Browse Category: yum

Half Moon Bay

DSC_4575Jes and I had President’s Day off and Mirian was scheduled to work so we took a day trip to Half Moon Bay.  Surprisingly, it’s only a 25-min drive to the coast and I was reminded of how close I live to the ocean still.

IMG_9402We lucked out on a gorgeous sunny day and stopped at Montara State Beach.  The steps down were really steep and then there was a giant collection of water from the rain last week that made our entrance to the shore a little interesting.

DSC_4579The waves were really rough that day but it was fun to watch.  I can’t wait to get to Hawaii again.

IMG_0116For lunch, we drove down the coast a bit more and found Sam’s Chowder House.  It’s the same Sam from Sam’s Chowdermobile, which we’ve had before at various food truck events.

IMG_0109We didn’t have a reservation but got there early enough to get prime seats in the adirondack chairs out front.  We ordered from the bar and ate from the chairs.  It was sunny and warm and a little weird not having to keep my brain on at all times.

IMG_0099I was able to just take my time sipping my wine and eating poke one cube at a time without worrying about what the kid would be up to next.  I zoned out a few times and had this funny anxiety from having to force myself to relax.  It’s hard to describe but that’s what I was feeling that afternoon.

IMG_0114By the way, the chowder is yummy and they brought out a huge bowl even though we ordered a cup.  I guess someone felt bad for making us wait longer than usual for our order.

The drive back up was easy (no traffic) and we stopped at Costco to pick up a few things.  It was crazy busy and nice to not have to worry about Kumquat totally losing it while we waited in line to pay.  It’s ridiculous how the simplest things can make me so happy nowadays.

 

Playdate!

IMG_0011We had plans to go to the Oakland Zoo today and Ranee and Ishya had the same plans!  What a nice coincidence!  The kids had a great time and it was very interesting trying to get a photo of all four kids together.

DSC_4556This is the best I could do with getting the cousins together in one photo.  At least the twins looked happy.

DSC_4530 It was so nice to spend time with friends and family.  It’s too bad we don’t all live closer to each other.  Kumquat always gave Ishya a funny look whenever she heard her speaking Thai to the twins.  It’s as if she’s thinking, “hey, you talk like grandma”.DSC_4531Here’s an action shot of Kumquat and Jes walking to the next exhibit.  I’m posting it just because I like it. 🙂

DSC_4550I loved watching Kumquat with the goats today.  She really does love animals.

IMG_0032After the zoo, we stopped for lunch before heading to Trader Joe’s.  Funny that Kumquat loves noodles as much as I do.

 

Wet Weekend

IMG_9748We had lots of rain this weekend and it was so nice.  On Saturday, I wanted some rainy-day food so we took the bus to Chinatown for our favorite porridge and noodle place.  IMG_9741To add to the adventure, we took the bus with Kumquat unbuckled and unstrapped. IMG_9751She sat in her own seat and walked up and down the Chinatown hills with us in the rain like a big girl.  She’s growing up way too fast.  It’s so fun to see the world through her eyes and she had a blast.

IMG_9746The porridge, Chinese doughnut, and warm soy milk really hit the spot.

IMG_9742Jes got the Singapore rice noodles and Kumquat had a little of everything we ordered.  We also ordered two dishes to-go so we wouldn’t have to cook or leave the house for dinner.

IMG_9806On Sunday morning, Kumquat and I walked down the street for brunch.  I didn’t take the stroller and we braved the rain together on foot.  On the walk home, it started to rain harder and Kumquat a fun time playing in the rain.

IMG_9711The Sochi Winter Olympic Games also started on Thursday and I’ve been watching it online thanks to my Brother who gave me access with his cable account.  Thanks, Brother!  It’s was the perfect thing to watch on a rainy weekend.

Lunar New Year Super Bowl Weekend

IMG_9527Boy, we had quite a weekend!  It started a little early when Mirian asked if I could come home early on Friday because Karla had a fever.  I managed to get home by noon to relieve her and I had an unexpected half-day to hang out with my little girl.  It was sunny outside so I took her down to the courtyard for some water fun with her tea set.  She LOVED it and I got some free time to pay bills and balance our finances.

IMG_9544That evening, we went to SOMA Streat Food Park for their version of Lunar New Year.  All the food trucks had special dishes for the night, they played Bruce Lee movies on the big screens, Tsing tao was $3 all night, and they had a DJ playing Asian Hip-Hop music.  They also had Chinese acrobats performing at 8pm but we left before that started.

