Belugas, Bok Choy and Green Beans – Oh My!

beluga_lentils_poached_egg_A_House_in_the_Hills-9

Living with Farra and Juan we got totally spoiled- they have EIGHT chickens!  Which meant almost eight eggs a day- and the prettiest colors- pink, peach, blue.  It’s amazing.  And chickens are hilarious, I love the noises they make.  If we weren’t doing a “chicken share” with Farra and Juan (which involves trading avocados from our tree for their eggies) I would be trying to convince Lou to start an urban farm with me!  Ok, now for this recipe post…. beluga lentils are my jam, and eating them for brunch with a perfectly poached egg, seared bok choy and green beans with miso/tahini dressing is, well, my favorite way to eat them! (and if you don’t eat eggs I might just substitute roasted carrots or another veggie to add to what’s here.  If you have time this weekend, whip this up for Sunday brunch.  It’ll make your day!  xx- Sarah

Styling:  Farra Miron  Styling sources:  Serving Platter and bowl:  Vietri (here and here), wooden serving bowl (flipped over) Primitive Reserve 

beluga_lentils_poached_egg_A_House_in_the_Hills-7 beluga_lentils_poached_egg_A_House_in_the_Hills-2 beluga_lentils_poached_egg_A_House_in_the_Hills-8

click to read yo

Coffee with Juan – Mastering the Pour Over Brew

perfect_cup_of_coffee_a_house_in_the_hills01

As you may know, we moved in with friends after we sold our last house and before we closed on our current home.  For 6 weeks we lived with Farra, Juan and their baby (you’ve seen them all over our vacation photos and my Instagram).  And that’s Juan in the photo!  He’s the co-owner of A Miho Experience- a southern CA catering & bar company with some of the best food I’ve eaten and cocktails that make me wanna dance!  Farra and Juan are pretty much the kindest, most generous souls we’ve ever been so lucky to call friends.  Living with them in a 600 something sq ft. two bedroom house as a family of 5 (with animals bringing that tally up to 17) will forever be such a happy memory of mine!  It was chaos.  Perfectly beautiful chaos and I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.  It cemented our already solid friendship and turned us into family.

Every day I watched Juan make coffee for the household using what’s called a “pour over” method- a style of coffee brewing that allows you to have complete control over your coffee, and the ability to make every cup your perfect cup.  What I loved most about it though is the ritual.  It’s a beautiful process, and such a great way to start the day.  It’s a routine that forces you to slow down.  And, the components of it are just lovely.  I mean: that coffee brewer, that copper kettle, that glass server!  I love it all.  So for my coffee aficionados, lovers of process, kitchen nerds, folks looking for an excuse to pick up some pretty gadgets and readers who love a good looking man in an apron – this post is for you!  I asked Juan to break it all down for us.  Below you’ll find links to everything you need to get started, as well as detailed instructions on how to master this brewing process.  I promise it’s way less complicated than it looks and so much fun!  Hope you love!  xx- Sarah

Sources/Supplies:  pour over coffee brewer,  hario range server, hario copper pour over kettle, coffee, grinder, digital kitchen scale, electric tea kettle, coffee filters, sugar cube dish

perfect_cup_of_coffee_a_house_in_the_hills13 perfect_cup_of_coffee_a_house_in_the_hills12

click to read yo

Turmeric Nutmilk Tea

a_house_in_the_hills_turmeric_milk_tea-4

Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a great weekend!  It was cold and rainy here, but we accomplished the move!!!  Tonight will be our first night in the house, I cannot wait to start unpacking.  As you can imagine I’ve mentally decorated and rearranged the furniture a million times already, so to be able to get into it and see it come to life will be SO fun!

