rinsing my strawberries this morning, for some reason, reminded me of the saying; “life is just a bowl of cherries.” cherries, strawberries, whatever. (I’d personally rather have a bowl of strawberries, but that’s obviously not the point.)
anyhow, this got me thinking about what it actually means…. so here’s what the Internet had to say:
“It came from a wonderful song from the 1930′s, lyrics:
Life is just a bowl of cherries;
Don’t make it serious;
Life’s too mysterious.
You work, you save, you worry so,
But you can’t take your dough when you go, go, go.
So keep repeating it’s the berries;
The strongest oak must fall.
The sweet things in life
To you were just loaned,
So how can you lose what you’ve never owned?
Life is just a bowl of cherries,
So live and laugh at it all.
(From cached listserv item:) “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries” was the title of a song by Lew Brown and Ray Henderson, sung by Ethel Merman in Scandals (1931). I don’t know if the phrase predates that: there was a phrase in the 17th century, “Life is but a cherry-fair”, but that meant “Life is very short.”"
I couldn’t agree more.
It’s really kind of ridiculous how much I love doors. Well, doors, windows, knockers….. I’m fairly certain it’d be hard to spend as much time photographing them as I do, during my travels. (My poor, patient, husband lets me wander all over with no other goal in mind…. Love him.) Well, let’s not kid ourselves, I probably do spend an equal amount of time eating and drinking when traveling too, which I guess makes up for the times I’m standing with my camera to my face. Last month we went to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and basked in the glory of this beautiful, happening city. We absolutely loved it there…. So much so that we’re planning a trip back soon, and I don’t think anything says more about a place where you can’t wait to visit again.
hidden in a beautiful and serene courtyard down a narrow lane in san miguel de allende, mexico lies a restaurant not so cleverly named, but one that absolutely over delivers. the restaurant is a treat for all senses. the courtyard stunning, the bar inviting and the food, absolutely incredible. Apparently owned by a young chef, his food is inventive, prepared with precision and oh so good. Spend several hours lingering over a long lunch (or dinner). You’ll need it, after all that sightseeing.
the courtyard:
 the thai carnitas salad:
 tandoori chicken tacos with cucumber, mint and tahini yogurt sauce on a flour tortilla:
 chili dusted crispy shrimp tacos on a jicama tortilla:
 seared tuna tacos with avocado, red cabbage, cilantro and chipotle mayo on a flour tortilla:
 a selection of cheeses with truffled honey and candied walnuts:
 i had to end all this decadence with a café mexicano. everything was incredible.
hungry yet?
 Staring at a plate of double chocolate cookies I made over the weekend, I wondered how to get them off my counter without, a) giving them away, b) throwing them away, or c) eating them all in one sitting (which I seriously, sadly, considered). Then I remembered an article about a food truck who makes these amazing, gourmet ice cream sandwiches… While they even make their ice cream from scratch, I stood there scratching my head (don’t worry, I washed my hands after!) and remembered I just bought a small pint of talenti pistachio gelato. I was guessing it would be awesome with double chocolate cookies and boy, was I right.
Take two cookies, put a generous ball of gelato on one, smoosh the two together and freeze for future enjoyment. Just try not to eat all these in one go!
I honestly thought everyone knew about bar keepers friend. I’m really not sure why, but I’m guessing I thought this because it’s so amazing that I felt everyone had to know. Until last night when my dear friend burnt rice so badly that he declared he’d have to throw the pan away! (I have to say how horrible burnt rice smells… Never burn your rice, people!)
Anyhow, we went to target picked up some bar keepers friend (bkf) and went home to save their pot!
p.s. i do not recommend the liquid bkf. It constantly clogs and is a huge pain. bkf also works on a ton of other stuff, so read the back of the label, or check out their website! I shined my BBQ to a brand new finish with this stuff! And have made all my pots and pans look brand spanking new, on a particularly motivated day. (this doesn’t happen very often, I assure you! )
I was chatting with some friends today about being grateful, about appreciating the little things, about not taking for granted those you hold near and dear and about being awake and mindful to the simple pleasures of life… Like this stunning Texas sunset I witnessed two nights ago.
