count thy many blessings..

today, i am blessed because i have..

• flaws that make me perfectly, imperfect
• a capable mind
• people who don't like me to keep me humbled
• an acute sense of taste so i can experience the epicurean wonders of life
• two eyes that can see
• two feet that allow me to walk, run, jump..
• two ears to hear the simplest of details
• friends who are there to pick me up when im down, and share a laugh when i'm happy
• 2 parents that adore me
• a family who wants to best for each other
• a boyfriend who i grow in love with (instead of fall in love)
• a little dog who brings me joy from the moment i wake up, until i lay for the night
• experiences that i have grown from
• people in my life who are truly good listeners
• many mentors whom i trust
• monetary savings for a brighter future
• intuition
• my overall health
• traveled and met fascinating people who will be in my life forever
• experienced true sadness, true joy and true love
• the ability to see the best out of any situation
• a job from which i grow from everyday
• the ability to just sit and feel my feelings
• a computer, for which i can express these thoughts

..and most of all -- because i have FAITH in a greater good

in the end, the people who believe, win; the skeptics always lose. its best to count our MANY blessings on days we lose sight of this.

what are you blessed for, today?

bates teaser | celebration!

#BatesMotel

season 2 back on!

i was so excited to come home to watch one of my favorite shows

last year, i was fortunate enough to get to work with A&E on the second season campaign.

my passion project of last year (along with duck dynasty)

 although we didn't win the bid for the whole campaign, we did get to finish this awesome teaser poster. 

we had the neon "2" build and photographed it in L.A. , which now lives in NYC at the A&E offices

to celebrate the premiere of season 2

i made the yummiest pasta EVER

(all ingredients from sunday's farmers market)

wild mushroom papardelle

(recipe below)

ingredients:

1¼ ounces dried Porcini mushrooms
8 ounces dried or 12 ounces fresh papardelle (wide) noodles
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large Maitake (also called Hen of the Woods) mushroom (about 3.5 ounces), trimmed and petals separated
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, plus more for topping
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup (2 ounces) grated pecorino cheese

directions

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl with 2 ½ cups very hot water. Set aside and let soften for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving leftover liquid. Coarsely chop mushrooms.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta according to package directions if using dried noodles, or approximately 4 to 5 minutes for fresh noodles, or until just al dente. You want the pasta to be done at about the same time as the mushroom sauce, so time your cooking accordingly.

Melt butter together with olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When butter is melted and frothy, add shallot and red pepper flakes and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add rehydrated mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 more minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add Maitake mushroom pieces, stirring until slightly softened and coated in butter, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and 1/4 cup of reserved mushroom liquid; season with salt and pepper.

Add drained noodles to pan with mushrooms, sprinkle parsley over top, and gently toss until noodles are coated and have absorbed some of the liquid, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among serving bowls, top with a generous sprinkling of pecorino cheese and more parsley (if desired), and serve immediately.

recipe here: www.loveandoliveoil.com/