Peace. Love. And Blueberries.

A Day On Death Road

2012-01-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

6:20am - Alarm goes off. The day I have been waiting for.

*Surprisingly, I was quite calm when I woke up. Complete opposite of my normal self when facing a thrill such as this one. Should I have been nervous that I wasn't nervous doing this at all?

7:30am - Find my friend and off we go to find the cafe for what could be our last breakfast and then group meeting.

8:30am - Paying my $9 for insurance before the ride.

9:00am - Leaving the cafe with our guide/group and heading out to the rode before Yungas.

9:30am - Arrive at our meeting place where other people are picking their bikes, testing their bikes out, getting the 411 on how to ride/brake/control & pick up speed/what not to do/rituals/just breathe.

My first bike was just a little too high for me. It made me extremely nervous. I tested it out and the peddles were a little hard to reach. I'M SUPPOSED TO TAKE THIS ON DEATH ROAD?! AHHH! I attempted to try and get on/off the bike as our guide was showing us (bike in motion) and I kept missing and falling on the bike/to the ground. Painful. I begged Clinton to please give me a new bike! He said he would try the best he could but he couldn't make any promises..

I saw that this guy had the bike that was the perfect size for me and for this other girl but he was refusing to give it up! He obviously was a little too nervous! Finally Clinton took control, took his bike away from him, gave it to me, gave my bike to the another girl who needed mine, and gave her bike to him. He wasn't happy but he had to suck it up and deal. The girl freaked out and wanted my bike and claimed she wasn't going to ride. Um, the bike was perfect for her. Case of the nerves, again? Oh goodness.

Clinton, our guide, finally told her to just try it out before she makes the decision to quit. She tried it and said SHE WAS FINE.

THIS IS WHAT THE DEATH ROAD DOES TO YOU! Crazy, I tell you.

10:30am - Clinton assures us we will be fine, take your time, DON'T BREAK HARD OR YOU WILL FLIP AND WHO KNOWS WHAT'LL HAPPEN.., and talks to us about a ritual one does before riding on the road. We each took a sip from the bottle, poured one drop on our front tire, and one on the ground to pay tribute to Pachamama and to ensure we come out alive. It's time.

10:45am - Our ride does not start right away on Yungas road. You have to ride the regular road for, I want to say it was anywhere between 10-15 miles, until we reached death road.

I just have to say I oddly thought the ride to death road was scarier than the ride on death road itself. I think my reasoning for this was the fact we were going fast down the road whereas death road is also downhill but you are riding on a dirt road which somehow helps in the speed of the ride.

*Times from now on are assumed*

~11:00am - Hoping that we'll reach death road soon because I wasn't liking this ride, yet I was still calm. Again, should I have been nervous for not being nervous doing this ride?

And then it happened...

I watched my friend FLIP OFF HIS BIKE, SPLIT HIS CHIN, AND SPRAIN ONE OF HIS WRISTS! This WAS NOT EVEN ON DEATH ROAD! He braked hard going downhill and because of that + the high speed = to him flipping off his bike. He didn't move at first and everyone who saw, including myself stopped, made sure he was okay, and waited for our bus to arrive to check him out. He was done. His ride was over. He was bandaged up and had to sit in the bus until they were able to send him somewhere else to get to a hospital. After this, we continued our ride..

I'm supposed to ride on Yungas road AFTER seeing what I just saw? Just crazy. :/

At that point, I had to put it behind. I was not going to give up and I could not worry about it any longer. I'm on my bike. I was at the point of no return. Continue on...

We hit our last town before the tunnel/the road for our last bathroom break and pay our fee which helps to repair/better Yungas road. Kind of hard to explain, but I actually don't want them to repair the road. Yes, it is painful for many families who have lost loved ones on that road but at the same time, the road has history. I say just don't have anyone ride it anymore. Maybe I'm wrong? I don't know.

We then hit a tunnel. We were told we won't be riding our bikes in the tunnel because it was pitch black and for obvious safety reasons so we rode our bikes on the road just around the tunnel. My first taste of riding on dirt. And it was weird. The road was bumpy, rocky, and I was having a hard time braking without skidding. I hoped then that it wouldn't be like this on the death road because if it was, I would be in trouble.

After that, we hit up the street again for a few more miles before we finally made it to the road known as....

DEATH ROAD. The WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS ROAD.

~12:00pm - One more discussion before we started the ride. Since we were biking downhill, the cars going uphill have the right of way. Meaning: We would be biking on the side closest to the edge, NOT mountain. If a car were to pass us, we would have to stop biking and stay near THE EDGE of the road. Yeah, don't think anyone was happy about doing that but that's the risk you take when you do this bike ride.

Oh and DO NOT ride the person's a$$ in front of you. If you do and YOU crash into them and something bad happens to them, it's your fault, and they will try to rescue/take care of THAT person, NOT you! Take your time and enjoy the ride.

~12:15-4:00pm - Let's go.

At first, the ride was fine. I was suddenly feeling more comfortable riding on the dirt and getting used to it. I had better have gotten used to it because that was where I was going to be for most of the day.

Then the edges were in plain site. I looked down. Normally I would say DON'T LOOK DOWN, but again, I wasn't nervous, well, I was a little. Normal. But what in the world! It was like I wasn't myself that day. My heart should have jumped out of my chest after my first glance of dead air. Anyway, I tried my best to avoid biking near the side. Remained at my own pace. Wasn't fast, but wasn't the slowest in the group.

Riding straight downhill is definitely not easy. Maybe on the street, yes, but on dirt and thousands of feet above, no. My hands went almost completely numb/tightened up by stressing over braking the whole time. We finally had our first break and the first thing I did was focus on my hands. One because it hurt, two because I didn't want them tight the whole ride, and three, because I wanted to take pictures of the scenery with my camera because the views were absolutely incredible. I just constantly opened/closed my hands, kept them moving, and finally after a few minutes, they loosened up and started to feel normal.

Funny that by the time we continued our bike ride, I realized how much FUN I was having. It was right after I took my concentration away from my hands, looked at everyone in my group, and the gorgeous views that I had SO MUCH FUN DOING THAT FIRST RIDE!

The tables have now turned after only one section of the ride...

I WENT CRAZY, OUT OF CONTROL, NO LIMITS, ADVENTUROUS, AND ZOOMING DOWN DEATH ROAD!

What?! I was ahead of the pack. I was swinging around corners, Devil's drop, Collar Bone Road (known to be so bumpy that people have fallen of their bikes and end up breaking their collar bones), and another corner, which the name I can't quite remember, but it must have had death or devil in it!

I remember stopping to take a picture at a famous point known for many fascinating pictures and right after, I hopped on my bike and was about to go when I could hear Clinton shouting/laughing: "STOP! Wait for your guide!" Right after he told me that I had worried him because I mentioned before the ride that I was deathly afraid of heights and falling and thought that I would be taking my time and be the last one in the group. NAW! Last thing he thought I would be doing was going crazy and flying all over the place! He thought it/I was pretty cool. Especially because I overcame my fears and gave the road everything I had.

Honestly, I was having so my fun. Rarely in my life I have ever felt that free as I was flying down the mountain. JUST for the record, I told my parents everything when I got home! Didn't want to worry them. My dad's face turned white and my mom, of course was like, what were you thinking and just shook her head. She took it well while my dad, not so much! Scaredy cat!

There was a point where we started to hit big rocks on the road, which I'm assuming were due to recent landslides. We were told that the day we went was an absolute perfect day. Couldn't have been better. No rain and no clouds. Road was visible. Anyway, I skidded a few times and realized I had better slow down because I may skid again and fly of the mountain. By far the hardest part of the ride was trying to avoid the rocks on the road.

I can go on and on, but it would be forever! Literally, you will spend majority of the day biking. You will be tired, exhausted, and go from the extremes- very cold weather - cold - nice/chill - warm - hot/humid. Different elevations, as you know, bring different weather conditions and it is very neat to experience them all in one day.

Just for the record, going with Gravity and I'm assuming most other bike groups, you will be given a snack and lunch to stay refueled and energized during your ride. So don't worry, you won't starve.:)

And finally we made it to the wonderful town of Coroico, which is part of the Amazon Rainforest, one of my favorite places on Earth! We biked through the town where we saw plenty of locals, houses, and plenty of beautiful nature. Love your Pachamama! We stopped at a local refuge where we saw plenty of monkeys, wildlife, and bugs! What would the Amazon be without the scary bugs!

~4:00-6:00pm - We enjoyed an early dinner, had a chance to go swimming with the monkeys, and take a nice hot shower. I, as well as the others, were exhausted, sleepy yet somehow alert, felt healthy, brave, and accomplished with what we did that day. It was now time to relax...

Wait...Relax? Oh no, my friends!

I ALSO signed up go Zip-lining in the rainforest! Yes, you can now call me crazy. After everything I did that day, I thought my heart wouldn't be able to take anymore, but somehow it had some room leftover for flying in the air. I found the ziplining to be a little nervewrecking but enjoyable at the same time. For one thing, I don't think I'll be able to not be nervous when ziplining over open space.

I still think Costa Rica is the best place to zipline because you can't see the ground there. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the long ziplines that Bolivia offers. Really allows you to thoroughly take in your surroundings as you are zipping thru the air. I remember just looking around while I was flying to the next post and just feeling at peace. Like everything was moving at slow motion.

There were only a total of three lines but I happen to think it was worth it because the lines were long and the package was affordable. Here are just a few pictures of that adventure below.

~6:00-11:00pm - The ride home. It was late and we were behind schedule. The other two groups were probably almost in La Paz when we finally left Coroico.

And how did we get home?

So for some reason, I thought we would be heading back to La Paz another way but boy was I in for a treat! We rode up death road AT NIGHT. Pitch black status. Now that was a new adventure I had not planned on doing or was ready for emotionally.

Everything was fine until I watched Clinton open the bus door and sat on the edge, looking down over the mountain. Out of control. And then I thought, once in your life, and I sat down and joined him. Of course there was railing there and YOU KNOW I held on for dear life. And you want to know something? It was absolutely thrilling to be sitting there and looking of the edge of the World's Most Dangerous Road. I was like a kid in a candy store! It was exciting! He had to have thought I was a cool one to hang with. Heck yeah!

Is there anything else you can think of that could top this adventure? Yes, there is in fact..

The driver stopped driving and Clinton and I had to get up. There was something wrong. Seriously? On the death road? Another van was blocking our way on the road and our driver couldn't and I'm glad that he didn't try to drive around! The van was stuck on death road. Why?

Because one of their tires flew off their van and down the mountain it went. The problem? Well, there were two woman and two men in the van and the men were drunk. I was not okay with that. I thought one of the men were driving and that didn't settle well with me. You are on the death road, you can't do that! After we all were conversing in Spanish with the group, we found out one of the women were driving, THANK GOODNESS. That was a relief.

Of course they were having a hard time putting the spare on because the men were too busy playing around to be paying attention to what was going on. I soon watched as the two women turned on their flashlights and started walking towards the edge of the road and look down to see if they could find/recover their fallen tire. Then I saw them starting to work their way down the mountain in hopes of discovering it. I remember saying: "No! Que no es seguro! No!" ("No! That is not safe! No!")

I wanted to say 'tire' in Spanish but I've yet to completely master Spanish. I'm still working on it! Our protests finally worked and they stopped. The driver finally put their tire on, we said our good-byes and they drove away and we continued on the road. Everything died down and we were soon all half-asleep. So hard trying to stay awake! We finally arrived in La Paz and parted ways. What a story I will have for the rest of my life.

I will never forget this day. The day I survived the World's Most Dangerous Road.

*As for Gravity, I 100% recommend them. I felt safe, secure, and was in good hands. Our guide, Clinton, was knowledgeable and you could tell he loves what he is doing with his life. The other guides I saw that were with the other groups seemed to also be just as wonderful as Clinton was. I was able to have fun, bike how I wanted, and felt confident enough doing what I was doing. I was amazed at how I was able to quickly learn how to ride a dirt bike and ride on dirt with ease and control. I never felt pressured and I didn't feel like I was held back. The money value for the ride was completely worth it. Go with Gravity.

If you have any questions about this ride, feel free to email me. I have a pretty good memory and can tell you anything you need to know. :)

True Life: I Survived Death Road

2011-12-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

So I survived Yungas Road. The World's Most Dangerous Road. By bike and by vehicle. During the day by bike and during the night by vehicle. Yes, it has taken me awhile to write my adventure but it is kind of hard to explain my day on Yungas road. Mainly because I didn't know how to start it or what to say. So I finally decided to just go with it and write what comes to mind.

I've heard about the so-called 'Death Road' throughout my life but the first time I really remember talking/hearing about Yungas Road with others was through an Australian newlywed couple whom I met at a hostel in Brazil during Carnival a couple years ago. I left Brazil to return home and they continued on their journey to Bolivia and further on after that. It sparked my interest. It also frightened me because I'm deathly afraid (not anymore) of heights and falling. YES! The adventurer does (did) have some limits. Inquisitive minds, well mainly mine, wanted to know the reasons behind this madness and the only answer I got was "You can't go to Bolivia and NOT do it." Enough said. I agreed.

Eventually weeks passed and saw their pictures. They survived and wow the pictures were incredible. A definite bucket list check off. Put it in the back of my mind and continued with my quest for adventure throughout the last couple of years on other paths.

13 countries (15 with Peru and Bolivia) and 3 islands later, I was trying to figure out the whereabouts of my next vaca..oops I mean adventure, and decided that when I head over to any part of the eastern hemisphere, that I'll make sure to have more time to truly experience the culture, environment, and, oh yes, food in each country. So where to go?

I thought about Peru but realized that I didn't want to go there unless I had time to hit every place that is important to the Peruvian culture. Thought about Bolivia, which I had heard the outdoors and nature there are stunning, and the fact that it would be affordable was a huge plus to me. I travel to experience and don't care much for spending money. I like my low budget. Helps me appreciate and value life outside of the USA more than I already do. But put it aside because the aspect of it being the least developed country in South America, not going to lie, worried me a little for safety reasons and the unknown, so decided to search more and try to stay open-minded.

Thought about returning back to Central America to step foot in the remainder countries that I didn't hit last time (3 more remaining) but I felt that I needed and had craved a bigger adventure. I think the main reason I wanted to head back there was the fact I was and am still bummed that being stuck on an almost deserted island prevented me from spending time in the one place I wanted to explore in Panama. Spent a total of 3 hours in BOCAS DEL TORO before I had to continue with the adventure. Had a taste of it, which was incredible and full of gorgeous sites, islands, nature, and craving it more. I WANT TO GO BACK THERE SO SO SO BAD.:( One day...

And one day it hit me. I was watching TV. Really?

While minding my own business and just watching Iron Chef, it just hit me. A commercial that is. So odd and random just thinking about it now but yet so right. Perfect timing. A Mitsubishi Car Commercial. They 'wanted to show how amazing their new automobile was by taking it on the World's Most Dangerous Road'. How it turns with ease on the needle-thin path. Etc.. More importantly, they showed the actual road, how narrow it was, how beautiful it was, and how close to the edge they got! My heart was racing with so much excitement you could just hear it pounding out of my chest. My eyes widened. My adrenaline broke through the roof. At that moment, I felt gutsy, adventurous, fearless....

Mitsubishi: Behind the Scenes

The next day, I booked the plane tickets. Bolivia was my destination.

And Chile, but of course, I'm not exactly a planner and well that didn't happen. Peru popped up. But that's another story to tell later.

And then I started to feel uneasy, insecure, and uptight over my OWN crazy adventure plan! What was I thinking?! I can't ride a bike on this road. I can't even look over any edge! 5 feet up on a ladder = 50 feet to me. You know the huge rocks at the beach where people like to hop on and climb? I can't do it because I fear of falling in the cracks. Silly, I know, but that's just my fear. My eyes widen. I get shaky. My heart pumps with intensity to the point of exhaustion EVERY time I'm high up and I look down, but I can ride on Yungas road and be fine?

Mitsubishi Yungas Road Rituals

My brain was constantly on work mode after this plane ticket purchase. Just walk on the road if you get nervous. Or how about skip it all together and just forget about it. The ONLY thing I decided against was I could not use the option of just riding in the bus to avoid biking it if I went through with this. Out of the question. But thinking back to what my Australian friends had told me, there was NO WAY in you know where I was going to Bolivia and not doing this. Naw. I decided to turn this into a positive and decided to research and prepare for this.

What did I do? And what I recommend doing for those who get nervous when thinking about heights and falling..

I asked my friends just what they thought about it. Asked them how narrow the road is? If I'm biking downhill (which is pretty much the majority of it), will I fly off the road or will I be able to break and swing around the curve just fine? What company should I go with/how much money to spend to do this? This is your life and you should take care of it and care about yourself. Don't take shortcuts.

This may sound annoying but really, I don't care. If you have fears, talking about it is the best way to overcome them. Hiding your feelings doesn't do any good for you.

They really didn't mind at all and were actually very helpful. I think it also brought back their own memories and were happy to share and help out in their own way. I won't get into exact details about what they told me but they basically reassured me I'd be fine, to be cautious, go at the pace I felt comfortable at, and don't get too close to the edge! They also said: DO NOT GO CHEAP and DON'T TAKE SHORTCUTS. There is a reason why some companies are cheaper than others. THIS IS YOUR LIFE. RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK BUT BE RESPONSIBLE AND MAKE SMART CHOICES. Don't go cheap because you don't want to spend the money. The cheaper you go, the less you get out of your bike. And the bigger risk you take in putting yourself in danger.

