Fig + Rosemary Sparkling Cocktail

September 23, 2015

Happy First Day of Fall, guys! Aren’t you so excited?! Jake and I flew back from New York on Monday after a whirlwind trip to celebrate the marriage of two of our close friends and I was REALLY hoping for some fall weather while there, but we were SOL. The temps were in the mid 80’s for almost the entire time, with the exception of ONE afternoon when we could feel the familiar crisp autumn air that I miss so much now that I call LA home. Thankfully, it has cooled off at least a little and I don’t feel so weird burning a Pumpkin Candle now that it isn’t 100 degrees in our house 😉

Every year, I tell myself that I’m going to experiment with figs in the fall (I’ve never cooked with them before now!), but they’re so hard to find and something else always seems to take priority. By the time I make the effort, they always seem to be out of season and impossible to track down. I’ve been dying to get my hands on some this year to mix into cocktails and to add a little something sweet to the fall entertaining cheese boards we’ve been crafting for work. Finding them proved to be difficult since figs aren’t generally carried at most big-chain grocery stores, but when I finally spotted them at a downtown LA farmer’s market, I grabbed all I could and headed straight for the kitchen. After a bit of research on fig cocktails, I stumbled across this one that sounded too good to pass up. I made a few proportional adjustments to accommodate our bubbly and it turned out SO deliciously perfect. I whip up a ton of cocktails for work and our team is pretty vocal at this point with what they like and don’t like so I was pleasantly surprised to hear that this was one of the favorites we’ve ever made. Check it out below!

Timing: 1 hour total
Yield: 4 cocktails

I N G R E D I E N T S

Rosemary Simple Syrup

1 cup honey
1 cup water
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Cocktail

1/2 cup fig puree (2 cups fresh figs, 4 tbs. water blended in a food processor)
4 oz. chilled vodka
Juice from 2 lemons (peel for garnish)
4 oz. Rosemary Simple Syrup
ONEHOPE Sparkling Brut
Ice

D I R E C T I O N S

Combine honey, water, and fresh rosemary into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture has reduced by half. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool completely. We transferred to a jar and placed it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
While simple syrup is chilling, remove stems from figs and place all but two figs in a food processor. Pulse to puree until consistency resembles that of apple sauce. Set aside.
Using a citrus peeler, peel your lemons (4 ribbons – one for each cocktail). Juice both lemons and set juice aside.
Once your simple syrup has chilled completely, combine syrup, fig puree, chilled vodka, lemon juice, and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.
Fill two glasses with ice and pour cocktail mixture into each glass. Top with ONEHOPE Sparkling Brut and garnish with lemon peel, fresh rosemary, and one half fig each. Cheers!

Pumpkin Doughnuts

September 16, 2015

This morning is an early one! A bunch of us from work are jetting off to New York on the first flight out to celebrate the marriage of one of our co-workers and I can’t wait to see her walk down the aisle! It also doesn’t hurt that the wedding is in NY being that I’ve been dying to get back there – it’s been over a year! I was hoping for a super brisk, fall week, but the forecast is unfortunately showing 80+ every day we’re there, so I’ll just have to deal with my overwhelming #basic fall nostalgia and pumpkin cravings. In yearning for all things fall, I thought I’d pass along one of my favorite recipe finds from last year – Pumpkin Doughnuts! I can’t wait to make these again when I’m back from NY. I made a few of my own adjustments (below), but find the original recipe here. It’s ~~almost~~ fall, y’all!

PS: Proof that Americans Love Pumpkin Flavored Everything & An In-Depth Analysis of Pumpkin Spice’s World Domination – two good reads on America’s obsession with fall pumpkins.

Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 12 doughnuts

I N G R E D I E N T S

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Coating
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

D I R E C T I O N S

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease/butter doughnut wells and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add your wet ingredients (oil, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Using a mixer, blend until mixture is well combined.
Spoon mixture into your doughnut baking pan. Each well should be filled about 1/2 of the way. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until doughnut is firm, but not cooked all of the way through (toothpick should not come out clean).
Remove from oven and gently remove each doughnut from individual wells. Grease/butter each well again and fill wells with more batter about 1/2 of the way. Place your partially cooked doughnuts on top of the new batter and bake for 7-10 more minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Because the batter is quite heavy, these doughnuts won’t puff up like you’re used to traditionally. The first time I made these, I skipped adding more batter and flipping the first set of doughnuts over – my doughnuts were flat on the bottom 😉
Once doughnuts are baked all the way through, let them cool slightly and remove from the pan. While doughnuts are cooling combine coating sugar and cinnamon in a ziplock bag. Add one doughnut at a time and shake until completely coated. Enjoy while warm with your favorite coffee or hot apple cider. YUM!

