What a Weekend!

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.

It's only fair to share...