Strawberry-Lavender Sorbet.

I'm not sure if any of you have been as lucky to try any of Joseph's sorbets from his Cooking With Just Four Ingredients book, but they are pretty yummy. A couple of nights ago, we wanted a little something sweet after our dinner, and thought, why not make a sorbet!


Joseph made this simple syrup over the stove, with fresh lavender. He heated it just enough to warm the water and sugar, and then threw in the lavender. He let it soak for about 45 minutes and then threw it in the refrigerator to cool down.

Meanwhile, I made the strawberry purée. I hulled a big case of fresh strawberries, and then in small batches puréed them in our food processor (which is very small, hence the small batches). Once the simple syrup was cooled and the strawberry purée was ready, I mixed them together and froze the mixture overnight.

In the morning, I scooped the frozen mixture back into the food processor and smoothed it out. In small batches once again, I added just a small amount of egg yolk into the processor with the mixture. It made it very fluffy! I was so excited because Joseph said he had never followed that part of the recipe, but it looked more like a sorbet with it. Once I had used the entire egg yolk and mixture, I placed the whole thing back into the bowl and put it back in the freezer for a few more hours.

Once it was frozen all the way through, wah-lah! I scooped it into a small white bowl and garnished it with a flower from our small front porch garden. It was smooth, slightly creamy, and tasted oh so fresh :)

As you may have noticed, I took over the project but Joseph got to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Unfortunately, we had to wait until the next day from our original craving from the night before.

Feliz Cumpleaños Olga.

As I was loading some pictures that I took from Joseph's camera for a new post, I re-discovered some pictures I had taken a couple of weeks ago from my friend Olga's birthday. She threw herself a little party at her house in Lemon Grove, and made some awesome rice, beans, and Carne Asada. We also had some really good red & green salsa, and guacamole that she bought at the store. Oh yea, and I can't forget to mention the freshly sliced cucumbers soaked in lime juice with hot chili powder sprinkled on top (the same way my sister's and I ate them as kids, yummm!)

As a gift, from one of her friends that had recently visited Africa, she got this Coconut drink called Takamaka Bay Rum. It was clear, had a very high proof, and was a bit fizzy. It was so good. You couldn't even taste the alcohol, which of course, is always dangerous. I had a small glass while she drank most of the bottle.

Even though we work at Extraordinary Desserts, nothing is as yummy as a store bought Oreo Chocolate Cake. Since Olga was a tad bit tipsy, she kept cutting slices but dropping them on herself, as you can see from her facial expression. I left shortly after this, but she continued her celebration at the local strip club. Happy Birthday Olga!

"Banker's Hill Bridge Is Falling Down..."

Ok, so obviously Banker's Hill bridge is not really falling down, but for some reason I thought of that nursery rhyme, "London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down..." when I took this picture. Joseph discovered this really cool walking bridge that extends from Banker's Hill into the other side of Hillcrest/Mission Hills so we decided to walk over to it from our apartment on our way to dinner. You can't see it very well but there is a very steep valley underneath it. I think Joseph took some great shots, while this is the only one I got with my iPhone. I really need to invest in a camera or just steal Joseph's ;)

Hawk Sign.

Are you looking for a sign for your business, a full car wrap, or a vinyl design/wallpaper for around the house? Well, Hawk Sign is new in town. Erica's fiance, Chris Menke, has just unveiled his website for his new business. Check it out! I think it looks awesome and Joseph even helped with the copy writing & editing.

Chris & Erica, I wish you guys the best with your new business endeavour! I am positive that it will be a great success!

A Night in Balboa.

Monday night, Joseph and I went on a walk through Balboa Park. Since it's only a block away from us, it only made sense (even though I initially wanted to drive back to Coronado and walk on the beach). The walk through the park is kind of scary but once you get to El Prado Street, everything is all lit up and beautiful.

While walking on El Prado, we stumbled upon a beautiful willow tree. I love willow trees. They are so serene and peaceful, they just inspire me. I just stared at it, and tried to get pictures of its intricate trunk, but since all I had was my iPhone, this is what it looked like.


I could almost tell how old it was and how "wise" it was. If I had to come back as something, I think it would be a willow tree. I may have been influenced by Grandmother Willow in Disney's Pocahontas :) I love how they are so rooted to the Earth. When I have some free time, I want to sit under it and draw/paint its beauty.

