Costco is for Coats (and Polish Sausages)

(Calvin Klein Coat, AE Jeans)

So I normally go to Costco to buy polish sausages. And I usually buy two at a time because I'm addicted to eating. Once I had a friend (she loves eating as much as I do) buy two of them, and the cashier skipped me afterwards thinking that my friend had bought one of them for me. When she apologized and explained her mistake, we both laughed. Like one polish sausage each was enough for us.

Anyways, point is I never think, "Oh, maybe I'll stop by Costco for some clothes", even though I'm fully aware that they sell them. But this Calvin Klein coat has been one of my most practical purchases. It's probably the warmest coat I own (taking into account that the areas where I've lived have no weather), and it works with anything from jeans to dresses because it's so simple.

And the label on the sleeve, for whatever reason, makes me really happy.

Upgrading That Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

So I've never been a huge rice fan. Or a sandwich person. Thus, during college my staple of carbs usually came in the form of pasta. Also, as I was often busy (aka. lazy), I ended up buying the pasta sauce from the little on-campus store near my apartment. Honestly though, it wasn't that good (ie. there was no meat), so I would occasionally "upgrade" a jar and store it in the fridge for the rest of the week.  

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion (I really like onions)

About a 1/2 lb of ground meat (I used pork)

1 jar desired pasta sauce (mine was a 25oz jar)

1 can of stewed tomatoes (don't get those nasty little diced ones, you want big chunky tomatoes)
1/2 cup Red Wine
1/5 cup red wine vinegar

Pinch of: Oregano, sage, basil, chives, paprika, garlic salt (If you don't have these, it's ok)

Several cloves of fresh ground garlic

tons of black pepper
Handful of capers (optional)
Tons of shredded Parmesan cheese

Step 1: Get yo' ingredients ready (I have a spice hoarding problem)

Step 2: Dice an onion (breathe through your mouth to stop some of the pain!)

Step 3: Throw the onions into a deep pot with some cooking oil* on med-high heat and cook till transparent.

Step 4: Make sure there isn't too much water from the onions left in the pan (or else your meat will end up being boiled/steamed instead of browning). Throw in your ground meat and stir for a couple minutes, seasoning it with all of your spices. I personally really like lots of fresh ground black pepper. LOTS OF IT. 

Step 5: Throw in your chunky tomatoes. Stir a bit, then pour in your wine. Turn the heat to med-low and let the wine reduce, about 5 minutes. Give it a stir every now and then.

Step 6: Pour in your jar of pasta sauce and vinegar and give it a stir. You can throw in some capers at this point if you happen to have any (most people probably don't). Reduce to low heat and let simmer for 10 minutes while you prepare your spaghetti (don't forget to salt the water! Also I personally like cooking the pasta a minute less than suggested on the packages for a more 'Al Dente' texture).

Step 7: Plate your pasta. Throw on your desired amount of freshly ground garlic, then ladle some sauce on top. Then throw on a ton of Parmesan cheese while it's still hot. Also avoid talking to your friends afterwards with your garlic breath, it turns out they don't appreciate it very much.

*When you pan fry things, try to avoid using olive oil. It burns (yuck) at a lower temperature than many other cooking oils, and a lot of its beneficial properties are lost when this happens anyways.

There's Nothing in Between

(Ann Taylor Loft Vest, H&M Top, 2b Bebe Skort, Target Sunglasses)

Took these on the road somewhere between SoCal and NorCal. There's such a long stretch of nothing going on between the two areas, aside from the occasional smell of cows.

This vest is the puffiest, most comfortable thing. I'm basically wearing a pillow with a super-soft fuzzy hood. The best part is that the hood is removable. And yes, sometimes I walk around with the fuzzy hood on my head without the vest attached. People do that, right?

Hana Japanese Restaurant

Pretty (but not all that functional) Chopstick Rest

Ankimo (Monk Fish Liver)

 Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp)

 Fried head of the Amaebi

Sashimi Sampler and Yummy Roll

So there isn't much in the way of Asian culture going on around Rohnert Park, but as far as Asian restaurants Hana is good enough. It's a small restaurant that features fine Japanese cuisine, with gorgeous presentation and a variety of choices.

The food is good, but nothing too crazy. Their selection of sashimi includes more expensive items such as chutoro (fatty tuna) and mirugai (geoduck clam), as well as simpler things such as tamago (egg) and sake (salmon).

Anyways, what really impressed me was their service and honesty. My mom was feeling a little under the weather, and so she didn't finish her nabeyaki udon. After we had paid and left, the waiter called me (they had my number from my reservation) and apologized profusely for the udon, saying that the broth wasn't prepared correctly and that he should have made sure with my mom that the soup was to her liking. He apologized again, then informed us that they had canceled the udon on the bill for their mistake.

Mom thought the udon tasted fine.

  

Miette Macarons

There are tons of places that sell macarons, but the ones from Miette in San Francisco are probably the most unique of all the macarons I've had. They use course ground almond flour instead of the fine kind, and so their cookies have much more of a.... "cookie" texture. I find many fine flour macarons to be chewier and stickier, almost like a cross between a cookie and candy. They also don't add food coloring, which I find actually makes the macarons look more appetizing (I'm not overly fond of artificially colored foods for no particular reason). However, this means that most of the cookies look kind of similar and you have to be able to smell them apart or spot the very tiny difference in color (I accidentally ate my mom's chocolate-orange macaron, thinking it was my chocolate-only one).

The filling of the cookie is very light. You either get a buttercream or a ganache, depending on the flavor. I personally like the buttercream better. Their cookie flavors include vanilla, rose-geranium, pistachio, hazelnut, chocolate, chocolate-orange, and grapefruit, my favorite being the pistachio.

Blue is the Rain

(Talbots Coat, H&M Shorts, Target Tights and Sunglasses)

We stopped in San Francisco over the weekend for a tiny bit, and one of my favorite places to visit is their Ferry Building (cause food). My friend introduced me to the place about a year ago, and I've been back a few times since for their grilled cheeses/charcuterie platters/macarons/I could go on forever.

Anyways, it was raining for most of my trip, so I equipped myself with this coat that I've otherwise had very little use for in Los Angeles. Also, I've developed a dislike for jeans on trips that involve a lot of driving (they're not the most comfortable of things), and so I decided that tights and leggings with shorts would have to do against the rain and cold.

Meanwhile the weather had a go at my hair, which took on an indecisive, soggy, windblown funk that attempted to eat my face.  

Smoked Salmon Salad

This salad incorporates the salty flavor of lox (smoked salmon) with the sweetness of a honey balsamic dressing over mixed greens for a refreshing dish. This light salad is great for warm days, and you'll probably be hungry again before long. Because it's a salad.

Ingredients:

Salad:

2 cups mixed spring greens

1 tomato, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 an avocado, cut into bite-sized pieces

few slices of lox (as desired)

Lemon juice, black ground pepper and dill, to taste

Dressing:

1 tsp honey

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Put both ingredients in a microwave-safe cup. Microwave on high for 30 seconds to let it "reduce". Let cool. It should be slightly thicker.

Instructions:

Place the greens, tomato, and avocado in a large bowl. Sprinkle with pepper, dill, and lemon juice, then toss with the dressing. Lay the lox pieces on top. 

ALSO don't smell the vapor when you open the microwave. It buurrrnnnss.