Weekend in Aspen

September 15, 2015

When a business partner asked Jake and I to attend Jazz Aspen over Labor Day weekend, we were sold. I visited Aspen with Jake for the first time in June for a work event and we simply couldn’t squeeze enough in to feel like we’d really taken advantage of all it has to offer. This trip couldn’t have come at a better time – LA was just entering a record breaking heatwave and Jake’s travel schedule has been nuts. A weekend away as a couple was just what the doctor ordered. Check out a few of our favorite places below:

S T A Y

The Villas at Snowmass – Jake and I stayed here and we couldn’t have been happier with our experience. We were walking distance to the festival (less than a 5 minute walk) and since we were spending 4 nights there, it was nice to have a full kitchen to stock up on our choice of food, beer and wine so that we weren’t eating every single meal out. Having a fireplace and a second bathroom was lovely and we felt right at home.

The Viceroy Snowmass – Chic contemporary design meets warm mountain lodge. While we didn’t stay here on this trip, we dropped by on our last day. I’ve had a long love affair with Viceroy hotels and this one was no exception – stunning views, guest rooms, pool and restaurants. While there are convenient shuttles everywhere in Aspen/Snowmass, the Viceroy is within walking distance to the lifts making it a perfect stay in the winter for those looking to hit the slopes.

Hotel Jerome – Historic, classic and perfectly chic, the Hotel Jerome was my first taste of Aspen in June and remains a favorite. The staff is so welcoming and the design is spot on. The bar is one of my favorite places in Aspen and is so perfectly curated that I could explore it for hours. Black walls, beautiful wainscoting, inlaid cowhide tile runners, an elegant fireplace with grasscloth backed built-ins make this the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail and some conversation. With a modern men’s cigar lounge/bar in my design project future, I’ll definitely be citing this place as inspiration.

E A T / D R I N K

Casa Tua – Absolutely delicious Northern Italian cuisine and a fantastic wine list. It’s no wonder Casa Tua is one of Aspen’s highest rated restaurants. We were able to taste the Burrata salad as well as the daily Risotto and Gnocchi – all phenomenal. We felt completely at home with wonderful staff and service in a beautifully designed, inviting space.

Matsuhisa – If you’ve never visited one of Chef Nobu’s restaurants, you need to. The freshest ingredients, clean, crisp yet complex flavors and meticulous, painstakingly perfect execution make for an unforgettable experience. In typical Nobu form, the menu offers very little description of what you’re to receive so allow your server to make recommendations and guide you through your tasting experience.

B R E A T H

Bike – After we’d adjusted to the altitude, we planned to rent bikes on what disappointingly ended up being the one rainy and cold day during our visit. We didn’t end up doing the ride like we’d hoped, but will definitely make time for that during our next visit. There is so much to see in the Aspen/Snowmass area that you can only experience outside of a car so a bike rental is a great way to get some fresh air and come a little closer to nature. The ride from Snowmass to Aspen is about 90 minutes (mostly downhill) so definitely consider a one way rental unless you’re hoping to make a day of it and ride uphill on the way back.

Gondola – The gondola experience in Telluride was absolutely unforgettable so we knew we wanted to take the gondola up to the top of Aspen mountain. I’m so glad we made the time to do it. While it rained during our ride, we were able to view the most amazing and vibrant rainbow over the mountain and valley. The views and trails at the top are so worth the $20 ticket (I had no idea that there was a HUGE mountain range behind Aspen mountain!) – the sight was breathtaking. I can only imagine how awesome it must be in the winter. We’d been told not to eat at the Sundeck Restaurant by some friends, but we were starving when we got up there and decided to anyway. I was so shocked at how great the food was for just a simple ski lodge cafeteria. I’m glad we grabbed a bite to eat and a beer before exploring and making our way back down.

Walk – Aspen is honestly the cutest little city. It’s such a quaint mountain town that’s a little more touristy than Telluride and more historic and slightly less gingerbread than Park City. It’s pristine yet wild at the same time and there’s character around every corner with mountains and endless nature at every angle. Even the runoff system around the town creates tiny little street side creeks that curious kids and dogs play in endlessly and bistro lights strung across the brick and cobblestone streets add just the right amount of warm charm. I can’t wait to plan a trip there in the winter so we can see Aspen in all her snowy glory.

