dinner
West Coast V: Balboa Park & The SD Zoo
0Wednesday I woke up ready to tackle Balboa Park.
I hopped on my bike and began the ride a few short blocks east to the park. Holy.hills. I thought my legs were going to fall off and become embers from the amount of burn. I actually had to get off and walk at some point because the hill was way too steep. Mountains in SD? Who knew?
Balboa Park is huge, with tons of shops, museums and gardens. The main attraction is the San Diego Zoo, so I decided to go there first.
I’m normally not a huge fan of zoos. In fact, I dislike most of them. I’m not crazy about animals and I’m definitely not crazy about gawking at them. I was initially super uncomfortable in the zoo, but I loosened up and quickly learned to enjoy my time there.
Poor Loris! She’s so slow.
This koala was moving when I walked up the exhibit, the only one doing so. Everyone around me was projecting their thoughts onto the koala; it was pretty hilarious. One guy thought the koala looked hungry, another thought he was sleepy, someone else thought he was scared. People would vocalize what they perceived the koala’s thought process to be: “maybe I should move over to this log where there are more leaves!” Obviously there was no way to tell what the koala was actually thinking so it was entertaining to hear different perspectives.
Fine! I’ll go away!
This bird was pretty terrifying. It was huge and walking around on two legs like a person. So creepy! I don’t even remember what it was.
This monkey was soooo sad looking! He was in the corner, just hanging out in the fetal position. All the monkeys got fed after I took that picture though, so he perked up. The monkeys were hands down my favorite part. They are so fascinating to watch!
After the zoo, I biked around the park and took in the sights.
Lunch at a random cafe: vegetable panini on foccacia bread.
I met up with Sam at the Museum of Photographic Arts, which was tres cool. We got to see several daguerrotypes, which absolutely delighted my inner photography nerd.
Then Sam took some photographs, newly inspired by our museum visit. He’s getting good! 
We sprawled out on the grass and I read a bit from a book I picked up at the zoo. You didn’t think I would leave empty handed, did you? Gotta have my books!
The park is absolutely gorgeous. There’s much more to do than we can pack in one day, but we were short on time and starving at this point.
We ended up at Cucina Urbana, yet another Italian place where we had wine and a bunch of appetizers.
This gnocchi was hands down, the best gnocchi I’ve ever had in my life. It was slightly crispy on the outside and buttery, melty on the inside. It was absolutely pooled in butter and topped with cheese and crispy sage leaves. I may go back to San Diego solely for this gnocchi. No. Seriously. It was that good.
Sam was getting sick of being vegetarian so he ordered octopus (gross!).
We also split ravioli with tomatoes and peas.
And a super blurry arugula pear balsamic pizza.
Thank goodness the bike ride back to the hotel was all downhill!
West Coast V: Balboa Park & The SD Zoo
0Wednesday I woke up ready to tackle Balboa Park.
I hopped on my bike and began the ride a few short blocks east to the park. Holy.hills. I thought my legs were going to fall off and become embers from the amount of burn. I actually had to get off and walk at some point because the hill was way too steep. Mountains in SD? Who knew?
Balboa Park is huge, with tons of shops, museums and gardens. The main attraction is the San Diego Zoo, so I decided to go there first.
I’m normally not a huge fan of zoos. In fact, I dislike most of them. I’m not crazy about animals and I’m definitely not crazy about gawking at them. I was initially super uncomfortable in the zoo, but I loosened up and quickly learned to enjoy my time there.
Poor Loris! She’s so slow.
This koala was moving when I walked up the exhibit, the only one doing so. Everyone around me was projecting their thoughts onto the koala; it was pretty hilarious. One guy thought the koala looked hungry, another thought he was sleepy, someone else thought he was scared. People would vocalize what they perceived the koala’s thought process to be: “maybe I should move over to this log where there are more leaves!” Obviously there was no way to tell what the koala was actually thinking so it was entertaining to hear different perspectives.
Fine! I’ll go away!
