Living and Loving in L.A.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T22:43:00.001-08:00

2011 was the year of new beginnings for me.

I got laid off from a job I hated; I began a job I love. I left my girlie apartment in West Hollywood for a fantastic life of coupledom in West L.A. I left my free time, my blog and my social life at the door, while I worked harder than I ever have in my life.

It was the year of friends getting married and having children. It was the year of being stuck on airplanes for 15-hour flights next to other people's screaming children. It was the year I traveled to China 7 times, Canada twice, and more states in our country than I can count. And it was another year I lived and loved in L.A.

And I cannot wait for next year. To live and breathe the fresh air of the new year. It might just be a normal Sunday in January, but it's a new chance to be the best me I can be.

I have big plans for this year. I can't thank you enough for being here for me, through thick and thin, for the last two and a half years. I wish you nothing but the best for the year ahead!

Xoxo,
Erin

Oh Yum...Gluten-Free Rocky Road Cookies!

2011-12-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

You know what the problem with rocky road ice cream is? Nothing. Nothing at all. I love rocky road ice cream, in fact, when I was in high school, my mom and I could polish off a gallon by ourselves in one sitting. (Don't tell her I told you that, she might be embarrassed.) My favorite brand is good old Dreyer's, found at any and every grocery store in America.

I know it's not the healthiest thing on the planet (especially if you're eating an entire gallon - sheesh!) but I love it all the same. And yet, my shopping repertoire is now more in the vicinity of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, and it's rare I splurge on something so..um..what's the word I'm looking for...CALORIC...as this.

And yet, it was just Christmas...

And Christmas in this kitchen means two things: Booze and Cookies. Booze for me, and cookies for you. Based on my favorite ice cream. And the best part? These cookies are gluten free, and aren't even that bad for you. At. All. Don't say I never did anything for you, I'm no Grinch!

Gluten-Free Rocky Road Cookies
Makes 18 Large Cookies

Ingredients
1 3/4 C. Chopped Toasted Almonds, 1/4 C. reserved after toasting for topping
4 Organic Egg Whites
3 C. Organic Powdered Sugar
3/4 C. Cocoa Powder
1 Packet Starbucks Via Instant Coffee, Columbia flavor; or 1 tsp. Instant Espresso
1/2 tsp. Fine Grain Sea Salt
1 Tbs. Vanilla Extract
2 C. Miniature Marshmallows, 1/4 C. reserved for topping
1 Packet Starbucks Via Instant Coffee, Columbia flavor

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*. Chop whole almonds on a rimmed cookie sheet, and toast in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you make the rest of the batter. Reduce oven to 325*.

Beat egg whites in mixer until slightly bubbly, about 2 minutes. Sift in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, instant coffee and sea salt. Add vanilla.

Beat until smooth and creamy, with the consistency of melted ice cream.

Fold in by hand 1 3/4 C. toasted almonds and 1 3/4 C. mini marshmallows.

Using an ice cream scoop, spoon mixture onto parchment paper coated cookie sheet, only 6 cookies per tray. (They will spread out a lot.) By hand, place 3 chopped almonds and 3 mini marshmallows on top of each spoonful of cookie dough, pressing down slightly on the batter.

Bake for 12 minutes, at 325* until tops crack and look shiny.

Immediately remove parchment from hot cookie tray and place on cool counter top. After 5 minutes, use a clean spatula to remove from parchment paper. Be careful, cookies are very delicate. Place on a flat tray or plate and allow to set until fully cooled before serving.

Hope your post-holiday dieting is off to a good start. I know mine is (not)!

Xoxo,

Julie's Baby Shower!

2011-12-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while. What's new. Really, should that last sentence have ended with a question mark? Or should I say Happy Labor Day, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day? In all honesty, I'm as busy as always. There's an ebb and flow to the crazy fashion business I'm in, and now just happens to be a flow. And while waiting for an ebb to arrive (cough...Chinese New Year...cough) is still a few weeks away...I'm turning over a new leaf and have lots of posts lined up for you! If the 52 drafts I have saved in my Blogger dashboard aren't proof enough...here's the first of many new posts that have a little something special to offer.

Because I don't think for the last few months you would have liked hearing about working from 7am to 7pm, fighting in foreign languages over silly things like thread colors and sample due dates, or eating Chinese take out (what else would you expect?) and not cooking much more than Trader Joe's microwave steel cut oatmeal in the mornings, I'm your girl...if not, well, then you'll understand why for the last few months I've had almost nothing to share. That is soon to change!

AND! DUE DATES!!! Speaking of which...

One of my best friends in the whole world is having a baby! Julie and I went to high school together a million years ago and for the last few years I've been lucky enough to have her living here in L.A., mere minutes away from the new Live and Love L.A. apartment shared with The Boyfriend (it's going spectacular by the way, thank you so much for asking!)

Anywho...Julie and I have been friends forever. And I just love her and her hubby James, and when she told me last summer she was expecting, the first words out of my mouth were, "I'm throwing you a shower!" I spent the weeks before her shower ordering decorations and games online (Amazon.com saves the day again!) from my hotel rooms in China and New York, and anxiously awaiting the packages when I returned home.

I can't believe the day came and went already! We showered her with love, gifts, and lots of pink, purple and green (the colors I chose for the shower, natch!) And she was amazed at all of the love showered her way. I'm so excited to share the pictures with you!

Crepe Paper from Target, Banner from Party Supplies on Amazon.com

Banner from Creative Expressions on Amazon.com

Diaper Cake made by me, with Ribbons and Silk Flowers from Jo Ann's

Confetti from Your Party Delivered on Amazon.com

Name Tags from Creative Expressions Group on Amazon.com

18" Baby Shower Round Balloon by Party Zones Inc., on Amazon.com; Baby Buggy Balloon by Big Dot of Happiness

11" Pink Plastic Baby Bottle from Unique Intustries on Amazon.com; Pastel M&M's from Candy Direct on Amazon.com (I picked out all of the Blue ones)

M&M Guess Game Tickets made by me using Adobe Illustrator

Julie's Yorkie, Whisky, soaking in all of the attention with his adorable dog tie!

Bottles Up! Baby Shower Drinking game by Big Dot of Happiness

"Sweet Mess" Diaper Game by Big Dot of Happiness

Prizes for game winners; Gift set from Bath & Body Works (similar), Voluspa Macaron Candle and 2012 Keep Calm and Carry On desk calendar

Trader Joe's Sparkling Apple Cider with Pomegranate Seeds

Julie's sister hosted the shower with me, and planned all of the delicious food, like this Sushi Tray from Sushi Sho in Santa Monica, CA

Cheese Platter from Whole Foods Market in Santa Monica, CA

Desserts from Whole Foods

Onesie and Bib Decorating Station! Bibs from Greensprouts on Amazon.com; similar to these:

Onesies by Gerber from Target, sold in a 5-pack:

Iron-On Fabric in Various Patterns from a kit by Nurture Me on Etsy.com

Scribbles Puff Paint from Jo-Ann in Purples, Blues and Pink

Die-Cut Shapes of Iron-On Fabric from Pacific Coastie on Etsy.com

Mod Mom Mini Favor Bags from Creative Expressions Group on Amazon.com; Mini Voluspa Panjore Lychee Candles like these from Apothica.com that Julie picked out herself. Such a sweet take-home favor!

Flowers from one of Julie's friends

Everyone had a great time, especially Whisky, who was overcome with excitement by the end of the day.

Congratulations, Jules! I can't wait to meet your baby girl come January, and I couldn't have been happier to have been a part of this beautiful day!

7 Deadly Sins

2011-08-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's not quite that dramatic. But it could be bordering on "wrong" if you've missed these 7 posts of mine. And I know it's easy to miss my posts. So when my friend Lynn from Actor's Diet tagged me to participate (back in July, mind you) I gladly accepted and knew I'd get around to it asap. Well, as soon as I possibly could.

Here are the rules:

1) Blogger is nominated to take part
2) Blogger publishes his/her 7 links on his/her blog – 1 link for each category.
3) Blogger nominates up to 5 more bloggers to take part.
4) These bloggers publish their 7 links and nominate another 5 more bloggers

Here are my Links!

Most Beautiful:

And She Became A Marathoner By far, one of the greatest days of my life todate, one I get teary eyed thinking about to this day. Running Buddy Selena has been living in New York now for a whole year, and I haven't really run since she moved away. I keep thinking about it, but I just know it wouldn't be the same with out her. I love her, and no one could ever take the place of the best running buddy in the whole wide world. So it remains to be seen whether I'd do this all again. Maybe. I want to. I'm just sure I could do it with out her.

Most Popular:

Fear And Loathing In Los Angeles I made you squirmy with this one. There was a rat in my apartment. I won. End of story, but not really. If you need a good laugh, read it. I promise you'll at least smile. Or I'll give you your money back.

Most Controversial:

To Bang Or Not To Bang followed closely by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! Okay, so maybe these aren't controversial, I'm not really a controversial girl. And this is not a controversial blog. But ya'll definitely had an opinion on my hair! And you loved talking about it! And I did it. I have bangs. They cover the furrow in my brow nicely, so I think I'll keep them.

Most Helpful:

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Toilets In China You know, just in case you're like me, and decide to take a job that might make you go there 8 times in one year.

Post Whose Success Surprised You:

Help, I've Lost My Motivation! To this day, this remains my most popular post, with over 25,000 hits so far. I have no idea how that happened, but I'll take it!

