Happy Birthday America!

 The 4th of July is always a blast where I live. One starts to smell the BBQ grills grilling all over the neighborhood and the sight of summer is everywhere.  The parks and rec pools are open and kids in clusters with their towels, instead of walking to school are walking to the pools. Can I come?

We love walking throughout our town, and in our walks lately we've been seeing the signs of our country's independence all around...

Yep, the flag is waving everywhere this time of year!

Even a vintage truck is celebrating!

Thanks to Micheals craft store everyone stocks up on banners and flags!

But I love to do the other thing. Bake! 

I simply love these very tasty sugar cookies.

They have their own Independent taste!

Below is the link for celebrity chef Alton Brown's Sugar Cookies, of course I couldn't take the credit!

They are always a hit!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sugar-cookies-recipe/index.html

Enjoy!

Lavender Fields Forever...

The first summer weekend was perfect for taking a drive out of L.A. and head 1.5 hrs north up the coast and east onto Hwy 23, towards the very fragrant Ojai Lavender Festival. The weather was simply perfect.

Our first stop was at New Oak Ranch -  a Lavender farm, and for $5 you can pick a bunch cutting of lavender. The scent and color purple were everywhere and a feast for all things...well, lavender. 

Not only could you cut a bunch of lavender, but the owners also made and sold lavender oil, plants, lotions and potions including strawberry jam infused with yours truly: lavender!   

http://www.newoakranch.com/

Rows and rows of varieties such at Grosso (most aromatic),  Provence (for cooking),  Hidcote (great for garnish) and Buena Vista (dries well and holds its vibrant color) varieties were everywhere.

Lavender History

The word Lavender comes from the word 'lavare' to wash. In 1920's the French chemist Rene Gattefosse accidentally plunged his severely burned hand into lavender oil instead of water. The pain eased the burn and healed quickly. He later published his research under the title Aromatherapie and is now recognized as the founder of aromatherapy.  Lavender has been used as an herb for over 2,500 years. Grosso variety is a hybrid of English Lavender and was named after Pierre Grosso who first selected this species. Its is vibrant in both color and aroma and is a great choice for cut flowers and highly aromatic essential oil. The scent of lavender does not reduce pain but it does mitigate stress and anxiety. Set a bowl of lavender near a sunny window and the warmth of the sun will help to draw out the lavender aroma.

After the ranch we headed back to downtown Ojai for lunch and had an amazing lunch at Azu. 

A restaurant and tapas bar where Chef Laurel Morel creates an eclectic California Spanish menu inspired by traditional Spanish and Meditterranean Cuisine with fresh local ingredients.

www.AzuOjai.com

Detail, details!

Trolly anyone?

Ojai Ave. not Main St.!

Shopping frenzy - gotta get me one!

Lavender wreaths!

 As we strolled downtown window shopping and checking out the festival, with the heat who couldn't resist trying the flavor of the day
 Lavender Ice Cream!

Lavender Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2/3 cup cream
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lavender blossoms
heavy sauce pan
bowl for combining yolks and sugar
strainer
ice cream maker

Directions:
Combine milk, cream and lavender flowers in a heavy saucepan. Gently warm mixture on medium heat, until foamy. In separate bowl, mix eggs until well blended and thick. Add sugar to eggs, stirring well. Strain milk/cream to remove lavender blossoms, if desired. Add 1/2 cup of warm milk/cream mixture to eggs, blend throughly. Finally, add this egg mixture to the remaining milk/cream mixture to the pan. Cool completely in the refrigerator, before pouring into the ice cream maker.
Follow ice cream maker instructions.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Father's Day or Dia de los Padres as my father from Mexico would say, was always a special day in our family when I was growing up. Held with the traditional BBQ, plenty of good food and of course cold ones in the fridge for him, we would shower him with gifts. Gifts such as ties, socks, a hand painted or handmade something or anything with a maritime theme as he loved the ocean and ships. 

My Dad was a Mexican Diplomat and with his amazing career my sisters and I grew up exploring the world with my parents. In our adventures he always came up with a joke or two, and made light of awkward lost in translation scenarios we'd get ourselves into. 

Looks like a cold one in his hand!

Did I say he was hard working?

Aboard the Cuauhtecmoc ship "working"! 