This bird was pretty terrifying. It was huge and walking around on two legs like a person. So creepy! I don’t even remember what it was.
This monkey was soooo sad looking! He was in the corner, just hanging out in the fetal position. All the monkeys got fed after I took that picture though, so he perked up. The monkeys were hands down my favorite part. They are so fascinating to watch!
After the zoo, I biked around the park and took in the sights.
Lunch at a random cafe: vegetable panini on foccacia bread.
I met up with Sam at the Museum of Photographic Arts, which was tres cool. We got to see several daguerrotypes, which absolutely delighted my inner photography nerd.
Then Sam took some photographs, newly inspired by our museum visit. He’s getting good!
We sprawled out on the grass and I read a bit from a book I picked up at the zoo. You didn’t think I would leave empty handed, did you? Gotta have my books!
The park is absolutely gorgeous. There’s much more to do than we can pack in one day, but we were short on time and starving at this point.
We ended up at Cucina Urbana, yet another Italian place where we had wine and a bunch of appetizers.
This gnocchi was hands down, the best gnocchi I’ve ever had in my life. It was slightly crispy on the outside and buttery, melty on the inside. It was absolutely pooled in butter and topped with cheese and crispy sage leaves. I may go back to San Diego solely for this gnocchi. No. Seriously. It was that good.
Sam was getting sick of being vegetarian so he ordered octopus (gross!).
We also split ravioli with tomatoes and peas.
And a super blurry arugula pear balsamic pizza.
Thank goodness the bike ride back to the hotel was all downhill!
West Coast IV: Coronado
0Where was I? Oh yes, Monday.
Two weeks ago today (has it really already been that long..!?!) I was still in drizzly San Diego. The morning was a bit dreary but it quickly turned to sun later in the afternoon.
I took the ferry over to Coronado after renting a bike and riding around Seaport for a bit. There are so many things to see, especially in Coronado: one of a kind houses, secret alleyways, unique shops and restaurants, the shoreline and of course, the people.
I met up with Sam after work and we rode around like safe, helmeted losers together. 
We went to a little French bistro for a late lunch, Tartine (Ironic because the other day I was in the bookstore and absolutely fell in love with the cookbook Tartine Bread. Do want. One of my get-out-of-a-funk goals for this week is to make homemade bread).
Lattes and coffee were had.
I had quiche surrounded by a huge bed of greens. SO good. So, so delicious.
Sam’s plate: Salmon bruschetta.
After stuffing ourselves, we went searching for photographic opportunities.
Above two photo credit: Sam (He’s learning so fast..!).
We took the ferry back after it got dark and the city view was spectacular.
After landing in San Diego, we scoured Gaslamp for someplace to have dinner. We ended up at Starbucks to use the WiFi for Urban Spoon. US recommended several places, but one caught our eye, mainly because of the name, Searsucker. Anyone who is familiar with Southern culture knows the importance of seersucker.
As it turns out, Searsucker did not disappoint. The chef, Brian Malarkey, was apparently on a season of Top Chef!
We got a whole bunch of appetizers and split them. Obviously, as with most restaurants at dinnertime, the lighting was horrible.
We started off with artichoke hearts, gruyere and a tomato spread. Atop crusty bread it was a perfect starter.
Goat cheese, asian pears and crackers. Creamy, salty goodness.
Sam ordered some clams and salmon and we also had a strawberry, champagne, walnut and goat cheese salad at some point. We had a bottle of white wine (you don’t think we would have broken the streak, now do you?) and cheddar puffers, which were light, billowy cheese biscuits.
I thought I couldn’t get any more full. Little did I know we would encounter the greatest culinary delight on Wednesday…
West Coast: Part III
0After Saturday, I was convinced the rest of the vacation couldn’t get any better.
I was wrong.
Sunday we woke up to yet another street festival occurring directly outside the hotel, the Sicilian Festival!