Post You Feel Didn’t Get the Attention It Deserved:

Well, Hello. The only post I've ever written in the last two years that received ZERO comments. I'm sure it was boring, me telling you why you should go to your high school reunions and showing you pictures from mine, but geez! Obviously this post was clearly overlooked.

Post That You Are Most Proud Of:

I Hate My Guts This post was really hard for me to write (complete with pictures of my protruding, 6 months pregnant looking stomach for the world to see) because I finally told you all about my tummy troubles. And I'm still having them. I've just realized that this is something I will deal with for the rest of my life, although I'm not afraid to try ANY new supplement/doctor/product/diet etc that promises to help.

This is tied closely with And It's Over, where I announced I had been laid off from my job and was relieved. I am proud of my honesty in this post, and also my optimistic outlook on the future, which has found me an even better, higher paying closer-to-home job I start next week!

I know with my career, posts are few and far between, but as I've said many times, I'm not going anywhere! In fact, I just got a new job that will keep me a bit closer to home and hopefully allow me to blog a little more. My life has just been a bit boring lately. I don't think you want to hear, "Today I woke up, ate some Cocoa Krispies, went to the gym, came home made the bed, cleaned the house, watched 3 hours of Toddlers and Tiaras, made dinner and went to bed." Now that's no fun to read about. But it has been fun to live.

And as you know, I love living. It's the title of this blog after all!

And now I nominate a few of you, please forgive me if you've already done this post and I just haven't had a chance to read yours yet. Gosh, that would be embarrassing. Don't tell me if that's the case. Ignorance is bliss.

1. Maui Mandy at The Grains of Paradise
2. Selma at Crazy Little World of Mine
3. Jenster at Peace and Hope
4. Jamie at Fit Mommy
5. Megan at Say: La Vee...

Xo,

The Reason For The Season

2011-07-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Or really, more accurately, why I had to join a gym and also Thrive in 30 in the same day (but more on that later.)

Let me first say that I'm baaaaack! And this time, kids, it's fo' real. No more trips planned in this country or that, no more tears or jet lag or anything else, this is the real deal. So what have I been up to after the road trip? Well, The Boyfriend and I moved in together! I guess that's big news, huh?

THE BOYFRIEND AND I MOVED IN TOGETHER.

Is that better? Yes, much more appropriate, if I do say so myself. This month (July 2011) marks our 6th anniversary (although I haven't forthelifeofme any idea what day exactly that is, I just know it's sometime this month. I'm like that with birthdays too, if you are lucky enough to be my friend on Facebook, then you will get a Happy Birthday from me, if not, oh well, then maybejustmaybe I'll remember it's in October. Or whatever. Happy Birthday! Now I'm good for the year, right?

This month is also this little blog's anniversary, Happy 2nd Birthday, Living and Loving in L.A.!

Now that we have all of that calendar-y stuff over with, I can say that it feels good to be home. But that's not to say that I didn't have thebesttimeever visiting my Grammie and my Aunt Susie and my cousins and entire family et al. They are amazing and I know that there will be a day in the near future when I can't just up and leave and go hang out at our beach house for a week. So I did it now, you know, never one to miss an opportunity.

Speaking of which, that is exactly what I'm now looking for. Opportunities. For work. But in no particular hurry or order or rushing and all that stuff, I'm going to take my time and find a really good fit. I'm sure someone out there needs a Chinese-speaking blonde to handle the care and feeding of their little multi-million dollar fashion empire. So if that's you, call me. Or even better, come drag me off that spin bike at the gym, because goodgollymissmolly I'm addicted.

A few weeks ago, my friends at Vega contacted me about this really cool new program they are doing, called Thrive in 30. I noticed that this program would teach me the following:

How to combat stress using whole, plant-based foods and
high net-gain nutrition
The whole food truth about protein, fats and carbs—
and how balancing your diet will help you build a younger body
How you can alkalize your body’s pH to combat disease,
improve sleep and lose weight
What superfoods to use to balance hormones,
detoxify body or lower cholesterol
How to identify common foods that cause unexplained, mystery illnesses
How to use nutrition to strategically fuel your body so you’ll have greater endurance, maximize the return from your workouts and recover faster
Why nutrition, exercise and sleep are the secret
to empowered mental health
Long-term strategies that will help you transform your health for life

Umm...YES PLEASE! I need these things!

To go along with my new plan (you can join me here, it's FREE!) I joined a new fancy-schmancy gym. And this morning, I rode the bike in Spin class channeling Brendan Brazier himself in all his Ironman glory. And it was tough, and I was dripping in sweat, and I loved every minute of it. Which was necessary, considering I ate my weight in Swedish Coffee Bread and Blueberries last week. Not that blueberries are bad for you at all, but I ate 7.5 pounds of them. In one week. I have issues with moderation, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I had a huge bowl of blueberries for breakfast, lunch and dinner in addition to all of the other delicious foods Grammie gave me. And I only stopped eating this many blueberries yesterday after realizing that I might turn into Violet Beauregard.

This post is kind of schizophrenic isn't it? Oh well, that's probably because my guts are clogged with this deliciousness:

And you know me, I'm the sharingiscaring type. So here is my Great-great-grandmother's recipe for Swedish Coffee Bread, with photos illustrated by my Grandma.

Swedish Coffee Bread
Makes 3 Loaves
Time Commitment: 8 HOURS

1 - 1 1/2 Packets of Yeast
disolved in 1/4 C. Warm (110*) water with an added
1/2 t. Sugar to help activate

2 C. 1/2-1% Milk, Scalded and then cooled, mixed with
1/2 C. (1 Stick) Margarine and
1 C. Sugar

2 Eggs well-beaten

6 C. Flour mixed with
1/2 t. Salt

2 C. Flour

1/2 t. Ground Cardamon

1/2 C. Milk

2 T. Sugar mixed with
1/2 t. Cinnamon

Directions

Add 2 C. milk to pan and bring to almost-boil (this is scalding). Dissolve sugar and margarine in milk. Cool to room temperature (I placed the pan in the fridge for about 1 hour.)

Dissolve yeast in warm water, adding sugar to help activate.

Beat eggs well.

After it has doubled in size, as yeast to the cooled milk mixture. Add 6 C. of flour and salt to the liquid mixture.

Mix by hand until all ingredients are well incorporated, and add cardamon.

Place dough on board and mix in remaining 2 C. flour by hand. Place dough in a large, non-reactive (preferably ceramic) bowl that has been greased well. Turn dough to coat. Cover and place in a warm spot (this should be easy with the heatwave!) to rest until doubled, about 2-3 hours, depending on the intensity of your air-conditioning.

Place dough back on board, and knead for 5-15 minutes. Gather into a nice little pile and place the bowl back on top, covering the dough. Let it rest for 15 more minutes.

Divide the dough into 3 pieces, and each of those pieces into 4 pieces. Roll each of the 4 pieces into 12" long ropes. Gather the 4 ropes and make a 4-strand braid. (If you don't know how to do this, I suppose a 3-strand braid would work just as well.)

Place 3 braided loaves into a greased 12" x 18" x 3" pan, like this one Grammie is holding:

Get your milk, and a pastry brush, and liberally coat each of the loaves with the milk.

Mix up the remaining 2 T. sugar with the 1/2 t. cinnamon, and sprinkle generously on the loaves, using about half of the mixture.

Cover and allow to double again, about 2-3 more hours. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar.

Bake loaves in the pan at 350* for 25 minutes.

Makes 3 delicious loaves, that freeze well, and taste amazing spread liberally with Earthy B and sprinkled with even more sugar.

Hope you are all having a great week!

Xoxo,

Road Trip!

2011-07-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

This is my life for the next three days. Minus the fact that:

1. I don't have a convertible

2. The Boyfriend can't drive stick so I will be doing all of the driving

3. I used Mapquest to plan our route because I don't own a super cute multi-colored interstate map like this one.

Otherwise, this looks exactly like us.

And I love it.

Image from here.

My First Fashion Show

2011-07-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

Five years ago I was of 10 students selected through an intensive interview process to participate in FIDM's Debut fashion show. I had just finished my two year program, and was over the moon to be picked to design my own collection from start to finish. I sketched the designs, made the patterns, sewed the garments, constructed their accessories, knitted the little sweaters and assembled a business plan to get my line off and running. I chose to design FIDM's first-ever "tween" line. My models were between 10 and 12 years old. It was the most fun I ever had in school.

The show was held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. It was a big to-do, with real models and over 10,000 guests over the three days the show was held.

Of course, I didn't have this blog back then, so I've never had a chance to ~~brag to the world about this~~ show you these pictures. But then today I was going through some old files, and found these. So here they are, my humble beginnings as a designer.

I have the video back in L.A. Would anyone want to watch the show if I uploaded it to Youtube?

Big News!

2011-07-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

This blog is now at www.livingandlovinginla.com and is also on Facebook. Please go "like" me there! I'm really working hard to make this blog a top priority, and there are many fun things coming in the near future! As this blog approaches its 2nd birthday (two weeks from today) it's going to get bigger and better. Don't miss out!

Xo,

My Favorite Photos of Summer

2011-07-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I'm leaving Colorado in a few days and road tripping back to Los Angeles. But for now, I'm still here, and today I am celebrating the 4th and all things summer by revisiting some of my favorite photos from summer's past.

Yep, pretty much that sums it all up right there. I tried to photograph the Corona light I'm drinking rightthisverysecond over ice with limes, but it didn't come out. Better go have another, and in the meantime, wish you all a very happy 4th of July.

