Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with family and friends!

This year MH was inspired to make a vegetable side dish for our holiday meals and he decided to make ratatouille. However, since traditional ratatouille is a stew served out of a giant bowl, he opted to make ratatouille a la Pixar's Ratatouille movie because the end result is much more aesthetically pleasing.

Ratatouille

It turned out to be a really tasty dish. We just wish it didn't take so long prepare, assemble, and bake!

Since I love baking for the holidays, I made a lattice top apple pie for our Christmas Eve family dinner, our traditional cinnamon rolls for breakfast Christmas day, and a banana creme pie for our Christmas day family dinner.

Apple Pie

I didn't bother snapping a picture of the cinnamon rolls or the banana cream pie since the cinnamon rolls look the same as the ones I made last year and the top of the banana cream pie was just a fluffy layer of whipped cream. I'm afraid you'll just have to take my word on it that they turned out well and were delish!

Salted Butter Caramels Fail

Caramels are one of my favorite candies and after making a salted butter caramel buttercream to go with a chocolate cake for Thanksgiving, I figured I would give making them a try. I followed the recipe as best as I could, and everything seemed to be going well until I tried to cut them into squares. The mixture hardened into a much harder candy than I had hoped and were more like a sucker/lollipop. Since they still tasted good, MH didn't want to trash them and now we have a giant caramel lollipop on our kitchen counter. Fail.

New York In December

After we punched the clock, my colleague and I caught a train into the city to check out the Christmas tree at Rockefeller center and the decorations in the department store windows.

It was a crisp, clear night which made it perfect for us to stroll through the streets and take in all of the holiday cheer. Happy Holidays to all MH and my family and friends!

Thanksgiving Leftovers

While shuffling all of our Thanksgiving leftovers around in the fridge, I accidentally cracked half a dozen eggs and needed to figure out a good way to use them as soon as possible. Since we already had an excess of leftover desserts, I decided to make something savory and settled on fresh bucatini with our kitchenaid pasta extruder.

Homemade Bucatini

I made a sausage ragu with the leftover sausage and mirepoix from MH's cornbread stuffing and also made sure to include the last bit of leftover red wine.

Homemade Bucatini with a Sausage Ragu

Voila! Unfortunately, I forgot about the apples in MH's cornbread stuffing and as a result there were a few them sprinkled in the ragu here and there, but all in all, it turned out pretty well and made a great dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

MH and I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year, we hosted our first joint family Thanksgiving and it was quite the doozy! With our two families coming together, we had 24 people at the house for dinner.

Unfortunately, since it was a jam packed cooking day, we didn't have time to take pictures along the way or get a chance to take a picture of the final spread before our guests started chowing down but this was our dinner menu...

Needless to say, there were plenty of leftovers and MH and I will be having bits and pieces of our Thanksgiving spread for the rest of the week!

Born To Be Wild IMAX 3D

MH and my visit to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an elephant and rhino orphanage at the edge of Nairobi, was one of my lifetime favorite trip activities.

Earlier this year, IMAX Born to be Wild 3D was released and you can still catch it in theaters today! The short documentary takes you to the Orangutan Foundation International to meet Dr. Birute Mary Galdika and some of the Indonesian Borneo orangutan orphans and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to meet Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick and some of the East African elephant orphans. If you love orangutans, elephants, or animals in general, I encourage you to see this film. For more information, check out the movie link: here.

For more information about the Orangutan Foundation International, Dr. Birute Mary Galdika, or the Indonesian Borneo orangutan orphans, check out the link: here.

For more information about the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick, or the East African elephant orphans, check out the link: here.

Making Mochi

I'm a big fan of mochi, so when I found out you can easily make it at home without having to use a rice pounding mallet and execute a carefully choreographed traditional dance routine, I figured it was worth a try.

Using mochiko, glutinous rice flour, eliminates the need to complete the labor-intensive rice pounding process, and you basically combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl, pour the mixture into a greased pan, bake, cool, cut, and voila!

I couldn't find potato starch at the store, so MH and I rolled our cut mochi in a rice flour and powdered sugar mixture. Our mochi absorbed the coating after a few hours and got a little gooey, but I'm not sure if it was because of the lack of potato starch or the humidity. Nevertheless, they turned out pretty well and the next time I make them I think I'm going to try to make a few different flavors.

