Limoncello Cheesecake Bars

I love to bake and cook with my friend Rebekah. A couple of months ago she told me about Giada's Limoncello Cheesecake bars, but you need time for them to chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours. We didn't have 8 hours, she lives 45 minutes away and well we wanted to eat them on my day visit. So I shelved the recipe and the next time I planned to visit her I made them a day in advance. Giada's recipe is below but can also be found

here

Let me tell you my house smelled amazing when I baked the crust. So you can imagine when I put the cheesecake in the oven how amazing it smelled. This is a rich tasting summer treat. I am not the biggest cheesecake person but we really enjoyed every bite. So try it out this summer. Enjoy!

Baked crust.

Lemon zest.

Mixing the batter in a food processor.

About to bake and my friends mom's homemade Limoncello.

You need that proof of vodka and she does use Smirnoff.

RECIPE

8 ounces purchased biscotti (I bought Almond Biscotti from Trader Joe's)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 (12-ounce) container fresh whole milk ricotta, drained, at room temperature
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup limoncello liqueur (my friends mom made her own so I used that but you can purchase from the store.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. (Your whole house will smell amazing) Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.

Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the limoncello, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, and pulse just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the baking pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold).

Transfer the cake to a rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into squares and serve.

Mindless Monday

I am starting to love summer almost as much as I love spring.

One of my favorite flowers is the Matilda. They look like big sunny-side eggs. I took these images at the Adamson House in Malibu, but I see them everywhere now. Enjoy!

Accordion Man

I saw this man this morning on my way to pick up lunch and lighten the dark cloud I was walking under. He made me so happy and was kind enough to allow me to snap his image. They don't make them like this anymore. Enjoy!

Happy 5 Year Blog Anniversary

So today I've been officially blogging for 5 year. I think I hoped that this blog would have evolved much more then me changing the layout every once in a while. I have dreamed of this space often. Real life and priorities have kept me from doing more. I wish this blog were my real work life, but it's still a hobby. What made me start this space was my passion for photography, food and travel. I still have that, but I've watch others live the dream and am still only dabbling in an area that I should be excelling in. This post is turning into a self-reflection, which I rarely do publicly.

I continue to struggle whether to but advertising on this site. I've worked in advertising for sixteen years and let me tell you the click thru rate on banners just keeps sinking lower and lower. But the ad dollars may be worth it. I like the simple look, and the blogs with lots of advertising are not as appealing to read. Too much stuff. I have found myself enjoying social media much more than anticipated for this Gen Xer. I'm an avid participant and follower on Instagram and Pinterest, but only a voyeur on Facebook and Twitter.

I continue to bake and cook and read everything under the sun. I wish money and time were no object so we could travel more and take a few of the photography and cooking classes I long for.

All you food, travel and photography bloggers out there continue to inspire me on a daily basis. You challenge me everyday and feed my curiosity. Irony here is what I turned in for my photography portfolio umpteen years ago is still my style esthetic, just a bit more progressive.

So with that self-reflection on this blog my goals in this space for the next year are to take at least one class (cooking or pottery or photography) and travel somewhere new. And let's not forget finishing my Cuba Story. I finally told my dad about our story and he said "

Please finish it."

These goals ask so much from myself, but are tasks I think I can accomplish.

"So self...keep on blogging, keeping on shooting, bake and cook and feed your travel bug, and oh yeah, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!"

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Back in May, SB and I were visiting new friends down in South Torrance. There I met a lovely woman who found out that we like to cook. She told us she had a State Fair, Blue Ribbon winning sour cream pound cake recipe. I quickly jumped at the chance for this recipe. Which she gladly gave me. Apparently this is a cake she makes at all the parties and is the first to go. She'll sometimes put fresh strawberries or a lemon glaze on it. I choose to try it simple.

This cake should bake in a floured 10-inch tube pan. I didn't even realize I had one. But my spring form cake pan has a fluted tube attachment. The recipe called for lemon and orange extract, both of which I'd never bought. Someone heard me talking about that and by Sunday I had both in my possession. Next time I'd like to try it with fresh squeezed lemon and orange juice and/or maybe zest of both.

