New Digs

Join me over on Tumblr!

All the content from here has been moved over, and new stuff to come fairly soon!

Ritual Weekend Pancakes

Lately, I've been treating myself to Chocolate Chip Pancakes once per weekend.  It's become a lovely little ritual and I really enjoy it.

Some would say that eating chocolate chip pancakes once a week, every week is not healthy.  To those people, I say, "You've obviously not had a good chocolate chip pancake because when they are this good, it doesn't matter."

And, can I just add, emotional health is just as important as physical health. This has become a relaxing, peaceful ritual and it helps me destress. I enjoy the act of whipping up batter and creating new flavors based on the type of chocolate laying around. Most of the time it's semi-sweet chocolate chips, but sometimes I will have stopped of at Whole Foods and picked up a fancy chocolate bar (of the dark chocolate variety) and I'll chop some of that up and throw it in.

It's fun, and I love it.

This past weekend, I escaped to my Mom's house with my laundry, and Sunday morning woke up to find:

NO PANCAKE MIX!
NO BISQUICK!
ONLY AN UNAPPETIZING BUTTERMILK MIX (Mom, toss that mix. Please.)!

I was desperate. So I turned to trusty google, and found the following recipe: 

1.5 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar*
1 + 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 tbsp butter, melted**

and, of course, chocolate!

*It's standard practice in my household to add a touch of extra sugar and a splash and a half of vanilla extract.
**I'd cut down the butter amount. It was quite strong and I had to add extra ingredients to tone down the butter flavor. I want pancake flavored pancakes, not butter flavored pancakes.

This is a fantastic recipe, and I see it becoming my go-to.  It was easy to throw together, the batter was a great consistency, and I loved the coloring of the pancakes. I topped with maple syrup this time; I tend to vary in my toppings from week to week.

Do you have any weekend rituals?

Holy. Smokes.

That's what I said out loud after my first bite of dinner tonight.

I've truly outdone myself.

Grilled Chicken
   Seasoned with Lemon Pepper, Sea Salt, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder, thrown onto a piping hot George Foreman.

Garlic and Olive Oil Organic Brown Rice Couscous
   Stolen from Mom's pantry.  Mom, buy this again.

Sautéed Green Beans
   Butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. Because sea salt is amazing. Why did I wait so long to buy it??


This is absolutely, positively on the dinner rotation FOR LIFE.

The textures perfectly melded, and the flavors complemented one another beautifully. The dry couscous with the wet green beans, and salty, moist chicken.

I... I'm speechless.

Spicy Lemon Chicken Wraps

a la Rosie over at The Londoner.  (aka girl crush.)

Can I just say, I dropped $75 at the store this morning picking up food for the week. Okay, for more than the week- a lot of it is cooking accessories (hot sauce, sea salt, cocoa powder... etc), but still. And, okay, I got 8 avocados because, hey, I'm cooking with avocados a lot this week. I need a grocery store scholarship. Or sponsor. To be repaid in delicious foods. I really am a good cook.

Words to the wise:

• Lemon juice stings cuts. 
• 80's Pop Pandora station is probably the greatest "radio" station around.
• Hot sauce stings too.

Okay! On with things. 

I invite you to check out Rosie's post of the recipe as I am too lazy she has already taken the time to make a lovely post. But here's a general idea:

The taste is unlike anything I've had before... You certainly taste the honey, something I'll go easier on next time. I was definitely concerned it would be too spicy- but it wasn't! There were moments of heat, but I loved it.   Now the lemon was the cool part.  It was only after I was done eating that I noticed the hint of citrus hanging around in my mouth. And I do believe it was the best part.



These are your marinate ingredients + olive oil.

Cut chicken into strips + Marinade ingredients + Mix & Cover and place in fridge for a few hours.

Have these bad boys out on the counter. They're going to wait until tonight when it's time to make the guacamole. 

......

Hello again!

It's hours later and I'm halfway through dinner. 

Um, YUM.

Guac got made, per Mom's recipe.

Assembled on a large tortilla, sour cream on the bottom, guac, chicken, and romaine lettuce. 

Wrap and enjoy. 

Quick, easy, light, FILLING dinner. Apart from the morning prep (which I feel could easily be done the night before if the timing is better for you), it's incredibly simple to throw together.  I can see this dish becoming a regular around these parts!

Midtown Taqueria

On a little corner in East Sacramento sits the best Mexican food in the city.

Well.. that might be a little ambitious to say as I've only had food from Midtown and Tres Hermanas, but Midtown completely trumps Tres. Completely.

My first time at Midtown I had a Carne Asada burrito. I've never had Carne Asada before, but this was GOOD. Buttery and meaty, but not fatty or chewy. Packed into a perfectly steamed tortilla.

Last night, I gave it the real test thought. Chicken Burrito. It's how I test every Mexican food restaurant- if you have a good chicken burrito, you're pretty much a winner in my book. Yes, it's a simple, somewhat plain dish, but that's why I love it. It's easy and when it's good- it's good.

I took my little bag of chips and my enormous burrito home, cracked open the Lost Coast Tangerine that I had in the fridge, and watched some TV.

It was the most wonderful evening.

Thursday Night

I'm indulging in a little date night with myself this evening.

I've been feeling a little.... (off? down? sad? stressed?) all of the above lately, and am taking the evening to reconnect with myself.

On the menu:

A litle vino,

and a chocolate sando.

(Dark Chocolate and french bread. Trust me, and try it. Immediately.)

Cheap wine and a chocolate sandwich. Two of my most favorite things.

It's getting all kinds of romantic up in here.

