Epicuriosity Killed my Waistline

Pumpkin Soup

2010-11-07T10:44:00.001-08:00

Last week I was inspired by the coming of November and a delicious cup of soup that a coworker brought to work. At first the creamy peach hue inside the stockpot on the break room table had me hesitant, but the smell coming out of it had me intrigued, and of course after one sip, it had me hooked. I asked for the recipe made a few tweaks to add a couple more veggies and started on my own version the following day. Below is the original recipe with my tweak connotations in parentheses.

PUMPKIN SOUP
1 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
(6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed)
(1 handful of Italian parsley, rough chopped)
4 stalks celery, chopped
(2 carrots, peeled and chopped)
(2 medium potatoes, skins intact and chopped)
1 cup flour
6 cups chicken broth (I used 1 carton broth and 16 cubes [roughly 2 cups] of my homemade stock)
1 29oz can of pumpkin puree, I recommend Libby's
1 cup apple juice
3 cups milk (I used 2 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup cream for extra richness)
Salt, pepper and thyme to taste

Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium high heat and saute onion, celery, garlic, parsley and carrots until softened and translucent. Add flour and mix well to create your roux. Slowly stir in broth until smooth, add potatoes and apple juice and bring to slow rolling boil. Add pumpkin and return to slow boil. When potatoes are tender, using a hand blender, mix until smooth and little to no lumps remain. I use my Vita-Mix in batches, but anything would work. Return soup to heat, add milk (or cream), salt, pepper and thyme and continue to cook over low heat until ready to serve.

I honestly think this would be a great appetizer before Thanksgiving dinner, and even more adorable served in baby pumpkin bowls.

Garnish with croutons, pumpkin seeds and a sprig of parsley. Enjoy!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

Semi-Homemade Sundried & Roasted Garlic Chicken Alfredo

2010-10-20T11:30:00.001-07:00

The other night Charlie was craving Alfredo. I don't usually make it because it makes me feel like a stuffed pig for about 23.5 hours, but I had everything I needed at home, and honestly wasn't feeling the grocery store in this rainy weather, so I obliged him.

Now if you know me, or read this blog regularly, you know I can't just leave well alone and I always have to one up every meal I make. In other words, I'm not ok with putting jarred sauce on some noodles and calling it a day. I decided to fix up my alfredo with a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, some homemade sun-dried tomatoes my mom made, fresh parsley and some faux roasted garlic.

You will need;
* 1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce. I used the Roasted Garlic flavor from Classico
* 1 head of garlic
* 1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts
* 1 jar sun dried tomatoes ( or make your own!)
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 tbsp butter
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* Italian flat leaf parsley
* shredded parmesan cheese
* 2 chicken breasts
* Italian seasonings
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* pasta noodles of your choice

Start by faux roasting your garlic by separating the head, peeling, and rough dicing the garlic. Add the sugar and butter into a small pan and melt over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee until straw colored.

Clean and season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. In a medium to large frying pan add olive oil over medium heat and cook chicken breasts until golden brown and juices run clear.

Boil water in a large pot and cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

In a large saucepan, combine Alfredo sauce and heavy cream, whisk together until mixed and smooth. Dice sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and parsley and add to sauce. Add roasted garlic. Add parmesan cheese.

Serve by placing a serving of pasta on a plate. Top with sliced chicken breast, pour sauce over the top and garnish with additional cheese and parsley. Viola!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Red Velvet Cupcake Wine!!!

2010-10-20T10:58:00.001-07:00

Seriously.

We saw this at Albertson's last week and I was floored. I mean I've had Cupcake Winery before but just their Rosé sparkling wine (the night Charlie gave me my ring!) and I've tried their whites, but Red Velvet!? How could I resist?

We had it before dinner with a bit of Scharffen Berger's 65% cacao chocolate bar. In December of 2008 Michelle, Melissa, Michelle's brother Jimmy and I toured the Sharffen Berger factory in Berkeley and that's when I fell in love. I've never been a huge dark chocolate fan, but theirs is creamy and delicious and tastes amazing. The pairing was awesome.

The wine had undernotes of mocha, blackberries and creamy chocolate and is recommended to pair with Smokey sweet food such as big juicy Bacon cheeseburgers.

It's a "California Red Wine", sampling from several vineyards in what I can only guess come from the Alexander and Napa valleys, but to us it tasted like a sweet Cabernet. Just like a red velvet cupcake it was dark, rich and left you craving more.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Hot Spiced Apple Cider

2010-10-17T16:05:00.001-07:00

So today in San Diego it decided to drizzle... all day. No rain, no thunder, no lightening, just barely there drizzle. Charlie was supposed to go riding with the boys, but seeing as how slick wet roads and motorcycles at 60+ MPH don't mix, we stayed in, cleaned house, and watched The Breakfast Club instead. He's currently folding laundry (*gasp!* a man who does housework!) so I decided to warm up with a mug of spiced cider. I worked with what I had in the house and came up with this sweet little autumnal treat.

* apple juice or cider (if you use juice, use twice as much liquid and cook longer to reduce by half)
* ground cinnamon
* freshly ground nutmeg
* a dollop of maple syrup
* a pinch of salt
* a dab of brown sugar

You could also add any of the following;

* Allspice
* Clove
* Citrus peels

Put it all into a medium saucepan and cook for 10-15 minutes, pour into an adorable mug, let cool and enjoy!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Enchilads Verdes

2010-10-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

Whenever Charlie has a bad day, I do my best to make the rest of his day perfect. This usually includes letting him play Red Dead Redemption for hours on end, giving him a back massage, buying him a 12-pack of his favorite beer of the moment and cooking him one of his favorite labor intensive meals I try to avoid on a normal day. Charlie's love is a little different from mine so when I have a bad day I just ask that he's a little nicer and caring than normal. If I'm really lucky he'll give me a night off from cooking duty and make me one of famous dishes that he makes so well.

Yesterday was one of those days. I spent the majority of my day with my dads side of the family at a memorial and celebration of life of my recently deceased Uncle "Wesser", and I was drained. Emotionally, mentally and physically. So Charlie stepped up and made me one of my favorites - Enchilada Verdes!

We both grew up eating a lot of Mexican food - both mine and Charlie's father's sides of our families are part Mexican - which leads to some of the best food you're going to find anywhere. Plus we're from San Diego, so you could say we're both pretty picky about our Mexican food. His enchiladas are better than any enchiladas I've ever gotten at a restaurant and I'm going to share with you the secret. Lucky you!

You're going to need;

* 6 medium sized flour tortillas
* 2 cans La Victoria mild green enchilada sauce
* 2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 1 cup shredded "Mexican" Cheddar Jack cheese
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
* 1 block of Jack cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch chunks

Start by boiling the chicken breasts until cooked, then cool and shred with your hands or 2 forks. Open and dump both cans of sauce into a medium saucepan and let simmer until slightly reduced and thickened. In a large bowl combine the chicken, shredded cheese, sour cream and cilantro and mix well. Stuff a tortilla with the chicken mixture, roll up and place in a casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken. Pour the thickened sauce over the top and top each enchilada with the sliced cheese. Bake at 350* until sauce bubbles and cheese on top is melted, about 15-20 minutes. Cool to set and serve with rice, beans and a ridiculously healthy appetite! Om nom nom.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

2010-10-15T12:48:00.001-07:00

Last night, the fall weather got the best of me and I decided to make an apple pie. This is the first pie from scratch I've ever made so I researched the components extensively beforehand and made my decisions based on ingredients, level of difficulty and the comments left by the people who had attempted it before me.

I posted pictures of my success on Facebook and after an overwhelming response of people asking for the recipe, I decided to share it here. Bear in mind this was my first pie and feel free to add and subtract ingredients at will to your liking. My pie was tart with a sweet syrup and a slightly salty crust, which in my opinion balanced itself out perfectly.

I started out using 5 Gala apples because they hold up well in baking and are a nice in-between of sweet and tart. I peeled them, and sliced them into thin slices, placed them into a large bowl and set them aside for the moment. Next in a medium sized bowl I added 1/2 a cup of apple juice (reduced from 1 cup, but 1/2 a cup apple cider would work too) the juice from 1/2 a lemon, cinnamon and fresh grated nutmeg, 1/3 cup maple syrup (the real stuff people, not Aunt Jemima) and 2 teaspoons of sugar - brown or white depending on the flavor you want to achieve. In a large skillet I melted 2 tablespoons butter and sauteed the apples until the color changed to a rich yellow, sprinkled them with some cinnamon and sugar, then poured the juice mixture over the top and cooked about 2 minutes more. I transferred the apples into my pie crust that I had prepared earlier and returned the juice mixture to heat, added 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and simmered until thickened, and poured it over the apple filled crust. I topped my pie with a crumble I made of 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup brown sugar, cut with 3 tablespoons butter until it resembled a coarse meal, then I sprinkled it over the top but not before drizzling the apples with caramel sauce. I got mine at Starbucks, I use it to make Charlie his coffee in the morning, but it worked well on the pie too! The girls at my Starbucks got a kick out of my creative use for it. I baked the pie at 375*, loosely covered with tinfoil for 25 mins and then uncovered for another 25 and it came out perfectly.

For the sake of me testing this recipe I used a Pillsbury readymade rolled pie crust. They are found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store and come in packs of 2. Feel free to use any type of crust you would like. Next time I'm going to attempt to make homemade crust, so I will definitely share those results as well.

I topped my pie with some homemade whipped cream to which I added a bit of sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and whipped on high in my Kitchen-Aid for about 5 minutes.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Back from Hiatus!

2010-10-07T12:57:00.001-07:00

Well... as the title suggests, I am back from a very long hiatus. I know my blog has suffered greatly since I took a long needed personal break, but well, I needed it.

My relationship with Charlie has progressed a lot since the last time I posted an update or recipe and since then we've been working on building a life and home together. The last time I updated things were going well and since then they have greatly increased. We now live together in an adorable 2 bedroom apartment with a nice kitchen and I've finally got the room and space to be the cook I want to be. Charlie's tummy has been reaping the benefits of my adventures in the culinary world and we've even ventured out of our comfort zone a few times.

Currently I am using my brand new GE 6 quart slow cooker for the first time, trying my hand at making homemade chicken stock as the weather on San Diego has finally come around to admitting that its actually fall.

I decided since I spend so much money on canned chicken stock and broth that I should try my hand a making a more flavorful, delicious option.

I searched the internet for a decently fool proof recipe and found one from Alton Brown with quite nearly 5 stars and after reading the comments and taking their advice into account as well I began to prepare myself for my adventure.

Me being the planner I am, I went to the store almost a week before I actually made the stock and got all the ingredients so I would be ready when the perfect day struck. I started saving the roasted bones from the rotisserie and baked chicken I had made and froze them to make sure I had enough for my stock. After a record breaking blazing hot week, it's finally cooled down to a nice drizzle and luckily I had the day off and the 8+ hours required to prepare and simmer my stock.

I'll link to the recipe I used but basically I threw all this into my slow cooker, cooked on high for 2 hours, then simmered for 6-7, skimming the goop off the top every hour or so. Into my cooker went:

* 2 chickens worth of bones, seasoned skin and whatever meat was leftover
* 1 onion, quartered
* 3 carrots, peeled and broken in half"
* 4 ribs of celery, trimmed leaves intact, cut in half
* 1 leek, green removed, cut in half lengthwise
* half a head of garlic, peeled and smashed
* 8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme
* heaping handful of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
* salt and pepper to taste, as needed
* enough water to cover

Because I had so much stock, I decided to freeze it in mini cupcake pans, which yield around 1/8-1/4 a cup per stock cube and will last me through the fall and into winter when I'll be going through stock like it's going out of style. As I use it I'll share the recipes.

Good luck!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

7 Minute Frosting is full of...

2010-01-05T23:18:00.000-08:00

So the recipe I have for 7 Minute Frosting claims it takes 7 minutes. Do not be fooled by this!! It took me closer to 30 minutes to make, but it's very delicious and, although tricky, not difficult. Be cautious, once this frosting is done, it starts to harden pretty quickly, so have a piping bag ready, and work quick.

You will need:

1 1/2 c. sugar, plus 2 tbsp
2/3 c. water
2 tbsp light corn syrup
6 large egg whites, room temp

An electric mixer, a small heavy saucepan and a candy thermometer

Combine water, 1 1/2 c sugar and corn syrup in the heavy saucepan. Clip the candy thermometer onto the side of the pan so it is touching the liquid.

Bring contents to a boil, over medium heat, stirring occassionally until the sugars dissolve. Without stirring continue to let the syrup boil until it reaches 230* on the thermometer.

While the mixture is coming to 230*, in the electric mixer, whisk egg whites on medium high until soft peaks begin to form. Add remaining 2 tbsp of sugar and continue to beat whites until peaks slightly stiffen.

Once the mixture on the stove reaches 230*, with the mixer on medium low, slowly and steadily pour the hot syrup into the egg whites. Raise mixer speed to medium high and whisk until the bowl is cool to the touch and stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes, although mine took more like 15.

Transfer to a piping bag, and using a large plain tip (like Wilton #1A) pipe frosting onto each cupcake: Hold bag over cupcake, with the tip just above the top, and squeeze to create a dome effect, and release pressure by pulling upwards to form a small peak.

