Blueberries: The Coziest Fruit!

July 12, 2009 by Leslie Patson

Do you have any idea how good blueberries really are for you? I read a recent article that called them the plaque remover for the brain! Super high in antioxidents who needs more convining than that?

Not to mention all the fabulous things you can make with them…

and

This recipe comes courtesey of Cookie from the great website Tastespotting.

Watercress and Wild Italian Arugula Salad with Blueberries and Feta
For 2

1/2 cup blueberries, washed and destemmed
Handful of the watercress, washed and dried
Handful of baby arugula or other baby greens
2 slices of goat milk feta (No crumbles, David. Crumbles are for salad bars.)

Citrus Vinagrette
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
Zest of lemon and lime
1/3 cup olive oil
In goodly sized bowl, combine the mustard and the citrus juice. Whisk in the olive oil. Add the garlic, shallot and zest. Cover and refrigerate for 20 mins.

Toss the greens and the blueberries with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the vinagrette (well coated, but not soggy and dripping). Plate and top with the slice of feta. Serve as a first course with prosecco on the patio bedecked with wooden furniture.

6am Cozy….

July 10, 2009 by Leslie Patson

Wow, Cozy re-defined! and I have to admit, probably my new favorite place!

Actually, I haven’t ever been to this bar but it sure looks cool and I mean they do open at 6am so who needs the gym before work when you can have a drink!!!!

Breakfast of champions!

This Cozy Bar comes courtesy of Miriam, a girl after my own heart, who someday will have to tell us all about it! Go Miriam!

Staycations are Cozy!

July 7, 2009 by Leslie Patson

Maybe this word is a bit ridiculous but the concept is downright Cozy! For this 4th of July Marc and I decided to take a staycation. This meant escaping the horrific firework bombardment that goes on in our neighborhood and renting a comfy hotel room 10 minutes from our house in downtown LA!

We got a deal at the Marriot on Figueroa – ok, not the most fabulous hotel on earth, but we got a great weekend deal of $99 plus parking $30 – a very fluffy king bed – sans felines – a long bathtub and blackout curtains and we were happy!

The best part was being downtown and seeing all the new places that have opened. Funny thing was that on that day there happened to be a convention of what we found out to be “Random Animae”. The streets were crawling with every creature you could imagine, words can hardly describe what we saw ranging from Star Trek-ish, to ghoulish to punk school girl etc. Finally stopped this girl in a head to toe patent jumpsuit with elevator shoes and she said she was from a punk band in Japan and told us about the Random Animae. We thought this was a riot and went around saying this new phrase all night…!

We wanted to have drink at Chaya and check out the super-groovy chandelier but they were closed. Probably just as well as we made it to our dinner reservation at Rivera just in time!. We did a lot of research on all the new restaurants downtown and this one’s reviews blew us away. We were not disappointed!

INCREDIBLY CREATIVE LATIN CUSINE! The guys sitting next to us were 2 food bloggers/ engineers and photographed their entire meal (which was about 10 courses!). A stuffed pepper appetizer…

THE MOST AMAZING $2 SOUP EVER! Not sure why they only charge $2 for this amazing double layered shot glass soup – on the top layer a rich delicious hot lobster bisque and below, a cool fennel green apple. Genius!

MY MAIN COURSE; A “simple” roasted chicken breast…!

Marc’s halibut came with artwork delivered through the use of vegetables. Delicious!

Crema Catalan and strong!!!! coffee afterwards…(nice touch of sugared almonds on top, yum!)

is this why Marc didn’t sleep very well???

Part of the building next door

Don’t forget to look up!

A cruise through the Nokia Center plaza…

On the side of a building, getting ready for Tuesday….

Breakfast the next day at Bottega Louie, more coffee please!!!

Marc’s ham and gruyure frittata

Like on the streets of Paris!

Fantastic market too!

I’ll have one of each!

And for something a little sweet

Or a box of something to go, who can resist!

A little walk around downtown and then the temp began to climb. Time to go home – wow, it would take us all of 10 minutes!
What a great little weekend away, we’ll have to do it again!

Cozy Book Club: When the World Was Young

July 3, 2009 by Leslie Patson

Ok girls, I haven’t laughed that hard in a long long time. And alcohol only had a little, ok, a bit to do with it!

After submitting suggestions and picking from a hat, Miriam’s book choice (see below) came up first and a lively discussion ensued.

An even livelier discussion ensued when we came to what is now my favorite part of the book club, the part when we cast who we think should play who in our “make believe” movie! (I saved this for the end).

New member Sara was our hostess and boy did she do an incredible job! Thanks again so much!

AMAZING APPETIZERS: PROSCUITTO WRAPPED BREADSTICKS AND WONDERFUL CHEESES WITH CHAMPAGNE TO START!

BEST FOOT FOWARD!

Sara made an FANTASTIC dinner starting with a salad loaded with peas, pesto and parmesan, a main course of salmon baked in parchment with a horseradish dijon dill sauce (wow!) and yummy grilled potatoes

YOU CAN’T GO WRONG WITH A WINE NAMED CUPCAKE! THANKS ELIZABETH!

