Christmas Festivities

The winter holidays came and went faster then I would have liked this year. We were late putting up the tree and started a new home project just after the holiday so my fun and enjoyment of the Christmas decorations were short lived. Nevertheless, MH and I had a great holiday season with family and friends and I was glad to be able to spend some time in the kitchen to do some baking.

MH and my Christmas breakfast cinnamon roll tradition was altered slightly by a lovely invitation to a Christmas morning brunch and a new recipe. Since MH's parent's decided to not visit for the holiday, MH's sister had us over for brunch and we enjoyed our cinnamon roll tradition together.  

I typically bake a modified version of my Mom's cinnamon roll recipe, but after coming across Lauren's Latest blog and her Cinnabon cinnamon rolls I couldn't resist giving them a try. I think this is going to be my new go to cinnamon roll recipe. They taste pretty darn close to the real deal!

On Christmas Eve we enjoyed a traditional prime rib dinner, and MH and I made roasted garlic butter roasted mushrooms, roasted cauliflower and carrots, and a sour cream apple pie. 

The pie was featured in Martha Stewart Living and I don't think I would recommend the recipe. Although the crumble and crust were delicious, the pie in whole missed the mark. There was something about the sour cream apple filling that just didn't seem right. 

Since we enjoyed all of the traditional dishes on Christmas Eve, we decided to have a non-traditional Christmas dinner and cooked up a delicious homemade mexican spread. 

We made beef tamales, chili colorado, garlic grilled chicken, carnitas, al pastor, spanish rice, black beans, roasted corn salad, vegetable lime salad, guacamole, salsa, and a pitcher of horchata. To compliment the meal, we also bought some corn and flour tortillas, chips, and Jarritos sodas from the neighborhood Mexican market.

To finish the meal I made the an Impossible Cake otherwise known as chocoflan. Making this cake is a serious science experiment. When you prepare the cake and slide it into the oven, the cake sits at the bottom of the pan with the layer of flan floating on top, and when you pull it out the layers are reversed!

The cake turned out well and I was pleasantly surprised how nicely flan and chocolate cake paired together. I hope you had a wonderful holiday filled with delicious treats too!

Los Angeles Natural History Museum

Despite the fact that the Los Angeles Natural History Museum is literally down the street from our house, not to mention easily accessible via the Expo line, it took us months before we finally made it there for a visit. 

It has been years since MH and I have been to the museum. The new dinosaur hall is really cool and the mammal halls are just as amazing as I remember them.

If you are interested in visiting, admission to the museum is free on select Tuesdays. Please refer to the official museum visitor information page: HERE

Haflinger Doggy Slippers

I came across these while I was doing some holiday shopping. Aren't they cute!

Hope everyone is ready for the holidays! I can't believe they are just around the corner.

A Few Sights In Shanghai

Following my assignment in South Korea, I had a back to back assignment in Shanghai. However, after vacationing in Japan, sightseeing in South Korea, and knowing that it was my second trip to Shanghai, my itch for adventure was subdued and I stayed relatively close to my hotel in the French Concession. 

French Concession

Yuyuan 

Hairy Crabs

My local colleagues were fantastic hosts and I enjoyed a fantastic range of authentic dishes in a variety of styles. Every meal was a new adventure and as a result, it turned out to be my favorite trip to China so far!

One Last Stop In Seoul

After our day of moderately successful sightseeing, I felt the need to see at least one more thing in Seoul before our departure. Luckily, Bongeusa, the head temple of the Seon Buddhism, was across the street from the mall that was connected to the hotel. 

Unfortunately, it was a grey and cloudy day with light drizzling, but I'm still that that we went. It was a good way for us to end our trip to South Korea. 

A Moderately Successful Day Of Sightseeing

MH and I came up with a great plan to visit the historic areas of Gyeongju. Little did we know, South Korea had other plans for us. When we arrived at the KTX train station at 9 AM, the train we wanted was full and the next available train to our destination was at 12:30 PM. 

Since we had some time to kill, we did some local sight seeing in Seoul and visited the Changdeokgung palace, a world heritage site as an "outstanding example of Far Eastern palace architecture and garden design." - UNESCO 

With a hour and a half left to spare, we went to the National Folk Museum of Korea which is located within the grounds of the Gyeonbokgung Palace.  The museum had a lot of great exhibits and nicely highlighted Korean history, lifestyles, and culture. 

