Monthly Archives: October 2010

by | October 19, 2010 · 9:40 am

Malibu, Mexican, Malachi!

    I woke up early this morning and headed to the gym! I’m known for going to extremes and overworking myself when I have the opportunity, so I kept that in mind when I walked through the doors this morning. I spent 35 minutes doing cardio on the elliptical because the stair-climber was broken, then did 25 minutes of weight lifting and stretching. I felt good when I got home… until NOW. Now my legs are screaming at me! I LOVE IT!

     I’ve almost used up all the leftover canned pumpkin! I had yet another Halloween Monster (thanks so much for mentioning it on your blog, Lynn!) for breakfast and I’m still not sick of it!

So thick!
     I had an audition in Sherman Oaks today – walk in, slate, profiles, chit-chat, “okay with kissing an onscreen boyfriend?”, “yes”, slate again, walk out. Commercial auditions are quick ‘n easy!
     Afterwards I went over to pick up Malachi and we headed towards Malibu.
It was a tough drive. The scenery was just SO distracting!
This is my ideal weather – I wish it were like this all the time.
     We arrived at a cute lodge tucked into the canyons of Malibu so Malachi could pick up an awesome car that his uncle was generously lending him, then went to lunch at Lily’s Cafe and Pastries for some local Mexican food.
I got the grilled fish tacos – tender fish covered with a white sauce and topped with tomatoes and cilantro, all wrapped up in fresh corn tortillas. They served a searing hot sauce on the side. Heaven!
Malachi’s food was so good it made him want to cry. 
Malachi modeled his ancient bracelets that he wears until they fall off. Here they’re arranged by age from “FREAKING OLD” to “You’ve worn that for HOW long?”
     I needed a little pick-me-up for the drive home up the coast, so I grabbed a tall soy chai from the Bucks. Malachi ordered a manly drink and posed with his manly new car.
Sippin’ a manly vanilla steamer and posing with his manly PT Loser Cruiser.
Stand proud, buddy!
     I have tomorrey off! The day will be stuffed with cooking, reading and Sundance films.

Speaking of cooking, DOES ANYONE HAVE AMAZING BUTTERNUT SQUASH RECIPES TO SHARE? 

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Filed under fish tacos, green monster, gym, Halloween Monster, Lily's Cafe and Pastries, Malachi, Malibu, Starbucks

by | October 18, 2010 · 8:04 am

A New Journey!

     I’m trying something new for the next two weeks. Let’s see if you can figure it out…

Friday’s lunch…
Today’s lunch.
Friday’s post-dinner snack…
Today’s post-dinner snack.
That would be roasted seaweed. I’m not a fan.
     I didn’t give you many hints because I didn’t take enough pictures over the past few days, so I’ll just tell you: I’ve decided to become pescetarian for the following two weeks. Why, you ask? I really don’t know myself. All I know is that my body is fed up with the crappy eating as of late, and I’m ready for a jolt back into health. I’ve also cut out coffee (waaaaaah!) and alcohol (except for one night I have planned with friends) for a little extra cleanse. 
     For another extra boost, I joined the local gym for a month, and finally feel like I’m in a healthy mindset again! YOU READY FOR THIS?
     I’ll show you how I prepare for two weeks (if not more) of vegetarianism/pescetarianism. 
Seared ahi and avocado salad to prepare my body for the future.
A BIGASS burger topped with bacon, avocado and white cheddar with a huge side of sweet potato fries to bid a farewell to all things meat. Sniff.
DEVOUR!
Have you ever eaten something so good you wanted to cry? That’s what’s happening here.
SO GOOD!
     I’m off to sip some chamomile tea and try to race through my book, “The Lost Girls” to try and finish it before it’s due in three days. I only have three hundred and forty pages (!!!) left. Yikes. Audition tomorrey followed by hanging with Malachi and then work at night. It’s going to be a busy day!

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Filed under burgers, Chimay Grande Reserve, kitchen sink salad, pescetarianism, roasted seaweed, seared ahi, sweet potato fries, The Lost Girls, vegetarianism

by | October 16, 2010 · 9:32 pm

PUMPKIN OVERDOSE!

     Ever since last year’s pumpkin shortage, I’ve become covetous over canned pumpkin. In the baking aisle at the grocery store, I fight the urge to snarl and hiss at people as they casually grab a can like it grows from an overactive pumpkin-tree. They obviously don’t recall the horrors of 2009.