FATCAKES! #1 Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

2010-01-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

So for Christmas, Charlie got me a bunch of cupcake cookbooks, and then almost immediately requested a recipe, Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. He's a HUGE Snickerdoodle fan, and I'm a HUGE cupcake fan, so I thought I would start off the new year, and my new FATCAKES! series with Snickerdoodle.

Charlie calls me "Fatcakes" cuz I love to quote a line from iCarly (yes, shut up, sometimes I watch Nickelodeon. Don't judge me.) that Sam says, "Mama knows her Fat Cakes", anyway, it stuck.

Anyway, the FATCAKES series will be a big project for me this year in I hope to go through the entire cupcake recipe books I have a make as many as I can in 365 days. Keep checking up on me and my progress!

SNICKERDOODLE CUPCAKES

These pretty little cupcakes taste EXACTLY like the cookie and are surprisingly easy to make. Makes 28.

You will need:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2c. cake flour* (NOT self rising)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks butter, room temp
1 3/4 c. sugar
4 large eggs, room temp
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (you all know how I feel about this one)
1 1/4 c. milk

*If you don't have cake flour, or are hard pressed and can't find it, you can use all-purpose flour and substitute out one tablespoon of flour for one tablespoon of corn starch.

Preheat the oven to 350* and line your cupcake pans with papers. Sift together the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. If you have a sifter, awesome! If not you can use a sieve to sift, or mix well using a fork.

Using an electric mixer, or your handy dandy Kitchen Aid, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy on a medium high speed. If your butter has not come to room temperature, you can cut it up into small cubes, this helps break it down a bit.

Add each egg, one at a time until well incorporated. Beat in vanilla and reduce to a low speed. Add flour and milk by alternating in batches (flour 3, milk 2).

Divide batter into your cupcake pans, until about 3/4 full. I find it easier to scrape down he bowl and transfer the batter into a large plastic or pastry bag and pipe it into the liners. This helps with control and allows for less spills and drips.

Bake cupcakes for about 20 minutes, or until a cake tester (toothpicks or raw spaghetti noodles work well) inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cook on a wire rack.

Frost cupcakes with 7 minutes frosting, and dust with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar to make them look perfectly adorable.

Best of EKmW 2009!

2009-12-28T17:51:00.001-08:00

As 2009 comes to an end, I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and share with you some of my favorite posts, recipes and reviews of 2009 here on Epicuriosity Killed my Waistline.

So without further Ado... the top 10 picks of '09!

10. Heart Salad

I loved the heart salad I made for Valentine's Day because it was just so cute, creative and delicious. Plus it gave me a new found appreciation for beets, which aren't as bad as I originally had thought, plus it's just such a great addition to any meal for a loved one, be it Valentine's Day, or an anniversary.

9. Chicken Shwarma

This recipe might have gotten the most play in '09 by my family. In fact my mom loves it so much she bookmarked it on her browser. It was such a staple for me in the summer for BBQ's, Tailgates, and an easy delicious sandwich as leftovers later in the week. Such a flavorful way to prepare chicken, you'd doubt it was so good for you!

8. Bossa Nova

Even though I didn't discover Bossa Nova in 2009, this restaurant was such a classic staple in my "LA dining out" repertoire. Everything here is so tasty and healthy, I think I recommended this place to almost everyone I talked to in LA this year. A must try!

7. Six Feet Under

One of my favorite places in Atlanta, and one of my favorite blog posts of the year. The trip was just such a foodie journey, and I'm glad SFU made the cut. Plus I finally got the nerve to step out of my comfort zone and try the alligator!

6. Rush Street

One of the best new restaurants I tried in 2009!! Rush Street is such a great place to go for food, drinks and atmosphere! I love their fresh menu, friendly staff, and great deals!

5. Johnnie's Pastrami

My favorite LA institution. The Best Pastrami on the West Coast!

4. Red Velvet Cupcakes

Since this blog post, these lovely delicious gently chocolate cupcakes have come to mean so much more to me and my family. They are now Audrey's favorite flavor of cake, and made a wonderful appearance at her 4th birthday party. This recipe is probably the best Red Velvet Cake out there that I've found, and trust me, I've looked.

3. Father's Office

The long lines and strict "No Substitution" warnings kept me away for so long, and now I wonder why I ever let that stop me. The best burger of 2009, HANDS DOWN!

2. Absinthe

Technically this restaurant was visited in 2008, days before New Years, but I've been back since and will never stop raving about it. The best and most creative cocktails I've ever had in my life!!

and the number one pick for 2009....

1. French Macarons

My creative brainchild project of 2009, the French Macaron. Not only did I do it all from scratch, but I pretty much perfected the art of meringue making these bad boys. My all time favorite project on EKmW. Hardwork never tasted so sweet.

CUPCAKES!

2009-12-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Cupcakes I've made, decorated and served in 2009!

Red Velvet Cupcakes, with cream cheese frosting from scratch.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Butter Cream frosting and fondant flowers.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and fondant Lego pieces.

Elmo and Cookie Monster "Fixed Up" Red Velvet Cupcakes with
"Fixed Up" Cream Cheese Frosting and fondant embellishment.

Gingerbread teacakes with cinnamon frosting, decorated by Audrey

"Fixed Up" Pilsbury Funfetti Cupcakes and frosting, decorated by Audrey

Turkey Posole!

2009-11-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

Being from San Diego, Charlie and I eat A LOT of Mexican Food. At least once a week in fact! And seeing as we have a lot of Mexican relatives we cook a lot of Mexican food as well.

This recipe is a great one for the winter. The hot soup helps keep you warm and it's a great excuse to use up all that left over Turkey from Thanksgiving!

You will need:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 fresh poblano chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
4-5 chopped fresh thyme leaves
Coarse salt and pepper
1 cup beer (Pacifico works)
16 tomatillos, peeled and coarsely chopped or coarsely processed in food processor
1 (15-ounce) can hominy (BIG Mexican corn)
1 quart chicken stock
1 1/2 to 2 pounds light and dark cooked turkey meat, chopped*
1 lime, juiced

For Garnish (optional):
White Onion, finely chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Avocado, sliced
Limes, sliced
Hot Pepper
Tortilla strips & chips

Heat a medium soup pot over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil, onions, garlic, peppers, cumin, oregano, thyme, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook 5 minutes to sweat onions then add beer and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatillos and cook 5 minute more then stir in the hominy, stock, lime, and the turkey. Stir in water if more liquid is needed to just cover everything in the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour to blend flavors.

Hash House A-Go-Go

2009-11-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

If you ever find yourself in San Diego, jonsing for some amazing breakfast (or even lunch) , look no further than Hash House A-Go-Go on 5th Ave in Hillcrest, famous for huge portions and ridiculously long lines that go surprisingly fast.

Now I've been to HH a few times, and I have NEVER EVER been disappointed, not once. Not only is the food amazing, the portions HUGE, and the plating beautiful, it's a great place to take someone who's never been, just to see the look on their faces when their food comes. Honestly people, it never gets old.

Now just a heads up, the pictures below are from a few different trips over to HH, were not REALLY that big of pigs, I swear.

Charlie and I stopped in for lunch once (they serve breakfast all day), I was craving their French Toast, and I sadly found out that the French Toast is pretty much the only breakfast item they DON'T serve all day.

He wanted lunch I wanted breakfast, neither of us were hungry enough for our own plate, so we opted for the Sage Fried Chicken and Bacon Waffles, which was just recently featured on Man Vs. Food on the Travel Channel.

The plate comes PILED with bacon waffles, and TWO huge chicken breasts, pan fried golden brown, topped with fried leeks, drizzled with a maple reduction and stabbed through the center with a heftily aromatic spring of fresh rosemary. Yes, that's ONE serving. Thankfully for those of you who want this, and don't live near a HH, Food Network tackled this recipe, and I'm sharing it with you.

Another breakfast favorite of mine are their Farm Benedicts. HH's benedicts are unlike ANYTHING you've ever seen, tried or made at home. Seriously, it's pretty epic. Below is the Sage Fried Chicken Benedict.

It's served on a bed of mashed potatoes, a huge housemade biscuit, and topped heavily with scrambled eggs, fried chicken, bacon (which I got on the side) fresh spinach, ripe tomatoes and griddled mozzarella cheese then topped with chipotle cream sauce.

On our last trip, Charlie and I met Adam for breakfast since he was in town the evening before, and HH was my first choice when he asked where we should go for breakfast.

Adam opted for an Indiana Favorite, Andy's Sage Fried Chicken w/ maple reduction, 2 eggs, bacon mashed potatoes & biscuit.

I finally got my French Toast. It comes dipped in Banana Cinnamon Cream, grilled until golden brown and then topped with a griddled banana, sliced lengthwise, toasted pecans, powdered sugar and maple syrup. TO. DIE. FOR.

"Fixed Up" Cupcakes!

2009-11-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I don't have time to be Super Girl and make cupcakes from scratch, and let's face it, not much can beat a perfect boxed cake mix. It comes out perfect every time! So something I like to do, to fix it up and make it slightly more homemade, is just replacing a few ingredients for a better taste.

To turn a basic box of cake mix into "Fixed Up!" cake, simply follow the directions on the back, omitting the water for milk, or buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, or can't find it, you can add 2 tsp of lemon juice to regular milk and let it sour for an hour. Using 4 eggs instead of the number recommended and fresh vanilla extract are other homemade substitutions.

For Red Velvet, simply use a box of White Cake Mix, omitting buttermilk for water, the same amount of oil, 4 egg whites, 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp vanilla extract, red food coloring until bright, and 1tbsp baking soda mixed with 1 tbsp white vinegar in a separate bowl, (it will foam) and then add to the cake mix. Bake as directed.

I love to use the canned frosting and tend to stock up when they go on sale at the store. Aren't 10 for $10 deals great?! I usually tend to tint my frosting and add at least 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to the frosting to thicken it. If I plan on using the frosting in a piping bag I use an additional 1/2 cup before I pipe it onto cupcakes. It helps the frosting keep it shape and makes the tub go a bit further. For chocolate frosting, mix equal parts powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

Pumpkin Seeds

2009-10-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

So you're planning on carving a pumpkin for Halloween. May I recommend Zombie Pumpkins as an awesome site for templates?

So after you pick your pumpkin, and your design... It's time to start carving.

This is Audrey, she's my awesome little pal, and we do lots of fun stuff together. Today we're going to carve some pumpkins and toast the seeds! YUM!

When you clean out your pumpkin, make sure you keep a colander near by to collect all the gooey pumpkin seeds.

Preheat your oven to 350* Make sure you rinse the seeds twice, to get all the pulp off of them. Then mix in a bowl...

melted butter, margarine or oil
spices to taste ( I like to use seasoning salt)
salt
pumpkin seeds

(You could also go the sweet route and use cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and sugar. The pumpkin seed world is your oyster!)

Toss to coat and spread out evenly on a baking sheet.

Bake 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden brown.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Burger Bar Las Vegas

2009-09-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

So much stuff has been happening lately that I've hardly found the time to blog. Lots of changes in the personal life of me.

This past weekend I went to Las Vegas for a wedding with Charlie to see our friends Christina and Eric ~~bite the dust~~ tie the knot at the LOVELY Mandalay Bay Casino. Food is always a huge part of our outings, which is probably why we mesh so well together, and Vegas was no exception. After a weekend of hoity-toity food and drink, we were happy to find this little gem.

Burger Bar, is the brainchild of Uber Chef Hubert Keller. Burgers are our life.

Burger Bar is set up like a super fancy Burger Subway where you start with the bun and pick everything you want to build the most epic burger of all time.

I opted for the Black Angus Burger, with caramelized onions, peppered bacon, whole grain mustard and peppered jack cheese with buttermilk zucchini fries as my side.

Charlie opted for a plain burger, well done, with cheddar and peppercorn sauce on the side and fat fries.

Don't bother the man with petty pictures when he's eating.

The cool thing about Burger Bar is they have loads of awesome toppings, some basic and some very gourmet. In fact they have a $60 kobe burger on their menu that is topped with shaved black truffles and sauteed foie gras, which if you're into that is awesome, but I'm more of a extra pickles kind of girl.

Charlie snapped a few pictures as I attempted to fit the burger in my mouth. This one is my favorite.

Burger Bar has an awesome Sweet Burger Menu filled with amazingly delicious looking treats, which we didn't order, and also some Beer Floats which I was tempted to order, but we had to be hitting the road.

Cooked perfectly pink and juicy.

All in all it was a great experience that we both loved and still talk about to this day. The only downside is you're going to have to be ok with spending at least $20 for a burger and side, but I think it was more than worth it.

Mediterraneo in Alpine

2009-09-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Just recently, I was privileged to get to go to Mediterraneo in Alpine for dinner and drinks. I had never been, but I had heard it was delicious and raved about so I was ready.

We started off with some drinks. I got one of the special martinis of the week, and Charlie got a Cranberry Grey Goose.

We started off with some Bruchetta, with toasted crustinis and shaved Parmesan cheese.

I ordered their Free Range Chicken, which was amazing and came topped on a bed of mashed potatoes with Chinese long beans with a wine reduction. Did you expect any less?

