operation empty pantry

it's been decided that i need to empty my pantry so i don't have to pack it. this means i'll be cooking more starting next week. at least this way i can do what i love along with the part i don't love or want to do. i had everything i used tonight at home and my goal is continue to use what i've already got. yep i am going for it. i won't bring anymore food home so i can eat what i'm already stocked with, wish me luck.

giants vs. dodgers

i scored two free tickets to a giants game from a work friend. she's got season tickets so when she asked which game i wanted to attend i told her a dodgers game of course. she laughed and said she’d see what she could do since those are highly coveted tickets. being the total rock star that she is i was able to get them. they are long time rivals and are always very entertaining games. i asked liz to join me at the game so we could hang out and catch up. we took bart into the city then transferred to muni so we wouldn’t have to fight traffic or search for parking. as we arrived at our seats i grew excited to sit back and enjoy the heckling of the fans. normally there is lots of animosity between the fans of these two teams but tonight the fans weren’t as into the rivalry. we picked up food from orlando’s which is located near the bleacher seats, we almost couldn’t get over there since our tickets weren’t in that section but since the tickets we had were season tickets we lucked out and they let us through. i normally get the garlic fries at the at&t park since they are amazing but instead i opted for these seriously delicious nachos. i've previously stated that the oakland coliseum has the best nachos until now. i think you'll have to taste them for yourself but orlando's sure hit one out of the park on this one.

figured it out

it started with one starry night camping in santa cruz for the main asians birthday. for any one who was in attendance it's a night we will never forget. like a bolt of lightning to our eyes, to them it was as if it’d been happening for years, a kiss between peter and lois declaring to the world (the world = us campers) that they were dating. no one believed that this day would ever unfold but there is was staring everyone in the face. this may have been in the works for years but in this moment we were all in shock. i did my part to help this along and may have been a little more prepared for this kiss than others but it was still so weird to see. don't get me wrong i was happy but it was just different.


after many nights of long talks with my roomie lois and many thoughts exchanged i knew this was the beginning of the end for me. now it was lois staying up past her bed time with a boy. yep i was replaced by a boy. it was such an exciting time for them and i was happy to be a part of it all. ok maybe not all of it since there were some days when i wanted to escape from the lovin', touchin' and squeezin'. although i was 100% for this love connection but at times it was a bit much for me to be around. for me it was a blast assisting in the start of getting the ball rolling in the right direction, now the rest is history.

i can't believe it's been a year since the griffins made it official. that's right lois and peter got married this very day last year. i was so happy for them but if i’m being honest it was sad for me and i was sad to say goodbye to a large chapter in my life. i know change is inevitable and this was bound to happen but it was still a salty sweet day. salty from all the fake tears i didn't let flow and sweet because the griffins finally tied the knot. mostly i was overwhelmed with the paths of these two people who fell in love and how easily the paths they were each on fit seamlessly side by side. it's an amazing thing to watch two of your best friends fall in love. it took longer than all of us wanted it to take but after all these years they finally got it right. he finally figured it out and saw what was right in front of him. i guess i'll cut him a little slack and blame it on the contacts he used to never change.