I never forgot when we were in Rome he would say "merci beaucoup" to the waiters or street vendors and my mother had to remind him we were in Italy. Or the time we were in France and he ordered "frites" and thought he was getting french fries with his steak and got potato chips! My personal favorite was the time we had ordered pizza in Paris and it came with a fried egg on top you can imagine the look on my face! Because of him we always made an effort to try new food no matter if the eye was still on our fish starring at us! 

I owe my love and appreciation for fine food and the endless curiosity to try new things at least once, to him. Thanks Dad for all the food bribes when I was young!  For convincing us it was worth a taste at least once. As my sisters and I tasted the unknown with eyes closed and gagged we still tried it for the sake of I don't know what but it paid off as an adult!! 

I confess... I'm addicted and I'm a foodie!

Buen appetito, Dad!

We miss and love you, your daughters xoxo

Amazing garden urn!

A Vineyard Wedding - Paso Robles, CA

A vineyard wedding weekend.

 We couldn't pack our bags fast enough to drive up the 101 highway towards a much anticipated wedding weekend. Full of friends, wine, good food and lots of much needed relaxation. All located in the heart of the Central California Coast!

Where rows of my favorite vintage grow in abundance...

and the sun ripens and sweetens

 every bunch.

As the evening sun begins to set the union of two begins.

A waiting groom...

with the bride and Mara to complete the picture.

With barrels and barrels of wine around us...

and the scent of tri-tip on the grill fills the air...

and finally a toast to the Mr. and Mrs!

Paella - lunch hour adventure

Growing up with castles in Spain and spanish food...

 ...I jumped at the opportunity to tag along with my gal pal from Valencia, Spain Cristina to check out a family owned Spanish meats business in Harbor City, CA. It was a stretch to get there on our lunch hour from work but we did it anyways - anything to jazz up the workday right?! She was on a mission to find a large paella pan and some spanish goodies to host an upcoming family event. So off we went...

Upon arriving it looked more like a factory than a store but we walked ahead eager to give this a shot anyways.

 The entrance?!

 Yes! Loads of spanish goodies I grew up with in the small store of the spanish meats factory! Instant food memories flooded my mind of grocery shopping with my mother as a child of age 9 in Madrid...at the time it was all strange to me and now quite the opposite!

 "Oh look!" I said, "fig jam, olive oil, jamon serrano, manchego cheese, wine and turrón!" A spanish bark nougat bar candy that is sold at Christmas. Heaven in Harbor City who would have thought such a delight!

 On to more important things, Paella ingredients and the lunch hour clock is ticking, and we still need to eat! Thank goodness they serve traditional spanish sandwiches with olives, I wouldn't expect anything less!

 La Espanola Meats 

250 Doble Ave.

Harbor City, CA 90710 

(310) 539-0455  or order online

http://donajuana.com/

Mission accomplished olé Cristina!

PAELLA VALENCIANA

2 cups olive oil

• 1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
• 3/4 chicken, cut into pieces
• 1/2 rabbit, cut into pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 pounds broad beans, shelled
• 1/2 tomato, chopped
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups snails, cleaned, fresh or frozen
• 1 1/4 pounds plus 1-ounce rice 3.5 ounces per person recommended: Bomba – short grain rice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pinch saffron, for coloring
• Sprigs rosemary, as garnish
• Special equipment: large shallow pan

DIRECTIONS

Heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the oil in a pan. Add the strips of pepper and fry until they start to soften. Remove and reserve for garnish. Fry the chicken and rabbit at medium heat until golden brown, adding more oil, as necessary. Add the paprika half way through to add color to meat. Push the meat out to the edges of the pan and add the beans and tomatos in the center, mixing them well. Add 1/2 the water making sure to cover the pan until it is 1/2 full. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. 

Add the snails and cook for 5 or 10 minutes.

Add the rice, distributing it evenly over the pan and fry for a few minutes, moving it around in the pan. Add the rest of the water and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a pinch of saffron for colour. Once this is done the paella should not be stirred anymore.

For the last 1 to 2 minutes increase the heat to medium-high, until the bottom layer of rice starts to carmelize, creating what Valencians call the "socarrat". If the rice starts to burn remove the pan from the heat immediately.

Garnish the paella with the strips of red pepper and the sprigs of rosemary. 

Cover the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: 1 cup rice to 3 cups water

"Buen provecho"