Pug Life

September 8, 2010May 27, 20111 Comment

So I realize that I have only been blogging about twice a week but I have a really good excuse…promise. You want to see?

Meet Crosby.

When Reggie and I first started dating, about 7 years ago, we both talked about how much we LOVE Pugs. When we moved into our new place, we both decided that this was the perfect time to find our pug. So for the last 6 months I have been stalking Petfinder.com for a Pug we could rescue. See, after watching this episode of Oprah, I have not been able to get the idea of rescuing a dog out of my head.

I was fortunate enough to come across Happy Ending Rescue in Los Angeles. However, Stephanie and her team do not just rescue dogs in Southern California–they also rescue internationally. In fact, our boy Crosby is from South Korea. Tragically, the practice of dog slaughtering for meat is still a major problem in South Korea.

Amongst the South Korean population that does not eat dog meat a growing segment of proactive supporters has been fighting for animal rights; fighting to bring about the long overdue realization that eating dog meat, a Korean tradition born during times of life-or-death, is now unneccesary and its continued practice is inhumane. (Happy Ending Rescue)

For more information, click here. I warn you, though, it is very graphic and disturbing.

The adoption process was a breeze and Crosby has been making us laugh nonstop for the past couple weeks. Plus he loves the camera so expect to see him making an appearance every now and then. 🙂

P.S. Apple’s next ad campaign?I can only hope 😉

Friday Night Special

August 25, 2010May 27, 20111 Comment

I love Fridays. Not because the weekend is near or a new movie is coming out, though I do love all of those things. Instead, my anticipation comes from the Friday night special at George’s Greek Cafe for kleftiko. According to legend, kleftiko means “stolen meat.” Historically, this dish is made with a lamb stolen from a flock, perhaps one grazing in nearby hillside. Then, the thief would cook the meat for several hours in an underground oven sealed with mud so no steam could escape and give the thief away. The result? The most tender, flavorful piece of lamb. Heaven.

George’s Greek Cafe is also a legend in itself. On a given night you can find George himself standing outside hugging guests as they enter the restaurant. Okay, the hugging is optional but I like it.

In all seriousness, the service is incredible. Everyone is smiling and happy to offer food and wine recommendations and occasionally some (free) samples. No pretention, just free wine. For example, if you want to try some wine before committing to a bottle, just tell your server what you like and they are happy to let you taste several options before deciding on a bottle.

My husband shares my kleftiko enthusiasm so he joined me for dinner. We started our evening with a Greek favorite, Amethystos. This wine is a solid Cabernet & Merlot blend that pairs nicely with the lamb.

Reg and I were quite hungry but we knew we wanted to order a couple favorites before our lamb arrived. First up was the Melintzanosalata, a baked eggplant dip with garlic and lemon juice. The flavors are light and clean. I dare you to just try a little.

Then, the Saganaki arrived. This is all about the presentation, baby! Saganaki is an extremeley popular appetizer here. I know this because you can literally see when someone orders it because of the “show” that comes with it. However, as great as the giant fire show is, the actual dish is even better.

Greek Kasseri cheese is battered and lightly fried then brought to table to be flamed with Brandy and then the whole dish is finished with Kalamata Olives and fresh squeezed lemon juiced. Best served layered on that soft, doughy pita bread.

Here it is–the famous Kleftiko. Not only is the meat spectacular (I highly recommend squeezing those lemons on the meat to intensify the flavors a bit more) but the sides are equally fantastic. The potatoes are roasted with quality olive oil, onions, and thinly sliced carrots which make the potatoes slightly sweet. George’s famous Greek salad is also served with the dish.

The combination of authentic, friendly service, affordability, and fresh healthy food makes George’s one of my favorite restaurants…period. While Friday has a special place in my heart because it is the only night you can order Kleftiko, any night you visit George’s you will not be disappointed.

xo,

Jenna

P.S. Can’t visit on a Friday? Check out their Monday night 1/2 off bottles of wine special!

Hello I Love…Starling Diner

August 9, 2010May 27, 20111 Comment

First of all, I want to apologize for the large gap between posts. Short version of a very long story=we had to move very fast because the water in our old apartment turned out to have a toxic level of bacteria. Ew. I know. Luckily, Reg and I are both healthy and we are now living back in Long Beach.