ann's coffe shop

this morning elle and i were off to palo alto/menlo park to check out some neighborhoods in our continued search for a new home. lucky for us we had an excellent tour guide who has lived in the vicinity on and off for a long time. it was so nice of her to take time out of her day to show us around. it really helped having an expert of the area with us to and i was grateful that she shared her 2 cents on areas and locations!! it may not have seemed like it at the time though since i started feeling queasy during our drive. i think i was too involved with looking at all the surroundings that i got a little motion sick. i guess it didn't help that i was reading the newspaper adds to also see what was available. i was too embarrassed at the time to say anything but i did have a small moment of panic in the car. thankfully about that time we'd decided to stop for a bite to eat. after getting out of the car to walk to our destination i continued to have the uneasy feeling in my belly. i stepped a few paces behind just in case i had to stop and i decided i better say something now or i'm gonna look really dumb if this turns into something more than just queasiness. about that time we had reached ann's coffee shop and i was feeling slightly better from the fresh air and even better once i sat down.once i saw the old dinner/coffee shop i things all went back to normal and i was suddenly ready to eat. i'm glad my stomach is strong willed because it was able to grab control over this situation. i guess for me it's stomach over matter. both elle and our lovely tour guide ordered breakfast but i settled on a patty melt. all deliciousness aside i feel like a patty melt is great item to try at a new dinner. it’s something simple enough that it’s hard to screw up yet if done right you know the other menu items are most likely good. it starts with a burger patty, grilled onions and swiss cheese sandwiched between two slices of rye bread. then it gets pan fried to perfection so the cheese has a chance to melt. tell me what doesn’t sound good about that? especially coming from a dinner where everything is generally coated with butter. it’s normally sided with french fries but today it came with both potato salad and coleslaw. i was happy for the change and the potato salad was really good but the coleslaw was just ok. i could’ve done without the slaw for an extra scoop of the potatoes but my patty melt was really good and i will be returning to try something else off the menu. while paying for the bill a brownie caught my eye so i got a few cookies and a brownie from the case at the register. i felt that the cookies were dry and they lacked in flavor but the brownie was great.

bronco billy's lunch slice

today i went to lunch with two of my friends from work, alexis and betty, and we decided on bronco billy's pizza. they serve a lunch slice which is a huge portion for a great price. i got a slice topped with pepperoni and olives.. i felt like salt today if you couldn't tell from my toppings. it was exactly what i wanted and of course i finished it all. if you're ever in the area of any of their locations around noon you should hit it up.

thanks betty for the fun treat!

that's not right is it?

my friend showed me the can't be tamed video by miley cyrus a few hours ago and i'm so confused and i have a few questions...

• what is going on in this video?
• was her father present while they were filming?
• did she clearly think it through before she approved this idea?
• who wrote this song, was it miley?

check out these lyrics:
'cause i’m hot like that
every guy everywhere just gives me mad attention
like i’m under inspection i always get the 10's
cause i’m built like that'

really? really? if she did write these lyrics she sure thinks very highly of herself. too bad the song or video aren't getting a 10 from me. the song is bad on it's own then she decided to make a terrible video. hey guys what if i dress sexy and add wings, do you think that is throwing another log on the fire or do you think this could fix my bad song?? i'm not trying to be extremely mean but come on, does anyone else feel me?? i think she needs to take a step back, stop trying to be sexy and go get some dance lessons from britney spears. that's right i said it britney spears. i may NOT like britney and i don't think she can sing but girl can dance even if she's crazy. miley dear.. this act has already been done, by britney with i'm a slave for you, so if you can't improve on it don't touch it.

i feel that watching this was a waste of my time so i'm not going to post it but feel free to check it out for yourself, if you do don't let my opinion shape yours.

drums please...

it's finally here.. my little brothers birthday.. i mean the first day of summer. there may be some of you who started your summer when school let out or when the rain finally let up or on a sunny day you hit the beach for the first time this season. well i'm here to inform you that today june 21st marks the first official day of summer. so any of you who got the pre-summer party started make sure to keep it going as you cruise to your favorite summertime jams. here is one to get you started:
summer, summer, summertime
time to sit back and unwind

can't wait to share with you my summer adventures with food, friends and fun.

clouds

after a long day of being lazy at the beach i somehow worked up quite an appetite. so before making the drive home we headed into downtown santa cruz to find some food. it ended up being as simple as asking the guy in front of us paying for parking to find a place to eat. he recommended a place called clouds and it was conveniently located directly across the street. before i talk about the food i'd like to tip my hats the the staff at clouds. they were on the ball with everything from seating us, to the bread, the many water refills, food selections, the speed of food from order to table and the check. when the food arrived i was so happy with my decision to order the pot roast. it was served with red mashed potatoes and carrots. the pot roast was falling apart it was so tender and the gravy added even more flavor. here is a list of the other dishes i was able to try thanks to my friends:

