Life of Larisa or LOL

I'm sure that Jeannine thinks she is the luckiest girl in the world right now, seeing as how she just got hitched to her one true love Jay. I was thinking the label, however, belonged to me. I didn't realize how much I was in need of a girls getaway until...well, I actually got away. My trip to Kauai, this past weekend, was to be in a wedding. Not just any wedding, but a destination wedding at The Grand Hyatt for my college bud Jeannine. She lives in San Diego now, so quality time together is less and less, but the bond of sixteen years of previous fun can't be broken. In three days time, we ate, laughed, drank, enjoyed pool time, walked (a lot...the Grand Hyatt is HUGE), met new friends, shopped, and had an almost sighting of Johnny Depp . Oh yeah, and attended a really sweet wedding and reception. Congratulations Jeannine and Jay...although you shouldn't be reading this anytime soon...you should be having the time of your lives in Fiji. I am looking forward t...

...okay, so I substituted the mac nuts for hazelnuts. These are the best muffins! Even a whackadoodle substitution by me can't ruin them. And, if they were this delicious with hazelnut, I can only imagine the taste sensation they would be with macadamia nuts. I was feeling like I wanted to bake something with a localish flavor. I just got back from my big three day kid less , husband less adventure to Kauai...more on that later. It's three in the afternoon and I haven't even attempted to change into regular clothes. Despite my vacation, I am tired. So, Gabe and I have been relaxing...his idea is playing with Legos and mine is sipping on my second cup of coffee and baking. It is somewhat overcast so I don't feel incredibly guilty...and I heard the boys had an action packed weekend, Gabe could probably use a day of nothing. He helped me pour my ingredients (substituted and otherwise). The first batch is out of the oven and cooled and batch number two is in...

This is what you do in your "free" time?! Yes, it is. I'm always churning on weird little things. This is how being neurotic can get you motivated...at least I hope so. I want to accomplish 35 things before turning 35...and to add to the challenge, I have 31 weeks to do it in. So, here's the list. We can check back in on the list in...31 Thursdays. 1. Take an official cooking/baking class. 2. Download the remaining "Twilight" saga books to my iBooks account on my iPhone. 3. Take a picture with my actual camera every week. 4. Be able to ride 5 miles on my Hello Kitty bike. 5. Walk Gabe to school everyday. 6. Get more pedicures. 7. Read the books at my house. 8. Sew something. 9. Bake a pie. 10. Wear make-up. 11. Start watching Glee. 12. Make a new friend. 13. Apply for 3 jobs---regardless of whether I think I'm qualified or not. 14. Try stand up paddle boarding. 15. Brush up on my Spanish. 16. Take a guitar lesson. 17. Try a new restaurant every m...

The Greek salad I made for yesterdays dinner is rivaling the Caesar salad I made previously. The dressing was a homemade caper dressing. The ingredients were a medley of yummy flavors---feta cheese, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber, black and green olives. I paired the salad with four cheese tortellini and we had ourselves a delicious, light summer meal. Today's meal was also light. I sauteed onions and yellow bell pepper and added it to greens with cucumbers and a surprise ingredient---strawberry. I was always one to just eat veggies with veggies and fruits with fruits. This was a nice combination. Strawberries are in season now, so it has been fun incorporating them in our meals...and not paying a super inflated price for them. The flavors in the Greek salad were more my taste, but tonight's salad is one that most can whip up with things from the pantry (or I guess the fridge)...no trip the store needed.

I substituted figs for dates. I know they aren't the same thing. In this instance, it didn't matter. Today's cupcake was delicious! We enjoyed it for dessert tonight. I really want to eat more than one serving (which is one), but after salad for dinner and a bike ride, I really want to maintain the good behavior. The topping, although hard to distinguish in the above picture, was a combination of butter and brown sugar, thus the toffee. The figs made for a gooey sweet "pudding" filling. I was super pleased with how this little treat turned out. The taste reminds me of autumn...these will have to be made again, maybe I'll have some dates on hand for the second time around.

