San Diego: Dancing and Dining

Dancing Topiaries at the San Diego Botanical Gardens

Get your dancing shoes on!

We visited the San Diego Botanical Gardens (located North of San Diego in Encinitas) while on vacation last month, and were quite taken with the topiary flamenco dancers. It didn't take much to get into the act. In fact, a subtle invitation, and I was dancing....

Dancing at the San Diego Botanical Gardens

The gardens were a wonderful surprise. I had not realized that San Diego had such a developed public botanical garden. A friend of mine told me about it before we left for our trip, and I am so happy I got a chance to see it.

Lady in Green

There are sculptures throughout the park which make for a experience of delightful discovery. In the Bamboo forest, it was almost fairy tale like. Giant seed pods looked almost ready to flower.

Each piece told a bit of the story. Lanterns to light the way.


Giant hat pins holding wisps of grassy locks in place.


And then there were those moments when a glance just made me hold my breath....water falling into lily ponds.


Layer upon layer of color and texture.


Spots for quiet contemplation filled with the scent of herbs and roses.


And then there were the plants that tall tales are made of, like the Giant Dutchman's Pipe which has fashioned itself to look and smell like raw meat to attract flies for pollination....curiouser and curiouser...




There were places for secret dalliances....




And trees that have stood the test of time....




And as we were leaving that day, a gift just for me.....



Katydid

Another chance discovery on our adventures was a place that made us feel right at home. We returned more than once to The Mission in Mission Beach. The best breakfast to be had for miles around.

I had the corn meal blueberry pancakes and a Chai Latte. Apparently word is out....get there a bit on the early side and the wait is only a couple of minutes. Even if you are late....the wait is worth it. Hop onto the website HERE for menus telling about the goodness.

Chai Latte complete with spoon to scoop up the foam. Best.

Best Blueberry Corn Meal Pancakes with Blueberry Pure, Eggs and Bacon. Mmmmmm.

Next time you are in the San Diego area, try a little Dining and Dancing!

Extraordinary: Extraordinary Desserts

Creme Brullee

I just have to ask....is it fair? One does try to keep one's figure, but really.....the battle is already lost as soon as one enters HERE. But then again, who cares, when surrender is so delicious?

Caramelized Chocolate Lava Bun

A friend of mine, who happens to know my penchant for sweets, suggested that I check out a little place by the name of Extraordinary Desserts. I thought, "why not....the kids always like to go to bakeries". We were planning a walk through downtown San Diego anyway to see the changes since I had been there last (did I mention before that Tim and I met on New Year's Eve in downtown San Diego? Anyway, I digress....) After our hike through the city, a little refreshment might be just the ticket.

Lemon Cupcakes

Little did I imagine I would end up looking like the the latest Lotto winner as soon as I entered the door. I have never seen so many and such beautiful desserts in my life....and believe me, I have seen plenty.

Chocolate Strudel

At first we just sat there staring with our jaws hanging open. One enters Extraordinary Desserts to the full view of the pastry cases. You must pass them to get to the seating area. We discovered that there is no "dessert menu". When you are done with your meal, you get up and peruse the cases, and try to narrow down the choices to one. Ahem....our waitress thought we had gone AWOL since we were trying to decide for at least 15 minutes.

Raspberry Linzer Danish

By the way, Extraordinary Desserts does have very tasty salads, sandwiches and paninis, which we did eat as well. Tim kept it light with a hummus and olive plate. I had a delicious smoked salmon sandwich, and my daughter had a grilled cheese panini....all very good!

Coffee Cake and Choclate Chip Cookies

But really, what could upstage these confectionery superstars? Here are just a few more pictures just you can understand why my defenses were overrun.

Flourless Chocolate Cake heaped with Fresh Fruit

Chocolate Covered Truffle Loaf Bundt Cakes and Cream Cheese Brownies

Cakes ready for Take Home

After I realized surrender was really the only option, I relaxed and enjoyed the clean and contemporary surroundings punctuated with an Asian flair. The restaurant had a relaxed feel, but I still felt like I was in a place where I would be pampered.

Extraordinary Desserts Restaurant Interior

Extraordinary Desserts Desserts Case Display

So....are you curious as to what we picked? Tim had huge self control and only ordered the Kiwi Lemonade (made with crushed Kiwi fruit....there were many other flavors as well....yum!).

Tim's Kiwi Lemonade and Hummus Plate

That control seemed to fizzle as soon as my, and my daughter's, desserts were brought to the table. My daughter had the chocolate croissant bread pudding.

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

I had the Nectarine Crostata. (I am a sucker for fruit desserts of any kind.) Tim dove across the table like it was his last meal. I literally had to move my plate out of reach before it was completely devoured. My poor daughter had to fend for herself at that point. Nothing comes between me and my dessert.

Nectarine Crostata

For more info about the restaurant hop on over HERE and for more about the amazing chef and founder, Karen Krasne, click HERE

In the Pink in San Juan Capistrano

Studio Pink

Last week the Denham family was gone for a break in sunny San Diego and we took full advantage, packing a lot into a 7 day trip! It is a long drive to San Diego from Sacramento....it can take 8 hours on a good day. To break up the drive, we like to stop in San Juan Capistrano for a leg stretch and some dinner. On this trip, we tried a restaurant I had seen last time we were in town.....and right next door, I found THIS cute shop:

How lucky was that?! Studio Pink is an off-shoot of Whim Design and is all about the "pink". Unfortunately for me, the shop was closed by the time we rolled into town (one less bathroom stop and we would have made it!), but I had fun peeking in the windows! And the storefront is adorable.

I did run across more info about Whim on the Fabulous Finds Gal blog, so hop on over for a look!! The pillows, the shell mirror, the pink gourd lamp, all so fun and flirty with the Pink walls as a backdrop.

