We're lovers and we love to cook.

My boyfriend Addison knows his way around the kitchen...and into my heart(insert jealousy/envy/whatever here, I'm grateful and lucky! hehe ;) and his passion for cooking has slowly started to trickle into my life too. If any of you are pals of mine on Facebook or Twitter, chances are you have already gotten many a glimpse into that part of our relationship (the one that happens in the kitchen) and have also probably asked us for recipes or tips or what have you. Well, wait no longer buddies! We decided we'd start sharing photographs and recipes of our adventures in the kitchen with all of you right here, and that we'd make a little date-night out of it, too. How's that for mutually beneficial? Eh?

For this meal, being that it's Summer in Arizona and all, we wanted something sort of on the light side with minimal stove-slaving. Also, I was craving zucchini for no dang reason at all. I wanted to prepare an old standard of mine (zucchini with ricotta, pine nuts, garlic and lemon) but then we realized we're poor as dirt and pine nuts are plenty spendy. Enter Foodnetwork.com and their super snazzy appetizer recipe for Grilled Zucchini rolls with herbs and cheese.  

Side note: I don't know about you guys, but when I was a kid and my parents would let me order a bad ass appetizer like bruschetta or nachos for dinner instead of a meal, I felt like the Queen of the Universe...that feeling never goes away, apearently. So tonight we dined like royalty and had appetizers for dinner.

Here are the Deets:
(recipe adapted from this one. Our very few edits will be seen in italics)

Ingredients

3 zucchini (about 1/2 pound each), sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 ounces reduced-fat soft goat's cheese (if you're a cheese addict like me, don't be stingy here...throw in at least 2-3 oz)
1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley leaves Dill leaves
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup basil leaves
little sprinkle of onion powder

Would also be delicious with a little bit of prosciutto or tomato tapenade rolled up in there, too.

Directions

Discard Save the outermost slices of zucchini for an omelet or something and brush the rest of the slices with the oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill or grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender.

In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, parsley leaves dill leaves, onion powder, and lemon juice, mashing with a fork.
Put 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about 1/2-inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and 1 small, or half of a large basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini slices. 

Tips from Adie and Addy:

This recipe was sssuuuppper easy, so there isn't a lot to change! The main thing I would note is when slicing the zucchini, try to be as consistent with the slices as possible and keep em thin...1/4 inch as recommended is a little on the thick side, so I'd aim for 1/8. Also, don't be afraid to get those slices super floppy (it'll help you with the whole rolling part of this activity).

Happy cooking!

Wine spritzers on our front porch, too :)

Motivating Myself: The Simpsons Style

I'm starting a new series over here on the Adie blog. 

This week, I'm talking about something near and dear to my heart... "The Simpsons" and how while watching just one episode this morning, breakfast burrito in hand, with my boyfriend next to me, I became motivated (I mean, I'm still on the couch and all...but hey, I feel motivated...isn't that enough? Hahaa). Each installment will feature something or someone else that motivates me...so, without further ado, here is round one. How The Simpsons inspired me this morning. 

In "real life" we have Chicken Soup for the Soul, Deepak Chopra, The Happiness Project (a good read, guys), Oprah, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In The Simpsons, they have Brad Goodman, "Smoke yourself Thin", "Do What you Feel Day", "Adjusting your Self-o-Stat" and "Get confidence, Stupid". Now, what The Simpsons also has is Bart, Homer, Lisa, Marge and Maggie. And Santa's Little Helper. And Mo. And Larry. And Krusty...etc etc. So, we watch how they all interact on the boob-tube, right? We laugh, we mock, we cringe, and man...we all probably think "wow, whatever those writers are on, give me some, cause seriously, WHO thinks of this stuff!?". Well, here's the deal. I took a step back and looked around....

We ALL have our own Bart in our lives. We all have Homer, Lisa, Marge and Maggie...they're probably sitting right next to you as you're reading this (Hi, Homer!). We ALL get excited over little things, just as Homer did when reading an add for a free trampoline in the newspaper, we all have weird hair days just like Marge does every day, we all want to say "I just do what I want" ala Bart, we all have moments where we feel like we're the only one that's not a nincompoop just like Lisa does, we all get proven wrong...just like Lisa does, and we all want snacks sometimes so bad we feel like we could lose an arm reaching into a vending machine and just not care, like Homer.

I guess I have a few points to make here. 

