What's your advice for making a move as easy as possible? 

Gosh, you'd think I have a good answer to this question after so many moves! My best advice, which unfortunately I don't ever take, is to unpack at once. Get things in their places, break down the boxes, and get organized. On the flip side, I would say take your time packing and plan for it. 

I'm currently having trouble because we unpacked a lot in one sprint but then took a break and now I can't seem to get back to it. I always manage to hide a few boxes in a closet somewhere and forget about them. "Finish unpacking" will probably be on my to-do list for another three or four months. 

What's been the biggest adjustment since getting married?

Rob and I have been married for two and a half years now, can you believe it? We were together for five years before our wedding day, so at the time I didn't think getting married would change things too much. I think the biggest adjustment over the past few years has been truly working as a team through everything we do. Finances and big life decisions like are we ready for a dog? or should we move across the country for this job opportunity? mean so much more to me now because we have to make sure it makes sense for what we want in our future as a family. It's a lot of work sometimes and it takes practice, but it's a pretty incredible thing to have a partner to really share your life with. 

Do you have a goal when it comes to publishing a certain number of blog posts?

My goal has always been to post five days a week, Monday through Friday, and for a long time I was doing that. The past year and a half has been a rough one for me though, and I'm just now starting to get back into the swing of things. Having a sick parent, traveling a lot, moving, writing a book, and then moving again will do that to your routine, I guess.

Sometimes I only post 2-4 times a week, but I'd rather give you one post that I think it worth reading than 5 that I just threw together, so I'm constantly trying to find that balance.

What are five of your favorite things right now?

Mango La Croix, listening to Ophelia by the Lumineers on repeat, taking Ender to the dog park to play with other pups, this candle, this bronzing powder. (Last two are affiliate links.)

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Your turn! Tell me your unpacking advice, marriage transitions, and some of your favorite things right now. I'd also love to hear any questions you might have for future Q+A posts, so leave me a comment or send me an email!

Photo by Oguz Uygur.

This post was originally published in September of 2013 and is one of my most popular Paleo recipes here on Freckled Italian. I decided to update the photos and re-publish it in case any newer readers may have missed it. These eggplant fries are just as delicious as they were the first time. I also included my (not so) super secret spicy mayo recipe at the end, because what's the point of having fries if you don't have something to dip them in?

I am so not a fan of eggplant. It's just not my thing. What I am a fan of, however, are French fries, and while they aren't very Paleo, they are delicious. I bought an eggplant the other day because it was on sale and I was like, well why not? I usually roast them up in big slices and just can't handle the texture. So I cut them into fry-like strips and baked them at a high heat and what I got was pretty close to French fries. They're also kind of fall-y, which I know we all love. You're welcome.

Ingredients:

• One medium to large eggplant
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut eggplant into medallions, then stack medallions and cut into French fry-like strips.
3. Place eggplant strips onto a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season lightly with a bit of salt and pepper.
4. Pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the majority of them are browned and crispy. Let cool slightly before removing from pan.

These are incredibly delicious. I promise. 

And they were even better with a bit of spicy aioli I whipped up. It's super easy--just mix about a tablespoon or two of mayo with one or two teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce. I used a mix of Sriracha and some leftover chili oil from the Chinese place we order takeout from.

For the past few months, Kristan and Annie and I have been working with La Crema to plan another event, kind of like the one we did in Seattle; only a little fancier and with some adventure thrown in.

This summer La Crema opened a new Estate that has so much to offer--Rob and I checked it out pretty much as soon as we moved (while our friends Tina and Michael were visiting). It's a gorgeous spot with lots of patio space to hang out with a bottle of wine, and you can also tour the vineyard which is kind of my new favorite thing. 

So for this event with La Crema, we couldn't think of a better place to host than at La Crema! We invited a handful of awesome food and lifestyle bloggers from the Bay Area to join us for a tour of the Estate and a three-course lunch, followed by a wine and cheese pairing and plenty of desserts. We had the best time.

The tour is so fun--I've done it twice and totally loved it each time. If you're ever in the area, you can make an appointment and do it, too! But call me first so I can go with you. (Just kidding--kind of.) The property has such a rich history and I love hearing about the people who owned it before La Crema. Their legacy is certainly being honored every day.

After the tour, we headed back inside for some food and (more) wine. I'm so happy with how the table turned out. We made a Pinterest board full of inspiration for flowers, linens, table settings, and candles and it was so fun setting up. Renate from La Crema took our ideas and ran with them and when the flowers showed up I knew we were really all on the same page. There were gorgeous white and crimson dahlias mixed with green succulents for a perfect balance of color and texture. Every little detail was perfectly autumnal.

Lunch was incredible. There were oysters, some of the best tuna I've ever had (pictured below), and some amazing duck. You can check out the full menu in today's post on the La Crema blog.

We followed it up with a wine and cheese pairing that made me want to study cheese--seriously, it was amazing. Chef Tracey was so thoughtful in her pairings and had such wonderful explanations for everything. I loved the three-course lunch, but the wine and cheese pairing was really something special. PSA: it's also available to the public if you make an appointment. 

I couldn't have asked for a better first big California project. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and the timing of the event was incredible--I made so many new friends and they all live in my area! 

We sent everyone home with a swag bag full of treats that included awesome candles that Rewined was kind enough to send. And Minted knocked it out of the park as usual with our gorgeous rose gold menus. One of my favorite things about events like this is working with our favorite brands on all the small details that come together to make the big picture really lovely.

 Such a fun day. 

This post is brought to you in partnership with La Crema. 

Photos by Oguz Uygur.