Charlie got this delicious pasta with chicken and cream sauce that was pretty much to die for.

German Pancakes!

2009-09-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend I had a craving for pancakes. It didn't really matter what kind of pancakes, but I knew I needed some. After much hemming and hawing, I convinced Gary to make the trek up to Kearney Mesa so we could go to the Original Pancake House. (It's a chain, so look it up please!)
After scoping out the menu, we ordered what he affectionately called "The World War II Special"; German Pancakes and Potato Latkes, with a side of Green Tea for the Japanese influence.

We both agreed that the only thing that would have made it better would be to violently tear apart some French Toast and make it submit under the pancake. Taking it a bit too far eh?

I had never had a German Pancake, I had only seen it ordered here, and over my salivation had vowed to order it one day. It's basically a HUGE oven baked crepe that you eat with copious amounts of butter, powdered sugar and lemon.

The best thing about German Pancakes, is that almost, if not all of the ingredients required for it, are already in your kitchen! I had yet another craving, so I scoured the internet for a recipe, and now I bring it to you.
If you wanna get all fancy and make the latkes too, there is a great and hilarious YouTube show called "Feed Me Bubbe" and they do it step by step. You can find the video here.

German Pancakes, adapted via. Living in the Kitchen with Puppies

Pancake:

3 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp Vanilla extract

2 Tbs butter

In a big skillet on the stove, heat the butter until melted and hot.
In a blender (or something similar) blend the remaining ingredients, pour into hot butter and throw into a 450* oven for 15 minutes.

Turn the heat down to 350* and cook for 10 more.
When it's done it should be all puffy and fluffy like above. Make sure you use oven safe pans, and a heavy duty oven mitt when taking it out of the oven. This seems like a no-brainer, but I assure you, it's FREAKING HOT.

Carefully transfer to a plate and fix it up. You can really put anything you want on it, syrup, jam, jelly, but I like to garnish with butter, powdered sugar, and fresh squeezed lemon.

Pizza Gourmet Express

2009-09-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Gary lives just a block or so East of the adorable heart of University Heights in San Diego, which leads to us trying lots of pedestrian friendly restaurants and bars in the vicinity. One such place is our new favorite "neighborhood pizza joint", Pizza Gourmet Express which hails itself as just that.

I walked over to get a pizza last night, and as I snapped a few pictures I heard, "Oh! Another Yelper!" to which I explained that I wasn't a Yelper, and I had my own food blog, not that being a Yelper is a bad thing, I just already have too much on my plate, ya know?

Pizza Gourmet Express

4615 Park Boulevard
San Diego California 92116
(61...

PEG is kinda like the "Subway" of pizza restaurants, an assembly line of fresh ingredients made fresh to order right in front of your eyes and either taken home to cook yourself, or flash baked in their high speed pizza ovens. Gary and I met the owner, James, who is super nice, awesome and informative. He said he'd stop by and see what I had to say, so... HI JAMES!

We got our old standard, the Vegetarian Pizza, which comes with 4 veggie toppings of your choice. We opted for tomatoes, garlic, artichoke hearts and fresh asparagus, on their thin whole wheat crust, then topped with fresh basil and spices. A lot of times I'll forgo the "whole wheat" options, cuz I don't like eating cardboard, but PGE's 51% whole wheat crust is thin, nutty and still soft which makes it a great camouflaged "healthy" option for those of you trying to watch what you eat without giving up taste. Plus their dough is made and delivered fresh! DELISH!

I also love that they have glass bottled sodas, wines and beers, and even Virgil's Root Beer ON TAP!

Pizza Gourmet Express is also doing their part in the Green Movement and deliver their neighborhood pizzas on a cute red bike! I got mine delivered by a cute bearded man.

We got the pizza home and I immediately began snapping pictures of the deliciousness that was our dinner. A large vegetarian pizza has 8 slices and feeds 2 hungry people with enough left over, for well, left overs and runs you just under $16.

Gary got to eat the rest for dinner the next night.

The month of September has affectionately been dubbed, "Nostalgia Movie Month" so we accompanied our pizza with The Dark Crystal on DVD. GELFLING!?!?

(source.)

Feel free to join us by watching movies from at least 15 years ago that make you say things like, "OH yeahhh!! I forgot that part!"

Up next in our queue is; "The Never Ending Story"

FREE BURGERS!!

2009-09-03T18:54:00.001-07:00

Hey San Diegans! Burger Lounge will be giving away free Burgers on Tuesday, September 8th, from 3-9pm for all their Twitter followers. Just show a print out, screen shot, or if you've got one of those fancy fandangled phones you can show them that too, to prove you are a loyal follower.

Winner of the "Best Local Hamburger Joint" by San Diego Magazine in 2009, they offer TallGrass (r) grass fed beef, turkey, and quinoa veggie burgers.

You can find their menu here, and follow them on Twitter here.

For all you anti-Twitter people who want to go and tag along with your free burger receiving friends, have no fear, a burger will run you just under $8.

Drunken Hobo Stew

2009-09-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

So, like I mentioned before, the past 2 months I've been "in a relationship" and we've been eating up a storm. One of our new favorite things to do is cook over an open flame in the form of a beach bonfire. We've done it twice and both times the results were in the realm of "OMG AMAZING!", so I thought I would share our recipe for; Drunken Hobo Stew.

As a kid, my family used to make Hobo Stew all the time, it's pretty simple, meat, veggies, foil, a sprinkle of water, heat. We used to douse it with ketchup or A-1 sauce, dig in and call it a day. As I've gotten older my tastes have matured and covering meat in ketchup and A-1 sauce just doesn't cut it for me anymore.

Gary used to be this wilderness guidey kind of dude, I mean the guys an Eagle Scout for Christsakes, so he's made loads of "Hobo Dinner" as he calls it, so it was an obvious choice when we went to the grocery store to get the necessary supplies.

We picked up some ground turkey, something we both could agree on in terms of meat, but you can use (as we both have before) ground beef, or fish steaks, like salmon. We also went over the the produce section and grabbed some of our favorite veggies. I recommended at least grabbing some onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes, anything else you want is up to you. We also grabbed some sugar snap peas, Italian brown mushrooms, and zucchini.

Cut up all the veggies into easily cooked, bite sized pieces.

I like to put a thick slice of an onion on the bottom of the tin foil, and place the "meat ball" on top so it doesn't burn on the coals.

While I was busy doing the "woman work", Mountain Man was getting the fire ready.

When you have a nice fire going, you are going to want to isolate some coals to cook on. When cooking on a bonfire, or any fire really, it's best to cook on HEAT and not FIRE. Use a poker, or a stick or an Ove-Glove, but not your bare hands.

I like to double wrap the food to prevent leakage, it also makes it easier to handle in and out of the fire. To do that I use one 12" piece of foil facing "North/South" and one 12" facing "East/West" to create a "+". I place the onion slice in the middle, meat on top and then create a "bowl" shape around it, and fill it with the chopped veggies.

After you've filled your foil bowls to your hearts content, season with salt, pepper or any other seasonings you can't live without. This is where the drunken part comes in, douse it with whatever white (or red for red meats) wine you have on hand or can muster up. We've used both Pinot Grigo and Riesling. (I liked the Pinot a bit better)

Wrap up your masterpiece, giving the excess on top a distinct shape so you know who's is who's, and toss them onto the hot coals for about 20 minutes or so.

You might have to check around then, turkey should be cooked throughout, where as beef can be slightly rare in the middle.

Careful when opening the foil, the steam from the wine creates a very hot and dangerous burning hazard, which I know about first hand, so let the dude take care of that stuff.

Then you can just chow down, dig in, scarf it up, whatever.

If you don't live in an area that has bonfire pits, or beach camping, you can totally make this the same way in an oven, or even on the BBQ. I would also recommend figuring out whether or not alcohol and glass are permitted on your beach, and if they are not, as in the case with us, be ever so sneaky smuggling it onto the beach. I don't think cops are all the lenient regarding the culinary delights verses just plain breaking the law.

OMG SORRY

2009-09-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

So it's almost been two months since I've posted. I have a new boyfriend, so free time has been limited. It's not that we aren't eating and taking pictures and coming up with new ideas, we totally are, it's just that all the free time I have I would rather spend doing stuff than sitting in front of the computer trying to think of witty things to say about the food I eat.

Gratuitous LegomanPorn. Jealous?

I digress...

I am sorry, please forgive me! Gary (Legoman) and I went and saw Julie&Julia (it was pretty cute and inspirational) and we both kind of wanted to keep the blog going and as updated as possible. I promise I'll try as hard as I can!

We have been eating SO MUCH SUSHI lately, and since I am against eating my aquatic friends because I love them so and the process of digestion is physically painful for me, Gary will be taking over all things fish in a new lil segment we're going to call "Gary Eats!". He doesn't do red meats (mammals) and I don't do seafood, Seafood & Steakhouses are going to be an all out feast. I am looking forward to it.

GARY EATS!
Gary tackles $0.99 Fish Tacos at El Zarape in Univeristy Heights.

You do forgive me right? I mean look how cute he is!

Kono's

2009-07-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

My favorite burger in all of San Diego is at this tiny lil' hole in the wall at the end of Garnet Ave, just before you walk down Crystal Pier and into the ocean.

Kono's has been a staple of my families diet since I was a kid. There was a time, in fact, that for about a year in High School I was a vegetarian. It was the hip thing to do I guess. The day I walked by Kono's, was the day I crossed back over to the meat side and never looked back. I suppose it says something about the quality of the burgers here.

Breakfast is served all day and a favorite of the patrons, but I've never had it. I prefer the Cheeseburger and fries. Luckily today it was on special.

Once you snake yourself through the line outside, you'll enter to find a very easy menu. Breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, fries. It's easy to figure out what you want. Everything here is delicious.

The "Quote of the Week" blackboard is one of my favorites. I just love landlocked tourists.

They have seating inside, but one would be foolish to pass up the "secret" outdoor patio. Just outside to the left, past what used to be the shell shop, you'll find a great little seating area with an amazing view.

I've always loved Kono's because they just do good burgers, well. There isn't anything fancy schmancy about these burgers, just nice big hand packed meat patties, grilled and piled high with condiments. I got my burger pretty plain; ketchup, mustard, pickles and grilled onions.

My friend got the works, with bacon and avocado added.

We shared a HUGE order of hot crispy steak fries.

Pair the view with a Kono's burger and some of the best steak fries ever had, a beautiful 75* San Diego day, and you've got a perfect afternoon.

4th of July & Mom's Pie

2009-07-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

It could be argued that nothing is more American than Apple Pie. I could interject and say there are lots more things that are at least JUST AS AMERICAN as Apple Pie, but in all honesty, I love me some pie.

There was, for a brief period of time where I vehemently hated cake, thank God that has passed, but I've always loved pie. Always. Apple Crumb is my favorite to be exact, but my mom makes a MEAN boysenberry.

As a child I used to go to summer camp up in the Cuyamaca Mountains north of San Diego. On the way there we would travel through the little town on Ramona and grab some burgers, the last huzzah of "real food" before the week long buffet of inedible sludge. But nothing was sweeter than the ride home when we would drive through Julian and stop for a slice of Mom's Apple Pie.

That ritual slice of pie became the staple on which we recounted our stories of the week, the hikes, the summer loves, the poison oak, it all poured out over that perfect slice of heaven.

Even now I will make the hour long trek up to Julian just for a warmed slice of Apple Crumb, zealous with anticipation for that first perfect bite.

This particular day I visited I got a slice of Apple Crumb and Bumbleberry Crumb, a mixture of Blueberries, Blackberries and Boysenberries.

The Bumbleberry was a nice sweet pie, with a perfectly tart finish, unlike the indubitably sweet apple. Both pure heaven for pie lovers.

Father's Office.

2009-07-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

So for years I have been hearing about the "Best Burger" East Coast/West Coast battles. Those rivalries extend past rappers, and into food you know. And since then I have also been on my own quest for the best burger ever. It's hard to decide what exactly makes a burger the best, and even then my tastes will differ from the next. All I know is I want some medium cooked juicy hamburger, some amazing toppings, and the satisfaction that I must have this again soon. I got that last night with Melissa at Father's Office. Let me share it with you.

Santa Monica Location
1018 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 736-2224

We started off with some beers. Father's Office has a at any given time at least 35 awesome craftsman beers on tap, Melissa go the Maredsous 10.

I had an Old Speckled Hen. It was nice and light, and heavenly creamy.

One of the main problems of Father's Office that I've heard and the main reason (besides laziness) that I've stayed away is the crowd partnered with the Soup Nazi style of ordering. This isn't the kind of place you would want to go on a first or second date to, in fact let's keep this place for something more along the lines of a 6th or more date.

You wait outside in an astonishingly long line, only to be slowly trickled in by the doorman into a tiny hole in the wall sized room, lined with tables, with a bar at the far end. Mozy up to the bar and wait to place your order, and don't even worry about finding a place to sit yet. Grab a beer, and just wait.