Denver Drag Queens

2011-06-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

I've been in Colorado for three weeks now. I'm here for two more. The main reason I've been here is for my mama, who as you know had heart surgery yesterday. During the diagnostic procedure, the cardiologist found out she had an arrhythmia in her right ventricle, and they ablated it. I imagine it was something like aliens shooting fiery balls of gas into her heart and then suddenly poof! She was all fixed. Just like magic. You see, her heart rate has been beating around 130 BPM 24hoursperday, everysingleday for over six months, sometimes reaching over 200 BPM while just sitting there. Crazy, I know. Well, after her surgery yesterday, I'm happy to announce that she is now resting at around 70 BPM. I couldn't be happier that she is all better.

There was another reason why I came back, and I'm not quite ready to disclose that to the world just yet (it's not anything super secret, I just don't have the time to explain.) But you'll know in time, and all you need to know right now, is that I've met some pretty amazing people. And we went to a drag show.

And here are the pictures:

I love meeting new people, especially people you know you will know and love for the rest of your life. Have you ever been to a show like this? What did you think? Personally I love to see different forms of self-expression, whatever they may be.

Hope you are all having a great week!

Well, That Was a Long Trip!

2011-06-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Friends, I came back from Mexico alive. I know a few of you sent me tweets demanding I show my face, lest you need to send out the National Guard to search for my little blonde self all the way down in Cabo.

So...here's what I've been up to, in a very tiny little nutshell. I went to Mexico, came back, packed my apartment, threw everything I own into storage, flew my brother out to L.A., forced him to drive back with me to Colorado, and here I've been for the last three weeks. My mama is having heart surgery tomorrow, and so I felt like being her for her. Call me crazy. And something about that whole nothavingajobthing made it so easy to do so! There's a bit more to the story, but I have no time to explain now. You know I'm already long-winded enough. We don't need you to spend all of Father's Day weekend reading this post.

Mexico was amazing. I want to go back rightthisverysecond. However, no can do. These pictures will have to be good enough for the both of us.

My little brother. He's still single, ladies!

The very last thing we did before we left was take a water taxi back to the hotel, as you can see I was not happy to be leaving.

Hope you are all having a Happy Father's Day!

Xoxo,

Cinco De Mayo!

2011-05-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, I know it's Doce de Mayo, but I'm celebrating late. By going to Mexico! We're leaving on Saturday and will be soaking up the sun for a week.

Here are just a few of the things I have planned for the week:

Parasailing

Tequila Tasting

Swimming

Laying in the sun

Snorkling

Eating until I can't eat anymore

Drinking until I can't drink anymore

Snuggling

Socializing

But don't worry friends, I'll still be maintaining my usual heathy-living principles.

I promise to drink green smoothies.

And lots of coconut water.

And gets lots of rest.

And wear lots of sunscreen.

And keep covered at the beach.

And get some much needed exercise.

And you know I really need this vacation, since being laid off from my job has made me feel a lot like this lately:

And no one likes an angry panda.

I promise I'll come back in one peace.

Birthday Party Pics and Cupcakes!

2011-05-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hello, Loves! Do I sound another year older? Yesterday (Mother's Day) was also my birthday. I had a party on Saturday night at the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills, and then celebrated yesterday with The Boyfriend and his family.

I was spoiled rotten with presents, friends and cupcakes I made (recipes below!) and had the best time. I wish you all could have been there!

I baked my own cupcakes for the party, and settled on Dark Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes and Banana Coco-Nut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

They were a hit! No one could believe I baked them myself. I'd love to prove it to you by showing you the step-by-step process, but I was in such a hurry to bake them, get ready, and make it to my party before my first guests arrived that I had no time to photograph more than the finished product. I didn't even feed myself on Saturday, except for if you count the cup or so of cream cheese frosting I licked of the bowls, spoons and spatulas in my kitchen. Actually, I didn't even get to try a cupcake myself! The recipes make 12 each, and my cute little cupcake stand from Crate & Barrel held exactly 24 cupcakes. I was sure they looked pretty, but had to wait for one of my guests to take the first bite to ensure they actually tasted good!

The party was amazing; the views from the rooftop bar at the Thompson are incredible. I had friends from so many different times in my life come to help me celebrate. Friends from high school, friends from college, friends from the last 7 years in L.A. and friends from every job I've had in the industry. I felt so lucky to have so many people there with me to celebrate.

The sweets continued on the next day, with a Red Velvet Birthday Cake from Sweet Lady Jane. The Boyfriend's beautiful sister picked up the cake for me the day before, and it could not have been yummier! More cream cheese frosting!

Now I'm all sugared out. It's back to my usual dairy-free diet and diet in general, because friends did I tell you? Next week I am on vacation!!! But back to those cupcakes and the recipes!

Dark Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes (Gluten free!)
Modified from the "Black Bottom Cupcakes" recipe in Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor

Makes 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cake batter:
1 1/2 C. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1/2 C. Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Granulated White Sugar
1/4 C. Navita's Naturals Cacao Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
Pinch Salt
1 C. Boiling Water
1/3 C. Vegetable Oil
1 Tbs. Bragg's Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

For the filling:
8 oz. Mascarpone Cheese
1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
1 egg
Pinch of salt
1 C. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 C. Chopped Dried Cherries

For the frosting:
I used store-bought Rich Dark Chocolate Frosting from Fresh & Easy, and piped it with a #12 Round Wilton Decorating Tip

Garnishes:
Chocolate Sprinkles
Fresh Cherries with Stems

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350*. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with foil liners.
Make the filling by creaming together the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, egg and pinch of salt. Stir in the chocolate chips and cherries. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cacao powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, mix together boiling water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients. Stir together until smooth.
Pour about 2 Tbs. of the cake batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Top each with a heaping tablespoon of the filling. Cover with the remaining cake batter, filling each to about 1/4" of the top edge.
Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely, and then pipe the frosting on top in a circular motion. Top with chocolate sprinkles and a cherry.

Banana Coco-Nut Cupcakes
Makes 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cake batter:
1 C. Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Stick Softened Butter
1/2 C. Granulated White Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 C. Mashed Over-ripe Banana
3/4 C. Sweetened Shredded Coconut
1/2 C. Chopped Raw Walnuts

For the frosting:
2 - 8 oz. Packages Cream Cheese
1 Stick Softened Butter
2 C. Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla

Garnishes:
Wilton's White Cake Sparkles
Shredded Coconut
Dried Banana Chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350*. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Mix in banana.
Slowly add dry ingredients to mixing bowl, beating slowly and adding dry ingredients only 1/4-1/2 C. at a time. Once fully incorporated, fold in the coconut and walnuts.
Divide all of the batter evenly into the paper liners. Batter will be within 1/2" of top of liner. Bake for exactly 23 minutes.
Cool completely.
Wash and dry the electric mixing bowl, and add the cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Beat until creamy and well-mixed. Slowly add in powdered sugar, 1/4 C. at a time until it is all incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the frosting, after inserting a #22 Star-Shaped Decorating Tip. Pipe the frosting in a circular motion around the cupcake. Sprinkle with the cake sparkles and the coconut, and top with a sweetened, dried banana chip.

Enjoy!

Slightly Obsessed with Kitchen Linens

2011-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for pretty and/or funny dish towels. All kitchen linens and wearable kitchen accessories in general pretty much thrill me to death. And since it's my birthday on Sunday, (Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I give you myself as a present!) I've come up with some inexpensive and beautiful kitchen linens and accessories that Mom (or me) would just love to receive on this blessed day.

Emotionally Unstable Dishtowel, BlueQ, $9.99

You're The Cream In My Coffee Dishtowel, BlueQ, $9.99

Strawberry Rhubarb Apron, Anthropologie, $32

Orchard's Delight Apron, Anthropologie, $32

Grey Gardens Apron, Anthropologie, $32

Florid Spectrum Dishtowel, Anthropologie, $18

After Showers Dishtowel, Anthropologie, $18

Recipe Bookmarks, Anthropologie, $10

I know a certain Mama Pea who might like this!

English Pea Dishtowel, Crate & Barrel, $4.95

Watermelon Patch Dishtowel, Crate & Barrel, $4.95

Cath Kidston Recipe Organizer, Chronicle Books, $19.95

Dishwashing Gloves, Neiman Marcus, $28

Love Love Eat Dishtowel, Studiopatro, $22

Today Is A Good Day Dishtowel, Studiopatro, $22

I Am Not A Paper Towel Dishtowel, Uncommon Goods, $20

"The Carly" Mother-Daughter Aprons, Uncommon Goods, $32-39

Pretty Perennial Scrub Brush, ModCloth, $12.99

Foodie Challenge Potholder, ModCloth, $9.99

What are your plans for ~~Mother's Day~~ My Birthday?

The Day Hello Kitty Was Born

2011-05-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered where your clothes come from? Do you think about the hands that cut the fabric or sewed the seams together?

As a consumer, I try not to. As a designer, I have to.

I know what my industry does, good and bad. I have to say that in my year in China I never witnessed anything unsavory. All of ex-company's factories were well lit and temperature controlled, with regular working hours, functioning bathrooms and standards I found acceptable as an American. But that's China. And China has relatively high standards compared to the rest of the world.

One of my responsibilities was to find new factories to do business with, and with that came the ever-popular factory tour. Factory owners love to show off the mass-market capabilities of their businesses.

A typical order in my industry for stores you shop at the mall is between 5,000 and 150,000 units. A store like Target or Walmart might buy 100,000 units of one style.

