Posted by missjunebug on May 14, 2013
Crepes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
missjunebug and her trusty Mr.JB enjoyed a field trip recently to Santa Barbara in search of a taste of France. missjunebug thought it would be the perfect Mother’s Day treat for her, and Mr.JB really had no choice since it was Mother’s Day after all! They recently returned from a fab trip to Paris, and they were beginning to miss the fine French cuisine, especially savory crêpes!
missjunebug just googled Ventura County + crêpes and Pacific Crêpes rose to the top of the Google search. The P.C. website is very helpful: menus, location, hours, even a cool story in the news about the history of the restaurant and a little bit about the French family who brought Pacific Crêpes into being!
If you find yourself in need of a change of food pace from the usual breakfast, lunch, or dinner, check out Pacific Crêpes. missjunebug highly recommends the delicious La Francaise with two over easy eggs, Swiss cheese, and ham, folded up along the edges to perfectly contain all that savory goodness. They brew up an awesome cappuccino, too! The ambience is French bistro-ish and even has a couple of tables for al fresco dining. What a fun food find! What a great place to enjoy it!
Pacific Crêpes is located at 705 Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara. Call 805-882-1123 for ressies and show up from 9-9 Saturday, 9-3 Sunday, or Monday-Friday 10-3 and 5:30 to 9. Like all true French, the staff takes a break and has a life!
Posted by missjunebug on May 11, 2013
English: jkklglh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
missjunebug re-read her previous Mother’s Day posts and came away thinking she’d covered her feelings about this holiday pretty well. The take-away?
She loves being a mom! It’s that simple! She loves her two rad kids ElderJB and TinyJB! It has been an honor and a privilege to help raise these boys along with Mr.JB’s invaluable love and guidance.
The only thing she regrets is that just when they become their most interesting (and entertaining) as young adults, ElderJB and TinyJB fly the proverbial coop and nest elsewhere! But then that is the beauty part of the plan as her dear, departed JBDad would say. The JBParentals have done their job and the said kids answer to themselves, making their way in the wider world pretty much on their own.
missjunebug is thankful for a connected world of emails, texts, e-cards, phone calls (by land, by cell, by FaceTime, by Skype) that are available for moms to communicate with their hatchlings on a regular basis! And for those of you who live close to your children (luck by design!) good on you; missjunebug is a little jealous, but she knows that is not in the cards for her at least right now. Who knows what the future holds?
So Happy Mother’s Day to all you devoted moms! Stay connected, but maybe stay out of the way, too! Birds gotta fly! Children gotta grow and go!
Posted by missjunebug on May 4, 2013
Bread perfected: The croissant! Photo by mjb2013
missjunebug has been busy lately traveling, returning home, regrouping, doing laundry, catching up with bill paying, etc., etc., the usual maintenance post travel, but she’s also been thinking about some recommendations she’d like to share with you.
So here goes:
Download (and pay for!) Justin Timberlake‘s new album 20/20. It is the best music to walk to missjunebug has come across in a long time (and dance to, too!). The songs are stellar and many great ones await you beyond “Suit and Tie.” which you’ve probably already heard about 100 times by now. (missjunebug still loves “S&T” no matter how many times she’s heard it.) And truth be told she has a big crush on J.T. She hearts him BIGTIME. Lucky Jessica Biel. Seriously.
Check out anything written by Tim Ferriss. This guy has got it going on with his Four Hour protocols. Currently missjunebug and members of her dear fam are reading The Four-Hour Chef, The Four-Hour Body, and plan to read The Four-Hour Work Week. missjunebug really doesn’t need The Four-Hour Work Week, since her work week is even less than that! Ha! Seriously, these books are so smart, so entertaining, and so helpful you will not be disappointed!. T.F. is a phenom.
Read anything written by Julian Barnes. Right now. Really. Go get one of his books. He is one smart Brit. missjunebug recommends The Sense of an Ending and Levels of Life. Okay, missjunebug has actually only read The Sense of an Ending and Levels of Life, but she plans to read all of his books a.s.a.p. because she’s sure the others are equally great!
Eat some croissants. They are so yummy: crunchy, buttery, layers of delicious bready air! How did the French ever come up with these? Beyond brilliant. missjunebug recommends that you eat these in Paris for the best croissant experience ever! And after you eat some croissants, make yourself some crepes. They are super easy to make using Krusteaz pancake mix and a great crepe pan. missjunebug recommends a made-in-France de Buyer which makes crepe making super fun. Of course, you can make crepe batter from scratch, but the Krusteaz is easy peasy and delicious. Just make sure if you are following the The Four-Hour Body eating plan (which you will be after reading Tim Ferriss’s book) that you save these for your 7th day where you can eat whatever you want! Vive la France and vive Tim Ferriss!