FO's is famous for its burger envisioned by Sang Yoon, a self proclaimed "chef and a beer sommelier", and what we both ordered. It comes stacked high with arugula, soft tender onions caramelized in bacon, and a blend of melted blue and gruyere cheeses piled on big burger cooked to order (anything cooked longer than medium is blaspheme.) on a soft roll. For a bit more add an order of shoestring fries with parsley garlic aioli. Don't even think about substituting anything because, well, you can't. It comes as is.

After we ordered, it only took about 5 minutes to find a place to sit, and another 10 to get our burgers despite the large crowd on a Thursday night. My burger was cooked medium, juicy and AMAZING. I'm usually a burger purist and just dig meat on some bread with light condiments, but wowee was this burger worth it. The onions were quite possibly the best thing I've ever tasted on a burger, ever. The fries were thin, crispy and tasty with the aforementioned parsley garlic aioli, which tasted like fancy ranch. I think what made Melissa the most happy is, you will not find a drop of ketchup in this place, so don't even bother to ask.

The Father's Office burger definitely ranks up there in my top 10 burgers of all time, and I will be enjoying another one very soon.

Over 5000 hits!

2009-07-02T00:52:00.000-07:00

GO YOU!!!

I love you guys!

Keep it comin'!

<3, berta

Bing Crosby's

2009-07-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Being a foodie is on the up and up, honestly. Most of you already are foodies, or there are foodies inside of you gnawing their way out. It's ok, grasp your inner foodie, and give him or her a big hug. Welcome them home.

Being a foodie doesn't mean that you only eat the fanciest of things, or stick your nose up at the notion of fast food. Being a foodie means you appreciate all things food (and even drink) and embrace it wholeheartedly.

I know I am a foodie. I have been one since I was a child, but I just never knew the term for it. I am just as down for a juicy In-n-Out Burger as I am a trip to a fancy restaurant with perfectly proper place settings. Luckily, I've had enough burgers this month, and it was time for a bit of epicurean delights. Enter Bing Crosby's.

Now I hardly go to the mall, so I didn't know this place even had existed (it's in the Fashion Valley Mall, across from Cheesecake where Crocodile Cafe used to be) but after a quick peruse of the menu, I was uber excited. Anytime I see things like Champagne Beurre Blanc and Black Truffle Demi Glace, I can't control myself.

We started off dinner with the Baked Fresh Goat Cheese appetizer with pesto and pepper relish on grilled olive bread. It had a great consistency, warm and nutty. The bread had a bit too much of that "grilled" taste, but it was good anyway.

For our entrees we both got the Bing Crosby's Signature Dish.

Grilled Filet Mignon (cooked medium) on top of a bed of haricot vert (french green beans) and braised spinach, crispy potato cannellonis, garnished with fresh herbs, drizzled with Black Truffle Demi Glace, and topped with roasted garlic and chives.

SERIOUSLY!?! OMG. I vote for this every time I eat here. It was Amazing! Tender perfectly cooked beef, crispy snappy beans, and the most creative way I've EVER had mashed potatoes.

To finish off a perfect meal, we opted for the Grand Marnier Creme Brulee. I am a sucker for anything with "creme brulee" in the title.

A perfectly creamy creme, topped with the thinnest layer of caramelized sugar. If you've never had creme brulee, you are pretty much missing out on life. This one had some pulled candy with almonds, strawberry, raspberries and candied orange zests. The orange flavor from the zests and Grand Marnier was very subtle and delicious.

Honestly I didn't think this place would have been nearly this good, but the ambiance and mood is a really great combination. Every now and then they have live piano, but we didn't get to witness that. We did however enjoy the Jazz music and it reminded me of Andrea. I think this is a place she would just fall in love with.

JRDN

2009-06-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

Mmmm...

723 Felspar St.
San Diego, CA 92109
858-270-JRDN
866-86...

It's called JRDN, which is a fancy way of spelling Jordan. I came here last week for a nice glass of afternoon sangria.

At $5, it was super yummy and totally worth the price. I don't go out to drink often because of the ridiculous prices people think their drinks are worth, but JRDN really hit the spot. It's got great ocean views of Crystal Pier, the boardwalk and North Pacific Beach.

The Del Mar Fair

2009-06-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

As a kid, one of my fondest memories of San Diego was going to the Fair every summer. To some the fair means shoddy hastily put together rides, to some it means looking at animals and to some it means randomly booked concerts of people who you thought weren't even touring anymore. But to most it means any kind of food you can think of, battered and deep fried, awaiting your hungry mouth.

Every year there is a "new thing" at the fair. Some new fried anomaly that probably should have just never been thought of, yet you want to order and try anyway. Becca and 1 month old baby Jackson joined me on our quest to find the BEST OF THE FAIR! Read below...

We started off at an old favorite and staple, the Australian Battered Potato. Now I'm not exactly sure if this is something that people actually eat in Australia, maybe my reader from down under can chime in and let me know, but these babies are delicious. They are essentially slices of potato, battered, deep fried and drizzled in an array of toppings of your choice. We chose ranch.

Afterwards, we decided to get some zucchini. Becca swears up and down that Juicy's has the best, but I disagree!!

After ordering some fried zucchini, obviously we weren't going to order more from somewhere else to prove my point, but trust me, Juicy's is only second best.

We needed to let the fried settle, so we went to check out the booths and pitchmen inside the halls.

Inside Becca found the tiny baby donut maker and we just had to get a half dozen.

We didn't stop the fried food bonanza there! After a while we were feeling pretty hungry again (I have no idea how) and Becca wanted a funnel cake, and I wanted a churro. We found the best of both worlds....

MEXICAN FUNNEL CAKES!!! They also had Chocolate Covered Bacon (which we didn't try, but I hear it's all the rage)

It's like a PLATE OF CHURROS! This was the best of at the fair for me, and I would be hard pressed to find something else this year that made me quite as happy.

We mozied over to Chicken Charlie's cuz Bec was jonsin' to try this insane new crazy weird fair treat called a Zucchini Weeni. It's a hollowed out zucchini, stuffed with a hot dog, and you guessed it, battered and deep fried.

It was weird. Mostly because I couldn't figure out what to dip it in. Ketchup on a zucchini sounds nasty to me, and ranch on a corn dog is blaspheme.

For "dinner" we ate the "Fair Special Plate" at Chicken Charlie's.

Chicken strips, onion strings and zucchini curls with like a million kinds of dips. We both left stuffed and smelling of hot frying oil.

The Fair runs until July 5th.

Nick's at the Beach

2009-06-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

So I got a text earlier commenting that I have been slacking on the blogging. I didn't realize there were people who counted on my posts, so here comes a flood of them starting with Nick's at the Beach.

809 Thomas Avenue, Pacific Beach
San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 270-1730

Nick's is in Pacific Beach and is a *mostly* seafood restaurant. I know I said I would never post about seafood, but I got steak.

It came with some basic sauteed vegetables and some pretty garlicky mashed potatoes. If you are not a fan of garlic, it's best to pass on this side.

Nick's has been voted "The Best of..." a few times and came highly recommended by San Diego's Unknown Eater. For steak it was so-so, but for seafood I assume it's probably pretty boss.

I ordered mine "medium" and it came with a nice pink center.

My friend ordered the Chilaquile Seabass.

It came with the same sides, which were just a little boring for me for a "nicer" place. Not bad at all, just kinda boring.

For dessert we opted to skip Nick's and head down to Mission Beach to an old standard favorite of mine as a kid.

It's just a plain old ice cream stand. But inside...

The closest thing to Hawaiian Shave Ice I've had since being IN Hawaii.

Complete with Ice Cream in the bottom. Om nom nom.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-06-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted about Red Velvet Cupcakes. I frosted mine with a very easy to make Cream Cheese Frosting. I once again consulted my Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, below is the recipe.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese (that's about 2 bricks of it) , softened and cut into pieces
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups (OMG I KNOW) powdered sugar

I thought for sure this would be wayyy too much and almost halved it, but it frosted the entire recipe of red velvet and I had just enough left to lick off my fingers.

In a large bowl with a mixer, (I, again, used my Kitchen-Aid) beat the cream cheese and butter until nice and smooth. Then add the vanilla, and beat well.

Next, very slowly and gradually, cuz the stuff goes everywhere, add the powdered sugar, a half a cup at a time.

Scrape the sides down after about 2 1/2 cups worth of sugar has been added. Once all added, cover and chill for about 2-3 hours, but not much longer so it can thicken before frosting.

To frost you can go about it a few ways. If you are pressed for time or don't use piping tips, you can just slather it on there with a butter knife or frosting spatula. That isn't who I am, but if it's you by all means, go hog wild! If you wish to use a pastry bag with a piping tip, use the largest one you've got. If you don't know how to use a pastry bag, watch this.

Then once again, by all means, go hog wild! I pipe my frosting on in big circular swirls. Lots of frosting on red velvet is the only way to go.

Then I got all fancy and sprinkled the living daylight out of them.

VOILA!

Carey Burgers

2009-06-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is Charlie. He belongs to my brother Carey and his wife Dana. He's super cute and amazing and I love his little face. He was watching us as I took pictures and I made Carey make me his famous stuffed bunless burgers, and I know he doesn't read this so I can say whatever I want! HA!

Carey was ever so kind as to show me how to make these puppies (omg puppies).

You just start with some basics;

Hamburger
Salsa
Mexican Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Start by really working the meat into some nice patties. Carey made 2 huge patties for us cuz his wife was at work. Make a medium sized "hole" in the center to create a lil meat bowl.

Next put a few spoonfuls of salsa into it, and add cheese.

The next part is the "tricky part" as he calls it. Basically now you mold the meat around the cheese and salsa so its inside the patty. He warns to be careful to make no holes because everything will ooze out when you cook it if you do.

Cook them in a pan until nice and brown. We had homefries and corn as a side.

Top with more cheese and salsa and dig in.

Mmmmm 'Tater Salad

2009-06-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty much the least best person to ask about what kinds of potato salad are any good.

I HATE mayo in most instances, and I'm talking it's gotta be some amazingly fresh and delicious mayo for me to even give it a second thought, BUT!

Trader Joe's Old Fashioned Potato Salad is a gift from above.

True Story.

Red Velvet Cupcakes!

2009-06-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

This post is soooo long overdue, sorry!!

For Kristi's Birthday I made her a batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. All from scratch!

I planned on just using a box cuz I had almost NO time to do this, but to my dismay, Red Velvet Cake Mix is very hard to find. So I sucked it up and just decided to make them the good old fashioned way.

I took a cue from my most favoritest cookbook, More from Magnolia Bakery, and dove in.

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

3 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons red food coloring (I used one whole jar of frosting dye gel from Wilton's)
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 /12 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat your oven to 350, and get your cake pans greased and floured then lined with waxed paper. I decided on cupcakes, so I just used liners, but three 9-inch cake rounds could be also used if you wanted to do a layer cake.

In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. It's very important to use cake flour because it creates a nice delicate tender crumb, and substituting all purpose flour can get tricky. If you can't find cake flour and only have all purpose, use this article as a guideline.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, (I used my Kitchen-Aid) cream the butter and sugar until super light and fluffy. It should take around 5 minutes and should look like below.

Add the eggs one at a time, cracking into a separate bowl to make sure you get no egg shells, and then beating well after each addition.

In another small bowl we're going to make our red mixture! Using a small whisk or fork mix well the cocoa, vanilla and red food coloring until smooth. It's a pretty thick mixture so make sure you clean out the whisk a few times as you mix to ensure it's even.

It should look pretty red as above. When it's mixed, go ahead and add it into the batter.

The color should be nice and bright red when it's done mixing.

In another small bowl (omg I know right? I just rinsed and used the same dang bowl) mix the buttermilk and salt. It sounds odd, but just do it ok? You are going to alternate adding this mixture with the flour into the batter in as equal of 3 parts as you can get.

This is when it starts looking like the kind of cake batter you want to lick off the spatula. With each addition just mix til incorporated, but make sure you don't over beat. This is where Michelle's brother Jim would make a lewd remark.

In that same small bowl, once again rinsed clean, mix the cider and vinegar to make the kind of thing found inside a 7th grade Science fair volcano. It's going to foam up. It's ok, just go ahead and add that into the batter as well.

Turn off the mixer, scrape the sides down into the bowl and mix well again until the batter is nice and smooth. Divide the batter equally among your chosen pans.

For a layer cake bake them for 30-40 minutes, cupcakes about 15-20. They should be done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with small crumbs. Let them cool and then frost with the icing of your choice.

Capriccio's

2009-06-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

PIZZA!!!

So the other day, I went out to lunch with a friend to Capriccos for some pizza. I was just tempted for some reason to type "'za" even though I think that is the STUPIDEST abbreviation for pizza ever. Odd.

We shared a large pizza pepperoni and garlic pizza, half black olives (yuck!) and half artichoke hearts (huzzah!).

Their crust is super delicious, thin and crispy but soft, a bit too soft to hold up the hot pizza on it's own, but I just used a fork and knife anyway. I know, I know, kinda pansy, but I was wearing white! Girls? Back me up here.

The inside of the joint is very Mom&Pop, which I really love in small restaurants. Lots of pictures of Italy on the walls, big comfy booths, and a small lunch crowd.

