Drury Lane.

I post a lot about food on this blog, but never any recipes. It's not really a conscious choice, so much as I never really cook using them. The way I learned to cook, is the way that both my mother and my sister do, you just sort of smell, feel and taste when something is right.

I blame this on the reason why I am not the best baker. Baking is all about precise measurements. If you tried to "feel" a cake batter you would probably end up with more of a pancake.

That being said, I do really like to bake! So I test out my hand on occasion. Tonight's trial run of a muffin recipe I found online worked out really well, so I thought maybe I would share. I followed the basic measurements from this recipe for steel cut oat muffins, but I tweaked it a lot and made it my own.

Try them and tell me what you think! Trust me, the way your house will smell is reason alone. Does anything say home like the smell of something cinnamon-y baking in the oven?

Cinnamon Apple Steel Cut Oat Muffins

3/4 cup cooked steel cut oats

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 eggs

2 tablespoons real maple syrup

1 tablespoon honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cup AP or wheat flour (depending on how healthy you're feeling)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 apple, peeled and diced (Michigan Honeycrisp from the farmers market, if you can)

1 cup granola (I used Milk and Honey's Original)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together all wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet, being sure not to over mix.

Soften diced apple slightly in a sauce pan on the stove, or in the microwave for a minute.

Fold apple and granola into the batter.

Spoon two tablespoons of batter into lined or greased muffin tins.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in tin for 5 minutes, before removing.

Locavore.

A personal goal of mine recently has been to try and eat more local and sustainably grown produce. I have found some great resources in the city, like Dill Pickle Co-op, Downtown Farmstand and restaurants like Birchwood Kitchen (down the block!). While the produce may be slightly more expensive, I find it worth the few extra bucks to contribute to the local economy and support independent farmers.

Today, Chelsea, Jordan and I went to the Logan Square Farmers Market for the first time. The perfect fall morning activity, it was wonderful. We got so much amazing produce, directly from the farmer's hands. Can't get much better than that.

We came home with our bags full of a real variety of things, swiss chard, baby spinach, oyster mushrooms, apples, grapes, sweet corn ( last of the season :( ), eggs, onions, garlic, radishes, heirloom tomatoes, spaghetti squash, butternut squash and fresh flowers. The selection was really amazing. I wish the season wasn't ending so soon, I want to go back every week!

At the risk of sounding preachy, anyone who is yet to see Food Inc., I highly recommend it. Once your eyes are opened to the affect that commercial farming is having on our bodies and our economy you may think twice about where the food you eat comes from, and what it is made out of. Educating yourself is never a bad thing.

Stuffed.

Chelsea brought home these amazing purple peppers she picked up from the Grand Rapids farmers market during her trip to Michigan. Thanks Chels!

Unfortunately, they taste more like green peppers (which we both

detest) than red, or yellow, or orange (which we love). Still cool none the less!

I used them in dinner tonight. Stuffed acorn squash. Peppers, and spinach, and beans OH MY! Well, feta too..and tomato.

In a real pickle.

Today was interesting, to say the least.

I awoke this morning excited about making applesauce with the apples I bought at the Lincoln Square Apple Festival yesterday. Realizing I had forgotten them in my car, I ran downstairs to grab them, only to find my car window smashed in and my Ipod, GPS, prescription glasses and favorite Ferragamo sunglasses (RIP) were gone. That put a little wrench in my plans...About 3 hours, a police report, and 1 new window later, I was back in the kitchen, finally getting down to business.

I made my first batch of pickles ever (yay!) and a pot of homemade apple sauce.

Hey Hey Mama.

Allow me introduce you to Black Dog Gelato.

Rum Raisin and Malted Vanilla deliciousness.

Lesson.

I am writing this message with one hand. Why, you may ask? Well the story begins in my backyard yesterday, searching the vines for some delicious, ripe tomatoes. While on this mission I stumbled upon some innocent, dare I say cute, little peppers growing amongst the tomato plants. Perfect! I thought, these will work great for tacos tonight. Fast forward 5 hours, 'damn, these tacos are spicy.' Fast forward 2 hours 'damn, my fingers are burnings.' This morning you can find me with my hand soaking in a bowl of milk because the fire has engulfed my entire left hand. Oh life.

So what's the moral of the story kids? Use protection.

The culprit.

Heirloom.

Taste.