I am peering through the windows taking pictures and when I am done......Tim had disappeared. I suppose pink is just not his color. More likely, he is just starving....so the girls and I hunt him down next door:

Sundried Tomato Cafe

The Sundried Tomato Cafe was a fun little spot to stop for dinner. California fresh with lots of sundried tomatoes on the menu....we were happy to sit a spell and relax.

The girls love artichokes and this one was so good with Parmesan melted all down into the cracks and bread crumbs baked on top. It was served with a garlic and sundried tomato aoli....yum!

I had the Sundried tomato bisque (natch!) with a salad and topped it off with a fresh berry cobbler.....no sharing (and no sundried tomatoes).

This vacation was starting off really well!

I Heart "Heart Rock Herb and Spice Co."!

Moroccan Spice Blend

Yesterday, I promised to tell you what I received from my girlfriends on the trip to Lake Tahoe. One of the gifts was finding out that my friend Diane (the Master Gardener friend) is starting up a brand new company of hand blended herbs and spices!

Herbs de Provence

Diane has a spectacular garden, which I have blogged about before HERE. She has been collecting rocks in the shape of hearts ever since moving to the lake.....so it was only natural that the name for her new company would be Heart Rock Herb and Spice Co.

Diane surprised us with a little herb and spice blending party of our own! We are all big "foodies" and cook a big dinner whenever we visit, so this was right up our alley. We got to recreate some of her recipes for ourselves! SO cool! Diane let us choose the blends, so we picked her Moroccan blend, her Herbs de Provence blend, the Malaysian blend and we had to try the Tahoe blend, of course.

Diane has sourced herbs and spices specifically for their freshness and is blending the spices per order right before they are shipped so that they are at their peak of fragrant flavor.

Fresh Herbs and Spices

It was so much fun getting to play with all of the ingredients....like the rose petals and lavender, which we used in the Moroccan blend, and the lemon grass and dill we used in the Tahoe blend.

There is so much information on Diane's website HERE about all of the herbs and spices, and about how you can take advantage of all of the goodness yourselves! Diane not only has an array of cooking herbs and spices, but she has put together a delicious collection of room fragrance blends as well. (Part of our gift was a blend of the month club.....yes.....that means we are getting a new blend every month!!! Lucky or what?!)

Diane is donating 10% of her profits to two non-profit organizations she is passionate about:

Bread and Broth, a food program for the hungry of South Lake Tahoe where Diane is the Director, donating her cooking talents and direction, and also to the Thunderbird Gardens, where Diane is the Master Gardener/Garden Coordinator. Yes....Diane is one busy woman. She puts me to shame.....while at the same time inspiring me to do even more.

These are what I brought home with me!

Diane I "heart" you too! You are my favorite Spice Girl!!!

A heart rock we found on our picnic at Thunderbird Lodge. Our Girl's Weekend could not have held any more wonderful and coincidental little surprises!

Sweet Surrender: Ginger Elizabeth

If only I were going to be in town on July 24th. Alas, we will be at UC Santa Cruz for the much anticipated college orientation with our daughter, where parents attend seminars on how to "let go". To that, I say "try and make me!" There is Skype, and UCSC is only a few hours away. Don't get me wrong....I want my daughter to start her promising and wonderful new life, and I will not get in the way....but how can I let go of a person who has been in the forefront of my heart for 18 years? Don't get me started.

If I WAS going to at home, my daughter and I would BOTH be attending this class at Ginger Elizabeth : how to make Baked Alaska, Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches made from Gingersnap Cookies and Lemon Ice Cream , Fresh Strawberry Sorbet, and traditional Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

A little info for those of you luckies that will be in town the weekend of July 24th:

Cost: $35 per person

When: July 24th, 11:00AM-1:00PM or 2:30PM-4:30PM

Where: L Street Lofts Penthouse, 1818 L Street, Midtown Sacramento

Meet: Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, 1801 L Street, Midtown Sacramento

For more information click on over HERE.

Ice Cream has a way of making summer sweeter.

I'll expect a delicious report from any of you who attend!

One Little Tidbit.....

I know I have veered off the Interior Design course a bit lately, but I had to share one little thing from our trip to Disneyland in mid-June. I discovered the Matterhorn Macaroon. I understand they are new this year in honor of the Matterhorn's 50th anniversary. Perhaps the best coconut macaroon I have ever had....then they go and make it better by covering it with white chocolate "snow" then dust it with sparkly sugar. They have these in Heaven I'm pretty sure. I took home half a dozen.

OK....back to design tomorrow....promise.

Viva! Cinco de Mayo

Roses floating in a huge urn at the entry

We beat the crowds and celebrated Cinco de Mayo early over the weekend at Zocalo in Sacramento.

Icy Margaritas, naturally.....

And Pozole Rojo, yum.....

Sacramento is known for it's many, many sidewalk cafes shaded by giant elms and sycamore trees all over Midtown. Zocalo is one of our favorite's. The weather has been very cooperative lately, and the French doors were all pulled back to let in the Spring evening air.

The food was delicious, the drinks very refreshing, the service perfect and the company was hilarious (yes, Daryl...I mean you!)

If you are looking for a place to celebrate tonight....this it it!

MORE ON THE SAN FRANCISCO DECORATOR SHOWCASE TOMORROW!!!!

Have a Delicious Weekend!

My daughter...... the Pastry Chef. Just another reason in a long string as to why I will be devastated when she leaves for college!

My little Ina Garten protege used Ina's recipe for Chocolate Cake and added the German Chocolate Cake Coconut, Pecan topping from another recipe....I think she said from Rachael Ray. However she did it.....it was delicious and devoured.

Sweet weekends to you all!