• stuffed chicken (ordered by betty)
  breast stuffed with smoked gouda polenta. sereved with grilled baby artichokes drizzled with a lemon-garlic beurre blanc
• stir fry (ordered by liz)
  bok choy, green beans, snap peas and baby carrots sautéed in a ginger black bean sauce and served over fried udon noodles topped with choice of tofu, chicken, shrimp or skirt steak
• vegetarian enchiladas (ordered by tammy)
  corn tortillas stuffed with artichoke hearts, zucchini, spinach and pepperjack cheese with a roasted red pepper cream sauce. served with pasilla roasted red potatoes
• lamb special (ordered by the main asian)
• "old fashioned" pot roast (ordered by me)
  with horseradish cream, mashed potatoes, and a stout gravy

we all agreed that everything was great and it was a wonderful end to a fun day at the beach.

southern heritage

my friend elle and i started a list of restaurants we'd like to try in the bay. she stumbled across southern heritage online not too long ago and we added it to the list. so elle, the main asian and i decided to check it out. we started with an order of hush puppies and we were not disappointed. although they were not the typical hush puppies that i've had before i really enjoyed them. normally they are slightly sweet with corn kernels and a little doughy. these were yummy crumbly fried corn bread balls served with a side of ranch. i ordered the louisiana plate with beef brisket, yams, corn bread and red beans and rice. the red beans were HOT and oh so tasty, the brisket was ok but the yams were really good. i was able to taste the pulled pork which i liked better than the brisket so next time i'm gonna try the ribs or order the pulled pork. although we crossed this off the list of places to try i'll be going back for seconds! two more things before i end this post, yelp has a few comments about the food being overpriced, my two cents say that the food was reseaonably priced and the portions were large. as for the service i'd say that it wasn't bad but it was defenitly slow so don't go if you're in a rush.

throwback thursday - bites the dust

besides 1980 being the year of my birth and the year of the monkey this is also my 80th post. that makes it perfectly appropriate to choose a song from 1980 when these #1 hits ruled the airwaves.

escape (pina colada song) - rupert holmes from 12/22/79 - 1/4/80
please don't go - kc & the sunshine band from 1/5 - 1/18
rock with you - michael Jackson from 1/19 - 2/15
do that to me one more time - captain & tennille from 2/16 - 2/22
crazy little thing called love - queen from 2/23 - 3/21
another brick in the wall (part II) - pink floyd from 3/22 - 4/18
call me - blondie from 4/19 - 5/30
funkytown - lipps inc. from 5/31 - 6/27
coming up - paul mccartney & wings from 6/28 - 7/18
it's still rock and roll to me - billy joel from 7/19 - 8/1
magic - olivia newton-john from 8/2 - 8/29
sailing - christopher cross from 8/30 - 9/5
upside down - diana ross from 9/6 - 10/3
another one bites the dust - queen from 10/4 - 10/24
woman in love - barbra streisand from 10/25 - 11/14
lady - kenny rogers from 11/15 - 12/26
(just like) starting over - john lennon from 12/27 - 1/30/81

these tunes ignited radio stations nationwide and took over the billboard charts making it all the way to number one in 1980. as i look over this list of songs it's hard to pick just one but throwback thursdays must live on so here goes nothing. queen it is and although they had two #1 songs this year i'm going with another one bites the dust.

