more jenna, sorry I can't stop

Looks like her first mainstream project is available for purchase:



cute, no? I'm infinitely guilty of buying products for packaging.

Illume His & Hers set.

churros y chocolate that vanish before our eyes

for LA peeps out there (or anyone coming to LA)...

You need to go to Lucques if you haven't been. Definitely one of my very favorite restaurants in LA.

Everything is completely delicious. And then there's the churros y chocolate, which are better than any I tasted in Spain... by like 1 million miles.

I tried to eat them slowly, I did. But this is what happened:



in approx 60 seconds. And every other couple sitting at the bar with us on Saturday ordered them too, with similar results. Thankfully iPhone was able to document the carnage as proof.

I need the cookbook, even if it's just so I can make their perfect salad dressings.

erica's baby shower

okay. i need an excuse to make bunting flags. bad.





how cute is this shower?? of course it's cute. it's for Erica from Thoughtful Day and Jenna Hein planned it.

the jewels of new york

GAWWW.

Just the name is killing me. This site is freaking me out it's so perfect and pretty. Do you think they need an upaid intern? I will move to New York and live in a youth hostel and sell... something... for food money and never shop again if they will let me into their circle of trust.



The Jewels of New York.

My friend Amanda and I have a special category that girls like this fall into. But I can't tell you because we've gotten mixed reviews on whether or not it would be acceptable in the greater blogging community. We mean it as the utmost compliment of course.

Maybe I will divulge our little game one day.

via Saipua

insanely easy, but highly delicious buckwheat scones

Remember how I made buckwheat shortcakes for Brock's birthday? (not that you could forget... it was only like 4 posts ago)



I managed to buy twice as much cream as was necessary for the first batch, so I made them again. Just the shortcakes. And I am calling them scones, because I added a few things and we ate them for breakfast.






Cherry Almond Buckwheat Scones
(adapted from Pure Dessert- srsly, get this book)

1 cup + 4 Tbsp unbleached flour

1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup sugar, plus more for dusting

1 3/4 tsp baking powder (sifted if lumpy)

3/8 tsp salt

1 cup heavy cream, plus a little extra for brushing the tops

1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds, lightly toasted (or slivered almonds if you have them)

1/2 dried cherries


Heat oven to 425, unless your oven is 60 years old like mine and burns everything. In this case you might consider turning it down to 400. Line a baking sheet with 2 layers of parchment (which protects the bottoms from browning, says Alice, before the tops are perfect).

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until combined, then add the almonds and give the mixture a few turns with your hand. Or a spatula if you are more civilized than I am. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour the cream into it. Using a rubber spatula, push the dry ingredients into the well, turning the mixture just until the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough looks rough and shaggy. Now add the cherries and knead them in a few times as you combine the errant pieces of dough stuck to the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and pat it into a circle, about 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife and swift downward strokes, cut the dough in half and in half again and again, until your scones are a nice size and shaped like little wedges. Brush the tops with cream, followed by a sprinkling of sugar.

Bake until just browned on top, 12 - 15 minutes.


I think the batch makes 8 scones... we only have 3 left. After one measly Sunday morning. No self restraint over here. Just none at all.

the weekend plan

dust off the shovel and gardening gloves, must reconcile the last 9 months of neglect.



My parents gave us raised beds (for vegetables and such) for our birthdays. And by gave us I mean they are going to come help us build them. Plus my mom ordered these nifty pre-made corners/joints from Burpee that should make the construction process a little less technical. Poor Brock has to get gardening supplies for his birthday. He is the best sport.

I shall report back with our progress.

DIY local favors from my favorite date farm

Hi hi.



Finally posted our favors, a mini how-to, and a template to make your own labels on 100 Layer Cake today! Go see.

Go see this wedding...

on OnceWed.

Dying. Die-ing.









photos by Kirsten Ellis

birthday balloons and candles

Brock's birthday was yesterday. Happy birthday husband! (I do not call him husband in real life, btw).

So Sunday while he was out teaching a tennis lesson to a friend, (he is not a tennis coach in real life either, but he's an excellent teacher and player), I decided to decorate the house in old fashioned birthday stylings. ie. Balloons.



Might as well hop on the trend while it lasts, right? It's amazing how a balloon forest can transform a regular Sunday afternoon into a fancy little party for 2. Immediately upon wrangling the bouquet into the living room, I popped a bottle of good champagne into the freezer and celebration was officially in order.

(Side note: having an engagement party is an excellent way to stock up on quality bubbly that will last you at least a year. Worth the effort of throwing one, in my opinion.)

Balloon forest is also an excellent excuse to take silly blurry photos after finishing that bottle of champagne.



And a birthday always necessitates SOMETHING from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert. We tried Buckwheat Strawberry Shortcakes. Yum. If you don't have this book, I suggest you order it immediately. So many beautiful, simple sweets.

We're now officially in our 30's. Which feels much different than just being 30, it turns out. But good. I think.

maybe i'll hold off on getting that goat

Karissa's wild pack:





My friend Karissa lives on an inexplicably huge property in Encinitas (San Diego), tucked behind The Gifted Preschool and the 7-Eleven. She and her man Travis started the goat experiment to ultimately make goat tacos from scratch, but other members of the project have since ruled the original intention out. So now they have a herd of goats roaming their yard, eating every single bit of green in sight. Plus things like the rubber on their car bumpers.

Okay then! So much for my perfect idea of getting a little goat to mow our backyard. But they are super cute. And much better to visit than to keep myself. For now. Until I get my own farm.