They told me this because that is what they did. They were fine, except there was only one guide for their group, which was, I believe they said, around 7-9 people. So basically the guide leads the pack and doesn't pay attention to the ones who take their time. There was only one female in the group, which happened to be my friend who was pretty much left behind by the guide. And because they went cheap, it showed through the bikes. Her chain fell off multiple times and had to constantly stop and fix it. Not cool and not a good experience to have when it's the only time you will take the ride of your life.

What also helped in this situation was to stay calm and not worry. I felt that if I worried, it would ruin my whole experience on the road and it would end up being a waste. So from then on, I didn't worry about it anymore. Didn't worry about it here at home, didn't worry about it while on the backpackers trail, and didn't worry the whole ride itself. It really truly helped me and made the experience feel the way I wanted it to feel---WILD, CRAZY, FUN, ADVENTUROUS, DARING...!

So I took what they said to heart, what I saw online, researched the companies, ended up making the decision to go with Gravity, and put money aside. I dared not to go near it the whole backpacking trip until I was emotionally ready to sign up for it and also pay the $9 insurance in the case I didn't make it out alive! Some serious business had to be taken care of in order to do this.

So I packed up, headed out on my adventure, and changed things up (that story about Peru, which I'll again tell another day) due to the bad weather conditions. So because of this, I wasn't able to bus on over to Chile and with a push, well, no push really, made the decision to go to Peru! This affected plans (in no way bad at all, of course) because my priority was to make sure I took that ride on the wild side. Did things on this trip that I have never done before in my life. I went a few days with NO BED just to make sure I could see the salt flats and check out Yungas Road.

The day I came back to Bolivia from Peru, I booked the Gravity bike tour before I could change my mind, then booked a bus ticket for that night to head down to Uyuni, spent time there where I'm surprised I didn't get pneumonia because IT WAS BEYOND FREEZING but astonishingly beautiful of course, booked another bus ticket back to La Paz, and finally had a bed and able to rest for a day before my journey on El Camino de las Yungas. I sacrificed the Amazon to do this by only seeing it a few hours instead of a few days, but I'm okay with that and lucky I was even able to fit what I experienced with no plans even in. There was no way I was going to leave Bolivia WITHOUT riding on that road! Inexplicable. I just don't have the words to state how disappointed in myself I would have been if I had missed that opportunity.

So with all this: planning, stressing, learning, preparing, changing, and every other word that explains how I felt, leading up to the death road, was....

....beyond worth it. Stress free was the way to be that day.

Stay tuned for PART TWO when I am actually on Yungas Road.

In honor of my favorite holiday..

2011-11-17T14:50:00.001-08:00

Here is my post from last years Thanksgiving feast below. There are so many things in life to be thankful for. I'm especially saying this because I was in a little accident with a ladder Monday and I was so lucky to come out of it with only a bruise. It could have been worse. I'm thankful for the bruise! I'll continue to appreciate living even more after that! Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this wonderful day coming up and are thankful for what they have in their lives. Don't take anything for granted.

My Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

Here are the highlights from my Thanksgiving this year. Long story short, I basically made everything this year and more importantly, roasted my very first turkey. I think as long as you are prepared for the day and have knowledge on how to cook a turkey, it shouldn't be a terrifying experience. Don't let it's size and weight scare you!

Reima's Turkey Recipe

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Pat defrosted turkey dry with paper towels. Tuck wings under and tie legs close to chest.

(Place turkey either breast side up or down on a rack, depending on how moist you want the turkey breast and if you don't care/care on how the turkey looks afterwards)

Then place into a pan.

Rub butter all over the turkey and under the skin on the breast.

I repeated the same thing with both olive oil and vegetable oil.

Sprinkle and rub on salt, pepper, and paprika.

Peel off fresh rosemary by pinching the top of the sprig and sliding your fingers down to remove the herbs. Chop the rosemary and sprinkle onto the turkey. *I didn't chop them this time because I loved the rosemary as is.

Stuff the turkey with fresh oregano and rosemary sprigs.

Cover the turkey with foil and place in oven.

Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees F about 20 minutes after the turkey has been in the oven.

It depends on the weight of the turkey, which determines how long it's in there. *My turkey was 19 lbs and ended up being in there for a little over 4 hours.

*I saw online that it should be between 3 1/2 to 4 hrs for a turkey that weighs between 16-22 lbs.

About halfway into the roasting, I rubbed on a mixture of the oils, salt, pepper, and paprika and covered it again.

An hour before the turkey was removed, I removed the foil.

I couldn't find the meat thermometer so I tested the juice of the turkey by seeing if they ran clear or still had the red color. Remember, the turkey legs take the longest to cook thoroughly!

Let sit for 20 minutes to allow the turkey to rest and for the juices to redistribute.

This should make for one flavorful and tender turkey!

*To answer the previous questions from the last blog post, the turkey was incredibly moist and very flavorful! Could definitely taste the herbs and seasonings. I'm also more of a dark meat fan, but this time, I really enjoyed the whole turkey overall and am extremely proud of myself. :) Fortunately, I wrote everything down so that the next time, I have something in writing and also allow for more flavors to pop into the recipe!

I also put pumpkin into 3 different dishes instead of the traditional pumpkin pie. Oh and I did not use canned pumpkin. I cut a pumpkin, scooped out the seeds (roasted them!), cut the pumpkin into chunks and steamed them, peeled the skin off, and mashed them.

One way was Pumpkin Pie Vanilla Pudding.

Second, was a pumpkin pie walnut spiral with puff pastry.

Lastly, made a Pumpkin Pie with a Puff Pastry crust.

To accompany these desserts, I hand beated heavy whipping cream (this time with an electric beater because the last time I did this by hand, I couldn't feel my arm after! PROPS TO THOSE WHO DON'T FEEL PAIN WHEN DOING THIS!!). I added a little over 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tsp of a mixture of ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg or aka Pumpkin Pie spice. How fitting!

Here's the group of Pumpkin Pie Puff Pastries.

Close up of my homemade whipped cream.

Yeah, I had extra puff pastry dough and made a separate one for me. :)

Besides the above, I also made:

Stuffing
Gravy

My Cranberry Sauce:
Fresh cranberries
Sugar
Water
1 Cinnamon Stick
Nutmeg
Ginger
Grated orange peel from one orange
Juice of half an orange

Corn
Mashed Potatoes
Salad
Sweet Potato Apple pie (My recipe is tagged in a blog post. A stomach satisfying pie..Mmmmm)

I hope everyone had a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving with your family and friends. This is no doubt my favorite Holiday!

Chicha Morada

2011-10-27T20:46:00.001-07:00

I know you have been waiting for my True Life Story: I Survived The Death Road, but while you wait for it to appear on my blog, I'll post my recipe for Chicha Morada, a special drink from Peru. One that I thoroughly enjoyed drinking daily while there. A beautiful country, I'd just like to add! It should definitely be on your travel list and a country I plan to return to.

Chicha Morada is made from Peruvian purple corn. It is naturally sweet and served cold. The purple corn can turn water into the darkest shade of purple found in this world. They also use the corn to dye cloth and other necessities, just like other countries who use the pomegranate to dye pretty much anything. The flavor is something that leaves you pondering and wanting more. Because well, I'd like a glass of it now!

Below is my version. There are just a couple changes to the recipe. One, I prefer it without the pineapple so I make it without but you can add it. And two, I just restocked my pantry and updated it as well, but surprisingly, I forgot the cloves! So I decided to replace it with mace. And no, not the mace that can burn eyes and cause damage! Mace, the thin skin around the nutmeg. Interesting flavor that is similar but not the same as nutmeg. If you don't have mace, you can still use cloves, nutmeg, or allspice.

Chicha Morada

1 Purple Corn on the Cob, dried*
1 qt + 1 pt (6 cups) Water
Couple Slices of Apple
Juice of 1 Lime
1 Cinnamon Stick
2-4 flakes of Mace
Sugar, to taste

Pour the water into a pot and add the dried purple corn*. Allow to boil for 45 minutes.

Take off the heat and pour the liquid (with or w/out the corn) into a glass pitcher, preferably.

Add the apple slices, cinnamon stick, mace flakes, and the juice of one lime. Mix to combine.

Allow to sit until room temperature. Don't add the sugar until the drink is completely cool.

When the liquid is room temperature, remove the cinnamon stick and corn cob. Place the pitcher in the fridge until cold and ready to serve.

When ready, add the sugar to taste. You shouldn't have to add much because the drink will be naturally somewhat sweet. And enjoy. You will absolutely love and appreciate this drink and the flavor. Not something normally had over here. One of my favorites now.

*You are likely to find dried purple corn in most Latin markets, if you are lucky that is. If not, they do have it in powder form but well, that just isn't the same. It would be a miracle to find it fresh here. I'm pretty sure you can't, but if I'm wrong, I say let me know!

True Story

2011-10-16T11:17:00.001-07:00

I rode on The Death Road. The most dangerous road in the world. Stay tuned...

Ice Cream...In the Fall

2011-10-14T18:53:00.001-07:00

We all know California is known for the sun and its hot weather. It is both a good and bad thing. Bad because well, I've never really been a fan of our hot summers and the fact that it still feels like summer in the fall. But at the same time, it feeling like summer now in the fall gives me the excuse to make ice cream! So the first ice cream to churn in my new ice cream maker is...... TARO ROOT! Perfect choice I'd say! I'm all about trying different flavors. Don't worry, the classics are still in my heart. Especially ROCKY ROAD! My favorite. I chose to make taro root ice cream first mainly because I like this versatile root vegetable. You can take it and make a wonderful meal or side dish out of it AND take it and turn it into a treat. Take my word for it. You will love it!

TOMS

2011-10-09T11:19:00.001-07:00

Here is the finished design of my new TOMS! Exactly what I wanted. Well besides the piranha, but I'm okay with that! Billy did a fantastic job and I am beyond happy with them. I got a good vibe from him right away after looking at his work. Didn't need to continue my search. They hold this event all over California so look for them and be apart of this! When I find info or their website, I'll be sure to pass it along. Buy a pair, give a pair.

I scream YOU scream WE ALL scream for ICE CREAM!

2011-10-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Excited to say I just upgraded to a new Ice Cream Maker! I'll follow up with my first ice cream flavor and recipe soon...

That is currently on hold today since I am getting a pair of TOMS custom designed by an artist for free! Pictures of that will shortly follow as well.

Happy Fall!

The Most Beautiful Beach...

2011-09-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have ever been to in all my travels so far is....

Red Frog Beach, Isla Bastimentos, Bocas del Toro, Panama.

A true hidden gem. You must take a long walk through the rainforest to reach this beauty.

I'd like to point out that this in no way counts out the Galapagos! It is waay too beautiful there. I didn't think it would be fair to compare the Galapagos with anything! It has it's own special category. :)

Diadup, Islas San Blas, Panama is beautiful as well.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Misconceptions

2011-08-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Diadup, Islas San Blas, Panama

Costa Rican Rainforest, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Roatan, Islas Bay, Honduras

Playa del Amor, Isla Isabela, Galapagos
I haven't really been the best blogger lately. Always busy with something to do and I never get the chance to update. Please forgive me. I know I am way behind! I have yet to even upload my recent travel pictures to my laptop. When I do that, I'll finally be able to show and express my love for Bolivia and Peru. And show all the food I ate too!

I've decided to write about the Misconceptions. of. South. America. today. Really? Yes because I have been almost all over the continent and I am constantly hearing negative things, as well as reading negative points about traveling anywhere over there and it simply is not true. After heading in that direction 5 times, I hoped that everyone would finally not be so worried about me the second I hop on a plane, but that has yet to happen. I find myself having to make sure I go on facebook or my email at least once a week to update where I am so they know I'm alive because THEY want me to. All because of the misconception that wherever I am at, it is not safe. I actually feel more safe there than I do here in certain parts of Los Angeles.

Yes, I agree with everything I've read about those certain countries with their drug problems and dangers but that is not what goes on every second of every day in every inch of each city in every country. I have been to Colombia and felt totally fine there. Of course I planned on staying away from the borders! Mexico City was wonderful. Peru was absolutely great. No guns in sight. I will say I do know people who have experienced negative situations and that pretty much sucks for the country when you just want to travel there and experience the local life, not be taken advantage of because you are a tourist. Those types of situations do change the mindset of people when they hear these negative statements and they decide to stay within the US than to travel abroad just because they have a friend who was held at gun point and was forced to hand over everything. I wish those making these kind of choices would stop in hopes of changing peoples minds but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

So I can't really speak for everyone but I can speak for myself and write about my own experiences. For one thing, I have never been pickpocketed anywhere in this contintent. There may have been attempts in Brazil during Carnival by the kids, which I've heard are quite common as well as have seen it myself, but nothing happened. I think we were very lucky that trip.

There was an actual attempt this trip while in La Paz, Bolivia however. I was just strolling around minding my own business until I had to stop to fix my hair and clip it together to hold up. While I was doing that, an old man body slammed me in hopes that it would have distracted me but nope, I've been there way to many times, brushed it off like nothing happened and walked away. He got nothing. Even if he had tried, I wasn't carrying anything anyway! I'm not going to judge him and it didn't change my thoughts on Bolivia at all. People do different things in each country, even here in the USA so who am I to judge. I still felt safe that whole trip after that experience and never used my money belt at all. Everything, including my camera, were in my pockets the whole time.

We did have border trouble when trying to cross back into Bolivia from Peru. You can tell some people don't like tourists there in that country, which I also noticed another time when trying to get food at an open 'street' style restaurant aka tons of restaurants near eachother that looks like a mall but more like street food in a parking lot setting with one picnic table with two benches in each set up. Anyway, we had to wait in line while the guard let all the Bolivians go ahead of all of us backpackers because we refused to go to the end of the line. He finally let us go when there was no one in sight to cut in front of us. It didn't help that at border patrol, trying to cross on over to Peru, they didn't stamp an important document that I had, so on coming back, the guard was questioning me on 'why it wasn't stamped' as if I did something wrong, that I had to try to explain to him in Spanish that it wasn't my fault and I had given the guy the paperwork and he chose not to do anything with it. He surprisingly believed me and let me go.

Honestly, that was the most unpleasant experience I have ever had in South America and that was the only thing that happened to me in Bolivia that made me sad. Sad because the people there are so beautiful, kind, and friendly. The guards were the complete opposite of that. Felt kind of disappointed but chose not to let it get to me and moved on from there.

Montezuma, Costa Rica

Tortuga Bay, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos

Amazon Rainforest, Coca, Ecuador

Proof I rough it in the wild! Tarantula-style.

Cataratas del Iguazu, Argentina

My misconceptions today are more on safety and my own opinion is that if you are smart about the choices you make, know where you can go and shouldn't be, and treat people the way you would like to be treated, you won't have any problems.

Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Chacaltaya, Cordillera Real, La Paz, Bolivia

Christ the Redeemer, Corcovado Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Reflections on Cotopaxi, Quito, Ecuador

Alajuela, Costa Rica

People in Argentina are the same people in Maine, just in two different locations. I read that they pickpocket there and to watch all your belongings, and carry your backpack over your chest instead of your back? No one there cares about your backpack. They are too busy in their fast paced lives to touch your backpack as they are speed walking and trying to avoid being hit by cars.

Not everyone has a gun in Mexico. Their issues are because of the gangs, their territories, and not paying the police enough to want to get rid of the gangs. The shootings happen mainly because of the gangs, not random people on the streets. We have gangs here in California too. And every other state in the US. And probably in every country in this world. Why scare off people from entering Mexico? I want to go back! It was so beautiful and the food was absolutely amazing. Mexican food will never be the same to me anymore in California. Until they start paying the police better so that they aren't as corrupt as the gangs, stay in safe areas and venture out with caution and not at 3 in the am. And don't bring kids.

Does every person in Colombia do and sell drugs? Does everyone in Ohio do and sell drugs? No.

Coca no es cocaina en Bolivia. But here in the US, they think it is because they choose not to educate themselves, assume, and just decide that you cannot bring it back or else they think you're a druggie, lock you up, and ruin your life. Does that mean everyone in Bolivia is a druggie since they all drink it there? No way. There are no effects of the drug when drinking the tea. Maybe because there isn't any trace of it in such a small amount of leaves. Did you know one of the ingredients in Coca-Cola is coca? Not the whole leaf, but an extract from it. It's supposedly 'de-cocanized'. Sure it is. Should everyone who drinks Coca-Cola be locked up? Mate de coca is the same as green tea. Let it go.

