Autumn cocktails and treats

Autumn.  A time for pumpkins, sweaters, midterms, and my personal favorite: Halloween cocktail parties.  In honor of this month of October, my roommates and I have hosted three soirees with drinks and treats.  Cheers to you and yours!

1.)    Pumpkin martinis with black and orange nachos

 

Start October right with some fabulous pumpkin martinis.  There are several recipes online, but due to costs and scouting issues, we decided to improvise our martini recipe with our own concoction.  Mix it up and figure out what balance is right for you and your guests.

Pumpkin Martinis:
--Vanilla vodka
--Pumpkin (from a can works)
--Cinnamon
--Nutmeg
--Amoretto (not too much)
--Milk
--Ice

Shake it together and pour into martini glass rimmed with a pinch of cinnamon sugar.  The drink will appear as a slightly murky dark orange but trust me, they were a huge hit.

Black and Orange Nachos:
--Tostitos Scoops® chips

--Black beans
--Orange cheddar cheese
--Black olives
--Pico de gallo salsa

Here’s the thing about nachos: It’s usually a mess.  Nearly all restaurants will pile on beans and cheese and whatever else onto a dysfunctional plate of chips and call it a meal.  With this simple recipe, take the extra time to place beans and cheese into each individual chip. (which is why Tostitos Scoops® is such a help).  Each chip will already be black and orange due to the beans and cheese, so make sure you only put black olives on top of half of the chips and “bloody” red salsa on the remaining half. Your guests will appreciate the colorful bite-size snack with their delicious drink. 

2.)    Apple Pie martinis with caramel apples

Once again, I must apologize for not having the specifics measurements of this martini recipe.  I wrote it out on a Post-it note and in living with 4 people who knows where anything goes after being left out in the living room for a day.  Time to be creative!

Apple Pie Martinis

--Vodka (personally I only use Sky or Smirnoff)
--Goldschlager schapps liqueur (I used cheap cinnamon liquor instead.  Don’t use too much)
--Apple juice
--Cranberry juice
--Ice

Shake together and place into martini glasses that have been rimmed with sugar.  It’s a spicy martini with a nice pink color to it. 

Caramel Apples:

--Small Granny Smith apples
--two bags of caramel candies
--two bags of chocolate chips, one bittersweet, one medium sweet
--Halloween-colored sprinkles
--Small bag of cookies
--Small Bag of Marshmellows
--24 popsicle sticks

Damn, these were good.  Seriously good.  The first and most important step is getting the right apples.  Granny Smith is the way to go, since the bitter apple with balance the indulgently sweet caramel and chocolate toppings.  Clean the apples and stick a popsicle stick into the tops of each one.  Melt two bags of caramel candies into bowl (with 2 tablespoons of water).  Dip each apples into the melted caramel and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  When all of the apples are done, place in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes for the caramel to harden. 

Review: Newbreak Cafe [San Diego, CA]

I’m staring at the ocean as the grey waves crash down its white crowns on the shore. I have a great view of the cars parked close by the rocks and a lone colorful kite flittering about ahead. It’s an unusually overcast chilly day in San Diego for late June and I’m absolutely loving it. I had the strongest urge for a cup of tea and blogging, thus here I am at Newbreak Coffee in the Ocean Beach section of SD.

It’s a sort of kooky place for this region where surfboards, Bob Marley, and marijuana tattoos are more prevalent than laptops and college t-shirts. Newbreak has managed to blend the beach culture with café clientele with warm orange and yellow hues, with surfboards and black and white photos of locals hanging on the walls. Several extension cords litter the floor for computer cords and there is a sort of hodgepodge of furniture, from new wooden stools, to bright plastic booths, to old wicker chairs. Some customers have tasseled hair or dreadlocks, some have dress shirts, some are barefoot, and some have leather loafers. And I’m enjoying my Provence Roobis vanilla tea with the bag hanging in the large white cup by a thin wooden stick.

