my seefood diet

lobsta rollin'

2010-11-24T22:21:00.004-05:00

Tonight we went to Coastal Flats for dinner. Initially, we wanted to hit up Maggiano's, but our reservation for 7 was denied. I was a little bummed that I wasn't going to taste the tiramisu that Joe & Grace keep raving about, but I was excited to finally sink my teeth into a lobster roll. We started with a few rounds of libations and appetizers and ended the night singing happy birthday on an unbirthday :o)

crispy sweet & spicy calamari

deviled eggs w/spiced pecans & sugar cured bacon

coastal lobster roll

warm flourless choco waffle

happy "birthday" bobby!

green curry chicken

2010-11-19T09:35:00.004-05:00

Thai people are serious about their heat! I seriously under estimated the power of this tiny can. Luckily I had an extra can of coconut milk to counter balance the heat :p

1 can of green curry paste
2 cans of light coconut milk
1 pkg of chicken breast cut into cubes
1 cup of green beans
1 pkg of mushrooms
1 onion cut length wise

saute onion and chicken with oil on medium heat until chicken is cooked
add curry paste and coconut milk and simmer for 15 minutes
add green beans and mushrooms and simmer for another 10 minutes
add salt for taste
serve over rice...enjoy!

baby diaper cake

2010-11-18T15:54:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday I made a diaper cake for my friend's baby shower. Not only was it fun to make, but the mom to be loved it and some of the kids thought it was an actual cake :p I used two packages of diapers (size 1) and filled the middle with baby Aveeno products.

I decorated the cake with lots of baby essentials and laced it with girly bows and headbands.

I used a hand and foot print set as the cake topper and wrapped it up in "it's a girl" ribbon.

I can't wait to meet baby Kaydan :o)

mochi madness

2010-11-04T15:26:00.005-04:00

One summer night the bf and I bought all the flavors of mochi ice cream at our local H Mart (minus strawberry) to satisfy our sweet tooth and deem one flavor as "the best".

I should have went with my gut and picked strawberry over mango! I wasn't feeling the sorbet mochi combo at all. If you haven't had choco mochi you need to get on it ASAP! It is delish, especially when you have a choco craving. Vanilla and red bean is always good, but green tea never disappoints...so we crowned her the winner of the bunch (for this particular brand).

old town scottsdale food tour

2010-10-28T17:41:00.004-04:00

Besides the wedding the only other thing we had planned to do while in Arizona was this food tour. Rated as the #1 thing to do while in Scottsdale, I had to check it out and I couldn't have been happier to experience the good eats of Scottsdale with my favorite foodies.

We were scheduled to meet at the little red school house/historical museum at 11am, which is in the heart of the historic district of Old Town Scottsdale. The girls and I had a little trouble finding the meeting spot (since we weren't from the area) but with the help of our trusty iphones we were able to find it just in time to meet Annie, our tour guide, and the rest of the group. The tour started off with a little history about Scottsdale and the statues of its founders.

First stop: The Mission

chips & salsa (so fresh & so good)

pork tacos (i don't even like pork and this was DELISH)

avocado margaritas...yuuum!!

second stop: Outrageous Olive Oils

I never thought I would enjoy taking shots of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but this shop had such a tasty stock that we couldn't help but come back after the tour to purchase a few bottles to take home.

third stop: The Cider Mill

ruben & homemade root beer

made with local and organic goodness

Walking over to the fourth stop we passed a few cactus and palm trees, but no tumbleweed as anticipated.

fouth stop: Malee's Thai Bistro

thai basil margaritas (super refreshing after walking around in the heat)

tom ka gai

fifth stop: 5th & wine (I wonder if this was planned)

fancy bruschetta

with red & white wine

last stop: Metro Brasserie & Bar

saving the best for last...warm Beignets with nutella

If you're ever in Arizona book tickets to this food tour and show up with an empty stomach :p

lemon pancakes

2010-10-24T13:17:00.006-04:00

I woke up this morning with an intense craving for pancakes. Luckily, I had a box of bisquick heart smart in the pantry and milk in the fridge to whip up a small batch of pancakes. As I was mixing the ingredients I noticed a lone lemon in my fruit tray, so I decided to add it to the mix.

2 cups bisquick heart smart
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon

While cooking the pancakes on low heat, I hit up YouTube for some tunes and came across this video by Jayesslee that instantly put me in a good mood. They're twins from Australia singing my current radio fave . Oh and they're also Korean and super cute. So if you know me then you know that those facts alone already had me smiling. Happy Sunday!

chilli's & oregano's

2010-10-21T09:36:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I flew to Arizona to reunite with my LTFs (life time friends) and to celebrate the Barar nuptials. The flight was 4.5 hours but felt like forever, because I was sitting behind two loud and obnoxious kids. Not only did they not know how to use their quite voices, but they kept rocking back in their seats. I could not wait to get off the plane and see my girls.

As soon as I claimed my bag I headed straight to chilli's to grab a snack and a few drinks with Karen while we waited for Anissa to land from Vegas. We started with grapefruit margaritas and the triple dipper (southwest eggrolls, spinach & artichoke dip, and boneless buffalo wings) and a side of ~~ketchup~~ catch up since the last time we saw each other.

Tambac and Julie met up with us just in time for a second round of drinks.

And then finally Anissa lands and we head off to Oregano's.

Started with a mojito and ordered 3 pies

pizza cookie ending

coffee mate peppermint mocha

2010-10-21T00:13:00.002-04:00

It's baaaaack...and on SALE :p

click here for $1.00 off

tropical rainstorm nicole

2010-09-30T11:52:00.006-04:00

it's been raining cats and dogs nonstop since this morning. perfect noodle soup weather...

top ramen (oriental flavor), hard boiled egg, shrimp, spinach, corn, green onion, red bell pepper, and a few drops of spicy sesame seed oil.

2010-09-13T18:10:00.003-04:00

"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them. "

sushi ko 3 yrs later

2010-06-24T10:35:00.004-04:00

A few days ago the BF and I hit our 3 year 1st date anniversary. We decided to celebrate by going back to where it all started: Sushi Ko at Glover Park. I apologize in advanced for the dark and blurry pictures, but due to low lighting and a few glasses of sake I was unable to snap with a steady hand LOL.

We kicked dinner off with a bottle of unfiltered sake (our fave kind).

Starter: spinach, bamboo shoots, and mushroom salad

We ordered 2 appetizers to hold us over until the main course. 1st dish was the Bonito sashimi drizzled with ponzu and topped with red onion, radish, and mint leaves.

2nd appetizer was the salmon ceviche. Salmon, red onion, sprouts, and roe drizzled with yuzu.

Dinner: spicy scallop roll, rock shrimp & cilantro roll, spicy tuna & sashimi roll

If I could order all over again I would order the salmon ceviche as my starter, appetizer, and main course! Yes, it was THAT good. Not to take away from the rest of the meal, which was delicious, but every bite after the salmon ceviche was gone had me lusting for another order. The citrus salmon combination was so foodgasmic I'm definitely ordering my own portion next time :P

food for thought

2010-06-22T13:09:00.002-04:00

“Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything. These are the secrets of happiness and good health.”

— Julia Child

wishful eating

2010-06-12T15:42:00.002-04:00

It's so hot outside! I wish I was chillin' at the Georgetown waterfront sipping on a frozen mango margarita...

...and feasting on some tuna tartare from Sequoia

brunch in clifton town

2010-06-07T23:12:00.006-04:00

Yesterday the bf & I drove down to Clifton to have brunch with 2 of our favorite couples. The executive chef at Trummer's on Main was named a 2010 Best New Chef by Food & Wine Magazine, so I knew that brunch was going to be delicious. I started with their signature cocktail the titanic, a blend of grape vodka, grapes, and champagne. Topped with "icebergs" It was a nice and refreshing cocktail...perfect for brunch.

The first course was a basket full of zucchini bread, biscuits, and vanilla buns. They were obviously so good that I didn't have time to snap a picture of it. I chose the pineapple parfait for my second course, but I managed to snag the bf's fried green tomato for taste :p

(fried green tomatoes with tomato jam, queso fresco, and tomato syrup)

Third course: shrimp & anis mill grits with english peas, spinach, and comte cheese.

yuuuuuum!The grits were creamy good and paired well with the shrimp.

One of the other dishes came with pancakes that had me salivating, so I ordered a side of pancakes to see they were any good. Each bite was worth the carbs!

Trummer's on Main, I will be back :p

backtracking to NY

2010-05-04T23:06:00.004-04:00

momofuku noodle bar 4/23/10

ginger scallion noodles – seasonal vegetables, cucumber, menma (side order of broth)

Verdict: The broth was way too salty that I had to order a side of hot water to save my tastebuds. Annie & April said the steamed pork buns were legit. I might be biased from my many years of living in Japan, but I don't see the hype over this noodle house. Two words: overpriced ramen! I've been here twice and the only thing consistent at this spot is the wait to get a table. Atleast the waitstaff is nice :o)

how to eat a cupcake

2010-05-03T09:00:00.001-04:00

I love cupcakes just like everyone else, but did you know that there is an actual cupcake eating process? Neither did I! Until my girl Annie showed me the technique...

peel

cut

stack

enjoy!