I'm not sure which is better---the food or the views. The gardens that lie below this old Hawaii restaurant , are awesome. Why didn't we do our vow renewals here?! The food was delicious, made better by the fact that it was paid for with a gift card. Thanks Michelle and John!! We splurged and indulged...the only way we know how to eat out I think. The wait was minimal and we were seated in a cozy booth. We could see the Ko ' o lau mountain range in front of us while sipping our cocktails. The meal started with an interesting twist on calamari. They were more like french fries and Gabe ended up eating quite a few. He is getting more and more daring with his food choices---if you count the appetizer---for dinner he had a hamburger. Not pictured. Isom enjoyed crab legs and I enjoyed their special---the biggest piece of ono I have had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into. It was covered with a black bean and shiitake mushroom glaze over a bed of white rice, ...

All of my food adventures this weekend were in some way tied to America the Beautiful. I strayed from the usual cupcake and baked an apple muffin. The taste was fine...especially with the addition of good old vanilla ice cream on top (always sure to be a crowd pleaser ). The shape was weird. They did not rise as much as I think they should have. They were compact little apple muffins. The culprit---Hawaii moisture and humidity (couldn't possibly be me!). My baking powder is not lasting (plus it is sticking to itself in the can) and therefore causing rising issues with my muffins! At least I think that is what it is. I'm no scientist. And I'm barely a baker. This recipe yielded 24 muffins. Of course when things don't come out perfectly, that's when you have the MOST. Luckily I was able to leave most of them with Sarah. Insert evil laugh here. They sure were cute with their red, white, and blue liners on top of my star spangled serving dish, however. A...

Too bad the basil wasn't blue. I wanted to make a salad worthy of being patriotic---in honor of the 4 th of July. Well, I'm sure you get the picture. I think it was a success...there was none left on the plate. Kids (not just mine) ate it up too. I was very pleased with the tomatoes I purchased from Safeway. The produce people are beginning to recognize me...and Gabe since the bakery is attached and he of course always asks for a "sample" cookie while I shop for veggies. Gotta have balance. This salad was very simple and easy to prepare but with a big taste payoff. I've eaten this salad at countless restaurants and next time intend to prepare it the way one of my favorite places does--- Formaggio's with the addition of pesto. Add in a baguette and it really could become a whole meal---mozzarella for protein, basil for herbs, tomato for fruit and veggie, baguette for CARBS !

From bottom to top ---chopped tomato with scallions, Cobb salad (minus the chicken and bacon...we didn't even miss it), cucumber with yogurt and dill. We have been eating well! I never imagined salads to be so exciting, refreshing, delicious. The best part is that I don't have to turn the oven on. Salad-ing and cupcaking---two very different experiences. Both enjoyable. And for the Fourth, I'm going to try out a salad recipe on people other than Isom and Gabe. Let's hope for success. I've been in the kitchen so much lately that I even tried making my own pizza. I threw together re fried beans, salsa, shredded cheese, black olives, avocado and mmmm was it good...as well as the perfect compliment to the Cobb salad. Summer is starting off fresh and crisp.

...to myself---and one less follower. Did anyone else catch that? I can't deny that I was bummed to open up the Blogger Dashboard Window and see the number 20 instead of 21. Boo hoo . Maybe they got tired of hearing about food (that seems crazy), Starbucks, Twilight, Keanu (very crazy). Anyway, in honor of one year of blogging ( yay me!) I have come down with a cold. It has been some time since I've been sick. I'm gonna go ahead and blame it on the lady sitting two seats down from me during "Eclipse". What was that in her throat she was hacking up anyway?! Ugh. The past year, has been filled with lots of restauranting , cupcaking , Starbucking , movie- ing , tv - ing . Mostly superficial stuff and fun happenings in this thirty-somethings life. Starting (and maintaining) this blog has been one of the best things I ever kept up with. It totally changed my perspective on day to day life as a stay at home mom. I see each day as an adventure...I was previou...

