Summer-ending Snack: Skewers

After coming home from a welcome week event, D and I planned to make meatball/Hawaiian skewers. In the end, when D was making it, he forgot to add the pineapples, but it still tasted absolutely delicious! It was kind of nice relaxing while D made food for my roommate and me. It was the perfect late night snack before we start classes tomorrow. This is definitely a recipe I'm going to try again (but with grilled pineapples!).

All you need are skewers (or thin chopsticks), onions, bell peppers, your choice of meat (I chose teriyaki meatballs), and pineapples. It doesn't take too much time and it's a perfect appetizer or mid-day/late-night snack.

Exploring LA

My friends and I explored LA for a couple of days. We visited Rodeo Drive to window shop and see all the beautiful buildings. Traffic, by the way, is crazy! We ate at The Griddle for breakfast...while the pancakes were incredibly delicious, one dish is enough for a family of five (at least). The pancakes come in huge servings, and unfortunately, we got seated in a dark room so the pictures turned out grainy and dark. I think the best part of Rodeo Drive was finally, finally seeing the Sprinkles ATM and the newly opened Sprinkles ice cream. 

Afterward, we got to visit Santa Monica Pier. For someone who lives in Los Angeles, it was only my second time. The first time I visited the pier, I hung out on the rides but this time, we hung out on the beach. The sand was burning hot, but the water was extremely refreshing and cool. Santa Monica is one of the prettiest beaches around Southern California.

The day after, we went to Laguna Beach to fulfill Christine's dream. She watched Laguna Beach as a child and wanted to visit the place where it all started. The weather finally cooled down a bit, and it was one of those places where we could drive with the windows rolled down and music blasting through our ears. It was a gorgeous, relaxing day out. If I were ever a beach-hater, I definitely am not anymore. We finished the day off with dinner at the Boiling Crab (my first time ever) and the Cajun fries are a total winner!

Being back in Northern California makes me miss LA just a bit. I miss everything about it except for the blistering hot weather.

Finally, the OC Fair

My friends and I drove six hours from Berkeley to Los Angeles over the weekend. It was an awesome way for us to relax after a stressful summer. It was one of those "blast your music loud and drive fast" kind of trips. Plus, it was so great to finally drive again!

For five years, I've wanted to visit the OC Fair but never had the time. I finally went, but it was way to hot to really enjoy myself. It hit 100 degrees, which made it really difficult to do anything but sip on some strawberry lemonade. Though we didn't go on any of the carnival rides, we were able to watch pigs race. At the "race," I bumped into my high school coach and a couple of my former teammates!

I really want to go to the fair again, but definitely when it's below 85 degrees. I'd want to ride a couple of rides, try some of the infamous deep fried oreos and butter, and see the ice sculptures. 

til next time, OC fair!

Happy freedom days!

Finally, finally, I have my summer back! With summer school behind, I'm ready for an awesome last 2 weeks of summer sans coffee, 18-hour study days, and sleepless nights. I cannot fully express my utter joy. I've been waiting for this particular weekend since June. Hallelujah, freedom reigns.

I took this picture in June for Flavor Ping and thought it fully grasps my idea of a careless, happy summer (of course, it would include some type of food). So, happy summer days!

Study break

A much needed study break was in order! D and I ate dinner at Taste of the Himalayas on Northside to relieve ourselves from the stress of summer school, which has finally caught up to us. Indian is definitely one of my favorite ethnic foods. We tried Samosas to start off our meal, and I'm so glad we did! It's so delicious...one day I'm going to attempt to make it. All Indian curries are so delicious, and there were so many amazing choices between chicken, lamb, tandoori, and biryani. The great thing about Taste of the Himalayas is rice and lentil soup comes with the dish. Many of the Indian restaurants near campus offer the curry dish alone.

Since we already were at Northside, we killed two birds with one stone by making a stop at Philz Coffee before heading back. It was on D's list and I really needed my coffee. The last time I had gone I ordered Dancing Water, but it was too bitter for me. The Mint Mojito hit the spot. I had my doubts before (I really don't like mint-anything), but it has definitely got my vote for the best coffee in town!

Indian Rock

Indian Rock has been on my "to-go" list since my high school MUN adviser suggested it back in my first semester here at Berkeley. He said the sunset from the Rock is incredible, but I have yet to see that. I had a picnic lunch with my church's media ministry team. For most of the time, unfortunately, the fog covered up the Golden Gate Bridge, but the view was still breathtakingly beautiful. It's not much of a hike - you can opt for the steps on one side of the rock. We had ham and cheese, cream cheese and cucumber, and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. But I definitely want to go back to watch the sunset. That would be a sight I do not want to miss! 

Northside is so much more beautiful than Southside. I would totally move there if it weren't for the long walk to campus. And if all my friends moved with me to Northside. 

