Painting Souvenir

Whenever we travel, my husband and my mother-in-law both love to shop for souvenirs which is not my thing. I would rather spend the time exploring, as souvenirs either end up collecting dust or in boxes stored in the garage.  But hand painting a souvenir is a different story.  I love it because I am bringing home something unique, something for keeps, something that will bring back some beautiful memories of the trip.

Beach

After breakfast, we went back to our suite, put on some sunblock, grabbed our stuff, then walked to the beach to build a sandcastle.  This is what the Little Guy is looking forward to during this trip.

Little Wanderer

… and so I wander with my Pooh Bear.

Caterpillars

These caterpillars of a monarch butterfly have turned our milkweed “hello yellow” into their salad bar.

Easter Sunday

How we spent Easter Sunday after church… 

No Meat Dinner

… baby bella mushrooms, eggplant, garbanzo beans, Campari tomatoes and hardboiled eggs.

"Double Delight" Tea Rose

A very fragrant rose with creamy white petals edged with dark pink... its rich scent perfumes our yard.

Iraque Kitchree

The arsenal: basmati rice, lentil, onion, cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger and pepper flakes

... then, garnished with thyme from the garden

Salmon, Shrimp and Asparagus

I broiled some salmon belly, shrimp (head-on and unpeeled) and asparagus drizzled with lemon juice and seasoned with garlic powder, salt, black pepper and a generous sprinkling of Cajun spices. Yum!

Orchid Rockrose

There's one in our front yard, by the pedestrian walkway. It was plated between our property and our neighbor's.  I water it once in a while,  I saw our neighbor watering it too.

Bird Sighting - Hawk

When I looked at the kitchen window, I saw a hawk looking back at me.

A hawk? Yes, a big hawk...

St. Patrick’s Day

We were in Dublin, Ireland in 2010.  Our hotel was right across Trinity College.  From what I still remember, we went to Temple bar on our first night to have some bottles of Guinness. The next day, we walked on the bridge over River Liffey to O’Connel Street to see The Spire, then took a cab to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. From St. Patrick’s, we walked to Lord Edward Street to The Bull & Castle restaurant for lunch.  From there we went to Christ Church Cathedral then to Guinness Storehouse for some more bottles of Guinness and of course to see how it is made and learn about its history.

The following day, we headed north to see the prehistoric monument Newgrange in the County Meath as well as the historic ruins of Monasterboice in County Louth.

The last day was spent strolling around Dublin.  We went to St. Stephen’s Green, shopped at the mall right across the park and walked to Grafton Street to see the Molly Malone statue.

It was a short visit, but since then, we have adopted the St. Patrick’s Day celebration in our home.  Every 17th day of March, I prepare corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots for dinner and we all deck out in green.

Peach Blossoms

... in our backyard.  It's almost Springtime!

French Dinner at Home on Valentine’s Day

This is a different Valentine’s Day dinner date from the years before. 

This year, I thought, why spend oodles of money in a fancy restaurant and get stuck in a horrible Los Angeles Valentine’s Day traffic when I can whip up a nice French dinner at home… and that’s exactly what I did.

On the table: salade de mesclun, gratin dauphinoise, boeuf bourguignon, souffles au chocolat and a bottle of red from Bordeaux

Paw Patrol Birthday Party

Our Little Guy's Paw Patrol birthday party. Chase came by to sing "Happy Birthday" :-)

Here are a few snapshots...

Kaiserschmarrn

Compliment from our almost 4 year little guy

JD: Mommy, this is not a pancake. I want a flat pancake.

Me: This is the pancake in Austria. It is called Kaiserschmarrn.

JD: Hmmm... I think this is better than pancake. Mommy, you're a good chef.

Blue Cheese Souffles

What to do on a rainy Sunday? ... bake blue cheese souffles

My right arm got super tired from beating the egg whites.  I should get an electric mixer next time.

Banana Bread

Overripe bananas turned into banana bread... "waste not, want not"

Mix the ingredients pictured below, pour the batter into a loaf pan, then on to a 350-degree pre-heated oven for 50 minutes to an hour.

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! 

Mediterranean Pasta

... made of shell pasta, tuna, capers, cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper, lots and lots of garlic and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Yum!