Tea, Tea and More Tea

So besides loving hot chocolate I also support a very large tea addiction. Hot drinks are always good to me – except that one time that a hot drink betrayed me by pouring scalding hot water all over my hands!! That was not a good first day of school. But I’m healed now and am a very forgiving person so my relationship with tea hasn’t faltered since.

However, since I was on the subject of the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market in my last post, I thought I would mention the tea court located inside. The Imperial Tea Court offers so many different flavors of tea, accessories, education, information, and inspiration for the average tea lover. The ambiance that the court is simple, elegant and relaxing – just like a good cup of tea!! I learn something new every time I go and seriously fight the urge not to buy a new accessory for my tea collection. They have tea for whatever mood you’re in. From white tea to black tea and all the tea in between, it’s impossible not to learn a new flavor or a the history behind the tea leaves. The staff is always willing to help you decide on a flavor to put you in a comfortable mood.

If you’re not a big tea drinker, you can still come for the education and sound smart at your next tea or dinner party! I’m just saying, if you love tea like I do, then The Imperial Tea Court in the Ferry Building is worth a try!

There’s More That Meets the Eye at San Francisco’s Ferry Building

The Ferry Building, located along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, is host to a large farmer's market every Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Ok, so there’s a lot that I don’t know about this beautiful city I live in. San Francisco never ceases to surprise me and deliver with fun and outlandish events practically everyday if you look in the right places. I love learning about a new restaurant or a fun little hole-in-the-wall place to eat. I also love farmer’s markets! They’re so active and each one is unique and special. Although they’re a little too crowded for my liking – and people are always completely oblivious in crowded areas – it’s still fun to go and check out the local farmer’s market. And which one has caught my attention this week, you ask? Why none other than the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market located along the Embarcadero at the foot of Market street.

This farmer’s market, held on Tuesdays and Saturdays, supplies a very wide variety of produce, food, entertainment and a beautiful scenery of the Bay Bridge. I always go to the Saturday market and am bombarded with people and food. There’s so much to choose from that it can be a little overwhelming, so if you’re indecisive like me, then it might take you a little bit of time to make a decision on what you want to buy and try. I usually walk around two or three times and then make a decision on what sounds good, or better yet, what looks good. There’s meat, cheese, bread, wine, seafood, chocolate, coffee, tea, flowers, and desserts to make you sadly break that diet weekly. The vendors are always willing to explain how to use their produce to make delicious and healthy meals if you’re unsure at reasonable prices.

This past weekend I decided to once again eat at The Slanted Door. Now I’ve eaten at this restaurant many times before and I enjoy it every time. This modern Vietnamese restaurant uses fresh produce found at the market and around the Bay Area, and leaves you satisfied without overindulging too much. Things that I’ve gotten in the past: the grilled chicken breast over rice noodles with imperial rolls, cucumber and mint – which is really light if you’re not too hungry; the shrimp and pork wonton soup and the pho bo Vietnamese beef noodle soup – which are hearty, tasty and satisfying especially on a cold day; and the rice noodle stir-fry with chicken, shitake mushrooms, broccoli, bean sprouts and eggs – which is also very satisfying in my opinion because I love noodles. This is  obviously only a small portion of the foods served there. For dessert, I usually walk back to the farmer’s market and enjoy an irresistible pastry or ice cream.

So if you’re bored one Saturday or Tuesday morning, go and check out the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market and get your grub on!

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5 Minute Ice Cream Sounds Good to Me!

Ok so besides loving hot chocolate, I also have a passionate love/hate relationship with ice cream. There are so many flavors and it’s my mission in life to try them all! Yet there are also so many times when my craving kicks in and my ice cream stash is cleared out. Which happens a lot to me.
Now you could ask why don’t I just go to the store and buy more? Which is a good question and the answer is. . . laziness or lack of funds overpower my cravings by a substantial vote. So if you’re like me and you just don’t feel like going to the store or you don’t have the money to do it, there is a way out of this dilemma. Find out how to make it yourself!

Who said you need some fancy machinery to make ice cream? Now chances are high that your makeshift ice cream isn’t going to be as great as the results from that fancy machinery (hence the fanciness about it), but I’ve actually made it this way and it’s come out pretty decent! You can add different fruits and extracts for flavor and go crazy without having to spend too much since most of the ingredients are probably in your kitchen already.

The ending result is your own little masterpiece! It’s not as creamy as Italian gelato or a pleasantly presented as it would be in a restaurant, but it’s ice cream! And when you’ve got that craving, this satisfies it quite well (I would know!) Beggars can’t be choosers… especially broke and lazy ones! So enjoy!

Crispy Chicken Salads Galore!

So it’s already October right? Close to the end of the year and New Years usually means what? The dreaded ‘D’ word. . . . DIETS!! Isn’t losing 15 pounds on everyone’s mind these days? I know it’s on my mine. Diets usually consist of starving yourself to some degree or going overboard at the gym. Now I don’t know about you, but if I’m feeling bold enough to attempt a diet then I take a shortcut and go with the salad. Salads have definitely come a long way and these days there are so many different varieties that you wonder if they’re even good for you anymore.

So I looked up salads from different restaurants and fast food chains. . . who ever said that they only serve artery-clogging foods? Yet, if you like the gold produced from a deep fry vat then fear not, now salad eaters can have their cake and eat it too. Consumers can order their rabbit food salads and kick it up a notch by adding crispy chicken!! Nice, right? But how many calories are customers taking in when they decide to let someone else prepare their salads?

Here are the results from a few places.

Some aren’t too bad while others are crazy! Sure adding that crispy chicken may have seemed like a good idea at the time, my fellow dietiers, yet it really defeats the purpose of a salad!! Some advice from someone guilty of consuming a fried chicken salad. . . just make your own. It’s definitely easier to count your calories if you make your own food. Yet if it doesn’t matter to you one way or another because you’re starving, then enjoy those extra calories for all those who are struggling to burn a few extra ones off. Don’t be fooled though! Even salads these days can be deceptive.

Pupusas Are on My ‘To Taste’ List!

So I went to the St Mark’s annual festival in Richmond, Ca today, because my aunt volunteers at that church. And there was a fairly decent amount of people there (who got on my nerves because they were completely oblivious that they and their kids were all up in my way – but that’s pet-peeve about crowds). As I passed all food stands and saw the variety of different foods being sold, I was disappointed that I didn’t bring my appetite (or my money). Some of the foods I saw included ceviche, tamales, tacos, carne asada, burritos, different fruit drinks, and pupusas!

Now I’ve never had pupusas but they look like something I’d like to try. Pupusas are like corn tortillas only thicker and stuffed with all kinds of awesomeness. They originate out of El Salvador and look good and simple to make. They’re usually made with masa harina (a flour used to make tortillas, tamales and other Mexican dishes), warm water and the filling of your choice. The different fillings can be cheese, refried beans, rice, pork, beef or whichever meat you’d like. And the ending result after following the instructions carefully. . .

Is heavenly corn pancakes on your plate!!

I don’t know why these look so good to me, but I’ll let you know if they taste just as awesome as they look!