Peru was absolutely wonderful! I felt completely safe there. The food was way too amazing. So amazing that I have still been thinking about the food! Hands down the best food I've had in South America! Besides Northern Brazil of course! I can see the dangers in Peru but I got the vibe easily about where I can and shouldn't be. The area around the airports aren't really safe looking but I say once you dig into each city, you can see for yourself how much culture Peru offers. I stayed away from the touristy spots in Lima for the majority of my time and enjoyed myself. I saw the touristy part of Lima and honestly wasn't too fond of it. Just way too many people there and not enough culture, in my opinion. Cusco was great but unfortunately since Peru wasn't in my plans originally, I wasn't able to really dig deep there but for the week I was there, I did and saw a lot. For one thing, the time to see Machu Picchu is now so there were more people there than usual and wasn't a fan at all of the tourists! Too many big cameras in sight! So from what I learned from is that you will be fine in Cusco because most people are there to eventually see Machu Picchu and you will always be surrounded by people and you will be okay. I say be the person who travels there in February because Machu Picchu is closed that month so less people will be there and be there first when it reopens! I can see how dangers can occur in this country and I do know people whom I have met on my travels who've had a gun pulled on them but I really think they were in the wrong area. If you are aware of you're surroundings, there will be nothing to worry about. Oh and watch the meat there because sometimes they aren't cooked thoroughly and will cause stomach problems. Oh and I read that you will be pickpocketed and all that negative stuff from the time you are in Cusco to the time you are wandering around Machu Picchu trying to come up with your own theories of this world wonder. Um, that would be a no. Mumbo Jumbo. I can't even tell you how it is even possible. Even if you hike the trails. It's too cold over there on the trail to hide, be sneaky, and pickpocket from people. Go and enjoy yourself now because Machu Picchu has been a hot topic lately over there about closing the trail or really coming down on how many people enter this magic land. Don't take any chances. Not being a planner definitely has its advantages. :)

Can't really speak for Venezuela because I haven't been there yet but I do work with someone who is from there and will one day go back there. When she does, I'll be there! She, herself, once a resident of Caracas has been held at gunpoint (may or may not have been a real gun) and was forced to give up her watch. I believe her when she says there is a problem there but it is not everyone who lives there. I still trust her!

I will however not count out that scary cab (we still don't know if it even was a cab ?) in Costa Rica which had taken us on a short cut during our hour drive from Puntarenas to Montezuma where Vanessa had her 100% deet in one hand and a pen in the other and my smile on my face hoping the guy would change his mind and not kill us! And I actually don't blame him. That was our decision.

I do and I don't recommend staying in the Casco Viejo neighborhood in Panama City because it isn't really a safe neighborhood at night and when your hostel friend hands you a map and circles all the places of where not to go, it's not a good thing! But at the same time, the area is great, people are friendly, no Americans around, and you are out of the touristy area. I'd also like to point out that Costa Rica is WAY more Americanized and touristy than Panama. Next time you are out there, please don't count out Panama. In the end, I was totally fine there.

Honduras, Roatan, and El Salvador was fine to me. Just don't wander off at night.

Paraguay is a quiet country to me. I actually met a girl from Paraguay in Bolivia and I had told her that I have never seen anyone from Paraguay out in other countries! Very safe there.

I still remember being surrounded by a few Brazilians on Copacabana Beach, all talking to me, having a good time with my poor Portuguese and my much improved Spanish at that time (which flip flops between travels, but working on it daily now), and all I could think about was the camera in my hand. And you know what, they did nothing! Curiousity was all. Nothing happened to us there. Just don't walk alone at night.

Ecuador was Americanized to me, well, not too bad in Guayaquil. I think I even came at a not so good time. 130 prisoners in Mexico City broke out of prison the day before I arrived there and then headed on over to Guayaquil, which had all over the news a girl who was killed by a taxi driver the day before I arrived there. Crazy, I know, and I won't lie, I was a little nervous BUT I was totally fine because I made sure to make smart choices and I was a-okay. That didn't scare me off at all. You are completely fine there. Stay out of the touristy areas for a real Ecuadorian experience.

Chile was fine to me in most areas. The only thing I worried about were the facts. Empanadas are from Argentina. Pisco Sour is Peru. The Inca history started in Peru. It is also not cheap there. Chill people. You'll easily make friends. Good food there as well!

I feel so confident being in these places that if I wanted to live there, I could and there would be no problems! South America is an absolutely beautiful continent full of richness, love, history, culture, liveliness, boldness, adventure, beauty, beautiful people, kindness, openness, fun, excitement, value, creativity, wonders, mystery, uniqueness, really good food, and the list can go on and on and on...

You can backpack alone and be fine. You can travel with friends and be fine. You can bring kids and be fine. You. will. be. okay. :)

Unfortunately South America is the only continent I can really discuss because I haven't been anywhere else, besides Curacao, parts of the US, and Asia, but that was at an early age and need a refreshment! I will be starting to hit up other continents soon with definite trips to South America in between because I have to see the whole world and I'm not done there.

So if you know anyone who is traveling to that region, wish them the best, keep in contact with them, and let them discover each beautiful and unique country.

Almost to the top of Cotopaxi, Quito, Ecuador

Amazon Rainforest, Manaus, Brazil

Aconcagua, Andes Mountains, Mendoza, Argentina

San Telmo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Yes, I know that was a touristy thing to do, but he was cute AND the tango is my favorite dance! I had to do it. :)

Guess who's back in the house!

2011-08-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, that would be me. :( Sad to say I'm back in hot Southern California. Time moved way too fast for me while I was away. Why doesn't time fly slow when you are having fun? The more I travel out, the more I'd rather be out than be at home. So I've decided after my main trip next year, I think I'm going to end up in South America for a longer period of time! Until then...who knows. Going with the flow.

I need a moment to catch up on life, questions I received, and such so I'll be back with an update shortly. I think my next post will be about the misconceptions of South America.

OH! And I'd like to add that out of all the countries I've been to so far in Latin America (Central and South), Peru and Northern Brazil have HANDS DOWN the best food I've ever had! Take my word for it.

Gone Backpacking!

2011-07-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

I am out and about discovering new eats, roads, adventure, and life! Heading off to...

Bolivia

And bits of...

Mexico
Peru
and might go back to Chile, aiming towards San Pedro de Atacama/Northern Chile

Peaceloveandblueberries will try her best to update, but if not, stay tuned for posts on Bolivia and its beautiful neighbors in South America!

Edamame Hummus

2011-07-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today, I have here my Edamame Hummus recipe that I have been working on in my free time. A unique spin on hummus by not using the garbanzo bean or even the white bean. The main thing I noticed with the edamame was that it was a little more work than usual trying to figure out the right way to get the consistency needed but what's more fun than experimenting in the kitchen?!

I wanted to try it with the same ingredients that I usually use when making this dish, except my goal was to try something else and give it its own unique spin. First, one thing different is that I made the decision to add tahini this time in my hummus. I normally don't in my usual hummus but I felt that by adding it, it would help to thicken the mixture and keep it together.

I also really wanted to add wasabi (horseradish) to the hummus because I love the combination of the two and that certain spice it adds to it but unfortunately I didn't have any around. I saw ginger but didn't think it would taste the way I wanted it to and decided with a different approach -- red pepper flakes. They add that kick to the dish and its hot 'n spicy flavor definitely works with this flavor combo. Next time, wasabi will be given the chance to shine. I'm really happy with the end product attained and I hope you all try it out and see for yourself!

Edamame Hummus

2 cups Edamame
3 Garlic Cloves (or your preference of course!)
Juice from 1 Lemon
Salt, to taste
Pinch of Onion Powder
1/4 t Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 cup Nonfat Plain Yogurt
1 T Tahini Paste

If edamame is frozen, cook the edamame according to directions but add another minute or two to make sure the edamame is tender before blending.

In the meantime, peel the garlic, roughly chop, and pour the salt over the garlic. Use a fork or a mortar and pestle and grind the garlic until it resembles a paste. Juice the lemon and add to the garlic paste. Combine and set aside.

When edamame is ready, strain and reserve the water. Put the edamame into a food processor and add the garlic, onion powder, red pepper flakes, yogurt, and tahini. It depends how much water you add to the mixture because edamame is a little more work than regular hummus with garbanzo beans. I believe I poured around 3/4 - 1 cup of water. It just depends on how the hummus comes together as you are processing.

When it is smooth to your liking, pour onto a plate and serve with olive oil and anything from vegetables, pita chips, or bread. Enjoy one of my favorite renditions of hummus!

Passionfruit Banana Ricotta Flan

2011-07-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

Last week may not have been so hot but I definitely ended the week on a sweet note. I knew I wanted to make a flan but wanted to change it up, which is what I'm known to do. Just grab whatever you have in the fridge or pantry and work with it. I decided I wanted to take it towards a 'tropical' direction. Bananas and...hmmmm PASSIONFRUIT! Yes please. Almost forgot I had the juice in the fridge! Ooh we have ricotta. That's definitely going to add to the smoothness of the flan. It's in! And here we go with my recipe:

Passionfruit Banana Ricotta Flan

1 cup granulated sugar
Boiled Water

1 cup half and half
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 banana, mashed or sliced
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup passionfruit juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the one cup of sugar to a saucepan over medium heat and constantly mix the sugar untils a golden color. Pour the caramel into 8 ramekins and set aside.

In another saucepan, combine the half and half and milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Add the sugar and vanilla extract. *You may want to adjust the sugar according to your taste because the passionfruit juice is sweet.

On the side, whisk the eggs (do not overmix) together. Slowly pour the milk into the eggs, while whisking constantly.

Strain the liquid mixture to make sure the flan remains smooth. (Optional. It comes out fine either way, in my opinion. I didn't strain it.).

If you are mashing the banana, make sure it is of very smooth consistency and add to the flan. If you are slicing the banana, place the banana slices over the caramel. In this case, I wanted to mash the banana. The flan will still be firm with the banana. Of course the texture is a little more smooth with the banana.

Mix the ricotta in a bowl to a more smooth consistency before adding it into the flan mixture. Make sure to thoroughly combine the ricotta into the mixture. It will be lumpy at first but smooths out with mixing.

Pour the passionfruit juice into the mixture and combine.

Divide the liquid between all the ramekins. Place the ramekins on a pan and create a water bath by pour the boiling water into the pan halfway up the ramekins. Bake the flan for about 40 minutes or until the flan sets. Allow the ramekins to warm a little until handling them and have them cool in the fridge before serving.

When read to serve, run a butter knife or small metal spatula around the edges of the ramekins. Invert a plate onto a ramekin and flip it over. Gently remove the ramekin and the flan should stand firm on the plate with the caramel flowing around the flan. What a beautiful and delicate dessert to enjoy anytime you want.

Have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend!

Taking a Moment....To Study

2011-06-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

So today was going to be all about the VERY tasty eats on the gorgeous Caribbean Island of Curaçao but I have a busy week full of studying and need to get cracking on it. I'm excited to be taking the Servsafe exam on Wednesday! One step forward toward my goals. That and because the laws are changing, I'd like to be a step ahead and be prepared. And so I'm taking it seriously because one, I don't want to take it again, of course, and two, the fact that you have to pay for it and since I'm heading to Bolivia and other surrounding countries in three weeks, I really don't want to be spending money on tests and unnecessary stuff when I can be spending it on good food, Yungas Road, and buses, you know.

So next time, I'll be writing about the good eats and posting some recipes of mine. Will be making my Pistachio Marshmallows, Edamame hummus, Turon, and anything else that comes to mind and what I can fit in before I leave. CAN'T WAIT!

So I leave you on this beautiful and VERY HOT Southern California Sunday morning with some pictures of very sweet, delicious delights, and something interesting too.

Mardi Gras style cupcakes

Birthday cupcakes for my friends son for his 1st birthday. I'm his favorite aunt! :)

Bacon Wrapped Dates with a Balsamic Reduction Sauce. Perfect Combination.

Lemon, Fresh Rosemary, and Garlic making an appearance...

...In this wonderful Garlic Sauce which also included olive oil, salt, and three more garlic bulbs. Easy to make and adds tremendously good flavor to any dish you decide to indulge in. In this case, I used it in a mixed seafood dish. This sauce goes with anything or well, almost anything!

Raw Oyster Rockefeller with a Shallot Vinaigrette Shooter. Tried it at a meeting I went to. Pretty tasty to me. Just have to work on my gagging reflex!

My homemade Black Forest Cake. Everything by scratch. Now this cake will always be my guilty pleasure. I've got somewhat non-dessert eaters craving this. I've been having multiple dreams about making this cake soon just for me to eat it all by myself. It's that bad. Trust me when I tell you this is the best cake ever. I'm up for a challenge if you don't believe. You will be a believer when I'm done with you!

Made this birthday cake for my travel bud Vanessa for her party I attended last night. Dyed the whipped cream to a turquoise color cause it's her favorite. Made her cake all shiny with sugar and shaped her V with black sugar. Semi-sweet chocolate cake with cinnamon and cayenne and had strawberries and cream between the layers.

When the weather is cool, I ride my bike to work to get that fresh air, wonderful exercise, and get to listen to all my super cool music too. The last time I took the ride, I caught a glimpse of this lizard while riding up the first of two hills going home and I had to stop. The tail is such an incredibly beautiful color. Tried to get close to it and this was the best picture I could get. I discovered later it is a blue tailed skink. A very interesting spotting, indeed.

■■■

2011-06-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Visited my best friend aka sista from other mista and motha aka Alexis in beautiful Venice, California awhile back to enjoy the beautiful cloudy day on the beach, grab some good grub, and eat some good grub! We walked all over Abbot Kinney in search of our cravings (mine was some sort of protein and hers was anything because we were just hungry!) and finally decided to stay at one of her favorite places, 3 Squares Cafe. 3 Squares Cafe is wonderful, creative, and simple but not simple. For the area, the food was reasonably priced, surprisingly and had many options on the menu to choose from. Finally sucked it up and just ordered because deep down, I knew what I wanted!

Alexis ended up ordering a coffee and the Chicken Hazelnut Salad which looked wonderful and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

I ordered a Mint Lemonade, which was just so wonderful, mouth puckering, and oh so refreshing.

I was told I must try the Pretzel Burger with Swiss and Caramelized Onions. And my opinion, this is my favorite combination on a burger besides my Blue Cheese Bacon Burgers. Even better, the hamburger is on a pretzel bun, which is what 3 Squares is known for, or in general, more for their pretzel creations. The hamburger was so much better with a pretzel bun instead of the usual hamburger bun. I absolutely loved it. Juicy. Filling. Satisfying. The fries that came with it were a perfect size and crispy. The meal was definitely a hit to me.

And lastly, before we left, we decided to get an Apple Pie to go so we could enjoy while watching the movie she created in completion of her Masters Degree! The pie was wonderful but at the same time, just okay. I wished the apples were firm and not too soft and mushy. It just depends on how you like your pie and there is nothing wrong with that.

So in the end, I do recommend everyone go and check out 3 Squares in Venice. And even more, I recommend you try one of the pretzel burgers. You will surely be pleased. The one thing I regret was not trying the Avocado Fries. Yes. Avocado Fries. I'm really interested in this concept. OH WAIT! I just remembered I do have avocados sitting in my fridge! Hmm, I'm going to have to try this now.

And since I'm writing this post on Fathers Day, HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all the wonderful dads out there! We all appreciate you and everything you do!

Food Trucks GALORE! Part II

2011-06-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here are my thoughts on the following Southern California food trucks I visited at a Food Truck event I attended (For the record, I did not eat all of this by myself!):

Shrimp Pimp Truck

I visited this truck again after my first visit to this truck was a success the last time I was at a food truck event. Normally, I would try something new BUT I ended up craving the Shrimp Po Boy (below) for awhile after I had it, so I just decided that I could do whatever I want and I enjoyed the sandwich again!

This consisted of lovely greens, tomatoes, shrimp tempura, and a spicy kick from the remoulade sauce on top of a soft and toasty French roll. Craving satisfying.

I give the Shrimp Pimp Truck a thumbs up!

Sweets Truck

We now have a truck full of good ol sweets! There actually wasn't much of a variety here but did see a delightful looking red velvet cupcake (below) and it was calling my name! I apologize for the half eaten cupcake! I was riding my bike that day and the cupcake bounced around a little and wasn't picture perfect anyway. :)

Very moist, enjoyed the chocolatey taste, and I absolutely LOVED the frosting and that says something because I'm not much of a frosting kind of girl. I also would like to add I liked this cupcake way more than the cupcake I got to try at Sprinkles, the first known cupcake shop. Hands down.

I give the Sweets Truck a thumbs up!

Bool Truck

Bool is a Korean BBQ food truck offering anything from tacos to Korean BBQ with a Spanish and Brazilian mix. I chose the Bool Gogi Beef Taco (below).

Thoroughly enjoyed everything that was piled onto the soft and warm corn tortillas. The beef was tender, flavorful, and accompanied by kimchi. A little spicy at first but I was able to handle it.

I give the Bool Food Truck a thumbs up!

Vizzy's Coastal Cuisine Truck

Vizzy is a food truck that offers upscale cuisine for cheap. I was eyeing the venison burger with a maple-dijon sriracha aioli, charred sweet onion, queso panela, and bacon for $11 bucks, but then spotted something else that caught my eye just a little bit more and decided to go for it instead.

I ended up choosing the Truffle Popcorn with White Truffle, Sea Salt, Toasted Pepper, and found Sweet Dried Figs added into the mix. I will always jump for a chance to have anything with truffle in it! I quite enjoyed it but felt that the popcorn was a little too toasted aka some of it was burned. It wasn't too much of an issue but it was noticable. Putting that aside, the popcorn was tasty and I'd go for it again.

I give the Vizzy's Coastal Cuisine Food Truck a shaky thumb!

Nom Nom Truck

In the last food truck post, I mentioned that you should follow the Nom Nom Truck. Now I'm telling you to take me seriously and really listen to me... FOLLOW THEM! I can see why they went far on the Food Network. The banh mi's they serve are just bomb. The Lemongrass chicken is so tender and full of flavor. The toasty French roll is perfectly toasted and not soggy. Sometimes I feel like there will always be another place that does a certain dish better (mainly this concerns sushi!), but really, if this sandwich is almost perfect, is there really a need to dig even more? I say no.

