stir fry

Work, Presidents, Costco

I was going to try and throw down a quick recap of this “holiday” weekend, but alas, my ramblings got the best of me…it may be picture dense, but it’s not so quick.  Saturday was the main event, if you will, but Friday was pretty sweet too.  Kyle and I made a Costco run – always dangerous when you’re a foodie living on a student budget. Key purchases worth noting… Almond Butter (this jar is the size of my head) Sabra hummus x3 including spinach artichoke and roasted pine nut flavors plus individual mini tubs… Read more >

Flashback Friday: Hawaiian honeymoon day 6

The last day 🙁 How sad that I’m now reliving the angst that accompanied this island goodbye all over again… Since our flight’s departure wasn’t until 5 pm, we decided to make the most of our last day on Kauai and drive up and around to the Northern part of the island that we hadn’t yet seen.  Along the way we stopped for lunch at a local veg-friendly joint that had been recommended to us for a good meal.  Mermaids Cafe was a hop, skip, and a jump away from being a ghetto hole-in-the-wall place. … Read more >

Seitan tutorial

Ok this is gonna be a quickie because there’s no point in dragging it out.  Seitan isn’t hard to make.  It gets an unnecessarily bad difficult rap.  If you’re scared to try it, don’t be.  I’m a loser and I can manage, so trust me, you can too. Finding Vital Wheat Gluten is actually 75% of the battle.  Try Whole Foods or your neighborhood Co-Op or health foods store.  I usually get Bob’s Red Mill, but I’ve used Arrowhead Mills before too. The ratio of vegetable broth to VWG is the variable in most recipes. … Read more >

Va De Vi

It’s about the wine. That’s the Catalan translation of this restaurant’s name, and indeed it was.  Kyle and I had no real occasion to go out to dinner, but we just felt like splurging for a fun date night.  Va De Vi is a gem of a restaurant in Walnut Creek’s downtown area.  The ambiance is casual but chic, with a friendly and knowledgeable staff, a menu that changes with the seasons, and a wine list to die for.  Every direction you turned had more wine displayed.  And being all about the wine, the menu… Read more >

Mastering the Art of French Pressing

New toy! I’ve never had a French Press before, but Kyle put his high school barista skills to use and taught me how to make myself a steaming cuppa joe.  Sadly, we parted ways with our old coffee maker back in NYC (and haven’t gotten a new one yet), so I’m now having to nurture my caffeine addiction expand my coffee horizon with other methods.  Hi reflection! Ok, so this French Press is actually incredibly easy.  There’s no need to get all anxious before using it like I did.  I’m just a weirdo.  The only… Read more >