Cinque Terre On Canvas

In wracking our brains for a present to give my parents this Christmas, my sister and I wanted to go with something sentimental for obvious reasons. We both came to the conclusion that a photo from our trip to Italy, where my Dad is originally from, printed on canvas would be perfect. Now, to choose a photo.. and from which city...

I decided that before I even start looking through all the photos from the trip, which could easily lead to distraction and endless hours spent looking through countless amounts of photos, its best I pick a city first. I chose Cinque Terre. It was a hard tie to break between Rome and Cinque Terre, but I think the peaceful beachy villages won my parents over the most plus the nautical theme pairs well with the style in their home, not to mention they live on the water.

So the narrowing down began. I was careful not to over pick or overwhelm myself with photos to edit for final choosing, which is a common mistake I make, something I especially can't afford to deal with as Christmas is drawing close and I am running out of time to submit my order. I started with hundreds, narrowed down to 15, then finally to the 3 featured here. It was hard, but a decision had to be made.

In uploading and cropping the image for final submission I realized how fun and easy this gift really is as well as how meaningful it can be. It can get a little pricey, but Living Social features deals all the time for discounted canvas prints. I'm excited to see the final product and the look on their face when they receive it. I think they will both be very happy to have something from our first trip to Europe to hang on their walls.

Girly Moment Alert!

Ever hear a song that just makes you stop what you're doing and focus on the feelings it evokes? A few songs on my current playlist do this to me, but one in particular I feel the need to share. This song I have loved for quite a while now, and every time I hear it, it makes me melt. It's the kind of love song you imagine dancing to with a special someone in a particularly special moment on a very special day. I'm a sucker for sentimentality, so I know you can't just plan on a song like this for that special day, but I can't help but hope for one that makes me feel just the way this one does. This song is just so beautifully sung, it's simplicity is full of emotion, and it pulls at your heartstrings in all the right ways.

Sleeping At Last "Turning Page"

Reflection and Growth

Dating.

Your 20s.

Finding yourself, knowing yourself, owning what you believe.

Knowing and understanding the qualities you value and want in another.

Finding those qualities.

Opening myself back up to the dating scene has been a bit uncomfortable, to say the least, after shunning it for quite sometime.

I've spent the good part of the last 3 years trying to "find" myself, placing a lot of energy in understanding and developing a good sense of the person I hope to become, something I used to believe I had a firm grasp on relative to a lot of my peers, but somehow lost security in during some of the more emotional and trying events of my early 20s. As I've started to enter my late 20s, I've begun to realize "finding" myself is less something I can simply check off a To-Do list and more something that continually happens through time and exploration. I understand now that it's something that, at times, I may feel more secure in than others, but will be constantly evolving throughout my life. I can seek comfort in the fact that holding true to my key values, those that have remained constant, while maintaining a level of curiosity about life and a desire to continuously grow and better myself is all I really need and will make for a smoother road to success.

I stumbled on this blog today. Although reading both sides is informative, I found more insight reading The 11 Differences Between Dating a Girl vs a Woman which gave me the opportunity to reflect back on myself the values that have held true for as long as I can remember, ones I've let slip, and ones I may not have paid attention to before, but see the positive in being aware of them.

Reflection and growth.

Apple Strudel and Phyllo Dough

This was my first attempt at using phyllo dough, and needless to say it was a success, but not without a few minor hiccups. Phyllo dough is awesome, an almost worry free way to make a quick crispy and flaky pastry dessert. Pastry dough itself can get pretty tricky, especially when it comes to getting that flakiness just right. You have to pay particularly close attention to how cold the butter is while mixing the dough, and if you over work it you'll easily ruin it, a common struggle most likely having do with the butter melting in the process of kneading the dough. Phyllo dough is a great solution for that, however, it is still quite delicate. These thin, almost transparent, sheets of dough rip with the slightest misuse. Once folded as it needs to be, buttered, and out of the oven this dough's light, airy, flaky and melting in your mouth. It's pure bliss. When paired with fruit, or commonly seen with a nut and brown sugar mixture in baklava, it compliments the sweet flavors perfectly. This particular dessert was inspired by this recipe. Deliciousness! 

