He's so cheeky, isn't he? And a whole 8 months old! He's a 17 lb-er and has been battling a nasty cough for 2+ weeks (oy, oy, oy) He's rolling all over the place, eating more food and has nearly outgrown that baby carseat of his.
He's a dream and I am loving his soft, squishy cheeks, crazy hair & hearty laugh.
My heart is so full.
For all you locals, just a reminder that Renegade is happening this weekend. I'm heading over tomorrow and can't wait to see all the good stuff. Maybe I'll see you there!
Happy Weekend!
It was BBQ Wednesday again for us here. I decided to bring one of my all time favorite pasta salads: Ina Garten's "Pasta, Pesto & Peas." If you've never made your own pesto, you really should. It's inexpensive and takes less than 5 minutes to make. You can store the extra pesto & serve with salmon or on a baguette, etc.,. You'll need pine nuts, walnuts & garlic (shown above)
Add in some salt & pepper and fresh basil leaves (we always get ours at Trader Joes- you'll need 2 small boxes.) Blend it up and slowly add in the olive oil and then the parmesan cheese.
Delish. And then you need to taste it to make sure it's good:
('cos you don't want to serve it, if it's not good)
Yep, it passes.
Boil up the noodles, add the pesto along with a few other ingredients and badda-boom badda-bing, you've got yourself some salad.
Be warned: This makes a boat load of pasta salad. I actually think it's a little too saucy with just the 2 bags of pasta, so I threw an additional 12 oz package in. It's a big hit with the kids, too. Enjoy!
PASTA, PESTO & PEAS SALAD
Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignoli, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.
Place the walnuts, pignoli, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.
To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.
Yield: 4 cups
On recent trip in the bathroom:
Henry stands up, turns around to examine his work & says,
"Look Pops, the little one is me and the big one is you"
Pops: "Just what I always wanted to be; a big poop."
Again with the peanut butter & chocolate. This time, my friend Laura is to blame. She brought them over a few weeks back. I wanted to bring them to the BBQ last Wednesday so I emailed her & she supplied the recipe (lucky for me, and now for you.)
They are similar to rice crispy treats, but like a gazillion times better. The marshmallows are replaced with peanut butter, which is pretty much life transforming. All you need are 5 glorious ingredients.
Here's the recipe:
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Karo Syrup
6 Cups Rice Crispies
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Over low heat, melt the first 3 ingredients together in a saucepan. When smooth, remove from heat. Be careful not to overcook because Laura says it makes it all weird. Mix in the rice crispies.
Place into the 9×13 monogrammed pan that your Mother gave you for Mother's day. Press down, to ensure the mixture is evenly distributed. If it starts sticking to your hands, just spray a bit of water or cooking spray on your hands. Allow to cool. 
I feel like it's so much easier to cut this type of dessert when it's out of the pan, so I flip it upside down and turn out onto a cutting board.
If you spray your knife with a little cooking spray before you start cutting, it makes for a smooth, no-stick, cutting experience (isn't that what every girl wants??)
Easy, easy. I melted some chocolate chips and dipped the ends of the crispies in chocolate.
Laura said she also puts the chocolate chips on right after she puts the mixture into the pan (when it's still warm) and then spreads it around so it completely covers the top. Either way, the chocolate is a must. Allow to cool to set or just place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so.
May 2010- Trolley Square Williams Sonoma
and so, we purchased. And we love them. These, too.
My child yearning for something from WS. It's like a dream come true for me.
things happen in life that make you hold your darlings just a little bit tighter.
I get asked a lot about L.A's fabric/fashion district. I think it feels daunting & overwhelming to go downtown, especially if you've never been before. So here's my little guide for all you locals who want a good place to start. We live on the Westside (West LA) I take the 10 E to downtown (only about 12 minutes with no traffic) EXIT on MAPLE AVE.
When you get off the freeway you'll see this sign. Hang a left, under the 10 into the Fashion District.
You'll come upon all the shops…keep driving…do not be tempted by the hot jeans at Govanni's….
or the blow up pools or the sunglasses or the tchotchkes…
ahh….Home Sweet Home. Michael Levine's at 920 Maple Street. There are a couple of parking options. Michael Levine's has their own parking lot just to the west of their store. You can park there for free if you spend $20 in the store (make sure to get your ticket validated from one of the cashiers on your way out.) There is street/metered parking for $3/hr. There are also lots where you can park all day for anywhere between $3-$5. While you can typically negotiate pricing with most shops, you can't do it here (Mary Beesley you would not be proud of my negotiating skills
Michael Levines has an awesome assortment of Japanese fabrics and the best flannel I've seen around:
I don't ever buy flannel but if I did, I would buy it here. Directly across the street is the Michael Levine upholstery store. I just discovered they have a LOFT.
Fabric here is sold for $2.00/lb. You really have to dig around but I found a few gems which are being turned into Summer pants for Henry. This is a good place to start. I'll share a few other places soon.
We've all been sick (stomach flu, coughs, runny nose, etc.,.) but hoping to get some sewing in before Mom goes home this weekend. Be back soon!
We went to the Hollywood Bowl on Sat night to celebrate. It's a bit of a 4th tradition for us. Kate threw up right as the music started. That was awesome. The couple in front of us immediately posted it on facebook. Double awesome.
I love the bowl. It's so gorgeous up in the canyon. We took the shuttle up and the children had a ball (sans the puke & Kate crying through all the "fragle rocks") We try to get up a few times every Summer. They've got a great line-up this year and have awesome summer programs for kids that you should definitely check out. We are heading over again on Friday for Summer Sounds which we are excited about.
Henry really wanted a flag quilt which I tried desperately to get done in time (read: didn't get done) All the layers are sewn, it just needs to be binded.
Our home was also invaded by the Village People. That's Henry's friend Jack and of course, Emily's sweet little Yindi. Emily & Co. flew in from Australia on Tues. and have been staying with us. We've been having a ball with them. The children are all on cloud 9. Mom is also in town and so we've got a fun week ahead of us (11 people in a 2 bedroom apartment? No problem! We've got plenty of room if anyone else wants to come!)
