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Here you will find image rich articles about travel, nature, art, design and most definitely food!
You will also find stories about talented people of passion and my own experiences with Shinrin-Yoku and living a healthy, vibrant life.
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Hello! My name is Monica Schwartz, and I currently live in the Northern California Gold Country. My two "piglets" (yes the ones in the photo) used to be with me, but alas, they left me for the rainbow bridge in 2022. They are still very much with me in spirit though, and we are still very much a team.
Besides being the driving force behind Life Out Of Bounds, I am also a photographer, artist, writer, chef, forest therapy guide, and dabble a bit in design. I am also a world explorer, time traveler and aspiring teleporter. If I were turning eleven next week, my choice of school would be Hogwarts!
Born and raised in Italy, I moved to Hawai'i in 2002, where I lived for eleven years, until I came down with island fever. That is when I moved to California in order to have more territory to explore in my Mini.
Hawai'i remains the home of my heart.
Thank you for visiting
May you be happy, may you be blessed, may you prosper in all things.
Monica
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LINGUINE WITH ZUCCHINI BLOSSOM, SHRIMP AND SAFFRON
When I dashed to the grocery store yesterday I found some glorious and fresh looking baby zucchini with blossoms attached. You should have seen my face - sorry there is no equivalent e-moji!
I knew I had frozen shrimp and saffron at home, and parsley of course. So I grabbed some linguine and that became today’s lunch!
Like most pasta recipes, this one is easy, too. You only need few ingredients:
🔸Linguine (pasta) or even fresh egg Taglierini (thin tagliatelle)
🔸Fresh (or defrosted) nice shrimp, shelled and deveined
🔸Lovely baby zucchini with the blossom attached (or even just squash blossoms)
🔸Saffron powder
🔸Freshly chopped parley
and, of course: extra-virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt for the pasta water, fine sea salt and pepper for seasoning the shrimp and veggies
Full recipe to be found in the blog via the link in profile, under Recipes for Summer. It’s one of my most popular posts, so you can also find it on the home page. Or you can comment SAFFRON below and I will be happy to send you the link directly.
xoxo
M
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#loob_food #recipe #italianfood #pastarecipe #pasta #linguine #zucchiniblossoms #shrimp #saffron #italianlife #summerfood #fooditaly #italianfoodbloggers
In the last few days I noticed how the light and the colors in nature have shifted. The sweltering heat may disagree, but the light is softer and there are more yellow tones overall in nature, and greens are more subdued in the trees, especially the big ones.
I notice this every year, increasingly more keenly since becoming a photographer and thus having learned to constantly evaluate the light. Noticing this subtle transition seems to happen no matter where I am. I used to notice it even when I lived in Hawai’i, where there are no deciduous trees and this shift is much more subtle….
Continued in the comments… .
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#loob_nature #nature #forestbathing #shinrinyoku #summertime #theartofslowliving #momentsofmine #mindfulness #presence #summergarden #summerlife #italianlife #earthenergy #groundingenergy #naturehealsthesoul #sacrednature
It’s so hot in Italy these days that it’s sweltering even on the top of our little hill under lots of green trees. I think about the various places I would like to explore, the friends I want to see, but the only place I feel inspired to go is the frozen section at the grocery store.
And that’s where I went yesterday, where I found such glorious local peaches that today I am making this bruschetta for lunch… again. It’s a favorite. This and variations there of.
My brother has a really happy and lush plant of basil growing in a pot just outside, so I will be using that instead of thyme. But then, peaches and basil are a match made in heaven!
It’s a recipe, non-recipe. You can see it on the blog, but it’s so easy it’s really a list of ingredients put together:
đźź slices of good quality crusty bread, grilled or toasted (no garlic!)
🟡 spread that with some fresh ricotta or even some burrata cream (the filling inside burrata)
đźź top that with one or two slices of prosciutto or speck (the smoked version of prosciutto)
🟡 top that with slices of grilled peaches
đźź a little drizzle of balsamic reduction
🟡 a sprinkling of fresh basil or fresh thyme
A little chilled Prosecco and we can toast to perfect temperate weather all year round!
Happy Monday!
xoxo
M
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#loob_food #summerfood #peaches #bruschetta #italianfood #thisisitaly #italiansummer #foodstyling #foodphotography #prosciutto
Happy Birthday to my gorgeous Mum! 83 and counting! ❤️
So grateful she is still with us, especially after the scare she gave us a year ago.
This is a portrait (of a series) I did a few years ago with one of her beloved gowns. Definitely a princess, don’t you think? ❤️
She is saying you should go and treat yourselves to some cake, or better yet, her favorite dessert: Panna Cotta!
xoxo
M
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#loob_people #portraiture #environmentalportraiture #portrait #makeportraits #portraiturephotography #nikonnofilter #portraitshoot
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©Monica Schwartz - all rights reserved.
This beautiful Habedasher’s Pantry was inspired by a local butcher shop in the North Downs, UK.
It is part of a multi space project by the talented team at deVOL Kitchens, which includes a kitchen with a stunning island by Officine Gullo, as well as a coffee/tea station and a whole boot room (mud room).
Swipe the images to take a peek, but more images and full descriptive story can be found on the blog. See links in profile @lifeoutofbounds under “latest post”, or if you prefer, just comment KITCHEN below and I will be happy to message you the link directly.
Take a peek and let me know what you think.
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#loob_design #kitchendesign #habedasherpantry #pantrydesign #homeinspiration #housebeautiful #homedecor #homestyling #interiordecor #worldofinteriors #custumfurnituremaker #kitchencabinets #kitchenisland #beautifulspaces
