Category Archives: red wine

by | March 21, 2011 · 9:49 am

My Pompous Lunch

Yesterday I was stuck working my lovely retail job all day. Turns out, this wasn’t a bad thing. The weather in Southern California was absolutely insane! I spent the drive to work dodging falling branches and hydroplaning through lakes in the middle of the roads. Apparently, right after I left, THIS happened:
Since that tree just happened to block off my way home, I decided to take a long, leisurely lunch at work.
Jane Eyre, a glass of red wine, freshly baked bread and olive oil. How uppity am I?

There were also some braised short ribs on wilted spinach later, but that de-snobs my premise. Plus, the picture came out blurry.

By the time I headed home, a huge firetruck had shoved the big tree out of the road and, after rerouting me through two different neighborhoods, I finally pulled into my driveway in one piece.

I received another package from Foodbuzz and decided that baking would be a perfect way to spend a chilly evening.
Although I received this bread free from Nature’s Pride, my opinions are my own. WOW, having to say that all the time is going to get annoying! I like that this bread actually expires  in six days and isn’t stuffed with preservatives like other store-bought breads so they’ll stay mold-free for two months.
I LOVE WHOLE WHEAT! Not sure why they felt the need to add raisin juice concentrate, vinegar, cultured corn solids or soy lecithin. Or whey for that matter. GREAT bread can easily be made with whole wheat flour and grains, water, honey, salt and yeast.

One thing I know, it makes a DANG GOOD bread pudding!
I may have a little bread pudding problem… Once I have it, I have to keep having it until all the bread is gone from my house. Uh-oh…

This bread pudding is a miniature of my Magical Bread Pudding. I basically split the recipe in half and filled a really teeny ramekin. I also subbed coconut milk for soy milk. The result? A souffle of warm cinnamon, sweet chocolate and moist (sorry) bread with crunchy flax seeds throughout. I haven’t tried the bread on its own, but for this recipe, it’s a winner!

Today looks like it’s going to be sunny, but after my pompous lunch and bread pudding, I don’t know if I’m okay with that…

Curling up and watching an indie-film marathon sounds much, much better to me!

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Filed under bread, Bread pudding, bread pudding makes me happy, Crazy storm, fallen trees, FOOD, Foodbuzz, Jane Eyre, Magical Bread Pudding, Nature's Pride, red wine

by | December 22, 2010 · 9:02 am

Not Your Standard Mall Fare!

     Have you ever been to the food court at your local mall? If you haven’t (which is doubtful), let me be the one to break this to you: it sucks. It sucks unless you’re looking for nothing but deep-fried, mechanically separated meat that has been sitting under heating lamps for hours – if you’re into that, then please, close this page at once!

     If you have GOOD taste, however, let me introduce to you what mall food can really consist of:

MALLS have this stuff? It’s true!
Ahi tuna stack with Ponzu sauce and fried wontons.
Sweet potato fries with garlic aioli.
Crispy beef with garlic, balsamic, cherry sauce and hot chili peppers.
(This stuff will literally melt on your tongue!)
Garlic-orange chicken with tempura peppers.
Chopped garden salad with lime vinaigrette.
Lemon-garlic roasted chicken over arugula and grilled corn.
Lemony shrimp in Amazing-Heaven-Sent Sauce (I named this one myself).
Dessert. Nothing better than teeny chocolate-mint sticks!
     As you can see, mall food doesn’t have to be painful and gut-wrenching. My parental unit took me out to this delicious feast at Nordstrom’s restaurant “Blue Stove“, and completely made my Christmas season. There is nothing better than spending quality time with your loved ones over a glass of red wine and a delicious array of tapas-sized dishes. We were past stuffed and full of joy and love after this feast.
     On a second, and even better note, I’ll be turning in my two-week notice tomorrey! I’ve never been more happy to leave a job in my life! I am so sick of retail, and ready to move upward with my new job as an artist’s assistant – more details on that coming up soon!
What are your favorite family-oriented meals during the holidays?

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Filed under ahi tuna, Blue Stove, chopped salad, Christmas, family, grilled shrimp, mall, Merry Christmas, Nordstrom, orange chicken, Ovation, red wine, roasted garlic chicken, sweet potato fries

by | November 3, 2010 · 8:30 am

Pancakes and German Presents!

     I stocked up on canned pumpkin today! I’ve tried Trader Joe’s brand and I’ve tried Libby’s, and I’ve come to the conclusion that Libby’s trumps all! It smells and tastes the most fresh, and made my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes incredible!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes
Dry Ingredients
1/3 cup whole rolled oats
1/3 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin spice
Pinch of salt
Handful of chocolate chips
Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
     1. In one bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
     2. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix well.
     3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry.
     4. Pour a heaping tablespoon of batter onto a greased skillet and cook over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, or until the edges look dry and bubbles on top have popped.
     5. Flip the pancakes and cook on the other side for another two minutes.
     6. Plate the pancakes and top with honey and extra chocolate chips. There’s no such thing as too much chocolate!
Adoration. Yum!
     I had to head to the airport on Halloween around 6pm to pick up the roommates and visited the creepiest haunt of them all: LAX! I’ve never seen so much traffic! It took about an hour to find and pick up the roommates from the international terminal. Luckily, I got lots of presents when they returned, so the trip was worth it ;-)!
Wasabi chocolate, kashmir-chilli chocolate, indische chocolate, lavender chocolate, wild garlic and a candle from Munchen (aka Munich, Germany)!
     Yesterday we celebrated with a trip to the local Indian buffet:
Chicken tikka masala, ridiculously spicy vegetables, daal and chana masala. I had a few pieces of chicken and massively regretted it later. After two weeks of no meat, I had a stomachache for the rest of the day!
     Back to hiking!
Ahhh, I love the trails! I’m itching to go camping again!
     Today the roommates were finally starting to feel a little more conscious after recovering from jet lag, so we went out to rediscover the town.
I had a lunch special of pad thai. I didn’t eat any of the chicken after yesterday’s pain! Thai tea helped as well!
I went to the grocery store to pick up my latest freebie: I got a coupon for a free Cottonelle sample in the mail yesterday and picked it up today. I love free stuff!!!
     I went over to the local plaza and read a little of “The Girl Who Played with Fire” before discovering that there was a new bakery!
OH MY GEEZ, CUPCAKES!
This was my first time visiting Crumbs, and definitely not my last!
I’ve tried Sprinkles which tastes exactly like Bisquik with frosting,vand these trump those by far! I had the Boston Cream Pie cupcake that tasted like heaven in a wrapper. No regrets!
Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE where I live?
Red wine at sunset…
…and cumin-scented German chocolate.
It’s a rough life.

I’ll be going to Carefree, Arizona for the Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival on Thursday! If there are any Arizon-ites who would like to meet up, meet me on the corner of Easy Street and Ho Hum Street (no joke, those are the actual names of the streets) from Friday, November 5th through Sunday, November 7th!

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Filed under chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes, Cottonelle, Crumbs, cupcakes, free sample, Germany, hike, hiking, Indian Food, Munich, pad thai, presents, red wine, thai food

by | August 29, 2010 · 7:47 am

A Simple Kind of Life

     Summer tastes exactly like a tree-ripened peach, freshly sliced, sitting next to a mug of coffee.

At least to me. It was a wonderful way to begin my morning, overlooking the sunrise.
My Monsta had something different in it today! This had 5 cups of spinach, 1/2 a banana, 1/2 of a cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1/2 of a cup of frozen blueberries, 1/2 of a gigantic carrot, and 1/2 of a lemon. The carrot definitely added some sweetness to it. Boo to the yah for 6 veggie servings before 9am!
     Work was work. I whined, I complained, I commiserated with my fellow unhappy coworkers, and I ate cupcakes.
Yes, my work gives out junk food when you do something well. I don’t understand why they feel the need to make us all gain weight… I demolished this cupcake. Oops.
     Lunch was a mini spicy tuna roll with brown rice, followed by some speed walking. I had some company back at work which made the time fly by, then headed home with some mountain biking on my brain. I walked into my house and decided biking was a bad choice. Instead I decided on this:
Fancy nachos! Soy and flaxseed tortilla chips with leftover tri-tip, chipotle peppers covered in pepperjack cheese and guacamole. Guacamole from a bag. It looks awful, I know. Red wine, for the win!
     My alarm is set for an early-morning bike ride tomorrey, followed by an icy Monsta and a long day at work. Next week will be full of pictures of friends and foods and auditions, so stick with me! 
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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Filed under biking, coffee, green monster, nachos, peaches, red wine, sushi, work

by | August 14, 2010 · 8:18 am

Here and Now

     Exercise of the day: Squatting down, lifting heavy boxes, and speed walking at work. That counts!

     I have nothing to enthrall you with for today. My camera was kidnapped by my roommate for the day, and nothing out of the ordinary happened except for a lovely visit from my mum who took me to a wonderful lunch at Lazy Dog Cafe. Thanks, mom!!! I had half of the chicken walnut salad sandwich and a cup of the tortilla soup.

     This is my here. This is my now.

Paul Newman’s Cabernet Sauvignon and a script.
Side note: Paul Newman is one of my all-time favorite actors. And those EYES!!!
     Tomorrey begins day one of eight on set of the short film I’m starring in. I’ll be leaving the house at 5:30am tomorrow morning with a large mug of coffee and a Monster on hand! Right now I’m running laundry, charging cell phones and cameras, and packing up my car for the long haul. The next time I’ll be home will be Monday night (if I’m lucky), but I’ll have all my blogging materials with me to do some quick posts, if nothing else.
     I’ll also be tweeting from set! Follow me here!
Happy weekend!

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Filed under Lazy Dog Cafe, Paul Newman, red wine, script, short film

by | August 11, 2010 · 9:45 am

Covered in Clay!

      It was a wonderful, WONDERFUL day! I really can never complain on my days off, but today was exceptional. I started off with a Monsta!

5 cups of spinach, 2/3 of a cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1/3 of a small banana, 1/8 of a cup of frozen blueberries, 1/4 of a cup of frozen strawberries, and the juice of 1/2 of a lemon.
     After finishing off my Monsta and a few cups of coffee, my cousin/friend Allie came over for our day out on the town! The first stop was to visit the love of our life…
INDIAN FOOD!!! IN VENTURA!!! There was a buffet today, so I filled up this plate, and then… stopped. I could have gone back for more, but I didn’t, and that’s saying something!
     Afterwards, we headed to my favorite chocolate shop, Trufflehound’s.
You can watch them make the chocolates as you peruse their gigantic selection.
     Allie and I parted ways after our amazing day of foods and ocean views in Ventura, and I headed over to meet up with my mom and head off to our pottery class! 
I am completely enamored with this yard!
Grapes STRAIGHT FROM THE VINE in their yard!!! These were wonderfully delicate and sweet. I want to grow my own!
     Our teacher’s hubby brought in an array of snacks for the class.
Delicious lemon bundt cake from Costco! I didn’t have ANY!
And by not having any, I mean I only had half of one of those huge hunks. YUM.
     Tonight we trimmed the feet of our bowls and wrote our initials. Well, we were SUPPOSED to write our initials…
WOOHOO!!!! HikeBikeEat 2010, bay-bee!
My mom was bad-ass and went for the red clay that beginner and intermediate potters are scared of. She kicked its ass and made an awesome bowl!
     We headed home, covered in clay, mud and dust (and by we, I mean me. My mom stays entirely spotless somehow, even with the red clay!) and opened up something amazing that my parental unit caved and bought after I’d talked them deaf about it. That sentence was too rambling to understand, but look at this picture and drool your cares away.
OH MY GEEZ, NO WAY, THEY DIDN’T, DID THEY? COULD THEY? THEY DID!!!!!
They bought a Vitamix! I’m so happy/excited/jealous/FREAKING OUT!!!! Tomorrow’s day of food will be Vita-EPIC!
     Pardon me for now: I’m going to sip my “red wine“, flip through the Vitamix cookbook, and then attempt to sleep while tossing and turning like it’s Christmas Eve, waiting to use “Josephine” (we have officially named the Vitamix after a lovely character played by Lena Olin in the movie Chocolat). Side note: Lena Olin is my hero! She is amazing!

Who’s your favorite actor/actress?

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Filed under bundt cake, Chocolate, grapevines, green monster, Indian Food, Mom, Pottery class, red wine, Vitamix