Inspiration.

The six months I spent "studying" in Barcelona are one of my most vivid and memorable of my life. I had been to Europe before, but with friends - the second time around, I was venturing off into an unknown city without even a familiar face to lean on. As luck would have it, I met some of the most amazing people...people who were willing to travel with me to far off places, eat everything in sight, and do a museum tour after a shot of Absinthe. 

Green Escape

We finally put together the blank wall in our kitchen. In about four months time it went from having some color...to paintings and shelves...to finally stuff on those shelves. We picked up the indoor plants at a local nursery during one of our weekend bike rides, on a hot and sunny Sunday that felt like summer - and I'm honestly surprised they lasted through the heat wave we had a few weeks back. 

One Letter

My Chemistry teacher asked us to write a letter to ourselves, to be sent a decade later. I was a junior taking what I'd hoped would be the final science class of my lifetime. I'd had the same group of friends for years, and the same crush for longer. Though the materials in the books didn't stay with me past my first year in college, that letter did - and for years, I thought about what I'd written and what exactly I'd remember.

Ten years later, the letter was only a faint memory. Until my parents reminded me of some boy, some long-lost friends and some big dreams. The friends are still relatively the same, the boy is only a faint memory and the dreams came true. Isn't it funny how things work?

{images from M.Dot design studio & Long Beach Antique Fair}

A Broken Yolk

This was an early morning splurge a few weekends back, using what was the last of my household's buttermilk. I used a simple buttermilk biscuit recipe, added a few homemade sausage patties, a sprinkling ofgoat's milk, sliver of tomato and salt & pepper for tang.

standstill

 

This man sat on the edge between a bustling Chicago cityscape. Isn't it strange that it's become rare to find someone so immersed in their own thoughts that they completely loose sight of useless distractions? Cars honked just feet away, and children haphazardly balanced between ledge and water as their parents mercifully played along. 

There aren't many moments where grown, successful businessmen feel comfortable sitting on this kind of edge - between relaxation and population. Instead, we comfort ourselves in knowing that we'll always have a friend in our cell phone...even if no one is on the other end. 

basil, pollo and mozza

 This weekend I was all about cooking, and after craving homemade pancakes last week I picked up some buttermilk for those - and finished off the carton with homemade biscuits and fried chicken. This was another craving that was one of the simplest dinners I've made - I just whipped up some chicken while the dough was rising, made some pesto and sliced the mozzarella - it was done in 30!

Goodbye, Summer

This was without a doubt one of my best summers ever {I even accomplished nearly everything on the list - the jewelry is a work in progress, as is the sewing}. Not only did I experience a few things I've been wanting to try for a while (Comic-Con), but I got to visit someplace new, kicked up my boots at a few concerts and put a dent in my new kitchen. Living with my best friend definitely pushed the summer into high gear, and it wouldn't have been the same without our new space. Though it definitely doesn't feel like summer is over (and won't officially be over for a few weeks), I've seen a few leaves fall and caught the taste of early morning darkness, to realize that it's actually here.

Pesto Surprise

We had a lot of fun cooking this past week, especially since I managed to buy - for once in my life - enough supplies to last me all five days. It made figuring out what was for dinner extremely easy, as well as lunches for work - adding this fresh pesto into my sandwiches reminded me of the days when I used to savor the brie and pesto sandwiches from my campus deli. I miss college.

Meats that Sparkle

Last week we had an impromptu dinner date at one of San Diego's hottest new restaurants - Burlap. Though I felt grimy after a full day in the office, the weather allowed a perfect afternoon meal outside, where we tried some local beers and a mixture of Brian Malarky's latest venture. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't much surprise when it came to the new menu (a la carte similar to his Searsucker downtown spot), aside from the location, but some of the hearty side dishes like cowboy ribs were supreme.