[Bread Machine] Pain D'ail (Garlic French Bread)

We finished the roasted garlic and dry jack bread.  Time to make another loaf.  I was too lazy to go to the market.  So I flipped through the recipe book to see if I can find a recipe with ingredients I already had at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  Great!  I could with  make Pain D'ail (Garlic French Bread)with a few simple ingredients that I already had at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  This was the BEST loaf I've ever made so far.  (Maybe the bread tastes even better when it was cut better with my new electric knife?)  The bread was made with French Bread cycle.  The crust was just like French bread.  The middle was very soft.  I love the pieces of garlic in the bread.  This was one delicious bread!


Pain D'ail

In Provence, garlic is said to be the poor man's, or every-man's, spice.  Simply a garlic French bread, this is a good dinner bread.  Store fresh garlic bulbs in a cool, dry place; they do not need to be refrigerated.  Use a garlic press to pulverize the cloves for this recipe, or crush the cloves with the flat side of a knife blade to release their wonderful flavor.  If you get the odor of garlic on your fingers, you can remove it by rubbing them on a stainless steel spoon under running water.  The metal neutralizes the garlic like magic.  You can also use roasted garlic in this bread, if you wish; the flavor will be more subdued.  This bread is good served with roasted meats and rice casseroles.

[Shopping] Black and Decker Home Slice Right Electric Knife

I have a bread knife, and it doesn't work very well.  Or I just don't know how to cut bread right?  Most of the time, I'll get one or two perfect slices, then the rest just messy.  I wouldn't even call them bread "slices".  It was more like bread "bits and pieces".  While shopping online for a new bread knife, I thought "hey, why don't I just upgrade to an electric knife?"


Black and Decker Home Slice Right Electric Knife EK700 ($17.00)

I've never had an electric knife before.  But from reading the description, I found out that electric knife can cut meat as well as bread.  I picked Black and Decker Home Slice Right Electric Knife EK700 because it was (1) cheap, and (2) it has pretty good reviews.  I normally won't invest in an expensive gadget right away.  I would like to try it out first.  If I like the gadget, then I can always upgrade to a better one later.

[Huntington Beach] [Japanese] Gyu-Kaku

Gyu-Kaku
7862 Warner Ave # 109
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 842-8333
http://www.gyu-kaku.com

We went bike riding at Huntington Beach Saturday morning.  The weather was so nice that day.  It was a really fun ride along the beach.  After the 3 hour ride, we were starving.  All you can eat sounded really good.  The 5 of us headed to Gyu-Kaku for the $12.95 all you can eat lunch special.


Miso Soup

Their miso soup was good.  I love how there were lots of seaweeds in it.

[Laguna Beach] [American] K'ya Bistro & Bar

K'ya Bistro & Bar
1287 S Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 376-9718
http://www.kyarestaurant.com

Dr. P and I went to K'ya Bistro for happy hour on Friday.  We got there around 5pm.  The place was completely packed.  The host told us they were fully booked till 9pm, and they were not taking walk-ins.  Seriously?  But he told us they have a new dining area downstairs at their wine cellar.  That area will open at 6pm for walk-ins.  We really really wanted the food at K'ya Bistro.  Fine, one hour wait then.  By the way, they don't have the 1/2 off all food happy hour anymore.  Now they have a new $5 happy hour menu.



We decided to walk around Laguna Beach for one hour.  It was a really nice walk along the beach and shops.  The sunset view was beautiful.

[Slow Cooker] Potato and Leek Soup

I bought leek to use in Salmon Noodle Bake.  The market had the leek for sale 3 of them in a bundle.  I used one in the salmon recipe, and still had 2 leeks left.  Potato and leek soup!  Couldn't think of a better way to use up the leeks.  And I have almost all the ingredients at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com, too.  This soup tastes good with a little bit of cream when served, but I didn't have cream at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  So I added a little milk, and it was just as good.  It was a hearty and healthy vegetable soup (if you don't add the prosciutto).  Perfect for a cold winter night.


Potato and Leek Soup

Preparation time:  10 minutes
Cooking time:  3 hours
Serves:  4

[Bread Machine] Roasted Garlic and Dry Jack Bread

I wanted to try the Zojirushi Bread Machine again.  This time I used the 2 lb loaf bread machine properly and made a 2 lb loaf bread.


