Chocolate Root Beer Bundt Cake

Everyone loves a bundt cake and I love this one because it is so easy to make and because it uses brown sugar and root beer so it stays moist and delicious. I was inspired by Emma at the Marion House Book Blog and the full post and recipe are up on the kitchn.

Lemon Verbena

If you ever come across verveine (or lemon verbena as we call it stateside), buy it. It's not a common plant on the westcoast so snatch it up as soon as you see it. Like mint, it's a great herb to make a tea out of (just pour boiling water over it and let it steep. The french drink it after a big meal to help digest and chez panisse makes a verbena/mint version that sounds awesome). My aunt always had a bush growing outside the back door so she could take a handful of it and shove it in a teapot.

I bought this little plant at the Descanso plant sale a couple of months ago and plan to use it to experiment with different kinds of iced tea and some of these recipes:

• Lemon Custards with Lemon Verbena
• Lemonade Slushies with Lemon Verbena and Mint
• Raspberry Apricot Compote with Champagne and Lemon Verbena
• Lemon Verbena and Orange Blossom Fizz

Happy weekend, everyone!

The Marion House Book

I just can't get enough of this house and the stylish family behind it. The Marion House Book is a Canadian blog chronicling the ever changing interior design of an old Victorian Home. I love that it's modern, but still full of textures. It's getting me inspired to readdress this old house's decor.

Check out the blog (complete with recipe for root beer bundt cake). Found it via Bloesom.

Sun Tea

It's summer here in Pasadena. It's hot and you can't really just drink all day to battle the heat, so I found an alternative: Sun Tea. It's fun to make, because it's easy, and it makes it feel like it's really summer. This past weekend I did a combo of green tea and trader joe's calm tea.

I put three tea bags in an old mason jar and put it in the sun for a couple of hours.



Then I poured it over ice, squeezed in some lemon and added a sprig of mint.



It was delicious. Plus, I realized, it would be a great mixer for cocktails.

So I wrote a post over on thekitchn about refreshing concoctions that start with tea. What's your favorite kind?

Doughnuts and Bourbon

So Abby, Grace and I went out for a fancy meal of doughnuts paired with bourbon at a place called Grace (conveniently enough). We each had different expectations for this evening of debauchery but they all seemed to center on: doughy donuts, enthusiasm, booze and fun. What we got was, well, on the sterile side. The doughnuts were so so and the bourbon was in champagne flutes instead of chunky shot glasses or glasses you could really palm, and the restaurant was bright and empty (instead of raucous and full and loud like I pictured when I thought doughnuts and bourbon). We were more ladies who lunch than like indulgent foodies.

So we've decided that our version is better and we ought to host a night of homemade doughnuts (piles of doughnuts!), chunky glasses teeming with bourbon, good lighting, good friends and some loudish music.

What do you think, sound fun?

Interview with Marta Teegan of Homegrown LA

I recently got a chance to interview Marta Teegan of Homegrown LA. She's a chef and a certified Master Gardener and specializes in growing edibles. She is an inspiration and a treasure trove of information. Here are some of my favorite tips:

On easy to grow edibles:
"there are some veggies and herbs that are especially hardy, including mint (which should always be planted in its own pot so that it doesn't take over your garden), oregano, thyme, chard, and kale. All do very well in pots. If you have the space for cucumbers to grow up on a trellis or railing, they are natural climbers, grow very quickly, and produce a large quantity of fruit - you will definitely be impressed with how many cucumbers a single plant can make!"

On exotic edibles to try growing:
"I find many people shy away from artichokes, so I always recommend growing them. They are such beautiful plants, they are prolific producers, and they are delicious to eat! I also always recommend that people with container gardens grow potatoes. Yes, potatoes can be grown in a pot! Nothing compares to the flavor of potatoes, prepared simply with butter and salt, eaten an hour after being harvested.

Some other great edibles to try would include cornichon cucumbers for pickling; the small, red pequillo peppers for frying with eggs; and Catalogna dandelions for a bitter green salad with shallots and bacon."

See my whole interview with her over on Apartment Therapy.

And here are some updates from my own garden. The 'cukes and squash are coming in and the tomatoes are looking promising. I accidentally (I'm lazy) let the lettuce bolt, so no more salad for a little while, but the swiss chard is still going strong!





