Free Falling

Today, I jumped out of a plane and survived. It was the most incredible experience. Since Thursday, my heart has been pounding non-stop and even hours after the jump, I'm still on a natural high. The way I felt free falling from thousands of miles up was unreal - so liberating. My instructor led me through a few flips and once the chute opened we were just soaring above the Earth with our feet dangling. He even let me drive the parachute. I'll never forget my first time skydiving.

Ike's Place: Menage a Trois

#100 Menage a Trois at Ike's Place
7x7 The Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die in SF 2011
Castro

There's a reason why this place always has a long line. The sandwiches are the bomb (do people still say that)!? Well, in this case I will. The Menage a Trois is one of over what seems like a million sandwiches. It's filled with halal chicken, real honey, honey mustard, bbq sauce, pepper jack, swiss and cheddar. Who would have thought to pull all of that in one sandwich? Once you see their menu, you'll be asking yourself that over and over again. Some of their sandwiches are filled with items like mozarella sticks. Can't wait to try their other sandwiches.

El Farolito: Super Carne Asada Burrito

#75 Super Carne Asada Burrito from El Farolito
7x7 The Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die in SF 2011
Mission District

I was once surrounded by several delicious Mexican eateries when I lived in San Jose. Working in San Francisco, there aren't many good spots here unless you head out to the Mission District. All of the worthwhile restaurants are all condensed in this area and El Farolito is one of them. One of the best burritos in the city! Throughout my college years, I found myself here after-hours to help absorb all of the liquor I consumed while out and about. Great place to end the night since it closes at 3am. I've had my share of El Farolito burritos and It deserves it's name on the 7x7 Big Eat SF list.

Happy New Year!

For 2012, I'm keeping my resolutions simple. I resolve to make healthier choices for my mind, body and soul. It's going to be the best and biggest year of my life yet...

That $&@# Kray!

Rockin the faux fur to work today. Ready for tonight's Jay-Z and Kanye concert!

Albondigas

 I'm a total soup kid and when the weather started getting chilly around here I jumped at the opportunity to make something comforting and warm. So, I found this on Allrecipes (but slightly modified it) and am glad I did. It's really easy and yummy. I'll definitely make it again!

 If you're not familar with Albondigas, it's a Mexican soup dish :)  

 

 Ingredients

• 1 quart water
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups salsa, medium or hot
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I combined ground pork and ground beef)
• 1/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup milk
• chopped fresh cilantro (I didn't have cilantro, but I added watercress instead)

Directions

1. In a large stock pot, bring water, carrots, potatoes, onion, salsa, and bouillon cubes to a boil. Reduce to a medium simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 10 minutes.
2. Mix the beef, breadcrumbs, and milk together in a bowl. Form into 1-inch meatballs, and drop into boiling broth. Once soup returns to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Cover and cook 20 minutes, or until meatballs are no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender. Serve with sprinkled cilantro for garnish.

Muracci's Japanese Grill: Katsu Curry

#16 Katsu Curry from Muracci's Japanese Grill
7x7 The Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die in SF 2011
Financial District

The Katsu Curry here at Muracci's is definitely good, but I think my expectations were a bit high going in. I blame that on the hundreds of 4-5 star reviews on Yelp and the line outside the door when I arrived. Luckily, we called ahead so we just walked right in to pick up our order.

Overall, I really enjoyed the curry (you can have it spicy or mild - of course I went spicy), but the chicken was a bit dry for my taste. Also, I love anything pickled, but their side of pickled cabbage and radish had a strange bitter taste to it that I could live without. The verdict: I would eat it again, but I probably wouldn't crave for it. Overhyped.

Red Lobster Style Cheese Biscuits

Worked off of this recipe and it was pretty delicious: HERE.

This makes 12 biscuits:

1 pack buttermilk biscuit mix (I used Bisquick, about 1 1/2cups)
1 1/2cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oregano
3/4 tsp garlic salt (use slightly less than this - i found it to be slightly salty with this amount)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray cooking sheet with non-stick spray.

2. Put biscuit mix, cheese and milk in a bowl and mix well to form a sticky dough.

3. Using spoon, drop lumps of dough onto cookie sheets 1.5in apart. Bake for 10min.

4. In a bowl, melt butter and mix with oregano and garlic salt.

5. When the timer goes off, take them out and brush with butter mixture and bake 5min at 400F and another 5-6min at 350F.

6. Transfer into a plate and serves immediately.