How To Throw an Elegant Halloween Party

Hosting a party should be an enjoyable affair and you shouldn’t spend a ton of time stressing over the small stuff. Years ago, when I threw my first party I prepared for weeks and spent way too much money. To say I went overboard, that would be an understatement. Since then, I’ve adopted a party planning strategy with specific tasks that help me plan efficiently. It doesn’t matter if I’m hosting a fall soiree or a get together in the middle of the summer, there’s a certain way I go about doing things, and I’ll make a few adjustments depending on the occasion. These areRead More →

Gourmet Halloween Treats That Take Snacking To Another Level

I have nothing against snacking on “fun size” candy bars but when it comes to Halloween, I search for something more decadent. My go-to candy brands are Sugarfina and Dylan’s Candy Bar, but for the month of October I try to sample gourmet sweets from a variety of brands. One of my favorites is indulging in chocolates and sugary snacks that are imported from other countries. There’s just something about knowing that they were handcrafted in Holland like these lollipops, or created in Spain like these gummies. Here are my 15 must try gourmet Halloween treats that will satisfy any sweet tooth.  1. A samplerRead More →

My List of Must Try Vegetarian and Vegan Dishes in Los Angeles

Living in Los Angeles, I’m granted the luxury of having some of the best restaurants with talented chef’s right near me or a short ride away. Whether I’m seeking a quick bite, a place to dine at with friends, or where to spend a Friday evening date night; I have some tried-and-true spots that never disappoint. More importantly, these restaurants carry the entrées I find myself craving time and time again. Here are my recommendations on must-try vegetarian and vegan dishes in Los Angeles, plus my favorite desserts, and spots that serve high tea.  PS: For all things Los Angeles check out my travel guides—PartRead More →

Summer Salads and Pasta Dishes To Make Before The Warm Weather Ends

A Sunday favorite of mine is shopping for fresh produce at a local farmers’ market. Then I’ll head home and cook up a savory dish for me and Billy to enjoy while we watch our favorite Sunday night TV shows (for me, it’s the series finale of The Affair). With summer coming to an end I’ve been taking advantage of the fruits and veggies that won’t be available for much longer. As fall approaches, I’m trying to make as many summer salads and cold pasta dishes that I can. Before I know it, I’ll be researching autumn inspired recipes that call for pumpkin spice, cinnamon,Read More →

Summertime Bento Box Ideas For The Pool or The Beach

A few weeks ago I came across an Instagram account (@SchoolLunchBox) that’s dedicated to the art of bento boxes. It features colorful mouth-watering displays of fruits and veggies, and lunchtime snacks. Scrolling through instantly made me hungry. So much so, I went out and purchased a bento box of my own and began looking for unique recipes on Pinterest. Because I’m going on vacation, I thought about how this could be the perfect beach time snack. I found 20 easy to curate bento boxes that are mainly vegetarian or vegan, with the exception of a few for those who eat meat.  Most of these boxesRead More →

Sugarfina Valentine's Day Charcuterie Board

I have an enormous sweet tooth so I look for any excuse to indulge in sugar. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner I thought about various ways to celebrate, other than the typical cookies and cupcakes. Also, February 14th my boyfriend Billy and I will be celebrating our 3 year anniversary so we’ll combine the two for a day of sweet treats. This year I chose to create a candy charcuterie board complete with our favorite candy from Sugarfina, and our favorite French imported chocolates from Le chocolat des Francais. I love this colorful concept since it’s so simple to make and it canRead More →

Secret Rosé Garden

I recently visited The Secret Rosé Garden, a pop-up cafe at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I‘m obsessed with rosé and roses so as you can imagine I was ecstatic when I came across this limited-time event on Instagram and I knew I had to visit right away! This elegant installation was created to celebrate the hotels 90th anniversary, and by celebrate I mean they’ve recreated the famous Garden Lounge for our generation to enjoy. If you didn’t know, the Garden Lounge was a fixture of the hotel during the 1960s and 1970s. The Secret Rosé Garden is situated on the rooftop and features stunning viewsRead More →

Exotic Dishes In and Around DTLA

One of my favorite parts about living in Southern California is the abundance of incredible food. From fine dining to taco stands, we have it all. With so many hungry foodies in this city, there is a constant demand for new food concepts, so there’s never a shortage of fresh restaurants to try. When a cluster of hot restaurants open up, my favorite thing to do is what I call a dinner hop; think a food version of bar hopping. Because Los Angeles is so vast, I like to choose one neighborhood and dine at two to three restaurants in the same night, enjoying aRead More →

grilled shrimp carbonara

When summer nears its end and the sweltering days give way to cool and breezy evenings, I like to plan meals that I can enjoy outdoors. Usually that means setting my outdoor dining table and firing up my grill to barbecue a light meal of meats and veggies, but lately I’ve been craving carbs. I decided to satisfy my craving with a spin on one of my favorite pasta dishes, Grilled Shrimp Carbonara. Grilled Shrimp Carbonara is a classic pasta dish from Rome consisting of just a few simple ingredients: egg, Pecorino Romano cheese, cured pork, and pasta. I chose to get creative with myRead More →

low-calorie vegetarian and vegan recipes

I was never good at cooking, I would attempt to make a dish from scratch, take one bite and then toss it in the trash. When I first moved to California and I lived alone I became the queen of takeout; after a long day it was much easier to order from one of my favorite restaurants on Postmates or UberEats than to destroy my kitchen cooking something that would end up down the drain. When my boyfriend and I moved in together, I wanted to give cooking another try. I wanted to be able to prepare healthy food options for us to enjoy together.Read More →