Halloween Love

[AMY WINEHOUSE]

[HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS]

[80's PROM QUEENS]

[GOGO YUBARI from KILL BILL]

There's nothing like being creative and putting a costume together for this fun holiday. You'll never catch me buying a ready-made costume because I truly enjoy getting hands on. Creating your own costume also saves the embarassment of running into someone in the exact same get-up.

I'm still trying to pull together tomorrow's costume. Hopefully it's a success - check back in a few days!

The Great Camera Challenge

I woke up last Sunday only to find that my digicam was somehow misplaced the prior night (not surprising considering the inebriated festivities for Craig's bday), with less than 2 weeks before my Australia departure!

Since then, I've spent countless hours researching cameras to make sure I find the best bang for my buck. I was toggling between a Canon Powershot SD980, 740 and 1200 and finally decided on the 1200. It was a tough decision, but after learning that a 2mp difference only mattered if you're printing out larger images I concluded that saving $50-75 was more in my best interest (correct me if I'm wrong). I was even able to find a great bundle on Walmart that comes with a free 4GB memory card. Though they offer vibrant shades, I opted for something easier on the eyes - dark grey.

I've always been happy with Canon - great capabilities, size, image quality & customer service. Can't wait to share my thoughts and better yet, show you my photos!

Sushi, Sneakers & Sacramento

This past weekend, a few of our closest friends headed out to Sacramento to help Craig celebrate his birthday. We started the night off with dinner at Mikuni Sushi, a favorite of the Sac locals. People filled the restaurant from top to bottom (it's 2 floors!), music was blasting at a good level (you can still have conversations) & the decor was very modern.

We had 15 guests and not one person complained about the food, instead, everyone gave their meals rave reviews which left me happy considering I helped in the planning process. The last thing an event planner wants is an unhappy guest! When I inquired about birthday extras, I was excited to find out that our special celebrant gets to spin a prize wheel in addition to free dessert. Though the wheel didn't have amazing prizes, we appreciated the comic relief when Craig landed on "glow stick". Our amazing server even snuck in a free shot glass!

After dinner, we headed to Parlare, a restaurant turned Euro lounge where the security guards aka bouncers left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Clearly, the site does not list "no sneakers" on their dresscode rules (see for yourself), but the bouncer gave my friends a hard time anyway. Mind you, we saw a few people get in just fine with sneakers on. Luckily, the owner came down, said it was no problem and let us in - plus, we promised we'd buy 2 bottles.

Luckily, we had a fantastic time. Why must some bouncers have these power trips?

Happy Birthday Craig!

Orzo Pasta with Bacon & Aspargus

This recipe was found in a booklet/magazine entitled Easy Recipes (or was it Easy Pasta Recipes). You know, the ones you see when you're in line at the grocery store. Anyhow, after making this for the 2nd time in one week I can assure you that it is, in fact, easy and good.

My apologies for the photo - it doesn't do the dish justice and we were thinking more about solving our hunger problem than we were about presentation.

RECIPE:

2 oz (1/2 cup) shredded fresh asiago or parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced roasted red bell peppers (from jar)
8 oz fresh aspargus spears, trimmed into 1" pieces
6 1/2 oz (1 cup) uncooked orzo pasta
6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 (14oz) can fat-free chicken broth w/ 1/3 less sodium

1. Cook bacon in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Reserve bacon & 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in skillet - add broth. Bring to a boil, add orzo & reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
2. Add aspargus & roasted peppers. Cover & cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until orzo & aspargus are tender, stirring occasionally. Spring individual servings with cheese.

Yields 4 servings
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

*You can serve it with anything. I served it with baked salmon (courtesy of the bf) the first time & the second time we had it by itself. Enjoy!

SF Nike Women's Full & Half Marathon

More than 20,000 women (and a few hundred men) raced to complete a full/half marathon in San Francisco on Sunday, October 18. It was my 2nd year in a row and I had a great time running for my life to beat last year's time & to benefit Leukemia & Lymphoma.

The course was scenic but extremely hilly - beautiful yet very tough.

"The race kicks off in Downtown San Francisco at Union Square and heads through the financial district past the famous TransAmerica building. It then proceeds along the San Francisco Bay past Fisherman's Wharf, Aquatic Park, Ghirardelli Square, Fort Mason and Marina Green while revealing breathtaking views of Alcatraz and The Golden Gate Bridge. The course then weaves through the Presidio and Sea Cliff districts, out to the Great Highway, through Golden Gate Park and south around Lake Merced, finishing just north of the Great Highway along the Pacific Ocean."

