Gift Guide: Birthday Feast

1. Lackluster Co. Vintage Hanging Sign 2. Huset Shop Iittala Sarpaneva Casserole Pot 3. Confetti System Meteorite Pinata 4. Jayson Home and Garden Athena Tray 5. One Sydney Road Cook Towel 6. Anthropologie Dot & Zig Serving Spoons 7. Terrain Salt & Pepper Cellars 8. Ferm Living Remix Black Napkins 9. Toast Candle Lantern 10. The Future Perfect Mini Pedestal

Plant Food

While I wish we celebrated Earth Year, or Earth Decade or plain and simply just celebrated the Earth every day, I will settle on just Earth Day (for now). What I don't want to settle on, however, is keeping it green in the kitchen just on occasion; rather, I'm working towards cooking organic and being conscientious all of the time. As you know, our little tummies are connected to the the land, the air, the animals, the planet--all of it-- and by eating organic and locally, you make your green impact big and your body happy. And in the land of farmers markets how easy is it to be an eco-friendly California foodie? Just look at some of these local (from my favorite green shop The Green Life) and online offerings right at your reach. Happy Earth Day (every day)!

Cork Pad, Mangold Glass Plates, Ready, Set, Green, Bambu Bowls, Imagine Green Tote, Bambu Gamby Crumb Board, Sagaform Herb Pot Trio, Cool Cuisine, Fast, Fresh & Green, DCI Heart Shaped Spoon,

Quick Bite: Tacos

Monday again. End of the month. I'm back from Sacramento (more on that later) and I need a quick, delicious dinner. For this off-the-top-of-my-head recipe, you'll find all you need at Trader Joe's. No, they don't pay me to advertise, but if you've ever eaten their Truly Handmade Flour Tortillas (which kind of taste like Northern New Mexican sopapillas--amazing), then you know that perfectly round machine-made tortillas just don't compare. This recipe serves 3-4.

You'll need:

1 lb skinless, boneless organic free range chicken breast

14 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1 Trader Joe's guacamole kit (contains 2 avocados, 2 limes, 1 shallot, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 jalapeño, 1 roma tomato)

1 cup of shredded organic romaine lettuce

1 pack of Trader Joe's Truly Handmade Tortillas

1-2 tsp cumin

1 tsp adobo seasoning

sour cream

1-1 1/2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Boil 4 quarts of water. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, throw in the whole can of tomatoes, 1/2 shallot, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 jalapeño, cumin, adobo seasoning, salt and pepper. Blend until you have a smooth sauce. When the water is boiling, put in the chicken and cook thoroughly. Add about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to your sauce. Drain the chicken and cover with cool water. While your chicken is cooling, make the guacamole. First, dice the remaining shallot, garlic, jalapeño and 1/2 roma tomato (the other half is for on top of your tacos). Using a fork, mush the avocados and stir in your other ingredients. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Squeeze the limes in. Shred the chicken and in a pan, add it to your sauce. While the chicken is simmering, heat up the tortillas in a pan or over the flame. To assemble your tacos, first add the chicken, then the guacamole, sour cream and top with lettuce, cheese and tomato. Grab a Tecate with some lime and eat up chico!

Quick Bite: Tilapia

Give me $20? I'll go to a restaurant. $50? Restaurant. $100? You get the idea. I love food and with 8 million places to eat in Los Angeles, I'll usually hop on the bicycle and head out in the neighborhood for comida.

Tonight, with the windows wide open and the sun setting late (welcome summer everyone), I chose to cook. This is what I came up with. I pretty much almost licked my plate. You will, too.

Parmesan Tilapia w/ Summer Pasta

Ingredients (Serves 2):

3 fillets (.75 lb) of US farmed tilapia rinsed

3 stalks of celery thinly chopped

1/4 yellow onion thinly chopped

1/4 yellow bell pepper thinly chopped

1/4 bag of Trader Joe's spinach & chive linguine

1 tsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup of parmesan mixed with pepper and dill

dill, salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Boil 3-4 quarts of water. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. When hot, sautee onion, bell pepper, and celery in butter stirring occasionally until softened (about 5 min.). Put vegetable mixture aside on a plate and cover. When water is boiling, throw in linguine and cook for 4-6 minutes until al dente. Meanwhile, put 3 fillets of tilapia in the pan (same as vegetables) on medium heat. Season with salt, pepper and dill. Flip over after about 2-3 minutes. Season other side and heat until cooked about 1-2 minutes. Heat broiler. Remove tilapia from stove and place on baking sheet. Drain pasta. Cover tilapia with parmesan mixture and put in broiler until cheese is melted about 2 minutes. When the tilapia is ready, serve over the pasta then cover with the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve (with a glass of wine). Happy eating!