1. when you boil it down, life is simple. There is no need for artifice, faking it, or any sort of inauthentic acts , because as I just saw in this episode...one minute you can feel like a God, and the next minute you realize you're sitting on an ice cream sandwich.

2. In Springfield, they had a "Do What You Feel" Festival in honor of Bart's outlook on life, and I gotta say... that sounds pretty good right now. So, why not guys!? Why don't we all stop saying "no" to things, and start saying "yes" to stuff that makes us happy. Let down our guards and run in the sprinklers naked, pick up a little pebble and keep it with you always just cause it makes you happy,laugh as loud as you want at whatever you want, and just sit on that swingset and swiiiinnnggg for hours, until you get sick. 

3. It's also important to remember "doing what you want" really means just THAT. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't know, I could say the typical stuff here and say "do something crazy, cause life is short"...but I don't agree. I think that life is rich, and life is real, so if sitting on the couch eating donuts and watching "Clueless" makes you happy, than that is "crazy" enough! As Bart says "I'm blue. Time for my patented spitting off of the overpass."...simple as that.

4. You know how when you're dating a new guy and people sometimes tell you "love him for who he is now, not who you think he'll be later" or something like that? Well, same thing for YOU. Take Homer, for example. He has Marge who loves him even though he sticks weird things in electrical sockets and shit. But he also seems to have such a good level of self confidence just as he is...so take it from him...self love first :)

Whew!

I hope that was inspiring to you guys too! I know I'll need to return to this entry in the future to remind myself of the sage teachings of The Simpsons lest I forget :) OK, now I'm off to watch some garbage on TV and eat food. Then, my best bud and I are heading off to Prescott's Gem and Mineral Show. Should be righteous!

Guest Post!

Welp, I'm brewing up some awesome things over here on ye ol blog. In the meantime, check me out on my girl Danielle's blog, Sometimes Sweet. Stoked! Hope you all are having a great night and I'll be back with some neat posts soon!...do I smell a little DIY, too? Hmmm...stay tuned, sweet people :)

xoxo,

Adie

One of my most radical Farmer's Market scores...prettiest onions evvvaarr!

Design Crush: William Haines

Dear Mr. Haines,
I'm sorry to admit this, but I just recently fell in love with your work. Sure, I'd heard about you on the street and stuff, and in design school people sung your praises. But it wasn't until an awesome customer at work shared his passion for your work with me that I really started seeing my feelings shift in your direction. 

Now, Billy (can I call you that?), first I have to tell you I am proud of you. Being openly gay in the 1920's and being one of the most famous silent film actors at the time? Yep, nothing but proud of you. When MGM dropped your contract in 1930 because of your refusal to deny your sexual orientation...I gotta say, knowing that you remained proud and stuck to your guns, fills me with hope. 

At that point, you turned away from film forever and let your design talents soar. This is where my heart flutters....You designed interiors for Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Carole Lombard, George Cukor,(who were all your friends from your film days),Betsy Bloomingdale, Nancy and Ronald Reagan, and Leonore Annenberg, to name a few. 

Billy, let's talk about your furtniture. While you were one of the biggest to popularize the "Hollywood Regency" style, I admire your ability to span so many different (although they are all modern) design styles, such as "California Modern", "Mid Century Modern" and "American Modern". Billy, you were a rule breaker! You combined Antiques with Modern pieces, and English and Continental furniture which was a major shake up for your times...man after my own heart, you are!!


William Haines, your life's work is inspiring. Your story is inspiring. Your lifestyle is inspiring. YOU are inspiring. To be a man that struggled with the predominating culture, still coming out of it with a partner who loves you, a career that is inspiring to current designers everywhere (uuhh, ME! For one), and to have a true legacy that continues even after your death? WOW. Take that, MGM studios! You clearly didn't need them.


And now, I will share some photos so we can all drool.

Handsome, to boot! Lucky Mr. Shields. Source

Pull Up Chair. Source

Valentine Sofa. Source

Ice Crystal Wall Sconce. Source

Modern man, modern design. Source

"You can hide things behind veils and ruffles, but when you come to simplicity, the truth comes out." -William Haines

"The only real freedom we have left is the home. Only there can we express anything we want." -William Haines

What a design master, am I right? Am I right?

XoXo,
Adie

Had to Post This Gem of a Photograph

My Gal Molly and me posing red carpet style at the Vibe Magazine B.E.T Awards Mixer. This is just after our Project Accessory casting in LA. Yeeeepppp!