Bad hair, late hour, obnoxious hecklers, snoring seat mate aside... "Eclipse" was worth it. I was happy I sat in the theater from 5 p.m.ish til 2 a.m.ish. Many expressed skepticism on whether or not over six hours of movie- ing could be handled. Last night I found my true calling---professional seat sitter. I even amazed myself. The third installment of the Twilight Saga opened to a round of applause (myself NOT included...unless RPatz and Kristen Stewart are in the theater with me, I just don't see the point). Eclipse the movie started differently than Eclipse the book (which I recently re-read). Several elements from the book were incorporated, as well as elements from the Eclipse spin off-- "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" , but the flow of events was a little lacking (but maybe I'm being overly critical due to the circumstance of my viewing). Director number three did an interesting job in terms of cinematography (playing with color and ...

...now that's a mouthful of "C". These cookies are intended for the mainland...but it's quite hard to resist the smell and the taste (I can't very well mail these across country without having taken a bite to be sure they are edible!). Although Gabe's winning response "they're okay momma" (while licking every crumby morsel off his plate) didn't inspire thoughts of greatness with regards to these cookies---I know that they are better than the last batch (remember the butterscotch pancakes?) of cookies I baked. This is your basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, no frills, and added to it---some shredded coconut. I love coconut so this is genius and delicious. A harmony of flavor. The marriage of the two is more classic than peanut butter and chocolate. The previous version of this cookie included an exchange of chocolate for butterscotch and an addition of rum (these were not the pancakes...they turned out delish). Today, I kept it simple...

...we are not. We were desperate to see a movie, so we took Gabe to see this one. Honestly, it was nothing he hadn't heard before...let's just hope he doesn't repeat it at the wrong place and wrong time...with me, in front of people who can't appreciate my sense of humor...or Adam Sandler's for that matter. We all had some laughs and I had to satisfy my curiosity---could the comic powerhouses all be in one movie together. Yes and no. I see that they all enjoy each other's company---somethings you can't act away. But, they really are just funnier on their own. And Kevin James should really stick to t.v. I was amused with the few cameo appearances---thanks for keeping with your cameo style Sandler . The idea of the movie has been done before---in a darker comedy they called "The Big Chill". I also found myself disappointed in the music---or lack there of. Any movie that uses nostalgia as it's main selling point really needs to come ...

It really does pay to consistently and obsessively talk, write, Facebook , Yelp---about Starbucks. I'm just waiting for my Keanu prize to arrive now. I talk him up a lot too. The great thing (of many) about Facebook , is reconnecting with random, possibly long forgotten, childhood friends. It is definitely the case for me---I don't really know or hangout with over four hundred people. I do remember them though. There is a story that goes along with all of them (relatives excluded). The trip down memory lane via Facebook is always fun. You never know what to expect. In my case, it has been USPS delivered packages. The first was a package of good old Southern grits. Thanks to a post about, well, grits. I miss them. As if I were rubbing on a genie's lantern, magically a package of grits arrived in the mail for me and the boys to enjoy. Thanks Claire. A week or so ago, another former classmate posted something interesting---"going to the original Starbucks ...

Revisiting an old favorite...the cupcake above and Lena too. Smile. Happy, happy birthday to my dear friend Lena. Mom of three, lover of t.v., inspirer of laughter, cupcaking companion, movie aficionado . If it weren't for the two extra kids, you'd think I was talking about myself. For obvious reasons, she is one of my favorite people. Gabe and I spent her birthday morning with her doing one of our favorite things---baking. We made white chocolate strawberry cupcakes---something else we can agree on---love the white chocolate and the strawberry cream cheese frosting! Winners. A kick back morning since it was dark and gray in our neck of the woods. Lots of light and laughter inside the house however---Gabe took us down memory lane---he was watching the original "Neverending Story" while us girls giggled and...ate cupcakes. Gabe built a fort. We built mini cake masterpieces. Hope her special day got off to a great start. A day that begins in the kitchen is...

