Visiting the City by the Bay

This last weekend, my husband and I went on a little road trip 8 hours up the coast to one of my favorite places in the world, San Francisco, California.  

Visiting S.F. doesn't mean you actually have to stay in the city. There are countless surrounding towns that are interesting and so much fun to visit. We actually ended up staying right at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on the Sausalito side of the Bay in a hotel called Cavallo Point. The hotel sits inside of Fort Baker, where rooms are adorably refurbished military barracks. The morning fog rolls away to reveal a serene scene where birds are all you hear and dear are visible munching away at the grassy meadow that the rooms encircle. 

We spent a day across the bridge walking, eating and enjoying the beauty of the city. This amazing dessert of creme filled donuts with vanilla bean ice cream was a foodie highlight that we enjoyed at the Four Seasons Hotel restaurant on Market Street in S.F.  Can you tell I like donuts?

If you're in Sausalito, eat at the Lighthouse Diner. This breakfast was so delicious and kept me full for hours, as if thats hard to believe! The huge raspberry filled, chewy, bubbly pancake was one of the best I've ever eaten. Somehow I will figure out a way to duplicate this treat. 

On our last day in the city, we headed over to the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park to view the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit, which was fantastic. Afterwards, we visited the Japanese Tea Garden, a tranquil collection of trees, flowers, koi ponds and pagodas. You can also have an authentic cup of tea inside a traditional tea house within the gardens. 

After a busy weekend in the city, we decided to stop off in Monterey on the drive down south. We had just enough time left on Sunday evening to make our way to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. My favorite part was the Jellyfish exhibit, with multiple species to gawk at. I highly suggest going to the Aquarium late on a Sunday like we did, when there is hardly anyone left and you have most of the exhibits to yourself. 

The nighttime view from Cavallo Point. Could it get any better?? 

Happy Fourth of July

What will you be doing on this holiday? I'll be spending mine eating, lounging and visiting family. Come back next week to see What I Ate. :) I hope you have a fun, safe and happy Fourth!

Getting ready for the Fourth

I LOVE the Fourth of July. Summertime is in full swing, BBQ's are on and grillin' and the pride of celebrating our Country is visually and emotionally everywhere. So here's a super fast, easy idea for a last minute cocktail you may be thirsting for to wash down that cheeseburger pre-firework display. You can combine a multitude of ingredients to accomplish this red, white and blue sparkler, just use this as a guide. All you need are:
grenadine, strawberry or raspberry puree
club soda or sprite
clear alcohol of choice (such as gin or vodka)
fresh blueberries
ice
That's it! Pour the grenadine or puree into the bottom of your glass, top with ice, a shot of gin and finish with club soda. Float the blueberries on top. You could add lemon or lime juice if you'd like, but it's not necessary. This would also make a great virgin or kids cocktail, just leave out the alcohol and use the sprite instead of club soda.

And here are a few Pinterest finds to help inspire your celebration.

http://hiphiphoorayblog.com/

This is such a cute idea for a festive fruit salad or a garnish on the side of a cocktail glass. For a savory salad, mix watermelon stars with feta cheese and blueberries. 

 

http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2010/07/01/red-white-blue-stuffed-strawberries/

I love the idea of these delicious little fruit bites as a simple dessert or appetizer, and they're pretty good for you too. The white is just mascarpone cheese, a bit of powdered sugar (you could also use honey) and vanilla extract. Mmmm.

http://alyssaguia.tumblr.com/post/25076223954

I need these shorts. 

Happy Fourth!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies

As a kid in school I remember anxiously opening my lunch bag to see what I was in store for that day. I always hoped for pizza, but that was a rarity. I always hoped for fruit roll ups, but again, I'd have to trade my string cheese for junk food that good. What I could always count on though, was a great sandwich, and my favorite was peanut butter and jelly. It was the only sandwich that I didn't mind being a bit soggy by the time I got to it.  I was feeling a bit nostalgic last week and wanted to indulge in one of my favorite flavor combinations in a new way.

I started thinking about how amazing a peanut butter blondie would be, but rather than topping it with chocolate (which frankly would probably be perfect as well) I thought it would be great to bake in some really good jam and create the flavor I had loved growing up. What resulted was one of the easiest, yet most delicious treats I've ever made. Kids will love this, adults will love this, you will love this.

Start with some all natural, creamy peanut butter. Try not to eat it straight out of the jar like me. 

This is the mixture of butter, brown sugar and peanut butter. Again, try not to eat this directly out of the pan with a handful of chocolate chips. Patience. It gets better.

Once the batter is placed into the greased baking dish, glob on whatever flavor of jam you happen to have on hand. I used strawberry, but next time maybe I'll try blackberry. 

Grab a glass of milk, and attempt to not to eat the entire dish of these. That was the hardest part of all. These treats are gooey, but that is how they are supposed to be. Think brownies. Only they're made of peanut butter. And called blondies. I would have taken this over a sandwich any day. 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Blondies

Adapted from Joy the Baker

5 T unsalted butter, cut in half

1 C dark brown sugar

1/2 C creamy, natural peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 C all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and line an 8 x 8 baking dish. 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sugar together. Remove from the heat and add the peanut butter, stirring to cool. Wait a few minutes and add the egg and vanilla (you don't want scrambled eggs in your batter :). 

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the peanut butter mixture and stir until the flour is just incorporated. The batter with be thick and grainy. Mash the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread to fill it out. Using a spoon, scoop about 9 tablespoons of jam onto the dough as pictured above. Then, using a knife or toothpick, spread the jam and slightly mix it in with the batter for a marbled effect. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool thirty minutes before slicing, if you can wait that long :) This would be amazing with some cold vanilla ice cream, but a tall glass of almond milk did me just fine. You could also double the recipe.

