I Should Have Yelped.

To Yelp Or Not To Yelp.   That was the question.

Throughout the San Francisco to San Diego road trip, I was glued to my iPhone.  My phone served as a map and most importantly – a restaurant rater.  In Dallas, I rarely Yelp.  But, in an unknown place, I Yelp.

Needless to say, Binks got severely irritated and like I said, around Big Sur, got sick of it.  And, I got it.  I’m on a scenic road trip and I spend most of my time looking at a tiny phone screen.  I too got sick of it.

After walking down State St. in Santa Barbara, we worked up a small appetite.  Binks said he would pick a place (sans Yelp) and it would be great.

Binks is a liar.

He picked Uncle Roccoco’s.

You know Binks and his pizza.  How bad could a pizzeria be you ask?

Red Flag 1:  Offering New York Pizza in Santa Barbara.

Red Flag 2:  New cheese on top of old cheese on top of an old pizza slice.

Red Flag 3:  It tasted gross.

Let’s say after this colossal failure, Binks never complained about using Yelp again.

Do you Yelp?  Are you addicted to your phone?

How To Eat A Cheese Steak Sandwich by Oliepants

A road trip from San Francisco to San Diego would be nothing without stopping at one of the most iconic and scenic locations along Highway 1 – Big Sur.  No word would better describe Big Sur other than ‘picturesque’.

And it’s like this all along the way.  Talk about beautiful.  Binks and I got out numerous times to take pictures.

There are a couple of different things we did not know about the Big Sur areas.

1.  Restaurants are few along the coast.  

Luckily we stopped (Binks insisted without Yelp help) at Ripplewood Resort.

A quaint place for a quick lunch.

I ordered the cheese steak sandwich.  There goes any healthy eating out the window.  When on vacation, you can just about guarantee that if a dish comes with fries, I will order it.

Fact: I’m addicted to french fries.

I pretty much got fries with a side of sandwich – just the way I like it.

Binks got the fries also, with a side of ‘kobe’ burger.

Before I tell you my new favorite find, I want to tell you another story.

When I was in college and gaining the Freshman 50, I was obsessed with ranch.  I really would just use it as a condiment for everything – fries, sandwiches, chicken nuggets, veggies.  You name it, I could dunk it in ranch.

Now, I’ve given up those days and changed my routine a bit.

But, some things will never change.  Like this:

There is no better way to eat a cheese steak sandwich than my way.  I’m sure of it.  It requires (1) ranch and (2) Tabasco sauce.  

First, the ranch.  You can’t pick up any old bottle of ranch (you could, but it wouldn’t be exactly the same).  You gotta pick up your favorite ranch – the creamy, drippy, buttermilk ranch.  You just gotta.

Second, the Tabasco.  It has to be the red Tabasco – the Original.

Now, the process.  There are two ways you can do this.  First, you dunk your bite of cheese steak into the ranch, then, you lift it and add Tabasco to the dunked area.  Then, take a bite.

The other way is to mix the ranch and the Tabasco together so you can save your self some time and judging eyes by other patrons or spouses.

Either way, it’s delicious.  I’m drooling as I type.  Judge me.  But, then join me.  You won’t look back.

Now, Ripplewood Resort had no idea I was coming.  I don’t think anything would have been different if they did – but moving on…

The ranch wasn’t runny.  It was thick.  It will do.

The Tabasco was not Tabasco.  It was better.

Meet my new favorite find:

I had no expectations as I was looking forward to Tabasco.  This was OFF THE CHIZZAIN!!  I could clearly taste the freshness.  The garlic and pepper really stood out.  Perfection in a bottle.  And if you know me, you will know that I can go ape shit for hot sauce.

Mind you, I’m not from California and I have never tried this.  For you California residents, is this normal in your neck of the woods?  This hot sauce might be reason enough for me to move there.

Binks was in love too.

He ended up using it on his burger.

I became my college-self.  Dunking bread, beef, fry and every vegetable into the pepper sauce.  Except this time, I could have cared less about the ranch.  Other patrons, namely the one guy sitting to my right, were watching.  I stopped out of embarrassment.  But not without putting one last fry into my mouth.

I looked up the Pepper Plant upon arriving to Texas and I think I’m going to order a few bottles (i.e. Original and Habanero Hot).

Are you a fan of ranch?  What do you use it on?  Is it a guilty pleasure?  Are you willing to try my cheesecake routine?  

