top recipes of 2010

While I am on the recipe theme, I thought I would share links to some of my favorite dishes that I made this past year. I honestly do not cook that much, but I love to do it when I have the time and I really love to try new recipes. Now that we have an amazing year-round farmers' market within walking distance, it has really made cooking vegetarian-type meals even more fun. Some of these I make regularly, and some I've only made once. If you come for a visit, chances are I'll make one of them...or something completely new and untested (always an adventure)!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas
We make these all the time! They make great leftovers.

Macaroons
These weren't as hard to make as I expected, and they transported well to the Midwest for the holidays.

Blueberry Peach Cobbler
Best when peaches are in season - I made mine with fruit from the farmers' market.

Scalloped Tomatoes
Also another one for when the tomatoes are in season.

Green Beans with Bacon Vinaigrette
This is my pick for turning something perfectly healthy into something incredibly unhealthy. Yum! (And I don't even like bacon! Or green beans, for that matter.)

Butternut Squash Lasagna

This one takes some time, but I looooove it.

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash
Just made these once, but I thought they were fun to make (and eat).

20-Minute Black Bean Soup
Healthy, easy and tasty...what could be better?

My New Favorite Chili
It's the cumin! And a lot of chili powder.

Several of these are from my two favorite food blogs:
Fresh 365
Smitten Kitchen

A new one I just started following:
Sassy Radish

natural history museum

Last Thursday, I went to the Natural History Museum of LA for a one-day workshop on grant-writing for archives. The workshop was great, as was the opportunity to meet other librarians and archivists from the area. After the workshop was finished, I stepped into the museum for a few minutes before it closed. It was extremely quiet, being a weekday and so late in the afternoon. I'd love to go back another day when I have more time to explore, but having opportunities like these is one of the things I like best about living in LA.

Dinos in the entrance - pretty impressive sight when you step in for the first time. (This space felt familiar - it must be a set on a movie. Probably a few movies actually.)

It struck me as a little odd to be surrounded by so many dead animals. Why do we think this is okay? How do people explain this to children? Maybe it was just the fact that the place was totally empty that made this feel a little creepier than in my other museum experiences.

Skeletons! Yay! (??)

The ceiling in the rotunda - beautiful architectural details.

Afterwards, I drove across the city to meet Jesse at a car dealer's. I don't know why I thought I could do that unscathed. The traffic was awful, and made me cranky. But still - the entire drive was very pretty: skyline, palm tree silhouettes against the sunset, Spanish-style architecture, mountains. Love it all!