A Provencial Night

Tonight we took it easy.  I made a French inspired dinner of mache, warm brie & apples, and toasted baguette (Thanks to the Barefoot Contessa).  We ate, drank wine, and watched Midnight in Paris and dreamed of walking the winding Parisian streets and sipping champagne at the corner bistro.  I so want to visit that city.  One day...one day...

 

Chicken Curry & Cupcakes

I had President's Day off this past Monday, but unfortunately Scott did not.  He didn't have to go into work until later in the afternoon, so we were able to grab some lunch and spend a little time together.  We went to Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach.  I was so excited to try this place as I have been driving past it for over a year and have always wanted to try it.  We arrived and it was packed!  We waiting for about 20 minutes before we were seated, but it was well worth the wait.  The place had a modern-rustic feel, with the servers dressed in flannel shirts and jeans.  There was a cute outdoor area with a bocce bail court too!  We sat outside and I had the chicken curry sandwich, and Scott had the burger.  Both were phenomenal!

After lunch, we walked next door to SusieCakes for dessert.  Ohhh my beloved SusieCakes.  How do I love thee.  I got my usual red velvet cupcake, and Scott has an obsession with bananas so he tried the banana pudding which was delicious!  The nilla wafers were a nice touch too!

10 Things That Currently Make Me Very Happy

1. frozen thin mints

2. beach volleyball

3. when Scott surprises me and comes home from work early

4. scented poop pick-up bags for Sophie (it's the small things..)

5. oysters from Fishbar

6. sleeping in on Saturdays

7. my new wedges for spring

8. the scented oil vent clip for my car

9. the yummy primitivo I discovered at Trader Joe's for $3.99

10. homemade pizza

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Scott was sneaky and called me Monday night from work asking if we were doing anything for each other on Valentine's Day.  I said that we didn't have to, and he agreed.  HOWEVER, on Tuesday morning when I woke up, I found roses, a sweet Valentine's card, and a coffee mug adorned with hearts waiting for me on the credenza.  Swoon!  He always tries to trick me by saying he won't make a certain holiday a big deal, but then he does.  I should know his antics by now...

Scott had to work so we weren't able to celebrate Valentine's night together, so we celebrated the day after.  We drank wine and made homemade pizza, which gave me a chance to break in my new pizza stone Scott gave me for Christmas!

Chopping the burrata.

 Scott staged a photo to highlight the cork.  He said it's one of the best corks he has seen...and he knows his wine.

My attempt at throwing the dough up like you see in pizzerias.

Don't mess with me or you get the rolling pin ;)

 Voila! Burrata, prosciutto, and arugula pizza.  Our first attempt at pizza was a success!

Bon appetit!

Top 5 Countries/Cities I MUST Visit

I have been DYING to travel.  I am so eager to see the world, experience different cultures, and eat foods from all over.  Below is a list of my top five places in the world that I would like to visit.  The only question is, when are we going to win the lottery so we can take the time off work and visit all these places? :)

1.  Spain

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Gorgeous.  I'd like to visit Barcelona and Madrid...and if there's time I'd like to zip over to Portugal to visit the land of my ancestors!  I've been to Mexico a million times, but I'm looking forward to experiencing Spanish culture.  Plus, I've heard it can be a rather inexpensive trip.  Love that!

2. Italy

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The Amalfi Coast, Venice, Rome, Florence.  You name the city, I want to go there.  I think we would have to plan AT LEAST two weeks just to cover all of Italy that I want to see...and eat.  Eat Pray Love status.

3. Greece

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I took a class in college on ancient Greece architecture and artifacts.  I despised that class because your entire grade for the semester was based off 3 exams, which means you have to nail EVERY exam...and they were soooo hard!  Before every exam, I had to study at least 75 difference architectures, ruins, statues, pottery pieces, and paintings..memorize their names, what year they were created, the name of the era that they were created in, WHO created it, etc, etc, etc.  I hated this class.  It was only an elective and was probably the most difficult class I have ever taken.  Needless to say because of this class, I have learned a crapload about ancient architecture which leads me to my love for Greece and the history this place holds.  I want to visit the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Greek Islands.  I want to look at a ruin pillar and say "look!  those pillars are of the 'doric' order!"  And "Oh WOW that statue is standing in the contrapposto pose!" 

4.  Amsterdam

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Despite what you may think, I don't want to go to Amsterdam for the hash milkshakes!  (But, when in Rome, right?).  Look how much charm this city has!  It's beautiful!  I would like to rent bikes and travel through the city on two wheels, visit the Anne Frank house, tour the Heineken factory, and take a stroll through the Red Light District! 

