what are you doing new years eve?

last meal of 2011

sam wo

this might be a hole in the wall chinese spot but the food is legit, it's no frills authentic chinese food.  i will admit that not everything i've ordered has been worth while but here are my favorites and if you go here are my suggestions: won ton soup (i order the port won ton soup but i hear the shrimp is delicious), bbq pork noodle rolls and the bbq pork and broccoli, all of which are pictured above.  this picture also includes a plate of tomato beef chow mein.  if you find yourself in sf after a late night (open till 3am) at a show or out dancing i think you won't be disappointed with your choice to stop in but don't just take my word for it listen to the testimony of conan o'brien. 



brown bag lunch

tonight a few of us girls (liz, elle and the main asian) were able to carry out a tradition for liz and her family.  around christmas time they would pack bag lunches and pass them out in san francisco to the homeless.

after making 50 pb&j sandwiches and packing up the lunch bags we (minus elle) were off to the city.  as easy as it sounds to hand out food to the homeless it started off a bit challenging.  finally we made our way over to civic center where we were able to pass out nearly every lunch.  that is every lunch but 1 sad lonely brown bag.  as we were driving away we saw a lone man in a wheelchair so we pulled over and i attempted to give him the lunch but instead he yelled at me and tried pushing himself up hill backwards just to get away from me.  it would have been sad but it was actually funny how he was trying to escape.  once this happened we decided to to split the lunch at eat it ourselves but as it turns out we saved the crappiest lunch for last.. no wonder he didn't want the bagged lunch.  we were stuck with the both heel sandwich, a bag of frito's, the 90 calorie oatmeal raisin quaker bar and the crapy candies.  served us right!!

throwback thursday - the best is yet to come

there are not enough tony bennett type musicians in the world and for that i think we are truly deprived.

stuffed peppers

once upon a time i cooked and ate this meal almost biweekly.  so tonight i thought why not since i was hanging out with lois and peter and this is one of lois's favorites.  i cheated a bit and cooked the pot of filling at home last night so that after work i'd only have to clean the peppers, stuff them then throw them in the oven.  i don't follow a recipe for this but here are the ingredients i used:  ground turkey, stewed tomatoes, fresh garlic, tomato paste, chopped onions, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.. i think that's it.  really it just depends what i've got on hand and who will be eating with me when i make it.  sometimes i throw in jalapenos or green chili's and sometimes i throw in more spices.  after washing and cleaning out the membranes of the peppers they are ready to stuff.  i bake them at 350 for roughly 40+ mins, i always check to see if they are fork tender before i serve.

yellow bananas

really??

thank you safeway for not knowing the difference between yellow and green.

these are the time

i loved this song when it was released and i actually was able to see dru hill in concert back in 1997 in orlando.  in fact i remember vividly the moments shortly after the start of somebody's sleeping in my bed when sisqó biffed it hard on stage.  it was histarical and it was totally his own fault for thinking he was looking sexy while pouring a bottle of water down his body when instead of looking hot he ended up slipping in the puddle he just created.  alright back to the song, i remember playing it a lot and loving the part that says "tear you up in little pieces, swallow you like reeses pieces, come on girl you know i need it".  as i sit her now and watch this video i'm extremely confused as to why at the time this song was so great.  i think it back to that time and it really must have been the fact that i liked the thought of a guy being willing to wait for love and all the other crap that follows in relationships.  it's not often you find a song that refers to "the moment when less means so much more".  so thank you dru hill or should i say sisqó for putting the booty lower on your list even if it was only for this one song.

just for fun check out this another song by dru hill

cookie exchange

here is my sad yet tasty excuse for a cookie to exchange at my friends cookie party.  peanut butter sandwiched between 2 ritz crackers dipped into ghirardelli chocolate and rolled in toasted coconut.

kincaid's

work lunch at kincaids in jack london square

roasted chicken dijon - parsley, asiago, garlic, silky potatoes, wilted spinach and bacon leek relish

12 extremely disappointing facts about popular music

1. creed has sold more albums in the US than jimi hendrix

2. led zeppelin, rem, and depeche mode have never had a number one single, rihanna has 10

3. ke$ha's “tik-tok” sold more copies than any beatles single

4. flo rida's “low” has sold 8 million copies – the same as the beatles' “hey jude”

