Last Week in Photos

Wishing I was back at the Pine on Pine Utopia // A little wild child, but you can always count on her taking an afternoon nap


H is playing 7th grade volleyball right now, and it's so fun to watch // He's also been home sick for two days this week (poor guy)

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Slow week around here! Brian's been in LA, while we got dumped on with another round of snow. H has had a fever and sore throat so has been stuck with me. C had a field trip to the zoo on Wednesday and is celebrating his half birthday today at school today.

Inspriation Files :: Food

Amelia Morris Corn, Chile & Potato Soup // The Wednesday Chef
Faux Pho // The Clothes Make the Girl


Shredded Beef Ragu with Sweet Potato Gnocchi // PaleOMG
Painkiller Cocktail // Honestly Yum


Spiced Honey & Walnut Banana Ice-Cream with Figs // Secret Squirrel
Easy Chocolate Almond Butter Cups // PaleOMG

Pine-on-Pine Utopia v2

I just got back from a great weekend in Lake Geneva at, what we like to call, the Pine-on-Pine Utopia -- dubbed this year as POP. This is the second year Melissa, El, Penny, Amy and I have gotten together for a weekend of relaxing, movie watching, La Viuda, and eating great food. Needless to say, I've been looking forward to this get-away since I walked out of the door last January, and was thrilled that Lora was even able to come along this year. We met up on Friday, and bearly (get it!) emerged until we left on Sunday. It's pretty incredible to think that I've known some of these women for over twenty years. I think it's awesome, and am just so lucky.

Last Week in Photos

Valentine's Day family selfie // H made lunch for us -- scallops and sauteed spinach with caper lemon sauce


Went to my sister's house for dinner on Sunday // Boys off of school on Monday and we ended up having a tuna cookoff


We also taste tested a dragon fruit // Gretel must have been playing around the parked car, and was loaded with white salt (it's everywhere)


Winter evening blues // I had my tri-annual haircut (I wish I were kidding) and my stylist (a friend who works out where I do) had some extra time so added curls. Not very me, but fun for a day.

Inspiration Files :: Wear

Women's Ringboot by Quoddy (I'm obsessed) // This Girl Loves Her Dog T-shirt (so true! It just needs an "s" at the end)

Seacliff Coat by Curator // Felted wool slippers by jurgaZa


Gold Stick Necklace by Marigold Mary (who is someone I know and who's stuff is all amazing) // Carissima Sheath (just need to find an occasion to wear this)

Tuna Cook-off

The boys were off of school today. They decided they wanted to come to the gym with me and run errands. That never happens. After my workout, we went grocery shopping. Outpost had a special on tuna. We all wanted to prepare it different ways so ended up having a tuna cook-off. C prepared a seared, sliced and served with a spicy sesame soy sauce and black sesame seeds. H made a seared tuna with sauteed radish. I made ceviche. Every single one of them were totally delicious! It was super fun. Afterwards, we had a dessert of dragon fruit, which we bought at Pick-N-Save, believe it or not! None of us have every had fresh dragon fruit. So good.

Valentine's Day

One thing I love -- besides these guys, of course -- is how much H&C look forward our annual Valentine's Day dinner. It's never anything crazy -- just a little bit special.


Brian was out of town until the afternoon, H had soccer referee training all day (he passed and got his license!), C had a birthday party in the late afternoon, and honestly, I hadn't thought much about it. Last minute I cut out some hearts and decorated our table.


We started off with olives and bacon wrapped water chestnuts and pineapple.


Next we had roasted tomato soup...


Then salad, sauteed mushrooms, garlic roasted broccoli, and filet mignon...


And ended with chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate pots de creme. After a busy day, it was so nice to get to spend a lovely evening with my family. I'm so lucky.

Last Week in Photos

We had a family day with Tami, Mitch and two of their boys pheasant hunting // My favorite course from our dinner at Dinner Lab


Been hanging this heart garland the boys and I made for nine years now // Someone had a major meltdown doing homework, and came out from his room wearing a Mario hat and gloves from an old Halloween costume, bug eyes over his mouth, and crazy sun glasses


Brushing his teeth as part of the "Day in the Life" series for Spanish // This handsome guy went to his middle school Valentine's Day dance

Inspiration Files :: Country Home in Italy

Location // Treviso, Italy
Project // Private Country House, 2013
Architect // Zanon Architetti Associati
Photographer // Paolo Belvedere
via // Desire to Inspire

Dinner Lab

Our friends Maria & Robbie always seem to find out about the coolest things, and lucky for us, we sometimes get to join them. They have a membership to Dinner Lab -- a really unique concept that gives up-and-coming chefs an opportunity to test food out on diners at a one-night only pop-up restaurant -- and last night, we were able to join them. Sadly, I didn't take any photos of the space. Raw and sparse. I liked it. We were greeted with bourbon lemon cocktails, which started the evening off nice. Chef Gabriel Moya cooked up some really delicious food. Take a look!


First Course // Sunchokes, Mustard Seed, Daikon & Watermelon Radish


Second Course // Roasted Carrots, black rice, hibiscus gastrique
Paired with // Pinot Grigio, Italy 2014


Third Course // Turnips, Pork Belly, Onion Brûlée, Soy, Pickle Shiitakes


Fourth Course // Braised Tripe, Spanish Chorizo, Chickpeas, Sourdough
Paired With // Chardonnay, California, 2013


Fifth Course // Dulce de Leche, Coffee Ice Cream, Banana Pudding, Cocoa Crumble



Maria even brought fresh eggs from the chickens on the farm for us and Jeanette and her husband, who met up with us and dined with us. How great is that? (I stole this image from Maria....).

Overall, the night was really great and we enjoyed everything we ate. We all agreed the first wine pairing was off, but after already having a few of those bourbon drinks, that was minor. My absolute favorite course we ate was the dessert. It was amazing, and I really wanted to lick my plate clean. Diners are asked to fill out a form and provide feedback on each course, which was kind of fun, since it makes you really think about what your are eating, provides some interesting conversation and initiates interaction with other diners. It was a fun night, and I really thought it was an interesting way to dine.

Family Pheasant Day

My husband and eldest son really enjoy pheasant hunting. It's not an interest my youngest or I share with them. In fact, I think the whole thing is a bit weird. Brian had arranged for a Saturday am hunt with our friend Mitch, who is also a member. It was a gorgeous day out, and two of Mitch's sons (one is in C's class) and his wife Tami were also going to tag along, so I figured it was a good day to join them. I was also kind of excited to see Gretel in her element. Tami and I just kind of hung out in the back walking and talking. The younger boys frolicked in the field, while the older boys helped out with the birds. Pheasants, by the way, are stunning creatures. I had no idea how beautiful they are! Their colors are amazing. Gretel was a super star on the field. Really, watching a working dog do their thing is pretty amazing. It was a really great day!