Have you been to Aspen? I’d love to hear your recommendations too!

{I didn’t bring the right kind of lens on the gondola, but shot the picture above of the rainbow on my iPhone.}

Steel Doors and Windows

September 9, 2015

{Image via}

I’m currently in the middle of a big design project for work in Napa as we bring our brand north to wine country. I can’t share specifics on the project yet, but it’s going to be big and beautiful and an overall amazing experience! To pay homage to the land, the history of Napa Valley and the design aesthetic of our brand, the architecture falls pretty perfectly in line with the modern farmhouse and I can’t wait to see it all come to fruition. Since I haven’t practiced a ton on the interior design side since graduating, I’ve been doing endless research and I’m constantly on the hunt for inspiration everywhere to contribute to this project. When scouring Pinterest and Houzz for ideas, I realized that there were a few major architectural elements that were exciting me and eventually finding their way to my inspiration boards. I don’t know that I’d ever consciously sought out images of steel doors and windows, yet there they were – on every. single. board. I just couldn’t get enough. There are a few main reasons for my obsession.

You’re able to achieve really thin mullions and muntins with steel doors which makes them look so elegant while also allowing for more transfer of light. With wood framed doors, it simply isn’t possible to achieve those lines.
They’re timeless! Some of my favorite images are at least 10 years old and the only way you’d ever be able to tell are by other finishes in the room pictured, or the pixelation of the image itself.
Steel is just such a cool, solid material that adds such depth and texture to a space. Black wood or aluminum windows can definitely come close to achieving the look of steel on a budget, but nothing compares to that patina, texture and weight of a steel door. I’m all about texture in a space and this is a wonderful way to achieve that.

Here are a few more favorites!

{Clean lines! Notice the black piping on the chairs that accentuates their curved, classic shape while playing off the muntins of the doors and windows. Image via}

{A small bathroom turned grand with beautiful finishes. The steel shower door simply make this space. Image via.}

{Indoor/outdoor love! How chic is this color palette?! Also loving the French bistro feel with the topiaries and climbing vines. Image via}

{There are no words for how much I love this kitchen. Dream space. Imaga via}

{I used to shake my head at dark grout with white tile, but in certain applications it can really be a game changer and I find myself loving it more and more. Image via}

{I love a cozy L shaped banquette and a set of Parisian bistro chairs… This little nook is perfect. Image via}

{Industrial kitchen envy! Look at that daylight! Image via}

{Same kitchen, different view 😉 via }

{Closed off kitchens are a thing of the past, but I know that the prep mess, noise and ventilation concerns are definitely warranted from people hesitant about an overly open floor plan. I love that this space has that open flow, but that the prep can be concealed with these sliding glass and steel doors. Image via}

{HUGE arched window #ftw. Image via}

Happy Friday!

September 4, 2015

Happy Friday! Jake and I are off to Aspen for the weekend for a little work and a little play at Jazz Aspen. I’m looking forward for a weekend away with just the two of us to spend some time together and reconnect after his crazy travel schedule over the past month. I’ll be sure to post some pictures of our adventure on Instagram! I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend! Cheers!

Green & Gray

August 26, 2015

There’s a huge discussion happening on the web about whether the gray trend is phasing out or if it’s here to stay. As a lover of bright white, clean, airy spaces which has also taken the design world by storm, gray is a nice alternative to those worried about a white space being too stark and for other spaces that simply can’t pull off the all-white look. I personally think gray is going nowhere anytime soon. Embrace it, people!

On our way back from Italy, Jake and I had a layover in Copenhagen that was just long enough for me to fall in love with it, but short enough to leave us longing for more and anxious to plan a trip back. While I’ve fallen harder for Danish/Scandinavian design over the past few years than I ever knew possible, being in the epicenter of said design was exhilarating. When our trip ended and I realized I’d been bitten by the travel bug, I immediately started scoping our out interesting places to potentially visit if we were to ever head back to Denmark, Sweden or another Scandinavian country. I stumbled upon a real estate firm in Sweden that only lists higher end, beautifully designed properties and spent far too much time scoping out every single property on their site. One of their featured listings in Gothenburg, Sweden was an almost entirely gray space that was still bright, airy and clean – proof that you don’t need an ALL white space to pull off that look and feel. I was surprised that I could love this much gray so much! To achieve the look, it’s important to throw some green into the mix to bring life to the space (potted herbs, ferns, fiddle leaf figs), add some texture (woven baskets, chairs, rugs, light fixtures, a butcher block counter top, exposed brick, etc.) and keep furniture pieces visually light with clean lines and simply design (nothing clunky, heavy or ornate here!). Scroll down to check out the rest of the space!

