Carmel By The Sea

M's short film was an official selection of the Carmel Art & Film Festival (and was in the best of shorts block)  so we decided to make a long weekend of it and head up the road to Carmel.  Here we are at the festival.

If you are ever in Carmel, I would recommend going during the festival.  It is really chill, not pretentious in the least, and it just adds a lot of additional things to do while you are there.  Other than M's film we saw Amour and The Sessions.  These are two adult films worth seeing if they ever play in your area and, if not, I am sure you will be able get them from Netflix later. 

Other than the festival we spent some much needed time at the beach.  If you walk straight down Ocean Street in Carmel it leads to a lovely beach that we discovered on our second day there.

We also ate at some charming restaurants while we were there, and I would recommend them all if you are looking for a place to eat in the area.  But alas, I do not want this post to be too long so I will just write about my favorite, Le Bicyclette.  (We also ate at Cassanova, The Trailside Cafe and Coffee House, Massaro and Santos)

This was my number one meal of the trip, and yes it was a ham and cheese sandwich or a croque-monsieur. To die for! The cheese was so good.  I paired mine with a sparkling wine which was perfect.

M got the salmon salad which was also good, but not as good as mine.

The other food on the menu also looked good:

 

But we saved the best for last -- a pumpkin creme brulee with a raspberry caviar and scone.  And best of all...it was served in a pumpkin. 

  And you can't leave Carmel without doing some wine tasting:

 

Next, we headed out on the 17 mile drive which is a windy road that takes you along Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove.  On this ride you will see beautiful views of the ocean intermixed with golfers. 

 

Okay . . . so far .  . . so good, but really the best part of our trip was the drive home.  The drive from Carmel to San Simeon on the PCH is probably the most beautiful drive I have ever taken. I took most of the pictures below from our car while we were driving . . . so the pictures do not give the drive justice, but at least you will get the idea.

 

 

About an hour or two after you leave Carmel, you will see a big sign for Nepenthe.  This is a great place to stop and have lunch.  The food is good, but the view is absolutely great.  You literally sit up at treat level and look over the ocean.  It opens at 11:30 a.m., and it fills up fast so try and get there early.

 

 

 

A few more hours down the road, right before you reach San Simeon, there is a beach that you can't miss where hundreds of Elephant Seals hang out part of the year.

 

 

 

Last, but not least, Hearst Castle is a must stop if you are driving down the PCH.  (Be sure to book your reservations on line before you make the trip.)

 

I could do this trip over and over again...there is just so much to do, eat and see.  I am hoping M and I can make this trip an annual event.

Ms. W.

 

Oh and I almost forgot to post my favorite picture from the weekend.

 

 

My Favorite Cookies

A few weeks ago, M and I went on vacation with part of our wonderful family pictured below:

We had a wonderful time of relaxation and memory building.  I hope we do it again next year or even the year after.

Anyway while we were on vacation I didn't have my favorite cookie recipe with me.  I don't know why I don't have it memorized, but anyway, had I blogged about it, I would have been able to access it on line.  Thus, the true reason for this post!

I have had this recipe on an index card ever since sophomore year of high school, and I really have no idea where it came from.  As you can see it has been through a lot.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream these ingredients together in a large mixing bowl:

1/4 cup peanut butter (spray measuring cup with cooking spray before diving into the peanut butter and the mixture will com out easily)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 egg

Combine these dry ingredients in a separate bowl:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Once combined, add the dry mixture to the wet mixture one cup full at a time until combined.  Once combined, roll portions of the mixture into ping pong ball sized portions and then roll in white sugar.  I usually only bake 6 at a time to ensure that M and I don't eat them all in one sitting.

Place the cookies on a cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes.

*1 package of Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips

Remove the cookies from the oven and place four to five chocolate chips in the center of the cookies, and then bake them for another two minutes.

Remove from the oven and place on parchment paper.

Wrap any remaining cookie dough in the parchment paper you used to let the cookies cool (don't want to waste).

I don't know how long the cookie dough lasts in the refrigerator because it is usually gone within two days, and I assume the same will be true in your household.

Enjoy!

Ms. W.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

My nephew is really expressive and he agreed to pose for this series - I like to call "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon."  Enjoy, they are so cute . . .

And just so you know what a cute nice boy he is here is a picture that better fits his personality:





Torrey Pines Excursion

Awhile back I read an article in Sunset Magazine called "25 Best Hotels in the West," and I took note of them, hoping that someday I would get to stay in all of them. 

Well this weekend I got to mark one off my list - The Lodge at Torrey Pines.  The Lodge is conveniently located at the edge of La Jolla, California (near San Diego) and very near Del Mar.  The Lodge was very inviting with lots of woodwork, the smell of campfire drifting through the hallways at all times, and the sound of golf balls being hit on the luscious golf course. 

It is also located near the Torrey Pines Nature Reserve which makes for great hiking.  My friend D and I headed out on Sunday afternoon for a long walk, and here are some pictures from our excursion.

"Green"

"Heart Shaped Clouds"

"Rust"

"Beach"

"Beach 2"

"Beach 3"

"Weed"

"Trail"

top ten favorite pics from my brother's wedding

This weekend I went home to my brother's wedding.  It was a beautiful wedding which gave me the chance to use my new camera yet again.  Here are my top ten favorite pics from the day:

"Bride and Baby"

"Flower Girl Praying"

"First Few Steps"

"Wedding Bouquet"

"Portrait of Parents"

"Mother Crying"

"First Dance"

"Father & Daughter"



Mother & Son





"Dance"

Bonus:

I just love how candid these are :)