Simply J Life

Passing through…

October 26th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

It has been awhile since I have written anything here. Work has been busy. Photography has been busy. Music has been busy. Fall is here and soon it will be time to start holiday baking!!!! Where did this year go? Anyway, hope you are doing well. I will soon be trying the peach cobbler recipe that pastry chef David Benton gave me soon. Stay tuned.

Oh yeah, I got new eyeglasses. I was way overdue. The frames are made by ProDesign Denmark. I really like their frames.

The Making of a Peach Cobbler

August 27th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

Baking is one of my passions. I can make some desserts really well but my peach cobbler has never quite been to my liking. My dad made a much better cobbler. I think I first tried to make a peach cobbler when I was about 13 years old and try again every few years but have not mastered it yet.

I contacted my friend, pastry chef David Benton, to teach me how to make a really good peach cobbler. It turned out amazing and it was much less difficult than I expected. Everyone has a take on how to make peach cobbler but David made it look simple. I look forward to making a peach cobbler on my own very soon. I will definitely take photos when I do.

Please check out David’s baking at www.sugarsweetsf.com. Your taste buds will thank you!

Lake Temescal

August 27th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

I have lived in the Bay Area for 11 years but this was my first time visting Lake Temescal. It had been on my “must see” list for a couple of years. I noticed the sign for the beach house as I was recently sitting in traffic on Highway 24. I went to see Lake Temescal the next day. It is beautiful and definitely a place to visit.

The Making of Half Hearted Valentine Cookies

February 21st, 2009 § 1 comment § permalink

The Half Hearted Valentine Cookies have become my most popular cookie outside of the Christmas holiday season. It has been a few year since I have made them and I learn something new each time. For this batch, I made cookies a little thicker. The thinner cookies brown on top too quickly. Enjoy!
Half Hearted Valentine Cookies

Fox Theatre Oakland Grand Opening

February 10th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

After 10 years of work and millions of dollars in renovations, the Fox Theatre in downtown Oakland reopened on 2/5. In addition to being a music venue, the Fox Theatre is home to the Oakland School for the Arts.
I did not attend the opening gala last week, but you can click here to see photos from opening night.
For more information:
http://www.foxoakland.org/
http://www.thefoxoakland.com/

Sunday afternoon @ Lake Merritt

January 27th, 2009 § 2 comments § permalink

I got a very late start on my weekly walk around Lake Merritt which is about 3.1 miles. If I am without my camera, I can get around the lake in about 45 minutes. I remember seeing Lake Merritt for my first time in 1998 and knew that I wanted to live in Oakland.

A brand new day

January 25th, 2009 § 1 comment § permalink

Welcome President Obama!

Festival of Desserts 2008

January 10th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

These red velvet cupcakes were an absolute showstopper. They were made by friend, Marvin, for this year’s Festival of Desserts. I am hoping to get the recipe for them and I will post it here. This was the first year that we had guest desserts. I made 10 desserts, ranging from sweet potato pie to cranberry oatmeal cookies and chocolate eggnog rum cake. As always, we had ham and chicken. A great time was had by all.
Additional photos from the Festival of Desserts can be seen here. I am already cooking up ideas for Festival of Desserts 2009.

Cozy

January 10th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

I got a shot of my favorite Samoyeds relaxing at Walden Pond Book’s on Grand Avenue in Oakland. I usually stop at the bookstore on Sundays to see them after morning walk. They are adorable and very friendly.

Freshly shaved…

April 22nd, 2008 § 0 comments § permalink

I had just shaved and was inspired to take this photo by one of my flickr friends. I used a 50mm f/1.8 lens and my head is almost touching the keyboard.