i like to eat.

I was checking out my posterous account and couldn't believe I already wrote 406 posts. Wow! And it's been a little over a year!

I started this blog last year in July to post pictures from my new camera. My love for food was the ideal subject; also an easy one since I have to eat every day. :)

It's fun to look back at what I ate. It's been very eclectic (as it should be!). From the mediocre Carribean lunch, an amazing breakfast in the woods, to the simplest PB&J and all my lunches at Gap. And how can we forget all my hits and misses at home?

Thank you all for reading and your support. Oh yes, and of course, thank you posterous for making the BEST blogging service!

I leave you now with a yummy soft serve cone from Ikea. Only $1, can't beat that. :D

Seems like I've been doing a lot of second iterations of meals recently (1,2,3,4). And now, the most current one, strawberry ice cream.

My previous homemade ice cream was amazing. Seriously, so good. This time, I wanted to use low fat instead of full vitamin D milk. I figured, I should at least try to make this ice cream habit a little bit healthier.

Bad choice. Low fat milk simply does not compare to full fat milk. I used the same exact techniques (macerate strawberries, chill them, etc), but the ice cream did not have the same results. It was less creamy, not smooth and kind of icy. The strawberry flavor was definitely there, but the texture was off.

I chopped some fresh nectarines, in hopes to mask the bad texture. The strawberry ice cream and fruit were enjoyable, but not as good as the first time.

Noted! Must use full milk, no skimping on the calories here. ;)

My friends and I didn't watch the screening of Ratatouille (see previous post), but left immediately to check out the first night of the Eat Real Festival in Oakland.

The first night was Ice Cream Friday, a celebration of ice cream and gelato booths from well known creameries. I walked back and forth, checking out each booth and wanting to try a new flavor of ice cream. I didn't want something plain or normal, but something different and tasty.

I ended up with Coconut Thai Basil from Scream Sorbet. A tiny scoop cost $4, but it definitely met my qualifications. It was nothing like I've ever tasted before. The basil flavor was strong and had a subtle coconut flavor. It was yummy. I was kind of glad the scoop was small because the flavor can be a little overwhelming. It was just the right amount to satisfy my tastebuds.

I couldn't wait until the next day, a full day to experience the Eat Real Festival and even more street food.

       

Click here to download:

Eat_Real_Festival_Part_1_tag_f.zip (786 KB)

The sweet crew of my creative department threw me a little "surprise" celebration of Ciao Bella gelato and cupcakes for my birthday.

We had a gelato buffet line with flavors of Tahitian vanilla, pistachio, coconut and Madagascar chocolate.

I, of course, had to try one of each. The pistachio was surprisingly really good. I thought it would be a little weird (it sounds weird!), but it was a nice fragrant flavor. Madagascar chocolate was too rich for me, almost like fudge. It even had the consistency of fudge. Coconut flavor was really coconut-y and I felt like I was on a beach. Tahitian vanilla was certainly not plain, but creamy with a ton of vanilla beans.

BFF Alison brought homemade cupcakes with yellow cake and chocolate frosting. I usually don't eat chocolate frosting since it tends to be too sweet, but it was just the right amount of sweetness. And the yellow cake was moist, fluffy and delicious.

Thank you creative team all so much!

   

Click here to download:

BDay_Celebration_Part_1_tag_de.zip (426 KB)

While window shopping on the glitzy Rodeo Drive, we saw an ice cream truck that had every classic, childish frozen treat I could remember. I unfortunately didn't get a good shot of the menu, but there were Creamsicles, Big Sticks, Otter Pops, Fudgsicles, Firecrackers, Pop Ups, Power Puff Girls and way more.

It was nostalgic seeing this truck. It brought me back to middle school, when there was an ice cream truck parked nearby. My friends and I would rush to the truck after school and enjoy our special treats, while we waited for our parents to pick us up.

I thought I'd also rush to this particular truck on Rodeo, but for whatever reason, I wasn't in the mood to get anything. My two friends, on the other hand, got a Ninja Turtle popsicle (with bubble gum eyes!) and Choco Taco. They certainly looked like they enjoyed their ice cream.

I hope these classic treats will never go away and I'll be able to enjoy my favorite (so hard to choose one!), Crunch Strawberry when I'm 80. :)

   

Click here to download:

Nostalgic_Ice_Cream_Truck_tag_.zip (441 KB)

We were so hot from the heat that we needed something to cool us down. We went to Yogurtland, a charge by the ounce frozen yogurt place with a variety of flavors and toppings.

There were so many yogurt flavors - strawberry, lychee, coffee, original, berries, cookies and cream, cake batter, blueberry tart, toasted coconut, Madagascar vanilla and chocolate. I couldn't make up my mind, so I had a little bit of the flavors I wanted to try - strawberry, coffee and original.

After the self-service yogurt, you go to the topping bar that has even more options to choose from - fresh fruit, chocolate chips, gummy worms, fruity pebbles, m&ms, almonds, granola, pound cake and more.

I topped mine with lychee, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and mochi. I should have added some fruity pebbles for a crunchy texture, but my combination was still good, delicious and light.