On one factory tour, I witnessed what a 100,000 unit order looks like first hand. And if it happens to me made up of Hello Kitty merchandise, it looks a little something like this:

The finished product is piled in heaps until it is hung up, tagged and shipped. Piles upon piles of pink and black lined every possible nook and cranny.

My tour was late on a Saturday. Even still, I was told on a typical working day, this factory can produce 80,000 garments.

I bet those boxes were made from trees. Just guessing.

All hung up and ready to go! I was told this order was shipping at the end of April. I'm sure if you look hard enough you could buy one of these shirts for the Hello Kitty fan in your life.

This video was taken with my camera. It's not perfect, but you'll get the idea. Men use electric saws to cut through 100 layers of fabric at a time. I just hope they watch their fingers.

Packed Hello Kitty shirts waiting to be sent to America. Most likely they will be sent by boat, which takes between 2-4 weeks.

The fabric scraps are stored and sold to a buyer who makes stuffing for pillows. I was happy to hear this, it was nice to hear all of these scraps didn't just end up in a landfill somewhere. And trust me, when cutting out the pieces, there are a lot of scraps.

I don't know why I expected the paint for the screens to be kept in a better manner than just in buckets on the floor. But if it works.

This machine is knitting jersey fabric. It will then be sent to a 3rd party for dyeing. Then it will come back and be cut and sewn into the finished garments.

Soon enough this fabric will become something else. Another style for another company, dyed another color, set to ship on another day. Hands will touch it many times before it touches yours.

So the moral of the story, please wash your clothes before you wear them.

I'll Never Ever Forget You

2011-05-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

Over the last year, I made it to China 8 times. My shortest trip was 2 weeks, my longest 31 days. This last trip was long too, 27 days (25 of which I was working) but filled with some pretty amazing memories. For a couple silly and very amateur videos, check out my YouTube page. For pictures of the last month I've been waiting to show you, see below.

On one of my two days off, I went strawberry picking. It was freezing cold that day, but the berries were just perfect.

My sweet, sweet (and only) friend in Shanghai, Selina, picking strawberries. I haven't told her yet what happened on Friday, it breaks my heart to think I don't know when I'll see her again.

The Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) were in full bloom in People's Square in Shanghai. They smell amazing. And I bought some Sakura Green Tea at a fancy tea shop, and I'm so glad I did. Note to self: When in doubt, purchase. You never know when you might be back.

I try to find Chinese babies whenever possible. It's hard to keep me from bringing one home in my suitcase.

After strawberry picking, Selina brought me to this tiny little fishing village where the streets were lined with treats. I had strawberry-flavored cotton candy.

It was bigger than my head. And I ate (almost) all of it. And Rachael, my dear, I am still rocking the bangs, as you can see here. They were however not cooperating that day, as it was raining. Yuck.

This is what I think China should look like. Most of it does not look like this. But I love it anyway.

I'm not kidding, those goldfish came from the river. Can you even believe that?

This is my friend Selina's friend eating a frog.

I got to row the boat.

Can you even stand it? I loved these little girls. Some kids are scared when they see me, others are very interested and tell me I look like their Barbie dolls.

This apple cost almost $10 in USD. But it claimed to be the world's best, so I had to buy it. It was just okay.

My fruit bowl. Mangosteen, Rambutan and little mini Mangoes.

Water chestnuts.

Skyline at night.

My patternmaker, Yang, and I on her motorbike. I'm worried she was laid off too, and I have no way to find out, as she doesn't speak English and I don't have her personal info. She has a one-year-old daughter.

The Jin An Temple. I threw a coin into the tower to wish for good luck, and I made it in. I know that good luck is on it's way, it just takes a while to make it here all the way from China.

It's nice to be home. And friends, thank you so much for your comments on my last post. There are many more to come.

Hugs and Kisses,
Erin

And It's Over

2011-05-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

1 year, 1 month, 13 days and about 7 hours ago I accepted a job that took me to places I never dreamed of going. It took me to far away places, places that humbled me and amazed me, places that terrified and amused me. My job took me to China eight times in one year. It also took me away from a lot of people and things. It pretty much gave me no free time. It took me away from this blog, and my boyfriend and my life.
I started knowing very little of what I know today. And today I know so much more than I ever could have dreamed. More about life, more about love, and more about this industry than I thought was possible.
And yesterday, my position was eliminated from the company. I was given hugs, and thanked for my outstanding effort, but ultimately told the company was moving in a different direction. And so I was laid off. I was told it was nothing personal.
And I have never been more relieved.
I don't talk about work on this blog for a reason. No one I worked with for the last year even knew I had a blog. Well, basically this blog has been hanging on by a thread, let's be honest. I let it go to the wayside while I recovered from jet lag and nursed my latest job-related stress. I wore cozy pants a lot and was on my Blackberry 24-hours a day. When I couldn't sleep at home, I e-mailed with China. When I couldn't sleep in China, I e-mailed home. I filled and refilled my prescriptions for anxiety medicine and sleeping pills, both of which I needed to deal with the stress and constant time changes.
And then two weeks ago I returned from what would become my last China trip working for this company, and I came home sick as a dog and under more pressure than ever. I wasn't happy. I did all I could for myself and my job and it turns out it just wasn't meant to go on any longer.
I am so grateful for this year away, and even happier and more grateful to finally be home. I can't wait to reconnect with you, and my friends and to take off my shoes and prance around the grass with my bare feet.
I know there are fantastic opportunities ahead, and for the next few months, I'm going to reconnect with all of the things I've been missing and then get back into the game.
But for the time being, this little tiger is tuckered out.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

2011-02-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today my only child turns 8. She might still only weigh 7 lbs. and be covered with fur, but she's mine and I don't know what I'd do with out her. Last month my mom brought her to come visit me and we took Leila to the beach. She was the cutest ever watching the waves and just staring at the big, blue ocean.

I bought Leila when I was 19, just a month shy of my 20th birthday. She was a present to myself. I wasn't in the market for a dog, I was only a sophomore in college and was moving into my sorority house the next fall. But I couldn't help it. She was just so cute and when she stared up at me with those big brown eyes, I fell in love. That and I had a brand new Visa card in my wallet. The two were a dangerous combo.

The next year she lived with my mom, and our Akita, Bear, and our Shiba Inu, Champ. They all became fast friends. Leila would take naps sleeping on top of Bear, even though he was literally 20 times her size. Sadly, Bear and Champ were already old dogs by the time I got Leila, and within a few years they were both gone.

Leila has been an only child now for many years. And that year she lived with my mom when I was in the sorority solidified my mom's attachment to her, she never did live with me again. So she is in Colorado, and I am in Los Angeles. I think about her every day and am so glad she is able to come visit every now and again.
I mean, just look at her! How could you not be in love this girl?

Happy Birthday, baby girl! Mommy loves you!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Xo,
Erin

Jill and Evan's Circus-Themed Wedding

2011-02-16T21:09:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, The Boyfriend and I had the good fortune of having two of our friends, Jill and Evan, get married. The wedding was nothing short of fantastic, and Circus-themed to boot.

If it's any indication, I took 278 pictures over the course of 4 hours. I loved every minute of it, every detail. I was so incredibly impressed with how cohesive the whole event was from start to finish. It's going to be tough to narrow down the 278 pictures for you here, but I'm going to do my best to try!

When we arrived at the venue, Vibiana in downtown L.A., there were clown-noses on everyone's chairs!

The 10 bridesmaids wore short, strapless dresses from David's Bridal, similar to this one. The groomsmen had matching red ties with their black suits.

The bride's beautiful dress was a strapless number with rhinestone accents, and multiple tiers of chiffon cascading to the floor. Jill is a stand-up comedienne (I know, right? How cool is that?) and her fun and humorous personality was shown throughout the whole wedding, even in her shoes.

The flowers were gorgeous. Two gigantic multi-colored bouquets stood at the back of the room, while over a dozen cylindrical glass vases held red roses up front. Her bridesmaids each had a bouquet made of one single variety of flower, while Jill's bouquet was a smaller version of the large bouquets in the room.

After the short but extremely sweet and surprising ceremony (the groom's best friend for over 20 years officiated, in a move no one expected or was aware of, including the bridal party and the parents), it was time for some cocktails and some fun. Among the many activities was a photo booth, complete with costumes. Popcorn and finger foods such as mini tacos, corndogs and sliders were served.

Of course, there were people at the wedding too...

One of my absolute favorite things were the centerpieces on the tables at the reception. Comprised of Dr. Seuss-looking gerber daisy arrangements, some in popcorn containers, statues of clowns, boxes of Cracker Jacks, Ring Pops, Animal Crackers, raffle tickets and big glass vases filled with peanuts.

Entertainment included, what else? Circus performers!

The bride and groom seemed to be having a good time too! The theme even continued with the cake.

By the end of the night, everyone was feeling the love...

Shanghai-Style Chana Masala

2011-02-13T17:23:00.000-08:00

This girl is back in the kitchen. I found my measuring cups, dusted off the old pots and pans, and dug around in the back of the pantry for the spices.
Back in December (which feels like a million years ago) in a land far, far away called China, I enjoyed a delicious meal with my Chinese friend Selina. She took me to this back-alley Indian restaurant, that was seriously some of the best Indian food I've ever had.
One of the best things about Indian restaurants is that across the board, in any country, you can most likely find a vegetarian meal. It's pretty difficult for me to find reliable restaurants in China, that can guarantee no meat will make it's way into my meal. So when Selina brought me to this little Indian restaurant on Dagu Road in Shanghai, I was ecstatic.
I asked for the recipe, but was turned down. I was however given a list of ingredients, and lo and behold I figured out the measurements all by myself.

