Do you know the way to Santa Fe?

My boys and I just rolled in to town last evening. For one whole week we drove from Los Angeles, then through Northern Arizona. Ultimately arriving to our final destination; New Mexico. {I am oh-so inspired, and have much to share with you!} One of my favorite stops was Santa Fe. Santa Fe, New Mexico is a trifecta of three cultures, Mexican, Native American and Caucasian.
My favorite spot was the Loretto Chapel. Shrouded in mystery this chapel has miraculous stories to tell. When the chapel was built in 1878, the sisters faced a conundrum: How could they get from the chapel to the choir loft?
The sisters consulted with builders and concluded that a ladder was needed. Fearful that a ladder would interrupt the beauty of the chapel. The sisters prayed to St. Joseph, Patron Saint of carpentry. After the ninth day of novena, a man appeared to the chapel on a donkey with his tools. It was a sign. After months of work, the lovely staircase was completed. The man vanished without word or receiving pay. Legend claims that it was St. Joseph himself that built the architectural wonder, baring no wooden pegs or nails!
I loved the stained glass, and wonder how many people have marveled upon it's magnitude.
Moved by a beautiful life sized carving of the Christ, I was reminded of Matthew 11:28.
"Come unto me,
all ye that labour and
are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest."
I loved how the artist unfurled His hand, beckoning to onlookers to literally and figuratively partake.

Table Talk: Stumped.

This is the current vignette on my
parlor side table.
Ingredients:
duck decoy: gift from Bryan's grandpa
concrete handgun: made by Bryan
ancient hardback books: thrifted
beautiful orchid: my parting gift from a catering event

Polaroid Wall.

In a fit of boredom
I ripped down
all of the wall art
in my kitchen.
Then zig-zagged Polaroids
onto the gaping void.
At times I hate it.
Sometimes though, I love it.

What I wore Wednesday.

Today husband and I lunched.
We nibbled on sandwiches,
sipped bubbly drinks,
and enjoyed summer frivolity.
Ingredients:
Ruffled Blouse: H&M $18.95
Polka Dot Skirt: Thrifted $32.00
Sea Shell Belt: Urban Outfitters $4.98
Oxford Shoes: Thrifted $22.00

Creativity Tuesday: Personalize your notebooks.

I enjoy using notebooks to jot down ideas, lists, prayers, quotes, sketches, etc. It's amusing to see the culmination of these disjointed ideas clumped together in one book. Since high school I've personalized my notebooks covering the original artwork. This morning my notebook was a basic Thomas Kincade creation.

Front:
Back:
Then this afternoon I read an inspiring article in SPIN magazine about Allison Goldfrapp of Goldfrapp and Debbie Harry of Blondie. They both didn't get their "Big Break" until their thirties. Can you believe that? Deeply inspired, I made them my new cover art, adding emphasis with scrawled arrows, then using masking tape for protection. Make your books, note books, agenda's, and folders specific to you and only you. Feel inspired and liberated by your unique creation.

Culture Club: the pages I'm turning.

I'm currently reading Maya Angelou's latest offering; LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER. Maya is a mother to a son, bearing no daughters of her own. Through the book she teaches each woman lessons of life that she personally learned. Passing the knowledge to her adopted daughters, her readers. I love how the book is segmented into tiny chapters to digest. I read one chapter daily, pausing to ponder and take in the ideal. I strongly suggest this book for every woman's personal library.

"The ship of my life may or may not be sailing on calm and amiable seas. The challenging days of my existence may or may not be bright and promising. Stormy or sunny days, glorious or lonely nights, I maintain an attitude of gratitude. If I insist on being pessimistic, there is always tomorrow. Today I am blessed." -Maya Angelou

Lemony Snickets. Table Edition.

This is my current table-scape. Think lemons, clothes pins, fresh linens, and personalized name cards. Chic on the cheap: I bought the holders at a restaurant supply store for $1.25 each. The vintage duck and pig table cloth is a flea market find. Your home work: freshen up your table top this weekend.