Here is the recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.Com:

Ingredients

- 1 pound mochiko

- 2 1/2 cups white sugar

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 2 cups water

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk

- 1/4 teaspoon red food color (optional)

- 1 1/2 cups potato starch

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. Whisk together the rice, flour, sugar, and baking powder; set aside

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the water, vanilla, coconut milk and red food coloring. Blend in the rice flour mixture. Pour into the prepared pan.

3. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool completely.

4. Turn the pan of mochi out onto a clean surface that has been dusted with potato starch. Cut into bit size pieces using a plastic knife. The mochi does not stick as much to plastic knives.

Papaya King

MH and I happened to catch an episode of 'The Originals with Emeril' and his visit to Papaya King, one of New York's famous hot dog stands, caught our eye. They are known for being the first to combine freshly made fruit juices with frankfurters. Who could say no to that?!? Luckily, they recently opened a location in Hollywood, so we decided to give it a try.

We ordered a frankfurter with chili, a frankfurter with sauteed onions, a frankfurter with sauteed mushrooms and onions, curly fries, a papaya tropical drink, and a pina colada tropical drink.

Everything was affordable and tasty. However, we both thought that the bun to frankfurter ratio was a little off and wished there was a little less bread. My favorite part of the meal was the tropical drinks! I thought that the choice to have something other than soda at a hot dog joint was refreshing.

If you plan on going, keep in mind that the place is super tiny with only standing room and counter space to eat. Since it is in Hollywood, parking can also be a challenge, so watch the meter signs.

Financial Crisis For The Future of Ice Cream

I can't say I am surprised by Dippin' Dots recent Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing (WSJ article). Dippin' Dots prices itself alongside premium ice creams brands and clearly does not have the consumer base to support its business. However, my heart goes out to them and I wish they could pull out of their financial funk because I am one of their adoring fans! There is a Dippin' Dots store in Rancho Cucamunga that I like to visit any time MH and I are heading up or coming down the 15 and my road trips just won't be the same without it.

A Visit To The Motherland

Work has me traveling the world, and a couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting the motherland, China. Since our work kept us in Beijing for over a week, we had the opportunity to go on a weekend sightseeing extravaganza. With the help of our local office, we were able to arrange a private tour guide and driver which were both key for our action packed weekend since there are hoards of people in China and rules seem to be optional when you are on the road.

On Saturday, we visited the Temple of Heaven, Tian'anmen Square-Forbidden City, Lama Temple, Hutongs at the Shichachi Lake, and National Silk Market.

Temple of Heaven

Beijing Roast Duck

Tian'anmen Square - Forbidden City

Silk Worms

On Sunday, we visited the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, Olympic Stadium (Bird's Nest and Water Cube), and Summer Palace. The Great Wall is truly amazing sight to be seen. The wall seems to go on forever and ever and the burnt orange hues of the changing leaves made the view even more breathtaking.

Mutianyu Great Wall

After our time in Beijing, we took a quick trip to Shanghai and I was able to visit the Bund Center. Unfortunately, since our time there was so short and I started coming down with a cold, I wasn't able to see anything else before I had to jump on my plane to head back home.

Bund Center Shanghai

That should be it for my international travel for this year. I can't wait to see where I am assigned to go next year!

Weekend In The Mountains

Over the weekend, we went to Mammoth Mountains to celebrate a family friend's 60th birthday! Since we were in the area, MH planned a quick day trip to Mono Lake and Yosemite.

Mono Lake is known for it's "tufa towers," calcium-carbonate spires across the lake shore. Apparently, the best time to visit Mono Lake is at day break, to catch the morning light. When we arrived at 6:30 AM, we pulled into a full parking lot and found a number of visitors with the cameras and tri-pods already set up along the shore.

Mono Lake

After we snapped a few pictures we continued on our journey to Yosemite. To give me the quick tour, MH first stopped at the Tunnel View point to show me the grand view.

Yosemite

Then, we made our way down the Yosemite Valley to the Visitor Center and did a short hike on the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail. It was a beautiful day to be outside and as we strolled along the trail we spotted a couple deer snacking on the brush. After our hike, we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch and then headed back to Mammoth.

When we get into shape we will have to return to hike half dome. Any one else interested?

OpenWorld 2011

Just after we returned from Hawaii, I headed off to San Francisco to attend Oracle's annual conference, OpenWorld. Being a first time visitor to a conference like this, I wasn't prepared for the magnitude of the event. However, I should have known when I started looking into hotels and everything was either sold out or cost a small fortune, like $600/night to stay at the Holiday Inn.

Shout out to Ickity for letting me stay with her during a heavy loaded school week. Even though you were crazy busy, it was still good to see you and spend time with you in between the chaos.