Another of her handwritten notes is that everything especially the eggs and butter have to be at room temperature. You can see my fine mess above after all the measuring and mixing.

SB was so excited about me making this cake. We had it for snacks and for breakfast and then I started giving as much as possible away. I knew the pounds of butter in this recipe would add pounds to us both and I still have lots of baking to do. Enjoy!

2 3/4 cups of sugar

1 cup butter or margarine

6 eggs

3 cups of sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dairy sour cream

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In mixer bowl, cream together sugar and butter or margarine till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, salt, and soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating after each addition.Add extracts and vanilla; beat well.

Pour batter into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake in 350F oven for 1 1/2 hours or till cake tests done/ Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan.

When cool, frost or sprinkle with confectioners sugars, if desired. Or add fresh berries or a lemon glaze.

Adamson House

Many years ago when a friend was getting married she asked about taking pictures at a place called the Adamson House. I had no idea where this place was, then I was invited to a wedding here and well it's one of the most beautiful Spanish Revival Colonial houses on the west coast. Tours of the inside of the house are $7 (cash only) but you can walk the outside grounds for free.

The courtyard. This house is located just North of the famous Malibu pier, next to the lagoon.

Malibu Pier.

This just screams Malibu to me or one of those postcards that says:

"Wish You Were Here."

I just liked the blue umbrella on the beach and you can see this view from the grounds of the house.

The Spanish Colonial house was built in 1930 for Rhoda Rindge Adamson and her husband. What kept this house from turning into a parking lot (aghast) was the it has so much of the now defunct Malibu Pottery (Rhoda's mother Mrs. Rindge started Malibu Pottery). The tiles saved the house. You'll love the historical stories about the beginnings of Malibu, and the Rindge and Adamson families. Enjoy the lovely images from around the grounds, you'll see it's covered in gorgeous tile.

Pool house and pool.

Dogs get to bath outside, this is nicer then some of the inside bathtubs.

View from the visitors bathroom, literally from the toilet. There is a building to the right of the entrance where there are public restrooms.

When we were there for a wedding we weren't allowed in the house only outside. I'd heard the tours inside were special, so I have made it an effort to get there for the tour many times. I have no pictures inside of the house as your not allowed to take any....boo! But you'll love the tiled floor that looks like a rug, even with fringe. This is a great house that tells a wonderful story about one of the most beautiful area's on the west coast, Malibu.

Malibu Lagoon Museum

23200 Pacific Coast Highway

P. O. Box 291

Malibu, California

(310) 456-8432

Pavlova

Every Summer a dear friend has a lovely tea party for a gaggle of ladies. She goes all out and makes just about everything herself, but also has help from a few hands here and there.

One of my favorite dishes she makes is Pavlova's.

I had never seen or tasted these until about 6 years ago when I attended her tea party. Her Pavlova's are beautiful with strawberries, blueberries, kiwi and passion fruit sauce drizzled on top.

The origin of this dessert is based in New Zealand (though the Australian's think so too). Either way it was for the tour of the famous Ballerina Anna Pavlova (from Russia). My neighbor Nancy, who makes everything, said she'd never made this before but that a dear friend of hers from New Zealand had made it for her. So with the added Kiwi's and that a native from New Zealand had it as part of her repertoire I'd say the origin is New Zealand. And the beautiful egg white based meringues look like a beautiful tutu from Swan Lake. They would make Anna Pavlova proud.

Above are the ones from my friend Sherry's yearly tea.

So I thought for a little party I was doing for my friend I would try my hand at this. I needed to be brave as I've never attempted this recipe and for some reason Meringues scare me.

I love my orange KitchenAid. It's the best thing we ever bought and easy for whipping egg whites into beautiful peaks.

You need to beat till you get stiff glossy peaks. Should not be runny at all.

The first batch came out perfect as I used egg whites from cracked eggs. The second time I used a carton of egg whites. What went wrong: 1. They came out slightly yellow; 2. They did not get stiff enough so I think that there were egg yolks in them; and, 3. They were sticky, sticky, sticky, and no good. I'm glad I tried this and now I know the next time to use real eggs.

