scenes from the weekend

well, the past week has been... interesting. a false self-diagnosis of appendicitis lead to a friday night emergency room trip which ultimately lead to a real diagnosis of food poisoning. the doctor said no coffee, alcohol, or foods not included in the brat diet (or all the fun things in life). the highlight of my weekend was giving myself a manicure and the most exotic thing i ate was toast with mashed banana. i was feeling well enough on sunday to walk down to the hawthorne street fair to listen to some live music + enviously watch drew eat delicious food. as of today, i'm still ill -- how long is this food poisoning going to stick around?

 

1. beginners. i knew i would love this movie. it was incredible!
2. essie's clambake.
3. picked up a copy of the design*sponge summer newspaper.
4. beer ice cream (and salted caramel which i painfully ignored).
5. drew enjoying his ability to eat solid foods.
6. girl playing keyboard off the back of a bike.
7. mas musica.
8. got that little green polka dot scarf for $1. perfect to wear as a headband!
9. queen penny turned two.
10. loving on the birthday girl.

dark chocolate lavender truffles

i love dark chocolate. i love lavender. i love buying pre-made dark chocolate lavender truffles because it's convenient. but at $2 each, i've been spending a bit more money on these delicious treats than i'd like. the solution? stop eating so many truffles make them at home! after a quick google search, i discovered that you don't need to be a fancy chocolatier to make these. but you do need to exercise great self-control to avoid eating them all at once.

dark chocolate lavender truffles adapted from this recipe 

1/4 cup half + half 
4 oz. dark chocolate chips 
1/4 oz. dried lavender buds
cocoa powder for dusting

start by heating up the half + half in a small saucepan on low-medium heat until you see tiny bubbles forming at the surface. stir in the lavender + remove from heat. allow the lavender cream to sit for about 30 minutes, then strain out the lavender with a very fine mesh strainer (or cheesecloth over a regular strainer). return the lavender cream to the saucepan and repeat the first step. once the cream is simmering, turn off the heat and add in the chocolate. stir until completely smooth (now it's ganache!). let the ganache cool, then move into the fridge for about two hours to set. then, with a small spoon, scoop out small portions of the ganache, roll it in your hands to make little balls, then place on a baking sheet to cool for another 2 hours in the fridge. finally, roll the truffles in cocoa powder and keep in the fridge until you're ready to eat.

scenes from the weekend

this weekend began with a lot of congestion, sneezing, and general lack of ability to move out of bed. on sunday, just as cabin fever was reaching a breaking point, drew and i finally started to feel like ourselves again. this coincided nicely with the arrival of chris, who just finished being a man of the sea (he worked on a cruise that toured the columbia river + docked in portland bi-weekly). it's been fun having him here on and off all summer, and i'll be sad to see him go back home on wednesday. last night, i also had to (reluctantly) say goodbye to mary, who is moving to brooklyn to start an exciting new job. i'm going to miss her dearly, but we had a proper send off with delicious wine + pizza at the globe.

1. sunflowers at the farm stand.

2. smoked salmon, gouda + scallion frittata made for brunch.

3. gorgeous cherry tomatoes.

4. penny, being weird.

5. fun string lights.

6. chris and drew enjoying a bucket of beer.

7. chris and i.

8. pesto, tomato and goat cheese pizza with sauvignon blanc.

9. mary and mike (and a ghost man).

missoni for target

i have long been captivated by the colorful abstract patterns of italian fashion label, missoni. it's always been a "look don't touch" kind of fascination, since i could never actually afford any of the pieces. but now, the common folk have a chance to purchase some missoni-esque items via missoni for target. the lookbook is currently on facebook, and i'm thrilled to see so many of the patterns + colors that are characteristic of missoni. i will for sure be wanting to buy the flats, the scarves, the little cosmetic bags + wallet, the blanket and... that bike! how gorgeous is it? september 13 cannot come soon enough.

feeling nostalgic

today, this song came on + it instantly tugged at my heart strings a little. 

my senior year of college, i had the pleasure of living with two of my favorite friends in a charming victorian house in willimantic. allie, my crazy parasite loving roomie, would always bust out into spontaneous dance parties. she'd put on the above song (or party in the usa...) while we were getting ready to go out, in the middle of breakfast, or when we were doing homework. didn't matter what time of day, we always had to stop what we were doing and start dancing like idiots. 

