Newport Beach has a funny tradition of dressing up their boats with all kind of holiday lights and parading around so everyone can gawk at the yachts. I’m sure it all started in jest, showing off our nice SoCal weather and such (Rose Parade Style) as the rest of the nation is covered in a blanket of white snow. But now, it is quite the affair. I love it, Continue reading
Month: December 2016
A sticky situation…
At Christmastime, we have a holiday ritual. We head to my mom and stepdad’s house for Christmas Eve dinner. The next morning we wake up and head back to their house for stockings, presents and “Teacher Appreciation Eggs.” We head back to our house for more stockings, presents and Alex’s mom’s tamales. Finally, Continue reading
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A “Scent”-sory Story
Alex and I spent the first week of December in Napa Valley. Whenever I teach in Northern California, we try to make a weekend out of it. We just happen to hit “the valley” at the perfect time. There was a chill in the air, and no tourists in sight (except us, I suppose). We got a beautiful room at Southbridge in St. Helena on the main road, complete with a fireplace, 135 degrees of windows, overlooking our favorite Continue reading
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Familia
Alex’s mom makes the BEST tamales. They are made with multiple dried chiles, which are soaked overnight, ground, and then stewed with pork, wrapped in masa, and sprinkled with two secret ingredients. It takes three days to make them. Tamales are a tradition of the Christmas holiday for countless families. It’s a tradition for the families because it literally takes an army to make these tasty treats, between stewing the meat, making the masa, and spreading the masa. Continue reading
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The Joy of Holiday Lights
About a week before our neighborhood holiday party a few years ago, I got a frantic text from our neighborhood social director Ashley. She had just been told it was her job to decorate our neighborhood Christmas tree (yes, we have such a thing), but nothing had been done yet! The horror! She needed decorators and decorations, STAT. So, Continue reading
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Feelin’ Lazy
The other night, I was too lazy to go to the store. I’d been running all over town gathering goods for the Thanksgiving feast, however, I had not so conveniently forgotten that we have to eat in the interim. Fortunately, I had grabbed a bag of onions for the feast, and I didn’t need all of them. As such, French onion would be the soup du jour. Continue reading
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Fancy, shmancy
Mother’s Market has the freshest, most amazing, fish. Whenever I pick up a filet from Mother’s I want to make sure I make a special meal. What could be more special than Salmon en Croute. Sounds and looks really fancy, Continue reading
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Sharable Moments: November 2016
This month has been a month of parties, celebrities, inspiration and feasting. I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced so much this month. Here’s what’s been keeping me busy: Continue reading
Neighborly Life 