Roasted Garlic and Dry Jack Bread

Wow!  The loaf turned out to look so perfect!  The side was crunchy, and the top was so soft and fluffy!

[Cooking] Salmon Noodle Bake

Salmon Noodle Bake is a very healthy dish with lots of vegetables in it. It wasn't too hard to make, but did required ingredients to be cooked separately first before placing in the oven. The leftover tasted even better the next day because the noodle absorbed more flavor from the sauce overnight. Both Dr. P and I really enjoyed the dish.


Salmon Noodle Bake
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/salmon-noodle-bake-recipe-ghk0111

Serves: 6

[Cooking] Spicy & Tangy Curry Chicken

I always thought Indian food is hard to cook.  It needs so many different spices.  But I managed to cook a super easy and delicious Indian meal last night... thanks to my sister.  ;-)


Spicy & Tangy Curry Chicken

First, I cut 4 pieces of chicken breast into bite size pieces.  Chicken breast were from Omaha Steak package that my sister got me for Christmas.  Sauteed the chicken in pan with some olive oil.  While the chicken was cooking, I boiled some water to cook some taro that my sister gave me.  She got the taros from Alhambra farmers market.  It didn't have the strong taro taste, so I just used it like potato.  Then I added the diced cooked taro, along with a bag of veggie mix (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot) into the pan.  Cooked for a few minutes.  Then add.....

[Teddy & Twinkle] Dachshund Maybe?

Teddy and Twinkle are getting bigger and bigger. While Twinkle is getting taller, Teddy is...



Getting longer and longer!

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

We wanted to try a Colombian restaurant after our Monday night puppy kindergarten, but we found out the restaurant was closed on Monday when we got to the door.  I tried suggesting going to a few different places.  Dr. P kept on saying, "Mmmm.... what else?"  But when I asked, "Sango Sushi?"  His eyes lit up, and stepped on the gas.



This is just a regular looking Japanese take-out kind of restaurant.  I would never suspect they have super fresh and high grade sushi here.  Actually the first time I took Dr. P there, he got mad at me.  He was like, "I said I want sushi.  Why would you take me to a take-out place?"  We left that day because Dr. P didn't even want to try anything just by the look of this restaurant.  I insisted we go back to try again later.  He finally agreed.  Now he said Sango Sushi is his favorite Japanese restaurant in Orange County.  I guess you can't judge a book by its cover.

[Shopping] Naturtint Permanent Hair Colorant

After cutting my hair short, I noticed my gray hair were a lot more visible. I think the short haircut made me look a little younger. I can't let the gray hair tell my real age now, right? haha...



While shopping at Henry's Farmers Market, I saw Naturtint Permanent Hair Colorant on sale for about $12 (original price was $16).  I know I can get normal hair dye for about $6 or $7.  But this one is all natural with plant base ingredients, no ammonia, and no resorcinol.  Would you pour chemical on your head?  Probably not.  I think paying a few more dollars for all natural hair dye is totally worth it.

[Aliso Viejo] [Coffee & Tea] The Neighborhood Cup

The Neighborhood Cup
1 Journey
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
(949) 716-5100
http://www.theneighborhoodcup.com

I read about The Neighborhood Cup on Yelp, and had been meaning to pay this independently owned coffee shop a visit.  We have so many Starbucks around here.  It's nice to see a local coffee shop in this town.



The coffee shop is right next to Aliso Viejo library.  There was only one lady working.  She was so busy taking orders, making coffee and tea, making food, and just doing everything all by herself.  Service was a little slow.  But seeing how busy she was, plus she was super nice and friendly, I didn't mind waiting at all.

[Bread Machine] White Bread

My sister let me "borrow" her Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme 2-Pound-Loaf Breadmaker because she wants to be on a diet and is trying not to make delicious bread with her bread machine.  haha....  She said she gained too much weight because of this bread machine is too good.



It was my first time using this bread machine.  Also it was my first time using her recipe book, The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook.  I decided to make the most basic White Bread to get a feel for this machine.  The amount of ingredients called for was quite different than my cookbook, The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook.

[Dog Food] Doggy Delicious Omelet

I read a Chinese health book that canned and dried food are not good enough for pets.  It's not saying the food is bad, but definitely not as good as fresh cooked food.  The canned and dried pet food was made with super high heat, which kills all the enzymes in the food.  So those are "dead" food.  After reading the book, I decided to start cooking for Teddy and Twinkle.  They'll still eat normal dog food.  But I'll cook them fresh meals as treats once a week.



