A Day in San Diego: Zoo, Food, and Sunset(?)

Hello! So I recently went on a mini road trip with my best friends to San Diego. We really wanted to stay there overnight, but it was just too expensive and difficult to plan. We still had a great one day trip there and wanted to share my day there.

Our first stop was the San Diego Zoo. It is a really well known zoo and I haven't been to a zoo since I was a little girl so I was super excited. Side note, Triple A members get a 10% discount so bring your card if you decide to go. 

I think tigers are absolutely majestic. I'm pretty sad about their dwindling population.

Absolutely adorable

Pandas are so lazy and useless. I'm rather convinced pandas are my spirit animals.

We stayed for around four hours before leaving the attraction. We had a pretty good time, but my only complaint was the polar bear/frozen exhibit, where the only ice was the fake playpens for kids. Even the polar bear exhibit was just melted water with desert rocks. Plus, the polar bears were outside in the blistering heat. It's already bad enough this species is about to become extinct, but choosing to not invest in a better cold facility for them? Shame. 

Our next stop was the renowned Phil's BBQ. We arrived there at an odd time (2:50 p.m.) in hopes to avoid the notoriously super long line. When we arrived, we still saw a super long line out the door! We waited for approximately 50 minutes. I was surprised to see it as an order-and-seat-yourself type of restaurant rather than a serving one. 

I got the baby back ribs with a side of fries and cole slaw. The meat was so succulent and tender. The marinade definitely had a slight kick to it. I could tell the rub was so flavorful and was so different from the sweet honey bbq I was used to eating at other bbq restaurants like Lucille's. The ribs were absolute perfection. On the other hand, the fries were a different story. They were bland and soggy, the opposite of what french fries should be. The cole slaw tasted delicious though. Phil's is also more affordable than I expected, with a full rack being around $20. All in all, Phil's was worth the wait and I highly recommend you try to go here if you're in the SD area.

My friends and I really wanted to see the sunset, so we decided to visit Sunset Cliffs. We were really disappointed though because the sky was full of clouds so we couldn't see a proper sunset. We still had a good time and you couldn't really beat the view. 

We also planned on going to Extraordinary Desserts but were too pooped and decided to go back home and grab some dessert. 

I'm so glad I got to share this mini adventure with my closest friends in San Diego. We're all going to be significantly far away from each other for college, but I'm not too sad about it because I know we'll be friends for life anyways. 

I hope you enjoyed this little travel blog post and let me know what places you love in San Diego if you've ever been. 

June Favorites

June was my first month off of school, so I really had a lot of down time (which is why I revived this blog). To occupy myself, I immersed myself in random leisure activities (aka being a couch potato and eating). Therefore, I have quite a bit of favorites to share from this month!

Favorite TV Show: Law and Order SVU

I can't even tell you how OBSESSED I've become with Law and Order: SVU.  Hearing the duh-dun sound apparent in all the Law and Order episodes gets me all excited. Cable television usually has a marathon of reruns on several channels and the few I watched previously didn't really seem like my cup of tea. The only crime show I watched was NCIS, which I absolutely adored and SVU seemed to lack that continuous character development and quirks that I loved so much in NCIS. However, I recently started getting into SVU and I fell in love with the brilliant writing and superb filming. The harsh cases shed light on the atrocities that happen in front of our blind eyes. I love the way the show makes me feel so passionate for justice yet so betrayed by the justice system. Sometimes, this show makes me want to pursue a career as an ADA. Plus, the writers manage to make each episode unpredictable. Even if I tune in for the last 10 minutes of an episode, I'm always sucked in until the end. And there is actually some continuous character development, making me attached to some of the characters, who are portrayed by exceptional actors. Though I'm usually not a fan of somber shows, SVU is so worth the watch. If I don't convince you, SVU is even one of Taylor Swift's favorite shows...she even named her cat after Olivia!

Favorite Beauty Product: Loreal Lineur Intense Carbon Black Liquid Eyeliner

I've never been a huge fan of liquid liner, but the Loreal Lineur Intense Carbon Black Liquid Eyeliner I picked up on a whim has converted me. This product is so opaque and easy to apply. I love how the tip is flimsy, making it much easier to maneuver across my eyelid. This eyeliner is perfect for winging to make a cat eye as well. On my lazy days (which is almost every day), I find myself only applying this and leaving the house. The only drawback I find with this product is that it is definitely not waterproof and wipes away quite easily when just a little bit of water gets on your eyelids. Just make sure you don't wear this when you know you're going to cry. Though I have sweaty eyelids, this eyeliner still stays on pretty well throughout the day. 

