Bastille Day Celebration

None of us are French, but my dear friends and I decided to celebrate Bastille Day anyway. We love cheese, champagne, and pretty much all things French, so why not, right? It's basically an excuse to get together to drink and eat fromage. 

Apricot Stilton, Rosemary Asiago and a Chipotle and Cranberry White Cheddar.

Olives, cornichon, green apples, grapes and dried apricots rounded out the meal.

Not exactly French, but we liked the label for obvious reasons.
The grenache was actually delicious with our cheese smorgasbord.

Here's the table view.

Macarons from Layer Cake Bakery

Post-celebration breakfast: lovely leftovers of Blueberry Chevre on La Brea Bakery Bread.

Turnip Love

I've always loved turnips. 

Perhaps an odd choice of affection, but really, their gorgeous fuschia top melts into the creamy white of their base. And their shape isn't rough and porous. It's curvy and smooth. Sensuous, really. And inside, their pungency counters the otherwise delicate flesh.  

Well, my affection was renewed when my lovely friend, Juli, gave me this beautiful offering from her garden. All of the turnip love came rushing back. Perhaps there hasn't been a better specimen than this one raised from the earth by my dear friend's hands. Quite the gift.

Lessons in Light

This photo was a happy accident. And it was another lesson in light and seeing. 

The reflection emerged in an unexpected place. 

And I've learned from chasing stunning sunsets and mini rainbows that everything can change... 

from one second to the next...

And it's not all about the equipment. Even though I'm coveting a Nikon D7000 (but not the price tag), these were all taken with my iPhone 3GS without apps, filters, etc.

It's a good lesson in life.

Happy New Year!

My dear friend Tamara gave me a big box of fortune cookies for Christmas. It's a miracle that any lasted to this day because I love them so much. 

Fortune cookies, no matter their murky origin, always make me think of possibilities and luck. Sure, it's like reading a horoscope or playing the lottery. But isn't that kind of irrational reasoning part of the quirky joys/privileges of being a human? 

This year, I haven't made any concrete resolutions. For a while, I played with the idea of going vegetarian again. But there's the eternal foil: bacon. Work out more, find better work, etc. Might as well pull out last year's list (and all the years before that). 

Instead, I've decided to refocus energy on creative adventures. That's how I started this blog -- by taking a photo a day with my little point-and-shoot. What I didn't realize is that it would awaken a latent passion in me. 

Taking a photograph -- no matter the instrument (cell phone, point-and-shoot, DSLR, etc.) -- is a slice of pure pleasure. No one else has to approve. It's the taking, the creating that is the joy in itself. To have others enjoy the images are a different layer of joy, which I've come to appreciate. But even if no one sees them, the satisfaction of their creation lights you up from within.

Happy New Year! Wishing everyone good fortune, love, happiness, and creative inspiration!

2010 Lessons

A few brief lessons as 2010 comes to an end: 

Remember the simple joys of being a child. 

Like making sugar cookies. Ray and I felt like we were five years old when we were decorating these. And by the look of them, five-year-olds might as well have made them. 

But that's part of the lesson, too. Not having to be perfect, trying to simplify. These are from Trader Joe's DIY Sugar Cookie Kit. Yes, a kit! They were so easy and surprisingly delicious.

Less stress = more joy.

And they were a pleasure to give away. As one colleague said, "These cookies have magical powers. They made me forget my horrible commute."

Cheers to the power of food -- creating, consuming, sharing.

 Simple gestures are often the most beautiful. 

This gorgeous gift is full of sand from the beaches of a faraway place I'll probably never visit. But my dear friend brought these tiny granules back for me, placed them in a little orb, and created a beautiful memory. 

Possibilities are everywhere.

Even though we said no gifts this year, my stepdaughter gave us these sweet little things. These lovely notebooks remind me of the joyous possibilities of a blank page.
They nearly giggle with optimism.

Who knows what the next year will bring? This last year, I took a few risks, and they paid off in unexpected ways. And for whatever reason, I do feel optimistic about the year ahead and am ready for some big, positive changes.
May the year unfold and bring peace, joy, and inspiration to everyone. 

Happy (almost) New Year! 

Thanksgiving 2010

Like last year, we tried to make the Thanksgiving feast a bit lighter, simpler, healthier. 

The turkey was from Trader Joe's again. It's much pricier than a supermarket special, but it seemed worth it to us. And we're grateful we were able to have one.

I usually go a bit overboard, even when I'm trying to simplify. But this year, I came closer to narrowing the focus and not making as many dishes. The day was much more relaxed and everyone seemed to enjoy the food.

One pleasant surprise was a green bean salad. I blanched fresh green beans from our local produce stand, then cooled them, tossed them with halved cherry tomatoes, a granny smith apple chopped, a bit of fresh parsley and Trader Joe's fat-free balsamic vinaigrette. Unfortunately, I didn't take a close-up shot of it, but you can see it peeking from behind the turkey. It was a refreshing alternative green side dish -- quite festive and can be made ahead of time.

For the mashed potatoes, I used chicken broth, salt, pepper and a touch of nutmeg again. No butter or milk -- and they actually were quite light and delicious. No one missed the dairy. 

And the peels looked strangely beautiful. I set them aside and baked them with a bit of olive oil. I'll have to experiment a bit more, but it seemed a shame to throw them away. 

Roasted tomato salsa, fresh guacamole, cranberry sauce, rosemary rolls and goat cheese with herbs de provence rounded out the meal.

And for dessert, I made another Tarte Tatin with fuji and granny smith apples. Next time, though, I might just use a less tart apple than the grannies. The flavor might be more subtle, though this one was still delicious. 

 And the apples looked so lovely -- clothed and unclothed. :)

Cheers to a happy holiday season!

Very Cranberry

First sign of the holidays -- making cranberry sauce from scratch today!

After years and years of buying canned cranberry sauce and actually enjoying the little "kerplop"of the crimson cylinder, I made cranberry sauce for the first time last year. 

I was immediately won over and decided to try again this year. Luckily, it stores so well, I could make it early. 

I started with these fresh beauties from Trader Joe's. 

Then squeezed 1 cup of fresh orange juice.

Sprinkled in 1 cup of sugar.

Then added a little bouquet of 5 allspice seeds, 5 whole cloves, 1 1/2 inch of cinnamon. I didn't have cheese cloth, so I used a tea ball, which seems to work just fine. 

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. Simmer until thickened, about 25-30 minutes. 

Mmm!

Pretty Pan Dulce

Ray loves pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread), but I usually don't care for it too much. It can be quite heavy and either too sweet or too bland for my taste.

But I stopped by El Molino del Oro yesterday and saw this pretty pink pan dulce. It was actually really delicious and light -- so much so that we gobbled up all three pieces and I didn't have time to take a photo. I had to pick up another one today. Oh, darn!

Cool Personified - CicLAvia

Cool Personified - CicLAvia, originally uploaded by unjapark.

It's hard to imagine anyone cooler than these two dudes -- on bikes.

Later on, they got pulled over by cops (also on bikes). I was thinking some choice words about the police (NWA, anyone?), but then they surprised me.

A couple of the police officers wanted to actually sit on the bikes. Afterward, they all shook hands and went on their merry way.

How cool is that?! That's the way to roll. Viva CicLAvia!

CicLAVia - Dia de Los Muertos

CicLAVia - Dia de Los Muertos, originally uploaded by unjapark.

Awesome company to cross over the 4th Street Bridge in East L.A.! Andale, CicLAvia!