Two People At Five Guys

Maybe it's my Southern California roots, but when I want cheap, fast and delicious burgers, my loyalty remains with In N Out. When I heard about this supposed "rival," I was hesitant and weary. Is it gunna be good? Is it even worth trying? Well, I managed to go this far without trying it, but this particular Saturday, we drove to Five Guys with an open mind and and empty stomachs. As total newbie's, we walked in and stared at the menu for a good 5 minutes, even though it's relatively small. Sensing our "first-timer" vibe, the guy taking orders quickly explained the menu to us and off we were ordering. One thing that was an immediate turn off was that they display the calories on the menu. Look--I know as a society, we are trying to move forward in a healthy direction but please, anyone eating at Five Guys KNOWS that it's not going to be a healthy meal. My boyfriend announced he wasn't going to order soda to be healthy--after he ordered the double-patty burger....right. But anyways, after we ordered we headed to a table and on our way, noticed that they have barrels of peanuts! What a fun addition. Time for the actual meal. The fries were decent...but I prefer a thinner cut and the burgers were tasty. Was I blown away? No. Five stars for Five Guys? Ehhh, try a solid 3.5.

[Peanut appetizer]

[Golden french fries]

[Time to salt]

[Burger shot]

460 N. Sepulveda   El Segundo, CA 90245   (310) 322-0155

www.fiveguys.com

A Tale Of A Gigantic Hot Dog

When we all decided to go to Rock & Brews for lunch, I had no idea I was about to encounter a monster hot dog. I think I managed to eat 1/3 when the stomach ache settled in. No more hot dogs for me, please.

143 Main Street   El Segundo, CA 90245   (310) 615-9890

www.rockandbrews.com

Please Sir, May I Have Some More?

So, my dad has really been into making soup lately! I knew I was going home for dinner so I special ordered some soup to be made in honor my arrival. My dad sure took my request to heart because he made some of the most delicious corn chowder I have ever had. I can't give you the recipe exactly because he said he kind of made it up as he went along! But I will tell you a few of the ingredients: russet potatoes, organic corn kernels, celery, low fat milk. After my first bowl, I didn't want a second portion, I wanted the wholeeee pot!

[Follow the Soup Bible...always]

[Most delicious & healthy corn chowder ever]

Breakfast Burritos...For Dinner!

I recently decided that I need to expand my cooking skills. I love to cook dinner for my boyfriend, even though he always complains how much of a mess I make (woops). I was racking my brain for what sounded good to eat that night…chicken, steak…eh. Nothing was sounding too appealing. And then it hit me-breakfast burritos…for dinner! Yes, this is kind of an oxymoron as it should really be called dinner burrito, but that's just goofy. Who says you can't have breakfast for dinner? When I was in college and living in my sorority house, our favorite dinner was when they would do breakfast at night! So I headed off to Ralph's, picked up my ingredients and proceeded to make, if I do say so myself, a wonderful breakfast burrito dinner. Follow along below to make your own!

Ingredients:

-2 Large Tortillas or Wraps (I chose a spinach wrap: available at any grocery store)

-A Dozen Eggs

-Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

-1 Package of Bacon

-1 Onion

-3 Russet Potatoes

Directions:

First, you need to peel and boil the potatoes until tender (about 25 minutes). Next, cut the potatoes into cubes. Coat a frying pan with olive oil and throw the potatoes in. Cook at medium heat until the potatoes have a nice browned outer layer. Now, dice your onion to fill 1/2 cup. Put aside for later use. Time to cook the bacon. When done, put aside in a warming dish, or under foil (this keeps the heat in). Now it is time to cook the eggs. Get a second frying pan and lightly cover it in butter. Throw your 1/2 cup of onions and cook until they are translucent. Now, you can throw in 6 eggs and scramble everything up. Lay out your tortilla and layer with the eggs, then the bacon, then the potatoes and finally, sprinkle with cheese and wrap the tortilla up to make a nice, large burrito. Take your first bite, and never look back!

*Note: You can cook the ingredients in a different order if it is easier for you, but the eggs must always be cooked last! Eggs take the quickest to cook and, cold eggs are gross! Also, fresh fruit tastes great with these. I opted for some strawberries because they were in season.

It's Time For Johnnie's {Pastrami}

It's a hot Monday, so for lunch, I decided to go with a hot pastrami! Not just any pastrami sandwich was in order. My boss happens to love Johnnie's Pastrami in particular. I had never been, and after hearing numerous stories about how good it was, I succumbed to his lunch suggestion and off we went to Culver City for a culinary delight! Let me tell ya, this LA establishment did not disappointment. I knew we were off to a good start when my coke arrived with crushed ice (a must). We each ordered the hot pastrami with swiss and one order of french fries. The order of fries was generous and delicious and was a great complement to the large and filling sandwiches. I could only make it through one half (happy boyfriend gets the other), but that one half was enough to convert me into a Johnnie's believer! If you're a serious luncher, lookin' for a good meal, don't hesitate to head on over...