Favorite Food: Taco Bell

My brain says no but my heart says yes

This is pretty embarrassing but I've become obsessed with Taco Bell. I never really ate there until this year, which is ironic because I live within a minute driving distance of one, Yet, now I find myself going there at least once a week. I realize their food is essentially toxic to your health but I really just can't help it. Their Doritos Locos Taco, Beefy Nacho Grillers...washing it down with a Baja Blast...mmm. Fake Mexican food heaven. I wasn't going to share this, but I've learned to be PROUD of my Taco Bell addiction. 
**Disclaimer: not recommending you eat Taco Bell as often as me...for your own health's sake***

Favorite Drink: Starbucks S'mores Frappucino

This heavenly concoction came out a while ago, but I still feel obligated to include it in my favorites because I'm so in love with it. It is a frappucino with a bottom layer of marshmallow whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, frappucino (coffee flavored?) topped with more marshmallow cream and finished with a graham cracker crumb sprinkle. Whoever invented this drink was a godsend because this drink brings tears to my eyes with every sip I take (only half joking). There was even a period when I ordered this at least 3x a week. It is on the sweeter side, which is great for my insatiable sweet tooth. If you love s'mores, I highly recommend you try this drink. It WILL change your life.

And that's my June Favorites! What did you love this month? 

May Favorites

*Drumroll please*. My first ever monthly 'favorites'! I do not know why it took me this long to actually compile a bunch of my favorite things of the month. I guess I felt that I did not discover anything new or important enough to share with the world. Luckily, I stumbled upon quite a few new and awesome things in the lovely month of May!

TV SHOW:
"The Office"

I'm really late on "The Office" train but every summer I choose a show to watch to pass time (more like waste time). "The Office" has always been a show I've wanted to watch and after watching a few episodes, I got hooked. My television addiction kicked in once again and I already flew through the first two seasons in just a few days. Every episode has me cracking up and the ingenuity of the writers never fail to impress me.

BEAUTY:
Maybelline's Falsies Big Eye Mascara

Photo courtesy here.

I picked up this mascara on a whim at Target and I do not regret it. It is now one of my favorite mascaras. It makes my lashes extremely long and holds my curl. I must concede that the lower lash wand doesn't seem to make that much of a difference and I don't really see the purpose of it but it is nevertheless a great mascara. I chose the waterproof version of this mascara and it doesn't smudge on my eyes at the end of the day. Yay.

*UPDATE*
I freaking love this mascara. I actually see more of an effect on my lower lashes now. It really does separate each individual lash and lengthens and volumizes like crazy. It holds my curl and I've never seen a greater effect from a mascara than this one. This has definitely cracked my top 5 mascaras. 

SNACK:
Green tea KitKats

Wait what? Say that again? Green tea kitkats? 

Though overpriced, green tea kitkats is basically what the name suggests. Kitkats with a green tea flavored chocolate coating. It has a stranger more powdery (?) texture than the normal kitkat. I absolutely adore this candy. Even if it does not seem that appealing to you, I highly recommend giving a chance to this interesting twist on the classic candy. I tend to find this in asian supermarkets; it can be quite pricey but this is something you have to try at least once in your life. 

What are your favorites of this month?

Afternoon Tea: Scarlet Tea Room in Pasadena

I never went to a tea room before and I received a voucher to the Scarlet Tea room in Old Town Pasadena for my birthday. So my mom, sister, and I decided to try it. I documented some pictures on my sister's iPod so the photo qualities are mediocre.

The restaurant was very classy inside and I believe it is a Russian themed tea house since there were pictures of Russian mosques on the walls. The service was great and so was the food. I was a little worried the portions would be too small, not leaving me very full but I was more than full by the end. We went into a little side room, where some foreign 1950's-ish themed music was playing over the speakers. There was also a white grand piano in the main entry room but there was no pianist at the time.

Cute tea glass case with a mini buddha

Pretty flower chandelier

Dainty sugar cube container

Our voucher allowed us a 3-tea ceremony meal (at least I believe that's what it was called...3-course I honestly don't remember), for two people. You are able to choose 4 finger sandwiches and one pot of tea with and a scone (each so 8 sandwiches and 2 scones but the tea is shared). We ended up choosing the Fiji tea, a fruity one, which was quite nice but I'm a little picky with teas so I wished we would've stuck with a traditional jasmine or green.

 

Our tray

Bottom Left Clockwise: Walnut Pesto Chicken, Apple and Cream Cheese(?..some type of cheese), Sundried Tomatoes Puree with Mozzarella, Fig and Goat Cheese (my favorite!)

Orange Cranberry and Lavender White Chocolate Scones (this one tasted like a regular scone to me)

Strawberry preserve, lemon curd, and Scarlet cream (just regular homemade cream) for the scones

Ignore my chipped nail haha

Our meal also came with strawberry romanoff, which was very refreshing after the filling scones.

Since the 3-course tea ceremony is only meant for 2 people, my mom ordered the Lobster Cobb Sandwich (bacon, lobster cobb, avocado, tomato and a spring salad). I had a bite, it was delish!

