Christmas Weekend: Long and Gone

I can't believe this holiday season is coming to an end. It was the busiest one we've had in all the years I can remember. It's a good thing though because we were able to spend most of it with friends and family.

Life is funny, when I started this blog I wanted this year to be the best, it was going to be memorable, full of fun filled times and new experiences and that's exactly what I got. Although I had hoped for a more smooth sailing type year rather than what it turned out to be which was a roller coaster ride. Most importantly though, I was not on this ride alone.

I look forward to the New Year, but I don't have any resolutions. Every resolution I've made, I ended up blowing anyway and how many times can I hope to lose weight. So next year I just want to enjoy things as they happen, keep my expectations at a minimum, leaving enough room for any surprises both good and bad that may come my way.

That weekend began with driving out to Antelope Valley with Steve’s mom and her boyfriend to hang with his sister and her family. This year was her year to host the family holiday get together. We alternate between her and us. So next year will be my year and I am already planning for a big fete. I’m hoping we get our dream dining room table by then. There is this really rustic piece that I want and since it is wood, and wood is the traditional gift for a 5th year wedding anniversary, we plan on getting that together instead of individually gifting each other with something. My style is modern, but I think the rustic element of the table will add extra warmth and charm to our living/dining room area.


It was a lazy day of chit chatting, eating, and what else, playing a lot of Rockband. Steve’s sister bought the game right after she came over and had a chance to experience the awesomeness of the game. We had the nephews on bass and guitar, I was on drums and Steve was the lead singer. We rocked Stone Temple Pilots’ song Vaseline. We didn’t spend the night there and headed out at about 11pm.


The next day, we went to meet my friend H and her boyfriend for some German food. We had brunch at Alpine Village Inn. We had our little gift exchange and ate a whole bunch of sausages aka wieners (I laugh every time I say that). There were a ton of cold and warm dishes to choose from as well as several different types of desserts and free flowing champagne for $15 a person. Now that's a steal. For the place being so close to home, we have never had brunch there. H’s boyfriend is German/American so he has been there many times and picked the place. It was a good choice. I really liked the black forest cake. We stopped at the deli next store, to pick up some wieners to take home and looked for some German Gewürztraminer wine, but we found only one, without several choices to choose from we passed on it. But we came home full and happy.


Christmas eve, we headed to Steve’s grandmother’s house in OC for his dad’s side of the family’s traditional holiday celebration. There were lots of little kiddies running around and of course everyone was asking us “when do you plan on having kids”, my reply this time, was “we’re ready whenever”. So that made everyone excited and after all these years, they might actually get to meet our creation……one day. We caught up with his cousins, Aunts and Uncles, but his grandma retired early into her bedroom. She has been in and out of the hospital since Thanksgiving, so she wasn’t feeling all that good. She was a delight to see, even though it was for short minute, but I could tell that she looked a bit frailer than the last time I saw her at the family reunion.

After that, we came home and opened all our presents. I made out like a bandit, Steve does not disappoint in the gift giving category. I received lots of fun stuff. Although, only 2 things were from my list, the rest was still very thoughtful and just what I needed.

Some of my favorite things were the cookbooks that I received (we are big into cook books) and the ultimate cooks' tool, the knife. I don't own a whole array of knives. I have my one chef's knife and a paring knife. But with the skills I've acquired through the years it was time for me to upgrade to a professional grade knife. I've been looking into getting a MAC (recommended by chef Marcus Sammuelson), Shun (a Japanese company that use to make samurai swords), or Global (highly recommended by Anthony Bourdain). But what I discovered under the tree was a MAC knife. It was beautiful and the blade on that thing is sharp as hell.


[barefoot contessa at home, thanks Jolene!!!]

[all about braising]


Other fun stuff from Steve:

Dwell bedding:


Pendleton blanket (big Pendleton fan, we now own 4):



A flash for my camera (thanks Brian for guiding Steve with this purchase):



Wreck This Journal: It's great fun, "perfect for the perfectionists" like myself. It's already taught me to loosen up a little.



