This trip to Barcelona wasn’t my first. I had spent a few days there just after college when I was working in London. However, I only spent two nights and...
My friend and I attended this event on February 18th. We missed the march and joined the rally at City Hall in downtown LA. It was a much smaller crowd...
This is so cute. There are many variations on Pinterest. I think the original idea came from the Free People blog which is worth looking at. I had these animals...
Last fall when I heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge I claimed to have felt bullied into donating since I didn’t want to make a spectacle of myself on Facebook....
We braced ourselves for the start of kinder this year. After all, we knew how pre-school had gone two years prior. She only cried every day for 1.5 years of...
It’s getting HOT and making pasta every night is killing me. I’ve been trying to branch out to more salads now that it’s summer. This is a really tasty dish...
On the way to LAX we took Andrew to one of his favorite restaurants – Killer Shrimp. It used to be a really small/alternative place on Washington Blvd. There was one in Studio City too. It only had one dish: Cajun style shrimp. You could get it unpeeled (best!), or peeled over white rice (hypo-glycemic nightmare), or over angel hair pasta (ditto). It’s served in a spicy broth with a colander of doughy white bread, perfect for soaking up the broth. Anyway, that’s how it WAS. It closed for a few years but it’s back! Now it’s more of a large family-friendly place with a full menu. It’s not vegetarian friendly in any way though. Still, I enjoyed the grilled caesar salad (which I make better at home) and a glass of chardonnay. Nice!
Whew – I didn’t mean to do a mini restaurant review there. But since I’ve gone this far: Killer Shrimp is family friendly with a bar, an aquarium of exotic fish, indoor & outdoor seating on the marina, and TV screens to watch sports (Great!) (Not.) The kid’s meals need some tweaking. They have a mac N cheese for kids but it’s HUGE and has real cheese in it v. American cheese. My kids really didn’t like it and it also tasted like they used a lot of flour. They also have sliders though and those worked out fine. They need to work on the portion sizes and offer something besides fries for the kids though.
At first the kids were well-behaved. And by kids, I include M’s doll.
But Bea started getting restless.
Time to go!
We miss Andrew & Allison!! We can’t wait to see them again & meet their new pup, Stella.
Made from recycled yogurt cups. Also, recyclable itself! Just mail it in.
I think it was $2.99.
The idea of using a recycled and/or recyclable toothbrush gave me the heebie jeebies. At first… But then I wrote to the people at Preserve. Basically THEY recycle it into something else, not another toothbrush. (Jeeez, Christina!)
Not only is it made from recycled yogurt cups, but it’s recyclable as well. I just tucked the wrapper it came in under my sink so I can mail it off when it gets worn down.
The company that makes it is called “Preserve Products” and they also recycle Brita water filters. Just click on the link to see what they do!
My first thought: the perfect toothbrush for me! Imagine if all 7 billion of us threw out a toothbrush every 3 months (as advised.) Lucky for us we’re not all brushing our teeth!
My second thought: where’s the catch?
1. Plastic can usually only be recycled 0 times, 1 time and more rarely 2 times. Therefore, will this toothbrush eventually be thrown out?
2. Where does the recycling take place? Often times recycling is outsourced to other countries and the facilities can pollute the local air/water/soil (see US car batteries being shipped to Mexico for recycling)
I just emailed the company. Will update blog with the answers when I hear from them.
A few months ago a friend of mine suggested my kids & I join her one Friday morning at Malibu Country Mart. If I’d been drinking coffee it would’ve come out of my nose I laffed so hard. Not only do I hate driving & try to do as much as possible without getting into my car but I also don’t own any Lululemon yoga wear. I totally blew that off thinking, “Malibu? That’s like me going to the Valley!”
Anyway, a few weeks ago I found myself driving G’s truck to Malibu Feed Bin for some haystacks. We were having a little barnyard animal themed joint birthday party for the girls and I thought they would make up for what we lack in patio furniture, plus they’re cute!
This place is easy to find – right on the side of the PCH. I pulled in ready to get in & out in no time but it’s way too much fun so we ended up looking around! Inside (I couldn’t take pix as I was trying to keep Bea from gettingherfingersbittenoffbyaratbreakingglassesswipingdogtoysandpocketingtinyplasticfarmanimals.), they have cages of bunnies, rats, chinchillas, hamsters & I *think* a cockatiel? WOW! The girls were fascinated!
After admiring the caged animals we paid for our hay. Incidentally, I keep calling it “hay” but it was actually “straw” – a distinction that matters to people who allergic to one but not both of those! We got 4 strawstacks for $10 each. They are about 3′x1.5′ and about 1′ high if my memory serves me. Anyway, it was lots of fun for the kids to see the animals – then I drove around back to pick up the stacks.
After that I decided to finally check out Malibu Country Mart and let the girls burn off some steam. I didn’t know exactly WHERE the park was so I just found the shadiest parking spot I could and decided to explore. Next time I’ll explore with a stroller instead of a sweaty kid who gets out of a Teva sandal quicker than I can say “heat rash.”
When you drive in off of the PCH, park in a lot on the NORTH side. That’s where the playground/main food area is.
