10 Things | May

Ahi roll and yellowtail tartare, birthday dinner at Scarpetta

Here are my May favorites from around the web.

1. Sort of like Tastespotting for web design, SiteInspire curates the web's most beautiful sites

2. Kelsey's rhubarb oatmeal

3. This Ted video about great leaders and communicating from the inside out is quite inspiring

4. Organic shaped dinnerware

5. I've been loving all sorts of salads lately, and this is a great place to browse for inspiration

6. This post from The Yellow House, featuring a poem by Marge Piercy (and don't worry, I've already thought of a recipe to go with it for an upcoming post)!

7. I ate here on my birthday, and the tasting menu did not disappoint

8. If you can't attend a workshop with her in person, read Dianne Jacob's book Will Write for Food

9. Excited to get my hands on this new food magazine

10. Heidi's summer pop-up shop, Quitokeeto

Emma turned 10 months!

Things to say + Elizabeth Bishop's Brownies

My birthday was on Wednesday, and as these things tend to go, I spent the day flexing my sentimental muscles a bit. You see, this is one of those milestone birthdays where you leave one decade behind and enter another, so the time is even riper for reflection. And there are things to say. And there are brownies from one of my favorite poets.

"Cherry Tomatoes" by Sandra Beasley + Pasta al Pomodoro

I remember the evening well. I was sitting with my parents and boyfriend on the shaded patio of an Italian restaurant in Santa Barbara. This was one of those "let's take you out to dinner to be sure you're eating well" meals parents often take their children to when they're still in college. By this time I had been cooking for myself out of necessity for at least a year, but wasn't the most adventurous when it came to trying new dishes. When I scanned a menu, once my eye paused on Pasta al Pomodoro, the decision was made. But this particular evening, I couldn't shake the price. Although I wasn't paying for it, fourteen dollars for a bowl seemed somewhat unreasonable considering I could buy a bag of spaghetti, two pounds of tomatoes, some basil and cheese for less than $10 and have multiple servings. Suddenly, my mentality shifted as I began to realize that my favorite restaurant meals were achievable in my own kitchen.