They open at 11:00, and we got there around 11:15, so that would also account for the tiny crowd, but nonetheless, the food was dang good. They also have the cutest lil kitschy waiting area consisting of old movie theater chairs, which I thought was really cool.

I only ate about 2 slices, and the rest was promptly boxed up and taken home, though I didn't get any leftovers, so I have no idea how they are!

Old Town Mexican Cafe

2009-06-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Old Town in San Diego is widely known as the "Birth Place of California". It was the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California and where Father Junipero Serra established the very first mission in 1769. It was at one time, I believe the Capital, before it moved North to Sacramento. It also has some of the best Mexican food sit down restaurants in San Diego by my standards.

The other night I went there for dinner, to my favorite of the lot, Old Town Mexican Cafe.

OTMC, as it's so affectionately called by the patrons and staff, is one of those gems, nestled in the foothills of the Presidio of Old Town. They have women, in the windows making fresh tortillas out of Masa right there for you to watch.

That's one of my favorite things, fresh handmade tortillas, nothing is quite better. For that reason alone, OTMC has some of the BEST taco shells I've ever had. Crispy, soft, thick, warm, and for lack of a better word at the moment, moist. *shudders*

Inside on their indoor patio, colorful traditional Mexican decorations adorn the walls and ceiling. It makes me feel like I'm actually in Mexico enjoying authentic fare. The mariachi band rounds out the ambiance beautifully.

For dinner I chose the chicken taco, cheese enchilada combination plate. As promised by the sight of the women patting out corn masa nice and flat, the tortillas were amazing.

My friend, Jake, got the fish taco plate. I assume it was delicious because it was eaten, but I did not wish to try it because of my deep seeded hatred for eating my scaly aquatic friends, and also the fact that it makes me sick.

I think you can tell the quality of a Mexican restaurant by the beans, Jake thinks it's rice. I thought both were pretty dang good. Despite the patio chair poking me in the tuchis, the meal was delicious and filling, and the service was great. Our waitress was decently informed and recommended very good choices for us both.

Joxer Daly's

2009-06-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend I was up in LA working, and hung out with my good friend, Ashley. She wanted to get some drinks and some pub food, and so she suggested we go somewhere I've never been, Joxer Daly's in Culver City.

Joxer Daly's is an Irish pub located on Washington Blvd in Culver City. For a bar, it has a nice, friendly atmosphere. Ash and I got a few beers and ordered burgers.

I started with a Guinness. I can never go to an Irish Pub without ordering one, it's like tradition for me.

For a burger in a pub, it was pretty standard, nothing exceptionally over the top, but just good. There have been so many times I've ordered a burger at a bar and gotten a charred mess of meat on a plain bun, but Joxer Daly's burger, by those standards, was a nice change. Their fries actually were my favorite part. I LOVE steak fries by all accounts, and here you can order them as such, or get the skinny ones instead. I always like a nice choice of fries, and even though I think most fries taste the same, steak fries are by far my favorite cut. They were nice and crispy on the outside with a soft powdery inside.

They even make their own housemade ranch, so we just had to try it out. It was pretty epic, I'm not gonna lie.

Ash and I finished up the night with some Bud Light and Corona, respectivly.

Johnnie's Pastrami

2009-06-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

So I've been slacking lately. This isn't because I haven't been eating, because oh boy have I been eating! But my computer has been on the fritz and I just haven't been in the mood to deal with its insanity.

With that being said, there are going to be a lot of posts this weekend. And I mean a lot. So I hope you have nothing better to do than read this blog.

Last week when I was working in LA, I stopped into an institution for a quick "bite". The word "bite" doesn't even begin to describe what you get when you walk into the doors of Johnnie's Pastrami on Sepulveda in Culver City, but let me try.

The first time I tried Johnnie's was a few months ago. Up until my infamous trip to Vegas with my best Jewish friend Melissa, I hadn't even HAD pastrami. I'm not the HUGEST corned beef fan, so I had mostly steered clear of it, but once I had it, a love affair ensued.

I had heard over and over that Johnnie's had the best in LA, and although I haven't had time to have every pastrami sandwich in LA (challenge much?), I can say without a doubt, that they have some mighty fine meat. A quick google search of the joint brings up pages and pages of reviews to help ease your mind if you are still unsure.

The inside of Johnnie's looks like any typical road side diner. Long counters surrounding the grill station, perfect set ups of ketchup, mustard and napkins at 3 chair intervals, but I assure you this is no typical diner. Outside there is a covered patio, and picnic tables for those wishing for a bit more fresh air.

I ordered the basic sandwich that made them famous. Pastrami on a French roll, loaded with speecy spicy mustard. Careful! Their mustard bites back, and it not for the timid or faint of heart, but if you love wasabi, horseradish, pain, or clear sinuses, by all means, load it up. It comes with a heafty order of crinkle cut fries, so for people like Michelle, who are weird and think they taste DIFFERENT than plain or regular cut fries, it might be best to forfit them from the begining.

Inside the bread you are going to find layer upon layer of meat. It's probably best eaten with a knife and fork, but you are too scared to look like a big ol pansy, so you just dive in and hope for the best. It's not a good choice for road food, eating on the run, or takeout, unless you plan on going straight home. Vegetarians also need not apply.

This is the kind of sandwich that makes Greek Gods weep and puts that badass George Washington in his rightful place. I'm not even gonna lie.

Being Fab in West Hollywood

2009-06-03T12:22:00.001-07:00

I will admit it right now. I have a soft spot in my heart for gay men. They could quite possibly be, some of my favorite people on earth, really. My favorite gay EVER is my bff Adam. You've seen him on the blog, he's made a few appearances, here, here and most recently here, among others.

So after the faboosh party for Lisa's 40th, he insisted I go out with him to West Hollywood cuz we looked too amazing to just go home.

We started off at O Bar, on Santa Monica Blvd, where we met up with the lovely Michael.

I started off with a Key Lime Pie Martini. Not the BEST ONE I've ever had, but decent. The problem I have with most Key Lime Pie Martinis is bartenders think they need to add copious amounts of pineapple juice, and it just makes them too acidic and too pineappley. When I think LIME, pineapple hardly EVER comes to mind.

Plus, no graham crack rim? Puh-leeeeze.

Next I got a Caipirinha. Also, not the best I've had, but decent.

First off, to make a perfect caipirinah, you need to use Brazilian rum or Cachaca, which not too many bars carry. They try to substitute it with vodka, or tequila, and even though they are decent substitutes, they just don't cut it as being the BEST.

We danced a bit, and took many....

...many...
...many pics.

Then packed up and headed down the street to Red, where we met up with our friend Mike, and none other than Perez Hilton. Lulz.

We grabbed a few drinks, I had a classic margarita, and the boys drank some sort of juice and vodka thing.

We weren't at Red long, and skipped down the street to Motherlode. (Great name right?)

I 'hagged it up and made lots of friends who called me faboosh and fabulous and fierce and ferosh and all those great words that only gay men will ever call you.

I danced, walked the room to RuPaul and hung off the end of the bar.

By 2:00 I was ready to call it a night. I'm just not made out for all this stuff. But it was a lot of fun!

Rush Street Part Deux

2009-06-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

So, I wrote about Rush Street a month or so ago. For a quick refresher, it's this uber yummy Gastro Pub in Culver City with amazing food and awesome menu items. I follow them on Twitter, and they often have cool deals and prizes for us loyal customers. I received a $30 gift card from them, and so I headed down there with Melissa to right by them.

Of course, on a Friday night, with a Lakers Game (We WON BTW!) Rush Street was a big huge crowd of wait. Reservations could have helped in this instance. So, while we waited for our table, we went over to the Culver Hotel for drinks.

I had never been to the Culver Hotel, but I've walked past it at least 20 times. It's that weird triangle shaped hotel on the corner by the movie theater. You know the one.

They have a small hotel bar, with pretty ridiculously expensive drinks, but I figured one couldn't hurt. Melissa and I both got a Caipirinha, which were really delicious, despite the $12 price tag.

When we mozied on over back to Rush Street our table was ready and we got a nice spot outside under a heat lamp.

Last time I really enjoyed their hummus, so Melissa and I split it. I also learned something pretty cool. Rush Street changes their menu with the seasons, so the stuff they use is always in season, and ripe and fresh and tasting as best as possible. Last time the hummus was eggplant, and this time it was Sun-Dried tomato.

For dinner, I chose the nightly special of a Prime Strip Steak, with the most amazing mashed potatoes I've probably ever had, and broccolini, drizzled with an amazing peppercorn sauce.

The steak was cooked to a nice medium rare, a nice warm pink center, and tender beyond belief. Melissa, being probably the most indecisive person ever, couldn't pick between her safe standard Turkey Burger, or pretty much anything else, and went with the burger. I had a bite, it was insanely nummy, so I think her pick was warranted. BTW, their pickles are house made and marinated in GINGER! They are sweet and spicy, and unlike anything you have probably ever had. I also maybe tasted some cardamon but I wasn't sure. Be sure to try them if you go.

She also upgraded her shoestring fries to the uber amazing truffle fries with asiago cheese. Try these for sure if you're any kind of french fry connoisseur.

She was very happy with her choices.

As was I.

The night ended without dessert, although I'm sure both of us secretly wanted to devour everything on the menu.

So thank you Rush Street, AGAIN, for an amazingly awesome meal, and just all around foodie experience. I heart you!

Lisa turns 40, and feeds us all night!

2009-05-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

So one of my clients, Lisa, turned 40 this past weekend. She had a fabulous party down in Venice Beach at Big Red Sun, a totally awesome and adorable landscaping and plant arrangement studio, with a big beautiful backyard perfect for a celebration.

The crowd was an awesomely amazing and eclectic mix of artists, foodies, hippies, and friends. The conversation was never dull, and the laughs were constant and hearty. I am amazed at how many people came to show Lisa how much she was loved, my hope is that, at 40, I'll have at least half the crowd she did.

Venice Wines provided an amazing wine bar, with everything you could imagine, including lemonade and sparkling cider for a non-alcoholic option. My favorite was the Argentinian Sparkling Chardonnay, and the sparkling rose.

Adam accompanied me as my date, and we just had the most fabulous of times.

Baby Blues BBQ took care of the grub, and boy was there a lot of grub.

Living in Atlanta for over a year, I got used to amazing BBQ. In fact, some of the best BBQ I've ever had was at Fat Matt's Rib Shack in downtown Atlanta. But I can tell all you Angelenos, that if you want some GOOD 'Q, Baby Blues is about as close as I've ever come in the West. When asking for sutible BBQ substitutes after I had moved back, a few people had mentioned, "I hear Baby Blues in Venice is pretty good." If I had known how close it came, I would have tried it YEARS ago.

Their Corn Cakes are, most simply put, the most amazing cornmeal based bread I've ever had in my life. Sweet, moist, with just the perfect amount of wow. Their ribs, come second to Fat Matt's, but are still fall right off the bone tender.

We had Baby Back and Kansas City ribs, as well as BBQ chicken, and all were just awesome. Their Mac and Cheese was also pretty much to die for. In fact, I don't really have much of anything bad to say about them. They even had collard greens with bacon, and sweet baked beans. I felt like I was back in the South.

My darling, very pregnant client Nina was also there, looking adorable with her newly trimmed bangs, so we had to have a photo op.

The cake, as amazing as I'm sure it was, I didn't get a chance to try. I was wayyyy too stuffed. BAD FOODIE! BAD BAD!

So thank you Lisa, for an amazing party, amazing wine, and amazing grub. Happy Birthday pretty lady!

The Hookah Dot Com!

2009-05-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

So a couple weeks ago, I decided to buy my own hookah set up. In a typical week we would hit up a Hookah Bar at least once, and one time at a Hookah Bar is going to set you back at least $25. You can see how this can and has already added up.

I enlisted the help of my ol pal JimJesus. He's e-famous for being a badass, and he knows his way around a hookah like no other. All of this means he was the perfect person to ask. We twittered (tweeted?) back and forth over a few days, getting ideas and recommendations for my set up and finally I headed down to TheHookah.com's Wherehouse in Glendale.

I walked in, with just a tiny piece of paper in my hand from JimJesus, and a vauge idea of what I wanted the end result to be. George helped me, and took me into the showroom, and offered so much amazing advice on every hookah they carry. I had no idea really, of what I wanted, I just knew I wanted it to be amazing, cost effective and somewhere in the medium size range.

This is my baby.

That's right. She's pink.

George also got me set up with a really awesome hose, which is also pink.

Next he took me into the other wherehouse where the keep all the coals, accessories and SHISHA! I setttled on 4 different flavors.

Hookah Freak's Smashing Pumpkin and Scooby Snack, both of which are AMAZING and I will be buying again. And HookahHookah's Margarita and Key Lime Pie, which are both very decent as well, but not as good as the others. Kristi has also made some contributions to the shisha collection with some StarBuzz Blue Mist and Tangerine Dream, which are both awesome on their own, or mixed which is what we usually do. I can't wait to go back and get more flavors.

I opted for the Vortex Bowl, which unlike traditional bowls, the air holes are on the side of a piece that comes up from the center, than on the bottom. This is great for me cuz I tend to smoke a lot of "wetter" shisha, and I find that it likes to drip down into the Hookah. This doesn't happen anymore.

