Being a huge Jason Mraz fan, I entered to win free tickets to a secret concert he was giving that was being taped for The Artists Den, a PBS live-concert television show, to promote his new album, YES! I never do stuff like that, so when I won two tickets, I was gobsmacked. We arrived early to stand in a gigantic, snaking will-call line (the top-secret location turned out to be the beautiful Royce Hall on the UCLA campus) and I was so thrilled to be there that I wasn't even bothered by the girl behind us lecturing her companion on the perils of dairy for a solid hour. When we finally got to the front, a guy checked a list, handed us two tickets, and by the grace of the Jason Mraz gods, we were seated IN THE FOURTH ROW!

Needless to say, I was in heaven.

And we had the most fun, special night:)

The concert is airing on PBS stations this week so we just caught the televised version and saw our happy mugs on TV!

Hope you have a wonderful week...
xoxo
jolie

P.S. You are loved:)

P.P.S. My other fave, Sara Bareilles, is writing a musical version of the film Waitress(!) and this is her singing a new song from the show…….*swoon*

grandma's pumpkin pie

I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year for a small group of family and I haven't done it in ages. My first time cooking the whole shebang on my own was about 15 years ago when David and I were newly dating. I enthusiastically volunteered to make dinner for about 8 people, including his Mom who was flying in from Connecticut and who I had only met once before (no pressure).

My out-of-state Dad (a cook extraordinaire) wasn't attending, so he'd sent me detailed step-by-step instructions (complete with diagrams) on recipe cards; his mother's recipes that he'd scrawled out in his jagged handwriting. I followed his instructions to the letter, prepping as much as possible the day before. I had picked up our fresh turkey and per his instructions, was preparing to rinse it, dry it well, then salt it overnight.

I didn't get around to unwrapping the turkey until quite late and needed to enlist David's help in lifting the behemoth. After which, we sliced open its plastic covering. The bird slid out into the sink along with a gush of pink fluid. We looked at each other in horror. We were in WAY over our heads. After I shimmied the bird's legs out of their plastic handcuffs, I pried open the icy cavity and stopped cold.

What was nowhere to be found on my recipe cards (or diagrams) was any information about removing the creepiest thing in THE ENTIRE WORLD. Despite the late hour, I didn't think twice before calling my Dad in Colorado and waking him up.

"Hi Honey. Is everything ok?" he answered.

"UM…..not really," I said. "What the CREEPS is this bony penis thing inside the turkey???"

 "Oh, that's just the neck." he said.

"Just the neck? JUST THE NECK?! First of all it's TEN INCHES LONG," I said, "Secondly, they cut it off and stick it inside of itself? That's horrifying."

 "Don't worry. You just remove that." he said.

"Oh. Ok. Thanks for telling me NOW."

 "…."

"This wasn't on the recipe cards!" I shouted.

"…."

"Dad? Are you there?" I think he fell back asleep for a second.

"I'm here." 

 "Ok. Hold on the line while I do it."

At this point David, who'd been standing slack-jawed during this mess, bolted and feigned deaf when I continued attempts to make him my accomplice. I finally pinched the meaty neck between a few (hundred) paper towels and made record time to the garbage.

"You also gotta get the organs out." said Dad.

Oh, joy. 

"There's more?! ORGANS?! WHY WASN'T ANY OF THIS ON THE CARDS?!!" I said, "I don't think my heart can take it."

"That's a coincidence because I think one of the organs is a heart."

Somehow I managed to hold down my dinner and finish the turkey autopsy. The next day went off without too many hitches and that Thanksgiving turkey was probably the best one I've ever made. Holiday success!*

You know what's WAY easier than raw-turkey-part analysis/removal? Pumpkin pie.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grandma's Pumpkin Pie
makes 1 pie

There are no bells and whistles here. This was my sweet Grandma's recipe that I've made just a dash spicier over the years. It's pretty basic but pretty freaking delicious. This amount of filling is perfect for a 9.5" pie. If your pie pan is smaller, you'll have a bit of filling left over.

