The other day I was teaching, and one of my cutie pie little boys comes in and says, "Guess what? Today I'm a lucky guy!"
So I asked, "Why are you a lucky guy today?"
And he explained, "Well, now that school's started, I have to go to after-school program, but it's really boring and I don't like it! But since today is Thursday, I have piano class and I get to leave early! So I'm a lucky guy!"
That's totally his roundabout way of saying piano lessons are amazing and rock his world right??!?
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Food Review: The Codmother
The other day we decided to venture out and try a new place. We were looking for something quick and affordable (and of course, yummy), so we found The Codmother on yelp!
2824 Jones St.
(between Beach and Jefferson)
San Francisco, CA 94133
When we arrived, we were surprised to discover that it was actually a food truck! But, a super cute food truck...
It was a beautiful, sun-shiny and warm day, so you'll be able to see the crosshatched overhang shadows in ALL of my pictures...such as the one above...
We ordered fish and chips, fish tacos (my favorite!), and I also decided to tack on an order of "crazy fries with special baja sauce" because it sounded amazing and I knew I had to try it since I'm rarely in that part of town!
Fish and Chips
These were yummy! Huge pieces of fish, and extremely fresh.
Fish Tacos
Probably best fish tacos I've ever had in my life...and I order fish tacos everywhere I go! They were stuffed to the brim, the specialty sauce was amazing, and the fish was super fresh - which went great with the lettuce and cilantro! Definitely would order these again when I come back. Maybe even 2 orders :)
Crazy Fries!
Oh man, if you're going to come here and fries are your thing, order the crazy fries! Not only is it chalk full of finely minced fresh parsley and garlic (mmm garlic breath for the rest of the day!), the spicy "specialty baja sauce" is amazing!!! And I also like how the fries are a little crispy...all in all perfect combo.
It was a beautiful day, the food was amazing, and the company great! Plus, the lady who (I'm going to assume) owns the shop was super friendly and sweet. My only complaint would be that the "10 minute" wait actually ended up being 30 minutes...so if you're in a hurry it wouldn't have been that great. Thankfully we weren't too much in a rush and it was gorgeous out so I didn't mind it all that much!
Mr. Pickles!
So, Mr. S has been telling me about Mr. Pickles' Sandwich Shop for the longest time now and was thrilled to inform me there was one in San Ramon! I rarely eat out around here, most of my eating-out is done in the city since I'm there most of the time. The other day I happened to be in need of lunch and in the area so I decided to pop in!
3141 Crow Canyon Rd.
San Ramon, CA 94583
The first thing I noticed upon walking in was their wall - FILLED to the brim with pictures and paraphernalia of all bay area sports teams! Major plus points immediately. Though the shop is teeny tiny, they had a flat-screen TV installed at the end, with large speakers placed around the shop. More plus points!
I ordered a "Hang Loose" (the second item on the "specialty sandwich" menu) - because it has hot pastrami, bacon, cream cheese and avocado. Can you say YUM?! I'm a total sucker for hot pastrami so...
This picture really belies its size. The sandwich was huge! I actually was stuffed after consuming just half, and saved the other half for dinner. Can you kind of tell based on how short my thumb looks next to it? I could barely wrap my fingers around it!
The sandwich was dee-ricious! And while I normally don't like to spend $8 on a sandwich, if I ever need to eat out and I'm in the area, I will definitely consider coming back! Plus, they threw a cookie in the bag for me too (not sure if they are supposed to do that or not), which is sweet if cookies are your thing.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Mom's Favorite Pasta
Tonight I tried out my own pasta creation, and it was a smashing hit! Mom declared that it was the "best pasta she's EVER had in her ENTIRE life" - and mom's had a lot of pasta. And no, she didn't just say it because I made it...she actually wasn't a huge fan of the previous 2 pasta recipes I'd tried out, and made that quite clear. We have friends who are Italian and I asked her, "Is it better than J's pasta??" and she said, "YES!" Haha so, motherly bias or not, you can decide for yourself. I also think that she probably liked it a lot because I customized it to suit our tastes and needs.
Anyway, here's my recipe. (Note: When I cook I really don't like to take out any measuring utensils so...I have to generalize it and you can customize it to suit your own taste!)