DESSERT AND DISCUSSION

AND THEN THE COMEDY OF CASTING BEGAN….

Agostino: John Travolta
Angela Rosa: Debra Winger
Aunt Lupa: Olympia Dukasis
Uncle Vince: Ed Mcmahon
Benito: Michael Jackson
Victoria: Janet Jackson
Santo: the Jonas Brothers
Alfredo and Anthony – Donny and Marie
Eddie: Samantha Ronson/Eddie Munster
Darlene: Lindsay Lohan
Father Ernie: Ed Norton
Crazy Willie: Michael Cera
Sylvia Gomez: Farrah Fawcett
Sylvia’s mother: David Carradine
Nicholas: Anderson Cooper
Crazy Willie – Ed Norton
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Producer: The Book Club of course!

WISH US LUCK, APPARENTLY WE WILL NEED IT! DON’T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB….!

OUR NEXT BOOK IS ELIZABETH’S CHOICE: WISE BLOOD BY FLANNERY O’CONNOR
MIRIAM IS HOSTING AND WE WILL MEET IN APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS SO GIRLS, GET READING!

Cozy Cat of the Week

June 30, 2009 by Leslie Patson

Cozy Cat of the week is back after taking a brief break.

This week’s kitty is courtesy of Shelly and her niece Christan and I think the picture needs no explanation other than Sage is one VERY COZY CAT and that’s what it’s all about! I mean Sage is either very relaxed or very indecisive!!!
Thanks girls!

Cozy Chloe wants to tell you something….

June 30, 2009 by Leslie Patson

I miss Parker VERY much. He was my BFF. He has a super cool blog and I know that he would have wanted me to continue it so dammit, I am!!! So please check out our blog that will keep Parker immortalized!

Talk to you soon!!!!
Love,
Chloe

Cozy Couple!

June 29, 2009 by Leslie Patson

Yup, this is our President and First Lady – how AWESOME do they look!!!!!!!!!!

Cocktail Party Cozy!

June 26, 2009 by Leslie Patson

Who else would think of having a mid-week cocktail gala except my wonderully crazy friends Ryan and Elizabeth! The party, themed “The British Are Coming” was in homage to their London pals Ken and Steve who were in town but for a brief 3 or 4 days.


OUR HOSTESS WELCOMES THE BRITS!

LOTS OF COCKTAILS AND AN AMAZING SPREAD OF GOODIES!

ELIZABETH HAS GENIUS IDEA TO WEAR NAMETAGS, BUT NOT JUST ANY OLE NAMETAGS! CHECK IT OUT!

GALLERY OF COCKTAIL CRAZIES!
A MOST ELEGANT COUPLE!

HOST WITH THE MOST!

YUP, THOSE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING!!!

DAPPER X2

THE DIVINE MISS M!!!!

DUDES WELCOME!

OLE JOSE!!!

THANK YOU R&E FOR PROVIDING US WITH A BADLY NEEDED MID-WEEK BREAK!

WE TALKED…

WE NIBBLED…

WE LAUGHED…

AND OH YEAH, WE DANCED…..

A GREAT TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!!!!!!!!!

Cozy Summer Uniform! The classic white TEE!

June 26, 2009 by Leslie Patson


Jacqueline Onassis prefers the crew neck!

I’m getting tired of figuring out what to put on every morning and then I remembered that I used to wear a white V neck mens Tee shirt all the time. I would buy mens, size Small, roll the sleeves, a pair of jeans and call it a day.

I was very happy when I was in Target yesterday buying important things like TP and shower gel when something reminded me to get my butt up to the men’s department and pick up a pack. Maybe it was after looking through all the womens tee shirts, at all those colors I cannot stand. (basically all the brights) ..and thinking how hard it is to just do some muted, cool colored Tees? And then a lightbulb went off in my head and up the escalator I went.

So 5 for $9.99 – gotta love that! I went home, ripped open the package, shook one out, threw it on and rolled up the sleeves.
Problem solved and Summer is here!

Culture Cozy at Kiesen Castle!

June 24, 2009 by Leslie Patson

I would not mind if the back of my house looked like this! But actually, wouldn’t you know, this little cottage is on the grounds of a “castle” located in Kiesen, Switzerland. I just love how Marc’s mother Marianne, quite the accomplished photographer herself, will pack a bag, throw her camera into the car and head off for a weekend adventure! This time she went not to far from where she lives to nearby the Lake of Thun, the village of Kiesen to see one of her favorite artists named Chantal Michel’s collection displayed in the castle.

THE CASTLE – No one is actually living in the castle, The nobility was very old and died a few years ago and the new owner is a business man. All the precious things including artifacts and furniture were sold at auction.

THE INTERIOR – Artists have been able to display at the castle for only about 2 or 3 years now.

CHANTAL MICHEL – REALLY UNUSUAL INTERESTING STUFF!

SWITZERLAND’S ANSWER TO DIANE ARBUS?

NOW WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SHINING TWINS! (taken from the movie)