For coals I opted for the CocoNara, which came HIGHLY recommended by JimJesus, and I grabbed some Three Kings quicklights for when I am without a stove or burner. George threw in some of the Shishaco Coals for me to try.

They are very similar to the CocoNara, and a bit less expensive. Both use vegetables and coconut husks, instead of trees so the are eco-friendly, and have less ash and waste. PLUS, they taste like almost NOTHING when smoked. The Shishaco ones have a slight taste, where the CocoNara have NO taste, but both were VERY similar.

All in all my whole set up ran me under $130, and the boys down at The Hookah took very good care of me. If you live in the LA area, make sure you visit the wherehouse and if not, they also do internet orders and ship all over. Thanks Guys! I LOVE MY HOOKAH!!

I've been working!

2009-05-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

A LOT!

Since I switched weekends with Christina, so she could go to ROME! (that bish) this weekend has been insanely busy! Super yay with that, but I am so tired...

enter....

COFFEE BEAN TO THE RESCUE!

I got about $50 in Coffee Bean gift certificates from clients for Christmas, and we don't have many of those in San Diego that are close to me, hence the Starbucks addiction, but here in LA! There is one on my way to work! And the Hazelnut Latte has been helping me get into the swing of things everyday! THANKS COFFEE BEAN!!

The Arsenal

2009-05-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

One of my most awesome friends, Danielle, was in town this weekend and we went out to get a drink at one of our old haunts, The Arsenal, in West LA on Pico Blvd.

We used to visit this place pretty regularly when we all (Danielle, Michelle, Andrea and myself) lived in LA. Here is some proof from the Facebook Photo vault, from 2006.

Yes, that is me with PLATINUM BLONDE hair at age 25.

Anyway, don't mind the digression, hands down, The Arsenal has THE BEST KEY LIME PIE MARTINI in the history of the world.

I can make outrageous claims like this, because after I tried theirs, I would order them at all other bars, hoping to have the same delicious flavor of the first at the Arsenal, to no avail.

Yes! It does look creamy, refreshing and delicious! Yes! That IS a graham cracker crust rim! YES! This martini is LESS THAN $10! It's made with Licor 43, lime juice and whipped cream.

Here's another pic from the vault, Michelle enjoying some chardonnay (some things never change, eh Meeshy?), and me, Key Lime Pie Martini in hand.

Danielle, on this fine evening couldn't decide between a margarita, or a Pom-tini, so when we saw the Pomegranarita on the menu, well, you can only imagine the glee.

I also had worked ALL DAY, and was pretty much starving, so I ordered some bar food. I went with the least greasy and fattening choice as possible seeing as it was like, 11:00pm.

Their guacamole, for not being a Mexican restaurant, was surprisingly good, and their chips were light and crispy. Not the BEST I've ever had, but I would order them again.

All in all the reunion was a good one, and we had a very lovely time, laughing and reminiscing about the time when we were younger, and crazier, and didn't get tired after 2 drinks.

Hungry Boys are Hungry

2009-05-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

So Jim and I have been scheming.

The plan was to introduce Kristi, to his roommate Lee. Simple enough. So yesterday we went over to their apartment to cook dinner, have some drinks and just let the hilarity ensue. I'll refrain from posting any overly silly and embarrassing pictures, or at least I'll try.

A few nights ago, I went over and asked the boys what they wanted for dinner. The answer was an astonding STEAK! MASHED POTATOES! VEGGIES! So... We went to work on a menu.

Kristi was in charge of the veggies, and the garlic bread. I was in charge of steak and taters. Jim was in charge of booze.

Berta's Rosemary Garlic Red Rose Smashed Potatoes;

Red Rose Potatos, about 2-3 for each hungry participant
5-10 Garlic cloves, peeled
2-3 springs of fresh rosemary
Butter (I used 2 tbsp butter and about 4tbsp of spray butter, poured right in)
Milk
Salt
Pepper

Wash and quarter the potatoes, and place them into a pot of cold water with the garlic and rosemary. Bring this to a boil and let it cook for about 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Fish out the garlic and rosemary, and drain the potatoes into a colander to drain and steam. Letting the potatoes steam is VITAL. Steaming helps excess water drain out of the potatoes, so they aren't mushy.

In a bowl, mash the garlic and rosemary to a pulp.

Transfer the garlic pulp back into the pot on the stove, over medium heat. Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper, and bring to a slow boil, stirring so the milk doesnt burn.

Once the taters have steamed out, and the liquid is boiling, transfer the liquid into a heat proof bowl. Alternate adding potatoes and liquid into the pot, mashing between each addition. Set on low to keep warm until you are ready to serve.

This is the time to make the boys clean the table and get it ready for dinner, thanks Lee!

Kristi's Deliciously Famous Roasted Veggies;

Vegetables of your choice (we used asparagus, broccoli, carrots, zuchinni, squash, onions and lemon)
Olive Oil
Rosemary
Thyme
Steak Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Chives
Fennel
(Dried spices work best)

Chop veggies into bite size pieces, and drizzle with oil, and coat with seasons. Place into a preheated oven, at 400* for 25-40 minutes, tossing every 10-15 minutes, until roasted.

Berta's Garlic Herbed Ribeye Steaks;

Ribeye steaks, boneless or bone-in
Olive Oil
Rosemary
Parsley
Garlic

Finely chop the rosemary, parsley and garlic and add oil to make a paste. Rub all over room temperature steaks and let rest 15 minutes.

Grill on a HOT grill for 5-10 minutes each side depending on how well done you like your steaks. I have a great way of testing the doneness using the finger test and it can be found near the bottom of this post.

Kristi's Nummers Garlic Bread;

Butter
Garlic, minced
Parsley
French Bread of Sourdough loaf

Heat oven to 400*. Combine butter, parsley and garlic in a pan on low heat until melted.

Brush butter mixture onto sliced bread and place into the oven on the bottom rack for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy this meal with a Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir, served in only the classiest of plastic goblets from Medieval Times.

Serve up a big helping for each plate...

... and chow down...

...with laughs...

... and good friends.

Finish off the nightcap with some Coronas.

I mentioned he was spoiled yes?

Drunk Elvis also made an appearance toward the end of the night, but that's on another blog entirely.

Banana Bread!

2009-05-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

So after the GM Diet, I had so many leftover ripe bananas, I decided to pawn them off on Jim, since he eats one a day for lunch, but he had just bought some and wasn't having it, (Plus they really were too ripe to do much with). He regifted them back to me and suggested that I make him some banana bread instead. The word "Spoiled" comes to mind...

I used one of my abfab recipes from the More from Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. It's a must for Bakeryphiles.

Alyssa Torey, the owner and author says,"Honestly, I was never a big banana bread fan until the idea of adding coconut came to me one afternoon and inspired this recipe, which turned out wonderfully."

You will need:

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c canola oil
1 1/2 c sugar
3 large eggs, room temp, well beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups ripe banana, mashed ( I used 4)
3/4 c sour cream
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped (See note*)
3/4 c sweetened shredded coconut

*Note; To toast the pecans, place on a baking sheet in a 350* oven, for 15 minutes, until light brown and fragrant.

Preheat Oven to 350*

Grease and flour your pans. I used a silicone 6 mini loaf pan, and it worked well. You can also use muffin tins, a 10 inch tube pan, or whatever you fancy.

In a bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda, and set aside.

In a large bowl or mixer, beat together oil and sugar until well mixed, add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Add bananas and sour cream.

Add the dry ingredients, one cup at a time, until just combined.

Stir in pecans and coconut.

Pour batter into pans.

Depending on the size of you pan baking will take anywhere from 30-60 minutes. A full loaf pan will take the longest. My mini loaves took about 40. Just keep checking until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with dry crumbs.

Let cool for about an hour and serve with nummers butter, or spray butter (which is what we used.)

So I took two loaves over to Jim's for him and his roommate Lee, and we all devoured them, except that Lee isn't too fond of coconut, so he just had one bite.

The GM Diet Plan : DAY SEVEN

2009-05-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

OMG!! Huzzah! The LAST DAY! I have lost 7lbs!!

Today we just kind of followed the same stuff we have been doing, cucumbers and lemon, unsweetened iced tea, and veggies.

Day Seven

Eat brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you can possibly stuff! On this day, you will feel 7-10 lbs lighter from all the rinsing and flushing. Do not use white rice - use pulses for a protein substitute.

But tonight, honestly, we couldn't help ourselves and we went to Olive Garden. Granted it's cheating, but we got soup and salad and only had ONE breadstick each. We also found that we were decently full with one helping, though I got more salad and had a bit more soup.

The GM Diet Plan : DAY SIX

2009-05-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

Yes! Maintaining a 5lb weight loss. Time to up the water intake!

Today is Meat and Veggies day!

Day Six

Eat unlimited amounts of lean meat (fish / chicken) or cottage cheese and vegetables.

We were running around a lot today, so we had some cucumbers with lemon to snack on and the we got another bare bones In-n-Out Burger. Plus TONS of water. I think so far today I've had at least 12 glasses of water. TMI; I've been running to the bathroom all day!

We came back home to make dinner and were sooooo happy that we got to eat chicken!!!

So we made......

Veggie Stir Fry...

...cucumbers with lemon...

...and Greek Chicken!!

OMG it felt soooooooooo good to eat chicken again! I missed it EVER so much! :D

Yesterday, and most of last night, all that beef kinda made my tummy all topsy turvy, since I'm not really used to eating that much red meat in one day. But today I felt really energized from all the iron and protein, so I suppose that is the plus side.

Tomorrow for the most part, things get to go back to mostly normal, and we've already started talking about implementing a very healthy diet plan to stick to involving lots of whole foods and grains.

The GM Diet Plan : DAY FIVE

2009-05-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I've lost 5lbs so far!!! YAY!!

and....

TODAY IS BEEF AND TOMATO DAY!!!

HUZZAH! So Kristi and I have been checking out multiple websites regarding the GM Diet plan, and all of them say different things on Day Five, but essentially its the day you get to eat lots of meat and 8 tomatoes. Just so you know, Kristi HATES tomatoes, so today proved difficult with finding recipes that she might like.

Day Five

Take small portions of lean meat or cottage cheese with 6 whole tomatoes. You can make a sandwich out of it. Increase your water intake by 1/4th. The meat / cheese are for iron and proteins and the tomatoes are for digestion and fiber. The excess water purifies the system.

I grew up in a pro-tomato household, so I had a few decent tomato recipes up my sleeve.

We started the day off by going to the store for the goods. We grabbed a bag of vine ripened tomatoes, and some deli lunch meats for snacks, 2 nice sized steaks for dinner and a zucchini. I figured some veggies in there for variety wouldn't hurt.

We went to In-n-Out Burger for lunch as a treat, and we were VERY GOOD. We ordered a double meat, cooked in mustard, with tomato, protein style (which means no bun, wrapped in lettuce) we added light amounts of condiments and some pickles. Give us a break!

For dinner we made steak, my dad's famous tomato zucchini "soup" and broiled Italian tomatoes.

For the "soup", you just need a zucchini, and a can of italian stewed tomatoes. Put it all into a small sauce pan, and cook on low for about 10 minutes.

For the broiled Italian tomatoes, it requires a bit of work. Start with some nice ripe tomatoes...

Slice them in half, and add some butter, we used the I can't Believe it's not Butter Spray (0 calories and 0 fat!) Sprinkle with Italian Seasonings, salt and pepper and top with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Throw them in the Broiler (or on the BBQ) for about 5-10 minutes, depending on the size. The cheese should melt and be goldeny brown.

We got very lean cuts of beef, and enjoyed a nice big feast. We could barely finish it all, but it was very tasty and even Kristi ate it!

The GM Diet Plan : DAY FOUR

2009-05-18T23:29:00.000-07:00

Lost another pound! Huzzah!

Today is pretty much the day I was looking forward to the least. Banana and Milk day. Blech. I'm not the hugest fan of bananas, or milk, and I assumed today would be really difficult.

Day Four

Eat up to 8 bananas and drink 3 glasses of milk. Day Four makes up for the lost potassium and sodium.

I started off the day with 2 1/2 bananas and a glass of milk. The night before I had frozen a few of the bananas for easy banana shakes, they also make a really delicious creamy almost ice cream like treat.

I took 1 1/2 frozen bananas, 1 regular banana, 8oz of 2% milk, and a dash of REAL vanilla extract to help me keep it down, and threw it all in a blender.

I blended it for about a minute, until it was smooth and creamy and transferred it into my awesome "green" Venti Starbucks reusable cup. The shake itself was actually really good, and a lot better than expected. It tasted almost exactly like a banana milkshake that you would get at a diner.

For lunch we headed over to GG's for some of their non fat, no sugar froze yogurt, assuming this was pretty much as close to milk as you could get, and topped it with some of their yummy banana chips. Not EXACTLY what the cleanse calls for, but come on, ONLY milk and bananas?!?!? Gimme an inch people.

We headed down to Starbucks for some ice waters and unsweetened iced passion/green tea and enjoyed our delicious FroYo. Oddly enough, we got a size or 2 smaller than we usually get and could hardly finish half of it. The cleanse so far has made us both a lot less hungry and a lot more full a lot faster! Huzzah!