Warning: Sensitive Material Follows

This will probably be one of the most intense and sensitive subjects I'll ever make a post about. It's the kind of thing that people "just don't like to talk about," but that's exactly why it should be talked about and expression about experiencing something so wrong and gut-wrenching should be welcomed wholeheartedly. Fortunately, it's not something I have ever experienced, but there are people very dear to me who have. Speaking about sensitive subjects like this one is the only way to bring awareness and, hopefully, prevent these situations from continuing to happen. I found this poem to be very moving and inspirational. It takes great courage to put your heart out there in this way, publicly. Tears of sadness and gratitude to those who have had similar experiences and who choose to take those experiences and turn them into a voice, speaking up and sharing their struggles.

"The rape joke is that you were eight.

The rape joke is that at the time,

you didn't know people had sex to express love.

The rape joke is that the only other person 

who’d seen you naked was your mom.

The rape joke is that he called you ‘beautiful’ first.

The rape joke is that he held your hands together

and told you to ‘try harder’ when you struggled.

The rape joke is that you believed him 

when he told you were overreacting.

The rape joke is that your grandma

called him a nice boy and asked him to stay for dinner. 

The rape joke is that he winked at you

when you apologized to your parents for not coming

downstairs the first time you were called.

The rape joke is that his friends

high-fived him for “getting some.”

The rape joke is that you still don’t feel like 

you've regrown the pieces he stole.

The rape joke is that he was conceived when his

dad slapped himself into his snoring mother.

The rape joke is that her friends told her 

she was lucky someone wanted her.

The rape joke is that each year in the United States,

32,000 other women’s bellies 

ripen with life against their will.

The rape joke is that he never learned 

to touch without scarring.

The rape joke is that your classmate thinks

‘have you seen what asses look like in yoga pants?’

is an argument. 

The rape joke is your new boyfriend kissing 

you and telling you he ‘raped’ his math test.

The rape joke is that ‘Why are girls so scared of rape? Y’all should feel pride that a guy risked his life in jail just to fuck you’

is a popular Tweet right now.

The rape joke is that you wake up to 

the memory of him laughing, 

“now that wasn't so bad, was it?”

The rape joke is that it’s been twelve years and 

you still quiver when someone touches you.

The rape joke is that he hasn't stopped laughing.

The rape joke is that you forgot how to." - The Rape Joke | Lora Mathis

Stumbled upon it here.
Original here.
Inspired by here.

The Music of Sharing

I absolutely love sharing music. I'm one of those people you see walking from work to the store to the bus to the house, always plugged into my headphones. It's my go to when I need energy, when I need to relax, my therapy when I'm feeling anxious, or just simply when I'm addicted to a song and need to hear it on repeat. Although, I have not developed my own skills with any particular instrument (I have a guitar that I have been meaning to learn to play for a few years now), music is a huge part of my life. As for many, I assume, life would be far less interesting if music didn't exist. That being said, I'm constantly modifying my current playlist, listening to my most current finds on repeat for about a week or two, and then searching for the next song or band that is going to get me moving or help me reflect. Discovering new music evokes an interesting sense of intense satisfaction and sharing it with someone, and finding out they share the same feelings about the song or band that you do, just makes music that much more enjoyable. It's tough and time consuming sometimes trying to find a new song or band that is going to help you get through the day, or put you in that good mood, so I find it only suitable to share your current favorites with as many of your friends as possible. Like word of mouth with anything, the more sharing the more likely you'll find just what you're craving. One of my current songs on repeat is "You Know You Like It" by AlunaGeorge. The funky upbeat tempo was just what I needed a few weeks ago, and I haven't been able to shake it from my playlist since. I so graciously added this song, along with a few others from the duo, to my library after the suggestion from a dear friend. Her and I have been sharing for years!

