my picture encyclopedia

{All images scanned from Ward Lock's First Picture Encyclopedia, with slight edit touch ups}

Remember encyclopedias? Or days without the internet? I remember lying on the floor as a kid and combing through the letter D, reading up on the different dog breeds, trying to understand the moody disposition of our pet Chihuahua, Kumo…

I can't remember the last time I opened one up, but when I found Ward Lock’s First Picture Encyclopedia at Rags to Riches in Costa Mesa, I had to make the buy. It has scribbled names on the front cover from owners past and the irrefutable smell of an old library book (hello, nostalgia). I had no idea what I was going to do with this book when I bought it, but the images inside just made me happy. Maybe I’ll print them into cards...any suggestions?

(If you’d like a JPEG for your own crafty craftings or just because, send me an email at 3letterwords@gmail.com).

petit plume pt. 2

A bit late but here is part II to this post. Thank you petit plume, threadsence, elaine suh, st. eve, atilano, and all for such a lovely day.

{pattern}

last week's {lunchtime}
A short introduction
1 month ago

currently inspiring the senses

{images via apartment therapy, seriouseats}

See: I am a big fan of succulents. I love their bold yet simple characteristics. My mom is big on gardening and has what seems like 20 varieties of succulents planted throughout her backyard, lining the edges of her garden and standing guard in front of her delicate freesias and daffodils. I'm currently growing one on my desk (6 months and going strong). I'd love to grow an arrangement like the one above.

Touch: That's my housemate, Kobe. I snapped a picture of him in a rare moment where he is not trying to lick my face, hand, or the air around me. He's big on snuggling and was recently groomed...soft as a puppy. I love that.

Hear: I want to listen to her music while I drive, sit in traffic, go for a jog, play air piano and drums in the car...I dig the water cups.

Taste: I recently discovered that there is a Magnolia Bakery in LA. I asked for their best seller and without hesitation was given the banana pudding. seriously, crazy delicious.

Smell: Never really appreciated this before, but with all the rain we've been getting, I've been loving the smell of the air afterwards. It's crisp, earthy, refreshing and different each time.

pt. 3 of the granola trilogy

I made that Peanut Butter granola. (Bear with me. I have a whole bag of rolled oats to finish in the pantry. I promise my next recipe will not resemble granola in the slightest).
I didn't have any wheat germ but added some chocolate chips instead--I figured the health benefits were somewhat similar........... If you wanted to do the same, I recommend tossing them in while the granola is still warm. The chocolate will get all melty and bind some of the bits and you'll end up with more clusters. I used chunky peanut butter so didn't add any more chopped peanuts, but I think chopped honey roasted peanuts would have tasted great in the mix as well.






For a complete breakfast, add a glass of milk and some chopped bananas and enjoy.

And since I had just opened a big bag of cereal (to only use 1/4 cup) I made some peanut butter rice krispie squares. Just make the treats as you normally would; before adding the cereal, melt in a few spoonfuls of peanut butter to the marshmallow mixture. Tasty and satisfying.



(If you're looking for more of a traditional granola or companion for your Greek yogurt, this one's still my fave recipe).

Vive le Printemps

{photo: london, may 2009}

Despite the recent gloomy weather, spring has officially arrived. The trees are changing, the number of bunnies outside my work has increased exponentially, and did you know honeydew is now 29 cents per pound at Albertson's? (My mom called me to tell me that yesterday. She's the best). Here are just a few things that I am looking forward to this season...

-Spring cleaning my closet (yes, this is on the tip TOP of my list)
-running outdoors
-subtle blue eyeliner (seemingly only appropriate in the warmer months)
-perfecting a rhubarb recipe (mmm...maybe this one) and cooking with other spring fruits and veggies
-Another season of SYTYCD
-dining alfresco
-wearing dresses and skirts without tights and long socks
-growing a basil plant

What are you looking forward to this upcoming Spring?

{lunchtime}

one from the archives...


Updated* Seasons

your weekly theme word suggestions are welcome. :)

a reminder...

{Image via Nawafy; found here}

So many stories. Hard to grasp... and sometimes easy to forget in the comfort of my surroundings. This is my reminder...here are some ways to help.