Jim met us down there to give us some words of encouragement and then we went to go see Star Trek, which, BTDubs, was AWESOME! Floating in space much? And I was a good girl and resisted every single urge I had to get popcorn! Yay me!

For dinner I had another shake whist drooling over the smells of a hot thin crust pepperoni pizza baking in the oven.

All in all I had about 5 bananas and 3 glasses of milk. I tried ever so hard to finish those dang 'nanners, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Tomorrow is Beef and Tomato day, and I am anticipating it ever so.

The GM Diet Plan : DAY THREE

2009-05-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

I lost another 2 lbs! For a total of 3lbs so far! :D

Yesterday was so much easier than day one, but today so far is my favorite!!

TMI though, I woke up with the WEIRDEST morning breath ever. I dunno if it has ANYTHING to do with this cleanse, but it was odd.

Anyway, I digress.

Day Three

A mixture of fruits and vegetables - all the salad that you can eat day! No bananas and no potatoes. Day Three prepares the system to start burning excess pounds.

So today started off with me finishing off all the fruit I had leftover from Day 1. It consisted of a lot of strawberries, cherries, an apricot and an apple.

For lunch we made a big huge greek salad. You can find my recipe here.

Obviously we omitted the copius amounts of feta cheese, and I was a little lighter on the olive oil, and added a bit more lemon, but it was basically the same.

Dinner was my favorite. I did another veggie stirfry, but this time I used a lot more vegetables.

This has virtually no fat! Mmmm! Onions, garlic, carrots, sugar snap peas, zuchinni, summer squash, and asparagus (fresh from my garden), lightly sauted in olive oil and a pat of butter, then seasoned with fresh cracked black pepper, and lightly salted.

We got better corn and boiled it this time, and it came out much better.

To make it this way, simply put corn into a pot of cold water, and let it come to a rolling boil. It should take about 10 minutes, but you could cook it for as long as 20. I didn't do it this time, but usually I will add a pinch of sugar to bring out the natural sweetness in the corn. DO NOT salt the water, it will make the corn tough.

So my dinner consisted of, leftover lunch salad, veggies and corn with spray butter and sriracha rooster hot sauce! Can I get an ON NOM NOM?

I am soooo not looking forward to tomorrow.

The GM Diet Plan : DAY TWO

2009-05-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

I've lost a pound!

Today is Vegetable Day! I can not TELL YOU how happy I am to not be eating fruit. Seriously. UGH. Fruit is fine in moderation, but Jesus people. ALL DAY?!!

Here's what the site says:

Day Two

Eat all vegetables - raw or cooked - of your choice in any quantity. A cooked vegetable does not mean vegetables made in curry or with spices. You can make food palatable by adding a dollop of butter or some salad dressing to it. This is taken for energy and balance. You can start the day by eating a baked potato but the rest of the vegetables consumed during the day should be calorie free and rich in nutrition and fiber.

Back in High School I was a Vegetarian, so today was pretty easy for me. I started off the day with the baked potato.

Just a basic baked potato, with a pat of butter, and since it was vegetable day, I added some green onion for flavor. It was pretty much heaven sent.

I snacked throughout the day on cucumbers in lemon juice and baby carrots. For dinner we had a bit of a feast.

I started off by adding a bit of olive oil into a pan and sauteing onion, zucchini, and yellow summer squash for about 10 minutes, tossing lightly a few times though.

We BBQ'd some corn we got at the Market, but it was TERRIBLE and we split a globe artichoke. To dip the leaves into, we took a bit of butter, garlic cooked it in the microwave and added some lemon juice and olive oil afterwards. It was pretty decent.

We also had some free tickets to the Padres Game so we took the Trolley downtown.

It's very hard to not want to order everything at the stadium, so to curb our hunger, we brought bottles of water, baby carrots and our "cheat" were low sodium sunflower seeds.

I think I ate about 175 calories worth of seeds, so I think I'll be ok.

Eat your heart out, Edward Cullen.

Our seats were TOTALLY SWEET! Like 15 rows back from Home Plate, and we had an amazing time, even if we left at the top of the 8th while the Padres were losing, only to get home and find out we won 6-5 in the 16th!!!! Eeesh! I hate when I leave early to beat the traffic and miss awesome games like this. Anyway, tomorrow we get to add salad into our diet, so I am very excited!

The GM Diet Plan : DAY ONE

2009-05-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, we have decided, for months now, to do a cleanse. I asked around, I looked at cleanse products, and then Kristi stumbled onto this.

General Motors Weight Loss Diet

The website claims "The General Motors Weight Loss Diet was developed for the employees of the firm. However, the diet proved so useful that the world cannot stop listing its benefits. Along with being a perfect recipe for a fast weight loss, it also helps detoxify and cleanse the system."

So we had to try it.

I'm going to blog about the 7 days to come. Which will also help me get motivated to blog more.

Today was Fruit. Here are the rules;

Day One

Eat as many fruits as you want. No bananas though. If watermelon or cantaloupe is available, take huge quantities of it. Watermelon will enable you to lose 3-4 lbs on the first day. Day One would prepare the system for the week to come.

So we went down to the produce market and grabbed a TON of fruit. Seriously. Below is what we got...

*Honeydew Melon
*Cantalope
*Anjou Pears
*Apricots
*Gala Apples
*Green Grapes
*Seedless Watermelon
*Kiwi
*Bing Cherries
*Strawberries
*Pineapple

We the washed all the fruit and then we cwunched it up...

...and we cwunched it up....

...and we cwunched it up.

Now I have a belly and a fridge full of fruit. No bad side effects yet, except for the fact that I have this INSANE dry mouth and I'm craving coffee like nobody's business. Tomorrow is Veggie day, so I will be able to get this sweetness taste out of my mouth. Below is the finished fruit salad before we divvied it up and parted ways.

I have about 8 more glasses of water to drink, so I think I'm going to go watch my shows and eat some fruit.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-05-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today I really needed a cookie fix. I've had far too much mind-numbing drama lately.

Enter Kristi.

I went over and we made Chocolate Chip Cookies. The recipe below is my Mor Mors, which means Mother's Mother in Danish. It's been passed down to me and it's what we use every Christmas, every holiday, and every time I wanna give someone a special treat, so treat it as such. These are cookie gold.

Mor Mor's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. Butter
1/2 c. White Sugar
1 c. Brown Sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 c. plus 4 tbsp flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
12 oz Chocolate Chips
Chopped Nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375*, cream butter and sugars. Add salt, baking soda, vanilla and eggs, and cream again.

Slowly add flour, 1/4 cup at a time until well mixed. Add chocolate chips, nuts, or anything else you want in your cookies.

Spoon onto a baking sheet about 1/2 an inch or so apart.

Bake for 5 minutes, switch racks and bake another 5.

Let cool and pig out.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

2009-05-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Being from San Diego, the fifth of May holds special significance to me, it's not just the commemoration of the Mexican army's unlikely victory over the French, it's a day you get to pig out on Mexican food and drink Coronas!

Which is EXACTLY what I did!

Tall, frosty, with a lime wedge and some salt. The only way I drink them.

Delicious homemade carne asada, guacamole, and spanish rice, with a hearty dash or two of Tapatio.

Salud!

Carne Asada:

2 pounds flank or skirt steak
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Marinade:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon cumin (fresh is best, obvi)
1 large handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Grill, chop, and serve in corn tortillas with guacamole, and hot sauce.

Blume Beauty!!

2009-04-29T15:11:00.001-07:00

My friend Kristi and I have launched a new product line!!

(I know right? NOT ANOTHER ONE!!!)

And if you're local and wanna be a product tester and get lotsa free samples, let me know! Just send me an email at epicuriosityblog@gmail.com, subject; Product Tester.

Thanks!

80% off at Restaurant.com!

2009-04-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

Amazing deals on Restaurant.com right now.

Says Slickdeals.net

"Restaurant.com has a new 80% off code LUCKY available. The $25 gift certificates are normally $10, but are $2 with the code. They also sell $10 certificates for select restaurants for $3, making them 60 cents each with the code. Thanks shakenjason

Note: Be sure to check restrictions for the certificates before you purchase, as they vary among different venues."

Seriously. But they are selling out fast, so hurry up and take mucho advantage.

Orzo Broccoli Pasta Salad

2009-04-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

So my friend Becca is 38 weeks pregnant and her shower is today. I have been asked to bring a variety of things and take care of little tasks throughout the day. I have chosen to make a super yummy Orzo Broccoli Pasta Salad because I like it and I wanted to share this super easy recipe so you can wow all your friends at BBQ's this summer.

I first saw this pasta salad at Albertson's, and figured I could make it myself better and cheaper. This is my attempt. Spoiler Alert, I was right.

You will need.

1 lb Orzo Pasta
1 head Broccoli
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Oregano
Marinated Artichoke Hearts, chopped (optional)
Greek Dressing (you can use my recipe, or buy some pre-made to save time. I used Girards Greek Feta Vinagerette cuz I was in a hurry and it's really yummy. Either will work.)

Start off with the box of Orzo. You can find it in the pasta aisle and if you don't know what Orzo is, it's tiny rice shaped pasta (you can find it commonly in rice pilaf!) A one pound box of Orzo pasta should run you roughly under $2.

Boil it according the package directions and then let it drain in a collinder in the sink. It should look something like this. (I used 2lbs, so mine is a little more full.)

Rinse it with cold water, and let the pasta cool while you fix up everything else.

Next you are going to want to take a head of broccoli and chop it into little tiny bits. I use the stems as a guide and just try to trim them as small as possible.

Once you chop all the broccoli, (sing this song as you do it!), you are going to want to blanch it crudite style! It's easy, I'll take you through it.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While it's waiting to boil, set up another bowl and fill it with ice water.

Drop the broccoli into the boiling water and let them cook about 2 minutes.

Next you are going to want to fish the veggies out with a slotted spoon, and transfer them into the bowl of ice. This halts the cooking process and keeps the veggies bright green and crisp, while taking away that "raw" taste.

Drain! That's it. Easy huh?

Next we are going to want to transfer the cooled pasta into a serving bowl, add the broccoli, crumbled feta, artichoke hearts, oregano, and greek dressing. Toss and Voila! Easy pasta salad that's yummy and impresses everyone. Enjoy!

This pasta salad can be made days in advance. In fact it will last in a sealed container for up to a week in the fridge.

GG's Yogurt

2009-04-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Let me start off my saying. OMG!

Kristi and I have found our new heaven, and it is GG's Yogurt on Jamacha Rd. Now if you talk to most East County people about where to find the best FroYo, most will unabashedly claim, Yogurt Mill. Now as much as I LOVE Yogurt Mill, it is kind of a drive for me, so I only usually go there if I'm in the area. They have a good selection and they, for the most part, are pretty inexpensive. But let me tell you, GG's is just BETTER. Take Yogurt Mill and add to it, better quality, amazing customer service and an AMAZING weekly selection and you've got GG's.

GG's Yogurt
Corner of Jamacha and Chase
in Rancho San Diego

The owner, Sam, runs this small shop on the corner of Jamacha and Chase in the 7-11 shopping center. It's right in between Subway and my friend from high school, Chris Rubio's dance studio. (Shameless plug?)

The yogurt is creamy, and refreshing, and we go at least 3 times a week. By far their most popular flavor is the Tart Raspberry, which they have everyday, along with the classics, Vanilla, Chocolate, and Peanut Butter. My favorite is Pistachio with the 7-nut Topping, but the Boysenberry with Yogurt Chips is a close second. They offer a great selection of Non Fat and Sugar Free flavors, and are always looking for new ones.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter with Gummi Bears

The portions are generous for the price, Sam says he likes to offer a good selection of high quality yogurts because to him it's more about the customer than it is about the money. A 12 oz cup with topping will run you just under $5.

A Taste of Italy

2009-04-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

I started out this morning with an Acai Smoothie and a Bowl of Oatmeal. I changed the oatmeal up a bit by adding in some raw almonds while it cooks, gotta love those MUFAs.

Then later on, Kristi and I met up later at Starbucks for some Passion Iced Tea and we decided to try the place next door, A Taste of Italy. For what you get its pretty pricey, but the food is very good. This isn't just your average run of the mill Italian restaurant, they charge close to $16 for a Chicken Caesar Salad, which I think in economic times like this, is pretty ballsy. They do however have decent lunch deals and a GREAT takeout special for a large pizza with 2 toppings that will run you about $14, and it is DELICIOUS!!!

We opted for the Pepperoni and Garlic for our two toppings, but they have loads of really great choices like artichoke hearts, pineapple, basil, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes and even breaded eggplant. The cheese was gooey and delicious, and the crust was soft, yet held up its end of the deal to not dump hot food in your lap. Honestly the next time I want pizza, I will probably go there, I just wish they sold it by the slice. Hey Taste of Italy, I hope you read my blog!

Earth Day!

2009-04-22T16:31:00.001-07:00

Today is Earth Day, and in honor of Earth Day I wanted to talk about something very special to me, and to our earth and food resources. Honey Bees.

Now I know a lot of people dislike Bees because of fear or misunderstanding, but let me tell you some facts about Honey Bees you might not know.