Summer Picnic

Alexandalexa cream dress // ShoeMint color block flats // Picnic basket 

One thing I absolutely love about summer is picnics. When else can you hang out with nature and enjoy the sunny weather? I have to admit I am not a huge fan of hot weather. In fact, I enjoy the winter blues and all the hot chocolate, cuddling, and warm layers that come with. But, the Bay Area's summer has me in love. Summer's perfect 70-degree, breezy weather allows me to simultaneously wear my sundresses and avoid the major sweat. Recently, I picnicked at Tilden Park. Picnics are so cost-efficient...pack sandwiches and a couple bottles of lemonade and you're set! 

Fruit salad

My attempt at a healthier lifestyle has been somewhat on the move. Eating salads more often is definitely a starter. My chicken didn't thaw, so instead of making a Caesar salad, I decided to go with the ingredients I had. To add flavor, I included strawberries, blueberries, almonds, red and orange bell peppers, tomatoes, dried cranberries, and avocados (in my opinion, avocados make everything taste better). The salad didn't even need dressing because of all the juice from the fruits. The variety of bright colors definitely made it appealing to eat. 

Off the Grid

After receiving weekly Off the Grid newsletters for awhile, I made time to go! Christine, Catherine, and I spent a good afternoon in Alameda. Off the Grid's food truck line-ups were pretty good today, but I hope when I go again, the line-up will have more variety. I ordered from Seoul on Wheels and enjoyed the Korean BBQ tacos. The ambience was really friendly - a live band, lots of seating, and beautiful weather. I'm so glad I finally took a break from work and did something fun this Saturday. Lately, the little free time I have goes to watching TV shows so it was nice getting out and enjoying the weather!

We took a nice 15-minute walk to Teaway. I've had it a couple of times when some friends brought it back to Berkeley for me, but I wanted to go for myself. The Passionfruit Green Tea was so refreshing, especially with the 70 degree weather. The jelly makes everything taste a million times better.

In my time in Northern California, I have yet to experience a normal bus ride without awkward incidents or angry people. Seconds after I told Christine that I would love it if I could enjoy a normal bus ride, I missed a step and tripped onto the bus. If that wasn't awkward enough, I was required to fill out a form for "unusual circumstances." Unfortunately, this time I was the cause of the awkward situation. So, I'm still waiting for ONE un-awkward, completely normal bus ride.

Picnic at Tilden Park

We were finally able to find some time to visit Tilden Park last weekend. I underestimated how far it was (a 40 minute bus ride) but we were rewarded with beautiful, 75-degree weather. Our picnic was incredibly delicious: spam fried rice and lemonade (yay for a college student's budget). We didn't get to visit every part of Tilden, but there is a merry go round, lake, and canyon.

Living in the Bay Area has made me so appreciative of nature. The best (or possibly the worst) thing about Tilden Park is no cell phone reception. Without reception, we were able to talk and appreciate the park without phone interruption. Unfortunately, we didn't have too much time so we didn't make it to Jewel Lake. So, I guess I'll be making at least one more trip! No phone service also meant being stuck at Tilden Park, without any knowledge of when and where the bus was arriving. We walked a mile uphill to get out of the park and onto the neighboring streets to get service and find a busstop. Still, it was a great break from the weekly routine and schedule.

Everybody dies, but not everybody lives

These three weeks have been pretty amazing. I never really liked or appreciated the beach, but I think I've gone to five different beaches in the span of a week and a half. I enjoyed being able to drive again, experience the delicious eats again, and hang out with my friends - both from high school and college. It's been really great waking up at noon everyday, something I've never really been able to do. During this time, I've also been able to check off many things from my summer list!

At the same time, I'm extremely excited to go back to Berkeley. It's becoming more and more like home to me. Public transportation and my own two feet save me gas money, and I'm also looking forward to eat and shop in places I haven't been able to visit during the school year. The colder weather is definitely something I'm excited for. Getting sunburned for the first time in my life while biking to Huntington Beach last week was not fun. So, good-bye Southern California, thank you for making me feel so alive!

The past three weeks in a wrap:

baking and cooking {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

prom pictures for Jeff and Jessica

Corona del Mar, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica Pier {+ Huntington Beach}

Hollywood w/ K and D

Read my articles for Caliber Magazine: 1 2 (another upcoming one on June 4)

Double date, double the fun

This week, I went on a double date in Brea with Sharon and Andrew. We ate at Bucca di Beppo (oddly, it was my first time). The food was absolutely amazing, but it was still really difficult to finish even with hungry stomachs. The Penne Arrabbiata was really rich in flavor with a touch of spicy from the Italian sausage, but I liked the Baked Rigatoni better. I usually don't enjoy cheese all that much, but the combination of flavors was absolutely divine. Afterward, we stopped by Merely Sweets to try the macarons (another check off my bucket list!). Although they didn't have as many flavors as other macaron shoppes, the decor was beautiful. If I ever have the time again, I'll definitely have to go back to that area of Brea: it was a giant towne center! We ended our double date with watching Abduction while eating my failed-attempted red velvet cake balls. They were anything but aesthetically pleasing...though they were quite delicious!