We'll Miss You, Savannah!

Today, Jerome's parents had to say goodbye to their beloved long-haired Daschund, Savannah. They got Savannah as a puppy, and she remained part of the family for 14 years. In the past few weeks they had begun to notice that something wasn't right with her. She had begun losing her hearing, eye sight, and was displaying many unusual behaviors, which were not like the typically feisty dog that roamed the back yard day after day. This past weekend, things took a turn for the worst, and after a visit with the vet, Jerome's parents were told that Savannah had an incurable brain tumor. With that tragic news, it was decided that Savannah would be put to rest. It is a sad day to see little Savannah go, but we know she is in a better place. She was tiny, but full of spunk, and she will be greatly missed by our family, our pups, and her companion Smokey ( Jerome's parent's other dog, a black lab). We were hoping for better news about her condition, but we are at ease to know she is no longer suffering. I'm sure she's in heaven living it up with all the other pets and family members gone before her, eating treats galore and frolicking around; her wavy tail wagging and long ears flopping with delight.

This Isn't It: Jenneane Rocha's 30th Birthday

Our beloved Portuguese princess, Jenneane, turned the big 3-0 this past weekend, so Jerome and I jetted up to Sacramento for a fun, slightly "surprise" party. The party had "red carpet movie premiere" theme, complete with some movie posters (seen above and below), starring the one and only, Jenneane Rocha ( key art designed by Jerome, of course).

We flew up early Saturday morning into Oakland (flights were almost $100 cheaper), and rented a car with our friends George and Vanessa, who were also going to the party. From Oakland we left on our way to Sacramento. A wrong turn on the 80 took us towards San Francisco (much to my pleasure). From the Bay Bridge, we pulled off on to Yerba Buena Island and followed the windy road across to Treasure Island, which provided us some spectacular views of San Fran, the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. I was so happy to see San Fran!!! I LOVE that place. I wish we could have gone further into the city, but I am definitely happy I got a "taste" of it.

Vanessa and I

After snapping some pics we made our way back to the 80, and went onward to Sac to meet up with our friends and set up for the Party. We set up the venue (this really cool lounge in downtown Sac), then had lunch and spent some time visiting with our friends Justine and Tim, who live in Roseville. Around 7pm, we met Jenneane for drinks at our hotel bar (We stayed at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento), and then we proceeded onward to her party. At the party, Jenneane was so surprised! She knew there was a party, but did not know anything about the theme, movie posters, V.I.P passes, video, etc. Needless to say, the party was a huge success. We spent the night dancing, enjoying cocktails, a taco bar, and catching up with good friends. An no Rocha party is complete without a dance off! Jenneane and her equally entertaining brother, Brian, did not disappoint with their completely spontaneous (yet suspiciously choreographed ;) ) performance to "Palmdale" by Afroman. It was awesome!

V.I.P passes for the party guests

Jenneane and her brother, Brian, performing for the guests

Jerome and the birthday girl

Bright and early Sunday morning, Jerome and I woke up and made our way back to Oakland for our flight home. We booked an 11am flight, thinking we would be able to get home early and still do some of our usual Sunday routine (grocery shopping, laundry, pet grooming, etc.). We arrived at the Oakland airport at 9:15am, and much to our surprise, there was absolutely no one there. We were expecting the big crowds like we see at LAX and John Wayne, however they were not there. At one point, I think there was only Jerome and I, and a handful of people in the terminal. Security took less than 1 minute (no joke!), and we proceeded to our gate. Around 10:45 (our scheduled boarding time), an announcement was made that our plane was delayed (at least an hour). So much for getting home early! Instead of getting home at noon, we didn't even take off until 12:25, which got us home around 1:30. Not ideal, but still better than driving. Despite the delay, the flight was smooth and the views of the snow capped mountains next to beautiful coastline was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

One view from our plane

I had seen all the snow pictures on TV, but seeing all of the snow covered mountain ranges from the sky was truly breath taking.

In closing, I just want to say that Jerome and I feel truly blessed to have our friend Jenneane in our lives. She is one of the most generous, altruistic and open hearted people we have ever met, and we only wish she lived closer so we could see her amazing smile, hear her contagious laugh, and challenge her to a rap/dance off everyday. To know her is to love her!! We hope that year number 30 is her best yet. We love you Neane Butt!!!

On a final note about our flight home, I was thrilled to open my email yesterday and find a $25 voucher from Jet Blue as there way of saying sorry for the delayed flight. It was totally unexpected, but definitely welcome :) Maybe we will be making that trip to San Fran after all....

Mexican Casserole

I am a huge fan of Cooking Light magazine. Most of my dinner creations are modified versions of recipes from this beloved mag. Last night I made this delicious Mexican Casserole, which is featured in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue. It was so good, I couldn't help but share the recipe! I switched it up a little bit by adding extra lean ground beef instead of the tofu crumbles it calls for, as well as adding Serrano chilies instead of Jalapeno, for extra heat. The dish was a huge hit! Jerome especially liked it because it was layered with baked tortilla chips, which we all know is one of his favorite treats. I served it with with a dollop of sour cream and homemade Spanish rice (I am still trying to perfect my recipe- I will share it once I am happy with it). I hope you like this recipe as much as we did!

