Dispatch From LA

cooking

I am here today cooking, eating, reading, and walking.  I've found a fabulous wide trail along a creek to walk.  The best thing is that it's only a few miles from my house.  But more on that in another post!

I've been rediscovering the pleasure of cooking.  Making several recipes through the week and keeping leftovers in the freezer for the next night.  This is slow cooked jerk pork which I made in my crockpot by following THIS recipe from Skinnytaste.

The salsa on top has avocado, mango, lime, cilantro, and red onion.  Complete deliciousness.

Earlier in the week I made chicken enchiladas in an adobo sauce.  Very spicy.  Very good.  I highly recommend Skinny Taste.  The site is extremely easy to navigate and there are a zillion recipes to try.  Sort of like the Pioneer Woman minus the butter & sugar.

I came home from my walk and plopped down in a chair outside for a long read with my kindle and a cold glass of water. The winter storm we had earlier this week landed in Kansas.  My sister is carrying a snow shovel in her car.  That's a true story.

I have a new little photo link button thing in my sidebar called EAT & DRINK.  It has a combination of things I've cooked and restaurants, cafes, dives I've been to at one time or another. This post is heading there in fact, as soon as I click publish.  

I'm gradually getting more road maps & signs in place so you can find what you're looking for over here at DFLA.    There's another section of the blog now called LA STORIES - up top in the navigation bar.  Well those two...they were twisted up pretty good.  But I instructed the categorization center of my brain to sort things out.  I think I've pulled all the restaurants out of LA STORIES and vice versa.  There are still a couple of overlaps.  I'm less agitated.  That's all that matters.

lunch date

hello burbank!

the other day i skipped up the road for lunch with my oldest friend in LA.  we worked together in the early '90's  when we were both 20-something party queens.

now she's a ma with a couple of teenagers and i'm a 50 year old blogger who drinks beer with my lunch.

it's thanks to lianne that i'm living in moss cottage.  10 years ago she was my realtor and called me late one night to tell me to get my arse over to see the little house on the little hill in the big city.  i did and the rest.  well the rest is history.  it was love at first sight.  we wrote up my offer and submitted it.  i was positive that i wouldn't get it.  but due to the power of negative thinking I DID!

anyway, back to 2013 and our lunch date, she suggested we meet at the GRANVILLE since it's close to her work.

holy mother of good ideas!  

i tried a blue moon, which is an unfiltered beer they serve with an orange slice to enhance the "orange" flavor.  i'm thinking someone needs to buy some and keep it in her fridge.  you know.  in case guests drop by.

um.  let's discuss figs and bleu cheese and pinenuts and red onion and roast chicken.  on a pizza.  okay?  i'll go first.  i only have one thing to say:  D E L I S H

i'm still working on my blog makeover.  now that i have yellow diagonal stripes every single post is going to have yellow in it.  so it will match.  you don't care do you?  most of my links are working.  i've redone my navigation bar again.  links are back in the sidebar.  i'm almost finished moving the furniture around.  almost. 

Good Grub

over the weekend a friend and i visited GRUB in hollywood.  it's in an old house on a little residential street.  just like the house your aunt critch might live in.  if she lived in hollywood.  and painted her walls yellow and her chairs green and hung little lights everywhere.  and never took down her christmas decorations.  and rolled out a purple welcome mat and said, "come on in y'all!"

like that.

i wasn't in the mood for breakfast.  so i didn't.  i lunched instead.  it was good.

lewis shared her crack bacon with me.  no, that's really what they call it.  if you go and order some you'll know why.

we ate our grub and yacked about future roadtrips across the continental divide.  and stared out the window.  content in each other's company.  on a gray saturday in february.

put me on a leash

yesterday i pulled every ounce of culinary wizardry out of my hat and somehow made this chicken pot pie completely from scratch.  the recipe came out of my head.  there's a lot of junk in there rattling around so frankly, i don't know how i accomplished this.  but it was amazing.  okay, okay.  the crust was pre-made.  this is the safeway brand from von's which was extremely delicious and better than the name brand i've tried before.  i only got it because they were out of the name brand.   and i only put one crust on the top because that's what the recipe that came out of my head told me to do.

also this has broccoli in it.  also this has a layer of parmesean mashed potatoes hiding under the crust.  whaaaat?  i was just following the recipe!