The tea selection of this place could put any chain coffee tea store to shame. There are 42 different varieties of tea here, though you won’t find the selection list written down. Each tea is displayed in decorative glass jars adoring nearly an entire wall in the place. There’s a menu guide with various colored stickers on the jars equating to caffeinated, decaf, herbal, black, white, fruity, and many other permutations from countries like Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Himalayas, Kenya, Assam, and Nigeria.

The names of the tea are equally as fascinating, with Blood Orange Tea, Mango Mist, Monk’s Blend Tea, Island Coconut Tea, Formosa Gunpowder Green Tea, Maple Tea, Lover’s Leap, Egyptian Chamomile, and a few standards like Earl Grey, and English Breakfast.

There’s a healthy selection of breakfast and lunch food as well like salads and soups, grilled paninis and omelets, and morning bagels and pastries. The prices are a bit much for the area, as even a simple meal like cup of tea with a bagel and cream cheese will put you back at least $5.

Their prices might not be cheap but I can’t imagine their rent is either. After all, as I sip my now cooled Provence Roobis, tasting the full taste of vanilla (plus one packet of Splenda) I turn away from my screen for second and admire the real attraction of the place: the view of the beautiful and majestic Pacific.

Review: The Fig Leaf Cafe [San Diego, CA]

One week ago I was invited to The Fig Leaf Cafe by visiting friends.  It's located in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego, known to local San Diegans as the most touristy region of the large city.  It has a reputation for being overpriced, overcrowded, and made for anyone under 30 who likes booze and bro-attire.  This reputation is not always deserved, however, as PB offers cute shops and mega shops, and the most shell-covered beaches of the area.  Just be ready for traffic.

And long lines, apparently.  The four of us were waiting outside of The Fig Leaf cafe for over 20 minutes waiting to be seated, which gave ample time for us to check out the decor of the cozy place.

The cafe is appears to be something out Alice in Wonderland, sans the acid trip.  From the street The Fig Leaf Cafe looks like an inn, with a traditional white picket fence enclosing it and an adorable wooden sign with its name.  The tables are cloaked in white and green checkered print, with white plastic chairs adoring the faux green grass of lawn.  It inspires the ideal tea party once imagined by children, if those children enjoyed sauteed cinnamon apples in their oatmeal and organic blue corn pancakes. 

Almost all of the seating is outdoors, which fits the picnic brunch vibe of the place.  We sat down next to two delightfully warm outdoor heaters.  That's the thing about San Diego: some May days are a dreams, others are grey and misty.

Ordering drinks is one of my favorite parts of a meal.  I've worked in a coffee shop for a few years and love to guess whose going to order a plain coffee, whose going to order a latte, or worse, a cappuccino.  I always order a hot chocolate and am pretty much always the only one who does.  Yes, it's a bit childish.  But they're warm and sweet and substitutes a dessert in my opinion.  I'm sad to say that The Fig Leaf was a major disappointment in the coco department.  There was barely a wisp of chocolate and required a packet of Splenda to amp up the sweets.  Naturally this made me worried about my meal.

The food came out and sitting in front of me was a big bowl of oatmeal crowned with banana fosters.  [Note: I sang the Gwen Stefani song "Hollaback Girl" to remember how to spell b-a-n-a-n-a-s, and yes, "The shit is bananas/ B/ a-n/-a-n/-a-s"].

There's been a recent surge in oatmeal popularity lately for the health benefits and such, though I'll admit that I rarely order it out since I enjoy it so frequently at home.  I was pleased with my order.  The oats were large which was a pleasant surprise and there was an curious dynamic in texture, with an almost crunchy oat crust and creamy oats underneath.  Perhaps this was caused by being cooked in heat then being exposed by the chilly air, but I did find it interesting.

I've never had banana ["b-a-n-a-n-a-s"] fosters before which are basically

The Living Room Cafe

Over the weekend a companion and I were driving through Point Loma on the way to a favorite breakfast spot when we drove past this cute cafe transformed from a white Victorian home.  At nearly the same time we said we should turn around and promptly made a U-turn along Rosecrans Street.

It's nearly as cute on the inside as the white paned outside.  There is an abundance of richly colored green and red Victorian chairs with small wooden tables all about the place--literally a living room like its moniker. There is also an outside which was quite popular Saturday morning, as well an upstairs where several college students were typing away on the old fashioned furniture and art lined walls.

