Mid-Winter Get Away (Pt 3-Nuggets!!!!!!!!)

i felt that my favorite feature of la jolla required it's own post. this area of san diego is famous for it's population of SEALS!!!!!!!! or as tony calls them "fat little sea nuggets". he's not wrong. they are kind of nugget-ish. this little cove was originally meant to be a beach for children to play on. a sea wall was built on one side to create a smooth wading area. but rather than attracting children? it became the nesting ground for dozens of harbor seals!!  look at all those blobs just chilling in the sand....

i could've spent all day watching these fat and happy seals lounging and playing in the surf. 

you can see the little flipper tracks this guy left in the sand. it's so adorably awkward to watch them "flop" along dry land. but once they get in the water? they zoom and flip and dive with an amazing speed and accuracy.

happy seals, bathing in the waves!

this little guy was trucking along up the beach! he was my favorite "nugget".  *having technical difficulties uploading the video....hopefully will load soon!*

just a little way up the coast line and there is a whole other cache of adorableness. sea lions!!! i never really saw the difference between seals and sea lions until i saw them so close together. seals? move by "scouching" themselves along the sand. sea lions? have back fins that stick out so they can waddle more than flop. and they bark. LOUDLY. also? they have ears that stick out. seals like to lay out on their own, while sea lions tend to huddle. look at this pack of sea lions!!!!

i love how the group on the left all have their necks wound together.....

i'm pretty sure that sea lions started the  "cuddle puddle" trend.

a rock full of sea lions! they would crawl all over each other to get in and out of the water. and nobody seemed to mind....

you can hear their loud "barks"! *another attempt at a video upload....will return shortly*

Mid-Winter Get Away (Pt 2-La Jolla)

after IMATS wrapped up, tony and i hopped in our rental car and headed south down I-5 to la jolla, a beautiful area just north of san diego. since we didn't have a lot of time to spend here, we wanted to focus more on the beaches, wildlife and hiking, and less on the downtown attractions. so this area was perfect!

just a few minutes away from our hotel and we were walking along the shores of the pacific. i love the geology of this area. the steep and rocky shorelines. the natural caves and arches. the beautiful waves that crash along the beach. this particular stretch attracted a small group of surfers trying their luck. you can see one just on the edge of this crest!

the colors here were amazing. lush green grass with bright flowers against that beautiful dark blue/green of the ocean. we lucked out that the weather was post-card perfect for a stroll this monday morning!

the cliffs get pretty steep pretty quickly here.

this is where the surfers end and the wildlife of the area takes over. the rocks in the water make for a harsh, but gorgeous environment.

there are several of these beautiful brown pelicans along the shoreline, hoping for a tasty fish dinner.

just north of la jolla is "torrey pines state reserve". an area known for it's gorgeous views. it takes a bit of a hike to get to top of this hill, but it's worth it! there are a few trails that weave along the edges of the bluffs that overlook the beautiful ocean below.

this is the tree that is the namesake for the area. apparently the torrey pine is the rarest pine tree in north america! the unique climate and soil of this area makes it the only place you will find these trees.

a happy sunshine moment with me and my boo!

Mid-Winter Get Away (Pt 1-Pasadena IMATS)

what better time than the doldrums of january to be given an opportunity to fly to southern california??? every January,  makeup artist magazine holds IMATS (the International Makeup Artists Trade Show) in Pasadena. i lucked out that work was willing to pay for me to go this year. and tony was able to get the time off work to come with me! so we spent a few days in pasadena, and then took a few extra days to drive south to san diego. a quick trip, but a wonderful break from the dreary grey weather of northern virginia! look how gorgeous that blue sky is flying over LAX!

i actually really enjoy the area of pasadena (or as steve martin pronounces it in LA Story..."pah-sahd-na"). it's a quieter suburb of LA that isn't as crazy and touristy as the downtown area. quaint neighborhoods with adorable local restaurants. we stayed at a little hotel within walking distance to the convention center, and spent the off hours strolling along the sidewalks. it was a little chillier than i was hoping, just in the high 50's/low 60's. but it felt great to be outside in the sun!

this is what you typically see at IMATS. booths of vendors selling everything from false eyelashes to airbrush machines. as part of the demos there are a LOT of creatures wandering around in full prosthetic get-ups. monsters, aliens, vampires and these stone-wolf-plant creatures. i brought tony in for a little bit just to walk the floor so he could see this side of my world....and all of it's strange quirks.

this guy is complete with a light up costume. you can spend hours here watching the makeup artists at work. gluing the pieces onto the models and painstakingly airbrushing the colors onto the skin. even if you aren't a makeup artist, it's worth coming here just for the people watching!

