I'm back

...and engaged!

The trip to SF and Big Sur was pretty freakin awesome.

Highway 1 Revisited

On Friday my beau and I are taking off on a long-awaited West Coast vacance. We're spending a week in sweet old San Francisco, sprinkled with a couple nights under the stars in Big Sur. These views make me wish I could blink my eyes and be there already...

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Ode to the lima bean

Lima beans don't get enough credit, so I thought I'd show this moon-shaped legume some love. They were a favorite of mine as a wee one, as my parents tell it. I love the image of chubby baby me, propped up in a high chair, clenching lima beans in each fist.

Over Thanksgiving weekend we went on a mini getaway to the Berkshires for some fresh air, lots of art, hiking, and relaxation. It was pretty dreamy. We also ate scrumptious food, the most memorable dish being a Peruvian Lima Bean Ragout with Swiss Chard, Fennel, Tomato and Pecorino at Mezze in Williamstown, MA. It was so, sooo good. And what a smart way to prepare lima beans - they were treated kind of like a pasta in a rich tomato-y sauce.

So in honor of the lovely lima, tonight for din I tried my best to recreate the Mezze dish. Here's how:

Beans
Soak 1.5 cups dried large lima beans, then bring to a boil and reduce to medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Sauce
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small - medium carrots, diced
6 baby bella mushrooms, diced
1 small shallot, minced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
a few large leaves of kale, chopped
tomato sauce (homemade or store bought)

Saute carrot, zucchini, garlic and shallot in a teaspoon of olive oil at low heat for 5 mins.

Add 1 cup tomato sauce to pan and simmer for a couple minutes.

Add tomatoes, mushrooms and kale (I like to just barely cook these ingredients, but you can add them earlier along with the other veggies too).

When limas are cooked almost all the way through, remove from water and add to the sauce pan to simmer together with sauce for another 10-15 minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs, parmesan, and buon appetito!

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Olé, apr.10

off to sevilla for a week on tuesday! la tierra de oro y toros...


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December 24th: on the rocks

take a half day and give that zamboni a run for its money.


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Going!: Tulum, Mexico

Getting ready for our week-long winter escape and I thought I'd share some of our Tulum itinerary with you...


Xel Ha, "nature's amusement park"and the largest natural aquarium, where we'll swim with dolphins, jump from the Cliff of Courage, river-raft and just cheeeeil.



An eco-cabana- maybe ours??- at Playa Mambo



One of the many cenotes in the Tulum region.



The ruins of Chichen Itza


Tomar el sol en muchos sentidos...

Hasta luego!