Life Tastes Like Food

When It’s Sunny in San Francisco

Breakfast, Dessert, Drinks, Food, Friendship, Holiday, Life 4 Responses »

May 182012

We get excited!! These pictures are from two weekends ago (Cinco de Mayo weekend) but I just had to share them. The weather was insanely gorgeous and there was just so much going on! With the entire city of San Francisco celebrating Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby, it was hard to choose which events to attend! We opted to just hang out around the Mission District with friends and head to Dolores Park because there was a huge Cinco de Mayo event going on there.

Then on Sunday, we decided to walk around the Mission for Sunday Streets! Sunday Streets is a neighborhood festival where they close down the roads in a SF neighborhood every first Sunday of the month for live music, booths, food specials, and other fun stuff.

Here’s a glimpse of what happens when it’s sunny in SF:

I think everyone else had the same idea to go to the park because there were so many people! Including this dog that has a balloon tied to it so its owner can find it easily…

Housemates! (minus 1)

THIS KID. This kid made my day. I want to say he was…10? 12 years old?!

There’s something about this mug of diner coffee that just has so much loving personality <3

The streets were crazy crowded! In a good way…

I wish every weekend could be sunny and fun like this! Happy Friday!!! :)

most importantly.

Life, Quote, Self-Exploration No Responses »

May 082012

“Most importantly, if you can at all avoid it, don’t be normal. Strive, burn and do everything you can to avoid being the industry standard. Even the highest industry standard. Be greater than anything anyone else has ever dreamed of you. Don’t settle for pats on the back, salary increases, a nod-and-a-smile. Instead, rage against the tepidness of the mundane with every fiber of whatever makes you, you. Change this place.

Please, do that for me.”

{via i wrote this for you}

Lemon Bars

Baking, Dessert, Food, Life, Recipe 5 Responses »

Apr 302012

Some days just are just off days. So for the days when it downpours and you forget your umbrella, your coffee that you hadn’t even taken one sip of falls out of your hand and spills all over the floor, or when your bank account happens to be much lower than you remember, I have something for you. For the trip you spent so much time planning that isn’t happening anymore, that day you find a parking ticket on your car, or even better, your car breaks down and you find out you have to drop a pretty penny to fix it. That day you feel guilty about not spending more time with your family, avoiding a messy house when you know it will only take 20 minutes to clean, or the day where just nothing seems to fit.

For days like those, there are these lemon bars. These lemon bars are here to pick you up and fix whatever is happening. Tangy yet sweet and comforting lemon bars to brighten your day. That’s right, lemon bars are the secret cure to any off day, didn’t you know that?!

Now you do…and there are no more excuses about “bad days”. I actually don’t really believe in bad days. I believe a day is what you make of it. But I will say that there are off days. Yes, those come and go every now and then. But no biggie, it happens.

These lemon bars also taste great with success. Make them in celebration or bring them to a party. There’s no way that this classic dessert won’t add to the fun. No matter the mood or event, you can’t resist them, really.

Lemon Bar Recipe (Adapted from Betty Crocker)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest (I roughly used the entire lemon)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
Additional powdered sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix the butter, flour, and powered sugar together. Press the crust mixture in an ungreased square pan. Make sure you make the crust about 1/2 inch higher on the sides of the pan than the bottom. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes.

3. While the crust is baking, whisk the granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, baking powder, salt, and eggs together until well combined. Beat on high until the mixture starts to get fluffy. Then, when the crust is ready, pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust.

4. Pop it back into the oven for another 25-30 minutes. The bars should be done when the top is golden brown and it doesn’t make an indentation when you lightly touch the center of it. Let the bars completely cool, and then dust with powdered sugar.

