Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yesterday, after a long day at work, I came home to find my soon-to-be husband in the kitchen baking a cake. And he had already washed laundry and done the dishes. So all I had to do was make chicken tortilla soup.

It is quickly becoming one of our staples. It has all the ingredients of a burrito in a soup.

To make, boil the following ingredients in a large pot in the order listed below:

Chicken stock, water, rice, onion, garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, jalapenos, cumin, Thai chili garlic sauce, chili powder, lime, garlic salt, chicken, can of black beans, can of corn

Top with Monterrey Jack, tortilla chips, cilantro, and ripe avocado. 

I think I'll make it for mom and dad when they get here in two (!) weeks.

A Charmed Life

This is my favorite time of year. Blue sky every day and a crispness in the air that is expected from the last day of October. Marina and I were in Golden Gate Park for my soccer game on Saturday (which we won!), and the bark on the eucalyptus trees was peeling off so beautifully. This past season I have learned to embrace the inheritance passed down to me by the women in my family: I am a romantic. We are all romantics. We appreciate the beauty in nature and food and art and it's what drives us.

Isn't it lovely? Someone told me recently that I lead a charmed life. Which has something to do with my grandmother bringing me roses and tamales every Saturday and driving me to my soccer games and then staying for one of many impromptu dinner parties topped off with homemade dessert from my fiancé. I suppose it is charmed. I got a fortune cookie the other day that said, "Success will be yours at home and in business in the next month." I think it's going to come true. I feel extremely lucky to have such wonderful people in my life and I am really excited about the next couple of months. My parents are coming for Thanksgiving, which is both my mother and my favorite holiday, and we haven't spent one together since 2005. October was great, November will be even better! Happy Halloween, everyone!

Saturday in Marin

After my soccer game in Larkspur (a 2-1 win!), Marina and I headed to Bolinas to relax at a beach house one of my teammates had rented for the weekend. The ocean views were spectacular.

Driving over Mt. Tam, the fog was lurking thick on the coast. Our first view of Stinson Beach was a bit murky.

But when we came through the trees on the other side the fog was beginning to lift.

The beach house was incredible. The people who live here have a serious appreciation for color and art and life.

We made salad nicoise with fish gifted from Marina's fisherman friend and sat and ate in the sun.

It was a perfect day. I particularly love the silver lines of surf.

Making Excuses

Hello friends!

I missed you. I know I've been absent for a while and I have a good excuse.

I started interning one day a week at Narrative Magazine, in addition to working full time at Crossroads, which leaves me Saturdays to play soccer, spend time with Marina, clean my house, nap, play with my kitty, run errands, prepare for the wedding (which is 98 days from today!), and take photos of pretty things and post about them.

The internship is really good. It is so nice to be surrounded by literature again. And I'm working closely with two respected authors/editors. They have me reading pieces of writing, doing press releases, searching through stock photos, and whatever else they need. On Thursdays during lunch everyone recites a poem from memory. We lunch together at a big table and laugh a lot. It's a really nice work environment, a 1-bedroom turned office in Pacific Heights with big windows and crown molding.

I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately, trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. So far all I know is I want to keep playing soccer and taking photos, two things that will probably never be a source of income. I did both things today, and I'm really looking forward to sharing. Here's a sneak peek:

Stinson Beach from Bolinas

Clouds from the bridge

 I hope you're all having a nice weekend!

For the Win

Soccer season has begun, which means there are fresh flowers in my home, thanks to Marina.

We played a perfect game on Saturday. It was the first game of the season and our first game since we were promoted to D1. I think we surprised the other team. We possessed the majority of the first half, but couldn't score, and they got a fluke goal in. We were down 1-0 at half time, but came out strong the second half and scored two quick goals. I was pretty much exhausted from the start. It was really hot out and I am out of shape, but as soon as we were ahead the adrenaline kicked in and the fatigue went away on its own. Then we were all offense and it was really exciting. We ended up winning 3-1 and then went out for burgers and beers to celebrate.

Thank you Daruma! What a great start to the season.

M & L Market

Jeff and I spent a beautiful afternoon walking from Alamo Square to Lower Haight to Church and Market, and I introduced him to a neighborhood gem and one of me and my coworkers' go-to cheap and filling lunch destinations.

M & L Market

is your typical mom and pop sandwich shop run by mother and daughter duo, Mae and Judy. They have limited lunch time hours (11:30 to 4:00) and are only open Tuesday through Friday, but when they are, there's a steady stream of customers.

