Knock, Knock

Knock, Knock.

Who's There?

No One

No One who?

No One Blogging!

It's been awhile!

Misses: Project 365 = failed! Blogging everyday = failed! Exercising = failed most of the year except the past month.

Pluses: A new year is about to unfold within hours! Ate vetgetarian at least once a month (um...hmm....I think I missed it for December). Read a few books. Finished a few projects. Visited a few new places.

All in all...not too bad of a year. Aside from the economy sucking...life is just peach. I wondered what 2010 will bring. :P

Day 109 - New Ceiling Lights

Yah! We finally got new ceiling lights. ECA and the husband (mostly ECA) have been working on our tray ceiling for most of October and they finished! One item to cross off on my "things to do" list. :D
It's amazing because the year is almost over. As I sit here and ponder on my accomplishments for this year, I'll have to admit, I am racing against time and time is winning this year. There are a number of items I want to accomplish before the year ends but with only about 7 weekends left before the year ends, I am not sure if I'll have everything completed. Oh well....we will see.

Day 108 - Pretty Bottle

I went to dinner with a bunch of strangers today. By the end of the night, the concensus was that "RAW" was not the way to go in life.

It was my first time trying out a "RAW" restaurant and probably my last unless someone else can convince me that there is another "RAW" dish out there that is tasty. And..it's going to take a lot of convincing!

What is "RAW" you ask? According to online sources, it is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of un-cooked, un-processed and often organic foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and grain. The food cannot be cooked over 115 F degrees. I can't do it. I will gladly raise my little white flag and admit defeat if someone forces this diet on me.

Anyhoo.....I came home and then I thought of processed food. And meat. But I resisted since I ate vegetarian for most of the day. Now with about 30 minutes left before the day ends - I am ready to open up my pretty pink bottle filled with flavored food coloring pink lemonade straight from Trader Joe's. How ironic.

Day 107 - It's a Wonderful Life

"Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." It is a classic line from this movie and this movie is one of my all-time favorite holiday flicks. This is a heart-warming story of a man who, basically, made sacrifaces for his family and friends. When he is down on his luck - an angel appears to help him realize how much he has touched the lives of those he's loved and how things would not have been if he did not exist. This movie is a reminder of how special life is.

I enjoy watching a lot of the classics and used to tune to the Turner Classic Movie channel when they had movies from the past on. It was one of my favorite pastimes to be a couch potato and to see how the directing and acting have changed over time. It's been awhile since I have turned to the Turner Classic channel....

Day 106 - Autumn in an Apothecary Jar

I love apothecary jars in all shapes and sizes. Apothecary jars add a wonderful special accent to any room. They are simple yet so elegant.

Several months ago I bought a bunch of these jars from a newlywed selling hers. These jars sat on my console table waiting to be filled. I've been wanting to fill these with pine cones and thanks to PM's mom - I've gotten a bunch of pine cones for FREE! You see - I thought it was ridiculous to have to pay for pine cones when I could get them from the pine trees in any given park. :D

Now I have a little bit of autumn in our family room!

Day 105 - Shabu Shabu

This post is for PM's mom. ;P

The husband and I had shabu shabu at home. Shabu is super easy to make at home and is so much cheaper. The only thing is that eating at home means you have to clean up after yourself.

Ingredients (replicating from California Shabu Shabu) - most ingredients can be found at an Asian market:

• Garlic (chopped)
• Daikon radish (chopped)
• Green onions (chopped)
• Spinach
• Napa cabbage (sliced one inch sized)
• Enoki mushroom (found at a Korean or Japanese market)
• Carrots (cut in cubes)
• Broccoli (cut in smaller pieces)
• Soft tofu
• Clear noodle
• Udon
• Beef, chicken, pork or seafood
• Ponzu shabu sauce (for dipping, found at a Korean or Japanese market)
• Sesame shabu sauce (for dipping, found at a Korean or Japanese market)
• Soup base
• Chili oil (for water)
• Hot water in a pot

The veggies are cheap but the sauces are more expensive. Each bottle is about $ 5 to $ 8 a bottle but can be used several times.

