Sourdough English Muffins and Fall

This morning when I woke up, it was completely dark outside. My husband moaned when he observed this as if the transition of summer to fall pained him. I instantly knew that it is officially time to start pulling out my cold-weather clothes, boots, and Halloween decorations. Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday of the year and I want to get a head start at celebrating it with fun kooky décor. I try to savor every single day of it. Last year we decorated our house only a few days before Halloween, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t do that this year.



In the past when I was single, I used to dread the fall season. It was hard for me to be cheery when the day would disappear so quickly and darkness would fall at early hours. But now I welcome the changing weather. In my adulthood I have learned how to enjoy it. One of the things I find pleasure in is going outside in the early morning and looking up at the less than bright sky. I take a deep breathe and I can taste the slight chill in the air. This is usually how I know that the colder weather is creeping closer. It reminds me of the holidays and makes me think of family.

For this recipe I used a 100 year old sourdough starter. Its been in my step dad's family for a long time. My mom gave me a scoop of it and I have since then tripled it. After forgetting about it in the fridge for a while, I decided it was time to take it out for a feeding. Then before putting it back in the fridge, I used the left over batter for this recipe. The recipe was inspired by a an old recipe book that my mother-in-law let me borrow. It has really fantastic information about food storage and great recipes for making your own homemade yogurt, different kinds of starters, and baking with your own freshly ground wheat.

For more information on sourdough starters follow this link.

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup

I always wonder what life would be like if I was not always in a hazy, lethargic and tired state. You see I just have this horrible habit of functioning on very little sleep. Its become a bit of a vice, really. I am always compelled to stay up late to either finish a movie, a tv show, or to surf the net. At the time it always seems like a good idea, but then the next morning when I am struggling to wake up I inwardly scold myself for being so undisciplined. But yet every day I always tell myself, "This time I will definitely go to bed early." Yeah right.



Well lastnight I actually accomplished the impossible. I had the will power to go to bed at 9:30 p. So today I feel like a million bucks. That is why I am here tonight, staying up late to blog about this wonderful recipe for Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup. It is such a quick and easy soup and so perfect for the upcoming fall weather. The red pepper flakes and paprika give it a tasty zing.

And since I am in such a cheery mood (yawn), I want to also share this lovely stop motion movie I stumbled across called ideas by heart that was created by an advertising student. According to Annika Backstrom, the goal was to make advertising a bit more colorful and happy.



Source: Recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Peach Ice Cream and Mosques

So now summer is over and I never had a chance to post my delicious Peach Ice Cream recipe until now. I thought it would be appropriate to crow bar in this recipe, since we won’t be seeing any more peaches or other delicious stone fruits now that they will be out of season. I must say that this is a delicious very rich ice cream. Its not a smooth ice cream like most, but chunky due to the fruit. You can also substitute nectarines in place of the peaches. If you prefer a more smooth cream, use less chopped fruit.



On a different note, I read a really interesting article the other day regarding the proposed mosque on Manhattan’s Ground Zero. The headlines have really stirred up a lot of controversy and a huge debate regarding religious freedom and tolerance. It hits a very sensitive nerve with the American people who would like to protect the sanctity of the site. Adweek proposed a really interesting question: “How would ad agencies tackle the problem of religious intolerance toward Islam and help resolve the issue of the Park51 center?”



This was a very interesting to me since I myself am an advertising professional. I pondered the question and wondered how I would approach the issue. It was very tricky. However, there were 30 brave agencies that took on the challenge and applied their advertising expertise to build a theoretical campaign that would answer the question. This is what they proposed.

Comic Con 2010

ne of the highlights of this summer was going to Comic Con 2010! Yes we got tickets and we got to experience all that nerdom has to offer. We got to see everything from the newest video games, movies, tv shows, comics, celebrities and even zombies! It was quite the unforgettable experience. Going into it, we thought we were pretty big nerds but when we got to Comic Con we quickly discovered that it was way beyond us. I think we were forever changed. It was more chubby pale skin poured into spandex than I have ever seen in my life. Literally, it was Halloween in San Diego that day and all the nerds came out to play. What can I say...it was a BLAST!

Here are a few photos of the madness. Be sure to play the song I chose on youtube before you start to scroll down the pictures. I think it accurately creates the mood that all the nerds felt when they got through the convention doors. Enjoy!









On Saturday we took a break from Comic and went to La Jolla.





On Sunday we were back at it again...in Comic Con fighting the nerd herds.

Source: by Jessica Hische.

Here are a few of my favorite things

fter enduring a nice HOT summer, it has finally come to an end. This past weekend was the last official weekend of the summer and we are now in fall season...tear. I can't believe how quick it went by! I am not really ready for the cold climate that is to come, but I am definitely ready and excited about the holiday season. But before I embrace this new season, I want take the opportunity this week to post a few pictures, a few summer stories and some of my new favorite things that I picked up a long the way.

Favorite thing #1: Molto's Farmer's Market. This summer I went to Molto's Farmer's Market religiously every single Thursday. I have discovered many news flavors there and it has been heaven! At Molto's I tasted for the first time dragons' Fruit, black garlic, dates, purple basil, and best of all BRIOCHE BREAD! YUM!

Favorite thing #2: Ruche. This summer I found many beautiful dresses and accessories online on Ruche. They have the cutest accessories and everything has a vintage flair. It has become one of my favorite online stores.

Favorite thing #3: Canelle Et Vanille. Canelle et Vanille is an incredibly beautiful food blog written by the amazing Aran Goyoaga. Her pictures are exquisite and I can never get enough of them! If you don't believe me, take a peek. It is a real feast to the eyes.

Favorite thing #4: Nest Pretty Things by Tamar. This is a lovely etsy shop with the most beautiful handmade jewelery. It is colorful, fun, and best of all it looks like candy. I am always checking back to see what new creations she has added to her store.

Favorite thing #5: Eat Drink Chic is a blog written by Amy Moss, who is inspired by all things that are beautiful.

Favorite thing #6: What Katie Ate is a delicious food blog written by an Australian Food Photographer, Katie Quinn Davies. Her photos are a real inspiration and oh-so-yummy!

Favorite thing #7: Daily Drop Caps by is an ongoing project by typographer and illustrator, Jessica Hische. Every post has a new decorative cap that she shares with all bloggers for the beautification of posts everywhere. Like the one I used for this post!