Bond

Greg Bond. Sent from my iPad.

Mangia Poco Ma Bene

Quality versus Quantity

BRUNCH

Panettone Bread Pudding

For two people: 1/4 a Panettone loaf and two eggs. Multiply as necessary.

1. Tear up Panettone, place is baking dish of appropriate size.

2. Let sit out over night to stale (optional).

3. Whisk or blend together eggs and milk as you would for scrambled eggs.

- I like to go heavy on the milk for lightness. A generous half-cup milk for every egg.

-Use any milk you like: Hemp, Soy, 2%...

4. Add Vanilla extract and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to egg mixture.

5. Pour over bread, push bread down into mixture.

6. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until bread pulls away from edges and bounces back to touch.

Serve with Raspberries, Trader Joe's Chevre with Honey* Log, real maple syrup, fresh cut flowers, and a little almond champagne.

* Forget not to read the "fearless flyer."

bon voyage

The weekend getaway is the vacation/staycation hybrid that I cannot get enough of. After falling in love with Vegas and Laguna in two consecutive friday to sunday stints, these 72-hour expeditions are nearly addictive.

Treat a weekend foray like a major trek:

-Prepare a refreshing return: clean out your fridge and prepare your home as though you will be gone for the whole summer.

- Get excited: plan, read-up, call knowledgeable contacts, make reservations, and watch movies depicting your destination. LA-Pretty Woman, Vegas-The Hangover, Aspen-Dumb and Dumber etc... or bring and watch the movies while you are there, I LOVE doing this.

-Pack in advance, let the anticipation build, relieve any last minute stress.

How a small junket differs from a lengthy tour:

-If you forget to clean out the fridge or leave stones unturned at home, no biggie.

-You can go so last minute that you don't have any plans and it won't matter because you of your fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants attitude of positive anticipation that will make whatever you end up doing amazing. Not to mention low expectations are the easiest to meet and exceed.

-Often you are taking the car, which makes packing a no-brainer.

Givenchy Jacket: my Santa Monica/Beverly Hills/LA signature look this past weekend

Packing for three days:

Have a signature look or color scheme. Even channel a celebrity or movie character. For example, a the flashy jacket above that works both days and nights. "Signature look" is the cool way of repeating something special and awesome. Choose something eye-popping or racy. You get a lot of use out of a loved item and make a "I'm here!!! to have fun not be a slave to my stuff" attitude.

Bring enough shoes. In three days we tend to cram in three weeks worth of activities or more. You will be moving and walking a lot and will want to vary footwear to prevent aches, pains, blisters and bunions. Think boot, flip-flop, flat and stiletto. Taking inspiration from Vivienne, below left, and this season's runway, pack your thigh highs.

Leave the computer and ipad at home. Unplugging is the true essence of vacation. You are unlikely to have time to read either, except for information on the place you are visiting. As always, make use of soft layers, jeans, black leggings, LV overnight duffels and cool accessories. Bring a suitcase 3/4 empty, dirty clothes grow and shopping is fun.

the primped and pampered pet

How do you talk to yourself?

Mind chatter can be the healer or the destroyer. Pay attention to how you talk to yourself. Create breathing room between the present and your beliefs about the present. Treat yourself as you treat others or wish others to treat you. Treat yourself as your own pet. Talk to yourself with respect, tenderness, and love. Feed, water, and cloth yourself with care and affection. Primp, caress, pamper, and spoil yourself.

Dana's Favorite Weeknight Brownies!

because they are delicious and easy to make

they are also CAKE LIKE

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1) Melt 1/2 cup butter.

2) Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

3) Sift together remaining ingredients then add to the wet.

4) Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes in a greased 8-inch square pan.
Thank you Angie and allrecipes.com

I also just re-made and am still obsessed with "Chocolate Chip Cookies for the student." I love their tangy-ness.

The quality and form of the chocolate chips (in everything) is circumstantial y muy importante. For these cookies (click! not for Dana's brownies above,) where the chocolate is the star, or say, a banana bread, where the base is dense, 60% Ghirardellis or any DISK shaped chocolate chips add dimension and professionalism. The chocolate, where present, must be concentrated and substantial. Chocolate chips are shy, chocolate disks make a statement.

Astrid and Julian Kirschenbaum cut the cake

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

-Carl Gustav Jung

hard rock candy mountain

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.

It sings because it has a song.

-Chinese Proverb

TADASANA / MOUNTAIN POSE

promote confidence

improve posture

create space

hold your own

Tadasana principals can be used in all other poses for intuitive alignment. Master tadasana and be aligned for a lifetime.

Tadasana is an ACTIVE posture. Strong legs, active arms, alert spine, and an open heart create an energy of confidence, posture, and personal space that will oscillate into all areas of your life.

Today: Stand in Tadasana (click!) for thirty breaths with your eyes closed.

And then Tadasana for the rest of the day...

There are many paths to the top of the mountain,

But the view is always the same.

-Chinese Proverb

hiya Pumpkin!

from my iPad

As I mentioned a few blogs before I like to eat pacifying, well-cooked foods in winter. Foods that make you feel snug as a bug in a rug. Often those are fairly sweet and require minimal mastication.

I do not advocate "substitutes" (almond butter is amazing, but is it really going to cut it if your craving the "naughtier" peanut version?) I do make healthier versions of recipes and enjoy them for what they are.

Pumpkin Pie for Autumn Mornings

or Afternoons

(It may not be your grandmothers seductive dessert, but it will give you lasting energy with low sugar content.)

3/4 pound tofu (silken if available)

1 can 16 oz organic pumpkin

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup half oil/half applesauce or whatever you have on hand

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup brown sugar (can substitute some but not all with maple syrup)

pre-made, whole wheat if possible, pre-made crust

whipped cream is a must- this pie is not very sweet.