Shanghai-Style Chana Masala
Serves 6

Ingredients
2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 C. Diced Onion
1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic
1" ginger, matchsticked
1/2 Jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed
1 - 15 oz. Can Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans)
1 - 15oz. can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
1 - 15 oz. can Muir Glen Whole Peeled tomatoes, cut into quarters
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Curry Powder
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
1/2 tsp. Ground Coriander
1 Tbs. Coconut Oil or 1/3 C. Light Coconut Milk
5 drops liquid Stevia (I like NuNaturals Clear Liquid Stevia)
1 tsp. Sea Salt
2 C. Spinach or Kale, packed

Directions
1. Dice the Onions and Jalapeno.

2. Saute the Onion, Garlic, Ginger and Jalapeno in the Olive Oil over Medium heat until Onion looks slightly transparent, about 6 minutes.

3. Drain and rinse Chick Peas, reserving liquid, and add to pot.

4. Add both cans of tomatoes. Stir and cook 5 more minutes. If Chana Masala is too thick, add some of the reserved Chick Pea liquid to thin it out a bit.

5. Add all spices, Stevia and Sea Salt.

6. Add Spinach or Kale and cook just until greens are wilted.

7. Serve with Naan bread or mini pitas. Keeps for a full work week of lunches!

What's the best recipe you've tried to recreate from a trip?

Would You Wear A Printed Wedding Dress?

2011-02-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Every once and a while, one of those pesky bridal magazines makes its way into my pile of monthly fashion magazines. One of my favorite perks of being a fashion designer is my monthly magazine budget. And this month, as I stood at the newsstand checking out the latest glossy covers, this one caught my eye:

Vogue Sposa Spring 2011

One of the trends I noticed emerging was the printed wedding dress. More than three different designers in this one very expensive and ultra-fancy Italian magazine were featuring the same idea, that plain white is no longer a requirement. I started thinking more and more about this notion, so much so that I am now kind of obsessed with it.

And if someone put a gun to my head and told me I had to get married right-this-very-second, I think one of these dresses would fit the ticket quite nicely.

What do you think?

Would you consider one of these gorgeous gowns?

Xo,

Test Post

2011-02-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

This is only a test. I repeat, this is only a test.

Balboa Island, August 2010

2011-01-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

We all know I was a tad bit busy in 2010. Well, as of now I expect no less from 2011. However instead of whining about it, I'm going to embrace it all. And make up for a little of my lost time by doing a tad bit of catching up. Starting now.

Last August one of my best friends, Megan, took me to her grandmother's beach house on Balboa Island for the weekend. By the way, Megan, I still have the spare keys to the house, remind me to give them back to you or I might just go back the next weekend it's above freezing and camp out.

We had a fantastic weekend, exploring the island, shopping and sunning ourselves to a crispy red lobster color. My sunburn was actually so bad that I blistered and my doctor prescribed pain killers. But all that is a distant memory now and my skin is back to its usual winter white. I don't remember the sunburn as much as I remember all of the fun we had. I'm so glad I had my camera with me!

Please note: I am not lucky enough to own any of the dogs or children in these pictures.

Are You There Readers? It's Me, Erin

2010-12-31T09:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers, I forgot where I keep my measuring cups. Panicked, I flung open the only drawer and several cabinet doors in my teeny-tiny kitchen in a panic. How does one just forget where they keep something they use so often? After hours of searching WebMD for the answer, I settled on the obvious conclusion of I'm just not home very much at all anymore.

I got back on Sunday night. My faucets sputtered upon being turned on, spitting out buckets of rusty water before finally running clear. I twisted the knob on my gas stove, and the tick-tick-tick-tick-tick seemed to last forever before the familiar blue and orange flame flared. I turned on my heater and a small cloud of dust filled the room. I went to the bathroom, realized I was out of toilet paper, and honestly didn't know if I had any more. I can't remember the last time I went to the grocery store. I probably don't even know the checkers at Whole Foods by name anymore.

I have a permanent red suitcase in my room that goes from being packed and unpacked so much it rarely gets put away completely. I have Christmas presents in boxes filling the living room.

My new juicer is still in the box.

So is my new home canning set.

I don't even remember what that was in my fridge (hint: that's not freezer burn, that's mold).

I don't know how old that almond butter, Earth Balance, miso paste or Tofutti Cream Cheese is.

I think that used to be ginger. I'm not 100% sure.

I think these used to be bangs.

But all of this comes with a silver lining. I love what I do and I am so incredibly grateful to have a job, even one that keeps me away from my friends and family and my beautiful, amazing boyfriend so much. And my blog.

I am not giving up on you. This blog is not going anywhere. It might only get updated twice a month for now, but for my career this job is the boot camp that's preparing me for war. And the fact that my Christmas bonus was literally 10 times what it was last year, that certainly helps.

Luckily, I am off for the next three days and am going to be in the United States of America for the next six weeks! That's the longest I've been home for one time in the last 10 months. So you can expect some more posts in the near future. And this marks the end of me apologizing for not being here enough for you. From now on my posts will be as though I was never gone.

Big things are happening this year, loves. I have more faith than a grain of mustard seed in my future. I have two cameras that work and a stack of new cookbooks a mile high thanks to my family and their Amazon.com gift certificates. I have the best boyfriend in the world who I just couldn't live with out, one who keeps me grounded when I'm flying and flying when I'm on the ground.

And I have YOU. Thank you for being there even though I'm not always here. Thank you for not blaming me for never having time to read your blogs. Thank you for your faith.

Happy New Year, Love.

Well, Hello.

2010-12-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not really sure where to begin. It was 80 degrees here in Los Angeles today. It's supposed to be December. I'm also supposed to be packing for my 7th trip to China tomorrow, but I really miss you. So I suppose I'll share what's been going on so far this month.
In my last post, I mentioned I was a juror, the trial lasted seven days and ultimately resulted in the defendant being guilty. It was a DUI case that reminded me that especially around the holiday's, it's important to watch what we drink when we are driving. Or better yet, just NOT drink if we are driving. And don't drink and drive at 8:30am and cause an accident on the 405 freeway during rush hour, better yet. It was overall a very good experience. And I made a whole $15 per day doing it. Thank you State of California.
I'm heading straight from Shanghai to Denver right before Christmas, so I'll get to spend time with my family. I am so excited to see them! It hasn't really felt like Christmas time to me this year, I haven't had time to put up any decorations like my tree last year, and with the weather here being so hot, it's not like it's a white Christmas around here! I'm hoping it will be nice in Colorado, and I'm hoping even more that I might see a flurry or two. Snow is always nice at Christmas.
Also over the last few weeks was my 10-year high school reunion. I had such a nice time and I would totally recommend it to anyone questioning whether or not to go to theirs. I knew I'd regret it if I didn't go, and I am so happy I did. It was nice to see everyone, and after some very generous people started buying shots for the room, it got quite fun and very interesting. Here are some more pictures from that night:

Okay, well I've procrastinated long enough. That plane to Shanghai isn't going to wait for me if I'm not packed and ready to go here pretty soon.
Please tell me what you've all been up to! And I promise, one of these days, my schedule will slow down enough so that I have more time to spend with my lovely little blog.

Xo,

I'm Juror #8

2010-11-30T22:43:00.000-08:00

Loves! Is it really December? I can't believe how fast time has been flying by ever since I practically moved to China. And to think I'll be back there in less than two weeks! So much has happened lately! I went home to Colorado for Thanksgiving and my 10 year high school reunion (more on that later) and I am currently performing my civic duties as a juror.

Can we talk about the legal system for a minute? While I've been compared to Elle Woods before (blonde hair, Chihuahua, sorority-girl, etc.) I do think my #1 trait in common with this bombshell has got to be my respect for the law. I obviously won't tell you where I am serving or what kind of case, but I can tell you that it was blatantly disgusting the way people were trying to get out of jury duty. Jury selection took three days...we are just getting started with the trial, and we went through over 80 potential jurors.

What if YOU were on trial? What if your best friend was? Your mother? How would you feel if the best and brightest people in the room were literally crying trying to avoid the responsibility that comes with being on a jury? I know it's a pain, but really, most trials take 3-5 days, most employers will pay you for your time away, and you really can't beat courtroom hours. Also, wouldn't you want you to be on your own jury? Was that a little confusing, but do you get what I'm saying anyway?

I say, take it like a man (or, um...Elle Woods) and go up there unbiased and willing to appreciate the legal system. Just consider it your due-diligence for spending all of those hours watching Law & Order free of charge.

Xo,
Erin

Merry Christmas from Us to You

2010-11-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

Oh wait, it was just Thanksgiving, wasn't it? Well, Happy Thanksgiving too! Last night after dinner we took our annual Christmas card photos, and then decided maybe we should have done it all before everyone had a gallon of stuffing in their bellies!

Regardless, I think they came out really cute. And Leila stole the show in her Christmas sweater I had just finished knitting for her.

I think she should be famous.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

2010-11-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

Hello Loves! I am back in the United States of America! It was a long trip to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong but I made it through with flying colors. And I came back with bangs.

I know it seems sketchy to get your hair cut in a foreign country, but as far as I'm concerned a move like this is sketchy anywhere. In China I work every single day - It's a good thing I love what I do. One rainy Sunday afternoon, I took myself on the number 2 train to Nanjing Lu, a very popular area with tourists and found a Toni & Guy salon. It was there I walked in all dripping wet, and said, "This girl needs a cut and some color!" I ended up getting some caramel-colored lowlights for the winter, and chopped off those bangs like nobody's business.

