trace's

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cocoa brownies with browned butter and walnuts

After a beautifully sunny weekend in Los Angeles, I'm feeling back to full health and ready for the week ahead. What better way to celebrate being part of the human race again, than with chocolate? These brownies have a rich, complex flavor created by the combination of natural unsweetened cocoa and browned butter . Easy to make, they're both comfort food and a gourmet treat all at the same time. Recipe: Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

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fireplace refurbish

Here's my fireplace transformation, as promised last week. While I didn't hate the old, dark version (above right), it was dated and a little more rustic than I was looking for.  The rocks weren't real, they were painted Disneyland-style fakes. The new look (above left) is made up of textured limestone tile, laid in a brick pattern with no grout so it looks like stacked blocks of stone. I must have looked at hundreds of options before deciding to go…

organize your photos

My old photo albums are falling to pieces. Pictures slip out whenever the albums are moved, which is not often. The pages have lost their 'stick', and the covers are falling off. Of course, every picture I've taken during the past ten years is digital and I look at both the hard copies and the digital ones about the same number of times...never. How best to store and display them all? Back up photos - I've been backing-up my digital…

shrimp and sausage jambalaya

This delicious Creole dish is a staple at my place. You can adjust the spices to make it as hot or mild as you like. It's a one pot dish with a base of rice, tomatoes, onions, celery, and green bell peppers. Sometimes I use chicken sausage, sometimes turkey sausage, and the recipe is from Weight Watchers, which in my book makes it guilt-free. Recipe: Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya

old fashioned blueberry cobbler

This recipe really lives up to it's name. There isn't a trendy ingredient in it. This is good old-fashioned comfort food at it's best and while it makes great use of this season's fresh blueberries, I've tried using frozen as well and it was just as good! I cut back the sugar by 1/3, because it seemed like an awful lot, but you can go either way. Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprig of mint. Recipe: Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler

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DIY window panel table linens (no sew)

I have a lot of trouble finding table cloths and runners that I find even vaguely attractive. They are generally ugly and expensive! My secret find has been these window panels from here. They are around $20 each, so it's not quite as bad when someone (usually me!) knocks a glass of red wine all over it. This panel is one where you insert a curtain rod (no grommets or tabs) so it can be used as is. Now that's…

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grilled lemon rosemary chicken

We're having a run of beautiful, hot days as summer winds down in Los Angeles. We're even enjoying some balmy nights by the beach (extremely rare here!), so I'm trying to cook outside more to avoid heating up the kitchen. While this recipe won't make it into my 'skinny food' category due to the amount of butter used, it leaves you feeling like you've eaten a light, tasty but satisfying meal and if served only with salad, you might even be…

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lentil and feta dip

Want to bring something different to the party? This lentil and feta cheese dip is quick and easy and it tastes so good! The recipe was kindly passed on to me by a friend of a friend of a friend, who's mom created it. Lentils can be hard work, but not if you find them pre-steamed, vacuum-sealed and ready to eat. This great concoction is made up of one packet of steamed lentils, one small tub of bruschetta mix, and…

stairwell style

This stairwell was one of the biggest eyesores in our house (see original photos below), before it was transformed into the loft/art gallery-style it is today. We made some big changes while essentially keeping the stairs in the same position they were before. The walls were made smooth and painted white, moldings removed, and the cracked travertine tile replaced with large format matte gray tile. We moved artwork around until it looked right and added extra lighting. The biggest change…

easy oven s’mores

Now, I'm not even pretending that I know what I'm talking about when it comes to s'mores. I hadn't heard of them until I was well into adult-hood. We don't have graham crackers in Australia and apparently our marshmallows don't stack up against the ones here. Having said that, I love them! One thing we do have back home is chocolate covered marshmallow candies, so when I saw some in Trader Joes I grabbed them and my cashier told me…