1 recipe pie crust (note: If you wanna go from scratch, I love Deb's all-butter recipe on Smitten Kitchen but no one will complain/even notice if you pick one up in the frozen section of Whole Foods. It's already fluted in the tin and everything. They taste amazing and have no creepy ingredients. No one needs to know:))
3 large eggs, beaten
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 t kosher salt
2 t pumpkin pie spice (buy pre-mixed or make your own)

If you don't do the Whole Foods shuffle, make your pie crust and let it chill for at least 1 hour (it can live in the fridge for a few days, otherwise freeze it). After it's rolled out and placed in the dish, chill again in the fridge for 15 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 400F. Now you're going to blind bake your crust (this just means pre-baking with no filling inside so it won't become soggy on the bottom). Line your dough with foil, pressing it lightly over the entire bottom of the crust. Cover the sides and edges gently too, then top the foil with pie weights (or uncooked rice or beans). Stick in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake another 5-10 minutes or until the crust is golden. Take out and set aside.

While your crust is cooking, make your filling: combine the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, evaporated milk, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until well mixed. Pour into the warm, pre-baked pie crust and bake for 10 minutes at 400F (keep it on that rimmed baking sheet in case of spills!), then turn the oven down to 300F and continue baking about 30-40 more minutes. Check as you go. When you lightly jostle the baking sheet, you want the edges to be set but the very center to be wiggly. The pie will keep cooking as it cools and will set beautifully in a few hours at room temperature. I always like to make these the day before.

Serve with fresh soft-whipped cream sweetened with a dash of maple syrup and vanilla.

xoxo
jolie

*Except when later that same weekend, we went out to breakfast and after I'd finished my eggs, I leaned over to pick at David's plate. His Mom clocked this, looked at her son and shook her thumb at me. "Well, she can really put it away, can't she?" I was horrified even though she to this day insists it was a complement.

P.S. I'm so grateful for you! Happy Thanksgiving!

super easy super tasty broccoli soup

We just got home from a jam-packed week back east, where I got the delicious hit of autumn I'd been craving. I also got a delicious hit of serious food indulgence. Can one eat better than in New York City? Tangy fresh sheep's milk ricotta with flowery honey on toast, soft buttery scrambled eggs, spinach ravioli with fennel sausage ragu, wine wine wine, salads with gently poached chicken and earthy beets and warm goat cheese, toasty bagels with thick cream cheese and hot strong european coffee, falling-apart short ribs with woody mushrooms and crispy brussels sprouts. And that was all within 48 hours. After which, we took the train up to Connecticut to see DP's family and eat his favorite childhood pepperoni pizza 3 times in 3 days.

For our grand finale, we stopped at the airport Dunkin Donuts on the way to board our plane home and bought a bagful of pumpkin Munchkins*. The only thing that might be more disturbing is the instrumental Muzak version of "Blurred Lines" that American Airlines is using as their taxi-to-the-gate music.

Broccoli soup, anyone?

_______________________________________________

Super Easy Super Tasty Broccoli Soup
yields 2 quarts (serves 4-6)

When pureed to a super smooth consistency, you will swear this soup has cream in it. It's super luxe!

3 T olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
(or you can swap one large yellow onion for the leeks/small onion)
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 large handful chopped parsley (about 1/3 cup)
1 bay leaf
4-5 cups chopped broccoli (heads and peeled stalks)
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt


In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and when hot, add the leeks, onion, garlic, celery carrots, parsley and bay leaf. Add a big pinch of salt and some black pepper and sweat over medium heat until soft and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add the broccoli and sauté another 5-7 minutes, adding a little more olive oil if it seems dry. Add the broth, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until broccoli is very tender. Transfer to a blender to puree in batches. Return to the pot, add the lemon juice and taste for salt.

*I just learned from that link that each Munchkin has 1g protein!

xooxox
jolie

P.P.S. East coast pix to come......................

frozen chocolatey bananas

I tend to sometimes get a smidgen impatient but it's been a freaking miracle for me to stay in-the-moment lately. It's no wonder: the moment doesn't even know what it wants to be.

