Noted on a Friday - Quick Holiday Re-Cap

{NYE 2014}

December and the first part of January ended up being crazier than anticipated. Flavio came down with a cold/flu? over Christmas week, and then I got it over New Year's week and it felt like we were still running around and overcommitted despite our maladies. But, the actual holidays were quiet and nice. For Christmas Eve we went to my mother-in-law's for tamales and Christmas movies, and for NYE, we got Indian takeout, built a fire at home, and snuggled up for our last night of 2014. Although I was under the weather, it was somehow a very memorable and magical NYE.

January, which usually drags, is flying! I've been doing some major cleaning (the nesting instinct is real, people) and have started reading baby and parenting books, thinking seriously about baby names, and generally doing all the prep stuff I had no time to do during the semester. We've also been making it a point to get out and get together with friends before we disappear into babyland, so that's been nice. I haven't had much time for reflection on the previous year as I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the changes that are coming our way quickly, but I'm looking forward to a quieter weekend in, working on some projects around the house, cooking, and generally getting my head on straight. I hope you have a great one. xo

{As the kids say, #nofilter}

{Christmas Eve, 32 weeks}

{While I've previously done cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, I might switch the tradition to this easier and equally delicious overnight French toast}

{Christmas morning, Guiri's gift}

{Rosca de Reyes, delivered by my mother-in-law}

Noted on a Friday

{rainy day pho}

It was a whirlwind birthday week and truth be told, I could use a drink right about now. It's been a great few days, nothing bad has happened, but I feel like I've been going, going for the last two weeks and would love a smooth and relaxing cocktail on this chilly Friday evening. A warm bath and fall-scented candles will have to do. What are you up to this weekend? We have our second hypnobirthing class tomorrow (I love it) and then I'm planning to nest -- re-arrange, clean out, and make space in our home. Then we'll be meeting up with old friends and doing some major grocery shopping on Sunday. With out-of-town visitors, Thanksgiving, and my baby shower (!) all in the next 10 days, I can't wait to spend this weekend chilling out and reenergizing. I hope you enjoy. xo

Some photos from the last couple weeks...

Tooling around on my parents' golf cart.

Sweet surprise from Flav.. an assortment of heavenly cupcakes.

Birthday morning.

Guiri sleeping on my shirt.

Thanksgiving - 2014 Blueprint

{2013 planning}

We are one week from Thanksgiving, friends, and I am getting excited to host again. We'll have a relatively small party this year, with just 6 people, but I'm excited to use this weekend to start the shopping and prep. Re-visiting last year's Blueprint helped, so I'm doing it again this year. This may be of no interest to anyone else, and after hosting for many years I could probably pull together a decent Thanksgiving in 6 hours, but I love the holiday scheming and dreaming, so here goes.

This year's Menu / Who's bringing what

Cider-Brined-And-Glazed Turkey (the most mouthwatering, fall-off-the-bone recipe there is)
Apple, Sausage, and Parsnip Stuffing (make half unless you're feeding an army)
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
Clinton Beans aka Green Bean Casserole with Gruyere and Criminis
Double-Dutch Mac and Cheese with Chard
Yams - Decided not to do this year because I am the only one that eats them
Cranberry Sauce - buy pre-made at Trader Joe's
Silvia's Famous Enchiladas -Flavio's mom is bringing
A really good salad -- Flavio's mom is bringing
Dinner rolls - my mom is bringing
Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Whipped Cream (making 2 this year as one went so quickly)
Apple pie - my mom is bringing
Wine - red, white, sparkling - various guests are bringing
Beer
Coffee
Sparkling water and limes for me
Flavio will be mixing this year's signature cocktail: Poinsettias !

So far I have:
Done nothing except write this post and delegate food for guests to bring.

Tomorrow I will:
Make my grocery lists.