Christmas morning, we invited his dad over for some home cooked breakfast of french toasts and the sausages we purchased from the German deli. We exchanged a few gifts and the rest of the day was spent on cleaning, watching tv, surfing the web, and dreading going to work the next day. I hoped everyone had a wonderful holiday!!!!

Sooooo Cute

Bored at work so look what I found, This is hilarious and very cute. Why do I even have to be here today. BOO!!




Hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas =)

Lovers and Fighters

Well, what do you know, one more wedding snuck up on me this past Friday. I thought I had gone to the last one of this year a few weeks ago, but a couple of good friends of mine, R and L, who I met at a gym where I use to train in the Muay Thai martial arts got married!!! It was a very simple wedding at the courthouse that morning (which I was unable to attend) and then a lunch reception at Creme De La Crepe in Redondo Beach.

The food and company made the lunch reception so enjoyable and to know that you are celebrating the marriage of two people who really belong together just made me feel all warm and cozy inside.

Thank you guys for letting me share in your special day and congratulations again.

[The beautiful bride and her prince charming.]

[Escargots already removed from their shells---phew, glad I didn't have to re-enact that scene from pretty woman]

[just lovely, but watch out, she can kick your ass]

[the groom---he's a lover and a fighter, he's won all of his fights thus far and he makes crepes too]

[Scallops and potatoes au gratin]

Heaven on Urth

Well not really, but it was pretty darn good.

Saturday, I woke up bright and early, about 7:15am to be exact and made my way up to Santa Monica to meet Jolene and Nanette for some bread pudding at Urth Caffe. It was super hard to get up that morning after having gone to bed at around 1:30am the night before. Thank god we got there early and found the perfect outdoor table, the place started filling up at about 8:30-9ish.

It was a perfect way to spend my Saturday morning by the beach sitting outside and soaking up the beautiful sunshine and of course chatting up a storm with two lovely ladies. Despite seeing each other on Thursday night, we still managed to have stuff to talk about.

We all ordered the bread pudding with warm cinnamon apples on top and steamed milk on the side. It looked very small in the display window, but when it came out it expanded about ten-folds. Especially after adding the milk. I couldn't finish mine. We also had thinly sliced fresh fruit and I had a cup of Matcha Green Tea. Delish!

Thank you ladies for a wonderful morning, let's do this again soon =)

Home for the Holidays

This holiday party idea sprung up pretty much last minute. I mean we had our tree shipped in from North Carolina and no one other then us was even going to get to enjoy it. I had 2 weeks to plan, create, and execute. A week before the party many of my lunch breaks involved running to Wholefoods and Penzey's and after work, I would slave in the kitchen cooking and baking and not to mention having to clean. Of course I had my sidekick, partner in crime, saucier, sous chef, ice cream maker, homeboy husband to help me with all of this.

[braised short ribs, almond lace cookies and chocolate truffles]

[burratta pancetta crostini, mini macs, and blood orange french75 cocktail]

I took Polaroids of everyone who came and had them write a wish or saying on their pictures and hung it on the tree. Hopefully if we host future holiday parties they'll be more pictures to put up.

[our frasir fir tree in all it's glory and the polaroid that i snapped of my friend and kind of missed, she was kind enough to draw herself in]

Santa and his motorcade came down our street that night as well, with police escort and all. With holiday music blaring from the Santa Mobile and sirens flashing, Santa made a stop in front of our house. At first, I think our friends were a little freaked out by what was going on, until we explained that the city does this every year (for many many years), where Santa makes his way down every street in town before Christmas and how lucky for us, it happened to be the night of our party. It's fun for the kiddies and adults. A few of us girls, cocktail in hand went to sit on Santa's lap. I over heard a cop tell another cop (jokingly of course) "great! just what Santa needs, a bunch of drunk girls sitting on his lap."



