Guppy Tea House

Life would be insane if I didn't have these girls. My Fatima girls and I have known each other since we were 5 years old, and for 16 years (and counting) they have been my best friends, sisters, soul mates. We've watched each other grow, been through good and some bad times, and supported each other endlessly. A few weeks ago, Trixie's grandpa had passed away. It had been a while since we have all been together, but we were all able to attend her grandpa's funeral. After the reception at Ten Ten, we went to Guppy Teahouse in Cerritos.

We caught up on each other's lives over some Brick Toast and Shaved Iced. The brick toast was warm and comforting. We had coconut and chocolate brick toasts served with a side of strawberries and ice cream. The "small" sized shaved ice was enough to feed the five of us and then some. It was topped off with banana, mango, and strawberry and drizzled with condensed milk. :) Enjoy salivating over the pictures

Pieology Pizzeria

Iz and I had lunch at Pieology Pizzeria on Wednesday. I think they have a pretty good deal! Every pizza is $7.50 and you can top it with ANYTHING as much as you want on your pizza and it's still $7.50!! Their crust is thin, so if you're into thin crust pizzas you'd like it here. The restaurant was pretty modern. It's set up kind of like Chipotle even the interior. The really cool thing is that they have couches where you can lounge, relax, and set up your laptop. Definitely college student friendly.

Napa Rose

Last weekend, Israel and I went on a romantic date to Napa Rose at the Grand California Hotel in Disneyland. My dad had received a $200 gift card to this restaurant on his 60th birthday and never used it! So he decided to give it to me and Israel knowing that we'd put it into good use!

As you enter the restaurant you immediately see a lounge with a fire place and see people sitting at the bar sipping on their cocktails and glasses of wine. It was a very sophisticated restaurant. Warm tones, murals of napa valley, open kitchen, lots of wine!

Their menu changes seasonally, but from the reviews I've read, it's never a disappointment
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Everything ranged from 20 to 90 dollars.

Appetizer: Seven Sparkling Sins.
Main Course: Blackened Sea Bass and Roasted Pork
Sides: Truffled Mac and Cheese


** I need to fix my camera. these pictures look ridiculous. ahah

Gone mad for macaroni salad!!!!

I looked inside my refrigerator and all I saw were vegetables and immediately thought SALAD!! It's so easy to put all your veggies together and make something light and delicious. I am not sure if macaroni salad is considered light because of all the mayo you put in it ahah. But anyway, my tummy is happy now.

Easy as 1 2 3! In my salad, I used red and orange bell peppers, yellow onion, celery sticks, and mayo and pepper if needed :) It really added a lot of texture, flavor, and color to this dish.

The Farmhouse Veggie Burger

I was watching Food Network's "The Best Food I Ever Ate" tonight and the chefs were talking about their favorite burgers. It is a given: everyone loves a mean, fat, juicy burger with its patty cooked to perfection hugged by fresh tomato, onions, lettuce, and fluffy bun. But what about veggie burgers?! I've had a few, but nothing that has ever lived up to the satisfaction a cheeseburger gives. But according to Duff Goldman, Farmhouse's veggie burger is LEGIT.

The restaurant is located in Portland, Oregon, so it's definitely not close by, but I did check their website and they were kind enough to give out their recipe. My next post will probably be my attempt in making this burger.

I am most definitely excited to make a patty out of eggplant mixed with cheddar cheese, and bread crumbs?! yummmmmmmmmmmm!



The Farm Café’s
Farmhouse Veggie Burger

Serves 4

2 whole eggplant, peeled and 1 inch diced

2 scallions chopped

1 Tbs minced parsley

1 cup shredded medium cheddar

1 cup bread crumbs

¾ tsp black pepper

1 tsp minced garlic

¼ tsp salt

3 Tbs olive oil

Sauté eggplant on low heat till grey and very soft.

Mix together eggplant and all the rest of the ingredients, except oil, let rest for ½ hour in refrigerator.

Form into 4 equal patties about an inch thick.

In a sauté pan, heat olive oil until shimmering hot, fry each side of patty till dark brown, about 5 minutes each side.

Serve on locally made sandwich bun with caramelized onions, spicy brown mustard, roasted red peppers and salad mix.

The food I've been lucky to eat these past few months

Broiled Salmon with Spinach and Feta Saute

It was a girls' night on Labor Day evening. Lynn, Michelle, Amanda and I decided to make dinner. We looked through Amanda's cook book and the picture of a salmon caught our eyes. We decided to make broiled salmon with spinach and feta saute. If you're looking for a very simple, healthy, and filling dish, THIS IS THE DISH TO MAKE. When I say it's simple, trust me IT'S SO SIMPLE. This recipe was created by Martha Stewart.

Here are the ingredients and directions:
"Serves 4

* 4 skinless salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 bags (5 ounces each) baby spinach
* 1/2 cup feta, crumbled (2 ounces)
* 1/3 cup pine nuts
* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Place salmon on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Broil until opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add as much spinach as will fit; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing spinach and adding more to skillet as space becomes available, until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; drain off excess liquid. Stir in feta, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Serve salmon with spinach" (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/broiled-salmon-with-spinach-and-feta-saute)


*Because the pine nuts were expensive, we decided to saute mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes with the lemon juice and feta instead, AND we bought a bag of 6 frozen salmon from Albertsons for $12.99.

The portions seemed small when we served dinner, but to our surprise it was indeed filling. Of course, I probably could have eaten more, but the portion was perfect. It was nice to be full, but NOT FEEL full.

Try it out and tell me how you like it! Bon apetit!