Emmy's

Emmy's

so much charm

the handwritten menu 

ahi tuna ceviche with fresh watermelon 

and

avocado

SPAGHETTI with MEATBALLS

a place like nowhere else

grabbing dessert at a coffee shop

dessert: a perfect latte

One of my favorite things about San Francisco

 or rather,

 any city

...

 is that there are so many restaurants waiting to be discovered.

 Restaurants that are tucked away in corners of the city

 that most people miss

 but

 the locals wait in lines for hours

are my favorite.

My favorite place to grab breakfast

 is tucked in a corner

on a street 

 underneath the Clairmont hotel.

 And,

 on Sunday mornings the wait takes forever 

but,

 waiting is half the fun!!

 So,

 of course I wanted to try out Emmy's

 when my sweet friend suggested it for dinner.

 We had tried to go the night before our Marathon

 for some major carbo loading

 but

 the wait was close to three hours.

 So, 

last week I drove up to the city for dinner

 and where did we go

 ...

 EMMY's

Spaghetti Shack

We ordered an ahi appetizer,

 Amanda ordered a glass of vino

 and I had sparkling lemonade

 (one of my favorite beverages)

 and

for dinner

 we split a heaping bowl of SPAGHETTI with MEATBALLS.

 Oh it was incredible.

 When Spaghetti is done right

 there is nothing better!!!

 At one time, 

I swore I could eat Spaghetti for breakfast, 

lunch

 and 

dinner. 

So my friends,

 go out and discover your city,

 go somewhere new,

 ask a local 

and if you are a local, 

ask another local!! 

And when it comes to eating spaghetti ... 

"No man is lonely while eating SPAGHETTI."

- Christopher Morley

Don't forget to enter the "Just Because" Giveaway

The Giveaway ends tonight at midnight!!

BISOUS!

what's cooking in the kitchen?

candy in gold country

goodies

sweets

taffy

oh sweetness!

an old fashioned candy scale

luggage for candy

the menu

what's in my bag?

time

old towns

a must!

drinking some sarsaparilla

Have you ever been to an old fashioned candy kitchen?

 When I was younger,

 my family would take trips to a small historic mining town

where we would pan for gold,

 climb boulders,

 ride horse drawn carriages

 and my favorite,

 enjoy chocolates and candy at Columbia's Candy Kitchen.

  Even at the age of eight

 I was able to appreciate

 a quality piece of chocolate. 

 My favorites include rocky road, 

chocolate turtles,

 and

 always a must, 

LEMON DROPS. 

 So,

 I was quite excited when over the weekend

 I was able to go back to Columbia

 for some very nostalgic fun. 

 The Candy Kitchen has so many sweets to choose from,

 but

 because I am a creature of habit,

I went with my all time favorite lemon drops.

  My dad purchased dark chocolate rocky road and peanut brittle.

 Marc had no problem with his decision

 and went with toffee

and of course,

milk chocolate fudge. 

 And,

for me

 a stop to Columbia is never complete

 unless I leave

  with a bottle of Sarsaparilla.

 Cheers to that!

  So tell me, 

when you are in a Candy Shop what do you end up leaving with?

 Don't forget to enter the "Just Because" giveaway

 ... 

click here for the details.

 BISOUS!

a giveaway "Just Because"

A Fall Awakening

trying the Chocolate Voodoo

enjoying the Chocolate Voodoo

a chocolate voodoo and a Fall awakening

The Giveaway Necklace

Cultivate

Happy Fall!!!

And,

in honor of this glorious season

I am hosting a giveaway.

Liz from Therapy

is the first sponsor of Coeur de La

and what better way to celebrate

than to have a giveaway for all of you!!

The Details for

The "Just Because" Giveaway

(each of these things will give you an extra entry)

you don't have to do all three of them

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite item in Liz's shop

2. tell me a random fact about yourself

3. follow Coeur de La

The "Just Because" giveaway will end

Friday, October 1st.