They even gave us an advertising sticker. And yes, it's on my thigh.

This restaurant did automatically take 18% tips from the original price (which was $72 but luckily with the voucher it turned out to only be $32..whew) since we had a voucher. I really enjoyed the ambiance, service, and food the restaurant had to offer. Now I want to try many more tea rooms! 

KIND Bar Rave

I've always looked for a healthy snack on the go and I came across Clif bars which I learned isn't all that good for you. I have always wanted to try KIND bars since Allison (Amarixe) mentioned it in a video before in a non-beauty favorites video. I've recently tried a few and ended up trying several of the flavors and all I can say is that they are absolutely delicious and healthy! It's a win-win situation.

My favorites are the ones with dark chocolate, particularly the Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt (only 5g of sugar!!), Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate (it's a protein bar), Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew, and Cranberry Almond + Antioxidants.

Here is the nutritional information for the Sea Salt one (my absolute favorite..I actually took the whole box at my grocery store!):

If you really want to learn more, check out their website. I'm not a nutritionist so I don't feel right posting what is healthy and what's not but considering that they're on a lot of health blog/nutritionists' snack recommendations, I'd say they are quite good for your body and your palate! If you ever see these at your local store, I highly recommend you pick it up.

Nutella & Strawberry on Toast

A few days ago, I was studying and decided to put together this wonderful concoction consisting of nutella, strawberries, and a slice of bread to refuel my energy. The results were remarkable.

I had created (okay, this is probably a really popular snack anyway....) this simple yet delicious snack with common ingredients easily found in anyone's pantry that still satisfied my massive sweet tooth. I've been so obsessed with this creation that I've been eating it nearly once every day! Yikes. It does have strawberries so that makes it healthy, right? 

Anyways, if you've never tried Nutella, the most awesome invention on Earth, it is a decadent hazelnut spread. I have yet to hear anybody who dislikes the sweet treat.

Ingredients: Strawberries (or any fruit of your choice, I recommend bananas as a great alternative), Nutella, and a slice of bread (I prefer white)

Sorry for the shadows, I tried to beat the sunset.

Take a butter knife and spread the Nutella all over the bread (you can choose to toast it if you want, but I love it non-toasted)  and layer strawberries on top. Now you have one of the most simple and delicious snacks that anybody can create at home. 

 The mastermind behind the tastiness of this amazing concoction is the marvelous hazelnut spread. If you have been one of those unfortunate ones that have never had the chance to try nutella, I have come to tell you that it is imperative you try it for the sake of your own happiness.

*Angels singing*

I hope you give this snack a try. You won't regret it (unless you're allergic to one of the ingredients).

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Recipe

If you live in the United States, there is a high probability that you've been to a Red Lobster and tasted their mouth-watering cheddar bay biscuits. The garlicky, cheesy, doughy, fluffy bread defies even the most meticulous food critic's taste bud logic. How is it possible that such savory explosion can explode in one's palate from just a single bite of this delectable appetizer?

One may never know. 

However, I found this Red Lobster mix from the grocery store and almost had a heart attack at the store. Could it be? The secret to their recipe? Well, not really. I mean they provide a bread and garlic herb mix so the identity of all their ingredients has not actually been revealed yet.

Anyways, I decided to give it a try and the results were out of this world. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make and how successful it came out from such an amateur baker like me. 

The recipe calls for:
BREAD:
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (however, I did add a little extra)
1 Pouch Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix (provided)
HERB BUTTER SAUCE:
1/3 cup butter (I actually used 1/2 cup since I made this recipe before and had way too much butter leftover)
1 Pouch Garlic Herb Blend (provided)

1) Preheat oven to 425F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. 
2) Stir together water, cheese, and biscuit mix until dough forms (do not overmix) 

 

3) Scoop dough immediately into 8-10 portions (about 1/4 cup each) and place 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Emphasis on the second part, the dough spreads more than I expected.

4) Bake 14-16 minutes or until golden brown on top. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl, add garlic herb blend and stir until well blended.

I actually used a convection oven rather than an ordinary oven but it still turned out fine.

5) Spoon or brush 1 teaspoon of garlic herb butter sauce onto each HOT biscuit. Serve immediately.

Final Product!

We made a total of 11 biscuits..so yes we did eat four before we took the picture.

I cannot emphasize enough how delicious the bread turned out. It tastes nearly the same as the bread served at the actual restaurant (I mean, it always tastes better at the restaurants). I hope you will be able to find this mix at your grocery store and be able to recreate this magnificent concoction.

And if you've never tried Red Lobster's famous biscuits, you really are missing out on the meaning of life.

Just make sure you definitely hit the treadmill after eating this guilty pleasure treat. 

*SHIVERS*