Happy 2013 + a little trip to Ojai

January 1, 2013

Filed Under : MY LIFE - TRAVEL

Ojai / the style eater

Meditation Mount, Ojai

Meditation Mount, Ojai

Meditation Mount, Ojai

Meditation Mount, Ojai

Meditation Mount, Ojai

Meditation Mount, Ojai

 

Meditation Mount, Ojai

Meditation Mount, Ojai

Meditation Mount, Ojai

I took a little holiday break from the blog world but now I’m back and so excited to get 2013 started.  Hope you had a restful holiday and a happy New Year’s Eve!  NOPE, I do not have resolutions or goals quite yet for this year, but I’m hoping to come up with a few before January’s over.  It’s not that I don’t have a million goals swirling around my head, I just need to get them down in writing before they truly feel concrete and shareable.  Ya feel me??

Also, right before Christmas, Kyle and I took a little day trip to end 2012 on a high note.  We drove up to Ojai, had a few great meals (really, we had multiple meals), and watched a beautiful sunset at Meditation Mount.  The sky turned a hundred shades of pink and everything felt right in the world.  It was truly beautiful.  Although, taking photos with my dslr was quite awkward since there were a few people meditating around us.  Whoops.  I had to pretend-cough every time I hit the shutter.  Oh but capturing that beaut of a sunset was so worth it!

Thanks so much for reading my little blog in 2012. Here’s hoping 2013 is magical!

Happy Holidays!

December 24, 2012

Filed Under : MY LIFE

Meditation Mount / the style eater

Well, we survived the end of the world, didn’t we?  Now onto the holidays!  I’m back in my hometown, celebrating Christmas with my family and friends and I couldn’t be happier.  I love this time of year, when the air smells like fireplace and there are lights twinkling everywhere.  It’s so peaceful and relaxing.  All I need is a good movie to watch, a ball of yarn to knit, and a cup of something steaming hot.  You too?

Also, I had a vacation day on Friday so Kyle and I decided to take a little adventure.  We frolicked around Ojai for the day and that place is just stinkin gorgeous.  I’ll post a lot more on the trip very soon, but the highlight was definitely Meditation Mount.  I mean, look at that sunset – is it fo’real???

Also, I’ve been instagramming a lot of holiday goodness if you want to keep up! >> @thestyleeater

Anyway, sending you and your family so much love this holiday season.  I hope you eat A LOT (especially in the dessert category), relax, and enjoy every minute!

Homemade Sea Salt Caramels

December 18, 2012

Filed Under : DIY - EAT - RECIPES

sea salt caramels / the style eater

sea salt caramels / the style eater

sea salt caramels / the style eater

sea salt caramels / the style eater

Every holiday season, I try to do at least one DIY project that involves the use of baker’s twine.  I bought like 5309560 yards of it 5 years ago, thinking I would use it every other day and I’ve barely made a dent in the roll.  So I’ve vowed to bust it out for any and all DIY’s until the end of time.  This year, I made sea salt caramels.  Last year, it was homemade peppermint bark, and the year before that was garland for my Christmas tree.  I get an A for effort on my baker’s twine usage, eh?

I made the caramels with this recipe, using the salted caramel variation.  I did 3 different batches and after about 4 hours of cooling time, I cut the caramels and wrapped them in wax paper squares.  It made roughly 120 wrapped caramels total (I cut mine pretty large), just enough for 10 in each of my 12 jars.  By the way, caramels are super easy to make!  Do not be frightened of them.  Just make sure you have a handy dandy candy thermometer.

As for the jars, I used these 1/2 pint wide-mouth canning jars, cut circles out of kraft paper, hand wrote on each one, and affixed them to the lid with double-stick tape.  I tied baker’s twine around each lid and strung a small cardstock circle with a Rifle Paper Co. sticker on it.

They make perfect small gifts for friends and coworkers.  What better way to tell someone you care about them than with a jar full of sugary goodness (topped with sea salt, of course)?

STYLE RECIPES: The BF’s Clothes

December 14, 2012

Filed Under : STYLE

style recipes / the style eater

Kyle’s beanie, Gap scarf, J. Crew shirt (similar here), Kyle’s old tee, Gap jeans, Jeffrey Campbell boots

Sometimes on the weekends I dress like a hobo.  We all have those days, am I right?  I grab whatever is clean and that sometimes includes the boyfriend’s Les Miserables t-shirt from high school.  It also may include his beanie.  What else are boyfriends good for if not for borrowing clothing from?  PS, can you tell it’s a cold day in Los Angeles?  Cold days really do happen, I swear!

And, I’m not technically promoting Les Mis but I’m really excited to see it and Anne Hathaway is my favorite human.

Also, I meant to post this yesterday and am just now realizing it never got published.  Oi!  Hope you all have a lovely weekend!  I’ll be making and assembling Christmas gifts the whole weekend.  I’m going to share one of these fun DIY gifts on Monday if all goes well.  Wish me luck, candy thermometers are involved!

 

bfclothes3

bfclothes1

LUDOTRUCK

December 12, 2012

Filed Under : AROUND LA - EAT

Ludotruck / the style eater

Ludotruck / the style eater

I usually don’t post giant photos of meat on the blog, but I’m making an exception for Ludotruck.  They literally have the best fried chicken EVER.  PS, it’s the holidays so my healthy-factor has gone out the window and I’m now exclusively eating things like this.  Goodbye kale salads.

Kyle and I got Ludotruck on Sunday at the Renegade Craft Fair, splitting the crispy breast strips and the honey garlic-glazed wings with a side of slaw and fries.  Just typing this out is making me feel hungry, which then makes me feel bad for only liking things that are cooked in deep fryers.  OH WELL.

Plus – and I can’t say this without getting extremely sad about it – word on the street is that Ludotruck will be closing shop for good in the very near future.  Just stab me right in the heart!!!  You better believe I’m going to eat this as much as I can until that truck is no longer.  Long live Ludo!!