Two Years

Binks and I have been married for 2 years.  Our anniversary was a couple of days ago.  The San Fran to San Diego road trip was in celebration for our anniversary.  But, what did we do the day of?

You would think (on a work day), we would go to a nice dinner here in Dallas – a city known for and full of beautiful and lovely restaurants.  But, where did we go on the day of?

To my friend Wendy’s house.  Have you met her?

{Mine}

No, I just don’t crave fast food to where it’s considered my special meals.

{His}

‘Tis a story similar to this.

When we got married, we had an outside caterer – Indian food, of course.  The plan was that the hotel and/or caterer were to save two plates of food for us to enjoy once the wedding was done and we went back to our room.

As expected, no one remembered, and we had nothing to eat.  You would think that one would not think about food on the wedding night after such a fabulous party.  After not eating for 8 hours and lots of drinking until 1 a.m., eating was absolutely the first thing on my mind.

We drove around for some special late night eats but only ran across a Wendy’s.  Hungry can’t be picky.  And really, I’m not a food snob.  I ate Wendy’s at least once a week when I was in college because it was conveniently placed in the student union.

We drove to the drive-thru window.  Me, being the ecstatic new-bride I was, was yelling to the Wendy’s employee, “I just got married and this is our wedding meal!”  It wasn’t my classiest bride moment.  Needless to say the employee just looked at me like I was nuts.  I don’t blame her.  I had on a sari (not a dress) and of course, the obvious – I was screaming.

Binks and I ordered, took the food to our room and ate on our hotel room balcony overlooking the Las Colinas lake.  We had chocolate covered strawberries for dessert – courtesy of the hotel.

It was a beautiful night.

And our anniversary lunch was eaten at work, but was spent talking about our past two years and the three years before that.  Some good.  Some bad.  All worth it.

 Have you been to Wendy’s house?  What are your anniversary or special occasion traditions with your loved one(s)?  

My First 100th Bay 2 Breakers!

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that Binks signed us up for the annual Bay 2 Breakers 12K.  This year was especially special because it was the 100-year anniversary.  Pretty crazy huh?

The only other race I’ve participated in was a 5K.  I walked/ran it.  We had every intention of walking this as we had not properly trained to walk/run or run it.  We also had every intention of sticking together, because with a sold-out 50K participant race, you will quite easily lose one another in this massive event.

Now, the 12K amounts to about 7.5 miles.  I wasn’t worried about that.  Binks and I walk about 8 miles per day on a vacation just touring a city.  We’re insane like that.  But, San Fran is not just any other city.  If you have climbed any of its streets, you know what I mean.  I was winded after one.

So, when I heard/read that the B2B has a 11.5 grade incline known as the dreaded Hayes Hill, I was worried.  Real worried.  I can walk but after my experience with San Fran hills, I was shaking.

Despite my worrying, we started.

It was a beautiful day too.  I enjoyed the weather.  I enjoyed the scenery.

I enjoyed the costumes.

I enjoyed the lack of costumes.

Mind you, I was warned/aware of the nudity.  But, I never got used to it.  All I could think about was chaffing, sweating and odor.  No one said my thoughts had to make sense.  It kept me entertained.

Which is exactly what I needed to conquer the Hayes Hill Beast.

This picture does not do it justice.  After you walk for 2.5 miles, there are 5 blocks of hills.  One right after the other.  So, me, being me, climbed one hill right after another.  And, before I knew it, it was done!  I can tell you that it was a proud moment for me.  🙂

Finally – the finish line.  And quite well for my standards.  I don’t run and have never walked a 12K.  I didn’t practice all that much for this 12K (meaning the days before, I walked about 2-3 miles a day with my dog).  I maintained a 3 mph pace and was done in less than 3 hours.  I was quite pleased.

Although this finish line is a bit of a farce for me as a walker because you do have to walk about another 2 miles to get to the vendors and collect the medal.  So….I paced and timed and measured myself.  All in all – that day, I walked 9.9 miles.

It was a glorious day.

Afterwards, I went back to my hotel, showered, packed up and headed out for the road trip.

But, not without food.  We stopped for sandwiches just after getting out of San Francisco.  We found a local place in Pacifica called Colombo’s Delicatessen.

Binks had the Sicilian, which consisted of italian sausage and ricotta cheese.

The peppers made this sandwich.  Yes, that is my bite of HIS sandwich.  I believe in sharing.

I had the chicken Parmesan sandwich.  I usually don’t order this but it was their special for the day and I had to try.

