VINTAGE PHOTO SHOOT!

When I was living in the San Francisco Bay area, I was really, really lucky to have a group of creative lady-pals.  Friends who are fashion designers, stylists, photographers, boutique owners, hair stylists,  musicians, artists, makeup artists, and published authors.  And most of them dabbled in a variety of artistic endeavors.  All of them are awesome and driven and insanely talented.  I miss those ladies!  

A group of us got together last spring with an idea for a photo shoot.  As a team, we came up with a fun concept and a story to tell.  The photographer, Angela DeCenzo (who happens to be the sweetest person and most bad-ass-talented photographer I know), had an idea for a vintage shoot with old bikes and my dear friend Racheal (the stylist), scouted the perfect location.  You can read about Port Costa in this blog post.  After a couple of meetings and idea/prop/wardrobe sharing (Celeste--my partner in crime for the shoot-- shared her impressive vintage wardrobe), we finally got together with our skilled and clever hair stylist, Silkie, and the charming and crazy-talented makeup artist Nikol Elaine and prepared for a day of photos in a dreamy location.  The weather was perfect, we had many, many laughs, and I think that the end results turned out pretty magical...I love creative collaborations!

VEGAN, MAPLE-SYRUP-SWEETENED, WHOLE GRAIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (WITH OLIVE OIL & ALMONDS)!

I have been trying to create the perfect (healthier) chocolate chip cookie for a while.  I have also been really intrigued by baking with olive oil.  These (after 3 test runs) have finally met my expectations for cookie perfection!  They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the center.  They aren't too sweet, but have a really good complex flavor (thank you olive oil and maple syrup!).  Also, they are made with whole grains, nuts, and dark chocolate...yay!  The best thing is I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand (and are mostly from Trader Joe's!), so whipping up a quick batch is super easy.

Ingredient round-up.

Dough.

Perfect size!

Dark chocolate and almond goodness.

Flatten them out a little with a fork.

Ready for the oven!

Done!!

RECIPE:

(Makes approximately 16 cookies)

-- 1 1/4  cups of whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour (a little extra to sprinkle in in case dough is too wet) 

-- 1 teaspoon of baking powder

-- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

-- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

-- 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup (not the fake, corn syrupy kind)

-- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-- generous 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

-- 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips (I also chopped up a bar of extra dark chocolate for one of the batches)

-- 1/3 cup chopped raw almonds (or any nut)

***  tips:

If you like your cookies sweeter, you can add 1/4 cup of coconut sugar or sucanat without changing any other ingredients.  Also, if you bake them and they are too crispy for your liking (after they have completely cooled) you can store them in a container with a slice of bread (which will soften them up!) overnight.  Take the bread out in the morning-- it will be very dry, as the cookies will have soaked up the moisture.

Preheat your oven to 350* F.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and soda and sea salt until well blended.  In another bowl, whisk the maple syrup, olive oil and vanilla extract (it will thicken as you whisk it).  Combine the wet and dry ingredients until well blended.  Add the chocolate chips and nuts and stir until well combined.  Scoop one tablespoon of dough per cookie onto the lined cookie sheet.  Lightly flatten each cookie with a fork or your fingers.  Bake cookies for approximately 15 minutes.  Scoop onto a cooling rack (allow to cool for about 10 minutes so they can set) and then eat!

OUR CUTE BROOKLYN APARTMENT.

We had such a hard time finding a place here in New York.  After a few deals falling through and looking for a month, we finally signed a lease on this place and we LOVE it!  Honestly, when we first saw it, we had decided to pass on it for a number of reasons: price, it was very dark in the front of the apartment, and no bedroom door (and after living in a studio for 3 years that was high on our want list).  However, we really connected with the sweet landlord when we saw it and he ended up contacting our broker to see if we still might be interested.  AND he negotiated price.  We had to take it.  Plus, the kitchen is AMAZING (I am seriously loving cooking here), there is a backyard, and the neighborhood is ridiculously fabulous.  Plus it is really close to the subway and a super easy commute to Manhattan.  Sold.  We take walks pretty much every night and I have already made friends with the owner of the organic grocery shop down the street.  We feel very, very lucky to be where we are.  :)

The neighbor's fig tree attacks our bathroom window.

Our new stairs and railings!  There were old, crumbling brick ones there when we looked at the apartment.

Pretty fig leaf.

Our other, very sweet neighbor's awesome veggie garden.

Our cherry tree-- can't wait to see what the fruit is like next summer (and the blossoms in spring!).

View from patio.

Do you spot 4 of our curious fuzzy pals?  We have many, many wild cats that hang out in our yard. 

Our back patio!

Basil.

My bottle and nature collections on our bedroom windowsill.

The best I could do of our bedroom (it is SO dark).  Also, this quilt was a trade for jewelry...YES!

View from the bedroom.

Earrings in the works.

My work space.

Raf's white board, more of my work space.

Raf's work space and some lovely art by his family members.

My recycled paper California collage that took me FOREVER!

Living room.

This rug.  Hahaha.  I LOVE this rug.  I bought it from a vintage shop down the street for a song.  I was pretty excited for Raf to see it when he came home that night.  He said something along the lines of:  "Ugh!  What is that weird sweater doing on the floor?!"  So funny.  I think that MAYBE he is getting a little bit used to it.

Living room again.

Kitchen desk.

Color!

Dining area.

Old-school bathroom.

Dreamboat kitchen.  I mean, REALLY?  I feel like I'm on a cooking show every night.  :)

Kitchen/dining/sliding glass door to patio and yard!