hey all.  i am finally ready to tell you guys that we will be moving!  we signed the lease last weekend and we found a cute girl for our current place who just signed the lease today.  it all happened pretty fast and out of nowhere but i am so excited for a fresh start.  jesse and i are actually moving back to our old place on capitol hill (though we'll be on the ground floor this time) and we are looking to stay there until either of us has to leave utah for school, which won't be for a couple of years.  here's to NOT moving every year am i right??  we really loved living in that old house and i'm actually happy about getting the ground floor this time.  no moving stuff up stairs and a washer and dryer just for me!  the place will also be quite a bit bigger (2 actual bedrooms) compared to our current studio so we'll have more space to "indulge our creativity".  this means more projects i've been dying to do for the blog can actually happen!  moving always inspires me to start fresh and this time my goal is really to simplify our life, like trimming out all the stuff we don't ever use or need.  we're really sad to leave our neighborhood and the neighbors who became friends.  so we'll be getting together for one last hurrah and the next time we see everyone will be at our housewarming!  here are some photos to make up for lost time:

1. easter decorations are still up
2. fruit tart for our sweet neighbor, jen's birthday
3. lunch and coffee date
4. stack o' waffles and brunch at jennet's
5. tulip surprise in our garden
6. vanilla with raspberry cream cheese frosting
7. 60 cupcakes for liz and baby

x x alicia

big things

hello lovely readers.  i know i have been lacking on the blog post front but we've just been having a busy couple of weeks here.  there are big things coming our way in the next month!  ok, maybe not like big, life events.  but definitely something that is going to help me develop bohemeyum a little more, and make life overall, a little brighter.  it doesn't feel right divulging details just yet (a bit premature for now) but progress is being made as i type.  enjoy the tail end of your work week friends, you're so close!

x x
alicia

easter

a little more than a week ago, my family got together for an easter brunch.  my dad and stepmom had recently come back from a three week long trip to taiwan and easter sunday was a perfectly timed holiday/homecoming celebration.

my brother and i never really celebrated easter growing up so i had no idea it was such a gift giving holiday.  we usually just dyed eggs with my mom and had an egg hunt with my cousins at our grandparent's house.  the easter bunny never made an appearance.  this year though, was the first that i really noticed how kid centered the holiday could be and it made me excited to do fun stuff with my kiddos someday.

anyways, i love pretty much all holidays and birthdays because they give you a reason to get together with loved ones.  needing to find reasons to get together makes me sad, though life is often so busy that it's hard to commit without a reason.  i get it.  my friend caroline talks about how she wants to take more pictures of people, not food and i totally understand that!  like i want to spend more time doing things with the people i care about and connecting in person.  i'm sure this is a common goal held by our generation since we're always "plugged-in".  but one of my favorite ways to "unplug" that really satisfies my soul is preparing a meal for people i love.  so on easter, i was so happy that my family agreed to cramp themselves into our tiny apartment and spend some time together.

we had:
spinach mushroom egg bake
tomato basil mozzarella salad
biscuits with jam, honey, & butter
citrus & berries salad
spicy pickled cucumbers

grapefruit & blackberry spritzers

creme brulee for dessert

 

the creme brulee was uh-mazing! even though i had to broil it to get the shell because home girl doesn't own a blow torch.  maybe now that i've proved myself, someone will invest in me..ha!

x x alicia

spring: white chocolate macadamia nut cookies

my mom loves macadamia nuts.  nut trend alert.  anyways along with the pumpkin bread, i also always send along a bunch of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies with cranberries.  for her though it is always less white chocolate, more nuts.  try these with that dried fruit blend i was telling you about (also what we used in the hearty pumpkin bread recipe) from trader joe's.  it results in a multitude of tastes just in one cookie.  for instance, when andrew had his cookie he said it tasted like a blueberry muffin cookie (from the dried blueberries) & when jesse ate his he said it tasted like a carrot cake-ish cookie (from the golden raisins, mixed with nuts & white chocolate).  all good things to me.

white chocolate macadamia nut (& dried fruit) cookies

(adapted from a peanut butter cup cookie recipe from Real Simple Magazine)  

preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 ½ cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup dark brown sugar

½ cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

desired amount of white chocolate chips, chopped macadamia nuts, & dried fruit (not to exceed 1 1/2 cup in total)

in a large bowl whisk together flour, soda, and salt.

beat the butter and sugars until creamy.  add the egg and vanilla, beat to combine.  gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.  fold in mix-ins.

scoop out dough with a spoon and roll between palms to form a ball.  place on a greased cookie sheet.

bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

 

this is my go-to cookie recipe.  it's good with everything.

x x alicia

spring: beach finale

happy easter!  it was such a gorgeous day right?  i'll be posting more about our laid back easter brunch & also do one on some spring decor i made for the place.

last post on cali (seems like a million years ago now).  on our last day, we went out with a bang & drove 2 hours to newport beach.  we usually make a visit every time but were being extra lazy this trip.  so just decided on a whim that we should make our last day count & dip our feetsies into the pacific.  i'm so glad we did because there's something about the salty air & salty water that is so therapeutic, at least for me.

x x alicia

spring: part two

some photos of places we went, stuff we did, & yummies we ate.  in no particular order.

 

back with more soon.

x x alicia

spring: hearty pumpkin bread recipe

during our break in cali, we baked and cooked a lot.  i used to send my mom her favorite cookies and loaves in the mail and this time, she said she would buy a mixer and i could teach her those recipes.  anything for momma right?  she specifically wanted to be able to make this really hearty, healthier version of pumpkin bread that's full of all of her favorite things.  it's made with whole wheat flour and flaxseed meal, and pretty much anything you want can be added in depending on healthy you want it (i.e. chocolate chips, nuts, seeds).  the recipe makes a big batch and i usually double it so my mom can freeze the extra loaves and make them last a bit longer.  i love eating this bread for a healthy breakfast or snack, or toasted with jam and butter, or just freaking plain.  whatever you want you guys, pretty close to guilt free.

hearty pumpkin bread
(adapted from a recipe that i found online forever ago and i can no longer find it.)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

8 ounces canned unsweetened pumpkin

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

1 egg white

1/3 cup fat-free milk (i use almond or soy)

1/2 cup dried fruits (cranberries, blueberries, raisins, etc) or nuts

mix the flour, flaxseed, soda, powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl.

whisk the pumpkin, sugars, applesauce, eggs, and milk in a medium bowl.

pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and gently stir together.  fold in the dried fruit/nuts.  pour into 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.

bake about 40 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.


we added in a dry fruit mix of cranberries, blueberries, and raisins from trader joe's, chopped walnuts, and some chia seeds.  such an easy, non-temperamental recipe.  let me know how it goes if you decide to try it!

x x alicia