In my (sweaty) shopping travels this past week I've come across:

giant peaches
school supplies
big, heavy watermelons
Red Delicious apples
fluffy cashmere sweaters
heirloom tomatoes
pumpkin Everything at Starbucks
Halloween candy and sunscreen sharing the Seasonal aisle
A lady with a goatee*

(*This is not a seasonal observation but it was upsetting to me nonetheless)

Maybe that's why I found myself at Whole Foods the other day and randomly felt drawn to the homeopathic flower remedies. I picked up their little informational booklet and turned right to the page for one called IMPATIENS. The description said: "For those who act and think quickly and have no patience for what they see...teaches empathy and understanding...fast-acting in alleviating an impatient attitude and lowering stress." I laughed out loud. (Bonus: it's fast-acting so you don't have to have patience with the remedy itself!)  I stuck it in my cart. And then ten minutes later (no joke) cursed under my breath at people driving like turtles in the parking lot.

But now it's occurring to me that my agitation could very well be collective since we're all bouncing around in this in-between-seasons no man's land. We're having to look past a pumpkin-latte display to order an iced tea, having to dodge Halloween candy to find sunscreen. Those things, along with triple-digit temperatures are enough to make anyone on-edge.

My solution (aside from the flower medicine) is to keep embracing summer and not pine for Fall, to remain blind to the autumnal items that surround us and not let them nudge us into frustratingly wanting to be somewhere we're not. That way we can be nicely surprised when Fall finally graces us with its presence. So. I hereby declare this weird hot-September-transisiton-season: FROZEN BANANA SURRENDER. We will use these icy treats to soften our irritated edges and cool off our hot tempers! Plus, what better reason is there to slow down than to savor a gourmet popsicle? With extra chocolate? And also sprinkles? Who's with me?!

And who will be our new season's mascot? Goatee Lady. Think about what amazing patience she must have employed while waiting for that facial monkey to grow in. So even though at first (and second and third) glance I found her disturbing, maybe she is the wiser one among us. Thanks, Goatee Lady, and kudos. An extra frozen banana for you. And an extra napkin in case you get any chocolate in (on?) your beard.

Happy FBS!

Frozen Chocolatey Bananas
yields 10 servings

For the chocolate, I used half bittersweet and half semisweet but you can use any combo that suits your fancy. If your bananas are very ripe and sweet, you can go a little more bitter on the chocolate to balance it out. Oh, and I know it sounds like olive oil will be weird here but trust me, its fruitiness is just perfect.

5 ripe bananas
8 oz chocolate chips (I used half bittersweet, half semisweet. See note above)
3 T olive oil
assorted toppings: sprinkles, toasted coconut, toasted chopped nuts (about 1/4 cup each)
popsicle sticks (alternative: bamboo skewers or wooden chopsticks)

After peeling and halving the bananas, stick a popsicle stick in the end of each one. Place on a wax paper- or parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for an hour. Place the chocolate chips and olive oil in a microwavable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at a time, watching carefully and stirring often (should take 1-2 minutes depending on your microwave). Remove the bananas from the freezer, dip in the melted chocolate (spooning it on if necessary to get it even) and then roll in the embellishments of your choosing. You can eat these straight away but they're better if you stick them back in the freezer to set at least an hour more. Enjoy!

xoxo
jolie

P.S. If you decide to get said patience flower remedy, don't make the mistake of telling your husband. He will test you by continuing to suggest you double or triple your dosage.

gluten-free peanut butter chocolate-chip cookies

This is nothing new: I have a total love/hate relationship with coffee. I adore the taste of it so much so that I'm a complete snob about it. I'd actually rather go without than have a bad batch. But I know it's not good for me (even though it's so freaking good) and I certainly feel better overall once I get over the hump of headaches and general malaise that come with quitting. It's just the quitting part I don't like. And the inevitable switching to tea. Tea is great when you want tea, but when you want coffee and drink tea instead, it's like kissing your sister.

So when I learned about this health-food product called Dandy Blend, a roasted herbal coffee substitute, my interest was piqued. It's made from edible plants but from the rousing endorsements on their website, you'd think it was comprised of rare truffles or foie gras or crack itself. Here are some actual testimonials:

"ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!"
"I love coffee's flavor. Finally, I can HAVE MY CAKE AND EAT IT TOO!"
"Dandy Blend helped my bladder condition!"
"...the only beverage product on the market that has truly replaced my coffee (french roast!) habit."
"Dear Dandy Blend, I, I, I LOVE YOU!!!"

