Cake Decorating

Although I'd like to think that my baking is tasty, I'm not good at making things look pretty, so I decided to purchase a birthday present for myself. I enrolled in cake decorating classes at Epicurean with Suzanne Griswold. It was a tough first class, only endorsing my non-existent talent of Martha Stewart like qualities, I left frustrated and feeling a bit defeated. However, this past weekend was a much better experience. How can you not enjoy yourself with a broken icing bag with frosting spewing from places they shouldn't? I looked phenomenal! Icing in my fur, icing in my ears, icing stuck between my hooves - icing everywhere! When I returned home from class yesterday, I decided to try to put my skills to the test and actually decorate a cake instead of decorating a plastic food tray (which is what we do in class). Food is definitely not as exciting when you can't eat it. I baked a sponge cake with a raspberry filling and whipped up a batch of cream cheese frosting. Today I decorated - as you can clearly see my mad basket weaving skills (and such) with such great clarity. Ha. Okay, I know I have a long way to go, and obviously haven't mastered my coloring techniques but it's not too bad for my first try. In fact, it could possibly rival the cakes at Ralphs or Vons, although it'll be a long journey to get to the level of Sweet Lady Jane but I'm looking forward to it!


Epicurean School of Culinary Arts
http://epicureanschool.com/
8500 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 659-5990

Happy Birthday Megan!!!

I'm a little late in posting this...but we celebrated Megan's 29th (uhhhh, I mean 25th) birthday on October 10th at Three on Fourth. Am I a lucky sheep or what? Check me out with all the ladies!!! Dinner was fabulous as we listened to stories of canned corn, reminisced about Oregon and shared our juicy office gossip.

Three on Fourth
1432 Fourth St
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.395.6765

Cupcakes

It was no Sprinkles (and I'm not a fan of Sprinkles - although I think they've been better lately for some reason, is that cause Oprah bought it?). We were on our way back to our hotel when we found this Cupcake shop, named "Cupcakes on Pitt." We were excited. We oooooohed and ahhhhhhed. We were surprised by how many flavors they had. But then we realized the cupcakes were either vanilla or chocolate based with just a flavored frosting. Interesting, but not. Although it did come in its own little container which was handy until the taxi driver shoved our luggae on it. Sad death of a cupcake...
Cupcakes on Pitt
Shop 2, 323 Pitt St
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9264 464

Indian Food

Tasty!!! Again, I forgot to grab the card for this restaurant - mainly because I was too drunk to remember. I am still not a lush! But the food I remember...it was fantastic. Can you believe how much we ate? They couldn't even fit all the dishes on the table - so they placed one on the chair. Ha! Hilarious. Have you ever eaten off of a chair? Still...it was TASTY.

Port Douglas and Bill Clinton?

We traveled to Port Douglas, the home of Steve Irwin...who sadly died only a couple days after we left. This was one of my favorite spots on our trip. It's a beautiful little town that reminded me a bit of a city in Orange County - maybe Laguna Beachish. We had a couple of great meals including one at the Jade Inn, and we picked this restaurant mainly because Bill Clinton ate there and figured if it was good enough for Bill it would be okay with us.

Jade Inn
39 Macrossan St.
Port Douglas, QLD 4877

We also enjoyed the best fish & chips I've had at some restaurant I unfortunately never got a card for. Fish & chips with some VB hits the spot! Would love to have some right now. Ugh! Anyway, check out my (fried, of course) dessert! If you're going to eat a banana this is the way to do it!

Cafe Thailand

Cafe Thailand is one of the best meals I've had in Australia. It was one of those lazy vacation days where you didn't plan anything and just kind of wondered the streets when we stumbled upon it. We were basically the only two people in the restaurant. Anyway, I had my usual Pad Thai and Monte ordered his favorite, Green Curry. We were both pleasantly surprised! Mmmmm, mmmm, goodness! After our meal we got gelato (of course!) and walked down to their shopping center and found Target. But it's "Target." not "Target" - does is matter that it has a period after the name? I was so excited thinking of all the interesting Australia products I could buy but it turned out to be more like really bad JC Penny's instead of Target. Oh well, at least my lunch was good!

Cafe Thailand
Shop 7/93
Corner Aplin Street and The Esplanade
Carins 4870
Phone: 40412624

The Red Ochre

We were enjoying a few beers at the local pub and the bartender suggested that we go to the Red Ochre Grill to try some real Australian mean (aka roos, emus and crocs). The thought of it made me naueous, these are afterall some of my friends. However, Monte and Miki were up for the adventure so I agreed to tag along. We couldn't even get a table without a reservation (which is odd in Carins because everything is pretty low-key unlike LA LA land), so we made a reservation for a couple nights later. We were looking forward to it since they had awards prominently displayed and it was always a full house. Ha! This place is sneaky-sneaky! We were sadly disappointed in our experience. Monte and Miki shared some craziness - emu pate, crocodile wontons and kangaroo with horseradish. I only wish I had a picture of their faces once they started chewing! Anyway, our suggestion is to stay with the norm. I devoured my 3 tiny pieces of salmon and udon noodles which actually wasn't bad (except of the exaggerated price). Basically, it was a lot of overpriced fou-fou strangeness. We were all still hungry and were contemplating McDonald's on the way back to the hotel (if that says anything), instead we got cheap massages from the Chinese at the night market.