I, of course, give the Nom Nom Truck a thumbs up!

Fish Lips Truck

Now I love sushi, but even I am skeptical of sushi food trucks. Just find it a little odd. So I decided to just suck it up and check it out. I ordered the Salmon Hand Roll (below). It was just okay to me. Nothing super spectacular but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I just prefer to eat my sushi in a sit down restaurant. It's your choice as to where you choose to eat your sushi.

I give the Fish Lips Truck an in the middle of the road thumb, but leaning towards down!

Del's Lemonade Truck

Always brings back memories. I will always love frozen lemonade with the bits and pieces of the sweet lemon peel mixed into this wonderful delight.

I give the Del's Lemonade Truck a thumbs up!

Tapa Boy LA Truck

The one thing that stood out to me the most when I was looking at their menu was the dessert. The turon. I don't know if you've had this, but everytime I've ever been offered this growing up, I NEVER turned it down. So simple but yet so satisfying. The Tapa Boy LA truck offers it in four ways, all at the price of only $2.50:

Turon Old School - Banana egg rolls with jack fruit, rolled, and fried
Turon New School - Same as above, but without the jack fruit, and with a hazelnut filling
Turon Flan B - Flan egg rolls, fried
Turon Tri-Star - If you can't make up your mind, get one of each!

I regret the decision I made. I ended up choosing the Turon Tri-Star because I wanted both Turon Old School and Turon Flan B. Not really a fan of fillings, so I ended up getting two Old Schools and one Flan B. Straight old school is the way to go! I don't need to change it up. Except when it concerns flan! You know it. My weakness. Yeah, I didn't share this one with anyone! :) And it was way too deliciously good.

Now, why did I regret my decision? Well because it was ridiculously cheap! I should have got TWO orders! One order of Turon Old School and one order of Turon Flan B! The Tri-star just wasn't craving satisfying. It was making my craving worse! I wanted to go back but a friend of mine had told me they sold out fast and she wasn't able to enjoy it at all. My heart sank. And I told her I didn't even know why I was sad; I can make it on my own whenever I want! So eventually I got over it and now have lumpia wrappers sitting in my freezer, waiting to be used. :)

I give the Tapa Boy LA Truck a thumbs up!

If there is one tip I could give to anyone concerning food trucks, events or just seen on the street, I would say: As soon as you know there will be a food truck around, jump on it because there is no guarantee you'll get what you want. Food trucks don't have an endless supply of food. They sell out eventually.

FRUIT For Thought

2011-05-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

I discovered two new fruits this year that I have NEVER had. Oh the joys of tasting new things! Can't imagine a life without discovery on a daily basis.

The first one was a White Sapote. In my opinion, its taste is a mixture of the tropics and a pear. You can find it here in California, although, I find it a little hard to find, which is why I haven't had it sooner. Just gotta dig a little deeper.

The second fruit, which I have yet to find here in California and not even sure you can get it here, is called the Ciruela. It has many names, depending on the regions in this world, but I also heard it as Makka Pruim in Curacao.

This is my description/taste of the Ciruela: The fruit are the babies of the no longer 'secret lovers', the mango and the grape. The skin has the taste of mango but the thinness of the grape and the inside, after you bite into it, is the color orange and tastes exactly like a mango. I looked online and saw that plum is correlated with this fruit, description/taste wise, but to me, it doesn't even come close to the plum. Not at all. I was quite fond of this fruit. Small, easy to carry around and snack on at the beach, and just fun to eat.

I sweet talked my way to some good deals with the Venezuelan workers who boat back and forth between Venezuela and Curacao to sell their fruits and vegetables to the people of Curacao at the 'Floating Market' daily. I also enjoyed the bananas, guavas, papayas, and passionfruit, as well. I was there everyday. :) Curacao is an arid island and they can't plant and produce pretty much anything other than coconuts and aloe vera. That's why they rely on the exports from Venezuela and other countries.

So if you ever run across this fruit in your local supermarket or in the midst of your travels, try it for yourself and see what it's all about. If you want a mango and don't have the time to peel it or our out and about with no knife, the Ciruela is the answer to your problem! Just pop it in your mouth, enjoy on the go, and mind the seed!

Pizza of the Sea

2011-04-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

There have been many instances that I have had a chance to try any type of seafood on a pizza and I always passed it up. Seafood on pizza? Naw, I'm more of a cook it quick kinda girl so I can eat it right away! SHRIMP. LOBSTER. CLAMS. SCALLOPS. SQUID. SUSHI. ETC. My weakness. :) I also don't like sharing! I'm working on that...

Again saw it in the Galapagos but passed because of my fear of cheese at the time. DON'T get me wrong. I absolutely love all cheeses! Well except for the processed. GROSS. Velveeta and Kraft Singles are not cheese. Sorry. It's because, at that time, it was my 2nd trip after Argentina and Brazil and I came home from that trip pretty much lactose intolerant. And didn't want to do anything that could cause pain to the stomach. Finally, gave into it in Montezuma, Costa Rica. Lactose pills have been a good friend to me! Anyway, the Shrimp and Mushroom Pizza with Mozzarella and Goat Cheese was waaay too good to be true. Possibly the best pizza I've ever had in my life? No doubt! Of course, Lou Malnati's in Chicago is on top as well. Do it.

After this experience, I decided to make my own Seafood Pizza. I chose my seafood mix. I chose my toppings and cheese. I took a basic pizza sauce and amplified it. And found a good pizza dough from scratch and just kept it smart and simple. Added LOTS of garlic powder! Oh yeaaah. Here it goes:

Seafood Pizza

Seafood:

Shrimp
Scallops
Squid

Cheese:

Mozzarella
Provolone
Asiago
Parmesan
Goat

Other Toppings That Were Included:

Mushrooms
Scallions
Fresh Basil

Pizza Sauce:

1 6oz tomato paste
6oz warm water
3 T minced garlic, more or less of course
1 t sugar (or honey, your preference)
2 t Anchovy paste
1 T fresh rosemary
1 T fresh basil
1 T fresh oregano
3 T olive oil
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t dried red pepper flakes
3/4 t onion powder
Salt, to taste

Combine and let set ~ 30 minutes

Pizza Dough:

I actually got the recipe here: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001199.html. I changed it up by adding my personal touch: lots of garlic powder! No need to measure it out. Do to your liking.

Directions:

Day Before-
Follow the pizza recipe. I made the dough a day earlier.

Day of-
1. Preheat oven to its highest temp. Oven needs to be really hot. At the time, I didn't have a pizza stone so I moved the rack to the bottom of the oven. I received a pizza stone on my birthday and can't wait to use it!
2.Combine the pizza sauce ingredients and set aside.
3. Sauté two garlic cloves in 2 T of olive oil over medium low heat until soft. Lower heat and first add the mushrooms and scallions. Remove to a plate to cool when soft.
4. Repeat the same steps and add in the seafood. I estimate the seafood to be about a cup or so of each: shrimp, scallops, and squid. Count wise, I don't know. I usually always eyeball everything. Except, cook the seafood for a couple minutes. They will thoroughly cook in the oven. If cooked well done on the stove, they will come out rubbery and dry. Remove to a plate to cool as well.
5. Since I didn't use a pizza stone, I lined a pizza pan with foil and covered it with cornmeal. The pizza did not stick to the foil so you should be fine. Use your hands and play with the dough until it is stretched out to your size liking. Place on the pizza pan. Follow the recipe.
6. Pour on the sauce, but not too much. A little goes a long way and the dough won't be soggy. The pizza sauce recipe can be used up to two-to-three separate pizzas.
7. Sprinkled on all the cheese. Any amount to your liking again. I believe it adds up to a total of 2 cups or so.
8. Add the mushrooms, scallions, and freshly chopped basil.
9. Place on the shrimp, scallops, and squid.
10. (Optional) Brush the crust with a garlic olive oil blend.
11. Place in the oven and bake for about 7-9 minutes. Once out, allow to cool for a minute until slicing with a pizza cutter. And enjoy! The crust ended up being both doughy and crispy at the same time. Just fine the way it was.

Now that you have excess pizza sauce and dough, what other pizza creations will you come up with? Make it interesting..

Vinegar Rice

2011-04-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Definition of Sushi: Cooked Rice with vinegar. Su=vinegar shi=rice. The term "sushi" has nothing to do with fish, as most people think it is. Sushi is not sushi without "vinegar rice".

As I mentioned previously, I signed up to take a sushi class with a friend and the class was held yesterday. I gained a lot of useful information to be a "beginner" sushi chef. Nothing too exciting to make me a professional (of course that takes years and years to reach that status), but it was enough to make me knowledgeable, comfortable, and confident enough in making my own and understanding what to expect with sushi from now on. Will definitely be able to tell which sushi chefs really care about the art of sushi from now on. I will share information throughout.

I pretty much documented the whole class via my camera because I am a visual/kinesthetic learner and would not have remembered anything by just listening to the instructor! The photos show the process of making four different ways of sushi: Cut roll (Makizushi or Hosomaki), Inside-out roll (Uramaki), Hand roll (Temaki), and Fish on sushi rice (Nigiri). I also show what you need to create pieces of art and to make the process of making it easier.

The Sushi Instructor, Nikki. She was wonderful, knowledgeable, and after hearing all her stories from Japan, it made me want to go to Japan even more now than before!

Came prepared with a cutting board, a couple hand towels, and a sharp knife.

Things you need to create works of art:

Makisu. Bamboo rolling mat.

Saucer for your soy dipping sauce.

Bowl of water. A must for working with sushi rice. And whatever you do, do not touch nori (seaweed) with wet hands because it will stick to you. And do not touch your sushi rice without water or it will stick!

Wasabi. "Japanese Horseradish". The instructor recommended buying the powder and making it versus buying it ready-made, due to the shelf-life of already prepared wasabi.

Not pictured: Your hands, chopsticks, and ginger.

Preparing your Makisu:

Lay out a long piece of saran wrap and place the Makisu on top and in the middle.

Pull over one side of the wrap over the Makisu and do the same with the other side as well.

Then grab the edges of the saran wrap from both sides and pull hard to tighten over the Makisu. Then fold over the edges.

Peeling and Slicing a Cucumber:

The instructor demonstrating it for us first.

Starting the Cucumber Process:

Slice off the ends of the cucumber and stand it up on your cutting board.

Take the knife (grip it as closely and as tightly as you can for more control of the knife) and thinly slice the skin away. You don't need to get it all off in one try.

Next, you need to deseed the cucumber so put the knife as close as you can to the seeds and slice one side down.

Now you can put it down on that side to prevent the cucumber from moving around on your board and cut off the remainder three sides.

All four sides are cut.

The seeds are discarded.

The remainder skin is sliced off to your liking.

Cut the cucumber into sticks.

And move them off to the side of your cutting board. I think I did a good job!

Wasabi:

The instructor showing us the wasabi powder. Just added a little water to it to mix until it becomes paste-like.

Wasabi. Ready to flavor anything.

Next up we have Nori. If you didn't know, Nori has two different sides. One side is rough:

Not appealing to the eye, so they usually place the sushi rice on this side.

The other side is the shiny, smooth side:

They place this side up for aesthetic purposes.

Sushi Rice (no picture) is made to the ratio of 1:1. One cup rice=1 cup water; 5 cups rice:5 cups water=10 cups rice. And for every 10 cups of (medium grain) rice, it requires 1 cup sushi vinegar. That is the requirement to calling this rice "sushi rice". Once the rice is cooked, place into a big bowl, pour the sushi vinegar, mix it around, and let it set. I can make rice on the stove, but I'm thinking about investing in a rice cooker!

The rice must be warm. Ideally, you want the fish cold and the rice warm, and then you eat it right away. You can tell if a sushi chef doesn't care or doesn't know this if you receive cold fish and cold rice or warm fish and warm rice. I'm watching out for this now! And the soy sauce is meant for the fish, not the rice. I notice people dip their Nigiri in the soy sauce rice first, but you need to dip the fish in the sauce to avoid rice breaking apart. Your tongue should taste the soy sauce, the fish, and then the rice.

Sushi four different ways. Take these four styles and create any type of roll you would like.

Makizushi (The cut roll)

The example the instructor used to show us this style was the Cucumber roll.

Wet your hands by dipping your fingers into the bowl of water, rub your hands together, and then shake off the excess water. (Excess water will go from the rice to the seaweed and make your roll soggy.) Then grab a decent handful of the rice, working quickly, and place it onto the Nori. Also, notice how I placed a package of chopsticks on one of the edges. This is to leave space so when you roll your sushi, there will be an empty edge to seal the roll and prevent the roll from falling apart.

Gently spread the rice onto the Nori. You do not need to apply pressure to the rice. The rice will stick to the Nori.

If you want wasabi, like I did, just take a small amount with a finger and quickly rub it in a straight line over the rice.

Take two sticks of the cucumber and place them in a long row in the middle of the rice. Do not overlap them.

When rolling it, place your fingers on the cucumber and roll it by taking the Makisu, roll and tuck the cucumber, then pull it back, put the Makisu down, and close the roll shut.

Cut off excess that is sticking out, if you want. Cut the roll gently down the middle then cut into six pieces. Do not apply too much pressure when cutting the roll so that you don't smash it.

Enjoy with soy sauce flavored with wasabi!

Uramaki (Inside-out roll)

The instructor used the example of the California Roll to show us this technique.
She also explained to us that the CA Roll here in the US is the cheap, easy way of making it. The traditional California Roll uses a stick of crab (preferrably from Japan) and not torn apart and mixed with mayonnaise.

For the California Roll, you only need a fourth of an avocado. Use an avocado that is not mushy. Firm, but not tough. Cut the avocado in half, lengthwise, remove the pit, cut the halves in half again, stick the knife where the pit used to be, and slice the edges so the avocado is flat, take the peel off the avocado, and cut into sticks, and move alongside the cucumber sticks.

This time, since it is an inside-out roll, you are going to cover the whole side of Nori. I put too much rice on this, but that is okay.

Add toasted sesame seeds to the rice. Only use toasted seeds.

Grab two corners to pick up the roll. Don't worry, it won't fall apart, and flip it over so that the rice is now on the bottom.

Again, add wasabi if you would like it.

I changed the camera direction so you can see the whole thing. Take two cucumber sticks and place in one row. Take two avocado sticks and place next to the cucumber lengthwise, as well. Then take the crab stick, slice in half and place the sticks over the cucumber and avocado sticks, not next to them.

To make the roll, do the same thing you did with the cut roll, by placing your fingers on the inside and pull and tuck. When you move the Makisu, wet your fingers so you can finish and close the roll. You can shape it any way you want it. To make it circular, take the Makisu, wrap it over the roll, and roll it around for a little bit, like a rolling pin. To make it square, like I did, just wrap the Makisu over the roll and gently squeeze the sides and flatten the top. Cut the roll the same way you would to a regular cut roll, gently. The only thing different this time is that you need to dip your knife in the water, hit the handle of your knife on the table, and let the water drip and cover your knife so when you cut your roll, the rice won't stick to the knife.

The one piece on the right was a little flat, but that is okay! I've seen that before!

Temaki (Hand roll)

The example the instructor used to show us this hand roll was a Spicy Tuna Hand Roll.

Spicy tuna is made up of chili paste and mayonnaise. The pieces should be slightly chunky, not chopped up into small pieces.

Visually cut the Nori in half. Wet your hands and grab a small handfull of rice. Take the rice and half the square that you visually cut so that it makes two triangles.

Again rub wasabi on the rice if you want. We topped our rice with two sticks of cucumber, my remainder avocado stick, and a few pieces of the spicy tuna.

Take the lower corner and fold it over to touch the other corner of the "square". Take it and roll the rest of it slightly towards the bottom right corner of the other side of the Nori. To close the roll, wet a finger and stick a tiny bit of rice in the corner to seal the hand roll.

Due to its odd shape, you eat it with your hands. (Same thing with nigiri sushi, but now everyone uses chopsticks.

Nigiri (Fish on top of sushi rice)

The examples used for this were Shrimp, Yellowtail, and Octopus. Without the sushi rice, this is known as Sashimi. When slicing the fish, cut the fish at an angle so that it appears longer and is also able to grip the sushi rice better.

Look at that octopus!

To prepare the sushi rice, make three small handfuls of the rice and shape by pressing and shaping in the palm of your hand. Lengthwise, you shouldn't see the rice stick out behind two fingers.

Before adding the fish, you can quickly add wasabi to the top of the rice before you add the fish. When topping the sushi rice with the fish, shape the fish so that it sticks to the rice.

Notice the octopus is wrapped with a small strip of Nori, a technique usually used with eel or clam, for example. Place the strip of Nori over the fish and fold over the sides and stick together with a small piece of rice.

There you have it! Four styles of sushi. Most of these ingredients and items can be found in Japanese supermarkets. The instructor recommended just getting all supplies from the Japanese stores since it is more of their specialty. She also gave us the tip of not buying Nori in bulk due to its short shelf-life. She recommends buying in low numbers, even if it is expensive. You must use sushi vinegar in order for the rice to stick and to even call it "sushi". You can make this with the mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and sometimes kombu (edible kelp; which I found that I like this, in the past). But it was recommended to us to just buy sushi vinegar instead of going through the whole process. I'm hoping to host a sushi party sometime soon now!

Arigato!

Gone traveling? YES!

2011-04-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

Off to enjoy the sun and discover new things! Have a wonderful spring break!

Food Trucks GALORE!

