Christmastime!

Headed to SoCal tomorrow to spend some time with the 'lil' lovebirds! I've heard the Christmas decorations on Balboa Island are like nothing you've ever seen before. Can't wait!

Mia Pasta Difinitiva

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's about that time. After years and years of experimenting with the ingredients of my own (semi)homemade pasta sauce, I think I'm finally ready to release it to the public. It is with great pleasure that I bequeath to you my recipe for the most ultimate, epic and memorably palate pleasing Spaghetti Sauce!




Ingredients:
1. I 28 OZ can of whole peeled plum tomatoes
2. 1 6 OZ can tomato paste
3. ¾ cup Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
4. 1 green pepper
5. 2 sweet sausages
6. 2 hot sausages (all uncooked)
7. 1 yellow onion
8. 1 package of sliced button mushrooms
9. 10+ Castelvetrano Sicilian Green Olives (or other young green olives if you can’t find this type)

10. shredded pecorino cheese
11. Chiffonade cut basil









Instructions:

Dice the entire onion and green pepper and add to a pot that’s been drizzled with olive oil and sprinked with a teaspoon of sea salt

Once the onions become translucent, squeeze the contents of the sausages out of their casings and into the onions.

Break the pieces of meat apart as much as you can (I’ve even had to take a pair of scissors to the meat while it's in the pot to break them apart!)

Cook the meat until it’s slightly browned, but don’t over do it because it will continue to cook while the sauce is simmering

Pour the entire can of tomatoes into the pot. Get in there with your hands and squeeze the tomatoes so that they begin to break apart – watch out, they like to squirt! Stir to combine




















Add ½ of the can of tomato paste – save the rest in case you want to add more later

Add the ¾ C of wine, stir

Add the olives, continue to stir

Add the sliced mushrooms, stir

If you prefer to make the sauce thicker at this point, add the remainder of the tomato paste

Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste









Let the mixture simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer it simmers the better the ingredients will meld together

While the sauce is simmering, put a large pot of water with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and one Tablespoon of olive oil over high heat to boil the pasta of your choice.

When the pasta is cooked (al dente of course) and you are ready to serve, ladle the sauce over the noodles, garnish with Pecorino cheese and basil and enjoy!

i pull the twine

My spools of baker's twine finally arrived today and I cannot WAIT to start my holiday wrapping with these tiny cords. I had been looking for them for a long time after I saw a simple brown paper package tied with red baker's twine.














Because I love y'all SO much I will share with you my source - Sundance Catalogue! These colors are perfect for the holidays however I am sure I'll continue to find ways to use them throughout the year.







Two days till Thanksgiving!

'Liam + Little = ENGAGED!

Last night, after two long weeks of planning, my adorable brother proposed to the love of his life - AMANDA! I say long because keeping a secret like this from Amanda, considering we talk about everything under the moon, was one of the most challenging things I've had to do - so I can't even IMAGINE what it's been like for Will!



Words cannot express how excited I am for Amanda and Will, and I feel SO HONORED to a part of their lives. The way that my brother requested my blessing in asking for Amanda's hand in marriage literally melts my heart and puts a frog in my throat each time I think about it. I feel like the luckiest girl/sister in the world to be gaining Amanda as my sister (AWP for life!) - a woman who inspires me and brings happiness and laugher to my life every day. Will had better watch out - or I might jump in and try to marry her!

I am so full of emotion and love for this couple and am absolutely thrilled for this next phase in their relationship - they are officially on the road to becoming husband and wife!

I love you two SO VERY VERY MUCH and cannot wait to celebrate with you in person - and to check out that ROCK!

indoor holiday decorating

Last weekend my friend Matt and I came up with the idea to spray paint pumpkins GOLD!! They look pretty darn fabulous if you ask me!




My new apartment unfortunately does not have a yard or balcony (someday I will have undoubtedly have a garden on par with Martha Stewart)but I still love decorating with pumpkins and gourds - so I found some fun ways to incorporate the gold pumpkins into my everyday decor.












I have a lot of cacti in my house, so I placed some of the little guys in the mix.




























Pumpkins and vintage Louis Vuitton? Absolutely!!

























And this is my crowning glory - pumpkins, persimmons, mini corns & gourds on my favorite cake stand - deee-licious!

baking baking baking baking...