I spooned the stiff egg whites and then got a small sandwich bag and filled it with remaining egg whites. Cut off a corner of the bag and you have your tip to pipe edges around the Pavlova's. This helps hold in the whipped cream and berries after they've cooked.

Cool on a wire rack

Here's the recipe I used:

Meringue:

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar OR 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar OR distilled white vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup (6 ounces, about 6) large egg whites, preferably room temperature

Pinch of salt

Topping:

1/3 cup of sugar

Pint of Whipping Cream

Sliced Berries (any combination you like: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)

Sliced Kiwi's (I didn't remember to get these, but traditionally you use Kiwi's)

Passion Fruit sauce (Alice Waters

Fruit

cookbook says this is a traditional addition to Pavlova's)

Directions are

here.

Next time I'll buy myself some a few pastry tips and bags for a more professional look, although the homemade look was just fine as well. Enjoy!

Getty Villa and Frances Mayes

In the past I have posted some of my favorite books and one of them that I read often, sometimes once a year is

Under the Tuscan Sun

My friend Nancy told me that Frances and Ed Mayes had published a cookbook and that the book tour was bringing them to the Getty Villa in Malibu. I was too excited for words, so I booked a reservation for four people to the Getty Villa, you need to do this on their

website

. They don't charge per person, but per car, so I assumed my friends visiting and SB would go with me. Alas, on that day everyone had different plans. I called Nancy at the very last minute to see if she wanted to go with me, as I had turned her on to this book and she had told me about the book signing. She already had plans, so I ventured to one of my favorite places alone. Before I get to my story here are few of the my photo's of the Getty Villa, which houses J. Paul Getty's antiquity collection (lots of statues).

Water lilies by the water fall.

A view of the cafe....best museum food I've ever had.

Beautiful tiled fountain.

This is the best view of the pool and if you don't know this balcony below is here, you'll miss it. There is a door to the West of the upstair elevators. Push the handicap button and the doors will open to this balcony and enjoy the view. It's not always open, but if it is, go...and thankfully this is still a well kept secret. There is hardly ever anyone out there.

A hipstamic moment.

I got there at 10AM. No one was there, it was so empty, a class of kids was in the amphitheater and hadn't scattered thru out the museum yet, so I really had the place to myself. I found the book store to purchase this cookbook. You can purchase it

here

At the bookstore they'd asked me if I'd reserved a book, I hadn't and became worried. But they'd ordered extra so I got my book and then hovered near the table and line in the shade waiting for Frances and Ed. When they walked by I recognized her right away and said "hello," like I knew her, really I've never met her but felt like we were long time friends.

Two gentleman went before me in line and had bought every book she ever published and had her sign them all, she kindly did so and chatted them up. This took a while, then they gave her embroidered tea towels, really how can I compete with this thoughtfulness. It did bode well for getting my personal first edition copy of

Under the Tuscan Sun

signed, which I had brought with me. When it was my turn I was so excited and had her sign the cookbook and asked if she'd signed my

Under the Tuscan Sun

copy. I told her and Ed I read this about every year while drinking a nice glass of Prosecco (she introduced me to this delicious bubbly wine). Ed said "Good for you!" The third person at the table happened to be the photographer. I had looked at the photographs and thought they were lovely so when I got to him I asked him if he'd sign his favorite picture. This is like asking someone what there favorite city was on a European tour, or your favorite pastry at Laduree. He couldn't find one of his favorites but described which one it was, it's the vegetables against the plastered walls of Bramasole (the Mayes home in Tuscany). Later on in the day I found it and almost went back to have him sign it.

It was only 10:45 by now and someone mentioned there was a lecture at noon, this series is called: Celebrity Chef Series: Frances Mayes (The Tuscan Sun Cookbook: Recipes from Our Italian Kitchen) Author Frances Mayes speaks on the occasion of the publication of her first-ever cookbook. Mayes talks about how this cuisine transports, comforts, entices, and speaks to the friendly, genuine, and improvisational spirit of Tuscan life.

I wasn't planning on staying that long, but I thought I'd wonder thru the museum as it wasn't crowded and explore images I might want to take and see if there was anything new. I've been to this museum many times before and after the remodel. It's like being transported to Italy. Such a beautiful re-creation of an Italian villa. Below are some of the patterns, textures, and tromp l'oeil you'll see everywhere.