I am picky with the ponzu sauce so we have tried three different brands! Ponzu sauce is a citrus-based sauce used in Japanese cuisine. Each brand is slightly different so my recommendation would be to try out a few to see which one suits the individual. The left bottle - Mitsukan ponzu sauce - more soy than sour. The middle bottle is the husband's favorite and it is some Japanese brand that has no American name - definitely more citrus than soy. The right bottle is Mizkan goma shabu ponzu sauce. I like this bottle although I think it can use a bit more citrus. Really - ponzu sauce is probably pretty easy to make since it's basically just soy sauce, lemon and maybe water. Chili oil to add to the hot water and to add a bit of flavor. I also add some soy sauce to the water to give it more flavor (optional).Noodle soup base for the udon and Mizkan sesame dipping sauce. This one is the best and only one I've seen.Clear noodle to go with the soup base.Udon also to go with the soup base. To prepare:

1. Wash and cut all the veggies.
2. Chop the garlic - this can be added to the hot water, ponzu or sesame sauce. I like adding it to the ponzu sauce.
3. Chop the daikon - this is added to the water or the dipping sauce.
4. Chop the green onions - this is added to the hot water.
5. Add water to a pot and place on portable burner or electronic burner.
6. Wait for water to boil - then add veggies and meat.

Enjoy! :D

Oh - the soup base is used towards the end when you want a bowl of noodle soup. Add all the udon and clear noodle to the water. Add about one or two tablespoon of the soup base to a bowl. After the noodle has cooked - add to the bowl with the soup base and some of the broth.

Day 104 - Crow's Feet

Hello Blog - I am back. I don't know for how long but I hope for awhile. At least until I finish up Project 365 - that is the current plan. I hope you have not missed me much but I find that one of the most wondeful things about blogging or "journaling" is that it's on MY time.

You see, I've been busy with what is called life. It could be the mundane everyday things, nevertheless, it is still life. Life with its many faces such as the early mornings when you wake up to that fresh cup of Joe or the smile and laughter shared among friends and family. However, life also has the other side...the one that occupies most of our time. The one where most people do not enjoy. Life with its obligations and deadlines. Yes...that is life.

Life that sometimes brings you giggles as well as worries. Giggles that can lead to laugh lines and worries that can lead to crow's feet! This leads me to the topic for today.

Eye cream.

I am not sure if it really works but I am an advocate of eye cream. I believe in preventive measures versus reactive. I am always on the hunt for good eye cream. Sadly - I have not really found one that I can call my own. My latest eye cream try is the Oil of Olay ProX Eye Restoration Complex. At about $ 41.50 a bottle - it is rather steep for a non-department brand but I am a sucker and willing to give it a try. The good thing about eye cream is that it goes a long way!

Day 103 - Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Pumpkins!

The little girl glanced over to her parents wondering why they left her in the middle of the road. She stands there for a few seconds contemplating her next steps while her parents continue to walk on. Within seconds - Daddy turns around and coaxes her to pick up the little pumpkin. She continues to stand there testing her grounds. Wondering if Daddy or Mommy would come to her rescue. She thinks to herself, "Maybe if I scream or maybe if I shed a tear - they'll come over. Hm...OR MAYBE I'll just pick up the pumpkin. It can't be that bad. The pumpkin looks harmless enough. It's a little dirty but that's o.k. Mommy will wash my hands and if the pumpkin hurts me, Daddy will beat it up. " ;P

And so the little girl shuffles herself over to the little pumpkin. :D

Brunch with My Family

I am taking a break from Project 365 this week since I have not been consistent with daily postings. Do not worry, I will resume soon.

Anyway - we celebrated my dad's birthday over the weekend by attending Saturday brunch in San Juan Capistrano. I love, love, love the image below with the husband's silhouette in the background.
Ramos House is located on Los Rios Street, which is on the other side of the railroad tracks. It is such a charming little place that is only open for breakfast and lunch. Dining is located in the patio area, overlooking Los Rios Street.

