A Sunday Brunch with Friends Hosted by Martha and Martho Stewart

Today was a lovely sunday brunch with friends. I love any excuse to entertain! On the menu was bread pudding, a sausage, egg, and mushroom casserole, lox and bagels, strawberries, cheesecake and mimosas. Ok, I know I am bragging that my boyfriend is so great....but he is! He not only squeezed 25 oranges for fresh juice, he made an beautiful assortment of cheesecakes from scratch! And they looked store bought. He made a raw, unbaked one with a kiwi, strawberry and raspberry garnish with apricot glaze. Then he made baked ones... in 6 different flavors!....Toffee, Mocha, Chocolate, Strawberry, Blood Orange, and Meyer Lemon. They were so good. I was quite impressed. My friend Joni, jokingly called him Martho Stewart. I think I met my match in the kitchen...although Kirk will tell you he is a better cook and baker!

Ann's Baby Shower - It's A Boy!

As a congrats to my friend and co-worker, Ann, I decided to throw her a baby shower at work. I tried to decorate the room in the blue and brown theme. I thought it came out cute and made the room look like a nice place and not a classroom. I made pulled pork sandwiches, shrimp salad, blue and white jello, onion dip and chips, mac and cheese, and apple and toffee dip. We had an excuse to get a Costco cake which I love. For favors, I made an assortment of chocolate lollipops.

Road Trip to Malibu

Kirk and I took a nice and relaxing drive up to Malibu in his convertible with the top down. It was so relaxing. We stopped off at starbucks for some coffee then stopped on the side of the road to take some quick photos. Don't gag on the kissing photo please.... :)

Chibi Turns 4 Years Old

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The hello kitty blanket I made for him

Congratulations! Its a Boy!

Chibi turned 4 years old today. I can believe how much time has passed since we first saw him a a 4 week old baby. He had a blast today. Angie took the day off and took him to the park to sit on the grass. Then he got to go on a walk at UCLA. And finally, he got his own Sprinkles dog cupcake to enjoy. Happy Birthday Chibi Baby!

Bride to Be Jennifer's Shower

I am again a bridesmaid in another one of my dear friend's wedding. To show her how much I care about her, I threw her the best bridal shower I could throw along with her sister. I tried to think of every detail possible and made as many things by hand and from scratch as I could. It was nice, because her sister was generous enough to pay for the venue (Cerritos Liberty Park) and for the all the lunch food from Daphne's. It was a travel themed shower so I made passport booklets, travel kits for favors, boarding pass invitations, and postcard thank yous. It was so much fun and my friend Jennifer could not be more happy or more grateful. She has been super wonderful and generous during this whole wedding experience, not letting me pay for anything and being so anti-bridezilla....I am super grateful for that!

Me, Jennifer, and Marsha

Carnation Present
One style of centerpiece

Second style of centerpiece

Mum cake

Travel Kit Favors

My signature personalized water bottles

Red velvet cupcakes

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Apples and Toffee Dip

Red and Orange Jello

The Quest for the Perfect Macaroons Maybe Over!

At my birthday dinner with the cousins (Jiraffe - previous post), my cousin Masaki surprised me with a little birthday gift. The perfect kind of gift for me....the edible kind. And to top it off, French Macaroons...my favorite. I fell in love with the macaroons ever since my trip to France/England where we had french macaroons from Laduree. My cousin who always knows where to go for food, had told me about a place called Paulette. They were heavenly....the closest ones I've had to Laduree....almost exactly the same. We all huddled around the box of 12 gorgeous, colored circles of delight and ate the macaroons that just melted in our mouths. I am in love. Thank you Masaki for the macaroons and for always enlightening me about food!

Paulette
9466 Charleville Blvd (at Beverly Drive)
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
www.paulettemacaroons.com

My Last Birthday Dinner :(

My cousins (Masaki and Jeni-koro), and my sister took me out for my last birthday dinner. My request was Jiraffe, a California/French Bistro in Santa Monica that I've been wanting to try for such a long time. It didn't disappoint. It was delicious and a good deal. We went on bistro night, which you get a appetizer, entree, and dessert for $38. The portions were extremely generous and the dishes were excellently prepared and beautifully presented. The bonus was that the chef walked around the restaurant and the waitstaff were quite attentive. Everyone at our table had the three courses. We started off with a amuse bouche: a shot of mushroom soup. For dinner, you had your choice of salad frisee with bacon and a poached egg or duck confit. The entree consisted of either filet of salmon with morel mushrooms or pork pallaird. And for dessert classic creme caramel (basically a flan). I tasted all the dishes and all were delicious. I especially loved the pork, tender and lightly battered. A french rendition of tonkatsu with capers and and a lemony butter sauce. A definte repeat restaurant and when it is bistro night on mondays....a great deal.

Sushi Party at the Onoda House

My mom is quite the entertainer when it comes to having parties. For my birthday this year, she wanted to have everyone over for a temaki (hand rolled) sushi party. Basically she cuts up the ingredients, makes sushi rice, and cuts up nori. Each person has their own rice and can take whatever ingredients they want to make their own roll. She also got quite fancy and make chawan mushi (soft egg, custard dish that is savory). It was so good. My favorite is the spicy tuna she chops up and seasons and the tuna with kaiware. It was a nice party and as a extra surprise, my older sister Christie surprised me and jumped out of the bathroom.

A Special Birthday with Special K at Sona Restaurant

Kirk has been just the most amazing boyfriend and friend to me. Tonight was no different. He took me to the well known Sona Restaurant. I have been dying to try this restaurant out and he made my dreams come true by taking me there tonight. It measured up to my standards in every single way. The service was impeccable, extremely attentive but not overbearing. The ambiance was quite but not silent, and trendy, but not pretentious. Kirk and I enjoyed the 6 course menu tasting which was just the right amount of food. Every single piece of ingredient was cooked perfectly and of the highest quality. My favorite was the veal cheeks, so soft and fatty, it just fell apart under my fork. I loved it and look forward to going back to try the 9 course tasting. Thank you Kirk for this memorable meal and for making my life so complete!

Me and Special K

Some really tasty and fresh bread!

Amuse Bouche: tofu with mochi, edamame, and seaweed

1st course: sashimi with cucumber and nori paste

2nd course: squid ink risotto with skatewing and squid

3rd course: slices of duck with chorizo, celery, and cauliflower

4th course: veal cheeks and tenderloin with potato

5th course: Orange cream with carrot gelee, kumquats with amaretto, and guava sorbet

6th course: Chocolate soccer cake and ice cream

The Pastry Chef's Dessert Sampling of Miniatures: Lemon Meringue, Cranberry Souffle, Apple Lasagna, Cream Puff, Chocolate Macaroon, Chocolate Cookie Sandwich

Kirk eating a miniature lemon meringue (looked like a mini sunny side up egg)

I love miniatures!!!! (miniature chocolate french macaroon)

Sona Restaurant

401 N. La Cienega Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA 90048

www.sonarestaurant.com