Anyway, here's my recipe. (Note: When I cook I really don't like to take out any measuring utensils so...I have to generalize it and you can customize it to suit your own taste!)
Mom's Favorite Pasta
Ingredients:
Thin Spaghetti - (I used 1 lb, it was enough for three HUGE plates or four regularly sized plates)
Sweet White Onion - diced - (I used a 1/4 of a small one today, but next time I will put in more - probably 1/2, because I love onion)
Zucchini - sliced - (I used 2)
Yellow squash - sliced - (I used 1)
Tomatoes - (I used two small Roma tomatoes because they were on sale, 1 large regular tomato would work also. Dice 'em!)
Ground Beef - (I like things healthy and less greasy, so I bought 93% lean - the leanest one I could find, and used about half a package - but you can customize this to however much meat you want in your sauce)
Red Marinara Sauce of your choice - (I got a regular sized bottle of "Mushroom + Onion Marinara" on sale at Safeway for $2.00)
Fresh herbs - (I used parsley and basil)
And of course your pasta musts - salt, freshly ground black pepper, and parmesan cheese
I also used a touch of a fun ingredient - Herbs de Provence - it's not necessary, but if you have it it definitely adds a nice kick.
**With extra fresh herbs - the way mom likes it**
**With extra extra extra cheese! The way I like it**
Directions:
0. Before you start, it's a good idea to have your onion/zucchini/squash/tomatoes sliced and diced and ready to go.
1. Cook pasta. (You know the drill, bring water to boil, toss pasta in, stir, make sure cooked al dente, etc etc etc.)
2. Take your ground beef (thawed, of course), and put however much you want into your pan. (Make sure you're using a rather large frying pan by the way, definitely not a skillet)
3. Cook beef thoroughly over medium heat. It should secret its own fat and grease the pan so you don't have a burnt mess. This is great because it also sucks the oils out of the meat for...an even healthier meal!
4. Depending on the % of lean/fat in your meat, you might have to add some more cooking oil/olive oil right now - just enough for you to toss your onions in and have them not burn. It should be a nice simmer.
5. Let the onions simmer with the beef until they are soft and turn a little brown. (Again, medium heat)
6. Throw in the zucchini, squash, and tomatoes. Yep! All together! Stir, stir, stir until the zucchini and squash are cooked thoroughly, and a little brown around the edges. Yum!
7. At this point, take your store-bought (buhaha, I cheat! I'm Chinese and haven't figured out how to make a good red sauce yet, so store-bought works for me for now!) red marinara sauce (honestly, it doesn't matter what your "flavor" is, they all taste exactly the same. Mine says "mushroom and onion" but guess what, there's of course no mushrooms and no onions. No biggie!)...where was I? Take your store-bought marinara sauce and dump in enough to make a LARGE amount of sauce (Well, large enough to cover your 1 lb of pasta anyway. For me, I dumped in the whole bottle. I promise I will update tomorrow with the exact size of my bottle.)
8. Stir, stir, stir! Add in freshly ground black pepper and stir til your sauce bubbles a little. (Do this on low-to-medium heat though, you don't want your sauce to all disappear. Then you'd have to go back to the store and buy another bottle.)
9. When your sauce is at the consistency and balance (sauce+meat+veggies) that you want, and the tomatoes have softened and become one with the sauce, take your pasta, and toss it right into that same pan. (See why you need a big one?)
10. Sprinkle salt to taste (I used sea salt, adds a nice kick) - and sprinkle some herbs de provence if you've got it - and stir stir stir! Keep going until the pasta is all evenly coated with the sauce, and you've tasted it and it's delicious, then scoop out and serve onto a pretty plate!
11. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and basil (to your taste, if you're a little kid and don't like herbs, then skip the basil and go light on the parsley. If you love the taste of herbs, then lop it on), and finally sprinkle (or drench, if you're me) with Parmesan.
12. Enjoy every bite and stuff yourself to the brim!
By the way, here's a little budget calculations for you -
--Today I went to the Safeway and bought 2 zucchinis, 1 yellow squash, 2 roma tomatoes, 1 sweet white onion, and 1 batch of fresh parsley for $4.00.