Happy Wednesday my sweet friends!!!

Bisous!

photographs

breakfast at La Boulange

a perfect chai latte

a buttery chocolate croissant

Mara and Mathew 

were simply wonderful!!

Congrats you two!

a drink for two

soy chorizo tacos

peanut butter and blackberries and cream

Our host ... Dutch!

 pork tenderloin with a chipotle raspberry drizzle

and 

baked apples

A Barefoot Dessert

Fall colors at the market

figs and tomatoes

pumpkins

artichokes

the perfect way to end my Summer

My weekend was filled with

 trail runs,

 delicious food,

 breakfast with new friends,

 a dinner party

 and

 a trip

 to a delightful Farmers' Market.

 I am thrown back into classes

 on Thursday

 and

 hope, 

I am ready for long nights of

 writing,

 editing

 and

 reading.

 Cheers to a good Summer!! 

Happy Tuesday!

Bisous!

one cheese is not enough

dice

simmer

indulge

grate

strain

EAT!

The latest issue of Food and Wine

 sent me into a state of euphoria!!

 I found

 quite possibly

 the best recipe for macaroni and cheese.

 And,

 I am almost sure

 you will never look at boxed macaroni the same

 and

 thank goodness for that.

 This recipe is

 ...

 let me warn you, 

very messy

 but

 SO 

easy to make. 

How can you go wrong

 when you use three kinds of delicious cheeses, 

thyme,

 lemon, 

and 

heavy cream?

 I will warn

 you

do not count calories while eating this dish

 and

make sure to share it with friends.

  There is nothing I love more than

 the smell of fresh macaroni baking in the oven

 and

 the crisp fall air coming in through my open window

while I wait with excitement.

 Crisp cool air, 

Fall,

 and

 warm homemade macaroni and cheese

 are 

simple ingredients that make life grand. 

I hope you give this recipe a try

 and it brings you

 as much comfort as it brought me. 

And, 

if you want more mouth watering recipes

 check out the latest issue of Food and Wine

...

it will have you salivating with every turn of the page.

 What is your favorite comfort food

 or

 a dish you crave when the weather gets colder?

 Happy weekend!!

 Bisous!

AND, 

don't forget to check out the fall issue of

 Southern Flourish.

It is right up there with homemade macaroni and cheese,

maybe

...

even better!!

birthday butterscotch

some of the ingredients

my favorite cream

oh sweet goodness 

butterscotch pudding

a birthday treat

There is no better way to celebrate a birthday

 than celebrating with 

dessert.

 So,

being that Marc's birthday was last week

 I whipped together a dessert

 in honor of him

 turning

 the big 27. 

 Have any of you ever had a Werther's Original??

 I remember the goofy Werther's Original commercials as a kid

 but

I also remember

 the yummy buttery candy.

 Well,

 for my dad's birthday I ordered butterscotch pudding

 that knocked me off my feet

and it tasted somewhat like

a Werthers.

The pudding was incredible. 

There is just something

  special about homemade pudding.

 Afterwards,

 Marc and I could not get the creamy butterscotch pudding

 out of our minds.

 And how did I solve that??

 Well,

 I made him some for his birthday. 

I added a bit of dark rum to my recipe

 that gave the pudding an extra kick

The pudding itself was incredibly easy to make.

 I must have tasted my melted butter and sugar concoction 

several times before mixing in the heavy cream

 ...

 SO GOOD! 

But

 how can you go wrong with melted butter and sugar?

 The dessert brought me back to childhood

 and 

I loved watching Marc scrape the bottom of his bowl,

 hoping for more. 

So, 

if you are a butterscotch fan

 or

 even just a homemade pudding kind of person

 ...

 give making homemade pudding a whirl

 and

 get whisking!!

 When do you think a recipe becomes your own?

 ...

 This question has been troubling me

 and

 I am interested in what you have to say about it??

 Happy Wednesday!! 

Bisous!