a silly muse

I decided to make meat-free stuffed peppers the other day, and I was very happy with how delicious they tasted.

Ingredients:

1 can of pinto beans, 2 whole peppers (color of choosing), small white onion, white or brown rice (1/2 cup uncooked), fresh cilantro, fresh parsley, tomato sauce, and salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook rice (about 30 minutes). While rice is cooking, cut top of peppers off and gut out. Chop up tops of peppers, onion, parsley, cilantro, and mix together. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375*F. When rice is finished cooking, mix in pinto beans, and the pepper & herb mix. Add sauce to desired consistency and salt & pepper. Fill gutted peppers with mixture, place on oven safe dish and bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on how soft you like your peppers to be).

I also made a little side salad of spinach, cucumber, carrot, and clementine with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar vinaigrette.

Eat and enjoy!

Being in Sunny LA, I have the wonderful advantage of Farmers Markets* being open year-round. I’m certainly not going to complain about the plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables available to me. When carousing and weaving your way around the various stands, you want to be comfortable. I like to dress comfy up, so I’d add a pink belt, cute necklace, and pretty shades to my outfit. Also, these moccasins are adorable and oh-so-comfy and would be perfect for a lot of walking around. The straw bag is big enough to hold all your goodies, plus produce bags so you don’t have to use plastic, and don’t neglect a sweater for the early morning cool air.

*I frequently find myself at the Santa Monica Farmers Market (on Arizona between 4th & Ocean, open Wednesday and Saturday mornings) and The Original Farmers Market (next to The Grove on 3rd & Fairfax, open every day).

(outfit details)

Happy Monday, friends! This past weekend was full of an adventure to The Getty Villa and some delicious food (I love adventure and food, so it was a very successful weekend).

This is a view of the Outer Peristyle (formal gardens). It’s a very peaceful and serene place, with large outdoor hallways on the sides, a plethora of plant life, palm trees, and pretty hedges lining the walkways.

Aubrey and I very much enjoyed the sun and gardens. We also saw a demonstration on glass-making techniques. If you’re able to visit the Villa by January 16th, the current exhibit, Modern Antiquity, has pieces by Picasso, de Chirico, Leger, and Picabia. It’s a beautiful juxtaposition of 20th Century works and ancient objects.

After our wanderings we were both quite famished, so we went to the Veggie Grill. It’s a delicious vegetarian sandwich place. I had the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ and I had a hard time believing that it wasn’t real chicken (it’s a veggie protein blend). It was sooooooooooooooo good.

On Sunday night, I was taken on a surprise date to a very yummy Sushi restaurant, Sushi King. We sat at the bar and gazed at the crafty work of our rolls being prepared right in front of us. The freshest sushi I’ve ever had! I recommend the Toro, Tuna, and Spicy Tuna roll. We also had hot saki (holy strong-ness).

I’m sad it’s over already. Weekends progress far too quickly. I won’t complain too much because I’m still enjoying sunny California weather. I hope everyone has a lovely week!

I’m happily spending the month in Los Angeles/Santa Monica. My days are filled with sunshine and warmth, fresh fruits and veggies, palm trees, adventures, visits with those dear to me, meals eaten outside, daily walks, and hugs.

(image via +)

2012 is going to be one glorious hell of a year. I have a small handful of fantastic life events to look forward to: I’ll be graduating and receiving my Masters in May. My best friend is getting married in June! And I shall once again be trekking across the U.S. and moving back to Los Angeles.

I haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions, I think the idea of them is silly. If you really want to set goals for yourself, don’t use a day as an excuse. You should be able to set goals throughout the year and use personal willpower to stick to them. If a dream really means something to you, you’ll do whatever possible to make it happen. And don’t quit. Read and re-read the quote above, dreams are scary, but don’t let the fear get in the way of what you want. Use the ‘scary’ as proof that you can dream and live it too. Don’t ever let anyone tell you you can’t do it, don’t let anything block your way.

As for myself, 2011 helped me figure out what I wanted out of life (mentally and personally), so I spent the latter part of the year creating goals and adjusting my life so I’ll end up where I’m happiest. That’s my dream: To do what I love and be happy with where I am. While seemingly simplistic sounding, it’s a pretty big task that will require a lot of hard work and motivation. With 2012 now upon us, I’m thisclose to completing my dreams and goals and I can see them somewhere over the distant horizon.

(image via +)

I have a similar plaid blazer I found at H&M recently, and whenever I wear it with pants and boots I feel very much like I’m about to wander across the English country side atop a pretty thoroughbred. Alright, I watch too many movies, and occasionally my imagination gets the best of me. I do like this outfit though, plus, as I prefer to wear skirts or dresses, if I’m going to be wearing pants, I like to dress them up. I also have a silly addiction to plaid and tartans. Perhaps it’s the Scottish and Irish blood the resides in my genes.

A most happy and merry Christmas to you all! I hope everyone has the most delightful day filled with lots of presents, cookies, family, friends, puppies, and loved ones. I shall be waking up to play with my adorable puppies in the morning, to visiting a handful of family members, then off to Los Angeles for a whole month! I am highly impatient and excited and just really really happy about my mini school-break vacation.

Stay safe and be happy, lovely readers.

I could happily live in a navy and white house.

I really love blues and camels, especially together. Plus these two compliment my overly pale Irish skin, blue eyes, and reddish/blonde hair. This is a very Kelly outfit. I want to wear it now, but have you any idea how difficult it is to find a skirt like this? It’s actually quite annoying. If I do come across one, it’s ridiculously expensive. I also like these heels, a tad too high, but the color would go nicely with most items in my closet. And could you imagine having pretty blue nails to match!?

(item information available on Polyvore)

Happy Monday! I’m feeling ridiculously giddy today because my school semester is finally over and this time next week I shall be in sunny Los Angeles! I had a nice relaxing weekend filled with some of my favorite things: parents, puppies, Emily, tea, yummy food, and presents. It was nice for that since I’ll be in California for a whole month.

Emily and I went on a date to Michael’s and I found these travel related stickers, so I created my own little adventure on one of my notebooks. Above is what travel means to me, adventure is necessary to live a happy life (in my opinion).