Ok, now for today’s recipe….Turmeric nutmilk tea!  It was one of those weekends when I was just chilled to the bone and nothing but warming foods and bevvies would do.  And I’m also pumping my immune system with anti-inflammatory everythings at every turn, so any way/how I can get turmeric into my system is a win.  With all of this in mind my partner in styling (and current housemate) and I whipped up this recipe and it’s AMAZING!  Sweet and grounding and rich- it hits just the right spot and is the perfect way to treat yourself.  Enjoy!  xx- Sarah

a_house_in_the_hills_turmeric_milk_tea-29a_house_in_the_hills_turmeric_milk_tea-14

click to read yo

Spicy Potato Tacos

potato_tacos_a_house_in_the_hills_22015-1-2

Yesterday at a little before 5:30 we were handed the keys to our new home!  That feeling, I swear there’s nothing like it!  As you may remember from this post, a home means the world to me and because of my colorful history I have such a deep appreciation for it.  I can’t wait to share this next house adventure with you!  Today we’ll be photographing it (for all the many “before” photos to come) and starting in on painting.  We have a long, labor intensive week before we move in on Sunday.  So I’m cooking up super easy meals like these spicy potato tacos to keep us fueled up and happy!  May I recommend them for weeknight dining when time is short and hunger is high?!  Hope you love!  xx- Sarah

potato_tacos_a_house_in_the_hills_22015-1-7 potato_tacos_a_house_in_the_hills_22015-1-5 potato_tacos_a_house_in_the_hills_22015-1-10

click to read yo

Sorrel and Potato Leek Soup

a_house_in_the_hills_sorrel_soup_-6

Hello my friends, I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing weekend!  This is a big week for us- we are set to close on our next house on Thursday (please keep us in your thoughts, the loan process with a bank these days is not the easiest process and we’re really hoping they get it together to close in time)!  I’m so excited to share it with you, I have pretty much the same feeling that I do the weeks leading up to Christmas when I just want to give everyone their gifts because it’s torture waiting for the day!  In the meantime, we’re still staying with our friends.  And one of the huge perks of that is that we have access to their gardens and eggs from their chickens!  It’s convinced me that as soon as we’re settled I need to get our own garden going.  There are few things more satisfying to me than walking outside, harvesting some vegetables/herbs/fruits and then preparing a meal with them.  It’s just so incredible!

Now, for this soup!  Sorrel.  I’d never had it before and now I feel like I’ve been missing out my entire life!  If you’ve never had it, you just HAVE to track some down (it’s super easy to grow).  It has this crazy intense lemon flavor and spiciness that is so unique- I want it mixed into my salads, I want to make pesto with it, I want it in all my soups!  This particular soup was the suggestion of our friend, who had stumbled across a similar recipe in a SF farmer’s market cookbook that they think has since gone out of print (if you know the one please let me know so I can properly credit!)  It’s so light but full of flavor.  And the sorrel calms down a bit when paired with the potato and leeks- it just really sings.  As a bonus, it’s super quick to whip up!  Hope you enjoy!  xx- Sarah  {Styling: Hostess Haven}

Shop this post:  clay steamer pot QuitoKeeto, soup ladle:  Food 52, brass bowls: Tom Dixon, tea towels: Canvas Home Store, Leif Shop, salt bowl: Skultuna 1607

a_house_in_the_hills_sorrel_soup_-15 a_house_in_the_hills_sorrel_soup_-1-2

click to read yo

Cauliflower Quinoa Cakelets

a_house_in_the_hills_cauliflower_cakelets_2015-7

I think I could spend a lifetime coming up with vegetable/grain/legume combos to make into cakelets and fry up- I just LOVE them!  And these guys are no exception.  Plus they’re amazing with Tabasco or chimichurri and I love an excuse to eat either one of those.  In case you love them as much as I do, here are a few blast from the past recipes that you might enjoy as well:  Truffle Salted Purple Potato and Kale Cakes, Asparagus and Corn Cakes, Potato, Leek and Mushroom Cakelets, Chickpea Cakelets with Harissa Aioli.  They’re all so yummy and fun to eat!  I usually serve alongside a big, simple salad.  Hope you love!  xx- Sarah

a_house_in_the_hills_cauliflower_cakelets_2015-4 a_house_in_the_hills_cauliflower_cakelets_2015-9

click to read yo