5. the black eyed peas' “i gotta feeling” is more popular than any elvis or simon & garfunkel song


6. celine dion's “falling into you” sold more copies than any queen, nirvana, or bruce springsteen record


7. same with shania twain's “come on over”

8. katy perry holds the same record as michael jackson for most number one singles from an album

9. barbra streisand has sold more records (140 million) than pearl jam, johnny cash, and tom petty combined


10. people actually bought billy ray cyrus' album “some gave all…” 20 million people. more than any bob marley album


11. the cast of “glee” has had more songs chart than the beatles


12. this guy exists.

you smell like pea soup

water, onions and ham hock.  i let the water boil and get flavored for awhile before i throw in the peas.

i'm certain that there are more people in the world that dislike split pea soup then there are people that enjoy it but i happen to be one who enjoys it.  after every thanksgiving for the 4-5yrs i've made a large pot of split pea soup.  this year is no different and i'm happy to report that this year it turned out more delicious than ever!!  in fact i'd be willing to bet if you think you don't like this soup if you tried this specific batch that it could've changed your mind... you heard me, i'm a little soup cocky at the moment, that's how great it is.

reward after a day of planking

baklava

i'm nearly certain that i've never had turkish cuisine before tonight so thank you to the main asian for purchasing a groupon and introducing me to baklava.  since there were 5 hungry ladies at dinner we decided to start with the mediterranean meze appetizer: sigara boregi, taziki, humus, falafel, baba ghanoush, and dolma.  i liked all of the things we tried but my least favorite was the dolma and while it was not bad it just didn't have a specific flavor that intrigued me and the sigara boregi & falafel were my favorites.  for dinner i ordered the iskender (alexander): thin slices of lamb and beef, topped with a tomato sauce, yogurt, with melted butter and served on pita bread.  when it arrived i was excited because it looked so different and interesting but when i tried it i was less than impressed.  the flavor of the tomato sauce was much like the sauce on spaghetti o's and when they said served on pita bread that was no joke.  the bread was drenched in sauce and had to be scooped rather than forked because it was so soft, if you know me then you know i am not one who enjoys soggy bread.  when i originally read it i assumed that it'd be served with the pita bread and i could add the toppings myself but that's what i get for assuming.

without me by your side

i realize that it's the end of november but today the early november's made my work day bearable.

what could you be doing that is so much fun

without me by your side, without me by your side?

limon

check check #37, yep i double checked it

if you are in the san francisco and looking for an outstanding meal for a great price then you've got to stop off at limon!!  pictured below are the items we ordered and shared amongst the 3 of us girls and although we were sceptical about this food being enough to feed all of us we were 100% satisfied and sufficiently full.

tacu-tacu

pollo a la brasa – savory free-range chicken slowly roasted over open flame

truffle mac & cheese – creamy truffle infused macaroni and cheese

 yucca fries

lomito saltado – traditional peruvian dish of stir-fried top sirloin strips, onions, tomato & soy sauce served over fries

chicharron de pollo – crispy pieces of chicken marinated and served with salsa criolla

83 more places to check out, so close to 80 but not close enough

evenodds

sf is great on it's own but when you add in all the other factors about the this city and the bay it makes trips to sf worth while.  like today while shopping near union square i was politely approached by an unsuspecting hottie asking if i liked hip hop.. umm yes i like hip hop.. duh how else am i gonna get my swerve on at the club?  hahahaha ok for real though he asked if i had a minute to check out his song and i was expecting it to be anything but what it turned out to be.  immediately when the beat started i realized my head had already started bouncing and i was automatically feeling the bay vibe and i knew i needed to have this track cause i liked the style and i'd bite that style.  anyhow i have not listened to the other tracks i ended up purchasing so i can't endorse evenodds completely but this track is dope and i think it's catchy enough to get your head bouncing.

