Monthly Archives: May 2013

Food - Life

video recap: may 2013

May 31, 2013

Walking in Balboa park, Teddy adorably playing an ice cube for the first time (TOO CUTE), hosting friends from out of town, eating Mexican food, shopping at the farmers market, (finally) running around with Teddy after his vaccines were complete, stuffing my face at a bake sale — just a little glimpse into life in May.

Check it out:

Music: “Out of My League” by Fitz and the Tantrums

Design + Interiors

balcony garden inspiration

May 29, 2013

Why did I move to San Diego? The weather. Yes, the glorious climate that keeps San Diego sunny 10 months out of the year was the number one reason that propelled us to this new land. (May becomes May gray and June is notoriously known for its June gloom.) With the weather comes so many other things I sought out for my new lifestyle post travels: the outdoors, more farmers markets than I can handle and a motivation to wake up early on weekends and take advantage of life. Joie de vivre, indeed!

I’ve also turned into that person that enjoys going to Home Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond on weekends. I blame it on the balcony. Now that we have one, I’m so motivated to make the space beautiful and never want to be one of those people who says “Yeah, we have a balcony, but we never use it.” Right now it’s furnished with rattan Ikea chairs and table, but I’m going to make a little herb garden (with basil and cilantro) and incorporate some flowers, as well as a rug and string of lights.

But god, there are so many things to think about. What kind of planters? Metal may get hot with all the sun we get, but wood can rot. Does plastic look cheap? How do I want to arrange them? Can I fit a small plant stand? Do I want the aesthetic to be modern and simple or more antique to go with the decor in the rest of our apartment?

I threw all these thoughts onto a few inspiration boards. Take a look and let me know what you think. And if you have any gardening experience, I need your tips! I have, what you call, a black thumb.

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Food

rosemary citrus spritzer

May 27, 2013

Today, on this Memorialiest of Days, I’m sharing a recipe for a refreshing mocktail that incorporates California’s most omnipresent produce: oranges and lemons.

Once upon a time, I enjoyed alcohol. I may or may not have been of age, but that’s besides the point, mom and dad. Never a fan of beer or wine, I was a cocktail queen and loved anything fruity, particularly when paired with Malibu or tequila. Then in 2006, I signed up for my first marathon (Chicago), and in effort to train properly, I cut out alcohol, which seemed downright masochistic as a senior in college. But I actually loved this new elimination diet, which resulted in more energy, leftover cash and fewer pounds.

When I moved to New York in 2007 and lived paycheck to paycheck, drinking was the first thing to go. I drank on a few special occasions, but in general, I went dry. Since then, I’ve completely lost my taste for alcohol and whenever I do happen to get a sip — or even a whiff — I want to gag.

This means I’m always on the hunt for mocktail recipes, especially ones that can incorporate alochol for my booze-loving friends. The Kitchn‘s rosemary citrus spritzer was a huge hit this weekend. I don’t particularly love honey’s distinct taste in food and drinks, so I used just under one cup of sugar instead. And if you have leftover syrup, save it in a screw-top container in the fridge. It should last up to a month thanks to the preservative powers of sugar.

More mocktail fun after the jump. Cheers! *clink*

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Creative Profiles

my rituals: ana spick of we love citrus

May 24, 2013

I first met Ana Spick at a craft fair in South Park, a cool, up-and-coming neighborhood in San Diego. It didn’t take me long to pick up on her beautiful personality — she was basically glowing — and I soon realized there were three reasons behind that aura. One: She’s Brazilian, and international people always do chill so much better than Americans. Two: She was pregnant (hence the glow). And three: She herself is a craft lover, so being at a craft fair was her personal happy place.

Ana owns we love citrus, an online shop for adorable paper goods, works as an interior designer and decorator for UnBeige Design, and is a regular at creative meet-ups and craft fairs around the city. (Scroll down for info on her upcomign craft workshop.) Today I asked the mom/crafter extraordinaire to share with us the secret behind that cool-girl vibe.

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Food

baked tandoori chicken wings

May 22, 2013

I say that I rarely eat meat, but the truth is if it’s an Indian or Middle-Eastern dish, I have a hard time saying no. Chicken tikka masala, kebabs, shawarma — I’ll take it! That’s why I love Indiaphile‘s spin on the chicken wing. She takes the classic recipe and adds flavors like turmeric, garlic and garam masala and pairs the wings with a side of cumin-spiced yogurt. I’ve cooked Indian food plenty of times before, but the aroma from this spice blend smelled the most authentic. Even Eaman noticed the difference.

I particularly love her suggestions to cook the wings on a wire rack to get that extra-crispy chicken and to use boiled beets instead of chemical-filled food coloring for that red hue. (I used Trader Joe’s pre-cooked beets; save the rest for a beet, goat cheese, walnut salad!) These could be amazing cooked on a grill, too. What better time to try than during a three-day weekend?

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around san diego - Life

weekends lately

May 20, 2013

Weekends around these parts have lately been plan-free and ultra lazy. Even though we still log in some work hours on Saturdays and Sundays — that’s the life of a freelancer — we’ve also had the best time gliding from the park to the market to the couch to Teddy’s puppy breath. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

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Creative Profiles

my rituals: food stylist and blogger betsy haley

May 17, 2013

I recently went to the San Diego Food Bloggers’ Annual Bake Sale in search of one thing: samoa bundt cakes. Yes, you heard me, bundt cakes with a Girl Scout cookie twist. San Diego food stylist and lifestyle blogger Betsy Haley made mini versions of this brilliant dessert at the Sale, and after I introduced myself, I went home with the melt-in-your-mouth cake, a second one for a birthday party later that night and a new interviewee for this series. We chatted about food styling, living in the Midwest (she’s from the Chicago suburbs) and how to get a dog to stop biting (she has two black labs). Betsy’s down-to-earth, funny and talented. You should get to know her:

Name: Betsy Haley
Age: 32
Hometown: Downers Grove, IL
Current City: San Diego, CA
Professional Title: Food Stylist/Lifestyle Blogger at betsylife

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Life

5 documentaries to add to your Netfix cue now

May 15, 2013

It must sound totally crazy that while my previous day job involved copious amounts of TV-watching, now I don’t own a TV. The shift was due in part to our RTW trip disconnecting us and also because I get too easily distracted and need to instead focus on making my freelance career pay the bills here in San Diego.

Apart from the frivolous joys of channel surfing and using the Food Network as background noise, I don’t actually miss having a TV that much. Anything I really want to see? There’s a computer for that. Enter: Netflix. We recently finished all of Friday Night Lights (I’m utterly distraught that it’s over), but now we’ve turned to documentaries. Did you know there are some awesome docs on Netflix? Here are five to add to your cue:

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