Red Ochre Grill,
43 Shields Street,Cairns,
North QLD

Carins

After a couple of days in Sydney we made our way north to Carins - no one really seems to know where this is when I tell them, but we came here to see The Great Barrier Reef. The weather was wonderful, sunny and warm just like Hawaii! And there's tons of Japanese tourists here too (again, just like Hawaii)! My favorite memories of Carins are the "Tuna Towers," gelato and BORIS!!! I miss you BORIS!!!

Friendship Garden

How can one go wrong at the "Chinese Garden of Friendship" in Darling Harbour? It's beautiful, serene and contains a lot of interesting rock formations (see Aunty Miki's picture). You can walk the garden at your own pace and can even purchase tasty treats that you'll receive at the end of the garden tour.


http://www.chinesegarden.com.au/

Victoria Bitter - Nothing Better!

After our long day we topped the afternoon off with a few sips of tasty goodness at the Oyster Bar.
Ahhhhh my first Australian beer. VB. I love the VB!!!
Can you believe my brother Bryce, who doesn't even drink, asked me to bring some VB back for him? To Bryce - Good On You Mate!
And Dave - bleh for asking for Toohey's New!

Animal Planet

My first stop in Sydney was the Taronga Zoo. We caught the ferry over from Circular Quay to Mosman and took the "Sky Safari" where you get an incredible overview of the entire zoo before entering. The first thing you see upon entering our my new friends - the Koalas! They are cute, cuddly and smell of citrus...uhhhh, kind of. Unfortunately, the only picture I got of my new friends were of their backsides. (Until I met my Boris - more on him later) I like big butts and I cannot lie! After the cuddling, we roughed it up exploring the roam-free-Australian-animal ranch containing kangaroos and one very lonely emu. I admit, I was a bit nervous about a roo getting kung fu on me but felt better once I saw Aunty Miki running away from the bird. Ha. She was much more interested in the platypus (cute but poisonious) and the wombats - however the only wombat I saw was fat, lazy and nasty. Ughh. My seond favorite is the Meerkat, mostly because they're hilarious to watch. They stand around looking like they're waiting for a volcano to erupt (really for predators) but I guess they didn't realize they're at the zoo yet. After making my travel buddies watch Meerkat Manor, I guess the zoo Meerkats must be pretty damn bored. Loads of other animals just showed us their backsides (like the koala picture) which was frustrating. Why do all the animals decide to sleep while I'm visiting? Shouldn't they be hungry?

Taronga Zoo
http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/

Was I the Thunder Down Under?

After a total of 15 hours on an airplane (with a stop in Hawaii) I finally arrived in Sydney. A sheep is not meant to be still for that long without constant grazing. However, I sucked it up since I was excited to be (somewhat) close to my homeland - New Zealand where my mom adopted me. Plus I was anxious to visit my old friends - the Emu's and make new friends - the Koala's!!!

La Brea Bakery

I love bakeries - the smell, the presentation and of course the tasty goodness that awaits. To me entering a bakery is similar to getting a hug from an old friend. Bakeries are nostalgic and comforting...sigh.

A co-worker of mine has been raving about some scone she gets at La Brea Bakery...and I'm thinking, how good can a scone be? So one morning after my 6:30 yoga session (this sheep is built TUFF but remains flexible) I decided to stop by the bakery and try one out for myself. There are two different scones I've tried - the dried fruit scone and the blueberry scone (as seen in the picture). If you enjoy rough and tough scones (think fiber) you should definitely try the dried fruit. And if you're more of the fluffy type - get the blueberry and warm that bad boy in the oven prior to consumption; the outer layer will become crisp and the inside will remain moist. Mmmmm.

La Brea Bakery
www.labreabakery.com

Taste

Two of my favorite sheep-friendly friends that I love to dine with are Daryl & Miki. After a lot of confusion on the dinner location (Miki almost got on a bus to Santa Monica), we ended up at Taste. Miki is entertaining on her own, but with a pre-dinner cocktail in her tiny frame, she was quite the one-woman-show that night. Daryl and I were happily entertained.
Although we showed up sans a reservation, the host sat us quickly, al fresco style,and we sat facing this awesome Asian guy with a mohawk and headband. Too bad he wasn't Hawk from "So You Think You Can Dance." We ordered the following apetizers: ahi tuna tartare (with mint, avocado and spicy mayonaise), green salad and calamari with a lime aioli. We also enjoyed (just one) main entree - orecchiette pasta with spicy Italian sausage & rapini. It was the perfect place to dine with friends in the middle of a busy work week. The portions were good and all of the dishes complimented each other nicely. Plus there was no Hollywood attitude served up in this lovely little restaurant.

www.ilovetaste.com
8454 melrose avenue
west hollywood, ca 90069

Crazy for Kolaches!

