I had so much fun styling the picnic set-ups, (as you can see from the photos). There were so many great props! How might you get those same amazing props, you ask? Well, the prize of the Lundberg Family Farms’ Pin-It-To-Win-It contest is a lovely picnic set-up of your own, you can see the details here but basically there will be four winners for each of the four flavors of Multigrain Chips (Shasta Chipotle Lime, Mendocino Tomato and Herb, Redwood Barbecue, Mojave JalapeƱo), and four corresponding awesome picnic baskets full of stuff to go with them (think Diana cameras, woven blankets, gorgeous picnic baskets, and fun serve ware). To enter, you just need to follow Lundberg Farms on Pinterest, create a picnic board on Pinterest and include #PicnicWithaView and @LundbergFarms in the captions of your pins, and make sure to fill out the entry form here. I made an example board if you want to take a peek at it. Best of luck to all of you!!!
On a personal note, we made it into Portland yesterday afternoon safe and sound. The first couple hours in the new new place were rough, though, because we thought we lost Gabel in the middle of moving everything into the house. We’d left him in an upstairs bedroom, but I’d opened a closet in the hall upstairs and left it open, not realizing that hall closet is shared with the bedroom he was in and the door to the closet was open in the bedroom. So basically like a passageway to the hall. When I went up to feed him and saw he was gone, I promptly freaked out and cried. We looked everywhere in the new place, trying to find any nook or cranny he could have been in and didn’t find him so we concluded he must’ve snuck out the side door while we had it open to bring in boxes. We thought we heard a meow coming from these gigantic bushes across the street, so I sat in front of them in a lawn chair and yoga pants shaking a bag of cat food like a crazy person for an hour trying to lure him out. (Hello, new neighbors.)
Eventually I went upstairs to do another house check, and I noticed that the creepy tiny side attic door (y’all know the kind of door I’m talking about) in the master bedroom was cracked open. I’d looked there before and so had Jeremy, but when I opened the door there he was, staring up at me. Gabel’s gotten really good at opening cabinets over the years, so he must have opened the attic door because neither of us had opened it, and closed it behind him (yes, he has learned to close cabinets so he can hide in them undiscovered). Him being able to open and close small but lightweight doors was definitely a first. We think we didn’t see him because just exposed wood in the attic space, so he must’ve been curled up between the slats and when we poked our heads in with our flashlights we didn’t see him from that angle because the wood was blocking him. So yes, a very crazy way to start the move in process, but in the end I am so SO relieved that he was fine and in the house the whole time. Do you have any crazy moving stories? If so, do tell! I don’t want to feel like I’m the only one who almost lost their mind during a move, because man those things are stressful.
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| Foggy snapshot from Mendocino |
But aside from that hiccup, everything else is going pretty well so far. Just slowly unpacking what we can and figuring out where to put things once we’re done tearing apart the kitchen. Oh! I may not have mentioned, we’re going to be remodeling the kitchen during the month of July so that will be…interesting. And by that I mean I won’t have a kitchen for a month and am still not quite sure what I’m going to do with myself. I just keep telling myself that at the end of it all I’ll have a kitchen that isn’t from 1974 complete with beige formica countertops, matching refrigerator, and a vintage electric stove and range that I’m slightly terrified of(they are so old I am afraid the wiring on them won’t work anymore and I’ll burn down the kitchen if I turn them on.) So out they’ll go and with a bit of elbow grease the whole space should be much more cooking-friendly and well worth the out-of-commision time.And at least while it’s being remodeled I can still make things like this, my dad’s garlic hummus recipe. I added in some rosemary because I thought it would round out the sharpness of the garlic nicely, and it was a fine addition. This hummus is legit, you guys. This isn’t store-bought ‘garlic’ hummus, this is Greek garlic hummus, and when Greeks say there’s garlic in something you know they’re not messing around (if you’ve ever had tzitziki you know what I mean). There’s also a good amount of lemon juice, a dash of vinegar, and a ton of olive oil. The texture of this hummus is a bit less thick than the hummus you’re using to having at the store, it’s more dippable than spreadable at times, and I prefer the texture that way. Peanut butter-thick hummus just isn’t my thing, if it’s yours, though, you can just skip adding the water so your hummus stays nice and dense. Either way, it’s going to taste very similar. So on the upcoming hot summer days when you just want a cool snack and aren’t going to be around people for a few hours (or have a toothbrush handy), definitely give this recipe a try. I promise you it will be more than worth the garlic breath.
Garlic and Rosemary Hummus
Ingredients
- 3 15 oz cans garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 7 cloves of garlic peeled
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
Instructions
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Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor until relatively smooth. Serve immediately
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and refrigerate any leftovers.
Wow, what an awesome opportunity! And your photos are so awesome; best scenery ever! Oh and also? The hummus looks so delicious!
Sues
Thanks so much Sues!!