and it's not all monsters! you'll see some fabulous displays of color and glitter! everyone brings out their most flamboyant selves.

in addition to all the vendors, there are a wealth of seminars and panels at the trade show. this year they were featuring the makeup from "the lost boys". definitely a formative movie from my early youth! this is a set up with the contact lenses, acrylic nails and facial prosthetics that were worn in the movie. ah....how many hours of my misspent youth were given to watching this cult classic?

this was the panel of experts pulled to speak to the making of "the lost boys". second from the right is none other than alex winter, a.k.a. "Bill S. Preston, Esquire"! 

http://imats.net/2017-los-angeles/

Meals 359-366

12/26 tonight tony and i splurged on a night out in des moines iowa. we stayed at the "hotel des luxe", had tickets to the iowa wild hockey game and a fantastic dinner at "splash". i was never expecting to find a good seafood restaurant in the mid-west, so was very surprised at the quality of everything we had here! tony had the scallops with a side of lobster mac and cheese that was hands down the best i've ever had. note to self-be sure to use tarragon bread crumbs if i ever try lobster mac and cheese at home. i had the surf and turf pasta with it's creamy gorgonzola sauce. yes, i realize this is a break from my meatless monday tradition, but it was worth it! i'll double up on vegetarian recipes another time.... so to anyone who's traveling through des moines i highly recommend this place!

http://splash-seafood.com

12/27 after last night's extravagant meal, tonight's was a little more.....blue collar. but still delicious! one of tony's favorite establishments in his home town is "tasty taco". a local taco joint that serves basic taco fixings like seasoned ground beef or pulled chicken in fried flour tortillas. very similar to the navajo fry bread found in the south west. it has become tradition that whenever we are in iowa? we have to have a night of tasty tacos!

http://www.tastytacos.com

12/28 tonight was a quick meal in the des moines airport while we waited for our flights. at the small bar and grill by terminal A tony and i split a play of chicken sliders and fries. they were actually pretty good. a chicken tender on a small hoagie roll with spicy cole claw and a side of shoe string fries. nothing fancy, but it got me through the flights home!

12/29 this was another recipe pulled from skinnytaste.com. i thought it was a brilliant idea! a twist on "chicken and waffles" (something i love). a chicken breast that uses toasted whole wheat waffles as the breading mixture, and a drizzle of a spicy maple syrup. a really interesting and lightened up version of a southern classic. the chicken came out juicy and had that combination of flavors that i was looking for. very successful!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/waffle-crusted-chicken-with-spicy-maple/

12/30 my last recipe to try this year!!! crazy how fast time has flown by. tonight was a twist on chicken parmesan. chicken parmesan meatballs! the meatballs combine ground chicken with a beaten egg, bread crumbs, garlic, oregano and parmesan. they are pan seared then finished off in the oven topped with marinara sauce and more parmesan cheese. i loved them! the crips they get from the pan searing made for a wonderful texture and taste. i served them on a bed of whole wheat penne with some wilted spinach (gotta get the veggies in there). i think i may like this even more than regular chicken parmesan!

12/31 i've done it!!!! i've made it to day 366!!!!!! and have yet to repeat any dinners. i've really enjoyed this goal. it's gotten me to attempt recipes that otherwise would've languished in my pinterest pages untouched. to close out the year i'm down at virginia beach to ring in the new year with my parents, siblings, and my nieces and nephews. my parents ordered a buffet of chinese food for us. sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, lo mein, fried rice, egg rolls and crab rangoon. a great feast and a wonderful way to end the year! happy new years to all!!!!!

Meals 352-358

12/19 for my meatless monday tonight i made black bean and corn quesadillas. i LOVE quesadillas. they are so simple to make and you can pretty much put anything you like in them. with some sliced onions and peppers, these were wonderfully flavorful. i used a combination of cheddar and pepper jack cheese to give that wonderful texture of the melted cheese and a little kick.

12/20 another office party tonight! i tried very hard to fill myself up on selections from the veggie tray, but did have to enjoy some of the other snacks offered. cocktail meatballs are one of those magic creations that can't be ignored! yes, the kind that starts with grape jelly as a base. they can not be resisted! those plus a deviled egg and all the veggies? i found myself pleasantly full.

