What I Wore

There is something to be said for wearing white and navy in the summertime, for me it usually comes in the form of navy and white stripes, this quickly becomes evident when taking a peek into my closet, I own more navy and white striped pieces than I would like to admit... But this past weekend I decided to mix it up, navy on the top, white on the bottom, completing the look a special belt from a special guy, the belt was a present compliments of dad.

The goods: silk blouse & shoes: JCrew, skinnies: Gap, Belt: Hermes

Spaghetti with vongole clam sauce

When we first moved into our sea side pad my mom came up for a visit and brought us some housewarming gifts. One of which was this cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook, which not only has beautiful pictures but actually has manageable recipes.

The book had been on display in our kitchen for a couple of weeks before I finally decided to give one of the recipes a shot, so one Friday night I prepared the Spaghetti with vongole clam sauce, the dish just happened to be one of the recipes featured on the cover so I was hoping mine would end up looking the same, and it did. Not only was this a great meal on the eyes, but also on the stomach it was incredibly delicious and full of flavor!

Spaghetti with vongole clam sauce

• 3 strips bacon
• 1 pound of spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 gloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 - 2 pounds vongole, manila, or littleneck clams, scrubbed and rinsed
• 1 cup dry white wine
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• freshly ground black pepper

Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pan. When cool to the touch crumble the bacon.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.

Meanwhile, add the olive oil to the bacon drippings and heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until softened and golden, about 7 minutes. Add the clams, wine, and red pepper flakes. Raise the heat to hgh and cover and cook until all the clams are open, 3-5 minutes. Throw out any clams that did not open, this means they were dead.

Drain the pasta and return it the pot. Add the clam sauce, parsley, and reserved bacon to the pasta and toss well. Season with pepper and serve!

Sign of a job well done, everything was devoured, including every last clam!

Roasted Tomatoes

I mentioned here how much I enjoy watching Giada's cooking shows, there is however only one other chef that I watch just as often, Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Her recipes are always easy and incredibly delicious, and for those 30 minutes you are watching you get to pretend that you are hanging out in her incredible East Hampton home. While recently watching her show I saw her make these super easy and delicious roasted tomatoes, so when I needed a quick and easy appetizer last Sunday night, I gave them a shot and they were great!

Roasted Tomatoes

• 12 plum tomatoes - you can easily adjust according to how many you will be serving
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 large garlic cloves - I used more I always use more garlic! 
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Basil for garnish

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Cut the tomatoes length wise and then spoon out the innards and the seeds with a large spoon.

Arrange the tomatoes on a the sheet pan, cut sides up. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic over the tomatoes making sure each one gets a little drizzle of each. Then sprinkle the garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper over them as well.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes are concentrated and beginning to caramelize. Once they are out of the oven, julienne fresh basil, and sprinkle over the tomatoes, serve warm or at room temperature.

Rosemary Pink Diamond Fizz

Last Thursday night I was a lucky girl; lucky because I finally got to eat at MB Post, a great local restaurant that I have been dying to try, but even more lucky since my BFF drove up from Newport to visit me and she was my +1 at dinner!

MB Post was awesome and I will share more about what we ate in another post but I must say I was not only really impressed with the food menu, but the cocktail menu was pretty unique and creative as well.

So I got really inspired to mix it up and tried something new and different that we enjoyed while we watched the Olympics Opening Ceremonies. For some odd reason I wanted to make something with rosemary so I took to the internet and found this recipe for a Rosemary Pink Diamond Fizz. I thought it turned out great and it wasn't too 'girly' for Dave's taste either.

Rosemary Pink Diamond Fizz

• 5 - 6 inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Ruby Red Grapefruit juice, preferably fresh squeezed
• 1/3 cup good quality gin
• about 1/4 cup dry sparkling wine.... I used Prosecco
• Cocktail shaker - mine is a penguin shaped cocktail shaker :)

Combine the rosemary and sugar with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, swirling occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let the rosemary infuse the sugar syrup for 10 minutes. Strain, discard the rosemary, and refrigerate until cold.

Happy Fruit = Happy Hour 

Fill a cocktail shaker half full of ice. Pour the grapefruit juice, gin, and 2 Tbs of the rosemary simple syrup over the ice. Put the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into champagne glasses and top each with a generous splash of prosecco, then add a sprig of rosemary for garnish, sip, and enjoy! 

Pesto Parmesan Chicken

A girlfriend of mine made this for dinner for me a while back, it used to be in my weeknight dinner rotation quite often. A couple of weeks ago I realized it had been quite a long time since I had made it so, I decided to bring it back into the rotation, and I have been very pleased that I did! You only need a few things and the recipe is quick and easy.

Pesto Parmesan Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 3 tablespoons basil pasto
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (you can use light, to lighten the calories)
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan or Asiago cheese
• Basil for garnish, not vital if you don't have any basil on hand

I would love to tell you all that I used fresh pesto that I made from scratch with basil from my garden and a mortar and pestle. But.... I don't have a garden or a mortar and pestle for that matter so for that night, store bought it was!

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray. Between pieces of parchment paper or waxed paper, please each chicken breast smooth side down; gently pound with a mallet or rolling pin until about 1/2- inch thick

In a shallow dish, mix together the pesto and mayonnaise. In another dish mix together the bread crumbs and cheese.

Dip the chicken into the pesto and mayo mixture then dip into the cheese and bread crumb mixture, making sure the chicken is fully coated with both mixtures.

Bake 15-20 minutes, turning once, until the juice of the chicken is clear when the center of the thickest part is cut and coating is golden brown. Garnish with fresh basil if you have some on hand.

Heats up very nicely for lunch the next day at work!

The Huntington Library

A few weeks back we joined some friends for one my favorite summer pastimes, outdoor concerts. I just love listening to live music during warm summer months. Whether it be at the Hollywood Bowl, down at the beach, or in this case a massive rolling lawn, there is something great about packing up a picnic of sandwiches, wine, and cheese, and listening to music among the stars.

The concert we attended was at The Huntington Library in Pasadena, the whole evening felt very Great Gatsby, so it was only fitting that the band featured that night played music from the roaring twenties. After the concert we toured the gardens. Below are some of the pictures I captured form the evening. If you have not been to the Huntington I highly recommend it!

Summer Brew

This weekend is already proving to be sunny, hot, and the perfect weather for hitting the beach and enjoying summertime drinks. If you are looking to change it up from the usual margarita, mojito, or daiquiri, you should try making some summer brew. I have already made summer brew this past Memorial Day and 4th of July and I have a feeling I will be making it a few more times before football season starts.

Be warned summer brew is not for the lightweights, it can pack a punch and maybe even leave you with a headache the next day if you drink multiple glasses. You can always add less vodka, or even add a little water. I think it is a great drink to enjoy on a hot summer day!

Summer Brew

• Something large to mix and dispense the brew
• 4 beers - Corona and Tecate are the best choices for great results
• 1 frozen limeade
• Vodka- you don't need to use the good stuff, but also don't cheap out or else you will really get a headache. Trader Joe's has a great vodka called Vodka of the Gods, that is good and not too pricey

Depending on how many you plan to serve you can adjust the above ingredients accordingly

Add the defrosted limeade and beers to the container, then use the empty limeade container to measure out the vodka. You will fill the limeade container with vodka three times- you can add more or less depending on how potent you want the brew. Then stir, serve, and Enjoy!