2011-03-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

Highlights from the Food Fest - Truck Style event I attended a month ago.

More importantly, I FINALLY GOT TO TRY A BANH MI FROM THE NOM NOM TRUCK!

That was my main reason for going to the Food Fest, held here in my area of Southern California. For those who don't know, the Nom Nom truck was on the Food Network show 'The Great Food Truck Race', basically 'The Amazing Race' + Food Trucks within the US. The Nom Nom truck kicked booty in EVERY race they had that season, except sadly, they went down the last episode, the finale. :( Come on, they should have just gave it to them! Anyway, ever since then, I, as well as many others, have been DYING to see what they are all about.

They mentioned that you can follow them on their twitter: Nomnomtruck. That's where you'll be able to track them down for a darn good meal. Now me, I don't have a twitter nor I really don't have the need for one, so that's where my sister comes in. She follows them for me! :)

Here is what I had to do to get what I wanted and the result:

The start of something good..

FOUND THE NOM NOM TRUCK! The picture doesn't do the line justice. The line was much longer than it looks below. I think I waited between 30-50 mins in that line. I lost track of time.

Patience is a virtue.

I nom you too!

The moment you and I have been waiting for...I grabbed the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi.

You really want to know what I thought? Here goes...

NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM!

Yes, it WAS that good. The baguette was just perfectly crisp, not soggy at all. Couldn't have asked for a better sandwich. Lemongrass Chicken. The chicken was so tender and full of that WONDERFUL lemongrass flavor that you know I love. Cilantro. Marinated carrots and daikon radish. Cucumbers. Jalapenos (Which I actually took out. Docs orders.) And mayo.

Seriously, I really enjoyed it and was 100% pleased with it. My sister also tried her luck later that day and was extremely lucky because the food truck sold out 3 people after her! And she agreed with me. Waaay better than she thought it would be. Please follow them and try them out. I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

Now, I didn't just leave with just a Banh mi! There were quite a few food trucks with pretty much every cuisine around I wanted to visit but I was short on cash and time due to a cake I had to make that evening for a surprise bday party, so I decided to just settle with two more food trucks and hope that something like this would happen again very soon!!

The next food truck I visited was Sugar Babies. They are a cupcake place located somewhere in LA. I've been hearing about them a lot lately so I wanted to check them out.

I ended up getting two cupcakes because they were small and well because I just did! I scored a Strawberries N Cream cupcake and Red Rose aka a red velvet cupcake.

Yeah, pretty miniature cupcakes. My thoughts: Both cupcakes were dry. Probably should have taken them out of the oven sooner because they were smaller than the normal size cupcakes. I did enjoy the chocolate flavor from the red velvet though. Will give props for that.

And lastly, I couldn't resist checking out this truck:

The Shrimp Pimp Truck! Yeah, I had to. Besides that I was just craving shrimp. The usual. The favorite. You know. I ended up getting a Shrimp Po Boy.

The Shrimp Po Boy consisted of an awesomely perfectly toasted French Roll, oh so good Shrimp - tempura style-, Greens, Tomatoes, and a spicy kick from the Remoulade Sauce. It came together wonderfully, deliciously, and beautifully.

***I craved the Banh mi and the Po Boy for quite awhile after that weekend.***

It was a wonderful and filling day at the park with all these food trucks. Go chase after all the food trucks on the streets now! YUM!

Pista Kulfi

2011-02-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today I'm posting a recipe from one of my favorite Food Network Chefs, Aarti Sequeira. Her first episode, which was over a year ago, featured one of her favorite treats, Earl Grey Kulfi Pops. I like the fact that it's a shortened recipe because I don't know who has the time to spend reducing milk on the stove these days, so this recipe definitely appeals to us busy folks always on the go. One day soon you will see me in the kitchen making this from scratch!

Anyway, I made this awhile back and now getting around to posting it! It really is a sweet treat but I didn't think it was as sweet as some people have mentioned after trying this. Just watch your serving. A little bit will go a long way to curing your craving and a lot will leave you with a stomach ache! In the end, I absolutely loved this ice cream and plan on making it again very soon. Give it a go!

Pista Kulfi

by Aarti Sequeira

1 12oz can Evaporated Milk
4 Earl Grey Tea Bags
1/2 t Ground Caradmom
14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream
Finely Chopped Pistachios

First, I chopped the pistachios and set them aside.

Only had whole cardamom on hand so I had to grind them.

Now...

Heat the evaporated milk over medium heat until small bubbles form around the pot.

Snip the tops of the tea bags. Once the milk is hot, whisk to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Turn the heat off and add the tea. Cover. Let it steep for 30 minutes.

Strain the evaporated milk into a bowl. Whisk in the cardamom, condensed milk, heavy cream, and pistachios.

Pour into popsicle molds, small bowls, or one large bowl. Cover bowls with a piece of plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn and formation of a skin. Pop into the freezer overnight. I poured the mixture in a jar and covered it with plastic wrap. Oh and I made this in the morning and decided I didn't want to wait all day for it! In a few hours, it was soft serve status and delightful.

When ready to serve, run the popsicle mold under hot water to loosen it or serve it like regular ice cream if made in a bowl. Sprinkle with more pistachios if you'd like.

2011-02-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

I think I've got a new appreciation for tahini now. I previously mentioned in my Hummus post that I was not a fan of tahini at all. And to be honest, I'm still not really a fan of it but I've decided to just continue to try it in different ways in hopes that I will someday like it or at least give it a chance no matter what. You'll never know if you like something if you don't give it a try.

I'm glad I gave it another chance because I really think I found a winner. No, I know I did because I daydreamed at work for a week just thinking about that sauce. I say only at work because I didn't have to dream about it after work!

My sister's fiance and family came over a couple weeks ago and brought the sauce with them to accompany the BBQ we had that day. And that's how it started. I was told I was supposed to try it and that it pairs extremely well with meat. I wanted to just avoid it, but ended up giving it a go just to be nice. Ummmm yeah, it was too good to be true. Seriously. I can't even begin to explain it. And when it concerns food, sometimes you don't have to.

I straight just asked them for the ingredients. I don't have the measurements so you're gonna have to eyeball what you need. When I figure it out, I'll update later. I pretty much have the idea but will wait until I actually try it out myself so there are no inaccurate measurements.

Tahini
Plain Yogurt
Vinegar
Lemon
Salt
Water, small amount just to achieve liquid consistency
Chopped Parsley

2011-02-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

***Vanilla Cupcakes with a Vanilla Buttercream Frosting***

Despite how I feel about Valentine's Day (Don't agree with it; things like this shouldn't be planned. Do whatever you want whenever you want.), these were for kids and you just have to go with it. They'll figure it out later! :-p

I kept this batter that I made from scratch simple since kids were going to be the ones to enjoy this batch of cupcakes. No need to add in my usual spices and such! I made a regular vanilla cake batter with a vanilla buttercream frosting that I dyed using my rose pink and red gel colors. The red helped to enhance the color and attain the deep-to-hot pink color that I wanted. And topped it off with sprinkles. Nothing too fancy. Just wanted to make sure the class left with smiles on their faces. And they did.

Zzzzaaaaapp... Gotcha!

2011-02-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

Finally got to check out that one restaurant a couple friends and I had been interested in for quite some time now. We tried to check it out in November but it was closed for the day and ended up going to Karma instead. We took the chance again to see if Zapp would be open. It WAS!

Zapp is known to be serving Thai dishes but I believe it's more than that. It also serves the cuisines from Malaysia, China, Japan, Laos, Vietnam, and even Italian. So it's an interesting mix they got going over there. And I couldn't wait to dive in.

We got a combined order of...

Young Coconut Water. Well that one wasn't shared! All mine. :) I know, I probably should have passed because it would have been cheaper to just buy it at a supermarket, but I love it!

Thai Bruschetta. Fantastic appetizer. The flavors together were wonderful and balanced.

Mussel de Coco. A superb combination of Green Mussels, lemongrass (!!!), kaffir lime leaves, cilantro, green curry paste, and coconut cream. Couldn't get enough of this. Even the heat. I wanted to bottle it up.

****
Pho and Eggrolls (not pictured). Pho was wonderful, warm, and full of goodness. And fish balls too. Chicken Eggrolls were lovely and absolutely loved the kick of the curry dip. We grabbed more on the side.

****

Yaowarach. A salad combination of duck, lychees (!!!), scallion, ginger, deep fried garlic (!!!), onion, peanuts, cilantro, tomatoes, sesame seeds, and a tangy plum dressing over a bed of spinach.

Yeah, I really really love lychees.

Anyway, the salad fit completely well. Interesting flavor. Everything soaked up that plum dressing goodness. Combination worked and was flawless. The duck---unbelievably moist and tender. I have finally found a place that serves perfect duck. I've had it at a few other Asian restaurants but are usually somewhat dry. This was delicious.

And dessert too...

Penang Panna Cotta. Made with strong Malaysian coffee. Just perfect. Period.

They also have an almond pudding that we will probably try the next time.

I give Zapp 5 hearts: ♥♥♥♥♥. Flavor was flawless. Dishes were presented beautifully. Service was absolutely wonderful. Price was a little expensive but we combined and it was affordable. Unfortunately the location is poor. Hopefully they will pick up and find a better location because it would be a shame if their location = their downfall. I would definitely like to return and dive into more dishes. I'm going to take a small hiatus right now from spicy foods, eating out, and changing my diet around a little so I'll probably check out this place again a little later but this is a definite must if you are in the area.

Galapagos Offerings -Some NOT to be taken lightly

2011-01-22T10:38:00.001-08:00

Trumpet Flower or Angel's Trumpets

Touch, Taste, AND Smell AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Holy Trees

These appear dead but are FAR FROM IT!

The Poisonous Apple Tree. Perhaps the wicked old lady from Snow White picked her apple here?

Fool those ants from up above.

A taste that is so sweet!

Don't mind the FUR! Chew, Drink, and Spit it OUT!

Maracuya. Gotta LOVE that tang!

Oh, Papaya! I just do.

The. Best. Banana. Ever.

So pretty ♥

2011-01-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

So I'm fresh back from traveling and realize I am so behind and have yet to come close to finish writing about my time in Ecuador and Chile. Working really hard and have things on the mind but will finish updating all my travels first before I continue to post more recipes and such.

...oh and....

Happy New Year! I have a feeling this will be a good year. :) I hope everyone follows through with their resolutions! Surprisingly, I didn't really come up with a resolution this year since I was out and about, so I think I'm going to stick to the taking care of myself/just being myself resolution. Kinda boring and nothing like 'don't eat dessert anymore' or 'workout everyday of the week', but at least I'll be sticking to mine and won't be feeling guilty at all!

I'll update soon on my adventure in the Galapagos Islands.

Travel Update

2010-12-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

I am currently somewhere in ...

Mexico City
Honduras
El Salvador
Costa Rica
Panama
Bogota, Colombia
Islas Bay
San Blas
Bocas del Toro

I will try to update but if I don't get the chance, see you all sometime in the NEW YEAR ~ 2011!

Galapagos Underwater Cam

2010-12-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some underwater shots that I took on and around Isla Isabela and some shots on a dock on Isla Santa Cruz

New Thanksgiving Experience

2010-11-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

I ended up making the whole Thanksgiving feast this year instead of the usual. From the mashed potatoes to the cranberry sauce. The stuffing to the sweet potato apple pie. A pumpkin pie upgrade---three different ways. Gravy. Salad. Corn. The works. Oh and yes, the turkey too. I roasted my very first turkey. A scary experience I must say but not as nervewrecking as I had previously thought. :)

How did it come out? Moist? Dry? Flavorful? Bland?

Was the dinner a success? A failure?

Details will soon follow...

Sweet Potato Apple Pie REPOST

2010-11-23T16:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

As requested by quite a few people, I am putting up my Sweet Potato Apple Pie recipe. It's a random pie I made a couple years ago and have heard nothing but great things about it. The flavor and smoothness of the sweet potato with the fresh, crisp, and sweet flavor of the apple pair extremely well together. Haven't found a recipe like this online, so this is a one of a kind pie! I would suggest that if you are trying to get a picky eater to test out sweet potato, someone who doesn't like it, or one at a later age, you should give this pie a try to change some minds! I changed two minds today at work, so it does work!

This is definitely not too late for Thanksgiving and does make a wonderful dessert for the next couple of fall and winter months. I even made this pie once for a cousin as a birthday present (yes, she requested this) and made me feel bad that she choose to eat this pie as her "birthday cake" versus the cake my aunt got her. It's that good. Recipe follows.

Sweet Potato Apple Pie

(Created by Reima)

2 unbaked pie shells
2 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked (2 to 3 sweet potatoes)
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 egg
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour (I usually use less than that; half of it)
1/2 t. salt
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. vanilla
2-3 apples (I prefer Gala or Rome apples for this pie, but whichever you like is fine)
Marshmallows

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all of the above ingredients, except apples and marshmallows. Peel and thinly slice apples. Layer them into both pie shells neatly. Add sweet potato mixture evenly into each pie shell. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes. 15 minutes before the pies are ready to come out, top off both pies with as many marshmallows as you would like (have always been my weakness!) and let them brown for the remainder time in the oven. Pull them out, let them cool off on cooling racks, and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Baltra, Los Gemelos, and the Wall of Tears

2010-11-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the Galapagos Islands. To make your way onto these unbelievable islands, you must either take a flight to Baltra or San Cristobal or take a cruise. Me, I like to explore, and made the smart choice to stay on the islands and experience it completely by foot. I landed in Baltra.

Los Gemelos

The twins were formed from an explosion that happened thousands and thousands of years ago. Except if you ever visit the island of Santa Cruz, you will see that the twins don't look alike. The one above, is shaped like a crater, while the other one ended up not exploding to crater-like status. An amazing site to see.

What you don't really hear at all is that there is another crater (above) that was also cause by the same similar explosion. It is known on the island that there are triplet, not twin, craters. The triplet looks nothing like the other two, as you can see. It is much smaller and not as deep as the other one mentioned above. But nevertheless, they are triplets.

The Wall of Tears

*Located on Isla Isabela. This wall was made by prisoners who suffered here on the island and it was made to show and express to everyone what they went through after they were finally released.

Sounds of the Amazon Part II

2010-11-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

Here I am on the Rio Manduro in the Ecuadorian part of the Amazon, night status on the canoes. Listen to the beautiful sounds of nature and the flow of the river.

Blue Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Burgers

2010-11-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

Made these amazing burgers awhile back with a friend of mine in her kitchen. She made her pasta dish and I decided I was craving meat. Maybe a burger, perhaps? Walked around the supermarket to see what would spark my interest. It came down to bacon and blue cheese. Success! The makings of my burgers were actually only using four main ingredients: Ground Beef, Garlic Powder, Blue Cheese, and Bacon. I was afraid that Diana wouldn't try the burgers because she isn't a fan of blue cheese, but with persistence and the smell in the kitchen, she gave in. And you know what? She LOVED them. One of the best burgers she has ever tried and probably the best burgers I've ever made! She's been craving them lately and so am I. These are unbelievably amazing and you would be missing out if you don't stop and make these yourself.

Blue Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Burgers

Ingredients
1 lb Ground Beef
Garlic Powder
1/2 c. Blue Cheese
4 strips of bacon

Directions
1. Get the bacon in the skillet and cook thoroughly.

2. Remove bacon from skillet when done; allow to cool. Break bacon apart into small pieces. Combine with the blue cheese; set aside.

3. Prepare the ground beef by placing in a bowl and adding as much garlic powder as you'd like. Diana and I are HUGE fans of garlic so we added a huge heaping of it. :)

4. First wash and dry your hands, then get down and dirty with your meat. Mix it together. Work it a little.

5. Divide the beef into four equal rounds. Shape the patties and make a deep hole for the blue cheese and bacon mixture. Stuff all four burgers.

6. Shape the burger to cover the hole and get it ready for the preheated grill pan.

7. Cook the burgers about 3-5 minutes per side. Test one to make sure they are cooked through and enjoy! I served my burgers with just plain avocado and tomato. Didn't need ketchup, mustard, or anything else. That simple. I love the tangy blue cheese with the bacon and the beef combined. The blue cheese replaces my need for salt. A flawless burger, for sure. You can serve these burgers with the usual, like fries. This time I served them with banana fries that I quickly pan fried. Would have liked to deep fry them but Diana was out of oil! Nevertheless a better alternative than fries. And a better alternative to burger making than the standard burger these days. Give this a try sometime. AmaZING.

Langostinos With A Tarragon Lemon Butter Dip, Spicy Mayo, and Sautéed Carrots

2010-11-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun seafood dish that I had fun playing with. And eating too.

Langostinos with a Tarragon Lemon Butter Dip, Spicy Mayo, and Sautéed Carrots

Ingredients
Bag of Langostino meat from Trader Joes
1/2 T. Onion Powder
2 Garlic cloves
Pinch of Salt
Vegetable Oil
3 T. Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce (or Sriracha)
1/4 c Mayonnaise
1/2 stick of butter
1 lemon, juiced
Few sprigs of Tarragon
3 carrots, sliced into sticks
Few sprigs of Rosemary
1-2 T. Red Pepper Flakes
Olive Oil

Langostino
1. Heat Vegetable Oil in a sauté pan. Crush garlic and add to pan.
2. Add Langostino, Onion Powder, and Salt.
3. Sauté thoroughly; Remove garlic from pan.
4. Remove langostinos from pan and set aside.

