Life

Out of Chaos… Or Life as it Goes

by sabrinamodel on May 5, 2013 · 15 comments

in Life

In life, there are times of relative calm, times of turbulence, and times of growth and change.  As humans, it is within our nature,  to seek that which is calm, steady, comfortable and safe.   This behavior is ingrained in us, stemming from a time when safety and stability were crucial to our survival and evolution.

Since March, I have experienced great joy, anticipation, deep love, kindness, energy, weariness, worry, and terrible staggering loss.  If you were to look at my life two months ago, and my life today, it is nearly unrecognizable. I have never felt more grateful for my friends, family, and utterly incredible husband.

In the beginning of March, my sweet Ruby dog began struggling to climb the stairs. After a week or so of tests and treatment, we received the soul-shaking news that she had cancer of the bladder. Just a day or so later, we heard that we’d gotten a little house on the Russian River in western Sonoma County.

So, we set about preparing to move, all the while, giving Ruby lots of love, meds, and IM fluids.  Our Lola was by Ruby’s side every day until the morning that Ruby suddenly couldn’t move without whimpering.  That evening, the house call vet arrived, and we held Ruby until her last breath. It’s sometimes hard to know the right time for euthanasia, and before the vet came, Ruby perked up for an hour or so. Joshua and I both began to question, but in the end … get the recipe

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Open Sesame! Two Chances To Win + A Coupon Code for Sesame Gifts

by sabrinamodel on February 28, 2013 · 20 comments

in Gluten Free, Life, Vegan

Spending time on pinterest and on food blogs, you may get the impression that we bloggers never buy anything. We’ll DIY anything from fruit leather  to hand foraged soda pop  to homemade sous vide machines.

It’s true, the homemade bug has bitten me. I make a lot of my condiments, my granola, my horchata, and once I even attempted to rock out some donut-infused vodka. But, I also love trying new foods from the market. You won’t catch me buying Easter-hued Oreos, or the latest flavor of Doritos. Instead, you’ll find me in the “health food” aisle often slipping into the raw foods section.

I’ll admit to going through ten packages of roasted seaweed in as many days, and I’ll stalk a coconut chip like nobody’s business. So, when Sesame Gifts suggested partnering up to create a healthy snack box, I jumped.

Sesame is a super cool gifting app for your iphone, and they also have a web store too. What you get in your Sesame box is hand-selected by people like Stephanie Hua of Lick My Spoon and me! The stuff inside is amazing (of course) but half the fun is opening your Sesame box (get it? Open Sesame?) From the second it arrived, my Sesame Healthy Snacks Box was pure joy- the adorable box, the special note, and fun little tags all had me smiling from ear to ear.

Inside, were some of my favorite gluten-free and vegan snacks- … get the recipe

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California Travel: A Trip Along The Wine Road in Northern Sonoma County

by sabrinamodel on August 28, 2012 · 3 comments

in Drinks, Life

Raford Inn

“People are so busy searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Rita and I, we’ve found our rainbow; it’s this place. The gold? It’s the people, the guests, that come here” I’m walking with Dane Pitcher as he pours organic fertilizer at the base of his grape vines. It’s good work, Dane looks content, and chats with me while dumping the mixture from a five gallon bucket.  We talk about everything from grapes to hops to career paths to love (he courted Rita for three years!) and drift back to grapes again.

Raford Inn

It’s my second morning of a three-day trip on The Wine Road. We’re exploring The Alexander Valley, The Russian River Valley, and The Dry Creek Valley.  I’ve awoken early to the smell of coffee brewing and the sounds of birds everywhere, not a bad way for a city girl to start the day.

Flowers In The WIne COuntry

I’m walking the small, but lovely vineyard with Dane, and shooting photos of the verdant garden he Rita have build. I slow my breath and stand nearly motionless trying to catch a photo of an elusive hummingbird. Just then, Rita calls me in for one of her outstanding homemade breakfasts: frittata with red pepper puree, perfectly roasted potatoes, and fragrant persimmon bread. As I’m digging into my potatoes, my ride, DJ, arrives.

Breakfast at Raford Inn

As we head out for our second day, Dane offers me something I can’t pass up- the chance to learn how he makes wine. I tell him … get the recipe

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Quotable Friday- Kurt Vonnegut, Enjoy The Little Things

by sabrinamodel on April 20, 2012 · 5 comments

in Life, Quotable Fridays

Kurt Vonnegut Quote Poster Enjoy the little things in life

Today’s Quotable Friday comes from Kurt Vonnegut. It was inspired by another famous quote. Poet John Greenleaf Whittier said “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been”. When that quote came up on NPR, it reminded me of something Kurt Vonnegut once said, and I knew it had to be a Quotable Friday poster.

Kurt Vonnegut was one of my favorite authors, I’ve read nearly everything he ever wrote with Sirens of Titan being one of my favorite books of all time. Like his hero Mark Twain, he was full of wit and wisdom.