The conference as a whole was a great experience and very informational but I'll spare you the details on that aspect of it. What is more exciting about the conference is that they had Sting and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers perform at their appreciation event on the second to last day of the conference at Treasure Island.

Sting! (the little speck in the middle of the stage)

In addition to having a full blown stage set up for the musical performances, they also had complimentary carnival games, ferris wheel rides, food stands, and beverages. It was a VERY impressive event. Fingers crossed I get to go back next year. Maybe Metallica will be headlining ;)

A Trip To Paradise

While our honeymoon was a once in a lifetime type adventure, we wouldn't necessarily describe our trip to Africa as romantic or relaxing. There is something about the constant application of bug spray and waking up before the sun that seems to kill the idea of romance and the feeling of being well rested. Thankfully, we had the opportunity to go with Oahu with my family at the end of September to get the R&R that we needed.

Sunset @ Waikiki Beach

While we were there, we caught a rerun of Man v. Food that featured the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge at Mac 24-7 in the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel. The challenge is to eat four pounds of pancakes in 90 minutes without leaving the table before you're finished. Since the restaurant wasn't too far from our hotel we decided to give it a go and ordered the hot and wild blueberry pancakes.

Mac 24-7 Hot & Wild Blueberry Pancakes

It is difficult to fully comprehend the true size of the pancakes in the picture. With four of us eating, we came no where close to finishing it, and were only able to eat about half!

On the recommendation of a girl friend, we also tried Mana Bu's, Hawaii's Masubi Headquarters. We picked up a few different masubi's one morning and they were a perfect afternoon snack for a day at the beach. On top of our little masubi pyramid is their fresh strawberry mochi. Although it cost more than any of the masubis, I do admit that it was quite tasty, and I wouldn't mind having another.

Treats from Mana Bu's

Last but not least, we found this awesome beach just north of Haleiwa where we got to watch a group of Hawaiian green sea turtles snacking on the vegetation just off of the shore. Unfortunately, none of them were out on the sand sun bathing. However, every now and then you could see their heads pop up for air or one of their fins sticking out of the surf as they balanced themselves in the waves.

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle

It's always such a treat to visit the Hawaiian islands. Till next time Hawaii, I'll miss you!

Scoops of Summer

Since we had some leftover buttermilk from making fried chicken I found a recipe for Strawberry Buttermilk Ice on epicurious and decided to give it a go. The recipe is pretty easy and is a refreshing summer treat. Since it is an "ice" the end result is similar to a sorbet and from the reading the other reviews it sounds like you can use this recipe with a variety of fruits.

Ingredients:

-2 12-ounce baskets of strawberries, hulled and halved

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 1 cup of low-fat buttermilk

Directions:

Puree the strawberries and sugar in a processor. Add the buttermilk and process until smooth. Pour into a 8x8x2 inch glass dish and place in the freezer. Freeze the mixture until firm, about 3 hours.

Transfer the mixture to the processor and process until smooth. Spoon mixture into a plastic container, cover tightly, and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

Here is the link for the original recipe: Strawberry Buttermilk Ice

So Much For South Beach

I've been meaning to get back onto the South Beach Diet for a couple of weeks but MH and I got into a cooking at home kick and of course cooking at home isn't as much fun when you're trying to be healthy.

Thursday Dinner Menu

-Buffalo Sirloin

-Mashed Potatoes

-Garlic Green Beans

Friday Dinner Menu

-Hawaiian Style Pork Ribs (Aloha Seasoning & Pineapple Juice Marinade)

-Iceberg Salad

-Baked Beans

-Corn Bread

-Fruit Salad

Saturday Breakfast Menu

-Buttermilk Belgium Waffles with Berries & Ice Cream

Saturday Dinner Menu

-Fried Chicken

-Corn

-Mashed Potatoes

-Corn Bread

Going on a diet always seems like a better idea next week anyways. After all, you only live once.

Labor Day Weekend in NYC

I had to work in NJ the week after Labor Day, so MH and I decided to do a weekend trip to NYC. Luckily, we had fabulous weather and it was a beautiful day for sightseeing.

We did a bunch of touristy stuff the first day we were there and visited the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Empire State Building. To conclude our day we went to Peter Lugar's to try New York's #1 rated steak house for the past 24 years in a row.

MH and I must admit, that the quality of the meat is top notch, but since they just salt and sear the steak we thought we have had better tasting steaks at home. I think my personal favorite is still Mastro's.