Also, a few of my blogger friends and friends who blog stopped by J, N, R, and G. I also had a professional photographer on hand. Well, not really, one of my childhood friend Brian is a wedding photographer in LA/OC area and I was so excited when he brought his mega pro and expensive camera to my party. During the course of the night he was snapping away and teaching me a thing or two.


I think in the end our efforts were well worth it. I *hope* everyone of our guests had a good time and felt the holiday spirit and warmth of our home. I am truly blessed to have such great friends =)

The breakdown:

Menu:

Signature Drink:
Blood Orange French 75 (the classic French 75 is basically Champagne and Gin, but since blood oranges are in season we added them in)

Hors D'ouevers:
Crisp Pancetta, Burratta, with Tomatoes, Basil, and Arugula Crostini
Mini Macs with Three Cheeses
Vegetable Crudites with Lemon-Pesto Goat Cheese Dip

Main:
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Swiss Chard and Pearl Onions
Pureed Potatoes
Horseradish Creme Fraiche Sauce

Dessert:
Fudge Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Almond-Orange Lace Cookies
Chocolate Truffles
Meyer Lemon-Chocolate Tart

**check out more amazing pics at my friend Brian's, he's a very talented guy who knows his craft, book him now hahaha


[west siiiiiiide]


[childhood buddies since kindergarten and the photographer himself Brian]


I'm a rockstar in my very own rockband, the name is NAMASTE hahaha

Just A Quickie

It's starting to look a lot like christmas 'round here.

Earlier this week we recieved our tree. It came all the way from North Carolina via the UPS man. Call us crazy, but we can't have Christmas without a Frasir Fir tree. Ever since I moved out to Cali years ago, I've always ordered my trees from back east. It's now become the G family tradition. The tree is nicely decorated with ornaments from years past. This year I didn't have to buy a single piece of ornament, well I am still looking for that perfect tree topper. The one I have now, has been around for a while, but I was never crazy about it. Also, a few years ago, I made some picture frame ornaments out of mini popsicle sticks, added some glitter and put some photos of family in it and this year I will be adding more photos to them.

I just finished the first of 5 wreaths that I am making. I am making one for each window to hang inside of the living room and dining room area and one for the front door. This project cost me under $10 bucks. I got all my supplies at Joann's and they were having a sale too. I *borrowed* some of the greenery from the bushes around my work.

I have so many little projects here and there that I need to have done before our little shindig next week.

I will be making some pillow cases to cover the existing throw pillows in the living room. I have some silk shantung lying around to make the pillows cases and lucky for me they are in the right colors, blue and green, which has been my holiday colors for the past 3 years now. And not to mention a lot of baking.

I also wanted to thank my loyal readers for supporting this blog. I am sorry that I have not been able to leave comments as often as I use too (I still stop in to read it though), but once the holidays are over be prepared for the onslaught of comments =).

The Last Wedding and Rock Band

We attended one of Steve's childhood friend's wedding over the weekend. It's the last wedding we will go to for 07. Yippee.

It was held on a yacht named the "Icon" in Newport Beach. It was cold and cramped, but it was still a happy day.

What do you get for a couple who seems to have everything, I mean they're both pharmaceutical sales reps. Well, we didn't know where they registered and I knew that I had to get them something that was more of a keepsake and become an heirloom piece down the road. I opted for the Tiffany & Co. black floral platter. I hope they like as much as I did. I did not want to part with myself. Boo!


Anyway, aside from the wedding we attended. We played a lot of Rock Band. From the makers of Guitar Heroes, Rock Band involves, well a band. Our band is called P.D.R (People's Democratic Republic, don't know how we came up with this, but it's very punk rock I think). I'm the drummer of course, I think that's a very kick ass thing for a girl to be. Steve's on guitar. Rock Band is so much fun and I think I found my new calling. We also trade off singing on occasion. I love playing OK Go's "Here it goes Again" and The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop". Stay tuned for tour dates, we might just be playing in a city near you.