This is technically the entrance of the museum. Make sure to look up, the ceiling is beautiful.

#fromwhereistand

By noon I was still there so I went to see if there were any tickets left, they are free, they handed me one and I went into the auditorium. Bon Appetit introduced her, did you know they manage the cafe at the Getty Villa? This makes sense as the food is delicious. Her reading was poetic and painted many word pictures. I kept thinking how glad I was in this position to come on a Wednesday morning to the Getty Villa at the last minute and hear one of my favorite authors describe the Italian life she'd made for herself and how people thought she was crazy to start this venture, I was inspired and moved. After the reading we were allowed to ask questions. Not many went up, so I asked why she choose Cortona of all the places in Italy to live [she'd initially stayed there on her first visit to Italy as it was centrally located to where she wanted to tour, after that she kept coming back, so it seemed a likely place to set roots]. Someone else asked her about the difference in writing a cookbook versus her travel logs [much different, she hadn't realized the ingredients were listed in the order you put them in dish].

By this time it was 1PM and I was hungry, the cafe was making a few of the recipes in her book, so I went up there and order the crostini. These were so savory. The Pea and Shallot had a hint of mint, a surprising refreshing burst of flavor in your mouth. The other crostini was Pecorino and Nut (walnuts). Nutty from the walnuts and cheese with a tangy salty flavor.

Some of my favorite statues....and well, one that scares me to death, I use to dream about this "chicken lady" chasing me thru the ditches in New Mexico when I was a kid. Yes I know I need therapy.

A Siren...but I call her the "Chicken Lady."

For some reason this one reminds me of the statue I saw in the movie "The Saint". I believe the statue I am referring to is at Oxford, at least it was in the movie.

After this lovely afternoon I walked thru the herb garden and headed home. Funny thing was Nancy deeply regretted that I didn't talk her out of her plans (which I really couldn't have). She ended up having to drive down to Costa Mesa to get a signed copy of the books as the Getty Villa had sold out. It was a fun adventure for the day. I can't wait to have a few more.

Getty Villa

17985 Pacific Coast Highway

Malibu, CA 90265

(310) 440-7300

Descanso Gardens

It's been a VERY long time since I went to Descanso Gardens. I was probably 10 years old, and well that's a long time ago. The gardens are in La Canada, and worth the drive for us Westsiders. The gardens were lovely and seeing as its spring most of the flowers were in bloom. Admission for adults it's $8 and $3 for children (5-12yrs old)

Tulips were breathtaking. I recently took a quiz about

"which of flower are you?"

Try it yourself

here

. I am a Tulip, which makes sense why I was drawn toward these gorgeous flowers. Personally Dahlias and Peonies are my favorite flowers, but there were none to be found that day.

Pink and pretentious.

White and purple color palate.

Art and Craft style building on the grounds. I believe you can rent many of these spaces for events. They are pretty spectacular and worth checking in to.

This is the house where the original residence lived. It's pretty amazing.

I wanted to be inside so much but they don't have the house open on Monday's. I made myself go into the house with my reflection on the window and the mirror inside.

Below are my images that are an ode to a few photographers I really admire.

An ode to Ansel Adam's Dogwood image.

Ode to Imogen Cunningham and Georgia O'Keefe.

My college photography professor would have a few unkind words to say about the above image, but I love it, so there.

Bridge with cherry blossoms all around.

Lonely Cherry Blossom tree.

The color palates everywhere were breathtaking.

The Lilac bushes were so fragrant, before you even walk into the area you are surrounded by the perfume in the air.

So many lovely Camellia's.

You must take a day this Spring and stop and smell the roses.

Descanso Gardens

1418 Descanso Drive

La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011

Near intersection of 210 and 2 Freeways.

20 Minutes from downtown L.A.

Exploring

Since I've had this time off, and I must say thoroughly enjoying it, you may ask what have I been up to. LIVING is the best way to say it. I've been enjoying the city I live in, which I never do, especially when all I ever saw was my garage, the 10 Freeway back and forth to work and the parking lot.