Our second day in the city was a complete eat-a-thon. We started at Katz's Deli for their signature pastrami sandwich...

stopped into Bisous Ciao for some macarons, Balthazar Bakery, Lombardi's for their margherita pizza...

the Big Gay Ice Cream shop for some soft serve, and finished our day at the Momofuku Noodle Bar!

Momofuku Ramen

Of all of the restaurants, MH and I were most impressed with the Momufuku Noodle Bar and thought it was the only restaurant that fully lived up to all of its hype. I had the most delicious lychee slushie and all of the dishes we had were terrific.

The next day, we stopped into Eataly for lunch, headed off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, enjoyed an afternoon cookie snack at Levain Bakery, and then had Shake Shack for dinner.

Shake Shack Soda, Rocky Road Shake, Cheeseburger & Shack Burger

(From Left to Right)

Originally we had thought we could go to the Shake Shack for lunch but when we got to the Madison Square Park location the line was out of control and we decided that it would be much easier to grab something from Eataly. After we went to Levain Bakery, we were conveniently close to the Shake Shack on Columbus and 77th and we decided that the 15 minute line there was manageable. MH had the cheeseburger and I had the shack burger (without tomatoes, of course) and while both burgers were delicious, we were surprised by how small they were considering the price. The potato bread bun was a nice touch, but we both still prefer In-N-Out.

On our last day, we visited the Museum of Modern Art, enjoyed a frozen treat from Laboratorio del Gelato, had a late lunch at Republic, and then headed off to the airport so MH could catch his flight home and I could pick up my rental car for the week.

Times Square

NYC was another great trip to add to our memory book. Shout out to JR for all of his hospitality! You were a fabulous host and hope you also enjoyed our city adventuring.

More Things To Eat

Since I last blogged about Jonathan Gold's article (refer to my Things To Eat post), a friend told me about a list of 100 Things You Should Try Before You Die in San Francisco (shout out to Ophs for the tip!) by 7x7.com. The list is driven solely by diners opinions and MH and I would have to agree with the items we've had so far.

Checked off the list:

• Morning Bun at Tartine Bakery
• Crab with Cellophane Noodles at The Slanted Door
• Porchetta Sandwich at Roli Roti
• Pizza Margherita at Pizzeria Delfina
• Salumi Misti Plate at Perbacco
• Tuna Tartare and a Gin Martini at Bix
• Salty Caramel Ice Cream at Bi-Rite Creamery

Over the weekend, MH and I took a road trip to the bay area and while we were there I found something thing that I would add to the list, a Reaper Bun from OctoberFeast Bakery. It was explained to me as something like a caramelized morning bun, but even as delicious as that sounds I think the actual thing is better. I imagine that the obscene amounts of butter and sugar used to make these delicious treats are what gives them their name, so they are definitely not a good fit for palettes sensitive to sugar overload. However, I would eat one or two in a sitting the next time I have the chance. I made the mistake of eating half to save the rest for later and the next day it just wasn't the same.

French Bread From A Vending Machine

Last week, the Associated Press shed light on a 24-hour vending machine in France that sells baguettes! You can read about it HERE and watch a video to see how it works HERE. I hope they make it over to the states. They are too cool!

Mmmmmm Donuts!

If you are ever in Glendora, or would like to make a slight detour on your way to Las Vegas like we did, you can stop at Donut Man and pick up one of these delightful fresh strawberry donuts!

It is the child of a fresh strawberry pie and a donut, the donut is split and filled with a generous portion of glazed strawberries. Boy oh boy is it good. Donut Man also offers a variety of other donuts as well. MH picked up a tiger tail (a donut twisted with chocolate) that he enjoyed and depending on the time of year, fresh peach donuts are available too.

The Apple Pan

Last week, MH and I headed over to the Apple Pan. If you live in Los Angeles, I'm sure you have seen it before, it is the cute little house with the giant Apple Pan sign on Pico Boulevard across the street from the Westside Pavilion shopping mall.

The restaurant is very quaint, with a counter seating no more than 25 some odd people at a time, and its interior design was the inspiration for the Johnny Rockets restaurant franchise.

MH ordered the Steak Burger with cheese (left), I ordered the Hickory Burger (right) and we split an order of fries. While the burgers and fries were tasty I thought the atmosphere was really what made the restaurant a gem. The Apple Pan is the kind of place where you feel like a regular even if it's your first time there. The waiters pour your ketchup, pull you extra napkins, and slide you an extra plate without you having to ask. All of their years of experience let them know what you need without you having to say a word.

