Archive for April, 2009

April 29th, 2009

Budget beach trip

halfdollar
Sand half-dollar

Now that it’s been three weeks since C and I went on our Seaside trip, you might think a post about it would be irrelevant and pointless. You would be wrong.

Something like slightly over a year ago, a bunch of us went to see the Sex and the City movie and, right after the show, C got sucked into some sort of “spin this wheel and win a free weekend at a beach resort!” offer.

She was all into getting a free weekend trip for the cost of sitting in a timeshare pitch. I was all into going to the bar and ordering pink martinis, so I abandoned her. Little did I know, I’d be her plus one on this trip and little did she know they’d bait and switch her and stick us in a highway motel which was most definitely NOT a beach resort.

Usually I’m a hotel snob, but I didn’t care much on this trip because when you’re surrounded by beauty like this …

coast_drive

… and this …

carollani_drive1

… it doesn’t much matter where you stay.

More pictures after the jump…

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April 17th, 2009

Spring is in the air! And soon to be in my belly.

Asparagus

A few months ago, C and I started making Saturday morning trips to farmers markets and the local butcher to gather ingredients for our upcoming week. Lately, we’ve fallen out of the habit as our schedules have gotten more complicated. But this weekend brings about the perfect opportunity to jump back into it.

We have no Saturday morning plans to speak of, the weather forecast looks amazing (for the entire weekend) and asparagus farmers started harvesting last week! Asparagus, tomatoes and strawberries have always been my favorite farmers market gems, so I’m very excited about this development.

C recently found a delicious recipe for roasted asparagus and potatoes. We’ve been using butter potatoes, but I bet fingerling would be good. The original recipe calls for Yukon gold. Being from Idaho, I’m a firm believer that there are no bad potato varietals (but russet is the best of course, just not for this recipe).

Try it, you’ll like it!

* 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced (C’s addition)

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in upper third.

Toss together asparagus, potatoes, oil, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large shallow baking pan, spreading evenly. Roast, stirring once, 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and roast until cheese is melted and golden in spots, about 3 minutes more.

CategoryCooking | Comment2 Comments »

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April 10th, 2009

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April 2nd, 2009

Currently adoring: Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You

Lily Allen

I’m late to the game with Lily Allen’s new album since 80% of my friends seem to already own it and have all the words memorized. I finally bought it today and I, of course, love it. I was sort of lukewarm on her when her first album came out and never bothered purchasing it even though I liked one or two tracks I’d heard.

This album, though, there’s something sweet and vulnerable about it. Not as precocious, to borrow a Simon Cowell-ism. There’s still plenty of biting cynicism in several of her lyrics, but I think she’s learned how to tone it down a little and seem approachable and human.

This, so far, is one of my favorite tracks if, for nothing else, you can hear her smile when she sings.

CategoryUncategorized | Comment1 Comment »