It’s basically a playground surrounded by shops (expensive shops) & restaurants. Lucky for us there are a couple of casual places to eat. And a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
There are some cheaper counter service places too. And plenty of tables under umbrellas.
After eating, we headed to the playground.
It was HOT.
My only complaint: I only found 1 single bathroom. THere was a line for it, of course. There probably is a bigger bathroom somewhere but I didn’t have time to research that! I don’t believe there was a changing table in there either (not the end of the world if your child can stand on her/his own but if you have a newborn it might be challenging.)
After eating, we went to the baby swings since they were in the much-coveted shade.
The fancy people were eating behind the swings.
Sometimes when we’re out we’re having such a nice time that I keep on STAYING out past that sweet spot. Past the time of goodness. This was one of those times. M lost her s— on the swing & tried to kick me.
Just before I got married I had an early mid-life crisis and flew down to South America for a few months. The traveling changed my life for the better. Besides doing without a lot of things I thought I needed, long bus rides gave me time to STOP. Working as an animation producer just prior had not helped me learn to deal with stress and a racing mind. These 8 hour bus rides gave me time to stare out the window – which was a good thing. Was there an actual physiological change that occurred? I DO think so! For the first time in years I felt calm & relaxed. I wasn’t thinking about what I “should” be doing with my free time. Sometimes at the various bus stops vendors would hop on to sell food. A plastic baggie of coconut water, chips (homemade??) or maize (what you call corn) on the cob. The corn (called “elote”) was always my first choice! A large ear of corn in foil, open the foil to find a nice hunk of white cheese and a wedge of lime. Yum yum yum!!
This summer I started making my version of elote.
I really don’t measure when I make this! You can adjust amounts to your liking.
INGREDIENTS:
- corn on the cob
- cotija cheese (or feta if you can’t find cotija)
- 1 lime cut into sections
- chili powder
- salt & pepper
- OPTIONAL: crema mexicana
It’s pretty simple. I shucked the corn, brushed it with olive oil & grilled for a few minutes, turning as it browned. Next time I’m going to peel back the husk & tie it with twine so that the husk can be used as a handle. Of course, you have to remove the silk regardless.
Now, this is optional: drizzle either crema Mexicana or smear with mayonnaise. Or skip this step altogether…I like this step because it is the glue that sticks all the tasty things you are about to drop onto the corn.
Dust with salt and chili powder over each ear (to your liking.)
Crumble cotija cheese over the corn. Cojita is a dry crumbly white cheese sort of like feta. Substitute feta if you can’t find cojita near you.
Drizzle either crema Mexicana or mayonnaise over corn.
Dust with salt & chili powder.
Crumble cotija cheese over corn.
Serve with lime wedges!
Notes
Try this: Peel husk back withOUT removing it, tie together with twine. Remove silk threads. Brush with olive oil & grill until darkened. You can now use the husk as a handle when eating! I’m going to try this next time…
Back from vakay with a longggg to do list. What the heck! Let me get you this yummy salad how-to – still good for those end of summer picnics & BBQ’s. I’m making it tomorrow for the last “Jazz on the Lawn” concert.
I ate something like this in July when I was up at Three Rivers swooning over the hard won success of my dear friend Chris Lynch & her writing partner Meg Howrey. You see, they not only sold their international thriller City of Dark Magic to Penguin Publishing, but they also got the thumbs up for the sequel! Go Lynchie & Meg!!! Two smart broads!
We ate this at a dinner party up there. I couldn’t get enough of this. Neen and I had been wandering aimlessly around Sequoia National Park all day and arrived late & ravenous. How polite of us. With Nina’s help, I tried to replicate it when I got home and I’m please with the result! This salad is so satisfying, tasty & hearty. It’s REALLY easy to make. The most time-consuming part is boiling the grain which takes about 45 mins.
Here’s all you need:
Salad:
1 1/2 c uncooked wheat berries or barley (barley is cheaper & easier to find but I was out)
8 oz feta (depending how much you like)
1/3 c sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 c sliced kalamata olives
parsley to taste
1 avocado
Dressing:
1/4 c olive oil
2-3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
1/4 c fresh squeezed orange juice (about half an orange)
First, cook your grain according to package directions. You can do this a day ahead and chill in the fridge. Just be sure to drain thoroughly first.
Now drain & chill the barley. You don’t want it hot when you combine your ingredients.
NOTE: I didn’t really measure anything. I just added ingredients and tasted. That’s partly why this is such a simple salad – you can add more of things you like or have.
Combine ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir to combine and add dressing ingredients.
Here’s a rough approximation of the dressing amounts:
1/4 c olive oil
juice of half an orange
2-3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
Whisk together dressing ingredients. Drizzle about half that on salad & stir to coat thoroughly. Taste & adjust, adding more dressing if needed. I don’t like a puddle of dressing at the bottom of my salad so I start light & add more. The barley will absorb the dressing but I liked this as leftovers for up to 3 days.
Don’t let Maddie’s excitement fool you. She didn’t dig this.
Jazz on the Lawn
Rogelio Mitchell & Friends
Sunday, August 26
5-7PM
Bring a picnic/blanket and/or low chairs!