Here’s to the beauty and splendor right before our very eyes.
back on the west coast and while strolling the very trendy abbot kinney boulevard in venice, we happened upon local 1205. one part gourmet market, one part smoothie and cold-pressed juice bar and one part cafe, the place epitomizes gastronomy. with a beautiful rustic french decor, a charcuterie and fromage counter that could have you pondering for days on end and a sandwich menu that begs you to find the mastermind behind these creations, it’s worth a stop.
i stood for approximately 5 minutes deciding on my lunch. i wanted all of it and who wouldn’t!? with choices like black truffle grilled cheese, lobster rueben, pâté de campagne sandwich, (see photo below for other mouth-watering grinders), i finally decided on the smoked sardine sandwich, and my hubby, on the porchetta. we grabbed a bag of spicy pickle chips a couple old school glass bottle diet cokes and waited with immense anticipation. these sandwiches were so perfectly, almost artfully prepared they had us both saying, “best sandwich ever!”
so get yourself to local 1205. experience it for yourself. and good luck deciding on what to have!! but don’t worry, whatever you choose I’m sure will leave you, too, saying, “best sandwich ever!!”
Staring at a big bowl of left over mashed potatoes, and wondering what to make for dinner, I suddenly remembered the mashed potato cakes that I used to make when I worked for a restaurant in high school. They were delicious, but I honestly couldn’t remember what went into them (aside from the obvious). Thus to the internet I went searching quickly for something to jog my memory.
After reading a few different recipes, I realized (and sort of remembered at the same time) that it really doesn’t matter what the hell goes into these… use your imagination (or in my case, whatever you happen to have in the fridge/pantry)! At the restaurant, we used to cook them in a skillet with olive oil… delicious, but hard to do a bunch at the same time, and not as healthy, or as convenient as baking! i really liked this simple recipe shown here on my recipes, particularly the crunch that the panko gives. So I took that, made it my own, added a simple salad and voila! dinner! recipe:
preheat oven to 425˚
ingredients:
approx. 2 cups of mashed potatoes
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C finely chopped spinach/arugula (mainly because I didn’t have scallions and I still wanted the greenery.)
1 filet of smoked trout, finely chopped
salt, pepper, to taste
panko – for coating the cakes
directions:
mix all ingredients (except panko) together (I used my hands!). Form into even balls, then shape into discs (sort of like hamburgers). Coat with panko.
Spray a cookie sheet, lined with foil, with cooking spray. Place potato cakes on cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes, flip and bake another 10. If you’d like the top to brown a little more, place under broiler for 2 more minutes. Easy peasy!
I promise you, it’s hard to mess these puppies up. Seriously add whatever you’d like…. bacon or ham, different cheeses, scallions, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes. Go nuts!
~I made a simple sauce out of greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and hot sauce to top my cakes with.
I’ve always been amazed by quilting… I’ve never attempted such complex sewing because it’s always seemed beyond my grasp. When I see an especially beautiful quilt, I am moved. In awe, really. So it’s no surprise that when I was sent a beautiful handmade quilt by my mother, I was brought to tears. I quickly hung it up in my office so I can look at it every day and be reminded of her love. Thank you, Mom, I love it!
She designed this quilt off of a photograph took in Hollister, California. (It is the last image.)
(full size is 33″w, 44″l)
 
if you are anything like us, your first morning in key west, fl comes rather late… i’m talking brunch, people. and there is nothing you want/need more than some vitamin g (grease, for those of you who don’t know me!) and a hair of the dog (for me, a perfectly mixed bloody mary!). we found both of these at camille’s… I had eggs Benedict that was so good I could have cried. and absolutely everything on their breakfast menu was totally tempting! Brie in an omelette!! I think yes!!! Good luck figuring out what incredible food you’ll be eating!! Or, just plan a trip to come back!!
