Happy Fall Friday!

It's hard to believe that this is the last weekend in September, mainly because it still feels like early August over here. I can't believe it's supposed to be in the high 90's next week...in OCTOBER! Meanwhile for those of you in cooler climates, enjoy the chill. Cuddle up in a sweater, have a hot cup of cider or coffee, and enjoy the changing leaves.

Or make a pumpkin spice latte at home, recipe here

Have a great weekend everyone!

JR's Barbeque

Living in Los Angeles certainly has it's ups and downs. Downs are mostly traffic and expensive rents, but one of the big pros is the variety of restaurants and the really great quality of food we get. I wouldn't say LA is really a BBQ town, but I also wouldn't say that it isn't. Us Angelenos definitely love BBQ, but we aren't a city that is oozing with great BBQ spots. Note to future restauranteurs- consider going into BBQ, there's clearly a shortage. We have been driving by the hole in the wall that is JR's Barbeque for quite some time and finally went for it. I usually only post about my most favorite dining experiences, and in an effort to always be honest with you, I'll just  lay it out there the way things are. I wouldn't say this was mind blowing, but it was good and satisfied the craving. I went for a pulled pork sandwich (of course) and it wasn't really hitting the flavors I was hoping for. This was saucy (and who doesn't like saucy?), but it was lacking the vinegar kick I really look for in my BBQ sauces. I'll be the first to say I haven't dug into every BBQ stand in LA, but I would enjoy that experience! Most of the BBQ I've enjoyed comes from the best places- backyard grills and it started with my dad's BBQ when I was young, which still is up there on my list. I'll also throw Baby Blues BBQ in on my list of favorite BBQ spots, especially for it's pulled pork. The food is always fresh and flavorful and I love their XXX BBQ sauce! Back to JR's- the atmosphere is quaint and well, straight forward. The food hits the spot, but I don't know how soon I'll be back. The service however is very friendly.

If you have a favorite BBQ spot nearby, I think you know I want to go. So don't be greedy and keep your secrets to yourself- spill it!

corn muffin

pulled pork sandwich and beans

Brisket with coleslaw and potato salad

 

Now tell us, where do you go for BBQ?

It's Fall, Y'all

What says Fall in Los Angeles more than 100 degree weather, the Emmys, and the impending scare of Carmeggedon 2? Yup, Chicken Stew. I made some on Sunday and I am here to tell you how it went.

I'm not much of a cook like Desiree. I have a few staples that I make and am amazing at. These include, but are not limited to, kugel, matzo ball soup, beer stew and....that's about it. What I have learned about my cooking skills, as any faux chef should, is that you must go with your strengths and build upon them. My strength is that if I can make it in one pot, then I'm good to go. This usually limits my makings to soups and stews, but I don't hear anyone complaining about that. And any time I can use my Le Creuset Dutch Oven, I'm all over it.

As anyone living in Los Angeles knows, it's been hotter than a mother up in this joint for about a month. I tried my best to lure the Fall Gods to come by purchasing new sweaters from the Gap (still hanging in closet), getting a dark nail color (that has chipped off) and putting on my Fall duvet cover. Did you hear that Fall Gods? I put my Fall duvet cover on!!!! Obviously they didn't hear me because our "cooling trend" still leaves us in the 80 degrees zone. Throw me a bone, Fall Gods!

The calendar says it's Fall, so I'm going to make it Fall! Luckily, I have perfect way to do so by setting the thermostat to 63 degrees, putting on my favorite "I could never leave the house in these, but they're so freakin' comfy" sweats and letting no natural light into my room. Voila! Fall has arrived.

The stew was DELICIOUS! I don't like straying too much from the path on a recipes first attempt, so I didn't add anything except garlic and I chopped my own onion instead of using frozen pearl onions. That was all the straying I could handle. When I make this again, because I will be making this again and again and again, I will add a serious amount of veggies that I find proper (peas!). The possibilities are endless. The recipe thinks that only carrots and celery are necessary, but that's crazy talk. Fact: No one likes cooked celery. The flavor it adds to everything is amazing and that's where it should end. I cut the celery amount in half needless to say. Yeah, I went there Chef Eric Ripert. No one likes braised celery!

Also, this recipe calls for whole breasts. Next time I will cut the chicken up into bites, but will have to adjust my cooking time. That will be interesting because I have no concept as to how to do that.

As suggested, I served this dish with some noodles, but think it would be even better with mashed potatoes. And don't be deceived, while this looks and tastes like a chicken pot pie, it's not as caloric as you would think. I broke out a nifty recipe calorie calculator thingy and for a very large serving of this delicious treat (recipe serves 4), it's only 550 calories! For a stew! Crazy.

I would also like to add that whenever I say I made something with rosemary and lemon I feel fancy. Try using it in a sentence:

Friend: What did you do on Sunday?
Me: Oh, I had my car washed, turned the thermostat to 63, shut out all natural light out of my life, put on my comfy sweats and made Chicken Stew with Lemon and Rosemary.
Friend: Lemon AND Rosemary? You're one fancy betch.

Yes, I am.

Recipe: Chicken Stew with Lemon and Rosemary on the Food Network

Living in Leather

Leather is definitely one of the big fall trends and it's not limited to shoes and jackets. Leather is taking over skirts, dresses, pants, and tops. It's currently about 90 degrees outside so the idea of wearing leather sounds atrocious, but soon it will be cooling down (one can hope!) and leather may be a chic staple to add to my wardrobe for the cooler months.

 

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

Thursdays Jam Day

The other day a friend needed some cheering up and a few things are guaranteed pick me ups for me, so I thought I'd try to help up. My top pick me ups usually involve- a sweet treat, a shopping trip, 90's music, and some kind of pampering treatment, tv time, and time with people who make me laugh. Well, I didn't have access to all of the above, but I can certainly help by sending her some music on Spotify. I stuck to the 90s because that gets me dancing (at my desk, in my chair) and it's just pure fun- this is the music that takes me back to the days of Dawson's Creek and tea parties with my BFF in high school! I thought I'd share the playlist with those of you who have Spotify as well and if you're already in a good mood I hope this will keep it going all day long and if you need some cheering- listen to this and then buy yourself something from Sephora (like this, this, or this) or some shoes(like these, these, or these)!

You can check out the 90stastic playlist I made for your listening pleasure right here!I know my musical taste from the 90s ranges from a little En Vogue, to No Doubt, to Stone Temple Pilots- and everything in between. Don't forget to let us know what you think of our 90s favorites. What are some of your favorite 90s songs?