We were in luck because Yogurtland was running a promotion for only 16 cents per ounce! It's usually around 30 cents, so my little cup of goodness cost me less than $3. :)

       

Click here to download:

Fro-Yo_tag_desserts_yogurt_lan.zip (769 KB)

When I'm traveling, I always want to eat food that I can't find back at home.

This wasn't the case.

Jeff saw a Beard Papa after we meandered through the Walk of Fame and Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. I frequent the San Francisco location and my philosophy of eating unique things while traveling instantly ran through my head, so I said no. I finally caved in when he said, "let's go" and my thoughts transitioned into delicious cream puffs.

The cream puffs are fresh and filled to order. We ordered two - vanilla creme and cookie crumb. I took one bite and quickly fell in love with the puff again. The pastry shell is crispy, flaky, yet soft. And the creme? I can eat it as is! It's full of vanilla beans and has just the right consistency of creaminess. Delicious. The second one had the same filling, but a crunchier topping. It was good, but I still prefer the original.

Other fillings they have are strawberry, coffee, green tea, pumpkin and Earl Grey tea. I always get vanilla, but I need to try the others!

             

Click here to download:

beardPapa.zip (1758 KB)

I love weddings. They're fun, you eat good food, it's a reason to dress up and ahem, do I see an open bar? ;)

My cousin got married at the breathtaking Carneros Inn in Napa two weeks ago and it was a night filled with relatives that I haven't seen in years and enjoying each other's company with stunning Napa as our backdrop.

The quick ceremony was outside and then we trekked up the hill to the reception area for hor devours and dinner. I wasn't too hungry, so I didn't have any hor devours, but I saw tuna tartare and corn chowder - heard they were pretty good.

Dinner started with roasted beet salad that came with beet puree, oranges, aurgula and goat cheese crostini. The dressing was light with a hint of tangerine oil.

Second course was a large Dungeness crab cake that was sitting on avocado puree and topped with hazelnut vinagrette. I didn't taste the hazelnut, but it was still delicious and thinly shaved radishes were a precious detail.

Next came the entrees, which were served family style. I had a little bit of everything - beef, fish, potatoes and vegetables. The extremely tender prime filet of beef was moist and served with Bordelaise sauce. It was one of the best cuts of meat I've had.

The white sea bass (line caught, seriously? as the menu notes) was roasted with peppers, chervil and olive oil. It had a beautiful golden crust with a flaky interior. The fish was not oily at all, as sea bass most often tends to be.

I haven't had mashed potatoes in awhile, so I was looking forward to this. They were whipped smooth with hints of olive oil flavor. Yummy.

Lastly, we had sugar snap peas with wild mushrooms. The peas seemed a little over cooked, but had great flavor. Still, my least favorite item of the night.

Of course, you can't have a wedding without a cake. Everyone was served individual cakes by Masse's. There were two flavors, mango and hazelnut. I ended up with mango. It was a light and fluffy cake with mango mousse. I was so full from dinner and all the wine, I couldn't eat it all.

Speaking of wine, our glasses were never empty. We had chardonnay from Artesa and also a cabernet sauvignon from Edge in Napa. I'm usually not a white wine drinker, but the chardonnay was delicious and crisp. I'd definitely buy a bottle the next time I see it.

I've never heard of Carneros Inn before the wedding, but it is seriously luxurious. There are cottages you can stay at that run up to $2k a night! The cottages are super cute and it's like your own little home for the night or weekend, if you're lucky...and rich.

I had a lot of fun at the wedding and it was great to see many faces. I'm definitely staying at Carneros Inn when I hit the jackpot.

Congratulations Melodie and Ser!

               

Click here to download:

Carneros_Wedding_tag_parties_f.zip (1730 KB)

Source: 2-3

I previously wrote about making cinnamon rice pudding (sorry, no reference link, had to put it on private) that was milk intensive. While writing it, I instantly thought of my lactose intolerant friends, Mike and Jeff.

They came over one night to hang out. Low and behold, they wanted to try some cinnamon rice pudding.

I find it so ironic that I was thinking about them not even wanting to lay their hands on the dessert and here they were, downing spoonfuls of milk-filled pudding.

I'm glad I made a slight dent in my leftovers and even happier that their aftermath was not in my bathroom... Sorry, did I just ruin your appetite? :P

When I posted Fentons a few weeks ago (see post), Jeff started craving it and that immediately made me start to want it too. Even now, as I type this, I'm questioning whether I should pay Fentons another visit.

That same night I posted about Fentons, we went and satisfied our cravings.

Jason and I decided to share a "create your own" sundae with coffee cookie dream and cream caramel almond crunch ice cream. The sundae was topped with hot fudge and caramel, strawberries, nuts, whipped cream and of course, a cherry on top.

We were debating on whether we should get a regular (1-2 flavors with 1-2 toppings) or large sundae (1-3 flavors with 1-3 toppings) to share. I claimed the large was too much and too gut-busting for us, but I lost and as you can see.....we wiped the dish clean. :P

So good. The hot fudge and caramel had the right consistency and was a perfect compliment to the cold ice cream. The "fresh" strawberries were nice, but I could have done without it.

All this talk is making me want Fentons again. Must. Stop. Craving. It's too late for ice cream!

     

Click here to download:

Off_to_Fentons_tag_desserts_fe.zip (649 KB)