Truck Truck Truck

D's Mama was in town this weekend and while our weekend wasn't jam packed with events as previous visits, we had a fun time being mellow around town.  We tried a couple new restaurants in Redondo Beach and Santa Monica, I even dragged her to see "The Help" with me.  Verdict: good movie, better book.  Isn't that usually the case? 

Anyhoo, on Sunday we were watching the Food Network and the most recent season of The Great Food Truck Race.  I know that food trucks have a growing presence throughout the US, but there sure seems to be a lot of them here in LA. A couple weekends back, D and I went to the Long Beach Food Truck Festival and got to sample scrumptious snacks from several different trucks. There were over 30 trucks there, so D and I decided to strategize and eat only at trucks with offerings that we wouldn't be able to find elsewhere. We saw a couple of the food trucks from the first season of the Great Food Truck Race, including Nom Nom and Crepes Bonaparte, but we decided to try some of the other trucks. On a side note the longest line, of at least 100 people, was for the Grilled Cheese Truck. Believe me, I love a grilled cheese sandwich probably more than the average person, but for some reason sitting in that line didn't appeal to either of us. After much debate, D and I decided to eat at the following trucks:

• Auntie's Frybread (Native American Fusion) - mini fry bread sliders
• Lardon (Everything Bacon) - brownie bacon and mini bacon breakfast tacos
• Great Balls (variety of international food in "ball" form) - Ballywood Balls - Garam Masal Chicken balls with coconut curry and tomato and cilantro chutney
• Chunk-n-Chip (fresh cookies and ice cream sandwiches) - Ice Cream sandwich with White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut cookies and Pistachio Ice Cream filling

Run don't walk to your closest food tuck . . . oh and bring cash.  The truck folk greatly appreciate that.

 

 

Bacon Brownie and Bacon Breakfast Tacos

 

 

 

We didn't get to eat at the truck above, Brats Berlin, but I thought the truck looked really cool!  Beautiful weather, live music, beer tents, and yummy food.  After the festival, D and I promptly went home for a mid-afternoon nap.  Fabulous day!

Pioneer Woman

I can't remember if I've talked about her before or not, but D, myself, and his Mama were watching TV last night and I literally squealed when I saw this preview of a new show on food network:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-pioneer-woman/video/index.html

She is a wonderful blogger and writes about her family, life, and cooking on an Oklahoma ranch. Thanks to my time in Pullman at WSU and also to the summer I spent in Northern Colorado, I have a country-side that I need to indulge now and again. Although LA isn't exactly the spot where a semi- sort-of country girl can get her fix, I have absolutely fallen in love with the Pioneer Woman's blog. She's a wonderful photographer and her writing makes you feel like your a girlfriend giggling about what's happened recently on the ranch.  I bought her cookbook and loved it too. Haven't tried too many recipes yet, as most of them aren't exactly low carb/fat friendly, but I'm hoping to use a family get together as an excuse to whip up one of her recipes.

I've got my DVR set!  Can't wait for her new show!!

Medieval Times = Awesome Times

A couple weeks ago, D and I went to Medieval Times in Anaheim.  It was my first time there and I loved it!  We went on a Sunday evening and it was completely packed. We got there a little early and sipped on some cocktails before the main event. Upon entering the "hall," we were crowned with green cardboard crowns and dubbed supporters of the Green Knight.  At the beginning of the show, we found out the Green Knight was the bad guy in the show and unfortunately ended up losing the final battle at the end of the dinner/show. On a side note, D ran into James Van der Beek in the bathroom.  D said he even sported his blue cardboard crown too!  Would we go to this show again?  Absolutely!  Especially since you can get discounted tickets on Goldstar.com

 

 

 

Burgers

Finished up a class in Costa Mesa this week and really enjoyed being out of the house.  Although the hour-long-commute back and forth from Costa Mesa was a pain, I really enjoyed being able to drive with the windows down, radio blasting, and sun shining down on my skin.  A bunch of classmates and I had fun exploring different lunch spots in the area and I was introduced to a "new" burger joint in the area.  While pulling in to a strip mall, I noticed an In-N-Out Burger, a Sonic Drive-In, and a place called Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I find it interesting that all three of these eateries were all with-in one block from each other, but all seemed to have lines forming out the door. One of my fellow lunch adventurers suggested going to Five Guys, as it was supposedly one of the best burgers ever.  Ever. I considered that to be a mighty big statement and felt up for affirming this urban legend. We walked in and the place was packed with people and also with boxes of peanuts. I learned that the peanuts were available as snacks while you waited for your food order. I ordered a "Little Cheeseburger" (single-patty burger) and ordered all of the toppings minus the pickles and mayo. My friend and I decided to split an order of fries. I thought it was cute that the restaurant had a small white board up that said "Today you're enjoy fries made from potatoes grown in Sugar City, Idaho."  Always fun to know where your food is coming from. The group of us all sat down with our orders and took our first bites. Overall, I thought the burger was good.  I didn't think it was the best I had ever had, but then again, I've never been that impressed by fast food burgers in general. For example, I feel like I may be one of the few Californians who thinks that In-N-Out is just "Eh', ok." Sacrilegious, I know. However, I will say that the fries at Five Guys were AMAZING!  The seasoning was good and the skins were left on too. Plus, I thought the fries had a good mix of crunchy versus softer textures. Props to you Sugar City, Idaho!!  Keep doing what you do best!  In conclusion, I would definitely go back to Five Guys . . . probably skip the burger and go straight to the fries.

Wedding Weekend - Main Event

Once we were all gussied up, we headed out to meet with the boys for pictures on a pier on Lake Tahoe followed then by the ceremony, dinner, and reception. This whole time while I was getting ready with the girls, D hung out with some of KT's friends from Boise and went jet skiing on Lake Tahoe! Here are the rest of the pictures from the wedding:

Bride and Groom enter the reception

 

 

D's new buddy from Boise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers girls dancing with their Dad

Wedding Weekend - Getting Ready

KT's wedding day came up fast. The day itself turned into one seriously long crazy gorgeous day in Tahoe City.  I know I will never forget it.  We started the day off with yoga in the morning and then spent rest of the morning and early afternoon getting our hair and make up done. Next up pictures and the main event!!

Morning yoga under the trees

Bride-to-Be with two of the three flower girls

Mother-of-the-Bride and KT

Wedding Weekend - Rehearsal Dinner

After a morning of recovering from the Bachelorette night, we headed back up to North Lake Tahoe for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  D didn't get in till later that night, but it was another wonderful day next to the lake.

A & Me (she can speak German too!!)

Our present from KT & C were matching Spy sunglasses

Silly Bride and Groom