5. Cut into square and enjoy!

UC Davis Picnic Day 2012

Breakfast, Coffee, Cooking, Drinks, Food, Friendship, Guest post, Life 3 Responses »

Apr 242012

If I stand behind my beliefs and the entire existence of this blog, then “life tastes like food”. Life should be adventurous, bold, daring, and enjoyable. It should be sweet, savory, meaningful, and tasty. I’ve been so wrapped up with work that I have forgotten to enjoy these bites of life lately. Until last weekend, that is.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the feeling of working hard as well but sometimes taking personal time to just enjoy the company of others is much needed.

Step back. Take a breath. Smile. Sit. Enjoy.

Last weekend, I took a break from my weekly routine and spent some time back in Davis with a group of my closest friends. Friends near and far made their way back to Davis last weekend for UC Davis’ Annual Picnic Day, which is basically a huge open house for the UCD campus. Events go on all day long including Battle of the Bands, Doxin (weener dog!) races at the Pavillion, cow milking, and much more.

We UC Davis alumni like to take advantage of this day every year by catching up, playing lawn games, BBQing, and checking out all of the fun events that go on throughout the day. MAN, was it fun! It was so nice to see everyone and be back in my college town.

And we walked everywhere! Meaning, I exercised. <– Lame, I know but yes, I deem that exercise. I swear I’ll make it to the gym one of these days.

Oh, and remember all the guest posts I featured around Thanksgiving/Christmas? Many in this group were contributors! I’ve made shout outs to them throughout the post.

Anyway, here is the weekend documented via Instagram:

We started the day with a great breakfast. BACON! Thick cuts of amazing bacon…

There were also pancakes…shaped like koalas. That is talent right there, my friends.

We didn’t have any milk for the coffee but it worked out because we came up with the best drink of all time. Ready for this? Coffee, Kahlua, and a scoop of ICE CREAM! It. was. amazing. The combination of hot and cold was SO TASTY! Try it. Seriously.

Davis is a town all about bikes. It was only fitting to bring out the tandem and take it for a spin.

We played instruments and jammed out for a while. And by we, I mean my friends. I can’t play the drums, bass, or….

…RAKE. Yes, a rake is a musical instrument!

The weather was sunny and great. [Shout out to Amanda and Kristin! Remember their guest posts?!]

Food, beer, and a…hammer?! They were fixing up the tandem bike when I made them stop so I could snap this pic. [Will (tye die) and Tammer (bottom right) also wrote guests posts for LTLF!]

We also walked around at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Davis. It was so hot but the heat didn’t stop us from eating Indian food…nothing stops us from eating Indian food.

Vegetarian naan wrap:

Current housemate + old housemate = an overly happy me

After spending some time on Campus checking out the events, we played lawn games! This is a homemade ladderball set, folks.

Flowers were in bloom. Look at how awesome this looks:

Remember how I said Davis is all about bikes? This picture below proves it. Custom screen printed t-shirts. The UC Davis mascot is an Aggie so I give you…a horse riding a bike! Only in Davis. There was a whole group wearing these awesome shirts. I WANT ONEEE! Go Ags! [Nicole and Sheeter also guest blogged!]

Sometimes it rains on Picnic Day but not this one! I was so happy enjoy the warm weather and spend some time with Monica (another LTLF guest blogger!).

And it wouldn’t have been a complete trip to Davis if we didn’t make a visit to an all-you-can-eat sushi bar. It was just what I needed to end the weekend. I was so happy…stuffing my face with ungodly amounts of sushi.

What a fabulous weekend. :) Wish I could do it all again.

P.S. Recipe post to come later this week. I KNOW…exciting :)

Oh, the places you’ll go…for lunch!

Food, Life, Lunch 8 Responses »

Mar 282012

I haven’t posted for a little over a week, but for some reason it feels like it’s been 6 months! Now that I’ve started this new job, I’m working a lot (and on the weekends) so it’s been harder to get some free time to cook. However, I’ve decided that I’m just not going to let work…be an issue. I’ll just have to find time to fit in some cooking and work it into my schedule.

The only post I had for you guys today is about cauliflower gratin and it’s just not a cauliflower day for me :) So instead, let’s talk about all the fun places I’ve been to for lunch lately! The work office is in the SOMA district of San Francisco so it has all sorts of great food in the area.

