Day 2....time to try on being a Rockstar.

Day 2

Started something like this....wake up, wow-was yesterday a dream? NOPE, Rockstar get dressed, you've got another day to have FUN. Yeah!

Got dressed, not in momma-regulation jeans & T.

Headed out to Pebble, mission today was to take shots of my man in action. After all (well, after last year when I got zip) it was not an everyday thing to be the GO TO Guy to 2 Iron Chefs.

Indeed, mission accepted :)

He's so cool (JK-he's awesomely cool)

I loved this venue. What a fun idea, amazingly beautiful tables, set up INSIDE a tent with the commercial kitchens right there! If I could draw it for you, imagine a rectangle with an opening in the middle of one side- to the left & right of that are identical commercial kitchens with the rest of the room RIGHT up to those working kitchens, looks like the above photo. COOL, huh! And to the left Masaharu Morimoto Team & to right Michael Symon Team. BTW both Chefs were incredibly nice, ridiculously funny, and all around fan-freakin-tastic. It was a camera holding food lovin girls paradise :)

Back docks. Lots of bubbles in boxes. LOTS.
Warm up to working really hard ;)

When I got there my man was making sure thirst was not anyones issue. He's so hospitable that guy!
No those are not dinky "regular" size stellas, chef size. ;0
CHeeRS! See, hospitality is his name-being cool is his game.
DOn't ya just LOVE Morimoto's sandals?! I think he is so hysterical & he is quite the comedy act on top of AH.mazing food.
This was their menus....scrumptious.
Todd making sure everyone had everything & everyone they needed. Both Chefs brought members of their personal teams as well as several chefs volunteer their time & come out to work along side the masters.
Enough butter? KerryGOld that is...and OH so good...
This one is one of my favorites, I love how genuine everyone is. Truly the crazy thing about chefs, is they all GET each other. Its like they are their own kind. And when they get to do what they love but like this, not under serious pressure, with an audience & more than enough help- they are like kids on a playground. Its just fun. And something was obviously funny!
All of Morimoto's garnishes. Ready to go..
Says one Iron Chef to the other Iron Chef,

"Here try my pork buns."

"Ok."
Chef Michael Symon at work sautéing the most. amazing. gnocchi I'd ever let drip down my face as I happily, blissfully ate it. OH my gosh.
It was sautéed with ramps & foie gras butter. Yup.
TEAM WORK: Everyone does a part to build the plates, don't forget this is all in front of a huge room of peeps loving watching & being a part of this once in a lifetime Lunch.
Todd signing autographs....he asked "really?" she gushed, "OF COURSE". What a guy!
We've moved on from earlier libations. Afterall this is a wine pairing luncheon & they DO need to be certain it "works" with the dishes...as if the 7 sommeliers in the room needed them to check ;)
He' so cute. and all mine- ;)
Morimoto's Scallops.

Who know what was funny this time, but really people- Chef Symon is one of the nicest guys & very talented. Not a stitch of ego in him. But when your a celebrity it doesn't mean your great, it just means your recognized. But he is great- both talent & guy.
Check out our upscale Riddel crystal tubs...JK but isn't that just how it works in the kitchen- Yes, I want a couple drops of the good stuff, no I didn't bring my own glass, lets make do. (I had one too :)
Iron Chef present from Joe's crab shack- a mallet & box of amazing looking claws-

Here' us & our new friend- Michael if anyone finds this & you read it- thank you. It was so much fun & I had a blast!!

who knows what they're scheming up this time...

After all that fun of taking photos, my good friend in town for the festivities was ready to join in the fun & I had to take him to one of our best treasures on the peninsula. Carmel Cheese Shop. The had cheese. OH SO MUCH cheese, amazing & they know about each and every one of the cheeses so you learn a ton too! Its only bettered by a glass in hand ( oh & its a wine shop too)...."CHEESE!"

Then we waited for Todd to find us, he was still working hard, but the after hours party had begun, for me this is LATE. Like is starts at 11pm. Whoa. But this was my rockstar weekend. Not clocks allowed. And Todd, who'd been working with Tyler Florence that day getting Tyler's prep done for saturday, was excited to introduce us. As big of a fan of TF as I am, I was even more excited to meet his darling wife! Tolan is just rad (does that date me?), and gorgeous & they have 2 darlin' babies & turns out she's just down to earth & great. We made it til L-ast Call"...and were totally stoked for 2-usually in bed by 10 mommas. Oh & we're both tall, as was her friend Joy, so it was extra fun to stand around & dance with tall girls :)

Don't we look like we do this all the time? Nope, but we're cute!

Chef Studs. Hebert Keller, Tyler Florence, Ming Tsai

Phew what a day!