So, unplanned I've actually been exploring L.A. Thru field trips with my friends kids, off with the Mom's during Spring break and my own spur of the moment decisions.

Here are a few smatterings of images I've taken via my iPhone along the way.

Banksy on the side of a building in downtown L.A.

Looking up on a cool Art Deco building with great lines.

Great old buildings and theater.

Flower mart....including the yellow ball flowers up top.

Here are a few from walking on the beach in the early morning.

SB makes fun of me for taking pictures of the bathroom structure....it's the one thing SM has done right down at the beach, cool architecture and appealing colors...the smell is still bad, but we can't everything.

Art Direction: SB Photographer: ME.

Images below are from a recent trip to Descanso Gardens, driving the freeway's with no one on it is a pure luxury in this town. All taken with Hipstamic on my iPhone.

Cheese Blintz with Blueberry Sauce

With guests in town and breakfasts to be made I had a recipe that I've been saving. Yes I experiment on my friends. And once again, it's from you know who. I love that I'm getting into all my cookbooks that I've purchased over the years to try out some recipes. I have to up the anti in the exercise area to compensate, but that's ok with me. This time it was a rich cheese blintz with blueberry sauce. So delicious, the recipe can be found

here

The cheese you use in the batter is sour cream, in the actual cheesy main part you use ricotta and mascarpone. I didn't have enough ricotta cheese so I added a little cream cheese to offset it, it wasn't enough I think to change the recipe entirely. Only downside is how the blintz kind of crumbled when I served it. Not sure if the cream cheese did this or if I was too impatient to serve it quickly. The recipe does call for serving it warm.

The blueberry sauce with orange juice was the perfect balance of sweet to this savory dish. I forgot the corn starch, but nobody is perfect. I had an audience while I was cooking so I was a bit distracted. It is a labor intensive process, but the final results are tasty. Overall it's a worthy recipe to try. Enjoy!

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

What do you do with all the bananas you promised to eat but didn't get to and now are

very

ripe?

Usually we make banana bread. Actually SB does this and I always encourage him to include chocolate chips, because who doesn't love chocolate and banana's. This time I wanted to do something different and was inspired by Ina, yes the Barefoot Contessa, yet again. What's not to like about her. The recipe is found in her latest cookbook

How Easy Is That."

And it was easy. You can find the recipe

here

I love that the recipe called for zest of one orange. That orange flavor is perfect, enhances the bananas and brings depth to what might be an average cake. I think next time I'd add it into the cream cheese frosting as well. The frosting is delectable as it is, but that extra flavor would be fantastic. I left out the walnuts, for one I'm not a huge walnut fan, even though I ate them in droves when I was a kid. Plus I suspect I might be slightly allergic. But Ina includes them in her cake and decorates the top with them as well. Make it your own and ready a nice cup of tea to go along, which is exactly what I did.

Books I've Read

So at the very first book swap party I was determined to leave with only

one

book, as I have shelves of books at home. However a 10 year old and his Nani convinced me that

The Hunger Games

was a must read. I hadn't seen a 10 year old that excited about a book in a long time. So I took the book and Sunday morning opened it and that night finished it. I literally couldn't put it down, it was that good. On Monday I had to have the other two books, so I called Deb and asked her for them, even begging her to leave them on the porch since she was going out that evening. The other too I read within the next week, work got in the way of my 24 hour marathon read.

This sequel is pretty good, I enjoyed it almost as much as the original.

Sums up the story but my least favorite of the three.

I really enjoyed the

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

I may have been drawn to the title because of my own self-titled story about my travels to Cuba

here

This is a sweet story about a time that is a bit of an embarrassment to Americans during the WWII and the prejudice against the Japanese. I found it very informative and Jamie Ford a wonderful storyteller.

Another book I haven't seen the move to yet, I always like to read the books before I see the movie version. This way my imagination can determine who and what everyone looks like. This is another commentary on prejudice and opening peoples eyes to that fact we're all human beings.