And I haven't looked back. Sorry for the cell phone pictures, my little camera decided to go to Heaven before I even left for China so I didn't take any "real" pictures this trip.
We will catch up more soon this week, I'm on jury tomorrow and am going home Wednesday for Thanksgiving.

I really do miss you all and miss my blog so much. What have you all been up to lately? Please fill me in!

Xoxo,
Erin

Multitasking My Milkshake

2010-10-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for alliteration. This is not a milkshake. It's really a smoothie. But "I Blended My Steel-Cut Oatmeal and Green Smoothie Into One Cup This Morning" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

Well folks, this morning I woke up, ran a whole 1.3 miles on my treadmill (big time, I know) and then couldn't decide what to have for breakfast. Did I want oatmeal or a green smoothie? And why on earth couldn't I have both and combine these lovely meals into one. In a cup.

I don't know a woman who's not good at multitasking. When I found myself at work yesterday under a giant heap of paper patterns, thread, beads and crochet trims designing fabulous fashion for the masses and trying to book tickets home for Thanksgiving and eat my lunch all at the same time, and then China called and I had to talk them down from the ledge of the latest crisis while all of this was all happening, I thought, "There's almost nothing I can't combine."

So that's just what I did. For breakfast. And if you think it's gross, it's not. It's glorious. And insanely delicious. Dare you to try it, loves.

Green Oatmeal Smoothie
Serves 1

Ingredients

1 Banana
1 C. Cooked Steel Cut Oats
1 tsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Ground Flax Seed
1/2 C. Packed Kale Leaves (stems removed)
1/2 C. Packed Spinach Leaves
1/2-1 C. Almond Milk

Blend all in blender until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

(That's my new favorite cup, by the way. It's made by Aladdin and is BPA free. I bought it at Target for $9.99. It's pretty much almost as amazing as my breakfast.)

Xoxo,

Should I Get A Flu Shot?

2010-10-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Remember last year when I had the swine flu? It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was literally sick in bed and couldn't move for a week, and it was only three weeks before my very first marathon. I missed a 22-miler for H1N1. I couldn't feed myself. The Boyfriend had to hand-feed me matzo ball soup with a baby spoon. I missed a week of work, but was too sick to even enjoy being home. I was not a happy camper.

Well, that's not going to happen this year. Oh no. I'm now the proud owner of one very sore arm, and one body protected against the three most common types of influenza (including H1N1).

Hope your answer to the title of this post was an emphatic "yes". After all, lest you forget the 30+ hours I average monthly on airplanes, my international traveling and oh, you know, just life.

So I got a flu shot. And I was lucky enough to have company!

That's my friend Lynn from Actor's Diet! She was kind enough to treat me to lunch at Salad Bowl Cafe in Beverly Hills. This was my kind of place! You get to pick all of your own salad ingredients, and they make it for you right then and there.

After lunch, I noticed the Rite Aid next door, and the big blue sign out front:

I knew I had to do it. But I had never had a flu shot before. I hate shots. Not that I've ever met a sicko in my life who actually liked shots, but you know. I'd rather give 10 pints of blood in a row than get a shot. I was more than a little bit nervous. But to tell you the truth, I didn't even really feel it! It was over before I knew it.

I went first, but Lynn was super calm and collected the whole time when it was her turn. She was a model patient. I mean, look at her! There's a needle in her arm!

Afterwards, we even got a Tootsie Pop.

Lynn, I promise, the next time we hang out, lunch is on me and no needles will be involved!

Have You Met My Brother?

2010-10-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

This is my little brother. He's single, ladies.

He's also smart and talented and sweet. Case in point? He made this little movie of Lake Michigan for me over the weekend:

I can just feel the stress melting away when I watch it. I could seriously watch this on repeat over and over and over.

We also shared my camera and took a bunch of pictures of the water. Here's what the two of us came up with:

E-mail me if you want his info, girls!

Fun With Crayola Crayons

2010-10-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to deny that I spent $14.99 of my hard-earned money on a box of 150 Crayola Crayons. I could have saved about ten dollars by only buying the box of 120, but I sprung for those 30 extra colors. I did it. I admit it. And yes, I'm a professional, 28-year-old working woman. Hi. My name is Erin, and I spend money on child-like items.

But I do it for the sake of amateur photography. So you are welcome!

Don't you want a brand-new box of crayons? Tempting. I know.

Back On The Running Wagon!

2010-10-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I did something I haven't done in forever. I went running.

My mommy and I always try to run next to Lake Michigan when we are there. It was no Chicago Marathon, but it was a great start. And today was day two, I ran 3 miles.

A year ago, Running Buddy Selena and I were running the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. You can read my re-cap and see more photos of that here. Well, I have "rested" long enough. It's time to start running again. Like really running. Like marathon running.

L.A. Marathon? Meet Erin. Hi. I'm going to run you. I have 159 days to go.

Let me know if anyone is interested in a frequent Starbucks stop-taking, beer drinking, run-walking marathon training partner who makes great snacks!

Lovely Leaves

2010-10-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot that leaves change color. I mean, this is easy to do living in Los Angeles, palm trees don't change much throughout the year.

But this weekend I got to go to Michigan for my Grandmother's 80th birthday, and boy-oh-boy do the leaves change color there. Reds, yellows, oranges, greens of all shades. I was obsessed. And wanted desperately to go collect a bunch, place them in between two sheets of wax paper and get to town ironing.

Too bad you'll have to settle for these pictures.

What did you do this weekend, loves?

Xoxo,

Jammin' In My Jammies

2010-10-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

There are few things I love more than my cozy pants. So the chance to stay in my cozy pants all day is quite frankly AH-mazing. Almost as amazing as my jam.

So I made jam in my jammies. It's the best of both world's here in L.A. this morning.

Raspberries and Peaches were both on sale at Trader Joe's; Raspberries $4.49 for 14 oz. and Peaches $4.99 for 4 lbs. My raspberry jam recipe needs two containers of berries but yields eight - 8 oz. jars of jam (that's less than $1.50 per jar when you include the Sure Jell pectin and the sugar) and the peach jam recipe uses six of the nine peaches included in my 4 lb. box and makes six - 8 oz. jars of jam (less than $1 per jar!)

The good thing about quick jam recipes is that the fruit is not cooked, so you retain the nutritional value of the fruit, but you can keep it for up to a year in the freezer with no canning or processing! You simply mix the pectin with the sugar required, add 1 C. of water and bring to a boil, allow to boil for ONE minute, and add the chopped fruit and stir. That's it! Pour into your very clean containers (I wash my Ball jars in the dishwasher on the "sanitize" setting) and let sit on the kitchen counter for 24 hours. Then you can either refrigerate your jam for up to three weeks, or plop in the freezer for up to one year.

It really couldn't be easier, cheaper, or a better gift. I love making jam, and even though I'd like to graduate to actual canned and processed food one day, this jam works for me right now. I can't wait to share it with my family this weekend! I'm sure it will go well with Grandma's coffee cake for breakfast. Mmmm...Grandma's coffee cake!

Raspberry Jam
(from the insert in the Sure-Jell box)

4 C. mashed Raspberries (about two 14 oz. containers)
4 C. Sugar
1 Pink Box Lower-Sugar Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin

Peach Jam
(from the insert in the Sure-Jell box)

4 C. mashed Peaches (about six peaches, not over-ripe)
2 Tbs. Fresh Lemon Juice
2 1/2 C. Sugar
1 Pink Box Lower-Sugar Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin

Time to go pack for the weekend! I'm off on a red-eye tonight and will wake up in Michigan! What are your weekend plans?

Xoxo,

P.S. I just finished editing my new "Recipes" page! Check it out! Every Living and Loving recipe is there!

Look Mom, I Made Banana Bread Cookies!

2010-10-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

It's been freezing in L.A. for three days now. Three days of which I've had off work. I'm not sure if I'm happy about this (getting to stay in my cozy pants all day long and not feel guilty catching up with Tivo) or sad (not being able to run on the beach, visit the farmer's market or play outdoors) but regardless, today I decided it was time to head out in the rain and stock up on ingredients for treats.

Treats that are for my gorgeous boyfriend and lovely family whom I will be boarding a plane tomorrow night to go visit for my Grandmother's 80th birthday this weekend. Treats that are conventional in all forms of the word, and treats that are not healthy, vegan or otherwise diet-friendly. But old habits die hard.

So do bananas.

I found these in The Boyfriend's fridge. Never one to waste food, instead of tossing them, I turned them into something delicious. Friends, I give you Banana Bread Cookies.

Banana Bread Cookies

Makes 32 Cookies

1 C. All-purpose Flour

1 C. Whole-Wheat Flour

1 1/2 C. Rolled Oats

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 C. Unsalted Butter (or Earth Balance)
1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs (or 2 flaxseed eggs, or Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Mashed Banana (about 3 small)
1 C. Chopped Walnuts
2 C. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (1 bag)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix together all dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. Cream butter with sugars, mix well, add eggs one by one and then the vanilla.
4. Add banana, mix well again.
5. Add in the dry ingredient mixture 1/2 C. at a time until it's all in there.
6. Once all is well mix, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts by hand.

7. Drop by 1 1/2" ice cream scoop-fuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes until tops are lightly browned. I only put 8 cookies per sheet. Give them some space.