It's a nice change in pace from having to flag down your aspiring actor/actress aka waiter/waitress to ask for a place setting to eat your meal or your check so you can pay and leave. Again, if you live in Los Angeles, I'm sure you know what I mean.

Things To Eat

Last year, Jonathan Gold wrote an article titled '99 Things to Eat in Los Angeles Before You Die' and after living in Los Angeles for 5+ years MH and I figured we should take advantage of our time here and start checking things off of the list.

Since the list includes "fugu to foie gras, pizza to panuchos" I doubt we'll make it all the way through. However, we've already been to over dozen of the places listed so we are off to a pretty good start!

Checked Off The List:

• Tito's Old School Tacos
• Langer's Hot Pastrami
• Casa Bianca's Pizza
• Kogi's Kalbi Taco
• El Tepeyac Burrito
• Philippe's French Dip
• Hot Dog on a Stick
• Akasha
• Oki Dog
• Mozza Pizza
• Lawry's Prime Rib
• Campanile's Grilled Prime Rib
• Border Grill's Green Corn Tamales
• Nickel Diner Maple Bacon Donut
• Bay Cities Godmother
• Bludso's Brisket

Falling With Style

Much to my surprise, MH and I went skydiving for my birthday! Cross another thing off of our bucket list, 2011 is going to be a hard year for us to beat.

MH and I All Geared Up And Ready To Go

The whole experience was truly something else. Since we did tandem jumps, we didn't have to worry about any of the technical details (e.g. pulling the rip cord for our parachute to open or landing safely). However, gathering the courage to jump out of the plane at 12,500 feet was a big enough challenge for me. Despite being a frequent flier, 12,500 feet feels much different when you are expected to launch yourself out of the plane.

After experiencing skydiving once, my favorite part of the jump were those few seconds after my tandem jumper and I left the plane. I don't know how to describe it but I would definitely do it again. I think there are a few other activities on the list to do first though so we'll just have to wait and see what our next adventure is.

A Lot Of Lattes

I've never been an avid coffee drinker. On occasion, I enjoy a white chocolate mocha or caramel macciatto to get my sugar fix, but I never drink a straight cup of coffee. I recently discovered that my quick morning pick me up is a hot tea latte.

In Africa and my recent work trips abroad, I became fond of drinking tea with breakfast, in the mid-afternoon, and after dinner, so when I returned home I decided to continue the routine. To indulge my new habit, MH convinced me to get a Capresso froth pro automatic milk frother and it has quickly become my most used kitchen gadget.

While my tea steeps, I pour some milk into the Capresso and in a quick couple minutes I have beautifully frothed milk for a tea latte. Finding the perfect ratio of tea, sugar, and milk took a couple of tries but I think I got it. So far, my favorite creation has been my earl grey tea lattes. Yum!

Pop Goes My Tart

I don't recall how or why I decided to make home made pop tarts. Making pop tarts from scratch is definitely not cost effective considering it took me several of hours to make them and you can purchase a box of eight from the grocery store for less than $3. However, it was a fun activity and I would do it again because they were such a delicious morning treat. They may just have to be rectangles/circles instead of animals to make the production time a little more reasonable.

Home Made Strawberry Compote Filled Pop Tarts

Shout out to T&J for MH and my new Silpat. It came in handy when I was making these suckers! We hope you enjoyed your pop tart samples.

Guten Tag From Austria!

To add some excitement to our schedule, my co-workers and I drove to Salzburg, Austria for the weekend. Unfortunately, we hit traffic leaving town on Friday evening so it took us a little longer than expected to get there, but once we arrived in Austria everything was great.

On Saturday, we took a historical tour of Eagle's Nest, Obersalzberg, and the Bunker System. Eagle's Nest is a tea house that was built on top of the Kehlstein mountain on the edge of the cliff as a 50th birthday gift for Adolf Hitler. Obersalzberg is a small community above Berchtesgarden that was taken over by the Nazi Party, and the Bunker System, is a series of underground bunker complexes that were built below the mountain as an air raid shelter, war headquarters and possible last refuge for the leaders of the Reich. It was interesting to learn about Hitler as a person and his role developing the country of Germany before leading it to its ruin.

Eagle's Nest

The rest of the weekend we spent our time exploring the city of Salzburg and visited a few of the spots that were made famous by the film The Sound of Music. I must admit that I have never watched the movie from beginning to end, but I was told that Fraulein Maria and the Trapp children ran down the hedge arcade along the Grand Parterre in the park pictured below.