The perfect portion of cake and icing in every bite :o)

ice on wheels

2010-04-30T09:04:00.001-04:00

I'm a big fan of food trucks, but this one is my favorite to date:

Van Leeuwen serves the most delicious Artisan ice cream on the block! If you're ever in NY and see a long line and this yellow truck...get in line. The peppermint and chip is the truth :p

pb&b

2010-04-29T16:14:00.001-04:00

creamy peanut butter + banana on Trader Joe's skinny wheat bread

foto friday: froyo

2010-03-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Last week I cruised the Caribbean with eight of my best girlfriends to celebrate Jenn's last days as a single woman. The week was filled with lots of laughs, drinks, and food! Here's a glimpse of one of our daily vices:

choco & vanilla frozen yogurt

love at first bite: macaroons

2010-03-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

salty caramel was my fave!

Authentic french macaroons by Michel Patisserie. Best I ever had...until I visit France ;)

a bite of greece, turkey, and lebanon in DC

2010-03-09T09:00:00.003-05:00

On Saturday the BF and I ventured into DC with one of our favorite couples to check out the museums and enjoy the springish weather. After hitting up the portrait gallery, we stumbled into Zaytinya to "snack" on some Greek, Turkish, and Lebanese inspired fare. The waiter suggested we each order 3 dishes to share, but we opted for the pick 3 spreads:

Hommus (puree of chickpeas, garlic and tahini)
Htipiti (marinated roasted red peppers, feta, thyme)
Tzatziki (yogurt with diced cucumbers and dill)

which we ate with the bread. The bread was so good, that I forgot to take a picture of it. Then we each ordered one mezze. Below are two of my favorites. We also ordered the mini crab cakes and Shish Taouk (grilled chicken, sumac onions, grilled tomatoes, garlic tuom), which were also outstanding. The grilled chicken was super tender and packed with flavor and the crab cakes were packed with crab meat.

Garides Me Anitho
sautéed shrimp, dill, shallots, mustard and lemon juice

Octopus Santorini
grilled baby octopus, marinated onions, capers , yellow split pea puree

The shrimp was soooo good! I'm definitely going to try and recreate the sauce in my own kitchen :p The octopus was delish and was just the right portion for the four of us to share. The octopus had a nice smokey flavor that the sauce complimented. We're so glad we didn't listen to the waiter and order 3 dishes each! We walked away full and 100% satisfied.

monday blues

2010-03-08T16:25:00.001-05:00

blueberry pancakes

vampire fruit

2010-02-25T18:16:00.000-05:00

current obsession: blood oranges

pecantarts

2010-02-24T00:44:00.006-05:00

I feel like every family has a "signature" dish that they bring to parties. This is ours:

onesies

2010-02-16T22:28:00.005-05:00

Cooking for one sucks. Not only do you have to think about how to adjust the ingredients, but you also have to have the proper cooking utensils. Luckily my mom gave me this clay pot for one when I visited her in Japan last year.

It's a great cooking piece to have when you have to cook for yourself. It's the perfect size and cooks everything evenly and super fast. One of my favorite dishes to make in this pot is my 10 minute veggie casserole. Yup, 10 minutes...Rachel Ray take that!

directions:

1. Chop desired veggies for one and saute in clay pot with butter ( I used baby portabella mushrooms, red peppers, fresh basil, and onions)

2. After veggies are cooked, fill the pot with your favorite pasta sauce and top with shredded cheese (I used a blend of mozzarella, parmesan, and provolone) and cover until all the cheese is melted.

3. Enjoy a perfect portion for one!

foto friday: cilantro

2010-02-12T08:34:00.000-05:00

I looooove cilantro...

...and here's 5 reasons why you should too:

Cilantro acts to increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind), and reduces LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)
Cilantro wards off urinary tract infections
Cilantro has been shown to reduce menstrual cramping.
Helps promote healthy liver function.
Cilantro helps ease conjunctivitis, as well as eye-aging, macular degeneration, and other stressors on the eyes.

thai chicken with green beans

2010-02-11T23:25:00.004-05:00

I used this recipe, but made a few adjustments. I substituted beef with chicken and chili paste with cayenne pepper. I also added lime zest for extra zing and dissed the scallions for red onions :p

garlic shrimp alllll day

2010-02-10T16:57:00.002-05:00

This is currently my favorite south beach friendly meal. Just chop up a lot of fresh garlic (I used 10 cloves) and saute in a pan of hot oil for about a minute. Then add fresh shrimp and stir fry until pink. Reduce heat and cover the pan to cook the shrimp thoroughly (about 3 minutes).

The sauw sauw: vinegar, fresh minced garlic, and a few shakes of my favorite Dash!

Fresh steamed broccoli to meet the veggie quota.

hello jell-o

2010-02-09T17:15:00.006-05:00

I miss fruit. I miss peeling oranges. Thank Kraft there's Jello! I usually buy the prepackaged jello cups, but then I realized that they were $4 for 6 cups. The DIY box of jello only cost 85 cents, so guess what I did? I made orange jello cupcakes :p

Just follow the directions on the box and pour even amounts of liquid in aluminum cupcake liners. Let them set for 4 hours. These are more fun to eat and are budget babe friendly. Enjoy!

a SUPER BOWL of guac

2010-02-09T16:36:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend Jack Frost laced my neighborhood with 30+ inches of snow. In an attempt to cure a case of cabin fever, the BF and I trekked to the Kim's to watch the Saints take down the the Colts. Joe made us some guacamole to snack on during the big game.

Sorry that the picture is a little blurry. This has got to be one of the best guacamole dips I've ever had. I found out the trick to this tasty dish: lime zest!

Apparently I was missing out on the great guac + chip combo, but it was still banging with my sliced cucumbers :p

foto friday: crazy daisy cake

2010-02-05T10:40:00.005-05:00

It's been twelve days since I've given up sweets, so when I came across this picture of a black hound cake I had a few weeks earlier in NY, I nearly drooled.

Chocolate White Chocolate Cake...Layers of bittersweet chocolate cake filled with white chocolate buttercream, finished with white chocolate buttercream and chocolate cake crumbs around the sides, and decorated on top with a pink marzipan daisy.

meet me on clinton street

2010-02-02T21:36:00.008-05:00

Ever since I saw the blueberry pancake showdown, I've been anxious to hit up Clinton St. to devour a pancake...or two! Whenever I'm in NY I put Clinton St. on my agenda, but all my attempts have been failures due to the looooong wait for a table. Apparently you have to show up at 8am (opening time) to avoid the up to two hour wait for a table. 8am and I do not mix.

The pancake Gods must have noticed my many failed attempts and managed to open a slot for a party of 3 on a random Wednesday in the middle of the afternoon. I was excited to find out we only had to wait twenty minutes!

Wild Maine blueberry pancakes with warm maple butter. These tasted as good as they looked. Imagine a mashup of a buttermilk biscuit and a moist cake made from scratch. That good!

Warm. Maple. Butter. TDF! Worth every single calorie :p

Blueberry goodness

I ordered a beet salad to fulfill my veggie quota, because I knew I would over indulge in carbs during this meal. Fresh LES beets with almonds, chives, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Beat the beets! (for all you jersey shore fans lol)

Veggie sandwich: avocado, muenster, beefsteak tomato, romaine, sprouts, herb mayo on 7 grain toast with mixed greens. fresh, fresh, fresh!!!

Sweet potato fries from an LES garden.

The twenty minute wait turned into an hour and a half food orgasm. Next time I'm in NY I'm definitely gonna wake up in the single digits for a repeat!

layers of mozzarella goodness

2010-02-02T09:07:00.001-05:00

Trader Joe's makes it super easy to make a caprese salad with their package of already sliced mozzarella. Just slice up some tomatoes, pick a few basil leaves, drizzle with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and add salt & pepper...viola!

And you can do it all in a to go container...perfect afternoon snack!

homemade 7 up

2010-02-01T08:59:00.001-05:00

I've been watching my carb and sugar intake since Monday with hopes of shedding the 20 + lbs I gained over the holidays. My rice and noodle pangs are starting to subside, but my thirst for soda is still lingering. I'm trying to move away from diet soda consumption, so I came up with this simple recipe for a sugar free 7 up: club soda + lemon + lime

The only carb(onation) I can have!

foto friday: corn

2010-01-29T17:18:00.003-05:00

Whenever I'm in NY I make it a point to grab some corn at Cafe Habana. No matter how long the wait is to get a table, this mouthwatering grilled corn with chili powder, cotija cheese, and lime makes it worth the wait!

The rest of Cafe Habana's menu is pretty legit, but the corn definitely gets the gold star.

moby's chicks

2010-01-28T15:48:00.004-05:00

Since I'm no longer chicken to try chicken, I figured I'd show you today's lunch.