turkey vs. ham

 

check out the wing span on this 26lb turkey

love is really nothing

dear john,


besides the fact that i've always wanted to start a letter with those simple words i'm also writing to tell you that i wish you would keep your hair short and stop inserting your foot where a microphone should be.  i truly enjoy your music and love when you make great songs such as this and share them with me and the rest of the world.  oh and i wanted to tell you that any man who can instigate a joke about him himself and have fun with it is cool in my book.  my wish for you would be that you will find a non famous woman to keep you sane during your life on the road and may her body be more wonderland-ish that you ever thought imaginable.  in fact enough so that you may be inspired to write a song to replace it... oooooh i like where this is going.  does anyone else have any well wishes they wish for john mayer so that he can be inspired to write us more songs?

young and full of running
tell me where has that taken me?
just a great figure eight or a tiny infinity?

love is really nothing
but a dream that keeps waking me
for all of my trying, we still end up dying
how can it be?

don't say a word, just come over and lie here with me
cause i'm just about to set fire to everything i see
i want you so bad, i'll go back on the things i believe
there i just said it, i'm scared you'll forget about me

so young and full of running
all the way to the edge of desire
steady my breathing, silently screaming
i have to have you now

wired and i'm tired
think i'll sleep in my clothes on the floor
or maybe this mattress will spin on its axis
and find me on yours

don't say a word, just come over and lie here with me
cause i'm just about to set fire to everything i see
i want you so bad i'll go back on the things i believe
there i just said it, i'm scared you'll forget about me

don't say a word, just come over and lie here with me
cause i'm just about to set fire to everything i see
i want you so bad i'll go back on the things i believe
there i just said it, i'm scared you'll forget about me

throwback thursday - god only knows

it's that time of the year again and i'd like to dedicate this months throwback to all of my friends.  not just the friends in my life today but also to the friends who i am not actively in their lives but have been with me in past years.  i'm so extremely grateful to those who love me for who i am and with all my faults and yes even my snoring!  i honestly don't know what i'd do without each of you or where i might be, so thanks for your love and support!!

emarosa

a friend posted this on facebook the other day and i though i should help spread good music

country show

eli young band -

jerrod niemann -

dierks bentley -

r.i.p. heavy d

jack's m - you never get old

roscoe's, i love you

it pains me that i live so far away from roscoe's and that my visits are so far and few between but i guess it does make my trips to so cal that much more enjoyable!

thai sky

BiRtHdAy PaRtY for PuNkY @ thai sky

i've never had mangoes with red sticky rice before so when i saw the 3 options of sticky rice i had to try something new.  besides the fact that this was an adorable presentation the red rice was phenomenal and i feel like i've been cheated a bit at other restaurants for not offering this to me before.  thankfully now that i know what i've been missing and where to get it i'll never feel cheated again.


i almost forgot to share about this tasty coconut salad shot, it came with a piece of shrimp as well but i picked it off as soon as it was set in front of me.  i'd totally eat this again but next time i'd ask for no shrimp.

sugar cookies

sugar cookie dough
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour

beat butter. add sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt. beat till combined, scraping bowl. beat in egg and vanilla. beat in flour. chill dough for 1 hour. roll out and bake at 375 for 7 to 8 minutes.

sugar cookie frosting

1/3 cup butter

4 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

mix butter till fluffy. gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar. slowly beat in milk and vanilla. slowly beat in remaining powdered sugar. beat in additional milk if needed to reach a spreading consistency.
* if desired tint with food coloring

i now understand why they are called sugar cookies, actually scratch that, actually now i'm confused as to why they are called sugar cookies.. in fact i think the name should be changed and they should be known to the world as really difficult cookies topped with sugar frosting.  seriously the 3/4 cup of sugar in the dough doesn't even come close to the 4 1/2 cups of powdered sugar called for in the frosting.  am i alone if feeling like these suckers require too much effort and not enough pay out??

 here is my super cute cookie cutter that i just had to purchase.  so cute that it made me think i could actually pull it off.

 here is a picture of some of the cookies after being cooked.  i guess i rolled them too thin cause they cooked super fast and when i pulled them up after cutting them out they ripped and stretched like crazy.  after 2 pans of imperfect cookie cut outs i gave and and baked a cake.

here is a picture of my end result.. not what i started out to do but it turned out cute.  yes i used the cookie frosting to frost this red velvet cake and no i didn't mean for the frosting to get pieces of cake mixed into it.  too bad i didn't think to take a picture of the cake after the first slice was cut cause it looked like a hole was dug out for a body to be buried.