Category Archives: Adventures

November 1, 2012 · 10:10 pm

Happy Halloween!

As I’ve already mentioned, Fall (and especially Halloween) is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. Although I didn’t have a creative costume for Halloween this year, I definitely enjoyed (and will continue to enjoy) all of the other perks of this time of year – namely all of the FOOD (of course!), decorations, weather/leaf color changes and spending more time with family and friends!

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! Just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from this season/holiday so far!

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July 5, 2012 · 5:02 pm

Happy July Fourth!


Happy July 4th! I hope everyone had a safe and fun day with friends and family (and with plenty of delicious food, of course!). This cake is from Better Homes and Gardens Festive Fourth of July Desserts. I didn’t put the jam on it; however, I think it still turned out well. Just a simple cake with plenty of fresh berries and frosting!

What did you make for July 4th?

Cheers!

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April 15, 2012 · 9:26 am

Simple Sunday Treat: Chocolate Milkshake

Every now and then I become quite nostalgic for desserts and foods that remind me of when I was young, carefree and the biggest worry I had was which item I was going to play with at the playground at recess. For me, milkshakes happen to remind me of these times and also happen to be a childhood favorite.

A few weekends ago, I was reminded of milkshakes after I saw pink and white striped straws at Troolie in Portland. After I saw these, I decided that I must have them. And, naturally, I found plenty of other neat cards and assortments of goodies – including clever recipe cards for noting one’s favorites.

So, after a successful trip, I decided that the a must-do activity for a lazy Sunday would be an old fashioned milkshake complete with a pink and white striped straw while using my new set of recipe cards for the first time!


Classic Chocolate Milkshake


Although it’s nothing fancy, sometimes something this easy dressed up with a cute arrangement is the way to go!

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January 23, 2012 · 3:24 am

Mighty-O Donuts


 I absolutely love finding restaurants and shops in local neighborhoods. Mighty-O Donuts is no different. Although I do not normally indulge in donuts, what especially peaked my interest about this place was the fact that they stray away from the “norm” and offer plenty of unique donuts such as lemon poppyseed and french toast to name a few. After staring at all of the choices for a few minutes, I finally settled upon the orange blossom (as pictured above).

I definitely was not disappointed with this choice. Not only did my stomach feel more than satisfied, but I am happy that I helped support a local company that is dedicated towards offering food with organic ingredients and sustainability in mind. Seattleites – visit this place and then take a stroll around Greenlake!

Cheers!

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December 24, 2011 · 5:08 pm

Merry Christmas!

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· 5:06 pm

Crab Dinner

I am not a picky eater. In fact, I love most food groups and there are not many things that I will not try. But, in general, seafood is not one of my favorites. I do enjoy some varieties of fish and I do love shrimp; however, when it comes to eating something from the ocean, I immensely prefer it cold (in sushi form) over cooked.

But, a few days ago, I was invited to my boyfriend’s parents house for their annual get-together with another family friend where they consume crab cooked from the crab pot. Prior to this night, I had never partaken in the act of cooking/cracking crab in order to eat it (usually whenever I have eaten crab, it has always been in sushi form). I truly believe new experiences are good (even when they do not turn out well) so I jumped at the idea to try crab.

Although the entire process was messy and a bit tiring, the end result was good. Crab still is not my favorite; however, I am definitely glad I tried it this way. Perhaps I will eat crab again this way in the future. But, for now, I challenge you to be more adventurous with your next food endeavor!

Cheers!

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December 5, 2011 · 4:23 am

Saley

I love crepes – especially because of the versatility to make them either savory or sweet. I have made crepes only one time in my life; however, my crepes did not turn out in as of a tasty concoction as I wanted them to. As a result, I figured I would leave any type of crepe making to the experts.

Through Yelp, I was able to find Saley, a crepe restaurant in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle and happened to visit it this past Sunday with a few girlfriends. Although the space inside was tiny, the vibe, atmosphere and most importantly, the crepes, more than completed the experience. The server suggested to order the #6 – “The Queen”. As my mind contemplated between savory and sweet, I finally decided to follow the servers suggestion of “The Queen” crepe which was filled with chicken, tomatoes, spinach, cheese and Saley’s secret sauce.