The interior is awesomely eclectic (fur handcuffs hanging from the bar) and the staff, super friendly! It’s dotted with tourists, but I’d say the main clientele are locals. Cheers to that!!
it’s a stunning sunrise in fort pierce, fl
For our last lunch in Salt Lake City, we decided to go all out and head to the famous Philly Cheesesteak dive called Moochie’s. It’s located just south of downtown on 800 South, directly between 200 East and 300 East. Don’t be turned off by the mob of people, the line goes fast and is totally worth the wait. I had the normal cheesesteak loaded up with shrooms, onions, peppers, lettuce and tomato and topped it off with the jalepeño sauce provided on the side…. It was incredible !!! And is now on my must visit list everytime I’m in Salt Lake City. By the way, their hand made meatball sub is on Guy Fieri’s must have list!!! And I completely concur with his, “Moochie’s is money!!” comment!
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
I think everyone has that place in their life where they finally realized everything was going to be okay. For me, it was Malibu. I headed west from Kansas, my car filled to the brim with all my belongings, and nothing but open road and possibility lay before me… I was sort of running away from my past, I guess. Not that it was terrible. I’d graduated from college as a student athlete, gotten married young and woke up one day (at 22 years old) and realized that I had made a huge mistake. I needed to get out of Kansas. I needed a new start. So I flipped a coin; heads California, tails the army. Lucky for me, it was heads. So there I went, $350 in my pocket, and headed to live with my great aunt and uncle. In a lot of ways Malibu for me just means them. They saved my life (figuratively, of course) and helped me immeasurably. Malibu also happens to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Every year I come back to stay with them I am reminded of that naive 22 year old girl and I smile about how wonderful it all turned out.
A few pics from my last trip:
     
I haven’t been shooting families much lately, or doing anything other than hosting guests, playing tennis, and traveling, if you really want honesty. But I was asked by some friends to do a quick shoot for their Christmas card. I had somehow forgotten how fun it is to capture genuine smiles.
I have recently discovered steel cut oats. After experimenting with said oats at my mother’s a few weeks back and adding a vanilla bean to one simmering mixture of milk, water and steel cut oats and another batch infusing with cinnamon sticks, we quickly realized it’s hard to top that kind of culinary oatmeal amazingness. But while I’ve been a fan of oatmeal for sometime, I had never really paid attention to the difference between rolled oats and steel cut. And while I’ve since learned that there really isn’t any nutritional difference between the two, there is, however an enormous taste and texture difference. Steel cut oats have a texture similar to cut up rice and impart a sort of nuttiness that is hard to describe. For me, it was love at first bite. I just can’t go back to the texture of rolled oats (I recently tried and it was a HUGE let down).
So here I was at a quandary. Do I spend my Saturday or Sunday mornings making an enormous pot of steel cut oats and putting them in individual containers and freezing them? Let me be honest with you…. probably not. Especially since I found the Good Food Made Simple Frozen Steel Cut Oats in the freezer section at Fresh Market yesterday. I was so excited about my purchase that I considered having the oatmeal for lunch. Let’s face it, even though you can buy quick 5 minute steel cut oats, who really wants to dirty the kitchen on a Wednesday morning? So this morning, I unwrapped the oats, stuck them in a bowl, nuked it for 3 minutes, gave it a quick stir, added some banana and walnuts and voila, amazing!
“When people are surrounded by natural beauty they become wide-eyed… They remember what it’s like to play.” Jim Manley
I can’t agree more. When I’m surrounded by the splendor of nature, I remember what’s important in life. I breathe deeper, I reflect, my senses are alive and I’m reminded of how to truly live. Life is funny that way. We can get so caught up in our every day lives and forget what’s truly important.
Southern Utah has a way of awakening my senses. the red rocks, the vastness, the serenity of the desert, the colors, the silence…
Checking up on email I came across this blog and project. I’ve always thought that being grateful was the secret to happiness… Turns out, I’m not the only one. Check out her blog 365 grateful here. And a video of her project here. Prepare to be inspired.
I don’t know if I’m going to do a similar project… as I’m not good on follow through, but here is a photo that makes me smile. My husband and dog on the hammock together, and me sitting in a comfortable chair on a beautiful day, taking it all in. Happiness.
What are you grateful for?
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by annak
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