san francisco no.1

Ferry-Building-no.-1

The West Coast!

OH! My oh my oh my.

I guess if you’re looking for the short story it’s that I adored every minute. And really, well, it was a dream come true. Because that’s what it was for such a long time. Just a dream that I’d hope I’d experience one day. And so because of that I’m about to tell you the long story, too, if you’ll have it. I’ve spent the last few days figuring out how I want to tell it. And well, tell it, I’m going to. I’m going to tell it all. Every last bit. It’s not going to be quick, but it will be nice on the eyes and hopefully the heart, I’ll promise you that.

I’ve been thinking lately about how lucky I am to have this space. And how much I love it. How this is the place where everything’s put down. Memories stored, pictures tucked away. And that’s pretty good, isn’t it?

{It is, it really is.}

So— here we go… on the trip to the west that was everything. ♥

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It might sound silly, but I don’t feel like a person that gets to travel a lot. Sure, I skitter around New England and New York a good amount, but see the world? That’s not really me. I can count on two fingers the times I took a plane out of the country. And two more the times I’ve taken a plane across it. And so, this was kind of a big deal for me. And it was amazing.

I’ll have you know, if I had my way I’d seriously consider leaving my job to travel the world.

Dang those, monies. And those crazy cool kids. ;)

Anyway!

We technically arrived in San Francisco late Friday night but didn’t get our party started officially until Saturday morning. We took the Bart in from the airport and walked through the Mission to our terrific airbnb in Duboce Triable. We loved being over there, a LOT. It was quiet like a neighborhood, but we were also able to walk to so many restaurants/coffee shops/ice cream spots AND! The street cars to anywhere. Which is what we did basically the entire time where were there. We took the street cars to EVERYWHERE.

The first morning we headed downtown to the Ferry Building. We had plans to have lunch with our friends in Sausalito, and so we were able to spend some time at the waterfront before boarding. It was so fun to ride the street car {we opted for that instead of the fast MUNI train} and were able to get a pretty good taste of what the Saturday market is like on the Embarcadero. It’s busy! And there’s so much to see!

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Highlights of the Ferry Building:

Blue Bottle Coffee
Humphry Slocume Ice Cream
Hog Island Oyster Company
Cowgirl Creamery
The Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market

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These last two views {above} were from the ferry boat to Sausalito– {to be mentioned again in post No.2!} WHAT A CITY. And we’ve only just begun. My thoughts on San Francisco at this point, {3 hours in, ha!} were that it was such a grand place. And honestly, I had absolutely NO IDEA what was in store. I so enjoyed walking slowly through the market, soaking in the sunshine and simply loving the fact that it was our very first morning there.

A whole 9 days ahead of us! Smiles on our faces and not a care in the world.

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Heyooo, Zanner. Vacation looks good on you!

//

♥♥♥
{lettering by Brim Papery.}

to the west coast we go!

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It’s time! We’re off! Up, up, and away!

At this moment we are heading to the airport, bags all packed and ready to go. I can’t believe this day is actually here. All my nights pouring over photos on the internet and soon! so soon I will see it all with my own two eyes.

I can hardly believe I got my act together to show you what I packed in my suitcase, but I did! And this alone is something to celebrate. I decided a few weeks ago to be bold and go for the carry-on approach, but had a little bit of a hard time these last few days narrowing down what I wanted to bring. I’m a tricky sort, because I’m one of those people who can pack for a weekend in NYC with just a small shoulder bag, but I’m also the girl who stuffs her car to the brim when driving home for the week. It’s like I know how to pack light, but don’t always follow the rules myself. For this trip, I wanted to pack light, but I also wanted to bring a lot of outfits. First of all, I love clothes, and second I feel like I need to be prepared for all kinds of weather. Will it be sunny or foggy? Warm or cool? So I packed a little bit of everything, rolled it up reeeeeal real tight and… I can’t quite believe it, BUT IT FITS {pretty much perfectly}. A springtime miracle if there ever was one.