August = End of summer in most of America
September = Summer in San Francisco
October = Fall colors, brisk air and HALLOWEEN!

For me, the best part about the holiday season is the opportunity it provides create, bake, and cook... AND share it all with others!





Below you will find my first attempt at holiday baking for the season. Because I wanted to bake a large batch to take to 3 different events, I decided to make one batch of regular cupcakes, and one batch of (24) mini-cupcakes - all from one bowl of cake batter.





















I did make a short-cut this time and used boxed cake mix (Duncan Hines - which proved to be a good choice), however I made up for my cheating ways by making this delicious homemade Cream Cheese based frosting. I normally do not like Cream Cheese frostings - as I like the sickeningly sweet stuff - however this recipe is very creamy and easy to use when frosting.





















FROSTING:
*1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
*6 Ounces Cream Cheese, at room temperature
*1 t vanilla extract
*3 C powdered sugar
Sift powdered sugar into wet ingredients, then whip with electric mixer until smooth








The mini-cupcakes were hard to travel with because they are very top-heavy once you frost them. Therefore, I'd suggest sticking with the normal sized cupcakes when you are planning on bringing them to another location.











The simpler the toppings, the more sophisticated your cupcakes will look. You can go crazy with the frosting color, but if you do, take it easy with the decorations. There is, however, that one special person or celebratory event in which it's necessary to go crazy with the colors and decorations - and I think we can all think of at least one person in our lives that would fit this bill (mom!).

Blueberries for Billy the Birthday Boy!

My parents decided that they wanted to celebrate my Dad's birthday at home this year. I love big birthday parties at home because everyone is comfortable and can take their time to enjoy the meal - and in one way or another Henry is bound to make some sort of performance during the evening!









In all honesty, there are times as a baker that I definitely make shortcuts - such as using boxed cake mix and frosting - but I try to never do this when I'm making a cake/cupcakes for someone's birthday. For this cake - I wanted to go BIG and try some stuff I hadn't taken on all at once before. I decided I wanted to work with one of the most delicious fruits of the season blueberries! and pair them with some mouth watering lemon curd and vanilla frosting.

I baked the cake and make the lemon curd the night before my Dad's bday dinner. I baked the cake in a 13x9 inch pan, which I later split into two layers - resulting in a sort of rectangular shaped cake.

Preparing lemon curd is an arduous process - but it's SO worth it in the end! I used Alton Brown's recipe for lemon curd - and it proved to be fantastic. Whipping up a batch of lemon curd also serves as a great way to work your biceps - who knew! Here is a link to the recipe I used:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/lemon-curd-recipe/index.html


















After spreading the glistening (and did I mention mouth watering!) lemon curd on top of one of the halves, which would serve as the layer in the middle of the cake, I drizzled the cake with blueberries.

*side note - I often refer to the food items of which I cannot seem to get enough as CRACK. My cracks of the moment include sugar free Cherry Lime punch from Target, Snyders hard pretzels, rice cakes, diet coke made with Splenda, and of course, sour candy. Lemon curd is most definitely a form of crack whenever I've got some in the house, and I've often found myself sneaking back to my fridge for a healthy spoonful as if it were yogurt - it's hard to describe the sensation that takes over my body when I taste lemon curd. It's like this cool, refreshing wave runs through your body - it awakens your senses, cleanses your palette, and titillates every single taste bud in your mouth.

LOVE me some lemon curd!!












I then tackled the frosting. After perusing several frosting recipes, I decided to try this one on my own. Therefore I combined shortening, vanilla, powdered sugar, heavy cream and blue food coloring to make this bowl of sugary goodness:












*Next time I think I will use butter instead of shortening, as the dairy component of the butter lends to so much more flavor.















And the final product was this!

















In the end, I was pleased with the final result. The lemon curd and blueberries served as the perfect Summer duo and light way to end the meal.













Happy Birthday to my favorite Doddie! You are the most selfless, affable, and generous man I know - and I'm very proud to have you as my father!

llkw

table for one

I will be the first to acknowledge how truly lucky I am to be exactly where I am - both physically and emotionally - at this point in my life. I am not married, I don't have any kids, I live alone yet my parents are only an hour an a half away (the only thing that would make the situation even more ideal is if my brother was that close as well) so I am free to take this time to make things as much about me as I want to. In other words, I can pretty much make my decisions on my own without having to work another person into the equation. And it's great... for the most part.

