I have a special treat for you today. This totally yummy chili recipe comes courtesy of Chef Craig from King’s Highway restaurant at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club.

The Ace is one of our favorite places to stay in Palm Springs and no visit would be complete without hunkering down into a booth at King’s Highway and tucking into this delicious dish. It’s the perfect blend of warmth, and spice. It fills your whole mouth with happiness.

On our last stay, we mentioned to the waiter that I was obsessed with this chili. I offhandedly asked if the chef would consider sharing the recipe with me. The waiter looked at me like I had a few screws loose but low and behold, a few minutes later, Chef Craig had left his busy kitchen and was sitting down next to us – spilling the beans so to speak.

This sort of kindness is so typical of the staff at the Ace. One is truly made to feel more like family than a hotel guest.

So with Chef Craig’s permission, I give you Sirloin & White Bean Chili alla King’s Highway.

Enjoy!

Sirloin & White Bean Chili
Makes approximately 8 cups
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion diced (reserve @ ¼ cup for garnish)
4 garlic cloves minced
1 lb. ground sirloin
4 tsp. chile powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 16 oz. can of white or pinto beans
1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
32 oz. organic low fat beef broth
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
Cilantro

Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron pot
Sauté onions and garlic until golden & translucent
Add sirloin, chile powder & cumin. Stir together and let beef cook
Add tomatoes and beans with their liquid along with the beef broth
Season with red pepper flakes, salt, pepper & bay leaf
Cover pot and bring to a boil
Remove cover and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally
Add more seasoning if necessary
Garnish with raw onion and cilantro
Serve with corn bread

Are you looking for a unique, personal gift to give to your true love this Valentine’s day? Well, it’s not too late to commission a one of a kind photographic piece of wearable art.

See the entire collection on our pet photography site, Buried Bone Photo. Even though we are featuring photographs of adorable pups, keep in mind that these pieces are also beautiful when adorned with images of your wedding or children.

Contact us at our studio and we will be more than happy to help you pick out the perfect piece and photograph.

The best part is, if you place your order before January 27th we will take 20% off your entire order.

Happy shopping!

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt

I met this really interesting couple last week. They came in for a consultation to see if Larry and I would be a good fit for their wedding. As we were talking, it became evident that they are both really passionate about photography and enjoy making images themselves. At one point, Chip, the groom to be, mentioned that some of his best images came to him completely by accident. Even though I didn’t think it wise to say, “You know what, that happens to me a lot too!” After all, that may not be the best way to instill confidence in your potential boss – but the truth is, sometimes the photo gods really do shine down and place a miraculous photograph right in front of your lens. That is exactly what happened with this photograph.

When I arrived in Deborah’s dressing room, her little niece was practically vibrating with excitement. Everyone was fussing over her, making sure her hair was just right, that her dress was perfectly pressed, her ankle socks were turned down just so. She loved every minute of being the little belle of the ball. Eventually, it came time to get Deborah into her wedding gown. When the focus turned to the bride, her niece plopped down into a chair and sulked. The photo gods made an appearance when Deborah stood directly in front of her niece in her bustier framing the petulant child through her arm on her hip. I had a fraction of a second to capture this moment but in that instant, the entire story was told with one click of the shutter. Could I have ever planned this? Honestly, no – I am not that clever, but even if I were, my posing and explaining what I hoped to accomplish to both Deborah and her niece would have deflated all of the air out of the moment.

So Chip, embrace the photo accidents. I know I do with my arms wide open.

Exuberant hues woven with lots of texture was the theme of the day on this Frida Kahlo inspired photo shoot.

The stage was set at the incredibly gorgeous Korakia Pensione. Cathy O’Connell and Dorry Wynham of Celebrations of Joy assembled a team of incredibly talented and passionate people to create this vivid tableau. Larry and I could not have been more proud to be included.

Luna, the fabulously talented floral designer at Arrangements Floral & Party Design, outdid herself. Her Mexican heritage served her well…she really captured Frida’s love of color in every perfect bloom. She was also so smart to cast her little sister Estrella and her friend Solomon as our bride and groom. Estrella looked so beautiful in her Blue by Enzoani gown on loan from Signature Bridal & Tuxedo. Did you notice the charm of her beloved pup tied to her bouquet? What a lovely way to have someone special close to you on your wedding day.

Another one of my favorite touches was having the place cards tied to the iron door on the property. Incorporating what is special about the venue into the decor always makes for a memorable event.

Jason of Small Masterpiece set our table with a collection of antique dishes and glassware. With each place setting being a little different, wedding guests feel as if the table is set just for them. Jason picked up the fun place mats on one of his travels through Central America.

The bright turquoise napkins came from T. Eitzinger Couture Linens. This is not your average linen company. Their selection is really unique and utterly fabulous. I wish I had know about them when I was planning our wedding.

Speaking of planning a wedding, if any of you reading this are doing so, save yourself a lot of time and hassle and hire everyone I mentioned in this post. Besides being incredibly talented and caring, you’ll be surrounding yourself with some of the nicest people in the industry.

To see more images from our Frida Kahlo inspired photo shoot, head over to Style Me Pretty.

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”
~Kahlil Gibran