all the mess and clutter, yelling and frustration, sounds and smells, comfort and familiarity of home.  i'll miss you

...because im a little bit obsesssed 

Favorites, new and old

berkeley. the cheeseboard. cafe fanny. rugelach.

 oh how I've missed you, sf boutiques.  ive made my obligatory visit to several of my go-to shopping meccas (ambiance, therapy) in addition to wandering into the hoards of other fab shops along valencia and noe. im trying to absorb as much funk and style as possible before i enter fashion hibernation in my city of beige suits and commuter shoes. im hoping my new purchase glow lasts me through my soon-to-be imposed spending freeze come january...

                                                                                         *I've never seen the family resemblance

I've come to accept (and love) that my semi annual visits to sf tend to revolve around eating. and lots of it. between visiting my favorite haunts, homecooked meals and trying the latest restaurant du jour, there arent enough spandex-wasted pants in the world to accommodate the marathon eating.

This year, i'm piling on the food festivities with belated birthday dinners, friend potlucks, holiday meals and impromptu brunches. i've even managed to squeeze in a meet-and-greet meal with the bro's gf in between the string of chrismukkah breakfast lunch and dinners. 

I may come back a few belt loops looser, but isnt that what new years resolutions are for anyway??

 One of my favorite christmas traditions: making the perennial holiday favorite karjalanpiirakkas with my pops (klingon-esque finnish pastries). We don our favorite aprons, set up our flour and folding stations and have at the endless rolls of rye dough, stuffing each soon-to-be pastry with riisi. Over the years, we've each developed our own styles - my dad's piirakkas tend to look more like the traditional wide and flat pastries while mine...I like to call 'mountainous.' We always put on a quality movie to watch while toiling away (past favorites include the classics Crocodile Dundee and Overboard-we have a soft spot for 80s movies TBS airs on loop)*If you haven't seen either of these two movies go out and rent them immediately. This year my dad surprised me with something a bit more modern, 2004's blockbuster extraordinaire Hidalgo. Viggo Mortensen is no Goldie Hawn, but I'm sucker for a good underdog story.

 in my favorite city by the bay and loving it! ready to indulge in caffeine binges + feline cuddle sessions + homecooked meals + west coast relaxation

Tony Bennett -I left my Heart in San Francisco

Back home in San Francisco for the holidays.

Disclaimer: I apologize in advance for the funky formatting, the new blogger platform is impossible 

5 simple steps to hosting a multicultural holiday party

Step 1. Brush up on your old finnish family recipes and whip up a vat of riisipuuro *in the absence of an actual double burner, woks work wonders! **leave yourself FOUR hours to let the milk absorb

Step 2: Be considerate. For all of your dairy-challenged friends, make sure you have plenty of lactaid on hand

Step 3: Make laktes. Jazz it up with sweet potatoes instead of plain old potatoes

Step 3: Set the mood. Think candles & music * candles can also double as your menorah

Party season mini indie playlist  
Young the Giant - My Body
Discovery - Swing Tree
Frenech Soler - Demons
Dom - Living in America
Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
TV on the Radio - Will Do





Step 4: Enjoy!