Out And About: The Beach Chalet

Before showing our children the Golden Gate Bridge,  we drove through Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach and lunched at the Beach Chalet.  With its live music, beach blankets, and a refreshing ocean breeze,  the  restaurant's picnic sitting area turned out to be the perfect way to introduce the family to Northern California.  After chilling on the lawn, eating yummy food and befriending many a four-legged creature, we took the kids "across the street" to experience the Pacific Ocean!

Obsessing Over: Beige Beauties

  I can't seem to get these items off my mind and for good reason.  Take a look:

1.  Sesame noodles for this weekend's menu.

2.  A cozy vintage Moroccan runner (on our house wish list).

2.  Anthropologie's suede moccasin wedges; this Fall's go-to shoe.

4. A sexy club chair (another item on the wish list).

5. An all beige room .  It works because of the mix of textures in neutral shades.

6.  An ice bucket for our new bar.

Are you obsessing over anything at the moment?

Moving Mode: A Place To Relax

I know I should be focused on organizing and decorating the inside of our house,  but this California weather makes working on the outside irresistible.  The wonderful temperatures and consistently blue skies turn the outdoors into extensions of the indoors.  With that said, one of the first outdoor "rooms" we worked on was our bedroom courtyard.  Repurposing  plants from the existing garden, we filled planters from our Cambridge roof deck and placed one of our West Elm Double Loungers in the space to create a serene haven for rest and relaxation.  Take a look:

Do you have a special indoor/outdoor place to relax?

Off The Counter: Halibut Hobo Packs And Butter Tossed Corn

To entertain our first guests in our new home, my husband chose a recipe from this month's Food & Wine :  Halibut Hobo Packs.  Besides the wrapping of ingredients into individual foil packs,  there's little prepping for this deliciously healthy meal.  The flavor of the shiitake mushrooms combined with the herbed butter, infuse the fish with an earthy freshness that releases as each individual foil pack is unwrapped.  Alex added extra corn cobs tossed in butter and fresh herbs as a tasty side dish.  Ingredients and instructions below:

1. 1/4 cup snipped chives
2. 2 tablespoons tarragon leaves
3. 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4. Salt
5. Freshly ground white pepper
6. 2 ears of corn, kernels cut from the cobs
7. 4 large shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps thinly sliced
8. 4 skinless halibut fillets (6 ounces each)
9. 8 baguette slices, cut on the diagonal

1. In a mini food processor, pulse the chives and tarragon leaves until chopped. Add the butter and a pinch each of salt and white pepper and pulse just until the butter is bright green with flecks of herbs. Transfer the herb butter to a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a log. Freeze for about 5 minutes, until the butter is slightly firm. Cut the butter into 16 pieces.
2. Arrange four 12-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil on a work surface and spray evenly with vegetable oil spray. In a medium bowl, toss the corn with the shiitake and season with salt and pepper. Mound the mixture in the center of the foil sheets and top each mound with a piece of the herb butter. Top with the halibut fillets and another piece of the herb butter and season with salt and pepper. Fold up the foil on all sides and pinch the seams to seal.
3. Light a grill. Place the foil packets on the grill, close the lid and cook over high heat until the fish is cooked through and the mushrooms are tender, 8 to 10 minutes; let the packets rest for 2 minutes.
4. Grill the baguette slices for 2 minutes, turning once. Top with the remaining herb butter, allowing it to melt. Open the packets and serve the fish and vegetables with the baguette toasts.

MAKE AHEAD:  The herb butter can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 1 month.

Many thanks to DS and BB for their yummy basket of  baked goodies and for joining us in celebrating our new home!

So Pinteresting: 7 Inspiring California Style Images

As we settle into the house, or shall I say, as the house settles into us, I'd like to share some inspiring images from my California Style Pinboard.  Some of our furniture and accessory pieces are falling into place quite nicely, while others are definitely not.  I realize that setting up house takes time and, surprisingly, I'm feeling quite patient about it (this house has that effect on me).   I promise to soon show you some of the rooms in the house that have already taken on a bit of that California Style I'm so fond of, but, in the meantime, feast your eyes on these:

The process may take longer than expected, but the vision I have for this house [that I already love], will take shape gradually and gratefully.

I hope you all join me on this exciting journey.