Moby Dick's chicken kabob. I usually devour the savory butter rice at MD, but since I've started my mission to "get thin in twenty ten" I had to go with the salad.

domo arigato

2010-01-27T21:57:00.005-05:00

I try to coordinate a lunch or dinner date with my girl Louise when we're both in VB, since we barely get to see see each other in NY or Nova. Over the holidays we met up at ~~Nagoya~~ Domo (Louise's fave) for some sushi. Unfortunately my camera was low on battery, so I only have pics of half the food we ordered.

agedashi tofu

white tuna jalapeno

november & december rolls

fruit on sushi is actually tasty...and cute!

Tuna Carpacio. I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about eating this b/c it doesn't look appetizing. Boy was I wrong! Thank Lou for putting me on. This dish is a must order at Domo...don't sleep!

freebie sushi for ordering so much

cheers!

freeport foodie highlights

2010-01-26T18:17:00.003-05:00

I had every intention of blogging about the Bahamas with full deets, but I'm not gonna lie...I'm lazy! So instead of just scrapping the idea all together I thought I'd just give you all the highlights of the trip.

frozen mango margaritas on the beach with a straw full-o-rum!

mojito's with dinner

We went back to agave for dinner and got seated inside. This time we got kitchen view!

Lunch at Billy Joe's

Prime seating

Fresh conch salad

Fresh coconut water

I love feta. I love veggies. I love feta on my veggies :p

This is what gluttony looks like:

swimmin' in tomato soup

2010-01-25T22:54:00.006-05:00

avocado + mozzarella + olive oil + basil + cayenne pepper
in creamy tomato soup

freeport foodie day #1

2010-01-24T21:16:00.008-05:00

For Christmas the BF surprised me with a trip to the Bahamas for the New Year. We were anxious to bask in the Bahamian sun and forget about the freezing rain and 20 degree weather back home. Fortunately we landed in Freeport just in time to see this from our balcony.

We hit the after deck bar as soon as we finished checking into our hotel and got to the beerz-niz.

battle of the beerz

Sands is where it's at! It tastes like a cold crisp bud light :p

After our beers we walked over to Zorba's for lunch. We ordered the calamari with a "K" as an appetizer to share.

kalamari

I ordered the seafood platter (conch fritters, fried grouper, lobster, shrimp, and veggies)

After all that fried food and few more beers we headed to the beach to "walk it off", but ended up hanging out on beach chairs that lead us into food coma. We woke up to this view and realized we only had a few hours of 2009 left and was about to head into a new decade.

We decided to hit up Agave for our last meal of oh nine.

I couldn't decide between strawberry and pina colada, so I got both via Miami Vice!

Fresh fish tacos!

And a side of fireworks (table view)

After dinner we walked into the town square to party with the other tourist and locals.

world wide web diet

2010-01-21T15:16:00.005-05:00

I've been internet deprived for the past week and it feels kinda funny. Not funny funny where I was feining for wifi like a crack addict...a good kinda funny. Like a breath of fresh air. Anyway, during my internet diet I started to dwell over the purpose of this blog. Originally I wanted to blog as a way to improve my photography skills though food fotos, but I was apprehensive about the writing part because 1) I'm a horrible writer 2) I'm an even worse speller and 3) I really don't think i have anything interesting to write about. And then I started to wonder if anyone was going to actually see my blog or even become frequent visitors. Gaaah so much pressure. Then it hit me.

Blogs are personal.

All those worries should be thrown out the window and I should just blog in any style/format that I feel like on that given day. Because at the end of the day this url should reflect who I am...or in my case what I eat. So with that said I have to admit that I'm trying to reintroduce chicken into my diet. Mainly because I get food envy when I see the savory chicken dishes my friends devour, but also because I need variety. I'm not saying that I'm going to go hardcore and join the Chick Fil A advertising team...I'm just gonna give chicken a second glance as I roll through the produce aisle or the poultry menu section. So anyway, welcome to my blog where I share pictures and stories of what I eat...every day. Atleast I'll try everyday...

Here's a virtual cupcake for all my followers. Thanks for looking!

whooooo's house? santa's house!

2010-01-12T16:01:00.006-05:00

Ever since I moved to VA our family and close family friends have been gathering at my aunt's house to celebrate Christmas. The night is pretty routine...eat, karaoke, and wait until the stroke of midnight to open gifts. When we were kids it wasn't too hard to stay up until midnight, while the aunties and uncles "played cards". Fast forward 14 years later...staying up til midnight is a stretch! So in order to keep the kiddies entertained and all the older folk awake, I put together a little gingerbread house competition. We couldn't find any gingerbread house kits, so we had to made due with graham crackers and random holiday treats.

house 1 (santa's cottage)

house 2 (santa's condo)

house 3 (santa's cupcake retreat)

house 4 (santa's tent)

house 5 (santa's castle)

house 6 (santa's monument)

Since it was a competition, I asked the aunties to pick the winner.

Cutie pie Ava wins with house 6! She hired her uncles as contractors LOL

The aftermath

monday blues

2010-01-11T17:18:00.000-05:00

2% milk + blueberries + special K

foto friday: lemons

2010-01-08T09:23:00.004-05:00

Lemons not only have a wonderful fragrance, but can also act as a green replacement for cleaning chemicals used around the home that aren't so environmentally friendly. More uses for lemons here.

VB Holidaze

2010-01-07T00:25:00.006-05:00

I always travel to Virginia Beach for the holidays, because that's where family is. I'm fortunate enough to have a cool boss man who allowed me to telecommute from VB in order to spend the whole week of Christmas at home. There's something about being home for a week that puts me in vacay mode. Maybe it's the chill vibe the area brings, the mulitiple names/faces I recognize when I'm at any local spot, or the familiarity I have with the backroads, highways, and byways. Being home just feels....good! And the positive vibes are even higher when you're surrounded by your family and good food :p Sometimes I feel bad that I have such "OA" dietary requirements, but my aunt never lets me down with her Christmas spread. My cousin let me use her fisheye lens to capture my faves of the night.

Mini Shrimp Tempura

Butter Garlic Asparagus

Shrimp Cocktail

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes (not the lechon!)

Peacan Tarts (not the HenRock lol)

Fresh Cherries + Grapes

Fresh Veggie Lumpia :p

taste of las vegas day 3

2010-01-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

Our third day in Vegas was designated as the spa day for the ladies, while the gents slept in. After an hour of relaxation we headed off the strip to the M resort for the seafood buffet. So far this is my favorite buffet in LV!

plate 1

plate 2 (best mac & cheese ever!)

salmon curry yomz!

plate 3 (all you can drink beer + wine)

plate 4 (I had two plates of these :p)

dessert (I had 2 fun size mint choco cones :p)

We sat at our table for about 2 hours and then hit the tables to win some "fun" money for XS later on that night. We partied with our friends Bel, Pat, and Roy at the best club in LV!

patron + pineapple for the ladies

That night was packed with XS energy and XS fun...best LV trip to date!

taste of las vegas day 2

2010-01-05T11:02:00.004-05:00

The next morning Lynette and I woke up early to jump out of a plane with Kyle & Scottie. Skydiving definitely worked up our appetites, so we hit up the Bellagio buffet for lunch.

plate 1

Mozzarella + Pesto

Clam Chowder (with red pepper flakes)

Plate 2

Spicy Tuna Handroll

Plate 3

Dessert...just for taste :p

Can't go wrong with choco + vanilla!

And then it was nap time! For dinner we headed out to Planet Hollywood for some Asian flava at Koi.

Hamachi Fusion . Yellowtail with jalapenos and ponzu sauce (one of my faves!)

Steamed Chilean Sea Bass with ginger, ichimi, and shiitake mushrooms.

taste of las vegas day 1

2010-01-04T00:10:00.001-05:00

I know it's been awhile since I last blogged. I was on a roll in the beginning of December...I was blogging everyday for two straight weeks! Then I hit vacation mode and it was lights out...Whenever I go on vacay my blogging usually takes a backseat. Even though I bring my laptop with me with the intent to blog...the fun usually takes over and all my "material" sits in my camera until I get home to upload.The past month was filled with 3 vacays that not only gave me alot of juicy pictures to post, but also added about 5 inches to my love handles and roughly 10 lbs to my jelly belly. But I'm not complaining...that's what the New Year is for right? Now that my vacation days have come to a painful halt, I figured I'd relive my days of gluttony with the world.

The week before Christmas I flew to Vegas with 4 other couples to celebrate the thirtieth birthday of one of my best. The weekend was filled with delicious drinks, never ending buffets, and lots of laughs. Here's how day 1 went down:

Paris at Midnight (a coffee + liquor concoction that helped us ease into west coast time zone)

Pomegranate Mojito Martini (multiple rounds b/c it was buy one get one free!)

Bleu Cheese wedge salad (my snack before Tao)

Walking to Tao at the Venetian

Goose + Tonic all night.

Worst shot ever...

...put me on water for the rest of the night!

bornday

2009-12-19T09:00:00.003-05:00

If my oven was in working condition I would bake these for one of my best.

Happy Birthday April!!!

bornday

2009-12-16T10:12:00.002-05:00

If my oven was in working condition I would bake a cake and decorate it like this for one of my best...

