Category Archives: blogger meet-up

by | March 13, 2011 · 3:39 am

Ladyface with Bloggers!

Last night I met up with eleven other bloggers and one of my very favorite places in the world: Ladyface.
We got seated inside at one of the long tables, but after a few minutes of screaming at each other trying to be heard, we requested a swap for a table on the patio.
I ordered my favorite: Chesebro IPA. 9.8%ABV and soopah hoppy!
It made me soopah happy.
Kaitlin being a super-creeper and getting WAY better, clearer pictures than I got. I’m not jealous of her camera or skills at all…
From left to right: Dan, Monica, Katherine and Amanda.
Left to right: Danielle and Kelley.
Jessie!
Andy!
We spent the entire night drinking delicious beer, consuming wonderful food, but most importantly, talking incessantly about beer, blogging, food, life in general, and having the most amazing, fun Friday night with new friends. I never would have thought that I would be spending a Friday night with some people that I met on the internet, and ENJOYING myself at that, but I’m hooked!
And then Amanda did the downward dog.
And our night was complete.

We’re all waiting for the group pictures to show up – I think Jessie and Kaitlin have those in their possession. I can’t think of a better way to spend my Friday than at Ladyface with good beer, good bloggers and great friends.


WHEN IS THE NEXT MEETUP??

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Filed under Becki Kregoski, beer, blogger meet-up, brewery, Chesebro IPA, IPA, Ladyface, Ladyface Ale Companie, Ladyface Alehouse and Brasserie, NEW WEBSITE, sweet potato fries, Uncategorized

by | January 8, 2011 · 5:52 am

Cadillacs and High Tea!

     I headed out of town for a girls’ midweek weekend on Wednesday. It was long overdue.

First stop on a girls midweek weekend? La Cocina for Cadillacs!
And: Rascal Steph!
We sipped margaritas, crunched on sizzling tortilla chips and even sizzling-er salsa, and chowed down on flautas and tacos. Hooray for girls’ night!

     The next day, we decided to go for something even MORE girly, and a lot classier. 
I got “Blueberry Fields Green Tea”. It tasted like a meadow in the middle of the Grand Teton National Park, freshly-rained on while the sun casts its warm rays gently upon the glistening flowers.
It was that good.
Allie and I split a traditional afternoon tea, as well as a Tuscan tea.
The traditional tea sandwiches were cucumber-thyme, and curry chicken salad (which was Ah-MAY-Zing!). The Tuscan tea had finger sandwiches with tomatoes, avocado and fresh mozzarella. Oh yeah, I already failed a little on my no dairy – just a tad of mozzarella. Oops.
The next tier held cranberry scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam. I was a happy girl.
     After our ridiculously girly tea, we went to Happy Foot Spa and splurged on the “Combo #1” – a half hour foot massage and half hour full body massage. How much was this splurge, you ask? A whopping THIRTY BUCKS! Seriously, that’s it! 
I can’t imagine a more perfect definition of “GIRLS’ MIDWEEK WEEKEND!”

In other news:
I am now on a “freebies” binge. I have received ridiculous amounts of free coffee, shampoo, adult diapers (Why? Cuz they’re FREE! I have no idea what to do with them all… Homeless shelter donation, maybe?), Advil, Breathe-Right nasal strips and energy bars.
I have an addiction. A weird, weird addiction…

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Filed under adult diapers, Allie, blogger meet-up, Cadillac, foot spa, high tea, La Cocina, massage, scones, Steph, tea sandwiches

by | January 2, 2011 · 7:55 am

Dreams of a New Year!

     Happy New Year! Now that I have my resolutions securely down and written in stone (or in a really pretty notebook), I’m ready to share! FIRST though, I’d like to share some of the “Morning After” quotes that I heard at work today:
1. “Did anyone else wake up miles from their house and not know how they got there?”
2. “Anyone have a great story about last night?” “I do, but I can’t share it…”
3. (In reference to someone’s bruised cheek and split lip) “What happened to your face?” “I don’t know yet. I’m waiting for someone to text me and tell me.”

Yep. Happy New Year.

