weekend Archives - dani california cooks

Running the Angel Island 12K and Other Scenes from the Weekend

July 28, 2015 by Dani 11 Comments

This weekend was filled with a ton of socializing, with a great run, a great nap, and lots of kitchen experimenting in between.

On Friday night we “loaded up on carbs” (read: drank margaritas) before waking up on early Saturday morning to catch the ferry to Angel Island to run a 12K! The run was VERY hilly to start but overall a great course with some stellar views of San Francisco and the Bay Area. It’s amazing how easily you can escape SF and be in total wilderness - one thing I love about this city. The second half of the race was pretty downhill and we all finished strong - the boys finishing in less than an hour. I think my total time was 1:25, which included some bathroom breaks in the wilderness and photo taking :).

I wasn’t feeling so hot after the race, so I ate my breakfast sandwich…in bed (don’t tell Nate!) I spent the afternoon recovering and lolling around.

Beyond the race, there was a variety of fun to be had this weekend, including a house party in the Mission on Friday night, a friend’s housewarming party in Nob Hill, cheering on the San Francisco marathoners at mile 20, going to our local farmer’s market, and a BBQ on Sunday afternoon in the Marina. Lots of eating and drinking! 20150726_093138

A HUGE benefit to dating a guy who grew up on an organic vegetable farm is that pretty much every question I have about vegetables can be answered without google. For example, “look at that absolutely DEFORMED carrot?! how in the world could that happen?” Well turns out that since carrots grow in the ground, if when baby carrot is growing and it hits a rock or something, it will sprout out and kind of grow around it. Hence, deformed carrot over here.

We ended Sunday with a casual evening BBQ with a big group - the food was cooked by our good friend’s boyfriend who also happens to work at Saison. You know, the #1 restaurant in San Francisco, the #56 restaurant in. the. world. Just watching him do the most basic things in the kitchen, like cut bell peppers, was really quite amazing to watch. He had a couple of colleagues from Saison helping him out in the kitchen, and when they gave a thumbs up to my dessert, I think I blushed. The food was great, and we had awesome views to boot!

What a Weekend!

February 24, 2015 by Dani 1 Comment

Hello again! I’m excited to share what Nate and I were up to in LA this weekend! We ate a ton, explored the city, hung out with lots of family and friends, and packed a lot in while still feeling relaxed. I didn’t even realize this, but I left for another month of travels yesterday morning. Somehow packed everything that I would need from swimming in the Bahamas to frostbite prevention in Virginia in one suitcase…

We kicked off the weekend on Thursday night with the most INSANE ice cream from Sweet Rose Creamery. I can’t believe I had never been before, but I enjoyed a scoop of the Port Fig with Cinnamon Biscuits in a homemade chocolate waffle cone. Holy moly. Pure heaven, and I don’t consider myself an “ice cream person”. Every flavor there was so INTENSE (for lack of a better word). Like you could taste the freshly chopped mint in their mint chip. Nate got a double scoop of the same Fig and their Rocky Road. After a great stadium workout on Friday, I detoxed a bit with a kale, fennel, and brussels sprouts salad with a lemon-shallot vinaigrette from Thyme. It’s another one of my favorites from there. Here’s Nate inspecting his havarti grilled cheese with added bacon and avocado..guess he didn’t get the detox message. And then we had date night at Gjelina on Abbot Kinney! It’s one of my favorite spots in LA. The food and drinks were ON POINT on Friday. I think the chef was definitely inspecting every plate that came out of the kitchen because it was Oscars and the Spirit Awards weekend and there were certainly some celebrities hitting up one of the hottest restaurants on the Westside. But our waiter was kind of a jerk! We enjoyed some delicious wine and one of the best cocktails I ever had - this one was spicy and sweet at the same time. We shared the homemade chorizo pizza (zomg), the brussels sprouts (cooked in chili oil with walnuts), their amazing meatballs in a wine-y sauce with crusty bread, and red snapper crudo. But the dessert, OH, the dessert. Their butterscotch pudding with salted caramel is hands down the best dessert I have. ever. had. in. a. restaurant. Yup. You heard me. That, plus the spicy cocktail, just put the evening over the top. And my handsome date, too, of course! We opted for lighter fare in the morning. I definitely see a pattern here…decadence and indulgent one meal, and then light and healthy the next. Hey, all about balance, right? I made french toast with whole wheat bread, and the batter had almond milk, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. I topped mine with some PB and berries. French press coffee and kefir on the side.