I bought The Healthy Dog Cookbook from Amazon.  I picked this one because of all the positive reviews.  Also from the sample pages, the recipes seemed easy and delicious.

[Laguna Niguel] [Deli] Corner Bakery Cafe

Corner Bakery Cafe
27221 La Paz Rd # K
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8673
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com

I got a coupon for a free combo meal from Corner Bakery Cafe for liking their Facebook page.  Nice!  I like free food.  I went there to get my free lunch after grocery shopping at Henry's Farmers Market in the same plaza.


Corner Combo - Sandwich or Panini Combo
Your choice of 1/2 Signature Sandwich or Panini with Caesar Salad, Mixed Greens or Cup of Soup.

I got a 1/2 sandwich and cup of soup Corner Combo.  It also came with pickle and a bag of potato chips.  This combo meal costs about $8.50 I think.  Pretty pricey if you don't have a free coupon like I did.  haha...

My New Haircut

My hair was getting way too long.  When that happens, my hair falls out like crazy.  I do like having long hair.  But I hate it when my hair was everywhere on the floor.  Time for a haircut.



This was my "before" picture.  My hair was long, messy, dry, and always tangled.

[Food Truck] [Spanish] Barcelona OnTheGo

Barcelona OnTheGo
(949) 939-6798
http://www.barcelonaonthego.com

Before we went into Souplantation, we spotted the Barcelona OnTheGo food truck in the parking lot.  We walked up to take a look, and the owner told us that they wouldn't be ready for another 45 minutes.  On the truck, it said that they serve Spanish tapas.  Seemed interesting.  So we went back to the truck after Souplantation to take another look.



They parked in front of a wine boutique.  A lot of the customers from the wine shop came out to order from the food truck, too.

[Laguna Niguel] [Buffet] Souplantation

Souplantation
23870 Aliso Creek Road
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-6055
http://www.souplantation.com

I get vegetable craving once in a while.  When I do, I always head to Souplantation.  We've been to Laguna Niguel's Souplantation three times now.  The food and service is always good there.  It was never really crowded.  We like this mellow Souplantation better than the crazy one in Irvine, where we always feel like in a war zone fighting to get soup and bread.


Lunch ($7.59/person)

We always go to Souplantation with coupon.  The coupon price for lunch is $7.59 per person.  I think we saved about $1.50/person with the coupon.  When I create my own salad, I go for food with different colors. But I don't get too much, because I gotta save room for other yummy food.

[Newport Beach] [Seafood] Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina

Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina
2104 W Oceanfront
Newport Beach, CA 92663
(949) 723-0606
http://www.rockinbaja.com

Yesterday was first of Newport Beach Restaurant Week.  After looking over all the menus, I was very interested in trying Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina's seafood bucket.  After appetizers and wines at Versai, we headed to Newport Beach Balboa Peninsula for dinner.



The restaurant is a lot smaller than it looked from outside.  There's a very long bar on the first floor, and only about 7 tables on the second floor.

[Yorba Linda] [Wine Bar] Versai The Wine Bar

Versai The Wine Bar
18248 Imperial Hwy
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
(714) 993-5421
http://www.versaithewinebar.com

I have a $40 Groupon from Versai The Wine Bar that was about to expire.  I don't think I've ever been to a wine bar before.  We thought it would be fun to stop by to have a little pre-dinner drinks.



The inside decor was beautiful!  We grabbed two seats at the inside long table.  The place filled up fairly quick.

[Bread Machine] Cranberry-Raisin Bread with Nutmeg

The recipe from the book was Cranberry-Golden Raisin Bread with Cardamon. I didn't have golden raisin nor cardamon at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com. So I substituted regular raisin for the golden raisin, and nutmeg for Cardamon. It turned out to be delicious!


Cranberry-Raisin Bread with Nutmeg

For 1.5 Pound Loaf: 1-1/4 C water, 2 T butter, 2 T brown sugar, 3 C bread flour, 1/4 C dry milk, 1 T gluten, 1-1/2 t salt, 1 t ground nutmeg, 2 t SAF yeast.  Set bread machine on sweet bread cycle and crust on light.  When the machine beeps, add 2/3 C raisins and 2/3 C dried cranberries.

[Shopping] Handbag by Olivia+Joy & iHome Charging Station

I love the segment "Jill's Deals and Steals" on Today's Show! Out of the 5 discounted deals on January 11th show, I bought 3 items.