Cherubic.

"Angels can fly because they
take themselves lightly."
-G.K. Chesterson

What I wore Wednesday.

Ingredients:
Embroidered blouse: Thrifted: $3.95
Sage Pencil Skirt: Tulle $19.98
Waist Belt: Anthropologie: $38.00

Creativity Tuesday: Our Library

Today's creative journey takes us to my library. I'm quite certain you've seen this technique before: color coordinating books. Another great idea is turning the books backwards so that only the pages show. If you have a small apartment as I do, I strongly suggest this for your personal library. As stated before, I am Obsessive Compulsive. Color coding allows calming visual order. {click on images to enlarge.}
On the shelves I enjoy contrasting stacking methods, and create an interest mixing in chotchkies.
An idea to steal: our magazine rack is a towel rod from Ikea. I love how the rack helps emphasize a lounge-esque feel to the corner.
Integrating bad art: I'm an art snob. When my husband brought this boring impressionist oil painting home I was disgusted. However, it's OUR home not MY home and he deserves representation. After some trial and error I found that it looked smart on top of the shelf with our kitschy, Russian stacking dolls in front. I'm pleased with the results, and Bryan is too. I hope you found an idea to inspire your flat.

Lemon Garlic Grilled Asparagus

I have a problem. I am a garlic ADDICT. Rarely is there ever a dinner in our home that does not in some small way include this heavenly spice. So, when I stumbled upon a way to make an otherwise bland (in my humble oppinion) veggie into a fantastic side dish using my dear beloved garlic, I knew I'd need to share!

I must admit, however, this recipe is not my own. It belongs to an adorable couple who I am blessed to be related to: Aaron and Ami Rodriguez. Ami walked me through my first time making this yumm-o recipe on our recent California vacation, and I have made it twice since arriving home!

I have slightly tweaked the recipe, but the jist of it, and all of the credit is due to Aaron and Ami (my suspicion is that Ami is truly the brains of the operation!). Here's what I do:

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh Asparagus

10 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

splash of EVOO

1 Lemon quartered

1 Ziplock gallon sized freezer bag, or similar

Parmesan Cheese for zest!


What I did:
1. Wash the asparagus and trim off butt-ends (only about 1/2 an inch)

2. Combine asparagus, chopped Garlic, and splash of EVOO in gallon Ziplock bag, mix well. Don't be afraid to mush it around really good! Let stand for 10 minutes

3. Heat grill to medium-high heat. When hot, use TONGS to remove asparagus from the bag and place it on the grill. *** BE CAREFUL!! Oil is FLAMMABLE -do not be like me and burn off all your arm hair by pouring the asparagus out of the bag and torching yourself!

4. Use the remainder of the oil/garlic mixture to baste over the asparagus as it blackens. Squeeze lemon quarters over the asparagus while rotating to ensure even cooking. Grill for about 5 minutes, until Asparagus is tender.

5. Remove asparagus from grill, sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and serve!


One bunch of asparagus will yield about 5/6 servings. This makes a great side dish to any dinner, but especially a BBQ dinner! Aaron and Ami made it as a complement to my Uncle Ron's BBQ sauce-less ribs, and it was delicious! **So were the ribs!! I'm going to have to try and make those at home soon!**

This side is also good for you, as it is a full serving of delicious veggies and it's only about 95 calories! And I must say, I've never been a big believer in asparagus without loads of cheesy sauce (which = loads of calories), until now. Ladies and Gents, Lemon Garlic Grilled Asparagus; That's what's on our Kitchen Table for Two tonight!!

**Special thanks to Aaron, Ami, Aunt Susan, Uncle Jon, Lauren, and Uncle Ron (for the rib recipe), for making our vacation such fun! We love you!!