Mmmmmm, as I took in the scent, I could hardly wait to pop one into my mouth! I was introduced to kolaches on my first visit to Texas about 2 years ago, which my boyfriend told me was similar to a Hawaiian favorite of mine - the manapua. Is it similar? Yes, but only to the baked manapua (as you can see from the pictures), sort of.
However, my favorite type of manapua is steamed so it's hard for me to choose which product I like better. It's funny how similar Hawaii and Texas are...okay, you might need to stretch your imagination a bit, but there are certain similarities. Based on my personal experience, Texans have their own special spirit about them, they are welcoming and friendly folks kind of like the "aloha spirit" but with a Texas accent. They spend a lot of time with the family - I miss that about home, I don't see this as much in Los Angeles (or maybe it's because my family is so far away). It's hot and humid, no explanation needed for that. They enjoy simple family-style dishes (Texas-sized of course) and if you're from Hawaii, you know what I'm talking about. We both have placeable accents. Anyway, back to Kolaches. They are doughy rolls, stuffed with a filling such as sausage and cheese, spinich, egg and cheese, fruits, etc. And the Kolache shops close in the early afternoon just like a lot of the dim sum shops in Hawaii. If you're in Texas, check them out!

http://www.kolachefactory.com/

Gosh Darn GOODE BBQ

My mamma always told me everything's bigger in Texas but this is ridiculous. I need to post bigger pictures just so my readers can find me. But I like it, because it makes me look petite. I arrived in Houston ready to take on the town. My first stop after a good night's rest at my pimp palace was breakfast at Goode BBQ. I like vacations, it might be the only time it's acceptable to have Texas BBQ as your first meal of the day. Goode's resembles everything I envisioned in a classic Texas BBQ joint. Deer heads proudly posted, long picnic benches, ice cold beer burried in ice (keep in mind this is pre-noon) and lots and lots of slow-cooked meat. I ordered a combo po boy, beef brisket and turkey sausage, on jalapeno bread. Just reminiscing about this meal is making my mouth water.

5109 Kirby Dr
Houston, Texas 77098
713-522-2530 - Phone
http://www.goodecompany.com/

Super Sheepy in Houston, Texas Baby!

I was HOT in Houston, Texas. On fire really. The sheep in Texas didn't know what they were missing. Check me out in my pimp palace overlooking the city skyline.

La Maison du Pain

Wonderful flaky goodness! I first heard about this house of bread through one of my clients, and since it's located fairly close to me I thought I'd try it out. My first purchase included a cinnamon roll and a ginormous square bread (no idea what it's called). At first glance, I was unsure about the cinnamon roll. I'm guilty of indulging in the occasional Cinnabun and love its gooey fatty madness. However, this cinnamon roll at La Maison I now crave; it's light, flaky and flavorful. Delightful! The square-bread-thing was also fantastic - not too sweet with a great texture that's lightly caramelized. Since my first purchase, I've returned numerous times usually buying things for client meetings and friends (all of whom have raved about the pastries). In addition to the flaky goodness, the owners always greet their customers with a friendly welcome.

La Maison du Pain
5373 Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 934-5858

I heart Kim Chee at ChoSun Galbee

Spicy!!! ChoSun Galbee is the place to be! My advice is to go hungry. We took our Texas guest for her first Korean BBQ meal and even if she didn't know how to use the two wooden sticks, she still gave it two thumbs up. Check me out in all the veggie madness!

Upon ordering, we were quickly served a tasty green salad, sprouts, KIM CHEE (my favorite), radishes, broccoli, potato salad, dried fish, seaweed, beef and probably some other things that I can’t recall at the moment. Then comes the stuff you actually order. We went with Tiger Shrimp and Bulgogi Beef (you might be able to see it sizzling behind my backside). I actually grew up with various Asian foods – Korean being at the top of my list. Although I think the Hawaiian-Korean food is a bit different from the authentic dishes. Such as meat jun – anyone here know of where I can find some? Anyway, on cold (yes, it gets cold sometimes in Hawaii) nights or when I was sick my mom would pick up Mun Doo soup. Since we were with a “mom” on this occasion, it felt appropriate to order the soul-warming soup from my childhood, along with my favorite chewy noodles Chap Chae. Too bad there's no noodle diet. Oh and you complete the ginormous meal with a delicious and sweet rice tea. Sigh.

ChoSunGalbee
http://chosungalbee.com/
3330 W. Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90019

How do you get rid of oatmeal?

You make some cookies!!!

I am a baking sheep. Today I made traditional oatmeal raisin cookies. I'm thinking these cookies are still healthy since it contains oatmeal and raisins which really should make up for the 2 sticks of butter and 2 cups of sugar, right? Whatever. Cookies are made to bring smiles to faces. Just don't eat too many cookies at one time and everything should be fine. These cookies are buttery (obviously), crisp on the outside and moist where it counts. The only person who won't eat these cookies is The Miwa. But that's only cause raisins are scary. She gets her own separate batch of chocolate chip soon.