on line thru amazon.. yay!
Cole’s also has amazing grilled cheese paired with tomato soup, along with sweet potato garlic fries… for those NOT in the drinking spirit 
TIP: Looking for a secret sexy date spot in back of Coles is the secret door to Varnish. A very dark, small, cozy bar lounge with a selection of fancy cocktails for those imitate conversation moments.