The first computer I worked on in my first job was

this

. I've grown up with the Mac and in my industry everyone aspires to do the kind of marketing that Apple does. So while I haven't read a biography in a long time this was a must read. Insightful journey into a genius mind, albeit with a nasty style of management. He did get it down and revolutionized an industry and the way we interact with each other. As for management style I think I know a few people who have read this book and do exactly as he did, and to them "no thank you."

I'm working on a few more on my nightstand and hidden in all kind of places that I keep discovering. So as I get thru those ones I'll post about them. Enjoy the above for now.

Leap of Faith

So today is the first day of my "freedom," for a little while I hope. Yes I've taken a great leap of faith and resigned from my Advertising job that I've had for the past 6 years, been in the business for 16 years. New adventures await me, which I couldn't be happier about. What will I do, well today I hope to start a road back to better health and peace of mind. Starting with a nice walk and a better eating regimen.

You may ask, what will I do about work? Will I end up in Advertising again? Who knows, I might. Will I be blogging more? I hope so, but let me tell you my week is already scheduled and quite busy with wonderful things. I'll be busy in my volunteer work, catching up on all the time that I've sacrificed away from what I love to do. SB and I are planning a few field trips that are photo related. I may even get him in another museum or two, yeah let me not push that wish. One museum and a photo field trip. We have guests coming at the end of March so I look forward to spending time with them.

You may ask what is my secular dream job. Here's what I would say:

Travel and food journalist/photographer. I'd love to work for a few publishers and magazines such as Travel &Leisure, NYT, or Conde Nast. I want to write and photograph small stories about the people, places and food that make traveling so fun and culturally enriching. In the meantime, I'll be satisfied with my self-assigned local travel and food stories and live vicariously thru friends that venture out into the world. Come back and see what I'm up to. Hopefully there will be more regular updates.

P.S. I've changed my blog layout, obviously. What do you think?

Carmel Budino wiht Salted Caramel Sauce_itsweetandsavory

Caramel Budino with Salted Caramel Sauce

A few weeks ago we met for our second book swap party. Thank you Deb for being the host, you do have the best place for this fun event. Here's my top 10 reasons why I like this particular party, and I hope Deb keeps it going:

1. I love to read. This event has my name all over it and I have way too many books.

2. However, now I have yet another reason for buying books instead of checking them out at the library. "Seriously SB, the girls will love this book."

3. A chance to catch-up with good friends during our busy lives.

4. Drink Champagne, not that I need an excuse for that.

5. It's a mid-week evening party, I love to break up the monotony of the week.

6. I've been introduced to new authors and subject matters I might not have picked up before.

7. Everyone makes or brings something delicious to eat.

8. Oh I've set the bar too high for myself, but it challenges me to bake something delicious and find a way to pull in the book theme.

9. Fun book themed crafty items always available.

10. Great friends, good books, delicious food, fun conversations...need I say anymore.

So this brings me to my dessert. This is a labor intensive dessert, I make it over two days, I was told and I agree I was an over-achiever on this one. But it's delicious and I love the mason jar theme. This time I printed out tags with some of my favorite characters from books I've read and have been swapped at this party. I've adapted the recipe from Bon Appetit's recipe here

This is a rich, textured (crunchy cookies), creamy layered dessert. The salted caramel is particularly decadent. Yes the calories are worth every spoonful and it's only an 8oz mason jar not even filled to the top.

I have made it hard for me to top myself, last time I made these

I think I'm drawn to the warm chocolate, caramel, peanut butter colors, I'll try to branch out next time, or not, really depends on the season and what makes sense. Enjoy!

Brussels Sprouts

So I told you about Brussel Sprouts being my new favorite food. Well I caught on to this craze at the height of their season (September - February). As most children of the 70's will attest, and I've heard my story more than once, our mom's boiled most vegetables, including Brussels Sprouts, to their mushy deaths. Sorry mom, but it had to be said.

So I've steered clear of this veg for a long time. But at Lukshon, we order them and I was hooked, I had to make them at home. Voila, Trader Joe's was selling them on the stalk. Never seen them like this before. NOTE: These would actually be great for a some enormous flower arrangement.

