A Little Lamb Chop for my Valentine

A Little Lamb Chop for my Valentine

I'm thinking of making lamb for Valentine's Day. I've never made it before but I hear its yummy. I was thinking of this recipe, but I can't decide. A week to go, any ideas?

Courtesy of Everything Fabulous & Vogue China.

La Vie Boheme

La Vie Boheme

It's raining here and I feel like a canary in a cage. Except I can't sing. Where'd my beautiful SB sunshine go?
It doesn't help that trapped inside all day blog-stalking over at Weekend Host where the most beautiful outdoor images make me want to abandon my material world and pick up la vie boheme. . .

Check out Weekend Host to see more awesomeness + all the sources for these amazing photos.

O.M.G. Love

O.M.G. Love

I can't really complain about my life. I live in a place where the sun shines 90 percent of the time and the temperature rarely rises above 75 degrees.  I live in a cute little Victorian apt with my awesome boyfriend who makes me steak and corn. What else could a girl ask for? Throw in a couple of bottles of yummy wine a week and a job I'm enjoying and you might just say I'm experiencing a little slice of heaven.

Well I have a nasty secret. I, despite my awesome life, often sucumb to my more vile nature and feel a bit of envy. This envy can come in many forms, whether it be someones shiny car, shiny ring, or shiny new pictures of their whirlwind adventures I often covet other people's shiny things! What can I say, I'm like a little bird I just want to swoop down and grab those shiny things and take them back to my nest.

Instead I take a deep breath. Inhale the salty sea air and remind myself of the ridiculous amount of great things I get to enjoy.  Most importantly I jump online to find my own little snippet of other peoples happiness. Ways I can make their awesomeness my own without being a bungering little happinesss thief. . .

So here is some stuff that I just O.M.G. Love and wish to make my own someday veerry soon

A Lovely Little Vignette

Wentworth Crest Bedding

Letters to Paris Pillow

The Bookbook

Martha's Free Printable Bookplate Template

Mardi Gras Macarons; Two Loves In One!

Aphrodite Bust

Sunday Dinners

Sunday Dinners

Growing up my mom took good care of me. By this I mean that she clothed me, fed me and made damn sure I did all my homework.  All of this was done without pomp and circumstance, with little fuss and absolutely no fighting. Fighting with mom wasn't allowed, she was Mom.

Meals were well rounded if unoriginal. I can't count the times that I have eaten Chicken Enchilada Casserole.  She had other things to worry about such as raising a kid alone, managing bills, and finding a job that paid enough to allow for both of these things.  It was hard.

My introduction to cooking then wasn't the most enthusiastic of lessons. "You need to make a starch, a protein and a vegetable" were the basic instructions oh and "you have to cook one night a week, so you can learn".  Left to my own devices I kept it simple, cut corners and generally avoided as much labor as possible.  The results as you can guess were unimpressive.

So I have made some decisions in my new grown-up life.  One of these is that I would like to cook an elaborate meal once a week.  Particularly the laziest day meant for relaxing and enjoying life.  And so emerged Sunday Dinners.  Since instituting this tradition I have made two meals.  Below is Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Shallots.  As Sunday Dinners are special occasions this recipe is slow cooking and somewhat involved.  Definitely worth it.

Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Shallots

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound shallots, halved lengthwise and peeled
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups beef broth
• 3/4 cup port wine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2 pounds beef tenderloin roast, trimmed
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 slices bacon, diced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 4 sprigs watercress, for garnish

Directions 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In 9 inch pie pan, toss shallots with oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until shallots are deep brown and very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

In a large saucepan, combine beef broth and port. Bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until thevolume is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Whisk in tomato paste. Set aside.   

Pat beef dry; sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. In a large roasting pan, set over medium heat on the stove top, saute bacon until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add beef to pan; brown on all sides over medium high heat, about 7 minutes. 

Transfer pan to oven. Roast beef until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125 degrees F (50 degrees C) for medium rare, about 25 minutes. Transfer beef to platter. Tent loosely with foil. 

Spoon fat off top of pan drippings in roasting pan. Place pan over high heat on stove top. Add broth mixture, and bring to boil; stir to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to simmer. Mix 1 1/2 tablespoon butter and flour in small bowl to form smooth paste; whisk into broth mixture, and simmer until sauce thickens. Whisk in remaining butter. Stir in roasted shallots and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper. 