Sidebar: I’ve been spending all of my commute time playing Draw Something recently! WOW. Is anyone else loving this game?! It’s sucked up my life. If you want to play, my username is lifetasteslikefood…let’s draw! (Warning: I’m horrible.) But I digress.

Back to the lunches…let’s have a look at a couple places I’ve visited lately, shall we?

Le Truc

This isn’t just a food truck, it’s a bus! And you can sit inside it and eat your meal! I order the portobello sandwich (pictured below). It comes with provolone, cabernet marinara, portobello mushrooms, sautéed onions, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and pepperoncini. It’s really tasty IF you’re a big fan of portobello! :)

Little Skillet

Our office has a weird obsession with fried chicken, particularly because the DOUGHNUT shop next door has the best fried chicken ever!!! You think that’d be weird (fried chicken and doughnuts on the same menu)..but it’s so delicious it doesn’t even matter. This isn’t the doughnut shop but Little Skillet has great fried chicken and what you see below is a bacon wrapped hot dog on a WAFFLE bun. with pickles. Sayyy what?!

Ironside

The picture isn’t the best but THIS SANDWICH was really delicious. It’s the slow roasted turkey with smoked gouda, arugula, and onion jam. Ohh, so good.

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen

This restaurant has a special where you can get a small sandwich and a soup for lunch. I got the Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese (chevre, monterey jack, applewood-smoked bacon, and apricot-jalpeno relish) and the smoky tomato soup. It also came with an apple. Both were really good but the portions were so tiny. Even the apple was miniature! Didn’t get a pic of the food but I enjoyed reading this while I waited for my food. What a fun idea!

I DOOOO plan on cooking or baking this weekend so get ready for a fun post. I also have more of these fun pictures and restaurant highlights so expect to see more in the future! Goal for next month: make more free time to cook…and join a gym! Let’s hope it happens!! haha

Happy lovely Wednesday, everyone! :)

(Vegan) Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake with Baileys Icing

Baking, Dessert, Food, Holiday, Life, Recipe 7 Responses »

Mar 162012

Ok, I don’t know if Guinness is 100% vegan (whoops!)…actually, I’m pretty sure it’s not thanks to my good buddy and his internet research skills! Aaand while we’re at it, Baileys Irish Cream doesn’t really make the vegan cut either…

BUT BUT BUT…if you want the cake to be vegan, replace the Guinness with warm coffee and instead of the icing, drizzle melted chocolate or simply dust the cake with some powdered sugar.

This is adapted from Joy the Baker’s Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe. It’s the perfect recipe because she created the recipe hoping that you would be able to find all (or at least almost all!) of the ingredients already in your pantry. She’s such a genius :)

I tweaked it a little in honor of St. Patrick’s Day! I added a little stout, a little Irish cream, and some festive green sprinkles…yum! I also reduced some of the sugar. I think the cake turned out to be the perfect sweetness but if you want it a little sweeter, I’ve added some notes in the recipe below.

I’ve also got an Irish Cream bundt cake with Baileys Glaze for ya if that’s more your style…bundt cakes all around for St. Paddy’s Day!

I hope you get to try the cake out and enjoy a piece or two this weekend! Go green! :)

Simple Vegan Chocolate Cake (Adapted from Joy the Baker)

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Guinness
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Small handful of chocolate chips (or dairy-free vegan chocolate chips)

For the icing:

1 cup powered sugar
Baileys Irish Cream

Optional: green sprinkles or powdered sugar for garnish

Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan with vegetable shortening and then dust the bundt pan with some cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Guinness, oil, and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients (all at once) to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until everything is well incorporated. Add the chocolate chips.

The batter will be thick and almost more dough-like. If it is too thick to mix everything together well, put the mixing bowl in the microwave for 15 seconds to soften slightly and then keep mixing. You can repeat this 2 or 3 times if necessary but try to not let the batter get too warm.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. (I actually scooped big chunks into the bunt pan and then spread the batter evenly with a rubber spatula.)