OMG, the cat story is such a shocker. I have two cats my own and we only have a small place but whenever I don't find them I completely freak out and think that they might have jumped from the balcony (we live on the 37th floor) or escaped through the hallway when I brought out the trash. Usually they just sit hidden somewhere and once I found one inside our trash bin.
Kati from black.white.vivid.
Oh lord, if I had that balcony I'd be constantly worried about the exact same thing! Hiding in the trash bin is new haha, but I bet if it was empty my cat would enjoy hopping in, too!
Your picnic photos are insane!
I have a cat and she find a new place to hide every day and freaked me out when didn't come when I ask her and I can't see her everywhere.
The hummus looks great!
Carpet cleaning Croydon
Thanks so much, Heather! Yeah not being able to find your pet is no fun at all.
So happy for you that you moved where you wanted to be and that you didn't lose your cat in the process!!! I can imagine how stressful it was when you thought he went outside in the place he doesn't know! I have so many similar stories with my Bella who I had for 6 years, she was completely deaf and very very curious so I can't tell you how many times we rescued her from all kinds of troubles, like once she fell down (yes literally fell down, in front of our eyes) from our terrace to the neighbor's back of the house area, maybe 10 meters deep and she couldn't climb back up the wall (of course the neighbors were not home but traveling!) so we came up with a plan to put down a basket using a rope, with some of her favorite food in it and that's what we did but she just looked at it for more than an hour terrified and didn't want to move an inch! Yelling and calling didn't help as she was deaf so in the end we used a flashlight to show her with the light where she was supposed to go and surprise, surprise that's exactly what she did! Entered the basket and came back (or should I say up) home! š
Oh my gosh I can't believe the cat actually went in the basket!!! That is pretty amazing, I think that as soon as the basket started to move back my cat would have freaked out and abandoned ship. He's not one of those cats that like high up places haha. But man how terrifying to actually watch them fall from the terrace, I'm sure your heart must have dropped to your stomach. So glad kitty came out okay!!
This is so fun! I love the styling of the different scenes! When we moved to the coast, the part I worried about the most was making the 1.5 hour drive with the cat in the car. The cat will make a mess (you know what kind) in 10 minutes in a car. Usually when she needed to go to the vet or something, Kevin and I both went because handling a gross cat in a car is not a one person job. But Kevin needed to drive the moving truck, so I had to drive the cat. We got that pheromone spray and just loaded up my car and the cat carrier with it, and the cat loved it! All that worry for nothing š I'm glad you, your husband, your things and your pets are all in Portland in one piece!
Thank you so much, my dear!! And aaaaaggghhh driving in the car with the cat is the worst, but that is awesome that the pheromone spray worked! I drove up with my cat the whole way from LA to Portland and he did have an accident on my yoga mat (aka goodbye yoga mat), but eventually figured out that it was okay to use the little litter box I set up for him in the front passenger foot area. He mostly slept in my lap the whole time, luckily, but every once in a while would let out a frustrated meow. He's really liking the new house though, especially the low windows, so all is good! š
These images are GORGEOUS. Such a modern vibe to a traditional picnic. Seriously, bravo! And while at death's door no less! So, first Sequoia gives you all strokes while away and now Gabel goes and tries to disappear on you. Dang! Haha! So happy to hear in the end that they are safe and sound and that you have all made it to Portland in one piece. I can't wait to come over and to hang out with you! AH! It doesn't seem real!
Thanks so much Jade! Yeah that was a crazy few days, I definitely want to go back to those locations sometime now that I'm healthy so I can really enjoy them š You will definitely have to come over soon and see the new place, it's even bigger than I remembered and you can finally meet the pup, too!!
Wow these photos are incredible!! I especially love the shot at Joshua Tree as I was just out there visiting not too long ago. That place is seriously magical.
XO SHERRIE
Thank you so very much, Sherrie!! Joshua tree is seriously amazing, there is no other scenery like that on earth. I really want to go back in the fall and do some camping when the weather is a bit less intense š
Love these photos! If I could I would live off of hummus.
Haha, same!! Hummus is so delicious, and wonderfully filling š
Glad to hear you made it safe and sound. And that kitty was found unscathed! This sounds delicious. I'm a garlic girl, so I'm all over it.
Awww thanks Mindy!! I was so, so relieved. I've had him for about 6 years now so thinking I'd lost him was quite a crazy event. I love the little guy so much.
Ok, that hummus just looks INCREDIBLE! and when I first read about Gabrielle, I thought you were talking about a child and had a minor freakout lols but happy your furry family member didn't run away!!
Love your blog!
xo, laura
what an amazing opportunity and beautiful shoot.
i. love. hummus. while plain hummus is good enough, i do like some variety from time to time and this batch is terrific!
NO Tahini in your recipe?
Love love love! Where is that little backpack from. So adorable.
Just made this for a belated Galentine’s day, and it is absolutely delicious. Just what we were looking for. Thank you so much!
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