Sunday I will:
Do the first round of grocery shopping
Make and freeze my pie crusts
Cube and dry bread for stuffing
Make sure Flav picks out festive beer

On Monday I will:
Work all day :(
Spend the evening making our annual Thanksgiving trivia game
And maybe come up with one other table game -- I thought these mad libs looked fun

On Tuesday I will:
Make one last grocery stop
Do all the prep -- chop, measure, store
Brine the turkey Tuesday evening

On Wednesday I will:
Make the pies
Clean the house
Set the table
Buy fresh flowers, gourds, and other decor
Make the mac n cheese
Make the stuffing Wednesday night

On Thursday I will:
Wake up early, put on music, stuff and get the bird in the oven
Peel and make mashed potatoes
Make the Clinton Beans
Bake remaining stuffing
Make spiced whipped cream for pies
Reheat the mac n cheese
Take Guiri to the park and exhaust her so she is not a psycho when everyone comes over
Watch movies throughout the day, revel

Most importantly, I plan to be conscious of the meaning of the holiday. It's so easy to get caught up in the rush without stopping to slow down, feel grateful, savor, and enjoy family.

Some related links:
Photos and re-cap of last year's Thanksgiving
The ultimate guide to Modern Thanksgiving Etiquette
Last year's signature cocktail, Cranberry Margaritas
One of my favorite quotes on gratitude
An essay: It's decorative gourd season, motherfuckers

Noted on a Friday

{signs of fall in the neighborhood}

Welp, this week was a weird one complete with an emergency trip to the vet and for a broken pawnail, and an Ebola scare and evacuation during my Thursday morning classes. TGIF. Despite these obstacles, things feel abuzz on the homefront. Halloween decorations are mostly up, costume ideas are in progress, and I can't help but feel giddy about all my favorite holidays on the horizon. We've got an action-packed weekend ahead complete with a friend's birthday brunch, some baby shopping and registering, and a fall-themed potluck on Sunday. I'm hoping to squeeze in some baking, Netflixing, and general relaxation in this lovely cooler weather. Here are some memorable moments from this week.

{her bandage melts me}

{my favorite kinda lunch: homemade pumpkin soup with cheese/crackers}

{delighted by the recent baby gifts that have arrived on our porch}

{'tis the season}

Noted on a Friday

{Guiri volunteering to taste our anniversary cake}

So a quick update. I have been sick as a dog off and on for the last couple weeks -- we even had to cancel our anniversary camping trip to Lake Arrowhead :( -- but I am finally feeling better, thank god. Flavio's been coming home from work early, bringing me saltines and gingerale, walking Guiri, rubbing my back, and reading me stories in bed. What would I have done without such a sweet nurse to take care of me? Surely I would've died. Thank you, Flavio; I love you.

For obvious reasons, I haven't taken many pics, and am too lazy to upload the few I do have. Some things to note on this Friday, though..

Boyhood. Have you seen it? I can't stop thinking about it. It's truly unlike any other film. Loved.

Humans of New York has become my all-time favorite blog. A photographer shoots people on the street and captions the beautiful photos with quotes from the subjects. Some are sweet, some strange, some are just heartbreakingly beautiful. I love the bigger message behind this blog: we're all in this crazy human struggle together.

Weirdly, the only thing my sick stomach has wanted lately is beef. More specifically, hamburgers from Five Guys in Hillcrest. I've had one per week for the last two weeks and I officially declare: I like them more than In N Out. Yep, that good. Apparently, Obama is also a fan.

My brother is moving back to Cali, just 2 short hours from us. Yay!

While holed up on the couch, I've been watching a lot of Kitchen Nightmares. Gordon Ramsey is sort of sexy, no?

What are you up to this weekend? I am hoping to bake this ricotta cake and we're meeting some friends for dinner tomorrow night. Feels good to be back in the land of the living. Enjoy. xo

Around Here

Hello there! It was a relaxing, fun week in this fair city. It really feels like summer around these parts, and it's delightful. My brother and nephew came for a visit last weekend, so we hit up some good eats, and Flavio took the first part of last week off to hang with me. Staycation bliss. This past weekend treated us well - dinner with Jan and Gary, a little shopping, and lots of time outside in this gorgeous weather. I am back to work today, but figured I'd pop in with some lunchtime procrastination.

Lately I've been:

Researching a possible anniversary camping trip for July. Beach or mountains?

Waiting for a good movie to come out, and excited to see this one in September.

