ours isn't quite as cool...

but its still cute and it uses a catapult so basically we are beast :)

as I read Harry Potter... yet again...

true dat

venice boardwalk > topanga days

hennas, hair wraps, feathers, kush doctors, blasting john mayer in the convertible, talking to hot italian guys, eating fresh fruit, drum circles . . . .

damn im gonna miss la. 

Happy birthday mom!!

I love you so much! You are the most amazing, inspirational, loving mother ever and I know that I am who I am today because of you! Thanks for always being there for me and know that I am always here for you :) 

I LOVE YOU!! Have a fabulous day!!

kiwi

Impermanence

Velvet water slushes back and forth, 

Humming low.

Doors have been closed, 

Lights switched off, 

Cool strings on my Martin resonate with 

thrumming washer, out of tune.

Luggage cannot fit all I have gathered -- 

A broken Buddha, paint pealed behind its neck, 

Plastic pearls strung around the bed frame.

I turn my head away from the clockʼs blue light. 

I listen to the hum, the guitar, the impermanence.

My lullaby.

im going to be posting  some of my poems here.... 

so basically this is the weirdest blog ever. 

the right thing to do is always the most difficult.
thanks to the lord that my friends will always be there to back me up :)

my dream

If you listen to this with your eyes closed... dammmmn.

(you might get some weird looks though)

Sun-dried Tomato Hummus

So apparently, this is also now a food blog...
Today I decided to make hummus, and I saw some sun-dried tomatoes so I chucked some in there because I live on the edge and thats just how I roll ;)

iphone pics ftw

This recipe is super simple, and all you really need is a food processor to make this!

Ingredientes:
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (aka chick peas), rinsed and drained
1/3 of fat free plain yogurt
3 tbsp of tahini (a sesame seed paste)
1 tbsp of chopped garlic (or about 2 or 3 garlic cloves)
3 tbsp (or like 5 or 6 dried halves) chopped sun dried tomato bits
1 tsp herb mix (something with oregano, thyme, basil, onion... that sort of thing)
2 tsp tomato paste (you don't need this)
2 tbsp of lemon juice (or more if you want)
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of salt (more or less)
.5 tsp of pepper (more or less)

Direcciones:
Put all of these ingredients into the food processor together and blend them until they are totally smooth and there aren't any big chunks of chick peas. You may need to add more salt and pepper or lemon juice, depending on the acidity of the lemon you pick and how much salt or pepper you like.
Also, if the ingredients are sort of clumping into a ball, add a few teaspoons of water (or more olive oil) until it unclumps.
You can garnish it with a bit more of sun dried tomato bits, some basil and a bit more of lemon juice if you like (or any combination of those).
Enjoy with some cucumber, carrots, bell pepper (or if you aren't going the healthy route, some pita bread or pita chips).

tour!

Choir tour was so much fun! I loved hanging out with all the lovely, hilarious people in my choir! Even though some sketchy stuff went down, I really did have a great time wandering around San Fran, getting dim sum in Chinatown, skipping through little Italy, singing for adorable old people, playing catchphrase on the bus, singing with Elson in the middle of the night, laughing until I was physically in pain, singing at Pier 39, crawling on curbs and playing shoe games and learning how to text (lol) from the masters (Nicole, Tessa and Madi)!

I love choir (and tour... and Elson) so much and I am going to miss everything about that class (and tour... and Elson).

CHOIR TOUR 2011

lets do this. 

Apricot Frangipane Tart

Even though I can't eat any part of this tart, I made it today because I have literally nothing to do with my life and we had a ton of old apricots in the fridge. (...Also I got tired of writing trying to write a not corny, not depressing graduation song, but I'd rather not talk about my completely failed efforts.)

I would describe how this tastes, but I can't do that since I didn't taste it. Shortbread and fruit are pretty self explanatory, but if you have no idea what frangipane is I will try to describe that. Frangipane is basically a baked almond pastry cream that is sort of a cross between marsipan and cake, so its crumbly and light and almond flavored but at the same time soft and moist and sort of creamy.  Worst description ever haha. 