Day 1 of OH WHAT A WEEKEND!

disclosure: I NEVER get to have this much time to myself or have THIS much fun. Just FYI

Opening Night of Pebble Beach Food & Wine

My chums for the night....yes we we're celebrating & are perfect 3 amigos!

so beautiful, so much to take in, so many wines to taste ;) so many people to cheers

tasted Schramsberg, Krug, Veuve, Dom, Roederer & Chandon. Hands down (yes I included Dom) Krug Grand Dame was unreal. SO good, I unbashfully (its a word, no) requested "another taste" after Dom. Thanks Krug Guy!
Something fun...Abalone. Raw. Which I'd never had, but my montra for the weekend was eat everything. All & all I'm an "eats everything kinda girl..." but for this, it is art, it is creative food at its best. Try it. Be surprised.

Our silly abalone-selves....Goof-balls.

She tried it, didn't like it. But most important- she tried it ! :) Such a good amiga~ seriously could throw her into anything & she'd step up to it!

Girly me. For a change :)
After party OH la la! Pebble Beach Food & Wine knows how to throw a party! Blue = Belevedere Vodka night....I stepped out & tried something new which was FANTASTIC! Moscow Mule...ever tried one? It's simple & ended up wonderful for the tummy. Vodka, Ginger Beer (real thing) Lime, and mint. Refreshing & after-party ish !!
FINALLY found my man. He's busy working all day all night but after 11:30 he made his way through the crowd....to me.
OMGosh. Are we serious or what!! Our faces kill me! Totally fun but I am a granny driver & so obvious...S L O W. But guess what... I WON! The italian guy (long hair) was our "instructor" and totally laughed at us, we didn't care - TRY EVERYTHING!
Lovely ladies....Michelle Sarah & me ....Brunette Blonde Red. Quite a group.

Rock it CHEF TODD!

thank you Sarah & Chadwick for a fantastic amazing night! CHEERS!

...just call me smitten

Have you ever seen anything more lovely?? Well, maybe I've been "not out" for too long but this has me smitten for sure!

Having a ball! Birthday Party for our Big 3 year old!

Look who's 3!!

Pals! Ashton-Boston-Delaney

all age 3

my baby boy..."LOOK at Daddy"!

Does the look on their faces just speak to you? I asked them to sit on the step, and the shuffle of who/where/how.... Laney just wanted to sit RIGHT next to B, Ashton moved here & there before settled...then I had them smile & she posed ( of course) they ignored (of course)

But I adore this snapshot...

can I open my present? can I open it now?

Boston kept asking to open it, finally settling for staring at it. W-A-I-T is a toddlers 4-letter word!

Inside- "Lello-copter" with BatMAN!

THE SCOOP

an easy party needs just 2 things

friends + treat...& momma needed it to be an easy one :)

Here's what we had:

Beverages, snacks {a la Daddy} Cake & Ice Cream

I made Meyer Lemon Cupcakes with Honey Frosting

seriously easy & wow-great combo!

And Ice Cream Sandwiches

Made like this- Costco chocolate chip cookie + Dreyers Vanilla Bean allowed to soften = perfect "homemade"

Ice Cream Sandwiches

{I forgot to get an after picture...}

Here are the favors for his friends siblings (recorders not so exciting to 6-11 year old sisters)

Made them with little necklace & Blow-Pop Lolli & cute tag (cute bouncing ball tag post to come later)

Our party favors & decor- what B loves the most -BALLS- and we have a bunch too- I had wanted to stick them in a large Hurricane Jar or something but buckets worked. Bouncy balls, tennis balls, wiffle balls, anything- I just looked for color :)

Then for favors, I found these cute recorders in perfect yellow, made a tag with names of his pals added ribbon- voile' -

Fabric penants or banner I made the day before....OH so easy & I love the ol' school party look, plus it's festive & not personalized so I can reuse it!!

Just pic colors & not too match match fabrics & basting tape {byw I can not sew, so this is for everyone}

Birthday Banner- "Having a ball!"

Fun & perfectly 3 Year Old Birthday

thanks for checking out our little celebration...I always get inspired by other peoples parties, creations, creativity & am happy to share any questions anyone has {like fonts, purchases etc}

Sharing is what makes the world go 'round!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOSTON!

...it comes highly recommended.

Oh if only every night dreams could be as full of fantasy as this book...

Have you read it?

Better yet have you read it to your kids? It's lovely full of wonder old school marvelous fantasy literture. And it comes highly recommended.

the copyright is the year I was born! And the face on the back of the book brings me back to my favorite movie instantly....

If you open a book, you'll enter another world all together

What's for dinner.....

DINNER IN A POCKET--->

I love my little dinner idea book from Martha. The app is even cooler, and always with me...

