never sleep

I recently got to spend a weekend at 7springs with my best bud. The weather started out gloomy but the clouds covering the sky eventually opened up and snow fell throughout the night and into the next day. Bare spots that were once an eye sore on the slops were replaced with happy riders, it was good to see all the locals having a good time. Marty had a blast playing in the snow, and snoozing on her very own hotel bed all weekend!

7 Springs is so special to me, not only because it’s where I grew up as a little kid, but because the community there is so tight.  Whether you like or not everyone knows your name and your business, some people care and some people don’t.  Its like a bad reality show you can’t turn off. 

So obviously one of my favorite things to do is cook, what I love even more is cooking with my friends. Being home in Pittsburgh has given me the opportunity to do LOTS of that & its super fun.

A few nights ago, while hanging out with my best friend I made a super scumpcious din that I need to share with you. It was easy, it looked good, & tasted even better.

He was catching me up on his new favorite show, The Walking Dead, so keeping with that theme the only appropriate name for this dish is obviously is Dead Mans Dream.

The DMD Scallop Salad:

you will need:

spinach, almonds (or walnuts), feta cheese, red onions, dried cranberries, a pear, fresh jumbo scallops, cinnamon, dried italian herbs, olive oil, & balsamic dressing.

Start by preparing the salad. I immediately portioned out enough spinach for the 2 salads in a large mixing bowl. I then moved on to my red onion, which needed to be diced into bite size portions. I then took the pear and cut it into fan slices. While I took the spinach and dressed it in the balsamic I had Danny prepare the stove top with a olive oil covered pan set at mid temp. Once my spinach was smothered in dressing a laid down the base of the salads and added the feta, onions, almonds, & fanned out the pears. I did all of this before I even stared on the scallops so that as soon as they were done they would be plated & served nice & hot still. I took the scallops and quickly seared them to start the cooking process, I then added a healthy amount of cinnamon and a dash of salt to really send a kick throughout this dish. Once the scallops were slights brown around the edges I slide them off the pan and onto the salad. It smelled SO freaking good, we couldn’t wait to cut in.

We garnished the entire dish with a cranberry, effin black cherry, & soda water cocktail. Add some fresh lime juice for taste.

If the zombie apocalypse really was going on outside, I predict that this dish would drive any dead man crazy. Good thing it’s not & I got to enjoy this dish from the comfort of Dannys couch & not inside a department store with a hundred hungry dead walkers trying to get me.

Seriously whoever is doing the make up for the show is awesome. Nothing like decaying corps to really get your appetite going.

This has been such a FUN week. Friends, Snow, & bluegrass have been a dangerous combination that has left me in constant fit of giggles.. more then usual. 

Lamb, Spinny, Spicy Breaky!! Yummay!!

2012 started out great & It just keeps getting better, other then the total LACK of snowfall we have seen this season in Tahoe. Warm days in December turned into weeks in January. With no snow and just a little rain I needed to get out of the mountains for a few days before I lost my sanity checking the weather everyday. 

Red Bull was hosting a weekend long event in SF promoting their Music Academy & I couldn’t resist the chance to go down to the bay & party with some east coast homies that were in town representing the burgh. Each night RB hosted a concert showcasing the diverse artists on the label. Each night we had a freaking blast! We caught a jitney over to a warehouse where it was all hip hop & all awesome.  The next night on our way to the venue we found ourselves in the middle of a city square that had been taken over by hundreds of people, most with a boombox that was tuned into a shared frequency, how freaking cool! The cops who were surrounding the party had informed the hosts that they had like over 300 noise complaints or something so they had to pick one last song before they were going to be shut down. Over 10 minutes later we were back on our way to our show & you wouldn’t have guessed that there was just a huge party going on. 

I had sort of forgotten how much I really do love being in the city, getting ready in the hotel room brought back so many good memories of NYC & Pittsburgh (<- next week YAY!) Walking through dark ally ways like I knew where I was going put me right back in my natural element.

However, there is still nothing like the feeling I get when I’m back at home in Tahoe. The warm weather has forced us to enjoy day drinks off the docks.. god I LOVE my life. 

rock climbing in January. Silly. 

I wish my hair would just grow hot pink