Garden Harvest, Beach Picnic & Lotus at Echo Park | Slow Living in Los Angeles 🌱🏖️🪷

A little glimpse of our everyday life in Los Angeles — gardening, cooking, nature, and finding beauty in the simple moments.

Please click the play button and then click WATCH VIDEO ON YouTube at the bottom of the screen, so I get credited on the views -  Thanks a lot!]

 

Picnic and Weeknight Dinners

Please subscribe to our channel if you are interested in growing food, garden-to-table lifestyle, home cooking, Filipino food and Los Angeles living.

Please click the play button and then click WATCH VIDEO ON YouTube at the bottom of the screen, so I get credited on the views -  Thanks a lot!]

 

Summer Backyard Dinner

A laid-back mid-Summer backyard dinner under a tree.

On the table: shrimp tostadas, fried plantain, watermelon and mango/strawberry smoothie.

Happy weekend!

Grilled Chicken and Peaches

Tonight's dinner - grilled chicken, asparagus, potatoes and peaches. The water was infused with cucumber, strawberries and blueberries.

Flowers were picked from the backyard from butterfly bush and dill.

It's almost summertime!

Watermelon Picnic

Nothing says summer like a refreshing thirst-quenching watermelon. Let me back track a bit. Two months ago, I saw a huge box filled with watermelon at the grocery store where we shop. I grabbed one, but then, while walking out the door, I noticed on the receipt that it was $12+… 12 bucks for a watermelon, holy cow!  I walked back and returned it. When we got home, the Little Guy headed  to the backyard with a picnic blanket.  I asked, “are we having a picnic?” He said, yes, mommy, we got watermelon.” For him, watermelon equates to picnic.  So I told him that it was too expensive so I returned it. We did end up having a picnic that day, but we had yogurt instead.

Fast forward to today, watermelons are on sale everywhere.  Photo below shows the Little Guy enjoying a watermelon picnic.

                                                                                            

Summer Evening

On a balmy summer evening, I took our dinner to the garden, we listened to the calming trickles of the water flowing from the fountain and the mockingbird singing on the tree, while the sun goes down in our bubbles... cheers! 

Picnic in the Garden

Watermelon, peaches, strawberries and ice cream for our lazy afternoon picnic in the garden.

Picnic at the Hotel

We shopped at Carrefour for our little picnic at the hotel -- wine, cheese, baguette, duck mousse and apricot sauce.

Snacks in the patio…

…while enjoying the tune of melodious birds.

Making S'mores

Graham crackers, marshmallows and Hershey's chocolate... making s'mores is a fun Autumn activity with a toddler.

Picnic & Wine Tasting

On the first Friday of Autumn, the girls and I drove to Malibu for a picnic and wine tasting at Rosenthal.

Labor Day Picnic

On Labor Day, we spread the picnic blanket in the garden and had an afternoon tea.  The food... mini sandwiches, olives and apples.

Charcuterie Indoor Picnic

While it's raining outside, we had a charcuterie picnic indoor while watching pre-recorded shows on DVR.

On the table...

• jamon Serrano, chorizo cantimpalo and salchichon
• cheese (Muenster and Londoner cheddar cheese)
• peaches, olives and artichokes
• cervelat and pickles
• razor clams
• a bottle of Stella Rosa

Picnic and Crayons

It was in the low 70s when we got home.  Gorgeous summer! And so we spread out the blanket in the garden and had a late afternoon picnic.

The picnic - strawberries, nectarines and oranges.

We also brought out the crayons and coloring books.

Have a wonderful lazy summer weekend everyone if you are on the north side of the equator and stay warm if you live close to the Antarctic!

Sunday Picnic

Spent a lazy afternoon at the garden listening to the birds and watching planes fly through. 

The picnic -- watermelon and red velvet cupcakes.

Toddler Talk: Watermelon

Conversation with a two year old this morning...

Me:  JD what would you like to eat for breakfast – cereal or oatmeal with blueberries?

Little Guy:  What do you mean?  I want watermelon mommy, watermelon please…

Me:  It’s too early for watermelon.  Later after school, we can picnic in the garden and have watermelon

Little Guy:  hmmm… okay

A few minutes later…  mommy, watermelon please…

Fast forward to now…

Picnic in the Garden

Spread out the blanket in the garden and spent a lazy afternoon nibbling on some strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries and grapes.

Watermelon & Raspberry Lemonade

A little picnic to celebrate the sunshine.  Summer is almost here!

Valentine's Day Picnic

On a gorgeous day at a park by the lake, we laid a blanket down on the grass. We munched on our picnic -- strawberries, peaches, almonds, biscuits, tapenade, artichoke, muffins and cheese. We watched the clouds go by, listened to the chirping birds and enjoyed doing nothing. A perfect Valentine's date.

 

Friday Night Bites

It's Friday once again.  It feels like the past week went by in a blur.

Here's a snapshot of our Friday night bites while watching recorded shows on DVR.

Marinated kalamata and green olives, cheese, artichoke, apple, almonds, peaches, cheese bread with bacon and cranberry cocktail garnished with mint from the garden.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!