We spent the day going to and from the grocery store and the hardware store. Nate was doing all sorts of repairs as requested by my father and I was cooking up a storm because my grandfather and Shirley were coming over for dinner! But first, we had to take Nate to our favorite fish taco spot - the hole-in-the-wall Mahi Mahi Seafood Grill.

And dinner on Saturday was really quite the treat. It was really special to have my grandfather and Shirley and my parents and Nate all together to eat a meal that I cooked! It was my first time really cooking for my grandfather and Shirley and I needed to impress with a stellar menu. So I made mexican-inspired stuffed peppers (recipe to come), cilantro lime brown rice (copycat Chipotle rice, to be truthful) and maple roasted brussels sprouts. And I made homemade sangria and Shirley brought over some ridiculously good walnut brownies. It was all delicious!! And I got quite the buzz from the sangria…teehee.

Sunday morning we took a great beach run and then went over to my grandmother’s house to take her to lunch. The afternoon we spent packing and I accomplished my second new years cooking resolution - spring rolls to bring to the Oscars party! Recipe to come soon - they turned out AWESOME. And then, it was time for the Academy Awards! We went over to Eric’s house with the usual crew. Everyone that came (minus Nate) cares a lot about the Oscars so there’s always lots of chatter and debates and shouting and yelling and laughing and eating. Eric made steak and mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts salad (pictured below) and we even had ice cream cake to celebrate Eric’s birthday. Overall the show itself wasn’t particularly entertaining but the company was excellent.

Monday morning Nate and I were up and at ’em at 5:30am to catch our flights for the week. I’ll be in Olympia -> San Francisco -> Virginia -> Driving to Florida -> Bahamas -> Seattle/Olympia before returning back to LA.

A weekend to recharge + eating and arthritis update

January 27, 2015 by Dani Leave a Comment

Hello, friends! Just checking in to give a recap of my weekend. Guess who doesn’t have to travel next week and will be working from her bed?!

Friday I worked, went to a boxing class (!!!!), got a massage, and then Taiwanese food at ROC with mom on Sawtelle Ave. Sawtelle Ave is also known as “Little Osaka” because of all the awesome and trendy Japanese restaurants which popped up over the last couple of years. However, they’re totally expanding across Asian cuisines with Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean restaurants as well. We shared the garlic green beans, the shrimp with peppers, and the chicken fried rice. It was the first time I’ve eaten chicken in a long time. We then explored some of the new places on Sawtelle and I indulged in froyo. Great breakfast on Saturday morning, plus a tough hike in Temescal canyon. Felt REALLY GOOD to get some sun after being in foggy Olympia, WA all last week, and it was a beautiful, clear day. And it was really hot out on the trail! I did some farmers market shopping afterwards, and then grabbed fish at our favorite local and cheap fish place.

Guess no one told me to stop playing with my food

Did some blogging work, and afterwards, I had an interview for a high school student recently applied to my alma mater Johns Hopkins. We met in Marina Del Rey - super cute new complex with lots of outposts of favorite LA restaurants. It was around this time that my arthritis started kicking in, which is unusual, because it’s usually worse in the mornings and then gets better throughout the day.

