Big Belly Deli

Danny and I went to Big Belly Deli the other day. Oh my goooooosh..this sandwich was so good. We split a Newport Cheesesteak with mushrooms, red onion, bell peppers

 and roast beef with melted American cheese. Awwwwww yum. It was my first time eating here and I loved it. I give it one billion stars.

Check it out:

6310 West Coast Hwy

Newport Beach, CA

949.645.2888

 

bigbellydeli.com

 

BCD Tofu House

I went to BCD Tofu House with my friend Christine last week -- super fun and yummy authentic Korean food. Here's a little about BCD's story and some pictures of our dinner.

Inspired by a passion for spreading Korea's wonderful cuisine around the globe, BCD continues to focus on taste, health benefits, quality food  and so much more.
The BCD story starts with Hee Sook Lee, a first-generation Korean immigrant who loves to create in the kitchen and to share her cooking with family. Her mother in-law owned a restaurant in "Buk-Chang-Dong" (the city in Korea after which the restaurant is named), where Hee Sook Lee gained early training in the food industry. After immigrating to the United States, Mrs. Lee chose to focus on tofu soup due to its superb taste and beneficial health properties. She had a vision for success in America, and is building her restaurant enterprise one bowl at a time!

Bear Flag Fish Co.

One of my favorite spots! The best seafood in town.

The Los Angeles Times calls it --

"A vision of seafood simplicity, the type that should exist along every waterfront but that rarely does. The Bear Flag Fish Co. in Newport Beach is a fish market that also serves a loyal crowd with fresh seafood, sandwiches, tacos, burritos, salads and more."

 

Dan and I LOVE their Ahi Poke and chips. You might just see us here after our sailing class on Saturdays or in the evenings after work. I can't get enough of this place! They bring in fresh fish daily and use local bread from the C'est Si Bon Bakery for grilled fish sandwiches and bowls of clam chowder. They also have fun drinks like Wild Poppy's, grapefruit ginger, plum licorice, vanilla peach, peppermint lemonade and young coconut water straight from the coconut! 

The Dry Bar

Last weekend, Dan and I took some engagement photos! I thought it would be fun to get my hair done at The Dry Bar so I could look extra snazzy in our soon to be save-the-date photos.

I think I've found my go-to place for a hair pick me up! The Dry Bar is so great, beautiful, fun and I felt like a million bucks when I walked out. They even have complimentary cucumber water, coffee or mimosas to sip on while you sit in your white leather swivel chair. The place is gorgeous and the hair results are amazing!

 

Here are a couple of our engagement pictures!

Bonlook and Lookmatic Glasses!

I am obsessed! These two companies sell prescription eyeglasses for as cheap as $88! What a steal! I usually pay up to $250 for my eyeglasses and that's with health insurance. Yikes! You can upload a picture or use your web cam and try on new looks. It's so much fun and for $88 you can feel better about updating your style from time to time. I can't wait to get a pair of my own. Here are a few glasses that I have been looking at. I can't pick... there are too many to choose from!

I really like the Hooverville Brown, Honeybadger Black, and Midnight Express Tortoise from Bonlook.

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The Woody and Jesse from Lookmatic are super cute too.

I think I'll be ordering a pair sometime in the near future. I'll let you guys know when I do!

Check out these sites, they are awesome!

Bonlook & Lookmatic

The Bee's Knees Peanut Butter

Ok, this is kind of random but this is my all time FAVORITE PB -- so smooth and sweet with little specks of granulated honey. And...it has the same name as my blog. What a coincidence! Click on the links to learn more about this cool NY sandwich shop that's famous for its PB!

Our all-natural peanut butter blended with scrumptious honey. The Bee's Knees is a delicious new way to enjoy our peanut butter. You can really taste the honey in this new variety, which promises to become a new classic in sandwiches and snacks across the country. It contains no cholesterol, no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, and no high-fructose corn syrup. It is also gluten-free, vegetarian, and certified kosher pareve by the Orthodox Union.

NY Peanut Butter and Co. Sandwich Shop

Dinner at A & J

Dinner with Shanny at A&J Taiwanese Restaurant in Irvine.

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup with Thick Noodles.

Spicy Tripe.

Pictures: By Shannon Forsythe

Bonjour Happiness

I just started reading Bonjour Happiness by Jamie Cat Callan. As a young girl, Callan was fascinated by her French Grandmother. Callen captures the secrets of her grand-mères classic style and how she took joy in simple, everyday pleasures. Callen shares lessons on how to age gracefully, enjoy life and how to celebrate being an elegant woman. She reminds us that we too can acquire this joie de vivre.

Hmmmm I'm excited to see where this goes.

Here are a few sneak-peek-lessons from Bonjour Happiness.

Edited version of Shannon Ables Review at Simply Luxurious Life

*Break the connection between spending money and happiness by finding experiences that bring you joy, but do not cost a thing

*Fill your home with fresh flowers and original art

*Learn to survive on your own

*Learn a new language

*Reject the fast and efficient and instead choose something that takes a little more time and delays gratification, ultimately creating more satisfaction.

*Don’t share everything about your personal life– maintain your mystery

*Try to ride your bike or walk everywhere

*Do not seek approval from othes in life. Do what you think is best and be proud of your actions

*Keep the dining room table clutter free even when not using it

*Pay attention to your posture

*Buy local

*Plant herbs

*Consider staying away from the kitchen between meals

*Practice the art of conversation by complimenting both men and women

*Wear good lingerie all the time.