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester is inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is baking, place the powdered sugar in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of Baileys Irish Cream. Stir until mixture is well incorporated. Continue this step (add 1 tablespoon at a time then stir) until you get the desired thickness of the icing. Tip: a little Irish Cream goes a long way so add slowly! Set icing aside.

Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. After the cake is cooled, spoon the icing into a ziplock bag and snip off a little bit of the corner. Drizzle the icing on the cake and let it harden (about 10 minutes). If you don’t make the icing, dust cake with powdered sugar. Then serve.

Sweetness: If you like your chocolate cakes on the sweet side, either add another 1/4 cup of sugar to the recipe or throw in an extra handful of chocolate chips. I think the cake tasted fine without adding anymore sweetness but the stout does bring down the sweetness a little bit.

Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Kitchen’s Chicken and Waffles

Friendship, Life, Lunch, Restuarants 3 Responses »

Mar 122012

Please excuse the low-quality iPhone 3 camera pictures but this place was just so good I HAD to share it with you all! (Plus, I just got an new phone so no more low-quality phone pictures after this! Can a get a woot woot?!)

Tucked away in an industrial part of West Oakland, there lies a diamond in the ruff. Brown Sugar Kitchen is an amazing place for soul food! I went last weekend with my cousin, and we had such a great time. We arrived around 1:30 for a late lunch and was told that there was about a 45 minute wait. It was a really sunny and beatiful day so we didn’t mind hanging out outside for a bit. Plus, the restaurant closes at 3pm on Sundays so we knew we couldn’t come back later in the day. The. wait. was. totally. WORTH. IT.

We were seated at the counter, and the waitress told us the specials of the day. My cousin and I decided to order two dishes and then split them so we could try a little bit of everything. Right away, we knew we were going to get an order of the “buttermilk fried chicken and cornmeal waffle with brown sugar butter and apple cider syrup.” After all, neither of us had tried chicken and waffles before (shame on us!) and the combination just sounded so intriguing.

We also ended up ordering the catfish po’ boy (one of the specials of the day) with a side of smoked mashed sweet potatoes. When the dishes arrived, we were pretty much drooling. Everything looked incredible.

My first bite of the fried chicken blew my mind. The breading was nicely seasoned and the chicken was so juicy! Then I took a bite of the waffle, and it was the lightest, freshest cornmeal waffle I have EVER tasted. Put those two together and you have an unstoppable dynamic duo right there. The syrup was divine as well!

Then we tried the catfish po’ boy. It was definitely a delicious sandwich with the perfect combination of all the ingredients that make a great po’ boy.

However, what really caught my cousin and I by surprise was the smoked mashed sweet potatoes! After the first bite, I literally stopped and said, “WOAH, this is…smokey.” I guess I knew what I was eating but wasn’t prepared for the strong flavor. I thought there was just going to be a hint of smokey flavor but it was definitely a huge component of the dish. At first, my cousin was surprised by the amount of smokiness as well, but after about 3 bites we were use to it and really enjoyed the unique taste.

Brown Sugar Kitchen is really a wonderful place to eat. If you’re in the Bay Area, I highly suggest you try it out. Honestly, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about their chicken and waffles since! Help me.

Oh, and I have a great St. Paddy’s Day recipe coming up on Wednesday! (Hint: Two main ingredients are chocolate and Guinness.) So excited to share it with you!

Happy Monday, lovely friends :)

Nutella Crescent Rolls

Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Food, Life, Recipe 13 Responses »

Feb 272012

My last post was a little over a week ago, but for some reason, it feels like it’s been 3 months! I’ve been keeping busy with my new job. Veryyy busy. It’s very fast-paced, exciting, and I’m learning a lot. Fueled by caffeine like never before, this is definitely a new experience that I’m still taking in!