Here’s what’s coming out west with me:

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In my Everlane bag:

1 pair of jeans
7 tops
4 t-shirts
2 pairs of shorts
3 dresses
1 romper
1 skirt
jewelry / belt
underwear, socks, etc
bathing suit/cover up
make-up

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In my Madewell bag:

wallet
iphone
sunglasses
camera gear

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 In my canvas tote:

ipad, kindle
hat
shoes // TOMS + saltwater sandals

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Things I had to put in Zan’s carry-on because mine wouldn’t zip:

whoops!

2 cardigans
skinny corduroys
extra shirt for sleeping

{I tried to avoid this, but it couldn’t be helped!}

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And of course, I’m layering up on my travel outfit to bring a few extra essentials:

leggings
striped tee
walking sneakers
sweatshirt
patagonia fleece
vest
rain jacket

{if you’re looking for me at the airport, I’ll be the girl sweating and loving it.}

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So now I’m wondering, do you think I did an okay packing job?

A little excessive, but we are going for 9 days and at least I’ll be prepared!

//

Have a great weekend, and I’ll be back with photos upon my return!

You can also follow along on the adventure daily:
@nannerburns on instagram.

XO!

ratatouille, and other delicious food talk.

ratatouille

Life has been such a busy piece of work these past few weeks. Week days have been about hustling. Hustle here, hustle there, wake up early, make dinner late. GO GO GO all dang day. I feel like such a busy body day in and day out, and mostly this is good, but also, I can’t help but feel the need for a good solid break. Today I got such a day and so, finally, FINALLY, I can sit down to write a little bit down.

I am so excited that spring is officially here. No matter the forecast, the warmth WILL arrive soon and the cold will just be a memory. The beauty in winter is that spring will come. Spring will always come, and that is something that can keep me going for a lifetime.

These days I’ve been cooking and sleeping and swimming and teaching. Not in that exact order, but those are the things that occupy my days. Also, West Coast planning. I could do our West Coast planning ALL NIGHT LONG, and guess what? I do. We’ve got all our accommodations in order, and now we’re planning our adventures— what we’ll eat, where we’ll walk, what we’ll see, e v e r y t h i n g we’ll do. It’s so exciting! And certainly helping me get through this last bout of chilly weather.

Lately I’ve been reading Molly Wizenburg’s A Homemade Life, partly because I love her writing, and partly because a night at Delancey is on the agenda for Seattle. If you haven’t read her blog or her book before, I highly encourage it. She’s got that smooth-like-butter way of story-telling that’s just my favorite– an instant friend, cozy, thoughtful and full of wisdom. Many of her recipes are filled with flour and butter and sugar, which I have plans to try here and there in the future, but yesterday I decided to go for her Ratatouille– a pot full of vegetables that TASTES LIKE HEAVEN.

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Ratatouille, inspired by Molly Wizenburg/Orangette:

For the stew:

Extra-virgin olive oil
2 eggplant {see photo above for size}
1 zucchini
I medium onion {chopped}
1 red bell pepper
5 tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
Salt and Pepper
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Fresh basil {I left this out because I didn’t have any unfortunately, but I bet it’s top notch when you put it in.}

How to make:

{Molly likes to cook all the veggies in her ratatouille separately, so I followed her advice the entire recipe through. I just feel like she’s one of those people you can trust, you know?}

1. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch think rounds and roast them on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. I brushed olive oil over them, and flipped them half-way through.

2. While the eggplant was cooking, you cook the zucchini {in cubes} in the olive oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes, or until soft and starting to brown. I used my 3 and 1/2 QT le crueset, which worked out perfectly.

3. Remove the zucchini and set aside, then cook the onions in the same pot, about 15 more minutes, before adding the bell pepper.

4. Add the tomatoes {I cut mine as best I could into cubes– Molly says to remove the seeds, but I just chopped them up {messily} as best I could, threw them in, and said a prayer. All turned out FINE.

5. Next, I minced in the 3 cloves of garlic, added 3/4 teaspoons of salt, the thyme, and the bayleaf. I let those cook in the pot while I chopped up the cooled eggplant into largish cubes, then tossed those in with the cooked zucchini and let it simmer all together for about 20 more minutes– until it was all soft and stew-like.