* Bees collect 66 lbs of pollen per year, per hive. Pollen is one of the richest and purest natural foods, consisting of up to 35% protein, 10% sugars, carbohydrates, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins.

* Bees make honey from the nectar they collect from flowering trees and plants. Honey is an easily digestible, pure food. Eating local honey can fend off allergies.

* Honeybees are not aggressive by nature, and will not sting unless protecting their hive from an intruder or are unduly provoked.

* Honeybees are responsible for pollinating 33% of all the foods we eat, including Strawberries, Pears, and Almonds, among others.

* Since late 2006, bees have been disappearing at an alarming rate, due to Colony Collapse Disorder.

Fortunately, we know there is a problem and we're doing something to stop it. Haagen-Daz has an adorable website to help educate you on CCD and the honey bees plight at http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/

Burt's Bees is helping. Anthropologie is helping too.

If you've got the space, plant some bee friendly flowers in your garden like UC Davis.

You can find out how here, and here.

Take some time today to read up on CCD or watch some videos and see how you can help.

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Moo Cards!

2009-04-20T17:21:00.001-07:00

THANK YOU FOODBUZZ & MOO!!!!

Mobile Posting!

2009-04-17T12:41:00.001-07:00

ZOMG MOBILE POSTING!! I'm so jazzed about this, y'all got NO idea!

<3 b!

Buitoni Pasta!

2009-04-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

So this morning I got a HUGE box delivered from Foodbuzz!! It contained my Buitoni Pasta samples I had requested a few weeks back. Inside the huge box was lots of syrofoam, ice packs and some lovely Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti.

I will say that first and foremost, they couldn't have sent me a worse pick because generally I am not too hot on mushrooms, but I sent a text to Kristi about meeting her for some Starbucks later and I asked her to come over for dinner so we could try them out.

She showed up around 5:30 with some random ingredients ad we planned a rough menu and then headed out to get what we didn't have on hand.

We ended up getting some parsley and sugar snap peas....

Pancetta...

and some Margarita mix for later!

Then we headed home to concoct some delicious foods.

We started off by dividing the agnolotti into two, one for the appetizers and one for the meal.

For our appetizer we made Italian panko breaded agnolotti and artichoke hearts, deep fried them and served them with a creamy marinara sauce.

First we dregged the agnolotti and artichoke hearts in flour, than in an egg wash and finally into a mixture of bread crumbs, panko, Italian seasons, Parmesan cheese ad parsley, then flash fried them in hot oil. The creamy marinaria is made by mixing equal parts marinara sauce with ranch dressing, I know it sounds odd, but trust me.

For our meal Kristi and I wanted to make a sauce that just enriched the yummy flavor of the pasta, so we started with some butter, and left it to brown in a pan. We then added sweet peas, and diced pancetta and let them sautee.

The browned butter was then drizzled over the boiled and drained mushroom agnolotti, and topped with the sauteed pancetta and peas. Mizithra cheese and chopped Italian parsley was sprinkled on top.

The Pasta was tender and delicious. The mushroom mixture inside held up almost as if it were meat, and the cheese was a lovely addition. We both decided that we would love to try these again, and all the other flavors of Buitoni pasta. If you want a nice light meal with a buttery nutty flavor, this sauce is perfect.

Berta and Kristi's Browned Butter Sauce:

4 tbsp Butter
1/2 c Pancetta, diced
1/4 c fresh sweet peas
2 tbsp Mizithra cheese
1 tbsp chopped Italian Parsley

Brown the butter in a medium pan on medium heat. It's best to cook it long and slow, you want it browned not burnt. When the butter starts to change color, add the pancetta and peas and allow them to sautee until butter is browned. Drizzle over pasta of your choice and top with grated mizithra. Garnish with Parsley. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Tea Cakes!

2009-04-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

OMG! Melissa brought me this while I was at work!

LOOK HOW TINY! Omg! One of the things I miss most about living in the South is Red Velvet! But I'm glad it's gaining popularity out here! These lil treats are from Jamaicas Cake's in West LA! Go there cuz Jamaica is SO SWEET and SO NICE and they have the best treats!

Taqueria La Guerita, Tecate, Mexico

2009-04-15T00:46:00.000-07:00

Can't sleep, must blog.

This shall be my FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL POST! Zomg!

Today I crept below the International border into Tecate, Mexico for a various amount of reasons of which none are really important. (No, I did not go to smuggle drugs.) But one very awesome thing occurred and that was I had some amazing street food. Now I'm sure the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about eating in Mexico, is one; "Don't drink the water!" which is followed shortly thereafter by; "I hope it was worth the (insert horrible food related illness of your choice here)!"

Well I can tell you that I didn't drink the water, and that 12 hours later I'm still going strong on not having any side effects of the brief love affair I had this afternoon.

My mom took me to this place called, "Taqueria La Guerita", or if you are my mother, "The red place across the street from the chicken place". Both are correct. It's a TINY hole in the wall taco stand in the heart of Tecate and they might just have the best street tacos I've ever had in Mexico or The States.

Aren't those just beautiful? Look at that guacamole! OMG. And for 12 pesos (roughly just under a dollar) , the price isn't too bad either. I also got a flour quesadilla.

The whole meal cost me about 35 pesos, and I was a very happy camper. I love living so close to such amazing Mexican food!

Rush Street

2009-04-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

I have about a million things to blog, and I'm home relaxing after a particularly long day at the dentist, getting a cleaning and a chipped veneer fixed, so I figured, no time like the present.

Last weekend while I was in LA, I met up with Chaz, a Foodie friend of mine for dinner. Chaz is such a foodie, he was actually in a commercial where he IS the food. (Insert Shameless Promotion here.) He hasn't been in the blog yet just because we haven't really hung out in forever, so we had to make up for it by going to somewhere super awesome. Plus he read my blog about the crazy Chinese restaurant and figured this would be a nice change of pace.

We had reservations at 6:45, at Rush Street in Culver City, a new Gastropub, which basically means a bar that serves "fancy food". If you want to, you can follow them on Twitter, they offer really awesome deals and discounts, plus lots of food porn twitpics to gander at.

They have a great beer list, with tons of awesome stuff I'd never even heard of. I'm not the hugest beer drinker, so I just got a Corona, but Chaz opted for the Old Speckle Hen. Here he is showing you the lovely cascade.

Chaz started off with the Tataki Nachos.

Wonton "Chips" topped with Asian Cabbage Slaw, Avocado and Seared Ahi. I am allergic to most seafoods and usually just stay clear, but Chaz seemed to enjoy these very much.

I decided to start with their Eggplant Hummus.

It was a much smaller portion of any hummus I've ever gotten, but it was so unbelievably insane and tasty, it didn't even matter. It came topped with a sweet pomegranate molasses and toasted pine nuts. The hummus itself was smooth and creamy, with a surprising spiciness, yet the interesting combination of the molasses calmed it a bit and made it very enjoyable. The "pita chips" it came with were flash fried, so they were crispy on the outside with enough firmness for dipping, yet soft in the middle. An instant favorite and worth the trip alone.

For our meals, Chaz went with the Lamb Shank, served on top a bed of cous cous.

I got a little bite, and the meat was fall off the bone tender, juicy, and very flavorful.

I have an affinity for fancy burgers, so I decided to try their Dry Aged Burger, cooked medium, served with the cutest shoestring fries and topped with Applewood smoked bacon, arugula, cheddar, shoestring onions and confire sauce. Usually I get all bratty and special order the hell out of it, but I figured what the hell this time and got it as is. Very Good!

On the side were these house made pickles that we're too sour, or briny, but just enough to give it some kick. They reminded me a lot of the juniper marinated onions at Absinthe.

Being the gluttons we are, Chaz and I decided to check out the dessert menu, and then order the Red Velvet Cake off of it.

It's got White and Dark Chocolate Ganache in between layers of the freaking thickest cake I think I've ever had. It was decadent and sinful and we didn't finish it at all, but oh man was it good.

For all of you out there in Southern California, make sure you follow these guys on Twitter. Right now if you can find Patrick, one of their oldest bussers (hes the guy with the cute white mustache) and take a picture of him, then twitpic it, they will send you a $30 giftcard! Seeing as my meal was $38, that's a pretty sweet deal.

I can haz fan art?

2009-04-10T01:54:00.001-07:00

Much love from Brady! Thank you!!! I LOVE IT!

Hell hath no fury like a hungry girl scorned.

2009-04-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

I am a nice person. I feel as if I need to preface this post with that, not to convince you all of the fact, but to just let you know that I think on a good day, I am a pretty nice person. I have many people who can attest to that. In fact, if you read my blog you should know I hardly ever write mean, or bad reviews on places, and I try my best to be understanding of circumstances and constructive with my criticisms. Tonight, this will not happen.

I hardly find myself to be in such a mood that could be construed as "Scathing", in fact most of my demeanor is usually bright and cheery with lots of lulz. And on an entirely different note, today was a really great day, I worked hard, I sold a few Blumes (OMG YAY!) and I had a generally easy time home through virtually no Los Angeles traffic. On the way home, I got a hankering for some Cream Cheese Wontons. If you have never had any, order some post haste. But do not, under ANY circumstances, order them from Wokcano in Burbank. Ever. Seriously. I'm not kidding around people.

Tonight we ordered take out from there. WORST. EXPERIENCE. EVER. EVER!!! Not only can their hostesses not properly take down an order, but they give you "bitch-I-will-cut-you" attitude when you call back to let them know they forgot your Singapore Fried Rice. The conversation about said fried rice started off nicely enough.

Me: Yes hello, I just ordered some take out and you seem to have forgotten the rice *bats eyes and grins ever so sweetly*
Her: What was your name? I'll look you up.
Me: Roberta.
Her: One moment.... Yeah you didn't order that.
Me: No I'm sure I did.
Her: Well then I didn't hear you.
Me: Well I paid $23. Your Orange Chicken can't POSSIBLY cost $23.
Her: You got rice and soup too.
Me: Yes, that's $3.50 with an entree.
Her: No. It's not.
Me: Well it says that on your menu.
Her: What menu are you looking at?
Me: *confused* The one on the website. It says soup, rice and salad for $3.50 more.
Her: Yeah that's wrong. We don't do that.
Me: Well then maybe you shouldn't put that on your menu.

This line of back and forth misguided information went on until frankly I had had enough and asked to speak with the manager, something in all honesty, I've NEVER done, but freaking eh, $23 dollars for soggy "crispy" chicken, a box of dry white rice and bowl of not so hot and sour soup? He wasn't much help either and he copped even more passive aggressive attitude as I got progressively angrier.

Him: Yes, how can I help you.
Me: I didn't receive my fried rice.
Him: You didn't order it.
Me: But I did.
Him: No you didn't.
Me: I asked for it, I have 2 witnesses hear me say it, it's not my problem the hostess didn't write it down.
Him: She doesn't write it. It's in a computer.
Me: Whatever! Your website CLEARLY states I get rice, soup and salad for $3.50. I was overcharged and not given the rice I ordered.
Him: We don't use that menu.
Me: Well then MAYBE that should say that SOMEWHERE on the website? No?
Shuan in the background: Does this mean I'm not getting my rice?

This also went on for awhile, with me posing various threats using websites such as Yelp! and CitySearch, but in the end I figured the best way to be angry would be to put it down in a blog post. He told me I could complain to a higher power if I wanted and said I wasn't letting him speak. I won't mention what I said in retort, but by now my food was cold, and I was very very angry that the MANAGER of an establishment I've spent money in was giving me just as much attitude as his employees. In all fairness to him I was being quite snippy, and Shaun and Jordan were laughing at my explosion in the other room, but man hasn't he heard something about the customer being right? I would have paid for the rice, but an extra $10 for COLD SOUP and some white rice?!?! Not to mention the tip I gave the driver! PLUS the online menu that they don't even use has NO PRICES on it whatsoever EXCEPT for the "Add $3.50 for complete dinner..." stuff that they DON'T EVEN HONOR! NOWHERE on the website that I could find did it say anything about every location having a completely different way of pricing everything to use at their own discretion.

In the end, to make me happy, the manager said he would send the rice to the house, rush order, without charging me the extra delivery fee for an item I didn't receive when I paid that very same delivery fee earlier.

Shaun and I went down to the gate to wait for the delivery guy. He jumped out, handed me a bag, smiled (I could see his fear) jumped in the car and drove away. We came back upstairs and I said to the boys, "See? The lesson for tonight is that if you stand up for yourself, you can get free rice!" and Jordan quipped in retort, "Once."

Berta in Blume!

2009-04-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

I've created a Craft Blog for all my craftiness. If you enjoy this type of thing, I suggest you check it out.

She's Crafty

2009-04-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm making hair flowers!

Micheal's was having a sale on all their spring flowers so I took advantage and grabbed up a few stems. Below are the results so far.

I've made these for myself on a personal level before and had so many friends ask where I got them or to borrow them, that I thought I would expand on a larger level and make them to sell. I'll be selling them at my salon in LA for $5-10 and if there is any kind of demand I may put them up on Etsy. Seems like I'm the only person I know WITHOUT an Etsy account.

I have NO NAME for them other than "Hair Blossoms" so if you have ANY ideas, throw them in the comments and let me know. There might be a free one of your choice in there if someone can come up with something that blows me away.