Reading Operating Instructions and cracking up. Thank god I'm not the only one who catastrophizes everything.

Taking less pictures. Sometimes I just want to be in the moment.

Feeling nervous about the next 7 weeks. Summer school is always good, but so.much.work.

Feeling excited that might parents might be moving closer to us. At least temporarily.

Listening to bits of Passenger's new album. A lot. Buying it tomorrow.

Hoping I can come up with some actual blog posts that might be useful or informative to others. I'm in a blogging slump. It's just so sunny out, I don't want to be on my computer. We shall see.

Waiting to go home at 4PM to play with my little lady. See her sweet new summer 'do below.

Happy week. xo

Before and after.

We've been into playing cards and board games in the evenings. Feels like summer camp.

I interviewed my mother in law about her dad, professional soccer player Rodolfo Torres. Facinating. Blurry photo, but isn't Flavio his clone?

We celebrated National Doughnut Day last week with an early early morning date.

Noted on a Friday

Well, I did it. The Spring semester is over. Woot! I had really great students this time around, and the end is always bittersweet, but I am looking forward to a little time off before the summer session starts. It wasn't a terribly busy work week, so I'm not sure where all my time went... Actually, that's a lie. I've been busy working my way through three seasons of Call the Midwife (so sad it's over!);  we drank and jacuzzi'd and brunched with friends for Memorial Day weekend; Guiri and I have spent hours in the sunshine; and we've been hitting up some new restaurants (Circa, meh; Brooklyn Girl, delightful; Queenstown Public House, love!). Other than that, looking forward to ringing in June (OMG) with a visit from my brother and nephew tonight and having the next 10 days off. I hope you have a great weekend. xo

A few random fun moments from this week...

Sunday morning football at the park.

Park followed by a new ritual: heavenly croissants and good, caffeinated coffee at Cafe Madeleine.

Channeling our Mexico trip with this sweet papaya.

Guiri waits for dad every evening.

The best dinner: a cheese platter made from whatever you have in the house.

Noted on a Friday

Mercury was in retrograde recently, and I think that's why things felt off-kilter this week. Nothing terrible happened, I just felt grumpy and tired, which means I am welcoming the weekend with open arms. We're off to Korean BBQ tonight for a paleo feast with friends, and then we're excited for a visit from my cousin and her new baby tomorrow. It will be fun to do San Diego-y type things with out-of-towners. Flavio's been hinting about a very non-paleo mystery date on Sunday, so I'm also looking forward to that.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend. xo

Here are a few things that brightened my week...

Sunday night Oscars treats. Loooved the speeches, the gowns, and Ellen this year.

The best thing about teaching: the students. One of my best brought me Havainas and the sweetest note from her trip to Brazil. I was so touched.

Walks with this lady are my antidote to the mid-week blues.


Currently eating: this paleo chocolate chili. Totally hitting the spot on this cloudy Friday.

Weekending, In which Guiri has a cold

It was a somewhat stressful weekend, and I tend to not take pictures of stressful. On Friday Guiri started coughing and by Saturday morning she had what sounded like full-on bronchitis accompanied by fatigue and phlegm. We debated taking her to the animal ER as our regular vet was closed, but decided to make her our magical chicken soup with extra bone marrow and let her sleep in hopes she would heal herself. Sleep she did. All weekend. It was sad to see our usually bouncy, smiley girl looking so miserable. She slept most of the day Saturday and Sunday, but then would be up all night coughing and snorting. We were so worried - I kept asking Flavio to get up and make sure she was breathing - so needless to say we got very little sleep. We think she might have kennel cough. On the upside, our friends brought over a humidifier, so hopefully we'll all rest better tonight, and Flavio's taking her to the vet first thing tomorrow morning.

Despite this bummer, we did carve out a few happy moments. We brunched with dear friends this morning, watched Thelma and Louise and a lot of House of Cards (holy crap! Season 2 is blowing my hair back!), ate way too many chocolate covered treats, and generally lazed about at home while nursing our little lady. It was nice quiet time.