12/21 as much as i love lasagna, i can only have so much of it.....and unless i'm making it for a crowd? there are always too many leftovers. so i've gotten in the habit of "lasagna rolls". filling individual cooked noodles with the fillings and rolling them up to bake in the sauce of choice. so much easier to control portions this way! tonight's lasagna variety was a creamy chicken caesar. the filling is roasted chicken mixed with wilted spinach, caesar dressing, cream cheese and parmesan. then the rolled noodles are topped with more caesar dressing and a sprinkling of more parmesan. a very rich and flavorful meal. i couldn't eat more than two of these! i recommend pairing with a salad to lighten the heavy meal a bit.

12/22 tonight was our monthly dinner club! a lovely evening out with lovely friends. tonight we met at a nearby italian place that specialized in brick oven neapolitan style pizza. i opted to try the most simple and basic (and in my opinion the most wonderful) option of the margherita. i was not disappointed! a delicate tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella and a sprinkling of basil. the crust was thin and crisp. just as it should be!

https://www.ovvioosteriava.com

12/23 i'm up at the family compound tonight to visit the 'rents for the holidays. i continued my italian kick by joining them at the local "olive tree" for dinner. i enjoyed their version of chicken marsala for my dinner. this was the first chicken marsala i ever had, and the inspiration for me learning to make my own. i still think it's one of the best restaurant versions i've ever had!

12/24 it's a sort-of tradition that my mom makes cream-of-crab soup every christmas eve for dinner. a rich and hearty soup full of lump crab meat, tender corn and spicy old bay. a wonderful holiday indulgence i always look forward to!!

12/25 merry christmas from the midwest!!! tony and i flew into des moines this afternoon to spend some holiday time with his family. it's strange weather here. strong wind and thunderstorms (more of a dark grey christmas than a white one). but spending time with his family makes up for it! his mom made one of tony's all time favorites for dinner, stuffed cabbages. she also prepared a host of other tasty eats. ham, roasted potatoes, fresh veggies, cranberry sauce......and cookies. oh so many christmas cookies!! a wonderful way to spend the holidays!!

Meals 345-351

12/12 i have been craving indian food, and decided tonight to give in! i made a tofu tikka masala tossed with a ton of green peas. typically tikka masala is a chicken dish, but this is my meatless take on the meal. and the sauce is so delectable, you don't miss the chicken! it's a tomato and cream based sauce with a ton of spices like coriander, cumin, cardamon, ginger, nutmeg, paprika and cayenne. i happened to be making gingersnaps over the weekend, so had many of those spices on hand! the simmer of those wonderful aromatics has made my kitchen smell amazing!!

12/13 another low carb night, another stuffed chicken breast!! tonight's variety was a "pizza stuffed" chicken. provolone cheese and turkey pepperoni on the inside, with marinara sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan on the outside. for a side i made some spaghetti squash with a sun-dried tomato alfredo sauce. this meal definitely satiated the craving for italian food, but eliminated the heavy carbs associated with it!

12/14 for dinner tonight i met up with some friends at neyla (a local mediterranean restaurant) for a happy hour. they have these lovely little chicken shawarma sliders that i love! tender roasted chicken with pickled onions and tzatiki on small roasted chiabata buns. so adorable and so delicious! the best part about happy hour here was that it looked directly out on to the christmas tree and ice rink set up at Reston Town Center. a perfect backdrop for a holiday outing!

12/15  tis the season.....for office holiday parties and mingling! tonight was the first of several office parties. i'm trying very hard to be good this year and avoid the dessert tables and limit myself to a few of the copious amounts of tasty hor d'oeuvres. today i snacked on a few shrimps and a small plate of fruit and cheese. though i did indulge in one of my favorite cocktail snacks....mini quiches!!! you know the kind you buy in bulk from the freezer aisle at costco? those are one of my weaknesses!!

12/16 tonight i met tony's "office parents" for a pre-holiday dinner at a local outback steakhouse. i enjoyed an appetizer of coconut shrimp and a salad. plus copious amounts of their brown bread (which i have tried to replicate with disastrous results). so tasty!!

12/17 after so many night's of social gatherings and eating out i wanted a lighter meal tonight. this has been one of my go-to healthy meals for a while now. baked tilapia with a rosemary-pecan crust. served with a side of roasted cauliflower and edamame. the crunch of the pecan on the fish is just as pleasing as if it was fried in flour and breadcrumbs, but much healthier. and tastier too!

12/18 i am a big fan of the beef barbacoa that chipotle offers, so searched all sorts of "copy cat recipes" on line. i finally settled on one that's done in a crock pot and was most happy with the results! a tender shredded beef that is sweet and spicy and delicious! tonight i served it as a lettuce wrap with roasted peppers and a dollop of sour cream. and i'm sure it will be even better tomorrow for lunch!!