Here’s part two from my photo sessions last week in Hawaii! If you want to see part one, click here.
So this week’s summary is a bit more exciting than most! My sweet friend, Berit, and her family live in Honolulu. So, when we make our trip over to celebrate another year of birthdays, holidays and anniversary, I am lucky enough to have her host me for a photo session extravaganza! This year, we were at Sandy’s with her and 5 of her friends. I’m going to have to break it up into two blog posts because there’s just too much to share! So, here’s part one of my 2012 Hawaii photo sessions!
That’s right! I’m back at the best children’s boutique…Rascals to Rebels! This time I’ll be at the Rossmoor store on March 9, 10 and 11. It’s a Friday, Saturday and Sunday with morning and afternoon time slots. Here’s how it works…head over to the store and make a purchase (like a super cute outfit for Easter!). You can sign up in the store for your FREE 15 minute photo session when you spend a minimum of $50 at the store.
This event is for kids only (the backdrop just isn’t very big) and once you see your photos, you only buy what you want…there’s no minimum purchase requirement.
Here’s a few sample pictures on the spring backdrop with the adorable Addison and Jillian!
Have you had a latte? A REAL latte. I mean, not the Starbucks variety. And not the skim-milk variety either. Once you have one, you almost can’t go back. I say almost, because Starbucks and their super cute valentine’s cups may have wooed me back for a time or two. Anyway, I have been to a few great coffee houses and of course my friend Elisa’s house. It’s so good that you don’t even need any sweeteners. It’s amazing how good whole milk and coffee are together.
I’ve been at a loss to find a good coffee house near my home in Long Beach, so I recently asked some friends/coffee cconnoisseurs if such a place exists. They both said Portfolio on 4th Street without hesitation. If I wasn’t leaving tomorrow for a week, I would be there right now. But, I guess it’ll give me something to look forward to when I get back home. And I promise to bring my camera so I can tell you all about it!
I’m out of town this week, so that means no cooking! I wanted to share a favorite burger restaurant in Huntington Beach: 25 degrees. There are also locations in Hollywood and Chicago. We love the HB location because if we go early enough on a date night we can avoid the ‘scene’ and make it out in time to walk along the beach at sunset. Do I sound old?
Among other things, they have the best burger combos ever! My favorite is number one with caramelized onion, prelibato gorgonzola, crescenza, bacon, arugula and thousand island. They also have about a million sauces for your french fries. And they’re all amazing!
This place is totally worth all the calories you consume. I’m not kidding you…it’s goooooood! And if you’re local and want to check it out. Here’s the website: 25 degrees.
This was a shoot I did this summer for Mim Pi’s 2011 fall line. I love these sweet little models…they were the cutest!
Here’s what I’ve been up to this week!
Do you feel like wallpaper is everywhere you look? One on hand, it’s an easy way to update the look of a room. On the other hand, it’s so…permanent. I’ve been doing a few things to my tiny living area, like switching out the dining chairs and the light fixtures. Next on my plan was wallpaper, but now I feel so wishy-washy about it.
I’m weary of graphics that will overwhelm my tiny space. I’m feeling like subtle is the way to go…
And I want it to feel elegant without being too flowery or stuffy. This Farrow and Ball is my current favorite at the moment. I really need to take a trip downtown to look at samples. What do you guys think…do you have wallpaper, do you you love it, do you feel like it’s just too permanent, do you not worry about these things???
Sometimes a dish can go awry when the spice is just a little too much to handle. In the past, I’ve found that with enchiladas. They’ve never been a fan favorite at my house due to the ‘spicy’ complaints. In an effort to bring them into our rotation of easy-dinners, I decided to make a creamy version of the original.
Trader Joe’s enchilada saucy mixed with a container of light sour cream does the trick! Whisking the two together gets rid of all the lumps.
If you have cooked chicken on hand, dice it up. I had chicken tenderloins in my freezer, so I gave them a generous sprinkle of cumin, chili powder and garlic salt along with a drizzle of olive oil. After they baked in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, I let them cool and then chopped them up.
For a bit more flavor I chopped about a half an onion, sauteed and added that to the chicken.
I only had sharp cheddar on hand, but any kind of cheddar or monterey jack would work. To the inside of each tortilla (I had flour on hand, but corn would work great too.), I rolled up a tablespoon of diced chicken/onions, shredded cheese and a bit of the creamy sauce.
When my 9×9 pan was tightly packed with tortilla rolls, I added more sauce the topped with cheese. And into a 350 degree oven it goes (for 20-25 minutes)!
There ya go…dinner done in a flash! Add a little side salad and you’re good to go!
Crystal Cove…over 2 and half years ago.
