Royal Wedding Tea Party

I wasn't part of the royal wedding craze going on months prior to the big day, but once this week hit I've been watching a few specials on TV and the excitement hit. The fact that we haven't had a royal wedding in 30 years, I've never seen one for myself and the couple happens to be around my age is what's keeping me interested. At work today, I walked into a royal wedding [viewing] tea party celebration equipped with tiaras, crumpets, bangers and more. I love weddings in general, how can I not love a royal one. I'm a sucker for fairy tales.

Thia Megia

My parents & American Idol's Thia Megia have something in common - they both live in Mountain House. It's a small town where not much happens so it's a pretty big deal to everyone that lives there. Unfortunately, Thia got eliminated a few weeks ago and has break before she starts touring with the top 11 contestants, so Mountain House had a welcome home festival for her to celebrate. Since I was visiting that weekend, we decided to stop by. It was packed with tons of people, yummy food and I managed to get my photo taken with her. She's such a cutie.

P.S. The sisig fries at Papa Urb's Grill stand were delicious!

Brussel Sprout Chips

So I already told you I'm obsessed with these (good thing they're healthy), so here's how we've been making them.

WASH & PREP This is what will take the longest. Get some help in the kitchen to speed up the process. Trick: cut off the part that holds the leaves together. This will make it easy to pull apart the leaves. Pull apart the sprout leaf by leaf. Once this is done, wash and spin (a salad spinner comes in handy here).

PREHEAT Set oven to bake at 250 degrees.

SEASON Toss the leaves with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them on a baking sheet.

Now you're ready to put the tray in the oven. These cook within minutes so make sure to monitor closely. You may have to take out a few leaves at a time because some will burn quicker than others. Once they're all done, remove from tray and place in a serving bowl. These taste great with a little lime juice. Serve immediately with a lime wedge as they will get soggy after an hour.

Social Kitchen & Brewery

If you love a great beer and you're in the Bay Area, you must check out Brewmaster Rich Higgins microbrews at Social Kitchen & Brewery. Before moving on to Social Kitchen, he was brewing at Thirsty Bear (also a great spot in San Francisco) and has since then moved on to Brewmaster statu. I stumbled upon this place after celebrating my brother in-law's (sister's husband) birthday here. Turns out his friend is one of the owners. I tasted almost every beer on the menu (it was strong beer month!) and they were unlike anything I've ever tried. The brussel sprout chips are AMAZING - in fact, they're so amazing that we just made some at home last night. It's my latest obsession.

Sur La Table Cooking Class

Recently went to a cooking class at Sur La Table and it was tons of fun. We learned how to make Spanish-style tapas and the cheater version of paella. I highly recommend it for a group outing with friends or for a work team outing (which is what we did). Tons of fun and you learn all kinds of tips and tricks. The best part is, you can enjoy your creations!

Janet Jackson in Concert

Last night at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Janet Jackson performed her #1 hits. Every song that played sent me down memory lane and although her performances were a bit lackluster, I couldn't help but still enjoy them and have fun. How can you not when you're listening to songs you've grown up to? Some of my favorites last night were Let's Wait Awhile, Escapade, That's the Way Love Goes, Control, If and the list goes on. The venue was more of an intimate setting which I loved and I can't complain about our seats. She didn't have any costume changes, but she still looks great (her biceps are enormous) and her dancers are just as amazing. She even played clips of Poetic Justice.

Toasted Panzanella with Tomato & Fennel

The traditional panzanella dish is made by soaking pieces of rock-hard bread in cold water then squeezing them dry and tossing with tomatoes. This recipe (by Michael Romano) is a crouton version that uses day old bread (I used fresh bread and toasted it in the oven longer). It's easy, a great dish for spring/ summer and really really tasty.

 INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces day-old sourdough bread with crust, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (4 cups)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 1 small fennel bulb, tops trimmed, bulb very thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup brined black olives, such as Gaeta or Calamata, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup loosely packed shredded basil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until nicely toasted. Let cool, then return to the bowl. Put the pine nuts on the baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes, or until golden. Add to the croutons in the bowl.
2. Roast the bell pepper over a gas flame or under the broiler until charred all over. Transfer the pepper to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool slightly. Peel and seed the pepper and cut it into 3/4-inch dice. Add the bell pepper to the croutons along with the tomatoes, fennel, onion, olives and basil.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper and pour it over the salad. Toss and let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.

Let the festivities begin!

 During my birthday week, I managed to do everything I love to do and spend it with the people who are near and dear to me. I dined well, drank well (yay for all-you-can-drink mimosas), saw friends that I don't see as often anymore, danced my butt off, had amazing conversations about anything and everything and I even had free day all to myself for some much-needed relaxation and pampering. Everyone should take a PTO day on their birthday and wake up naturally (without an alarm clock). It's definitely on my list of simple pleasures. Until next year!

Gary Danko

Even after hearing so many positive reviews about Gary Danko, it still lived up to my expectations. This fine dining restaurant offers up a very diverse menu where you can order items a la carte or go with a 3, 4 or 5-course tasting option. Since it was our first time, we decided to go all out with the 5-course and the wine pairing. It was ambitious of us, a little too ambitious. By the end of the second course, we were already full. I love that you can completely customize your meal. If you like a certain appetizer, you can get an entree size of that and vice versa. Next time I go back (yes, I'm already planning the next time) I'm opting for the 3-course.

Here were my picks for the evening:

• Risotto with Lobster, Rock Shrimp, Shimeji Mushrooms & Peas
• Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Puree, Pickled Radish, Spring Onions & Sauce Marechal
• Roasted Pork Belly & Tenderloin with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, Parsnip Puree & Maple-Cider Glaze
• Lemon Pepper Duck Breast with Duck Hash, Celery Root-Garlic Puree and Roasted Grapes
• French Macaroon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Three Sauces

His picks (he's more of an adventurous eater):

• Foie Gras with Carmelized Onions
• Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Puree, Pickled Radish, Spring Onions & Sauce Marechal
• Quail Stuffed with Foie Gras, Mushrooms & Quinoa, Braised Artichokes, Peas, Prosciutto & Olive Butter
• Juniper Crusted Venison with King Trumpet Mushrooms, Glazed Cipollini Onions & Herb Spaetzle
• The famous Cheese cart (sadly, he was so full he didn't make it to this one - he loves cheese too)

My favorite was the lobster. It was the most tender lobster I have ever had in my life. How they get it so tender? I have no clue, but it was so delicious and I'm glad we each had our own because that's something I definitely didn't want to share. I had no idea they were going to bring me dessert for my birthday. Had I known, I wouldn't have ordered that for my 5th course because they even gave us a plate of bite-sized desserts on the house. At one point we had 3 dessert plates on our table haha. The photos don't do the food justice, but I am usually a bit shy about busting out my camera at nice establishments like this one. Anyway, try this place out and you won't be disappointed.

So they say it's your birthday

My how I've grown since then. Now if only my skin was just as resilient as it once was.

Studio Swag

Just realized I got a quick mention from one of my favorite fashion bloggers, Rachel, of Studio Swag. I've been out of the loop for a bit, but finally had the opportunity to catch up on posts to find out. Thank you!

PERU-READY

I didn't realize that shopping for a backpack/ travel pack would be so complicated. My knowledge of these types of bags is minimal so its a good thing REI has amazing service and trained/ knowledgeable employees. After being measured and trying on/ walking around the store with a few (packed with 30 pounds worth of bean bags), I think I found the one...