I was told, just try them first with olive oil, salt and pepper. So this is what I did. I cut them off the stalk, cut off hard ends, peeled off a few of the top layer leaves, cut them in half. Then mix with olive oil, pepper and salt to taste. I stuck them on a heated cookie sheet (I like to pre-heat my cookies sheets to get a nice crispiness on whatever I'm roasting.) Put them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Watch them as ovens vary in heat. My favorite part is some of the leaves loosen off and you get these lovely crispy Brussels Sprout chips.

I'm such a bad veg eater, and even though SB doesn't like the smell in the house, I tell him: "Hey I'm eating vegetables and that's a good thing." At Lukshon they put some chili garlic vinaigrette and sesame seeds and it's delicious. Try them the out. As I don't see them fresh in stores, we're experimenting with the frozen ones at the moment. Enjoy!

Lukshon

You know how you find a place that excites you, and introduces you to new tastes and flavors that you add to your diet. Something that forever changes your perception of a food group. No? Well I have.

What is Lukshon? Lukshon is the creation of one of L.A.’s most celebrated chefs, Sang Yoon. It is a modern take on authentic South-East Asian Cuisine and its wonderfully diverse ingredients.

My co-worker and I ventured to this place at the Helms Bakery area, next to Room & Board and Father's Office. The food is amazing, exotic flavors full of spicy bits and tangy citrus. I really haven't eaten anything there I didn't like. First time we went we order about 6 things. The rices are so delicious. I've had the black rice with an egg, sunny side-up (AKA: heirloom black rice) and the other dish I love is the x.o. rice. N. loved the dandan noodles. First taste of that after he mixed all the goodness in the noodles and I seriously started sweating with the heat from the sichuan peppercorns. This is a tasty, but very spicy dish. Must have rice and water too cool down the temperature. The special appetizers or small plates are always a treat. Because I've had the roasted brussel sprouts here it is now one of my new favorite foods is and it's because of this place. Post coming soon on that.

They always follow-up with a beautiful, comped, dessert. First couple of times it was a refreshing spoonful of sorbet, then candied fruit jelly and the last time it was a tiny mango cake.

Oh and the tea's are beautiful and refreshing. I've yet to have any alcohol, since it's always a work day lunch. No liquid lunches for me these days. But I'd recommend this as a date place. Great location, zen modern decor. I'm going to get SB there soon enough.

Lukshon

3239 helms ave. culver city, california 90232

http://www.lukshon.com/

Pacific Standard Time

During the winter break from work I had a day to spend at LACMA.

I went to see the California Modernism exhibit, all part of the Pacific Standard Times exhibits happening in L.A. at the moment. Its a great display of furniture, graphics, toys, clothes, cars, and trailers that define California post WWII. I spent the whole day strolling thru the exhibit.

There are hundreds of thing I wanted or grew up around. Best of all was the Eames living room, which has been completely transported to the museum. "Its a mash up before there were mash-ups." - Ice Cube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRWatw_ZEQI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Enjoy.

Wino Wednesday

So an early day brought me home to chill out from the past few weeks of utter craziness. Holiday breaks always come just at my breaking point.
Braving the L.A. traffic home we made our way down the street for two pizzas from Hosteria de Picollo. One with heirloom tomatoes and olives, the other with sausage and olives. Both on homemade thin crust pizza dough.

Being that its Wino Wednesday I grabbed a bottle from our teeny tiny wine rack. Problem is SB and I can't remember where we purchased it. However that isn't stopping me from talking about it.

Vina Ecoyen Reserva Navarra
Product of Spain

My Tasting notes: Cherry and Vanilla, oak lingering flavor. Its not a heavy wine, very light Cherry taste.

Here is what the bottle says:
This Reserva, has been aged in American and French barriques for 24 months, before being bottled and held for a further 12 months prior to release. The resulting wine is crammed with red cherry and black fruit, mellowed by the creamy vanilla as a result of the oak aging. It still continues to mature well in bottle and will be at its best by the end of 2010. Perfect with hearty stews and casseroles.

Lemon Pistachio Cake

At Intelligentsia in Venice. Made by Cake Monkey. Delicious with my cappuccino this morning.

Love to see a busy Entertainment executive with passion for cakes make it a business, that's the origin of Cake Monkey. I think I need to turn my passions into something tangible.