Not too sure why they had french crepes at an Italian festival, but they were delicious so I wasn’t complaining. I also got some ginger lychee juice, which was.. interesting. A little too pulpy for my taste.
Have I mentioned how much I loved staying in Little Italy? Because I did. It was seriously the perfect location. Walking distance to most everything around.
Of course we had to have authentic canollis while we were walking around. Sam had never had one before. SO good!
Afterwards we snacked some more from the farmer’s market buys. (Are you noticing a trend? In case you can’t tell, I want to eat all.day.long.)
We set eyes on Giada DeLaurentis for about 30 seconds. Wasn’t super impressed.
Because we had spent so much of the morning relaxing at the Sicilian festival, we got to the USS Midway Museum literally five minutes too late to get in.
Wah!
Turns out it was a blessing in disguise though, because we ended up at the Maritime Museum and spent close to three hours there, exploring all the different kinds of ships parked in the bay.
No, we didn’t act like children idiots the whole time. Just most of the time.
Exploring the ships also allowed Sam to show off his photographic skills with my camera. Photo credit for the above three go to him!
The number 53 follows us around.
In order to crawl around the submarine, you had to be able to fit through this hole. I passed the test.
All in all, the Maritime Museum was much cooler than anticipated it would be. Ships are fun, but they don’t fascinate me unlike the navy nerd next to me up there. Two thumbs up!
Running around ships for three hours sure worked up an appetite, but there were so many places we wanted to eat. What to do? Order a half carafe of white wine, a vegetable plate and a baked goat cheese plate at one place and then go to another place? Sounds like a plan to me!
The baked goat cheese was so.good. The vegetable plate came with a few dips, which I gladly inhaled.
After leaving Sogno DiVino, we went to another little place where we had caprese salad and a bottle of wine. The guy at the second place didn’t want to let us in at first, because it was almost 10pm at this point. I don’t know what changed his mind, but the fact that he did earned him a huge tip!
A nice relaxing day filled with Italian food, a good friend, history, beautiful weather, wine and more Italian food. Does it get any better than this?
West Coast: Part I
0Vacation was.. absolutely wonderful.
I’m sitting in the LAX airport, with 1.5 hours to go before I board to Chicago. It’s bittersweet, in a way. I’m happy to get back to my apartment, my job and my routine, but I’m sad to leave the beautiful west coast and my best friend.
I’m thankful for blogging because for the next few days, I get to re-live my fun time through posts. Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
The days leading up to May 19th were full of anticipation and jam packed with work, work and more work. I was SO ready for a vacation. I got to the airport so early (as obviously I am apt to do) and sat around for a bit.
My flight from GSP to Houston was uneventful, as was my flight from Houston to San Diego. I basically shot off the plane in SD and immediately saw Sam, who had been there for a bit already. We picked up my bags and took a cab to the hotel.
If you’re ever in San Diego, I highly recommend La Pensione Hotel. It was basic, but the location was absolutely fantastic. It’s in the heart of Little Italy, with tons of eateries and fun shops around. I rolled out of bed on Saturday into a Farmer’s Market and on Sunday into a Sicilian street festival. Also, the hotel has the cutest dog. How adorable is that!?
Anyway, after dropping my stuff, Sam and I walked next door to meet his friend Andrew, and we had a few drinks at a cute British Pub.
On Friday, Sam got up early to go to work and I slept in a bit. After a nice snooze, I set out to explore San Diego on foot.
I stumbled upon Formaggi, a little deli where I had breakfast. Orange/carrot juice and a bagel with cream cheese.
I walked along the shore and took in the sights.
Then I won at Monopoly.
I came across a park, where I kicked off my shoes and enjoyed the lush grass and beautiful flowers.
I pretty much just enjoyed being in a city again. San Diego, unlike L.A., is super walkable, which I LOVE. I sat at Starbucks (where I enjoyed my very first Coconut Mocha Frappuccino) and wrote for a bit while waiting for Sam to get off the ferry.