Happy Weekend everyone. What are your plans? How are your gardens growing? Have you eaten outside yet?

Mexican Hot Chocolate

The cousins have all left and I'll admit that I miss them. The house has been bustling for the last two weeks with multiple pots of coffee brewing each morning, laundry humming away, beds in the living room, lots of people eager to play with hazel and no shortage of fun things to do.

But what they left behind (besides, obviously, some great memories and seeds planted for future reunions and trips, etc.) is some Mexican Hot Chocolate. Lily and Owen have been traveling the world the last 3 years and they came here from a month long stint in Oaxaca. So they brought the most delicious hot chocolate with them and we enjoyed it (oh did we enjoy it) and luckily there's plenty left to fill the the new quiet in the house.





For those that have never had Mexican Hot Chocolate it is an incredible blend of chocolate and spices that makes for a much more grown up flavor than traditional cocoa. The Aztecs and Mayans considered it a sacred drink and it was brewed and consumed unsweetened as part of ceremonies. Ours was premade, we just melted the bars of chocolate into milk on the stove. But if you aren't as lucky, you can follow this recipe which calls for cloves, nutmeg, chili peppers and cinnamon.

Marinated Artichokes at Gjelina

Had the best meal at Gjelina the other day (check out my last favorite meal there). We got a spot on the patio for lunch (my second lunch of the day to be exact) so Em and I shared a couple of dishes. The oysters were good, the beet and avocado salad was good too. But the Marinated Artichokes with Burratta and Crunchy Shallots took first place. Hop over here to hear me take a stab at how to make it yourself.

I love the design aesthetic of Gjelina though it's way too noisy when it's packed. Always try to get a table outside (tip: go early).





Here's info on Gjelina in Venice.

Chocolate Chip Guinness Ice Cream

My friend Ethan lives close by and has the habit of making ice cream. I know, it's tough having friends that make ice cream all the time. Well, earlier this year I forwarded him this recipe for Chocolate Guinness Ice Cream from my hero, David Lebovitz, and he made it and we ate it and we swooned. The Guinness gives a depth to the chocolate that is subtle and offsets the sweetness just enough to make you want to keep eating the entire batch. So I recently requested more and this time I participated. Also, this time we added chocolate chips at the end.


We assembled ingredients.


We fired up the Il Gelataio 800 (I know, what?).




And we made some ice cream.


It was so good.

Next time we're going to try to make Nutella Ice Cream.

Here's the Choclate Guinness Ice Cream recipe, just add some chocolate chips at the end to make it like ours. Prepare yourself, it is so good.

P.S. I'm playing with the look of At Home, it might change around a bit, or it might stay like this!

Individual Blackberry Bourbon Slumps

I spent yesterday afternoon making these bad boys. They were so good and so easy. Just grab some fruit and whip up a batch (and keep some of the bourbon for sipping, too). Recipe is here.

Chocolate Whiskey Pots de Creme

Joanna over on The Kitchn posted about these Chocolate Whiskey Pots de Creme and since I happened to have heavy cream in the fridge, I made them within hours of her post. The recipe is simple, rich and delicious. It was a total hit with everyone who tried it.

The technique is similar to a creme brulee: you simmer cream on the stove and then mix in chocolate. Let it cool slightly and then slowly add it to egg yolks and honey (and even though I'm not a huge fan of honey in general, it made the pots creamy and sweet without being too sweet). You can use a fancy chocolate, but I'm a big fan of the Trader Joe's chocolate in the brown wrapper.

Here's the full recipe.

Happy Weekend!

Great Cake

Ran across this fun cake for a 5 year old on Moline's Blog. Love the forest theme and the cute porcupines. Also love that it uses a bundt mold as it's base (always looking for an excuse to bust that one out). You should also check out her kitchen, it's pretty awesome. I talked about it once before here.

Home Made Bread

Over the weekend I tackled a recipe I've had bookmarked forever-- no knead bread. I have never made bread before and this could not have been more simple or more delicious. We ate it piping hot with nutella. It was heavenly. Crispy crust, moist doughy insides.

It's also so easy to make that it's the perfect way to impress people when you're hosting a dinner party. It takes no work and you can time it perfectly for fresh hot bread at the dinner table.

Find the recipe over on the kitchn.