Curried Chicken Salad

This lunch staple packs a filling punch with a mere 247 calories!! It's a one stop shop for a balanced and filling meal that you can make up to a week ahead of time. Working moms, career gals, look no further for a satisfying lunch!!

**N.B. I apologize for the poor picture quality. As gnomes have misplaced my camera cord (yes, gnomes - I have an infestation. They misplace things of mine all the time... my phone, bobby pins, etc.), I was forced to text this picture to my email and upload it, hence the poor quality of my cell phone camera (although it does add a certain "retro" flavor to the blog, it's very "MySpace 1999...")**

Anyway... My first delicious taste of a dish similar to this was on Orient Beach, St. Maarten. My mom and I were wandering down the beach (on the top ten list of worlds most beautiful beaches, fyi!), starting to get hungry when we spotted a little hut built right into the sand. When I say "hut," I mean "hut." This little place was no more that 15 feet x 15 feet square, with the ground floor open to the breeze, and the upper deck without railings or chairs, just little pillows for sitting (Moroccan style!). We sat on the upper deck, ordered something we couldn't pronounce and waited. What we got was something that resembled chopped chicken and apples in a curry sauce, served in a pita. It. Was. Delicious!! ever since then, I have been trying to re-create it at home, and I have officially come up with the perfect recipe =)

Like I said before, this is a balanced meal (food from every color and food group), and its filling! Imagine that... healthy food that's actually filling within one serving size! Woohoo! Alert the media!! So here's what I do:


Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts, chopped

1 splash of EVOO

2 Granny Smith Apples, chopped

1 handful of Raisins

1 cup Celery, chopped

1.5 cups Almonds, crushed

4 Tbsp Low-Fat Mayo or Mayo Substitute

4 Tbsp Curry Powder (buy 2 little Tampico packets, only $1.75 as opposed to the $145.76 jars on the spice aisle!)


What I do:
1. Saute chopped Chicken Breasts in a splash of EVOO and 2 tbsp Curry Powder until the pieces are no longer pink in center, set aside.

2. In medium size mixing bowl, combine Mayo and remaining 2 tbsp Curry Powder until thoroughly mixed.

3. Add the cooked Chicken, chopped Apples, Raisins, Almonds, and Celery to the curried-Mayo and mix well with spatula. Refrigerate.


THREE steps?! AWESOME!! For me, texture is key; that's why I love the crunchy/chewy nature of this recipe. Its totally versatile as well. Don't like raisins? Leave them out, or substitue another dried fruit of similar size. Hate celery? Try subbing cauliflower in its' place! There's a million ways to do it, just pick your favorite.

Here's the best, Best, BEST part for me: this recipe makes 7 (that's right S-E-V-E-N) huge sized portions. That's one for every day of the week! Here's another kicker: each serving had only 247 measly little calories! Add a 100 calorie sandwich roll (I recommend 100% Whole Wheat Oroweat Sandwich Thins-find them in the bread aisle), pita, or tortilla (or two!), and you've got yourself a filling lunch for only 350 calories! Who doesn't love that?? Everyone can get behind a meal that's easy to prepare, lasts all week (without getting mushy, whoohoo!), tastes great, and is great for you!

I make it at least twice a month, and it never gets old because you can change it up every single time! Got kiddos? Try packing all the ingredients in their lunch separately and asking them to mix it together in the cafeteria. Send a tortilla with them and voila! Instant healthy lunch-able with about half the calories for about half the price, and double the nutrition!

Add in your favorite veggies, or dried fruits and let me know what you think! Ladies and Gents, I give you Curried Chicken Salad! And that is what's on our Kitchen Table for Two tonight!!

World's Smallest Cupcake.

On Saturday Bunnie and I met our
friends at the Vista Theater on Sunset.
{The interior is an elaborate dream.}
While waiting on line,
I sampled the tiniest cupcake ever.
It was adorable.

I'll have the Monte Cristo Sandwich...