Knightlife Hobo by Olivia+Joy ($98.00 $19.00)

First item is a purse from Olivia+Joy.  This is such a cute bag!  It's a lot bigger than I expected, too.

[Teddy & Twinkle] We're Sleepy

Puppies sure sleep a lot. They play like crazy for 1 or 2 hours, then they'll just pass out for 3 or 4 hours.



After playing at my sister's house, they got sleepy.  They jumped on the couch to take a nap.

[Arcadia] [American] Cheesecake Factory

Cheesecake Factory
400 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 447-2800
http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com

At the end of every year, I will exchange the points I accumulated from credit cards into gift cards.  And those gift cards are usually restaurant gift cards because, yup you know it, I like to EAT!  haha....  I have a $50 gift card from Cheesecake Factory, and sister felt like some yummy cheesecake.  So we headed to Arcadia mall for dinner & cheesecake.


Bread

I always like Cheesecake Factory's bread, and always ended up eating too much of it.  By the way, why is Cheesecake Factory always so dark?  I thought it was supposed to be a family friendly type of restaurant.  But they make it so dark in there that we couldn't even see the food that well.  Are they trying to make Cheesecake Factory into a romantic type of restaurant?

[Monterey Park] [Taiwanese] 輕鬆小站 Ten Ren's Tea Time

Ten Ren's Tea Time
輕鬆小站
500 N Atlantic Blvd #179
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 872-0800
http://www.tenrensteatime.com

Sister said she drove by this new plaza on Atlantic, and seemed like new stores are opened now.  We went there after lunch to walk around a bit.  So many restaurants in this plaza that we want to try.  This new Asian plaza looked and felt more like an American mall, sorta like that outdoor mall in Pasadena.


仙草拌奶 Grass Jelly with Milk ($4.50) /
荔枝綠茶&情人果 Litchi Green Tea + Green Mango ($4.25)

We stopped by at Ten Ren's Tea Time to get a drink and snack.  This new shop was bright, a little too bright maybe.  The afternoon sunshine was right in our eyes and felt uncomfortable.  We ordered our drinks and an order of Salt & Pepper Chicken Nugget (茶香鹽酥雞) ($4.50) for to go.  We waited for a good 10 minutes.  During this 10 minutes, I was looking at other people's food.  The food looked really good.  Also I learned that "Michael" must be the newest employee there.  There were one girl, one guy, and "Michael" working in the front.  The whole time I just heard the girl and the guy yelling, "Michael, go do this."  "Michae, go do that."  "Michael, Michael, Michael...."  Poor Michael!  So we waited and waited, then I saw our drinks and food was just sitting at the counter.  The girl and the guy was busy telling Michael to do things, and Michael was too busy doing things, so nobody told us our food was ready.  I went up to the counter and grabbed the drinks and chicken nugget myself, while the girl asked, "Yours? Ok."

[Rosemead] [Chinese] 吉嶸川菜 Ji Rong Restaurant

Ji Rong Restaurant
吉嶸川菜
8450 Valley Blvd., #114
Rosemead, CA 91770
(626) 280-8600

My sister's getting acupuncture treatment from a Chinese Medicine doctor now.  While chitchatting, the Beijing doctor recommended Ji Rong, saying they serve really authentic Beijing food.  Sister and I came here for lunch to try some of the doctor's recommended dishes.



They serve lunch special from 11am to 4pm.  Lunch special has dishes that are $3.98, $4.98, $5.98 or $6.98.  Their business was pretty good.  Service definitely needs improvement though.  A waiter was taking us to our seats, on the way a customer asked for a drink, then he just left us there and went to the back to get the drink.  And he didn't even come back to us.  He just totally forgot about us.

[Teddy & Twinkle] You Can't See Me, Right?

I was sitting in the living room using my laptop. All of a sudden I got that feeling like someone was staring at me. I looked up and saw....



Twinkle was hiding and looking at me at the turn on our stairs.  haha....

[Shopping] Bargain Books at Borders

I love going to Borders and Barnes & Noble, but I never really buy books. I usually browse to find the books I want, then I will buy them from Amazon since Amazon almost always have better price. But the only time I would buy from Borders or B&N is from their bargain book section.  I love bargain books!