Happy Birthday Louise!!!

a trader joe's breakfast

2009-12-15T14:00:00.003-05:00

buy

layer

scoop

burp

craving: lobster corndog + 80 degrees

2009-12-14T12:25:00.006-05:00

Main Entry: crav·ing Pronunciation: \ˈkrā-viŋ\
Function: noun
: an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing

It's been insanely cold the past week and I'm starting to sink into the melancholy state of mind that usually comes with arctic temperatures. Today I tried to fill my head with "warm" thoughts by listening to the lollapalooza mix that my girl Rachel made for us while we were in Chicago this past summer for the festival. It seemed to do the trick, because now my mind and stomach are thinking about the yummy lobster corndogs and summer temperatures instead of the 40 degree weather that's waiting for me outside.

Madddd lobster and a crisp corndog shell topped with garlic aioli and lemon :p

foto friday: blueberries

2009-12-11T11:20:00.005-05:00

Aren't blueberries cute?

Not only are they delicious, but they're loaded with antioxidants. Delish fresh or frozen :p

blendy coffee sticks

2009-12-10T16:29:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I received a care package from my mom. I was super excited to open the box and see all the goodies she sent all the way from Japan! I was so happy to see that she used a mixture of all my favorite instant coffee packs as a insulation for all the yummy Japanese snacks she sent. Some of the snacks can be found at any Asian grocery store, but not these babies:

I'm not a huge fan of many instant food products, because they usually end up tasting like cardboard. For some reason the Japanese always do it right! These little packets contain the perfect blend of coffee, cream, and sugar. Just add hot water and you're good to go. Thanks mom, I have another reason to savebucks not starbucks! These will def. come in handy during snowboarding season ;o)

I figured it was only appropriate to drink my first cup of blendy out of the starbucks mug I got from Japan last year.

avocado + tomatoes = bff

2009-12-09T14:50:00.004-05:00

Thanks to blushing ambition for this super simple recipe!

Cut one avocado into bite size pieces.

Slice a handful of tomatoes ( I cut 1/2 a cup of heirloom tomatoes into halves)

Squeeze 1/2 a lemon on the avocados & tomatoes

Chop up about 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro

Dice up about 1/4 cup of onions (I almost skipped the onions, but I'm glad I didn't. These babies gave the dish a nice kick and much needed crunch)

Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil and mix. Add a pinch of salt for taste and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for heat. Voila!

rub with love

2009-12-08T14:54:00.003-05:00

buy rub

marinate tuna

sear quickly

enjoy

flirty thirty veggie tempura

2009-12-07T15:19:00.009-05:00

On Saturday the bf turned 30, so I decided to treat him to his favorite dish: Chicken Katsu. Of course I had to whip up a veggie version for myself...

sweet potato, onions, & cauliflower

flour, eggs, & panko

step one: dip veggie in eggs
step two: roll veggie in flour
step three: dip veggie in eggs

step four: roll veggie in panko

panko covered veggies!

step five: deep fry panko covered veggies in super hot peanut oil until golden brown.
step six: place deep fried veggies on a paper towel to absorb excess oil, then place on a bed of cabbage.

The Verdict:
Sweet potato & onion tempura hit the spot. Cauliflower tempura was a total miss!
The soba was the heavy hitter for the night :p

Place dry soba noodles in a pot of boiling water then drain after noodles are cooked. Rinse noodles under cold running water.

Place noodles in a bowl of cold soba sauce.

Top with chopped green onion, seaweed flakes, and Japanese red pepper. Yomz!

5 minute breakfast

2009-12-04T12:26:00.004-05:00

I eat breakfast everyday. Yup, I said everyday. Even if I'm in a rush in the morning I still manage to whip a little something to get my day started right. One of my ultimate quickies is an egg sandwich topped with some type of veggie and cheese. Protein + veggie + dairy + grains = breakfast for champions.

Directions:
Scramble one egg with a pinch of red pepper flakes (increase metabolism at the start of the day)
Place cooked eggs on a plate and slice one whole grain English muffin in half
Heat the English muffin halves in the pan for 30 seconds then add scrambled eggs on one slice
Top the eggs with veggies (fresh basil today) and cheese (pepper jack today) and cover with the other English muffin slice

a dose of longevity

2009-12-03T14:43:00.009-05:00

One of the perks of working at AARP is the access to information regarding health and aging. I recently came across an article that spelled out the benefits of a Mediterranean diet. The key ingredient: olive oil. Curiosity killed the cat, so I googled "foods you should eat every day". The most recommended food: tomatos. Thinking I could get a dose of longevity in one meal I came up with this salad:

After slicing a handful of heirloom tomatos, hearts of palm, and fresh basil; I added a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat and drizzled a tablespoon of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for some twang.

Viola! A yummy fountain of youth...

craving: popcorn jacob

2009-12-02T15:56:00.003-05:00

Main Entry: crav·ing
Pronunciation: \ˈkrā-viŋ\
Function: noun

: an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing

Today it's for popcorn and ~~the abs of~~ a side of jacob black!!

district food tour

2009-12-01T15:15:00.012-05:00

I don't know how this happened, but I completely forgot to rehash the DC food tour that went down last month when my girl Annie was visiting from Chicago. Get ready to salivate...

Our first stop was Granville Moore's in DC. I heard about Granville Moore's when Bobby Flay challenged GM's chef, Teddy Folkman, to a moule frites throwdown on the Food Network. Chef Teddy beat Bobby with his moules formage blue, so you better believe that's what we ordered. It's loaded with Hook's blue cheese, shallots, spinach, white wine, lemon juice and bacon.

The mussels & fries were cooked perfectly, but it was all about the "sabao". No joke. Once you get a taste you'll understand why this dish beat out the great Bobby Flay. The sauce was soooo good that the dipping sauces that came with the fries (truffle aioli & horseradish creme) took a back seat. If you love blue cheese & mussels venture out to NE DC. It's worth it...I promise.

I took Annie to my favorite frozen yogurt spot in Reston. I swear Ice Berry is the only good thing about living in Reston. Refreshing probiotics topped with mangos, granola, and mochi!

After a quick tour of the DC monuments we hit up Ben's Chili bowl.

The line was no joke! But the jukebox dished out good tunes that got the staff moving and laced the spot with positive vibes. We were tempted to ask for the playlist on top of our food order.

Annie and Ferdie split an original half smoked with chips, which according to them was "worth the wait".

I ordered the veggie chilli cheese fries & coleslaw.

nom, nom, nomz...

so official...

We hit up Georgtown cupcakes, and ordered the usual suspects for dessert (red velvet, mocha, coconut).

Shopping in Georgetown built up our appetites, so we headed into Fairfax and hit up Captain Pell's to satisfy Ferdie's craving for crabs.

Blue crabs, oysters, corn on the cob, fries, clams, shrimps, and scallops! I wish I took a picture of the hush puppies...those hit the spot :p Notice we had two bottles of tobasco. The only thing missing was a bowl of rice LOL

Starbucks Savebucks

2009-11-30T15:28:00.012-05:00

I'm usually a simple girl when it comes to Starbucks. My staple drink is a tall house coffee. I skip all the fancy beverages to keep the pennies in my pocket and my sugar level in check. I really didn't get the whole "I'm craving Starbucks" thing until I discovered the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha latte. Since then I've graduated from ordering talls to ordering grandes in complete Starbucks lingo...grande 2 pump (one pump of each) peppermint white chocolate mocha latte with skim milk and no whip...tepid! Yeah it sounds like a mouth full, but it has become my new fave. I'm telling you...it's all about the "timpla". The grandes are served with FOUR pumps of white chocolate and peppermint syrup each, which screams liquid diabetes! And like a crack fein I've dropped close to $50 in the past week to satisfy my unruly Starbucks craving. I felt like I needed to go into rehab in order to have some money for Christmas presents.

Yesterday my sister put me on to Coffee Mate's seasonal creamers and it was game over! No need for rehab LOL. Today, I found it on sale at Safeway for $2.15 which brought it down to $1.15 with my coupon.

The "timpla" is a 2 second pour into a cup of homemade coffee. Save bucks not starbucks! Thank you Coffee Mate...I'm now follwing you on twitter...

smokin' salmon

2009-11-23T12:20:00.004-05:00

Ever since my girl Janelle ordered the smoked salmon platter at M&S for dinner a few weeks back, I've have crazy cravings for smoked salmon! So I hit up Trader Joe's for some smoked salmon and other essentials to make my own salmon platter.

I was never really a fan of capers until now. These little buds pack just the right amount of salt to compliment the smoked salmon.

After chopping up all the veggies and smoked salmon, I loaded each cracker with a bit of cucumber, onion, capers, tomato, smoked salmon and goat cheese. And for health, I drizzled a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on top of all the goodness and hit it up with a dash of cayenne red pepper for some sass.

Nom, nom, nom, nomz! Salmon craving sat-is-fied!

charm city eats

2009-11-17T22:30:00.018-05:00

I was psyched when my girl Annie found $90 round trip tickets from the Midwest to Baltimore! Even though BWI is an hour drive from my crib, I thought it would be nice to get away from NOVA and check out what "charm city" had to offer. Our first stop was Blue Moon Cafe for some yummy eggs benedict and their famous Captain Crunch french toast! I'm typically a pancake lover, but this french toast had me at first bite.