Along the route were stations for gatorade, water, Luna bars, Luna Moons, bananas, oranges, first-aid and entertainment spots that featured choirs, cheerleaders, bands & bagpipe players.
Some runners stopped for a photo op at each location/ entertainment area, but I decided to keep on trucking straight through to the finish to achieve my goal - and I did! I ran through the finish line beating last year's time by 20+ minutes. Then, I proceeded to pick up my Tiffany's necklace from one of the firemen dressed in Tuxes in addition to the finisher food & Nike DriFit Tee. Oh the lovely perks!

To reward ourselves, we headed over to Hard Knox Cafe to indulge in a southern homestyle meal. Mine consisted of fried chicken, collard greens, potato salad & corn bread. What a great way to end a 13.1 mile run!

This week, I'm focusing on vegetating, eating lots of ANYTHING & spending LOTS of time indoors :)

Run Like A Girl 2009

The Nike Women's Run is happening this Sunday and tonight was a special night for all the ladies (and a few hundred great men) who are running. To start off the first of 3 expotiques, the organization teamed up with a few sponsors to bring the runners "Ladies Night" which took place in the center of San Francisco's Union Square.


Instead of getting in line just to pick up our race packets, we were able to look forward to indulging in food/snacks, margaritas/smoothies, the oxygen bar, manicures, ipod engraving, shoe/shirt designing, raffling, running shoe-type measuring, ipod playlist making and more! The great part is, most (if not all) of these were free.



In addition, there were several very inspiring motivational guest speakers who got everyone pumped to do a great job. One of them was Joan Benoit Samuelson, the first ever women's Olympic marathon champion.


It was an eventful night - what a way to pamper yourself before a big race day! Wish me luck! My goal is to beat last year's time by at least 15 minutes.

The Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die

This article from 7x7 Magazine was too good to not share. Shamefully, I have quite a few to go - though I can definitely vouch for the corned beef sandwich at the Sentinel, bacon-wrapped hot dogs in the Mission & the morning bun at Tartine. De-lish!

I think I found my new year's resolution.

--------------------------------------------
How many dishes have you eaten? How many drinks have you downed? Take count on Facebook. Or, print it out. The bragging rights are yours. (Listed in no particular order.)

by the 7x7 editors

1. Roast chicken and bread salad at Zuni

2. Coffee-rubbed pork shoulder at Range

3. Carnitas taco at La Taqueria

4. Spicy crab and grits at the Front Porch

5. Chasu ramen at Katana-Ya

6. Burger with fries at Slow Club

7. Shaking beef at the Slanted Door

8. Morning bun at Tartine Bakery

9. Tofu soup with kimchi at My Tofu House

10. Baja-style fish tacos at Nick’s Crispy Tacos

11. Pork sugo with pappardelle at Delfina

12. Porchetta sandwich at RoliRoti at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

13. Soup dumplings at Shanghai House

14. Beef brisket at Memphis Minnie’s

15. Oysters on the half shell at Swan Oyster Depot

16. Katsu curry from Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill

17. Tea-leaf salad at Burma Superstar

18. Salumi misti plate at Perbacco

19. Tuna tartare at Michael Mina

20. Chicken pot pie at Liberty Café

21. Pizza margherita at Pizzeria Delfina

22. Vietnamese roasted pork sandwich at Saigon Sandwich

23. Beer sausage with sauerkraut and grilled onions at Rosamunde Sausage Grill

24. Blue Bell Bitter from the cask at Magnolia Pub

25. Loaf of bread straight out of the oven at Tartine (bonus: sliced while still warm and slathered with Brillat- Savarin cheese from Bi-Rite, down the block)