I love Long Beach and I must say it really feels good to be home. We have moved several times over the last 7 years and Long Beach is the only place we lived for more than a year and I think we will be staying here for a long time. Naturally, my favorite part of Long Beach is the food, particularly the breakfast. For some reason, I have found that Long Beach houses some of the best breakfast restaurants and they are always crowded.

Case in point–Starling Diner. This place usually has a wait and for good reason. You get fresh, creative dishes in a quaint cozy house turned restaurant served with a smile.

Free coffee always makes the wait more tolerable.

In fact, Starling takes waiting area entertainment to a whole new level with the composition notebooks that are scattered around the restaurants for people to write, share their thoughts (about food and life)… or maybe just doodle.

I thought this entry was awesome. I loved the chain of responses between people who stumbled upon this particular notebook over what to order.

We started with some old favorites. I missed these Cream Scones so much. They are especially good when topped with the homemade orange butter and homemade lemon curd. They only bake so many each day so it is first come first served. They are brought out immediately after ordering and are perfect to nibble on while perusing the menu.

I chose the scramble with roasted mushrooms, spinach, and jack cheese. The roasted mushrooms’s deep flavor made this scramble really special. The roasted potatoes and fresh baguette were a great added bonus but I pushed them aside to share Reg’s breakfast.

Yes, this would be their sourdough baguette stuffed french toast filled with Mascarpone cheese and topped with fresh whipped cream, berries, and Creme Anglaise. Unbelievable! I cannot believe I have been to this restaurant at least 20 times and never once tried the french toast. Now, I don’t think I could order anything else. This is a must try my friends.

As usual, everything was fresh and delicious. The serviced was equally spectacular. Before leaving and walking home (love that I can do that now), Reg had to grab one of the notebooks and write a little message of his own. Do you want to see?

I guess you will just have to visit Starling Diner yourself to find it! 😉

xo,

Jenna

I Heart Vintage

July 22, 2010May 27, 20112 Comments

Good morning friends!

I uploaded so many new items to my store last night. I have been experimenting with expanding the store and when I found these vintage cabochons, I knew exactly what I wanted to create and I could not be happier with the results. But the best part? Everything is under $20.00! Check it out…

Make You Feel My Love

All My Loving–Blush Pink

Going to California

All My Loving–Purple

Mary Jane’s Last Dance

All My Loving–Mustard Yellow

All My Loving–Red & White

Me & Bobby McGee

Oh Very Young

All My Loving–Eggplant

What do you think of the new additions to Hello, I Love You?

xo,

Jenna

Hello…I Love Bob Dylan

July 15, 2010Leave a comment

I have always said that I was born in the wrong generation. As you can see from my jewelry, I am huge fan of music, particularly that of the 1960s and 1970s. Bob Dylan is easily one of my favorites. I love the way he combines rock, blues, and folk music to create powerful music with inspiring lyrics. In fact, I think Bill Clinton said it best when he discussed Dylan’s impact on music:

“He probably had more impact on people of my generation than any other creative artist. His voice and lyrics haven’t always been easy on the ear, but throughout his career Bob Dylan has never aimed to please. He’s disturbed the peace and discomforted the powerful.”

Here are a few of my recent designs inspired by Dylan’s legacy…

Blowin’ in the Wind

The Times They Are A-Changin’

I really love both of these pieces so much. In fact, I am wearing a pair of the Blowin’ in the Wind earrings (in pink) to a wedding this weekend. I consider them a little present to myself for my birthday, which is tomorrow! We are going to Pizzeria Mozza for dinner and then I am heading to Lake Tahoe for a very special wedding weekend. It is going to be a great time and I will definitely be sharing pictures when I return. 🙂

Have a beautiful day!
xo,
Jenna

Busy Bee

July 9, 2010May 27, 20115 Comments

Hello! I am sorry I took such a big break in blogging! I have been busy working on some jewelry for a wedding that takes place next weekend. Very exciting!

You want to see what they look like?

I am really in love with the way they came out. That stone in the center is Aventurine, which is supposed to bring good luck. Legend has it that aventurine is a healing stone, improving imagination, increasing confidence, and reducing stress. Plus it is preeeeeeeetty.

However, because I have been so busy, I have not been coming up with as many original recipes. Instead, I have been relying on the Epicurious App for my iPad.

In no way is this a paid advertisement for them but this app IS freakin’ fantastic. There are thousands of recipes with brilliant photos. Plus, there is a great feature where you can enter the ingredients you have on hand and then a list of potential recipes is generated.

