Goodbye Orange County-Part IV

As we got onto the freeway to head back to the Inland Empire, Marc decided to take a detour to his favorite Empanada's Place in Costa Mesa.

This charming little hole-in-the-wall has been one of our favorite dine-in spots in OC.

The extensive menu caters to both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

These are the corn & cheese stuffed empanadas with the infamous chimichurri sauce. Don't let the pictures fool you, these babies are quite large.

Cheese & Onion and Potato empanadas. Such delightful treats!

And that's it folks! What a perfect way to end our last day in OC. Is it sad that our favorite places were all associated with food? I'm a proud food lover and have no shame in admitting that!

As the saying goes, with every ending comes a new beginning. I am very anxious and excited to begin the next chapter of our lives together in what I now refer to as "the great north." :) But for now, I must indulge in all things So-Cal as time is a ticking!

Goodbye Orange County-Part III

We made a few more stops during our last day in Irvine. Not to eat, but simply to take pictures of some of our favorite places. : )

The token Taiwanese bakery in Irvine known as 85 Degrees . The long lines, self-serve buttery breads and the yummy dessert counter will surely be missed.

The only decent Thai food place in all of Irvine-Thai Ritz Cuisine. The monstrous portions were a steal for the low price to pay!

My favorite supermarket, H-Mart. This place allowed me to stretch my $20/week grocery budget beyond limits!

I love how clean it is inside plus the assortment of produce was always fresh and very affordable. Where else can you get 5 bunches of spinach for $1. Yes, I did say bunches.

Goodbye Orange County-Part I

One of the things we have been wanting to do in our now previous hometown of Irvine is to ride the orange passenger balloon at the developing Orange County Great Park. After turning in our apartment keys, we spent the rest of the day bidding farewell to our favorite places. In addition, we finally made the flight on the orange balloon. The sunny skies combined with the beautiful weather allowed for a wonderful flight!

Helium passenger balloons require boarding passes too! :)

We were fortunate enough to get a pair of tickets instantly; unlike our last attempt.

Our ride up to the sky

Lifted off!

The balloon's shadow.

The view from 400 ft. The OC Great Park used to be a Marine base/airstrip

It was a happy flight indeed! Can't wait to see how this park turns out in the next decade. It's supposed to be larger than NYC's Central Park.

Dessert Trip

Mint-Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chocolate cupcakes. Yummy!

Last night, I had a sudden craving for cupcakes from Frosted. So, Marc and I hopped in the car and headed over to the scenic 2nd Street of Long Beach for some yummy dessert and milk.

After dessert, I wanted more dessert so we went across the street to Yogurtland. Whenever I go to these self-serve yogurt joints, I'm always on a mission to keep my bill under $1. Last night, I spent a whoppin' $0.96! I swear, I never used to care for sweets. I blame the awakening of my sweet tooth on Claudine. :)

2nd Street in Long Beach at night

I think my sweet cravings have been satisfied for the week. Hopefully the weather will be better this week so I can get back to my regular running schedule so I won't have to feel guilty about my sweet sins. :)

Eating my heart out

The holidays have definitely messed with my diet and exercise schedule but that's ok. In the last two weeks, I've been busy catching up with friends. I've come this far to learn that it is best to socialize around food. I'm not quite sure why but it just makes everything merry and relaxed.

This has been my first "Christmas break" since high-school and I loved every minute of it. During college, I spent my holidays working to pay for the following quarter's huge textbook bill. I will definitely miss vacation and I'm so glad that I was able to reunite with friends and have time to relax.

Last night, Marc and I went out to enjoy a quiet evening together. We wound up at Eat Chow in Costa Mesa. I have been wanting to go here ever since Savvy Mode mentioned it in one of her blog posts. She was right, the food was flavored just right. The portions were very generous and I have to say that I think I've found another favorite here in Orange County. Honestly, I don't have too many favorites around here. The little joint is located on Newport Blvd. and is adjoined by The Closet. In fact, the owners seem to have schemed it will as they make you wait for a table by escorting you to a seating area in The Closet . Of course, as you sit there, you'll be enticed to shop. Tricky, tricky!

Parmesan-truffle pomme frites. I'm definitely ordering these again. What is it about truffle oil that makes everything taste fantastic?

Warm goat cheese salad with arugula and red wine gastrique. I almost coaxed the waiter into getting me the recipe for the amazing dressing. Maybe next time.

The Ahi burger was quite a delight! I loved the flavor of the toasted brioche and the fish was done just right. The salad had a cilantro-buttermilk dressing which was delicious! I'm a salad-dressing freak, can't you tell?

Back to the grind tomorrow but I'm hoping and praying that this won't last much longer. Changes in 2010 must happen! : )

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. :)

Beach Days

Sandcastle Contest @ Corona del Mar

As strange as it sounds, my favorite time for beach-going would be the fall/winter. There is definitely less of a crowd and I love wearing layers of clothing and wrapping myself in blankets while sitting on the sand and feeling the cold wind on my face. Best feeling ever! Throw in a bonfire and some smores and that my friends is my ideal beach scene! Yesterday, Marc and I went to Corona del Mar to witness the annual Sandcastle Contest. I brought my camera but when I took it out to snap photos, I realized that I had left my battery at home. It was such a fun treat to watch people build enormous sculptures out of sand especially in the freezing cold. At the conclusion of the contest, we watched everyone pack into their cars which left a deserted beach. We weren't ready to leave just yet so we sat on the rocks, listened to the waves and had a peaceful time together.

In the last 8 days, we have gone to beach 4 times. I think I went to the beach a total of 4 times during the summer. More beach trips to come soon!

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!

Take me to the fair!

A new blog, a new beginning, and a lengthy blog name. I know it's somewhat of a tongue-twister but it perfectly describes a few of my top interests. I love to laugh, travel, and write. For my first entry, I will blog about my recent trip to the OC Super Fair.

This past Wednesday, I found out that Orange County Food Bank was collecting canned goods at the OC Super Fair in exchange for free admission. Immediately after work, I headed over there with my husband, Marc. Though the fairgrounds are only about 5 miles away from the house, it took us a good 30 minutes to get there through rush-hour traffic. I can't remember the last time I went to a fair but it was fun to walk around, people-watch, and sample some deep-fried food. Not being a fan of fried food, I was apprehensive to try most of the things but Marc did a good job of convincing me by saying "It's not for the taste, it's for the experience."

Australian Battered Potatoes-I caved into these because I wanted to hear the Aussie accent spoken by servers. I was not disappointed and even had a conversation with one of them. <3>Deep-friend zucchini. All this food starts to taste the same after awhile-all you taste is batter.
Deep-friend twinkie. Marc, not being a dessert person, came back to the table with an order of twinkies and oreos!
Deep fried-oreos. These tasted like donuts to me.

Didn't go for that one-sorry!

I wasn't lying when I said the fair has ddep-fried everything.

One of the strangest finds of the day. We actually couldn't find anyone eating them.

Overall, it was a fun evening and not to mention, the biggest money-trap ever! Make sure you bring lots of cash if you plan to go!