from raleighwood to hollywood

i.

love.

 food.

no really.

i love food that i can roll.

i love food that i can sprinkle.

i love food that i can smell.

i love food that i can put on my face.

i love food that i can dip in ketchup.

i love food that i can cover in sugar.

i love food that i can stir. 

so...today's teapot is dedicated to the few special things i've eaten over the past few days. i'm not talking fancy meals, takeout, or unique los angeles street food, i'm talking about small simple things i've eaten in the comfort of my own apartment. things that simply...

make me happy.

1. fluffy, creamy, whipped things

while browsing in the cheese section at trader joe's the other night--for a good forty five minutes or so--i picked up one of those containers of spreadable cheese. i just wanted something easy that i could keep in the fridge and snack on while i'm, well, most likely waiting for my ramen to finish cooking. i sifted through the different varieties: garlic herb, chive, plain, swiss...but nothing really peaked my interest. and then as i accidentally knocked over a mini-cheese tower in the refridgerator display case, there it was. the limited edition, holiday flavor--cranberry orange. i know that some of you may think that cranberry orange spreadable cheese sounds a bit awkward, but it basically tastes like a whipped strawberry cream cheese. yesterday, i put it on a muffin.

and i'm never looking back.

2. messy, chocolately, chewy things

"did you make this?" you ask.

well, no. we all know i have no business baking unless it's butterscotch brownies (which i can make in my sleep). this was just a breyers ice cream sandwich that i enjoyed last night while drinking some sleepytime tea and catching up on my food network.

i know right, life is hollywood is SO glamorous.

3. fruity, crunchy, peanut buttery things

since my average workdays go from 3:45 until close to 8 PM, i need to eat as close to work-time as possible. it's an odd schedule to eat lunch at 3:30 and dinner around 9:30, but for now, that's the way it goes. after cleaning up from breakfast, i generally throw something together for lunch to eat on my way to work. i can't get enough of that cranberry orange cream cheese spread--and we all know how i feel about peanut butter--so today, i made my own version of PB&J.

pictured above: the PBCCG&B

peanut butter, cream cheese, granola, and bananas.

tell me that doesn't make you smile just thinking about it.

highlight of the day:

there's an expression that goes something like this: if you learn a recipe, you can make a dish. if you learn a technique, you can make a thousand dishes. years ago, my dad taught me the technique of the frittata, and it's a skill that i pride myself on having. i'd put it on my resume if i could. it's the simplest way to throw together a few ingredients in a pan, and make an extraordinary breakfast. the more fun you have with the ingredients, the more fun the frittata! today, i decided to use some chicken sausage i got from trader joe's. it was flavored with apples and maple syrup and HOLY CRAP was it everything i hoped for and more. i also added some smoked gouda, herbed goat cheese, and basil.

clearly....the highlight of my day.

i invite each of you to invent your own frittata!