Breakfast In Bed

You know what's nice?

Breakfast in bed.

French vanilla coffee

Sausage with rosemary

Olive oil potatoes with Fleur de sel

Over easy eggs with cheddar cheese

A buckwheat waffle with agave syrup and whipped cream

and 

one sweet tangerine

Dreaming of Summer Parties

 I can't wait for summer to come! We recently had a really hot week here in California and it brought back memories of summer. Here are some pictures of a June party we threw for Danny's birthday a few years ago. We had it on the empty lot we bought (which is any day now being approve for construction yay). I just love getting together with friends, grilling burgers, eating cupcakes and drinking some cold lemonade. I can't wait to have one of these parties in our new backyard at the La Perle house -- a nice BBQ under our cafe lights and bare feet on our new grass! Dear summer please get here soon.

 

Beautiful Living Rooms

Pictures: Pink Chair, Fireplace, Beach House, Wood Cabin, Brick, Tree, Couch and Loft, Frenchy, Sheep

Flu and Cold Remedies

Dan has been sick all week with the flu. Booooo. I feel so bad for the guy, he hardly ever gets sick, but when he does it's a doozy of a bug.

Here are some remedies that we use when we're sick:

Hot Sprite and Lemon - Danny's Mom Stella swears by this. Squeeze half a lemon into a pipping hot cup of Sprite. Sip slowly

Vicks Vaporizer- Use a big towel and drape it over your head to create a little steam hut. This will help clear you sinuses and loosen up that yucky stuff.

Cold Cloth- Sometimes it's nice to have a cold cloth on your head at nighttime.

Chicken Broth and Dry Toast- Drink lots of fluids including water! Eat bland foods that are easy to digest.

Ricola Cough Drops with Echinacea- Very refreshing and less medicinal tasting than Halls and other brands + they have the added benefit of echinacea.

Tylenol PM- For those achy nights when you can't fall asleep. They are also good for reducing fevers.

Gargling- warm salt water or a mixture of half hydrogen-peroxide half water. Don't swallow it!!! Just gargle and spit out. Both solutions are good methods for killing germs. (I don't recommend using the hydrogen-peroxide/water solution with children).

Massage- Sometimes muscles get really sore when your sick. A nice neck and shoulder massage can do wonders.

Plenty of Sleep - I think Dan slept 15 hours a day this past week! We was wiped out.

And here is a really cute idea for a "Get Well" kit from Creature Comforts.

*These are remedies that I have used and found helpful...You should always consult with your doctor before using medication and home remedies.

Sourdough Bread From Scratch

 

 

I made sourdough bread the other day!

Here is the starter I used and the recipe I followed.

 

It turned out pretty awesome for my first try.

 

And it's much cheaper than buying a loaf from the market every week.

You should also check out the Tartine Bread book. Dan surprised me with my own copy! Very stoked to try some new recipes.

Chocolate Dipped Almond Amaretto Biscotti

 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

2 tablespoons Amaretto

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whole almonds, chopped into medium chunks

6 oz. milk chocolate chips {melted for dipping or drizzling}

 

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper or silpat mats.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, amaretto, almond extract and vanilla until well blended.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients. Mix until blended.

Dough should be thick and sticky at this point. Use a spatula to transfer the sticky dough onto your baking sheets. Flour your hands and shape into a long flat loaf about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. Bake for about 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool 10 minute. Use a long bread knife and cut the loaf into 1 inch slices. Lay the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and bake another 20 minutes.Turn the slices over and bake 20 minutes more, or until the cookies are a light golden brown.

Cool the biscotti on a rack while you use a double boiler to melt your chocolate. Dip half of each biscotti into the milk chocolate or drizzle the chocolate on top.

 

 

 

enjoy.



Hilarious! Drive Thru Invisible Driver Prank

My neighbor posted this the other day...absolutely hilarious.