Road trip

Hello all, hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween.


Lately we've been doing a lot of mini road trips; something I always find a lot of fun.




We spent a long weekend in San Luis Obispo visiting the boys parents and my sister, who conveniently live in the same town. We ate a lot, shopped a lot and took the dog for her first time to the beach, which was fantastic. The weather was perfect, mid 70's and not a breath of wind.

I stopped by this cute store with some really cute knitted scarves, and I loved them but they were ridiculously priced, so I got inspired found an adorable knitting shop just around the corner (thank you iPhone) and bought a bunch of yarn. It inspired me to start knitting again. I found all this gorgeous hand dyed wool. I'll let you know how it turns out.

We ate at 2 fantastic restaurants, the first night we ate at NOVO, right downtown, with all outdoor dining, right next to the creek. Great food, good wine, and lovely company. Very romantic under the oak trees with the sound of water below you. Halloween night we ate at a restaurant called Blue, the food was wonderful, different presentation and meal ideas, the boys mom had buffalo short ribs and the boy had pheasant. I would recommend both places if you're in SLO but for Blue, save up your money cause it's REALLY expensive, if you're not careful; which after 2 martinis each, we weren't.

Some of the costumes were interesting, some were not. So far I think Heidi Klums is the most interesting, after looking through all the costumes online.


Riley made a very cute Lobster, don't you think?




We stopped by Avila Farms, and bought some homemade pies, some asian pears, and some black truffle olive oil before getting back on the road (I can't wait to cook with that!). All in all it was a gorgeous weekend, and some much needed relaxation.

How was Halloween for you?

Farmers Market Saturday

Hello all, hope the weekend was great for everyone. The weather has finally cooled down, and we got to enjoy 2 lovely days of mid 70's. I had had enough of feeling like I lived in hell for 3 months. The cool down was welcomed.

I went to breakfast with some great friends and afterward we walked across the street to take advantage of the Davis Farmers Market. The vegetables were fantastic, and we got to sample a bunch of very tasty produce.

Afterward we went vintage shopping, one of my most favorite things to do, EVER, which I will talk about very soon. All in all it was a very laid back weekend with some great people.


Ever tried unpasteurized apple juice straight from the farm? Holy crap, it was good. The bacteria supposedly might make you seriously regret the decision of drinking unpasteurized, but it was fantastic. Sweeter than apple juice you get anywhere else and completely refreshing.

All the wildflowers were so beautiful, I like that unfussy way you can just throw them in a vase and they look like they were supposed to be arranged that way. Very dramatic looking and no work at all, which is the best way to do it.



Heirloom tomatoes are totally one of my favorite things. They are so funky looking, and some the colors are so beautiful.


Never tried a white eggplant, I wonder if it tastes any different than the purple ones?

Fall Has Begun

Fall has officially begun, and if you step outside in the morning you can tell. There is a crispness in the air that wasn't there so little as a week ago. I love this season, it's a preview for the holidays, which is my favorite time of year. The falling leaves, hot chocolate, warm cozy evenings, sweaters and boots, and delicious food.
I just returned from a trip to Kansas City, and while there, I visited a fantastic street market full of delicious produce, and all sorts of beautiful things to look at. It was a perfect outing with great inspiration for fall cooking.



Look at the gorgeous color!



These spices were so intoxicating, from the moment we walked into the market.



It was only $1.00 a scoop! Farmer's Markets are a great savings, if you have a good one close to you, a lot of times the produce is of better quality anyway. And, you can't go wrong to support locally.



There was a parrot rescue, a bit screechy, but pretty nonetheless.


And all sorts of extra homemade goodies, including shower scrubs, one of which I'm going to add a recipe for in a bit.

Have a wonderful day.