The Tiny Light

There I am eating the best burger I have ever tasted. No need to Yelp this place, no need for a menu. Simply look up the Umami nearest to you and order the Truffle Burger. If you’re up for more try the Truffle French Fries.

You’re welcome - enjoy!

Juice cleanses have been the latest fad. While I find the bottled organic juices to be a huge marketing ploy and weary of the actual health benefits, I do see the positive outcomes from a day or two away from solid food.

My co-worker and I decided to do a day of smoothies. Not only did I still have a large amount of energy, but I felt lighter and happier. The following day I was also more aware of what I put into my body. After a day of drinking fruit and veggies its hard to wake up and eat a bowl of sugar cereal or spread that thick layer of butter on a waffle.

So, what has your experience been with juicing? Would you do one? 

PS. The green smoothie above is kale, spinach, pineapple, banana, and coconut water. The red-brownish smoothie pictured above is spinach, beets, ginger, carrots, apple, lemon and water.

May is here! Time for fresh fruit drinks, tanning out on my lawn with a good book, listening to a chill summer playlist while driving to the beach, and, unfortunately, allergies. 

I won’t let my sneezing get in the way of my plans though, here’s a sneak peek of what my May calendar looks like:

- Backpack Big Sur. I’ve already picked out this trail. 

- Make Bloody Mary cocktails

- Complete a 2-day juice cleanse

- Learn and practice a new vocabulary word

- Cook dinner for my parents

What will you be doing this month? Check out my April, March, February or January Bucket Lists for ideas! 

Really.

I didn’t believe it at first, but then I tried it for myself. While the pictures didn’t come out quite as nice as in the original blog where I found the recipe it truly was the best guacamole.

Don’t be deterred by these two surprising ingredients! The bright colors of the pomegranate and mango will make a memorable impression at the next party or potluck you attend (not to mention everyone’s taste buds will be thanking you).

Including the above original photo just so can you can compare it to mine and laugh at my iPhone photography skills (or lack of).

How easy is tortilla making? Easy. Two ingredients, 3 steps.

Mix together corn flour and water. Roll into balls and flatten them (I put wax paper on each side and used a rolling pin). Then heat on each side for 30-50 seconds. Done! 

I added sweet potato, black beans, cabbage, tomato, avocado and cheese on mine, but the beauty of tortillas is that it allows a lot of creativity. Go ahead and have fun creating a beautiful and simple meal in minutes!

Note: Next time I am going to try adding other ingredients into the tortilla mix such as bits of corn kernels or chopped spinach.

I recently attended the Cheese School of San Francisco and took a class taught by the owner, Kiri Fisher. The class was called “How to Taste Cheese 101” - and today I will share some of the fun facts I learned:

- A yellow cheese indicates it was made with cow’s milk. The more yellow the cheese the more time the cow spent in the pasture. A white cheese shows it was made with goat’s or sheep’s milk. 

- Buffalo’s milk has the highest fat content, followed by sheep’s milk.

- The more flexible the cheese feels, the better it will melt.

- Once you cut the cheese (still makes me giggle) the cheese is no longer aging, but “dying.”

- Eyes and holes in cheeses are normal, but when cracks and lines appear it shows that the cheese has undergone dramatic temperature changes.

- The part of the cheese immediately under the rind is the “cream rind” and will actually taste different than the cheese under the rind, which is called the “paste.”

I probably should have taken a photo before eating all the cheese, but I was too excited and in the moment.

An impressive dish that is easy! Simply scoop out the center of the zucchini and stuff it with whatever ingredients you have around. For me that was tri-colored quinoa, tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and cheese. 

Making sushi in your own kitchen is not as hard as it seems. This past Sunday I got a group of my friends together and showed them how to roll! 

And here is a picture of me and the boy all dressed up in theme, just for fun.

The past two months have been action packed and unusually productive (maybe my monthly bucket lists are working?). By the looks of my March calendar, this month will be no different! 

Here are a few items from my March bucket list:

- Make homemade corn tortillas

- Boulder outdoors

- Take an online class

- Do an art project

- Give someone a “Thank You” gift

- Attend the abs & core class at my gym

- Learn how to taste cheese (I already signed up for this class! Can you believe there is an entire Cheese School?)

- Go on a hike

Last night I crossed the last item off on my February Bucket List: making Spring Rolls.

Prepping for the meal was so much more fun than I had expected! I sipped on sake and Sapporo Japanese beer while having fun with the mixture of fresh ingredients. 

Inside each roll I included sprouts, carrots, cucumber, rice vermicelli, tofu, cilantro, mint leaves, and lettuce. (I loosely followed this recipe.)

The rice paper was such an interesting texture to work with. Also, it would be great for quick meals - you simply put the rice paper in warm water for 5 seconds and *voila* it is ready to use!

For all my non-vegetarians out there, adding prawns to a roll is the perfect addition.

Serve with a peanut sauce and a side of edamame and you have a beautiful and delicious meal. My eyes kept getting wider with each bite, as I was floored by how amazing these tasted! Will definitely be a new to-go dish for my diet.

This weekend I played tourist in my own backyard and went on a walking food tour in San Francisco. I did some research and found Foodie Adventures to be highly rated. I took the Mission District tour and loved it! I will be signing up for the North Beach-Chinatown one next. Here are some highlights:

Above left: I am sitting down to try some cow brain (!) and a beef taco compliments of La Gallinita Meat Market. Above right: About to taste sweet corn tamales and a special mexican hot chocolate from La Espiga de Oro (my favorite items were from here).

Above left: A tortilla made with cactus and stuffed with refried beans, topped with cheese and guacamole made at La Palma Mexicatessen. Above right: A close up of the deep fried cow brain and beef taco previously mentioned.

The above torta is great for anyone who loves spice! Not pictured above is the juice we were treated to here - it was a mixture of 30 different fruits and vegetables! Compliments of Tortas la picudas.

This was another dish we tried at La Espiga de Oro. 

In all, we visited and ate at 7 different locations. Not mentioned or pictured above is Kings Bakery - a must stop for all who visit San Francisco, whether taking a food tour or not (order the coconut bun)!

Remember this photo from TIME? It was taken in the 50’s and represents what foods one family consumed for an entire year.

Here is a similar project I found through TIME Photos. It depicts what’s on family dinner tables around the globe. Photographs by Peter Menzel from the book “Hungry Planet”

Ukita family from Kodaria City. Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen ($317.25)

The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp. Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs ($1.23)

The Al Haggan family of Kuwait City. Food expenditure for one week: 63.63 dinar ($221.45)

The Ahmed family of Cairo. Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds ($68.53)

The Ayme family of Tingo. Food expenditure for one week: $31.55

The Bainton family of Cllingbourne Ducis. Food expenditure for one week: 155.54 British Pounds ($253.15)

The Melander family of Bargteheide. Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros ($500.07)

What would be in your family’s photo? Mine would have a ton of cheese, eggs, pasta, chicken, veggies, orange Gatorade, and ice cream.

An Australian couple served a cheese wedding cake. What a brilliant idea!

Cheese is the perfect ending to any meal. My ideal evening always includes cheese - so why exclude my [future] wedding?