*Buy one bra for every three panties

*Pair quality basics with unusual finds

Best Homemade Bread -- New York Times.

I made this bread over the weekend! That wonderful homemade bread smell filled the house - it was so yummy and fresh! Mark Bittman from the New Your Times shares tips from the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York, NY. It's the best and easiest recipe I've found yet! If you want to jazz it up, try poking in a few roasted garlic gloves and rosemary sprigs after the rising process. 

Have fun cooking! You'll love this recipe!

Ingredients:

3 cups (430g) flour
1½ cups (345g or 12oz) water
¼ teaspoon (1g) yeast
1¼ teaspoon (8g) salt
olive oil (for coating)
extra flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal (for dusting)

Equipment:

Two medium mixing bowls
6 to 8 quart pot with lid (Pyrex glass, Le Creuset cast iron, or ceramic)
Wooden Spoon or spatula (optional)
Plastic wrap
Two or three cotton dish towels (not terrycloth)

Process:

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Lightly coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest 12 hours at room temperature (approx. 65-72°F).
Remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or twice. Let the dough rest 15 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface. Next, shape the dough into ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with flour. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1-2 hours at room temperature, until more than doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450-500°F. Place the pot in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot seam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes Then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned.

Berkeley Dog

Dan and I have been watching the Yule kids for the past week (and next) while their parents are in Europe. We are having so much fun! We took Donovan and Austin to Sky High (a warehouse full of trampolines) earlier this week and yesterday we took Katie, Aiden and Austin to Berkeley Dog. Dan and I have wanted to try this place for awhile now. We discovered it during one of my lunch breaks when I was at UCI.

They have a HUGE selection of tasty dogs and gourmet mustard's, sauerkraut and other yummy things like fries and chicken wings. They also have an AMAZING futuristic Coke machine -- a touch screen with over 100 different flavor combinations. I got a vanilla Sprite! So good!

This place is too much fun!

Here's a few things on their fabulous menu.

Hot Dogs and Sausages

Frankfurter

Bockwurst

Veal

Kielbasa

Calabrese - secret recipe from a 60 year old butcher shop in San Francisco

Kobe Beef
Louisiana Hot Links

Mighty Hot Juicy Habanero Beef and Pork
Pepper Lemon Chicken

Smoked Chicken Apple

German Frankfurter with Garlic

Pastrami Dog

Bacon HashBrown Dog

Toppings

Grilled onions

Grilled bell peppers

All beef chili topping
Shredded cheese

Sides

Fries

Sweet potato fries

Funnel fries
Famed La Indiana Tamales from Los Angeles! Spicy pork, chicken vegetable and the very spicy chili and cheese

and...for the more adventurous

Danny and Aiden

Very cool Coke machine! Over 100 different flavors!

 Cherry, Orange, Vanilla, Strawberry, Raspberry, Grape and Peach Sprite! What!?

Aiden!

Sweet Maui Onion Mustard, Coney Island Mustard, Pineapple Mustard, Louisiana Creole Mustard, Russian, Stone Ground and Classic American Mustard's! Nice!

A Manx, A Man And 85 Degrees

Danny has a fun Meyers Manx that we take out on the weekend. I secretly call it "The Pika" (short for Pikachu...) because it reminds me of that cute yellow and black Pokemon. Dan would think the name is lame-o, so hush, hush. Any who...he took me for a ride Sunday morning. We drove down to Balboa Island. "Nooooo don't take the corner so FAST! Slow down!!! There's a Dip, Dip, DIPPPP!" He laughed and just went faster. I'm pretty sure our back wheels got some air. It smelled like burnt rubber. He's crazy.

Here is a picture of the bridge we cross to get to Balboa. If you aren't from around these parts, I would highly recommend to stop by for a visit. Balboa is a quaint little island with cute shops and beautiful houses. Danny and I like to get coffee and walk around the island in the evenings. Sometimes David will come along too. I love those walks.

Here's a picture of the shops just over the bridge. My mom would always take Bran and me to get frozen bananas dipped in chocolate. Her favorite topping was toffee peanut. We would sit on this bench and the pigeons would come and eat the toppings that spilled over our paper trays. Be warned... if you eat at this bench during the summer, pigeons are bound to attack you and your food! I also remember babysitting the Rankin kids when they were staying on the island. John had just learned how to walk. Daniel chased him down the sidewalk while I held Annie and the wagon. Those kids are a bagillion years old now...time flys. Good times.

 

We parked our Manx by the Chinese restaurant and walked to a sweet shop around the corner. They sell all kinds of caramel and candied apples this time of year! I got my favorite -- Apple Pie Caramel Apple.

Later that evening, I picked up Julia, Shan, Mo and Lyssa and we drove to 85 Degrees for some pastries and sea salt coffees! 

    

The line is ALWAYS out the door.

Once you get inside, grab a tray and have fun! They have the best breads and pastries!

 

Carb overload! Peanut butter almond twist, coffee bread with red bean mochi, chocolate almond croissant, sweet bubble loaf, strawberry half moon and a herb cheese baguette.

Sea Salt Coffee. There is a layers of buttery salted cream on top of cold coffee sweetened with condensed milk -- biggest flavour trip ever. Julia, I am forever grateful.

 

Next time I want to try salted green or passion fruit tea!

 

It was a fun day!