Isom and I enjoyed the best lunch! I wish I had known about "the pearl of Pearl City" sooner. As I was telling Lena, this is the poor man's Mariposa (restaurant at Neiman Marcus). The open air restaurant is quaint. It has a beautiful view of the marina in Pearl Harbor and behind that is the Waianae mountain range...it's an angle that I don't think gets seen often. Despite the location of being under the Ford Island Bridge, this mariner inspired restaurant is a great place to spend a few hours. It is kid friendly, the service was wonderful, and our food was fantastic. My pan seared mahi mahi sandwich was super enjoyable. It was accompanied with a side salad and poppy seed dressing. Since we were lucky enough to be enjoying a kid-free lunch, we splurged on dessert. I haven't been baking lately and was needing a sugar fix. We agreed on the cheesecake since neither of us are huge restaurant chocolate cake eaters. We were not disappointed. Picture...

Lovely "sweat" across their faces on the cup...I was midway through my Coke when I snapped the picture. I never go to Burger King...proclaims the vegetarian. BUT, I went last week...in search of Eclipse stuff. They didn't have it...yet. BUT, today when I was at the mall checking out the Dinosaur exhibit with Mia and Gabe, we saw kids walking around with Eclipse Burger King Crowns ! I was jealous. After looking at the two dinos at Downtown Pearlridge , a stop in at the Sanrio store, a monorail ride to Uptown Pearlridge , denied at the Dinosaur Train (but picked up Cold Stone coupons for free kid scoops anyway), and reading kid books at Borders, I felt enough time had lapsed since the Eclipse crown sighting. I mean, we were parked right by Burger King anyway...so we stopped in. I was feeling thirsty. As soon as we walked in I knew we had hit the jackpot. There is even a McDonald's Monopoly type game to be played...I was an instant winner (free Whopper Jr. o...

Not your picnic at the park kind of potato salad, but refreshing nonetheless. Shockingly, this was my first time making any sort of potato salad (unless dipping french fries in ketchup counts...). As with all the recipes in my salad book (thus far anyway), the recipe was relatively short, easy to follow, and included simple ingredients that most folks keep tucked away somewhere. I, of course, had to fetch a few things---like the shallots, chives, potatoes, yogurt... I paired our non lettuce salad with veggie burgers followed by cookie gone bad dessert, better known as the blond brownie. I hated to waste the batter when after twelve cookies turned up looking like butterscotch pancakes instead of thick cookies. So, I panned the batter and voila, we had brownies for dessert and something for Isom to take to his co-workers...it has been quite some time since he has brought anything sweet into the office (other than himself of course).

...for the lovely new hairdo. I feel like a new woman. A dye (the red...not the black...I don't have that many grays...yet), a trim, a head massage, a wash, a blow dry....non of which I could or would ever do for myself. In general, I feel I am low maintenance when it comes to the girly beauty stuff. Sweats, no matter how cute and pink, do not constitute high maintenance. So, you know I appreciate it all the more when I get around to a little pampering. Gabe was extremely well behaved sitting in the chair behind me at the salon for two plus hours. What a trooper. Of course he was thrilled to be playing his DS , eating Arby's , and getting fawned over by the ladies in the salon. Who wouldn't enjoy that? I had no idea that working at Blimpie fifteen years ago could lead to getting my hair done by my then co-sandwich artist Sarah. She is an artist in more ways than one.

...a day late and a dollar short. Here's the brothers on Father's Day. Gabe has been insisting that Isom is his MUCH OLDER brother! This kid obviously gets his sense of humor from me. Isom received the shirt in the picture and a coffee carousel. Gabe picked out the shirt all by himself. Isom promises to wear it...only on Aloha Friday. I picked out the coffee carousel...no coffee in the coffee carousel. I must have been on the same wavelength as our waiter from Breakers. Breakfast out, a morning at the beach (too bad the surf was crazy and we had to pack up early), picking up Isom's repaired bike, drywall (his idea, not mine), frozen burrito lunch (again, his idea not mine), and rounding the day out with dinner at Chili's. So glad this was Father's Day...this sounds like the worst day ever. Isom claims he had fun...he made all the decisions for the day. See what happens when we leave them to their own devices? Bad food day. Despite your terrible fo...