can one of you please come over here right now, put on my leash, and take me out for a walk?

okay.  thanks.

i finished The Age of Miracles.  really liked.  and i started this because i read this:

“Leave it to Peter Heller to imagine a postapocalyptic world that contains as much loveliness as it does devastation. His hero, Hig, flies a 1956 Cessna (his dog as copilot) around what was once Colorado, chasing all the same things we chase in these pre-annihilation days: love, friendship, the solace of the natural world, and the chance to perform some small kindness. The Dog Stars is a wholly compelling and deeply engaging debut.” —Pam Houston

which basically made it irresistable. i sure do like it.  i tried in earnest to read the 3 samples i had lined up HERE.  but they didn't take.

i watercolored my letters while my sister & i facetimed.  she worked in her visual journal.  we set up our ipads on our art tables and yacked.  plus we listened to dog days are over by florence + the machine.  because they almost are.  over i mean.

thursday

have you ever had a spicy mexican margarita?  ay yi yi!!!

you can get a really good one at senor fish in little tokyo.

i know because i went there after school with a teacher buddy of mine.

hot & delicious.  here are the ingredients:

Real De Mexico Reposado,Fresh Pineapple,Cilantro, and Serrano Pepper with a Splash of Fresh Lime, Pineapple Juice, and Agave Nectar

we sampled several different types of margaritas.  their classic on the rocks version was good too.

i had a wild day on several fronts and an ice cold spicy hot drink was just what i needed to soothe my savage inner beast.  ahhhhhh.

 a nice cantina full of boisterous laughing people.  so refreshing!

relief is on the way.  it may take a month, but mr. ODD{oppositional defiant disorder} will be leaving for a special school soon that is better suited for his particular set of issues.

i'm trying something called The Nurtured Heart Approach.  susan w., a teacher i met right here on DFLA, recommended it.  i've enrolled in a free online class to learn more and got a book too.  i'm a total novice, but one of the tenents of the approach is not to excite negativity.  if you walked in my room you would not know i was losing my mind.  i appear calm.  i am devising my unfathomable plans.  and in the meantime am doing my best to  CALM my hot writhing cadre of special needs children.  

the life of a monkey whisperer is never boring.  never.  ever.

i drove home through a maze of traffic.  

i should have swung by and picked this fellow up on my way to the cantina.  

we could've sat on the patio and painted cardboard signs.  discussed sun tzu or the mars rover - curiosity.  

~

another quiet but large thank you for the well wishes.  there are so many.  i am so touched.  and as betsy wrote below, the ideas are germinating.

yes, they are!

Mary Ann, there are a lot of good ideas in these comments. Ideas like seeds planted in your mind. Surely something is taking root and starting to push it's way up. I await what you come up with.

also thanks to dear gwen delmore for telling me about this book:

i just started it and can't read it fast enough.  thrilling!

did you take my forks?

i have not just been sitting around staring into space.  oh no sir i haven't!  i've been reading my unputdownable 11/22/1963

  and if you think it's all about JKF and grassy knolls you'd be wrong.  it's about time travel.  

TIME TRAVEL people!  

 compelling & well written.  plus it's giving me some good ideas about how to build a time machine.  because you know...that's me...always trying to hatch an escape plan.  i can't help it.

and also i've been going out to breakfast with my best breakfast buddy

skipping back in time to the era of diners.

and grits.

just don't.

and on the ride home we passed by this house from a certain FX series...do you know?  do you watch too?

SO NATURALLY i had to jump out and take some pics.  and a kitchen window was open so i climbed in and took these.  except after my country fried steak i sort of got stuck on the ledge and my friend lewis had to yank me down and i ripped my pants.

sorry.  i like to make up stories.  these forks are from norway.  {dish towel too} which i bought because i happen to need forks because for some strange reason i cannot fathom, forks go missing in moss cottage and i'm convinced my friends are stealing them when they come over.  well someone is!

maybe it's YOU.

i made gazpacho!

 
i am HOOKED on Sarah Carey.  just love watching her daily cooking videos.  yesterday i made gazpacho.  i read pioneer woman's version and also remembered things a spanish friend of mine told me about how adding bread makes it creamier.  in other words i gathered evidence and then did my own thing.  but sarah inspired me, and my version is much more hers than PW.