...and one order of congestive heart failure please. That is how one should be required to order this particular entree at the Blue Bayou in Disneyland. As my husband and I just returned from two wonderful days at the park, I cal tell you this: we walked over 5 miles both days, and I have still gained approximately 27lbs from this sandwich. So why, why on earth would I order such a health risk? It. Tastes. Like. Heaven. I figure, I have this sandwich about once every 3 years, which gives my arteries just about enough time to recover from the damage they sustain every time.

I generally like to keep the recipes on here under about 600 calories a serving. WARNING: The Monte Cristo plate is roughly 1388563239 calories per serving - but worth it, unless your name is Jillian Michaels. If you are not from or have never visited the South, and thus have no knowledge of the Monte Cristo, here's the jist: thinly sliced ham and turkey, and liberal amounts of swiss cheese, layered between two slices of Texas toast and deep fried. In fact, the recipe is so easy I should just call this post finished... However, there are some finer points to perfect Southern Cooking so, here I go!

It is possible to fix restaurant quality food at home, I've made the sandwich at home before, and while it can be quite messy (picture a large grease fire and me with no eyebrows...), the sandwich is worth the effort.

Ingredients:

6 thin slices of oven roasted Turkey Breast

6 thin slices of Honeybaked Ham

6 slices of Swiss Cheese (notice I left off the "thin" qualifier? ALWAYS go liberal with cheese)

12 slices of Texas Toast (use nice thick white bread, people!)

Powdered Sugar and Honey for garnish

1.5 cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

0.5 tsp. Salt

1.5 cups Water

1 Egg, beaten

Hot Oil for frying

Toothpicks


Here's what I did:

1. Prepare batter by sifting Flour, Baking Powder and Salt together. Add Water and Egg to dry ingredients and mix well.

2. Prepare sandwiches for frying by layering the meat and cheese between the two bread slices.

3. Cut the sandwiches into 4 triangles. Using the toothpicks, place one or two through each triangle to hold the "sandwich-ettes" together.

4. CAREFULLY dip the triangles completely into the batter, remove, and fry in hot oil at 360 degrees until golden brown.

5. Remove sandwich-ettes from hot oil, pat dry, sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with honey, and serve.


I personally reccomend serving them with grape jam for dipping (as do many other cooks), and also a side of Garlic Grilled Asparagus (I feel another post coming on!!). They also make a GREAT after-thanksgiving recipe. Lord knows I had ham, turkey and bread coming out my ears last year! And while it might cause your early death, the Monte Cristo Sandwich will certainly make your mouth happy! And that, ladies and gentlemen is what's on our Kitchen Table for Two once every 4 years =)

Souvenirs from Quartzsite.

My favorite find was a large agate/geod book end.
I've been looking for a reasonably priced set for
quite some time. It's such a fascinating addition.

For Bryan's prize I brought him home
some antler pieces, that were bleached
by the intense desert sun.
He absolutely loved them.
Both pieces complete an attractive
vignette on our parlor end table.

Polaroids: Quartzsite

I loved this round of desert Polaroids.
The sun was blinding and saturated the color.
I think my favorite is the carving and trailer.
What are your thoughts on the desert?
Love it, hate it? Never visited?

Desert Cities.

In the desert you'll find:
endless strands of turquoise,

rows of hand crafted dream catchers,

Native carvings, and occasionally me.

This weekend past I drove to my mother's beautiful new home in Arizona. I love stopping in the tiny desert cities between California and Phoenix. I enjoy the desert-scape view, open road, varied vegetation between deserts, and of course the local-yocal shops. In later posts I'll share with you my souvenirs, snap shots, and adorable polaroids from Quartzsite. Until then, hago shi {meaning good-bye for a short time in Navajo.}

Sunday Observations.

Bottle Brush Tree Blossoms.

Succulents kissed by the sun.

Remember.

Remember when my hair was ever so long?
Photo Street Cred: Chanelle