Cutie pies (er, cookies).

I spotted these cookies at The Alcove last month. They always have adorable cookies.

I didn’t eat one. But it does make me want to hug a puppy.

And the cupcake cookies are having an identity crisis.

Happy Monday!

Yum.

I noticed this “fine print” on my bag of ketchup chips last night. Haha. It probably says this on chip bags in America too, but somehow the added “u” makes it more charming.

Also wanted to report: There is a flavor of chips here called something like “All Dressed,” which is a mish mosh of flavors, apparently. Like, a little bit of everything. Oil, spice, vinegar? I’ll try to grab a picture if I can. My phone blacked out yesterday as I was about to snap one.

One interesting thing I’ve noticed about Canadians is that they seem to be conscious of health concerns that nobody seems to take particularly seriously in the US. My friend told me that they run commercials here warning about the dangers of sodium. And when I commended a woman for choosing licorice all-sorts out of a big array of candies, she said, “Oh, but these are really bad for me. So much dye.”

She has a point.

I’ve actually been trying to quit licorice for a while. It’s just so… I mean, you know it can’t be good for you. It’s the consistency of rubber. But it’s an uphill battle…

OH! You know what just made me feel a little better? Canadians really seem to love their mayo. So apparently they didn’t get THAT memo. (Well– to be fair I’m sure a lot of Americans love their mayo MORE, but somehow I keep forgetting to say “no mayo” around here and ending up stuck with it. I guess Los Angeles is a low-mayo zone.)

xoxo…

Follow us on Twitter / Fan us on Facebook

Drink up.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I never really observe it (I mean… is it a Catholic holiday? An Irish holiday? I’m neither…), but… hey, it’s here.

I guess it’s a drinking holiday, but the last few times I’ve had anything to drink it didn’t feel so great. I had a beer-ish the night before my terrible stomachaches started. And a few weeks ago I had HALF a rum and Coke and felt vaguely nauseated the whole next day. So… I was not designed for drinkin’. Or I have to put in more practice, but the results are never fun.

Speaking of the stomachaches and the lactose avoidance (sorta) that ensued, the one thing I really miss and really try to avoid (because it’s pretty much all milk) is frozen yogurt and ice cream. Thank goodness for soy alternatives, or I’d really go nutty. Tofutti ice cream sandwiches. Soy Frappuccinos (green tea flavor pictured above). Soy-based smoothies. (Sam makes smoothies in his haunted blender… today it just turned on, out of the blue.) (Comforting?)

Apparently soy isn’t that great? Like maybe it causes cancer? As does red meat? And… living in America? I don’t know what to make of it all… a girl’s gotta eat. (And… die?)

Oh, and while I was at Starbucks I was mistaken for a member of the Louis-Dreyfus family. And was begged not to dance.

Claim to fame.

xoxo…

Follow us on Twitter / Fan us on Facebook

Breakfast frittata by Sam's mom.

I just discovered a cute web series called “Couple Time,” about the things a couple says and does when they are alone. My favorite installment is the one where the girlfriend offers to cook her boyfriend “a king’s breakfast” if he gets up to feed the cat.

I keep jokingly offering to cook a king’s breakfast for Sam, but the reality is that I don’t have much more to offer than the girl in the video. I could cook a middle class person’s breakfast, at best… scrambled eggs, maybe some pancakes from a mix…

I think the most royal breakfast I’ve ever experienced was last December at Sam’s parent’s house. They made challah French toast, a breakfast frittata, sliced melon… and we ate it in the dining room on breakable plates.

What would be a king’s breakfast, in your book? Could you actually cook one if you needed to bribe someone with it?

Also… does anybody know where I can get that bedspread? (Urban Outfitters?)

xoxo…

Follow us on Twitter / Fan us on Facebook

Yes, yes, and yes!

My first Serious Eats book may or may not be stuck in the Burbank post office. It got lost in the mail or something. Amazon was super cool and overnighted a replacement, so this weekend I will finally get to dig in! It’s basically the website in book form– lists of awesome places to eat, recipes, pictures, anecdotes. HOORAY!

So… if you’re into that kind of thing (and if you like THIS blog you should really be reading Serious Eats… they’re serious), check it out. A great Thanksgiving gift (sure, that’s a thing…) for the foodie in your life.

xoxo…

Follow us on Twitter / Fan us on Facebook

Triangles make everything taste better.

Every few years I go through a quesadilla phase. It typically comes out of nowhere (or maybe I’d see former-roomie Lauren making one and be inspired) and goes away by the time I’ve gone through one or two bags of tortillas. It’s like… when the locusts come. Very mysterious. (And luckily I don’t actually live in locust country, because I’m not a bug person.) (How many people are, really?)

Aaanyway, I always have problems locating good, not-too-unhealthy tortillas. Sometimes I walk into the tortilla (or bread) section of the grocery store and an grossed out by the smell of– I don’t know, maybe wheat? Flour? So I have to smell the bags to see if they offend.