After breakfast we hit up the Hampden area for some vintage and boutique shopping (and to walk off our fatty brunch). We managed to slip into Common Ground for a good cup of joe and then headed back to our hotel to rest up before dinner.

Voted as one of Baltimore's best in 2009, we hit up L.P. Steamers for what the city is known for: Blue Crabs!

The beer and crabs came out first...

then the coleslaw (b/c you have to have some gulay lol) * I love homemade coleslaw*

and the seafood platter last...

I have to admit that the combination of ice cold miller light and old bay was a winner!

The next morning we hit up Miss Shirley's for a southern comfort brunch.

The fried green tomatoes with lemon herb aioli were a hit!

The Chesapeake deviled eggs were a miss! (deviled egg with jumbo lump crabmeat)

I ordered the Crab & Fried Green Tomato Eggs Benedict, which hit the spot! (poached eggs, jumbo lump crab meat & corn hash with roasted red pepper hollandaise sauce)

Thank you bmore for being so charming and filling our bellies with good eats!

Jackson's Indian Summer

2009-11-10T13:25:00.003-05:00

Looks like Mother Nature decided to bless us with an Indian Summer before hitting us with a cold winter. Last Sunday temperatures reached a whopping 73 degrees, so me and the BF decided to eat brunch at the Reston Town Center. We wanted to sit outdoors, so we decided to eat at Jackson's. Unfortunately we had to settle for indoor seating, since all the table tops outside were taken :x

We started off with deviled eggs topped with spiced pecans. Yum! The best deviled eggs I've ever had. Pecans are waaaaay better toppers than paprika and adds texture and a hint of sass to each bite.

One of the specials of the day was acorn squash baked with brown sugar and topped with spiced pecans. At this point I'm already a huge fan of pecans, so a sprinkle of brown sugar made this veggie a winner in my book! I devoured this dish before I got my main entree.

Main entree: Jumbo lump crab cakes with hand cut fries and cole slaw

All crab and little cake...just how like it :p

double engagment, double the fun

2009-11-03T22:38:00.009-05:00

This weekend I met up with some of my favorite girls at Mccormick & Schmicks to celebrate two engagements. After hearing the proposal deets and catching up on our daily lives, we feasted on fresh seafood and washed everything down with glasses of moscato. Like clock work I whipped out my camera to capture the dishes as soon as my food was served, but the dreaded "change battery pack" message flashed across the LCD. Thanks to Sheila's SLR (and awesome speed light) I was able to capture the goodness before it made its way into my stomach.

sea scallops with spinach risotto

caprese salad: red & yellow tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella and topped with basil and balsamic vinegar

After dinner we were all stuffed to the brim, but we managed to save room for a slice of heath ice cream cake!

Congrats Pam & Sheila!

taste of richmond

2009-11-02T23:20:00.006-05:00

Last week I spent 3 days in Richmond for a Virginia Oracle Users Group Conference. Not only was I able to get some Oracle training, but I was able to spend some quality time with one of my favorite couples: Jing & Jeff. Each morning Jing hooked me up with a breakfast for champions and at night we would indulge in Glee, Grey's Anatomy, and Aruba planning.

chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries

mushroom & spinach omelet with Parmesan cheese

I even managed to squeeze in a dinner with an old friend at Kenji. If you're ever in Richmond and craving good sushi hit this spot up, you won't be disappointed!

cucumber salad

spicy scallop roll + rainbow roll

The sebastian roll: shrimp tempura topped with white tuna, fresh crab meat, tobiko, and spicy mayo

On my last night Jeff ordered a spinach, tomato, and ricotta cheese pie.

tuesday drama, pasta, and mocha

2009-10-28T19:43:00.004-04:00

It's so hard to plan a date with my girl Kris because our work and travel schedules seem to always get in the way. So when last Tuesday posed as an opportunity for a get together we decided to turn it into a 30 going on 13 slumber party to make up for lost time.

She made some edemame for us to munch on while we cooked up some garlic pasta + shrimp and scampi.

shrimp & scallop scampi

ingredients:

juice of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons of melted butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon old bay
10 fresh shrimp
4 fresh scallops

directions:

Place shrimp and scallops in 3 tablespoon of butter and top with all the herbs and cook in a shallow pan or NUwave oven. After the shrimp and scallops are cooked mix in the lemon juice and serve.

garlic pasta

ingredients:

1/2 box of spaghetti noodles
3 tablespoons of fresh minced garlic
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of dried parsley

directions:

Cook spaghetti noodles al dente. After noodles are cooked, saute garlic in olive oil until it becomes light golden brown in a large pan. Add noodles and parsley and toss (sinag style) until the noodles are evenly coated with oil, garlic, and parsley.

We devoured the shellfish goodness and pasta while we took in the drama of 90210, melrose place, the hills, and the city.

The moscato was a perfect liquid dessert and got me loose enough to crush over Justin Bobby lol.

Mocha, the cutest little shorkie couldn't get enough of me.

taste of new york

2009-10-27T00:26:00.008-04:00

This past weekend I hit up New York to reunite with my one of my Chicago loves. This is how we got down....

bulgoi + bonchon chicken + seafood pancake + soju

mozzarella, basil, and basil stuffed eggplant

bruschetta bowties

penne romano pasta salad

escargot in garlic butter

moules frites

creme brulee

cafe con leche

famous corn

can i have some hot sauce???

acai topper

bruschetta + tomato, mozzarella, basil, and roasted red pepper salad

1/2 pepperoni + 1/2 margarita pizza

red pepper flakes aka "table side kick"

chocolate hazelnut + chocolate chip rice pudding

VB craving

2009-10-20T16:48:00.005-04:00

Sometimes I really miss living in Virginia Beach, especially when I'm craving Tida Thai's crispy fish with spicy mango. Remember, don't judge a book by its cover...this place is legit for Thai eats.

Stir-fried mango, fresh chili garlic, lime juice, cilantro and red onion.

Crispy flounder

Happy tastebuds!

blueberry & pomegranate brunch

2009-10-16T00:17:00.009-04:00

One of the things we wanted to do in NY was hit up Clinton St bakery to taste the blueberry pancakes that battled our boy Bobby during a throwdown. But due to bad time management we missed the boat, so we had to settle for an alternative during brunch at the metropolitan the next day.

Not bad as an alternative! Each bite was packed with just enough blueberry to savor the flavor and the cakes were soft and cakey...just how I like them. Since it was brunch, we also ordered the Moroccan shrimp salad. I hate ordering a salad to find out that it's just a plate full of lettuce and typical veggies laced with some ordinary dressing which you could have probably made at home for half the price! That's definitely not the case with this salad.

The salad is tossed in a pomegranate molasses and topped with fresh artichokes and Moroccan seasoned shrimp. I'm typically not a huge fan of arugula, but the combination of its peppery flavor and sweetness of the pomegranate put this salad on my list of faves.

tristate fall break

2009-10-14T20:30:00.016-04:00

I love my cousin Jill. Not only is she a fellow pescatarian, she's also my official "taste bud". We eat like a team in order to maximize the flavors of any menu. Our days are always spontaneous adventures with a side of good eats and a handful of laughs. This weekend Jill was on fall break from ODU, so we mapped out a tristate adventure to get the most of her days off. We kicked off our weekend in NY... the city of sample sales, bowls of fun, and itty bitty cupcakes.

Yummylicious tomato soup at Bread.

Yes, it was that good! Each spoonful of soup tasted like a bite of a fresh juicy red tomato.

After lunch we picked up some mini cupcakes baked by Melissa and enjoyed them on stoop around the corner. It was love at first bite!

I finally got my 'smore fix!

By the time we were ready to hit up another neighborhood it was already time to catch our bus to Atlantic City. Two hours and a few neck cramps later, we arrived at the Borgata anxious for dinner at Bobby Flay.

shrimp cocktail with smoked chili horseradish

AC chopped salad with dijon vinaigrette

lobster-crab cake with basil sauce and red pepper pesto

halibut in white clam sauce with parsley pesto

I only have two words for dinner: spot hitter. And even though we were 'unbutton your pants' full from dinner, we still managed to hit up Ben & Jerry's to savor some pumpkin cheesecake ice cream. Yes, we're fat like that, plus we had to take advantage of the pumpkin flavor before it goes out of season.

fresh veggie sandwich with spicy basil mayo

2009-10-06T20:41:00.006-04:00

Don't you hate it when you get that mouth watering, gotta have it right away food craving for something that's only sold at one place...and that one place is not within driving distance? Ugh, it sucks! Last week I was craving a fresh vegetable sandwich from Bread & Butter. The mint chili chutney is fresh, spicy, and full of flavor,which is why this sandwich is on my list of faves. Knowing that I wouldn't be back in the AC vicinity any time soon, I had to come up with my own alternative to satisfy my intolerable craving.