So my poor blog has been pushed to the wayside…but I refuse, REFUSE (!!!) to let it remain like this. So, slowly but surely, I’m getting back into the groove. I planned on making two great recipes over the weekend but sadly, I only made one. The second dish was replaced with 2 Grey’s Anatomy episodes and a Mad Men episode (don’t judge my awesome TV show selections!).

Without further adieu, I give you…nutella crescent rolls. NUTELLA! If I could marry it, I would. Not only did this take under 30 minutes to make from start to finish, but it also tastes. just. heavenly.

With my busy schedule lately, it was the perfect thing to make this weekend. Granted, this is definitely more of a Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade version, but it totally works. You can make it, little kids can make it, your cat can probably even make it. Ok, well maybe not your cat, but I promise, it’s so simple! We all win!

Just get a can of crescent roll dough and spread some nutella on there like so…

Then roll them up and put them on a baking sheet.

After they bake, let them cool for 5 minutes, and then dust with some powdered sugar. That’s ALL! You will be feasting in no time.

Make this, eat up, and enjoy!

Nutella Crescent Rolls

1 package of Pilsbury Crescent Rolls (8 count)
Nutella
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll the crescent roll dough. Spread a thin layer of nutella on each piece of dough (stopping about an inch or two before the end of the skinnier side). Roll the crescent rolls up. After they’re rolled up, make sure you roll them back and forth a couple of times to seal the edges of the dough.

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes and then dust with some powdered sugar. The rolls can be served immediately or last a couple of days if tightly wrapped.

Cheddar Vegetable Chowder

Cooking, Dinner, Food, Health, Life, Recipe 15 Responses »

Feb 162012

Good morninggg, friends! Hope everyone’s day is off to a good start. I don’t know about you guys, but it’s been really chilly in San Francisco lately. Nice and sunny but really cold! There were a couple days when it has rained, but other than that I’d say this winter has been pretty weird.

Nonetheless, I have been craving soup like it’s about to go out of style. Any kind, really. Tomato, cream of broccoli, beef stew, chicken noodle, and the list goes on. I started looking up soups on Pinterest. [Side bar--GAH, Pinterest. I'm addicted. Are you guys on it? If so, follow me or leave your link in the comments and I will follow you!]

Anyway, so I decided to make this veggie chowder, and it is SO GOOD! And healthy! Unlike other creamy soups, there’s no cream, half and half, or sour cream at all in this recipe! It just calls for milk and cheddar cheese as the thickening agent.

I will warn you though, the soup is definitely not as thick as a normal chowder but I think it’s better that way. If you want it a little thicker, just slowly add some more flour a little bit at a time (keep in mind that it will also thicken as it cools). You can really taste all of the flavors of the veggies, and this lovely meal take under an hour to make. That, my friends, is a good soup.

Top it off with some more shredded cheddar cheese, and toast a big slice of sourdough bread to accompany your meal.

Dinner is served! (And there will be leftovers for lunch!)

Cheddar Vegetable Chowder (adapted from Lulu the Baker)

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 large baking potatoes, chopped (I like to keep the skin on but feel free to peel them!)
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup milk
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 cup corn
2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus additional for garnish

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, and saute until tender. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook 1 or 2 additional minutes. Then, add the chicken broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. After it starts to boil, reduce to medium heat and cover until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes or so). Mix the flour and water together and add it to the mixture. Simmer until soup is slightly thickened. Then, add milk, broccoli, and corn. Cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through. Stir in the cheese and allow it to melt. Top with some freshly grated cheese and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Holiday, Life 2 Responses »

Feb 142012

{Photo via Pinterest}

Let’s be in love today.

Maybe it’s with a special someone.

Maybe it’s with yourself.

Maybe it’s with your family and friends.

Maybe it’s with a tidy house to come home to.

Maybe it’s with your cute puppy.

Maybe it’s with how strong you are.

Maybe it’s with life.

Whatever it is…feel it, and embrace that feeling. Because no one can ever have or feel too much love. We heal and grow with love, so today let’s celebrate it!

Let’s be in love today.

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! :)