You get the idea. I skeptically read all these reviews and thought Ok, settle down, people but then my eye caught this headline: CYNDI LAUPER LIKES IT. Upon clicking further, I learned she was quoted in the NY Times saying, about Dandy Blend, "It makes you feel like you're drinking coffee." That's all I needed. I ordered it on the spot and anxiously (no doubt due to multiple cups of coffee) awaited its arrival. Two days later it came.

I opened the box to find the Dandy Blend package. It featured a giant yellow dandelion on the front (complete with spiky leaves) and said The goodness of dandelion in an instant! I didn't know there was anything good about dandelions at all. Aren't they like the scourge of nature? The poster child of weeds? But I gave it a shot, waiting with anticipation for it to change my life. David came home from work just then, to Dandy Blend mayhem. I was taste-testing it both hot and cold, with a variety of milk substitutes, seeing how/if I liked it. Have you ever tried to convince someone to accept something while you're simultaneously trying to convince yourself? It doesn't usually go well.

"Try this!!" I said, handing him an iced, almond-milk version with what I'm sure was a wild look in my eyes.

"What is it?" He said skeptically, looking the glass up and down.

"It's Dandy Blend!"

"Ok. Am I supposed to know what that is?"

"It's a coffee substitute but before you write it off, it's actually pretty good and it's REALLY good for you--there are like a million health benefits."

"Like what?"

"Um..." Shit. I suddenly forgot the multiple pages of them I read when I placed my order. "I think it's meant to be great for blood sugar? and there's no acidity? so it helps alkalize the body? All disease comes from inflammation, you know, and coffee just acidifies your system, making it worse...." I kept half-heartedly trying to sell it. "Cyndi Lauper loves it."

"What's it made of?" He held the glass up and looked at the murky brown liquid.

"Dandelions, for one."

"Dandelions?!?!"

"Yeah. They're really great for you."

"The weeds?? Are you serious?! Those things are my mom's nemeses. She used to throw a fit when she saw one in our yard."

"So...she'd take it personally if we were drinking them?"

"Dandelions..." he shook his head "...I don't know."

"Well, there's other stuff in there too."

"Like what?" He was getting impatient with me.

"Chicory, beets, barley..."

"Oh, well when you put it that way."

"It's actually not too bad." I was getting defensive.

"That sounds like a rousing endorsement."

"Well, just taste it!"

He reluctantly took a sip and shrugged. "It's okay. But not great. What does Cyndi Lauper know?"

I have to concede that the Dandy Blend really does go down easily accompanied by one of these cookies. 

But you know what goes with these cookies even better? A CUP OF COFFEE.

Peanut Butter Chocolate-Chip cookies
makes a little over 2 dozen
adapted from averie cooks

These cookies are gluten-free, nearly grain-free altogether and crazy good. They are more on the chewy side so if a crispy peanut butter cookie is your jam, these aren't for you. The original recipe has no flax or GF flour at all but I liked it better when there was a bit more body to the cookie. (<----------I can't believe I just wrote that.)

1 cup peanut butter*
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 cup flax meal (ground flax seeds)
1/4 cup gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill but any all-purpose one will do)
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (BTW, Trader Joe's vegan ones are pretty great and melty)

*make sure your peanut butter is "no-stir" like Skippy or Jif. Traditional natural ones don't work here. I prefer the MaraNatha brand that you can find at Whole Foods (or sometimes even regular grocery stores). Just make sure it says "no-stir"--you don't want the separating kind. Bonus: these types all have salt added so no additional salt is needed in the cookies.

Preheat oven to 350F unless you are chilling the dough (see note below). In an electric mixer, cream the peanut butter and brown sugar for about 3 minutes or until no longer gritty. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla, mixing to incorporate after each addition. Sprinkle in the baking soda, flax and flour. Mix. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips. Because of the lack of flour, expect this batter to be a little more oily. This is normal. To avoid the spreading of the cookies while they bake, you can chill the dough (in plastic wrap) for an hour up to overnight but if you're like me and need them stat, the spreading is no biggie. Drop dough by 2 Tablespoonfuls leaving them about 3 inches apart onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You may need to press the chocolate in there if it's not wanting to stick easily. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a rack. Or to your face.

xoox
jolie

P.S. I drank coffee while writing this post. God help me.

whole grain pancakes

I know what you're thinking.