M Cafe de Chaya. Where do I even begin?

I could profess my love for your white bean and heirloom tomato salad, or perhaps your delicious scarlet lemonade, but I feel as though it wouldn't be enough.

I am wondering if your delivery range reaches Chicago...

M Cafe is a delicious restaurant here in LA. Lucky for me there is one just a few blocks from my apartment, so I have been eating here constantly. Lucky for everyone who eats here, M Cafe is an extremely healthy choice, that serves only macrobiotic cuisine. I have tried about 7 things on the menu now, and they have all been ridiculously delicious.

I think the best part about the food is that you feel great while you're eating it AND after. I have grown so tired of the gross, bogged down feeling I get after consuming some food. Sure, it may feel good in the moment, but the coating of grease left covering your body afterwards sure does not. Lately I have been becoming more and more turned off with the idea of eating meat. I'm not saying that the power of a cheeseburger may not overcome me in the future, but as for daily consumption, I just don't feel right about it anymore . Maybe it's all the sad cattle trucks I have driven alongside on the way home from Chicago, or perhaps it's been all the great fresh food of summer, but something in the back of my mind keeps telling me 'no.'

This is not meant to be some preachy post about the horror of eating meat, just something I have been conscious of lately. However, I certainly will preach the importance of trying new types of food all the time! Get out of your comfort zone people, you can only eat so much mac n' cheese.

This is the delicious California Club I had for dinner. How bad can that be?

Look & Listen.

This weekend I attended the 30th annual Sunset Junction Street Fair here in LA's Silverlake neighborhood. I wasn't able to see as much music as I had hoped to, but it was still a lot of fun as a few beers and some delicious zeppole from Rosa's Bella Cucina were involved.

On Saturday I set out to hear a band called Eastern Conference Champions. I heard them first on the buzzbands.la Sunset Junction playlist and have been listening to their EP Santa Fe nonstop ever since. Unfortunately I was only able to catch the end of their set, but what I was really great. Awesome little drum improve thing at the end was totally cool, and the crowd was really into it. I am definitely going to make it a priority to see them play Mayne Stage in Chicago on 9/24.

Sunday I sought out to see Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, a current favorite of mine. Little did I know that everyone in greater LA area would want to see them as well. This time I was there on time, but due to the mass of people I couldn't actually see the band play, so although I could hear them it wasn't the greatest live music experience.

$20 a day might have been a bit steep, but Sunset Junction was an overall good time with good friends, and that my dear, is priceless!

Buzzsicle 10-Sunset Junction by buzzbands

Listen.

Since being in LA, I have become obsessed with KCRW, LA's NPR station. They have the best programming of any radio station I have ever heard. I am especially into Jason Bentley's show Morning Becomes Eclectic. He has this incredible knack for playing music I already love, as well as great music that is new to me, it's really the ideal mix of new and old. Thankfully KCRW streams online so I won't have to abandon my new show once I'm back in Chicago.

The other morning Rufus Wainwright visited Morning Becomes Eclectic and preformed live on the show. Wow, if you have never heard Rufus before you need to listen, and even if you have, you will absolutely love this. Check out Rufus Wainwright's performance here.

Listen.

Young The Giant - My Body by buzzbands

This week I visited Sunset Sound here in LA, and was able to sit in with Joe Chiccarelli and observe his skills on the console. It was an incredible thing to see, this man is truly a master. While I was there, he played some music from an album he just produced from a band called Young the Giant. I was extremely impressed by the music. I think these guys have a great sound and man is this song catchy. It didn't hurt listening to it on Joe's speakers!

Give the song a listen, I'm sure you'll be tapping your little foot right along with me. You can head over to the Young the Giant website to grab a free download of "My Body." The guys are also heading out on tour with Marina & The Diamonds next month, and if you happen to be in Chicago Sept. 9th you can come see them at Lincoln Hall with yours truly.

See me now.

My time in Los Angeles has been amazing. It has been so refreshing, a change of pace that lasts more that a handful of days spent visiting my family in Michigan. Not to say I don't love that time, or love my Chicago family, I do more than anything. It is nice however, to get out and be independent for a moment.

It is so easy to get comfortable, get dependent on other people. Why go out when I could stay right here with people I love? Being alone in a new city has pushed me outside of my comfort zone, meeting so many new people, being in intimidating professional situations and simply being in an unfamiliar place. It really has been an amazing experience and is making me look forward to 5 months from now when I could potentially be relocating permanently.

