jimmy eat world

tonight i realized that i am not seventeen anymore. it's not sad. on one hand i'm happy being older and independent and happy that i can do as i please when i want but on the other hand i wish i had the energy i had back then.

the show was at the warfield in san francisco for jimmy eat world. they sounded just like they do on their cds so hearing them live was nice but it wasn't much more than that. please understand that i enjoyed the concert but it wasn't anything spectacular. they're sound is good but their stage presence wasn't there, that is until they came back on stage for an encore. it was then that i decided to get these boys standing near me riled up. so to get the crowd going i started jumping and smashing into them until they joined in on the action. it was a lot of fun but it took a lot out of me. part of it is because i'm so out of shape (well i'm a shape just the wrong one) and the other part is that i don't have all the spunk and energy i once did. not that i'm old by any means just that i'm not a spring chicken anymore. needless to say the end of the show was the best part of the evening even if it means having sore legs for a few days for my none stretching ways.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ!!

breakfast tart

we made a breakfast tart with pancetta and green onions for dinner and it was delicious. thanks to the food network for the recipe and thank you elle for introducing it to me. since elle are now roomies cooking has been more fun but different . cooking is already fun but now i've got a partner in crime to help and different because now we have two sets of hands in the kitchen. luckily the two sets of hands have worked out perfectly the past two evenings with dinner preparations. i feel like i'm being spoiled and i don't think i will ever want to go back to just me in the kitchen. for this meal it worked out that elle prepped the the bacon, the egg & cheese mixture as well as the crust. all i did was come home and add the mixture to the crust and bake it. seriously easy right? easy yes but now i've got this unrealistic measurement of time on how long this meal actually takes to make.

ingredients
• butter, for greasing the pan
• flour, for dusting the pan
• 1 unroll-and-bake refrigerated 9-inch pie crust
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 5 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded gruyere
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

you will need a 9-inch tart pan with removable base

cook's note: the tart can also be made using a 10-inch tart pan. roll out the dough to an 11-inch diameter circle before placing it in the pan. bake the filled tart for about 23 minutes until the filling is set.

directions
put an oven rack in the center of the oven. preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan.
unroll the pie crust and arrange it in the prepared pan. gently press the crust into the bottom and sides of the pan. trim any excess crust from the top of the pan. with the tines of a fork, prick the pastry in several places. using a pastry brush, coat the crust with the beaten egg white. put the pan on a baking sheet and bake until the egg white has set, about 10 minutes. allow the crust to cool for 10 minutes.
in a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until brown and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. drain on a paper towel lined plate.
in a medium bowl, combine the beaten eggs, mascarpone cheese, gruyere, green onions, salt, pepper, and pancetta. mix until smooth. pour the mixture into the cooled crust and bake until the mixture has set and the top is golden, about 18 minutes cool the tart for 10 to 15 minutes then remove it from the pan to a serving platter.
cut the tart into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

sweet & sour chicken

i'd seen this post before on elle's blog so i was excited when we decided to make this for dinner. the meal itself is not hard to make but you just need to have time to chop and dice. this meal gave us another excuse to use the wok and it worked like a champ. the recipe is pasted below but here are the adjustments we made to the dish tonight. we tripled the sauce and didn't use tomatoes or pineapples.


ingredients
3/4 pound lean pork or chicken
1 egg, beaten
about 1/4 cup cornstarch
about 2 1/2 T oil
1 small onion, cut into 1 inch squares
1 medium-sized carrot, sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick
1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 small green pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
1 can (8 oz) slice pineapple, drained
1 medium-sized tomato, cut into 1 inch cubes

sauce
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 1/2 T packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp fresh ginger or 1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp dry sherry
2 T wine vinegar
2 T water

directions
dip the chicken pieces in egg, drain briefly, and roll in cornstarch until lightly coated (shake off the excess). heat 1 1/2 T of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. add chicken and cook, turning constantly until browned. lift chicken from pan and set aside, scrape free and discard any brown bits, leaving oil in pan.

add enough oil to pan to make about 1 T and place over high heat. add onion, carrot and garlic, stirring for about 3 minutes, or until veggies are tender-crisp. add green pepper, pineapple, tomato and sweet and sour sauce. cook, stirring, over high heat until mixture boils. add chicken, stirring for 1 min longer, to heat through and coat chicken with sauce.

take that 6 minute abs

i was hungry and this is what i came up with, soy taco meat scrambled in eggs topped it with cheese, salsa verde and sour cream.. for only 6 minutes i think i did alright.