five reasons i picked this song:
5. another year just bit the dust for me
4. queen released a total of 18 #1 singles
3. got to love british rock and roll.. not pop but rock
2. freddie mercury had such an amazing voice and talent
1. queen is rad

costco vs. coke

hands down the best way to spend just a buck fifty on a meal is at costco on a hot dog/polish dog and a coke. that is until now. ok not now as in today i mean now as in a few months back but for me it’s today since it hadn’t affected me until tonight. i ordered a hotdog and had to get a pepsi instead of a coke since costco no longer carries coke products. i faintly remember hearing about a price dispute between costco and coke last year. it had never re-entered my mind since i figured it was going to fizzle out once they reached a price agreement. little did i know that this would be a full out price war between costco and coke. i mean who would have thought coca-cola would be lame enough to let a contract with costco pass by? i would like to know who at coca-cola is responsible for this travesty and for that matter who assigned that person to be in charge of making such a lousy decision. how is it that you can produce such a delicious beverage but you are dumb enough to let your product be removed from the shelves of one of the nation’s largest wholesalers? i’m deeply disappointed in you coke and this is no longer just a public squabble, it has since moved into my backyard and is now personal, very personal! i love coke and as much as this pains me to say i’m on board with costco on this battle. i hope that you had a large profit loss these past few quarters and that the year ends on the same note. that’s right i said it, I hope you are unable to maintain your profit margins for the entire year. in my attempt to help stick it to the man (aka coke) i am swearing off the purchase and drinking of coke for the next two and a half months. hopefully sept. 1st will approach at light speed so my fast from coke will be over, until then... goodbye my love

ebelskiver take one

it took the effort of 3 girls to make this happen but in our defense we hadn't done it before. luckily it wasn't hard but the whipped egg whites is something i'd never done before so that was cool. my goal now is to make this once a month and try different recipes from the cookbook. for these we made the basic vanilla batter and filled them with nutella and some with banana and nutella. my favorite was with the banana but i'm sure that will change as i continue my ebelskiver quest for perfection, yummy!

teppanyaki & a-team

as if the festivities on my birthday weren't enough we had dinner reservations at kyoto palace in campbell. it's a japanese steakhouse the kind that cooks in front of you. i thought it'd be a fun way to finalize my birthday celebrations. it was a japanese restaurant but we had a chef named hector. i had the princess/ prince plate which is new york steak and chicken served with the veggies and super tasty fried rice. our chef was fun but fast and he even threw pieces of an egg for us all to catch in our mouths. 7 out of 9 of us were able to catch it with in 2 tries so that's not bad. after dinner we were about to head out with my friends handed me a gift bag. the bag itself was adorable with a pair of chucks on it with the words 'party your sneakers off' but once i opened the bag i found a travel pack game of would you rather, salt and pepper shakers and a gift certificate. let me take a little time to explain the items:

• i really like the game would you rather cause it's simple and it's not a competition. it's more like a get to know you game that you answer a question like would you rather smell like a skunk or get hit by a truck. not sure if that is really a question in the game but it's something like that and it forces you to choose one or the other. i think it's fun to play and an easy way to break the ice. i also like to play this type of game on long drives. ask my friends who have been on a long drive with me and they'd tell you that i make up these type of random questions. it's a fun way to help you get to know someone better even if you think you know them it's fun to hear their answers and there is always something you can learn.
• the salt and pepper shakers are hilarious and i can't wait to show them off. they are in the shape of hand grenades and they will soon be the topic of much dinner conversation for new guests. simply amazing that i now own them! the gift certificate is for amazon and it is to help pay for a new camera. when i say new i mean my first camera and i can't believe it!! i take pictures with my phone for my blog and my friends think it's time to graduate to a big girls camera and i do have to agree.  below is a picture of my new orange camera.
  

after dinner we headed to the drive in movies to watch the a-team. for those of you who are not familiar with the original a-team it's an old tv show that i watched growing up and mr. t was on it. there was four main characters who were all green berets who always found themselves facing an exciting adventure. it was a show i enjoyed when i was little and i even had a giant a-team coloring book. mr. t was the man back then and when i was in 7th grade i was able to meet him at a comic book store in livermore (too bad i didn't have a camera back then). anyways the movie was fine but i wish mr. t was able to make some type of cameo, i mean have you seen him.. he is till looking fierce!