   
     Even now, in the time of plenty, I get flashbacks. Each time I pass by a can of pumpkin and don’t pick it up, I get a tight, anxious feeling in my chest and fret about that can of pumpkin for the rest of the day, wondering if I’ve made a huge mistake by walking by… wondering if I’ll ever see another can of pumpkin again.
     This year, I’ve taken steps to prevent such a disaster. Canned pumpkin overflows from my cabinets, biding its time until I crack it open and let the pureed gold flow out.
 I give you: last night’s dessert.
Obviously we didn’t use the graham cracker crust. It turned out more like pumpkin souffle! YUM!
     Since we had to open a GIGANTIC can of pumpkin to make the pies last night and had a bunch left over, I decided to add some to the Monsta so it didn’t go to waste.
This is exactly like slurping down liquid pumpkin pie. So good!
Halloween Monsta (Makes 2 servings)
14 cups of spinach, washed
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
1/2 cup of canned pumpkin
2 carrots
1 frozen banana
1 lemon
1 lime
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
     1. Cram all the ingredients into a magical Vitamix.
     2. Turn the Vitamix to high. (If you don’t have a magical blender, put all the ingredients except for the spinach into the blender, then slowly add the spinach as the blender whirls.)
     3. Pour the thickest Monsta you’ve ever seen into a large glass.
     4. Add a straw.
     5. Try not to sprain your jaw while sucking it down.
     I still have about two cups of opened canned pumpkin left and I want to use it up before it goes bad!
Do you have any good pumpkin recipes??

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Filed under canned pumpkin, Crustless Pumpkin Pie, green monster, pumpkin souffle, Vitamix, weight watchers

by | October 15, 2010 · 9:00 pm

My Day with Bobby Flay!

     I’m a poet. As I was typing out my title, I realized what genius I have stored up in my brain, just waiting to come out in rhyme. Thyme. Lime. Dime.

You’re welcome.

     Yesterday involved a trip to Costco to stock up on the necessities of life: ludicrous amounts of toilet paper, 6-packs of bell peppers, and mass quantities of bananas for the morning Montsas. Yeah, bulk shopping! While we were pushing the gigantic cart down the aisles, we passed this sign:

BOBBY FLAY!!!
We raced down the aisles, ramming into at least four other carts and rolling over a few ankles and feet, and found this:
Well, hello there!
Bobby was signing copies of his new book, Bobby Flay’s Throwdown. As much as I love Bobby Flay, I don’t love him enough to wait in a four-hour line. Lucky for me, I’m a blogger and always have my camera handy!
(Interesting fact: a family friend, Jenn Karlman, was on Bobby’s season premiere of “Grill It! with Bobby Flay”, and has an amazing cooking website with recipes she creates in her own savvy brain. Go check it out!)
Side note: I have now typed out the word “Bobby” too much and it looks funny…
     More good news???
Corduroys are back in style, and cheap when you buy them in bulk!
Sarcasm or sincerity? You be the judge!
Who’s your favorite FoodNetwork personality? I’m a sucker for Giada DeLaurentiis and the latest “The Next Food Network Star” winner, Aarti Sequeria.

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Filed under Aarti Sequeria, Bobby Flay, corduroys, Costco, Giada DeLaurentiis, green monster, Grill It, Jenn Karlman, Throwdown with Bobby Flay

by | October 13, 2010 · 8:50 pm

Good Morning!

     Good morning.

Yes, it is 🙂
I love where I live.

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Filed under gorgeous, marine layer, Morning, Sunrise

by | · 9:14 am

Meet Frogface!

     I’m an awesome friend. Just to let you all know. I got up at 6am on my only day off to take a friend to the airport. It took almost two hours of fighting traffic to get down to LAX – lucky for us, we had gotten off the 101 before Imperial Stars decided to pull over their bus and give a concert in the three left lanes of the highway. Lucky me!

     After dropping my friend off, my roommate (who is also an awesome friend) and I took the coast up and stopped for breakfast at Paradise Cove.
COFFEEEEEEE!
Cinnamon french toast. This one ended up wreaking havoc on my stomach – too many carbs and too much sugar! I’m not used to such an overload!
Paradise Cove is a very swanky little trailer park…
With a beautiful backdrop!
     Tonight was my final pottery class for at least a month, so I decided not to throw any bowls and instead let my brain revert back to how it though as a preschooler.
This is Frogface.
Frogface is pleased (and surprised) to meet you!
My mom has a bit more talent than I do in the pottery department.
By a bit, I mean she has a LOT more talent than I do!
     A late dinner followed pottery class with a splash of splurge.
Chimay Red! I’m so spoiled! This beer is AH-MAY-ZING! Deliciously rich and smooth and full of joy. I can’t really describe this one any better. No notes stick out (maybe because I’ve had a glass and a half so far), just deliciousness. 
     We’re wrapping up watching Glee and sipping good brews, and tomorrey I officially start working for the artist and learning Excel and fun stuffs like that, followed by a night shift at work and lots of GELATO!
Please compliment Frogface. He’s quite insecure…

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Filed under airport, beach, Chimay Red, coffee, french toast, Frogface, Imperial Stars, LAX, Mom, Paradise Cove

by | October 12, 2010 · 7:40 am

RANDOM FOOD ATTACK!

