the nursery [in my house]

Hello! I know it's been quite a while since my last post but I've been very busy with our little one (who is now 6 months old) as well as work and other day to day commitments.

I'm loving dressing up my little girl in cute outfits and decorating her space. Her crib and change table share a room with my office so whilst it's not ideal we all make do for now. I've tried to make the nursery area really fun and special. So here's a sneak peek!

I'm a fan of color but oddly enough the color scheme for the nursery doesn't contain green. I really liked the crib sheet (and there's a matching blanket but it's too hot for that now) so it all kind of went from there. (The toys were gifts.) I picked up the pom pom garland in Australia on a whim because that's what happens when you travel!

Crib // Crib Sheet // Breathable Bumper // Elephant Toy // Cat Toy // Felt Pom Pom Garland

[sweet or savory?] comfort food

Last week I attended a great cooking demonstration presented by a very talented woman in our community. It's one in what will be an ongoing series of cooking classes with theme being traditional foods made for Shabbat and then transformed into other dishes for different days or just some variety at home! The idea is that once you are cooking anyway, make a larger batch (for leftovers or to freeze) and then you have the basis for numerous dishes!

This cooking demonstration began with how to make 'shimmering' chicken broth, a staple in many Jewish homes on Friday night. The variations on that recipe were wonton soup, herbed matzah balls and chicken matzah balls. The wonton soup was absolutely delicious, way better than anything from a restaurant. And herbed matzah balls were so tasty, I'll definitely want to make them that way next time, the herbs add such freshness.

so what, it's cold

Well, a belated happy new year with this first post for 2013. Whilst my hometown has been having some sweltering summer weather and I've been missing the summer fun with my family back there, we've had a pretty cold couple of weeks here in LA (it's warmed up a bit now), with some particularly chilly days. We even had to turn the heating on...

Cold aside, there's been some gorgeous sunsets! Not only do I see a few on my Instagram feed on any nice day here in LA, the evening I snapped this picture, on my way to an appointment, there happened to be one or two other people in the same stretch of street (attempting to ignore the biting cold) snapping away with their iPhones too. Nice show, winter sky.

[sweet or savory?] barley risotto

It's been a while since I've done a food post! Granted, I haven't been posting as regularly in general, very busy and it's only going to get more hectic.

I wanted to make this particular recipe since I first saw it in Jerusalem (the new Ottolenghi cookbook) and have had ingredients on hand for two weeks to make it, only got a chance today. We enjoyed it as a warming Sunday lunch on this chilly day.

A flavorful non-traditional risotto, the barley had a nice bite to it and subtle flavors of other ingredients gave this dish depth, with the feta added a cooling element that offset the heat from a little chile. Very pleasant, a light yet filling main meal. (Not quite the wow like this meal but still good!)

Jerusalem has so many interesting recipes (I've bookmarked a few more to try someday). I enjoyed reading the additional commentary as it brings the city to life through the authors' food memories.

8 lights

A quick instagram snap of the lights for last night of Chanukah.

Hope you are all having a great holiday season!

roller coaster

It's been rainy and gray here in Los Angeles the last week or so but to brighten up the day are some images of the roller coaster at Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier. These images are from about six weeks ago, on a beautiful Sunday. My cousin was visiting from out of town so along with many other tourists we took a stroll around the pier, stopping for some Arcade games and a ride or two.

The primary and bright colors of the rides, plus the graphic curves and lines, against the backdrop of the clear sky made for some bold images.

be so good

Some recent work - an inspirational quote image for Accepted.com to share and use on their social media. So far one of my favorite quotes. (And who doesn't like cupcakes!)

See more right over here.