cowboy take me away

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending a few days in the wilderness, relatively detached from society.  On Saturday we drove up through Horseshoe Meadow to Cottonwood Lakes, and on the way through the boulders and warm hued grass, we spotted a lone man trotting along on his horse with his trusty dog running alongside.  It was what I would consider my first "cowboy" sighting, and as we drove along the barren road, I couldn't help but think how free he must have felt.  There was nobody for miles, only the wind and the mountains - quite the perfect place to dream.  

I wanna be the only one

For miles and miles

Except for maybe you

And your simple smile

Oh it sounds good to me

Yes it sounds so good to me

Cowboy take me away

Fly this girl as high as you can

Into the wild blue

Set me free oh I pray

Closer to Heaven above

And closer to you

Closer to you

- dixie chicks

plastic design

On my trip back to California from South Carolina I read about a partnership between Emeco and Coca Cola, which resulted in the 111 Navy Chair.  Made out of 111 recycled plastic bottles, the mix (60% rPET) is combined with glass fiber for strength and assembled through an advanced modeling technique using a proprietary manufacturing process (the chair is molded upside down at extreme temperatures).  The result is a sleek chair with structural integrity that comes in a variety of colors (my favorite is grass green).  For approximately $250, you can purchase the 111 Navy Chair at Design Within Reach, hivemodern.com, or roomandboard.com.

girls.go.grill

August's cooking club downtown yielded an outdoor feast entirely prepared on the grill.  Luckily La Vita has the perfect area for al fresco dining.  Another awesome night of cheers & chatter.

grilled hearts of romaine

grilled shrimp with papaya mustard

grilled mahi (or other light fish) with avocado, tomatillo & pineapple salsa

grilled peaches

beach. a place to regenerate.

I recently purchased a book, Beach a Book of Treasure by San Francisco photographer Josie Iselin.  I was window shopping in Solo, one of my favorite Solana Beach decor boutiques, and came across the book.  Between my studies of art and architecture, I already have quite the collection of coffee table books, but something about the images spurred the impulse purchase.  In her opening she states, "the seashore and its remarkable power for healing captivates us all." There is something to be said about the immense calm that can come from the magnificence of the ocean.  With the lapping rhythm of water, to the whistle in the breeze, or the fresh salty air - stress begins to fade and the breathes become slower.  Committed to looking closely at not only what surrounds you but also what is within you, the ocean allows us to clear our mind and presents the opportunity to look for beauty in change.  Just like each tide is new, our life can also ebb and flow, shifting to reveal new treasures.

steamed black cod with soy-chile sauce

With the recent opening of the Whole Foods in Encinitas, I find that as I give myself excuses that their meat and fish is so much better than the other grocers (this is debatable no doubt), I inevitably end up departing with a bag full of unnecessary overpriced health food.  But, in the recent issue of Bon Appetit, I decided I would take a stab at steaming black cod, a fish I rarely ever cook.  It was a very simple recipe that left the fish moist, and the sauce was full of flavor and zing (I also added an extra chile for heat).  I served this over pasta (as I completely forgot to get glass noodles).

Steamed Black Cod with Soy-Chile Sauce Bon Appétit | August 2011

by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

An aromatic broth of garlic, scallions, and ginger infuses the fish and helps keep it incredibly moist. Yield: Makes 4 servings 1 head of garlic, 3 cloves sliced, remaining head halved crosswise 6 scallions, trimmed, 2 cut into 2" pieces, 4 thinly sliced 1 5" piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into matchstick-size pieces 1/2 lemon 4 4-ounce black cod fillets, skin on 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Kosher salt 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 green Thai chiles or 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro Combine halved head of garlic, 2" pieces of scallions, 1 tablespoon ginger, and 4 cups water in a pot large enough to fit a steamer basket. Squeeze lemon half over; add lemon to pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer 1/4 cup liquid from pot to a small bowl; set aside for sauce. Add 2 cups water to pot and return to a boil. Set aside 1/4 cup sliced scallions and 1 tablespoon ginger. Line steamer basket with parchment paper. Scatter half of sliced garlic, half of remaining sliced scallions, and half of remaining ginger on top of parchment, spreading evenly. Coat fish with oil, season with salt, and place skin side down in steamer. Scatter remaining garlic, scallions, and ginger over fish. Set steamer over pot, cover, and steam until fish is just cooked through, 12-18 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Meanwhile, stir reserved scallions, reserved ginger, soy sauce, sliced chiles, and chopped cilantro into reserved steaming liquid to make sauce. Transfer fish to a platter. Drizzle with sauce.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Steamed-Black-Cod-with-Soy-Chile-Sauce-366702#ixzz1V22GBtg1

vertical garden

image from Terrain

 image from i spot green

image from contemporist

Living in southern California, it's relatively easy to maintain a garden of succulents.  But if you're looking for something a little different than a traditional bed or potted plants, consider a vertical garden.  Not only are they visually appealing and double as decor, but they also work well for small spaces or to establish privacy.  While many landscape designers can build custom wall pieces (like Falling Waters Landscape in Encinitas), you can also assemble your own.  I stumbled upon woollypockets about a year ago, and think that they are a great alternative to a vertical box.  The breathable modular pockets can be easily hung on the wall, in which you can organize your plants however you please.

 images from woollypocket

venice beach. gjelina & jake

images from megan.christine

After a weekend spent in Manhattan Beach for a wedding in Westlake Village, it came to an end with Sunday brunch with a few of my girlfriends.  Since one friend had just recently moved from Brooklyn to Venice Beach, we decided to group on Abbot Kinney Blvd at the hipster restaurant, Gjelina.  I had read about Gjelina in many magazines and had talked to a good friend who was lucky enough to be on the design team for the interiors (done by Peel Inc and Modern Architectural Inc), so it would have been accurate to say I was a tad excited to go meet them.  Thinking ahead, my friend made reservations (which I highly recommend).  This place is packed and the wait can be brutal on the weekends.  What's rather pleasant is that everyone waiting stays outdoors, which is great not to have a bum in your face as your eating.  We got a large table in the front of the restaurant by the bar, with optimal people watching views indoors and out.  We started with ice coffee and blood orange mimosas, and then shared dishes family style.  Chef Travis Lett, did not disappoint.  His spin on margarita pizza (with jalapeno) was delicious, as was the Moroccan eggs and eggplant with burrata.  There wasn't a bite left on any plate.  The combination of flavor was artful and the textures were well balanced.  I think I could have sat at that table until dinner.  It didn't hurt that I had a beeline view of Jake Gylenhaal the entire meal!  

images from, my last bite