     NOW for my resolutions!
1. Only try NEW beers when out – unless from a local brewery, like Ladyface, Island Brewing Company, etc… Gotta support the local breweries!
Bonus points if I try beer that scares the CRAP out of me – haha, get it? Weasel Crap Beer!
2. Spend more time with family and friends.
My GORGEOUS parents!
The lovely Tanya.
Serenading Dan.
Sleepy Malachi – who is being lame and flying off to France for six freaking months.
Sweethearts Jenny and Boa.
Grayson the Thoughtful.
Beautiful Allie.
Plus TONS more. It’s a year to focus on what’s really important – the people in my life.
3. Get back outdoors and HIKE!
4. Eat more vegetables, whole grains and olive oil!
Kitchen Sink Salad contains all of this!
5. Quit my retail job.
Seriously, it’s hazardous to my health!
I know I said I was putting in my two weeks notice last week, but I chickened out when I told my sweet coworker and saw the look on her face. I’m such a people-pleaser.
6. Travel more!
Stormy Arizona deserts.
Bee parts.
Me on the road = Ecastatic!
7. Drink more Monstas!
Cuz they’re DELICIOUS! And good for me. And stuffs…
8. Spend more time in the kitchen.
And spend more time out back, with this amazing view!
I need to get back into my apron and start cooking, STAT!
9. Attend more blogger meetups!
Need I say more? No, no I do not.
10. Join the Homebrewers Association, as well as the local homebrew club, and BREW IT UP!
Beer is good! Beer is good! Beer is good! And stuff!
(Lyrics from an actual song)
11. Start my new website and blog. That’s right, I’ll be heading up an actual website this year, as well as changing the name of my blog! I’m hoping the transition will be easy for you, but there’s still some time to get used to the idea before I officially move. EXCITED!!!

     There you have it – a sampling of my resolutions! I have a few more, but decided that twenty feet of pictures was probably more than people could handle as it is. I hope you had a blessed beginning to your new year, and that you’re as excited for what’s to come as I am!
Happy New Year! Let’s make it worthwhile!

5 Comments

Filed under Arizona, beer, blogger meet-up, friends, green monster, hiking, homebrewing, Island Brewing Company, kitchen sink salad, Ladyface, Morning after, NEW WEBSITE, New Year, retail, Weasel Crap Beer

by | December 9, 2010 · 7:45 am

Avocado, Heirloom Tomato and Walnut Salad

     I had a ripe avocado that was begging to be used before I leave for Tucson, Arizona tomorrow. I wanted something light and summery to match the beautiful weather we’ve been having here in Southern California. Enter my inspiration: Lemonade!

I first visited Lemonade during my first blogger meet-up back in August, and fell in love with their avocado, cherry tomato and pine nut salad tossed in a lime vinaigrette. I’ve been dreaming about it for months!
Avocado, Heirloom Tomato and Walnut Salad
(inspired by Lemonade)
1 ripe avocado
2/3 cup baby heirloom tomatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/2 lime
1 tsp olive oil
1 tablespoon cherry balsamic vinegar
     1. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit.
     2. With the tip of a sharp knife, trace a checkerboard design into the flesh of the avocado and gently scoop the diced flesh into a mixing bowl.
     3. Add the heirloom tomatoes and walnuts to the avocado.
     4. In a small mixing bowl, combine the juice of the lime, olive oil and cherry balsamic vinegar and whisk until emulsified.
     5. Pour the dressing over the avocado, tomatoes and walnuts and gently toss to cover. 
Makes two servings.
If you don’t have cherry balsamic, any balsamic vinegar will do. The balsamic MADE the salad! Don’t skip that ingredient!
     This salad is buttery, tangy and refreshing, with a nice crunch from the added walnuts. I have a feeling I’ll be making this a LOT over the holidays for my brother and his wife who are both vegans, and visiting from snowy Colorado. One of the perks of living in California is having avocados year round! I have to share the wealth!
Another perk is hiking in 68 degree weather while the rest of the country is spiraling into a deep, cold winter.
I’m off to Arizona again tomorrey!

6 Comments

Filed under avocado, blogger meet-up, cherry balsamic vinegar, heirloom tomatoes, hike, Lemonade, lime vinaigrette, Southern California

by | September 29, 2010 · 10:13 am

I Almost DIED Today!