Speaking of Paris, missjunebug recommends checking out travelingprofessor.com for excellent travel trips and guided tours in France, Italy, and South America. They are reasonably priced, informative, not too touristy, and fun, fun, fun. missjunebug and her Mr.JB just returned from a week in Paris and a few days in Normandy. It really pays to get to know a city by spending time in it as opposed to a quick cruise-port-of-call fly by in a tourist bus. missjunebug has done both and she’s likes the get-to-know-where-you-are-for-awhile walkabout much better!
Whew! That’s about it for recs for now!
Posted by missjunebug on April 5, 2013
Creativity is Not Device Dependent (Photo credit: eliztesch)
missjunebug has been thinking about creativity lately thanks to a Wall Street Journal article she read recently. She learned a few things and she had a few of her own ideas about creativity confirmed. The insight that missjunebug applauded is also the one she finds most personally relatable: creativity thrives in transitional times.
What are some of those transitional times?
Walks from here to there
Showers to prepare you for the rest of your day
Relaxing baths
A quick run or a leisurely jog
Waking
Falling asleep
missjunebug has a vivid memory from high school where she spent the evening grinding out trigonometry problems. She got stuck on one, gave up, went to sleep, and the next morning Voilà! She had the answer! This was close to missjunebug’s last taste of success in math altogether, but that was one heady moment for her! (She still thanks Mr. Clay for his infinite patience!). More recently, in fact a day or two ago, while she was finishing up a shower, she got the first six lines of her “In Not Of” poem that she grew into a finished piece in no time! Creativity can be elusive, but if you take the time to tap into these transitional times, missjunebug guarantees you some very creative flow!
Other creativity creators?
Try walking away from the problem to arrive at a quick solution: too much focused concentration can block creativity.
Have a relaxing glass of wine or two. Down a cold Stella and let the creative times roll!
Let your mind wander where it wants. It will often arrive at a much more creative place where you will find new inspiration for your project or problem.
Finally, in coincidental keeping with the Pantone Color of the Year 2013: Emerald, gaze at some green, that promising color of renewal and growth, to get your creative juices flowing! According the WSJ “Students with green test-cover pages gave more creative answers than those whose pages were white, blue, red, or gray.” Maybe colleges need to ditch the Blue Books for green ones!
mjbTip: Relax into your creativity!
Posted by missjunebug on April 3, 2013
"Touchdown Jesus" at the University of Notre Dame. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
missjunebug doesn’t often quote from other blog postings but in keeping with her spiritually themed entries during Easter week (three in a series, this being the final final), she has found a reflection on the University of Notre Dame’s FaithND website that bears repeating. Out of the mouths of babes they say comes wisdom and Ms. Veselik (’14) proves the proverb with this inspiring insight:
In this blur, I often lose sight of Jesus walking beside me, just as the men on the road to Emmaus did. In the middle of the pile of papers, emails, and deadlines, I often forget to look for the ways God might be walking right beside me. In the midst of all of the chaos, my roommates and I have established a nighttime tradition, a way for each of us to reflect back and recognize where Jesus has been walking with us that day. Every night before bed, Molly, Allie, Maddie, and I each list three things that we are thankful for that day. Some days the lists go on and on, other days we have to search deeper. Over time, I have realized that during my day, things happen that make me think, “Oh, I will have to include this in ‘thankfuls’ tonight.” I have begun to be more attentive to the ways—big and small—that God is present in my life every day.
A lot of the time I am like the men on the road to Emmaus, completely oblivious to the fact that Jesus is walking right next to me, failing to see the good in the everyday. Yet, in those few minutes of reflection every day, I have become more attentive to Jesus walking alongside me and more thankful for the ways that God presents himself to me on a daily basis.
Mary Kate Veselik ‘14
Now whether or not Jesus is your Homeboy, missjunebug is sure you can appreciate the value of Mary Kate’s roommate ritual of “Thankfuls.” No better way to end the day. No clearer path to appreciating the blessings of this day and every day. missjunebug plans to try out her own “Thankfuls” and is pretty sure she can come up with three a day.
Why not join her? She’d be thankful for the company!
Posted by missjunebug on March 31, 2013
Food Hall Plaza Hotel NYC Easter Bunny, Hunny! Photo by mjb2013
missjunebug wishes you a Happy Easter! Happy Spring! Happy Life!
May the E.B. be good to you and bring you lots of velvety chocolate rabbits (eat the ears first) and daffodil-yellow peeps (these keep forever!) in your Easter basket. Dye eggs! Hide eggs! Find eggs! Make deviled eggs! (Check out missjunebug’s fab recipe on this very website!)
