Easy Dessert Pear Recipe

Over the holidays, we found a simple dessert that would compliment our heavy dinners consisting of roast turkey and mashed potatoes. It was light and refreshing, but still satisfied my nightly craving for something sweet. Using semi-sweet dark chocolate, we melted chips over the stove and dunked our pears top-up. After roasting a few fresh almonds and crushing them with a mallet, we rolled our chocolate dipped pears into the nutty crumble and let cool. We enjoyed cutting slices and sharing - such a simple recipe that is perfect for anyone looking to wean themselves off the sweets.  

Festival Style: Boho

It seems like everyone has already geared up for the summer festival schedule, especially some of my favorite retail outlets like ASOS, Anthropologie and even J. Crew. With the festival circuit just a few weeks away in the San Francisco Bay, here's hoping that our notoriously grey summer weather unveils a few purely un-stereotypical summer days. 

The boho-chic trend is constantly a favorite for festival season, and I was even surprised to see that my local J. Crew started filling racks with some seriously frilly, '70s style duds. I love how Free People constantly provides an outlet for care-free style, and that ASOS always offers authentic leather frills, flowers and fab fashion. 

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Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop

I'm usually plugged in to Pandora at work, and have found some great artists over the years (my roomie and I used to visit local San Diego venues like the Belly Up on the regular to see random acts we found through the musical site). Landon Pigg's "Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop" is one of those favorites. Hope it cheers up your afternoon. 

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My SF Life Thru Instagram

Enjoying the fall weather

The devil within from Mission’s Craftsman & Wolves

The Giants 2012 World Series Parade

The view from my Bernal Heights abode

Oyster shucking at Hog Island Oyster Company

Bernal Heights view

I’m a Lyft driver!

A classic Blue Bottle combination

A sip of Ritual Coffee from Hayes Valley

 Bowling the night away

A pop-up restaurant in Oakland

The ladies during a white party

My first Giants game of the season

The greenery in the city still astounds me

Color in Oakland's Temescal District 

Spare ribs in Oakland

A Home Worth Living In

There's something so exhilarating about taking a home tour that actually looks lived in. More often than not when I'm scrolling through some of my favorite blogs or perusing through Pinterest of stunning home interiors, I think to myself "Is that even livable?" When I was still contributing to the San Diego Community Newspaper Group, I was introduced to a number of amazing homes in La Jolla. Once particular abode still tickles my interior design fantasy for it's concrete interior, natural use of light and family style kitchen. Though the home owners were less than pleased with the resulting images, I am rather fond of the livability that is revealed in a place that breathes comfort while still exuding sophistication. (yes, that is an Aemes Chair). 

Surviving Green Hearts Frankie

Apparently I was living under a rock {I'm usually aware of fantastic fashion bloggers}, but I just discovered Frankie Hearts Fashion. Her effortless and wearable style is right up my alley - wearing clothes that I can actually see in my closet, and afford for my closet {including this asos number that is currently on it's way!}. I can't believe I didn't know about Nicole's sweet SoCal style, but to say the very least she's my new BFF. 

High & Low

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I've always been inspired by color. But up until a few years ago, I was a plain Jane. I saw women wearing fun accessories and bright pink shoes, but couldn't ever bring myself to add those fun additions to my wardrobe. Now I'm all about adding a bit of flare to every ensemble, even if it comes in the form of a blue sparkly ball {one of my favorite accessories that always starts a conversation} or bright pink flats. 

Beach Essentials

My Beach Essentials 

Tory Burch printed top 

Anthropologie underwire bathing suit 

Havaianas slim shoes 

Sperry Top-Sider straw beach tote 

J.Crew striped hat 

Karen Walker Eyewear Northern Lights - Crazy Tort

Time for Tofu

I enjoy Pinterest for many reasons, but I have found that the only real-life piece of information I can actually relate to are the recipes. My "Tummy Goodness" board is filled with an obscene number of delectable treats - from chocolate donuts to tofu recipes. 

I adapted Season with Spice recipe one afternoon when I needed a little pick-me-up. I had the tofu and the panko flakes (something that had been lying around in the kitchen for too long), and added a few asian inspired sauces to the soy sauce when everything didn't add up. I would have enjoyed the fried tofu alone, with a little drizzle of sriracha, but thought the soy sauce bit was fun for the afternoon.