Slow Cookers: More Than 100 Easy Recipes ($19.95 $2.99) /
The Chronicles of Spiderwick: A Grand Tour of the Enchanted World, Navigated by Thimbletack ($29.99 $4.99)

I bought two MAJOR bargain books.  The first one is Slow Cookers: More Than 100 Easy Recipes.  This book was sold in Australia for $19.95, which equals to about the same value as US dollar.  The recipes look good.  Can't wait to try them.  Only $3!

[Tustin] [Coffee] Peet’s Coffee & Tea

Peet’s Coffee & Tea
2489 Park Ave
Tustin, CA 92782
(714) 689-9048
http://www.peets.com

Coffee time after dinner.  We stopped by at Peet's Coffee & Tea at The District.  I kinda miss The District.  We used to come here all the time when we lived in Irvine.



It was around 10pm, and there were still so many kids outside at The District last night.  Yeah it was a holiday, but don't they have school today?  They should be out on Sunday night, not Monday night, right?

[Newport Beach] [Seafood] Jack Shrimp

Jack Shrimp
2400 W Coast Hwy #M
Newport Beach, CA 92663
(949) 650-5577
http://www.jackshrimp.com

With $20 for $40 Groupon in hands, we went to Jack Shrimp for a Martin Luther King's day dinner.  Dr. P called ahead to make reservation, but they told us just come in.  I guess business was slow?



There were only 5 other guests in the restaurant.  We actually enjoyed the quietness.  We had a table on the covered patio under the heat lamp.  It was a really nice night.

[Aliso Viejo] [Burger] Fatburger

Fatburger
26741 Aliso Creek Rd
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
(949) 362-0070
http://www.fatburger.com

I had a print coupon from Fatburger: Buy any big fat deal (burger, fries & drink) and get a fatburger for free.  Lucky for us, there's Fatburger right by our house.


Fatburger + Cheese + Egg
1/3 lb fresh, never frozen lean beef. Mustard, relish, onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce, mayo.

The burger looked messy when we opened the paper bag at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  But it smelt really good.

3 Birthday Parties in 1 Day

We went to 3 birthday parties in 1 day!  It was crazy, but everything worked out perfectly!



Birthday #1 was Tala's 1 year old birthday.

Ebates: Where It Pays to Shop Online

Do you guys know about this website Ebates? It's a shopping site that gives you up to 26% Cash Back every time you shop online. You can shop at over 1000 stores including eBay, JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, Overstock.com, Walmart, Kohl's and Home Depot. Plus you get additional savings with exclusive coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales!

Everytime I shop online, I always go on Ebates first to see if the store is on the website for Cash Back. If it is, just click on the stores thru Ebates, shop as usual, then receive cash back into your account. Easy as pie! Also when you search for the stores, Ebates will also show you all the current coupon codes. I seriously love this website. But it's also kinda bad because I feel like I'm making money while shopping then I buy more. haha....

Sign up with Ebates for free today and we'll each get a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase!  After you join, you can also refer your friends to get $5 bonus.  Pretty cool, yeah?

Happy shopping!

[Teddy & Twinkle] We Love Apple

More cute videos of Teddy and Twinkle....



Teddy and Twinkle love fruits. They love apple!! I like watching them eating apple and making that "crunch crunch" sound when they chew. So cute! They also go crazy for orange and banana.

台灣香腸 & 雞捲 Taiwanese Sausage & Chicken Roll

I also bought Taiwanese sausage and chicken roll when I ordered Taiwanese meat balls. I made dinner with these two items.


台灣香腸 & 雞捲 Taiwanese Sausage & Chicken Roll

I cooked Taiwanese sausage with rice in the rice cooker.  The rice then got the flavor of sausages.  Yum!  Chicken Roll was simply heat up in the microwave.  Both items are really good.  I love how fresh the sausage tasted.  It tasted so much better than the supermarket ones.  I even added some Taiwanese spicy bamboo shoots to complete this bowl of Taiwanese style rice.

Restaurant Week Is Coming

There are two restaurant week events coming up.


Newport Beach Restaurant Week
Jan 21 ~ Jan 27
http://newportbeachdining.com/newport-beach-restaurant-week/participating-restaurants.aspx

[Teddy & Twinkle] We Love Each Other

Awwww.... so sweet!

[Cook] Kimchi Rice Cake Soup

One of my new year resolutions is to save money.  One way to do so is not to waste food.  I try to use up food in the fridge and made this kimchi rice cake soup yesterday.


