http://www.alamodejournals.com because life tastes better with ice cream. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:50:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I have to tell you about my new favorite pasta. I'm absolutely in love with orecchiette (oh-rayk-kee-EHT-teh), a dimple of a pasta with a funny name. Orecchiette, which actually means "little ears" in Italian, is typically made by pressing the thumb into a small round of pasta dough against a ... http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/03/orecchiette-with-sausage-and-rapini/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=orecchiette-with-sausage-and-rapini lavender hot chocolate In Southern California, we're blessed with a relatively mild and short winter season. Incredibly, while the rest of the country may still be under a blanket of snow, here it's already warming up to the low 70s during the day. That doesn't mean a nice, piping mug of ... http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/03/hot-for-chocolate/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hot-for-chocolate This new year has been challenging but full of promises. Let's see what happens. Just a few snaps today from the garden. It's full of life emerging. Happy Friday! http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/02/wish/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wish A bowl of steel cut oatmeal, blueberries, brown sugar. And no, I don't actually read magazines in the morning with breakfast, but I do surf my favorite sites :) http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/02/mornings/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mornings Café Medina As I scrolled through the last set of photos for my final Vancouver post, I couldn't help but smile as I reminisced about the wonderful experience we had at Café Medina. Stacks upon stacks of craggy Belgian waffles, gooey drippy sauces of raspberry caramel and rosewater pistachio, perfectly poured ... http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/02/vancouver-medina-blue-water/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=vancouver-medina-blue-water We had one more night and day in Vancouver after returning from Whistler, and though returning to the Loden would have been just fine, a change of venue and scenery is always welcomed. So in our planning we decided to switch up hotels and spend a little time across the ... http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/02/vancouver-yaletown-the-waterfront/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=vancouver-yaletown-the-waterfront The one thing I've always loved about Whistler is that once you get there, everything is accessible on foot. The quaint European-style village, with its meandering walkways and paths is interspersed with lodging, restaurants, bars, and shops. There's even a small market and liquor store for stocking up on supplies ... http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/02/bites-whistler-part-ii/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bites-whistler-part-ii Here are some shots I took for Pâtisserie Chantilly yesterday. I went for a minimalistic woodland theme, and I think it worked quite well with Keiko's beautiful cakes. The white one is the Petit Mont Blanc, with swirls of light chantilly cream wrapped around sweet chestnut paste and chestnuts imported from ... http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/02/be-mine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=be-mine Splitz Grill After a long day burning up thousands of calories on the slopes, who wouldn't want a nice juicy burger? I guess owners Trevor and Miriam Jackson figured this out in 1997 when they first opened Splitz Grill. Their build-your-own-burger joint is jam-packed during the lunch and dinner rush. You first ... http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/02/bites-whistler/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bites-whistler new year's on the slopes of Whistler Blackcomb All that bitching about rain and gloom in Vancouver fell silent as we were treated to a magical white new year's eve in the village, followed by a chilly but awesome powder day on the slopes. Welcome, 2010! With its low base elevation (2,214 ... http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2010/02/white-out/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=white-out