Backyards and Creative Spaces

I've begun to realize that having a backyard can be pretty valuable and an often overlooked privilege. I've never really given much thought to just how much I enjoy having my own little access to the outdoors until I didn't have it anymore, ringing true to that little saying, "You just don't know what you have until it's gone." It's another space that can serve as a creative outlet, can make for a great place to gather with friends for a BBQ on those random warm Indian summer nights in the city, or roast s'mores around a fire pit during the more frequent colder city nights.

My current apartment is on the top floor of the building, and the only way to access the communal backyard, aside from running out the front door, down two sets of stairs, and around the side yard, is through my roommate's room and down the fire escape. The other issue is we are sharing the small space with 5 other units, of whom have been living here much longer than we have, and they seem to have some major territorial issues. The space itself has a lot of potential. It's mostly paved with a small area for gardening and a nice tree in the centered at the back wall of the pavement, perfect for hanging some tree lanterns or Christmas lights. One of the units actually built some rather large planter boxes to grow vegetables that I would love to contribute to, but seeing as how other sharing hasn't gone over so well in the past I thought it best to just let that idea go.

Today, I came across this link for outdoor DIY projects and two in particular seemed most alluring. The first is Garden Art in which you create a framed mosaic of succulents. It's a very simple DIY and a great way to break up some of the negative space on a wall of fencing. You can also make multiple frames of varying sizes and collage them which may offer an interesting home-y feel. The second DIY is an arrangement of colorful flower pots mounted to a fence wall, a very cute way to bring color from the ground up.

Someday I'll have my own space to decorate as I please. Until then I'll just have to pine over other people's creative spaces, making note of the creative ideas I like most and will someday incorporate into my own space. 

Here are a few more outdoor space I have heart eyes for... 

{Personal outdoor cinema}

{Bringing the best of childhood into adulthood.}

 {Vines}

{My own personal creative studio.}

{Cozy guest house. Home away from home.}

Labor Day Weekend in Tahoe

I spent Labor Day Weekend with my family in Tahoe this year, and, despite the smoke rolling in from poor Yosemite, it was a lovely weekend. Saturday, with surprisingly clear skies, we hiked down to Emerald Bay and I paddle boarded for the first time which was really fun. We were almost run over by an exceptionally large ferry, but that's only a minor detail. Most of the weekend was filled with relaxing at the beach or on the water, and listening to live bands play at The Beacon Bar and Grill in Camp Richards. I understand that Labor Day was over a month ago, I've been extremely bad at uploading and sifting through all the photos I've taken this year, but here are a few of my favorite shots from my very relaxing, beach filled weekend.

{View from the beach at Camp Richards}

{The Beacon, Camp Richards}

{Emerald Bay, South Lake Tahoe}

{I named him Alvin, only fitting considering we had just watched Alvin and The Chipmunks the night before.}

{Having a little fun capturing the motion of the water, one of my favorite effects.}

{Walking to the beach at Emerald Bay.}

{More Emerald Bay hiking shots.}

{Camp Richards.}

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cocoa Buttercream Frosting

This weekend I celebrated the birthday of fellow foodie and long time friend, Dee. We met in SLO and became fast friends, sharing our love of food and running. When we first met and I told her I joined the Cross Country Team at Cuesta she quickly jumped on board. Our days typically became routines of practice followed by trips to New Frontiers, a local specialty market, and recipe experiments. She is definitely one of those people in my life that no matter how much time has gone by since our last visit, it feels as though we never parted. Like many of our fleeting obsessions, I recently discovered that we were on the same wavelength about sweet potatoes. So to pay tribute to the good ol days I made Sweet Potato cupcakes from this recipe and a variation of this frosting recipe where I experimentally added a tsp. Cinnamon and a tbsp. Cocoa. They turned out really well, just perfect for the occasion. 