Kimchi Rice Cake Soup

Rice cake + kimchi + tofu + chicken broth + egg.  Very easy to make.

[Slow Cooker] 紅豆湯 Azuki Red Bean Dessert Soup

I love azuki red bean dessert soup, especially during winter time. There's just something about that bowl of sweet red bean soup... so warm and comforting.


紅豆湯 Azuki Red Bean Dessert Soup

First I soaked azuki red beans in water for about 3 hours.  Then I used Cuisinart 3-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker to cook the soup.  Just add a bag of azuki red beans, and add water to fill about 3/4 of the pot.  Set on high for 4 hours.  When there's about 30 minutes left, I added brown sugar to the soup.  I also like to add a little bit of honey to my red bean soup when I eat it.  Super simple, right?

[Bread Machine] Banana Sandwich Loaf

I have one overripe banana left. Best way to use it... make bread with it!


Banana Sandwich Loaf

Found this recipe for Banana Sandwich Loaf in The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook.  There's also a recipe for banana bread, but I don't have all the ingredients on hand.

Totemo Kawaii

I got presents from my is-in-law, Ayami!



I LOVE them all!  Totemo Kawaii~~~~  Total cuteness!!!!

[Mission Viejo] [Thai] Diho Siam Restaurant

Diho Siam Restaurant
27001 La Paz Rd #100
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
(949) 597-1550
http://www.dihosiam.com

We went to puppy kindergarten last night.  It was the first class meeting with no puppies, just lesson for the owners.  The class was held at Mission Viejo High School.  After the class, we found this nearby restaurant with Entertainment Book coupon for a quick Thai dinner.  It was Monday night, and the restaurant was full with people waiting.  The food must be good.  We Diho Siam was a Thai restaurant, but they actually have two menus, Thai menu and Chinese menu.  We didn't even bother to look at the Chinese menu because we were in the mood for Thai.


Tom Yum (Thai Hot & Sour Soup) Chicken ($8.95)

The puppy class was outdoor.  We both wanted hot soup after sitting in the cold for one hour.  Tom Yum Chicken was not as spicy nor as sour as we like it.  It was actually quite sweet.  We thought the flavor was catered to the Caucasian customers in this area.  A bowl of hot soup was still good for a cold winter night though.

[Monrovia] [Chinese] Shanghai Bamboo House

Shanghai Bamboo House
上海竹軒特色本幫菜
933 W Duarte Rd
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 574-5960

My brother has been to Shanghai Bamboo House a few times.  He thought the food was good and the price was reasonable.  So we had our family dinner there last night.



I remember coming to the same location before with my parents.  It used to be a Korean soon tofu place.  The food wasn't very good.  So we weren't surprised that it was closed.  Business at Shanghai Bamboo House was very good.  The restaurant was completely full on Sunday night.

[Teddy & Twinkle] Cat Toys Lovers

We took Teddy and Twinkle to my brother's house to visit. They have two cats and lots of cat toys.



Their cats, Mushy and Tabby, don't really play with their toys. But Teddy and Twinkle just love all the cat toys. They especially like the ones that has cat nips in them and the ones that make noises.

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

Back to Sango Sushi for takeout.  Dr. P has been craving for their uni sushi the whole week.  That day after having burgers at Deemer's in the same plaza, Dr. P even thought about going to Sango just to get an order of uni sushi.


Uni (Sea Urchine) Sushi / Ikura (Salmon Roe) Sushi

Just looking at the picture of Uni and Ikura sushi makes me drool.  Both sushi were super fresh and delicious.  The only complaint was the seaweed was soggy and chewy from the moisture of the sushi rice.  I guess they would taste better if we ate at the restaurant.

Taiwanese Meatball

Thanks to my Plurk friend Ruby for those delicious Taiwanese meatballs. She found the vendor that provides Taiwanese meatballs to Taiwanese restaurants. They offer wholesale price if people place large order. Ruby asked if anyone was interested in ordering the Taiwanese meatballs, and ended up ordering about 300 meatballs.


肉圓 Taiwanese Meatballs ($1.60) / 雞捲 Chicken Roll ($3.00) / 香腸 Taiwanese Sausage ($5.00)

I ordered 12 Taiwanese meatballs, 2 chicken rolls, and 2 Taiwanese sausage.  Half of them are for my parents.  The Taiwanese meatballs were freshly made and ready to eat when I picked them up.  Chicken rolls and sausages were frozen.