Food flashback:

Post-work hash and poached egg. Trader Joe’s roast beef hash is delish and has really good nutritional stats! Guilt-free dinner!
Mini-Monsta with some self-promotion in the background. (I don’t normally read my own blog in the mornings – I go through all ten million that I follow first.) 😀
FULL-SIZE Monsta! Lots of spinach and asparagus and frozen blueberries!
Gelato with the Russian co-worker, Veek-torr (aka the non-Russian Victor (I have a weird sense of humor…)) and Vicky.
     Now let’s get to some quick recipes:
Peach-Pumpkin Pie Pancakes – Printable version HERE
1/2 cup whole rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 peach, diced
1 1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
     1. Mix dry ingredients together, then add the wet.
     2. Stir until combined.
     3. Pour 1 heaping tablespoon onto greased pan over medium heat.
JUST. LIKE. THAT.
     4. Cook until the tops start to look dry and the bubbles have popped. Flip.
     5. Cook on the other side for another 4-5 minutes (Pumpkin really puffs up the pancakes, so you have to cook them a little longer, otherwise the middle comes out raw. Lucky for you, these are vegan, so raw does not equal salmonella poisoning!)
Toasty brown!
     6. Plate, drizzle with honey and eat!
Yeah. These were a bit raw in the middle. Still delicious and edible, though!
     Next recipe:
Whole Wheat Veggie Pizza
Pre-made whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s (cuz I’m lazy…)
Whatever fresh veggies you desire
Cheese (again, whichever type you desire)
     1. Put your dough on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
     2. Top with whatever veggies and cheese you want.
My base was zucchini. I grated 2 full zucchinis then squeeeezed the crap out of them to get the water out. Seriously, squeeze these until all the moisture is gone, otherwise it makes for a soggy, icky pizza.
I sliced a bunch of baby tomatoes.
Pre-bake: Zucchini, tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, goat cheese, spinach, smoked mozzarella and sliced onions that were caramelized with a teaspoon of blood-orange balsamic vinegar.
     3. Bake at 450 F for about twelve minutes.
Heck. To. The. Yes.
     4. Chop through the thick crust and devour.
This doesn’t really count as a recipe considering it’s a “throw-a-bunch-of-random-ingredients-together-then-cross-your-fingers-and-hope-it-works-out” type of recipe. I’ll still take credit for it though!
     All that we have seen brings us to tonight:
Punkin for me, 1554 for the roommate.
Twobooswhoeat and I are planning a SoCal blogger meetup soon! It will be just north of Calabasas (might be a bit of a drive for you LA-ians). Who’s in??

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by | October 9, 2010 · 9:32 am

Becki’s Car Go BANG!

     I had kind of a rough day. I had an audition for a print job, which I find completely pointless to begin with because I AM NOT A MODEL, and as an added knee-to-the-groin, I got in my first car accident.

     But first…

The day started off well – Peach Pie Monsta with 6 cups of spinach, 1/2 cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1 carrot, 2 spears of asparagus, 1/2 of a peach, 1 lime, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a handful of ice.
Monstas = ENERGY!
     I decided that since I had to be in LA anyway, I might as well make the best of it, so I met up with Malachi for lunch.
Suzanne’s Country Deli – a little local place that Malachi has driven past and always wanted to try. I was up for the gamble!
Sir Malachi!
I ordered the Avocado Sammich – lettuce, avocado, tomato, cucumber slices and a light mayo on whole wheat bread. Simple, but delicious! I could only eat half before I was full.
Malachi got the signature burger and fries.
Dan got the remaining half of my sammich for when he wrapped up at work.
I spoil him 😉
     After lunch I headed out for my audition. I was feeling joyful, rocking out to some Flo Rida while driving down Vine, and as I switched lanes, someone decided that right then would be a genius idea to peel out of his parking spot and rammed straight into the rear passenger door of my car, shredding off a bunch of metal trip and leaving a groovy scratch along the side. I pulled over on one of the busiest streets in Hollywood with cars screaming by and exchanged info with the driver who “didn’t want nothin’ to do with no poh-lice” and somehow still made it to my audition on time. MAGIC!
I always said that as long as my car still functions, it won’t matter if a few bumps or scrapes happen – but that was before it actually happened to me. I got off lucky, I’ll say that!
I’ll never feel the same joy when I listen to “Club Can’t Handle Me” by Flo Rida.
     The audition went fine after that. They took a few pictures from different angles then had me do a little improv on video. The casting director told me to pretend that a friend had called me and given me great news. My improv went a little like this:
Becki answers phone: Hey Malachi, what’s up?
(She listens)
Becki: Sammiches are half off until 3 today? I am SO there!
(She listens)
Becki: No, dude I don’t do that veggie crap, I’m getting a burger. Your treat, right?
(She listens)
Becki: OKAYBYE!

