Join The Costa Mesa Tea Party!

I'm boycotting Teavana.

Long story short: I was applying for a job there and they strung me along and decided to hire someone else. They did not tell me, even after I sent several emails inquiring about my employment status. I am very disappointed by their lack of communication and find them unprofessional. It's a shame really.... They have good tea and all the teas are gluten-free. My sister has dubbed the boycott "The Costa Mesa Tea Party". Catchy.....

In the meantime, I will be looking for other opportunities..... Wish me luck!

Pork Tenderloin, Chipotle Chicken, and Gyu-Kaku

I got a little behind in my updates. Got busy with a few knitting projects and then it was my birthday. So here's a brief recap of the past few dinners.

Sunday - Tran cooked Maple-Glazed pork tenderloin with Almond Broccoli. It was really good. Pork was cooked well and tasted sweet without being too sweet. We finally got to use the maple syrup that we bought in Vermont.




Monday - I cooked Chipotle Chicken topped with avocado and lime served with rice. I got the 20-minute Simmering Sauce from Williams Sonoma. It was actually really good. A little spicy, but not too much. The avocado and lime was a great compliment to the dish. Definitely am going to make it again.



Tuesday - It was my birthday and I wanted to go back to Sagami-Tei and eat at their teppen bar, but they were already serving another party. Next time, I'm making a reservation. So we went to Gyu-Kaku in Huntington Beach. My family had been there before a few years back and remembered that it was good. With the new diet, I had to bring my own tamari soy sauce and the waiter checked if any of the marinades had wheat in them. He said that all the food that we ordered was wheat free! It was so good and it didn't hurt that we made it in time for the end of happy hour. Thanks Tran for treating the Family out for my birthday!

So much yummy food!!!!

And then it's gone.....

And then it's gone....

So it's been a great few of g-free days. Holding strong.....

Sagami-Tei

Last night I celebrated my birthday with Kim and Courtney at Sagami-Tei in Fountain Valley. It is a Japanese Teppen and Sushi Restaurant. There was a debate as to wether sushi rice had gluten in it. I did some research - it doesn't. We didn't get to eat from the teppen bar because there was a huge party there and they had just started. Major bummer. We ended up ordering sushi rolls and sashimi. My favorite roll of the night was the Stinky Roll. It was heavenly, garlicky goodness rolled up in sunshine and happiness. You think I'm exaggerating, I'm not. It was a California roll topped with seared white fish, ponzu, and fried garlic chips. It was amazing!!!!! I want to go back and eat at the teppan bar and have more garlicky euphoria. Sorry no pictures. Maybe next time I go I will take pictures.

Honestly.... THE best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten!

I decided to try my hand at baking today. Nothing too complicated and something with very few ingredients. I found this recipe online from allrecipes.com and wanted to try them out. How few ingredients, you ask? Umm.... 5 and none of them were weird. Basically it was peanut butter, sugar, eggs, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts. That's all. As low-faff as one can get in my book.

They were fantastic!!!! Not too sweet.... Not too strong on the peanut butter taste.... Chewy to perfection.... Just PERFECT!


How could you not want to eat them all up?

I'm going to try them with raisins next time. Throw a little fruit in the mix. I want another cookie right now, but I have to go to bed....


Oh sweet dreams of PBCC Cookies.....

Babycakes!!!!!

I finally got to try brownies, cookies and cupcakes from Babycakes NYC in Los Angeles!!! The brownies were sweetened with agave and were heavenly. I would definitely have those brownies again. The red velvet cupcake was a bit dry and the frosting ended up melting by the time I got to eat it. Hopefully it won't be like that next time. Texture of cupcakes is really important to me. They must be moist, almost melt in your mouth, magical. The chocolate chip cookie was really good, chewy but crispy - just the way chocolate chip cookies should be.


Overall, a good dessert experience. Definitely the brownies.....

Z'Tejas at South Coast Plaza

Today Morgan and I celebrated 6 years at Z'Tejas in South Coast Plaza. It was our first time eating there. I had to look up their menu before we went, and was happy to see that they had a gluten-free menu for lunch and dinner. I also had to make sure that there were things on the menu that were Morgan-approved. You can find the menu on their website: www.ztejas.com

I ordered Wild Mushroom Enchiladas with Cilantro Pesto Shrimp. It was really good, served with rice and black beans. Oh, and the chips were corn, not flour, and the salsa trio was really good.


Our server Nicole was super nice and she was very good about making sure that my food was prepared properly. We will definitely eat at Z'Tejas again.

The Urge of Snacking.....

I am a huge snacker, mostly with salty snacks. So when I couldn't just grab whatever was on hand, I had to find new snack that will still satisfy the urge. Here are a few of the things I've found and are definitely taste approved. A lot of them, you can find at Trader Joe's.
- Trader Joe's Organic Popcorn with Olive Oil
- Trader Joe's Savory Thins (Original flavor)
- Robert's American Gourmet Pirate's Booty (All flavors)
- Robert's American Gourmet Smart Puffs
- California Chips (All flavors) - These are amazing!!!!!

For the sweet tooth:
- Envirokids Crispy Rice Bars (All flavors)
- Sun Flour Baking Co. Vanilla Shortbread (you can't even tell the difference!)

Of course, one should always find healthy and natural alternatives as well. So, fresh fruits and vegetables are always a good option. I love celery and nut butters - they take me back to grade school.

There are so many choices out there! Snack happy! If you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know! I'm always up for new things!

Until next time!