burmese & blush

i was so excited to have dinner with the tiny dancer tonight since it had been such a long time since i'd seen her. we decided to check out a new place in burlingame called mingalaba. it's a burmese & mandarin restaurant so i was interested in trying the food since i'd never had burmese food. when i looked over the menu i noticed several items that were familiar and realized that burmese food is basically thai, indian and chinese food combined. i don't mean that it's all on one plate just that they have options from each of those cuisines. we ordered the vegetarian samusas (a mixture of grounded potatoes with curry spices), rainbow chicken(pan fried chicken with fresh mangoes, pineapples, and vegetables), pumpkin yellow chicken and pork chow mein. my favorite was the pumkin chicken but the samusas were a close second. the curry chicken and pumkin just melted in my mouth with each bite. i think i will try and make this at home. after dinner we walked over to a forzen yougart place called blush. it's a posh spot like pinkberry but they had more flavors. i ordered half pink lemmonade and half the flavor named blush which is dragon fruit and pomegranate. i topped my yougart with mangoes and i belive it made a very tasty combination or delicous flavors.

s'more

here is a picture of the s'more i made tonight. i only made it so that i could blog about the huge marshmallow. this picture doesn't do it justice it was seriously HUGE!! you can see a little bit since you can barley see the reese's cup that is smashed under the melting mallow. i only took one bite and tossed it cause i like my marshmallows cooked to a crisp.

cheesecake

a little about me.. i'm not a rule follower. i'm not always a rule breaker either but i am more often than not a rule bender/pusher. this is just me and i find myself somewhere in between the lines a lot in my life. this is why i'm NOT a baker!!! i repeat I AM NOT A BAKER. i cannot tell you any secret tips on baking. i cannot even let you know what ingredients you mix together before mixing them together with the rest. i understand that the dry and wet ingredients should be mixed on their own before you introduce them to one another, i understand it but i don't really get it. i mean i feel like i was a decent baker when i was younger and i threw everything into one bowl before i even lifter a spoon to stir. i also never pulled cookies out of the oven before they were done to finish cooking on the sheet. how is it that i didn't follow the instructions back then and my cookies were still edible but when i try to bake the pre-made dough from the store i still have issues? i believe this all comes back to the fact that i'm a rule pusher. for starters i don't set a timer. daring i know but i like to live on the edge. i'll stop now and sum things up, i'm a good cook but not a great one. i like to have fun when i cook by creating or experimenting or making alterations to an existing recipes.

because i'm not a baker my cheesecakes didn't exactly turn out amazing. they are good but i cooked them too long and i didn't really cook them as i was instructed to. i'm not gonna share the recipe on this cause i got it from a friend and i'm not sure she wants me to plaster it on the internet or even tie my failings as a cook to the recipe. but here are some pictures of the before and a shot of one of the mini's after it was cooked.

similan thai

similan thai in danville is great and worth stopping in if you live in the area. tonight i was able to go with, liz, punky and alexis. liz and punky have been telling me to try this place and finally we had time to make it happen. they were right and the food was totally amazing. i still like my sala thai in fremont better but this is the first thai food i've tried that i'd put in the same category as sala thai.

our dinner consisted of:
fresh mint rolls - a rice paper roll stuffed with fresh vegetable, mint, noodle, and shrimp served with sweet lemon glass and ground peanut dipping
tom kha gai - a blend of thai spices and coconut milk soup with chicken
pumpkin curry -thai style red curry with pumpkin with chicken
pad see eew - pan fried rice noodles with choice of chicken, beef and pork in garlic, chinese broccoli and egg
pad prik king - sauteed pork with green bean in red chili garlic sauce

i didn't eat the mint rolls since i don't eat seafood and i don't remember what one of our dishes was exactly but it was read curry something and it was so good!

el grullense

i love carne asada french fries!! i was introduced to this heavenly dish about 5yrs ago by the tiny dancer during one of our road trips in san diego. ever since then i've looked and looked but have not see them duplicated correctly in the bay. tonight i was stocked to see one of my favorites on the menu and knew it had to be mine. my first bite was everything that i hoped it would be but after a few bites in i started getting lots of fatty pieces instead of meet. this continued throughout the meal and i ended up not even finishing the dish. what once seemed like a masterpiece was short lived because someone didn't take the time to trim the steak. meet aside the rest was all that i had remembered but i do with the fries didn't get so soggy from the yummy salsa and sour cream. if i go back to el grullense i will have to change from carne asada to something else and ask them to cook the fries a little longer so they are crisp. the steak fries are not a great substitute for the skinny ones that area served down south but i guess beggars can't be choosers.