IMG_9552 IMG_9560On Saturday morning, we took a trip to the zoo for a quick 1-hour walk around the Savanna area.  The giraffes and zebras were all so active that morning and Kumquat was so pleased to see her “GG” pals.IMG_9274That same evening, we all gathered at Ryan and Michelle’s house in Orinda to welcome the Year of the Horse.  We celebrate together every year and I was impressed at how civilized our dinner was this year considering we had 5 kids present.

IMG_9280At one point everyone was seated, eating, and enjoying each other’s company.  IMG_9281We’ve come a long way from the year we had Jack, Reese, and Rowan together for the first time.

IMG_9283We had a potluck of “bring something from your homeland” so we pretty much had two dinners: my dish (chicken gravy over rice) first and then Michelle’s kalbi, spicy pork, and chap chae.  For dessert, we had Vyl’s red bean pancakes and pecan pie.  Yum.

IMG_9273The kids received red envelopes and I loved Reese’s expression when she discovered there was actual money inside for her.

IMG_9285Kumquat had a fun time playing with all of Reese and Jack’s toys and at one point Isla joined her.  By the end of the night, she was falling asleep in Bang’s comfy lap.

IMG_9293After we got home and put Kumquat to bed, I mustered some energy to change my clothes and put on some heels(!) for Mai’s Bachelorette Party.  Jes stayed home and I hailed a cab to Asia SF where the party had started since 5.  I didn’t get there until 10 but I got there with enough to celebrate with the girls and get a good laugh.  Amazingly, I was home by midnight.  Thanks for the ride home, R!

IMG_9577On Sunday morning it was raining!  Finally.  We opted to stay in our PJs for as long as we could and it was great.  I spent the morning archiving a bunch of our old bank and health insurance statements while reorganizing our files too.  Victor and Susie were hosting Super Bowl so we joined them in the afternoon for all the tasty food that Susie prepared.

The game was not very exciting but Bruno Mars had a good half-time performance. And of course, the commercials were fun. These were my favorites:

  1. Budweiser puppy/horse spot
  2. Doritos time machine spot
  3. Bud Light up-for-anything spot.

Overall, this was a fun and productive weekend.  Unfortunately, Karla is still sick so I’m going to have to stay home tomorrow.  Yippee!  Er, I meant Aw shucks.  These unexpected long weekends are going to spoil me!!

kale, spinach, and chicken bites

I saw some kale and spinach bites in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago and thought I could try to make my own for Kumquat.  I looked up a few recipes and made a few tweaks of my own.

IMG_9457

I started with onion sweating in butter and olive oil.  I bought frozen spinach and kale (1/2 bag each) because I didn’t know when I would have the time/energy to make these.IMG_9458

The spinach and kale went into the pan and I cooked it until all the frozen veggies were warm and soft.

IMG_9459

In the meantime, I shredded some parmagiano reggiano (~1/2 cup) and then set it aside in a bowl.  IMG_9460

I also found some leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge, so I chopped some up and put them in the food processor.IMG_9461

The cooked spinach and kale went in with the chicken and I added some green onion.IMG_9462

It was all pulsed together to shred and mix everything together.IMG_9463

In the bowl that had the shredded cheese, I added the veggie/chicken mixture along with an egg and 2/3 cups of panko bread crumbs.IMG_9464

It all got mixed together and some salt and pepper went in to season it all.IMG_9465

Then I rolled the mixture into a ball and flattened it into a patty.  It got rolled in more panko bread crumbs and placed on a cookie sheet.IMG_9466

Here they are before going into the 325-degree oven.  They can sit close to each other since they won’t be expanding or anything.

IMG_9468When it was all done, the bread crumbs didn’t really brown but it was a little crispy on the outside and tender inside.  It stays together enough to use a fork for the small pieces and Kumquat really liked it!  I froze the remaining 12 and stored them for later meals.  Mission accomplished.

Napa Date

IMG_9255Jes and I both had today off but this is one of the holidays that Mirian does not have off.  So, we had her come in as scheduled and the two of us went to Napa for a little wine tasting and lunch.  We went to Robert Craig for our free club member tasting and bought a bottle of their Zin.

IMG_9262For lunch, we went to The Pear, which is also in downtown Napa and located just a couple doors down from Morimoto.  They feature southern food and we shared the cheddar jalapeno tater tots, root veggie salad, and chicken and waffles.

IMG_9261We also had two glasses of wine each with lunch so I was feeling pretty good afterward.  To sober up, we went shopping at the outlet.  I bought a bunch of $4 shirts for Kumquat while Jes picked up some work shirts.

IMG_9260Today was quite a treat.  It’s so rare that Jes and I get to go out to eat by ourselves let alone have a whole day!  Wish we could do this more often.