Cookie batch number 2 for the new student BBQ were simple, soft baked sugar cookies studded with lots of sprinkles. I wanted a fairly simple cookie that pretty much everyone likes and would provide a nice contrast to the salted caramel chocolate chip cookies of yesterday. I also thought sprinkles would be a fun and festive way to celebrate the...

I've been on a bit of a cookie binge lately. Right before school started, our incoming class of students threw together an impromptu BBQ to get everyone together and be social. I wanted to make a good first (baking) impression on my classmates, so I wanted to bring a couple of different homemade cookies for everyone to nosh on, the first of...

Connie and Ted's is a newly opened New England-style seafood (upscale) shack in the heart of West Hollywood. In the few months that is has been opened, you have to book dinner reservations weeks in advance if you want to eat your dinner at a reasonable time— say between 5 and 10pm. They are open for lunch Friday-Sunday, so when I was browsing...

Yesterday pumpkin muffins. Today blueberry muffins and ice cream. I might be a little seasonally confused. For some reason I just really don't care to eat baked goods after two days. It doesn't matter whether they are store bought or homemade, but there is something about knowing that a baked good is fresh that makes it taste better. Plus,...

I'll post a pumpkin recipe since it is now October, and pumpkin season is in full swing. These were actually made in the middle of September, which Dustin claimed was too early. Whatever... he doesn't have to eat anything he doesn't want to (he did eat these, by the way). Usually when I make muffins I make them the night before, but I wanted...

We started out one gorgeous Saturday with a loose plan for the day, including brunch and a comedy show, but by the time the day was over, I realized we had unintentionally had a pretty quintessential LA day, hitting many locations and landmarks that would be pretty perfect for someone in town with only a day to explore. So without further adieu,...

We developed quite a fun tradition of hitting one of the local restaurants that opened their bar area on Sunday mornings to watch football. We'd order brunch (though the food was quite mediocre). Dustin would get beer or even a Bloody Mary as he developed a taste for them, and I could get $3 mimosas. It became so engrained in our minds that it...

I had really high hopes for Son of a Gun, a seafood restaurant (not in the Pacific Northwest style we have become used to) located in Mid-City West, Los Angeles. I had read several good reviews, and we were psyched to try it when we were headed that direction to get our car registered in California one afternoon. We hit Son of a Gun for...

What I learned living as a bachelorette for 10 days. (1) The house stays a lot cleaner when only one person is living in it, and the trash and dishes are much more manageable. Surprise, surprise. (2) More importantly, if left to my own devices, I would probably live solely off desserts and breakfast food. I ate way too much ice cream, granola...

It’s finally here! Even though the quarter officially began a few days ago, today marks my first days of classes as a graduate student (update: my one Thursday class isn't starting 'til next week). I am both incredibly excited and incredibly nervous. The past few months have been so busy and full of change, and now here is the payoff, a new...