Saturday, September 22, 2012

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!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

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!


Friday, July 27, 2012

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! 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

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

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

5 Reasons Why You Should Watch Girls

One of my newest favorite television shows is the cleverly written and hilarious Girls, which airs on HBO. Just like the show's tagline suggests, these fresh out of college girls are (cue sarcasm) Living the dream. One mistake at a time. I know simply telling you to go watch it won't do any good, so here are my top 5 reasons why you should tune in Monday nights (when the show comes back from hiatus) or get your paws on an HBO GO log in pronto (thanks, Jazzy Louie!).

 
1. New comer Lena Dunham writes/stars, Judd Apatow produces. Before Girls, I knew nothing about Lena Dunham. Now, I want to be her best friend because I have a feeling she is just as quirky and witty as her writing. Needless to say, big things are coming this girl's way. And Judd freakin' Apatow produces the show. C'mon!

2. 30 minutes. This one is quickie. Watch it while you're on the treadmill, your lunch break at work, whatever. Bottom line, there is no excuse for missing out. I promise that it's worth it!

3. This scene.  In episode 3, Hannah (Dunham's character) has a dance party in her room with Marnie (played by Allison Williams) after a shitty day to Robyn's Dancing On My Own. If this doesn't scream #shitgirlsdo, I don't know what does.


4. Shosh. The most naive and innocent of the girls is Shoshanna Shapiro (portrayed by Zosia Mamet). Her one liners and jumps suits are just too much, but at the same time, not nearly enough. HuffPost even made a Sh*t Shoshanna Says video!

5. Love 'em, but I don't envy them (too much). Typically, when I'm obsessed with a show it's because I'm clearly Jelly Clarkson of the perfect life/clothes that the characters have. While I am definitely obsessed with Jessa's (played by Jemima Kirke) bohemian/hip/perfect wardrobe, the girls' lives are pretty damn complicated (don't even get me started on their love lives). In many ways, they're just like my friends and I: broke twenty-something-year-olds who are just trying to figure out what the hell is next after college.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Kristen Wiig

What do Bjork, Nancy Pelosi, Madonna, and Suze Orman all have in common? They’ve all be accurately portrayed (I’m talking SPOT ON) by the one and only comedic genius, Kristen Wiig.


In honor of her tearful departure from SNL, I’ve listed my absolute favorite Wiig skits. So get your butt on over to hulu, and search for the following videos (I recommend typing “Kristen Wiig” along with the titles to refine your search):
  
 Penelope
Two A-Holes
 Bjork 
 Gilly (the Science Fair one is especially hilarious since it features a very German Zac Efron)
 Surprise Party (the original with Christopher Walken is a must see)

Honorable mentions: The Lawrence Welk Show, Target Lady, and Garth & Kat

If SNL is not really your cup of tea, just Redbox a copy of Bridesmaids, co-written by Wiig herself. It’s quite possibly the funniest movie ever. And if you don’t agree.. We can’t be friends.

Along with being my favorite funny girl, Wiig also has an underrated sense of style, especially on the red carpet. 




Okay, so she may have gone a little neutral crazy during awards season this year, but my point is is that Kristen Wiig is well on her way to super stardom. Watch out and get ready to laugh your ass off.

















Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Dinner Al Fresco

In honor of one of my dearest friend's birthday, I set up a little intimate dinner date in my backyard on Sunday evening.

 

Rachelle (the beautiful birthday girl!) brought these delicious Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and spring rolls from Banh Mi Che Cali in Alhambra. Although I've only had them about a handful of times, these sandwiches are easily one of my top 5 favorite foods. I constantly crave the tangy and spicy vegetables in a warm baguette. Drooling.

I provided dessert from Joan's on Third, which is near the Beverly Center. I pretty much walked into the bakery section, and asked for the best selling desserts. Below you'll see a strawberry cream puff, a lemon bar, a chocolate coconut cupcake, and one of their amazing chocolate chip cookies. Yum! Not only is Joan's a great place for baked goods, but it's also a great place for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. It's always poppin' on the weekends, FYI.


I hope you had a great birthday, Rachelle! Love ya!


P.S. Don't you love her charm bracelet?! The bracelet itself is Juicy Couture while the charms are from Anthropologie. So adorable.



Saturday, May 5, 2012

Styled: Cambridge Satchels

Call me a little narcissistic, but I swoon over anything that has my initial(s) on it. Jewelry, stationary, mugs.. Slap a G on it, and I'm all yours. So, when I saw that the HelloGiggles girls got themselves monogrammed Cambridge Satchels, I knew that my hunt for one was officially on.

The only hard part is deciding which one to get! Much like humans, these adorable, genuine leather satchels come in all sizes, shapes, and colors (unisex, too!). Ah, help me decide!

Guess who this bag belongs to! via HellogGiggles

via HONEYHYPE

via Of Corgis and Cocktails
via Power Animals

While they do sell these bags at Bloomingdales and multiple e-tailers in the US, it's recommended that the best place to order an embossed one would be through their website, The Cambridge Satchel Company, which ships straight from the UK. I'm down.

I'm pretty positive that I won't be getting a neon colored one any time soon because of how bi-polar the trend is. For now, I'm leaning towards cognac, navy, or red with a simple G. (for Genevieve, gorgeous, genius, great, etc.) on it. Thoughts?