Spicy Mayo
1. Combine Mayonnaise and Chili Garlic Sauce (or Sriracha). Add more sauce to your hot liking.

Tarragon Lemon Butter Dip
1. Melt the butter in the microwave; about 30 seconds or so.
2. Pour the juice of one lemon into the butter.
3. Pinch the top of each Tarragon sprig, slide down the sprig with two fingers, and remove the leaves. Add to the butter dip and combine. Set aside.

Sautéed Carrots
1. Heat olive oil. Add a pinch of rosemary leaves and 1 tbsp of Red Pepper Flakes.
2. Add carrots and sauté just until cooked through and french fry style status. (I like them crispy and a little charred).
3. Towards the end, add the remainder Rosemary leaves and 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes. Remove from stove.

*To save time, I recommend starting with the carrots. They take about 10 mins. While they are cooking, you can work on the langostinos and the dips.
*Be careful not to overcook the langostinos. Thaw thoroughly before cooking.
*I only had the Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce in my refrigerator but I'm assuming that whatever hot sauce you prefer to use would be just as fine.
*I used the Tarragon and Rosemary from my backyard!
*Fresh herbs ARE DEFINITELY the way to go.
*I'm craving this now. Enjoy :)

Karma

2010-11-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

So over the weekend, I hung out with one of my friends as we had planned to try something new or at least try out a new restaurant. We agreed on trying a new place called Zapp. Zapp is a Malaysian and Thai restaurant that I have been dying to try ever since one of my sisters gave me a mini menu of the restaurant. Sadly, when we arrived there, they had closed the restaurant for the day. My heart was set on it! But oh well, I'll try again later...moving on. We ended up driving down the street, parked, and looked at our other options. There were quite a few restaurant options to choose from. Italian. Korean. Vietnamese. Chinese. And Indian. First decided on Chinese, but wasn't really craving it so we agreed on Indian.

Karma. Voted best restaurant in 2009.

Decor was lovely, inviting, and relaxing. Restaurant was packed. The smells of curry were enticing me. We sat down and ordered up.

Jessica ended up getting Samosas

And a Mixed Vegetable Soup.

I ended up getting Garlic Naan

And Fantastic Lamb Coconut Curry.

We really enjoyed the Tamarind sauce and the Green Mint and Cilantro Chutney. Actually, we LOVED them. I took the sauces home. :) The Chutney was made up of mint, cilantro, bell pepper, garlic, onion, lime juice, and yogurt.

Consider mixing the sauces together when you try these out. Brilliant!

I was curious about what they had on their dessert menu and when I looked, my eyes stopped at....

Pista Kulfi!

One of my favorite Food Network Chefs, Aarti Sequeira, made this on one of her shows and I have wanted to make this ice cream or at least try it for awhile now. It's a creamy Indian-style ice cream with pistachios. And it looks soOo good! Sadly, when I tried to order it, they said something was wrong with the freezer and they didn't have the ice cream. My heart sank. Two losses yesterday---Zapp and Pista Kulfi. Bummer. Will have to definitely check it out sometime this week. Or I've been thinking about making it so I'll probably just end up making it instead. Cheaper and more of it! :)

When it comes down to it, I'll give Karma 3 1/2 hearts: ♥♥♥1/2. It would have been more but they didn't have any Pista Kulfi. I know, it isn't their fault, but it stinks when you're craving something and can't have it! That and the lamb in my Coconut Curry was just a little bit tough. And at first, the waiters were a little pushy but once we started talking Indian with them, they opened up and became really friendly.

The waiter was telling us about growing up in India and had been thinking about opening his own restaurant soon and having his mom help out in the kitchen. I told him to do it because I WANT TO GO TO INDIA SO BAD and this would be a lovely and great restaurant in the meantime, until I make my way onto the Eastern Hemisphere. I know flavors can't exactly match what you would get in India because produce and such tastes different around the world, but I would think this could come close!

I say bring on the unAmericanized restaurants! Those are WAY better for sure.

So there you have it. I loved the restaurant and would make my way back to it someday in the future. Although these days, I'm trying to stick to going to a restaurant just once in order to continue to try new foods and places.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T15:01:00.001-07:00

Getting these cupcakes in just in time for Halloween! Can't believe that I am admitting this, but I was one of many people who wanted to sign up to bring a drink to work for our Halloween potluck party. I KNOW. But I was yelled at because "I can cook and it would be a crime for me to sign up for drinks when I can make something goOod!" Geez, I've only been thinking about my December/January travels through Central America and now Columbia! So I was pretty much banned from signing my name there and ended up signing up to bring in a dessert because I figured it is cheaper to make cupcakes from scratch then making a lunch dish.

So have fun, play in the kitchen, get messy, and experiment with different looks and designs this Halloween!

BoOoo! Happy Halloween

Shrimp and Nectarine Stir-Fry

2010-10-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

I love taking random things that I have in the kitchen and combining them together to make a yummy stomach pleasing dish. You gotta utilize what you have sometimes and never be afraid to experiment! I didn't have peaches but did have nectarines, so I figured, why not. I eyeballed everything so make sure when you do that, try not to add too much of the hot 'n spicy seasonings cause your heart will be burning for hours! So here we have..

Shrimp and Nectarine Stir-Fry

Ingredients

40-60 count of medium-sized Shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt, to taste
1 t. Onion powder
1 Nectarine, peeled and sliced into slightly thick chunks
1 small lime
3 cloves of Garlic (or less) :), mince or use grater
1 t. dried Red Pepper Flakes
1/8-1/4 t. Ginger, freshly grated
Pepper, to taste

1. Sauté shrimp in vegetable oil over medium-high heat and season with salt and onion powder.
2. Then add the grated peel of the lime, the juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger, and pepper. Combine and heat through.
3. Add in the nectarine at the last minute or two just to quickly heat through and remove from the stove.
4. Serve and enjoy.

Long Beach Bike Marathon

2010-10-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

Long Beach Bike Marathon

Sunday, October 17, 2010 6:00am

I completed my first bike marathon. And it was so worth waking up at 2am for! An amazing experience. And has completely changed my mind on quite a few things. First, just because you are riding a bike for 26.2 miles doesn't mean that it is easy. Trust me. I honestly thought that just because I was on a bike, that it would be easy to do and a breeze. So wrong. It does take time. I also realized that I am content with whatever I do and I don't think I need to run a marathon. :-P I'm fine with doing the long distances on the bike! haha Doesn't all the 5k running I've done in my life add up to that and worth it as is?! I've clocked in 50+ 5ks which = 155 miles. And I'm still young!

I really truly give props to those who have done huge races in their lives. It is not easy, adds pressure to ones body, but the positive emotional feelings are so worth it in the end. It is a huge accomplishment for anyone to even participate in any type of race so really praise the people in your life who choose to set these types of goals and accomplish them. Seriously. I would definitely do another bike marathon again and would even consider doing more than the 26.2 miles.

Baby Shower Cake

2010-10-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the cake that I made for the surprise baby shower that I threw for a teacher at work last week:

I'll be honest and say that the cake did not end up looking the way I wanted it to and I realized that making a cake like this takes more work! Of course everyone said it was beautiful and they loved it as is. I have decided to just stick to cupcakes, regular 2-3 layer cakes, fun design cakes, and if I do decide to make a certain # tier cake, it'll be separated, not put together.

I made 3 different flavor cakes. The top layer was chocolate, then lemon, then white cake with sprinkles, and another layer of chocolate. I was going to make buttercream but the weather wasn't too cool that day and didn't want the frosting to melt, so I just stuck to making regular frosting. I dyed the frosting pink since the shower was for a baby girl, decorated each layer with white frosting decorations, and topped the cake with a baby rattle, two pacifiers, and pink sugar sprinkles.

The cake---was a success. Everyone loved it. The cake was perfectly moist, the frosting, just fantastic, and every plate I saw was pretty much clean. In fact, the first thing I overheard when I walked through the doors at work the next day were a couple of coworkers talking about the cake and how much they loved it. No lie! That is a compliment.

I guess maybe I am too much into food and they just like eating whatever they see. A foodie I am. :)

***Sadly we got the news a few days after the party that the adoption fell through. She would have adopted the baby next week. Very sad but she is still hopeful for a positive future and I believe luck will be on her side. She is a great mom. :)

Sunday FUNday!

2010-10-10T14:41:00.001-07:00

So I know I'm really behind with my posts but I'm slowly trying to get there!

I have had a busy Sunday and pretty much the last few weeks, but I'm trying to work on that and post more than just once a week.

Fun updates for the moment:

***I'm baking/decorating a 4-tier mini cake for a surprise baby shower I'm hosting for another teacher at work. She's adopting a baby girl towards the end of this month and I'm taking over for her while she is on maternity leave. I finished baking a few hours ago and now just waiting to decorate it***

***After done baking the cakes, I had an interview for a cupcake place (!!!!!) for part time work, aside from my current job. That would be a dream come true to have for the moment***

***Because it would be nice to save up more money for future travels, moving, and such, you know!***

***Have an adventure planned from mid-December to part of January! Heading to Bermuda, Panama, and Costa Rica! A dream! And considering adding in Honduras as well, or Bolivia, depending on plane ticket prices. I plan on 'bus'ing it the whole way. Considered Mexico but I don't want to do that touristy, resort stuff, so I'm holding off and will do that later in the future***

***Last but not least, a bike marathon next weekend. Just want to do it now. I did something with my right foot and it's pretty painful so trying to just walk it oFF! Or at least take care of it after my travels. Hopefully, but if it gets worse, just got to go with it and get it checked out. This is happening to the wrong person. Can't sit still!***

I'll update within a day or two and post up the cake picture.

Cotopaxi

2010-10-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

If you are ever in Quito, I suggest that you spend a day in the Andes.

And don't miss out on the opportunity to climb Cotopaxi. Gorgeous and Breathtaking. It's about 15, 800-16,000 ft (my estimation) up in the air. I reached 15,000 ft. What an amazing experience I had. For the brave, you can climb all the way to the top but they recommend you start the climb at around midnight. I might consider it someday. Maybe.

Beware of altitude sickness, though. It can get you if you aren't careful. Drink plenty of water. Have those sweet snacks on hand. Take it slow up the volcano and take plenty of breaks. And dress warm because it will be cold. You won't overheat on the way up. Sunglasses to protect the eyes and sunscreen too.

I found that taking it slow and stopping for breaks helped a lot. I could feel the pressure build in my head but I found that just drinking water helped keep my focus. I didn't want to give up.

The rest stop for your blood sugar and sleep needs.

Look what happened to my bag of mixed nuts.

It popped when I finally opened it.

Sinchilawee. Helps with the altitude sickness.

Hike it.

Conquer it.

Take a breath and relax.

Then go crazy and ride a mountain bike down the mountain and then spend the rest of your time relaxing by the lake. What a beautiful end to that day.

Mercado Artesanal

2010-09-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to go to the Otavalo Market in Quito because it is known as one of the oldest markets that is still running in this world but it was too late for me to add it in. It was then recommended to me by someone to check out the Mercado Artesanal in La Mariscal because it is supposedly similar to the Otavalo Market, just not as old. So I checked it out...

Sinful Seducción

2010-09-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

I want you all the time now!

..It's all I can think about..

Chocolate that is ;)

Wide awake?

I love chocolate, like most women, but it wasn't a huge thing for me until I had this....

I never knew how sexy and satisfying chocolate could be until I experienced this pleasure:

Nestle Seducción con Avellanas

..you are WAY too bad for me..

I bought this wild bad boy experience in Quito, Ecuador and I dreadfully regret not buying a second one or third or four because...

I have been driven CRAZY ever since I finished this enticing chocolate bar 2 weeks ago.

The best chocolate I have EVER had in my whole life ♥

I have been craving chocolate EVERYDAY now. EVERYDAY. This is so not like me. I'm serious.

I looked everywhere to see if this chocolate is marketed in the US and after doing my research, even with the company, I found out that it is only available for purchase in Latin America and if luck is on my side, I can find it online...

...No success for me yet...

LobsterFEST

2010-09-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

I believe this is the 4th year I've been attending this festival known as the Lobsterfest out on the Port in San Pedro. My best bud Eunice and I pretty much do the same thing every year. Drive to San Pedro. Ride the trolley. Buy the lobster tickets. Walk around and check everything out. Head straight to the Goddess jewelry and buy a piece or two. Pick up the lobster and the lemonade. Crack the lobsters open. Chill and enjoy the food. It's still going on today if anyone is in the area!

The star of the show--the LOBSTER! YUM! As pictured: 2 lobsters, my favorite lemonade, and Eunice's tacos (I know, I KNOW!). There are 4 lobsters in the bag to take home for whomever. I added 1 of my lobsters to the bag and only ate one last night.

Another good year at Lobsterfest. Good times.

Baby Blues BBQ

2010-09-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

So I was craving beef and decided to take that and look for a good hole in the wall BBQ place. After coming up with a list of a few places, I narrowed it down to Baby Blues BBQ in Venice. What brought me to choosing Baby Blues BBQ? The menu. Period. The options are endless! And it made my mouth water and that's more important! What style of BBQ is Baby Blues? They call it a hybrid. They mix it up Memphis-style, sauce from North Carolina, and a little New Orleans blended up in there.

It is a restaurant that was also featured on the Food Networks show "Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives" with Guy Fieri. So, the question is, did Guy Fieri let me down? Read on...

The dinner low-down

The sauces (clockwise): XXX: Insane hot sauce, BBQ sauce (behind XXX), A Ginger and Tabasco sauce, and Sweet BBQ sauce. Behind in the Jack Daniel's bottle is an Apple Cider vinegar. The winner? Hands down, we both agreed that the Sweet BBQ sauce was our favorite. Slight sweet with the BBQ sauce that pairs well with every meat that was on our plates.

The menu.

My friend Jessica and I started it off with a couple sweet teas. Southern-style drink. Not too sweet at all. Very refreshing.

Meat of choice?

Jessica went with the Beer Braised Beef Brisket Sandwich. The sides she chose were Coleslaw and not just any ol' Mac 'n Cheese. Unbelievable Mac 'n Cheese! What made it unbelievable to me? Something I never really thought of ever doing. They add Blue cheese to it. AmaZING. I love blue cheese and now thinking about incorporating it into my mac 'n cheese. The verdict with her sandwich? She loved it but at the same time thought the brisket was just a little bit dry but by adding the coleslaw to it and experimenting with the sauces, she made the sandwich work.

I had my heart set on getting the Texas-style ribs but found out that they do it differently here. One rib = $21.95. Uh oh. Not going to happen. You can get 5-6 huge ribs at Dr. Hogly Wogly's Texas BBQ for that same price. So I decided to upgrade to a bigger dish for around the same price that would allow me to have leftovers to take home and to be creative with what I had by making other dishes with the meat I had left (which you know would be a lot!)

So I ended up getting the Big Blue deal. I was able to get a Texas-style rib and add on Beef Brisket and Marion County Slow Smoked Chicken for just $6 more. Deal came with corn bread and I got the Baked beans and the Mashed Sweet Potatoes. The result? Loved the rib, so tender. Fell of the bone. The chicken--Easy to get into. Lovely char on it. And the brisket...oh the brisket. I don't know what to say other than I'm not sure I liked it very much. Dry to me. The sweet sauce helped a little, but to me, I just wasn't much of a fan. It's just my opinion. I'm sure others like it just the way it is. Kind of wish I went for the shrimp, but no worries, you live and you learn.

BBQ beans were kind of bland until I added the Sweet BBQ sauce to it and then it was just fine. And the Mashed Sweet Potatoes tasted like sweet potato pie without the pie shell. Yum!

All in all, I give Baby Blues BBQ 3 1/2 stars: ♥♥♥1/2. The service is friendly and fast. Loved our chill waitress. She also loved and appreciated the fact that we made the drive all the way down to Venice JUST for their food. Yes. That's what I do! But what really got us was that out of the 4 sauces, we really only enjoyed 1 of them and the brisket could have been more tender, but all in all, a wonderful meal. I say it is worth the drive down for but I also think that I will leave it to just trying this place once. Keep it special like that. So did Guy Fieri let me down? Not at all. Cruise on to Baby Blues BBQ.

3 Cities In Ecuador

2010-09-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

I had an 'en'credible and amazing time on my journey throughout Ecuador. Such a beautiful country that is full of vibrant color, nature, and sightings that make Ecuador a unique country to visit. Even National Geographic says this is the one country you must experience once in your life! The flora and fauna here is endless, unique, and endemic to the country. I absolutely fell in love with this country and you will to when you journey on into Ecuador. Oh and when you go to Ecuador, take this checklist with you: You must visit the following: The Coast. The Amazon. The Andes. The Galapagos Islands. This list is a must. Period.

So the first thing I will be getting into is food! Here are some pictures of the goodness that went into my stomach during my time here throughout the cities of Guayaquil, Coca, and Quito:

Natural Fruit Drinks. They love their shakes over here. Nothing unnecessary added. Just fruit and water (or milk). That's it. This one here is just straight Mango.

Camarones a la plancha at Frallejon Restaurante. Grilled shrimp with a garlic sauce, rice, and small salad of lettuce and tomato. My tastebuds were loving this. Everything here and at all the restaurants were just perfectly seasoned and balanced with great flavor.

Churrasco at Restaurante Vasija de Barro. Beef was tender to the bite and savory. Charred enough to my liking.