smile from the belly up

this morning a few friends and i hit up the santa clara farmers market. it had been awhile since i had gone to one so i was so happy we were able to go. i purchased asparagus, broccoli, onions, zucchini, basil, bread, fresh noodles, and i ate a piece of corn on the cob. on the way to the market i'd seen a sign that said bbq & pizza, this intrigued me. so when we couldn't settle on what to eat for lunch we decided to try the bbq place for which i'd seen the sign earlier. it was called h. butlers bbq and it was just what it said on the sign and more. the menu had so many options. they had a breakfast buffet of fried chicken, waffles, bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy, potatoes and grits.. but the catch to getting the buffet is that everyone at the table must get it. so i'll be going back soon to let you know what i think of it. i ended up ordering the bbq chicken pizza since pizza it sounded so good but i was able to try a few other dishes thanks to my friend who ordered something different. i tried the bbq chicken and beef brisket, both were good but in my opinion the brisket was the best item ordered at our table. the brisket was juicy, tender and there was plenty to go around. it came with a side of homemade bbq sauce that had a wonderful unique flavor. for now that is what i'd recommend but i'll be back for the chicken and waffles soon and let you know how they compare to roscoes. after lunch we just relaxed for the next several hours.

luisa's place

for lunch i picked up food for me and a few friends at luisa's place. it's a peruvian restaurant all the way at the end of grant in san lorenzo. i ordered us lomo saltado which basically means really good steak and onions served over amazing rice with a side of french fries. the flavor of the rice alone is worth stopping in for but when you add the rest of the meal it's a place you must try. i think it's overpriced but the food is so good that you'll overlook the price and enjoy every bite. not that i tried it but they also serve mexican food and they have inca kola.

thirty and feeling dirty

bang bang bang.. tap tap tap.. these are the noises i heard on my windows and door at 12 am this morning. i froze for a moment not understanding what was going on but once i got my butt up off the couch and stopped watching 13 going on 30 i went to the door. it was nine of my friends and they dressed me in a black cape, a fuzzy neck thing, a princess crown, a birthday headband and of course my pajamas and house shoes. i was in shock but laughing all the way as they whisked me away for a birthday midnight meal/breakfast at ihop. i ordered the ham and cheese breakfast sandwich on sourdough and french fries and they also brought me a birthday sunday. it was such a surprise and it was the best start to a birthday i've ever had.my office decorations that i didn't want to take down and my crazy fun polka dot balloons that i loved!!for lunch my friends at work took me to lunch. we went to mexico tipico in union city and i ordered the 3 item plate with a pork tamale, beef enchilada, chicken flautas and rice and bean. the place looks like a 2 story house but the food is good!! the salsa is hot so if you don't like hot ask for the mild salsa when they bring out the chips.alexis made an amazing red velvet birthday cake!! the perfect amount of moister with great flavor and topped with superb homemade chocolate frosting. the cake was a huge hit with everyone in the office. my only wish was to have a second piece but before i knew it there was nothing left.
wow that's a lot of candles!
alexis likes to spoil me (and i love it!), she also got me this fun gift. i've had my eye on her mom's for sometime now and she knew that it'd be the perfect gift for me. i absolutely love it and i can't wait to give it a try. i'm not even sure how you say what it is but they look amazing and she got me the cookbook too. they are basically pancake balls filled with chocolate, fruit, cheese and/or anything else you can think of. stay tuned for the posts to come now that i've got a fun new kitchen tool.
then off to five guys burger for dinner. it just opened in fremont and i have been waiting to hit it up for the past few weeks. the only time i've ever had it was in new york last year so i was really excited to hit it up again. the burger did not disappoint and it was as mouthwatering as i remember. thank you thank you thank to whoever brought this establishment to town!i can't say it enough but thank you to all my friends for making my BIG day a great one! i couldn't have asked for anything more. i was able to spend it with great friends plus the entire past 24 hours revolved around food, now that's what i'm talking about!! don't be jealous that my friends are better than yours hahahaha. seriously this was the best way to ring in the next decade.