26. A classic gin martini at Bourbon & Branch

27. Papaya salad with salty crab at Sai Jai Thai

28. A Gibraltar at Blue Bottle Café

29. Spaetzle at Suppenküche

30. Laughing Buddha cocktail at Cantina

31. Pan con chocolate with sea salt and olive oil at Laïola

32. Pupusas at Balompie Café #3

33. Prime rib at House of Prime Rib

34. Yellowtail collar at Oyaji

35. Salted-caramel ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery

36. Dry-fried chicken wings at San Tung

37. Rotisserie chicken at Limón Rotisserie

38. French fries at Hayes Street Grill

39. Pierna Enchilada torta at La Torta Gorda

40. Cheeseburger at Taylor’s Automatic Refresher

41. Pho ga at Turtle Tower

42. Fried-shrimp po’boy at Brenda’s French Soul Food

43. Mint julep at Alembic

44. Cannelé at Boulangerie Bay Bread

45. Galapagos cocktail at Absinthe

46. Chips and salsa at Papalote

47. Ceviche at La Mar Cebichería Peruana

48. Angels on horseback at Anchor & Hope

49. Ginger snaps at Miette

50. Giant pretzel with mustard at The Monk’s Kettle

51. Maccaronara with ricotta salata at A16

52. Fried brussels sprouts at SPQR

53. Garlic soup at Piperade

54. Spiced-chocolate doughnut at Dynamo Donut with a Four Barrel coffee

55. Milk-roasted pork at L’Osteria del Forno

56. Caponatina with burrata at Beretta

57. Goat stew at Kokkari Estiatorio

58. Absinthe daiquiri at Jardinière

59. Huarache with cactus salad at El Huarache Loco (Saturdays at the Alemany farmers market)

60. The Brass Monkey at Little Star Pizza

61. Crab soufflé at Café Jacqueline

62. Shrimp-and-chive dumplings at Ton Kiang

63. Meatballs with grapes at Aziza

64. Paper masala dosa at Dosa

65. Crispy eggplant at Jai Yun

66. Pig parts at Incanto

67. Sand dabs at Tadich Grill

68. Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe

69. Licorice parfait at South

70. Omakase menu at Sebo

71. A Fernet at R Bar

72. Arancini at Ducca

73. Popovers with strawberry butter at the Rotunda

74. Corned-beef sandwich with Gruyère at the Sentinel

75. Fried green beans at Coco500

76. Chicken hash at Ella’s

77. Eggs benedict on the back patio at Zazie

78. Chilaquiles with a fried egg at Pastores

79. Onion strings at Alfred’s Steakhouse

80. Apple fritter at Bob’s Donuts

81. Chicken curry at Punjab Kabab House

82. Fried chickpeas at Piqueo’s

83. Sweet-potato fries with banana catsup at Poleng Lounge

84. A margarita at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant

85. Pulled-pork sandwich at Roadside BBQ

86. A cheese slice at Arinell Pizza

87. Fresh spring rolls at Out the Door

88. Buckwheat crepe and a French cider at Ti Couz

89. Lamb schawerma at Truly Mediterranean

90. Slow-cooked egg at Coi

91. Albondigas soup at Mijita

92. Bacon-wrapped hot dog from a cart in the Mission (preferably when you’re drunk)

93. Seven courses of beef at Pagolac

94. Mango with chile, lemon and salt at Doña Tere’s cart (At the corner of 21 and Treat Streets, no phone)

95. 3 a.m. bowl of caldo verde soup at Grubstake

96. Baby-coconut ice cream from Mitchell’s

97. Sesame balls at Yank Sing

98. Basil gimlet at Rye

99. Clam chowder at Hog Island Oyster Co.

100. Cheese course at Gary Danko

Fleet Week SF

It was Fleet Week in SF and the Blue Angels were in town. They were amazing as always, though it was sad to see the air show get cut short due to low visibility. After the show and a few drinks at Caroline's rooftop party, we headed to the Marina for a fun-filled pub crawl. Hundreds of people flocked to the bars and we were on a mission to find a few sailors...

A Hand-made Wedding

It's been several weeks since Angelique & Ricardo's wedding and I still can't stop sharing the details of their lovely day. Angelique is one of the most creative people I know. You can definitely see her creativity shine from all of the handmade details - which (for the most part) came from recycled materials which she then donated after the wedding. It amazed me to see a bride execute all of these DIY projects in addition to planning the actual wedding (did I mention she was extremely relaxed the day of and set up the decor at the ranch the night before). Inspiring!

I can go on and on about this couple, their special day, the fine details, and more - but you can just see for yourself.


The StyleMePretty blog also featured their big day, so you can check that out here: www.stylemepretty.com

Shake it like a Polaroid picture...

The Poladroid tool is my latest obsession.

CAL vs USC

Another successful tailgate with the Cal Drink Squad. Unfortunately, Cal got blown out. Good news is I reunited with old friends who I haven't seen in years, yet have known almost all my life. The sun was out, the food was yummy (on the menu: pulled pork & tri-tip sandwiches & more) & I had a blast.

DIY: Accessory Holder

After several attempts at trying to find the perfect accessory holder, I decided to try and make my own. I needed something that took up very little space, can hold a few of my non-expensive earrings & necklaces that I wear more frequently than others and that somewhat matched the decor of my new room (grey walls w/ a blue undertone, white furniture & small splashes of color here and there - still a work in progress).

So, here are the phases of my project - will likely add one more thing: a little color/border: