The Bling Ring Trailer

Ladies and gents, it's here.. The Bling Ring teaser trailer is finally available for your viewing pleasure. If you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, read this first and watch the trailer below second.

The music, the clothes, the crying, the iconic Cali palm trees at the end.. I am beyond excited. Also, can we please start a discussion about how fierce Emma Watson turned out to be? I mean, who would've thought that this:

would turn into this:

via Got Celeb

Sure, HP was a huge part of Watson's childhood, but I predict that it won't be long before she is remembered for bigger and better things. Anyway, stay tuned for more Bling Ring updates!

A Very Venice NYE

Happy New Year, everyone! Wow, 2013. This is where I should probably share my New Year's resolutions, huh? Be more spontaneous, live a healthy lifestyle, work hard, play hard, yada, yada, yada.

Anyway, this year (or last year, rather), Christian and I rounded up a group of friends and rented a space in Venice using Airbnb. We ended up choosing this adorable place about half a block away from the water, which you can take a tour of here. I have to mention that the hosts were so kind and that their daughter, Berlin, is my new best friend. P.S. She's almost 3.

We ate cheese, drank wine (and jungle juice), played Cards Against Humanity, and counted down near the water (sparklers and all!). Talk about perfection. Take a gander below.

Also on the menu: flat bread pizzas, samosas, chicken dumplings, ham and cheese puff pastries, etc. Yum. C/O Trader Joe's.

I hope everyone's NYE was just as lovely as mine. Don't forget to make this year count!

Pinterest Party

Just to snowball off of my latest obsession with Pinterest, I decided to throw a Pinterest Party with some of my closest friends a couple weeks ago. I know, I know, "WTF is a Pinterest Party?" Well, here are the steps that I included in my invite:

1. Go to www.Pinterest.com, click Catagories, and peruse through the Food & Drink section (you do not have to be a member to browse).
2. Choose one recipe to make for the party and let everyone know what you'll be making by leaving a comment on this event page (include the link).
3. Whip up your recipe and share it with everyone!

Anyway, the party turned out to be the best idea ever. This is why:

Mac and Cheese Cups by Kasha

Stuffed Mushrooms by Mike

White Pizza Dip by Jennifer

Nutella Cookies by Camille

Cinnamon Roll Bars made by Hillz

Jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon by Ali, which we clearly devoured before I could get a shot

Sangria Punch by David

German Chocolate Brownies by Erica

Buffalo Chicken Wraps by Jazzy Lou (P.S. Her mom made them)

Garlic Knots by yours truly

Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting by me, too!

I'm sure you're probably drooling by now. And this was not even all of it! Not to worry, Pinterest Party: Holiday Edition is in the works. And anyone who did not attend must now make two dishes. See you there!

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

One of my latest obsessions these days is Pinterest, especially the Food & Drink section. When I'm really bored or on my lunch break, I tend to browse through this section, looking for recipes to try in my own kitchen. There are literally a thousand recipes that I told myself I'd try, but let's face it, it's not gonna happen. Several weeks ago, I finally found the perfect opportunity to bring to life one of these easy recipes while I was babysitting my cousin's daughter, Jahlysa. Together we made those mini deep dish pizzas that are a reoccurring recipe on Pinterest. See our step-by-step process below!

Ingredients:
Whole wheat pizza dough
Pizza sauce
Cheese 
Any other topping you want to include (we stuck with cheese)

Make sure you have:
A muffin tin
A cutting board or a non-stick surface that you can roll the dough on
Cooking spray

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take a golf size piece of pizza dough and roll it into a ball like so..

Next, flatten out your piece of dough on your surface of choice, eventually using your fingers tips to knead the dough so that it's flat and circular.

Place your piece of flattened dough into the muffin tin (make sure you spray it with cooking spray as you go). Repeat until you've used up all of your dough (we only made seven since it was just the two of us).

Just a heads up, this part is not so glamorous. The dough will tend to crumble and roll back into its original form. Don't be discouraged though! They still turn out delicious. :)

Then, add the pizza sauce and the cheese until each little muffin is full.

We ended up adding a pinch of romano cheese to each pizza, too!

Place the pizzas in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. After allowing the pizzas to cool down a bit, use a butter knife to pop them out of each section. 

Lastly, arrange your pizza(s) on an adorable vintage plate and devour them. Yum!

Unique LA

A couple of weekends ago, I had the pleasure of attending the 2nd Annual Unique LA Summer Show at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Each season, Unique LA brings together people from all over Southern California to showcase their very own Made in America goods. And although Target is my number one love, I'm always down to support my local community one way or another.

While there were many amazing vendors there, my absolute favorite was none other than LA's very own NoeyCakes. The NoeyCakes menu included Banana Chocolate Chunk, Peach Cobbler, Churro, Mocha, and Meyer Lemon cupcakes. See close ups here!

My Banana Chocolate Chunk on the left, Jared's Mocha on the right

Not only is Noey a master baker extraordinaire, but she also so happens to sit less than ten feet away from my desk at work. I was so excited that she had the opportunity to showcase one of her greatest passions!

Another highlight of the event had to be the DIY bar, in which I finally brought to life my wildest Pinterest dreams... DIY bracelets!

Two DIY bracelets on the left, JewelMint friendship bracelets on the right

I've been dying to recreate these bracelets! Not only did they provide the materials, but there were also ladies everywhere to help us get started. There was definitely a "one bracelet per person" rule, so I was glad to have Jared there to grab another for me. And partially weave it for me. Ugh, adorbz.

After our bracelet making extravaganza, Jared and I ended our day at Unique LA by sharing these from the Me So Hungry food truck:

From left to right: the Cali Slider, the KTM Slider, and the Flyin' Hawaiian Slider. Yum!

If you missed out on this really cool event, not to worry, Unique LA will be back for the holidays. Also, if you're a SF or NY resident, keep an eye out for Unique SF and Unique NY! 

Mendocino Farms

If you live anywhere that's remotely close to the Grove at Farmer's Market on Third and Fairfax, I'm sure you're fully aware that they built a Trader Joe's right across the street (HYFR because the La Brea location is always so crowded!), and a Mendocino Farms right next door to it.

Mendocino Farms is not really new to LA (there are locations in DTLA, Marina Del Rey, and West Hollywood), but it's definitely a I-can't-decide-where-to-eat-and-this-place-is-always-good kind of place. They offer a great variety of sandwiches (even vegan stuff for all you weirdos), and a couple salads, too.

For dinner, I had the Spicy Lemongrass Steak Banh Mi, which has lemongrass marinated steak with chili aioli, housemade sweet chili sauce, pickled daikon & carrots, cilantro, jalapeno, and cucumbers on a panini grilled ciabatta.

I promise you I am not lying when I say that this particular sandwich has easily became one of my favorites. I was a little turned off the first time I went to Mendo (almost a year ago) when I had the Kurobuta Pork Belly Banh Mi, and from what I remember, it wasn't that great. But my mind is now forever changed due to their steak Banh Mi. Just a heads up though.. In SGV, these sandwiches typically run no more that $5-$6. This one is $9.50. Not too bad considering the locally grown, fresh ingredients, and the size. I also promise you that they do not only serve Bahn Mi sandwiches (I just happen to be obsessed). Check out the menu here!

And just in case you're wondering where the name comes from.. "Mendocino Farms pays tribute to the county in Northern California that is known for its support of the Slow Food Movement and Sustainable Farming. This area is famous for its unpretentious "down home" love for artisan food and drink." Nice.

I'm really fighting the urge to go back so soon, but we'll see how long that lasts. Plus, I heard Dev Patel and Freida Pinto were spotted having dinner there.. Gourmet sandwiches + celeb power couple sighting? Don't even get me started.

Displayed right about the registers.. Great words to live by!

Mendocino Farms

175 S. Fairfax Ave Suite B
Los Angeles, CA 90036