     The CD laughed. Hey, half-off sammiches are GREAT news to me! If nothing else, I stuck out in their minds for originality, right? It’ll be interesting to see if I hear back considering they were looking for women in their late twenties – which, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, I am not.
     The drive home was spent with quiet music and extra caution, and I wrapped up the afternoon with some fun calls to the LAPD and my insurance company. When I went to work, I decided that gelato would be of great comfort to me. Honestly though, when is it not?
Pumpkin Cheesecake!!! Autumn flavors are out at Paciugo!!!
Everything looks better in macro!

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Filed under audition, avocado, car accident, Flo Rida, green monster, Malachi, Paciugo, peach pie monster, Suzanne's Country Deli

by | October 8, 2010 · 8:53 am

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins!

I did NOTHING but cook today! Well, that and watch the COLORADO AVALANCHE DESTROY the Chicago Blackhawks! Ooooooh yeah!

I’ve been dying to make pumpkin muffins since we bought our first can of pumpkin half a month ago, and I finally had time today!

Ingredients assembled!
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins – Printable recipe available HERE.
adapted from Donna
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole rolled oats
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I realize this is dry, but this just makes it easier)
1/8 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup water
     1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and grease muffin tins. (Or use silicon muffin cups like I did – They’re pricey but make everything easier! I highly recommend them.)
     2. Combine dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.
     2. In second bowl, combine wet ingredients.
     3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
     4. Pour batter into muffin tins.
I heart mini-muffins. Too cheesy?
     5. Baking times vary: my mini-muffins took 12 minutes until they were done. The full size muffins took 25 minutes.
Donning a cute apron from TJ Maxx helps too…
     6. Set your camera to the macro-setting which you will have JUST TODAY discovered (Manual is not macro? I am ashamed) and take some awesome pictures!
Chocolate chip goodness!
     Since I discovered the official macro setting on my camera, I set out to take some artsy pictures.
Cleaned silicone muffin liners.
Cat.
Candleholder with a view.
Sweet potato chili ingredients.
Sweet potato chili served in handmade pottery.
It was a great day.
What are your favorite fall recipes?

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Filed under apron, baking, cat, chocolate chip, macro, muffins, pumpkin muffins, recipe, silicone, sweet potato chili

by | October 7, 2010 · 10:40 pm

Sweet Potato Pancakes!

Over the last month I have made pancakes. Lots and lots of pancakes. Not just any pancakes though – I’ve made Banana-Pecan Pancakes, Green Monsta Pancakes,  Peach Pie Oatmeal Pancakes, and many many more. Today brings another rendition – Sweet Potato Pancakes.

Sweet Potato Pancakes
Dry Ingredients:
1/3 cup whole rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 small baked sweet potato, skinned and smashed
2/3-1 1/3 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
     1. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
     2. In another bowl, combine the sweet potato, vanilla, and half of the soymilk.
     3. Add the sweet potato mixture to the dry ingredients and combine.
     4. This is where you must use your own judgement (did you know that there are tons of internet debates about the spelling of judgment/judgement? I guess I’m British at heart! The things I learn from blogging…) – add soymilk until the batter consistency is thin enough to pour, but thick enough to hold together – does that make sense?
Until it looks like THAT!
     5. Pour a heaping tablespoon onto a greased pan and cook over medium-low heat until the edges look a little brown, then flip.
     6. Cook for another three minutes, then serve with your choice of topping.
I topped mine with diced peaches that were tossed with cinnamon and a teaspoon of brown sugar, then softened and caramelized in a pan over medium heat.
Eat. Breathe. Joy.

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