2nd Annual Food Run!

Last night Sam and I got the privilege to celebrate the birthday's of Stacey, Steve, Scott and Erica with the 2nd Annual Food Run. I bet you are wondering what this is??? Well living in LA we are surround by amazing food and there are a few very popular places that have held up over the years that are a must do when in LA... sooo we dedicate an entire evening to visiting all of these wonderful places. The goal is to make sure that you have a little something from each place... so enjoy our journey...

First stop: King Taco

What we ate: I had two pastor tacos and a large Agua de Pina (my favorite)

and Sam had a Carne Asada burrito

Second stop: Philippe's

What we ate: Kristin & I shared a Beef dip sandwich with Jack cheese and I had a few bites of Cara's coleslaw

Stop three: Alvaro Street

What we ate: I had one taquito and a churro and Sam had

4 taquitos

Stop four: The Original Tommy's Burger

What we ate: Sam and I shared chili cheese fries

Stop five: This was an unplanned stop, but we just couldnt resist... This is the house of David's in Hancock Park! Lol

Stop six: Canter's Deli

What we ate: I had bites of the BEST pastrami sandwich ever... 

it was $12.35 but it was a good thing to share

Stop seven: Diddy Riese 

(Build your own Ice Cream Sandwiches)

What we ate: I had two White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Rocky Road

Sam had White Chocolate Macadamia Nut with Cookies and Cream

*Can't beat a tasty ice cream sandwich for only $1.50*

So that was our night... If you havent yet visited any of these wonderful

food places, now is the time to go! 

Wednesday Night Dinner

Wednesday night dinner has become something very special to me. Typically during Wednesday night programing at our church Sam, Danny, Kristin and I would walk down the street to Plaza Guadalajara for dinner every week before church. This year has formed into something a bit different and I am totally loving it. Every Wednesday around 3pm, I pick up my two nieces... we come to our house and play, color and blow bubbles. Around 5pm Sam, Kristin, Danny and Shawn all come around too. We all sit around the table and have dinner together. Its the best!! Family and friends are such a blessing and I truly enjoy our fellowship together! This week I made a yummy recipe... Olive Gardens Pasta Fajioli.... it was so simple, I had it the night before and then warmed it through right before we were ready to eat. This recipe makes 9 quarts of soup... so we cut it in half and still served 8-9 people. Enjoy!!

3 tsp. Oil 

2 lb. Ground beef

12 oz. Onion; chopped 

14 oz. Carrots; slivered 

14 oz. Celery; diced 

48 oz. Tomatoes; canned, diced 

2 C. cooked Red Kidney beans  * I just doubled the red kidney beans because thats what I had on hand*

2 C cooked White kidney beans 

88 oz. Beef stock 

3 tsp. Oregano 

2 1/2 tsp. Pepper 

5 tsp. Parsley; (fresh chopped) 

1 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce * I used Tapitillo*

48 oz. Spaghetti sauce 

 8 oz. dry pasta Shell macaroni; or other pasta 

Sauté beef in oil in large 10-qt. pot until beef starts to brown. Add onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and add to the pot. Also add beef stock, oregano, pepper, Tabasco, spaghetti sauce, and noodles. Add chopped parsley. Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes. 

Hamburger Bun Bread Pudding

Good ol' Facebook! The other night I was on Facebook and I saw a post from a friend about Hamburger Bun bread pudding! I thought how fun would that be, so she kindly shared the recipe with me, and much to my luck, I had all of the needed ingredients already! Soo... if you have some extra hamburger or hot dog buns left over from a party or get together try out this very simple dessert!

Ps... give it a try even if you dont like bread pudding... Sam hates bread pudding but really enjoyed this treat.

4 hot dog or hamburger buns
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 c. sweet milk (this is what old folks in the south call "Whole Milk")
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 stick butter
cinnamon to taste (optional, I sprinkled it all around the top after putting in dish)
Open buns in half, brown side up. (* i just broke them into little chunks with my hands and placed them in the bowl) Put in 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix all other ingredients in mixer and pour over buns. Bake in 350 degree oven until buns puff up and are heated through.




My two cents:
 My bread pudding came out a bit too moist for my liking so I might try and half the recipe next time or turn down the temperature and let cook a bit longer.

Let me know what you think! :) Picture taken after we had already tasted it! 

Welcome!!

Welcome to my new blog! I decided to start this blog to share with my family and friends what's going on in our lives... and it will be mostly centered around food! Let's be honest, I love food... to cook it, to eat it, to share it, to bake it, and to enjoy it. I want to share my passion for food with you. So check in every now and then for recipes that were great... and ones that weren't, food events, and baking adventures. Welcome to my food journey! :)