We finally made it to Gyeongju by 2:30 PM and immediately jumped on the local bus to go to the Bulguksa temple. The temple is at the end of a hilly path and the slow moving crowds made hard to get there quickly. When we arrived at the temple, we took our photos and then high tailed it out of there. The sun was starting to set and we still wanted to visit the Seokguram Grotto.

According to the website, you can catch the bus from the Bulguksa temple to the Seokgurum Grotto. However, the bus runs on 30 minute intervals and we were cutting it close to the closing time. The information desk at the Bulguksa temple told us that the Seokgurum Grotto closed at 5:30 PM so we made the game time decision to follow the map and hike there ourselves. Long story short, we didn't make it. After huffing and puffing up the hill for 25 minutes and with the Seokgurum Grotto in sight, some tourists headed in the opposite direction kindly informed us at the Seokgurum Grotto closed at 5:00 PM. Fail. 

[WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MY PHOTO OF THE SEOKGURUM GROTTO]

The trip home didn't make our defeat easy to swallow either. MH and I waited at the bus stop in the dark for over a hour and a bus never came. Worried that we were going to miss our train, we hailed a cab and jumped in, too bad the driver only spoke Korean and proceeded to drive like a mad man, going the opposite direction on one way streets, through narrow residential alleys, and a couple rice patty fields. If anything bad was going to happen, I was convinced it was going to happen right then and there. We later discovered that he decided to take the back roads to avoid the horrendous traffic on the highway and we arrived at the train station on time, safe, and sound. 

Seoul Lantern Festival

After a long week in the office, I was excited to hit the streets of Seoul and check out the Lantern Festival. 

"One of the capital's flagship events, the Seoul Lantern Festival is a visual feast of hundreds of thousands of lanterns hand-crafted by local and international artisans. This year, the lanterns will interpret the theme "Seoul's Roots, the Lifestyles of Our Ancestors" - and will highlight Seoul's 2000 year-old history and many traditions." - VisitSeoul.net

The variety of lanterns were really cool. However, after walking down the Cheonggyecheon stream for a few blocks I decided to call it a night. The festival attracted hoards of people and working through the crowds to see the different lantern displays wasn't pleasant. On top of that, the aromas from the fried street food carts ended up being more than my nose and stomach could handle so I decided that heading back to the hotel was the best idea before I started feeling too queasy. I'm totally weak sauce, I know. 

Kate Spade Giraffe Scarf

Don't let the beautiful sunny weekend weather fool you, Fall is finally here! Even though you don't really need a scarf in Southern California, how can you resist this one?!?

Cynical Tea Bags

These are too funny... if only they worked!

For more information, you can check them out at Firebox.com HERE. 

A Weekend In Zermatt With Ickity!

I have to admit that when I was asked to travel to Switzerland for two weeks by myself for work I wasn't too excited, but when I learned that Ickity could spend the weekend with me in Zermatt I couldn't wait for the trip to come!

Getting to Zermatt from Boudry was a little tricky. The GPS kept telling me to take the ferry and as far as I could tell there was no body of water between me and my destination. So I just went with it and learned that the ferry was actually a train that you loaded your car onto to travel through the mountain. Go figure. 

In the morning we enjoyed a nice breakfast in the hotel and then took the gondola to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. On the way up to the top we stopped to enjoy the views and snap a few pictures.

Zermatt

The Jungfraujoch Ice Palace it a bit more impressive than the Glacier Paradise. However, to be fair, the Glacier Palace was under construction in many areas so we definitely did not see it at it's best. 

Instead of taking the gondola all the way back into town, we decided to hike part of the way and check out the Gornerschlucht Gulch. According to the map, it was only a 15 minute hike, and I'm going to have to say the map was wrong because we found ourselves there a hour later and we weren't goofing around!

Gornerschlucht Gulch

The gulch was really cool though and climbing up and down the steep wooden ladders was definitely an experience. I slipped on one of the ladders at the beginning of the trail, accidentally jammed my finger in the railing, and it's still sore. I guess it's a sign I'm getting old. What a bust.

The quaint little car-less town is as touristy and commercialized as one could imagine but it still made for a great weekend get away. It was a fantastic weekend. Thanks for making it happen Ickity!

My New Giant Time Suck

I've finally given in and signed up for Pinterest. Let the excessive amount of hours spent pinning begin!

If you feel so inclined, please feel free to follow me at http://pinterest.com/sn1ckerdoodle/

Happy pinning!

Happy Birthday MH!

MH caught me off guard for my birthday with our bungee jumping adventure so I decided to return the favor. You may not know that MH is an avid Pitbull fan, but believe it or not he is so I surprised him for his birthday with tickets to Pitbull: Planet Pit World Tour 2012 at the Gibson amphitheater.   