I was just talking about how for the next five years I'm only gonna have protein shakes for breakfast and here I am making you pancakes. Well. I'm a woman that way, I guess. Deal with it.

Speaking of unexpected--you're never gonna believe what happened to me the other day. I was sitting in the nail salon, waiting for my toes to dry when I heard some bloop bloop police sirens on the street outside. I glanced up to see three motorcycle cops drive by, one-by-one. A person running with a flag followed and then came a peleton of about 8 runners, one of which was carrying a FLAMING TORCH!!!!! A couple police cars trailed behind. I looked around the quiet nail salon. Had anyone else seen that?????????

"Wow!" I said, looking around, trying to elicit responses from the most passive people in Los Angeles.

"Ohmygod, was that, like, the Olympic torch?" A tattooed girl said while two women massaged her. She was a little too nonplussed for my taste.

"YES!!" I said, "The OLYMPIC torch!! Amazing! What are the odds?! We're just sitting here getting pedicures and happen to glance outside at the exact moment the freaking OLYMPIC TORCH runs by!!!"

An older, WASPy woman piped in. "Was that the torch for the Olympics?" She asked, cooly, while inspecting a cuticle. Did you not just hear me screaming about it? I thought.

"YES!!" I said.

"Cool." She replied.

Cool? It's THE OLYMPICS! It's a little more than cool! I couldn't believe the casualness of these people.  

After getting over my irritation, I sat there with my jaw hanging open feeling such gratitude for the synchronicity of life! And being so in the flow! I couldn't wait to tell David about it:

"It was so cool, Chicken! You shoulda seen it! I kinda got a little teary!"

"Huh." He said.

"'Huh'? What do you mean, 'Huh'?"

"Well. Did you look it up online to see if it was the actual torch? Seems kinda weird that it would just be running down Ventura Boulevard with such little fanfare."

I was giving it plenty of fanfare! I thought.

Sadly, a reluctant google search confirmed that it was, in fact, not the Olympic Torch. Not only did I feel like a gullible idiot, my Olympic dreams were dashed. To add insult to injury, I couldn't even confirm what the torch signified. I think it was for a Sheriff's Law Enforcement Torch Run. 

I'm going to go eat pancakes now. With Lena.

Whole Grain Pancakes
adapted from Gourmet
yields about 20 3" cakes

These are my favorite pancakes outside of Claire's in Solana Beach. Beating the egg whites separately makes them fluffy and frying them in a little extra oil makes them deliciously crispy on the edges.

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cornmeal (or corn grits for a little more texture)
1 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup coconut (or vegetable) oil, additional for skillet
1 1/2 cups plus 2 T milk
blueberries if desired**
maple syrup for dousing

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, oil and milk. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix well. It will be a thick batter. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites just until stiff peaks form. Add them to the batter and combine with a whisk gently but thoroughly.

Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat and add a swirl (1/2 t) coconut oil. Drop the batter in 2T blobs and take care not to crowd the pan otherwise they're hard to flip (I know this from messy experience). After a couple minutes, when the top starts to form bubbles and/or look drier, gently flip and finish with another minute or two. If you like crispy edges (my Dad's specialty) add a little more oil to the skillet between batches. Watch your heat throughout--you don't want the oil to smoke or burn.

**optional--after you've spooned the batter into the skillet, add a few blueberries to the top of each batter blob. Alternatively, you can add them to the whole batch of batter but they tend to sink to the bottom.

Serve with copious amounts of maple syrup. Or honey. Or jam.

xoxo
jolie

a cure for insomnia

DP and I accompanied some friends last night to view a documentary at LACMA about the painter Gerhard Richter. Elvis Mitchell, a film critic and public radio celebrity, introduced the film by saying, "You're in for a real treat!" He went on to say it was remarkable how the filmmaker was unrelenting at times. That she held the camera on her reluctant subject and patiently waited for his reaction. "You're really gonna squirm in one particular part," he said, which made me (throughout the entire movie) keep thinking is this the squirming part???  Is THIS??

Not ten minutes into the film I saw a head bobbing in my peripheral vision and turned to see that the older lady sitting next to me was fast asleep. I elbowed David and gave him a get-a-load-of-that head point and thought ha ha! I caught that lady sleeping! Well. Not five minutes later karma's boomerang came back around. And it sprinkled sleeping dust on its return trip.

