Stories in December: Hello Kitty at Masion 140 & More!

Sanrio-maison-140

Some stories from December so far: Hello Kitty, bakeries, salmon, Ludo's new show, latkes, Koreatown shopping with Debbie Lee and more!

A Look Inside the Hello Kitty Hotel Suite at Maison 140: LAist
http://laist.com/2011/12/15/hello_kitty_moves_in_to_maison_140.php#photo-1

Inside Short Cake & Single Origin Coffee at the Farmers' Market, Now Open: LAist
http://laist.com/2011/12/16/inside_short_cake_at_the_farmers_ma.php#photo-1

Bugaboo Strollers and Ludo Lefebvre Make Haute Baby Cuisine - on Tubefilter
http://news.tubefilter.tv/2011/12/07/ludo-baby-bites/

Suzanne Tracht Talks Latkes | The Public Kitchen | Food | KCET
http://www.kcet.org/socal/food/the-public-kitchen/suzanne-tracht-talks-latkes.html

Exploring Koreatown's Galleria Market with Chef Debbie Lee | The Nosh | Food | KCET
http://www.kcet.org/socal/food/the-nosh/exploring-koreatowns-galleria-market-with-chef-debbie-lee.html

Fun With @Tegu_toys Mobility

(download)

This weekend we opened a big box of Tegu's new Mobility line. Vivian has fun playing with the Maddy and Riley cars and designing her own version of Tegu vehicles with the Dart and Hatch sets. We even figured out how to use the magnetic pull in the block to move the cars... video soon!

Delicious Dinner at Il Covo Last Night

Here's a peek at a few dishes from the Il Covo menu:
Yellowtail crudo, piatto di salumi, arancini, fresh fig & goat cheese crostini, branzino, panna cotta with aged balsamic, and Nutella crostata.

(download)

Bolognese for Dinner

Tonight I made a big pot of bolognese for dinner. I went to Lindy & Grundy to pick up some ground beef and basically followed Giada's recipe (adding a splash of red wine and some dried oregano). 

L1220635

Simple Bolognese Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/simple-bolognese-recipe2/index.html

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
  • 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
  • 1 pound ground chuck beef
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
  • 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Directions

In a large skillet heat the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the ground beef. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any large lumps and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. This will take approximately 1/2 hour. Finish bolognese with Pecorino Romano.