Sunday Funday

I started going to Mosaic Church in Hollywood and I love it! It is in the heart of the chaotic city but doesn't feel that way at all. I am excited to get involved in this community and see where it takes me. It is on Hollywood and La Brea-two very busy streets and only two blocks away from all of the madness of the "Walk of Fame". After church this past weekend, I decided to take a walk down the famous street to be a tourist for the afternoon! The street is always filled with out of towners, street venders, performers, celebrity look alikes and more. It is always an adventure to walk down the street at any hour!

  

Forever 21 jeans, vintage spectators

I really wanted to check out the Bettie Page store (below) because it had looked so cute online. Of course I loved it, and of course I tortured myself. I even considered getting a part time job there for fun, so I could get discounts but then realized I can't do that. *le sigh* Since I'm not really a tourist and I've experienced all of this before, I thought it was much more fun to see a bunch of firemen eating lunch on a patio. Ignore the lopsided bun! I also saw world famous, legendary MTV reality star Mark Long trying to look inconspicuous, hoping someone would stop him. Fifteen years ago I would have been SO excited to see him.

Forever 21 top, vintage sweater

Things I Love Thursday

Historic Buildings

My new office with a window

Touring LA on my road bike

Sweets-ALL of them

Eat and Repeat

Last week I met up with some Long Beach girlfriends for dinner. I worked with a great group of people in LB and developed solid friendships during my time there. We got together to celebrate my promotion which was so sweet of them. Thank you Libby for putting it together! I picked my favorite place downtown-Berlin. It's a coffee shop by day, great food by night. They just got their beer/wine license and I knew that would lure the ladies in. ;)

Vintage military coat, Forever 21 v-neck, Roxy jeans, Dolce & Gabana boots

Instead of a bread basket, they set out small bowls of kale chips as a starter. I died!! They were delicious, crispy, savory, healthy and so easy to make. I decided to try it at home without a recipe and was pretty successful. Here's how I did it:

heat oven to 400f

wash one bunch of kale

peel from the stalk and tear into small pieces

olive oil

salt & pepper

place in a glass baking dish

cook for 30 minutes

stir every 10

(I don't recommend storing while still warm or at all. The leaves lose their crunch and become wilted)

I also marinated tofu with a quick creation of sesame dressing, Dijon mustard and soy sauce. I let it sit overnight and enjoyed it chilled the next day.



More Free Fun

I went with some friends to the Los Feliz Village Street Fair. It was great to spend the afternoon outside in my new community. The fair included live music, local vendors, street entertainers and delicious vegan food! There was no charge to get in so the only thing I purchased was the food...and lots of it!

Shopping in LA? Nobody shops in LA.

I was super lazy today and slept in after a long Friday night out. This afternoon I finally got some motivation to get out of the house. I went down to Melrose Ave and had a great afternoon. The last time I shopped on Melrose was in high school. I called in sick to work at Cold Stone Creamery so my girlfriend Jennifer and I could drive up from Huntington Beach to look for vintage prom dresses. :)

My first stop was an antique store I had driven by recently and it caught my attention. Of course I'm still on the hunt for milk glass and other great finds for my new place! Early California Antiques wasn't what I expected but wonderful all the same! The store is filled from floor to ceiling with treasures from an era as described in the store name. They didn't have any milk glass but beautiful wood work, wrought iron and upholstered pieces in perfect condition, amazing paintings and so much more. Also the outside has some awesome artwork!

Next stop was Wasteland were I shopped and lusted for hours. They have new/used clothing and shoes. The store carries great vintage and designer brands at bargain prices if used. There are some great clothing brands with new clothes and most are reasonably priced. Of course there were tons of great shoes that broke my heart since I was only allowed to look at them (and maybe try them on). I scored two useroo blouses, pair of jeans and a skirt. I know I'll be heading back there again soon!!!

Unfortunately all my photos are blurry from the shop.

Its probably because I was too excited and didn't want to waste time taking photos!

Things I Love Thursday

Garage Pizza's vegan calzone

 Yelp App
(such a big help in a new city)

The ridiculous, humongous, cornfield blue, matte, Scientology building in Los Angeles
My new work wardrobe

Last night's sunset!!!!

Homemade Hummus

Leading up to my move, I spent all of my time packing, sorting and organizing my life so it didn't leave much time for the little things I love. This past weekend was the first in a while where I was able to relax and enjoy some downtime! I hiked, checked out a new church and played around in my new kitchen! Hummus is my current snack of choice; it's easy to make, vegan and really good for you. Here is how I whipped it together:

 hand mash chick peas

tahini

(mix a small amount of tahini paste with water first to create a dressing consistency)

lemon juice

olive oil

water

sea salt & pepper

a hand mixer to make it creamier

  

I enjoyed it as an afternoon snack. It is great plain but I added garlic and soy Parmesan to spruce it up. You can also try: pesto, cayenne pepper, ground jalapenos or bell peppers, tomatoes and more. If you experiment with flavors, let me know what you throw in it!

I also made a red velvet cake.....definitely not vegan!

Note all the milk glass...OBSESSED.