3 Things I Can't Get Enough of Right Now

Tea

I started drinking a cup a day a few months ago, because of the antioxidant thing, but now I really like it. I'll drink black, green, white, red, whatever. I've tried a bunch of different ones, and this is the one I like right now.


My Wustof Chef's Knife



This knife was expensive, and trust me, I'm not a person with money to throw around, but if you are even the most casual cook (and I'm even less of a cook than that), this knife will change your life. I no longer have to saw celery, I don't crush tomatoes beyond recognition, my carrot slices don't fly off the countertop and under the stove as I'm chopping. I couldn't love an inanimate object more. I'm just really careful using it because I'm paranoid I'm going to chop off a finger. And this is the knife that would do it with the greatest of ease.

Lady GaGa



I tried to put the "Poker Face" video here, because it's my favorite, but I couldn't get a code for it. Anyway, love her. I can't dance but anytime I hear one of her songs, I want to. Good workout music, too (not that I do too much of that, either).

You Say it's Your Birthday

I may have felt like this when you first came home,

(and maybe once or twice more throughout the years), but for most of the last 27 years I've felt lucky to have you as my sister. I got to dress you up...

and find 99% of the Easter eggs because I was taller and faster (especially without a giant, saggy diaper slowing me down - holy moly, what's going on there!?).

We fought and drove each other crazy, but now you're the first person I call when I have news or need to talk. You're my best friend.

Happy Birthday, T-Tay!

Red Carpet

YUCK

Maybe in another color?

I just don't think there's any help for her.

I love Kate Winslet, but no, no, no! I hate the blue/black combo (and there were more than a few of those) and the lace on the side.

And what was with all the stiff, shapeless dresses?

(I may have just thrown up a little)

You host a FASHION show, for God's sake...

YAY

Love her, love the dress.

Kinda wedding dress-y, but I love it.

I know a lot of people didn't love this one, including everyone I was watching the Oscars with, but it was my absolute favorite! So beautiful.

All photos via http://www.oscar.com

Put on your hardhats...

We went to the 1st birthday party of one very lucky little boy this weekend. One of my best friends, Kim (who happens to be a party planner, which will be very evident in the following pics), put together THE cutest construction-themed party for her son, Noah.

The little angel with his mommy.

Noah's daddy is an urban planner, so he had access to lots of goodies for the party. There were caution cones and street signs. They covered all of the tables in blueprints, with a dirt runner and little dump trucks and construction signs spread all over. How genius is this?!

And get a load of this cake! It's from the fabulous bakery deCroupet's, where they (and we) get all of our cakes. The cakes are super moist, the fillings are out of this world, and they can make the cakes look like anything.

This cake was a little front-heavy, and didn't quite make it all the way to the cutting. Am I the only one that wants to dive in there?

Noah's adorable big sis, Sadie, really got a kick out of this...

A few more details - there were games, like a beanbag toss and pin the hardhat on the construction worker, with the prizes also wrapped in blueprints.

All the food was labeled with "street signs."

The favors were plastic hardhats filled with goodies, like snacks and stickers and inflatable tools.

This was Noah's very own personal cake...

And this is what he and it looked like after a few minutes...

It was such a fun and thoughtful birthday party for a little guy. We had so much fun. Great job, Kim!

Bean Vereen

Ok. I can hear the groans already. A whole post about our cat. I said I wouldn't be that person, but who was I kidding? He thrills me. He's my favorite subject to shoot while practicing and frankly, he's tired of it. While he certainly does his fair share of bouncing off the walls and running maniacally up and down the hall, he also likes to sleep - a lot. So me snapping away in his face is really cutting into his daily 18 hours of naptime.

"Woman, please."

This is Bean's "baby," which was a gift to him from Mark's mom when we first brought him home. He carries it all around the house in his mouth, and rarely is he found sleeping without it nearby.

For anyone who wonders why my arms are covered in scratches, mystery solved. Would you look at those nails!?! And he doesn't make it easy to cut them.

His rainy day TV.

Do not let Mark fool you. He may say he wants to put Bean in the dryer with a bunch of hammers, but they're buds.

And one of him as a baby because I can't help myself.

Ok, I'm done. Thank you for indulging me.

Mmm...food

I like a lot of different kinds of food - Italian, Thai, good old American - but my favorite type of food has got to be Mexican. I could live on chips and salsa alone. And don't even get me started on the guacamole. Guacamole! Recently my friends Kim and Gwyn and I had a girls' day and we went to lunch at Javier's in Newport Beach.

Pretty ladies.

I had this...

The chicken was fantastic, but the star of the show was that green thing up there at the top of the plate - a pasilla chili stuffed with cotija cheese. Heaven on a plate. Seriously. I knew it had to be a regular part of my life so I was going to have to try to recreate it. So, last night, I attempted.

I sliced the chilis lengthwise on one side and stuffed it with the cotija cheese.

Then I put them in a dry pan on high heat to blister them. After a few minutes I added a little water to soften the chilis, flipping them a few times.

I don't know how they did it at the restaurant, and there's probably a way better way to do it. I don't even know exactly how long I cooked them. It was just until they felt soft and the cheese was melted - about 10 minutes. Anyway, it was super easy and they tasted EXACTLY the same as at the restaurant, and I did my happy dance.

P.S. I swear I don't intend for this to be a food blog. I just happen to be writing about food a lot lately.

Happy Day

I had a great Valentine's Day. First I woke up to Mark holding flowers in my face. Normally I'd kill him for waking me up, but my morning crankies was no match for his excitement. Then he gave me these and completely redeemed himself...

Neither of us wanted to go out, so Mark said he was going to make dinner for me. He made this

from a recipe. That he chose out of a cookbook. And went to the store and bought all the ingredients for. And only had to call me twice to ask where those ingredients might be located. And he wouldn't let me lift a finger to help. And it was FANTASTIC! He's been told he must make it for me once a month. Mark in action...

The concentration was too cute. I made dessert.

Then we watched four episodes of Gilmore Girls from the series DVD he gave me at Christmas. I'm totally biased, but I think I have the best husband ever.