[Crushed ice is amazinggg]

[Golden french fries]

[Looks so much bigger in real life]

4017 Sepulveda Blvd.   Culver City, CA 90230   (310) 397-6654

www.johniespastrami.com

The Easiest Banana Pancakes...Ever

A lot of times I find recipes that claim to be super easy… and then it turns out, you need 100 ingredients and professional cooking appliances. Well, this recipe I'm about to tell you about really is… I mean really is SO simple! I made this one up on a Saturday morning and have been whipping it up every since! These pancakes are delicious and are literally done in 10 minutes. The combination of fresh and store-bought ingredients are key to this recipe. Trust me, you'll be making these time and time again...

Ingredients:

- 3 Bananas

- 1 Carton of Bisquick Shake N' Pour

- Cinnamon Sugar

- Syrup

- 1 Stick of Butter

Turn your stove to medium heat to warm up your pan/griddle. Next, mash up one of the bananas into a paste. Open up your Bisquick carton and dump the mashed banana inside along with the recommended amount of water. Shake vigorously so that all of the ingredients are combined. Next, pour out the mixture onto your griddle and flip once you see bubbles popping up. Once the pancakes are a light brown color, transfer one at a time onto your serving plate while sprinkling cinnamon sugar in between each layer. Once you have your full stack, top with sliced bananas and cover in syrup. Then, grab your fork and enjoy!

Ta Da!!!

Hollywood Bowl: Passion Pit & Hot Chip

On Sunday, me, my boyfriend and some friends packed up our wicker basket with snacks from Whole Foods and multiple bottles of wine and headed over to the Hollywood Bowl for the Passion Pit & Hot Chip concert. I must say, the Hollywood Bowl is one of my favorite spots in LA. I have many fond memories of listening to the LA Philharmonic with my parents and enjoying the nice weather and acoustics. Drinking wine out of plastic cups and dancing in between wooden benches made this night quite spectacular.  Also, top that  off with a killer sunset and great summer weather the whole night. As I sit at my office desk right now, I'm thinking it would be nice to go back there right about now…

[About to head in]

[Friends at the bowl]

[Beautiful sunset]

April Flashback

Yes, I'm aware it is now September (omg where did the summer go), but I was flipping through some old photos and came across some fun pics from my sister's birthday back in April. So yes, these aren't recent, but I thought I'd share anyways.

Instead of going overboard and turning me and my sister's apartment into a glittered disaster, I decided to keep it simple and decorate our dining table area (my sister is not much of a glitter person anyways). I stuck with the basics--a few streamers and threw some silver confetti on the table because I couldn't resist! Present + King's Hawaiian Paradise Cake= A Fabulous Day

[This Paradise Cake really is...paradise]

[For the birthday girl]

[Presents & treats]

Back 2 School

It was time for my brother to go back to school and with an afternoon flight, we decided upon a fun brunch, instead of dinner. We have our list of favorite spots, but I have to admit, most have been exhausted. I suddenly thought of the most decadent brunch spot I could think of. And when I say decadent, I'm talking ice cream… for breakfast!

26 Beach is located on Washington in Marina Del Rey and it is quite the brunch spot. I called at 9am in hopes of securing a reservation, but alas, they only take walk-ins (of course). I was hoping the line wouldn't be too long, but when we pulled up, I saw a fair amount of people waiting outside in the direct sunlight (uh, that doesn't look fun). They told us that the wait was an hour, but it eventually ended up being more like 25 minutes. Annoying, but do-able. 

My family had never eaten there before but my boyfriend and I had and we knew immediately what we wanted. My dad got the Miso salad, my brother go some sort of ridiculous platter that had French toast, fried chicken wings and eggs, my sister got a salmon scramble, my mother got the S'mores French Toast, my boyfriend got the Polar Bear, and I proudly ordered the Peaches n' Cream which is croissant French toast topped with peaches, caramelized pecans, and delicious buttery/sugary sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce. I told you it was decadent right? Suffice it to say, healthy eating was on no one's mind that morning and because the portions were so large, we all ended up sampling each others plates. I was so full I could barely move when we left, but it was DEFINITELY worth it. If you secretly think your 5 years old like I do and want to eat ice cream for breakfast, pop into 26 Beach for a splendid time!

{Mid convo}

[Posing at brunch]

3100 Washington Blvd.   Marina del Rey, CA 90292   (310) 823-7526

www.26beach.com