I actually thought that the smell-thing might be indicative of a bread allergy, which is why last year I spent a week not eating bread to see what would happen. (Nothing notable, except that I didn’t get to eat my bread-crouton thing when I went to Tender Greens with Sam on our THIRD DATE.) (When I told him I might be allergic to bread, I’m sure he was like, GREAT. Self-diagnosing allergies? She seems like a PEACH.)

I ended up trying a new (to me) brand of flour tortillas– La Banderita. I really like them because they have layers… if you know what I mean. You can kind of peel them in half.

All that and 0g of transfats!

So I’m a happy camper. Until I get the vapors again, re: the smell of bread. (Seriously, am I weird? Do other people know what I’m talking about?)

And in case you’re wondering I happen to be using the Trader Joe’s brand light Mexican cheese blend, but I’m sure any will do. And I make my quesadillas in the microwave. Yes, yes, I’ve learned by now– everything tastes better on the stove. But… nothing tastes as good as lazy feels. (At least not right now.)

xoxo…

Follow us on Twitter / Fan us on Facebook

Adding a bit of cheer to the gray cubicle.

The first two reusable snack bags were successful, but I realized that I often use more than just two bags when I pack my lunch. So I turned back to the internet for more bags. MORE! MORE! (Actually just two.)

I decided to branch out and try another brand. This time I chose snackTAXI, because their designs are so cute! My PB Green Bags have Velcro all the way across the top, whereas the snackTaxi ones have a little Velcro tab. Since each brand seems to be based out of a different family’s home, there are lots of interesting variations– but they all seem to work well.

I urge you to buy a bag or two and check them out! Is there anything cuter than those rainbow apples & pears, or the adorable tea time pattern? It makes me look forward to packing my lunch! (Sometimes I feel like I’m taking care of a young child– packing snacks in her lunch so she won’t get cranky, cooking her a nice healthy dinner rather than letting her eat fast food, not letting her eat too much dessert because it will make her tummy hurt. I’m a high maintenance toddler!)

But seriously, my inner child and my outer adult feel good about my one-woman attempt to not fill landfills with my Ziploc usage.

xoxo…

Follow us on Twitter / Fan us on Facebook

Yes, please.

When I went home last weekend for a family Labor Day BBQ, I also got my first taste of one of my favorite parts of autumn– pumpkin! My family made pumpkin bread using a pumpkin they GREW in the backyard. How cool is that?

I can’t wait to have a garden someday… although I don’t like bugs (especially bees and spiders), so dealing with that side of things will be innnnteresting.

Say goodbye to summer BBQs…

I will miss you... come back next summer.

… and hello to pumpkin spice Frappuccinos! (And lattes, when it gets good and cold out.)

Hello old friend.

Each season, I forget that the next one exists. Now that I’ve remembered autumn, I’m quite excited!

What’s your favorite food of autumn?

xoxo…

If it's tiramisu, I'm in.

Today I met a friend for lunch at Cafe Gratitude on Larchmont. It’s vegan and the menu is a little… theme-y. Like, I have no idea how the servers memorize the names of the dishes. I just said, “I’ll have the tacos.”

I forgot to take pictures until dessert– but yeah, I had the tacos (“I Am Transformed”). (For the record– I was not transformed… other than feeling full after I ate them.) We also ordered the potato appetizer (“I Am Grounded”), as I bumped into another friend who gave the potatoes rave reviews. (I did not see any pink salt on them, but the menu says that’s the case.)

The nice thing about Cafe Gratitude is that they’re not taking tofu and trying to make it taste like meat. That can be a little dicey. (They do have a sandwich that they call a “BLT,” but apparently it’s not fake-meaty, and very good.)

The vegan tiramisu is called “I Am Adoring.” I was happy about the cake-to-”cream” ratio… I like cake!

So yeah, next time your favorite vegan wants to hang out, take them to Cafe Gratitude. They’ll be grateful to you, and you’ll be grateful it actually tastes good.

xoxo…

Follow us on Twitter / Fan us on Facebook

Plastic desserts on a real dessert!

It’s July. It’s hot outside! I’m totally charmed by these cupcakes with plastic ice creams and popsicles on them, seen at my local Albertson’s.

And here are some interesting finds from today’s Hollywood Farmers’ Market.

I’m not big on the Lakers, but I dedicate these “Laker baker” potatoes to Lauren. (I believe they’re named for their purple/yellow look, but I can’t tell if they’ve been partially peeled or what.)

Serve with Kobe beef.

And I bought this blood orange juice, because I thought I might enjoy a few sips while I watch tonight’s new episode of “True Blood.”

True blood... orange juice.

Okay, I have deli and seafoods in my future, so I gotta skadoot.

Enjoy your Sunday! Go swimming. (I actually swam yesterday… at night, because I’m a vampire.)

xoxo…

Follow us on Twitter / Fan us on Facebook