Sunday, September 14, 2008
I like farmers markets
I really do (even despite this ha ha). We have an awesome one in San Juan, but today we went to the one in San Clemente. It was great; we can get produce so much cheaper there than at the grocery store. I took a couple of pictures; next week I'll go and take more I think.
Two restaurants: Antoine's and White Horses
We went to two restaurants in San Clemente this week, so I thought I'd write up my experiences with them, plus share the couple of pics I managed to be sneaky and take.
Antoine's is one of my favorite places to eat. It's on the main road in San Clemente, and is always full of locals. They have amazing breakfasts and lunches, and the best French onion soup I've ever had. The staff is always super nice, and it's fun to sit outside to eat and people watch on sunny days.
Yummy soup!
Antoine's is located at 218 S El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92672.
Scott and I just celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary, and went out to one of the more upscale places in SC for dinner. We went to White Horses, which is right across from the pier. It's a cute little place with really nice ambiance and a gorgeous ocean view, and a lovely staff as well. The menu changes every few months as does the local art on the walls. It was good, but I was a little underwhelmed especially considering the price. The food was good, don't get me wrong; it just seemed a little been there done that for the price. Trios of food, circular molds...a little played. Like I said, it wasn't bad by any means, but I don't think we'll head back any time soon.
My dinner from there, a trio of meats (lamb, venison and beef) and mashed potatoes:
Sorry the pic is dark, but it was dimly lit and I didn't want to use my flash. White Horses is at 610 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente, CA 92672.
Antoine's is one of my favorite places to eat. It's on the main road in San Clemente, and is always full of locals. They have amazing breakfasts and lunches, and the best French onion soup I've ever had. The staff is always super nice, and it's fun to sit outside to eat and people watch on sunny days.
Antoine's is located at 218 S El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92672.
Scott and I just celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary, and went out to one of the more upscale places in SC for dinner. We went to White Horses, which is right across from the pier. It's a cute little place with really nice ambiance and a gorgeous ocean view, and a lovely staff as well. The menu changes every few months as does the local art on the walls. It was good, but I was a little underwhelmed especially considering the price. The food was good, don't get me wrong; it just seemed a little been there done that for the price. Trios of food, circular molds...a little played. Like I said, it wasn't bad by any means, but I don't think we'll head back any time soon.
Sorry the pic is dark, but it was dimly lit and I didn't want to use my flash. White Horses is at 610 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente, CA 92672.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Crock Pot Lasagna
In the continuing effort to make dinner time easier on myself while working, I've been trying to incorporate my crock pot more often. That way everything is set up before I start working and dinner is ready when I take my lunch break at 7 pm.
I found this recipe on Recipezaar (thanks to Alyssa for introducing me to that site!) and it turned out really well! It's definitely an easier was to make lasagna than the traditional way, and tasted great as well.
Crock Pot Lasagna
Ingredients
* 1 lb lean ground beef (I used turkey)
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, smashed
* 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 12 ounces cottage cheese (we like 2%)
* 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or asiago cheese
* 12 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
* 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
1. Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in frypan.
2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano.
3. Cook long enough to get it warm.
4. Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker.
5. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses.
6. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up.
7. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
I found this recipe on Recipezaar (thanks to Alyssa for introducing me to that site!) and it turned out really well! It's definitely an easier was to make lasagna than the traditional way, and tasted great as well.
Crock Pot Lasagna
Ingredients
* 1 lb lean ground beef (I used turkey)
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, smashed
* 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 12 ounces cottage cheese (we like 2%)
* 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or asiago cheese
* 12 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
* 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
1. Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in frypan.
2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano.
3. Cook long enough to get it warm.
4. Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker.
5. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses.
6. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up.
7. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Pop Up Pancakes
I was searching the interwebs for easy dinner ideas last week (now that school and soccer have started, cooking has become extra hard considering I'm still working swing shift), and I happened upon Makes and Takes.
I loved the idea of pancakes shaped to hold goodies, so we tried them last night and they were a big hit! We filled them with strawberries, blackberries, and whipped cream. Aiden just loved them.