Eat brunch! Drink champagne! Feast on glazed ham and roasted asparagus! Embrace family and friends and pets! Enjoy the delights of this earthly life!
The beauty of the season and her tiny place on the planet inspired missjunebug to wax poetic and spiritual, a little rhyme-y, but a little serious, too!
For your consideration:
In Not Of
Hearts look above,
Hands work below.
Human beings:
God’s dream.
A sun rises, sets;
Flesh, blood
Shed red regrets.
Hearts look within,
Hands pray to mend
What can’t be mended.
In not of
God’s Son Rises
Wrapped in love.
Hearts look above,
Hands work below,
Souls stir, then know.
Posted by missjunebug on March 29, 2013
Pietro Lorenzetti fresco detail, Assisi Basilica, 1310-1329. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
missjunebug’s thoughts take a serious turn on this day of days: Good Friday, the day that marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. She hopes you take a moment to observe in thought or prayer, deed or meditation this momentous and historic event. But she will leave that to you.
What missjunebug still marvels at is another part of the story, a quieter part, but no less momentous. Consider these lines from John:
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
John 19:25-27
Jesus facing down the specter of human death, an agonizing one that loomed before him in the shape of a cross, Jesus, questioned, scourged, accused, accursed, remains mindful of his earthly responsibilities to his mother Mary and commits Mary to John’s care and John to Mary’s.
What’s so good about Good Friday? The love of a son for a mother, the love of a prophet for his disciple breaking through impending darkness reminding all of us of the light of God’s unconditional love for us and our charge to take care of each other, love one another, and walk together toward the light.
Posted by missjunebug on March 21, 2013
New York City Nightscape. Photo by mjb2013
missjunebug had the time of her life on a recent trip to New York City, her first! She learned a few things about making her way in the Big Apple. Here’s her Top Ten Travel Tips NYC:
1. Go with a friend who has visited there before! missjunebug can’t stress this enough. Her P.I.T. (Partner in Travel!) helped missjunebug organize a delightful trip itinerary, navigate the subway, and find some awesome places to eat! She can’t thank her enough for the fun times they shared. Plus she had a flawless sense of direction, no small thing in a big, big city!
2. Forego the bottled water and drink the tap water. It is so good! And this is from a missjunebug who loves her San Pellegrino! missjunebug learned from the locals that New Yorkers owe their refreshing water to the filtration system the city uses. So drink up!
3. Grab a copy of The Best Things to Do in New York 1001 Ideas by Caitlin Leffel and Jacob Lehman, an indispensable guide to what to see, do, drink, eat, and play at in The Big Apple. This book is savvy and super helpful. Consider the description of the shopping experience at Bergdorf Goodman: “Look but don’t touch.” Instead of thinking about shopping there and trying things on, this guide suggests treating BG as “a museum of luxury” where the works on display can be “quite thrilling.” This pretty much captured missjunebug and her P.I.T’s experience of this sophisticated (and way, way, way pricey) retailer.
4. Speaking of retailers, better to spend time at Tiffany’s where the salespeople and the delicious jewelry pieces are perfect and perfectly approachable and purchasable! Nothing quite like that little beribboned blue box filled with a silvery delight from Floor 3!
5. Take time for a visit to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side that takes the museum-goer back in time to the turn of the century immigrant experience! The tour guides are top notch and the building itself, housing the museum’s tenement rooms is captivating, historic, and transporting. Don’t miss this museum!
6. Allow plenty of time for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is, in a word, awesome. missjunebug and her P.I.T. spent their time in the Egyptian wing, the Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity exhibit, and Matisse In Search of True Painting, a special exhibition that just concluded. The only downer was having to wait half an hour to be seated in the Met’s cafe for lunch. missjunebug and her P.I.T. were ravenous by the time they were seated, but all ended well as the food was delish. Be prepared to navigate the crowds viewing the art, shopping in the museum’s store, and eating at the cafes.
7. Take in a show! missjunebug recommends Tennesse William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Scarlet Johannson at the Richard Rodgers Theater. As one critic said, “A four-alarm urgency infuses every breath that Scarlett Johansson takes.” Tru dat. This girl is on fi-ya! Of course, there are plenty of great musicals to choose from, but in missjunebug’s opinion, nothing beats a good drama, well staged and well acted. Cat was all that and more.
8. Get the app iTrans NYC to help you navigate New York City’s awesome subway system. (Thanks to lunch buddy Sharon S. for this brilliant tip!)It is totally doable if you’re not afraid to get on the wrong train every once in a while and you don’t mind ending up in Brooklyn! Seriously, the app didn’t do this to missjunebug and her P.I.T.; questionable train advice from the info booth operator did! Just know the subway is the absolute best and most reasonably priced way to get around the city. And it’s tons of fun. Expect delightful entertainment for free! Well-tuned musicians hop on the trains and give impromptu concerts and promote the websites featuring their music.