chef ryan scott

after work my friend and i headed to danville to have dinner at esin. my friend who went with me happens to work there and she found out that the executive producer of top chef made dinner reservations for 14 people from the bravo network. naturally we went to check it out ourselves and see the action firsthand. they were in town for a cooking demonstration happening in san francisco and i tried to get tickets but they were already out by the time i heard about it. so i thought maybe i could sneak my way into their conversation and charm them into giving me tickets so i could attend the big event. we were sat at a table right next to them and we waited and waited. i kept looking and listening but there was no opportunity to slide my way into their conversation. even though i couldn't charm them with my flirty personality i was able to catch the eye of the hottie chef ryan scott. that's right we made eye contact several times and even if he was only looking at me cause he thought i was a creeper in my book it still counts. after we finished appetizers, dinner and dessert we were still lingering hoping that somehow we could find an in. then it happened.. they were ordering dessert and i used my whit to jump in. next thing i know chef ryan scott ordered me a dessert and sent it to my table. i know what you must be thinking, she already ate dessert lol ok really more than likely you are wondering how'd i make this all happen. well i jumped at the small window created the the waiter, chef scott and my friend. i'm not sure that i can fully explain how it went down but it somehow worked out perfectly. when the dessert arrived their entire table sang happy birthday to me. we didn't get tickets to the demonstration but in my opinion this was a better and more personable.i got the new york steak (ordered medium well but it sure looked rare when it arrived.. nothing my microwave couldn't fix when i got home), carrots, fresh peas and a super tasty potato cake which was my favorite part of the entire meal. for dessert i ordered the brownie which was delicious then i also ate the cherry something that was sent to me by chef scott.. don't judge me.ps i tried a clam today and didn't like it.. surprise surprise.. i'm now convinced that anyone who likes these disgusting creatures must also like to chew on rubber bands and that is just nasty!

farewell sunday

today we gathered for dinner to say good bye to a few members in our family. my little sisters were headed down to la to visit my younger brother for a few days before flying home to florida. also my older brother and his wife are headed to pennsylvania for the next few months. we ate tri-tip kabobs, chicken kabobs, broccoli salad, pasta salad, potato salad, baked beans and corn on the cob. luckily i had an extra pair of hands in the kitchen cause the preparation for kabobs is very time consuming! my helping hands even made an amazing pasta salad with pesto sauce, sun dried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, salami and artichokes. she made fresh pesto.. did you know that pesto is made with pine nuts? i sure didn't. unfortunately i hardly took any pictures of the food but here are the few i did happen to get. thanks to my helping hands with the prep work and also to my boy since diapers for manning the grill!!

broccoli salad

salad
1 bunch broccoli flowerets
½ cup chopped red onion
1lb cooked & chopped bacon
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup raisins
½ cup grated cheddar cheese

dressing
¾ cup best foods mayo
¼ cup sugar
2 tblsp. apple cider vinegar

mango cobbler

hummm... i'm not sure that i can say this adventure was a success but i was interesting. not only was it interesting but it tasted ok too. i think that if i ever make this again i'm going to make a few changes. i cut up 5 mangoes, added 1/2 a can of crushed pineapple, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. i then poured the mixture into a pan where i had previously laid a pie crust. i then topped with a cobbler topping consisting of butter, brown sugar and oatmeal. if you don't know me i think you should know that i'm not a baker. i happened to have lots of ripe mangoes and i knew that i needed to come up with some way to use them. one thing i'd correct if i do this again is that i'd pre-bake the crust before adding the fruit mixture. like i said it turned out fine but the bottom crust didn't cook completely. i think there was too much juice from the super ripe mangoes and that's another thing i'd change is i'd drain more of the juice.