This Vonnegut quote speaks to me as a reminder of being present, of living fully in each moment, and cherishing the people and the beauty around me. I am so fortunate to be living where I do amongst the friends and family that I have. As one of my teachers, Vinny Ferraro says, to have been born in the US, where it is unlikely that we will suffer famine or war on our soil, we have hit the karmic jackpot. So it’s important to be grateful for even that. The rest, folks is gravy and frosting. I, for the record. Love both.

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you’ll look back and realize they were big things.”
― Kurt Vonnegut

So, if you’re loving this poster, click the picture to download the high-res version. Also, please pin-it if you dig it! Oh, and … get the recipe

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Quotable Fridays! Creativity Takes Courage

by sabrinamodel on April 6, 2012 · 3 comments

in Life

Creativity Takes Courage- Creativity Quote From Matisse

It’s another Quotable Friday and today actually marks one month that I’ve been creating free downloadable high resolution posters with (hopefully) cool and inspiring quotes. I love everything about these and creating them is really a highlight of my week.

Today’s quote comes from Henri Matisse a French painter whose work I particularly love. If you are fuzzy on Matisse, he was a contemporary of Picasso their work is even confused at times. I am mad for Matisse’s cut outs particularly the Blue Nudes which look like this.

Mattise Blue Nude IV 1952 BlueNudeIV52

Today’s Quote Is:
“Creativity Takes Courage”
-Henri Matisse

Creativity is a funny thing, sometimes it’s a little scary to be true to oneself- to tap into that part of us that is wildly and uninhibitedly creative. Even deciding to use this quote was a bit of a process- was it too simple? Would people like it? In the end, it speaks to me, and hopefully, it speaks to someone else.

Sometime back, I wrote about writer’s block and this quote reminded me about how amazing it felt to break free from that block, to find my creativity again and break past trying to live up to constraints I was only placing on myself. I hope you find the courage to be creative today whether it’s in the kitchen, on an easel, behind the lens, on the dance floor, or while singing at the top of your lungs while heading down the freeway.

Have a great weekend!
X
Sabrina

… get the recipe

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Quotable Fridays! If You Can’t Find Anything To Dance About

by sabrinamodel on March 30, 2012 · 3 comments

in Life, My Favorite Things

Quotes Poster Freebie- If you can't find anything to dance about find a reason to sing

Today’s Quotable Friday is a very special one,  it is dedicated to my friend Eric Trifilo whose life was tragically cut short on Sunday.

When I think of Eric, I always see an enormous smile and I think of the fabulous food he made and his big booming voice and great laughter. Eric was the first person to teach me knife skills in the kitchen and the first person who ever told me about a Canon Rebel. He had a passion for life and music and dancing. He loved his sister Beth more than I can possibly tell you, and I am so grateful that he brought her into my life.

So, today’s quote comes from Melody Carstaire

If you can’t find anything to dance about, find a reason to sing.

Have a good, safe, and happy weekend.

X

Sabrina

 

… get the recipe

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Quotable Fridays- Thomas Keller!

by sabrinamodel on March 23, 2012 · 3 comments

in Life

Free Printable Poster “A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe. “ ~Thomas Keller

Oooh, I love Fridays. Most of us who work regular 9-5’s do. I look forward to my weekends at home with Joshua and the dogs and time to cook, write, and make photographs. Fridays bring with them the promise of Saturdays and Sundays- friends, a glass of wine (or two?), farmers markets, flea markets, walks in the park or on the beach, and sleeping in.

Now, I’m also really loving the last day of the work week for a new reason. Quotable Fridays. I choose a quote, I make a poster, if you like it (and you will, right?) you can download it for free! Or simply share it with everyone you dig on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and the like, because everyone loves a good quote, and who couldn’t use a little inspiration?

Today’s quote is from Thomas Keller of French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon, and Ad Hoc Fame. I think you may have heard of the guy.

“A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe. “
~Thomas Keller

Have a fantastic weekend, and happy cooking.
X
Sabrina

… get the recipe

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Quotable Fridays! A New Food + Literary + Design + Freebie Love Story

by sabrinamodel on March 16, 2012 · 5 comments

in Life, My Favorite Things

A Cook Who SMiles Out Look FREEBIES Quotable Fridays from The Tomato Tart
When I think about the things I love (aside from my friends and family) I can list them like this:

  • Food

  • Art

  • Design

  • Typography

  • Cooking

  • Writing

  • Literature

  • Photography

  • Playing in Ocean…

Well that last one doesn’t fit in this list… but.

I’m introducing something new and I think, pretty cool. It’s Quotable Fridays. I’m going to choose a cool quote, which may or may not be food-related and I’m gonna make an awesome poster for you to download and put on your walls,  in your cube, your locker, or your car (that would be crazy-cool!)

Anyway, everyone loves Freebies! I love printables, and I love people who say awesome and witty things that are worth quoting.  If you have a quote you’d like turned into a poster, let me know in the comments.

This first one is from Robert Farrar Capon, a pretty interesting guy. A priest turned food writer, cookbook author, and Columnist for the New York Times. I love what he had to say here.

“I like a cook who smiles out loud when he tastes his own work”

What a delightful image. I’ll leave you with that, and the poster, for the weekend.

Have a great one

X
Sabrina



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… get the recipe
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