Books Read in 2011

I wish I could give you an impressive long list of all the books I read last year (as in read all the words on the pages), but that would be pretty damn short. Like super short.

Instead, here's a smattering of stuff I read, stuff I'm trying to finish and books that I haven't started YET. Nothing high brow here...

Miramar Fish Market

[Update - Closed as of mid-2014]

So after we had our short little shopping excursion at the San Ysidro Outlets as well as our little pretzel dog snack, we headed up the 5 just a short distance away...

Our exit was Main Street, past the old Go-Cart tracks which can be seen from the freeway, as well as the tree farm...

Wetzel's Pretzels

We were down at the San Ysidro outlets earlier today...

I wanted to "correct" the spelling and grammar on the sign..."Squozen". Really?

Aria Kabob Cafe

A few days ago, TC and I went out for a few errands on a beautiful and sunny day.

Since we were in the Kearny Mesa area, I suggested dinner at one of the local spots...

Pinterest likes my Scotch Egg!

Just for fun, I was checking my stats and noticed that Pinterest was a referring source. Pinterest is some sort of "online pinboard". Remember that I live in a cave...right? I just heard about Pinterest last week from a friend of mine who was showing me her Pinterest items on her iPad.

When I clicked on the stats for Pinterest, this person's site showed up with my photo of my first attempt at a Scotch Egg along with RPattz on a New Moon party napkin! WTF! I find it amusing that other folks also pinned it on their sites (at least 2 "likes" and 6 "repins"):

I wonder how they found it? My blog isn't linked on google but I guess you can find anything on the web nowadays. In anycase, it's out there for all to enjoy I suppose. Too bad they can't read the witty shit I wrote to go with the post, haha.

Here's my original post:
Scotch Egg from October 2010 (which also links Dennis and Darlene's posts about Scotch eggs)

Pinterest seems like a fun and mindless thing to do but I already have too much crap floating in my head to worry about so I'll just pass on doing it myself. People who read my blog carefully should already have at least a loose feel for shit that I like. No need for me to "pin" it online, eh. So, thanks for sending traffic to my blog Pinterest, now leave me alone.

Beer - it's what's for dessert!

Found at our local Fresh and Easy...

This could only mean one thing...

Voli Vodka

Before Bert and Thor went out on their bromantic date to the Eastlake food trucks, Thor broke out with these...

Four types of a new low cal vodka and he wanted us to help him "sample" them. I think we can help out in that department...

ABC Humpday Music Videos 2.0 - "C" is for...

Flashback to 1979....

When all the girly pre-teens were plastering their walls with Tiger Beat posters of Shaun Cassidy (I couldn't stand his toothy smile and his feathered locks' he played one of the "Hardy Boys" and was a teen idol/singer who sucked) and Scott Baio (that's Chachi, the Fonz's nephew in "Happy Days", or the dude from "Charles in Charge"), I had posters from Hit Parader and Creem on my walls with rock guitarist extraordinaire Eddie Van Halen and the dreamy Robin Zander, frontman of Cheap Trick.

Ladies and gentlement, may I present Cheap Trick!

King of Nablus Sweets

Well, what have we here?

Crisp, flaky, drenched with honey and nuts...(drool)

Ali Baba Family Restaurant

Ever since I got mega sick several years ago, my mantra has been "life is too short to eat crappy food".

This weekend brought us past downtown El Cajon...

ABC Humpday Music Videos 2.0 - "B" is for the Blow Monkeys

Here's one from the dusty vaults, "Digging Your Scene" by The Blow Monkeys:

Remember this song? I actually had the LP!!!! Junior year, 1986. The lead singer, known as Dr. Robert had really nice bone structure and killer hair!

Malted pancakes

Bert is the breakfast maker in our household...

He switched it up this morning...

The Village House Kalina

Ooh, a giant fork and spoon...

Was this a Filipino person's house or restaurant?

Return to Bonnie Jean's

This'll be a quick one...After my first visit with the Prof nearly three years ago, it was time to go back...

this time with Bert and TC...