--Yesterday I bought the pasta sauce for $2.00, the ground beef for $8.99, and the Parmesan cheese for $4.29.
--The pasta cost $0.99 for 1 lb.
--Basil came from the plant in my back-yard.
Total cost of materials: $20.27.
All this together serves 3-4 people, so that makes it $5.07-$6.75 per plate.
You can't get this portion size at that price ANYWHERE peeps!!! So the next time you're craving Italian, cook at home! Your tummy and your wallet will be equally happy :)
Hayes and Kebab
Today I FINALLY went and tried Kayes and Kebab! (It only took me 6 years to get there...) I'd never once been to the old location, but I know that for the very brief time they were closed, a lot of my friends were really upset by their lack-of-kebab, so...today I finally discovered why.
582 Hayes Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
I ordered the "Lamb Shish Kebab Plate"
and it was delicious!
I'm kind of a food monster so when I first saw the two kebabs I worried that it wouldn't fill me up (ha ha ha) Turns out, after slicing you get about 24-30 slices of medium-cooked lamb, and it was not only delicious, but completely filling as well. I even had to share a few slices to get through it...
The flavor is excellent. The salad was delicious, and the rice was great. I was really surprised to find the white "fried rice" on my plate as well - I swear it's the exact same thing as the Chinese version!! No difference whatsoever!
They also gift you with a generous basket of freshly made bread, and it is super soft and delicious. It tastes especially yummy with the white sauce! (Sorry, totally unauthentic I know, I can never remember what that amazing sauce is called).
Verdict: Pretty good! I'll definitely be back, next time I'll try the Gyro Pita!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Too Cute!!
Sorry for the lame title, I couldn't think of any other way of describing it.
Today I had my second piano lesson with a sweet, demure, and very beautiful, just-turned-5-years-old ballerina, L. We were going over notes and length values, and I was about to introduce the whole note.
By way of review, I asked her, "What do we do for these black notes with tails?" (Quarter notes.)
She says, "Nothing."
Me: That's correct! They're just regular, plain old notes, right?
L: *Nod*
Me: Well what about these notes? What do we call them?
L: White notes! (Half Notes)
Me: Do they have tails?
L: Yes.
Me: What do we do for them?
L: Hold them longer.
Me: How long?
L: Until 2!
Me: Yes! And what about these notes here? (Whole note)
L: They're an oval.
Me: Yes, and what do we do for them?
L: Hold them longer.
Me: How long?
L: *thinks* THREE HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!
************
AWW!!!! How adorable is that?? I heard her big brother cracking up in the other room (He's been taking lessons for over a year already) and she looked a little embarrassed, but it was so cute it instantly made my day :) I love moments like this!
Today I had my second piano lesson with a sweet, demure, and very beautiful, just-turned-5-years-old ballerina, L. We were going over notes and length values, and I was about to introduce the whole note.
By way of review, I asked her, "What do we do for these black notes with tails?" (Quarter notes.)
She says, "Nothing."
Me: That's correct! They're just regular, plain old notes, right?
L: *Nod*
Me: Well what about these notes? What do we call them?
L: White notes! (Half Notes)
Me: Do they have tails?
L: Yes.
Me: What do we do for them?
L: Hold them longer.
Me: How long?
L: Until 2!
Me: Yes! And what about these notes here? (Whole note)
L: They're an oval.
Me: Yes, and what do we do for them?
L: Hold them longer.
Me: How long?
L: *thinks* THREE HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!
************
AWW!!!! How adorable is that?? I heard her big brother cracking up in the other room (He's been taking lessons for over a year already) and she looked a little embarrassed, but it was so cute it instantly made my day :) I love moments like this!
Monday, August 29, 2011
I'm movie-behind!!
--Midnight in Paris 06.10.11
--Captain America 07.22.11
--Cowboys vs. Aliens 07.29.11
--Crazy, Stupid, Love 07.29.11
--Rise of Planet of Apes 08.05.11
--The Change-up 08.05.11
--30 Minutes or Less 08.12.11
--Conan the Barbarian 08.19.11
Yikes, between my movie list and school (two equally important endeavors, mind you) I've got my hands full!!
And, I'm in eager anticipation of:
--The Immortals 11.11.11
Better get to it!
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