Sunday, May 25, 2008

oregon next weekend!

I'm Oregon bound Thursday morning through monday night. Coffee will be drank, strolls will be taken, hugs will be everywhere, and my  suitcase will come home stuffed with Juanita's Corn Chips!

I hope to have coffee with all these faces and more. A visit to the new animal reserve near The Dalles is in order to see my most favorite animal of all, giraffes! A stop in for a hand painted cookie is a must at the new  La Petite Provence bakery. I'll spend a day soaking up the lovely Apple Green Shop with my sister paying my tab for the delicious candle and tableware she's got me hooked on! Of course the two biggest events will be seeing top of the class miss Isabella's ballet performance Saturday night and then an after party thrown by super astronaut robot fireman Daniel in my honor. Cupcakes and hide and seek have been promised and I'm holding him to it!!!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

saturday love


Manny and I had a fun day... slept in, made egg white scramble with peppers asparagus and veggie sausage, wrote the bean blog, watched a great John Wayne movie The Shootist went to Lucky Baldwins in Sierra Madre and split a chip medley. What is a chip medley? it's chips (fries), with sauteed mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, onions and Heinz baked beans. I fell in Heinz bean love. Santa Barbara Brewery started pouring this week and it was black as the night. We headed to Amoeba Music to peruse the westerns. We picked up a nifty barely used talking heads cd/dvd/book collection called Once in a Lifetime. While I listened, read, and watched my new purchase Manny edited a video together with old footage he shot in Art Center to a song we really enjoy, soldier on vimeo, a memorable memorial day weekend video. Now on to our current obsession The Wire to end the day.. so long farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodnight.

what to do if your closet is too full...


you buy a new dresser of course! I got this at a thrift shop and I'm working on making it look nice. I sanded it down to get off the primary colored Jewish clowns. Seriously, I should have taken pictures before but I forgot! Just imagine clowns with yamikas and balloons. It will soon be "Ralph Lauren Mexican Feather Grass #NA69"!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

biscuits and beans



we LOVE 'em here. The biscuits were so good at Cowboy Fest that it drove me to bake some up myself. I baked and baked and baked until the recipe was tripled and we had 55 biscuits. Then my secret cowboy beans were made. Now all I need is a dutch oven for mastering peach cobbler!



okay fine, here is my secret beans recipe...
These beans will take a few hours to cook so leave enough time before your bean crazy friends start arriving! It usually serves Manny, Freddy, and I for two days whatever that means!

1 bag of pinto beans (soaked overnight)
1 big pot of water (10-12 cups)
1 stick of butter cubed (I know excessive amount but SO good)
1 medium yellow onion chopped up
6 cloves garlic smashed up
1 can of green chilies
3 tbs. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 bunch of cilantro

rinse your soaked beans and put them in a pot. along with them add all other ingredients except the cilantro. Put that on the stove and add your water so it covers all your ingredients. cover the pot with a lid and turn the stove on high until it starts boiling then turn down to medium heat and stir. For about the next 4 hours you will need to stir the beans pretty much every 45 minutes. make sure there is always enough water covering all the ingredients. if the water gets low add more. for the last 30 minutes of cooking add the cilantro. why add it last? because it turns brown and lifeless if you add it in the beginning! pretty much that is it. If your beans are still tough and hard cook it longer! I serve them with shredded cheese, Tapatio, and biscuits of course.


the biscuits are just a simple recipe

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg (slightly beaten)

preheat your oven to 400 degrees. mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. cut the butter into the flour mix until it turns to coarse crumbs. add the milk and egg and stir until just combined. use a floured surface and knead the dough gently until it comes together. make sure not to knead too much though or your flakiness will lack. pat out your dough so it is a 1/2 inch thick. cut out biscuits with a round cookie cutter and place on a ungreased baking sheet. bake for about 10-15 minutes on high rack. serve with butter and strawberry jam!