Can I say saucy-licious?!

The best part was the bread.  This family owned and operated shop bakes their own delicious soft bread.  It made all the difference.

Although, I didn’t know it was going to be so huge so we saved the other half for later.

And, then we were off down the coast with nothing but blue skies.

What’s the craziest/longest/most challenging race you have completed?  Why was it so crazy/challenging for you?  How did you feel after?  How did you prep (physically and mentally for the race)?

Wrapping Up San Fran

I’m 90% sure I could spend a whole month in San Francisco and still have more to see.  So, I think the best thing to do is just to move here.  Ah…I’m in love.

The weather is magnificent.  At first, my Dallas-acclimated-body was not ready for the cold (and neither was my coat-less packed luggage). But, after some time, I really got used to it and realized it’s more of a breeze and less of a harsh cold like I have encountered in Dallas, Chicago or Boston.

All in all, I visited one of the most beautiful places ever – both inside…

…and outside (the city).

Ate delicious food.

{A carne asada super burrito from Mission’s Taqueria El Farolito}

All wrapped up by a walk through Chinatown.

Next up is the road trip from San Fran to San Diego.  Remember the to-do list?  Let’s see how much Binks and Olie gets done.

San Fran: Day 2 – How I Budget My Vacation

This trip to San Francisco has been a dream trip of mine.  I have been planning this trip since Binks first went to San Francisco and said he wanted to move there eventually.  That was 3 years ago.

Just like my wedding, all dreams come with a price, and this girl has to budget her dreams.  I’ll be gone from May 12th – May 18th and that means a lot of hotels, a lot of eating out, a lot of gas, a lot of excursions and a lot of miscellaneous.

Tip 1: Save on hotels.

During this trip, I’ll stay at 4 hotels.  In total, I have paid $120.  How?  Well, when I had my dream wedding (at a Marriott), I accumulated a lot of rewards points that I used up for this vacation.  Every hotel night has been ‘paid for’ by my Marriott points.  The only hotel I have paid for is my hotel at Monterey.

And, I used Priceline for that.  Priceline is my best friend when I don’t have points saved up.

Tip 2:  Book hotels that offer free breakfasts. 

Especially when breakfasts include delicious oatmeal with toppings for a waffle bar.  I loved this bowl with some chocolate chips, strawberry sauce, walnuts and a banana.  Delicious!!

Tip 3:  Balance overspending with left over breakfast.

That title makes no sense.  I know.  On day 1, we ate out for breakfast (at the airport), lunch (Boudin), and dinner (Firenze at Night).  We spent more than we expected to spend.

So, in an attempt to balance out that damage to the wallet, I made some lunch with breakfast items.  Meet my lunch for Day 2.

My favorite sandwich – the pb&j, with half a muffin that I shared with Binks.

Tip 4:  Pack snacks.

Tip 5:  Take advantage of natural (free) sights to see.

Meet my close encounter with death – the Twin Peaks.

I climbed up one and thought, I’m going to die – either of loss of breath or the wind blowing me onto the road below.  But, just looking at the second Twin made me think, I had to conquer that beast.  Once, I did, the view was worth a million bucks.

Mind you, we splurge on things here and there, but it’s all about the balance to ensure that we aren’t left with nothing when we get back to reality.

What do you do to save money on trips?  What do you splurge on?

I Woke Up At 3:00 a.m. So United Could Sleep In

Remember when I said my flight to San Fran was at 6:30 a.m.?  In order to get to the airport on time without panic, I had to get up at 3 a.m.  So, I got up at 3:00 a.m.  Then, I get to the airport and find that my 6:30 a.m. departure was delayed to 8:42 a.m.  Reason:  The pilots need to sleep before the flight.  I understand the legal ramifications of pilots and sleep, but how this could not have been anticipated is beyond me.  Needless to say, there was a lot of uncomfortable airport sleeping.

But, I got my second run once we landed in San Francisco.

Because we landed prior to check-in, we went straight to Fisherman’s Wharf.

As Binks and I were quite famished by the time we landed, we stopped off Boudin for a quick lunch.  While waiting for lunch, we were happy to see what was next door.

I ordered the California Veggie sandwich for lunch.

The sandwich was exactly what I needed after the flight.  Yummy bites of cucumber, tomatoes, roasted red bell pepper, pepper jack cheese, sun-dried tomato spread, onions and balsamic vinegar really made this sandwich the deliciousness that it was.