Cut beef into 1/2 inch thick slices. Spoon some sauce over, and garnish with watercress.

I should add an addendum to this which congratulates my mother on  her newfound love for cooking. Amazing what happens when your little birdie flies away and you have more time and money on your hands! She is now correcting me on the pronunciation of bruschetta; it's not the smooth bruschetta of the Anglicized tongue but apparently a much more guttural bruschketta! Who knew? There are now weekly recipe swaps and blog stalkings, all in search of the next big meal. . . .

This New Year

This New Year

So I'm not the self-help type, or the proactive type, or the follow-through type. At least in my personal life. At work I would like to say I'm all these things and more!! Well I try. But of all things, I am definitely not the type to buy into the whole "New Years Resolution" thing. I really reaally wish I was. I just, I can't. I have too many areas in my life in which I can see room for improvement. I swear I start a list and then it becomes unbearably long and I have to start prioritizing and then the purpose of a meaningful list has been lost altoghether.

All this stress over my failure to conform to New Years standards and then I saw this. It was like a beacon in the midst of all these self-righteous New Year lies. 100 things I didn't know this time last year. Now that is something I can buy into. Because even against my will, I learn things all the time. Some are good, and some I wish I never knew (Google a prolapsed uterus. Ew. Michelle Duggar this is you!). So with a new courage I have decided that it's OK to face the New Year with a total lack of direction and an opposition to self deceit. At least I'm not listing one by one my flaws that need correcting, but most likely will be pushed back into the recesses of my mind by January 8th.

22 Things I Didn't Know This Time Last Year (When I was 22). . .

1. Horses, like cats, love cheeseburgers
2. Watching TV naked is infinitesimally better than watching it with clothes on.
3. A butt cheek is meant to be grabbed. Don’t ask.
4. I like to be the big spoon. Always
5. On a disgusting note, it seems that babies can make things literally explode out of their diapers. O.M.G. gross.
6. Living closer to work = a happier person
7. Apparently in SB widening the freeway is more important than fixing the 10,239.6656 potholes that litter it.
8. An aspic is a gelatin made from meat stock. Thank you, Julie and Julia.
9. There is such a thing as being an online window shopper.
10. It is possible to have an online window shopping addiction
11. Steak can be a really great thing. Especially if you have a sexy man making it.
12. Apparently it is uncouth to like chicken breasts
13. It is possible to get 100% on a Mandatory Annual Education Exam without reading one module.
14. Some special people think Creole is pronounced Crayolé. Like the crayons if you said it with a French accent. This person is a college grad. Seriously.
15. Scuttlebutt is my new favorite word and it’s a drinking fountain on a boat. Even though all I picture when I hear it is a little cartoon butt scurrying around.
16. Liking the people you work with does wonders for your mood.
17. Macarons, not macaroons, are the new bacon and I couldn’t be happier about it.
18. It is not abnormal for a cockatiel to hang upside down like a bat. But it is really scary looking.
19. Reading too much celebrity gossip can make you a voyeur. I have moved on to reading strangers personal blogs. 
20. Not all people know what a California Burrito is, but all people should know what a California Burrito is. Also people seem to think this is local to San Diego only or something. Newsflash I’m from SB and we have them up here. Thank God for that.
21. The creamy consistency of a chowder is delicious to eat, but deadly when dropped on your lap. Clings to the pants, burns the legs.
22. Finally and most importantly, if you have a blog you are a blogger. It doesn’t matter if you have only one follower :)

Living In. . .

Living In. . .

Today I am feeling dreamy.  The weather here has plateaued at 75 degrees with a slight breeze and plenty of sunshine.  The most stressful month of my job is over.  Feels a little like smooth sailing.  I'm sure after saying this I'll come in to work tomorrow and find a big dead water buffalo on my desk, but for the moment I am relaxed and loving life.

One of my favorite sites, Design Sponge has a series known as "Living In" where she picks classic movies (or just ones with awesome scenery) and sets up a design look with products in keeping with the style of the movie.  Her selections make you feel as if you are "Living In" whatever movie she chooses that week. So far I have lived in Out of Africa, Romeo & Juliet, and today's gorgeous display from Gosford Park.

With my lackadaisical mood today it was beyond easy for me to float away into these cinematic scenes.  I decided to make a "Living In" of my own based off where I wish I could be on such sleepy days. . .
If anyone is rich and wants to buy any of this, here you go.