Mirabell Park & Garden

As the sun set, we hiked up to the Salzburg fort and caught this breathtaking sight of the city. The section in front of the river is considered Old Town Salzburg where you can find most of the "must see" city sights.

If you ever visit Austria, please stop into a cafe and have an iced chocolate drink for me. I wish I were there enjoying one now! They are D-E-L-I-S-H!

Bonjour from Switzerland!

For the past two weeks I was working in Switzerland for an audit, and after my co-workers and I punched out for the day we would go exploring. Unfortunately, almost everything in Switzerland is closed on Sundays, Mondays, after 5 PM during the week. So, most of our adventures were limited to sight seeing and window shopping, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

Neuchatel Garden Park

Downtown Bern

Callier Chocolate Factory in Bulle

Unfortunately, the tour of the Callier Chocolate Factory is the epitome of lame. However, it is fun to be able to try all of the different kinds of chocolate they make in their tasting room at the end of the tour. Visitors beware, I only had a handful of samples and gave myself a stomach ache because they were so rich!

Zdravstvuj From Moscow!

I've been in Moscow for the last week and a half for work and had the opportunity to do some local sight seeing with my colleagues. The sights here are beautiful...

St. Basil's Cathedral

Komsomolskaya Metro Station

I wish I could bring home this vodka filled glass gun or bullets as a souvenir. It's a shame I don't have the extra space in my suitcase!

Happy One Month Anniversary!

Time has flown by once again and today, MH and I have been married for a month!

Happy anniversary MH. You are the love of my life, my companion, my spouse. Cheers to today and every anniversary yet to come.

2011 Adventure aka Our Honeymoon:Days 16 & 17

To conclude our honeymoon, MH and I flew back to Los Angeles through London again and decided to take it easy this time around. MH let me sleep in till 8!!! and then we went to the British Museum before we had to head to the airport to catch our flight home.

As we sped through the museum to try to catch a glimpse of everything it had to offer, we saw a woman with a brochure instructing how to visit the museum in 3 hours. I wonder what she would have thought of MH and my speedy 1.5 hour visit.

British Museum Reading Room

The Rosetta Stone

The museum had a fairly large North and Central America exhibit. However, we didn't feel bad speed walking through them when we realized that they were pretty weak sauce in comparison to the exhibits we have at home.

At the Harrod's boutique in the Heathrow airport I spotted this super cute cake print apron. If I didn't already have one I don't think I could have resisted it!

In retrospect, I kind of wish I bought the tea towel set, but oh well. This picture will have to do.

2011 Adventure aka Our Honeymoon: Day 15

MH and I spent one last day in Nairobi before we had to head home via London. On the way back to Nairobi, we experienced a truly "only in Africa" moment... After waiting for our plane that was 45 minutes late for no reason, we walk out to our plane (on the tarmac of course), only to be shooed away by the stewardess. Apparently, the flight crew decided to take an hour break for lunch. Can't miss lunch! So, we ended up being 2 hours late to Nairobi...

We visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an elephant and rhino orphanage on the edge of the city. There, human keepers take care of elephant and rhino orphans 24/7 until they are well enough to be released into one of the neighboring wildlife conservancy areas. The Trust allows the public to visit the orphanage on a daily basis for a small fee during the early afternoon. Alternatively, you can foster an orphan(s) and visit the orphanage during a special foster parent time in the evening. MH and I opted to foster Naipoki, a baby female elephant who had been rescued having fallen down a well, and Solio, a baby female black rhino who had been rescued because her mother was unable to care for her. As a result, we got to visit the orphanage in the evening with other foster parents.

Naipoki & Her Keeper

Solio

It was an amazing experience to be able to be so close to these magnificent creatures. It was remarkable to see how responsive they were to their keepers call and loving touch. Naipoki and Solio's keepers called them to the front of their pens so we could meet them through the gates. We got to hold Naipoki's trunk and pat Solio's horn!

In the evening, we dined at The Carnivore. Had we visited 6 years ago, we could have tried a wide variety of exotic meats. However, since the ban on game meat consumption our exotic meat offerings were limited to camel, crocodile, and ostrich meatballs.

Menu Board @ The Carnivore

Aside from the abundance of meat on the menu, the other great part about the restaurant was its offering of sauces to pair with the various meats. It you read the reviews about the restaurant on Trip Advisor, many say the restaurant is well past it's hay day, but MH and I still had a great time and enjoyed everything that we ate.