     I almost died today. It was the most painful experience of my life… or one of the top five most painful experiences, which include some of the recent reality shows that have been inflicted upon society. Before we get to that, though, let’s start from the beginning!

     Today was my first day off after working SIX days in a row. That’s illegal, right? In my lazy mind, yes, yes it is. Anyway, since it was going to be ridiculously hot today, my mom and I decided to spend the day in Ventura before we headed off to pottery class.

Indian at The Taj Cafe, of course!
This handy card made treating oh-so-much easier!
That’s right, I’m a VIP!
     We went to We Olive and picked up some cherry balsamic vinegar and a new bottle of olive oil. Here comes the point of my near-death experience: 
That, my friends, is a habanero pepper. We Olive now carries an olive oil that is infused with jalapeno and habanero pepper. I, being the adventurous soul that I am, decided that I would try out this new option. I poured a small bit into a sample cup and took a miniscule sip. Not even a sip, just got a few drops on the tip of my tongue. It was fine for a minute, until the pepper ninja-kicked the back of my throat. My throat closed up and for a good ten seconds, I could not breathe. As I clumsily weaved through the store, tears pouring from my eyes, my nose running uncontrollably, I stumbled across a chocolate merlot dip and stuck a huge spoonful in my mouth to try and stop the pain.
     There you have it, my near-death experience. It took an hour for my nose to stop running and for me to stop coughing painfully as each wave of intense heat ran over me again and again. Seriously though, it was awful and painful and not being able to inhale is not a fun thing.
     After my over-dramatized moment, we picked up some chocolate at Trufflehounds and headed back towards my parental unit’s house.
We were hindered by a huge wind storm and some really aggressive tumbleweeds.
     We got to pottery class around 6pm and it was a nice, chilly 90 degrees outside. Yesterday was 113 degrees fahrenheit in Los Angeles, so it was more than acceptable to be in the low 90’s.
Here’s the latest batch of crap that came out of the kiln!
Here’s my mom’s antithesis of crap. She made an amazing plate last week and imprinted a leaf on it before glazing. Doesn’t it look incredible??
And here’s the NEW batch of crap I made today!
Here’s my mom after a rough day at class – still freakin’ gorgeous.
And here’s me and my chicken legs, covered in clay and dust.
Here’s the glazed, yet pre-fired, version of Amanda and Andy’s pot that they won!
And speaking of winners, the official winners of my Pottery Giveaway are…
Justin, Sophia, Amanda and Andy, and Sir Malachi. (Dan is getting an extremely awful one for his birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAN!!!), and as an honorable mention).

     Unfortunately, all of the winners’ bowls will not even be out of the kiln until next week, so you’ll have to wait an extra week. For now, all winners please e-mail me at BeckiKregoski@aol.com with your addresses for me to send the pottery to! If you live in SoCal and would prefer to meet up for a blogger get-together/pottery exchange, let me know that as well!
Have you ever had a near-death experience, exaggerated or not?

6 Comments

Filed under blogger meet-up, Burp and Slurp, Dan, glazing, Happy birthday, Indian Food, Malachi, Mom, Pottery, Two Boos Who Eat, Ventura

by | August 8, 2010 · 9:33 am

Obsessed with Lemonade!

     I had my first ever blogger meet-up today! We had ten bloggers from the LA area come together at Lemonade in West Hollywood. This restaurant is kind of a cafeteria-style place, with non-cafeteria-esque dishes (also known as delicious). Their food selection is INSANE! I looked up the menu online last night to check it out so I wouldn’t waste hours with my indecisiveness, but seeing the food up close and personal threw that out the window. Luckily, it only took me ten minutes to finally make my choice.

How the heck was I supposed to choose???
This was only half of the selection. Ready for my favorite part?
Best prices EVER. I got 1 portion (two scoops) of two different things so I could have some room for dessert and their namesake. My total cost, including drink and dessert was around $8.75.
LEMONADE! I had the hardest time deciding between these. The cashier was kind enough to give me samples of the Watermelon Rosemary and the Cucumber Mint. I went with the Watermelon Rosemary. Sweet and tangy with a warm, Christmas-y flavor from the rosemary. My mouth was confused… and thrilled. I must return to try all the flavors, and try more dishes! I may be completely obsessed…
My plate consisted of: Avocado, cherry tomatoes, and pine nut salad tossed in a lime vinaigrette, and the mission fig, arugula, and blue cheese salad tossed in a balsamic dressing. They were both delicious, but the fig and arugula salad had a little too much dressing, whereas the avocado and cherry tomato salad could have used a little more. Dessert was a mini red velvet cupcake. The frosting on this was to die for!!! The cupcake itself was a little dry and boring, but the frosting more than made up for it.
Random fact: This was the first time that Megan and I had ever tried figs! Not too shabby – light flavor, not too sweet or overpowering. The consistency will take a little getting used to in the future. Kinda slimy in my opinion.
     After everyone got their food, we all sat down and got to business photographing.
Megan from Healthy Hoggin’ and Stephanie, a reader who should start her own blog :).
Our lovely organizer Lynn from The Actor’s Diet.
From the far end forward: Ameena from Fancy That, Fancy This, Eden from Eden’s Eats, Lynn from The Actor’s Diet, Katy from Katy Eats…
Again from the far end forward: Andy and Amanda from Two Boos Who Eat, Stephanie (a reader), and Megan from Healthy Hoggin’.
     We spent about two hours stuffing ourselves and discussing blogging, food, real life outside of blogging (what’s that?), and more food. Everyone dispersed around 1pm and I headed to my car to drive to work – which I was scheduled to start at 12:45pm. Oops, my bad :).
     I had an hour and a half of training for a new product at work, and the representative brought in food from The Cheesecake Factory. There were corn dogs, deep fried artichoke hearts, deep fried mushrooms, and deep fried sweet corn that had been wrapped in dough. I was very, very thankful that I’d eaten well at the blogger meet-up, and had no temptation at all for any of this. I felt ill just looking at the layout.
    I spent the rest of the day going around to my coworkers and proclaiming about the deliciousness that is Lemonade, and then had to try to find something that sounded appealing for dinner. Nothing did after that meal, so I went and got the least unhealthy/cheapest thing I could find.
A single serving of beef with broccoli – one of their healthiest options on the menu.
Blech.
What’s the most  memorable meal you’ve had? This definitely goes in the books for one of mine – because of the food AND the company!

7 Comments

Filed under arugula, avocado, blogger meet-up, cherry tomatoes, Lemonade, mission figs, red velvet cupcake, watermelon rosemary

by | August 7, 2010 · 9:29 am

Finger Foods!

     I had a long, gimpy day at work. Seriously, I limped throughout the entire day, and was very annoying to all the people I whined to. You’re lucky you weren’t there. I was very annoying …and whiny….

     The day started off with a Monsta: Picture omitted because there are just too many, and lunch was a MSTRwBR. Again, picture omitted because of repetition. After lunch, there was a Paciugo -OMITTED BECAUSE I INHALED IT IN 36 SECONDS, AND YOU’VE SEEN TOO MANY!

     Now, here’s what you’ve all been promised with the title: Finger Food Dinner!

Chopped avocados, spicy salsa, roasted chicken, multigrain and flaxseed water crackers, a mix of jalapeno havarti cheese, smoked gouda, and mozzarella with prosciutto and basil, LOTS of romaine lettuce, and a glass (or three) of prosecco.

Three glasses of prosecco. Does this picture look straight to you?
I ate plenty, but never felt overstuffed! Yay, portion-control!

     Tomorrow will be the first blogger meet-up of my existence! I AM SO EXCITED THAT I CANNOT CONTAIN MYSELF!!! And then I have to have a full shift at work. The blog will be amazing, despite the 8 hours at work I have to suffer through – I will be showing up as late as possible to squeeze every second of enjoyment from the meet-up.
     I apologize for the lack of pictures, but tomorrey’s post will make up for it. PLUS more! Have a wonderful night, and a fantastic weekend!
L.A. BLOGGER MEET-UP! What’s on the schedule for your weekend??

2 Comments

Filed under blogger meet-up, gelato, green monster, Los Angeles, Paciugo, sushi