In addition to this delicious crepe, I figured I would complete the meal with a cup of joe for a daily boost of caffeine. Well, the only thing that would have made it truly complete is if we could have been transported to Paris…

Someday!

Cheers!

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· 4:02 am

Salvador Molly’s


Salvador Molly’s is hands-down one of my favorite restaurants. I will never forget my first venture to this fine establishment in Portland. I was absolutely stunned by the bright and vibrant colors mixed with the colorful artwork on the wall. However, I was a bit confused  by the many different types of cuisine offered on the menu. The server clarified to me that he would classify the menu options as mix of Jamaican, Ethiopian, Hawaiian, Cuban and Creole foods.

In addition to a mix of plenty of both spice-filled and spicy offerings, Salvador Molly’s offers a great food challenge known as the Great Balls of Fire which consists of a serving of habanero cheese fritters.I once tried a few of these cheesy poofs of spice infernos; however, I failed at consuming the whole dish and instead resulted in a complete burning of my stomach lining.  However, those that eat a plateful of these get crowned with their presence on the “Great Wall of Flame”. Although I did not make it onto this infamous wall, I still love this restaurant greatly and enjoy coming back each time to try something different.

This past time, I visited with a friend simply for the $5 lunch specials. I chose the jambalaya and she chose a Cuban sandwich. Luckily for us, my friend was part of their rewards program so we received a free dessert as well. It’s always nice when that happens!

Cheers!

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November 1, 2011 · 4:36 am

Salt & Straw

I’m such a sugar fiend. I know I have a problem when ice cream seems like it could take the place of a meal such as breakfast, lunch or dinner. But, on top of craving bouts of sugar all of the time, I also crave variety. And, by “variety”, I mean that I like to try things that might be considered simply atypical. For example, some of my friends might “mix it up” by ordering pumpkin pie ice cream instead of a standard vanilla or cookies ‘n cream flavor. For me, I need something a little bit zanier, something that just peaks my curiosity just a little bit more…

I first read about Salt & Straw through an article in Portland Monthly Magazine. All it took was just one glance at the menu on their website and I knew I would be instantly hooked. How did I know so quickly? I saw the words pear and blue cheese combined into an ice cream flavor. Now, although that might not have been my flavor of choice, I knew that ice cream similar to that flavor realm would be completely right up my alley.

So, this past weekend, my boyfriend and I ventured to Salt & Straw. Not only did I try delicious and unusual flavors of ice cream, but the people that worked at Salt & Straw were absolutely delightful, incredibly helpful and even let me try multiple samples. After sampling a few different flavors that included the likes of Honey Balsamic Strawberry With Cracked Black Pepper, Brown Bread Stuffing With Apricot and an ESB flavored ice cream, I finally settled upon Banana With Spicy Caramel and Walnuts while my boyfriend ordered a flavor that tasted exactly like blueberry pancakes with maple syrup (alas, I cannot remember the name!). Besides the most important fact that the ice cream encompasses a unique batch of flavor-intense ingredients, Salt & Straw is a farm-to-cone ice cream shop that uses local, sustainable and organic ingredients. As a result, this just makes me appreciate their establishment even more and elated for the chance to go back.

All in all, let’s just say, delicious ice cream + friendly service + a sunny afternoon= one happy camper.

Cheers!

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October 24, 2011 · 11:05 pm

Macrina Bakery


A few days ago, I was looking through old pictures and happened to find ones taken from when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. Naturally, I started to miss Italy and became quite nostalgic as memories started to surface about the good times I had there, the beautiful culture and especially, the food.

One of my favorite parts of Italy was the many bakeries that dotted the sides of the streets. As I started to become reminded of the bakeries, I decided that I needed to visit one and had the chance to do so this past weekend.

A friend and I chose to go to Macrina Bakery in Queen Anne where I splurged and ordered a Nutella Brioche (totally fitting because Italians are smitten with nutella!). I absolutely loved the buttery taste of the bread combined with the rich nutella. I will say, I became full very fast, but I am definitely looking forward to my next visit soon!

Props to Macrina Bakery for giving me a totally delectable goody this past Saturday, it was the perfect start to the day!

Cheers!

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