Last weekend, when I had to make a dessert for a 4th of July party, I just wanted to make something quick. I really wanted to incorporate fruit because of the season and because I happened to purchase my body weight in nectarines at Trader Joe’s. Usually I don’t love their produce but these nectarines were actually quite good. They gave the cake the perfect sweetness and also came in a huge box. So really, no matter what I was making that day Nectarines were going to be included. Trying not to waste food here!

After a quick search I decided a Nectarine Golden Cake would be perfect.

I bought some vanilla during my last trip to Fremont Diner in Sonoma. I thought this was as a good a time as any to open it. Delicious.

This cake was so delicious and EASY. I did make one adjustment, though, in that I used cinnamon instead of nutmeg for the topping because I did not have any on hand. The cake still tasted great. In fact, this cake tasted very similar to the Butter Cake from Mastro’s . Have you ever had it? It is probably my favorite dessert of all time. What can I say? I love butter.

Honestly, I think the best part of this recipe is it’s versatility. You could add berries, peaches, plums, apples, bananas (and chocolate chips) and this would have been fabulous. I highly recommend this if you need a quick dessert. Fresh whipped cream would take it over the top. Just sayin’… 😉

xo,

Jenna

papernstitch <3

June 30, 2010May 27, 2011Leave a comment

Hello friends! How is your week going? Mine is going great and I have to say, this positivity is probably due to my new exhibition that opened on papernstitch! Have you heard of this amazing site? If not, here are some more details…

papernstitch is an online exhibition space that was created to promote talented artists, designers, and makers selling handmade goods. the exhibition space is curated monthly and showcases the best of the best on an international level. hence our tagline: hand-picked. handmade (Source)

Needless to say, I am really honored and excited about participating. I admire the work of the others on the site and I am thrilled about the opportunity to share my jewelry with more people. The exhibition went “live” yesterday but here is a little preview of what was added to my store ! 🙂

Blue Leaves Necklace 1.jpg

Hello I Love You 2.jpg

xo,

Jenna

Off to the Market

June 29, 2010May 27, 20112 Comments

I have been trying to visit Market in St. Helena since my last trip to Napa. I love swanky restaurants with creative meals but at the end of the day I really love simple, fresh food cooked spectacularly. Plus, supporting any restaurant that uses local ingredients makes me smile. Market does all of these things. 🙂

We started with some cocktails. Mine was the fizzy gin drink in front. Perfectly refreshing for a warm summer night in wine country.

We started with some laughs and some appetizers.

Farmer’s Market Chopped Salad. Alfie, our server, told me this was the most popular salad on the menu. For this salad, the Chef picks whatever is best at the morning Farmer’s Market so the ingredients change every day. This one had broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bacon, blue cheese, and lettuce. The veggies were cooked just slightly which some people may prefer, but I would have rather them be chopped more and left raw because cooking them only intensified the dressing, which I was not a huge fan of. Also, there could have been more cheese. This little hiccup was okay though because the other dishes we ordered were spectacular.

This is one of the best Crab Cakes I have ever had. This baby was huge and stuffed with quality Dungeness crab meat. Paired with the coriander lime sauce and what had to be the most fresh grilled corn of all time, this dish was epic! I could have ate this as my meal. Only downside was that the cake itself was deep fried. I really think it would have been just perfect if it was less crispy on the outside.

Fresh Cream of Corn Soup. Again, the corn had to be one of the best veggies at the Farmer’s Market because this soup was perfectly sweet only needed a hint of cream and a splash of chili oil. We were all really pleased with this soup and jealous of Reggie who had been smart enough to order it. 🙂

I ordered the Organic Fried Chicken for my entree. I LOVE fried chicken. This one was perfectly seasoned and crispy. The whipped mashed potatoes were so fluffy and buttery.

What stood out for me was the portion size. Sometimes you order Fried Chicken for your entree and you literally receive an entire chicken. Yea, if I order that just for me there is no way I am finishing the dish. I was pleasantly surprised when only two pieces were served with my dish. Perfect amount for me to devour. 😉

Macaroni & Cheese with Aged Fiscalini Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Bacon and Fine Herbs. I am only going to say this once because I pride myself on having the best homemade macaroni & cheese but this is better than my version. My sisters both ordered the M&C and they are not what you would call “plate finishers” but this was done. Between the six of us at the table, we could not stop “oooohing” and “ahhhing” over this dish. Well played Market, well played.

