The best summer ever

I parted ways with my job a few weeks ago, and suddenly this summer is ripe for adventure.

Dan and I are joining friends in France for two whole weeks. We'll be spending our time in Paris and Evian, a spa town on Lake Geneva. Literally the day after we come back, I am heading north to San Francisco for the Alt Summit blogging conference. Then, we've got weekend trips to Palm Springs and Ojai in the works. This just might be the best summer EVER....minus the whole looking for a new job thing. Ha!

We take off for France on Wednesday, and yes, I will be blogging from the road. Dan and I have got a giant list of to-dos to tackle before we leave, so my next post will probably be from Europe(!) In the meantime, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Until we meet again, mes amis!

(Photo by Myan Soffia)

Tomato tartlets

Every summer during my childhood, my family grew Jersey tomatoes in the backyard. They were so flavorful, my grandma used to bite into them like an apple. I remember the juicy pulp would drip down her chin, and she'd walk around with an errant seed on her face for the rest of the day.

It's impossible to find that kind of summer goodness at the grocery store, even in California. My garden has room for one tiny tomato plant, so I have to make due with the ones at the farmer's market. It's not the end of the world. They're almost as good. Close enough. This weekend, I picked up an assortment of heirloom tomatoes in a rainbow of colors.

Aren't they gorgeous? At my family home, we sliced tomatoes up and topped them with minced onions, salt and pepper. I also love them on toasted bread with lots of Kosher salt and mayo. 

This time around, I made tomato tartlets. You should try them: They're like mini-pizzas, and I can see making them for a party appetizer or for a picnic. You basically roll out some puff pastry and cut them into rounds (use a cup or glass!) and then place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the dough with sharp cheddar, top with a slice of tomato, brush with olive oil and season with pepper. Then put them in the oven for 25-30 minutes. When the tartlets are done, garnish with basil. They can be served warm or at room temperature. Just be careful though, you'll be tempted to eat them all in one sitting. Though I think Grandma would approve.

Recipe here.

The Getty Villa

The Getty Villa is home to a lot of really old, precious things. This museum showcases classic Greek, Roman and Etruscan art collected by oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, and it will wow you with an impressive amount of ancient statues, vessels and antiquities—if that's your bag, baby.

Aside from the artwork, the thing that makes this museum super special is location. Perched up high on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the building and gardens are a work of art in itself.

The architecture for the building was inspired by the Villa of Papyri, a Roman country home that was buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The original building remains unexcavated and preserved underground. At the Getty Villa, you have the chance to experience what it might have felt like to live on these ancient grounds.

Visiting a replica sounds kinda lame, but let me assure you, this place is cool. Walking through the compound—especially the inner and outer peristyle with its formally manicured gardens—was a real joy. Even a forecast of June Gloom could not dampen my visit to this place. I think next time I'll come late on a winter's day to watch the sunset. Surrounded by this beauty, I am sure it's nothing short of spectacular. 

The Getty Villa
17985 Pacific Coast Highway | Pacific Palisades, CA | 310.440.7300

Hollywood Boulevard

In 1973, artist Ed Ruscha mounted a 35mm film camera on a tripod in the back of a pick-up truck, and drove up and down Hollywood Boulevard, shooting the north and south sides of the street. Thirty years later, he used the same type of camera equipment with color film to recapture the same street, creating this fascinating side-by-side comparison.

Don't you wish someone did this in your childhood hometown so you can remember exactly how things have changed, and how they've stayed the same?

(Video source)

An "ambitious" chocolate chip cookie

I would never think to mess with a chocolate chip cookie. There's a reason why it's a classic. It always tastes good to me.

But then I saw this recipe for Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter and Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies on Ambitious Kitchen (one of my fave food blogs), and I was like, "Whoa."

In this recipe, Monique turns the classic chocolate chip cookie on its head on so many levels. First, she encourages you to brown the butter to intensify the flavor. Okay, sure! Next, you add a tablespoon of Greek yogurt to the mix. I have never seen that ingredient in a cookie recipe before. Then, she calls for an insane amount of chocolate chips, plus a spoonful of chocolate hazelnut spread, and the entire cookie is sprinkled with sea salt. Whoa!

I admit: This cookie is a lot more work and way more messy to put together than an average chocolate chip cookie. Wondering if my efforts were worth it, I had Dan do a taste test. He took one bite and paused. "Whoa," he said. He took another bite. "Whoa."

Even with the classics, sometimes it's good to mix it up. Whoa!

Recipe here.

Malibu Wines

On Sunday, my girlfriends and I escaped the city for a little afternoon getaway. We coasted north along the Pacific Coast Highway with the windows rolled down. The cobalt blue ocean glittered in the sun while our hair whipped in the salty wind. We headed high in the hills above the water until we landed at Malibu Wines, a quaint winery with an outdoor tasting room that's perfect for a picnic.

We grabbed a table shaded with an umbrella where we set up a pretty spread of cheese, crackers, chicken salad sandwiches, fresh fruit and cookies. Everything tastes better when you eat it outside, doesn't it?

Grabbing a flight of sembler wines at the bar, we spent the rest of the afternoon snacking and sipping, while enjoying the live music, the lush surroundings, the warm sun and of course, each other's company. We were back in the the city in an hour, but the change of scenery was so rejuvenating, it felt like we had taken a mini-vacation right in our own backyard.

Malibu Wines
31740 Mulholland Highway | Malibu, CA | 818.865.0605

31740 Mulholland Highway Malibu, California 90265

Garden refresh

After winter, my deck and flowers were in sorry shape. Spring had come, and it was time to clean up and start over.

Gardening stores are wonderful places, but they can be overwhelming by all of the choices. I spent a few afternoons wandering around a few without buying a single thing. You know how it's hard to decorate a living room without having a couch first? Well, it wasn't until I picked up some fancy-leaved geraniums at the Arboretum that I finally figured out how to set up my garden this year.

The geraniums had pink and red flowers and quirky, multicolored leaves. I really wanted them to stand out, so for the rest of the flowers, I stuck with a soothing palette of purples, whites and greens to offer a nice contrast. Knowing that my deck receives partial sun, I was able to narrow down the flower selection significantly: I chose alyssum, blue brachycome, lobelia, calibrachoa, bacopa and petunias for the flower beds. Then, I planted some herbs—rosemary, chives, thyme, basil and sage—in small pots to bring in some green.

Six weeks later, and the deck looks amazing! (Even the succulents are still alive!) I am so happy with it. We are definitely ready for some outdoor dining. Want to come over?