These cookies taste just like banana bread. Which I only didn't make because I don't own loaf pans. And I was too distracted by the Starbucks inside my grocery store with "New Flavored Via" only weeks after I quit drinking coffee to go pick up a disposable pan. Yes, that's right, I beat my coffee addiction. No more. I've been making fresh juice in the morning instead. How's that for a swap? I thought it was amazing until I saw the new flavored Via. That, and while I was gone, the Pumpkin Spice Latte came back.

But you know what they say, old habits die hard.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make some juice.

Xoxo,

This is Food

2010-10-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing shocks me more than food. Give the roaches and worms they used to eat on "Fear Factor", give it a number and then multiply it by ten. And then take that number, round up, carry the one, and that's the food in China I don't eat. (And this is my last post on China because I'm sick of talking about it for now.)

In this post are all of the pictures I took of food during 4 1/2 weeks there. It's not a whole lot, but you'll get the point. I think all of the food I ate was very yummy. I know you're smart, so you'll be able to distinguish between food I deem "Fear Factor"-worthy and food I call "incredibly-delicious-I-can't-stop-thinking-about-it-because-it-made-4 and 1/2 weeks-there-fly-by."

I started my trip in Japan, where I ate Shabu Shabu with one of my friend/coworker:

Here are some random pictures of food from Japan:

Then I got to China, where I would stay for the next month. I started my trip at Din Tai Feng, one of the premier dumpling restaurants in the world. I only took pictures at the end of the meal, I was too busy eating the mushroom dumplings to pull out my camera:

Later in the month it was off to Hong Kong. I stumbled upon an open-air market. Here are some things I found:

Yes, those are eels and turtles and frogs.

Of course, I also found some fruit.

Last, but certainly not least, there was the menu that had me ordering steamed rice for dinner (sorry for the quality, they're cellphone pictures.):

Hungry? Promise on my next trip (in one month) I'll take pictures of more appetizing items.

Xoxo,

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Toilets In China

2010-10-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

Before I left for my last trip I asked you what you wanted me to blog about while I was there. But I was so incredibly busy, even working 31 straight days in a row, that there was no time for blogging.

Excuses, excuses.

Here's what you said you wanted to hear about, and now I'm answering your questions:

From Little Ms. Blogger
"I've always wondered, do you have language issues when traveling for business or do you speak the language? If not, how do you communicate."

Well, my dear old friend, I have been taking Mandarin Chinese lessons for almost six months. I am pretty good at ordering food (the first thing I learned in Chinese were my fruits and veggies) and I can say basic phrases. I can have a simple conversation. I know how to say directions. I can order boba tea. That's pretty much all I need to know.

From J.J. in L.A.
"As for what to blog about. I'd LOVE to see pics of the local culture/nature. I'll never get to Japan or China."

My friend! You might get to Japan and China! Who knows! It is a very interesting place. There are many, many cultural differences. Tomorrow, I'm doing a post on food in Hong Kong. Check back then and you'll see a lot about the culture. I think a lot can be said about a culture through its food, and trust me, not a single thing goes wasted in China.

From Lynn at Actor's Diet
"I'm really curious about food in china - I haven't been there in forever, and especially not since I have become interested in food!"

Food, food, food. I love food. And the food in China is pretty good, albeit interesting. I can't eat about 90% of the items on most menus due to health/dietary restrictions (for example, "Chicken Testis In Chili Sauce" just doesn't appeal to me) but I do manage just fine. There are somethings there that are just so different than here, like soy milk. It's not emulsified there, so it separates. Think of miso soup...that's soy milk there. I call it "miso milk."

From Selma at Crazy Little World of Mine
"Food is always a good blog topic, strange things you encounter (like weird soda machines, or toilets, or buildings or whatever), street life or something."

Well, girl, you got it. The toilets in China and Japan are unlike anything I've ever seen before. So let's just focus on that, shall we?

Someone should have told me two things about bathrooms in China.

1. They do not provide toilet paper, so bring a steady supply of Kleenex in your purse; and
2. You cannot flush toilet paper in China, so throw it in the little basket next to the toilet.

There are countless pipes all across China clogged with my toilet paper. Oops. Sorry about that one, China.

Also, I wish someone would have prepared me for a floor potty:

It's a toilet flush with the ground (pun intended). You have to put your feet on the sides and squat. Guys have it so easy, don't they? It's so hard trying not to pee on your clothes. Or splash everywhere. And don't even try wearing flip flops and doing this. Not fun. A tip in case you're ever there? Look for the handicapped stall, they usually have "regular" toilets.

Then, you have some toilets like this:

That's a Toto toilet, they are actually a bidet, I guess, but they have many fancy functions. Such as:

That's "Spray" "Bidet" and "Flushing Sound" in case you want the toilet to make a little cover-up noise. So clever. There's even a "Powerful Deodorizer" button.

So there you have it! And Japan is no different, except that their Toto toilets are a bit fancier even. Some have heated seats.

Any more questions? You know I'd be happy to answer!

Xoxo,

Obsessed With Cath Kidston

2010-09-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

Hello there! I returned from Asia obsessed with a designer from the U.K. That's the way the world works, I guess. Irony is world-wide, although not really, when I told my Chinese coworker that I could "sew the samples faster myself" she proceeded to get on her cell phone and call the factory to "arrange a sewing machine for me this afternoon." I had to explain to her that in America, we sometimes aren't serious about what we say.
Regardless, in Hong Kong on a shopping trip, I found the most adorable bag ever, completely unaware of the designer or her other works. I paid $98 Hong Kong dollars (about $15 US) for it and I am OBSESSED.
I feel so girly, so preppy and just all-around so lovely carrying it. I think you might love Cath Kidston too, please check out her website (and register for her free catalogue) and tell me what you think.
I want to buy everything on her website, and am kicking myself for not buying 20 of her bags when I had the chance.
Amazon.com sells everything from her stationery to her recipe organizer (!) and I could not want anything more for Christmas this year.
Agreed?

Xo,

Hello from China!

2010-09-19T23:32:00.001-07:00

Hello Loves! I'll be home in less than a week, but I just wanted to share some pictures with you from my trip. I got my own Shanghai Metro card and learned to use the subway, something I never thought I'd be able to do in a foreign country. I'm quite the expert now, and have been exploring the city every free chance I get.

And that really tall building? That's the Shanghai World Financial Center, I went all the way to the top to the World's tallest observation deck...that's were the daytime landscape pictures are from.

I'll be back soon, and we will catch up more then. In the meantime, I hope you are well! I miss you!

Xo,
Erin

Asia Weeks One and Two

2010-09-04T01:11:00.001-07:00

Hello from China my loves!

I have had quite an eventful last two weeks. My coworker and I started our trip in Tokyo and shopped til we dropped for two days. Then we flew to Shanghai and worked for a few more days, drove to a town called Ningbo to work for a few more days, returned to Shanghai and worked even more. Today is my first day off in two weeks. And even at that I've been working from my laptop in bed all day.

I did manage to go to the Expo again (http://en.expo2010.cn/) and buy some crazy fruit from a street vendor. They couldn't tell me the name of them in English, but I guess they come from the lotus plant. I bought some because what if they were the yummiest thing I had ever tried? Even though they looked like spiky miniature dragonfruits, they did not taste like one. They tasted like a raw potato. You win some, you lose some I guess.

I've been eating well, lots of rice and noodles. My plan to work out like a maniac has backfired due to actually having to work like a maniac. Regardless, I think I am going to hit the gym now. And for dinner it's more noodles and maybe a tea from my favorite boba place. Sounds like oodles of fun, huh? Well, I wish you were here. We could watch movies and eat popcorn and drink wine.

Sorry for the zero formatting in this post, I'm e-mailing it as Blogger is banned in China. I'm also headed to Hong Kong tomorrow, promise I'll take lots of pictures to share with you even if it takes me a while to post them.

Hope you are well!

XO,

Erin

My Weekend and the Next Month

2010-08-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have been quite absent lately, I know. It all started when I went back home and ate nothing but gourmet food and wine for four days and returned a bit rounder than I had left.
For me, food is for fun. And the MORE fun it is, the more I want to make, and hence, the more I eat. Now, I'm not always making cupcakes or cookies, most of my recipes are waist friendly in moderation. So I sort of put myself in a time out, and threw myself into work, and really started to be a rockstar in that department.
I got my first HUGE order last week from a major retailer...and I'm so excited. I also found out about three days ago that when I leave today for Tokyo and China, I'll be there for a month. Yes, one whole calendar MONTH. 31 sleeps!
My plane takes off in a few hours, and there's a man in the next room who needs a month worth of kisses before I go.
Still working on mobile blogger (but as you can see from the night shot of Balboa Island I took this weekend) it is possible.
Promise I won't leave you hanging for a month.
And any ideas of what to blog about while I'm there would be most appreciated? What do you want to know about my trips? What should I do while I'm there? If you were in China for a month, what would YOU blog about?

Talk to you soon Loves!
Xoxo,
Erin
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

My Dog Is Cooler Than Yours

2010-08-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

'Nuff said.

I Miss Her

2010-08-10T21:40:00.001-07:00

Missing Leila and Running Buddy Selena at the same time is just plain unacceptable.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bed. Promise great pictures of my weekend in Colorado are on their way tomorrow.

Hope you're having a good week!!!

XO,
Erin

This One's Gonna Make You Cry

2010-08-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you for every Saturday morning for the last two years. Thank you for walking with me when my knee gave out during my first double-digit run, thank you for being the one who told me I could keep going. Thank you for not judging me when it took me 5 half-marathons before I could run a full-marathon. Thank you for not running with me and having Starbucks and over-priced bagels instead. Thank you for letting me cry, pout and whine. Thank you for running with me before the sun came up and running with me after the sun went down. Thank you for crossing the Golden Gate Bridge with me.

