la - mammoth / mammoth - la

high desert en route to the snow-capped summit

california is such a lovely place. last weekend i took a road trip from la to mammoth lakes: the trip began on the 5 freeway, all the way up route 14, route 395, and route 203 until we reached our destination. there really isn't anything like the open road, great company, amazing landscape, and good music...just scroll to the end of the post to find out what i was listening to on this journey. oh, and fyi: if you live in california or if you ever visit california you really must drive up route 395...it is considered one of california's best road trips.

literally in the middle of nowhere

abandoned garage (in the middle of nowhere)

eastern sierra landscape

100 miles to mammoth

golden winter trees

mountain sunset

mammoth village

mountain sunrise

trekking through the snow (in my sorel boots)

gondola ride

on the slopes

tasty refreshment: highly recommend this beer

winter wonderland

mammoth morning

heading home 

painterly landscape along route 395

pink cadillac in bishop, ca

road trip randomness: pearsonville, ca

mojave, ca

home: los angeles skyline at dusk

just a sampling of some of the music that was playing on this journey:

1). lord huron:  time to run

2). pink floyd:  us & them

3). the clash:  train in vain

4). the lumineers:  ho hey

5). violent femmes:  add it up

6). al green:  love & happiness

7). ben e. king:  this magic moment

8). bob dylan:  tangled up in blue

9). beth orton:  poison tree

10). david byrne & st. vincent:  optimist

11). aretha franklin:  tiny sparrow

12). jimi hendrix:  little wing

13). the doors:  la woman

14). bon iver:  lump sum

15). cannonball adderley:  autumn leaves

16). neil young:  the painter

17).  the rolling stones:  wild horses

18). luis miguel:  el rey

19). willie nelson:  midnight rider

20). patsy cline:  back in baby's arms

21). tom waits:  blue skies

22). david bowie:  suffragatte city

23). lauryn hill: lost ones

24). luciano pavarotti: nessun dorma

25). bob marley: waiting in vain

biscotti for the holidays

you can find biscotti in every coffee shop you walk into and they look as though they might be difficult to make; but i have to say, this recipe is a no-fail hit! it is a fairly easy recipe to follow and the biscotti turns out picture perfect.  i also love how you can vary the batter to your liking. you can also have a bit of fun decorating them. i chose to melt white chocolate chips and coated the outer edge of my biscotti with the white chocolate while decorating some with green & pink sprinkles and the others with crushed candy canes.  these are delicious and perfect for your holiday cookie spread.

pistachio biscotti w/white chocolate & crushed peppermint

ingredients

2 cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter – room temp

1 tsp lemon zest

¼ tsp salt

2 eggs

*the ingredients above are for basic biscotti without any additions, so you can add whatever you like:

macadamias, crushed 3/4 cup

slivered almonds, 3/4 cup

pistachios, crushed 3/4 cup

dried cranberries, 3/4 cup

chocolate chips, 3/4 cup

method

preheat oven to 350.

line baking sheet with parchment paper.

whisk flour and baking powder in medium bowl. in another bowl, beat sugar, butter, zest, and salt. beat in eggs 1 at a time. add the flour mixture and beat until just blended. stir in any additions you want.

form the dough into a log that’s about 13 by 3 inches long on the baking sheet. 

bake for about 40 minutes or until golden. cool for 30 minutes.

place the log on a cutting board and using a serrated knife, cut the log on the diagonal into ½ inch thick slices. arrange the biscotti – cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. transfer to a rack and cool completely.

at this point, you can dip some in melted chocolate and add holiday sprinkles.

i was feeling a classic rock vibe, with a few holiday songs thrown in for good measure:

1).  neil young: rockin' in the free world

2).  bob dylan: things have changed

3).  vince guaraldi trio (aka: charlie brown xmas albmum): o tannenbaum 

4).  paul mccartney: band on the run

5).  mahalia jackson:  silent night

coffee, coffee, coffee!  you have to dip these in your coffee.

file under: cutest gift idea for xmas

let me first preface this post by saying, i believe the holidays are so much more than just buying loads of stuff to open on christmas morning. that being said, if you are planning on shopping for a few things this holiday season, it's always important to put a bit of thought into what you buy. if there is someone special in your life or if you maybe want to let someone know you how you feel about them, i think this particular giftable item is sweet (maybe not subtle, but definitely sweet.)

click here and you will go to the liberty of london website to check out that cute little spoon. 

inspiration is everywhere

there's something frank stella'ish about this photograph to me in terms of it's composition. i took this photo of the sky over orange county, california as the sun was setting on 11-20-12. this is the perfect complementary color palette brought to you by mother nature. gorgeous!

cranberry deliciousness

i first began food blogging with my friend caitlin in 2010.  our food blog was originally called 2 savory palates and i wanted to share one of my favorite recipes i posted on that blog two years ago in the spirit of thanksgiving.

i'm sure many of you are planning on doing some serious baking today - i know i am - and i have the perfect recipe for cranberry muffins.  just click here and it will take you there.  if you're looking for a muffin recipe other than buttermilk biscuits or popovers for your holiday table try these today.