Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July everyone! We're taking the day off to do very little, see friends, and enjoy some good eats. We hope you're doing the same!

Do you have any 4th of July traditions? Favorite places to catch some fireworks? For us- nothing tops watching fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl.

Come back tomorrow for a guest post about a cult favorite beauty product!

Girls are made of Sugar and Spice

Glitter doilies from Zakka Life

...and everything nice for this Valentine's Day. Are you planning to lure in your love with your sweetness or seduce him with your spicy side? We have you covered either way and hope to bring back that lovin' feeling right in time for the big day tomorrow.

Be Sweet 

Wear this

Natural make up Everything Fabulous

Romantic hairstyle from A Cup of Jo

Lace dress as seen on Ruffled

Ban.do Heart Shoe Clips

Eat this

Vanilla seared scallops with mango, cherries,
and tomato from Cook.Play.Explore

Handwritten valentine cupcakes from Martha Stewart

Drink this

The Honey Badger cocktail with St. Germain and Champagne
from Design Love Fest

Give this

Meaningful piece of art from Paris To London

Surprise him with this

Lingerie from Anthropologie

Be Sexy

Wear this

YSL Pure Colour Satiny Radiance lipstick

Cat eye from On Blue Pool Road

Sexy red dress and long loose waves from From Me to You

Eat this

Grilled oysters with sriracha lime butter from Food 52

Hot and spicy chocolate cakes from Serious Eats

Drink this

Watermelon cocktail with mezcal and jalepeno

Give this

Kiki de Montparnasse blindfold

&

Don't Stop Massage Oil from Booty Parlor

Surprise him with this

Black Bra seen on Cocorosa

What's your Valentine's Day style- sweet, sexy, or a saucy combination of the two? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve? You know we are dying to hear what you have planned and a few of us can use the last minute inspiration!

Happy 2012!

Break out the bubbly and the glamor!

Wishing everyone a wonderful new year! Do you make resolutions or set any new year goals? My husband and I like to take some time to jot down a few goals, but I try to avoid hard resolutions that I don't really plan on sticking to. It's nice to take some time to reflect on the past year and what you're looking for in the year ahead and small steps you can take to getting to the next step in whatever you're looking for in life.

For 2012 I have a few personal and a handful of professional goals. Some of them I'm going to keep under wraps, but maybe putting a few of my goals out there will actually jump start me to making these things happen!

• Try to cook my way through my new Mozza cookbook (it all looks so incredible, where do I start??)
• Find perfect hip length black blazer.
• Finally feel like I have something to wear for every occasion as they come up. Probably a life long attempt. Including 1 sequin garment!
• Be better about staying on top of chores- laundry, dishes, deep cleaning. Doing them often makes them easy every time and takes about 10 minutes. 
• Curb excess spending to be a better saver.
• Take my lunch hour and get out of the office more often.
• Be better about letting go of anger and resentment so issues don't build. Less negative self talk and less "what if scenario" thinking. Be a little nicer to myself and not so hard on myself when I make mistakes.
• More DIY home improvement projects.
• Tackle more restaurants on my restaurant to do list- and then tell you all about them!
• I'd like to say I'll work out everyday, but that's not realistic for me, so finding a workout I like and sticking with it is something I think I can work on.
• Wash my car more often.
• See my girlfriends more.

I hope that helps get you started on some lists of things to work on for the new year. If you are comfortable sharing (or do it anonymously), I'd love to hear what is on your mind for 2012.

Holiday hibernation

I have this week off and in between the holiday parties, visiting families, and plotting my cookie takeover for our friend's NYE party, I am trying to rest. It feels soooo good to do very little, run errands during the day, and eat latkes. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas or are enjoying your last night of Hanukah. It's been so nice seeing family and of course getting some wonderful gifts- as well as watching our family open the gifts we got for them. I have to say, I also am happy to be able to walk in our home office again without the enormous pile of presents everywhere.

Photo from Creature Comforts

Did you get any amazing gifts? Tell us about it! What about gifts you were disappointed by? I've heard a few stories about this lately and I'd love to hear how you handled that.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone! I'm going to enjoy some vacation time with my husband and family and will be back next week with a big post on a big LA restaurant that I can't wait to share with you. Enjoy some hot chocolate, the lights, watching Home Alone and A Christmas Story, and spending time with your family and friends!

Gift Guide for Foodies and Cooks

I know you are probably done with your shopping and have been for about a month because you are on top of it! But maybe you forgot just one little thing for that foodie friend and instead of stressing about what to get them- I will help you out!