Dee remains in SLO for the time being, and I in SF making it hard to see each other often. However, I believe that I will be seeing a lot more of her in the coming months, and I couldn't be happier.  

Today's Words of Wisdom

Be your own best friend, not your own worst enemy.

Life is unpredictable, it's what happens while you're making plans.

Live in the moment.

Live for what makes you happy.

Do what makes you happy.

No two peoples' biographies are the same, don't compare.

Don't take life too seriously.

Be kind, and be the best version of you.

A lot of this are things I've heard many times before, but often forget to remind myself when I'm lost in thought planning my future, worrying about who I am, what I'll become, who I want to be, who I don't want to be, what I don't have, or what others do have. A member graced me with these little reminders this morning, kind of out of the blue, but nevertheless appreciated. Very similar to the anecdotal and inspirational bumper stickers floating around social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, these reminders hit much deeper coming from someone you know speaking and standing right in front of you, and they couldn't have come at a better time. I'm thankful to be conscious enough to see/hear great people when they enter my life, and to be able to take in what they have to say about what they have learned over time and through their own experiences. Here's to embracing healthy thought, and learning to be less hard on myself about where I am in life, or where I'm not. Live for the moment.

We want more, we want more!

I was thumbing through Elle magazine this morning and was shocked to find an ad for Tommy Hilfiger. It's safe to say I haven't seen the inside of a fashion magazine in quite some time, but does that company really still exist? Who buys that stuff? Tommy Hilfiger has always been an eye sore for me, sticking to the primary colors, never venturing off or taking a risk with a nice deep green or delicate lavender. I mean, I guess it says it all in the label, but who wants to look like the America flag walking? And the style of clothes they produce! It's like Abercrombie College Ed meets 1950s school uniform meets Sailor. I'm no expert on fashion trends, but I swear their stuff looks exactly as it did 10 years ago shot on the same football field. Talk about limiting your clientele. I may never get it, but to each his own I guess...

Then my breath was taken.

I flipped the page, a Dolce & Gabbana ad. Now that's more my style.

Contrary to a lot of scoffing that might be going on right about now, it's not about the name brand. I've never owned a D&G item in my life, but these dresses! There were four, and unfortunately one was cut off by the binding so I wasn't able to see much of the details, such a bummer. The dresses varied in texture, some more heavy and tightly woven while others a bit more airy with a loose knit. The cut of the dresses were all fairly similar, more fitting at the top and tapering out at the waist. I just love everything about this look. The dresses were paired with deep red lipstick, hair in messy yet effortlessly elegant up-dos, and chunky jewelry. They may have stuck with basics as far as the dress colors go, but you can still do so much with whats there already. I was so intrigued that I could just hear the little girl from the AT&T commercial in my head chanting, "We want more. We want more. You really like it, you want more!" as I turned the page and realized this was a singular photo ad.

So then she googled, and she got more..

Neat Links

A few links I found this morning that I really enjoyed.

This one uses maps to express different facts and statistics about the world. #10 is my favorite, I just love the graphics and to see how much different countries rely on the internet. #36 is just hilarious!

This link is all about recycling or alternate use of the random items you can find around your house to make life that much easier.

I love the following:

5. I definitely have piles of wires in boxes and around my room that could definitely use a few tricks like this to make things look a bit more organized.

6. This just looks fun. Plus factor: If I don't feel like using all the batter at once it doubles as a storage container. 

7. There are just so many possibilities, you could turn your keys into a fashion statement.

12. I always lose track of the things I loan out. This is a good idea in theory, but I have a feeling that with the amount of photos I take, I'd probably lose track of that too.

18. If I can't see it, chances are I will forget it exists. This is a great solution!

33. This is just genius! 

34. One word: Yum!

36. I love onions, but can't stand cutting them. So curious to see if this actually works!

40. Ninja shirt folding? Nuff said!

If this link doesn't make you smile today, I don't know what will. Cute.