in the photos above you can't see the red wine vinegar or olive oil.  everyone agrees really good olive oil is the key.  i like mine smooth not chunky so i used a strainer.

naturally the photos above are starring another dishtowel i got in norway.  

about the gazpacho...i forgot the red pepper.  but even without it, completely delectable.  seriously luscious.  crazy good.  all that.

i just had a bowl with crispy croutons on top.  oy.

i got 2 more crocheted panels for window tops at the aalesund, norway antique store i mentioned in the last post.  2!  a set!  ORANGE!  

they may as well have had my name on them.  when i took them to the counter the proprietor laughed and said, "the '70s!"  apparently someone decided to experiment with tradition.  i'm totally in love, that's all i know.

i was so taken with this little project alice chiang is trying to get off the ground.  

go watch her video over at kickstarter.  prepare to be charmed.

apricots & norwegian dishtowels

i took these

and made this...

apricots, sugar, lemon juice.  simmering in a pot for about an hour.  using a potatoe masher every now and again to puree.  the result?  tangy ridiculously delicious apricot jam.

because i like it when moss cottage has sun pouring into her rooms, the air conditioner on, and a nice pot of jam simmering on the stove.  that's why.

also because what i know to be true about food was reinforced in norway.  fresh delicious food, thoughtfully prepared, and savored, but not overeaten can result in weight loss.  my sister lost 5 pounds and I lost 7 on our adventure in norway while eating like queens!  also walking up and down hills doesn't hurt.

so i am recommitting to cooking and savoring real food and getting my backside into motion more often.  

this apricot jam is for THIS sandwich...  I found the recipe over at martha stewart.  want one?  okay.  i'll make 2.

the dishtowels in these pics are designed by a talented bergen norway design duo MARLENE M.  

we discovered their store on our last day in bergen.  i always get an extra jolt of excitement when i find something locally designed while traveling.

luckily the little crocheted panel i found at another place fits perfectly over my bathroom window.  i got it in aalesund, norway at the most charming antique store TRANKOKERIET ANTIKK.  the kind smiling proprieter  gave me such good deals on the vintage things i found to bring home with me.  we enjoyed a locally made pear soda there in her tiny salon which overlooks the water {only a few feet below the floor length window}  the old sea house that the store is in reminded me of The Ghost & Mrs. Muir.  remember that?

anyway if you're in aalesund, walk over there and check it out.  she has a dazzling assortment of treasure!

it is wonderful to be blogging again on my desktop.  so much easier.  so much faster.  blogging from ipad is convenient and nothing beats it for travel, but oy.  it can try the patience.  and...make one very glad to get back to blogging the old fashioned way.

p.s.  if you know of any savory dishes with apricot jam please share.  i have an entire jar after all!

sunday breakfast club

i enjoyed alcove and will probably return to try something less spartan, but i won't sit inside again.  the tables are for dolls,  you have to wait in a line to order your grub, and water is self-serve and comes in plastic cups.  

 the ambiance is charming though!

what's in the paperbag?  i'll give you 3 guesses.

the nickel diner

The Nickel Diner.  Because you'll want to go.

The 5th & Main is what I'd recommend.  I'm the first to admit this tastes a bazillion times better than this photo would lead you to believe.

Maybe a gazillion.

You can hit the mean streets afterwards and go on an urban expedition.

This is almost across the street from TND.  Along with about PLENTY of other camera worthy sites.  

I told you.

Don't take your crappity crap camera like I did.

And one of these will surely be whirring overhead.  Covering the latest high-speed freeway car chase.  

Don't be cute and try to apprehend the suspects yourself.  Just don't.

