2011 March | Life Tastes Like Food

Spring, Sunshine, and Salad

Cooking, Dinner, Food, Health, Life, Lunch, Recipe No Responses »

Mar 302011

The sun is out, the air is warm, and I’m stuck with a cold!! What?! I survived the entire winter without getting fully sick at all, but it finally caught up to me in these first couple weeks of Spring! So, instead of cooking and baking, I have been tossing back cough drops, Robitussin and a ridiculous amout of hot tea–not exactly my ideal diet. Despite my runny nose and embarrassingly loud cough, I am still determined to enjoy the beautiful weather outside and stay productive! The transition from Winter to Spring is so wonderful because the flowers start blooming, flip flops, pool weather, and tons of ice cream are so clearly in sight. This is also around the time where salad becomes one of my favorite meals to enjoy outside as those warm sun rays hit my shoulders. This tofu and broccoli salad in particular is light and healthy. [Continue Reading...]

Happiness in a Bowl

Baking, Cooking, Dinner, Food, Friendship, Health, Life, Recipe, Relationships No Responses »

Mar 272011

Every single one of us is on a continuous search for happiness–what that happiness may be comprised of, though, is different to each individual. I think that for me, I find joy and happiness in pushing myself to experience new places and things especially if it’s with great people (and of course, food!). I have this natural tendency to want to try or be a part of every opportunity I am offered, and honestly, it gets tiring! But the guilt of not participating in something and missing out on that particular experience is something I am starting to allow myself to accept. Lately, instead if trying to do it all, I have been trying to do what’s best. What’s best for me, that is. And I know that sounds a little selfish, but that’s not my intention. Throughout my life, I have taken into consideration every single person’s feelings around [Continue Reading...]

Food, Fun, and the Bay Area

Cooking, Dinner, Drinks, Food, Friendship, Life, Lunch, Side Dishes, Travels No Responses »

Mar 242011

With the busy schedule I’ve had lately, and the numerous outings and events I’ve attended, the wonderful happenings of last weekend are still some of the best times that are standing out in my mind. Aside from stuffing my face with the Irish cream bundt cake, chocolate stout cake, and dark chocolate cake truffles, my weekend was also filled to the brim with even more delicious food! I know it’s a little late, but I am going to share my latest adventures with you! Last Friday, my friends and I attended a Golden State Warriors Road Viewing Party at The Broken Rack in Emeryville. This pool hall was a great little joint and had plenty of tables to play pool, an assortment of TVs with various sports games playing, and even a little room with a couch that a group could enjoy. It also had amazing bar food! The fried shrimp (top [Continue Reading...]

St. Patrick’s Day and Chocolate Stout Cake

Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Food, Friendship, Health, Holiday, Life, Recipe, Snacks No Responses »

Mar 222011

St. Patrick's Day and Chocolate Stout Cake

Holidays (any holiday) are the perfect excuse to make festive treats and desserts. And I completely enjoy when friends and readers recommend recipes and dishes for me! So for this holiday, I took some recommendations and on top of the Irish cream bundt cake with Baileys glaze, I made a chocolate stout cake (the recipe can be found here) and some holiday themed dark chocolate cake truffles. The chocolate stout cake was especially fun to make because I’ve never worked with beer in a cake (although I have made beer bread), and I also got to use sour cream in a cake for the first time as well! The cake turned out very moist and a little more dense than normal cakes. I topped it off with some Baileys cream cheese frosting, a light dusting of cocoa powder, and it was ready to go! And I can’t forget about the [Continue Reading...]

Bloggers Day of Silence for Japan

Friendship, Health, Life, Travels No Responses »

Mar 172011

Tomorrow, I will be participating in the Bloggers Day of Silence for Japan and will not be posting anything to my blog. Along with a mass of other bloggers from all over the world, we are taking a day of silence in order to pay respects to the devastation and tragedy that has hit Japan and the victims of this disaster. We all know what’s going on over there through the news and whatnot, but it doesn’t even come close to what the citizens of Japan are experiencing first hand. Ever Ours and Utterly Engaged have taking huge steps to organize this day and launch For Japan With Love, and I think it’s wonderful what they are doing! They have handpicked ShelterBox to donate to since they are already in Japan and were one of the first organizations to be asked by Japan to help. Please pass this message on [Continue Reading...]