Grow your own mushrooms, under $20

Smoking Gun from Williams-Sonoma, $99

Cheesemaking Kit, $25

Culinary Torch from Crate and Barrel, $39

Mozza Cookbook, $22 on Amazon

Food Saver, kits start at $98

Sous Vide, starts around $300

Anything Le Creuset

Slate cheese platter, available at various retailers.
Try Crate and Barrel, starts at $10 and cheese knives. 

Food and Wine Subscription

Gastronomica Subscription

Microplane, $10

Any excellent knife, try Bob Kramer

Cooking Class gift certificate, try Hipcooks

Michael Wainwright Amalfi Collection

Serving pieces also make great gifts for anyone who likes to cook at home and entertain. Michael Aram makes gorgeous pieces, Crate and Barrel also has a great selection at an affordable price (I like the Classic Century Collection), but if you're feeling especially spendy, Michael Wainwright is phenomenal.

Olive Oil- available here and here

Image from Bonjour- Celine

Good olive oil and good balsamic vinegars are wonderful gifts and their flavors make such a difference than just ok oils/vinegars and are such versatile ingredients. Dried artisan pastas and sauces, fine teas, good hot chocolate mix (and just good chocolate) and marshmallows made with care are also a great way to go.





I've discussed some dislike of gift cards in the past, but this is another exception- a gift card to a restaurant the recipient has been wanting to go to. This does not mean picking up a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory or California Pizza Kitchen at Ralph's= bad gift giver and shame on you! A few great LA restaurants that would be wonderful gift certificates to receive are along the lines of Hatfield's, Jar, Mozza, Fig and Olive (my visit here), Scarpetta, Providence (we got a gift certificate here for our wedding and I can't wait to go!), Cut, Melisse, The Hungry Cat, Rustic Canyon, Church and State, Angelini Osteria, Rivera, Ink, anything Suzanne Goin- AOC, Luques, and Tavern - are a few that would make you the family favorite for sure! It's hard to cut that list short, so if you need more suggestions, shoot me an email and I'll be happy to help find a good option for you.

Gifts for the Ladies- Part 2

Last week I posted my first batch of gift ideas for gals, but if you're still in a pinch and looking for some last minute ideas, I have some inspiration for you!



Fancy soaps, pretty matches, lotions, room sprays, diffusers. Mor has a great line of lotions,perfumes, soaps, candles, etc. that are beautifully packaged and make wonderful gifts.
Teas, artisan coffee (intelligentsia), gourmet food products
Luxury Candles such as Diptyque, Voluspa, or DayNa Decker.Voluspa candles are my favorite and come in such great scents and beautiful tins and vases. They aren't too expensive and would make a wonderful gift. The French Cade and Lavendar is a highlight.

Books are inexpensive and always make good gifts - even if it sometimes sits untouched on a nightstand for months on end...
Suggestions:
-Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling  (buy it on Amazon)
-Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me (also on Amazon)
-Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
(of course, you can get it on Amazon!)
- A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything
You Want Out of Life. By Bethenny Frankel
(surprise- it's on Amazon)
- The Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton (Amazon!)

Clothes can be a tricky gift, but this sweater from J. Crew seems to be a crowd pleaser. Personalized stationary, ipod and iphone cases, and trays are creative and thoughtful. Erin Condren does this best!My favorite iphone cases are by Kate Spade and I have this one!

Everything from Jonathan Adler is FABULOUS! He has such a great selection of salt and pepper shakers and these are very affordable and would be a welcome addition to any dining room table! I also love his Richard Nixon throw. The Jonathan Adler ceramic canisters are also amazing and cheeky and anyone with a sense of humor (and I really hope that's everyone on your list!) should appreciate these!

I don't typically like to give gift cards, but if you know the recipient has a favorite store (Anthropologie, J Crew, hint hint!), it's never a bad thing to get these. Restaurant gift certificates or cooking class gift certificates. Certificates for Spa Days or a massage are never something to frown about. I would avoid giving an American Express card, because nothing says "I put thought into this" like a card you can use pretty much anywhere. Although, if that's the message you'd like to convey (office buddy, perhaps?), maybe that's not such a bad idea.

Hostess gifts are always nice when you are invited into someone's home. Wine, champagne, or any bottle of their preferred liquor is always appropriate. Orchids are also a lovely gesture and you can get them very reasonably from Whole Foods, Gelsons, or Trader Joes.

Do you have anything special on your wishlist? Do tell!