When I am faced with making a big emotional decision I first have to get calm before I can get still. So what do I do to quiet my mind and calm my heart? I cook.

Hi my name is Ginna, and I am addicted to cookbooks. This is a serious cry for help. You see today I purchased cookbook number 4. No 4 is not the total number of cookbooks I have purchased in my life time, please. I passed that mark at 10. No today made #4 in four weeks. This is a record rate of cookbook purchasing, even for me.

The funny thing is, I rarely set out to actually buy a cook book. It just seems to happen. Like four weeks ago when I went to Homegoods looking for a hostess gift for a friend. I left the store without a hostess gift, but with a copy of Mario Batali’s Simple Italian Food. Some how they find me. The cookbooks I mean. They just seem to appear before my eyes and invite me in like an old friend and say, “Come in. Sit. Eat.”

Last night this very thing happened as I was shopping for a new Frenchpress at Williams Sonoma. I was scanning the shelves for the proper replacement, but did not see what I was looking for.

“This one makes 8 cups and is a very popular brand,” the helpful sales person seemed to materialize out of thin air.

I feigned a smiled and nodded, but I was looking for one of those cute one cuppers.

“That’s really all I need,” I explained.

I stood in front of the shelf filled with coffee makers a bit longer. Hoping to see something my eye had previously missed. And then, I started to wonder. It had been a long time since my last visit to a Williams Sonoma store and as I gazed upon the colored enamel coated Le Creuset cookware, I began to wonder why I had not allowed myself this simple yet indulgent feeling pleasure.

“This store could easily cure a case of the mean reds.” I thought. Yes Williams Sonoma is my Tiffany’s. “Nothing bad could ever happen to me here.”

With that thought and Molto Batali Simple Family Meals tucked under my arm, I began to understand my addiction.

“Nothing bad could ever happen to me here between these pages either.”

That night I prepared one of the first recipes in the book, Spaghetti with toasted breadcrumbs and Oregano, and like with every recipe I made some slight changes to make it my own. And as I did through every step, from frying the garlic to placing the warmed plate topped with pasta on the kitchen table, I felt like I was hugged by a blanket made of gold.

Spaghetti with Toasted Breadcrumbs and Oregano

What you need:

1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (I used Italian style Panko)
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons of fresh oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 pounds of spaghetti
Hot red pepper flakes

Bring 8 quarts of water to a boil in a pasta pot.
While water is heating combine 1/4 cup of the oil and the garlic in a 14″ saute pan, and cook over medium-low heat until garlic turns just light golden brown. Remove pan from the heat and allow it to sit.
Pour remaining 1/4 cup of oil into a separate 12-14 inch saute pan set over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until they are dark golden brown (3-5 minute-take your time). Remove from the heat and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Add oregano and parsley, and mix thoroughly.
When the water comes to a boil, add 2 tablespoons of salt. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook it for one minute less than the package instructions indicate. Just before the pasta is done, carefully ladle 1/2 cup of the cooking water into the pan containing the garlic and oil.
Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and add it to the an containing the oil and garlic. Toss over medium heat for about 30 seconds, until nicely coated. Then add half of the toast breadcrumb mixture to the spaghetti and toss until mixed well. Pure Spaghetti into a warmed bowl and serve immediately, with the remaining toasted breadcrumbs on the side.
This dish gets no cheese! Season only with more black pepper and some red pepper flakes. I topped mine with the zest of one lemon and in my opinion, it made the dish even better. Sorry Mario

Simon Sinek - What do you believe?

How leaders inspire action – Simon Sinek via TED.com

- Barbara Ziel via RicherLife.com

- Barbara Ziel via RicherLife.com

Flatweave rug by Madeline Weinrib room by Hillary Thomas Designs

I love a flatweave rug.

As seen in House Beautiful - now in stock from 27ground.com 8x10 and 9x12

I love it’s thin profile and the causal but pulled together look they bring to a room.

Just the right amount of color - Heathered Flatweave now in stock 27ground.com

For more information on the flatweave rugs above email info@27ground.com

Fried egg heaven - via apartmenttherapy.com

I wanted to try something different however, and not just lean on my go to fried eggs with truffle oil and toast. I needed something warm. I needed something comforting. I needed something that felt like a hug, and for me that is always soup.

Creamy Tomato Soup with Fried Egg

1/2 sweet onion chopped
2 garlic clovers minced
1 pinch of Thyme
I can of crushed or strained tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
1/2 carrot shredded
3 tbsp pf butter
1/4 cup whole mike

in a large pot heat 2 tbsp of butter. Add Onion and garlic and cook over medium low heat for about 8 minutes. Add carrots and Thyme and cook for another five. Add tomatoes and equal parts water and bring to a boil then back down to a simmer for 10-20 minutes.

Meanwhile in a not stick pan heat the remaining tbsp of butter. Add 1 egg as butter starts to bubble and reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper and cover to cook threw for 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the egg. top with grated gruyere cheese and a drizzle of truffle oil.

http://www.laprovencecafe.com/

add 1/4 of whole milk to you tomato soup and bring back to a simmer. Potion out into bowls, top with egg and serve with french baguette. (I like my baguette to be crispy on the outside and light and airy on the inside. My favorite baguette in LA is available at La Provence on Olympic and Le Peer)

My Winnie

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The
other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in
the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it
becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically
pleasing in the slightest.

Zebra wood dog bowl

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help
because I fall faster than you can run.

I can run faster than you

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry
about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to
ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a
ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to
each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know
that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on
the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

Sleepy DOG

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If,
by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it
is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get
your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit
through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the
bathroom for years – canine/feline attendance is not required.

What's taking you so long in there? - From Habitually Chic

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, THEN go smell the
other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message
on the front door:

How could you not love this face!

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:
(1) They live here. You don’t.
(2) If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the
furniture. That’s why they call it ‘fur’-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters
who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don’t speak clearly.

He said it all

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
(1) eat less,
(2) don’t ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don’t hang out with drug-using people;
(7) don’t smoke or drink,
(8) don’t want to wear your clothes,
(9) don’t have to buy the latest fashions and electronics,
(10) don’t need a gazillion dollars for college, and
(11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

Now Smile

The Mondrian Typewriter by Kashah Mod

Modrian Original

I am loving the Artist Series of restored typewriters by Kashah Mod.

The Basquiat Typewriter by Kashah Mod

Basquiat - One of my favorite artists of all time and he was also a Brooklyn Boy

I guess great design really does start with great ART.

The Bansky by Kashah Mod

Banksy - you know how I feel about my street art xoxo

Murakami by Kashah Mod

Murakami - both fashion foward and fashionable