Comfort can often lead to complacency. Being in LA I have really been pushing myself to create opportunities, make lasting impressions on people and garner important relationships. It has been so reassuring to get such great response from individuals in the industry that I really look up to.

Today I had the enormous pleasure and fortune of meeting a man by the name of Andy Johns. This is a man who has literally had a hand in shaping the music that our parents loved and in turn we loved (if you have good taste!). Sitting in his living room this afternoon, listening to Stairway to Heaven, off Led Zeppelin's 4th studio album which Johns engineered, I could barely wrap my mind around the idea of how fortunate I am. To be able to spend 6 weeks in this amazing city, to meet such talented and inspiring people, to have friends and family that support my crazy quest to make a living working in the unstable music industry, a girl couldn't ask for much more.

I think the main thing I took from Andy today was a strong reminder of why exactly it is I want to work in this industry, a pure love for music. Although that sometimes doesn't seem like enough, I know it is. I am passionate about this art, and although I do not create it myself, I want to support those that do, and help them make a living doing so. I want to make sure talent is acknowledged, and that my children will still have real music accessible to them.

Before I left Andy's house today I managed to snap a quick shot of an amazing black and white photograph of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the recording studio together. Quite honestly I wanted rip it off the wall and take it with me, but it just didn't seem possible, so the photo will have to do. Beautiful.

The crash years.

This blog and I have such a love/hate relationship.

I start out so motivated, and inspired to share my thoughts.

I feel as though I have meaningful things to say, and show to others.

Then, nearly as soon as this wave of initiative comes crashing in, it seems to wash away.

So here I am again, for the hundredth time starting back up again. Perhaps this time I will remain more focused than in the past..perhaps I won't. Guess we'll just have to ride this one out together!

As for my current status, I am spending the month in beautiful southern California. I love it here. I never want to leave. You just don't get views like this everywhere.

Don't Talk Over Music

If ever a piece of art has embodied my mentality, it is this. If you have ever driven in a car with me you know this to be true.

New York VS. The World: Music

A really interesting look at music in 2009.

New Year, New Obsessions

Well I am currently in sunny (but chilly) Orlando, photographing a conference for my dad's company. Today my skills are not needed, leaving me with a lot of down time. I thought I would share a little bit of the many things I am completely infatuated with right now.

First and foremost, music! My favorite of all the topics. Here are some things I can't stop listening to right now:

Bowerbirds - In Our Talons, House of Diamonds, Northern Lights
La Roux - Armour Love
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros - Janglin, 40 Day Dream, Home
Blakrock - Ain't Nothin Like You, Done Did It, Hard Times
Metric - Help I'm Alive
Cold War Kids - The entire Behave Yourself EP
Spoon - Written in Reverse (Impatiently awaiting the new album, Transverse)
My Morning Jacket - Highly Suspicious
Timbaland - Undertow
Alberta Cross - Taking Control, Leave Us and Forgive Us
Clipse - Kinda Like a Big Deal

Next on the list is fashion, aka my ultimate financial demise. Here are a few things I think I really need...or maybe just want:

Alexander Wang Diego bag in navy.


J Brand Denim Leggings. Just remembered how much I love these. I want a million pairs. J Brand jeans are just the best all around.



Acne Atacoma wedges. As my dearest Rachel Zoe would say, "I die."


Ralph Lauren Blue Label Pollock Denim Shirt. This one I can't really explain, I just like it (minus the khakis and weird belt, please.)


Yigal Azourel Fair Isle sweater coat. I have been in search of a good fair isle sweater since I fell in love with Maria Bello's in the Jane Austen Book Club. This one, I'm sorry to say, isn't quite as spectacular, but it would certainly help fill the void in my life.


Last but not least, other blogs I can't seem to stop reading.

A collection of really interesting different interiors. Even though not everything featured on the site is exactly my taste, it is all very inspiring.
http://sweethomestyle.tumblr.com

The cutest couple, whom I am extremely interested in modeling my life after.
http://taza-and-husband.blogspot.com

Sometimes when everything seems so ugly, it's nice to have something pretty to look at.
http://prettyyoungthings.tumblr.com

and finally, I know I am about the last person on the planet to read this but, I'm sorry it's too damn funny not to share.
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com