throwback thursday - so lonely

my choice this month for throwback thursday is so lonely by the police. i chose this because over the past several weeks i've been asked by a few people to name my favorite concert i've ever attended. i'll tell you the same that i told each of those people who asked... i'm certain i can't pick just one since i've been to so many. i am certain that the police lands somewhere among my top ten or possibly even my top five. for me it's a privilege to say i have seen the police live and i would recommend that if ever there comes an opportunity to see them you absolutely must!! as for me i was able to cross them off my must see list on monday, july 14, 2008 when they played at the shoreline amphitheater. here goes my lame attempt of putting into words their performance (please understand that anything i say will not bring justice to the actual show). i'll start by saying this may have been a reunion tour but you would never know from the energy they showcased. it was truly electrifying and it spread like wildfire to each of us in attendance. they played all their hits like king of pain, don't stand so close to me, message in a bottle to so lonely and every note was excellently executed. when the show ended the entire audience arose to their feet for a standing ovation honoring and celebrating the magic they had just witnessed.

aside from the show i'd like to go on record stating that while sting may be the lead vocals of this band i believe he wouldn't have struck it big had it not been for his all star band mates summers and copeland. together they are the english rock legends known as the police but individually they leave much to be desired.

* side note elvis costello opened for the police

i'd like to check you for ticks

here is a picture of my bbq chicken pizza i picked up before the show from maldonado.

justin moore and darius rucker kicked the evening into gear with their outstanding performances. it's funny cause i never realized how small justin actually was until i saw him the the huge stage. next up was darius and once he started the first song my excitement only intensified. he mixed in new with some old hootie songs and made us all fall in love with the old stuff all over again. song after song his voice captivating and i couldn't help but sing along.

the lights dimmed, the band begins to play and just the thought of brad paisley stepping out onto the stage immediately sent the women into a screaming frenzy. and when i say the women what i really mean is everyone. and by everyone i mean young or old, drunk or sober and yes even the men, silly but true. this was my second time seeing brad in concert and he did not disappoint. in fact tonight i was reminded of what a great performer he is. as the night progressed i found myself mesmerized by brad's talent and the passion he put behind each verse he sings.

by the end of the night i'd given up on my hope for a little retaliation from justin for some previous pranks pulled by brad earlier this year while on tour. hopefully he gets his sweet revenge before the tour is over!

o'hare airport

random pictures of the chicago o'hare airport. thought these flags looked cool and wanted to share. ok i realize the pictures of the toilet seat covers are a bit crazy but i'd never seen these covers before and needed to spread the word. as for the popcorn it's sooooo good!! i'm not sure if it's sold outside of the chicago area but garrett sure does popcorn right. i had to get a bag to go before boarding the plane so i got a large bag of the chicago mix which is both cheese and caramel. the slightly salty rich cheesy flavor mixed with the crispy sweet caramel kernels is the perfect combination and is popcorn at it's finest.

oberweis

sadly i didn't meet my goal of eating oberweis every day while in chicago. i may have set my expectations too high on this but if you've been privileged enough to taste their ice cream then you would understand why i set this goal in the first place. in fact our first stop after leaving the airport was to oberweis where i ordered a dulce de leche milkshake and we also got chocolate milk to go. for my next visit i decided to get 2 scoops of chocolate peanut butter in a waffle cone. seriously for the record their ice cream is the best i've ever had but their waffle cone could use the slightest of improvements. after the cone i chased it with their milk which was also delicious. if you ever get a chance to try oberweis i promise that you will not be disappointed.

elle's family dinner

corner bakery

lunch at the corner bakery was a great idea. i had never eaten there before and the chicken sandwich i ate was delectable. chicken pesto on ciabatta with roasted chicken, arugula, and a sweet and spicy house vinaigrette and pesto mayo. i also ordered a bowl of potato soup instead of chips. my only wish is that the sandwich was slightly bigger.. but that's just me. i wish we had one of these near my house cause i'd go all the time. oh ya i also tried part of the lemon bar elle ordered, it was ok but it wasn't as satisfing as my sandwich.

watch out panera...
here comes corner bakery

rockit

after an adventurous afternoon in the city i was ready to eat so we headed to rock it bar & grill for dinner. i ordered a turkey burger with avocado and chipotle mayo on a pretzel bun, sweet potato fries and four cheese macaroni and cheese. my burger was a little dry and needed more seasonings but the mayo and avocado helped and the pretzel bun saved the day. my sweet potato fries were great and that mac & cheese was even better. once we were stuffed from dinner we decided to walk down the street and scope out the trump international hotel. the view was so amazing and surprisingly the staff was very friendly even though they knew we were not patrons of the hotel the restaurant or the bar.

windy city 2010

we spent the rest of the day in downtown chicago at the magnificent mile, millennium park, and the buckingham fountain. for the record this city is NOT windy! i've visited chicago on two occasions in two completely different years and i have no clue how this city got it's name. i think they should come up with a new tag line for the city like "the window city" because everywhere you look there are huge buildings with windows galore or how about anything but windy. this is just my thought but i'm really confused as to how this name came to be.

this is a picture taken in front of the fountain and it's a shadow picture of (from left to right) me, elle, lois and peter. no i'm not prego, that's just my belly and my purse.