I then drove over to Cafe Gratitude on Rose Ave to do some work. This is a great vegan restaurant, and just a super cool hangout. Everyone seemed to know each other and wanted to talk about food! All of their food has funny names like “Humble” and “Honest”. I ordered their “Charismatic” chai tea latte and when they placed it in front of me they said “you are Charismatic”. And when I sampled the coconut chocolate pie, they placed it in front of me and said “you are Irresistible”. I couldn’t decide if it was weird or not. I also got a free sample of their smoothie “Bliss”. I really love raw/vegan places because they do such interesting things with food, and use different and unique techniques. I’m always amazed at what can be done with a coconut!

And then the arthritis flare up got really bad. I really had no idea what triggered it, as my diet has been pretty clean recently, although I did eat froyo on Friday and certainly ate my fair share of sugar at Cafe Gratitude. I’d be surprised if that what triggered it. Maybe its the underlying stress from the travel plus the upcoming move to SF, but it got really bad in the afternoon and I felt so incredibly uncomfortable in my own body, even after two Aleve. And then I started to feel like I wanted to eat ALL THE THINGS to make me feel better, which we all know doesn’t help. But I decided that that was what I wanted to do. So Jamie and I met for margaritas and enchiladas at the most famous local Mexican spot - Gilberts. And I have to say, it did make me feel better! I think it was more the company than the carbs. I did get a major sense of guilt after splurging on enchiladas and chips, but I wasn’t at all surprised that I got that wave of food shame. You know, I eat so healthfully most of the time because I know it makes me feel better emotionally and physically, that it’s hard to allow myself to have a “cheat” meal. Working on accepting that balance in my life is a goal this year! 20150124_194158

Sunday the arthritis felt OK while my digestion was totally off (instant reaction to cheese enchiladas and margaritas - surprise, surprise) and I had one of those much-needed, lots-of-sweat spinning sessions at Revolution Fitness. It was beyond cathartic! It did kind of felt like I was in a birthing class because the instructor kept going, “PUSH, BABY, PUSH. PULL, BABY, PULL”. But I totally buy into that stuff, and that’s definitely the kind of instructor I was when I taught indoor cycling. Lunch at home with grandma where I cooked up a storm for food prep for the week ahead - fillings for omelets, crockpot mashed cauliflower, etc. I conducted another interview, this time at Groundworks on Montana Ave and then strolled around a bit. Gorgeous weekend for a little outdoor shopping! And then it was time for the Jacuzzi.

home sweet home

So there you have it! Hope you had a lovely weekend as well, and to all of you East coasters - stay warm!

Weekend eats and my grandfather’s 92nd birthday brunch

November 18, 2014 by Dani 1 Comment

This weekend was really relaxed, which is necessary in preparation for the next months. I have a TON of travel coming up, and will be on anywhere from 1-5 flights every week from now through the beginning of January. Blog world - does anyone have any recommendations (restaurants, activities, etc) for Phnom Penh, Shanghai or Hong Kong? Please, please shoot me an e-mail! Nate and I will be celebrating Thanksgiving in Cambodia, and then be traveling to China with my family over the holidays. Okay back to the weekend - I did lots of cooking, blogging, running, saw Nightcrawler (!!) and most importantly, celebrated my grandfather’s 92nd birthday. Thursday travels included these two out-of the-ordinary in-flight experiences…

Well hello there you middle seat surprise!!!!!

Check out the alien with the face mask next to me..

Friday eats included this insane tuna melt from Mendocino Farms in Downtown LA. I can’t believe I’ve never been to the LA institution before! Dinner was sushi on Sawtelle Ave at Hide with my parents.

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Saturday I met my friend Adam on the newly bougie-fied Rose Ave in Venice for brunch at Flake. More tuna..this time in salad form. We also went next door to Moon Juice, which has a cultish following here in LA. Sampled a hibiscus lemonade (amazing) and then a Raw Vegan Carrot Cake with Cashew Probiotic “Cream Cheese”. I was really excited about this because I LOVE carrot cake and enjoy most raw desserts, but it was actually really disgusting. Adam could barely bring the fork up to his mouth. I would recommend Moon Juice…for the juice. We walked around Venice boardwalk after to admire the drum circles.