Irish Cream Bundt Cake with Baileys Glaze

Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Food, Friendship, Life 13 Responses »

Mar 172011

Irish Cream Bundt Cake with Baileys Glaze

Let the St. Patrick’s Day festivities begin! The Irish have a way of making great dishes, desserts and drinks. What is really fun about these food items is that most recipes always seem to find a way to incorporate alcohol in many of the St. Patrick’s Day recipes! I found this recipe and couldn’t resist trying it. Chopped pecans, moist cake infused with Irish cream, and Baileys glaze to top it off?? You can’t go wrong. And the best part of it is: it took only about an hour and a half to make–start to finish. The cake turned out very well. It had a hint of Baileys in the cake with a stronger essence in the glaze, and was a perfect start to kick off the celebration of St. Paddy’s Day! I followed this recipe exactly for the cake mixture. I also made the glaze as directed but only [Continue Reading...]

Rain, Rain, Come Again Another Day

Cooking, Dinner, Food, Health, Life, Recipe No Responses »

Mar 152011

Is everyone experiencing rain in their respective areas lately? Well, it feels like this non-stop pour has been around for so long with no intention of leaving anytime soon. Many people find rain very depressing. It’s cold, uncomfortable to be in, and limits many outdoor activities. I, however, thoroughly enjoy the rainy days. For me, it’s quite comforting and brings a sense of warmth. I know that sounds strange because rain is anything but warm, but I think it makes me think of being in a cozy house, under a big blanket and reading a good book. Plus, the sound of raindrops outside on the dark pavement and running down my window is so soothing to me. I actually like to crack my window at night and let the rain drown away the silence of the night! With all of this rain, a common staple of mine is soup. Any [Continue Reading...]

A Taco Eating Contest and Snowballs

Food, Friendship, Life, Lunch, Travels No Responses »

Mar 132011

During the winter season, I’ve always enjoyed going up to Lake Tahoe to snowboard with my friends and family. This season in particular has been extremely amazing, and this last weekend really took it to the next level. On top of great snow, wonderful company and a sunny day, I also got to experience an event that brings both of my worlds together: a taco eating contest at the ski resort! We stopped for lunch on the West Bowl side, and midway through we were asked if we wanted to participate in the contest (sponsored by Santa Rosa Ski and Sports). I have never seen an eating contest at a ski resort before and got extremely excited when I heard what they were doing. In exchange for eating four pork tacos, the first place prize was a brand new snowboard (how amazing is that?!). While we were all almost done [Continue Reading...]

Rocky Roads Bring Tasty Treats

Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Food, Friendship, Health, Life, Recipe, Snacks 6 Responses »

Mar 102011

Everyone has encountered circumstances in their lifetime that has significantly affected them and the people around them. During these times of change, regardless if that change is for better or worse, the issue tends to take over our daily thoughts and paralyze us with questions. I can’t help but think about how change can arise so quickly within our lives and constantly shock us–losing a job, dealing with health issues, falling in and out of relationships, or even just realizing how stuck you feel in a static routine. Similar to a Southern thunderstorm, it comes out of nowhere and leaves just as quickly as it came. But at the same time, we must remember that after the storm of unpredicted news appears and thunders for what seems like forever, it eventually subsides, and we are left with clear skies again. And although it may have left some wreckage in our [Continue Reading...]

Ingredients to a Recipe Called Life

Cooking, Food, Friendship, Health, Life, Self-Exploration 8 Responses »

Mar 072011

“You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.” I am back from my week off of blogging, and I sincerely wish I could say that it was an extremely productive week of cooking, baking and tons of ideas spilling out of my head. Instead, life distracted me…again! Who would think that there are so many interesting things to do and so little time to do it all? :) But I don’t regret one moment of it. I had a fabulous week of tidying the house, working on some other side projects, catching up on some sleep and hanging out with some great people. However, looking at my goals in my last post and comparing them to what actually happened last week, I’ve realized how hard it is sometimes to stick to my plans. My close friends can [Continue Reading...]