Bacon 'n mushroom pasta

Bacon really does make everything taste better...

Thick cut bacon...

Bowtie pasta with mini sausage

Last night I made pasta with leftover ingredients...

It's called cleaning out the fridge and trying to make a meal of it...

Cassava cake

Yo Gabba Gabba!

(characters from L to R: Foofa, Brobie, and Muno. There's another one but he's missing)

I wish these characters were around when TC was still a baby. They're so cute! Instead, we had to endure the Wiggles (the lesser of two evils as Barney was a dinosaur non-grata in our household).

It's back! ABC Music Humpday Videos 2.0! "A" is for....

Welcome to the new year and also to a new slew of ABC Music Videos to be posted every Wednesday...

For the first installment, what better way to start than with one of my favorite rock groups, AC/DC (with Bon Scott before he died the classic rock star death of choking on his own vomit)! "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"!

This version is live and not the one you hear on the radio (if you listen to 101.5 KGB or Rock 105.3 like I do during the rare times I listen to the radio). I like the international album version better (the re-release in 1981).

New tacos from Rubio's...

So while the kids were getting their food at Panda Express (I was such a worry wart because I wanted to make sure they were within my line of sight; they are 11 and 12), Bert and I stood in line at Rubio's.

We were armed with coupons I just got thru email that morning...

The new UTC Food Court

This weekend we took TC and nephew #3 ice skating at UTC...

Apparently they are done with their new food court!

Horny green desserts...

Now that I have your attention...

(Aw, shite, my Hulk plate is upside down!)

These macarons were annihilated rather quickly by me Bert and I...

Return to Koon Thai

Yesterday, TC and I had the pleasure of meeting up with Uncle Superman...

Location of lunch was Poon Tang, I mean, Koon Thai!

Return to La Crepe Fraiche

Hey now...one dessert place down.

One more to go!

Sorrento European Bakery

[Update - Closed as of 2013]

C was gracious enough to drive while we went out in search of dessert...

Welcome to Manila Mesa!

The Fish Boutique

[Update - Closed]

Yesterday, TC and I had the pleasure of having lunch with the awesome C from CAB Cooks...

We wanted to try this place that Cathy had blogged about last year (link at end of post)...

Meat 'n cheese 'n gristle...

The next day, TC and I went to the mall and on the way back, stopped by Eddie's to have lunch...

Normally I love what I have at Eddie's but this was a first

Bahn Thai

This was my last week of vacation until I have to go back to work next week. TC dutifully accompanied me on errands that took us to Mission Hills and recently to  University Heights...

in our search for authentic British products to use for an upcoming "tea" party that is being planned by TORC, myself, and KD...

Holiday Party Food round up

Because I'm so anal organized, I had the serving dishes and utensils out two nights before...

Wut? I'd rather be prepared than scrambling at the last minute...

Palitaw

As promised, the Palitaw recipe...

Just be glad you didn't have to suffer through my really old Filipino language class project where I made this dessert on video while speaking child like Tagalog!

Chocolate Mochi revisited

Bert does all the dirty work...

I bake 'em and he cuts 'em...

Purple this time...

For our last holiday party, I made Broken Glass Jello again...

Wal-Mart didn't have the pineapple flavor so I went with Grape this time...

Day after Xmas - Movie and lunch...

The day after Christmas, we met up with our friends and their two kids...

I was waiting outside for them while Bert and TC secured seats. In the meantime, as I emptied my purse and listened to my iPod, I found these three Cassava and Jackfruit tarts made by my aunt. I had forgotten they were in my purse from the day before!

Fried stuff...

Sometime before the New Year, I stopped by our local Filipino place...

I wanted to pick up something for lunch for TC...

New Boots!

Ooh, it's been awhile since I did a boot or shoe post...

One last pair of boots before I become a shoe hermit...I'm thinking of getting Invisalign and I will need to cut back on something and it sure as hell won't be FOOD!

2012 is here!

Well now, Happy New Year's (finally)!

Bert, TC, and  spent a quiet evening ushering in 2012...