You see my friends, I am a caretaker. I just really like doing things for other people - sometimes more than I do for myself. Don't get me wrong, I definitely treat myself well, but I would never, for instance, bake a cake for myself at 11:30 at night and then wake up at 6:30 to frost it before going to work. I really love cooking for other people, and in looking ahead to my adult/married life I have always envisioned myself living in a full, busy house with lots of food and comfort and love. I just love going out of my way to show people that I'm thinking of them, or to acknowledge their significance in my life.

So this is when the whole I-know-that-this-time-that-I'm-taking-for-myself-is-paving-the-way-for-a-better-future thing gets, well, old.

Desire to caretake - someone to take care of + impatience = One Antsy Allie.

That's the thing too - I know that I need to learn the importance of taking care of myself during this time, because I've spent a lot of time in my past tackling other people's issues instead of my own. This is caretaking gone awry - attempting to fix another person instead of focusing on what I need to fix in myself. So that's what I'm doing now, day in and day out - turning over stones, examining them, and then deciding whether or not I want to bring them home to put on display.

Thing is, I'm lonely. Not in a scary, might go off the deep end sort of way, just in a gee, it sure would be nice to cook two chicken breasts instead of one every once in awhile sort of way. I know it will come and that patience is a virtue, but I can't make up my mind as to whether or not I should be putting myself out there more, or if this is exactly where I should be - need to be - in order to be truly ready to bring another person into my life. Odds are, it's a combination of both.

It's been almost six months since my biggest relationship ended. When the breakup was official, I was dead set on committing to spending an entire year alone. Now I'm not so sure. I do know that as soon as someone of interest does enter into my life, a lot of this stuff that I'm rifling through will take a back seat. So for now I'm just going to keep going through the motions of this new life - keeping in mind that whether or not I am consciously trying, I am learning/adapting/evolving/opening up/learning to love myself a little bit more each day.

Seeing Green

I've been making more of an effort to eat more veggies and less meat. This is pretty ridiculous, but it only recently occurred to me that not every meal needed to include a protein - and I've been having fun playing around with vegetarian options as a result.

I went a little NUTZOOOOOOOO on the sugar last week, and I think my skin is acting out as a result. Therefore I am attempting to 'detox' from both real and fake sugar as much as I can, for as long as I can this week. I have made it two days with one slip - a glass of my 'liquid crack' tonight at dinner, which is a secret concoction that I will have to let you in on in a later post. I've also been going heavy on the green foods - as I know they are packed with vitamins and minerals and are terrific, all-natural tools to help cleanse out your system. (Ewe, sorry, but it's the truth!)

Tonight I wanted to share a recipe I threw together the other night - and all of the ingredients (minus the dressing) were coincidentally green! I've been playing with names, and so far the only one I've got is

THE QUEEN GREEN SALAD. Yes, I believe this one shall do.




For the salad:
~ 1 or 1/2 firm yet yielding avocado (honestly, finding them when they are juuust perfect is an art form)
~ 1/4 english or lemon cucumber
~ 1-2 small Green Zebra tomatoes (my newest OB.SES.SION - I discovered them in my Aunt Laurie's garden in Denver a few weeks ago - they are a little big sour and DEMAND a very gentle dusting of sea salt. Sweeter tomato-likers should find a normal green Heirloom tomato)
~ 1 handful of snap peas

For the dressing:
* This is an adaptation from the amazing salad dressings that I've seen my mom put together over the years. I enjoy a very vinegary, mustard-spicy dressing - much like the dijon mustard dressings found on simple French greens. If you want to take out the pucker a bit, add some sugar, or go easy on the vinegar. Have fun playing around with the ingredients! That's how I came about my fave!

~ 1 rounded spoonful of dijon mustard (the spiciest one I've found is from Trader Joes - and it's like $1.50!! A steal!
~ 2 T Champagne vinegar
~ 1 - 1/2 T GOOD Olive Oil - preferable something you'd use as a dipping oil, versus a cooking oil
~ Freshly ground pepper and Sea salt to taste.


