photographing the little things

I used to bring my camera everywhere. In college especially, after getting my first little DSLR, my camera was always in my bag or hanging on my shoulder whether I was at a house party or in a park. Somewhere along the way I stopped doing that, choosing to bring the real camera only on roadtrips or adventures or big events. I've felt stifled creatively lately, feeling envious of other people's images; jealous that I don't have anything to photograph. Which is just kind of stupid. I realized that, though it may feel like a hassle, bringing your camera on silly, day-to-day trips is the only way to stay in practice and stay creative. So, my new goal is to get back to photographing life in the small ways - like Sunday trips to the market. Life's good. 

Frozen Coconut Limeade

It's National Tequila Day, but I'm going to go ahead and rebel against that with a little bit of rum. And some toasted coconut, and a few limes, and pretty pink glasses. Is that alright?

I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen a few weeks ago, on one of the hottest days yet in this LA summer, and was just like, yeah. Coconut, lime, rum, blended? Sign me up. I tweaked it a little bit, adding some toasted coconut and switching the sugar for simply syrup (and some rum because duh), and the result was a refreshing, tangy, adult slushie! Keep in mind - this is not a sweet drink, unless you make it so. Coconut milk is not naturally very sweet, but you can switch it for coconut cream or add other sweet things to dress it up a bit. 

Frozen Coconut Limeade:

2 1/2 cups ice

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/3 cup lime juice

Simple Syrup, to taste

Choice of rum, to taste

Toast coconut over the stove on medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown (and your kitchen smells amazing). Remove from heat & set aside. Blend remaining ingredients, adding simple syrup slowly, to taste. Pour into glasses & garnish with toasted coconut & lime slices. If you want a little extra sweet, you can also blend some toasted coconut in with the slushie. Cheers!

s i p p i n ' : Rosemary Ocelot

My older sister Katie is the first creative I remember observing--you know, one of those people who dabbles in a little bit of everything and adds a touch of beauty to all they do. Four years older than me, I watched her in high school as she developed black & white photography, wrote poetry, painted, refinished furniture, altered clothing, and on and on. My family is full of creative people, but she is the first person I remember watching and realizing that your creativity doesn't have to be limited to one or two outlets--you can have it all. 

It's years later and my sister is still pouring creativity into outlets like her home, her bountiful garden, and the amazing meals she whips up out of seemingly nowhere. She's also studying to become a certified sommelier, and has vast knowledge about wine & spirits. I asked her to come up with some cocktails to share with you all over the summer, and this is the first! We call it a Rosemary Ocelot because it contains Pisco, a Peruvian grape brandy, which made us think of South American Wildcats, hence the ocelot. Perfect for some backyard happy hour, which is my new favorite pastime!

Rosemary Ocelot:

1.5 oz Pisco

2 oz grapefruit juice

Rosemary simple syrup (recipe below)

soda water 

squeeze of lime

Combine Pisco, grapefuit juice, simple syrup, and lime in a shaker. Shhhhake it. Pour over ice, top with soda water, and garnish with a sprig of rosemary. Cheers! 

Rosemary Simple Syrup:

In a small sauce pan, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and several sprigs of rosemary. Boil at high heat until sugar dissolves, then steep and let cool. In an airtight container, this will keep for up to a month refrigerated and can be used in lots more cocktails! 

real life (?)

Since I'm not working yet, I've spent most of my days in SoCal so far on the beach, watching movies with my sister, and generally exploring the area...suffice to say, I haven't cared much about dressing stylishly (not to mention half of my wardrobe is still in the back of my car). Here's an example of California casual, wet hair and all. These are my favorite summer sneaks, and it makes me so happy that I get to keep wearing them...as a Washington girl born & raised, I'm still trippin' over the fact that it's 80 degrees in the MIDDLE OF OCTOBER. Every morning waking up to sunshine is a miracle to me...maybe I'll miss the Seattle grey someday, but not yet. Even now, it's barely 10am and I have every window and door open--is this real life?

coasting: kalaloch beach

Yes, sweaters and gloves and even pumpkin spice lattes (anyone else sick of seeing instagrams of those yet?) are imminent, but we're not letting them in just yet. Instead we're choosing to continue on summer adventures until the very last minute--choosing to sleep in tents and play on the Washington coast and drink cider around the fire and make hot coffee and greasy breakfast on the camping stove, to the sound of the ocean over the bluff. It may be a bit grey, but alas, that is Washington. And then, when Fall really rolls in, we'll scoot on down to southern California and keep on adventuring in the sun. 

p.s.: This is the first feature in a series called "Coasting", where I will be documenting my adventures down the west coast, from here to Cali and everything in between! Much more to come. 

what home tastes like

Life is one big mess of transition right now: two weeks ago I left my home in Bellingham, last week I slept on a friend's couch while working my last week, two days ago I left my home of four years and yesterday I landed back at my parents', where I'll be for a month or so while preparing to move to Cali. The homebody in me is in a bit of disarray, to say the least. 

But coming home to a back deck full of fixings to make the most glorious sandwich, paired with an icy beer and shared with my best friend and adventure companion, made me feel home again for the first time in weeks. From garden to tummy is the best path, in my opinion.

What tastes like home to you?   

summer eatin: green goddess salad with grilled shrimp

Okay, people: it may be September, but it is NOT fall yet. The time for pumpkin sweets and sweaters and foamy chai lattes is very close...but it is STILL summer, damnit, and I will still eat like it's summer ;) So here is one last summer dinner to close the season with. And it's a good one. 

My family loves seafood. Especially shrimp. So much so that we had shrimp at our house, whether it be cocktail, grilled, sauteed, etc, we would literally count out an amount that each person could have, so that there would still be some left when it got to the last person. It wasn't uncommon to hear my mom say "Okay, you get twelve shrimp each!" when seafood was served. What can I say, we like it. Which is why I am obsessed with this summer salad. It has all my favorite things: shrimp, avocado, goddess dressing, lemon..obsessed. too good.

Here's what you need:

raw shrimp
olive oil
garlic
lemon
parsley
s&p

romaine or spinach
avocado
cucumber
green pepper
tomato

goddess dressing

Thaw & de-tail the shrimp (the weirdest feeling ever, in my opinion). Mix olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and salt & pepper, to taste. Pour over shrimp & let marinate for 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how much time you have. Put shrimp on skewers (if using wood skewers, make sure they have been soaked in water for at least 2 hours first) and grill for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Chop all veggies and mix. Top with shrimp--make sure you count them out to make sure everyone gets equal amounts, to avoid conflict. Add Goddess Dressing (I get mine from Trader Joe's) and a little lemon juice. C'est bon!