The weekend brunch included a beverage, a starter and the main course. Since there were six of us, we all chose something different. My freshly squeezed orange juice. I love, love that they use mason jars for the drinks! This restaurant was my inspiration when I bought mason jars a few years ago!

Pomegranate and orange mimosas. A little bitter and bubbly!

The husband ordered this starter. I am not sure what the name of this plate was but it was our least favorite out of all our starters.

PJ ordered the fresh baked huckleberry coffee cake. This was yummy! The cake was light, fluffy and had just the right amount of sweetness.

ECA ordered cinnamon apple beignets - always a favorite at this restaurant and rightly so. Everybody loved this starter.

I ordered this starter for my mom. Small plate of smoked salmon lox with herb sauce and toast points. A thin layer of smoked salmon covered the plate. You would lift the smoked salmon and place the layer on your toast points. Very tasty! The salmon was not too salty and tasted quite fresh.

I ordered the sweet corn hush puppies with sweet pepper jam. My favorite starter at this restaurant! Still a favorite! Split the hush puppy in half and spread the pepper jam over the hush puppy to get that sweet and sour taste that tingles your tastebuds. Absolutely yummy!

I ordered this soup for my dad. Not sure what it was but they added popcorn on top. I did not try this starter so I cannot comment.

I ordered the wild mushroom, roasted garlic and sundried tomato scramble for my dad.

PJ ordered the smoked bacon scramble with rocket and caramelized onions.

The husband ordered mac n' cheese with smoked veggies and lemon gremolada.

ECA ordered the crab hash with bacon scrambled eggs and sour cream remoulade.

I ordered the duck hash with wild mushroom eggs and herb sauce for my mom.

My order - BBQ chicken salad with hush puppy croutons. This restaurant used to have another plate that was similar to this one called the country chicken salad with cranberries and pumpkin seed buttermilk dressing. That was my favorite dish at this restaurant. The new dish is good but not the same. :(

Brunch was a flat price of $ 35 per person. After brunch, we roamed Los Rios Street and I took a few pictures of my parents, ECA and PJ. Then my parents, ECA and PJ went home while the husband and I headed down to San Diego for a weekend getaway!

MSC - Banana Walnut Cupcakes

I love banana bread so when the MSC group had this cupcake for the September bonus challenge, I knew I had to make these cupcakes.

Since I did not have any pecans on hand, walnuts would have to do for my cupcakes. I actually made the first batch two weeks ago. I also made the caramel buttercream frosting and ended up using the frosting on ONE cupcake - the one that I gave to the husband to eat. This was the first time I made caramel and I was pretty impressed with myself as the caramel actually came out, CARAMEL! :P The first round of whisking the egg whites was a no-go. I whisked for a good ten minutes (after dissolving sugar with egg whites over the stove) but my mixture never got fluffy or curdled so I ended up tossing that away. On the second round - I hand whisked over the stove for 15 minutes and that seemed to do the trick. Afterwards - I poured the mixture in my electric mixer and added the caramel. The consistency came out pretty well but I must say - it tasted like butter. The husband did not really care for the caramel buttercream so we opted to eat all the cupcakes without any frosting. Still delicious! :D

Since we were going to celebrate my dad's birthday this past weekend and I had a lot of bananas left, I decided to make another batch for my parents to take home. This time I made whipped cream and added banana chips. Verdict: My parents loved the whipped cream frosting but they thought the cupcakes were a bit sweet. Then again...I think my parents find most American baked goods and desserts more on the sweet side so maybe their comments don't count. :P
A little over a dozen cupcakes for my parents to take home to share with their friends. :)

Day 102 - White Chocolate Cake

Cake to celebrate the husband's birthday. :D

Day 101 - Chicken Eggroll

Panda Express for dinner. Chicken eggroll to be specific.

Day 100 - To Decorate or Not?