Here is the recipe pulled off her site; I halved it since it was just for Aiden and me.
* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup flour
* 6 eggs
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* dash salt
* Preheat oven at 400*
I just filled a slightly greased muffin tin to about 2/3 of the way full per spot and popped them in the oven for 15 minutes. Also, I followed Marie's advice of mixing the batter in the blender, and everything came out perfectly. Next time, I am going to try to find a way to bake a thin slice of ham and swiss cheese and top with some boisenberry jam for a type of Monte Cristo.
Again, many props to Marie from Makes and Takes for this great recipe!
I loved the idea of pancakes shaped to hold goodies, so we tried them last night and they were a big hit! We filled them with strawberries, blackberries, and whipped cream. Aiden just loved them.
Here is the recipe pulled off her site; I halved it since it was just for Aiden and me.
* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup flour
* 6 eggs
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* dash salt
* Preheat oven at 400*
I just filled a slightly greased muffin tin to about 2/3 of the way full per spot and popped them in the oven for 15 minutes. Also, I followed Marie's advice of mixing the batter in the blender, and everything came out perfectly. Next time, I am going to try to find a way to bake a thin slice of ham and swiss cheese and top with some boisenberry jam for a type of Monte Cristo.
Again, many props to Marie from Makes and Takes for this great recipe!
Pho BO Vang
For awhile now I've been obsessed with trying pho (pronounced fuh), which is a rice noodle soup dish from Vietnam. I read about it and it launched a quest to find an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in my area. I searched for a few weeks and finally found a pho place close enough to home that Scott and I could go for lunch while Aiden was in school.
The general online consensus was that Pho BO Vang in Lake Forest has the best pho in south OC, so that's where we headed. We ordered an appetizer and both got a different type of pho.
The calamari was good, if not a bit greasy. I wanted to try the spring rolls, but Scott has this thing where he has to order calamari at every restaurant, so that won out.
I also ordered a Thai tea, which had a very unexpected, smoky flavor. It came with cream in it and was almost a terracotta color. Really tasty.
And finally, the pho!
This was unfortunately the only pic I could get as my camera died and Scott was reprimanding me for taking pictures. The beef was served rare and continued to cook while sitting in the broth. It was served with fresh basil, limes, and bean sprouts on the side. And yes, it was pretty much amazing and all that I had hoped for!
We'll definitely be heading back to Pho BO Vang. Great pho and really reasonably priced as well.
Pho BO Vang
23764 Mercury Rd
Lake Forest, CA 92630
Phone: (949) 707-5768
The general online consensus was that Pho BO Vang in Lake Forest has the best pho in south OC, so that's where we headed. We ordered an appetizer and both got a different type of pho.
The calamari was good, if not a bit greasy. I wanted to try the spring rolls, but Scott has this thing where he has to order calamari at every restaurant, so that won out.
I also ordered a Thai tea, which had a very unexpected, smoky flavor. It came with cream in it and was almost a terracotta color. Really tasty.
And finally, the pho!
This was unfortunately the only pic I could get as my camera died and Scott was reprimanding me for taking pictures. The beef was served rare and continued to cook while sitting in the broth. It was served with fresh basil, limes, and bean sprouts on the side. And yes, it was pretty much amazing and all that I had hoped for!
We'll definitely be heading back to Pho BO Vang. Great pho and really reasonably priced as well.
Pho BO Vang
23764 Mercury Rd
Lake Forest, CA 92630
Phone: (949) 707-5768
New blog!
I decided to start a new blog about food. Cooking (and eating!) is one of my favorite past times, and I love discovering new great places to eat. So I'm going to be recording awesome things I had while out, as well as new things I try at home.
I took the name of the blog from a James Thurber quote:
“Seeing is deceiving. It's eating that's believing.” I tend to hate when people quote others as a way to define themselves, but I liked this one a lot, so screw it.
I took the name of the blog from a James Thurber quote:
“Seeing is deceiving. It's eating that's believing.” I tend to hate when people quote others as a way to define themselves, but I liked this one a lot, so screw it.
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