Unfortunately, while there were some really beautiful parts watching Richter in process in his studio, overall I found the film a cure for insomnia. It was such a quiet movie, subtitled and with no narration, and there were long stretches with no dialogue where the camera would just hold on an abstract painting for like 30 seconds. And then someone would start speaking phrases in German that sounded not unlike a spoken lullaby.

I kept trying to stay awake for the special squirming moment and decided that the only squirming I would experience was trying to find a comfortable sleeping position in my movie seat.

When we got out into the lobby afterward:

Me: "Wow. What a movie, eh?"

DP: "Yeah. I thought it was spectacular. Riveting."

Me: "Huh. Really? Which part?"

DP: "I loved what he said about not believing in gimmicks."

Me: "Hmmm.......remind me??" (SINCE I WAS SLEEPING)

He loved it, bless his heart. I suppose I'd have enjoyed it too it if I'd had a few shots of espresso on hand. Either that or a fluffy pillow.

xoxo,
jolie

P.S. We had dinner at Ray's and Stark there at LACMA and I cannot recommend it more. They gave us homemade Oreos with the check!

P.P.S. The pictures above are of the Chris Burden installation 'Urban Light' in the LACMA courtyard. So pretty:)

P.P.P.S. David is not a permanent part of the installation.

breakfast of champions

For two pretty adventurous eaters, DP and I are extremely restrained when it comes to breakfast. We seem to latch on to something and consume it every single day for years-on-end. Seriously--years. There might be an occasional diversion--say, when we go out for breakfast or cook these puppies once in a blue moon, but 19 out of 20 days we are creatures of habit.

It started about twelve years ago when we went to a big, family party celebrating my Grandparents' 60th Anniversary. It took place at a Midwestern chicken joint where so much fried food had been slung for so many years that walking through the front door resulted in a rancid-oil slap in the face.

The meal we were served included:

Fried chicken

Fried sweet doughy corn fritters

Fried shrimp

Fried cole slaw

Fried three-bean salad

Okay. I'm exaggerating about the last two. But if it wasn't fried, it was steeped in mayonnaise. We didn't want to be rude and were also famished that day so had no choice but to dig in. It was a dirty meal. Such a dirty meal that we both woke up in the middle of the night doubled over with a greasy stomach ache. We weren't horribly unhealthy people before this, just people who ate a little bit of everything but I think that particular meal was the mayonnaise-y straw that broke the deep-fried camel's back. We turned over a new healthy leaf that next morning and never looked back.

My brother Josh was just beginning a super health kick and stressed the importance of a clean breakfast. He suggested we eat oatmeal and egg whites so that's what we did for about 3 years straight until we couldn't stomach eggs anymore. What followed was an extremely long stint involving daily bowlfuls of this muesli-esqe concoction (we named it "The Bowl"). The recipe was given to us by a trainer and it necessitated exact measurements of raw oats, yogurt, grape nuts, soy milk and protein powder. We ate that for so many years in a row (5?) that the thought of it now makes me gag.

We then moved on to the drink phase.

We started the morning with powdered greens mixed into water. Then I read about the benefits of hot water with lemon so we added that. And there was of course coffee. Followed by some kind of smoothie.

There were so many drinks that for years our dishwasher was permanently full of dirty glasses, mugs and stirring spoons. I even wrote a song about it. It's called "Drinks" (natch), and here are its lyrics:

Drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks?

Drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks.

I know it looks very simplistic but you should hear the melody. It's quite intricate. Not to mention catchy. Just ask David.

Weary of washing a million glasses a day and being constantly full of sloshing liquids, most of the drinks fell by the wayside but the tried-and-true protein shake remains. At least I imagine it will for the next several years or until I can't stand looking at its face.