9. Choose a hotel in a central location. It really pays to be in Midtown, in the thick richness of the city. Consider Hyatt on 57th Street, part of the Hilton HHonors time share. If you have a timeshare, check for reciprocity with this location–it’s an absolute steal for the timeshare points invested. This Midtown location was between 6th and 7th Avenues, a stone’s throw from Central Park and near some delightful eateries including the famous Carnegie Deli, Magnolia Bakery, Trattoria Dell’Arte, and Rue 57.
10. Grab a New York City Pass to experience the city fully! You can purchase the Pass ahead of time and use it for the fab Circle Line Tour on the Hudson and East Rivers as well as various museums and the not-to-be-missed Empire State Building for a total of six separate admissions. Convenient, economical, and your ticket to city fun and flair! Add a Greenwich Village Food Tour and you are good to go NYC style!
missjunebug hopes you don’t wait as long as she did to get to the famous, fabulous, fantastic New York City!
Posted by missjunebug on March 7, 2013
Al Fresco Dessert! Perfect! Photo by mjb2013
missjunebug and a dear friend made their way from SoCali suburbia to a hipper, cooler, vibe-ier locali: Aroma Coffee and Tea Company. What fun! And what fine food.
missjunebug is on a mission to try every tuna melt she meets up with on the menus of her restaurants of choice. Aroma’s Tuna Melt with swirly black and white rye bread, yummy tomatoes, and delicious tuna fishes did not disappoint. missjunebug’s friend had an Asian noodle-y salad that looked exotic and colorful.
The Aroma menu is complex, interesting, and it offers breakfast fare and a fair amount of lunch and dinner items that you just can’t go wrong in choosing. missjunebug found the Buenos Dias, Los Angeles! section particularly intriguing but she passed on the enticing South of the Border flavor in her on-going pursuit of the Perfect Tuna Melt!
After the meal, missjunebug and her dear friend made their way back to the pastry case that graces the entrance to the charming restaurant, an erstwhile home with vintage touches and many tucked away, comfy tables in which to enjoy a fresh repast. Her friend ordered the Princess cake, a many-layered, custardy delight; missjunebug made a beeline to the Bee Cake. Believe missjunebug when she says It be good!
The next time you want to escape the fast food joints, the burger stops, and the other links in the restaurant chain, hop in your car and head down to Aroma Coffee and Tea Company for delicious food and fun. You’ll find them at 4360 Tujunga Ave. Studio City, California 91604 • Ph: 818.508.0677. Hours: Mon – Sat 6am to 11pm / Sun 7am to 11pm.
When you’ve eaten your fill of fab food, take a stroll down Tujunga and pop into the local boutiques for a little shopping, window or otherwise. missjunebug found a nice pair of earrings for a nice price while her friend found a lovely handcrafted skirt.
The perfect end to a perfect day.
Posted by missjunebug on March 2, 2013
Miniature Pie, Maximum Flavor! Photo by missjunebug 2013
missjunebug woke up this morning and got a cheery, cherry idea. She had one, lone roll-up Pillsbury pie crust in her frig, and thought she better use it or lose it to the rapidly approaching expiry date. After a quick pantry forage, she found a can of that blissfully sweet Cherry Pie Filling to help her seal the deal on this Semi Delicious, Mega-Not Healthy breakfast idea.
She grabbed a pint glass–perfect round mini pie crust cutter–and managed to form eight tiny crusts, the perfect size for muffin tins. She carefully placed them in the tins and spooned in a generous dollop of cherry filling into each Mini Cheery Cherry pie-to-be. With the leftovers she cut a few lattice top strips (as easy as pie to do!) and placed them over the cherry filling in a not quite perfect woven top crust. missjunebug might even call the top crust “rustic”–that word covers over many imperfections without losing any flavor!
missjunebug popped those precious mini pies in a hot 425° oven and baked them until they were golden brown and bubbly, about 2o or so minutes. After a quick sprinkle of granulated sugar over the top–(also helpful in covering over any rustic crust imperfections!), she popped them out of muffin tins and placed them on plates for breakfast for her and her dear MrJB who was happy to help taste test her Mini Cheery Cherry Pie experiment.
What a fun way to start the day: A cold glass of 1% milk (missjunebug is, of course, always watching her calories!) and a Mini Cheery Cherry Pie…or two. Double delicious! The next time you find yourself with a lone roll-out pie crust, turn it into the mini pies of your choice! Super easy to make. Super delicious to eat.
missjunebug will think about eating Mega-Healthy tomorrow.
MiniPie in a Muffin Tin: Oh. Pie. Yes. Photo by mjb2013
