The crocus are right on time, with the first purple blooms letting me know that the other colors will soon be on their way!

These tiny little white blossoms while seemingly insignificant let off the most amazingly delicious fragrance. They’re hidden in the back corner of the garden, so I completely missed them last year.  This year their scent was so incredibly strong, it was almost impossible to not take a minute to sit and enjoy them!

The sunsets have also been pretty much unbelievable. Not bad for a front yard view:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs…my preference)

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. curry powder
• ground pepper, to taste

• 1 lb. Brussels Sprouts
• 1 tsp. sambal chili paste
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbs. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbs. mirin
• 1 tbs. soy sauce
• 1 tbs. water
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• slivered almonds (or  toasted sesame seeds)
• few sprigs of mint

1. Remove bottom stems and quarter the brussels sprouts

2. Bring 4 – 6 qts. of well salted water to a boil in a large pot. Place a large strainer so it is submerged in a large bowl of ice water. Boil the Brussels sprouts for about 2 minutes until very al dente.

3. Drain the sprouts, then immediately place them in the ice water strainer. Drain again once they are well cooled.  Allow the sprouts to dry in the strainer with a towel over the top for 30 minutes or so.

4. Combine the remaining ingredients for the sauce (but not the oil and garnish).  Stir well.  Allow sauce to sit while brussels sprouts dry.

5. Heat a large skillet with the olive oil over medium high heat until the oil is nearly smoking.  Add the well-drained sprouts until it is one thin layer in the pan.

6. Cook about 1 minute. Do not shake or toss the pan – they should be golden brown. Toss gently and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

7. Remove to a bowl, let rest for 30 seconds and add half the sauce.  Toss well.  Transfer to serving plate and garnish with almonds (or sesame seeds) and mint.  Serve remaining sauce for dipping.

Need to get a better shot, but this will do for now

• 1 tbs. cumin
• 1 tbs. garlic powder
• 1 tbs. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
• salt to taste
• 2 bone-in chicken breasts
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 whole ancho chili peppers, stems removed
• 1 bottle dry white wine
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cans black beans

1. Heat small amount of oil in large pot over medium-high heat. In medium bowl combine garlic powder, cumin, chipotle, onion powder, chili powder, and salt. Rinse chicken then coat in spice mixture. Add to pan, and cook the chicken until browned. Add 1/2 cup broth, as necessary, to prevent smaller pieces from burning.

2. Add onions and 1 cup of broth, scraping browned pieces off the bottom of the pan.  Continue stirring until thick sauce forms.  Add ancho peppers, cilantro, and 1/2 bottle of wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer until reduced again to a thick sauce.  Add remaining 2 cups of broth; simmer until sauce once again thickens.  Add beans and remaining wine; reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 45 – 30 minutes.

3. Remove chicken and beans; allow to cool.  Increase heat to medium, and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes or until sauce has reached desired thickness. Meanwhile, shred chicken with two forks, then return chicken to pan to reheat.  Serve with beans on the side and warm tortillas topped with queso fresco.

1. Avdoo had his first official horse show in Oregon…after his third class, he came up lame. He just now is back in riding shape, but unfortunately, it’s looking like there are going to be constant lameness issues, and we just can’t rely on him to be consistently sound – which pretty much takes us out of  a “show horse” description. What does that mean for me? Well, I’m adjusting my expectations of him and am now on the hunt for something to lease and maybe, someday, eventually buy….I had so many dreams wrapped around that horse, and he has brought so much healing to me, I can’t ever imagine letting him go.  He’s my gentle giant who stole my heart the first time he nuzzled me with that all-knowing soul of his. He really is an incredible horse with so much love and kindness and healing to share.

2. We took a family vacation to Great Exuma (part of the Bahamas) and stayed Grand Isle Resort - we met some amazing people and had a seriously amazing time. The island is hands-down one of the most beautiful places I’ve been, the resort is exquisite, and the service is incomparable.  We’re definitely incredibly fortunate to have had the experience.

Yes, I know that I’m pretty much as spoiled as I possibly could be.

3. The week after returning home, I headed down to Beverly Hills for a baby shower for my girlfriend Carrie.  We had a spectacular time, and it was down right wonderful to reunite with the girls I spent most of my early 20s with.  The stories we have are, well, um, unrepeatable, so it was nice to be able to look at each other and just laugh and reconnect!

