Monthly Archives: February 2013

chef ben {spanish style deviled eggs}

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holy smokes folks!  chef ben made the yummiest tapas-esque meal the other night.  it may sound a little bit like a lame potluck sidedish, but no sir!  these deviled eggs were to die for!  big time flavor in bite-sized {well, three bite-sized for me} vessels.  once again, he grabbed the smitten kitchen cookbook and flipped through page after page of yum, settling on these tasty guys.  they are sprinkled with crispy prosciutto and salty marcona almonds.  i mean, come on!

seriously, they were amazing.  we paired them with a vibrant,spicy, and deep rioja from our wsj wine club collection {loving that, by the way}

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it was so much fun to pop these guys while sipping on a perfectly paired red.  i love flipping the mundane on its head and making it something memorable…and my fabulous chef did that for us this week.  boring old eggs made amazing.  and a typical tuesday night became an {unexpected} smashing evening of relaxing and savoring and celebrating all the little good things in life.

let’s do this again.

a wilting glance

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have you ever wondered what happens when you disrupt elinor’s blissful playtime?  this.  this face happens.  look at those eyeballs!  and yes, she is shaking her fist at me.  such sass!  i just don’t know where she gets it…

in spite of that intimidating expression, i am enjoying seeing her personality more and more these days.  just think of the months to come!  just imagine the teen years… we have a joyful, curious, determined, independent, boisterous, and sometimes bashful little lady on our hands.  and i wouldn’t have it any other way.

something splendid

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a spoonful of springtime.  jeni’s splendid ice creams proudly presents absinthe + meringues

are you ready for spring?  perhaps this will get you in the mood…

bright, warm absinthe—with a soft, mild licorice flavor—in grass-grazed cream, with airy sweet, hand-piped meringues. matcha powder for color and a clean finish. inspired by the 100th anniversary of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, it tastes like a pizzelle.

a scarf and a beard walk into a bar…

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i love date nights with this guy*.  we are blessed to have very willing and eager babysitters in our lives {thank you family} which affords us the opportunity to plop miss elinor at their pad and take off for a dinner together.  so friday night, we did just that.  my hubby and i sat on the patio at one of our favorite mexican food spots, blue adobe and enjoyed scrumptious dips and salsas and spices and peppers and meats.  yum.  it was leisurely and perfect.  a relaxing and ideal way to kick off the weekend.

*how dashing does he look with that scruff?  and did you notice how beards were the “it” accessory for hollywood’s men at the oscars last night?  my guy is so cool.  way to be on trend, hubby.

simplicity

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minimalist, clean, contemporary design at its best via afflante.com

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leonardo da vinci said that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

i am definitely getting on board with a more simple approach to life.  cleaning up, clearing out, decluttering, organizing, using simple and clean design elements…a little bit of less is more.  i am already making the shift into a spring mindset. trying to clear out the mess and lighten things up.  {p.s. who is super excited for the j.crew spring collection?  me.  that’s who.}  there is something so lovely about the understated.  classic elements that mean something.  not just things for the sake of things, but things that tell a story.  what statement pieces are your favorite?  what does your story look like?  what does your living space say about you?  here’s to a quest to become more sophisticated through simplicity.

nouilles au fromage

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mac and cheese

alan dye photograph by jose luis martinez

check out this foodie interview and yummy recipe for fancy pants mac and cheese.

any recipe that begins with popping the cork on some bubbly {you know, just for sipping while cooking} is a winner in my cookbook.

oui s’il vous plaît

mama musings

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{elinor in her element.  hanging out with her bug buddies.  squawking like a velociraptor.  carpe-ing their faces and legs.}

so i stumbled upon this post from momastery and thought it was an interesting perspective on the whole carpe diem thing.  and i especially love her discussion of chronos and kairos time.

here’s to seizing and savoring those kairos moments in life… 

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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aaahhh…looong weekend.  i love three-day weekends.  i love when the market is closed so elinor and i get an extra day with our favorite guy. but what made it extra fabulous?  kicking it off with valentine’s day!  after enjoying a quiet night at home on thursday as a family, my hubby and i stole away for a celebratory date at our favorite place to celebrate, our place {see here and here}, royal palms.  so romantic and perfect and delicious.  can’t wait to go back again…

happy tuesday to you all!  enjoy the snaps.

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an unconventional lenten practice

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it is that time again.  lent. i think there is something lovely about this season.  these days, it is so easy to be relaxed about our faith.  to forget the deeper meanings and symbols and historical calendar of the church.  don’t get me wrong, i am not encouraging legalism here.  it is for freedom that we have been set free.  but while i love the freedom that Christ brings and that i can approach the Throne of God with a personal ”abba father”, i also cherish the more formal and reverent things of the faith.  the meaningful holy days.  the high priestly names of God.  all the things that can be so easily overlooked in modern Christendom.  isn’t there something remarkable about the old time-y things of the church?

lent

i recently read this article about an unconventional approach to the lenten season. 

what do you think?

i appreciate this lenten season as a proper preparation for easter.  a time when we can take stock of our lives and pinpoint the things that are distracting.  and then, elect to give up those things.  a small act that can help us remember to live sacrificially.  to focus on things above.  to live simply.  to pray for His provision.  to lean on His strength.

do you do lent?

what meaning does this season hold for you?

sometimes it is good to step back and remember the bigger picture.  i think that this has something to do with what lent is about.  it’s about remembering who we are and why are here.  lent is hiking up to the ledge again.  it’s reminding us of our humanity again.  we paint crosses of ash on our foreheads to remind us that we come from dust and to dust we shall return.  we give up things we like as a way of taking a step back from the blur and chaos of our lives, taking a clean look at what we have set our hands to, gathering strength for another day of work in the valley.

michael gungor

my funny valentine

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this time last year, unbeknownst to us, this little sweetheart was busy growing away in my belly.  just one week later, we would learn that our life was about to change.  no longer would we celebrate life as just a family of two.  soon, our lives would be blessed and enriched with a precious little life.  a new love that we had never experienced.  hubby and i have always enjoyed celebrating valentine’s day {a excuse to clink fancy flutes of bubbly and nibble on chocolate} but we are so excited that we now get to pour out some love on our little.

oh elinor, you have already brought us such joy.  you make us laugh.  you make us sigh.  you make our hearts swell with love with every gurgle, coo, and smile.  we just love you so much.