3 Phrases Overused by Bloggers:

I am such a fan of other bloggers and nowadays I pretty much read blogs more than anything else.  But there are a few blog trends that, I must admit, drive me nuts!  The above three phrases top the list.  It's not so much that I find each phrase overly cute, (which I do) but that all three seem to be rampantly used in the blogisphere. 

Burger Quest: The Bucket

There's nothing nicer than dragging a burger location from the 'Burger To-Do' folder on Google Earth into the 'Burger Quested' folder. And after that we turn out little wrench icon into a flame.

If you don't believe me, here's the complete Burger Map:

A few things to note: look at the size of LA County!  It's vast!  From Sonic in the North to Utro's Cafe in the South it's 62 miles as the crow flies. We're dealing with a vast and densely populated county here. There's no tougher place in America to do a burger quest. Period.

Do I seem like I'm trying to waffle to avoid talking about The Bucket burger? Well, maybe a little.  It's a meaty morsel of a burger.  The place was filled with bikers and men who looked like bikers, and the burger showed why. Their signature burger is simple, no frills, with a glob of mustard that was very unevenly distributed. The joint didn't look like a 1935 establishment, but it could probably have passed for a 1975 joint, and one that maybe Clint Eastwood would have street boxed outside with his orang-utan.

The burger didn't impress us a great deal, but showed a heck of a lot of promise. The meat was superb - juicy, chargrilled and well cooked. But there was nothing much to compliment it in the bun.  Sure, there's other burgers on their menu that may have done the trick - there's one called the Mild Cardiac and another called The Cardiac (sounds a bit scary to be honest.)  But the signature burger kept things pretty basic and low-key.

But overall, the burger was pretty good.  We may return here, but for the time being we're just delighted to drag and drop it.

The Scores:

Meatiness - 4
Succulentiousness - 2
Flavor - 3
Bun - 3
Stay Togetherness - 2
Joint - 4

White Pizza with Arugula

There was a time when neither the boy or myself could cook much more than pasta or a basic stirfry.  But luckily for me (and my stomach) the boy has taken to cooking like a goose takes to squawking.  And he seems to enjoy it too!  

The other night he made White Pizza with Arugula that was simply divine (though I do love just about any pizza you put in front of me.)  Here's the recipe we used from The Barefoot Contessa... Just keep in mind, this is enough for 6 personal pizzas, for the boy and I we divided everything by 3. 

Ingredients

For the dough:

1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
Good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the topping:

3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled

For the vinaigrette:

1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces baby arugula
1 lemon, sliced

Directions

Mix the dough.

Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

Knead by hand.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.

Let it rise.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make garlic oil.

Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!)

Portion the dough.

Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Stretch the dough.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)

Top the dough.

Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Make the vinaigrette.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Add the greens.

When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and a slice of lemon and serve immediately.

Read more at The Food Network

A Little Bit of Luck

With St. Patrick's Day coming up soon I wanted to make something in the spirit of luck.

I am lucky that I actually do come from Irish decent, and the boy is 100% pure Irish.  I know he actually finds the way Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day rather offensive, and it is terrible the way we stereotype the culture.

But looking on the bright side, I feel like St. Patrick's Day reminds me to be proud of my heritage and I do feel very lucky to be Irish!  

Plus, it's the only holiday in March and sometimes I just need a holiday.  ;)

The Antique Asylum and other Lancaster Craziness

Remember how I said the boy and I went out to Palmdale for our Sonic Burger Quest and we sort of justified the trip out there with antique shopping?  Well here's a little look at what actually went down...

 After Sonic's we drove into Lancaster, the next town over to see a hotel that had been there since 1888.  

We saw it and we left it.  Not very much to see or report on that one, except that we can confirm that Lancaster, like Palmdale, is weird.  There were lots and lots of cars parked on the high street, but nobody actually out.  It was windy, but desolate, like a ghost town from a western, except the town has modern shops like Walmart and Target.  There was just something weird about the place.  

As far as the Antique Asylum, well there were plenty of slightly crazy people  in there and the prices on many of the items were incredibly reasonable, but selection wise it didn't quite hold up to the place in Whittier or Wertz Brothers.  Still, I'd say it was worth the trip.

I did happen to find this strange ballerina painting which I insisted we take home, I mean how can I pass something like this up, right?

But altogether, I'm not in any hurry to go back to Palmdale or Lancaster.  It was interesting enough for a one-time day trip, but to make the trek out there again anytime soon?  Well that'd be just crazy.  

P.S. You may notice some strangeness with the blog design over the next couple days....I'm messing with it and hope to have a swanky new look by the weekend.  So, sorry for the inconvenience and stay tuned for a new design to be finalized soon!