There are very strict ordering instructions (bread first!) but with prices so low and such fresh ingredients, everyone is willing to wait their turn and follow directions in order to walk away with a sandwich made to order and bursting with flavor. I ordered half an avocado sandwich on California Style whole wheat with cheddar cheese...for $2.90.

This is a "half" sandwich. A whole sandwich has another piece of bread in the middle and twice the filling. Judy's mom Mae rings you up on a cash register bigger and older than she is and gives you an almond cookie and a crinkled grin.

She used an entire avocado!

Instagram Update

We are entering my favorite time of year in San Francisco. Though August has ended, summer has only begun. The last couple weeks have been a blur of seasonal fruit, clear night skies, new recipes, and growth. Soccer and school have started and we are back in a routine. And today Jeffery and I purchased our flights to the Big Island and Kauai for our wedding and honeymoon! The next few months are going to fly by and January will be here before we know it. 

Here are some things I appreciate lately:

I love to watch from the Castro as the fog rolls up and over Twin Peaks and know that while part of city is blanketed in fog, we get to experience clear skies for at least a little longer. This city is so dynamic, from its micro climates to its colorful neighborhoods.

Melons taste so good right now. I love living in California where almost everything I eat is locally grown. And I can get tomatoes for 75 cents a pound.

I love that there are people in my life that appreciate good food and want to try new recipes.

Breakfast of Champions

When I was a kid, my parents made waffles most Sunday mornings. We would listen to Breakfast with the Beatles on the radio and grate up fuji apples for the batter and top them with grated coconut and sesame seeds. After breakfast we would drive to Fort Bragg to play soccer, then sometimes we would go to the beach and drive home all sandy and tired and ready for dinner and the Simpsons. I think food memories are part of what makes a family. 

Jeffery and I couldn't wait until after our wedding to have a waffle iron. So we took it off the registry and laid down the big bucks. We've been making waffles weekly, experimenting with different recipes. This one is cinnamon and sesame.

Jeffery can't resist the opportunity to make anything into a sandwich. Sweet and savory in every bite.

Only the best: 100% pure Trader Joe's maple syrup.

Kitty likes to watch us eat from under the table. He wishes he were human on waffle mornings. Those are my new favorite pajama bottoms, J. Crew chambray.

Soccer practice tonight to work off those calories! What are your fondest food memories?

Update: I decided to add the recipe, because it's a good one.

Cinnamon Sesame Waffles

(makes 8-10)

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 cups whole wheat flower

1.5 tablespoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 large eggs

sprinkle of sesame seeds

1. Combine dry ingredients, then add milk, oil and eggs; whisk until blended and smooth. Let rest 5 minutes before using.

2. Pour batter into waffle iron and sprinkle with sesame seeds. For best results, serve immediately and top with butter, pure maple syrup and a fried egg.

Our (abbreviated) Love Story

This post

inspired me to write my love story, (I kept it short and sweet) and I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Left photo: My Junior Prom, 2005. Right photo: Milan, Italy 2010

I fell in love at 14 years old. I was a freshman, he was a senior, and I was really scared of how much I loved him. When I was done with high school we moved to San Francisco to go to college, got our first apartment, then our second, and then I was tortured by the realization that I needed to study abroad my senior year.

Before I moved to England my mom gave me some really good advice. She told me that love has a way of working itself out, that if we were meant to be together we would be, and if we weren't, then it was as good a time as ever to find out.

In the months leading up to my departure we started really living and appreciating one another and the time we had left together. Saying goodbye to him was the hardest thing I have ever done. But he was supportive of my big adventure and worked hard to save money so he could eventually join me, but he made me pick the day. I left in September and chose March for him to come.

While apart we learned to truly communicate and soon decided that we never wanted to be apart again. Before he came to England he moved to Hawaii to work for my parents, and while there he asked them for my hand in marriage.

Our reunion was beautiful. We spent a few days in Ireland, then went back to my home in England, and then we were apart again when I went to Italy with my soccer team, but he met me there and we got engaged in Florence. And then we got to spend the next three months traveling Europe.

And now we're back in San Francisco and planning our wedding. We're getting married on my parent's farm three days shy of our nine year anniversary.

What's your favorite love story?

I'm a lucky girl

I had an all day 7-a-side soccer tournament last Saturday, so my grandmother came to the city to watch me play and she brought me naked ladies and blackberry pie. The woman knows me well.

We were champions of the tournament and Jeff and I ate all the pie. Win.

Lately I've been wearing my hair up in my attempt at a

top-knot

because I think it looks French and I love looking French. Do you have a fall hairstyle?