My father ordered Zinfandel Braised Lamb. I managed to steal a bit–for the blog, I argue– and wowza, this meat was tender. The jus served with the meat was light and had the perfect essence of zinfandel. My father is not one to rave about food like me (unless it is dessert) but he had a hard time keeping quiet about this one. He said this was the best lamb he has ever had. Period.

The Filet Mignon came from a local farm and was truly spectacular. Served with homemade au gratin potatoes, haricot verts and a porcini butter, this whole dish was cooked and seasoned to perfection.

Post-dinner cappuccino for me.

Butterscotch Pot du Creme for the table. Very rich and creamy. If you are a fan of butterscotch, you will love this. But is this definitely a dessert to share because a few bites is just enough.

We loved visiting Market. The food was incredible and the service was fantastic. Our server, Alfie, was knowledgable about the dishes, having tried everything. Above all, he loves to eat and he is passionate about local, sustainable food. At the same time, he did not bombard us at the table. He allowed us space to talk about enjoy our meals, offering any assistance when necessary.

He told us that he used to live in Southern California and then recently moved up to St. Helena with his wife and their 4 children. Now, they have a larger place on more land and my dream…chickens! I actually let out a little cheer when he told us this (I am such a nerd…) because my dream is to have an old farmhouse with chickens in the back yard and maybe a cow….okay, maybe a goat too. A girl can dream, right? Mostly, Alfie told us he is living the dream up there and you could see it on his face through his beaming smile.

I walked out of this place with a full belly and a full heart.

xo,
Jenna

Cooking with Julie: Part 1

June 26, 2010May 27, 20113 Comments

This year, for my mom’s birthday, my sisters and I bought her a very special cooking class in Napa. Cooking with Julie is an experience that cannot be matched. This was actually my second time participating in her class and I was so happy to be back. What makes this day so special is that you start your day at the Farmer’s Market buying the vegetables, fruits, cheese, and other ingredients we would be using during the class. Chef Julie really believes that good food starts in the picking of ingredients. Makes sense too, right? If you have beautiful flavorful ingredients, you can cook them simply and their flavors shine through.

This particular Farmer’s Market was one of the best I have ever seen. The colors were dynamic but what makes this market is the people. They were so knowledgeable and friendly!

I loved talking to the people in each booth. Their passion for what they are growing and selling is contagious. Besides how good food taste, I think that my absolute favorite part of food is the community.Throughout the entire day when our small group was cooking, I could not help but pause and think about where this food came from and the hard work it took to create such beautiful products. I was grateful.

After buying our ingredients, we headed to Back Room Wines in Downtown Napa to taste the wines that Julie’s friend, Dan, had selected to pair with our food. Dan was so friendly and you could tell he enjoyed talking about wine and pairing wine with food. Everything was delicious and I ended up purchasing the 2009 Copain Rose (perfect for a hot Summer day) and the 2007 Salvestrini Rettagio.

After the tasting, we headed back to Julie’s beautiful home to start cooking!

To be continued…

xo,

Jenna

Vino & Views

June 26, 2010May 27, 20111 Comment

We finished breakfast around 10:30 so I decided we should start our wine tasting with a little sparkling wine at Domaine Carneros to celebrate my mom’s birthday! DC is one of my favorite spots in Napa for great views and great vino. You cannot beat a place with an outdoor tasting space!

I had to snap a picture of this little boy and his father. They both walk the same way, with their hands clasped behind their back. So precious. 🙂

After Domaine Carneros, we headed back to Buena Vista, the oldest winery in California. On the way, we stopped to hug some trees….literally 🙂

I really love Buena Vista, not only because of their quality wine but because of the education you receive when you taste on their property. Quinn, the gentleman in the vest in the above picture, is their on site sommelier. Not only does he know his stuff but he is hilarious in the delivery!

Today he wanted to deepen our understanding of food and wine pairing. For example, when trying a buttery Chardonnay he brought out lemons for us to put in our mouths and then take a sip of wine. The acid in the lemons combines with the acids in the wine to give you an entirely different tasting experience. The wine tasted completely different. My mom loved the experience so much she joined their wine club too!

Overall, we had an amazing experience wine tasting. If I am drinking most of the wine, I really prefer to stick to only a couple wineries and today proved to be the perfect amount.

We may have stopped by El Dorado Kitchen for some homemade soft serve with olive oil and sea salt….oh yea!

What are your best experiences wine tasting?

xo,

Jenna