Jalapeño Almonds

I love snacks, I'm always snacking on something. These Blue Diamond Jalapeño
Smokehouse Almonds are SO good (and almonds are super healthy too)!

Normally, I buy these in the smaller plastic package from Walgreens, but I ran
across them in the tin at Ralph's... Sadly, they were on closeout and I am really
hoping that Blue Diamond didn't stop making them.

Thanksgiving!

I had to work yesterday, but I came home to a lovely and delicious dinner
almost entirely made.



Quorn is a million times better than Tofurky, but we made one of each anyway.



Jon has a serious gift of making the best apple pie. Last night he made a dutch apple
pie and served it with its perfect match, french vanilla ice cream, it was scrumptious!

Hobo Dinners

I've been wanting to toss some food into foil and throw it into a beach fire pit
since I first moved to California. I'm used to making them in the Mountains
over a campfire in Utah, so it was only fitting that while my mom was visiting
in September, that we would make hobo dinners at the beach!

Whether you live in a mountainous area or near a beach, you have no
excuses to NOT make this delicious, melt-in-your-mouth, and not to
mention fun dinner.

You will need:
tin foil (and plenty of it)
stick of butter
meat of your choice
we used: morning star sausage patties (crumbled)
vegetables of your choice
we used: carrots, potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onion, garlic
salt and pepper/spices to taste

For the fire:
tongs
logs
matches
charcoal
lighter fluid

side note: fires take a while to get started, this is a meal that takes time and patience

Don't forget to bring:
plates
napkins
silverware


click photos to make bigger!

1. Cut fairly square pieces of tin foil. You will need two squares per person
(Keep in mind that you will be stuffing it full of veggies/meat)





2. Generously butter tin foil



3. Add meat and full cloves of peeled garlic



4. Add all your veggies, spices and a lot of butter



5. Fold in half and wrap up tightly





6. Place inside other piece of tin foil (this is to help if anything leaks)



7. Mark with a sharpie your name or initials since everyone's hobo
dinner will be different and filled to their liking!



8. Wrap it up once more



9. Pack your dinners up and head to the fire pit



10. Be safe and carefully start a fire. Make sure to use logs, matches,
charcoal and lighter fluid

11. Once you get your fire nice and hot, throw in your hobo dinners



12. Cook for about an hour. Check one before you take them all out to ensure that the
veggies/meat are cooked thoroughly




Enjoy!

Stardust Donuts

I'm going to preface this entry by saying if you're looking for a quick donut run, Stardust Donut Shop is not the place to go. This place has amazing donuts, yes, but you WILL be waiting in a very long line to get your hands on one of these fresh bad boys.



Jon and I woke up early one morning a few months back and decided to drive down to Imperial Beach for what I heard to be "the best cinnamon rolls ever." The most off-putting part about Stardust is that they open when they want, they close when they want and sometimes they don't show up at all. Here are their business hours to prove it:



When Jon and I arrived at about 9am, there were two men inside this little shop (you can watch them make the donuts, too cute!), but no line and seemingly no donuts. We walked across the street to a thrift store and I called only to have them tell me they just started and weren't sure when they'd be opening. We waited until about 10am and headed back. By this point there were 6 people in line and still not open. We waited another half hour until they opened their window and started taking orders. NOW I know why everyone says to be there early or you won't get any of their infamous cinnamon rolls. The first lady got a dozen cinnamon rolls, the next guy got two dozen... I was starting to worry they'd be out by the time we got to the window, but the second guy kept pushing them out and replenishing the trays. The line started to wrap around the corner and by the time we knew it, it was our turn! We got 3 cinnamon rolls, an old fashioned and jelly donut. OH MAN, these cinnamon rolls were piping hot and delicious as ever, melt in your mouth and totally worth the wait.



Location: 698 Highway 75 Imperial Beach, California 91932
Imperial Beach

Tam's Thai

I've been itching for Thai and my friend insisted we grab Tam's Thailand Food...

Tam's is ran by an older lady, who pretty much runs everything by herself. Unfortunately, Tam was out and her daughter was the only one there when we arrived. She was super nice and even though she was the only waitress/cook/cashier, she kept a positive attitude, chit-chatted and made us feel really welcomed.

We ordered to share, two appetizers: potato curry egg rolls and veggie fried rice, and one entree: spicy thai basil tofu with vegetables. The potato curry egg rolls were magnificent and like nothing I have had elsewhere. The veggie fried rice was full of delicious vegetables and spiced just right. Up to this point, everything tasted Chinese (don't get me wrong, I LOVE Chinese), but I was excited for the entree we ordered in hopes that it would be spicy and fulfill my Thai craving... buuuut the check came before the entree did. I felt bad for our waitress/cook/cashier who must have misunderstood or had too much on her hands. Since the appetizers were bigger than we expected, we passed on the entree. I will definitely be back because of the hospitality, but I hope (for their sake) there is at least one other person around when that time comes.


potato curry egg rolls


veggie fried rice


click to make bigger!




Location: 3456 Adams Ave San Diego, California 92116
(between Hawley Blvd & Mansfield St)
Normal Heights

Atlas Cafe

Atlas Cafe in NYC has some really tasty treats. The cafe itself is quite small, but offers a lot of selection (soups, salads, sandwiches, dessert, crepes, pastas, platters, paninis, wraps and more)! Since it's fall, I wanted to share a picture of this delicious vegan pumpkin cheesecake that was hand delivered to my doorstep when I still lived in Salt Lake City.



Since I have not been back to Atlas in over a year, I'm not entirely sure if they still have vegan pumpkin cheesecake for the season, but definitely pop in if you are in the area and take a look at their cute cafe and very explicit menu.


photo via one lil vegan

Location: 73 2nd Avenue New York, New York 10003
(Between 4th & 5th Street)

Tona Sushi Bar and Grill

Tona is absolutely the best place to eat in Ogden, UT! It's located on the super cute historic 25th street, surrounded by old buildings and little shops.

Their menu has a lot of good sushi rolls (as well as rolls that aren't on even the menu) and the garlic edamame appetizer is a must! The real reason that I go to Tona is for their raspberry cheesecake, the menu indicates that it is made with italian cream, which must be why it tastes so different (and even better!) than regular cheesecake.



Sushi roll suggestions: The Brad and The Blizzard

Location: 210 25th St Ogden, Utah 84401

cantaloupe

I like to cut my cantaloupe in half and eat it with a spoon and some salt! Tastes wonderful, but an empty cantaloupe is a sad cantaloupe.