All images by Anders Bergstedt via Stadshem.

Weekend in Napa

August 25, 2015

Jake and I spent the weekend in Napa to celebrate the marriage of our business partner, Logan to his beautiful new wife, Elizabeth. The two were married at Brown Ranch in Carneros on one of the most stunning properties I’ve ever seen in front of rolling hills of vineyard and next to a perfect lake. It was truly magical! We were in post-wedding recovery mode on Sunday while juggling a few visitors before heading back to work yesterday. Just before sunset last night, I took a stroll around our property to capture some of its beauty during “magic hour” as we call it and here are a few of my favorites. Cheers!

Greetings from Paradise!

August 20, 2015

I’m so excited to be spending today and tomorrow at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes! Terranea has always been a wonderful supporter of ONEHOPE Wine and we’re proud to be partnered with a hotel that cares so deeply about giving back. This is my absolute favorite resort on the planet – if you haven’t visited, you must! Visit virtually today by following my adventures on Instagram at @onehope and @megrobins. Cheers!

We’re Engaged!

August 18, 2015

On March 21st, Jake asked me to spend forever with him and I’ve been in pure engagement bliss ever since. I wanted to document absolutely everything so that I never forget, so here we go 🙂

On Christmas morning, Jake and I exchanged gifts at my parent’s house as we were visiting for Christmas. A few weeks before, he had asked what I wanted for Christmas and I stated that I really wanted to go to Italy so if he decided not to get me anything for Christmas so that we could put that money toward taking a trip to Europe, I would be thrilled. I vowed to spend lightly on his Christmas gifts so that I too could save for the trip of a lifetime. On Christmas Eve Jake confessed ~~tricked me~~ that he simply could’t figure out an affordable option for us in Italy and that he’d decided we’d go back to Hawaii later in 2015 (which was my second choice of travel). I was a little disappointed that we wouldn’t be going to Europe, but was at the same time thrilled that we’d be heading back to Hawaii (we had such an amazing time there in 2014) and I figured we’d save Italy for a later date when the timing and financials made more sense. On Christmas morning as we were exchanging gifts, Jake pulled out his computer and presented me with a powerpoint that detailed our trip to…….ITALY! I was in such shock that I embarrassingly sobbed for a few minutes an in disbelief that he had taken the time to figure out our work schedules, research accommodations and book flights to all of the places I’ve dreamed of visiting for as long as I can remember.

Fast forward to January…

January-March were crazy chaotic putting together our Summer catalog which was the first ever that we were to introduce. In between sourcing, a team retreat, making over a house, product testing and more sourcing, we were also planning a recruiting event for our viaONEHOPE community in Napa. ONEHOPE purchased a property in Napa in September 2014 (more on that later) and we knew we wanted to host an event at the vineyard before construction on what will be our biggest project to date. I was part of the team putting on the event and headed up to Napa on the 19th to get ready for the weekend. My mom (also a part of our viaONEHOPE community) had asked if I needed her there for help. When she mentioned that my dad was taking a business trip to Mexico and that she needed a trip outside of crummy, cold, wintery, Michigan, I agreed that it would be great for her to come. I picked her up in March 19th from the airport and headed to Napa to get ready for the event.

Honestly, the events of the 21st were kind of a blur, but this is what I do recall… We shopped in the morning for meats/cheeses and last minute necessities for the event and headed to the property. A few of the girls from our team as well as Jake’s mom and older sister joined us later in the morning and helped prep some of the food while others dusted, swept and got the house ready. I’d asked my best friend Carla to come to the event since she’s in the Bay Area and I was hoping to see her and was thrilled when she made the trek to Napa. A few of Jake’s girlfriends were there visiting as well and joined us before the event. I remember my mom telling me several times that I needed to get ready and that she could handle the rest of the food prep. I’ve done countless shoots and events for ONEHOPE and know how stressful that last hour can be so I was reluctant to take her advice, but finally took a few moments to myself to curl my hair, fix my makeup and put on a dress. I knew the dress I was putting on was Jake’s favorite, but didn’t know about his plans for that day.