Get well soon, Guiri girl. xo

{Valentine's squirrel from Anya}

Weekending

We spent Saturday in Temecula at a friend's wedding, which was lovely. The groom is Flavio's childhood friend, so it was like a high school reunion for the guys. It was a love-filled night, with great food and lots of celebratory booze and in the midst of the party, a couple things occurred to me. (A) We are getting older - lots of people there, our age, have children who talk and play and entertain themselves. People kept asking whether we have kids and I just showed multiple photos of Guiri. :) I know I've said it before but it was a reminder: It's time start making some decisions about children, but this book is scaring me off.  Also, it shocked us all to realize it's been 18 years (!) since Flavio graduated from high school. Whoa. Yep, getting older. (B) Flavio gave a beautiful and heartfelt toast to the newlyweds and I couldn't have been more proud. There were multiple points in the night where I'd look over at him telling a story or a joke, and I'd be struck by how handsome he looked, and how funny everyone thought he was. Sometimes, in a crowd, you get to see your partner through other people's eyes, and realize how lucky you are.

Nothing too terribly exciting on this Sunday, actually, but it was nice. Flavio went to play paintball with his friends in the morning while I slept in and lazily nursed my hangover with eggs and a marathon of DC Cupcakes (so embarrassed to admit I love that terrible show). This afternoon, we went to the dog park, cooked this delicious chicken, and slowly got ready for the work week ahead.

Valentine's is a comin'! I'm excited. I think I might do a week of heart-filled goodness on the blog. I realize some people are skeptical, or hate the holiday, but maybe just play along. I promise I'll try not to trigger your gag reflex.

{tulips, Trader Joe's}

{wedding, end of the night}

{toast!}

Weekending, quick notes

It was one of those beautiful wintry weekends, with moody skies that were sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy. If only I'd gotten pics.

Saturday Flavio worked so I held a cleaning party at home (I like to add music and/or movies and snacks to my cleaning extravaganzas) while this awesome chili bubbled on the stove. Saturday night we warmed up with said chili and then watched Drinking Buddies on Netflix, which we both liked. Cold nights at home together, in socked feet tangled on the couch, are my favorite.

Sunday morning I baked cookies for a friends' Super Bowl party. I was really there for the company, snacks, drinks, and commercials - while everyone else was really into the game. My favorite part: Bruno Mars and the Chili Peppers in the halftime show. Dancey!

We're now home for the second half of the game, Guiri sleeping on the floor, Flavio with beer in hand, eyes glued to the TV. Meanwhile, I'm watching highlights from the Puppy Bowl, blogging, and eating leftover cookies fireside. Delightful.

PS: I haven't seen all the Super Bowl commercials yet but I did see this one and loved it. :')

PPS: I love the time capsule aspect of blogging, that I can scroll through the archives and see what last year's Super Bowl weekend looked like. Re-reading old posts brings past memories and feelings right back.

{Sunday night, cookies and crackling fire}

Soak

My love of bubble baths has been documented on my blog (here), and it's finally gotten chilly enough to indulge these last couple of nights. How gorgeous are these bath time photos? It's a rainy lunch hour here and I'm dreaming of my nightly bubble bath with lavender epsom salts. Bring it.

You know how when you're swamped you gets tons done, but when you have more free time, you slack? That's been me lately. Not as busy as last semester, but with stuff to do, to grade, to prepare, to clean, but instead I've spent the week soaking up this (amazing!) read, watching this (stupid) show, and trying out a couple new recipes including Scallops with Apple Pan Sauce (so good) and Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs (easy and delicious).

I'm hoping the rain sticks around for the weekend. xo

{Photos via}

Happy National Chocolate Cake Day!

It was just another manic Monday until my colleague informed me today is National Chocolate Cake Day. Oh my gateaux! Who knew?! I'm so unprepared. I don't even have my party hats ready. So I alerted Flavio and I'll be stopping at Twiggs on the way home for a heavenly slab of chocolate cake and two forks to-go. I like to keep a bottle of bubbly in the fridge for impromptu celebrations, so that'll make for a perfect pairing.

