baked salmon with mango avocado salsa

I'm usually not one for eating salmon, but this time I tried it with a really fresh side to cut through any of that fishy-ness you can sometimes get with salmon (though I was lucky, this particular piece of salmon was super fatty and good). I cut up some mango and avocado, and added some cherry tomatoes in the mix for a little color and some cucumber for a little crunch. I made the salsa a bit chunkier than usual so it was kind of more like a salad rather than a salsa, but feel free to chop it smaller if you prefer. I also blended a little avocado, olive oil, tiny bit of water, fresh lime juice, and salt and pepper to make an avocado dressing to put on the salmon-- it was pretty good, but probably tastes better ice cold. I'm thinking it would make a really lovely base for salad dressing.... mmmm

Mango avocado salsa

1 chopped ripe, but firm mango
1 chopped ripe, but firm avocado
1/2 Hot house cucumber
Handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half
Lime juice to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

music mondays

I love how he brought old school funk into his contemporary style of music. So diggin' this song.

Happy Memorial Day too, thank you to all our troops, past, present, and future!

grilled ginger-soy-lime shrimp

If you're looking for a last minute dish to grill up at home or bring to a bbq this memorial day, this dish is a real winner. Last weekend I went to the park with some friends and brought these babies to grill up-- they didn't last very long and were definitely a hit (for the sake of it being outside, I peeled the shrimp and left the tails on). I put them over top these yummy noodles, but made them cold instead of serving them warm. The whole dish was super easy to prepare and can be made the night before your bbq or event to make the day of that much easier.You can cook the shrimp at home, but I wanted to grill it because it tastes so much better with a little of that smokey charcoal flavor. For this memorial day, I'm doing it again, but this time instead of serving it over noodles, I'll be skewering them with bell peppers, onions, and pineapple and bringing it to be grilled (I'm anticipating that these will last longer since they will be skewered with other food). Can't wait! Happy Memorial Day!

san francisco flower mart

I love having fresh flowers around and will on occasion pick up a bouquet while at the grocery store (I currently have some gorgeous pink peonies sitting in a vase), but I can't always get myself to splurge on them considering they will die off in a few days or a week. The San Francisco flower mart is a really fun place-- to see all the different flowers and colors, and at a lower cost too! I'll come up with reasons to go which usually means coming up with an excuse to make a few bouquets to make the trip worthwhile. Not only that, but you end up buying bundles of flowers to mix and match to make the perfect bouquet, so unless your arrangement is really large, you'll end up with a couple bouquets. To see my easy DIY on a beautiful flower arrangement go here. Of course, the mart is filled with seasonal, fresh flowers so the season will determine what's available to make your beautiful bouquet. The best part about picking out your own flowers from here is that you will have a wonderful, unique flower arrangement that looks like you spent a lot, but you really only spent a portion of what you'd pay from a florist.

Know that the flower mart is closed on Sundays, and on other days is open super early to the local florists, then opens up to the public from 10am-3pm.

music mondays

Who remembers this song?

blue as the sea

I love quirky, odd things, and this sweatshirt is one of them. It's super soft, comfortable and has a hand stitched fish on it. Because who doesn't love a fish on a sweatshirt?

Weird, but I love it. And even better it's locally made right here in SF.

Oh, and Happy Endangered Species day!

Mollusk Surf Shop sweatshirt, American Apparel tank, XXI denim cutoffs, Vans sneakers, Marathon watch, Paul Smith specs

super easy homemade pasta

For so long I've purchased dried pasta from grocery stores, up until I happened upon The Pasta Shop located at Market Hall in Oakland about a year ago. I love Market Hall, they are categorized as a speciality grocer-- they've got everything from a butcher, a fish monger, a speciality wine store, bakery, coffee shop, cheese shop, etc., as well as already made food you can pick up by weight. It's such a special place, but my favorite area to frequent is The Pasta Shop for it's yummy ravioli selection and fresh pasta noodles cut to order. Making your own fresh pasta is super easy and really simple, and what's even better is that you can freeze it for a few weeks to have on hand for those nights you want to whip up a yummy homemade meal in minutes. There are a few different recipes on how to make the pasta, with the ratio of flour to eggs differing... here's a link to one here. With a pasta maker, you can cut it with the varying noodle sizes, or you can hand cut the noodles to get it exactly the width you want.