Basil Mayonnaise

1 cup good mayonnaise
10 to 15 basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions

Whisk together the mayonnaise, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on the top of 2 slices of bread. Stack sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions on top of one bread slice. Place the remaining slice of bread, mayonnaise side down, on top of the stack of vegetables and cut the sandwich in half and serve.

Chomp! This sandwich lasted 2 minutes...mission "fresh veggie sandwich" accomplished!

dc metro cupcake crawl 2009: georgetown cupcake

2009-10-05T22:42:00.005-04:00

After hello cupcake we headed to Georgetown Cupcakes to wrap up CC 2009. As expected, the line was super long, but after 30 minutes we had lemon berry, mocha, and red velvet cupcakes to go. We decided to save the taste test for later in order to let our sugar level balance itself out. I wish Georgetown Cupcakes invested in better to go containers for their cupcakes, because collateral damage is never good when you've got precious cargo.

The red velvet isn't one of GTC's popular flavors for no reason. This chocolate and vanilla cream cheese cup of goodness deserves all its praise. Chocolate + red + cream cheese = bomb dot com!

The lemon berry is a lemon and raspberry cake topped with a raspberry frosting and candied lemon peel. The cake was sweet and fruity, but I didn't taste much raspberry in the frosting. I guess I had high expectations after the you tart cupcake I had earlier.

The mocha is a valrhona chocolate cupcake with a mocha frosting topped with a chocolate covered espresso bean. Even though this cupcake wasn't the prettiest of the batch (due to collateral damage during transit) this was the best one! Each bite tasted like the the perfect blend of sugar, cream, and caffeine.

dc metro cupcake crawl 2009: hello cupcake

2009-10-05T21:28:00.004-04:00

After Buzz and a piece of ACKC, April and I headed to Dupont Circle to check out Hello Cupcake.

After our sugar filled breakfast we swore we would stick to the one cupcake per person rule, regardless of how yummy all the cupcakes looked. It was hard to choose just two from the list of 12 flavors they had on display, but we eventually settled with the you tart and black forest cherry. April was the cupcake surgeon on call that day, so she was in charge of cutting the cakes into perfect bite size portions.

The you tart cupcake is a sassy lemon cake topped with lemon cream cheese frosting and yellow sugar sprinkles. This cupcake was named right! It was perfectly moist and tart and delivered enough lemon zest to counter balance all the chocolate from our previous stop. The lemon and cream cheese flavor combination is genius...thumbs up...waaaay up!

The black forest cherry is a chocolate cake topped with a vanilla frosting, cherry jubilee, and chocolate sprinkles.

Chocolate, cherry, and vanilla in one bite...yum!

did someone say apple cider donuts?

2009-10-05T15:12:00.003-04:00

Jing and I went out to Charlottesville, VA to go apple picking this past sunday. After an hour drive and a climb up the mountains we finally got to the orchard. It was jam packed! People were running everywhere with bags of apples. Before we went on our picking adventure, we decided to grab some hot apple cider and fresh hot donuts.

Let's just say this is not just your ordinary apple cider donut. I've had a few different versions of this donut before growing up and I've loved only one kind for many years. That's from a place in Coltsneck, NJ called Delicious Orchards. What a place! Besides the insanely fresh produce they happen to have an extensive line of baked goods. From pies to danishes to the wonderful "apple cider donut."

Ok....when I took a bite of this donut from Carter's, I was truly drawn by the moist cake-like texture. It was totally different than what I'm used to having for years. This took my taste buds to a whole new level. The cinnamon sugar was not over powering and the donut was light and airy. It was just perfect! I thought of it as a Krispy Kreme hybrid. You guys have to check it out!

dc metro cupcake crawl 2009: ACKC Alexandria

2009-10-02T15:07:00.003-04:00

Sometimes all you need is a little bit of vanilla and a dallop of strawberry to put a smile on your face. That's exactly how I felt when April gave me this mini strawberry shortcake cupcake from ACKC in Alexandria.

Fun size is the best size, especially when in comes with a budget babe friendly price tag. $1 gets you this cup of vanilla goodness with a strawberry center surprise. Take a bite and close your eyes...yes it's strawberry shortcake heaven for your tastebuds.

dc metro cupcake crawl 2009: buzz on slaters

2009-09-29T22:56:00.008-04:00

I met April at Buzz on Slaters in Alexandria on Saturday to continue operation CC. Open from 6am to midnight, the spot is equipped with wifi, comfy couches, and super fun decor.

Learning our lesson from the last cupcake joint, we changed the rules of selecting cupcakes from "whatever looks good" to "one cupcake a piece". Of course we had to bend the rules after we caught a glimpse of the mini cupcakes! They tasted exactly how they looked: vanilla on vanilla & red velvet delivered in a fun size portion.

In addition to the mini's, we ordered the 'smore and 9:30 cupcakes. Our new friend Sully also hooked us up with a buzz bumble bee cupcake, bringing our cupcake count to a fatty number 5!

The 'smores cupcake is a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate ganache frosting dipped in graham cracker crumbs and topped with toasted marshmallows. Price $2.75

I picked the 'smore cupcake expecting to taste a 'smore fresh outta the fire pit! No dice. Instead, I was gently let down with a mouthful of chocolate. Maybe if there was a melted marshmallow center and the entire cupcake was covered in graham cracker crumbs, then I would feel better about calling it a 'smore cupcake. I would rename it the super chocolate with marshmallow and a bit of graham cracker cupcake. But, I can't complain too much, since the cake was moist and the chocolate was finger lickin' good! It looks like a 'smore, but the flavor didn't fit the bill. I know...I'm hard to please :x

The 9:30 cupcake is a vanilla filled chocolate cupcake with a chocolate frosting dipped in ganache aka "a glorious hostess cupcake". Price $3.00

This is seriously a chocolate lovers cupcake! The cake was moist, the filling was scrumptious, and the ganache was TDF (to die for)! Thanks for the recommendation Sully, this one is definitely the "buzz" money maker. This cupcake plus a cup of illy coffee will make anyone happy at 9:30am any day of the week! Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to sample the bumble bee buzz cupcake (April took it to go), which is an exact opposite of the 9:30 cupcake. It's a vanilla cupcake with a chocolate filling with vanilla frosting. I wouldn't doubt that the bumble bee buzz is as good as it's opposite, but atleast I have a reason to go back and find out myself.

dc metro cupcake crawl 2009: cupcakes actually

2009-09-28T21:12:00.015-04:00

Every time my girl April is in town I'm pretty much guaranteed a weekend filled with good eats. This weekend we thought it would be fun to find all the yummy cupcakes that the DC metro area has to offer aka DC metro Cupcake Crawl 2009. We started the big CC on Thursday at Cupcakes Actually in Fairfax corner. Dubbing themselves "cupcake snobs" all the cakes on display looked too pretty to eat. But did they taste as good as they looked? We were about to find out.

We left the store with six flavors, pictured below starting at the bottom left (clockwise). Actually dipped peanut butter, porto vino, simply red, golden nugget, halloween vanilla cupcake, and flourless chocolate.

In our opinion, only two of the six flavors were cupcake snob worthy. The golden nugget is a fresh carrot cake with grated zucchini, golden raisins, and crushed walnuts, iced with their signature cream cheese frosting and topped golden candy nuggets. Price $3.05

The cupcake was moist and had enough grated carrots and zucchini for any carrot cake lover to enjoy! The cream cheese frosting was very tasty, and wasn't too thick or too thin for our taste :p

The flourless chocolate cupcake tasted like a perfect brownie that was baked in a cupcake liner. The cake was dense, but the butter cream frosting added just enough fluff and sweetness to enjoy the chocolate ball of goodness. Price $3.75

Check out that cupcake top! Rich, dense, and flourless...

The other four cupcakes were baked dry, actually.

coastal flats: short smoked grilled salmon salad

2009-09-27T23:34:00.004-04:00

Coastal Flats is one of my go to restaurants, mainly because of its short smoked grilled salmon salad. It tastes good every single time I order it. The salad is served with thin green beans, grape tomatoes, balsamic onions & new potatoes over mixed field greens with champagne vinaigrette. For an extra $1 I add warm goat cheese.

I love the way they cook the salmon! It's the perfect amount of crispy on the outside and has a nice juicy pink center. This ain't your ordinary salad, because I was full to the brim after my last bite.

hello pumpkin!

2009-09-24T18:43:00.005-04:00

Summer is gone, but at least there's an Autumn to enjoy before mother nature tortures us with a cold winter. In addition to jackets, cool sunsets, and fall TV; one of my favorite things about Autumn is that pumpkins are in season! Pumpkin soup, pumpkin spiced lattes, and pumpkin cheesecake!

Don't sleep on this seasonal flavor, pumpkins will be out of season before you know it!

$12 threesome

2009-09-24T18:11:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago me and the BF headed out to the National Harbor, to celebrate my belated birthday and "ketchup" with one of our favorite couples. The only thing from dinner that is worth blogging about was the $12 threesome of fries that we ordered as our appetizer.

Old Bay fries, Sweet Potato fries, and Cheddar fries:

Served with six special blends of ketchup. The chipotle and garlic herb were my fave!