Okay?

licaudo

this morning i went to the licuado shop on york here in highland park.

breakfast was calling me.

i've been wanting to try this little shop for awhile.  i decided to try something i knew how to translate.  which was numero 4.

the lady behind the counter whipped my strawberries, bananas, and walnuts into a light milky froth.  also she gave me a large, even though i ordered the medium.  this happens to me a lot.  but it is not something i complain about.

next time i'm going to have the escamocha.  either that or the chamango.  

i also took home some arroz con leche for safekeeping.

not for me!  in case a guest dropped by later.

sister, when you come out we're going here!  we can sit outside at the orange table with the plastic ivy plant.  you can knit.  i'll play words with friends on my ipad.

whadda ya say?

i made stew. then i ate it.

i only thought i'd made stew before.  i hadn't actually.  

fortunately last week my dutch oven cookbook arrived.  i read about it over on POSIE GETS COZY.

i've been getting cozy with posie for a long time so when i saw the book recommendation i assumed she left it just for me.  i mean i know she has other readers, but i doubt they all have brand spanking new orange dutch ovens.  like me.  i just bet they don't.

i was very pleased with the weird foil tip the recipe mentions.  any chance i get to do something strange whether in cooking or other life areas i seize the opportunity.

so i got my foil and i started seizing.

i did.

this is what happened.

i'm aware that a big pot of brown stew may look less than appetizing, but...

it was very extremely intensely wonderously delicious.  

it was all that.

just in case you were wondering.

and if you come visit me on facebook i'll give you the entire recipe.  instead of half.  

cupcake eating weather

I left school yesterday and my internal compass pointed me towards Auntie Em's.

I thought about the bread pudding, whoopie pies, and other delicacies, but settled on the red velvet cupcake.

A cliche I know, but some cliches shouldn't be abandoned.  

This is the cupcake that has launched 1000 ships.  And this is the place to get it. 

And I do adore a cupcake that is half frosting and half cake.  True story.

 It's been 100 degrees the last couple of days. Cupcake eating weather!  Um...right?

the flavor of summer

i found this bottle of st. germain in santa barbara.  

a friend's garden.  no relation between the two except the colors are so nice together.

elderflower liqueur + club soda + a tall glass of ice + a lemon wedge.

when i read about it recently i knew i would like it.  thirst quenching & very light.  {plus i love the story of how it's made.}

  imagine a drink the perfect flavor of summer garden.  this is it.

more st. germain recipes HERE.

where i fry myself up some doggone chicken!

If you were following THIS recipe and it said you needed a rack to drain the chicken on after brining in buttermilk and sea salt wouldn't you use your dish drainer?  I mean if you didn't have a regular rack.  A rack rack.  My SISTER seemed to think it was hilarious and strange.  I, on the other hand, thought it was a perfectly logical choice.  I guess I could have used the wire mesh paper tray on my desk.  Hmmmm...next time.

A summer without fried chicken is like a heart with no love inside.  A house with all the lights off.  A bottle of lonely peanut oil without a hot pan.  I won't belabor the point.  You're smart.  You get it.

Buck demonstrated his growing repertoire of yoga poses while I fried the chicken.  I showed my appreciation by not getting any flour on him.

Malo

If you don't make reservations at Malo they make you eat inside.  Even if they aren't busy.  Just in case you live in LA and you want to go here...

So we went into the dark interior with damask papered walls and it was fine.  More than fine.  But next time we'll make reservations.  Because outside looked so inviting.

um...I had 2 of these.  Because they go so well with the chili negro con chocolat salsa which is dark and velvety and looks so good on the hot chips.

I die.

Make This Now

Yes, that's a Miracle Whip lid on the lemon marmalade.  The last guest to visit Moss Cottage must have gone through my cabinets and hid the lids to my jars.  I don't know why people can't behave when they come to visit!  The label came from a cute little paper store in Rome.

I cobbled together several sets of marmlade instructions to come up with this.  It is enough for exactly one jar.  Perfect.

3 meyer lemons 3 cups water, 1.5 cups sugar

Quarter lemons, cut off stems, squeeze juice into glass bowl, slice super thin strips (pith, peel, everything!).  Add water, should cover all the lemon slices.  Cover and soak for 24 hours at room temperature.  Leave the seeds in the mix.  You could tie them in cheesecloth, I didn't have any so I didn't.  They have pectin which helps with thickening later.  I plucked mine out before cooking.

Pour into pot and simmer for 20 minutes, add sugar, stir.  Low boil for 25 more minutes, mas o menos.  Stir often.  Pour into jar.  Cool. Refrigerate. Eat.  Easy.

 Your mileage may vary.  I'm not known for precision when it comes to cooking. or anything else.

