All posts filed under: Taste.

winter picnic.

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To kick off the New Year, Hubby, Sis-in-law and her partner, and I planned a lil park picnic. Yes, it was 40 degrees outside, but the sun was shining and the air was fresh! I set up my 4-foot table and stools, brought out my picnic plates and indigo napkins, and adorned each place setting with a sprig of flowers because it’s a fancy grown up gathering, y’all! I put together a cheese plate of sorts with veggies, fruits, carbs, and dips. It’s always fun to use my tiny cheese knives, and I love mixing and matching snacks. I also attempted a lemon dressing/dip (recipe below!). We tossed together a salad (Trader Joe’s kale-cabbage-pistachio-ginger salad pack for the win ~ I’m a huge fan of all of their salad packs!) and I made roasted broccoli with dates and a lemon herb sauce (recipe below because it was delicious!) We also had homemade pumpkin soup! And homemade hummus! And more cheese! And more carbs! It was so lovely to spend a relaxing afternoon with great people in the …

coffee and toast.

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Featuring San Diego trip inspo seems appropriate this week because my nephew and I scored Comic Con SD 2019 tickets this weekend! We’ve got to get some touristing in there, too, so we’ll be planning some stops. In the meantime, here’s a coffee shop and avocado toast round up from my last visit. How many avocado toasts can I eat in one weekend? The answer is “at least three”! Our first stop after landing in San Diego was Achilles Coffee Roasters. Though I wasn’t crazy for their avocado toast, Achilles has one of the best chai lattes I’ve ever had. They make their own masala chai blend and top it with cinnamon. Also, they serve oat milk! This is definite ‘must come back again’ spot. Later that day whilst Hubby was reporting for groomsman duties, I headed to Better Buzz Coffee for a snack and some caffeine. I tried the 3 Seed Avocado toast which was packed with flavor, and tons of chia seeds. It was super filling; I saved half for a midnight snack. …

crafty hour.

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My crafty lady friends and I met up for a crafty lady crafty hour. We met up at Casa Latina, one of my preferred nacho places because they get the chip to topping ratio right all the time. 😉 First we ate foods; then we did the crafts. My friend brought pom pom trim guides / kumihimo cord makers by our friends at the Loome. We made kumihimo cord keychains. Materials are simple: yarn, key ring + clasp, scissors, and optional beads and needle. Tahdums! Check out the kumihimo cord tutorial we followed on the Loome. Finally, a crafty lady crafty hour in the books! It’s so nice to hang out with my crafty ladies not at a craft show – even tho that’s fun, too! We’ll have to make this a regular thing.

tea for seven.

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It’s my Mommy’s birthday today! Yay, Mommy! We celebrated over the weekend with a  tea party. On the menu… Tea sandwich 1: Peach and bourbon jam + tiny green apples from the garden. My nephew said it tasted like apple pie. Tea sandwich 2: Smoked salmon + dill cream cheese + chives. Allowing the dill to sit in the cream cheese for at least an hour adds so much more flavor. Tea sandwich 3: Cucumber + dill cream cheese. A classic pairing. I cut each sandwich flavor into a different shape. Also, crusts off always! We also made open faced smoked salmon + cucumber + dill cream cheese + chives sandwiches because why not. It added some nice color to the plate. Also on the menu: Steamed hericots vert with salt + pepper. Bell pepper crudités, a daikon vinegar slaw, and bread delights from 85 Degrees – (clockwise from top) coffee roll with red bean paste and mochi, walnut roll with black sesame seed paste, green tea roll with red beans and cream. …and of …

galaxy cupcakes.

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My friend (Laura!) and I made cupcakes and they turned out not bad! 🙂 Which was good because we were sharing these at the Galaxy Grandma shower we threw. We made a batch of chocolate and a batch of vanilla. To make the cupcakes galaxy themed we made purply-blue buttercream and topped them off with a sprinkle assortment. We painted our makeshift piping bags with food gel, filled with buttercream, and piped on. It was our first time using food gels, but we followed tips from Sweet and Savory Meals which made it super easy and less stressful. The gels were relatively simple to use, just a bit messy. It helped to cover our work area with parchment before opening any of the food gels. Our test cupcake above. 🙂 We got sprinkles from Fancy Sprinkles. OMG they are so fancy. I’m obsessed and excited to make more sparkly treats after the way these cupcakes turned out! After our taste test, we decided on adding less buttercream for the ‘real’ cupcakes. We ended up smoothing …

will stop for farmer’s markets.

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While we were in Alameda over the weekend, a farmer’s market caught my eye. So we swung by and drooled over all the fresh fruits and veggies. This market is relatively small, with maybe 20-ish booths, including some pre-made food booths, but was filled with lots of fresh produce. September meant lots of kale, peppers, cucumbers, peaches, plums, and berries…and so much more. We snagged some Indian and Thai eggplants and Thai basil. Mmm, the basil made the car smell so good. Generally speaking, if I see a place that catches my eye while driving I will stop if there’s an easy parking space near by. Who else stops for farmer’s markets (side-of-the-road markets count!), too? Share below.

third culture brunch.

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Last weekend my crafty lady friends and I got together for a special Founders Brunch at Third Culture Bakery. We had been waiting weeks for this event, counting down the days. Owners Sam and Wenter welcomed us into their retail space with the spirt of Third Culture – with kindness and with heart. Each course was planned carefully and thoughtfully, and each came with a story. They shared memories from their childhoods and from their life together. The table was set up usually where their retail counter is positioned (they moved sales for the day outdoors). And, it was dressed in all pink. On the menu: Savory scones and bottomless lychee mimosas to start. Then, a five course menu: Rice porridge: a little sweet, a little savory, and super comforting. I could eat this for breakfast everyday. Dumplings: To quote Wenter’s Mom “it’s not a dumpling unless the skin is handmade.” Truth! The skin was delicate, and there was so much more filling to skin ratio in these dumplings. It was topped with a savory …