Optional Add in's:
~ 2 t lemon juice - this really gets the salivary glands going
~ 1 t lemon zest - pumps up the lemon flavor (there is much more flavor found in the rind, versus the juice, and it's oil so it blends well with the Olive Oil
~ 1 t super finely chopped Scallions, or Shallots - best if you can let them sit in the champagne vinegar for an hour or two to soften



Dice up all of the lovely green veggies into diced pieces that are similar in bite size. Shake up the dressing in a closed tupperware container, or whisk it in a bowl. Drizzle very lightly over the veggies - you can always add more, but you can't take it back!

And voila! The perfect, healthy meal or side dish, that's fun to eat and easy on the eyes too!

Long live the QUEEN!

eat pray love & pbj

Well, it's been awhile since I last posted. To be honest, this week was one of those weeks in which I was really up in my head - over-analyzing, worrying, stressing - you get the gist. I tend to have these sorts of weeks from time to time, and I have a hard time focusing on the positive. That being said, finding ways to live in the moment, work on the things that are in my power, and leave the personally un-fixables alone is one of my biggest goals for myself.

Last night I went to see Eat Pray Love - and it was fantastic. I was so in love with the book, and being able to see it on the silver screen was just wonderful. I can relate to so many of the things the main character goes through in this story - particularly at this juncture of my life. She basically makes a decision to end the life in which she had become miserable to strive for a happier more fulfilling one. So seeing this movie was really encouraging for me, because you get to see her ups and downs and sadnesses and joys - everything that comes along with forging ahead into an unknown future. I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to every woman out there - particularly the ones who are in the midst of fearless self discovery.

On top of that, a song with which I used to be obsessed came on during car ride home. It's called Objects of My Affection by Peter Bjorn and John. It's essentially about the process of wondering if you are better off now than you used to be, and embracing your past and your future in an honest, thoughtful way. I also love how the singer acknowledges that it's ok to take time for yourself to do nothing, because I often over-schedule and commit to doing too much, and I get angry with myself for being exhausted. Finding a happy medium for personal and social commitments is another goal of mine. The song is filled with little bits of knowledge that impress me and make me happy to be ME!


Favorite lines?

And the question is, was I more alive
Than than I am now?
I happily have to disagree
I laugh more often now, I cry more often now
I am more me

Please enjoy the video below - and the lyrics are posted as well.

Download this mp3 from Beemp3.com

Objects of My Affection - Peter Bjorn and John

I remember when, when I first moved here
A long time ago
'cause I heard some song I used to hear back then
A long time ago
I remember when, even further back
In another town
'cause I saw something written I used to say back then
Hard to comprehend

And the question is, was I more alive
Than than I am now?
I happily have to disagree
I laugh more often now, I cry more often now
I am more me

But of cause some days, I just lie around
And hardly exist
And can't tell apart what I'm eating
From my hand or my wrist
'cause flesh is flesh, flesh as flesh as flesh
The difference is thin
But life has a certain ability of breathing new
life into me
So I breathe it in
It says here we are, and we all are here
And you still can make sense
If you just show up and present an honest face
Instead of that grin

And the other day, this new friend of mine
Said something to me
Just because something starts differently
Doesn't mean it's worth less
And I soaked it in, how I soaked it in
How I soaked it in
And just as to prove how right he was
Then you came
So I'm gonna give, yes I'm gonna give
Im gonna give you a try
So I'm gonna give, yes I'm gonna give
I'm gonna give you a try

And the question is, was I more alive
Than than I am now?
I happily have to disagree
I laugh more often now, I cry more often now
I am more me

quoting cary

I'm reading this fascinating article in Vanity Fair about how Cary Grant's wife, Betsy Drake, got him to take LSD in a desperate attempt to save their marriage (He was falling in love with Sophia Loren) through new-age psychotherapy in the late 1950's ~ who knew Cary Grant was into psychedelics, man?

Anyways, just came across this terrific quote that I feel is quite pertinent to my recent revelations about my own life:

'I know that, all my life, I've been going around in a fog. You're just a bunch of molecules until you know who you are'

Truuuue dat, Cary Grant!





picture courtesy of pagina12.com

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Rounds

This past weekend I made a quick trip to Denver, CO to pay a visit to my Grandma Barbara. My Aunt Laurie invited me to stay with her and my Uncle Todd and Cousin Molly ~ so I wanted to do something special as a thank you gift. Being fellow coffee lovers, I first bought them a bag of Blue Bottle coffee, and then I searched through my cookbooks for a good sounding cookie recipe. I also wanted to bake enough so that I could bring some to Grandma as well. This recipe caught my eye and the cookies ended up tasting fantastic - sweet with just the right amount of saltiness. It was also a great choice because the cookies were hearty and moist enough to endure my travels.

By the way, it wasn't until after I baked these that I realized I seem to be quite keen on Peanut Butter these days... interesting :)


ingredients
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped cocktail peanuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces



instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed ~ about 30 seconds or till combined





2. Add about half of the flour to the butter mixture. Then add the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, and baking soda. Beat till thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Then beat or stir in the remaining flour. Still in rolled oats and chopped peanuts and chocolate pieces.


















3. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. (I laid down Parchment Paper just to be sure that the cookies did not stick) Bake in a 375 degree oven about 10 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies and cool on wire racks. Makes about 50.





Recipe c/o Better Homes and Gardens' Cookies Cookies Cookies copyright 1992

music flick picks

I love movie soundtracks. They often serve as excellent introductions to new bands or artists. There are also soundtracks, such as Dazed and Confused, that successfully compile amazing hit songs from decades past.

I have an obsessive tendency to run home after seeing a movie to seek out songs I've heard during the flick. So when I discover that there is an entire SOUNDTRACK full of the songs I've just heard, a surge of adrenaline and excitement courses through my veins. I then enter into a full blown love affair with my new found treasures.



Below is a list of my top 12 ( I couldn't stop at 10 ) movie soundtracks - #1 being my most favorite.

1. Laurel Canyon

2. Clueless

3. Dazed and Confused

4. Garden State

5. Forrest Gump



6. Dumb and Dumber

7. King Pin

8. Crazy Beautiful

9. Biodome (I'm not even kidding)

10. Cruel Intentions

11. Blue Crush

12. Empire Records




soundtrack links:
http://www.stlyrics.com/l/laurelcanyon.htm
http://www.stlyrics.com/c/clueless.htm
http://www.stlyrics.com/d/dazedandconfused.htm
http://www.stlyrics.com/g/gardenstate.htm
http://turnerclassic.moviesunlimited.com/product.asp?sku=S11161
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109686/soundtrack
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116778/soundtrack
http://www.stlyrics.com/c/crazybeautiful.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115683/soundtrack
http://www.stlyrics.com/c/cruelintentions.htm
http://www.stlyrics.com/b/bluecrush.htm
http://www.stlyrics.com/e/empirerecords.htm



Now it's your turn! I'd love to hear some of your favorites!

lezioni

Last week was one of those nutzo weeks during which I felt like I had to utilize every last second in order to get things done. I worked late on Tuesday and then realized I had nothing fresh in my fridge for dinner, so I made a beeline for T-Joes. After racing around the store picking up flowers, produce and pretty much whatever flashed in front of my eyes, I made it to the check out stand in less than 18 minutes (which is very impressive for those of you who have never gone grocery shopping with me).





Racing home, I made two trips from my car to the elevator, parked my car, took the elevator up to my apartment, dragged everything into my kitchen, unloaded my groceries, arranged my flowers, and finally took the things I wanted to cook for dinner out on the counter.






I stood there furiously chopping my kale and tomatoes, when suddenly I was like - HOLD ON, SISTER!!!















Why are you still insisting on this insanely rushed behavior? I could almost hear the screeching sounds that the Roadrunner makes when he comes across one of Wile E. Coyote's traps... Stop right there in your tracks, Allie Phelps!





I love to cook! I would so much rather cook myself dinner than order in or microwave a frozen dinner. I asked myself why I was speeding through the process ~ just so I could plunk myself down on the couch to catch up on The Real Housewives of New Jersey? Silly me!


It was definitely a mini wake-up of sorts. Sure, there are times when we need to rush about getting as much done as we can in order to carve out some time for ourselves. But cooking dinner should be the perfect way to relax and wind down after a hectic day. I took a deep breath, retrieved and put on an awesome CD that my friend Mike made for me, and slowed myself down to enjoy my time in the kitchen. Then, when I eventually made it to the couch to enjoy my dinner, I made sure to thoroughly enjoy each bite I took, after bidding myself a little BUON APETITO!