homemade vanilla bean ice cream

I love making ice cream and with the weather warming up, what better than make a batch for Mother's Day! I've made a couple batches in the past-- four barrel coffee with oreos, salted ganache with almond brittle (inspired by this amazing ice cream I had in Portland), but never made a simple, classic vanilla bean. I decided to make it for Mother's Day and followed this sure-to-be-good recipe, and sure enough, it was delicious. My sister also decided to make an egg-free froyo following this recipe and it was so rich and so good. Instead of making a blueberry sauce we made a strawberry sauce which paired really well with the tartness of the froyo. I highly recommend making ice cream for dinner parties since it should be made at least a day ahead (less work the day of) and is just so special when made at home that it's sure to impress your guests.

Leftover vanilla bean

Lemon frozen yogurt

music mondays

This song + the beach = perfect day.

striped trousers

We've been experiencing summer weather all around the Bay recently, up until the last few days. It's been strangely overcast yet still warm, making really comfortable and pleasant weather to chill outdoors. We headed out to Crissy Field and the Presidio to enjoy the rest of the day and that is when the skies started to clear and the sun peeked through the parting clouds. I sometimes take it for granted, but I absolutely love that we live so close to the water so I can get to it within a matter of a few minutes, especially on days when the weather is unexpectedly beautiful. 

I love the sportiness of these pants, and that they can also be slightly dressed up if called for. They have that great boyish, loose fit and scream minimalist, but also carry a femme feel to them (and not in a frilly way) which I dig. They're also a great alternative to these pants and at a fifth of the price!

T. Babaton tee, Forever 21 pants, Madewell sandals, Biltmore for Madewell cap

music mondays

It's about time I put some country up on this thang.

seared mac nut ahi salad with miso dressing

A couple weeks ago I went to the Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley for the first time, and boy, I'm glad I finally went. This place is small, but has an amazing selection of seafood, and sushi grade at that. There were so many items to choose from, and though my eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach, I only walked out with a few scallops and a beautiful tuna steak. Having came back from the islands see posts here and here) not too long ago, there was an abundance of macadamia nuts in the house, so I decided to crust the ahi with it, sear it, and top my simple salad with it. The tuna from the Tokyo Fish Market was perfect and I could definitely tell the difference between it and tuna from your typical grocery store. I will definitely be back to get more!

Seared Macadamia Nut Ahi Salad

1 pound tuna steak (about 1 inch thick)
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts (chop pretty finely, this will help the nuts stick to the fish or feel free to use sesame seeds in place of mac nuts if you desire)
Spinach
Baby carrots
Diced cucumber
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Trim tuna so sides are even and straight (it will help with even searing). Salt and pepper tuna steak on both sides. Put chopped macadamia nuts onto plate and press one side of tuna steak into nuts, repeat on other side (try to push the nuts in as best you can as most of the nuts will fall off during the searing process). Heat pan on medium heat and add olive oil. Sear each side of the tuna for approximately 3 minutes or until macadamias are slightly brown and tuna has a good sear. Take tuna off heat and place on cutting board to cool for 5 minutes (keep the macadamia nuts that fell off during the cooking process to put on top of salad). While the tuna is cooling, assemble spinach, cucumbers, and carrots in a bowl. Slice tuna against the grain and place on top of salad. Top with the macadamia nuts that fell off during cooking process.

Miso Dressing

1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon water

Whisk all ingredients until combined. All ingredients are estimated, and I like to take some salad leaves and dip it in the dressing to taste. Feel free to adjust to your taste buds. Dress salad, eat, and enjoy!

easy breezy dress

I'm not one to wear dresses or skirts on the daily, but for whatever reason I've been wearing them more often and it's perfect timing since the weather has been extremely warm. Not only is this dress super light and airy, it also fits like a glove and is an easy item to throw on and effortlessly look polished. To make it a bit more casual since it's silk, I decided to throw on a loose chambray which also aided in a light cover-up for evening making it the perfect warm weather outfit.

Aritzia Bennett dress, Madewell chambray and sandals, Cole Haan sunnies