Moroccan Birthday Extravaganza

On Friday night, my cousin Gem returned from a week-long 'job-hunting' trip to New York. On Saturday, we celebrated her birthday as well as her success in securing a full-time design job in the big city. She leaves for a permanent move on Tuesday and I can't help but feel really sad. Gem is the cousin who I am closest to on my Dad's side of the family and while I'm ecstatic for her and the amazing opportunity she has earned, I am going to miss her sorely.

Goodbyes aside, we managed to have a grand birthday dinner for Gem at Marrakesh in Newport Beach. I had been there one other time before and both times have been fabulous! The experience begins with a waiter passing out full-sized bath towels to serve as your 'napkin' for the eating as the meal requires the use of your bare hands for some parts. This is followed by a communal hand-washing ceremony. With all hands gathered around a basin, the waiter pours warm rose water adding a pleasant scent and supposed cleanliness to the guests' hands. Depending on what you order, the courses come out as follows.

1. Drinks. I highly recommend Casablanca-a very light Moroccan beer. I'm not a beer drinker myself but this is truly something else! Not only is it very light but it has some notes of fruit in it.

2. Lentil soup. After squeezing a wedge of lemon into this piping hot soup, you drink it straight out of the bowl. It truly does awaken your senses!

3. Four different kinds of salads-eggplant, cucumber, carrot and potato. Each one has a distinct flavor but when mixed together, it creates an explosion in your mouth. It's quite hard to describe but they are distinctly delicious!

4. Bread. It is recommended that you use the salads as 'filling' for the bread creating some sort of sandwich. The Moroccans know what they're talking about, trust me.

5. Bastilla. This is the round pastry looking dish in the collage above. It is a baked dish made out of filo dough stuffed with chicken, eggs, and almonds topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I know, it sounds like dessert with chicken but it is amazing! This is my favorite dish from this place and always will be.

6. Main Meal. Couscous with lemon-olive chicken and tender lamb. Just when you think you've had enough flavor from the previous dishes, the main meal comes out. Honestly, my favorite part of the main meal is the couscous and the cabbage! I can do without the meats.

7. Baklava. Too sweet for my taste but gets an A+ for flakiness.

8. Moroccan Mint Tea. This delightful concoction of mint, chamomile and honey is the perfect ending to an extravagant meal. I could drink this stuff all day long. There is nothing like it. And if there is, someone better tell me where!

To top it off, belly dancers circulate throughout the tents during the course of the meal making your experience that much more authentic. Marrakesh is definitely a place to go to with a big group. It is quite loud inside but you have semi-privacy by being in your own little tent. I must not forget that there is nothing more comfortable than sitting on a couch while eating one of the best meals you could ever have.

Good luck in New York Gem! I'm going to miss you cousin!

Happy 18th Birthday Kirsten

Today is my little sister's 18th birthday. I still can't believe how much she has grown over these past few years. Though I've taught and introduced her to a number things, she has proved to be the better one in most. She is the better snowboarder, the better make-up artist, and the better baker. On top of that, she is the better shopping addict (if there is such a thing), a talented musician, and the more social one (how could she?! j/k!). We may be seven years apart but I'm so thankful that we are still super close.

Kirsten, I wish you all the best as you celebrate another milestone! May you stop growing taller than me and stop beating me in everything. J/k! I love you!

Always,

Ate

No matter how old you get, you will always be my little sister!

The weekend went like this...Part I

With lots in store for us this past weekend, I knew it would be nearly impossible to have a nice quiet meal with Marc. Immediately after work on Friday, I dashed home to get ready for our dinner date at Sundried Tomato in Laguna Beach. So much for hurrying as we got stuck in a mad traffic jam due to the streets being shut down for a holiday festival in downtown Laguna. We were late for our reservation anyway and there was nowhere to park so we headed to San Juan Capistrano and took our chances as walk-in's at...well, you guessed it, Sundried Tomato. Thankfully, they have 2 other locations. We were seated immediately and were able to enjoy a quiet dinner together. I like to say it was the beginning of what would become a birthday weekend of gluttony.

The birthday boy patient awaits dinner.

I ate the olive bread before I could take a picture. This is the house bread with their famous Sundried Tomato Butter.

I am a salad lover so I had to try the salad sampler.

(From L to R: Apple pecan, honey cilantro, chopped salad w/ gorgonzola)

The middle one was the best!

Sundried Tomato Mac 'n Cheese. I would definitely call it a grown-up's version of the childhood favorite. It has a rich and creamy sauce with hints of sundried tomato topped with gorgonzola cheese, mushrooms and spinach. A delectable dish indeed!

