dog pile

m and j visited over the weekend...lots of laughs, a splash in the jacuzzi, a nature trail walk, cooking, dining, movie time and ten 3-week old rhodesian ridgeback puppies!

velvety, wrinkly, warm and squeaking...ridges on their backs prominent already...snuggling up to your hands, arms and body immediately when you picked one up..the breeder told us she handles them daily, rolls them on their backs and rubs their bellies and nuzzles them and it seems to affect them positively...one of them was so much bigger than the others that they nicknamed him 'tank' and it was a very fitting name...watched them huddle back together once they were on their blanket again, laying on top of each other for comfort and for warmth, a true dog pile!!



the breeder also had 9 adult ridgebacks and was clearly crazy about them...they had an expansive backyard with plenty of room for all of the dogs plus two ponies! the dogs run the house but were well-behaved and total lovers...so soft, so sweet...a wonderful dog fix on a sunday morning!

desertscape

got up early saturday to catch the 'sweet light' as it is called in photography, when the sun rises and sets and the natural light is best for taking photos...

started at 6am and went to the preserve...the air was crisp and sweet-smelling, i was practically alone, the desert flowers were abundant and the sun was making its way over the mcdowell mountains. i always think about how strange the vegetation must look to someone who's never seen it before...sometimes i even feel like i have just arrived on another planet as i survey my surroundings on a hike or when i look for the next shot.

2.5 hours and 650 pics later the sweet light had become bright morning light, there were more hikers passing by and i was ready to check out my efforts on my pc...am trying to get some decent pics by may 30 in order to enter the conservancy's contest to win $500!! will go back again soon to see how the dusk light changes the desertscape all over again...

btw - more pics from the adventure

sweet and sour

when life gives you pink grapefruits, make a grapefruit tart!

huge, fresh pink grapefruits (gratefully accepted from a family friend's very productive backyard trees!) and LOTS of love made this wonderful summery treat.

epicurious.com never fails and i followed the recipes for the grapefruit tart and the sweet pastry dough to a T...i think you could, however, add any other type of fruit or change the filling by not adding the ginger or the grapefruit juice. found the 'candied' (aka 'crystallized') ginger at walmart but it was cheaper at safeway and you can find the mascarpone at most grocery stores (to the lay cook like me, mascarpone is italian cream cheese). the result is sweet but not too sweet, kind of tangy because of the ginger and really light and refreshing...never had anything like it before...and the side bonus is that you can use the sweet pastry dough recipe for other desserts!

i won't lie, it took quite a bit of time but it was well worth it and fun to share...if you're feeling up for a challenge, i dare you!

btw - here's mine before and after powdered sugar...mine looks a little different than the pic on the epicurious site but hopefully it tasted the same! ;)

mother's day

this year on mother's day weekend, "babies" is released in select theatres and celebrates four babies across the globe as they are raised in different families. it is sure to make us think about our own mothers, ourselves as mothers and our fellow mothers...cheers and gratitude to moms all over! and who will be able to resist these cute kids??

earth day - thursday, april 22

attend an event or volunteer on earth day in your area

learn more about what you can do on earth day and every day

watch the movie "oceans" in theatres on earth day...the site photos/videos are incredible themselves

visit a local farmer's market or buy locally or organically grown food

grow something, plant something, share what you grow and help someone else grow something, start a compost, recycle, pick up trash when you see it, go for a walk or a hike or a bike ride, educate yourself

...enjoy and honor the earth...

catch-up

april's been filled with great experiences so far...

easter breakfast with m&d - green eggs&ham, homemade danish, hot cross buns

bdays and more bdays - r, a, m, j, c!
r's bday in the backyard with candles and steak, risotto, creamed spinach, boston creme pie
a's bday at kabuki and mcfadden's with friends, food, drinks, cake, dancing, laughing

babies - several on the way and one arrival (love the chub rolls!)

new vision center for spiritual living - service discussing the ego and how to identify what is behind what you desire

food and drinks with m&j overlooking the city, watching the sun set and listening to a singer whose range covered male and female solos and duets

m's visit - talking, relaxing, ansel adams exhibit and museum browsing, swimming and sun time, dining al fresco, bday cake, movies

a haircut by giusseppe the old italian man who literally chopped it to my shoulders...guess it is a good summer cut in order to keep cool(!)

calligraphy for k&c

hot yoga with a - omg! only 1x so far but was so toxic inside i guess that that first session knocked me out almost the whole day afterward with a weak body and a headache...felt so good even though you drip sweat the entire time in a room between 103-105 degrees...sore the following day so i know it works on multiple levels! see how it feels after two weeks of classes...bet i will want to continue with yoga, if not hot yoga because of the body AND mind benefits. liked their approach, making sure you practice at your own pace and that it is about all of the benefits and not just about fitness.

btw..."food, inc" will most likely change the way you look at food and you can make a difference

red rocks

traveled to sedona with family the last week of march and stayed in the cloud house on oak creek. gorgeous, relaxing, always great to get back to nature.

snowmelt from flagstaff helped the creek to swell and it was roaring at 1000 cubic ft/second the week before we got there...in the summer months it flows at around 30 cubic ft/second, so it was flowing really fast and the water level had risen substantially (about 2.5 ft higher than it normally sits)...couldn't drive across the creek to get to the house, so we had to use carts from the car and over the bridge to the house!

trees that were normally at the banks of the creek were taking a beating and trunks and branches littered the creek perpendicular to the flow...nothing stopped the forceful water from passing over/under/around any obstacles in its way...it was beautiful to watch and soothing to listen to day and night as it never ceased.

live fires and smoke out of the chimney, overnight snow, games, walks in the woods and by the creek, a visit to the old rainbow trout farm we went to as kids with my dad and grandpa, visits to town, cooking in the house, reading on the patio, collecting rocks and taking photos...




























































went to tlaquepaque and hadn't been there for a long time...great galleries, restaurants, architecture and landscaping...you can spend all day there just walking around.



































ate at elote cafe and it was so flavorful we had to chow down there twice...crazy unique and extremely flavorful...highly recommend the cookbook you can get on their website (a great gift for any cook).
btw - my favorites from our gluttonous adventures:
Elote~ Fire roasted corn with spicy mayo, lime and cotija cheese
Smoked Chicken Enchiladas~ House smoked free range chicken, salsa verde and chipotle crema
Seafood Tacos~ Ancho glazed fish and shrimp, spicy cabbage, lime aoli and avocado
Quesadilla de Costilla~ Guajillo braised beef short ribs, Mexican cheese and quacamole
Tacos de Mole~ Braised free range chicken in a puebla style mole
Chile Relleno~ Vegetable picadillo, goat cheese and queso Oaxaca