Pork Chop Dinner in Under an Hour

I came across this recipe while flipping through The 4 Ingredient Cookbook that was lying around the house. This meal was so unbelievably quick, easy & surprisingly good. It confirmed that you don't always need a million ingredients for a great meal.


Onion-Baked Pork Chops

1 envelope of Lipton Recipe Secrets - Golden Onion Soup Mix
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
4 pork chops
1 egg, well beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. In small bowl, combine soup mix and bread crumbs. Dip chops in egg, then bread crumb mixture, until evenly coated.
2. In lightly greased 13x9-inch baking or roasting pan, arrange chops.
3. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until done, turning once.

*For sides, I used mashed potatoes and gravy w/ fresh mushrooms & pan-fried green beans topped with french fried onions.

Altogether, this meal took less than an hour (including prep/cooking time). Enjoy!

Oola La!

When my BFF decided to treat a few of us out to dinner at a nice restaurant in the city, she decided on Oola located in SOMA. When you love food as much as I do, there is nothing like trying a new restaurant - and this night, it happened to be "new" to 3 out of 4 of us.

To drink, we had Chimay and Blood Orange Margaritas - they definitely do not skimp on the tequila (and they use quality Tequila too).

The abundance of great options on the menu left us indecisive, so we decided to order several entrees and share. Here are our picks:

Farmer's Market Special aspargus risotto with white truffle sauce
Foie Gras Chicken Ravioli roasted chicken and truffle broth
All Natural Baby Back Ribs cilantro, ginger and soy glazed with a red cabbage-apple slaw

...and a chicken dish that's not currently on the menu

The ribs are incredibly crave-worthy, the chicken was so-so, the risotto was a tad bit overpriced for the portion, and the raviolis were missing something - texture & color maybe? Though, it was all pretty tasty. I can't wait to come back for happy hour - they have parmesan and truffle fries I must try!

As far as price goes, a little pricey for the quantity you get - but, guess that's with most nice/trendy restaurants. Also, I encourage sharing over having your own meal - much more fun and you can try more dishes. The great service was a huge plus.

JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge

When: Wednesday, September 15 @ 6:45 pm
Where: Crissy Field, San Francisco

Details about my 3.5 mile run event coming soon...

Flora got 4th place!!!

The way I see it...

[Travel Expenses]

You don't have to have loads of money to travel. I'm 26 years old, I have a full-time job, I love to shop and go out - I'm your average young professional. Each year, I like to go on at least 1 international trip and 1 domestic trip, if possible. Over the last 3 years, I've been successful at keeping that promise to myself.

My parents think I either have a ton of money or I'm completely broke. I can see that. However, I'm not a glamorous traveler. I don't stay at 4-5 star hotels (unless it's free), I don't eat at Michelin rated restaurants (unless it's free), I don't shop at designer stores and try to find the best products my money can buy just because I'm on vacation. In a nutshell, I like to see what the country/city/state has to offer, meet the people that inhabit the area & eat the food that they eat, all while maximizing the use of my camera.

I stay at friend's places, I have found that hostels are an amazing experience (especially when it's $25 and under) , I spend hours doing research on the best deals, I travel, but I don't spend my savings on it. I love to splurge on what will make for a great adventure, but save on the big things.

You need money to travel, but you don't always need a ton to get by. Don't let your past assumptions of what it costs to go on vacation keep you from an experience of a lifetime.

GO BEARS!

Final score: Cal 52, Maryland 13

Not only was this one of the funnest tailgates, but Cal just happened to kick Maryland's butt last weekend. There's nothing like a college ball game. Students/fans are so involved it really adds to the experience.

Although the game was at 7pm, we started at the on campus bar, The Bears Lair, at noon then headed over to tailgate with the Cal Drink Squad -- by far, the BEST group to tailgate with hands down.

Drink Squad tailgates usually consists of a feast of food (on the menu for this game were Maryland Terrapin Tacos), endless shotguns, great people, true Cal fans, their infamous bagged wine ordeal, a sponsor of some sort (this time it was Red Bull) and TONS of fun.

The California State Fair

This year, I gave the State Fair a surprise visit during its last weekend open.

My first visit was a blast. I was shocked at the size of this place. Carnival rides, games, concerts, shows, animals and more fill up the grounds from corner to corner. In addition, there are food stands to satisfy EVERY tastebud. I feasted on deep fried artichoke hearts and a fully loaded baked potato.

The California State Fair is by far, the largest I have ever been to.

Giants vs Dodgers - Game 3

Though I'm an A's fan, I still love going to AT&T park for a game. I've been to many games, but this was my first in a luxury suite.




PLUS side:

• service
• no waiting in line for food or drinks
• option of watching game in seats reserved for your suite (directly outside of suite) or in the suite via big screen tvs
  
• when tickets are free (thanks Google reps!)

NEGATIVE side:

• not the same great experience/ atmostphere
• food - not that great
• very expensive (if the bill is on you)
• when you're inside the suite, it's hard to pay attention to the game

Luxury seating has its perks, but I prefer sitting in great seats close to where all the action takes place. Come to think of it, I'd also prefer bleacher seats over these (bleacher seats at AT&T are really not that bad).