Marc's family held a surprise party for him during lunch on Saturday at their home in Loma Linda. We were both shocked at the amount of people that were there. Even the pastor who married us was there! I was also surprised to see a lot of my family. We had a great time and best of all, had delicious home-cooked food.

I found my parents at the party!

Birthday boy Marc in front.

(From L to R: My cousin Carlo , Domilyn (Carlo's wife), Myself, and Inah.

We hardly see Carlo b/c he lives in a cave called Med-School so it was great to catch up...finally!

It doesn't end here! Check back for Part II in the near future. And for those of you studying for or taking finals, best of luck! I can definitely feel your pain. :)

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Us @ C&J's engagement "wig" dinner party in Venice Beach.

Marc's favorite gift from his last birthday courtesy of Ella and Shelby.

Today, my hubby Marc turns a quarter of a century. We spent the whole weekend celebrating by eating more than our stomachs can bare. Of course, we have no regrets about it! :)

Marc,

I am so grateful to have you in my life. You are the most patient person I know and you are always willing to put yourself before others. You are smart and dedicated and because of those traits, I know you will go far in life. Thank you for being the loving and caring husband that you are. You truly know how to make me feel special by simply being the good person that you are.

I hope that you get everything you wish for on your special day because you deserve it all!

I love you so much!

Alli

Happy Birthday Lolo!

My grandpa (aka Lolo Ben) with his great-grandson Matthew who wouldn't let him blow his candles alone!My nephew Matthew after stripping off his Elmo costume
Exit to my brother's apartment in Hollywood

My brother's apartment. I couldn't take pics inside b/c his roomies were sleeping like vampires and had the whole place pitch black.

Oh my! It's nearly the end of the week and I have not yet posted. I wish I could say that I'm just lazy but truthfully, I have been one busy bee. I even had to resort to dropping one of my 3 design classes. But fear not, I am alive!

In Tagalog, "Lolo" means grandfather. As mentioned in my last post, this weekend was all about celebrating his birthday. Though he may not be as strong as he used to, we are so fortunate to still have him around. Not to mention, he is an excellent surgeon, a wonderful cook and a faithful God-loving man. He has traveled all over the world, written a book and bought all of his grand-children TI-83 calculators as 8th grad graduation gifts. :) I pray that he will be able to celebrate more birthdays with us.

On another note, my brother moved out last month to Hollywood to attend the LA Recording School. He and 2 other buddies from our hometown have made their niche in the heart and center of LA on Sunset Blvd.Marc and I picked him on our way to the party and got to see his place for the first time. On our way back to dropping him off, we encountered horrendous Hollywood traffic as Halloween party-goers made their way to the clubs. It took us an hour to travel 10 miles. Amazing. With that said, I would not want to live in LA. New York or San Francisco-YES!

Lastly, hop on over to Melissa's blog to read about food, adventures and as she says "everything else in between!" Trust me, it is one delightful blog and she's currently hosting a giveaway that you won't want to miss!

Happy Birthday Dad

my dad & i-Christmas 2007

Today is my Dad's birthday and tonight, Marc and I will be going home to celebrate the occasion with the family. I have to say that my Dad is quite a character. He likes to embarrass us in public with his weird antics and outbursts. Just a few weeks ago during my brother's birthday lunch, he jokingly told my sister's new boyfriend that he would kill him if he hurt my sister. There's always some sort of awkward tension when my Dad is around simply because, we never know what kind of crazy, witty phrase he'll utter next. But looking back, we always get a kick out of it and up laughing on the floor!

Dad, there's never a dull moment when you're around. I know you like it when my friends ask if you're my brother. I have to say that you deserve it because you work hard to stay fit and you laugh away life's troubles to prevent wrinkles from forming on your face. Thanks for being who you are and for teaching us one of life's most valuable lessons:

"You need to give up something, to get something."

Happy birthday, Dad! I love you!

Birthday Weekend+Extended Birthday Week+More

As of last Sunday, I've lived for a quarter of a century. My parents put together a small, short and sweet family lunch for me on Saturday at their house. It was great to see family although most of them had to pretty much "eat and run." I had to cancel my annual game night birthday bash due to a number of reasons. Nonetheless, I still had a nice weekend.

In celebration of my actual birthday, hubby took me to Venice. He knew I had been wanting to try out the French macaroons at Jin Patisserie so that was our first stop. They are very small compared to others I've tried but the price you pay is well worth it as the quality of these babies are top-notch. I wish I had pictures but I gobbled them down faster than the camera shutter.

