belize...

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Holiday Season.  Even with my complete inability to plan ahead for these types of things I love this time of year.  Everyone seems to be in a happier mood, a la the Christmas
Spirit, and I love it.  I thought I would finally get around to posting some pics from Belize.  I highly recommend visiting, it's a beautiful country and the people are so kind.  Here's some pics for your viewing pleasure.

We stayed at Mata Rocks Resort, it's our second time visiting Ambergris Caye and we love the hotel so much we decided to stay there again.  The staff is wonderful, it's in a great location, and they have a wonderful beach front bar that both locals and people from other hotels frequent.  

I don't normally take pictures of food, but this was the Lobster Burrito from Waraguma, and it was insanely delicious and so affordable.

This is Palapa Bar & Grill, great service and amazing atmosphere.It's definitely worth a visit.

California Part 2

So on our recent trip to California we spent a couple of days in San Francisco.  I love San Francisco, it's such a unique city with so much to offer that I never feel like I've seen all there is to see there even though we have been lucky enough to visit a handful of times.  I didn't take many pics while we were there because I was too busy eating to be bothered with taking a photo.  

The first night we were there we went Public Works, they have teamed up with Forage SF  to host events every so often where local food entrepreneurs can present their food to the public without having the cost and overhead of a restaurant space.  It was amazing!  Foods from all different genres, amazing music and great prices.  My favorite was the sandwich from Rice Paper Scissors.... it was delicious.  

image via

Our time in SF was mostly spent eating and one night we decided we were going to get ice cream before we ate dinner.  We went to Mitchell's and let me tell you that was some good stuff.  We also heard good things about the ice cream at Bi-Rite and Smitten.  Obviously, the time limited our ability to ice cream sample our way through San Fran but we have a good working list of what to try next time.

One morning we ventured to the Mission District to eat (imagine that) brunch at the Front Porch Restaurant. I would call it Southern fusion and it was mighty tasty.  Living in the south I have pretty high standards of what "southern cuisine" should taste like and I have to say I was a bit skeptical but these people don't mess around and the obviously know what they are doing.  Plus, they have beignets and if a restaurant has beignets they are automatically awesome in my book.

Happy Friday

I am so happy it's Friday, words cannot even describe.  I hope to have a pretty relaxing weekend enjoying my time away from work.  What do you all have planned this weekend?

I plan on doing a little lounging on the beach, I only wish I could look as glamorous as her.  I usually look like a sandy mess within two minutes of stepping on the sand.

image via

And perhaps sipping on this rhubarb spritzer cocktail I found on Eat Boutique, if you haven't seen that website I highly recommend.  Everything looks amazing.

Pickles Y'alllll

So I got super domestic this weekend and decided to pickle some cucumbers.  It is super easy and really delicious.  Here's what I used:

1 thoroughly sanitized mason jar (1 qt size)
A few pickling cucumbers from the garden
3 cloves of garlic
6 sprigs of fresh dill
1 tbsp of coriander seed
1 tbsp of sugar
1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
2/3 cup of white vinegar
1 cup of water
1 small white onion
Pinch of red pepper flake

Step 1:  Thoroughly clean and sanitize mason jar and lid
Step 2:  Slice cucumbers to your desired size along with some fresh onion (to taste)
Step 3:  Place cucumber slices, onion, garlic cloves and dill in dry mason jar
Step 4:  Gently boil water, vinegar, coriander, sugar, salt and red pepper flake until sugar and salt dissolve
Step 5:  Poor brine mixture over cucumbers in jar, gently tap to get any excess air out.
Step 6:  Cover and once cool enough, place in the frig for at least 24 hours before enjoying.

Another food post....imagine that.

So in my effort to seem some what productive on these "chilly" fall days I have seemed to taken up baking and cooking.  I was looking through the 25th anniversary issue of House & Home magazine and came across a recipe for spiced nuts.  It was great because I had all the necessary ingredients and didn't have to leave the house.... perfect for my very consistent lazy behavior lately.

All I needed was:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of cane sugar (like demerara)
1 tsp each of cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt (give or take depending on your taste)
2 cups of almonds (also, your choice)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
Heat oil, vinegar and sugar in saucepan over low to medium heat, sprinkle in spices and salt and mix well
Add almonds, stirring to coat and cook in saucepan approximately 5 minutes until everything is sticky
Pour mixture over a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Let cool and serve at room temperature

This is sooo simple and could easily be changed based on your personal taste but would make you look like some kind of super star at your next gathering.