i know it's cheesy and cliche, but i will think of that year fondly for the rest of my life. it's the year i painted my room my favorite color, which ended up being a terrible decision because it had a glow-in-the-dark quality about it (but i loved it regardless). it's the year i discovered what i wanted to do with my life, worked my ass off, and got into graduate school. it's the year drew and i decided that we were going to move across the country together. it's the year i worked in a cute little coffee shop and ate my weight in bagels and spent many nights drinking wine with friends. it's the year i became a mom to a furry little kitten named penny. most of all, it's the year that i lived with a bittersweet understanding that i was never going to experience anything else quite like it again.

bbq "chicken" "pizza"

have you ever tried california pizza kitchen's original bbq chicken pizza? it's really, really good. it's also expensive, unhealthy + has chicken on it (duh). i used to get this pizza all the time, whenever my family was near the west farms mall (my dad is weirdly obsessed with cpk). yesterday, a craving for it hit me hard, so i stocked up on the ingredients and made my own version. i say "chicken" because i used tofu. i say "pizza" because real pizza dough always results in failure for me so i used a small, circular flatbread from trader joe's. my little personal pizza was a delicious and more nutritious alternative to satisfy my craving. 

 bbq "chicken" "pizza" (makes 2) 

2 whole wheat flatbread rounds (or real dough if you're skilled in that department) 
1/2 cup bbq sauce  
1/2 cup grated goat's milk gouda 
1/2 block extra firm tofu 
1/4 of a red onion, sliced thin 
cilantro for garnish

a few hours prior to assembling the pizza, press tofu. once pressed, slice into thin strips + cover strips with the bbq sauce. place tofu on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until the strips start to get crispy. meanwhile, spread remaining bbq sauce on the flatbread to create the base for the pizza. top with grated gouda + the red onion slices and throw it in the oven just to get the cheese melted + take the bite off the raw red onion. take pizza out, top with tofu and more cheese, then place in the oven on broil for 3-4 minutes (until cheese is bubbly and browned). top with cilantro before serving.

chez machin

yesterday i alluded to a wonderful french bistro in my neighborhood, and today i'm here to tell you more about it. chez machin is located amidst the hustle and bustle of southeast hawthorne, but when i walked inside, i felt like i was in a charming cafe in france. i've been meaning to try this little gem for almost the entire year that i've lived in the neighborhood, and now i'm really kicking myself for not going sooner. the decor inside was perfect (read: not overdone) and our server was so sweet and attentive.

bonus if you make it there before noon: mimosas are $4! and they are made with fresh squeezed orange juice. they were the perfect accompaniment to the delicious crepes. seriously, best crepes i've ever had. the savory crepes are made with bob's red mill organic buckwheat flour, and they tasted nutty and wholesome. kerry and i split two: la chevre (chevre, toasted almonds, fresh apples, spinach, scallions and creme fraiche drizzled on top) and la pacifique (northwest smoked salmon, brie, tomatoes, spinach, scallions, and dijon creme fraiche drizzled on top). don't ask me to choose which one i liked better. 

for two mimosas and the two (giant) crepes, our total bill was $28.00. not too bad for an insanely delicious brunch savored slowly with great company. if you are ever in the neighborhood, you must visit this place! don't forget to snap a picture of the little red eiffel tower on top of the building before you go.

chez machin 3553 southeast hawthorne boulevard portland, or 97214

scenes from the weekend

yesterday, we went to the oregon coast so kerry could dip her toes into the pacific ocean (a bucket list item for her). though we were expecting cloudy skies, the weather surprised us with a perfect beach day. this morning, we went thrift shopping + shared the most incredible crepes i've ever eaten at a cute french bistro in my neighborhood (full review to come) before kerry had to begin her long journey back to nyc.

 

 

1. drew + i having fun at the tillamook cheese factory.
2. the view from our beach blanket.
3. kite flying.
4. a shot from a scenic point on the 101.
5. jill with a beautiful backdrop.
6. back patio of the green dragon.
7. old photograph display in a store window.
8. kerry + i.
9. cute little house.
10. new (to me) vintage polka dot dress + lake george t-shirt.