{green}

Updated {street scenes}!
The first...
faces behind the camera

a few things...

{image via nerdboyfriend.com}

You had me at crispy. A decadent weekend brunch recipe.

What a great model. And I will be adding 'upholstery' to my things to learn list.

Pretty.

I like the unruly stripes and twirl-ability of this dress.

Speaking of dresses...

Our house just got cleaned (it is immaculate I should say). It reminded me of this oldie but goodie.

Genius. Just muffin tops.

What a fun way to tie your hair.

have a nice weekend friends.

the search for granola

I'm hooked on making granola. I made one version (found here); the final product made for a great cinnamon-y snack, but I wanted to find a recipe that would give me those crunchy clusters that I associate with granola. I found this recipe that was even simpler than the last and took about half the time to bake. I cut the salt in my version, as I found 1 teaspoon to be a bit too much for my taste and changed some of the fixings. Feel free to get crazy with your fruit and nut combinations. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
3 T plus 1 t oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1/3 unsalted slivered almonds (I used toasted)
1/3 cup cranberries
1/3 cup dried mangoes cut up into small pieces
I also like to add about 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds (optional)

To start, preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
In a big bowl, toss the oats, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix the oil, honey, sugar and vanilla till completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients. Using your hand, mix the ingredients--grabbing some of the mixture and making a fist makes for those delicious granola clusters.

Spread the mix onto your baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss using a spatula. Add nuts and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove and toss again. (This is important as the edges tend to cook/burn faster. Bake for another 5-7 minutes.

Let cool completely, then toss with dried fruit.







I like this aroma...


The outcome is highly addicting (and full of clusters) and one I'd be proud to bring to breakfast. I think I'll add dried blueberries to the mix next time.

Next on my granola recipe queue...Peanut Butter Granola.

{season}

Find last weeks pics here
The beginnings...
One of my faves

call me granola

I made my first homemade granola a week ago. I couldn't resist after reading 2 easy recipes online, both to which I had most of the ingredients laying around. (Find them here and here). I decided to marry them together. Here's what I used:

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup slivered almonds
3 tbsp packed brown sugar
3/4 tbsp ground cinnamon (I just realized I read it TBSP instead of TSP...oops)
1/2 tspn salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of dried mangoes--cut to bits

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper
Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl
In a saucepan, heat the honey, oil, and maple syrup till smooth
Stir mixture 1 spoon at a time and toss with granola
Spread onto baking sheet
Remove from heat and toss every 10 minutes. Bake for 40 minutes total.
Cool. Add fruit and enjoy with yogurt or by itself.

things i like right now

Madewell's Spring lookbook. Effortless tops, pleated skirts, shades of blue and orange fit the bill of how I would like to be dressed this spring. Here are some of my favorite looks. Check out the rest here.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I don't cook. My mom is an excellent cook and can whip up something delicious with a hodgepodge of ingredients in record speeds. But me...cooking means heating up frozen delicacies from Trader Joe's (there's some good stuff, let me tell you) Anyway, I thought I'd build up my recipe arsenal and give this recipe a try.

My main squeeze, Abe, is very encouraging of my cooking endeavors. I appreciate his emphatic ooooh's, Mmm's and attention to detail (why, yes! I did caramelize those onions in your sandwich!) even when I know the food isn't the best (bless his heart)--one reason I didn't mind him being the guinea pig for these Chicken Lettuce Wraps.


I liked the relatively short & simple ingredient list.


After I washed and chopped all the ingredients, it was just a matter of throwing it in the pan at the right time. I, of course, added a few extra cloves of garlic. Next time, I'll add some more bell peppers and green onions.


I followed other reviewers' recommendations and added some low sodium soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and Siracha Sauce. I also used less oyster sauce and orange zest. *Make sure to give your veggies enough time to cook without over cooking the chicken.


I served it with butter leaves instead of iceberg, although I'm sure the latter would have been crisp and delicious as well. The verdict? Light & easy. I liked that I was able to whip these up fairly quickly; it left us satisfied (not groggy) and made tasty leftovers the next day. And the kicker: Abe liked them...I'll consider this one a success.