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Avoiding these next time.

Sunday was brunch at Joe’s Restaurant on Abbot Kinney for my grandfather’s ~~92nd~~ 29th birthday! He is the MOST remarkable man and has been a truly wonderful grandfather to me. I am lucky that I grew up right around both sets of grandparents, and most of my family as well. Always a great time to get everyone together. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

All the ladies!

Publicly shaming my mother for picking around the crusts…

We enjoyed a lot of different brunch dishes. Here my uncle so artfully displays his salmon bowl with kimchi and a fried egg. Potential future blogger right here!

My mom had the smoked trout eggs benedict (hollandaise on the side - now you see where I learn these tricks!)

I steered away from tuna (for once) and dug into the Huevos Rancheros.

Afterwards, we did a slow walk down Abbot Kinney to admire the $6,000 purses.

Camera never too far

And I’ll leave you with this great shot of my parents. Sally the dog is infamously un-photogenic.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekends, as well!

Halloween Weekend Roundup

November 3, 2014 by Dani Leave a Comment

The weekend started with Halloween…where one sneaky sister stole her brother’s Eagle Scout uniform and decked out her trusty steed. Poor Sally! Halloween evening is a traumatic one for this old pup. It’s like the mailman comes to the door over and over again for several hours…. And then it rained in LA and we woke up to a full rainbow! You can almost see a leprechaun at the end of that.
We must have given out close to 300 pieces of candy last night! Our leftovers were displayed next to some healthier options (as if that is going to stop us from eating it all).

We slogged a post-Halloween five-mile run to visit Grandpa’s bench right next to the Santa Monica Pier to work off the hangovers. If you’re ever in town, go say hi to my Grandpa! It’s right next to the Aquarium at the base of the pier.

No Saturday is the same without a trip to the Farmer’s Market - no matter what city I’m in. The seasons and produce are a-changing. My boyfriend’s family’s farm in Virginia got frost last night on their vegetables! We picked up the last of the strawberries, some produce for the rest of the weekend’s meals, and sampled some fun new items like watermelon radishes.

And then it was time for some Jacuzzi recuperation. Cute sports bra tan I’ve got going on. Can anybody tell that I dyed my hair blonde(ish) here?!

Fish tacos were also on the post-Halloween recuperation menu. I cannot wait to share my restaurant review of this hole in the wall with killer fish tacos. This one is a Cajun-spiced mahi mahi with avocado, cabbage, and chipotle mayo. We also shared some fantastic sweet potato fries.

I did some shopping on the Santa Monica Promenade (no pictures - sorry!) and then came home for a quiet evening watching Jerry Maguire, turkey chili, halloween candy, and blogging. I’m kicking off a straight month of travel for work starting on Monday, so some R&R is definitely needed to prepare!

Sunday morning I woke up and was able to Skype with the boyfriend who recently made it safely from weeks motorcycling around India to now several months volunteering in Cambodia! I’ll be joining him in Cambodia for Thanksgiving. Now that was a wonderful start to the day. Afterwards, time for a long bike ride on the beach almost up to Malibu.

And then my 91-year-old grandma treated us to an all-you-can-eat brunch in Marina Del Rey. Unpictured were the made-to-order waffles that my mom and I indulged in! \

Grandma took advantage of the chocolate fountain… brunch2 And we all went for a nice walk and watched the Sunday boaters go by. brunch

Afterwards, it was almost time for more eating (when is it not?) and I came home and prepped these lightened-up enchiladas for dinner. Recipe to come - these were a major hit!

Then it came time to pack for the week of travel (the puffer jacket will be making an appearance this week - work travels are set to be cold) and Sunday evening TV watching. Hope you all enjoyed your halloweekends as well!