Te con leche. My favorite drink in Argentina, besides yerba mate! It was simple and good over here but I really prefer it only in Argentina. I guess it just goes with the environment whereas Buenos Aires is a happening city with cafes everywhere, and Ecuador, the vibe is different, and chocolate is more interesting to me over here than tea.

Did I forget to mention they LOVE their chocolate here?

Yes, a little Westernized but it isn't bothering me or keeping me up at night because I did that! I love churros. The only difference is they stuff their churros here with either sweetened milk or chocolate, so it isn't exactly the same thing we do here in the states. Oh and can I also mention that I love their fried bananas too! I need to do that more often.

*FAVORITE DISH IN ECUADOR* Camarones al Ajillo at the Ecuadorian Food Quito Tempo Restaurante. My mouth is watering just thinking about this dish! The shrimp was cooked to perfection, sauce has a slight cheesy taste to it with a kick from the pepper and lovingness of the green onion. Simple as that. Oh to be able to enjoy this again..NOW!

Another natural fruit shake. This one here is a blend of papaya and maracuya (passionfruit). Wanted something else to add to it, like guanabana, but they were out of it. Sweet and refreshing. The passionfruit used in Ecuador has a slight acidic/sour taste to it so they either let it wrinkle to bring out the sweetness or add some sugar to it so that the dish or drink it is used in is less acidic. I'll show more about the maracuya when I blog about my time in the Galapagos.

Chicken Shawarma at Marhaba Shawarma y Pipas. I'll be honest, the chicken was less tender and flavorful and more somewhat dry. Wish the sandwich was just equal. But I did love the spicy kick from the skhug (mango, vinegar, salt, mustard, turmeric, and chili) with the smooth, calming toum and a hint of tahini. I think the young owners were too busy having fun to notice the chicken! This was a happening place for the young crowd.

Yes, I did. I got meringue at the Pasteleria Deleites. 40 cents for one. I liked it until I got to the middle and it was soft and a little gooey/sticky. Not completely cooked. I just couldn't finish the rest of it. But it was good up until that happened!

How I just love fresh fruit. Delicious.

Fritada at Fritadas Cesybel. Made up of fried and fresh corn, fried goat, fried potato, and fried banana. I think my arteries were fried after this! No, but really, this was very good and is a traditional dish found in the cities here in Ecuador. Put this one on your list when you journey onto Ecuador.

Popcorn. Yes, popcorn. I actually saw this first in the Amazon before here at Cafe Amazonas. I learned there that Ecuadorians make popcorn to add to their soups and sometimes as something to snack on instead of bread or peanuts. We use those oyster crackers for our chilis and soups; Ecuadorians use popcorn. I tried it in my soup in Yasuni but I didn't really like how soggy the popcorn got, so I just ate it as is. :) I will say they make damn good popcorn here! I love the butter and salt!

Caprese Sanduche. All I have to say, besides I love Caprese, is I love how they used that bread.

Los tradicionales Churros rellenos de majar. I actually preferred the street cart churros better!

Pasteles from Panaderia y Pasteleria. Good but I think I much prefer the facturas in Argentina! Either that or I should have tried this earlier on in the day, not in the early evening.

Trucha con salsa cremosa de uvas, papas al vapor y trio de legumbres at the Swiss Bistro. Flavorful and light, yet fatty at the same time with the sauce. I enjoyed this filling dinner.

Peras al vino tinto con helado de vainilla. Delectable. Craving satisfying. Sexy. AmaZING. I would and will make this for any ladies night or a relaxed night in.

My Sanduche de Pollo and Flan de Coco in the Guayaquil airport at 2:30am. I have never in my life had food at this time. Ever. It was free. Long story. All I'll say is don't fly with LAN. The positive though, is that I loved the chicken sandwich and flan!

Next up I'll be digging deeper into the cities and reaching up high in the sky.

Did I Really Eat That?

2010-08-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, I know I'm supposed to be writing about my amazing time in Ecuador, but this just came up a few days ago and had to write about it. I promise my next post and the few after will be all about my travels!

So I came home the other day after my Physical Fitness class to something that I have never seen in my household. Ever. I don't know how to put it out there better than how my teenage sister put it: "It's balls... on a MALE lamb!" Teenagers these days...

Yes, you read right. This was in my kitchen. At first I was in shock, but then, knowing my randomness, I wanted to try it! So I did. They were cut up, fortunately, because I don't think I could have ate them as is, and just sauteed them in vegetable oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Simple as that.

So my mom finds my random ways odd. Apparently I'll eat anything that I can get my hands on, which is so not true! ;) I did not eat the ants that I was told to try recently in the Amazon. I got stung by 3 of them last year in Brazil and it wasn't a pleasant feeling at all! So there, I do have my limits! And this comes from the person who bought these and likes them as well! I get it from her.

What I thought? Not bad at all. Soft and easy to eat. Too easy. Practically melts in your mouth. Would I do it again? Sure, why not. Once in a while is fine. Apparently it is normal to eat this in the Middle East, as in other countries in the Eastern Hemisphere, so I don't find this gross at all. I encourage all those picky eaters out there to try this! I tricked my other sister into trying it and the look on her face was priceless! (I get my joking side, no doubt, from my dad.) She liked it, but it was just funny to make her try it first, not knowing what it was. She loves me still. So now, I say just DO it and give it a go.

Mi Quang, Banh Mi, and a Vietnamese Flan too..

2010-08-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

After being told to try Mi Quang a couple months back, I finally tested it out today. Not that many restaurants make it out here and after searching online, the majority of the restaurants that made this dish were in Westminister and Venice. I decided to go with Venice for distance purposes. So I went to test it out at the China Beach Vietnamese Bistro right near the Venice Beach Boardwalk. They only offer this dish on the 3rd week of every month in which I couldn't try it last month because of my travel plans, but this month I was able to make a go for it. So let's start eating....

Mi Quang

This flavorful dish is from the Guang Quang Nam Province in Vietnam. In my bowl, I had a wonderful seafood sauce, bacon, shrimp, chicken, hard boiled egg, peanuts, mint, basil, tomato, carrots, egg noodles, and topped with an oh so good spring roll.

I loved it, but I have an inkling it is so much better in Vietnam. No doubt, this is a damn good dish and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My tastebuds did too. It was very light to me even with the bacon in the bowl! I'd grub again for sure.

My friend Eunice had her first experience today with the Vietnamese cuisine. I just let her pick what she wanted. She ended up choosing Banh Mi.

Her Banh Mi was filled with chicken, sweet fish sauce, green onions, onions, cilantro, and carrots. She loved it and left me eating my dish alone because she had finished it in less than 10 minutes! She said the baguette was perfectly toasted on the outside and the right softness in the middle. Not soggy at all. She's willing to come back again and bring her man too.

Last but not least, I noticed out of the corner of my eye..the dessert menu!! Now I'm not really into dessert but once I saw this, I was curious and had to! So I ordered it.

Vietnamese flan!

What makes this flan a Vietnamese flan? I still don't know. I couldn't taste the difference other than the fact that I enjoyed it being very light. And it being too damn amazing to me! All the waitress said was that it was inspired from the French, but to me, it just tastes like the normal flan you would get anywhere in Europe, South America, and Asia. Either way, I just loved it and didn't think too much into it.

Overall, I give China Beach 4 and 1/2 hearts: ♥♥♥♥1/2. Honestly would have been 5, but I found it to be just a little expensive for me. Eunice paid $5.25 for her Banh Mi, which I thought was reasonable, but I paid $11.95 for the Mi Quang and $4.00 for the Vietnamese Flan. It was more than what I was expecting to pay, but I'm wondering if it is the combination of the beach location, ingredients for the dish, and the dish itself being special.

I did want to say I loved the waitress there! She was really friendly and opened up right away. One minute she was commenting on my full bowl and asked if I even had any of it (I like to savor my dishes so I tend to eat slower, but that's how you should be eating anyway!) to her and her husband wanting to have a baby but her doctor says she is too skinny and can't have one until she gains weight. Her husband bought her "junk food" so she would eat it and gain but he ended up eating most of it and is now 10 lbs heavier! And how she should just quit working, sit in front of the TV, and grub out on junk to gain the weight. Just loved her.

But I have noticed this with all the Vietnamese restaurants I've been too as well. I can tell the Vietnamese are very sociable, warm, friendly, and talkative! The last waitress I had gave me a hug and told me to see her soon. Probably the most friendliest people I have met in all the restaurants I have ever been too here in CA, besides the Middle Eastern ones, as they also tend to be very funny, cool, talkative, and expressive with their feelings. I'll be coming back here if I'm ever in the area. A better alternative than most of the offerings on the boardwalk.

It has been awhile...

2010-08-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

So I'm just now finding the time to update with a post. Just recently got back from my Ecuador and Chile adventure. What a great time I had! And again, I wish I was back but already planning for a huge South America 2011 adventure. Anyway, I'll update what I had been able to do and then recap my adventures on and below the Equator.

First, I baked and decorated a cake for my besty Lacey. A pretty pink butterfly decorated with red hots. My original plan was to get the colorful rainbow sugar sprinkles and make a rainbow affect but she is not a fan of sprinkles so had to tweek everything around. She also only prefers the confetti cake and confetti frosting so that is why the frosting on the cake looks bumpy.

All I did was bake the cake in two 9-in round pans, allowed them to cool completely, stuck the cakes in the freezer for a couple hours, frosted and layered them and cut the cake in half and made sure to cut out a diamond near one edge, split the cake in half, and flipped them to make the shape of the butterfly. Frosted the cake and decorated it with the red hots. She loved it!

I enjoyed sushi for the first time in a month! It was nice! Sorry, no pictures. I figured it was just the usual!

And my friend RaraRosa aka rufflesizzle came down from SF and made plans to hang with her and her friend. Bluebizzy and Rufflesizzle reunited! I missed her. Ended up going back to Carnival, the Middle Eastern restaurant I fell in love with awhile back and was craving!

Ordered Tabouli. Tasted almost exactly like homemade! Except I grew up with a secret ingredient that isn't usually added in Tabouli. It's cucumber. My mom always added the crunch to it and that's how I'll always make it and prefer it in my Tabouli. So it was fantastic at the restaurant and I made it even more amazing by finely chopping up cucumbers and added it to the salad when I got home!

Grape leaves aka Dolma. Tastes exactly like homemade. Usually put ground beef into it but it is fine either way.

I also got Kibbeh but for some random reason, I forgot to take a picture of it! Ridiculous. It was splendid of course, and just like the first time I came here, there were only a few pine nuts in each Kibbeh. Ridiculous again! I'd like them to add more but besides that, they are darn good here!

Rosa and Maryanne got the Chicken Shawarma and were completely satisfied with their sandwiches. They took my tahini sauce that was on the side of my Kibbeh and used it in their sandwiches. They loved it. I'm not a fan of tahini so I was happy to let them utilize the sauce in their Shawarma!

I love Kafta so got a small plate of Kafta Kabob with rice, tomato, and onions. Amazing! Perfectly cooked, seasoned, and moist. Superb.

Next up, dessert of course!

Rosa settled with Baklava. It is filo dough with a mixture of walnut and cinnamon/sugar, honey (or most of the time it is actually a simple syrup), and usually topped with finely chopped pistachios. I would have ordered one but they used honey and I'm not a fan of honey. My preference is first enjoying Baklava without the syrup and then Baklava with a simple syrup. She ate it up.

Maryanne tried my dessert, LOVED it, and ordered her own. And myself, I of course got Knafeh!! If I could, I would eat this everyday! So I bought two so that I can keep it in the fridge and drag it out until the next time I have some more! It's shredded filo dough (usually dyed a pink-to-orange color), sweet cheese, and topped with a simple rose or orange blossom syrup and finely chopped pistachios. My go-to dessert. Get it. Now.

'En'credible Ecuador and Chilly Chile next up....

Ecuador and Chile

2010-07-17T08:27:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: I will be in both Ecuador and Chile for the remainder of my summer! I will try my best to update while in the midst of being on an island, in a rainforest, trekking the mountains and volcanoes, where the grapes are, and in different cities! Maybe even try to make room for Mendoza or Cordoba, Argentina.

Where I'll Be:

Guayaquil, Ecuador
Galapagos Island
Old Town Quito, Ecuador
Coca, Ecuador
Yasuni, Amazon, Ecuador
New Town Quito, Ecuador
Santiago, Chile and surrounding cities

Stay tuned....

Green Guacamole

2010-07-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

I was in the mood for some salsa the other day but realized that I was out of tomatoes. Bummer! So I looked through my fridge and found some avocados and decided to make an all green guacamole. The color isn't too appealing because well, it's all green, but the taste is just great and of course, more important! I actually made a mistake too which I find quite laughable. I thought I was adding pepper to the guacamole but realized that I could not taste the pepper and after looking at the container, I saw that it was ground mustard! Oh goodness! That's what happens when you wake up at 5:00am everyday for work! I have been a little tired this summer, so don't blame me! Anyway, here is the recipe. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures because I was hungry, but just it being guacamole, you know it'll be good!

Green Guacamole

2 small to medium sized avocados
1 cucumber
Small handful of flat leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves (Cause I love my garlic!)
1/2 of a lemon (or lime)
Eyeball Salt, to taste
Eyeball Ground Mustard, to taste
Ground Pepper, optional :)

Scoop out the avocado, smash it up a little to make it chunky, and add the remainder ingredients. Serve alongside homemade corn tortilla chips. Yum!

Photo Journey

2010-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today I was in the mood to add some favorite pictures from Argentina and Brazil. My anticipation for Ecuador is building...the day is finally almost here!

Life was made to be explored. ♥

Tortas Ahogadas - Las Originales

2010-07-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

For bomb tacos, you need to check out Tortas Ahogadas in Old Town Newhall. It's a hole in a wall near my area that has not been remodeled..thank goodness! The owners originated from Guadalajara, Mexico and they know what they are doing in their kitchen. I love the vibe the place gives off. Makes you feel like you are in Mexico. The background music is Spanish, the menu is all in Spanish, and Spanish is spoken more than English. All this in Newhall. It can't get better than that. I would just recommend that you come here anytime before nighttime, when it is safe, or in a group if you choose to go at night. My triathlete bud Diana told me she has been eating here every week now since her man took her there, told me it was blog worthy, and that I must try it out. My question to this: Why haven't I known about this place? I only drive by it when I choose to take the short cut when heading towards the freeway..which is quite often. Anyway, these tacos were amazing, blog-worthy, and craving-satisfying until the real thing is consumed in Mexico.

There were so many dishes I wanted to indulge in but we ended up getting the Tacos con carne fresca de su preferencia acompañados de arroz y frijioles. Our meat of choice: Carne Asada. I included Nopal Asado (grilled cactus) with my meal.

The result: Just perfectly made tacos. Two corn tortillas topped with carne asado, onion, cilantro, and their own spicy red sauce. Just simple ingredients used with the spicy kick from the red sauce. Simply put--You don't need to add excessive ingredients to magnify a dish. Sometimes, and most always, simple is best. In this case, the tacos were simply damn good just the way they are!

Wasn't in the dessert mood, but you know what flan does to me, so I decided to order the Jericalla.

This is a first that I've seen. I thought it would have been a burned sugar shell, but it was not sweet and right away I figured it was a cinnamon shell. I wasn't really too fond of it but it wasn't bad. Just an acquired taste of burned cinnamon. Below is how the flan is once you crack into the cinnamon shell.

Jericalla is a specialty flan that originates from Guadalajara. The only difference between this flan and regular flan---cinnamon. What I also noticed was that they chose to make it an egg white flan--no hint of egg yolk. I think that's what brought this dessert to a slightly higher intensity for me. I know that sounds like it would be the opposite for anyone but I find I really like the all egg white versions of flan just as equally, if not a little bit better than the original. ***I would like to add that I find this at the top as one of the best I've ever had besides the one I had in Buenos Aires, Argentina and at Ford's Filling Station in Culver City. And for $2, it should be illegal because I'm afraid I might head over there more often now while I'm still near the area. Uh oh, I'm in big trouble...

I give Tortas Ahogadas 5 hearts: ♥♥♥♥♥. Well worth the drive to get your taco fix on. Wallet friendly as well. A definite plus. Next time, I think I'll try the Tortas Ahogadas, which is one of the typical dishes in Guadalajara. Hasta que Mexico viaja a pasar, ir a Guadalajara en Newhall, por ahora.

Scallion Blini With Chicken in Tandoori BBQ Sauce By Aarti Sequeira

2010-06-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

So I am now finally able to post this recipe. I cannot really get into what I saw at the Food Network taping of "The Next Food Network Star" back in January, but it just aired last weekend so you are now able to see it online..

Small recap of the show: Santa Monica Pier Party

I think you can probably tell who I am rooting for. You know it... Aarti!

How she is on TV is exactly how she is in person. So friendly, warm, genuine, real, and a darn great cook! Her dish was BY FAR my fav dish that day. I remember some of my conversation I had with her too. I went up to her station. She said hello and asked me if I had anything good so far. I told her I hadn't tried anything that sparked my interest yet and she responded by saying she hoped I enjoyed this and explained what it was. I tried it--I loved it! All I said was "Oh my goodness, this is so good!" She then said "Really!" and seriously walked around her station and gave me a hug! Too bad that didn't show up on camera! So yes, this recipe here definitely sparked my interest. Nothing compared to it. And I am SO GLAD the judges felt the same way. In fact, I even told Bobby Flay that he had to try it!