We met up with Sam’s friend Daniel, who drove us over the Coronado Bridge. I had my first glance of Coronado, Mexico, and the Hotel Del.
The Hotel Del Coronado is a lush, extravagant hotel on the west side of the island. The rooms go for a lot of money a night, and Sam and I considered staying there just one night out of the vacation, but then determined we would subsequently be poor.
Honey apparently opened a candy shop on the island.
All intentions to celebrate the food holidays basically went out the window. It was hard without transportation and a kitchen. I know one day was saltwater taffy day, and I found some!
Sam and I had our first of many indulgent dinners at Island Pasta, where our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomach. Cheesy garlic bread, a bottle of red wine, pesto pasta and a margharita pizza = YUM.
We originally wanted caprese sandwiches, but the restaurant was out of bread? No bread. How does that happen? Who knows.
After dinner we went to Coronado Brewing Company where several unpictured beers were had with two of Sam’s buddies. We walked around the island a bit and eventually headed back to the hotel to crash. Obviously my vacation just began, but I was already in love with San Diego, Coronado and the west coast.
Juice Fast Fail
1This morning I had a grand terrible idea.
Hey, how about I drink only juice for 12 hours? I went to Publix and bought two jugs of V8 Fusion (on sale!) and drank them both over the course of the day.
I decided to do this because lately, I’ve been eating too many cookies and brownies.
I initially thought I’d do a two-day juice fast, but as the day wore on I quickly learned I would not, in fact, be able to only drink juice for 48 hours. Drinking straight up sugary carbs for 12 hours gives me a massive headache. And I missed real food.
The key to getting back on track after a few days of overindulging is moderation. The key is not abstaining from all real food. The key is eating smaller portions of real food. The key is making the decision to stop eating crap and start eating better. Right.that.moment.
So I did what any normal girl would do.
I had a sensible dinner of a pita, hummus and Havarti cheese. I went food shopping and bought ice cream. I indulged in a small amount of Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream.
Real food.
And I so solemnly swear that I will never juice fast with V8 again.
A Day in the Eats
1Unlike most other food bloggers, I don’t chronicle every single thing I eat day in and day out.
Quite frankly, I eat some variation of the same thing every day, with a few random things thrown in here and there.
For breakfast I usually have a green monster. The basic ingredients are the same: frozen banana, some other frozen soft fruit, (usually strawberries or blackberries) rice milk or water, spinach and some other add in, such as cocoa powder, peanut butter, chia seeds, cinnamon, oatmeal or golden raisins. Sometimes I drink it straight up like a smoothie and other times I enjoy it in a bowl topped with granola.
Lunch is pretty much a Hugh Jass salad. I throw in chickpeas or black beans, a ton of other vegetables, sometimes cheese and oil and vinegar or dressing to top it off. Lately I’ve been using buffalo sauce as a dressing. So spicy and delicious.
Snack consists of an apple, Triscuits and hummus, peanut butter sandwich thin or raw veggies such as carrots or bell peppers.
Dinner is the only wild card in the day. I usually end up having some sort of one-dish meal, because they are easy and can be dinner for multiple nights, frozen for leftovers, or eaten in place of the Hugh Jass for lunch. I usually thumb through some of my cookbooks and pore over my bookmarks on the weekend and pick out a few things I’d like to make. I try to focus on ingredients I already have in an effort to be budget-friendly. Lately I’ve been cooking a ton from Veganomicon.
Dessert is sometimes the food holiday (because a lot of them are desserts for some reason), a mini dairy free ice cream sandwich or banana soft serve.
So there you have it. This is what I want to eat most every weekday, with slight variations here and there. Weekends are unpredictable, with time to bake, make pancakes and cook up a storm, who knows what I’ll be making.
Oh, that’s right. YOU will know. Because I broadcast it on the internet every day.
Butterscotch Brownies
0Usually my Mondays are stressed filled and a wakeup call that is way too early.
Today was none of that. Today was full of shopping, naps, puppy watching, Whole Foods, Predators game and cooking. My mom had never been to Whole Foods before, so we stopped by to check it out. I think she was impressed!
