The Elle Nakahara Photography Project

Blood oranges are finally in the shops, and I scooped up an armload to bring home. They were a bit too tart to eat on their own (at least for my tastes) so decided to caramelize the rest. I use these to top cakes/quick breads or to garnish drinks. Hoping the next bag of oranges will be sweeter!

2 organic blood oranges
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Add the water and sugar to a small sauce pan, and bring it to boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Rinse the blood oranges thoroughly, cut them into ¼-inch slices, and let simmer in the syrup on low heat for about 20 minutes. Arrange the orange slices on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, until they start to turn brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and let the orange slices cool down completely before using them.

A calm day between winter storms, so we took a chance and drove out to the coast for some low-key adventure. Tide poolers and seagulls strike similar poses on the reef while harbor seals lounge nearby, unfazed by the quiet hullabaloo.  A walk through a cypress grove, where we were serenaded by tree frogs. Shots around the harbor, closed up and packed away for the storm ahead.

Except for these sparkling beauties.

Spotted these post-storm clouds on our way to Carmel the other day and captured them on my phone camera, ultra-zoomed in. Grainy and slightly out of focus, like that moment when your eyes have to adjust to the changing light at dusk.

Lately, it’s been chilly mornings and rain that lasts for days, but some roads and paths are still dotted with brilliant pops of color. It’s worth it to take the longer route from A to B sometimes.

Because it’s just as much about the tea tin as it is the flavor and fragrance.

Celebrating the colder months with warm, rich perfumes too heavy for spring and summer. Layering different scents from this Le Labo discovery set to match mood and occasion—fragrance cocktails, I suppose. Tonics for gray skies and rainy days.