Look what I got over the weekend! Now I can learn how to decorate all those cupcakes! :D

Day 99 - Sunday is Leisure Time

We sipped our iced mochas while the people with the paper bags and shopping carts passed by us. There were a few parents with their kids but the majority were couples spending quality time together on such a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

I caught up on my reading while the husband took a nap. Life. Simply. Uncomplicated.

Day 98 - Reflections

As I approached the driveway to visit my grandparents, I am brought back to numerous encounters I have had with them throughout my life. The times were quick and stifling. My maternal grandfather was a formidable man where appearance was very important and old-schooled in many of his thoughts. My maternal grandmother was a lioness with a capital "L." But that was the yesteryears.

Today - they lie quietly listening to me as I update them on my parents' lives and ask them to wish my loved ones well, all the while the windchimes chime a lulllaby for them.....

Day 97 - Zzzzz on Zimzala

The clock strucked 6:15 p.m. It was time to leave the office. I grabbed my purse, searched for my keys and left the office. The weekend officially started. I rushed home, changed to a nice blue summer dress I bought from BCBG and off the husband and I went to start our dinner date.

The evening was beautiful. It was clear and the temperature was a perfect 70 degree or so. Our destination was Huntington Beach.
I made reservations for 7:30 p.m. at Zimzala, a restaurant on OC Restaurant Week's list.

Our dinner started with the server setting down a candle votive. How romantic! ;)

The server brought over a light appetizer that we did not order. That was nice of him. It was chicken salad with yogurt on a crouton. Yummy and refreshing!
And then the salad arrived. Buttercup lettuce (probably my all time favorite lettuce), carmelized pecans, sliced peaches with sherry vinaigrette. The salad was so-so for me. I could have used more dressing. The husband ordered a stone oven flatbread that was equivalent to a pizza. That was so-so too.

For the entree the husband ordered pan-roasted wild salmon. This plate was decent.

My entree was called Morroccan chicken tagine. I have never liked couscous and yet I still wanted to give it a try. OK...confirmed. I still don't like couscous.

At $ 40 a person - I was disappointed with this restaurant. The waiter was friendly and attentive but the bleh food was disappointing. My apologies for the lack of description. I was debating whether to even blog about Zimzala or not...

We left the restaurant and stopped by the grocery store at 10 p.m. at night where I decided to take a few shots of my local grocery store. Fall is just around the corner! Oh beautiful colors of orange, gold, mahogany or maroon - how I love thee!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. My favorites are Gala and Granny Smith. Do you know your apple?

I don't get the hype with organic food but I guess whatever floats people's boats.

When I first saw this bag - I thought I had scored! Fifty cent bananas! Doh! It was 50 cents off. Blah! Yes, I bought the bag. I needed the bananas.

Yeah to Haagen-Dazs for making green tea ice cream! Score! There was only one left! Mine! Mine! All Mine!

Day 96 - Shabu for Dinner and Dessert Is A Must!

Tonight I celebrated a belated birthday with some girlfriends. We celebrated by dining at the new California Shabu Shabu in Costa Mesa, CA. There are only a few places I like shabu shabu and this is one of them. It's all in the sauce. For those who've had shabu shabu, I know you're thinking, how can you go wrong with shabu?! Believe me, you can. I disliked shabu the first time I tried it and did not go back for several years. It wasn't until ECA and PJ introduced the husband and I to California Shabu Shabu that I realized there was good and bad shabu. I've been converted. Thank you ECA and PJ!

I did not take pictures of dinner. :( Now that I think about it, I should have. There were a few eye candy around and I don't mean chocolate. ;P OK - two eye candy. One was about 30 something and another was about 20 something (too young but nevertheless still eye candy).

After dinner...we went to cefiore for some yummy yogurt and of course, for "girl time." It was wonderful to catch up on everyone's life. :)

Day 95 - Chess Anyone?

I have a fascination with oversized objects. Ever seen the oversized spoon and fork in those Pottery Barn catalogs? LOVE THEM! I think oversized items create depth and interest to the everyday items that we take for granted.

Here are my oversized decorations. Chess anyone?