The menu was quite extensive, as it serves as both a cafe, a breakfast place, a lunch place, and a beer and hooka joint after dark.  Can I just say that I have a weak spot for places that write their menus in chalk?  Something about it just makes it a little more quaint.  Nothing's quaint about the price, however.  My egg/bacon meal and small hot chocolate and his Mexican egg breakfast with a small coffee set me back about $17, but for the vibe, it was well worth it.  It's hard to find a place that offer syrup choices like mango and apricot as well as the usual vanilla and mint.

La Bocca

"This is the best mojito I've ever had," B----- said after sipping the La Bocca Fizz Mojito at La Bocca Urban Pizza on Mill Ave. B---- is not one to give out hyperboles easily and a few minutes later I reached out to the beautiful mint and iced drink to try it for myself. And I have to say: he's right. But more on that later.

Were together on that warm Saturday night April 17th right when it starts getting dark in the desert. We were meeting Sarah and Alan, D---- and A----- for dinner before my birthday party at Sarah and I's apartment and La Bocca was nothing but the perfect choice.

La Bocca is a staple of Mill Ave if you're ever in Tempe. It's an urban pizza joint, which means lots of rich colors, fancy mixing with funky furniture and artwork and plenty of wine next to rustic looking pizza pies. There are plenty of little candles to light up the bold red and green interior and retro paintings, and with techno infused jazz music in the background giving it a hip feel to the place. I've been to La Bocca for several occasions: out to lunch with Sarah, D----'s first legal drink on her birthday for lunch, Valentine's Day with B----, and Saturday night our first triple date birthday dinner.

B----- and I arrived early, with me in an orange and white dress and white strappy wedges and him in his fitted white suit shirt rolled to the elbows with dark wash jeans and white flashy shoes. Simply put: we were lookin' good, haha. We arrived first and ordered the Mediterranean appetizer with a mojito for him and a water for me. For the record, any restaurant that serves water with a slice of cucumber instead of a slice of lemon automatically wins an A in my book. I've been noticing this more and more in the area lately. Is this an new Arizona thing?

Domin-NOs

This is my review for Domino's pizza for my Eng 474 Review Class. Judging by the title, I'm sure you can figure out my opinion.

Domin-NO’s

It’s past midnight on a Wednesday night and you’re so starving that the words on the page are getting blurry. You walk to the kitchen to find in a rage that your college roommate ate the last of your ramen and you’re so upset you could throw your 4.5 pound Lit Theory book out of your 3rd floor window.

You quickly think what fast hot meals are available this late for an under-21 year-old with no car. Obviously you can’t get into a bar/restaurant so there’s Ihop, which takes too long, Safeway, but who cooks anymore? and both Taco Bell and In-N-Out are drive-through only at this hour. So what’s left? The answer: Domino’s Pizza.

For the past 3 years of living in Arizona whenever I’ve been severely hungry I have thought of Domino’s food as “yummy breadsticks”, “tasty crust”, and “good pizza”, and then an hour after digesting, “nauseous sticks”, “heartburn hearty crust”, and “puky pizza”. No, Domino’s and I have not had a friendly relationship. However, when I saw their new advertisements offers news of an updated version of their pizza I decided to give them another go.

A little past 1am on a Wednesday night I find myself in front of the Domino’s on ----Blvd…Domino’s is not hard to spot, with its lit up red and blue plastic colors I haven’t seen anywhere else but a childhood crayon box.

As I walk in I’m surprised how alert and friendly the 4 or 5 college-age guys are who are working this late shift. After I order and am assured that it will be ready in “definitely less than 10 minutes” I ask the guy at the counter how exactly he is able to be this spunky this late. He tells me with a shrug he says that he manages it someway, somehow. To me, they’re all awake, chipper, and an excellent first impression of Domino’s new image.

Domino’s is a take-out pizza place but this Domino’s in the courtyard has the benefit of several tables in front of it. I sit at one of them as I wait for my order and spy the nightlife of the other hungry college students.