This is what the moon was doing while the lemons were having their water bath!

p.s.  the flavor... exquisitely lemony tart sweet taste of sunshine deliciousness.  100%

Email Hijack No. 11

Dear Sister:

As you know it is my duty to try and come up with a holiday appropriate martini for each and every family gathering.  This year I further challenged myself by only using items that I had on hand.  Here is what I came up with.  I call it "The Stars and Stripes".  You will see stars if you drink too many.

Here is the recipe:

 
1 oz frozen pink pink lemonade concentrate (I like minute maid the best)
1 1/2 oz water
2 oz plain vodka
1/2 oz blue Curacao

Shake the lemonade, water, and vodka together in a martini shaker and strain into a glass.  Carefully pour the blue Curacao down the side and it will settle on the bottom.  Garnish with a red twizzler or fresh strawberries if desired.  Enjoy.

xo

-Your older, clever, but not more beautiful, sister

Butterscotch Pudding

Let's take a little trip shall we?  To the land of butterscotch pudding.  The homemade kind.  The only ingredients not pictured are the vanilla extract, salt, and cornstarch.  Picture them in your mind.

 

I pretty much sort of almost not quite followed THIS recipe.  Yes.  It's totally true that evaporated milk does not appear in that recipe.  Which is why I added it.  For a grand total of 4 and a half cups of milk.  I could have substituted some of the evaporated kind for the whole milk.  Only.  I didn't.

 

I didn't know butterscotch pudding had actual butter in it.  It does.  It's good.  You stir it in at the end with the vanilla.  The whole effect is intoxicating.  Swoon worthy.  The aroma is bliss.  Mine probably has a milder flavor with the extra milk.  If you want a richer butterscotch-exploding-in-your-mouth flavor use less milk.  I'm also thinking coarse sea salt sprinkled on top = heaven on earth.  Next time.
 

I always wanted to press plastic wrap onto the top of cooling pudding.  That might have been my favorite part of all. 

 

I lie.

***********************

Some of my talented ROD students are selling their extra journals on ETSY.  Go see!

Jane's shop,  Laure's shop.

Susie's aren't listed yet, but she's working on it.  AND... Susie is having a giveaway HERE on her blog for one of her beautiful journals.

Butterscotch Budino

This week my sister and I shared this butterscotch budino with maidon sea salt and rosemary pine nut cookies on the side.  Sublime. That was after the Coach farm goat cheese, leek, scallion, garlic, and bacon pizza.  And glasses of Pinot right in the middle of the afternoon.  The early afternoon.  Pizza Mozzeria.  You come to LA?  You get your hiney over to Pizza Mozzeria.  STAT.

 

We visited my friend Joe.  He's starting a blog.  I can't wait!  I've visited his house before.  You might remember.

 

While Carol distracted Joe, I snuck this chandelier out to my car.  I have no qualms about stealing things from friends when they aren't looking.  None whatsoever.

 

In between eating and stealing we went to see the succulents at the Huntington Library & Gardens.  They were putting on a triple X porn show.  Voluptuous blossoms.

 

Dear Aloe Marlothii,   you bloom, I die.  Simple as that.

 

I didn't catch the name of this plump blue girl, but I thought hard about it.  All of that thinking made me hungry.

 

Yamashiro.   Who loves ya baby?   The Moss sisters, that's who!   

HERE are the rest of our dining experiences.

 

My Meterological Bliss

jiffy corn muffin mix + blackberries + peaches + egg + splash of milk =

This in 20 minutes!   

I'll have a side of berries with my blackberry muffins please. 

And a big stack of envelopes and assorted ephemera which arrived the other day from France by way of London.  Everything you see here plus an old blue silk frock of mine are going to be sewn together into a travel journal.  The details are very unclear.

I'm thinking security envelope pages.  Some vintage red pom-pom trim I just inherited.  Maybe a few plastic marquee numbers.

Sounds like a catastrophe in the making.  Whatever!  While I'm sewing, the reception is bound to come in clearer.  Naturally, I'll keep you posted. 

Thanks for all those weather reports.  My meterological bliss grows larger by the second.  Here in Los Angeles we've got mostly cloudy skies. Lows in the upper 50s to mid 60s tonight with Southwest winds around 15 mph in the evening. I woke up to soft drizzle.  Love these odd climate quirks we're having lately.

