TRAVEL - CALIFORNIA

I just spent 9 glorious days in California (they were all amazing even though I got really sick and lost my voice for part of the trip)!  First my boyfriend and I flew out to LA to check it out because he had never been and I haven't been since I was really young, so I didn't remember anything about it, then we headed to San Francisco to meet up with my family (they came from Hawaii).

I forgot to take a lot of pictures because the trip was really that good, but here are some pictures I managed to take.

LA:

In and Out Burger

LACMA

Hollywood 

Venice Beach 

Some other things we did in LA: Saw a really funny show at UCB, brunched at Cliff's Edge, and hung out at the farmers market.

SF:

My Dad and brother being silly in J Town

Ferry Building

Japanese Garden at Golden Gate Park

California Academy of Sciences

Botanical Gardens at Golden Gate Park

Other fun stuff we did in SF: Ate a lot of food (I'm still full from this trip), got beef jerky at Jackson Market, went to the farmers market at the Ferry Building, went on a bike ride through the park, had brunch in Sausalito and spent a day in Berkley.

Even though I just got back to NY I really want to go back to California (especially since NY summer has really begun, I HATE NY summer) or really anywhere that doesn't have smelly heavy heat.

FOOD - PICKLE MAKING (ATTEMPT 1)

This weekend I made dill pickles for the first time from scratch and it was super easy!  I think I will have to make a batch every week to keep up with how fast my boyfriend eats them.  Because this was my first time, I decided to make half of them refrigerator pickles had I put half through a water bath so I could keep them around longer.  These pickles were really vinegary and not salty enough for my taste but they are still pretty good!  I will definitely be making subtle changes the next time I make pickles and report back!

What you will need:
- 6-8 kirby or pickling cucumbers (they are shorter than regular cucumbers)
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar (next time I am going to use half apple cider, half white vinegar)
- 2 cups water
- 3 tsp pickling salt (pickling salt is different than normal salt because it does not have any additives, next time I will bump this up)
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 large sprigs of dill (next time I will use dill seed for a richer flavor)
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 4 pint jars or 3 quart jars

How to make Dill Pickles:
- If you are going to use a water bath, prepare the water bath.
- Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil.
- Distribute the garlic, dill, mustard seed, and peppercorn evenly into the jars
- Cut the ends off the cucumbers then slice into quarters
- Pack the cucumbers tightly into the jars
- Cover the cucumbers with the water, vinegar, salt brine
- Cover jars and either place in the water bath for 10 mins or place in the fridge

Enjoy!