Every once in a while it hits me as to why I live in Southern California. It can be crowded, it can be hot, it can be smoggy, and it is always expensive. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not leaving. But here’s why: Continue reading
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The Solution
When asked to join some friends for dinner, I offered to bring an appetizer. They were making curry, so I wanted some flavors that would blend with curry. Cumin is a central curry flavor, so I hoped that baba ganoush would be a nice match. I love baba ganoush, the Mediterranean roasted eggplant dish that is garlicy and citrusy. The problem is that Alex is allergic to eggplants, which puts my baba ganoush consumption well below the desired level.
So, what’s a girl to do? Continue reading
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Sharable Moments: December 2016
Where did December go? Honestly, I’ve never been so busy in my life. I was so busy that I was terribly deficient keeping up on the blog posts. Thank goodness for 1) Amazon, 2) Door Dash, and 3) Coffee. I suspect January may be the same. Here’s what I’ve been up to: Continue reading
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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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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
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Light it up
December is one of my favorite times of the year in our neighborhood. The holiday lights perfectly highlight the unique features of each of our homes. While not the most fantastic, over the top, display you will see, it is simply beautiful. The volunteer neighborhood association holds a lighting competition and winners are announced mid-December and a lighted sign is placed on their front yard. We have awards for the Most Whimsical, Most Continue reading
Neighborly Life 