I was standing in the bathroom curling my hair when Tiffany, from our team came in to check on me and we chatted about her adorable baby belly, anticipating being a mommy of two, the flow of events for that day, and that she wanted to film a quick video with Jake. She wanted the video to be out in the vines to welcome our new viaONEHOPE recruits to the team which seemed totally normal to me and I loved the idea. I agreed to help her with the video, finished up and went outside to meet guests. Jake flew in from a business trip during the event and I remember giving him a hug and a kiss as he walked in the door and he said “you look so pretty – that’s my favorite dress.” ((Insert heart explosion)). We dove into the day – meeting and mingling with as many people as possible and I took a minute to chat with my best friend before the formal presentation and wine tasting were to begin. After a minute or two of talking, she said “I think I’m going to cry” and started to walk away. When I followed her and asked what was wrong, she said “I’m so sad that you guys are tearing this place down,” and continued to walk away. At the time, Carla and her husband Clay were starting to house hunt and I assumed she was just emotional about the process. The house on our vineyard is going to be taken down in preparation for another big project and while the current home is charming, it has a TON of issues so I thought it was a little odd of Carla to get emotional about something that seemed so silly, but assumed it might have to do something with their house hunting and wondered if maybe she was just having an off day. I had no idea that one of Jake’s friends had just told her he was planning on proposing that afternoon.

About halfway through the event, Tiffany grabbed me to gather a few items to take out to the vines to film our video. We found a bottle of Sparkling, an ice bucket and some flutes to “toast to the viaONEHOPE community.” The three of us (plus our photographer) walked out to the vineyard together, stopped in the clearing that will eventually be home to our winery and Tiffany started filming on her phone. I was standing next to her when she mentioned that Jake still had his name tag on and that I should run over and grab it from his lapel. I walked over to Jake, took his name tag and as I turned around to walk away he grabbed my hand. I just remember him saying, “no, actually, I’m proposing right now” before he got down on one knee. As everyone who has ever been surprised with an engagement knows, the next few moments were completely a blur. He was so nervous and he’s never nervous. I just remember him mentioning that he wanted to spend forever with me, that he couldn’t wait to build a family and a life together and that he wanted my “big brown eyes” to be the last thing he saw as he took his last breath. I was in complete shock, yet so touched and so ecstatic that the best man I’ve ever met was asking me (ME!!!!) to be his bride. He pulled out the ring of my dreams and I said “YES!” in between sobs. I also remember saying, “are you serious? Is this really happening?!” at least a half dozen times before our families ran out to the clearing to give us hugs and congratulations.

I always thought that a low-key engagement while on a vacation or even while at home with just the two of us would be the way I’d want to get engaged. But there is something so special about having your closest friends and family there to celebrate immediately after that is irreplaceable. Having Jake’s sister, his parents, my mom and best friend there along with many of our friends from over the years was so incredible. I’ll never forget watching my mom and his sister Michelle run through the vines to congratulate us, a warm embrace from Jake’s parents, hugging Carla on our walk back to the house and my mom handing me the phone to talk to my dad for the first time. Complete and utter joy….

The following week, we jetted off to Italy for the trip of a lifetime. Our little engagement-moon was absolutely perfect in every way.

As blurry as it is, I will never, ever forget that day. I am so thankful that he chose me and that we get to build this crazy, wild life together. <3

HUGE thanks to everyone who made our day so special… all of the friends, family and colleagues. Lastly, thank you so much to Megan Clouse who captured every single moment. We’ll treasure these images forever.

Life’s a Beach

August 6, 2015

Hello there 🙂 What have you been up to? It’s been one doozy of a year and I realize it’s been a while since I posted. With a busy work schedule, far too many projects to keep track of and the ease of other platforms like Instagram to satisfy a creative/content craving in a pinch, I’ve found myself moving away from my little home blog base and catch myself missing it often. I think I psych myself into thinking every post needs to be an elaborate tutorial, an over-the-top shoot that took weeks to curate or something crazy, but sometimes simple is better. In the words of Don Draper himself, “make it simple, but significant.” See you next week for a little catch up. Until then, I hope you find a little down time for some summer breeze and a good book at the beach.

Cheers!

Meg

{photo via Gray Malin}

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