MH and I both agreed that Pitbull puts on a really good show. His concert is like being at a club with live music. Although he is only onstage for approximately ninety minutes, it is ninety minutes of constant moving, hip shaking, and pelvis thrusting without any slow songs to dampen the mood.

MH and I were curious to see if there would be any surprise guests and the one and only Enrique Iglesias stopped by! Shortly thereafter Jennifer Lopez made a cameo to do some singing and bootie shaking and then Pitbull continued on with a few more of his hits before he closed out the show.

We were a little disappointed that there wasn't an encore performance but of course all good things must come to an end. Thank you for the wonderful evening Mr. 305! We had a blast.

Fun At The Orange County Fair

MH and I joined K&J for some fun at the Orange County Fair and the weather was absolutely perfect for a day outside.

The barn had a bunch of cute little pigs that were just born. I think these little guys were only two weeks old. We also got to see the prize winning sheep, goats, cows, rabbits, birds, and chickens. It was quite the show. The arts and crafts displays were fun to check out too. I picked up a complimentary friendship bracelet kit in the sewing/knitting/weaving area and finished it while we wandered around throughout the day.

A trip to the fair wouldn't be complete without a hearty dose of fried food. I had fried zucchini and check out MH's funnel cake! According to the display, this was the most popular funnel cake choice. The funnel cake came with strawberries, chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. When he was carrying this sucker back to our table, everyone's heads were turning to check it out. 

5-4-3-2-1 BUNGEE!!!

MH and I celebrated my birthday by hiking 10 miles and jumping off a bridge. He must be rubbing off on me, because as crazy as it sounds, it was such a fun day!

We woke up at 4:30 AM to meet our guides in the parking lot of the East Fork Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains by 6:00 AM. A hour and a half, and five miles later, we reached the Bridge to Nowhere, and harnessed up for our jumps.

MH signed me up for two jumps, one forward and one backward. Jumping forward reminded me of my diving days and doing a swam dive off of the 3 M board. Jumping backwards was a little more scary. Before the bungee cord stretches, I definitely felt like I was helplessly falling.

MH jumped too and chose to jump backward. Although he says he liked it, I don't think he'll ever feel the need to do it again. I'm so proud of him for managing his fear of heights!

After your adrenaline wears off, you have to hike five miles back to your car. This was probably my least favorite part, but it was still great to be outdoors on a bright sunny day in southern California with my dear husband.

If you're interested in bungee jumping, we definitely recommend going with Bungee America. Our guides, Chris and Tommy, were awesome and made the overall experience fantastic. 

Cherpumple!

I follow a random assortment of blogs and after clicking through a few links I came across this gem! If you are familiar with turducken (turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with chicken) this is the dessert version. A cherpumple is a three layer white, yellow, and spice cake, that is baked with a cherry, pumpkin, and apple inside each layer. Watch the video!

The cherpumple is just one of Charles Phoenix's fantastic creations. On his website (CharlesPhoenix.com) there are more videos of other awesome things. MH and I definitely have some good ideas for any upcoming get togethers. 

Thursday Museum Date Night

MH surprised me with a Thursday museum date night and we went to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA for the Ends of the Earth - Land Art to 1974 exhibit. Unfortunately, we were a little underwhelmed by the exhibit. However, the other exhibit at the museum, Cai Guo-Qiang - Sky Ladder,  took us by surprise. According to the museum, "[k]nown for his explosion projects and gunpowder drawings, Cai's work integrates manual technique and new, highly sophisticated developments in pyrotechnic technology." MH and I normally dislike video pieces in museums and the videos in this exhibit were our favorite pieces there. The exhibit runs until September 3 and we would definitely recommend checking it out. For more information about the Cai Guo-Qiang - Sky Ladder exhibit go HERE.

The Japanese American National Museum neighbors the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and their poster for their Folding Paper - The Infinite Possibilities of Origami exhibit instantly drew us in. The exhibit was one of my favorite museum exhibits I have ever seen and MH and I recommend seeing it even more so than the Cai Guo-Qiang - Sky Ladder exhibit. Every origami piece in the exhibit is amazing. You wouldn't believe what could be made out of a single uncut piece of paper. It was an extremely difficult challenge to abide by the no photography rule but they had video cameras and reminder signs around every corner. The exhibit runs until August 26 and for more information about the Folding Paper - The Infinite Possibilities of Origami exhibit go HERE. 

