Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is probably my favorite holiday...I mean, it's all about margaritas and Mexican food, what's not to love about that?!? Mindy and Leslie joined mom, dad and me for dinner. I made some spicy salty sweet fried peanuts, guacamole, mango salsa, shrimp tacos, and sopapillia cheesecake. To drink we had margaritas, but I certainly didn't use any of that premade bullshit. The first few rounds were using a citrus blend: orange, grapefruit and fresh line juice. The second round was a batch of fresh made juice: watermelon, cucumber, mint, and lime. Then, after it was shaken and poured I put a slice of jalapeño in there for some added spice and depth. Que rica! Can't wait for next year...

Opening Day

Today was opening day of Flounder Season!!! I had to miss out because I was teaching a yoga class, but I was able to make it down to the dock upon their return. Dad's friends Billy and Gary helped him on the boat and took him out, and Mom went too. Dad caught the only keeper flounder, 19", but I told him that he got lucky...if I had been on the boat I surely would have caught one bigger than his! It's the little things like this that bring a tear to my eye - some days are tough but days like this make it all worthwhile! 

Dad filleted the fish...and even though he's damn near blind, he can still clean a fish better than any man I've ever met! I'm pretty sure it's muscle memory...he's been cleaning fish since he was just a boy - I'm sure he could do this even with both eyes closed! 

Spring Asparagus Soup

 

Spring Asparagus Soup!

Our asparagus has been growing like a weed!!! I love it simple: sauteed in a skillet with some EVOO, salt, pepper, and lemon. But eating it like this day after day gets a bit old, so I decided to make a soup out of it. I had some Israeli Cous Cous (also known as "Pearl Cous Cous") that I wanted to use, and soup produce laying around the house. So, here's how I did it:

In a skillet, drizzle some EVOO. Pour in the israeli cous cous and let it brown. In a soup pot sautee some diced onions/shallots/garlic. Toss in some sliced asparagus. Then add cous cous and broth. I added some lima beans and green peas because I had them in the fridge. A generous amount of fresh pepper, fresh herbs, and a touch of salt. Boom. For some extra flavor: add some curry powder :)

Quinoa + Eggs

Okay, so I realize that this doesn't LOOK crazy appetizing, but its fucking amazing. Thanks to my friend Brie for introducing me to this epic paring of two of my most favorite foods. I almost always have cooked quinoa in the fridge...I put it on salads, in wraps, and sautee it with veggies and such. But this is my favorite incarnation of this delightful, fluffy and healthy grain. 

I began by sauteing some leeks (from the garden) in a skillet. You could always use onions or shallots if you'd like. Then I put a few big spoonfuls of the cooked quiona into the skillet, married it to the leeks and then I poured two eggs (which I beat first) over top. The eggs almost act like a glue, making a somewhat loose "patty" of the quinoa. I scrambled it around the pan, added some cumin, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. I served this 'omlette' over some kale from the garden, some sliced tomato and avocado, and I finished it by sprinkling it with raw hulled sunflower seeds. Oh yeah, and I topped it with some tahini dressing (if you don't make it yourself, a delicious one available at the supermarket is Annie's GODDESS Dressing).  ENJOY, and big thanks to Breezy for the inspiration <3

27 Years.

 Today my parents have been married for 27 years. They have overcome a lot these past few years, and their strength and love despite it all has been an inspiration for me (as I'm sure it has been for some of you as well). What have I learned from them, aside from what TRUE love is? The lesson is that EVERY DAY is a blessing, so love with all of your heart.

Mom and Dad on their wedding day, 27 years ago.

Mom and Dad renewing their vows last year.

Mom and Dad renewing their vows last year.

Mom and Dad, this Thanksgiving, with lots to be thankful for.

The Dock

Mom, Dad and I grabbed some lunch today and then headed down to the dock to pick up some bunker and say hey to the boys. I remember coming down here when I was a little kid with my dad, not much has changed...

Thank you California for an amazing trip. A special shout out to Bri + Jak who loved me and fed me and entertained me every day! Love you all :)

Bye Bye Big Sur

Brie's amazing lunch spread

Buzzards Roost Trail, STRAIGHT UP to the top.

Heading down through the redwoods.

We went out with a bang, that's for sure! In the afternoon we enjoyed an amazing and relaxing picnic by the Big Sur River and then we hiked Buzzards Roost Trail. It was only about 2 1/2 hours total..but a steady incline, climbing to the top of the mountain- with an epic 360 degree view of Big Sur. Once we made our way back, we stripped down and all hopped in the freezing cold river! GAH! We showered, found a new camping spot, and then we all got a little crazy. Music bumping, me in the kitchen cooking dinner, lots of Beverages (beer, wine, champagne, whiskey), star gazing outside and lots of conversation. We woke up early and started our journey South around 7am. I'm hung.over, and so is the rest of the crew. But we all have smiles from ear to ear. Stopped outside cayucas to see all the seals on the beach and now we are bee-lining it back to Cardiff. Big Sur...big gratitude for the amazing amazingness.

Seals in Cayucas

Big Sur 3

We found an awesome camping spot at Pheiffer, surrounded by beautiful Red woods. The size of these trees can only be fully realized by seeing them face to face. I was the first to fall asleep, as usual, and then was the first to rise. At 6am I made my way down to the Big Sur River and sat on a log for a half hour...wrapped in a blanket, sitting in some Zen meditation. The troops slept in, waking around 10am. We had coffee and a light breakfast and then took a cruise through the red woods.

Big Sur 2

After a long day in the RV, none of us were up for a proper hike, so instead we did a little jaunt down to the beach. We hiked down a long path, under an old tunnel, and climbed up some steep rocks...and that's just where the fun began! I would have taken pictures of the dangerous and totally insane climb that we did, but I was so paralyzed with fear that all I could think about was my next step. We found an insane cave and saw two humpback whales that were less than a hundred feet away!! None of us have EVER seen whales that close before, or that close to shore. It was a truly magical moment. It took a few hours for my heartbeat to come back down, but it was well worth the magnificent experience.

Big Sur 1

Cruising into Big Sur was pretty magical, and we got lucky because more-times-than-not its cloudy up here, but for us the sun was shining bright. We climbed some trees, took some photos and played in the cobblestones.

Dehydrated "Burgers"

Bri is a genius in the kitchen. Through her juicer (which is the rolls Royce of juicers....it makes everything a pulp and Then you press it for the juice) she ran brazil nuts, raisins, beets, carrots, herbs (thyme, parsley, cilantro, mint). Add minced red onion, flax meal and salt. Mix and make patties. Hit em with some ground black pepper. Dehydrate for several hours. Enjoy! Bri also made a tahini white wine spicy mustard and a macadamia nut "cheese". So epic. Best.Camping.Food.Ever.

Big Sur Bound

Made it just outside Ventura last night, pulled the Warrior over and fell asleep. Woke up to the sound of the ocean, checked the oil, then cruised to Carpenteria for some caffeine. We stopped at a super cute cafe, the Lucky Llama. Back on the road, drinking fresh juice, listening to good tunes. Boom.

Bri's Backyard

Here's some photos we clicked this afternoon in the backyard. Sunshine, flowers and friends.