Ok, maybe not that fast as I got caught eating my last & favorite one-Hazelnut!

I have this bad habit of eating dessert before the main meal. As we were heading to the car, we spotted an organic gelato place called N'Ice Cream. I had a delicious scoop of the special which was some concoction of the following: peanut butter, rum, hazelnut, pistachio and chocolate. I would go back to Venice just for that! Too bad they don't pack to-go pints!

After strolling down Abbot Kinney and scarfing down our delicious sweet treats, we headed to C&O Trattoria for lunch. This is one of my favorite Italian places and it hasn't disappointed me yet.

Killer Garlic Rolls (a signature C&O treat)

Penne Spinaci

After a heavy carb-filled meal, we walked the stretch of the Venice boardwalk for what seemed like eternity. But, we had to burn the calories somehow, right?

Venice Boardwalk

An electric pole on Electric Ave.

Spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and relaxing. I wouldn't have it any other way! Thank you Marc for a fun-filled day! I love you!

I honestly think this is our first 'mirror shot.' lol!

Fast forward.....

Claudine spent Thursday night at my place because she had a conference to go to in the area. She wanted to take me out to dinner the following evening for my birthday so I had to pick a place. Thanks to Yelp reviews, we ended up at Sundried Tomato in Laguna Beach. To add to the celebration, Gem and Samantha showed up so we all went out to dinner together. I have to say that this place has made it to my list of favorite restaurants in Orange County. They have the best gourmet macaroni & cheese I've ever had! (Sorry, Beecher's) Imagine penne pasta with spinach and mushrooms topped with a light creamy tomato sauce and three cheeses including gorgonzola. I'm honestly debating on going back tonight for some! They also have a very light and fresh garlic & spinach ravioli. One of my favorites was actually the complimentary olive bread with sundried tomato butter. I cannot wait to go back and try the other yummy dishes this place has to offer.

I had a great time catching up with my girls. No doubt, it was the perfect way to start my weekend. Check out what Samantha gave me for my birthday present:

Presenting: Persian Ice Cream & Sorbet

From Mashti Malone's

Samantha has been trying to take me to the actual ice cream shop in LA but our schedules have always clashed. So instead, she brought the frozen goods to me! Marc and I just had a sampling of each of the flavors and my favorite will have to be....Herbal Snow! It seriously tastes like snow with sweet herbs. I'm having a hard time describing it but it's really good and addicting and supposedly healthy too?!

Tomorrow is a special day. I'll tell you why...tomorrow! But feel free to make a guess by commenting on this post. = )

Camera update: The girls helped me figure out the camera! Can't wait to get my roll developed! 36 more shots! Yay!

Matthew's First Birthday

Kit Name: "Happy go Lucky"

Designer: Shabby Princess

Cupcake Element from: "Honey Cafe" kit

Designer: Honey Designs

Frames: "JHE Modern Elements" kit

Designer: Jackie Eckles

Yesterday, celebrated the 1st birthday of my nephew, Matthew Lisud, at Zen Buffet in San Gabriel. He is the first great-grandchild on my mother's immediate family's side (Jimenez side). Unfortunately, my grandpa was not there to witness the event as he is currently traveling the East Coast with other family members including my younger sister.

Sweet family moment

Ate Rea (Mom), Matthew, Kuya Von (Dad)

This so-called 'flower candle' evolves from a closed flower and gradually opens up as the large flame in the middle dies off. It's the first time I've ever seen one of these and I want to get one!

I don't have a picture of his entire outfit but this happy camper was sporting Lacoste Shoes, True Religion Jeans, and a Burberry polo shirt. I don't even own anything in these brands! Someone's gonna be spoiled!

Immediately after 'blowing the candles,' the little one literally knocked out.

After the party, we spend the rest of the day being lazy at the Lisud's place. Marc and I were finally able to watch Slumdog Millionaire (we're SO behind on movies right now) with Claudine and Johnson. This movie definitely gets 5 starts in my book. What a great plot and amazing acting! Just getting a glimpse of India's slums made me realize that I have a lot of be thankful for. I enjoy movies that portray the realistic conditions of those in other parts of the world. It creates awareness within individuals while at the same time fostering community globally. The hearts of many were touched to reach out to these children after watching the movie. (Read article from The Guardian for more info) While money may help improve the living conditions of these children, nothing can erase the painful memories and hardships they've had to live through. It's unfortunate that some parts of the world have to endure a great degree of poverty. I wish I could just wave my magic wand and as Michael Jackson notes, "(...) make a better place for you and for me."