Anyways, make this! My family devoured 2/3 of the entire pan in like 5 minutes so its really good!

please excuse my terrible iPhone picture :)

Apricot Frangipane Tart with Shortbread Crust

source: my brain (but the frangipane is from the back of the almond meal bag)

Crust: 

1/2 cup of melted butter (4 ounces)

1 cup of flour 

1 1/2 tbsp of powdered sugar

A pinch of salt

A tiny bit of vanilla extract and a tiny bit of almond extract -- by a tiny bit I mean like two or three drops, really a tiny bit. (You have to be really careful with almond extract especially because it can be pretty strong)

Frangipane

1/4 cup of room temp butter (2 ounces)

1/2 cup of powdered sugar (I put a little less, so minus 2 tsp?)

1 large egg

3/4 cup of almond meal (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

2 tbs of flour

1/8 and a tiny bit more of almond extract

Fruit! Any stone fruit would work I think, or something else like an apple or pear, whatever is in your fridge (thats my philosophy at least). 

Just slice it thin (1/8 inch or so) so that it cooks nice and thoroughly in the oven, and try to make the pieces relatively uniform so that your design looks pretty later. 

I used like 4 apricots.

Crust: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix the dry ingredients for the crust (flour, sugar and salt) in a bowl and pour the melted butter in the center with the few drops of vanilla and almond extract. 

Stir it all up until the dough is formed (should be in a ball)

Press the dough into a pan and create little edges (like a pie crust on the sides of the pan). 

Bake until lightly golden on top (about 10-12 minutes). 

Let cool a little. 

Frangipane: 

Raise the heat to 375 degrees. 

Cream the butter and powdered sugar, until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. 

Mix the egg, flour, almond meal and almond extract into the butter/sugar mixture (again with the electric mixer) until it has a paste-like consistency. 

Assembly:

Spread the frangipane evenly over the shortbread crust. Next arrange the fruit in rows or a spiral (anything pretty) but leave little spots for the frangipane underneath the fruit so basically create a thin layer of fruit (don’t pile a ton of fruit on top). 

I lined up the apricot slices in the three rows like this,
with the edges overlapping, so that I could fit as much
fruit as possible (because the fruit shrinks when cooked). 

Bake the whole thing for about 25-30 minutes (depending on your oven) until the crust looks golden through the glass, and the little pieces of frangipane that pop up through the fruit are golden brown. Also, the fruit should look cooked, so a little crispy and shriveled around the edges. 

Let it cool a little bit and then slice it however your heart desires! You can serve it hot or let it cool for a bit longer and serve it at room temperature -- really whatever floats your boat. (My brother just stuck his in the freezer for a few minutes.) 
Enjoy!

matt josten photography

whatta beast. 

PROM (and other things)

Prom was so fantastic!
I got an updo by an awesome French dude (Olivier) and really cool makeup by a fabulous Benefit makeup artist (red lips gold eyes... you know how I do).
Anyways, I'll let these few photos speak for themselves, but I really had an amazing, fun, memorable night, which, thankfully, I will not look back on and think "why the hell did I do that."

Nicole- if you are reading this, I know you posted like the exact same thing, but it was perfect! 

... physics

Yes. That was the worst I have ever done in my entire life on any test ever, but that ok because

..... drumroll please .... 

I'M DONE WITH PHYSICS FOREVER!

Also why is it raining right now? Not complaining -- I love the rain!

( Its definitely supposed to be april showers bring may flowers...)

madre mía

Feliz dia le las madres, madre :)

Gracias por todo lo que haces por mi cada día! Te amo siempre.

happy star wars day!!

May the fourth be with you! (lol)

oh and dress (check)

date (check)

helll yeah 

yeah...

I can't be right for somebody else 
If I'm not right for me 

I gotta be free, I've gotta be free 

Daring to try, to do it or die 

I've gotta be me