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies

Discovered this today on Cupcakes and Cashmere's "Links I Love" post. Definitely going to use this as a guide to experiment with some cookie recipes. So excited!! She also posted a part 2 here. Tessa's post is so inspiring. I'd love to try this experimental approach to some other common recipes such as various healthy baking substitute and how they affect taste and texture.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Sweet potatoes, like pumpkin, have become a huge obsession of mine. I'm more than willing to try anything pumpkin or sweet potato (or, to be frank, both combined sound pretty good too!). I also have this huge obsession/love for making homemade Gnocchi. I've already tried making pumpkin gnocchi in the past, which turned out like dessert for dinner, sinful! However, in the past few weeks I've discovered the art of Sweet Potato Gnocchi, placing them at the top of my Gnocchi list (no that doesn't actually exist, but maybe it should...)

I've been incorporating sweet potatoes into my diet for their great lasting energy benefits and as a source of good carbs and fiber, plus, lets face it, they are simply delicious. A while back I was in Trader Joe's and noticed that they started carrying sweet potato gnocchi in their freezer section. Being a gnocchi addict and it being all I will order at Italian restaurants given they are made in house, I have made it a rule that I will no longer buy prepackaged gnocchi when I can easily make them from scratch. Fresh is always better, in my opinion. That being said, I have probably made sweet potato gnocchi using this recipe about 4-5 times within the last month or so. They are a bit time consuming, but definitely worth it, and if you make a large amount you can divide them up and have enough for the rest week. This recipe is just as good cold, topped with a bit of goat cheese, and great for on the go or to take to work.

Goat cheese is a simple topping and very delicious, but they also taste wonderful drizzled lightly with a brown butter sage sauce.

Tips: I chose this recipe for it's simplicity without detracting from flavor, but there were a few things I struggled with initially..

1. Baking the sweet potato to puree/mash. The various sizes of sweet potato can cause hiccups in the process, and may extend the time it takes to make these pillows of joy. I recommend paying attention to the ones you choose when at the store. Try to pick ones similar in size and length so they cook at relatively the same speed. If you choose the longer skinnier potatoes they will cook more thoroughly in a shorter amount of time. I, regrettably, did not do this the first time around. I made the mistake of just grabbing a few, one long and skinny, one fat and short, threw them into the oven on a cookie sheet and ended up checking them every 5-10 mins after the initial 30 for about an extra 20-30 mins because the fatter one just wasn't cooking thoroughly. I still ended up with a half soft, half uncooked potato that made my gnocchi chunky. They still tasted great, flavor-wise in my opinion, but they weren't that pillow-y soft texture you normally expect in a gnocchi. I also don't have a ricer which may have made a huge difference, but if you are careful, in this way, this recipe is completely do-able by hand.

2. Checking for a done potato. The recipe suggests cooking the potato until soft to the touch. This is also where I went wrong and wound up with potatoes that I couldn't puree by hand. I recommend poking the potatoes a few times with a fork to allow heat to get to the center, and also as a means to check the softness at the center. The first few times I attempted this recipe I pulled out and began peeling and cutting the potatoes because they felt soft only to discover they were still hard in the center. Deceiving.

3. Flour to preference. I wanted to use less flour, but still maintain a dumpling-like texture. I have yet to perfect the whole wheat gnocchi, and until I do I want to try to minimize the amount of white flour I use. I discovered in my most recent and most successful attempt that you really don't need all that much flour. Depending on the amount and size of the potatoes used you can get away with a fairly small amount of flour. This recipe calls for 2 cups of flour with 2 8oz. potatoes. However, in total (flour for dusting and rolling included) I probably used about 1-1 1/4 cups. I added flour in 1/4 cup increments, and as soon as it became workable I used what remained for dusting and rolling, so essentially the outside was floured but the inside remained sticky. I believe this made for a more creamy less dense dumpling, which I quite enjoyed.