Sisters.......can you tell? My partners in crime - attacking L.A........quite a while ago

I was the only mom at the shower...so happy to have someone joining me!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos of the group of us.  Somehow I thought I had, but they’re nowhere to be found…

That same weekend, I was fortunate enough to  also see my dear college buddies Katie and Andrea (Yes, yes, yes – AKA Kimmy Gibler from Full House).  I honestly think that I laugh more with them than any body else. I’m so lucky to have the two of them as friends!

These two really are amazing - it's so beautiful to watch the love between them!

On the flight out of Portland, I was ever so thankful to have my camera handy…this was a very rare opportunity! So happy with the beauty!

4. While waiting for my flight home from Los Angeles, I got a phone call that Boots had gotten himself into a situation – he had eaten 3 weeks worth of both his anti-seizure medication and his muscle relaxer.  Nice. F’ing dog. It got a bit hairy, and I don’t think a single person that was working with him thought he’d make it through.  And to be honest, I don’t think it was my love, but rather Jeffrey’s hate for him that kept him alive. $1800 later – Boots is back at it.

On one of many transfers from overnight Emergency Clinic to Vet's

4. Halloween.  Our Halloween party this year pretty much MUST have its own separate entry.  I just regret not having documented the preparation process, as it consumed every day for  3- 4 weeks.  Trying to synopsize its breadth is basically impossible.  I came up with dozens of new ideas for decor, some really fun costumes, delicious dishes, and quite frankly, I’m excited to share them with you guys…I just need another month to be able to sort through things.  A big group of friends came up from Los Angeles to spend the weekend, and provided loads of entertainment. The question is….is it no longer interesting since the holiday is long gone….hmmm…I’m not sure….I DO know that the costumes that people put together were downright impressive – so thank you to all those who put so much effort into it!

My Besties (Renee, Me, Ashley, Amy, Gina, Lisa)

My homemade costume...everywhere I went, I left behind a trail of feathers - but it was sooooooo fun to wear!

As usual I went a little overboard with food and decorations, but it was pretty incredible, if I do say so myself!

The Bar

Yes, I made it all (later several people added to the spread)

5. Several days after the party, Jeffrey and I headed to Hawaii….but that’s another story for another time.  It was wonderful. Period.

Four Seasons, Lanai: The Lodge at Koele

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Last week, my stepbrother Eddie and his girlfriend came to visit from Connecticut.  He’s a die hard Sox fan, so when mom asked if I had any thoughts on a cake for his birthday celebration, it was pretty obvious what the theme would be!  The baseball hat seemed easy enough, so I started my research. I found loads of baseball hat cakes, some great…and some just plain awful.  My favorite ended up being from a cake blog in Utah.

Once I had a picture in my head of what I wanted the end product to look like, I got to work.  I had read somewhere that the brim would need 3 days to dry completely. Using a hat that I stole from Jeffrey, I made a template from the actual brim, and then cut the fondant. I then placed it on freezer paper and let it dry draped over the brim (to get a believable arch).

It took a few attempts with various pans to get an accurate shape of the hat.  I ended up using Wilton’s Cake Dress pan, slicing off the top, and then using a knife to shape the bowl of the hat. I used gel food coloring to color the actual cake in Red Sox colors…

The brim was a bit tricky to attach, and ended up cracking a bit…which meant I needed to improvise – thus, the grass and baseball.

I hate that I ended up not putting the white “B” underneath the red one, but after breaking 3 of them, I didn’t have the patience to try one more time!  I did make sure to put the socks on the back of the hat – those detail things are always what “make” the cake…

I stretched the fondant too thin, so it cracked all over the place.  Oh well.

All in all, it has become abundantly clear that I have no idea what I’m doing, so I’ve decided it is time to take some cake decorating classes.  So starting in October, I’ll be taking private classes here at the house. I can’t wait!

Even so, I think Eddie enjoyed the cake…so I guess that’s all that REALLY matters.

This little side table fits perfectly on the side of our sectional…it’s the perfect height and depth! A whole $14.99. It’s solid, and the wood is in amazing condition.  Whoever had it before me definitely oiled it properly! It’s awesome!

inlaid brass

These two side tables I found at a church rummage sale for $35 a piece.  I couldn’t resist.