Linda Ly's Blog, page 31

2014: A Year in Review

Before writing this post, I fondly read over the previous “Years in Review” from 2011, 2012, and 2013, and I’m astounded by how much has happened in the relatively short time I’ve been blogging. If I had to choose a theme for 2014, I think I would call it the “Year of Growth.”

Not only have I grown incredibly as a person through new experiences, but my career has grown in ways I never could’ve imagined, and my blog has grown into a repository of inspiration for visitors all over the world, g...

A Hike to Cure the Holidaze

Sunshine. Fresh air. A hilly hike. All good things on Christmas Day, and the perfect elixir for the holidaze (especially after entertaining all night on Christmas Eve!).

I live on a little-known peninsula of Los Angeles that’s about as far removed from Los Angeles as one could be, both geographically and figuratively. No freeways, no traffic, and you’re more likely to share the road with wild peacocks than local celebrities.

It’s also the most geologically active region in Greater Los Angele...

Five Things Friday

The five little things that made my week…

1. Family isn’t always a mom, a brother, or a cousin, or even anybody related to you. It’s the people who stand behind you and inspire you to reach a little higher, who embrace you for who you are and embody who you want to be. For the first time in eight years that my husband and I have been together, we’re spending our holidays at home. And while we missed the presence of our respective parents and siblings, we were blessed to be surrounded by some...

Five Things Friday

The five little things that made my week…

1. Decorating our first Christmas tree together with ornaments passed down from my husband’s family over several decades. (And yes, that’s a popcorn and cranberry garland! I hadn’t made one of those since grade school… so fun to revisit the craft during a wine and movie marathon at home.)

2. The smell of pine that fills the house.

3. The mighty Wasatch. I really need to get out to Utah more and explore these mountains.

4. Amped up about the Utah...

The Southern California Christmas Tree

Say the words “Christmas tree” and you’re probably picturing stately conifers like fir, pine, spruce, and cedar, or even the less common cypress. You might be familiar with Scotch pine, Virginia pine, and Eastern white pine, and you’ve likely never heard of Monterey pine. In fact, it doesn’t even make the list of popular Christmas trees at the National Christmas Tree Association.

But in Southern California, Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) is the de facto Christmas tree, grown on suburban tree...

Preordering The CSA Cookbook as a Gift? Download a Printable IOU Postcard

If you’re pondering what to give your friends and family for the holidays this year, may I suggest a copy of The CSA Cookbook? I mean, this is on everyone’s list, right? (I kid, I kid.)

But as it turns out, the publication date for my first book has been bumped up to February 16, 2015 — this means that all preorders will be delivered shortly after, so you don’t have to wait for its arrival in stores in March.

You can preorder the book from your favorite bookseller, online or off. Here are a...

Fresh Homemade Pasta (Using What You Already Have in the Kitchen)

Until I started making my own pasta, I always thought homemade pasta required a special pasta maker, a lot of space to hang up curtains of noodles, and a lot of time to devote in the kitchen. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Homemade pasta can be had with the most basic of kitchen implements: a smooth surface, a rolling pin, a sharp knife, and a half-hour of hands-on time. Small appliances can shave off a few minutes if you have a mixer to knead the dough or a machine to roll it out, but onc...

Pink Peppercorns: A Gourmet Spice Growing in the Backyard

Pink peppercorns are often thought of as a gourmet spice, packaged in small, expensive jars and called for in fancy cookbooks. But in California, bucketfuls of the vibrant berries litter the ground all fall and winter, sometimes considered a nuisance by the gardener who has to rake them all up.

It almost seems a food crime to let heaps of peppercorns lay forgotten when just a few miles away, they command upwards of $10 an ounce at specialty spice shops — and here in a suburban backyard, they...

Five Things Friday

The five little things that made my week…

1. Starting the week with a relaxing retreat to Two Harbors on Catalina Island. Sunny and warm with water we could swim in (as long as we had our spring suits on). This is November on the island, and this is why I love California.

2. The backside of Catalina Island, after hiking across the isthmus.

3. I adore the things gardeners can do in tight spaces, like this urban parkway garden in San Francisco.

4. This beautifully set table with a gooseber...

Bloody Dock: Not As Macabre As It Sounds

I am a fan of the year-round herb garden. While plants like parsley and cilantro may come and go with the seasons, I can always count on a small plot of perennials to thrive when nearly everything else is starting from seed or starting to seed.

Just outside my kitchen door I tend to the standard Mediterranean herbs (basil — the African Blue variety is a non-seeding hybrid that grows all year — rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, and mint) as well as varieties you’re not likely to find in a marke...