The decor was nice, but overall the food was not worth the $150 + bill for "American classic cuisine with a gourmet upscale twist". I think I'm good with Fuddruckers :p

Spicy Mussels with Tomato and Basil + dessert

2009-09-18T12:25:00.009-04:00

Click HERE for recipe

Lemon and White Chocolate cupcake from Whole Foods Bakery

Did you know?

2009-09-16T10:39:00.001-04:00

An apple, onion, and potato all have the same taste.

The differences in flavor are caused by their smell. To prove this - pinch your nose and take a bite from each. They will all taste sweet. I triple dog dare you to prove me wrong!

fancy pants Ramen

2009-09-11T11:33:00.006-04:00

Can you believe I turned this plain pack of ramen:

into this fancy bowl of soup?

In addition to the "flavor packet" that comes with the dry noodles, I sauced up the dish by adding some corn, one hard boiled egg, chopped spring onions, a few slices of red bell pepper, fresh spinach, shrimp, and a few drops of hot sesame seed oil. Yuuuum! A perfect lunch on this cold day and totally budget babe friendly ;o)

best i ever had...

2009-09-01T23:39:00.025-04:00

...and I'm not singing drake's song. I'm reminiscing about the BEST veggie burger I've ever had in my life! Well, at least so far LOL. On Sunday me and the BF hit up The Counter in Reston Town Center. From the website:

"Anti-Established in 2003, The Counter® is the 21st century’s bold answer to the classic burger joint. Ushering in a fresh era of industrial decor, today’s music, cold beer, unique wines, cocktails, and burger options that are only limited by your imagination."

We started off with a 50/50 order of onion straws and sweet potato fries, which was served with ranch, bbq sauce, and horseradish mayo.

I checked off the following boxes from my clipboard: veggie, 1/3 lb, herb goat cheese spread, bermuda red onion, jalapenos, roasted red peppers, sprouts, tomatos, roasted garlic aioli, honey wheat bun and was delivered this finger lickin' good buger:

I sure did pick a winner combo! The goat cheese spread was the money maker of this master piece and the jalapenos delivered just the right amount of heat. I'm glad I opted for sprouts instead of lettuce, which gave the burger the healthy taste I needed to eliminate any guilt I felt for devouring the entire burger...and fries :P

Obama...it's your birthday!

2009-08-04T22:47:00.010-04:00

Yes. We. Can. I wore my ring in honor of our president's birthday.

Along with the 44th President of the United States, I share my birthday with Louis Vuitton(1821), Louis Armstrong (1901), and Bill Bob Thornton (1955). The Billboard Hot 100 was founded on this day in 1958, and champagne is said to have been invented by Dom Pierre Pérignon in 1693.

The BF surprised me with the best yummies from Randolph's Bakery: chocolate mousse cake and cupcakes (lemon & cappuccino)

This is really the best cake ever! In between moist chocolate and vanilla cake is milk and white chocolate mouse that is so light and fluffy you can't stop after just one bite. Each layer also has a splash of grand marnier liqueur syrup :p

bangkok day #3 - tuk tuk travels

2009-07-28T01:27:00.015-04:00

After the previous night's drinking adventures, it was nice to start the day off with a tall glass of fresh watermelon juice.

Phranakorn Nornlen's breakfast was 100% vegetarian and yummy as usual. Thai fried rice, veggie soup, and a coconut, tapioca, and jackfruit dessert.

Thai fried rice with pineapples ;o)

After breakfast we headed to the Grand Palace to check out the scene. It was so hot outside, even the guards outside the palace had their umbrellas up!

Our plans to check out the Grand Palace was put on hold when the guard told us that it was closed for Thai locals today for a special prayer. He persuaded us to let a tuk tuk driver take us around town for an hour until the Grand Palace opened back up for tourists. Thinking he was legit we obliged and took in the following sights:

The standing Buddha...

the lucky Buddha...

and several silk/clothing/jewelry shops aka "tourist traps".

Yup, we got scammed by a tuk tuk driver. By the time the driver took us back to the Grand Palace, we only had an hour before closing time. Never ever let anyone tell you that the Grand Palace is closed, check it out for yourself! Since an hour isn't enough time to scope out the Grand Palace, we decided to check out Wat Pho across the street for a much needed Thai massage ($12). After the massage we were ready to grub, so we headed down to little India in a cab.

After walking up many streets and through different alleys, we finally found an Indian restaurant that looked and smelled promising. We ordered a variety of dishes and hot naan to satisfy our empty stomachs.

Here's what my plate looked like:

Oh. Em. Ge. The food was so good. We were so stuffed that we wanted to walk around some more to "aid our digestion". We hailed another pretty pink cab to the Saun Lum night bazaar and ended the night with some mango gelato.

bangkok day #2 - the world’s largest weekend market

2009-07-21T00:40:00.011-04:00

After breakfast we headed back to Khao San Road to buy some tour packages for later on in the week. Once we were all booked, we took a cab to the Chatuchak market to get our shop on. This market is no joke, often called JJ, it covers over 35 acres and contains over 5,000 stalls. After a few hours of shopping, we headed towards the food section to grab a bite. This was the winner of the 90+ degree day: Thai iced tea

After lunch we headed back into the market to strike more deals before closing time. By the time we left the market the sun was gone and our bellies were growling. On our way to catch the skytrain we came across another street vendor that was selling these colorful sandwiches. Of course the vendor didn't speak a lick of English to explain what was in between the slices of bread, so we made a safe bet and chose the one that looked like a grilled cheese sandwich.

We were wrong! It tasted like ensaymada aka butter and sugar. Whatever it was tasted good enough to settle our bellies before we headed out to the RCA area (royal city avenue) to party at route 66. We did bottle service at the place because the bottles were cheap, even though they didn't carry any of our faveys. For $30 we settled for a bottle of Smirnoff.

After we shut the club down we headed to some spot for breakfast. I can't remember too much, except that everything tasted good. I also remember noticing that they didn't have any mustard to go with their ketchup (you always notice weird things when you're drunk). Instead they had chili ketchup, which tasted like a ketchup and tabasco mix :o)

We ended the night with some banana spring rolls with ice cream.

bangkok day #1 - the real pad thai

2009-07-20T23:31:00.016-04:00

Bangkok was only a 2 1/2 hour flight from Manila, but after the 40 minute drive from the airport to the hotel we were ready to sink our teeth into some real Thai food. After walking through some shady streets and dodging the rain, we finally arrived at Kaloan Home Kitchen, which was recommended by the hotel. The restaurant's decor didn't scream 5 star, but it offered a great view of the Chao Phraya River and got our Thai food eating experience started right!

Shrimp Pad Thai. It didn't have as much noodles as we're used to getting back home, but the flavors of the dish made up for it. Yuuuum...real pad thai!

Crispy Flounder with Mango Salad. This dish beat out the pad thai...hands down! Crispy fish and mango salad is a match made in heaven.

Eggplant Salad. This salad was so light and flavorful that it didn't last too long on the plate. The eggplant was tossed in a combination of lime juice and fish sauce and topped with egg, red onions and shrimp flakes.

We finished the meal with some mango & sticky rice and lotus jelly dessert.

After lunch we took a tuk tuk to Khao San Road aka "the backpackers road" to check out the scene. A tuk tuk is pretty much a bootleg taxi. Here's our view:

Yup, all three of us fit into this:

If you're ever in Bangkok don't ever let a tuk tuk drive charge you more than 10 baht. For 30 bhat you can take a taxi (a/c included) anywhere in Bangkok.

Khao San Road is pretty much just a long road lined up with bars, hostels, and vendors selling everything from souvenirs to knock off Adidas track jackets.

After checking out the scene, we stopped by a bar to grab a few of Thailand's finest:

On our way home we caught sight of a street vendor selling pad thai. We thought that the street pad thai would taste better than any pad thai we had a home...I mean comon we're in freaking Thailand. We anticipated a repeat of what we had for lunch as we watched the lady cook up some pad thai. We even salivated over the sauces and ingredients that she had on the side, amazed like we've never had street food.

The finished product had more noodles than the pad thai for lunch, but it didn't taste like the real pad thai, it tasted like straight up street food...bland and full of all the carbs that you shouldn't be eating past 10pm. Good thing we had breakfast to look forward to ;o)

philippines day #11 - avocado & ube ice cream

2009-06-21T11:48:00.005-04:00

The thought of leaving Boracay was so depressing, but I had to get back to Manila to prep for my trip to Bangkok with my Chicago girls. After the nauseous boat ride and turbulent flight back to Manila, I was ready to knock out for a few hours before I had to pack my suitcase for Thailand. My nap was cut short when I realized that I didn't have my flight itinerary printed out for Bangkok, so I had to go to an internet cafe at the mall. I was super grumpy due to my lack of sleep, but my mood turned around as soon as I took a bite out of this:

Avocado & Ube ice cream...what a power combo! Avocado ice cream??? I know it sounds strange, but believe me the flavor is life changing! It tastes like avocado and iced milk with a touch of sugar...oh em geee...ice cream heaven!!!

happy stomach = happy me ;o)

philippines day #8, 9, 10 - boracay

2009-06-21T11:11:00.010-04:00

After a week of QT with the fam, I was ready to hit up Boracay for some much needed R&R. My cousin and I booked a three day package at the Boracay Regency, which included flight, hotel, & food (breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet) for $300! I know right...cheap. So we couldn't help ourselves when it came time to order cocktails on the beach.