We crossed the bridge that overlooks Highway 163 and leads you further into Balboa Park. As we came up on the Old Globe Theater, we walked into the courtyard and found this rock sculpture. I thought it was very symbolic of "man" building the Old Globe, but also God or a "higher being" building Earth. Maybe a bit controversial, but it's just what I saw and caught my attention.

Still walking around the Old Globe, we stumbled upon this semi-eerie patio which as you can see was lit up blue. Everything being so still and quiet, is what made it eerie but calm, and inspired Joseph to have me take this picture. I think it really captured the essence of the moment.

After walking out of the Old Globe's courtyard, we kept walking and stopped at this Koi pond. The buildings in front of it are various museums, and behind it is the Botanical Garden, which houses hundreds of Orchids. I kind of felt like I was in another world.

The last stop within Balboa Park was this little Spanish Artist Village. Joseph had walked through it one late afternoon while everything was shutting down, so we knew where we were. We looked in some of the ateliers, and saw you could take pottery classes, painting classes, or just peruse their spaces and shop.

Of course, a small adventure wouldn't be complete without a reminder of our beloved friends back home. Joseph noticed that Katie may have a relative in San Diego! I guess she might have to just get her butt out here and find out :)

As we started heading back, I noticed it was getting quite late. We had been so enthralled in everything that we had been out for almost two hours! It was a wonderful night. We even saw the oldest ficus tree in San Diego, which is enormous. I couldn't get a decent picture of it, so you'll just have to come out and see it yourself. The last picture I captured of the night was this one of the Museum of Man's side. The architecture of all of the museums is so intricate but this one is probably the most famous. It was simply an inspiring night. I have a sudden urge to paint, draw, or just design anything and everything!

Dinner for Two.

Yesterday after Joseph got off of work, he had a quick lunch and we got ready to go to the beach since it was such a nice day. We drove to Coronado and laid out for a little over an hour before the sun started setting. It was so relaxing. For some reason, we were talking about dinner and both thought about having some kind of grilled fish. I did a little search on my iPhone and found this fish market called Point Loma Seafoods. According to the reviews on Yelp! it had been featured on Rachel Ray's $40 A Day. (I looked it up and you can view the video here, under San Diego Seafoods) We thought, if Rachel Ray featured it, it must have pretty fresh fish.

After making a few wrong turns, we did end up finding it! They had great looking fish, although some types were really pricey. They were running a special on locally caught Halibut. It looked pretty and since we both like Halibut, we got a pound for only $12.95 (a very affordable price). We brought it home and Joseph started up the grill while I prepared the fish.

I drizzled both sides with olive oil, lightly seasoned it with William-Sonoma's Potlatch Seasoning found here, and covered it with freshly squeezed lemon juice. While Joseph grilled, I cut up and steamed some carrots, broccoli, and yellow pepper.
Presto! Dinner was done within a matter of 20 minutes. It was a quick, easy & healthy meal. The fish was just right. A job well done on Joseph's part, he's becoming a master griller!

Fun-Day Monday.

After a short weekend, which consisted of mostly working.... I had all of yesterday off! It was a much needed break. For brunch, my friend Olga & I went to this little cafe in North Park, called The Mission. It was delicious. Of course, we both selected something from the "Latino Breakfast Plates" section of the menu. I had the Pappas Loco which consisted of: rosemary potatoes, grilled jalapeños, black beans, cheese, avocado, and sour cream and two over-medium eggs, with fresh chile verde on the side. I literally scraped the plate clean. :)

After brunch, and taking some time to walk around, we stumbled upon this totally cute boutique called material. The boutique itself is really cute and the clothes are even cuter and so unique. I am going to have to keep it in mind for gifts and myself, of course!

The last little discorvery that we made was this little but bold mexican restaurant called, Ranchos Mexican & Vegetarian Cuisine. The outside was covered in all sorts of flowers, vines, and hanging plants. I have never seen anything like it. We decided to walk in to see what it was like on the inside. So incredibly cool. I didn't want to include many pictures of it yet, since I haven't eaten there (which I totally will very soon). But here is just a snipit of what an outdoor patio table looks like: