a wonderful weekend

This weekend was packed full of fun and excitement, and I have to say I am pretty tuckered out (right now I am sitting on my couch, with my feet up, sipping Perrier pamplemousse rose).

 



Here are the highlights:

Friday ~ M and I started the weekend out right with cocktails at the Palm.  We had a gift card, from a silent auction we went to over a year ago, and I am proud to say the gift card is now gone :). 

Next, we hit up one of my favorite locations: the monsieur marcel gourmet market & restaurants  located in the LA Farmer's Market. 

As a side note: On our way through the Grove to the Farmers Market we saw the host of "Dancing with the Stars," Tom Bergeron, dining with some friends.

Okay back to dinner... My favourite dish at Monsieur Marcel is the moules & coques marinières which is mussels & clams steamed in a traditional white wine broth with cream served with french fries.

Dinner is rather casual at Monsiuer's and different parties often share the same table.  We shared our table with one of the actors from "Titanic," Billy Zane. 

After dinner M and I decided we would try seeing a movie, nothing really tickled our fancy, but we decided on "Cowboys and Aliens." As it turns out there was nothing about this movie that we found to be the least bit entertaining nor enjoyable.  It was pretty much a waste of our hard earned money.  Awe well, we had fun I guess, being there together.

Saturday ~ was a very delightful day for me.  I spent the morning at Whole Foods.  On Saturday mornings, I just love to go to Whole Foods:  I walk in and get a regular cup of coffee and then spend hours wondering the isles eating samples of cheese and fruit.  It is so pleasant.

Anyway, I went to Whole Foods to compile our picnic for the Hollywood Bowl that evening (I lucked out and got the company tickets to use). 

The menu for our little picnic ended up being:

• Potato Pancakes with Greek yogurt capers and caviar. Step 1 - grate a Yukon gold potato, Step 2 - season pan with bacon, Step 3 - mix potato with one egg, Step 4 - fry in vegetable oil, and Step 5 - top with your favorite toppings.

• Basil, mozzarella, sun dried tomato, and prosciutto sandwiches

• Chicken Curry Sandwiches
• Cranberry Spinach Salad
• Strawberry Shortcake

Our Table Setting:

At dusk the show began.  The highlight of the show for me was when Dick Van Dyke rapped "A Spoonful of Sugar."  It was really something, the man still has some moves. :)  You can hear a lil bit of the rap here.

Sunday ~ M and I hosted lunch after church for some friends.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures so the menu will have to do.

Asian Fusion Carnitas - mango, sweet chili sauce, red onions, and cilantro
Chipotle Rice
Chips and Guacamole
Key Lime Cupcakes

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake

Grandma's Biscuits:

Ingredients:

2 cups flour,
3 teaspoons baking powder,
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/3 shortening,
3/4 cup milk. 

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees, drop biscuits on baking sheet at desired size and bake until completely firm.

Filling:

After the biscuits have cooled, cut them in half and add a layer of brown sugar, then a dollop of creme fraiche, and garnished with half of a blackberry, strawberries, and mint leaf.

idea for bridal gift registry and bridal shower.

I was on my way home from a morning of window shopping, when I began to think about weddings, bridal showers, being a bridesmaid, registering for gifts, and the list goes on and on.  If you know someone that is getting married or you are getting married, this post is for you.


Registering for Wedding Gifts:


A lot of people seem to be engaged for one-to-two years before they get married.  Shortly before the first bridal shower (which is usually 4-6 months before the wedding), they begin to think - I really need to register for bridal gifts. The bride and the groom make a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Macy's etc - to register for everything they "want."


I remember when M and I registered for gifts.  We took the little clicker around the store and just went crazy - and I remember registering for things, not because I liked them or thought they were were the best brand or quality, but because they were the only brands the store offered.  And lets face it, I didn't know what I was doing -- I had just graduated from college.


Now, almost five years later, I have a few ideas:

For any item that is on your list consult America's Test Kitchen or Consumer Reports to make sure it is good quality.


Make your own gift registry by setting up a wedding blog and post a linked list, such as the one below:

A and M Gift "Registry"


4 - Kitchen Towels
1 - Ice Cream Maker
1 - Preparation Bowl Set
1 - Ice Cream Bowl Set
10 - Sour Cream Glasses (new or used)
1 - Waterproof iPhone Speaker
1 - Sand Free Multi Rug
1 - All-Clad Stainless 14-Piece Cookware Set
1 - Dyson DC24 (new or refurbished)
1 - Mega Laundry Sorter
1 - Le Creuset Dutch Oven

So you are probably thinking, this is great, but there seems to be a chance for people to make duplicate gifts.  To remedy this problem you could do one of two things:

1. List an e-mail address such as a&mwedding@gmail.com for guests to send an e-mail saying I got two towels; or
2. You could ask guests to leave an anonymous comment that they got 2 kitchen towels - you could adjust the list and then delete the comment. 
   

Wedding Shower


Something I have come to love are eclectic dish sets:

So the next, bridal shower you host ask the bride if she likes eclectic dishes.  If she does, here is the idea: 

Ask guests to bring one new or used dinner plate, bread plate, or bowl.  Ask each guest when she arrives to sign the bottom of the dish with a waterproof marker, after all the guests arrive stack the dishes and wrap with a bow, and then present the dishes to the bride at the end of the shower.

Talenti Gelato

This is excellent: Talenti Gelato.  I had the sea salt caramel tonight - so amazing!! I can't wait to try the Belgian chocolate tomorrow.

dolce vita - summer salad

Growing up in the Midwest, July meant fresh sweet corn, tomatoes and cucumbers, and today, like clockwork I was craving these summer tastes from my childhood. 

Here is my twist on a banks family summer staple.  

Two Persian cucumbers sliced in quarters:

Two handfuls mini heirloom tomatoes:

About a 1/4 cup of a diced yellow onion:

A generous tablespoon of fresh cilantro, dill or basil:

 One spoonful of mayo and one of sour cream:

One ear of sweetcorn (boiled for about 10 minutes), and then cut it off of the cob:

Cracked pepper and salt to taste.

Serve this salad for lunch with a crispy slice of garlic bread or as a side to a big juicy filet mignon or garnish for pan seared salmon or grilled shrimp.

Pretty easy, but there is just something almost nostalgic about these flavors.  I guess it just reminds me of long lazy summers.

the luau and roasted pork recipe

On our first full day in Hawaii, we spent the day - steps from our hotel on Waikiki Beach.

After spending the day in the sun, M and I headed to our luau.  I booked our reservation before we left through a discount website  for the Paradise Cove Luau (which included transportation).  The Paradise Cove Luau was recommended by one of my personal food and travel heroes - Anthony Bourdain.

Mid-afternoon we boarded the shuttle to Paradise Cove. Upon arrival we were greeted with a Mai Tai ("out of this world" drink) and a lei.

After that, there was about an hour of festivities:

1. hula dancing lessons,
2. hula dancing, 
3. flower making projects, 
4. performers shimmying up coconut trees (right - about 30 ft in the air), and
5. traditional fishing exhibitions.

 Matt and I snapped these pictures below on the beach at Paradise Cove.

At sunset a photographer got this great picture of us, and we just had to buy it. Can you tell I went a little crazy at the craft table!! Hence, the flower hair and wrist band :)

Okay enough now with the reminiscing, and lets get to the food.  For dinner we had pork that had been roasted underground for hours.  The pork was wrapped in banana leaves and seasoned with Hawaiian salt.  At sunset they dug the pig up, and we had it for dinner along with: salad, several macaroni salads, poi, rice, roasted chicken, and macadamia crusted fish.  Hawaiians really like their starches. 

The pork was both M and my favorite part of the luau so when we got home, I was determined to replicate this island specialty.  I did some research online and found a slow cooker recipe online.  M and I tried it out today.  It was delicious, and tasted very authentic.  Did I mention it was VERY easy to make??


Recipe:

• 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke (left - found it next to BBQ sauces at the grocery store)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons sea salt or Hawaiian salt
• 5-6 lb shoulder or butt pork roast.
  

Directions:

• Rub the pork with the salt,
• Rub with liquid smoke
• Place pork in a slow cooker for 16-20 hours on low. 
• Flip the pork over after 10 hours. 
• NOTE: Do NOT add any liquid - the pork has more than enough fat and juices for flavoring.
• Remove from slow cooker - shred - and pour juices over shredded pork. 
•  Serve over rice and with side salad (I chose a strawberry spinach salad).

Enjoy!!

hawaii - the greatest deal ever

M and I traveled to the island of Oahu this weekend. Yes, this was a last minute getaway, yes, we had a wonderful time, and yes, we want to go back as soon as possible.

This was such a great trip that I feel like one post will not do it justice. So it will basically be as many posts as possible. Hence, post number one, the greatest deal on air and hotel ever.

I have dreamed of going to Hawaii for a really long time, and M always talks about the trip he took with his family over 15 years ago. So whenever we are talking about going somewhere for a long weekend, I check the prices. And this time I am not joking tickets and hotel were a 1/3 of what the cost usually is. After I cleared taking a couple additional days off of work, we purchased the amazing deal.

How did we save so much money in this great trip?? We purchased a package deal through Priceline on Wednesday and left LAX on Friday.

After comparing airfare prices with others on my flight, I discovered it was really the hotel that was the super bargain.  We spent five nights in the Hilton at Waikiki Beach for $200 total.

We purchased the least expensive room, which included two standard beds because the room with the king size bed was more expensive.  When we got to the hotel, I smiled nicely at the woman behind the desk and she upgraded us to a room with a king size bed without an extra charge. 

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the sights and tastes of Hawaii.  Aloha :)