Burger Quest: Sonic Burgers

So many of you have probably eaten your fair share of Sonic Burgers.  This national franchise calls itself "America's Drive In" and many still have the old drive-in set up where food is brought to your car on a tray.  But there actually aren't many Sonic's in Southern California.  The closest one to us is way out in Palmdale - Which is actually just barely inside the LA county line.  It's far and required more than a Sonic burger to get us to make the trek out there.

Luckily, Palmdale also has a large antique mall that I had been anxious to visit.  So we made a day of it and drove out to shop and eat. 

All in all, we feel pretty confident that we never need to return to Palmdale.  The Sonic Burger was completely unremarkable.  The boy stated that it was the blandest burger we've tasted to date, and I have to agree.  I suppose it wasn't bad - Definitely not as disgusting as Burger King - But it has all the flavor of a cardboard box.  The only thing this burger had going for it was the stay togetherness, which I am sure was in large part due to the mayo that essentially worked as the glue, holding this burger together.  Easily forgettable and certainly not worth the trip. 

The best part about Sonic (besides the fact that boys on roller-skates were delivering the food) was the tater tots.  Not many fast food joints offer tots in replace of fries.  So for that (and that only) I salute you Sonic.  Still, you are better as a hedgehog in my opinion. 

The Scores:

Meatiness - 2

Succulentiousness - 1
Bun -1

Flavor - 2
Stay Togetherness - 5

Joint - 2

A 1940's Valentine

So a bit late in my recap, but better late than never right?  The boy and I had a lovely Valentine's Day at home last week, but in an effort to make it unique, we celebrated the night with a 1940's theme...

We got dressed up in 40's garb, listened to jazz records from the era, and ate re-heated chicken pot pie.  The boy gave me a $5 bouquet of tulips and he remarked at how they were expensive (as this was the 1940's after all.)

We stayed away from our many computer screens, iphones and television shows for the night and just enjoyed some quiet time together.  It was perfect.  

We did also exchange gifts, though they weren't really in the theme of the night - I have the boy some new threads and he gave me a fancy-shmancy electric toothbrush.  Not that romantic, but certainly needed.

I really do like any excuse to tell the boy how much I love him; and as cheesy as it is, Valentine's Day remains one of my favorite holidays!  

The LA Lifestyle

It's expensive to live in this city.  And I love living here, but there are days when I long to live in a city where the rent isn't so high and you get more bang for your buck.  

The boy and I decided to put off our move for a little while longer.  It's the responsible thing to do, but I must admit, I feel a bit disappointed.  

I often get ahead of myself and start planning sooner than I should.  We love our current place and are in no hurry to move, but I've been itching for a fresh start, a new change of pace, and a change of scenery.  

It's amazing how impatient I can be.  

For now though, we're staying in Beverly Hills.  A very nice place to live, I know.  And I'm taking the opportunity to do some Spring Sprucing.  It's actually the perfect time to streamline, get rid of things we don't need, do a bit of rearranging and getting ready for the day we do move.  

Measuring out Lots of Love

This week has been a bit manic for me, with work and just life stuff, but I still want to take the time to celebrate Valentine's Day with the boy.  So I am making an effort to slow down and pay attention to all the love I have around me (which, for the record, is a LOT.)

When the boy and I were first dating, and we came upon our first Valentine's together, he was reluctant to acknowledge the holiday.  He rightfully noted that it's a fake holiday, created by marketers with the goal of selling chocolates and flowers.  He explained to me that he shouldn't have an obligated day on which to tell me that he loves me, because that cheapens the sentiment.  It feels forced, pretentious and silly. 

He explained all this to me with such eloquence in his swoon-worthy British accent, and yet, I didn't budge.  I simply explained to him that, as pretentious as it may be, I like Valentine's Day and I want some damn flowers!  ;) 

We definitely don't need an excuse to tell one another how we feel...But it's still nice to do it!  

Hearts on my Sleeve...Or Sweater Vest, Whatever

I'm a total sucker for Valentine's Day and all things hearts and flowers.  And if I have an excuse to wear a heart-printed sweater vest....Well, I take it.  

 

Vest: Forever 21 | Jeans: Anthropologie | Shoes: Chuck Taylors | Jacket: Old Navy | Bag: Jigsaw London |  Shades: Urban Outfitters

The boy and I are planning on staying in on Valentine's Day and avoiding the crowds, though we may go out and see the new Die Hard movie...Very romantic, huh?  Do you have any plans for V-day? 

I Get a Kick out of Shoes!

Forgive the incredibly corny title.  Sometimes I just can't help myself!

Over the weekend I made a bunch of bow shoe clips, perfect for giving my plain shoes a little kick.  I had such a good time making these I just may put a few in my Etsy shop.  What do you think?

The cool thing about them is that they can double for hair clips too!  Have a great Monday! 