So I made this for dinner last night, looked fresh, lighter & still YUMMY. I struggled a bit on what to make along with it, til I remembered how much I LOVED Ina's Tabbouleh recipe...Here's how it all went down:

• 
  
• Riata - basic cucumber yogurt sauce
• I've used this one & it is better than the one included in the chicken-patty recipe
• 
  
• 1 (about 3/4 pound) cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1/4 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, or parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

I paired it with one of my all time favorite healthy non-lettuce salads... you know the kind- that have lots of crunch factor. This one works perfect and leftovers are appreciated.

Ina Garten's:

Ingredients

• 1 cup bulghur wheat
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
• 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the bulghur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours

all said & done, it was super yummy, even Chef Hubby loved it. Simple, delish, fresh & starting toward Summer flavors- a clear winner!

Try it & let me know how it goes...:)

Curious or creepy?

So let me be the first to say, I love my kiddos names. It took us months and months to even make a list of top 3 with each of our kids. It was a secret only the 2 of us shared, we didn't want anyone elses influence on our choice, so we never told until we announced :) We never settled on a name until we'd "met" them, looked and settled on who they looked like, its just us & how we did it.

So, last night I was flipping (aka drooling wishing turning slight shade of green with envy) at the PBKids Catalog. You know the one that gives us a slight case of the iwant-ies. And I started noticing a theme....MY KIDS NAMES! Nope not on all personalized stuff, the titles of collections! 4 outta 5 people!

-Mackenzie collection -
-Madeline Bedroom Collection-
- Parker Lampshade-
-Abigail Jewelry Box-

so...Kinda makes me curious, did we somehow just nail it on the current not popular but trendy jackpot? Or should I be creeped out that PBK has a voice recorder in my hospital room for "research". HA!

Just for Kelly's blog readers: I wrote this a while ago...and thought it was too perfect not to post.

But to fill in the blanks, our names are

Mackenzie Ayn

Parker Alan (after his dad's middle name)

Abigail(Abbie) Ada -(after mom's middle name, I didn't pick it daddy did;)

Madeline Ashlynn (daddy named her too)

Boston Andrew (his big brother picked his middle name, after all he prayed for him for 1 1/2 years!)

and if you see a pattern {A} when we were pregnant for the first time & could NOT narrow it down, we realized we both had A middle names & to help us started a tradition of using A as middle name

TAF-CAF-MAF-PAF-AAF-MAF-BAF

thats that.

Some all time favorites...

No reason for the order, just a few pictures that when I scroll through my iphoto library they make me pause, even for a few seconds sometimes minutes, pause & recall. I adore these pics for the person I miss who's grown & changed but also for the moment that flew by & wonder if I appreciated it enough.

Here in random order : some of my all time favorites.....

Boston- hardly sitting up only about 6 months of pure yummy-ness. UGH, I miss this like crazy. He was one for the record books. HUge blue eyes, sandy hair like a good Cali-baby and weight about 21 lbs!!!
Kenzie & Momma last summer on DC trip, being with just one of my loves and taking TIME the word I hardly ever achieve was lovely. Genetics crack me up because this is the one thing I was more excited to see with my very own eyes than ANYTHING else back East. I do declare this American saw her Declaration of Independence. And that other cute american girl was almost moved to tears over it too- crazy history-lovin gene.
Very random but funny, here is me when I was 17 I think....with my little sister. We have only a few pics of us together because she is 12 1/2 years younger & I only lived there occasionally. But I love it because even as a snapshot it is a really great photo. Lighting, texture, etc. Anyway, this one is for you Batey.
My son, gosh he's growing up. You know when you take a photo & you see your kids face but you see it all grown up? Scary. But this I saw, its like I could see how he would look in senior pics or even after- and I just think he's as handsome as can get.
Abbie- on the beach in Pismo, Mother's Day couple years ago.... she always acts goofy, posing etc for the camera. I love that it is just her looking & I can see HER. Just her. It just makes me gaze & wonder...
THis kid. Oh she's a packer- loves to pack, she dolled up in twirly dress, moved my adirondak into sun, got her parasol & a mag....she's just do dang sweet.
These are both all time favs- seriously wonderful wonderful cuteness. Boston was my only chubby baby & I loved it!!! Look at those eyes.

Celebrate First Day of Summer=Olallieberry Picking. So much fun, so great, perfect kick off, wonderful memory...
New Years Day we always walk on Carmel Beach together. We happened to go later this year than past & the shadows were long... Look at my boys big & small.
Parker wanted a boy so much, he prayed & prayed... he got a sister (again) and look at how how they are connecting, engaged, introducing. I love this picture...it tells of years to come of Brother Sister Love.
Yes, below is a duplicate but look at these 2 sets of eyes & faces together..dreamy, huh. These 2 look so much like their daddy & even though boy & girl, so much like eachother. Clearly not the same age but with 5 different faces in each of my kids-these 2 make me grin.