Malibu

  Today Justin and I went to see the sleepy beach town known as Malibu.  We did not have the best luck with weather as it was cold and cloudy all day.  Other than going to the beach in Malibu the only other thing there is to do there is eat seafood (or go hiking, of course, seems that is all people do in this state)  We had lunch at Duke's which is known for its fantastic view of the Pacific.  The view was nice but would have been better on a clearer day.  This place is very similar to the Sandbar back home to give you an idea.  While in the area I wanted to check out the Venice Boardwalk and the famous Muscle Beach where body builders work out (even Arnold back in the day).  This place was SCARY!  Filled with drug addicts asking you for money and medical marijuana shops.  Justin was thrilled we payed the $6 for parking to find this out, but hey, not all travel experiences can be great ones, right?  It did give us another opportunity to drive the PCH which is always a lot fun.   

 Oak Glen

 Justin's work friends suggested a few weeks ago that we go to Oak Glen.  When Justin asked them what that was, they responded "only the cutest town ever!".  So this week we checked it out, and while clearly his friends have never been to Lakewood Ranch or Celebration, Florida, the town was pretty cute.  It is a very small town comprised mostly of apple orchards.  Apple picking is what people go to Oak Glen for and they grow all kinds.  We choose Riley's Apple Farm to do our picking because they grow organically!  Greeted with delicious apple cider and we knew we made a good choice.  As I said before they grow all kinds of apples, but we picked Granny Smith.  They are my favorite and just want we needed to make an apple crisp recipe Justin wanted to try.  Our trip to apple country was a lot of fun, and peeling our apples for our recipe was quite humorous with our limited kitchen supplies.  Here is the recipe we made (and don't forget ice cream!):

Cinnamon Apple Crisp

1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in large bowl. Add apples and toss to coat. Transfer apple mixture to prepared dish.
Combine flour, 1 cup sugar and butter in medium bowl. Using pastry blender or fingertips, blend ingredients until coarse meal forms. Spread flour mixture evenly over apples.
Bake crisp 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake crisp until apples are tender and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Bradenton

  Last weekend we made a quick trip back to Florida for the first time since we moved to Cali.  While the trip went by way too quickly it was great to see family and friends.  We were so excited to get to participate in Amy and Nick's birthday celebration, a tradition for the past five years.  Also great to celebrate a milestone for my father-in-law as he turned the big 5-0.  Glad to see that everyone is doing well, we miss you all everyday, and please don't forget about us while we are gone!!

 Halloween has come and gone and with it went stoop kid.  All day on Halloween he packed a moving truck and left late that night.  Justin and I would have never imagined actually missing him but he turned out to be the best neighboor we have ever had. 

Next location information coming soon :)  

Keep you posted,

<3 L