Weekend Laundry List

Why is it called a "Laundry List?"  Does anyone know?  Like do people list all the laundry they have to do?  Anyway, irrelevant.  

I do actually have a lot of laundry that needs to get done, but it's not likely to get done this weekend.  Instead I have a whole bunch of fun things going on that I figured I would share with you - Some you can even take advantage of yourself....

** Shop the special early access sale at Jigsaw London

 - Use the code BlogLove0506 to get an additional 20% off all Sale Items.  I can tell you that this brings some of the prices down to the lowest they'll ever go and it's only good through Wednesday night, so hop to it and shop! 

** Apply for a new Apartment 

- It's becoming increasingly more apparent to me that the boy and I need a change of scenery.  I still have warm feelings for our place in Beverly Hills, but it's time to change things up.  We found a place on the other side of LA that we love.  It's definitely a step up from our current place and it would put us in a whole new area with a really artistic community, which I think we need.  I just hope we can get it - fingers crossed!

** Have a crafting night with my friend Caitlyn

- There will be yarn and scrapbooks.  Wine.  Maybe a Hayley Mills movie.  Need I say more? 

** Catch up with my Personal Blogging 

- It's been on the back burner for a while and it's time to show a little bit of love to this blog again

**Go on a Burger Quest

- Simply because that is what we do! 

What are your plans for this weekend?

Wisdom for the Week

Follow me on Vine!

I must admit, I am totally addicted to Vine.  Have you downloaded that app yet? I can tell there is so much potential to it and so many cool things that could be done with it, I just want to keep experimenting with it!



My fox collection seems to like it too! Follow me,  Heather Toner, and I'll be sure to follow you back! 

Jigsaw London's Valentine's Day Shoot

HI All!  I just had to share this video I put together for work.  A weekend ago, I orchestrated a little photo shoot for Jigsaw London showing off our newest, most romantic outfits modeled by some of my favorite bloggers and friends!  Here's the behind the scenes video I threw together to show just how much fun we had together.  Enjoy!

Also, be sure to enter the giveaway on Jigsaw's blog for one of their most adorable pink bags! 

Joffrey's Engagement at the LA Music Center

Last weekend, I had the extreme pleasure of attending the Joffrey Ballet's opening night of their 3 performance engagement at the LA Music Center as a member of the press.  I covered the performance for DIY dancer - a blog written by dancers, for dancers and the dance community.  The production was one of the best I've seen (and I see a lot of shows these days) and I can only hope that if you were in the LA area you too got a chance to appreciate this beautiful program. 

The highlight of the production was the Joffrey's authentic reproduction of Nijinsky's Rite of Spring from 1913.  This original ballet, set to Stravinsky's groundbreaking music, was actually so upsetting to the Victorian audience that an actual riot broke out and the ballet was virtually forgotten.  Choreographer and Dance Historian Millicent Hodson and her husband Kenneth Archer painstakingly researched the ballet and reconstructed the production piece by piece over the course of 15 years.  It first premiered in LA back in the 80's on the Joffrey ballet, and in honor of the centennial of the Rite of Spring, this weekend's performance served as the kick-off for a year long series at the Music Center celebrating Stravinsky's work.  

Read my full review of the performance on DIY Dancer now and here's a peek at some of my snapshots from the symposium on the ballet and the Stravinsky exhibit also at the Music Center.  

Time to make Lemonade

Last week was just one of those weeks.  I was incredibly busy and felt rather scattered and stressed out.  This week may be just as busy too, but I am hoping to recharge and go into it with the best attitude possible.  

One thing that was particularly upsetting last week was that I lost a whole bunch of my photos....Pretty much every photo from Labor Day to now.  We had a lot backed up, and the boy had quite a few stored on his computer, but there was a good amount that have been lost forever.  

It brought up a particular flaw of mine that I really need to work on - I am digitally messy.  I don't properly label my photos, I am bad about organizing them and I take so many.  This little mishap of accidentally deleting my entire photo library, only emphasized that I need to be more  organized with my photos and I need to be better about limiting the ones I keep.  

It's so easy to take photos of everything, and believe me, I do.  I'm constantly taking photos for my blog, many of which I forget about and get lost in the shuffle.  I've been thinking more and more about the days when I would only use disposable cameras - before digital took off and back when I actually didn't own a camera.  24 exposures and that was it.  It a way, I miss having that preset limit on my photography.  

I am setting myself a new goal this month of reorganizing all the photos I currently have, getting more printed and limiting the new photos I keep.  I still plan on taking plenty of pictures, but I am going to try to be better about deleting the bad, or unimportant shots, especially if they've already been blogged.  

If anyone out there has any tips or tricks to organizing your digital photos please share!  I could definitely use some insight into the best ways to stay on top of this goal!