Mexican Casserole (Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine)

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (12-ounce) package meatless fat-free crumbles (such as Lightlife Smart Ground) *(I used 1 lb of extra lean ground beef instead)
• 48 baked tortilla chips
• Cooking spray
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 cups chopped seeded plum tomato
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (*I like the Kraft 2% reduced fat)
• 2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and jalapeño; cook 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin, black pepper, and crumbles; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Arrange half of tortilla chips in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top evenly with crumbles mixture.

3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add beans, mashing with the back of a wooden spoon until chunky and thick; cook 2 minutes or until heated, stirring constantly. Stir in lime juice.

4. Combine tomato, cilantro, and salt. Layer beans and tomato mixture over crumbles mixture in dish. Top with remaining tortilla chips, pressing to slightly crush. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 375° for 13 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Cut casserole into 6 equal pieces; top each serving with 1 teaspoon sour cream, 1 teaspoon onions, and 2 teaspoons olives.

Martinis with Mr. and Mrs. Masters

I recently reconnected with one of my oldest childhood friends, Pamela (Beck) Masters. We have known each other since we were 8 years old, and we lucky enough to get in touch through Myspace a few years back. Over summer, Jerome and I had the pleasure of working with her on some beautiful portraits. Since then, we had been meaning to get together and catch up, but through the mayhem that is life, it kept getting postponed. Finally, this past Saturday, Jerome and I met Pamela and her awesome husband Dave, for martinis and dinner at Lola's in West Hollywood. Pamela had been telling me about Lola's for months, so I couldn't wait to not only see my old friend, but throw back a few martinis in the process. We had a fabulous time sharing stories, memories, and making plans for future fun (both in terms of photography shoots and NYC (Pamela and Dave will be moving there in the next few months)). We ended up spending nearly 4 hours at Lola's, but our gracious server, Wayne, was fabulous and kept up with us the

whole time, never once trying to get us out of there! Overall, it was a perfect night. We left wishing the gap between L.A and OC was closer, but excited to plan our next night out (both here and in NYC).

Our dashing husbands

One note about Lola's....if you are a lover of martinis and delicious food, this is the place for you. They have over 50 martinis, and are credited as the original home of the apple martini. Though I had a yummy dinner and several tasty drinks throughout the night (finally Jerome was my D.D...I am usually the sober one), my absolute favorite part was the Strawberry Fields Forever martini. It was like candy in my mouth- AMAZING! I highly recommend it.

Absent Blogger

I haven't blogged in ages. It's not that I haven't had anything to say, it's just that I've frankly been too lazy and unmotivated to seclude myself to the office and write something. Today I'm enjoying one of the benefits of being a teacher- MLK day off. It has been a crazy (for southern California) rainy and windy day, and despite having to make an early morning trip for a cleaning at my dentist (in Murrieta), I have since returned home and vowed to spend the rest of my day off in a Juicy Couture sweatsuit, drinking coffee and lounging inside with my furry babies. It would only be perfect if Jerome were here, but like most of the world, he is at work.

Life for the Boroff's has been pretty run of the mill lately. Work has been busy for the both of us. Jerome continues to put his creativity and design skills to use at ...And Company, while I try to gather my wits in room P-1: Kindergarten. The last few months have certainly flown by. We celebrated the birth of our friend's Jim and Melissa Atkinson's baby girl, Payton Rylee, on December 18. On December 23, Jerome and I celebrated 10 years together, with a dinner at our favorite spot, Flemings in Newport Beach. We had a wonderful yet busy holiday with family, and rang in the New Year with Jerome's sister and our friends The Fiori's in Mammoth. We continue to add new plants to our yard (Jerome recently planted broccoli and cauliflower n our garden. Not to mention we even discovered a mysterious tomato and zucchini growing in our back yard, which we did NOT plant). I continue to come up with random dinner recipes which delight the stomachs of my husband and our dear friends. Jerome is even brushing up his culinary skills, and has taken over Sunday's in the kitchen (stay tuned, as we plan to start

blogging about his weekly

creations). We're headed up to Sacramento this weekend for our friend Jenneane's 30th

birthday bash, and in the meantime, eagerly counting the weeks until our NYC trip (11 to be exact). Here's a few pics to recap the holidays:

Jerome holding little miss Payton, 1 day old

Jerome and I, celebrating 10 years together

The Boroff clan on Christmas Eve

Louis, devouring his Christmas present.

Lola Bear guarding her Christmas present.

The hood rat in her was afraid it would get taken away.

Our Mammoth crew, about to head out for NYE.

Well, That's it for my recap.....until next time!

xoxo :)