Just so I'm not caught off guard again, here are some other National Food Days of note:

February 20 - National Margarita Day
March 3rd - National Mulled Wine Day (mulled wine should not be in March..?)
April - National Grilled Cheese MONTH
May 14 - National Buttermilk Biscuit Day
June 14 - National Strawberry Shortcake Day
July 29 - National Lasagna Day
August 20 - National Bacon Lovers' Day
September 12 - National Chocolate Milkshake Day
October 21 - National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
November 18 (my birthday) - National Apple Cider Day
December - National Egg Nog MONTH

more food holidays listed here

Yum.

{Photo via Pinterest}

Weekending, Hibernation

I have had a looong winter break and I am itching to get back to work, which is a good thing, right? I feel like I've been in hibernation since the New Year and I am realizing something about myself: I need hibernation, a complete disconnect every now and again. I think we all work differently, and I find that I like to operate at 110% capacity for about 85% of the time, surrounded by people, and then spend the remainder doing absolutely nothing by myself. Flavio seems to operate at a slightly lower intensity all of the time, and thus doesn't need to completely shut down every now and again. I think we get about the same amount of stuff done, so it all evens out.

I've spent most of the last week in hibernation mode. Some people might call it lazy but I'm rebranding it as hibernation. After a crazy semester and busy holiday season and generally being super-efficient for the last four months, I realized I was barely pushing through at the end - there was no more powering through - I was exhausted. And basically, I don't want to be just barely pushing through my life.

So, I am going to pay attention and give myself more permission to take breaks, including on the blog. When I started this blog last year, I had a self-imposed posting schedule and would try to get on here 5 days a week (which let's face it, barely ever happened).  I love writing here, but sometimes I am so tired that I cannot be asked to make decisions, about anything, including blog posts, so I need to allow myself to take sporadic breaks from blogging and from everything. I might lay in bed and read books and watch 3 rom-coms in a row and take a one hour hot bath if that's what's needed. And I refuse to feel guilty about it (see this post on the importance of calm and this one on the busy trap.) And always, after some time in hibernation, I suddenly find myself wanting to blog, cook, hang out with friends, and generally rejoin the living world, ramping back up to my 110% self. That's where I am right now - ramping up and recharged.

Does this seem crazy? I know this might sound like a dysfunctional cycle, but I'm realizing this is how I've always worked, I'm forever on a semester system, so I'm embracing it. Now that I'm all recharged, I'm ready to share my weekend with you, but alas, hibernation does not make for great posting. Here are the bits that I do have...

We've been mostly Paleo eating since the New Year but took a break Friday night to gorge on El Comal's heavenly Mexican food.

Saturday we did chores, went out to lunch, hit up the dog park, and came home for wine and cheese paired with the movie The Guilt Trip. People, Barbara Streisand in that movie IS my mother in law. It was so hilarious to us, only because we can relate so closely. Haha!

{Saturday night movie}

Sunday morning we cooked up a storm, went for a long family walk, and then Flavio went to a bar with his friend to watch the Charger's game, while Guiri and I snuggled on the couch to read books. I've been a gluttonous reader over this holiday break. In case you're looking for a few good reads, I loved The Dinner, The Tender Bar and A Spot of Bother. All three about families, but all three very different from the others and each very good.

It's a sunny Monday morning, I made us a paleo pancake breakfast, and now I'm off to walk Guiri in this unseasonably warm weather. No polar vortex for The Whale's Vagina. I hope you have a great day. xo

{sunny Monday morning}

Margs & Salsa Verde

I am married to a wonderful man. This man can cook. This man is Mexican. This man has taught me to cook some amazing Mexican food. To celebrate all those things, and the fact that it's been 75 degrees here, I decided to bring back Happy Hour at Home with a taste of summer in the winter: strong margaritas and homemade salsa verde. In other words, a fiesta.

Flavio taught me to make salsa and his mom taught him. The legit method is to roast your tomatillos, onions and jalapeno in cast iron, which works great, but is hell on your skillet and horrible to clean up. So, we finally got smart and realized you can roast everything on a foil-lined baking sheet and the whole process is smoke and mess-free. Orale!

