the dinner studio goes home

check out our weekend at home in san diego here. it's a different kind of dinner studio...it's family-edition!

 ah, yosemite. so perfect, so complex, and yet so very simple. you were just what g and i needed to clear our minds and let go.

our trip to yosemite exceeded any, and all, expectations we held. it was a bare-bones type of adventure, one where the only concern hinged on whether we finished hiking before nightfall. for the first time in a long time, i felt unrestrained. like i didn't have to do this or that, follow this plan or that one. i was free. yosemite does that to people. it just plants itself there in the middle of california, and changes people. really changes people.

here are some highlights of our trip, one that i can say brought me back to a simple self (and naturally, more in love with that peruvian guy).

what day of hiking is complete without homemade granola?

on our way to something good

we made it

you better believe we set our things down...

...and jumped into the river at the end of the day

finishing the day off right

go here for one of the greatest viewpoints of the valley. period.

this was the kind of trip where an anticipated five-mile hike turned into a 12-mile hike, where water was a luxury and clif bars a treat. it was inspiring, full, and soul-satisfying. just a few days back from the trip, and i still feel like i'm on top of the world. yep, yosemite does that to people.

two days

breathe in, breathe out. come on, erica, just two more days until you're free to hop in the car with g and head for the hills. literally.

yosemite has made great efforts to summon us her way ever since i came back from europe. g and i feel this uncontrollable urge to be outdoors, be one with our surroundings, free ourselves from the exhaustion which may be better referred to as "the responsible adult life in la." oh yeah, and it just so happens to be our two-year anniversary next week. so what better way to celebrate another year together than to do what we love most? hike! eat! nap! repeat!

in preparation for the great escape, the to-do list is underway...granola is baking, iodine capsules are packed, and half dome permits are a phone call away. now i just need to get through two days of work. sigh.

consider this my official goodbye until we come back late next week. but who knows, we just may stay up there!

it's really that time

it's safe to say it's summer when the charcoals are lit, a glass of rosé is poured, and a masterpiece of a burger is savored. devoured. eaten so tenderly with drippings down a sleeveless arm. now all we need is a nice hunk of watermelon and a nap. 

note: the end-all of be-all burgers was a lamb burger with homemade hummus, pickled cucumbers, and a yogurt-dill sauce. to pair, a syrah rosé produced by niner. genius, i tell you! it's a keeper!

feasting in july

phew! after a full day of shopping, cooking, and eating, i am excited to share last night's dinner at the studio was a great success. check it out here

have a happy day!

dinner studio, resumed

after a nearly three-month hiatus, g and i are pleased to announce our monthly dinners at the studio resume! i think i'm more excited now than before these dinners even started. for one, it's a new season, which can only mean fresh new pickings. and with the sun setting later, we get to enjoy my favorite time of the evening - twilight. AND who doesn't salivate just a bit at the prospect of ripened stone fruit? tomorrow's dinner will be very casual - an intimate dinner for four. (apparently, mondays aren't everyone's saturdays). g and i look forward to feasting with our two guests, and of course, we look forward to sharing our evening with you! so in the next couple of days, look out for a wine-buzzed peruvian and his type-a-turned-type-b-as-long-as-i'm-eating gal...we'll have lots to share here

see you soon!

there will always be hope

let's be honest. hope is a hard thing to do. it's also a hard thing to understand, which is probably why i don't do it enough. it seems to get lost in the web of everyday distractions and ruts, taking a backseat to the here and now.

well, frankly, i miss hope. i miss feeling like there's so much more than this or that. hope has this way of motivating me, keeping me on my toes to embrace humility and goodness.

so i'm making a commitment right now: to NOT let what is take a hold of my life, but rather, have hope that tomorrow will be more fruitful than today.