Cooper’s Favorite Treats

I can honestly say that we spoil our dog, Cooper. We rescued him a couple of years ago and since then, have grown our bond with him. He really is the sweetest thing and we love him more than anything. So we make sure that we give him plenty of good treats as part of his training and just as snacks maybe for after dinner or when we leave the house. We generally try to choose snacks that are good for him like dental chews to help with his teeth, bully sticks, yak sticks, etc. Here are a few that we often get for him!

Christmas Gift Guide: For the Foodie and Cook

I haven’t written a Foodie Friday post in a while so I thought I’d do a gift guide that’s food based! Here is a guide for the foodie and cook in your life!

Stackable Lunch Pot • Black + Blum
Nordstrom At Home Marble Acorn Cutting Board • Nordstrom
Anthropologie Delaney Measuring Spoon Set • Anthropologie
Cuisinart Ice-45 Ice Cream Maker, Soft Serve Mix-it-In • Cuisinart
Williams Sonoma Make and Gift Holiday Cookie Baking Kit • Williams-Sonoma
Anthropologie Biata Apron • Anthropologie
A Year of Cozy Project and Recipe Book • World Market
Tea Drop Sampler
KitchenAid® Ultra Power Plus 4.5 Qt Tilt-Head Stand Mixer – KSM96 • KitchenAid
Dash Mini Waffle Maker
Keurig® K-ClassicTM K55 Single-Serve K-Cup® Pod Coffee Maker • Keurig
Cuisinart Wm-SW2 Sandwich Grill, Brushed Chrome • Cuisinart

Runa Teas

Everyone that knows me knows that I love teas! I’m not much of a coffee drinker but get me a refreshing tea or chai, and I’m all set! Runa Tea is a great refreshing option and I love the story behind their company. Runa teas and energy drinks are all natural, so they are naturally sweetened and caffeinated. They are made of guayusa leaves, which come from the Amazonian forest and tended to by Kichwa farmers, who are the indigenous people of the Amazon. The teas not only protect and preserve the Amazon rainforest, but also provide support for independent farmers. Guayusa leaves need the shade from the hardwood trees in the Amazonian rainforest, so in order for it to thrive, the Amazonian rainforest has to thrive as well.

It comes in a few different flavors and are very smooth with a subtle hint of sweetness, which is perfect for my palette. I don’t like overly sweet drinks, so this works out perfectly for me! My fiance tried out one of the energy drinks because he works night shifts sometimes and he was raving about it! He said it was really tasty and definitely gave him a boost of energy for work.

Thanks Runa for sponsoring this post! 🙂

Museum of Ice Cream

I went with some friends to visit the ever so popular Museum of Ice Cream! We jumped on getting tickets to this the moment we heard it was coming to Los Angeles. Ice cream is one of the best things in the world and I couldn’t possibly miss a whole museum of it! The Museum of Ice Cream is a temporary exhibit but due to its popularity, it’s time here has been extended a couple of times. If you haven’t gone yet, I recommend going as soon as you can get your hands on the tickets!

We had tons of yummy treats and really had a surprisingly fun time in the sprinkle pool! I was a little hesitant when I first heard about the pool, but I really did enjoy it! 🙂 Just a warning, you’ll find sprinkles wedged in your clothes when you get home!

OUTFIT
Cardigan (Similar HERE)| Blouse| Jeans| Booties| Bucket Bag

Foodie Friday: A Weekend in Portland

The fiance and I took a little weekend getaway to Portland and because I couldn’t really take some time off of work, we were really only there for about a day and half. So we flew in late Friday night and left early Sunday afternoon. With such little time there, we tried our best to maximize our eating experience by coming up with a strategy for our meals! We agreed to choose a dish that both of us want and then getting a smaller dish of some sort with it. That way, we don’t get too stuffed, get to try what we want, and be ready to eat more shortly after!

Check out what we had!

SCREEN DOOR

We went here for brunch through recommendations from our friends. They serve a cajun inspired brunch menu that is drool worthy! We got the shrimp and grits and their bacon praline waffle. Although we kept seeing everyone order the chicken and waffles, we didn’t feel the need to have it there and really just wanted to get the shrimp and grits. I stand by our decision because we were the perfect level of fullness and both dishes were absolutely tasty! I highly recommend coming here but be prepared to wait if you come on the weekend. It was just the two of us and we waited about 45 minutes to get seated.

 

LARDO

We discovered this spot from the Food Network and have been wanting to try it ever since! After hearing constant ravings about porchetta from our friend and finding out that Lardo has an amazing porchetta sandwich, we knew that we had to come here. They specialize in pork and meaty sandwiches. Porchetta is almost like a thick slice of pork belly so it’s mouthwatering juicy goodness. We got a side of crispy pig ears to go with it and loved every bite of our food. We need to come back and try some of their other sandwiches!

 

PINE STATE

This was also a huge recommendation from our friends. We came here for breakfast before we had to catch a flight back to LA, so we made sure to arrive early in case there was a long wait. Plus, I also wanted to get a little dessert after so we really needed to try to fit everything in before we left. 😛

We got there bright and early and maybe waited about 10 minutes to order. Once we ordered, we grabbed a number and sat at the counter where we could see them make the dishes and where all the magic happens. Once again, we went with our fail proof strategy by ordering a biscuit to share and a side dish of some sort. We got the biscuit that included fried chicken, honey mustard, pickles, with a side of sausage gravy. And our second dish was their corn dog. I know, corn dog? I have a weakness for corn dogs so anytime I see it on a menu, I have to get it!