;) 

The Friday Grumpies

Which, I am pleased to say, I have successfully cured.

What is my secret to curing the Friday Grumpies?

Chocolate Chip pancakes, preferably the size of your face with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

I'm off to run errands and study (or at least attempt to do these things...) 

Monterey County

As I am in Monterey County for spring break, I felt inclined to write this post. Growing up in this area, I have developed some local favorites. If you are ever in this neck of the woods, you have my personal recommendations on the following places (and trust me, I'm picky.):

Salinas:

• Bagel Corner (breakfast and lunch)
• Gino's Italian (overpriced, but their blackened chicken fettuccine is unbeatable.)

*Both of these establishments happen to be owned by the same family. Get the Artichoke Bisque at either location. Really. Get it. I'd be shocked if you were disappointed.

Carmel Valley:

• Baja Cantina (lunch or dinner) (GRILLED CHICKEN ENCHILADAS!!!!!) (I come here every single time I am on the peninsula. Just do it.) 
• RG Burger at The Crossroads (lunch or dinner)

Carmel-By-The-Sea:

• Katie's Place (breakfast/brunch) (Last time I was there it was cash only. Be prepared for that. In fact, I'd just be ready for cash only in general in CBTS)
• Tommy's Wok (Chinese food. I have dreams about Tommy's.)
• La Bicyclette (B,L,D- I've only been for breakfast. French food. The sweet and savory is fantastic!)
• Bruno's Market! Walk to the back, go to the deli counter and get a sandwich. MMMM. Take it down to the beach and have a picnic. Or go support some local theater at Forest Theater- dress warmly, pack wine, enjoy your picnic!

Okay. There are a bunch of cafes and bakeries in CBTS. One of them has amazing Raspberry Sorbet, and my other favorite has the black & white cookie things... they also serve dog cookies. I've seen many a customer accidentally order one and get chuckled at.  Be careful. And get a Black & White. I wish you luck in this search. I'll give more detailed information if I ever figure it out. Heh. 

Monterey:

• Rosine's (Off of Alvarado. B,L,D) (special order the Heavenly Squaw for lunch. Rye bread, turkey, sprouts... mmmm. They took it off the menu but I still insist they make it for me.)
• Pizza My Heart in Del Monte Center (I swear it's the best Pizza My Heart in existence)

Fancy Pants Restaurants:

• Roy's at Spanish Bay
• Mission Ranch (get the Crème brûlée) 

Prepare for a big bill. But worth it. 

I think that's it for now.... Feel free to comment below to let me know your local favorites or ask for different recommendations! 

Birthday Celebrations, pt. 2

My, my, how time flies.

It's already been a week since the events that I'm about to tell you about. I'm on spring break now... it's boring so far. Grr...

My (step)sister, nephew, sister's boyfriend, and stepbrother came up to visit and celebrate my mom's birthday! I love when my monkey comes to visit!

We played with new toys.

Got attacked by a Grammy-Bear. 

Flew airplanes

 

Ate birthday cake! 

Had to have time-out on the boat. 

Drove the boat (and honked the horn) with Grammy! 

Choked down some hot dog. 

And napped back to the dock.

It was a lovely weekend; I miss my boy so much!  Can't wait for the next visit! 

I'm on a boat.

Momma got a Pontoon for her birthday and we went to test it out on Sunday!

(Apparently) We launched off of the main channel of the Delta. 

With our beautiful birthday Captain! 

(Note to self: by Mom a Captain's hat.)

It really was a gorgeous day today.  I had a jacket and jeans on, only because it was cold when we were moving. We didn't float around today; my understanding is that we needed to run the engine and burn off some old fuel. 

We stumbled upon a bunch of sailboats- maybe some classes going on? Nevertheless, it gave me a great chance to get some nice pictures. 

And because it wouldn't be Stockton without something questionable:

We enjoyed a nice meal at Garlic Brothers before heading in for the day.  Nice start to the season!

I had a wonderful time with Momma and Stepdad!

It was a great weekend to play with my new camera. 

For the love of Chocolate

 Birthday Momma and I took a chocolate dessert class at Sur La Table in Los Gatos. It was a great opportunity to break in my new camera! 

Let me tell you: Oh. My. My. My.

We started with breakfast in Livermore, at The Riata.  Mimosas were enjoyed, as well as my Eggs in a Basket and Mom's Eggs Bene.

I found it highly amusing that I had just read a recipe for Eggs in a basket the previous night and here I was eating it.  Eggs over easy, cracked into a slice of texas toast with a hole cut out of the middle.  (The Riata dipped their bread like french toast which I don't think is common for this dish, but it wasn't bad!) Cook on one side, flip, cook, serve. Hash browns on the side!

 We booked it from the restaurant and motored to the store (the service was slow, and we still had a almost an hour to drive). We arrived in the nick of time and we set off to concocting.

The Menu:

Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Espresso Pot de Creme

Chocolate Soufleé with a Vanilla Bean Anglaise

Deconstructed S'More.

GAH.

Before I do pictures, I want to say I had a fabulous time with momma! We don't have extravagant dates like this very often anymore, and I do love that we got to have this time! Chef Sarah Smart was a riot (PLEASE be my best friend, Sarah!) and her sous chefs, Kevin and David, were very cool.  I don't know if I was actually good at cooking or if Sarah was just extremely complimentary, but I'll take the ego boost I got.

The soufleé was the standout star of the day, hands down. Though, the homemade marshmallow fluff was delectable.

 

 

She looks serious. It's a ruse. 

 

        

    

 

Happy birthday to the most amazing Momma in the world! Here's to many more adventure's like the ones we had this weekend!