5. Paris

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The City of Love.  Scott has been to Paris and has been dying to take me.  If I could only go to one city in the world, it would be Paris.  All I want to do is sit outside of a Parisian cafe and dine on moules frites, sip on champagne, and people watch with my love.  Perfection.

febphotoaday Pt 1

During the month of February, Instagram (follow me @ emwinks) is doing a photo-a-day challenge where each day users post a photo based on that days theme.  I thought it would be nice to document my current #febphotoaday's to date.

1. My view today...the view from my desk looking towards the Hollywood Hills

2. Words...I use this baby to type many words every day

3.  Hands...throwin' up a peace sign

 4. Stranger...Scott posing with a stranger at the Irish Bank in SF

5. 10am...beach volleyball

6. Dinner...chicken marsala with asparagus

7. Button...the button that doesn't stay put on my pants that I wear regardless

8. Sun...no caption necessary

9. Front door...boring

 10.  Self portrait...5:30am, just woke up

11. What makes me happy...my family

When did I become old?

Ok I'm a bit dramatic, but seriously. Ever since I got the email notification that this is the year of my 10 year high school reunion, I've been noticing small thing that make me think I'm an elder.

First, grey hair. Not just a couple grey hairs here and there, I'm talking TONS. Most of them are WHITE. My hair seemed to have skipped the grey cycle and went straight to white. I'm blaming this on generics as my dad turned grey at a young age.  But it is still rather alarming when combing through your hair and realizing that your once brown hair is no more.  I spent a good part of last weekend picking out a color of hair dye at Rite Aid to mask these pesky greys/whites. 

Back pains. Ever since I was in a car accident back in 2007 I've always suffered from lower back pain. Lately it's been getting worse. I can hardly bend over to wash my face when I get up in the morning. Old age?  Maybe. Time to brush up on my yoga skills and get into that locust pose to strengthen my back muscles!

Exhaustion.  I remember the days when I would stay up until two in the morning every night. Now it's rare if I make it to 10:30.  I have really learned to appreciate sleep.  In fact, I'm not exactly thrilled if I don't get at least 8 hours every night.

I know, I know...I'm in my late 20s so I shouldn't complain about old age, but I think this is an important time.  This is when us 27 year olds realize that we're not kids anymore, and that we're really growing up.  Hard to believe.  Better go pick out that dress for my 10 year high school reunion that is taking place in a few months...

7 Layer Dip

For Super Bowl, I originally was going to make salsa & guacamole and call it a day.  However, I decided to combine the two and add a few more ingredients to make the good ole 7 layer dip which is always a hit at social gatherings. 

Ingredients:

• 1 can of refried beans
• couple dashes of Cholula or hot sauce of your choice
• 1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup guacamole
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

Heat the refried beans in a skillet, add hot sauce and cook until thoroughly warm.  Remove from heat and empty beans until a serving dish.  Then, add a generous amount of the shredded cheese.  Top with sour cream, salsa, guacamole.  The finish the dip with black olives and greens onions  Voila!  You've got yourself a appetizer that will surely be a crowd pleaser.

Enjoy!

Super Bowl 2012

It's not a secret that I am no sports fanatic, especially football.  That doesn't mean that I don't watch the Super Bowl...however, the only things I enjoy about the Super Bowl are the commercials, and the free range of crappy foods like 7 layer dips and pizza.  I ate like there was no tomorrow, but I worked out with 3 hours of beach volleyball beforehand, so it cancels the bad food out, right??? :)  Truth is, Scott and I love to entertain, so if we fine any excuse to have friends over (like the Super Bowl), then we jump on it.   Therefore, we had a couple of friends over and watched the Giants defeat the Patriots.

The spread.

 

Sophie gets nervous around strangers, so she stayed in mama's arms..with her Thundershirt.

Groundhog Day

Sophie did not see her shadow on her walk this morning because it was foggy.

Does that mean spring will come soon?! I think spring has already arrived as the weather this weekend is forecasted to be in the 70s at the beach! Perfect volleyball weather. Maybe the groundhog rule doesn't apply to southern California...hmmm.

Wednesday Night Burnout

I am TIRED this week.  Like, trying-to-not-fall-asleep-on-the-drive-home-from-work tired.  I am seriously itching for Friday night so I can sleep in on Saturday morning.  In the meantime, while I wait for Scott to get home from a conference in Irvine, I will be doing this:

 and..

and maybe even a little of this...

I don't know if there's enough time.

BUT I will definitely be watching this:

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If you don't want Southland on TNT you need to seriously think about doing it.  SUCH a great show, and Ryan Atwood from The OC is in it. :)

Mmmkay, I'm going to get started on my lazy Wednesday night.  Buh-bye!