marinated flank steak with salsa verde

If I could throw dinner parties for a living, that’s what I would do. I love the entire process. I suppose it's because I absolutely adore cooking for family and friends-the people that mean the most to me. I love filling their bellies with good food. Delicious food. I obsess over the menu for days-weeks even. My sketchpad is a list of recipes and menu ideas with scratches and scribbles and notes on the side. The great part about planning a menu for family and friends however is that they are very forgiving when things don't go as planned,they always pitch in and they rarely complain about anything. This flank steak recipe is very easy and if cooked perfectly, the meat is very tender. I roasted brussel sprouts and carrots with aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil and sea salt and fresh pepper. They caramelized in the oven and turned out crispy and delicious. The potatoes were roasted with shallots and parmesan and I also blanched fresh green beans that I picked up at the market and then sauteed them with brown butter and toasted almonds. I kept the dessert simple- pan-roasted pineapple with brown sugar, frangelico and vanilla bean ice cream. Best of all, the children played and we enjoyed great conversation, lots of laughs and good wine. Perfect evening.

jill rosenwald's studio in boston

I met up with an artist/designer friend of mine from Boston, Jill Rosenwald. She invited me into her studio to see all the amazing things she's working on (thank you Jill). I was instantly inspired and pulled out the camera.

And then, walking down the hallway, I bumped into these two inspiring visuals.

sweet watermelon syrup

My children have been ill. Coughs. Stuffy noses. Fevers.Their spirits are low. What to do? They don't want to eat. Or drink. Or play. *sigh* I  tried bribing them with grape flavored kool aid ( I know. Who feeds that to their babies?!) I was desperate. When my 7 year old daughter announced  that she wanted watermelon, I dashed to the market to find the plumpest, juciest one I could get my hand on. I brought it home and chilled it for several hours before slicing into it. Perfect. It was a deep, crimson-pink color, sweet, watery. It smelled like summer. They ate bowls of it. I ended up with loads of leftover watermelon so I made a deliciously sweet watermelon syrup that formed the perfect foundation for breakfast mimosa's. I added fresh lime juice, crushed mint and prosecco. It was refreshing and the simple flavors melded well together. My mom dropped in and we ended up lounging all morning, sipping mimosa's and eating asparagus and feta omelets. Not a bad way to spend an otherwise dreary Saturday morning. Yay for moms! Yay for children who are on the mend and yay for summer mimosa's on a rainy spring day!

paint

I grew up in East Vancouver and have driven by this sign so many times over the years and always loved it (East Hastings). It's an old and beautiful sign that I hope never gets taken down. During my last trip to Vancouver, I decided that instead of driving by it for the millionth time, I would stop in the pouring rain and take the shot. It seemed like a pretty cool first entry post for the new blog.