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.

 

 

A Lazy Daisy Sunday

Sunday . . . Is usually the day of the week I dislike the most.  Why?  Because by Sunday morning, it feels like Monday morning is looming, but I have to say today was one of those Sundays I could do over and over again.

For Christmas last year M's mom got M a season membership to the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens so today we thought we would spend the day tooling around in Pasadena/San Marino. 

We started our day off with lunch, which in my opinion, is the best meal to start a Sunday off with.  We went to Abricott, which is a lovely Asian eclectic cafe I tried a few months ago with a friend. 

We had Pho -- a Vietnamese noodle soup with brisket, cilantro, basil, and lime -- and Banh Mi sandwich -- marinated pork belly with lightly pickled cucumbers.  Sounds amazing, am I right?  And, yes it so was.

I apologize about these pictures, but I didn't want to use my big nice camera at the restaurant  (thought it may be a little obnoxious).

Anyway, so after lunch we went to Huntington, and here are some shots from our wonderful day :)

The rose garden

The mansion, which is now the art gallary..

The Japanese Gardens -- happy to say, fully restored after the wind storm last year.

 

Have a wonderful Monday!

 

Ms. W.

 

 

Fom the Mundane to the Profound

Ladies and Gentleman,

After a few months of hiatus, I am again inspired to start posting yet again.  The last few months have been full of deep inner reflection (aka God time), me time, much needed M&A time, and a lot of work.

I have grappled with the following questions, some I have answers for, and some I do not.  But, for some reason last week, I realized that I will probably never have answers to all of my questions, and I need to get comfortable with not always having the right answer. 

Here are just a few of the questions I have been grappling with:

• What should I do in my professional future?  Stay the course, ask for help and relief, and trust other people. 
• Am I working in the field I should be in?  Yes.  
• What will I do if I have a child?  Continue doing what I am doing, but get less sleep and ask for MORE help from my husband, friends and coworkers...    
• Am I good wife?  Sometimes, but not even close to always.  
• What makes a good wife?  Respect, loyalty, support, sex, and time.  
• Am I a good employee? Yes.  
• Will we ever be able to afford a house?  Yes.  Just need to figure out a way to come up with a down payment and save for my old age and pay for my school loans??  
• Why am I scratching my arms in my sleep?  Because although my mind is saying not to be stressed, my body needs a way to release that stress.  I need to start doing yoga again, otherwise M will continue to call me his little "Black Swan."  (If you have seen the movie, you know what I mean)
• Why do all of my friends seem to want to move back to the mid-west?  Because they are not called to the same thing we are...  
• Why does time move so quickly?  I don't know.
• Why don't the best always win?  I don't know.
• Why does traffic move so slowly?  Other than accidents, I don't know - if we are all going the same speed - it really shouldn't matter how many cars are on the road...
• How can I miss my family so much, but still want to live here? I don't know.
• Is God still working in my life? Yes, but for a long time I didn't know.  
• Why do so many bad things happen to kids?  I don't know.
• Why can't I fix other people's problems?  For the same reason I can't fix mine -- I am not God.

As I was asking myself these questions I was reminded of what one of my professors said to my class in law school -- "Sometimes there are only questions and no answers, and you need to get comfortable with asking questions you can't answer." 


I didn't really understand what that meant at the time, but as I grow in my professional and personal life I realize now what he meant -- "human beings are not all knowing -- we need to get comfortable with uncertainty, especially when others are looking to us for the answers."  Uncertainty -- the state of not being completely confident or sure of something...

I don't know all the answers, but I realized just last week that I need to somehow be at peace while I continue to struggle to find those answers.   This is the essence of being human I think  -- it is what sets us apart from animals...and sets us apart from God -- we ask questions we don't know (and may never know in this lifetime) the answers to.

Blessings,
Ms. W.

Caprese Omelet

Sunday morning is really a great time to wake up a little early, make some coffee, read a magazine, and make an easy, but savory breakfast before church. 

This morning while reading F&W Magazine I learned an interesting tip for making the perfect omelet.  The rule is three eggs per person, a little water, and a tablespoon of refrigerated butter sliced in cubes added to the egg mixture.  Who knew?