Berry Almond Flax Protein Shake

serves 1

1 scoop (about 3T) vanilla protein powder (I like Jarrow's Brown Rice Protein--it's gluten-free, sugar-free and soy-free)
2T flax meal (ground flax seeds)
1 cup frozen mixed berries
6oz. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
6oz. water
agave or stevia to taste (I like this stevia a lot--no bitterness)
1T almond butter (or better yet, Josh's Nut Butter)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and serve immediately. Repeat daily for at least half a decade.



xoxo
jolie

DP's birthday coffee crawl

Yesterday was my love's Birthday and we set out for celebration cappuccinos. While we were enjoying them, I remembered another cute new café I wanted to show him so on a whim, we decided to drive there.  What started as a quick coffee outing turned into a 2 hour café "crawl" for Birthday treats.  It was so fun!:

Stop #1...............................

Olive & Thyme

coffee-cake muffin

Stop #2...........................

Republic of PIE

Birthday quiche

Stop #3........................

Big Sugar Bakeshop

Double coconut cupcake finale!

I think we found a new Birthday tradition.


Happy Birthday, Darling.
So glad you were born.

xooxox
jolie

P.S. All three of these joints are super-cute and delicious.  Definitely worth visiting if you are in LA.

roasted broccolini with chili and lemon

This is a snippet of an actual conversation:

DP: "Wow, our neighbor has some serious junk in her trunk."

Me: "Wow, honey. That's not very nice."

DP: "No. Seriously. Have you seen her get out of her car?"

Me, thinking of the size of my own ass and how much I've been sitting on it lately: "Honey!"

DP: "She must get really low gas milage."

Me: {horrified stare}

DP, cracking up and finally getting why I'm horrified: "No! I saw her standing in the driveway the other day with her trunk open and it was crammed full of so much stuff. It was shocking. Who stashes that much junk in their trunk?"

I'm sure I stashed some additional (figurative) junk in my trunk this past weekend. Some serious carbs were involved. And not just carbs. Carbs made with LOTS of sugar and butter. And then topped with more sugar and butter. We drove down to San Diego and stopped to have pancakes at Claire's in Solana Beach. Holy COW. If you've never had these, they are worth abandoning any low fat/gluten-free/carb-free/sugar-free regime you are trying to hold down. They have several varieties but the multigrain ones are insane. Kinda toothy because there are oats in there, but yet super fluffy--with just the tiniest hint of salt. And as if experiencing The Best Pancakes You've Ever Had in Your Entire Life wasn't enough, they bring you a pair of BUTTER COOKIES TOPPED WITH SPRINKLES as a little morsel with the check. Essentially a dessert after your pancakes. I couldn't possibly, you think and then you try just one bite (because after all they were complementary and you don't wanna be a rude ingrate) and then you find yourself trying to snarf the second one before your husband gets back from the restroom so you don't have to share.

The pancakes (and butter cookies) were merely a gateway drug for the rest of the weekend's indiscretion. I guess once the floodgates are opened you might as well get it all in, right? I think pizza happened and also a quesadilla (with bacon) and a chocolate chip cookie the size of my head. But I only had one. One cookie the size of my head. That's it.

Did I mention I'm not that great at moderation?

So. In an attempt at taking a little better care of my body, I'm turning over a new leaf with something green.

Who's with me??

Roasted Broccolini with Chili and Lemon
serves 4

2 bunches broccolini
1T olive oil (more if desired)
sea salt (and ideally some additional fleur de sel for finishing)
dried chili flakes (to taste)
zest and squeeze of one lemon

Preheat oven to 400. Wash and trim broccolini. Pat dry a little. Spread out in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. (You want the dry heat to circulate around each piece otherwise the moisture from the veg will cause steaming.) Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and chili flakes. Toss with your hands until evenly coated. Roast for 15-20 minutes until crispy and charred in spots and cooked through. Out of the oven, sprinkle the lemon zest and toss. Add more salt and a squeeze of lemon to taste*.

*Optional delicious additions include Parmesan cheese and/or garlic. Or bacon. Or butter cookies.

xoxo

jolie

P.S. While I eat broccoli I'm gonna work on recreating that pancake recipe.

pier stroll

DP and I spent this past weekend in San Luis Obispo at the SLO International Film Festival where Blind, the short film I shot last year was screening. Aside from traveling with my fellow filmmakers (the most lovely people) and seeing the movie on a big giant screen (thrilling!), a highlight of the trip was strolling on the Avila Beach Pier*...

*Not pictured is the post-walk ice cream cone binge.

Happy Tuesday:)
xxoo
jolie