1. Combine all ingredients, blend until smooth. I use an immersion blender.

2. Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for one hour.

3. Top with lots of whipped cream, enjoy with a maple syrup-sweetened soy latte*.

*If you guzzle a more than occasional fancy espresso-based beverage and are still at the mercy of Starbucks, free yourself and equip your kitchen! Barista-ing is a fantastic routine that makes the house smell wonderful and fully impresses guests. I can suck down a Starbucks as fast as the next guy, but I challenge you to become the maker of your own macchiato. My Nespresso(click!) setup is as follows: (I swear it was all J's idea.)

The frother makes a cappuccino so creamy you might pee your pants.

oh dear

from my iPad

Holidays and chill factor are just around the corner. It's time we winterfy our wardrobes and home spots. There is nothing I love more than a little fall shopping! First, shop your own closet and switch seasons. This is not elective, you must put away out-of-season items in order to keep things sleek and current. Store items in pretty, cloth boxes and put away more than you would like.

Then go shopping! I never buy anything just because it is on sale but I also never (almost never) buy anything unless IT IS ON SALE. I kid you not. In this economic climate everything goes on sale. Really. Especially the good stuff, the avant garde garments that the masses cannot appreciate. Don't even look at the non-sales racks. Not even a peek.

A catalogue you could live in? Mine is Gorsuch. Especially as summer turns to fall, fall to winter, and my mind to hot cocoa and ski chalets. Will I order everything out of Gorsuch and live the high altitude life of elegance? Of course not. That would be a quick road to broke, not to mention boring!

Scavenging and slowly collecting is what makes decorating and dressing satisfying and sentimental.

Stag head pewter bowls, candles holders and ice buckets can be found now at Tuesday Morning, an intimidatingly unkempt discount chain. Who would have thought?

if not now, when?

Stay connected to the moment through the body.

Feel your body at all times.

Be present to your physical self.

Notice how it tethers you to the now.

Breakfast Yoga

'Take a routine activity that is normally a means to an end and make it the end itself. Notice the sense perceptions attached to the activity. Pause and observe the flow of your breath.'

Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum HIGHLY recommends the Four Seasons Las Vegas

'Say yes to the present moment. The future moment exists in the mind, not in actuality. Surrender to what is. Accept it as though you chose it, make the present moment your ally. '

(The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle)

As two unabashed morning persons, J and I enjoy a lengthy, hearty morning meal whenever possible.

J's fluffiest pancakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

a splash of oil

Mix. Drop rounds, hearts, mickey mouses onto heated pan.

Accompany with REAL maple syrup, lots of fruits, green juice, tea, nespresso etc.

a soft landing

(on recycled paper)

J and I were engaged on the first day of Spring and then married exactly two seasons later in the first weekend of Autumn. Six exciting and exhilarating months of preparation and anticipation during our engagement culminated in three nights of sublime events filled with more love and joy than I knew existed. Following those days of bliss surrounded by friends, family, food, wine, and foliage that would make any man delirious, we were sent back to earth.

Here is how to make a soft landing.

Fall, season of transformation

Old ideas shed like the decaying leaves. New ideas wait in the wings.

-Roam around iTunes, buy and blast an uncharacteristic book-on-tape, and rearrange your cupboards.

-After a deep clean of your home, collect original sources of inspiration at the bookstore. Peruse new isles, peek into unchartered sections, demolish the magazine racks, spend a small fortune. Take your goods to the coffee shop and let the sparks fly.

-Test a new restaurant, take a weekend trip, try a class or explore an unfamiliar hobby.*

Autumn is a time to let go.

-Focus yoga poses on body areas that hold and store excess, such as outer hips, side waist and backs of thighs. Sit low in lunge, squat, warrior, goddess, and utkatasana.

-Free up the chest area with back-bending heart openers.

-Enhance lung health with pranayama. Take deep breaths every time you're in the shower.

-Aid elimination with a detoxifying twist or an abdominal massaging reclined knee-to-chest pose.

Cold brittle air seeps in.

-Stay warm and moist. Ayurveda, sister science to yoga, recommends sesame oil self-massages post shower.

- Enjoy soothing, well-cooked atumnal foods such as apples, squash, rice, oats, soups, stews, turnips, carrots, pears...

-I like to take left over rice or quinoa, boil it again with soy or almond milk and maple syrup for 'anytime rice pudding'.

In summation

-fresh resources/intense invigorating exercise/warm soft foods

Use one quality to balance another

All summer long, Miss P. attended slow, meditative yoga classes that kept my feet on the ground when my head was in the clouds daydreaming of veils, cakes, a new life... When I returned to the same class today, as Mrs. K., I found it irritating and painfully slow. And not in the if-your-resisting-it-you-probably-need-it kind of way, but with a "I-need-to-run-outside, breath-in-cold-air, sweat, and-move!!!" recognition.

More often than not I recommend slower, meditative yoga because it is intrinsically what we fast-paced, A-type westerners lack, but this prescription has its limitations. It is important to assess your current condition. Which attributes are overly dominant and need an opposing property for harmony? This is a question that needs reassessing almost daily, if not more. It is constant play; a dance.

In my case, proceeding an emotional high, outward energetic activities are a better remedy to assuage an inevitable downward spiral rather than partaking in activities that take me further inward as I rebound. That kick in the ass can be found in a brisk walk or jog outside or a burn-your-buns, not-for-the-meek yoga "level 2-3" (ugh) class.

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace

as I have seen in one autumnal face.

-John Donne

*Projects

-Cover anything and everything in Candy Corn. If you want projects to stick better and last longer shellac the candy corn before you glue.