Dinner tonight was a delicious risotto my wonderful mother made with her new rice cooker.
It was arborio rice cooked with chopped onion, garlic, fennel and vegetable broth. Steamed carrots, peas and mushrooms were added at the end, and I chose to mix in some cannelli beans and parmesan. Definitely a recipe I will be making again!
Dessert was this:
Plus this:
To equal this fudgy sweet mess:
All the edges are definitely gone and I’m not sure anyone else can be to blame…
Sloppy Lentils
12Who says vegan means giving up childhood favorites?
I argue that these sandwiches taste just as good, if not better, than regular ol’ Sloppy Joes. And guess what? These babies are packed to the gills with nutrition. Win-win!
I suggest you get in your kitchen ASAP and make these for dinner tonight. They’re not hard to make, promise.
Sloppy Lentils (adapted from Veganomicon)
Need:
1 c uncooked brown lentils
4c water
1 tbsp canola oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 c frozen peas
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp chile powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 can diced tomatoes + 1/4 c canning liquid
1/4 c tomato paste
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
vegetable broth as needed
Do:
- Pour the lentils and water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Add the oil to a medium saucepan. Add the onion, peas and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked lentils, chile powder, oregano and salt. Cook for a few minutes, then fold in the diced tomatoes and paste.
- If the mix is too dense, add some vegetable broth as needed. Add the agave nectar and mustard. Simmer until the mixture is heated through, about 10 minutes.
- Serve on an opened face sandwich, or eat right out of the pot. Delish.
Perfectly filling.
In other, completely unrelated news, I’ve been having sort of a Disney themed few days, listening to littlepeople and watching Waking Sleeping Beauty. I’ve been thinking about doing the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon this year, but now I’m not so sure it’s in the cards. Orlando is not exactly close to Greenville, and it’s looking like it might become a little expensive for me to fly/drive down there, register, stay in a hotel, etc. It doesn’t help that I make approximately one dollar per day saving kids. I might just settle for the Spinx Half Marathon this year. Hey, a local half marathon is better than no half marathon?
Buttermilk Farro Salad
1I’m pretty sure I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for approximately 402 years.
Here’s the thing. I love food. I love cookbooks. I live by myself. See the problem? I can’t exactly whip up something new and exciting every single day. It’s just me. I also make approximately one dollar a month. Therefore, the delicious foods list growth rate far exceeds the delicious food making rate.
I try to make at least a few different things per week, and I decided to throw this one on the menu. Besides, I’ve been on a dill kick lately.
I HIGHLY recommend using a mandoline for this recipe. I am 600% confident in the fact that my fingers would be quite damaged if I didn’t use one. They’re relatively cheap, and they come in super handy for a multitude of things. See note above.
Buttermilk Farro Salad (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)
Need:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped dill
7 small radishes, sliced paper thin
3 small zucchini, sliced paper thin
1 medium head of fennel, trimmed and sliced paper thin
4 cups cooked farro
Do:
- Whisk together the garlic, salt, buttermilk and vinegar. Gradually whisk in the olive oil and herbs. Let sit for a bit to integrate.
- In a large bowl, toss the radishes, zucchini, fennel and farro. Add 1.5 c of the dressing and toss again.
- Let the salad sit for 10(ish) minutes, taste and add more dressing if necessary. I ended up using all of the dressing I made, which might have been a bit much, in retrospect.
Seriously, the longest part of this recipe was cooking the farro. So easy.
I’m also fairly sure I had never consumed fennel before this very recipe. It was interesting tasting, and it smelled (almost) overwhelmingly like licorice while I was slicing it. It integrates very nicely into this dish though.
This salad is even better the next day. Good thing the recipe makes a ton!
If you’ve never checked out 101 Cookbooks, please go now! Heidi (the author) makes such delicious looking/sounding/tasting food; I can only aspire to be so magical in the kitchen.