Thank you for agreeing with me that people shouldn't make their dogs run next to them while they ride a bike. Thank you for agreeing that babies always need hats and socks and sunscreen. Thank you for talking to me candidly about boys and sports bras and life. Thanks for being the best running buddy I ever could have asked for.

Thanks for the adventures in far away places. Thanks for the wine and the expensive champagne. Thanks for the hugs and the McDonald's coffees and for loving the Farmer's Market as much as I do. Thanks for letting me listen. Thanks for listening to me.

Thanks for always coming shopping with me when you knew I was doing research for work, and thanks for being a fan of Anthropologie and agreeing with me that everything in that store is worth every penny. Thanks for turning me on to drunken goat and to Sauv Blanc and to wine tasting.

Thanks for putting up with the ice and limes in my beer, thanks for supporting my vegetarianism. Thanks for being my e-mail buddy, my shopping buddy, and above all, my running buddy and friend.

Thanks for the sweaty hugs and the tears. Thanks for dealing with my over-enthusiasm at mile 22. Thanks for buying (and wearing) matching sweatshirts with me.

Thank you for understanding my bad tummy and for being such a trooper with your bad tummy. Thank you for understanding my bathroom breaks and for having Imodium for me. Thanks for hating my guts as much as I do. Thank you for bonding with me from the beginning. Thank you for not ever running more than a 10-minute mile. I could never keep up if you ran any faster. Thanks for the 3-hour half marathons and the 6-hour marathon. I was never out to break any records anyways.

Thank you for hosting the best ugly Christmas sweater party ever. And for running with me on Super Bowl Sunday.

Promise me you will live it up in New York. Promise you will do what your heart desires and promise you will fight for what's worth fighting for. Promise you'll drink good wine and listen to good music and read good books. Promise me you'll find more than one good farmer's market. Promise you'll call me and e-mail me and promise you'll come back here and we can go wine tasting again and run on the beach like we used to and talk about our lives. Promise me if I buy you a Bluetooth you'll run with me remotely. Promise me you'll never replace me.

Because you, Running Buddy Selena, are irreplaceable.

Promise me you know I'll always be here for you, and that I'm always just a bbm away. Promise me you know how proud I am of you, and that your new job and new life in New York are going to be amazing. I have every once of faith in my heart in you and in your future.

Promise I'll never forget the thousands of miles we spent running together, even though starting tomorrow we will be thousands of miles apart.

Promise I'll love you forever...thank you for everything. I'd run every mile over again with you in a heartbeat.

XOXO,

A Perfect Morning

2010-08-05T09:07:00.001-07:00

So I made it to Colorado! And guess what? The flight to Denver is a heck of a lot closer than the flight to China! Instinctively I immediately fell asleep upon sitting down on the plane...luckily I soon realized 1 hour and 59 minutes would be over before I knew it!
I landed and saw a rainbow out the window...what a nice welcoming home gift!
I'm currently reading an US Weekly, drinking a soy latte from Starbucks, watching my little princess Leila take a nap, and am soon heading out to lunch with a dear friend. Couldn't be any happier.
Hope you are all having a great Thursday!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Boulder Bound

2010-08-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a postcard town. 100,000 people. Mountains. Snow. Over 300 days of sunshine per year. And somewhere in this town is my family and my little girl Leila.

Tomorrow, after a blissful half-day at work, I'm boarding a plane and heading home for the rest of the week. I'm going to sleep in, have my mom make my bed and visit with friends. I might sneak in a photo or two while I'm at it.

Hope you are all having a great week!

XOXO,

Yamashiro Night Market

2010-07-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

You all know how much I love Farmer's Markets, and you should also know how much I love my Running Buddy Selena. When these two things come together, total bliss ensues. We had been talking about going to the Yamashiro Farmer's Market ever since we heard my friend Lynn from Actor's Diet went. I had brought The Boyfriend about a month ago, and he loved it, so naturally I also wanted to share the goodness with one of my best friends.

First stop was to buy a bottle of wine for $25. At $8/glass, this is a bargain if you are as thirsty as we were that night. In addition to wine, they also have Thai Beer:

And free money! (Actually that was just the tip jar.)

We got creative and took our wine to observe the great view up at Yamashiro. We even snapped some pretty cool shots of L.A.

And of course, a close-up of ourselves...

Then it was time to check out the rest of the market's offerings:

Running Buddy Selena loved every minute of it!

We found some great new things to try (and buy) while we were there too. Like Brothers Products, who had amazing Mediterranean spreads like hummus, artichoke spread and olives. I bought the 3 for $10 deal they had going on and I can wait to dig in.

Selena also made friends with Shae, aka the founder of Cobblermania! We of course had to try some and take pictures. Selena made it home with a Blackberry Cobbler. I'm sure it was pretty darn delicious.

We loved everything at the market...except the line to get the tacos...

But when we finally got through after a good 30-minute queue, it was well worth it. I piled on the salsa, and we headed over to find a table to enjoy our dinner.

But of course, no good date is complete with out dessert. So we sampled every (well, almost every) flavor of Bulgarini il Gelato, and finally settled on Goat's Milk Yogurt with Olive Oil and Celtic Sea Salt. I know, I know. But trust me on this one. It oddly tasted like cheesecake.

It was getting really dark, so we headed home. Plus, they were cleaning up the place, and I didn't actually want them to have to physically remove us from the mountain. That would have been embarrassing.

If you go, here's a map of the free parking shuttle lot. Otherwise, you can just pay $7.50 for valet at the restaurant, but I hear the lines to get your car can be outrageous.

If you want to go, here are the deets: Yamashiro Garden Market, Thursdays 5-9 p.m.: 1999 N. Sycamore Ave., Hollywood; (323) 466-5125.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

XOXO,

TV on DVD

2010-07-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

One of the things I packed for my last China trip was Season 1 of The Sopranos. I was in high school (eek!) while season 1 aired, and my mom never really let us watch HBO anyway. Plus I'm not sure a show about the mob would have appealed to myself as a 17-year-old cheerleader. I do remember begging my mom to let me order HBO so I could watch this new show everyone was talking about called "Sex and the City." Little did I know that it would become a cultural icon, especially for someone like myself in the fashion industry. But back to the gangsters...

I am surprised by how much I love The Sopranos. I'm also surprised that until last week I managed to never watch a single episode! But then again, it's not exactly like I've been slacking for the last 10 years. TV is not really my thing. You want proof?

A List of TV Shows I TiVo:
Dr. Oz
Say Yes To The Dress
TMZ
Glee

A List of TV Shows I've Never Seen:
Lost
True Blood
Mad Men
Heroes
Friday Night Lights

A List of TV Shows I Wish Were Still on TV:
Full House
Friends
Golden Girls

Now that I'm reading this post I feel pretty pathetic. But isn't that why I have this blog? To share my thoughts, as culturally insignificant as they are? Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go finish watching this DVD. I'm on episode 9, and Season 2 is en route to my doorstep.

Rainbow Summer Champagne Salad

2010-07-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday night The Boyfriend and I went out with our friends Julie and James. We always have a great time together, and it was just what I needed to get me out of the house and back on a normal schedule. Sometimes, a margarita is just what the doctor ordered.

We had an amazing dinner, one of those meals that you continue to think about long after it's been devoured. Luckily, the Farmer's Market and Trader Joe's never let me down. I was able to re-create the salad I had for dinner in no time at all.

They say we eat with our eyes...if that's true, tell me, Can you taste the Rainbow?

Rainbow Summer Champagne Salad
Serves 2 as a dinner salad or 4 as a side salad

Ingredients
1 Small Red Onion
1/2 C. Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbs. Agave
2 Carrots
1 Large or 2 Small Persian Cucumbers
1 Mango
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 Avocados
1/4 C. Fresh Cilantro
1/4 C. Fresh Mint

Dressing
1/4 C. Grapeseed Oil
1/4 C. Trader Joe's Orange Champagne Muscat Vinegar
1 Tsp. Agave
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Thinly slice the Red Onion. Cover with the Red Wine Vinegar and add the Agave. Allow to marinate at room-temperature for 1-2 hours until the onions are soft and slightly sweet.
Chop all fruits and veggies, toss with the herbs.
Make the dressing; whisk all ingredients in a bowl and add to the salad. Plate the salad and top with the marinated onions.

Enjoy!

Litchis On Stems and Other Things I Love About China

2010-07-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there! I landed Friday afternoon from my fourth trip to China, and have been ~~recovering~~ resting ever since. I had an awesome trip, but crossing 15 time zones is no joke. I am getting used to my new surroundings, and I'm learning so much Chinese I continue to impress myself!

One thing I did to help the jet lag was to eat lots of fruit and make sure I got plenty of rest. My sleeping was definitely on track, and in my quest to eat lightly, I discovered a few fruit stands on the street surrounding my hotel in Shanghai. By the end of my 10 day visit, I was a regular. And I lost 2kg! (Which is almost 5lbs.!)

One of my favorite treats at the fruit stand was the amazing selection of cheap tropical fruit. Litchis in particular were in season and delicious. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them on stems, tied up in an adorable little bouquet!

I was told this is very common there, but I'd never seen litchis on stems here in the U.S. And what can I say, I guess I'm easily impressed.

I'm off to make dinner for my Meatless Monday post tomorrow and to catch up on all of your lovely blogs while resting in my cozy pants. Hope you all had a great weekend!

XO,