Our days looked like this:

with a side of this:

a variety of these:

and daily buffet visits.

If you're ever in Boracay, I would definitely recommend the Boracay Regency. It's a really nice hotel and serves a pretty decent buffet. But if you're willing to spend a little more, check out Friday's on station 1...they serve a mean coconut bomb.

philippines day#7 - bodhi veggie foodhouse

2009-06-17T22:46:00.009-04:00

The next day we drove up to Baguio City to visit more relatives. We stopped by SM Baguio to grab some lunch and check out the view of the city. I love Baguio because the weather is so cool that you don't need AC to be comfortable. We got to the mall about 15 minute before all the stores opened, so I decided to scan the food court for my next meal. As soon as I saw its sign I started to salivate in anticipation of a good healthy meal:

Sure enough my cousin and I ordered up a storm of goodies. The menu was 100% vegetarian and served Filipino dishes with soy protein. We ordered some chicken curry, beef steak, coconut tofu, chicken with bamboo shoots, chicken adobo, pancit, and of course my fave: pinakbet.

Here's what my plate looked like:

As if that wasn't enough food...I even went next door and ordered a side portion of laing (toro leaves sauteed in coconut milk and chili).

As my aunt predicted, we didn't finish all our food. Our eyes were waaaay to big for our stomachs. So we asked for boxes to take our left overs home. To our surprise they said they didn't have any boxes, instead they had bags. Filipino doggy bag...gotta love it ;o)

philippines day #6 - freckled crabs & bottled soda

2009-06-17T22:24:00.009-04:00

Day 6 was spent on the road driving north to visit the rest of our family in the province. I was not looking forward to having no AC , but I sucked it up for the sake of family. Luckily we came during the weekend of the town fiesta, which meant that there was going to be alot of food and people at the house. My aunts spent the entire day prepping for the fiesta. They cooked everything from pancit to dinuguan, all of which contained some form of beef, chicken, or pork. I was mentally preparing myself for a nice fat bowl of rice and tomatoes for lunch until my aunt surprised me with a big pot of crabs! How cute, they're so small and...freckled! I must have devoured like 10 of these little guys, which tasted oh so good with my bowl of rice and tomatoes LOL.

I finished the meal with a nice cold bottle of soda. Isn't it more fun to drink soda from a bottle?

philippines day #5 - jollibee & san miguel light

2009-06-16T22:52:00.007-04:00

After a full day of walking outdoors, I was ready to spend an entire day in the mall...AC baby! So we hit up an SM close to the house. I coaxed my mom into having lunch at Jollibee, since it's been over 5 years since my last visit. Jollibee is the McDonald's of the Philippines, there's one on every corner and everyone knows the menu by heart. I ordered the pancit palabok and fries...I know... how "Filipino" lol. The dish wasn't bad, but it wasn't mouth watering either. It definitely tasted like fast food. Don't waste your carbs, just take a picture in front of the jolly bee figure outside the restaurant as a souvenir.

Later on that night I hung out with my cousin and his friends. We had bottles of San Miguel Light all night. So cool and refreshing. I love pale ale ;o)

philippines day #4 - tagaytay

2009-06-16T21:58:00.012-04:00

My mom woke me up waaaay too early to get ready for our road trip to Tagaytay to check out the smallest volcan o in the world. Even at 6am the sun was blazing, so I was not looking forward to walking around tourist style. I'm glad I sucked it up, because the volcano was actually pretty cool looking. We hit up the Pancake House for lunch.

I ordered a shitake mushroom salad with some kind of white fish. My mom convinced me to try the salad because Tagaytay is supposed to be known for that fish, and of course I can't remember the name of it. Anyway, I also ordered the blueberry pancakes and a coke light.

The best part of the meal (besides the coke light) was the calamansi vinaigrette that came with the salad. The pancakes were a total waste of carbs.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the city of Tagaytay, which included walking up a mountain that had a statue of Jesus at the very top. I would not have been able to survive the heat without my fave: ube ice cream.

Are we at the top yet?

Hallelujah!

philippines day #3 - singing cooks and waiters

2009-06-16T20:39:00.014-04:00

I just realized that I've been back "stateside" for almost 3 weeks now, so I really need to finishing blogging about my vacation before I forget. So here I go...

On my third day in Manila my parents wanted to show us the old city of Intramuros. But before we endured the hot and sticky weather, we stopped by a classic Filipino restaurant called The Singing Cooks & Waiters atbp (at iba pa...which translates to "and other things" in English). Can you imagine going to restaurant where the waiters sing to you as they serve your food? I'm not talking about a guy that comes up to your table and serenades you with a guitar. I'm taking about the entire waitstaff (including the cooks) singing hits from the 80's like they were competing for American Idol...decked out in traditional Filipino attire. Yeah it was like that, plus a full band as backup playing in the background. The environment was definitely entertaining. I found my self singing along and enjoying the tunes as much as I enjoyed the food!

We ordered the seafood ihaw ihaw special. Ihaw ihaw means barbecue style cooking in English, which basically means that it was cooked over a smoky grill.

Seafood pancit sotanghon.

Bitter melon with shrimp.

Green mangos, tomatoes, and red onion served with bagoong alamang (I could eat this alone with some rice).Here's what my plate looked like:

Here's the singing cooks & waiters. At the end of the meal they serenaded our table with a "balikbayan song". If you're ever in manila (returning as a balikbayan), you should definitely hit this restaurant up!

Singing Cooks & Waiters atbp
Ongpauco Building
Sta Monica Street Corner Roxas Boulevard
1300 Pasay Metro Manila

philippines day #2 - market! market!

2009-06-10T10:44:00.011-04:00

The weather in Manila is an ugly mix of intense heat and uncomfortable humidity, so air conditioned environments is a major luxury. Since the malls are equipped with AC ( and internet cafes), my cousin and I tried to lure our mothers to the mall as often as possible. On our second day in Manila we hit up a mall called Market! Market! We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant called Mann Hann.

With 7 of us at the table, we ordered up a storm! Straight up family style.

Here are the winning dishes from that lunch:

chilled tofu with century old eggs

spicy calamari with calamansi

royal orange soda

philippines day #1 - chef val

2009-06-07T11:52:00.013-04:00

My prayers were answered during lunch on my first day in Manila. My dad hooked me up with my favorite filipino dish, pinakbet. I love the blend of veggies: squash, green beans, onions and bitter melon.

They also fried some lapu lapu and created a concoction of salty eggs and tomato...which hit the spot when served over fresh steam rice!

I ended the meal with some fresh papaya.

bad food day

2009-06-07T10:43:00.022-04:00

I planned on blogging about my food adventures during my Asia vacay, but there were so many factors that held me back. For one, internet access in the Philippines is not as readily available as it is in the US. You either go to an internet cafe or live in an area that has DSL capability to get online. Unfortunately, my parents live in an area that is "next on the list" for DSL connection. And second, my days were so jammed packed with activities that I spent any free hours sleeping...instead of blogging. So here's my attempt to replay my food adventures...starting with my day of departure.

My flight left Dulles at 9am and was expected to land in Manila at 11pm the next day, with 2 layovers in Detroit and Nagoya. I started my morning with some coffee from dunkin' and got upgraded to first class! I thought for sure this was an indication of a great travel day.

The hour flight to Detroit was smooth, the leather seats were extra comfy, and the service and view was awesome.

I had 4 hours to kill in Detroit before my flight to Nagoya, so after hooking up with my aunt and cousin, we decide to grab a bite at Sora Japanese cuisine and sushi bar (because my auntie wanted some soup).

All I have to say is...what a waste of carbs! The soup had no flavor! I mean even adding some soy sauce didn't help it out. The seaweed salad and octopus salad was "okay", which means that it pretty much tasted like it came out of a jar that they bought from an Asian grocery store. Ugh...never again. If the soup lacked this much flavor I'm glad I didn't order any sushi.

A few hours later, my cousin and I decide to roam around the airport in search of a "snack". We came across this gourmet peanut butter and jelly stand and couldn't resist.

Chunky peanut butter, grape jelly, bananas drizzled with honey on 9 grain bread.

The only gourmet thing about this sandwich was the price! I could have made this at home for less than $7. After my two disappointing food picks, I was ready to get on the plane and knock out, hoping that my in flight meals would rectify my bad food day.

Of course I forgot to specify a vegetarian meal, so I was stuck eating high class carbs/sodium 1000 feet up in the air for dinner. My options were pretty slim...bread, rice with some type of teriyaki sauce, and salad. It's a good thing that I brought some fruit on board (that I got from my first class flight). At this point I'm praying that my Mom and Dad are planning to hook me up with a big fat welcome home meal.