The finished product was perfect. I removed the bay leaf, had a bowl for dinner, then tucked the pot away in the fridge, excited for my next tasting, as Molly says it’s best on day 2!

{You can find the original recipe in this book— such a wonderful documentation of memories and recipes, I can’t help but smile through each and every page.}

//

Do you have any other favorite veggie-filled recipes? I’m really cooking more than ever lately and I’d love to try some new meals out if you’ve got them for me. Preferably Paleo, but I’m open. Also, do any of you grow your own veggies? We’ve been talking about making a garden out back this year, and I’m wondering what are some easy/favorite vegetables to grow?

If you’re thinking to yourself WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH ANNA, don’t worry, I’ve been wondering the exact same thing. It’s just, cooking is actually really kind of easy, and lately I’ve been all, wow! gosh! Who knew?

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Other food-related things that have been on my mind lately:

// I’m excited to share my Ratatouille at a dinner with friends tonight. I made it especially because my friend Edith is in the thiiiiiiiick of Whole30 right now {her words!} and so I wanted to bring something that everyone would enjoy. I hope it’s a hit.

// Yesterday morning, my sister and I had breakfast at Rifrullo Cafe in Brookline and I got the most delicious frittata of all time. It had sweet potato and mushrooms and whatever the seasoning was, it was SO GOOD! Seriously love that place. YUM.

// Because a Monday night is a good a night as any to have dinner out with your blog friends, we’re checking out Alden and Harlow in Harvard Square and I am SO excited. The menu looks divine and I am looking forward to my first drink since February. {MMMMhmmmm.}

// As for the blog agenda this week, I am FINALLY! going to share about Zan and my dinner at Neptune Oyster.  That place deserves it’s own post and I’ve been meaning to share some photos I took there {IN DECEMBER, whoops} for awhile now. THE BEST. Must visit again soon. :)

// And since I have no plans to turn this into a food blog {though it may seem that way} and we’re on the topic of food already, I think I’ll use this here post to compile all the places recommended to me from that time I told you I was going to the West Coast. So many gems! I must write them all down in one place.

Places on my San Francisco TO EAT LIST:

Tartine Bakery
Pizzaria Delfina
Bri-Rite Creamery
Tacolicious
Marlowe
And, obviously, In and Out {I have been dreaming of my return there FOR YEARS.}

And Big Sur:

Deetjan’s {this is where we’re staying, too!}
Nepenthe

AND! Seattle:

Delancey + Essex !
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Ocho
Pike Place Chowder
Dick’s Drive-In
Umi Sake House

All completely indulgent, and beyond amazing, I’m sure.

Ahhh. Delicious food is the spice of life, isn’t it?

a little taste of providence.

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Last Friday night I headed to Rhode Island for a girls night in with some of my favorite blogger/twitter/instagram friends. Gathering with internet friends is a regular occurrence for me, and while there was a time in my life when I thought this was unusual, I’m mostly of the mindset now that it AIN’T NO THING! It feels like the most natural kind of friendship in the world at this point. And especially with these ladies. We spent the night at Lindsay’s drinking wine and talking about life. A real life sleepover, which, if your wondering, is still as fun as the early years.

Before this trip, I’d been to Providence once in college to see John Mayer play {in HIS early years, at a small dive bar– the intimacy!}, and one other time to walk around the Providence Place Mall. This trip was particularly awesome because I got the chance to actually see the city, and what a wonderful little city it is. In the morning we headed to brunch at The Grange {IDEAL INTERIOR with okay food {sticky bun, YES. eggs benedict, I’ve had better.}, then we walked around Westminster Street for a little while popping into shops, and also down Benefit Street to enjoy some of the architecture and each other’s company.

I had no idea I’d like Providence as much as I did, but I LOVED IT. What a great little city!

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Such charm, I love it. I will definitely be taking a return trip in the near future. I’m thinking maybe once the trees start to bloom.

Sigh. I bet it’s especially lovely in the spring. ♥