Where I Commandeer My Sister's Email

Here is a study in red.   Please note creation of new healthy drink chock full of antioxidants in right upper quadrant.  It is the Tanasi Lodge Cosmo - cranberry/pomegranate juice, gray goose l'orange vodka, and triple sec.  Drink one a day for maximum health benefits. 

Tanasi Lodge Cosmo:

2 shots gray goose l'orange vodka
1 shot triple sec
2 shots cranberry/pomegranate juice - new from ocean spray
(use 3 shots juice if you like your drinks on the weak side)
 
shake it up with ice and strain into a nice martini glass

                                                      ~

I've been sick all weekend with a cold.  Sniff, sniff.  Fortunately my unsuspecting sister sent this email a few minutes ago and ZAM ZIP ZOOM!  Instant post material.  I love to commandeer her emails and use them at will.  That's just how I roll.

Need a really fine garden blog to thrill and delight you?  Go check out THE GERMINATRIX.  Gorgeous photos & great writing.  A deadly combination.  Her garden was featured in Cottage Living some years ago.  Fortunately it's very close, so I can drive by and gawk at her front yard garden whenever I want.  So fabulous!

An LA Kind Of Blue + Video

Want an LA Kind of Blue martini of your very own?  Here.

 Pour into martini shaker w/ 4-5 ice cubes:

2 shots Hypnotique (french passion fruit infused vodka/cognac blend)
1 shot of coconut rum
3 shots pineapple juice

shake shake shake, pour, sip on your front porch while listening to Miles Davis.

This is the only type of martini we've been mixing since Sister arrived.  She concocted this recipe.  YUM.

I take her to all the best places when she comes to town. Go see.

John Muir Is My Co-Pilot

A blustery bright day in Los Angeles.  Good for rescuing the berries from the fridge and making jam.  Through the power of Google all things are possible, Amen.

One container each of the berries I had on hand.  1 cup of sugar.  Boil until 220 degrees.  One jar of summer ready to be refrigerated.  Easy as pie.   Ready to be spooned out as needed and deposited on the tops of warm toasty things.  All winter long.

Great thing about a ROAD trip is I can take as many books as will fit in my back seat.  No pack mule needed.  Found some real gems today at the library.  Including this.

Flying the coop at the crack of dawn!  Talk amongst yourselves until I get back.

7:03 p.m. 65 Degrees

This Christmas Eve a balmy wind has come to call. Today in the land of eternal sunshine the snow dreams were put on hold, the windows unlatched and opened wide. This is the first night in weeks and weeks that the heat hasn't been needed. But the air, warm or cold, isn't going to keep Santa at bay! No siree Bob! The cat posse is scanning the sky, eyes peeled for the magical team of reindeer pulling their special Christmas passenger. And down here on earth they are all set to chime the alarm. 3 meows in perfect unison will ring out across the house alerting me to hightail it outside with the camera. This is going to be the year. I can feel it.

Meanwhile the getaway car is packed and ready to head north. There's a real live Christmas Village to explore. A friend to meet. Pirate ships far out at sea to focus in on with my binoculars. Beaches to roam. And many many dogs wearing sweaters. Yes friends, I'm on my way to Carmel! And with any luck at all a great storm will blow in making it necessary to unfurl my raincoat and don my Astoria oilcloth hat.

The Merry Christmas collage above is on an 8x8 canvas. I sent that to my sister for her Christmas card. I had a grand time at the spraypaint station yesterday and today whipping up a small batch of mailart for a few special people. Those will be mailed from the road. 76 degrees is perfect spraying weather.

The bird theme continues. Today I used the giant bird mask over the blue-flowered vintage wallpaper.

Another unfinished page from the visual journal to be finished in Carmel. I never prep pages in advance so this is new for me. I'm strictly a one page at a time, one journal at a time person. The entire chaotic brain scan gets poured onto the page all at once. That's just the way I roll. But not this time.

In about three and a half minutes I'm going to be whipping up one of these babies in the kitchen. My sister will of course object to the way I've altered her recipe, but I can't help it. It's better this way. A perfect after dinner martini on a light-twinkling, magic-making Christmas Eve. Put on your party pants muchachos, the Key Lime Pie martini just pulled into town!

Okay and one last teeny tiny thing: THANK YOU. For continuing to stop by, and read, and comment, and share your thoughts, and ideas, books, music, art. All of it. Every last bit. xo