Proverbial “Carrot”

Incentive.

Fudgy Brownie Cupcake (fudge brownie cake, vanilla bean frosting, and Valrhona cocoa dust)

 
Vanilla Bake Shop
512 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-458-6644

Quick Update / Thoughts

I haven’t posted in forever. I have a really bad cold right now. It sucks. This week has been very hard for me to get through. But, in more interesting news:

1. I went to Intelligentsia Venice. I love the way it looks. I enjoy the personalities found behind the counter and in fellow patrons. However, I think I prefer the Silver Lake Intelligentsia more simply because I find their assembly line of baristas (one to take your order, one to make your order, one to ring you up) works smoother and faster than Venice’s one stop barista (one person takes your order, makes your drink, and then finally rings you up). Maybe this is just a sign from above for me to put down my to do list, take a deep breath, and enjoy the processes of life.

1½. Speaking of Intelligentsia, I currently am sipping on the in season, direct trade, single origin,  El Machete, Panama. Yum. Not the best part of waking up, but really the only reason I wake up.

2. I went to the Tavern with my roommate for drinks and bar snacks. I loved everything about this restaurant. I hope to write more about it soon. I know I have started the post, but have not gotten around to finishing it.

3. I just bought my first loaf of Woman’s Bread. I really like it. If you’re not a woman, there is also Men’s Bread. If you are not a woman, nor a man, there is gender unbiased / androgynous bread. French Meadow Bakery is healthy, organic, and tasty. I’ve used it for mainly turkey sandwich purposes.

4. I wish I could take some HiberNol.

5. Hope to update more this weekend. Have a happy Friday!

Santa Monica Classic 10K

The easiest part of this race was the running. It was everything else that made it hard. Correction: Technology made it hard. My shuffle, Shuffley, refused to turn on when the race began. This made no sense to me because I turned it on 30 minutes prior to ensure it was working and that there would be no repeats of Shuffley trouble (San Diego Half Marathon). Shuffley might be a race-ist. Or, maybe Shuffley is just race shy, because Shuffley did not work. Thus, I started the race upset. I tried to focus on the running, but I kept getting distracted and discouraged by the beautiful noises of others. For instance, the lovely woman that took deep, loud, vocal breaths; each time she exhaled, she panted out the words “oh my god.” I was too frustrated to find humor in this situation at the time and only grew more annoyed and conflicted. I couldn’t sprint ahead because that would ultimately lead me to burning out. And I couldn’t slow down because that would compromise my own time. Instead, I distracted myself with random thoughts. Like, what if that dog, that I guess was allowed to be racing, poops on the course. I would definitely be the one that stepped in it. Fortunately, the blasphemous breather disappeared in my dust, the dog never went to the bathroom, and Shuffley finally turned on around mile four. Shuffley’s resurrection significantly increased my speed and mood. I was able to recover some of the lost time and finished the race in under an hour (which means that I ran the race faster than I train). So, yay.

Now… the good stuff.

It has become tradition for my roommate and I to go out to Father’s Office II for post race celebration. After the Santa Monica Classic, I did not think tradition was going to be upheld. Instead, I took a 2 hour nap, went grocery shopping, and lounged around. That is until I got the text message from my roommate asking if I wanted to go out. Of course I did! Here are the highlights:

1. Carafe of Melville “Vernas” Pinor Noir ‘07

2. Rare Yellow Fin Tuna (a special that quickly sold out after I ordered it) - yuzu cherry tomato “ceviche”, shiso, and cilantro sprouts.

3. The Bruery Saison Rue

Homemade Pizza / Recessionizza

I’ve waited days for my cold/bronchitis to go away so I could use the ingredients I bought last week to make pizza. It is now day eight and I’m still coughing, congested, and frustrated. This evening, I decided I did not want to wait any longer.

Even though I love pizza, I do not eat it too often because of health and economic reasons. I usually buy Amy’s frozen pizza to mitigate the health concerns, but afterwards I feel guilty for spending six dollars on such a small frozen serving. Having just opened a Mint account to budget myself, I have become ultra aware of my spending and decided it was time to start making my own pizza. For my first attempt, I kept it easy and used whole wheat pita, low-fat mozzarella cheese, Muir Glen pizza sauce, garlic, fresh farmer’s market asparagus, onion, and kalamata olives (thanks roomie!). Delicious. In the future, I plan to make the dough and sauce myself and also get more creative with the toppings.

Solstice Canyon

This past weekend my boyfriend and I visited Solstice Canyon for a fun hike. Apparently, people have built houses in the canyon even though there is a high risk (fires). People are willing to take this risk because the natural resources are quite abundant. Also, in the late 60’s-early 70’s Space Technology laboratories used this land to test out satellite equipment for space missions. Here are a few photos of what we saw (the beach was on the drive home on the PCH). I suggest clicking on each image for a larger and more aesthetically pleasing experience.

A foodie nightmare…

Like being in an abusive relationship, I have been hurt by the one I love. That’s right, food poisoning. Fever, chills, sweats, nausea, vomiting, aches, pains, weakness, dehydration, confusion, and more!

Forming Traditions; the Best Way to End the Day of a 10k

Father’s Office II.

Melville Syrah Wine (one of my favorite vineyards).

Beet Salad - with blue cheese and walnuts (and some lettuce hidden underneath it all)

Scaldís Noel Beer - A Winter Ale

Strangely, FO wouldn’t let me have the Scaldís bottle. Apparently there is a rule that they can’t let the bottle cross over the bar counter. Weird, huh? They did let me take a picture. This beer is a seasonal and delicious. It is thick, creamy, and had a hint of cherry and clove to it. It’s one of those beers you can’t drink too many of because it’s so filling and rich, but it was nice to sip on and perfect for the winter.