Salsa Verde

Measurements here are obviously estimates, but you really can't mess this salsa up. Every time we make it it's slightly different, and that's part of its charm.

About a pound of tomatillos (maybe 7 - 8 total tomatillos, depending on size)

About 1/4 pound pearl onions

1 - 2 spicy jalapeno(s)

1/2 cup packed cilantro

lime juice to taste (about 2 Tbsp.)

Kosher salt
(You can also roast garlic and/or serrano peppers - I just didn't have them on hand)

Preheat broiler.

Pull off and discard tomatillo husks, rinse tomatillos and set aside. (Don't the husks look like little green ghosts? Delightful.) Set one tomatillo aside.

Place tomatillos (except one), jalapeno and onions on baking sheet lined with foil and broil for 5 minutes, or until charred. Flip everything over and broil the other side until charred, about 5 minutes. The tomatillos should be soft. Let everything cool.

Pop the onions out of their skins. Remove jalapeno stem.

In a food processor, combine peeled onions, charred jalapeno, charred tomatillos, any juice on the baking sheet, the reserved uncharred tomatillo, and the cilantro and pulse until it reaches salsa consistency. Stir in lime juice and salt to taste. 

I hope you have a spicy weekend! :)

Weekending, Christmas!

As expected, Christmas was quiet but lovely this year. I am usually in charge of something - desserts, appetizers, cocktails, playlists - but I was a complete Christmas Eve guest, responsibility-free, which was sort of nice. The relaxation spilled over to my blog and as much as I missed being here, it was a good little break.

Flavio and I try to be minimalists about Christmas. There are no oceans of wrapping paper, no endless rounds of opening, no piles of presents. Just some small stocking stuffers and a couple of meaningful things each - a nice scarf here, a good book there - and then we always choose something we can do together - an experience. So this Christmas we planned and booked a trip to Playa del Carmen for April.  Yay! Our formula for Christmas fun: food, music, movies, and simplicity. For us, it's the way to go.

{Christmas morning light}

Christmas Eve we had posole dinner with Flavio's mom.  We watched hours of A Christmas Story, ate a ton, and the three of us toasted at midnight. There were the usual family quirks, but it was a cozy night and we were happy to be there. I was missing my family but then something huge occurred to me... Flavio and Guiri are my family! This realization gave me a bunch of warm fuzzies and I went forward enjoying the holiday, feeling happy for my parents that they were in Hawaii, adding my own Clinton energy to my newish little clan.

{giant pot o' posole}

{Christmas Eve}

{posole, lime}

Christmas day we woke up late, opened presents, made a big breakfast, and went to our annual Christmas day movie to see The Wolf of Wall Street - which reminded me of Goodfellas, but funnier. I loved it and thought Leo did an amazing job keeping us entertained for three hours. We finished off the day with a sunset trip to the dog park, Guiri looking festive in her Christmas scarf.

{Guiri's present}

{new toy}

{She loves sleeping, playing and hiding behind the tree..?? Haha!}

{dog park, Christmas day}

Each Christmas, we try to get a new ornament and it's one of my favorite traditions. Here's 2013's bauble - a porcelain santa bell. Isn't he sweet?

The week between Christmas and New Year's always feels like limbo, waiting for more holiday fun. Friends were out of town and Flavio had to work, so I entertained myself with a lot of at-home movies, cooking, long walks with Guiri, and some obsessive de-cluttering and organizing. Sometimes, nesting alone in our sunny house feels blissfully meditative.

{lounging}

Highlights of the weekend included a mystery date to The Haven for pizza, sightseeing downtown to visit the new Central Library (gorgeous!), library book reading, lunch with friends from out of town, dinner with Jan and Gary (our San Diego parents), and hours of our new TV obsession, Homeland. It's totally addictive and is partially filling the Breaking Bad-sized hole in my heart.

{top floor, Central Library}

{Coronado bridge, Central Library}

{The greatest gift is a passion for reading. Central Library}

{book, blanket}

{just in case there weren't enough Guiri pics in this post}

{Sunday night, Homeland, wine}

I get to see my best friend of 22 years tomorrow. Anchorman II, tooling around, and a lot of laughter all on the itinerary.