Fa La LA-LA Land

Last night, as I drove home from work and up the Lincoln exit ramp off the 10, I noticed a a panhandler, which is pretty typical.  What was atypical was the sign he was holding. It was small and said simply, "Love."  It made me smile and almost give him a dollar.  Almost. I learned in St. Louis that you don't open your car to people on the street... anyway... the point I am actually trying to make is that his sign felt like a perfect way to sum up the holiday season that has just come to a close.

I've officially been in LA for over a year and it's crazy to think about how far I have come in that time. A year ago, I was lamenting the warm, snowless December and trying to navigate my new life.  This year, I was fully embracing the holiday spirit in my new home:

I found a more appropriate place to hang my stocking

I upgraded my tree from last year

And I even added a touch of Mistletoe

 I also embraced typical winter activities with a LA twist, like ice skating in 60 degree weather:

I tried (and kinda failed at...) some new holiday baking ideas:

It was too hard to frost his face...

And I enjoyed a winter bike ride that could only take place in LA:


Manhattan Beach Pier with Christmas Lights

You can take the girl outta the Midwest...

but you can't take the Midwest cooking style out of the girl.  That was blatantly evident at my Super Bowl party last Sunday.  Just to set the stage a bit, let me remind you that I really like football and I really like food.  I particularly enjoy an opportunity to combine them both.  In the past this has led to endevors such as this:

Super Bowl '09 Cardinals v Steelers
Created with the lovely and talented Alison Clark

This year I decided that instead of focusing my efforts on one awesome dish, I would create many dishes, all with an ample aura of awesomeness...

Soooooo I may have gotten super excited and over-cooked for my party... oops?  It wouldn't have been such a bad thing except for the fact that everything I cooked was laden with cheese, carbs and spicyness; definitely not anything you could or should eat for a week straight.  Paula Dean chooses butter, I choose cheese.  Note for the future: people in California have more dietary preferences and healthier eating habits than people in the Midwest.  Again, not such a bad thing except for the fact that it left me with nearly 2 lbs of mac and cheese...

So let's recap.  I'm going to assume that everyone knows how the Super Bowl turned out and knows the major game highlights.  I'm also going to assume that if you don't know, you probably don't care.  Thus, all I will say about the game it that it was watched at my house on my new TV.  The patio bar was stocked with fun beverages and a great time was had by myself and my lovely friends, both new and old, who also helped contribute to the buffet with delicious (and healthier) dishes like salmon and fresh guac.

My ridiculously unhealthy and fairly monochromatic spread was as follows:

Buffalo Chicken Tartlets

Seacrest Sausage Balls
(sigh, don't ask.  The name in Kendall's fault...)

Beer-battered Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

Mom's Taco Dip
(Sorry, I forgot to take a pic.  This is an old pic from a
tailgating attempt at Northwestern Game.  It usually looks better...) 

All of these tasty delights (save for the taco dip, that's a Sale family secret) can be recreated in your own kitchen with the ridiculously easy steps enclosed below. Note: I don't measure, I'm sorry.  I'll try to do my best to give amounts when I can but when in doubt, just start adding a little and then adding more to taste.

Why Resolutions Suck.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for being a better person but let's get real.  Who really sticks to their New Year's Resolution??  Not even half of those people that make the gym unbearably crowded for most of January, that's for sure.  It's not that I don't like goals, I love them-spent two years setting "big goals" for the children of St. Louis and "relentlessly pursuing" them even.  The thing with resolutions is:

• You have to be sincere with it.  Don't say you're gonna work out every day if you don't want to be a person who works out everyday.  Mean it and make it something that is doable and realistic for your life.

• You have to be specific and concrete.  Don't say you're gonna stay in better touch with old friends, it's a vague statement and easy to keep pushing off until next December when you say "I really mean it this year!"  Say you are gonna pick...I dunno, a friend a week or a friend a month to send a card to or give a phone call.  Goals are easier to meet when they are measurable.

• You have to make it personal. Don't set goals that fit other people's definitions of a "better person," strive to be the best you that you can be.  If your resolutions are meaningful and truly things that you want to achieve for yourself, you have a much better chance of being successful and ultimately, happy.

Cheers to 2011, a year that brought me a lot of unexpected change and challenge in my life.  Here's to 2012, a year that I hope continues to challenge and push me in both my career and personal life.  I intend to continue to be open to new experiences and to fearlessly be myself in all of them.  I hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Year and thanks for following my crazy life.  Especially those of you that don't even know me (I'm talking to you Russia!  Woo!).  It's great to feel the love and support from friends, family, and strangers as I continue to settle into this next chapter.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Plastic Santas and Santa Anas

So... it's December and I don't think I have ever felt less in the holiday spirit.  It's not that I'm a Grinch or anything, it just doesn't feel like the holidays when it's 65 degrees and there are palm trees everywhere.  Oh, and it's super windy.  Earlier this week, someone commented that the winds must make me feel like I'm back in Chicago.  No.  No, the Santa Ana Winds DO NOT remind me of Chicago.  ALSO, Chicago is not significantly winder than any other city (see table below from www.currentresults.com) and earned the nick-name "The Windy City" for the "windbag" politicians not the weather .  In addition, I have never had large amounts of sand blown into my face in Chicago.  Snow, sure.  Sand, dust, palm leaves, not so much.

Average annual wind speed of the windiest US cities

(in miles per hour and kilometres per hour)

City	MPH	KPH
Boston, Massachusetts	12.3	19.8
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	12.2	19.6
Buffalo, New York	11.8	19.0
Milwaukee, Wisconsin	11.5	18.5
Dallas, Texas	10.7	17.2
Kansas City, Missouri	10.6	17.1
San Francisco, California	10.6	17.1
Cleveland, Ohio	10.5	16.9
Minneapolis, Minnesota	10.5	16.9
Virginia Beach, Virginia	10.5	16.9
Providence, Rhode Island	10.4	16.7
Chicago, Illinois	10.3	16.6
Detroit, Michigan	10.2	16.4