Right after the show aired last Sunday, I immediately wrote to Aarti asking her to please post the recipe! She sent me the link and now I can't wait to make it on my own! Here it is...

Scallion Blini With Chicken In Tandoori BBQ Sauce

Here's her blog if interested in checking it out. She gave me the link after our conversation. It is also located on the right side of my blog under Good Reads:

Aarti Paarti

Not even kidding, it was absolutely magnificent and you should really try it out. Now, all I've got to say is this: Food Network, PLEASE DON'T LET ME DOWN THIS YEAR! Last year was bad but please do the right thing this time around!

Chiba-licious!

2010-06-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just went to Chiba restaurant in N. Hollywood over the weekend. Sushi there--absolutely fantastic! Very fresh and fast. The only setback is the location. Not in a very safe looking location but as someone put it on Yelp, "If you're intimidated by the neighborhood just go somewhere else, so I can have more elbow room at one of the two packed sushi bars!" or I say go so there are more parking spaces! I'm holding this restaurant high up there with the best I've had so far in my young life because I left with a very happy stomach, it better be because the prices there are ridiculous, and because the highlight of that evening was: Sea Urchin! Yes, I believe I wrote something in one of my first blog entries about not liking sea urchin, but as I encourage everyone to try things more than once, I did the same and I am so glad I did because I absolutely loved it! My thoughts have changed and it's actually quite funny because all I've been dreaming about the past couple days (besides Ecuador!) is Sea Urchin! Anyway, here are the highlights of the evening:

*Sushi in order: Full plate of sushi, Blue Fin Tuna, Salmon, Spanish Mackerel, Baked Scallop Hand Roll, Sweet Shrimp, Fried Shrimp, Sea Bream, Yellowtail, Unagi, Sunset Strip Roll, Sea Urchin, a second order of Sea Bream and Sea Urchin, and the Highlight of the Evening!*

I give Chiba 4 1/2 hearts: ♥♥♥♥1/2. Nice atmosphere, friendly and fast service, fresh sushi, and left not feeling like I had a heavy stomach; very light. The only reason why it wasn't a 5 was the price! Very expensive. Almost didn't want to order anything! Bill came out to $100. I have never gone that close to spending that kind of money at a sushi place by myself or with friends. Little over triple the amount I usually spend and the places I go to are quite good. For the amount of money spent and sushi ordered, it doesn't really add up equally but I guess this comes with fresh sushi so I really have no complaints at all. This is a WOW, that's how much everything totaled out too! Would I go back with the friends? Yes I would. Wouldn't make it a habit of course but once in a while is fine with the group!

Seafood City and 99 Ranch

2010-06-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

After eating at Buenos Aires Grill a few weeks back, I spotted this market on the way home:

It is right on Nordhoff St, a few blocks away from the 405 fwy. The next day, I went there with my friend Eunice after our workout at Hanson Dam since I was in the area, her Jade needed dog food, and the pet store happened to be in the same shopping center.

Long story short, they have all the supplies needed to make sushi! May not have to drive all the way to LA to get all of my supplies now!

Sushi Vinegar. Essential for the Sushi (Vinegar Rice).

Fish. Although I probably wouldn't get my fish here, but nevertheless, it is made available.

Rice and seaweed are here as well, of course.

So if you are looking for a good place for all of your sushi needs, Seafood City is a go-to place. Prices are low here, which is a plus! I also would like to say 99 Ranch is another place in Reseda that has been recommended to me as well. I will definitely be stocking up on sushi supplies as soon as I come back from my Ecuador travels!

Pho Nga

2010-06-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

So a couple months ago, I was driving around my area after I had good Thai food, and I literally stopped in the middle of the street when I saw this restaurant (it was dark so it looked really cool with the light decorations hanging outside).

Yes, it is a Vietnamese restaurant in the SCV. I believe it is the ONLY Vietnamese restaurant here in this area. That's what got me interested. I've been trying to search for good eats out of the valley, but after seeing this, I just had to come here and check it out. So that's what I did last week.

First item indulged in is of course Pho. I got Ta, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach. Rare Steak, Well-done Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe. It was fabulous of course! No complaints here.

Alexis loved it as well. My zoom unfortunately didn't come in clear but don't worry, I just bought a new camera and looking forward to using it!

Next up is Com Bo Nuong. By far my favorite dish that I consumed!

Grilled Lemongrass Beef served alongside Dish Steam Rice (Dia Com), Fresh Veggies, and Fish Sauce. The beef was so tender it literally melted in my mouth. And YOU KNOW I love lemongrass! Dish was flawless.

Fried Egg.

Thit Nuong Cuon. Grilled Beef Rolls. Alexis and I split the rolls. We loved em! So light and crisp.

Alexis ordered the Bun Cha Gio Tom Nuong. Rice Vermicelli with Egg Rolls and Grilled Shrimp.

She enjoyed it. Full of fresh and light flavor. Actually, she loved the food and interior so much, she wants to return back soon or hold her next birthday celebration here at Pho Nga.

Something to enjoy at the end of our meal.

All in all, I give this restaurant 5 hearts: ♥♥♥♥♥. Fantastic dishes, great flavor, great prices, and I LOVED our waitress. So friendly and warm. Would I come back? Um, yes I would! There you have it. The only Vietnamese restaurant in the SCV and it was delish! Check it out like yesterday!

The Good Air Grill -UPDATED-

2010-05-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

I came back to this restaurant last week and I am just updating this post with two new dishes (the original post is right below this new rating).

All in all, a wonderful experience and two fantastic dishes. Highly recommended.

Veal Braised With A Malbec Sauce, Mirepoix, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. The Special of the Evening. Tender, moist, cooked to perfection, and I wish it had been my plate! My friend Chef offered to give me the dish and I sadly declined! Please try it. They know how it's done.

Merluza Gorgonzola. Filet de Merluza With A White Wine, Butter, and Gorgonzola Sauce. Served with a side of Mashed Potatoes. Merluza is the main fish they consume in the beautiful country of Argentina. I loved this dish. It felt just slightly heavy on my stomach, but overall it was a decent meal and I enjoyed it. Everything paired well together.

Tarta de Manzana. Sweet, satisfying, and all mine! Just a light and perfect dessert to enjoy after a good meal.

My rating is still 4 1/2 hearts. Give it a go! You won't be disappointed. Oh and one thing I forgot to mention before in the previous entry on this restaurant. Everyone who works there has the Spanish accent and I love how it makes me feel like I am in a restaurant in Buenos Aires!

1/24/10

I decided to go Argentine-style and checked out the Buenos Aires Grill ~ Argentinian BBQ in Northridge, CA.

Here are the highlights:

Chimichurri Sauce. I don't remember if I mentioned this before previously with my Argentina travels: (Recap of Argentina), but if not, I'll just say it...CHIMICHURRI is my all-time favorite sauce! Seriously, it can't get any better than that!

Empanada de Carne. $1.80 Beef, Onions, and Mozzarella. Excellent of course, but honestly I think the best empanadas are in Argentina. I don't think this one was better than the ones I had over there. But if you have yet to go to Argentina (which I recommend that you do, refer back up to my Recap of Argentina, mentioned above), you would love the empanadas here.

Caprese Salad. $6.49 Tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella, Basil, and Balsamic Vinaigrette. I don't think there is any combination that is more close to perfection than Caprese.

Milanesa de Carne. $13.99 Thin breaded Top Sirloin Steak with (what was supposed to be) Provenzal Garlic and Parsley Fries. I enjoyed that it wasn't as oily as the one I had on my last day in Buenos Aires, but again, it just wasn't better than the ones I had in Argentina. Nevertheless, it was good here and I recommend.

Eunice ended up getting the Baby Spinach Salad and Sauteed Vegetables. She's doing something for a friend of the family and can't eat meat until Tuesday, so after Tuesday, we will be back or find another Argentinian BBQ place and indulge in some good meat!

Dessert~ I looked at the menu and decided I wanted the Tarte de Manzana but made the decision to hold off on dessert this time around. The dessert menu includes the Argentine sweet - dulce de leche - and is included in all the desserts on the menu.

The waiter knew how much we love Chimichurri so he surprised us with some to take to-go!

I just love the interior of Buenos Aires Grill. Very spacious. Walls are decorated with pictures of the city. The restaurant made me want to go and buy a plane ticket and fly back to Argentina!

La Boca! My favorite part of Buenos Aires; the tango dancers, the colorful houses painted by the Italian immigrants, the vibrant atmosphere--definitely spend some time in San Telmo!

For those who aren't familiar with the different cuts of a cow.

How Argentina does it. And they do it damn good! I recommend trying out all their different asado street carts. Makes the traveler's stomach very happy.

I give Buenos Aires Grill 4 1/2 hearts: ♥♥♥♥1/2. The only reason why it wasn't 5 hearts is because I could have gotten all of this in Argentina for a little over a half of the amount of money I spent here. That and I feel like nothing here compares to eating all of this out of the country! But I still say check it out, you'll love it!

Cupcakes Delight

2010-05-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

I can cook and bake wonderfully but when it comes to decorating, well, I was only given the sports gene, not the artistic/creative gene! So I decided, for fun, to take a cupcake decorating class in hopes of finding out what I can and cannot do and working on that. The class was taught by one of the Pastry Chefs at the Playboy Mansion, so right off the bat I knew this would be a good class to take. Obviously if she wasn't good, she wouldn't be working at a place like that.

I'll provide all the information I gained in the class as well as pictures of the instructor with her cupcakes and the steps I took to make my own. I hope everything I post here is helpful in some way. The class was pretty fast paced and grabbed as much info as I could in the time limit we had.

I found on my own that this is something I know I'd like to work on, but more of a hobby for myself to do on the side. I also have the huge urge to buy all cake decorating tools and turning my kitchen upside down! :) I'm also considering taking a 3-D Cookie class to step up the everyday cookie. Oh the things I do that easily excite me!

Cupcake Useful Tips In The Kitchen

♥ Cake is best when served at room temperature
♥ When coloring frosting, use gel or paste, not liquid in order to not get a watery frosting consistency
♥ Use an ice cream scoop so each cupcake is the same size
♥ To obtain perfectly flat cupcakes, bake at 340 degrees F
♥ Fill cupcake tins half full
♥ Do not hold the frosting-filled bags unless working with it in order to keep it thick and not heated through body heat
♥ Don't make Buttercream Frosting on a hot day; for the day, our Chef used shortening. On a hot day, the butter will just easily melt and be hard to work with
♥ To stuff a cupcake: use an apple corer, stick the cream into the cupcake by using a pastry tip or cut off the top with a paring knife
♥ Fondant: Gelatin, Glycerine, and Powdered Sugar. If it hardens, microwave for 10 seconds. If too hard, just throw away
♥ Marzipan: Almond and sugar confection used in desserts, cake decorating, and can be shaped as part of cake decorating

Getting Started.

Have your pastry bag folded over and fill with the frosting. Unfold the bag, as shown below, when filled with frosting.

Instructor demonstrating the inside-to-outside technique. Below she demonstrates the outside-to-inside technique of decorating a cupcake.

Demonstrating one way of stuffing a cupcake by injecting the pastry tip into the cupcake.

Making "grass".

Working with Fondant.

Making my favorite flower, the sunflower.

Her finished cupcakes:

YUM is all I have to say!

My Cupcakes. Practice will make perfect.

First cupcake is the outside-to-inside method and the second one is the inside-to-outside technique. Like I said, all practice work. I'll get better eventually. :)

Complete with cute red and pink hearts. ♥

Sunflower.

Butterfly and Two Ladybugs in a Lovely Spring Garden.

Finding Nemo. You know it!

Pretty in Pink Flower.

The last three cupcakes were somewhat rushed through due to our time limit and me spending SO much time with the other cupcakes (You can't rush good work in the kitchen!) that I kind of just played with the frostings and made random decorations.

And lastly, I played a little and added a happy :) face to one of the plain decorated cupcakes. I wanted to do the regular happy face with the black eyes and mouth but needed five more minutes to be able to do that.

This class has truly inspired me and made me confident enough to know that I don't need the "creative" gene to decorate a cupcake. It just takes practice. And I'm happy that my good friend Eunice will now trust me to bake and decorate her bridal shower cake later on in the future!

The Windy City: Chicago Edition

2010-05-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

After all my hard work preparing for Open House at work by myself, I rewarded myself by taking a lovely 3 day vacay to Chicago, Il, my first home. Got to meet up with my good friend Pam, whom I haven't seen in YEARS. A great weekend to relax, catch up, enjoy the weather (and by that I mean the rain, thunder, and lightning! LOVED it.), go to a Cubs game, just have fun, and of course eat good food!

So here is a long story short via pictures of my weekend getaway.

Franchesco's Ristorante

Caesar Salad with Shrimp and Bacon-Wrapped Scallops.

Gnocchi Basilico.

Chicken Caprese Carbonara which Pam had with a side salad and a Balsamic Pesto Dressing.

Shogun

Orange Sharbet, Sweet Shrimp, Snapper, Maui Roll, and Wasabi Roll. Fresh and Fabulous. (Not pictured: Surf Clam)

Red Bean and Mango Mochi.

Wrigley Field

The Ballpark Ultimate Dog. It was actually a really good hot dog.

Soda in my Cubs cup!

Pretzel time.

Ballpark Peanuts.

Moe's Cantina, Wrigleyville

Fajitas de Arrachera. Skirt Steak Fajitas.

Ceviche de Camarones y Pescado Blanco. Shrimp and Whitefish Ceviche.

Paella.

Pollo Paprika y Camarones con Tocino. Paprika Chicken and Shrimp wrapped in Basil and Bacon.

Up close and personal.

Grilled Banana.

Datiles con Tocino. Bacon-wrapped Dates served with a Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Lou Malnati's
One of the best in Chicago. Check it! ----->10 Best Pizzerias in Chicago, IL<-----

I think we made a pretty good choice with our pizza. We were also considering two other pizzeria's on this list so we did great!

My opinion: The BEST pizza that I have ever had by far! Nothing here in California compares to this perfect deep dish pie that I consumed while in the Windy City. I looked online and saw that they do, in fact, deliver their pizzas throughout the US, so I'm hoping to order a pie or two sometime soon! Here is the website for more info: ----->Lou Malnati's

The Lou

Traditional Style Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Perfect.

A Lou slice.

Goodness on that plate.

I took my leftovers back to California!

At the Chicago O'Hare Airport. I wish I had the time before the flight to stop by and order something to try off the menu but unfortunately didn't.

That concludes my mini-trip. Chicago, my first home, is an amazing city and offers a very good blend of different cuisines, as well as a wide mix of culture and city life.

Fig Tree Cafe and The Sidewalk Cafe

2010-04-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

Lucky me, I got the two-for-one deal in Venice today when I got to try two restaurants that I have been interested in trying for years! Spent all day at the beach today. Beautiful day, not so much the wind though! Great entertainment too by a local doing kickboxing moves in his speedo on the beach. So hilarious, I wish I had the video to show! Apparently thrusting is part of the kickboxing workout? Couldn't stop laughing and it still cracks me up right now! Anyway, good relaxing day, in which I needed it bad due to work and our upcoming Open House in which I'm doing everything by myself. A little stressful but excited to get it over with! So pardon my quick reviews of both restaurants considering I have been exhausted all week and still have half a week left of this, but wanted to write something down for what seems will be the only time I'm on my computer for the next week. Then I have a three day mini vacay in Illinois this weekend so look out for a special edition post: Chicago. So here we go, two different restaurants in one day..

Fig Tree Cafe
Right on the boardwalk lies the Fig Tree Cafe and I have wanted to go there only because I love the name of the restaurant! After looking over the menu, I pretty much was satisfied with the selection to choose from. Of course at the same time, I was having a hard time because I wanted almost everything! I did settle on the Grilled Salmon with Brown Rice and Grilled Vegetables.

Perfectly grilled salmon. Perfectly grilled veggies. Perfectly cooked brown rice. Loved the scallion-butter sauce. Combination--flawless.

Chef got the Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad with the usual and added capers, basil, and balsamic vinaigrette. The only thing I tried was the ahi tuna and that was perfect to me. I see no complaints here.

I give the Fig Tree Cafe 4 hearts: ♥♥♥♥. Prices pretty decent for being a beach restaurant, portion was pretty decent, service was good, and flavor was there. I'm planning on going back to try the other dishes I was craving!

Second restaurant, The Sidewalk Cafe. The one restaurant I have wanted to try for 9 years and I FINALLY try it out! Don't know why it took so long but glad I finally made the jump!

So I ended up getting the Pasta Basil with freshly chopped tomatoes, basil, and garlic. I decided to add goat cheese to the mix as well. I enjoyed it thoroughly, including the flavor. I LOVE fresh basil! The tangy goat cheese paired along with the entire dish.

Chef orded the Dylan Thomas. Yes, a Dylan Thomas. They name their hamburgers after people. And I love it! The Dylan Thomas is a hamburger with Egg, Bacon, and Cheese. Quite interesting combination! No complaints with the hamburger. I would have liked to try it but I'm not a fan of the cheeseburger and "American Cheese". I'll only eat a cheeseburger if the cheese is Swiss.

I give The Sidewalk Cafe 3 1/2 hearts: ♥♥♥1/2. Would have been more but the service was terrible. This is ALWAYS a busy restaurant, but that doesn't mean you should never see your waiter. Besides that, prices were actually reasonable, good variety of food options to choose from, and overall enjoyed our meals.

Can never go wrong spending a day at Venice Beach! Something for everyone.