My Bucket List

I don't have too many things on my bucket list and should work on adding more. For now, here it is in no particular order...

1. Go on an African safari (2011 Adventure aka Our Honeymoon)
2. Go skydiving (Falling With Style)
3. Visit all 7 continents (Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, & Australia)
4. See the Northern Lights
5. Go bungee jumping (5-4-3-2-1 BUNGEE!!!)
6. Eat macarons at Pierre Herme's shop in Paris
7. Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef
8. Catch a fish bigger than me
9. Stay in an over water bungalow on an exotic island
10. Hike half dome
11. Get a M1 license (Shenanigans At The DMV)
12. Fall in love and get married (Wedding Recap)
13. Have children
14. Learn a second language
15. Relearn how to play the piano
16. Experience zero gravity
17. Shoot a gun
18. See whales breaching
19. See the Wave (Sights In The Southwest: Day 5) 
20. See the New Seven Wonders of the world (Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, Great Wall of China (A Visit To The Motherland), Machi Pichu, Petra, Roman Colosseum, & Taj Mahal)

What is on your bucket list? If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

More Miscellaneous Dachshund Items

I don't think that ALL dachshund products are cute. However, my list of miscellaneous dachshund items seems to be getting longer and longer... 

I had these dachshund cruets and shakers bookmarked for a while and it looks like they are back in stock. I like the cruets better than the shakers but both are adorable.

For more information, you can check them out at Vivaterra: HERE

These dachshund lamps come from the Megasii Design Group in Hong Kong but you can find them at various retail outlets in the US.

For more information, you can check them out at Urban Outfitters: HERE

Jonathan Adler has a bunch of dachshund products available for sale but my favorite are his book ends.

For more information, you can check them out at Jonathan Adler: HERE

Last but not least for today, this dachshund lamp comes from WNcart in Korea. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you can purchase them outside of Korea.

For more information, you can check it out at WNcart: HERE

Claudia Person Dachshund Plates At West Elm

I have no idea what I would do with these plates, but they are darn cute. I think Hobbs would be the one wearing a fedora and holding a drink.

Fruits Of Our Labor

So maybe planting a garden before you leave for multiple weeks of work travel isn't the best idea. I completely missed our lettuce harvest, our strawberry plants didn't make it, and our crooked neck squash plants caught a disease. However, MH showed me this beauty when I got home!

We have two baby watermelons growing and I can't wait to see how big they can get. Right now they are the size of baseballs.

I wonder if any cantaloupes will grow. The vines look pretty hearty and there have been lots of blossoms but no fruit yet. 

Cherry Picking At Villa Del Sol

Our cherry tree didn't end up bearing fruit this year, so MH and I went to Villa Del Sol in Leona Valley to get our cherry fix. There is something about picking your own fruit that is so fun and relaxing.

We were pleasantly surprised that the trees were still full of cherries that were at their prime to be picked. Tree branches were packed with clusters of cherries that fell off of the stem at the slightest tug.

This year, bing and rainer cherries were available, so we picked a couple pounds of each. They are such a great snack, we've been eating them by the bowl! I doubt we'll have any left to freeze by the end of the week.

Seville

Before heading home, we took a day trip to Seville with the hope of picking up some ceramics for souvenirs. Since we were hoofing it around the city, we decided to do our sight seeing before we weighed ourselves down.  

Seville Cathedral

Alcazar

We finished touring the Alcazar around noon and figured it would be a good time to grab lunch and start our shopping. However, our lunch went longer than expected, as all of our meals did while we were in Spain, and when we started our shopping we were disappointed to find that all of the artisanal ceramic shops closed for the day after lunch on Saturdays. So, we continued with our sight seeing.

Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza

Plaza de Espana

By the end of the day, the heat got the best of us and we were completely exhausted. We picked up a few knickknacks for souvenirs and then stopped at a pub to enjoy one last glass of sparking wine before catching our train back to Madrid. 

Barcelona

Over the weekend we visited Barcelona. After hearing all of our friend's rave reviews about the city, I couldn't wait to check it out for myself. Here are a few of my favorite photos.

La Sagrada Familia

Park Guell

Casa Batllo

Casa Mila

The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria

El Bulli Exhibit @ the Palau Robert Museum

Barceloneta Beach

Palau de la Musica Catalana Stained Glass Ceiling

The architecture in this city is truly one of a kind and the weekend was a blur of fantastic sights. I would gladly go back for a longer visit since I feel like we barely scratched the surface of Barcelona's fantastic sights.