Both was really really good. Especially for breakfast. It also didn’t feel incredibly heavy so we had plenty of room for dessert! Stop by here if you’re like me and LOVE biscuits and gravy. You can’t go wrong!

 

PIP’S ORIGINAL DOUGHNUTS

Pip’s was our last stop for the weekend. I knew we had to get donuts, but since Voodoo moved down to LA and Blue Star wasn’t very convenient for us to get to, we decided on Pip’s. Well, it was mostly the chai tea flight that won me over. I’ve never seen this anywhere and because I am a huge chai lover, this was a must! For the two us, we ordered half of dozen, which was 1 of every flavor they offered. The donuts are small/ mini sized and are almost like cake donuts. Slightly crispy outside and soft inside. Love that they are made to order!

The chai flight, oh the chai flight. I fell in love with the lavender flavor and it was so fun to be able to try out all the other flavors too. The fiance liked the coconut milk one! So much better than an alcoholic flight! 🙂

 

Foodie Friday

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN

I always love coming here for brunch and wanted to dedicate an entire Foodie Friday post to this place! They have so many healthy options for when I want to have a lighter and nutritious meal, except when I decide to add on sweets and pastries. I dare you to try to NOT get any of their pastries!

My sister and I went to have brunch together and my eyes went straight to these little pancakes! They are super cute and bite sized but smothered in syrup, powdered sugar, and finished with a dollop of whipped butter. Good thing we shared it! We each also got our own dishes so I also got my veggies in! 🙂

Foodie Friday

HART AND HUNTER

We went here for brunch for a little pick me up after everything that’s been going on and it really did cheer me up. The restaurant is located in the Palihotel on Melrose and is such a great little spot to visit. The hotel is super trendy and very cool so I do recommend stopping by. The waitress came by to take our order and after asking her what dishes she recommends, she just said that everything there is really good. You can’t really go wrong with anything, and boy was she right! All of our food was amazing and you HAVE to get the biscuits! Run over there now!

 

Foodie Friday: Sydney, AUS

The second half of our trip was spent with my family in Sydney, AUS. We ate past our stomachs’ capacity while we were here. My family spared no expense to make sure that we were full at every single moment we were there which I would have to say, they succeeded. I was never hungry and we ate tons and tons of food. My fiancé gained about 10 pounds by the end of our trip. Fiancé, still weird saying that! 🙂

Here’s ALMOST everything we ate during our time here! Enjoy!

Cured meat platter at Meat District Co.

Bone marrow at Meat District Co.

Party Platter at Meat District Co. Includes pork ribs, beef ribs, burger, salad, fries, steak, and sauces.

Gazpacho at Cafe Sydney

Shrimp at Cafe Sydney

Clams and Shrimp at Cafe Sydney

Dessert Platter at Cafe Sydney

Sausage Sandwiches

Pastries at Brewtown Newtown

Salmon Benedict on Brioche Buns

Cronuts at Brewtown Newtown

Giant platter of seafood

Foodie Friday: Things We Ate in New Zealand

We ate tons of food on our trip and I didn’t fail to take pictures of almost everything! All in all, I would say the most popular things to eat that we saw were meat pies, green lipped mussels, and fish and chips! Those were definitely on almost every menu we saw. I really enjoyed the seafood there. Everything was so fresh and great quality. Check out all of our yummy eats below!

Battered fish, a fish cake, and a side spinach salad.

Gelato

Hazelnut gelato from Island Gelato Company

Our dinner from Oyster Inn

Smoked eel with bread

Roasted potatoes with parmesan and chives

Raw Oysters

Yogurt and granola and an oyster omelette

Brunch at Cafe 88

Toast with cottage cheese, hummus, pesto, spinach, tomato, avocado, and a poached egg. Side of mushrooms.

Fish cakes with smoked salmon, tomato, avocado, and hollandaise.

Smoked salmon platter with blinis

Our entire lunch at Federal

Poutine

Fennel salad

Reuben sandwich

Bone Marrow at Depot

Pork hock with an apple slaw and a side of asparagus

Amazing pork hock

Panna cotta

Foodie Friday

DELUCA’S ITALIAN DELI in Glendale, CA

The boyfriend and I were shopping around the Americana on Brand one afternoon and I really needed sustenance for all of the walking around, so we stumbled on this Italian deli smackdab in the middle of the shopping area and decided to give it a try! We each got a sandwich- he got a porchetta panini and I got a baguette with mortadella and fresh mozzarella. Add on a side of soup and a bottle of Pellegrino and our meal is complete! I really really liked my sandwich and thought it really hit the spot. Definitely gave me the energy I needed to continue walking and head onto the next activity!

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WINSOME in Echo Park, Los Angeles

I’ve been here for brunch before and loved it so when my friend said he wanted to go here for a birthday lunch, I was more than happy to join! I grabbed myself a small coffee and we ordered several dishes to share. The food is so colorful, fresh, and super yummy that I can’t really describe everything, so I’m just going to keep it short and sweet and just tell you guys that you need to go try it for yourself!

They have great drinks both non-alcoholic and alcoholic. Since I don’t drink alcohol, I’ve had the horchata and coffee, both of which were delicious! I also recommend their potato chips and salmon rosti.

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AMAZEBOWLS at Smorgasburg LA

This was my second time at Smorgasburg in DTLA and I think I may have eaten more this time around. I went with the family and everyone got different things to share. It was like Thanksgiving, street food style. A cornucopia of delicious items! Didn’t really get to take a picture of everything we ate except this beautifully made Acai bowl from Amazebowls. It was really refreshing and I love that they put it in a coconut and added little edible flowers on it.

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