naper nuts & sweets

this is a candy shop we stopped in at after lunch in naperville called naper nuts & sweets. i got a few treats but the one thing i want to mention is my chocolate covered potato chips. it sounds a little funny but i was so excited to try them. they started it off right with the ruffles, which are my favorite potato chips already, then they dipped it into chocolate. this salty sweet yet crunchy chip was worth taking a chance on. i may even try to recreate this new snack at home.

bd's mongolian grill

this was my lunch on friday in naperviller with elle, lois and perter. we at at bd's mongolian grill where you make your own plate and flavor it with whatever you want and they grill it. i went with strip steak and pork, noodles, bell peppers, onions, jalapenos, an egg and flavored it with peanut sauce. they have a option for all you can eat or you can order just one plate. we ate here last time i was in the area but it was really good so we had to go back.

portillo's

here is a picture of my italian beef sandwich from portillo's. it was served on french bread and i added sweet & hot peppers. the flavor was as good i had hoped and as grand as i'd imagined it would be. i thoroughly enjoyed every bite! my only regret is that i got this sandwich to go. next time i will order and eat it immediately to save the bread from getting so soggy from all its juicy goodness.

ryan + tacos = my heart forever!!

alexis and i decided to hit up tacos la perla in fremont. yes it's a taco truck. tacos are great but when they become portable that makes them even better! i couldn't decide what kind of taco i wanted and luckily i didn't have to so i ordered one pork, one chicken and one steak. the chicken and steak were good but the pork was my least favorite and was too greasy. i'd been to this truck before but i've only had the HUGE burritos. i know some people are a bit suspect of taco trucks but for me i've learned to not be scurrrrd. in fact i'd say start with this truck in irvington then branch out from there. as for me, i like to think of them as heaven on wheels with an annoying jingle.

paid to play

i love any monday that happens to be a paid holiday off from work!! i'm sure everyone agrees that it's just a great way to start off the work week. let me tell you what i got paid to do today: sleep in, meet up with the main asian for lunch at five guys, go to the movies where i watched 'going the distance' and finally i got paid to eat at pinkberry with elle. i'd say this is the best paid monday i've had in awhile.

papalote & mission pie

our excursion into the city started with the need to check out papalote. it was featured on the throwdown with bobby flay. the throwdown featured a burrito called the triple threat. i didn't order this burrito cause it has shrimp in it and if i'd got it without shrimp it wouldn't be a legit triple threat. plus it was a $20 burrito so i wasn't gonna pay the full $20 and miss out on part of the ingredients. needless to say i can't fully say i've experienced this restaurant in all its glory. what i can say is that the salsa was outstanding. i believe they haded some type of a secret creamy ingredient that i couldn't put my finger on. whatever they used it made for a perfect base to such a tasty unique salsa. if they sold their salsa in the store i would purchase it all the time. unfortunately my burrito did not leave such a lasting impression. i ordered the carne asada burrito and felt that there was no flavor to their meat. i was soarly disappointed with my burrito and feel that if the meat wasn't seasoned or marinated that they needed to drive home the flavor in the other ingredients. sadly they did not. the beans and rice were tasteless and i had to add the little bit of remaining salsa to salvage the last bite of my burrito. i wouldn't recommend this place for a meal but i would suggest you stop off for a snack and order the chips and salsa. after our afternoon of walking we treated ourselves to a small slice of heaven mission pie. i started with a slice of banana cream pie. it was so delicious that i couldn't help myself and i left there with an entire pie. i know maybe i should've started with the entire pie so i could've eaten a slice from that but i didn't and i wasn't even ashamed to stand back in line and tell the same worker that i needed a whole pie to go. a huge thanks to our new friend who took us on a walking tour of sf and showed us a few new places in the city.

9.02.10

that's right folks todays date is 90210. i totally watched this show when it aired in 1990 and yes i was only ten years old. i would agree that i was a bit young to be watching but i had an older sister who watched plus my dad never monitored the tv. it was such a great show way back then and it's a shame what they've done with the new show, what a mess!! i admit that i'm a follower of this ridiculously lame remake but it's such a train wreck that i tune in to see how much crazy they can come up with. i love the silly teen drama and while i understand that it's a waste of time i can't wait for the new season and drama that is about to unwrap with the fires, the teacher, the baby, australia, the fight, the truth and the separation. i need to know how this is all going to play out. ps what happened to ethan?

carry you home

i gave this song to a friend the other day and when i listened to it i was reminded of it's greatness and i thought i'd share. nashville skyline effortlessly captured the bitter emotion of loneliness and somehow twisted it into this beautiful song of hope.

you're not the only one, isolated and undone
i know you think that you've been down,
you never know when things will turn around
together we'll climb and i'll carry you home