This little article inspired me to make a caprese omelet, with toast and orange wedges this morning for breakfast.  You could also pair this with a nice salad and have for an easy weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons water
1/8 cup mozzarella (shredded or a few slices of fresh)
1 mini heirloom tomato
1 tablespoon basil
Cracked pepper to taste
Kosher salt to taste

Directions as pictured below:

Enjoy!

~ Ms. W.

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.

Seven Heavenly Meals

Here is a week of meals that will make you think you are eating somewhere really special every night.  Well face it, you are, your home. 

Fennel-and-Sweet-Onion Pizza 

If you think fennel does not belong on a pizza, then you would be wrong.  This roasted fennel is an unexpected delight.  The crust is also wonderful.  It is maybe the best homemade thin crust pizza recipe ever, so crispy and yummy.  

Fried Shrimp Flatbreads with Spicy Cardamom Sauce

If you like a good sandwich, this one may just top your list.  So much flavor!  Use this flatbread recipe.

Smashed Shumai with Hot and Sour Broth

This is a nice unusual soup, serve as a first course or as a quick dinner.  Just as good the second day for lunch!

Thai Chicken with Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Sauce

Great grilled chicken. Serve with grilled sweet corn.  Baste the corn while grilling in a mixture of 2 tablespoons brown sugar, can of coconut milk, and two bay leaves.

Crispy Corn Tortillas with Chicken and Cheddar

This is a very easy recipe, I serve it with the radish relish and with an avocado sauce (one avocado blended with 1/2 cup salsa verde)

Grilled Pork Banh Mi

This would be a really good thing to grill for the Fourth of July.

Goat Cheese Ravioli With Orange And Fennel

This is a great recipe to make right after the pizza and Shumai recipe because then you have the fennel fronds and the wanton wrappers. 

Ink....

So it has been some time since I posted.  Things have been super busy this spring :)  Anyway, M and I just got back from a wonderful vacation with my side of the family in Colorado.  It was much, much needed.

Before we left for vacation, me and some friends went and checked out Ink .  Ink is Top Chef Winner, Michael Voltaggio's hit restaurant in West Los Angeles.  We basically tried everything on the menu (except for the tasting menu), and I liked everything.  If I could describe this menu in one phrase, it would be "balanced modern comfort food."  This chef really has a knack for balancing different flavors - sweet, savory, sour, bitter etc. 

These were my favorites:

beau soleil oysters, oyster leaf, mignonette ice.
- These are probably the best raw oysters I have EVER had, and the leaf that is served with them, strangely enough tastes just like an oyster. Yummy!

brussels sprouts, pigs ears, lardo, apple
 - Brussels sprouts charred are probably my favorite of all vegetables - no kidding.  But these brussels sprouts are really something special... I mean lardo... enough said.

baja scallops, egg yolk gnocchi, mushroom hay
 - The egg yolk gnocchi... so amazing.  It has basically the same texture as the scallops, but then  you press the gnocchi against your pallet with your tongue and the egg yolk bursts in your mouth. Delightful, comforting, and filling.

wagyu beef, carrots, tendon, horseradish tofu
- This dish is somewhat reminiscent of a beef stew my grandmother used to make almost every Saturday for me, my sister, and brother, except, this dish is a bit more sophisticated.   This dish pairs succulent beef, a tendon that basically looks like Styrofoam that melts in your mouth, roasted carrots, with a horseradish sauce that is out of this world.  I could literally eat this meal every Saturday for the rest of my life.

greek yogurt, strawberry, japanese peach, coconut
- Light, refreshing, and playful.  I love desserts that have some texture and depth of flavor.  All to often dessert is just sweet.  In my book dessert should be sweet, salty, tangy, creamy.  This dish delivers all of this.  The first layer is a banana/coconut cream with pieces of graham cracker crust.  Next layer is a greek frozen yogurt, followed by peaches and whole strawberries, as well as strawberry and I think rhubarb crushed ice.  

So the next time you are longing for a good meal, check out Ink.