Surprise Weekend!

Last weekend was full of surprises - literally!  Lisa flew in from Portland to surprise Leslie for her birthday, and Sharz flew in from SF to surprise both of them!  I was the master secret coordinator, and you have no idea how hard it was for me to hold this all in for weeks!  I almost blew it once, but luckily, Sharz saved me on that one.

This is how it went down:  Lisa and I woke up super early on Saturday and headed to the grocery store to pick up some mimosa supplies.  Sharz was already there, waiting for the perfect moment to reveal herself.  Naturally, Lisa and I went straight to the in-store coffee place to grab a cup, and that's when I spotted Sharz hiding behind a post by the chips.  You have no idea how hard it was to not burst out laughing.  Then we headed toward the champagne aisle but paused by the Easter desserts long enough for Sharz to sneak up behind Lisa and wait for her to turn around, and then...SURPRISE #1!  Lisa shrieked in the middle of the store and it was so fabulous!

Then we headed to Thyme Cafe to pick up some (ah-mazing) pastries to bring Leslie, and headed to her apartment.  Lisa and Sharz hid on the sides of the door, and I knocked, heard the door lock click, and the knob turn, and then...SURPRISE #2!  I think I gave Leslie quite a shock waving champagne in her face at 9am.  She had no idea what was coming.  Before she had a chance to recover from her minor heart attack, Sharz suddenly appeared behind me with a picnic basket and...SURPRISE #3!  And then for the grand finale, Lisa popped out with a cupcake in hand for SURPRISE #4!  Whew.  I can't believe we pulled it off!

Once all the secrets were revealed, we had a mimosa toast to celebrate the birthday girl.

And then we headed to Heaven (aka Malibu Wines).  Should you ever need to find me on a Saturday from now on, you'll know where I am.

When you walk in, you get your glass and a bottle of wine...

find a grassy spot...

and lounge...

really lounge...

Seriously the best Saturday place ever.  And did I mention there's live music too?  Yeah!

And some billion dollar 'grams for you from Lisa:

Such a happy birthday day!

Birthday Weekend (No. 2)

On Sunday morning, I woke up to the cutest surprise birthday brunch.  My parents had set the whole thing up, invited over family and a few of our closest family friends, and my mom decorated the dining room beautifully.  We made savory waffles with parmesan and parsley, and sweet ones with cinnamon and berries, and my grandma made chicken-mushroom-wine pies wrapped in filo, and a fantastic napoleon cake.  And there was carrot cake, too.  It was delish!

{Stepford-husband face}

{grandma's cake}

{Emily, whose wedding my mom and I will be photographing this summer!}

 

(In case that made you hungry, too....)

Savory Parmesan-Parsley Waffles (recipe from William Sonoma Kitchen) 

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated

2 cups milk

2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 1/2 Tbs. minced fresh chives

1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 tsp. salt

Poached eggs and bacon for serving

Directions:

Preheat a waffle maker on medium-high heat according to the manufacturer's instructions. Preheat an oven to 200°F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, butter, cheese, parsley, chives and rosemary. Over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture and whisk until smooth.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the whites into the batter, then carefully fold in the remaining whites.

Pour 1/2 cup of the batter into each well of the waffle maker. Close the lid and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until the waffles are golden brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the waffles to a wire rack set on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining waffles.

Serve the waffles warm with poached eggs and bacon.   Serves 4 to 6.

Birthday Weekend (No. 1)

Last Friday was my birthday - my 26th!  I was lucky enough to have two birthday celebrations this weekend, and I've got another one to look forward to next weekend up in SF!  Here are a few pics from the celebrations this weekend to brighten up your Monday :)

Friday night, Brian took me for oysters and wine at Gladstone's in Malibu.

And Saturday, I got all my new LA friends together for dinner and drinks at Naresh's, a cute place super close to our apartment.  There was  pizza, prosecco, and a delicious red velvet cake from Susie Cakes (thanks, Stef)!

{p.s. I'm really excited about that new chair}

To 26, and all the adventures it will bring!

A Feast Fit for a Cowboy

You know how they say you should never eat something bigger than your head?

Well, they're wrong.  If it tastes like this did, then you should eat as much of it as you possibly can.  And then eat the left overs the next morning for breakfast (yep).

{rib-eye and restaurant-style smashed potatoes via the Pioneer Woman}

Lest you think we are gluttons, I should explain that we don't usually eat like this.  (And by "like this," I'm referring to the 4 sticks of butter, 1 pint of sour cream, 5 strips of extra thick bacon, 1 pound of cream cheese, and the handful of unnecessary grated cheddar that made this meal a feast fit for a cowboy.)  

But yesterday was a special occasion -- Brian's birthday!  When I asked him what he wanted for dinner, he first insisted on a "roast" of some kind.  As a girly cook, I have no idea what that means, so luckily, I convinced him that a "roast" would be too hearty for a summer dinner, and that maybe he should consider something more seasonally appropriate (Me: "a roast? ...umm...isn't that something people in the movies eat at holidays? ...).  So steak and potatoes it was.  And where else to turn when faced with making a man-meal but to the Pioneer Woman?

I am not a devout Pioneer Woman (aka Ree Drummond) fan like many of you probably are, and this was the first time I have used her recipes.  But now?  Now, I'm a true believer.  She really does know the secrets to man food; I mean, fried onions in potatoes?  And Lawry's seasoned salt on your steak?  As a snobbish eater, I was skeptical to say the least.  But I did it, for Brian's sake.  And it was so wrong, and so right.  Fatty, salty, heavy, cheesy.  So easy, and so guiltily good.  I salute you, Ree, and your cowboy recipes.

{strawberry shortcake cake}

And this cake.  I cannot even talk about this cake.  There are about 8 pieces left over in my fridge, so I suggest you come over and have some ASAP.

Fresh strawberry filling (you mash them with sugar and let them get all juicy) and cream cheese frosting.  It's even better than what you're picturing in your head.  Please make this recipe immediately.  And bring your extra frosting over here.

This meal was so big that it prompted Brian to ask if he could just roll off his chair and sleep on the floor instead of having to walk the 5 steps to bed.  Lesson: eating like a cowboy is hard work.