[Teddy & Twinkle] Irvine Dog Park Sucks

We took Teddy & Twinkle to Irvine Dog Park yesterday. That place is horrible!! First, it was really dirty. There were dog poos everywhere and even throw-up on the ground. The small dog area is kinda small, but soooooo many dogs. Then there was a big group of Boston Terriers. Those terriers were the bullies at the playground. They attacked poor Twinkle right when she walked in. Then she was traumatized the whole time. She wanted me to hold her and didn't really want to play anymore. When I put her down, she always had her tail between her legs. Poor baby. Teddy still tried to have fun. Whenever those Boston Terriers approached him, he just rolled over and played dead. It was kind of funny. haha... Anyway, I don't think we'll ever go back to that dog park again. Laguna Beach dog park is sooooo much nicer!



Teddy likes to roll around on the ground.

[Laguna Niguel] [Burger] Deemer's American Grill

Deemer's American Grill
27221 La Paz Rd #E
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8770
http://www.deemersgrill.com

I saw this new restaurant, Deemer's American Grill, after doing grocery shopping at Henry's Market in the same shopping plaza.  Went online to see what kind of food they serve after I got http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  It is one of those gourmet hamburger places.  The burgers look good on the menu.  It's always fun to try a new restaurant.  So Dr. P and I had a burger date on Friday night.



Deemer's is not a big place.  There are a few tables inside, and more tables on the covered patio.

[Teddy & Twinkle] Afternoon Nap

Caught Teddy and Twinkle taking an afternoon nap on the couch.



Teddy was sleeping in a very funny position.  Very... uh... manly I guess.  hahahaha....

[Irvine] [Drink] 品客多 Tapioca Express

Tapioca Express
品客多
5408 Walnut Ave # G
Irvine, CA 92604-2530
(949) 786-8688
http://www.tapiocaexpress.com

I used to get Boba Milk Tea always.  But after I discovered this drink, now I ALWAYS order this one.


蘆薈茉莉綠茶 Jasmine Green Tea w/ Aloe

I love love love love Jasmine Green Tea with Aloe.  Green tea has less sugar and fat than milk tea.  And aloe has more health benefits than starchy boba.

[Anaheim] [Chinese] Mas' Islamic Restaurant

Mas' Islamic Restaurant
馬家清真館
601 E Orangethorpe Ave
Anaheim, CA 92801
(714) 446-9553

We had dinner plan with Dr. P's cousin's family last night.  They live close to Mas' Islamic Restaurant.  We miss the food from there, and Dr. P's cousin, Bruce, also likes Mas' Islamic.  Perfect place to meet up for dinner.


蒸餃 Steamed Dumplings (8) ($6.95)

Bruce's family said they always order the same 3 items when they go to Mas' Islamic because their kids like them.  Bruce's wife Sarah told me that once they had kids, they started ordering "kids friendly" food.  And their own tastes kind of changed... for the kids.  Parents will do anything for their kids... that's love!  Awww....  One of the items the kids like was Steamed Dumplings.  The beef dumpling had lots of meat juice inside.  It was tasty.

[Cook] Tuna Salad Sandwich

I'm trying to use up food in my pantry and fridge this week. This morning's creation was Tuna Salad Sandwich.


Tuna Salad Sandwich

I don't really know what kind of bread this was.  My mother-in-law gave us the bread to take hom.  It's airy and chewy in the middle.  I cut the bread in middle and stuff it with tuna salad.

[Cook] Stirred Fried Kimchi Rice Cake

Mother-in-law gave us some kimchi and rice cake to take http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  I had pork and tofu at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  I remember this Korean dish with kimchi, pork, and tofu I had in restaurant.  Maybe I could add those ingredients together with rice cake?  The kimchi was http://www.eileenlikestoeat.commade.  It wasn't as strong/salty/spicy as store bought ones.  The taste was milder, but it was crunchier and fresher.  Since it was the kimchi that give the stirred fried rice cake its flavor, I thought I could add a little bit more Korean spicy chili bean paste to make it spicier.  Too bad I don't have any at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com.  Also I think Korean people usually add green onion to their dishes, not cilantro.  But I only had cilantro in my fridge so that was what I used.  Dr. P said it tasted like a Korean Chinese dish.  haha....


Stirred Fried Kimchi Rice Cake