4. (Optional) Let them rest in the cold. This most recent batch was made from two potatoes that I had baked the day before, and stuck in the fridge for about a day and a half. This, I believe, made them much more malleable and less stringy. Although this step is optional, I feel it contributed to a softer gnocchi. Being in the cool climate after being in the oven allowed moisture to absorb back into the potato.

The Age Of Photographs

I saw this image on an old post at Cupcakes and Cashmere yesterday. How nice would it be to have a suitcase in your room full of old photos? You could easily prop it open and travel down memory lane whenever you need a little pick-me-up, feel reminiscent, or just want to share some of your favorite moments with a friend.

Why would anyone want a suitcase full of photos? I have a phone for that, and where would I even put it?

I know, I know. The age of technology has all that covered, and compactly stored for your grab and go convenience. Like many things beneficial and convenient, this has a downside. On one hand, it's so easy to snap a photo these days, documenting any and all memories or moments to your heart's content. I can't complain here, I have 3000+ photos on my phone and those are just the ones I've taken within the past 6 months, after I replaced my stolen phone. The other good thing is you always have them with you, right there in that app waiting to be opened and scrolled through. That's just it, though. With photos conveniently stored in a device (you know that one you wouldn't know how to function in society without?), it is far less likely they will ever get printed. Not to mention that with the plethora of social media sites and apps enabling you to share your photos as you are experiencing these moments (which I admit is very handy when you do, say, get your phone stolen), why would you want to waste that precious time these app developers are giving back to you, with every life enhancing app created, getting photos printed? These sites and apps make it far more easy to share those moments with EVERYONE  all at once. Even that one person you met that one time, you know back when you visited that one place... You know, the one you met for like 5 minutes who you'll probably never speak two words to every again, but know everything about every life event they've spammed Facebook with? So, really, why worry about printing and displaying photos at home, right?

I used to have photos printed out and collaged all over my room with a stack of photo albums on my bookshelf. At night as I fell asleep I could glance around my room at my most treasured moments or pick up an album and flip through photos, touching them, holding the moments in my hands. This is hardly the case anymore. Most of the photos on display, totaling at about 5, are from 2007 at best, and those albums? They are packed away in a box somewhere from moving so much within the last 5 years. All of my most recent photos can be found on external hard drives, my phone, or online, keeping me more attached to these devices by day. However, there's just nothing quite like holding that 5x7 glossy photo of past memories you have long forgotten, or flipping through a pile of them for that matter. There's actually something quite nice about holding them, touching the paper, that connects you to the memory more deeply than swiping your finger across a screen. I miss that.

While technology does make certain things about life more conveniently accessible, allowing us more time to spend on other more important things, there are somethings, done the old fashioned way, that just can't be replaced.

And to answer your question about where you would put the suitcase? Good news! That suitcase, that was probably hard to find storage space for and is now awkwardly taking up space in your closet that you would probably rather fill with shoes, can be conveniently put on display as a bedside table. Very trendy these days.. How convenient!

Pumpkin British Style Crumpet French Toast

Trader Joe's has these British Style Crumpets that always look so soft and airy, I just want to open the bag and eat them before I even make it to the register. The little air pockets sparked an intriguing idea, how well would these taste prepared as French Toast? So, yesterday while I was making pumpkin muffins and food to take to work for the week, I thought I would try them out. I had a ton of left over pumpkin purée and this made for a perfect way to use some of it up. Needless to say they turned out amazing, like dessert for breakfast. They are about 185 calories per slice, a perfect, deliciously lite way to start the morning.

Ingredients:

Trader Joe's British Style Crumpets

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

1/2 cup Libby's Pumpkin Pie Filling

1/2 cup Almond Breeze 

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Pinch of salt

How to:

In a bowl mix egg whites, whole egg, almond milk, pumpkin purée, and seasonings. Place crumpets in mixture and let sit for 30 mins, flip and let sit for an additional 30 mins, this really allows the favors to soak in. Cook at low to medium heat on a skillet using a small amount of butter to lightly grease the pan. These are very flavorful, needing minimal maple syrup, however add as desired.