Enjoy!

The Week-Cap - Summer Mode

After spending 6 days relaxing and vacationing, I've decided to tweak up the Week-Cap a little bit. I will continue to share things I've done, eaten and made throughout the last week, but I will start incorporating things that have inspired me, made me laugh, or made me think as well. I hope you like it!

• Monday - Next time you are in Las Vegas, visit the Wynn hotel to enjoy one of the most beautiful outdoor areas on the strip. The Lake of Dreams is a giant lake surrounded by trees and a  mountain and is the centerpiece of the hotel. Go to the Parasol Down Bar, order a fantastic cocktail and watch the Lake light up every 30 minutes with a different light and music show. You might even get to see a frog sing 'Low Rider'. It happened. 

• Tuesday - I ate one of the best desserts of my life at one of my very favorite restaurants in Vegas, Botero. The room is decked out in all white with black accents and centered with an original botero sculpture, called 'Seated Lady'. The food is outstanding and the S'more donuts were like perfect little clouds of marshmallow cream, cinnamon sugar and warm chocolate sauce. Literal perfection. 

• Wednesday - Currently obsessed with this song. It makes me happy, it makes me sad, it makes me want to run really fast on the treadmill. Get Alex Clare's entire album for a strange, yet perfect blend of Ray LaMontagne style blues and Skrillex-like beats. 
• Thursday - Lebron James won the NBA finals. I only cringed for a second. It's okay Lebron, everybody likes you again. 
• Friday - I love Native Foods, a fast casual restaurant that serves all vegan/vegetarian dishes and makes you truly believe that you are eating crispy chicken even though there is no poultry anywhere to be found. I ate a delicious dinner there, attempting to 'clean out' from all of the Vegas food I'd been gorging on, and was reminded how great it is. Now I want to learn how to make 'chicken' wraps of my own.
• Saturday - Home sweet home. There's nothing like waking up in your own bed after a long vacation. And making the best quesadilla I ever ate filled with guacamole, salsa and a boiled egg. I've missed my kitchen. 

What I Ate Wednesday: Las Vegas Edition

During a week long trip to Vegas, the meal options are absolutely endless. From Room Service, to restaurants, here is just a peak at what I ate for one whole day.

Breakfast started in the room with a few grocery items my husband and I picked up to avoid ordering breakfast EVERYDAY. This is a great idea for long term stays away from home, not only does it save money, but it will also help your waistline. I made a bowl of nonfat greek yogurt, bananas and blueberries. 

After a nice workout in the fitness center, we came back to the room starving and needing a protein packed lunch. I ordered a BBQ chicken wrap in a whole wheat tortilla. Spicy, yet sweet and full of tender meat.

For dinner, we chose a fabulous and gorgeous restaurant at The Wynn Resort called Botero. As an appetizer, I had the Crudo tasting, which was ahi tuna with avocado and soy, scallop with spicy tomato, salmon with ginger and lime and hamachi with yuzu. Fresh, perfectly spiced and absolutely amazing.

A wonderful feature about the Wynn property is that every restaurant offers a Vegan/Vegetarian menu. Considering I had gone all out at lunch with my chicken stuffed wrap, I opted to go for a lighter, more veggie centered entree. This was the Grilled Vegetable Lasagna and it was exactly what I'd hoped for, simple, clean and so very satisfying.

To round out this incredible dining experience, we chose what is now one of my all time favorite desserts, the S'more Donuts. These little pillows of cinnamon sugar rolled dough were filled with creamy, sticky marshmallow that oozed out perfectly with each bite. The chocolate was supplied in sauce form and could not have been more delicious.

Seriously, how could you even resist?? I will definitely be needing a diet when I get home. Or at least some more donuts.

A day at the Spa - Montage Beverly Hills

As part of a Mother's Day gift, my mom and I got the awesome opportunity to spend a day at the Montage Beverly Hills Spa, a place like no other. If you are into massages, relaxation, or happiness in general ;) you must try this gorgeous, luxurious spa. The package we were given included a class of our choice in the gym, lunch, a massage and all day access to the spa facilities. We arrived early to take advantage of everything offered to us and enjoyed a delicious hot cup of tea in the Women's Lounge, a calming room filled with big fluffy chairs, pillows and throw blankets. Then it was off to the gym for a mat pilates class. After working up a decent sweat, we went back to the women's lounge to enjoy the delicious strawberry, orange, cucumber water, which I now plan to make at home. I poked around the rest of the spa and took a few shots of the co-ed area.

This is the co-ed jacuzzi where you can meet up with your spouse/partner/friends before or after your treatment. The room was light and bright with beautiful gold accents and morrocan style decor.

This lamp hung above the stairs to the co-ed area. It was absolutely beautiful and surrounded by walls of complete mosaic.

Lunch with a view came next. The ninth floor of the hotel houses the pool and poolside restaurant. Here, I enjoyed the warm breeze and delicious Grilled Halibut Fish Tacos, while my mom went for the Margherita Flatbread.

Finally, it was time for the massages, the sauna, the jacuzzi and a quick trip in the steam room. It was probably the best massage I've ever had, complete with apricot scented massage oil, and a heated sand neck pillow midway through.

I highly recommend this spa if you are ever in the Los Angeles area. If not, visiting any nice spa in your neighborhood is a wonderful, important part of keeping your body healthy and happy. This day really inspired me to bring the spa home and do what I can in my own house to promote more wellness and relaxation. We'll see what I come up with! :)