Binks got the half special: (1. half sandwich and 2. half soup).  Of course we had to try the famous clam chowder.

This sandwich totally reminded me of this.  Boudin, you really did not hold back at all on portions, did you?  Binks and I should have just split a meal.

After our large lunch, we walked.

And met a new friend.

We took a boat cruise tour, and enjoyed sites that we could not fit into our trip to San Fran this time around.  Like Alcatraz.

We walked to the Ferry Building but only to realize that the Farmers’ Market had closed. I have had my heart set on a bit of a Frog Hollow Farm pear.

After wandering, we checked into our hotel and rested.  An hour later (fighting any and all temptations to just fall asleep for the night), we left the hotel room to tour around more…and eat dinner.

After some considerable Yelp-ing, we found Firenze by Night.  This was one of the best Italian meals I have ever had.

I ordered the eggplant dish (the name of which I cannot remember).  Basically, it’s breaded eggplant, layered with caramelized onions, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.  It’s heaven on a plate.  Although my picture doesn’t do it any justice at all.

And in the north-eastern portion of my plate, Binks shared his ravioli with meat sauce with me.  This meal was magical.  So magical that it stopped Binks in his tracks from just hoovering his food in 5 minutes.

After this hectic day, it’s time to unwind with some mindless TV and much-needed sleep.  Good night everyone!  🙂

Are you a clam chowder fan?  Have you tried Boudin?  Any suggestions in the Bay Area? 

A big thank you to Rice Kernel’s mom for the Bay area suggestions!  🙂

Where’s Olie?

Other than being bombarded with work, I have been busy planning my trip to San Francisco to San Diego.

Here’s what I got so far.

It’s a work in process, of course.  Binks looked at the list with wide eyes and asked, “You did leave room to deviate here and there, right?”  I laughed at him.  I plan on making this into a more detailed Excel sheet.

And, since our flight is so very early in the morning, which requires me waking up at times I usually fall asleep, we will be using our dear friend Parking Spot, which Binks and I used religiously when we were long-distance.

Thank goodness for coupons.  (Tiffany would be proud.)

Thank goodness for guides.

Budget travel tip:  Check out your library for travel guides instead of buying them.  As the library usually allows you a month to check out books, you have enough time to keep the book for pre-travel research and use during the trip.  Just make sure not to damage or lose it.  🙂

Planning a road trip is definitely harder that I envisioned but I’m very excited to see what adventures we run into.  And, I’m excited to share everything with you, as well!

So tell me, what’s your travel tip?  Have you taken a road trip?  Advice?

Easy Breezy Beautiful

Cover Girl Lasagna.

I’m a fan of make-ahead meals.

During a busy week, my make-ahead meals are a life saver, a budget saver and a health saver.

Instead of ordering pizza or grabbing something on the way home, I can come home, open the freezer and bake a main dish within an hour.

My favorite make-ahead meal:  Lasagna.

After several attempts with several recipes, this is my absolute favorite.

While it isn’t the easiest to put together and requires some time on my part, it is quite worth it.

I never get tired of lasagna.  I can have it for a week-straight – lunch and dinner – which is exactly how long this recipe lasts.

My Favorite Lasagna
– adapted from here

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds of lean ground beef
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 12 lasagna noodles *I buy the ones you do not have to pre-boil
• 16 oz skim milk ricotta cheese
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Heat a dutch oven (or large pot) over medium-high heat.
2. Once pot is hot, add olive oil and wait for it to heat up.
3. Once oil is hot, add onions and garlic.  Saute for about 5 minutes, until soft.
4. Add ground beef.  Cook until browned.
5. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.
6. Add sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 T salt, pepper and 2 T parsley.
7. Cover and simmer for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally.
8. Preheat oven to 375 F.
9. Make ricotta mixture:  combine ricotta cheese, egg, 2 T parsley and nutmeg.
10. Assemble in the following layers:  (a) 1.5 cups of meat sauce at the bottom of the lasagna dish, (b) arrange approximately 6 noodles to cover the meat sauce, (c) add 1/2 of the ricotta mixture to the noodles and spread evenly, (d) add 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese slices, (e) add 1.5 cups of meat sauce over the cheese slices, (f) sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese over the meat sauce, (g) arrange another 6 noodles to cover the top, (h) add remaining 1/2 of the ricotta mixture to the noodles and spread evenly, (i) add 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese slices, (j) add 1.5 cup of the meat sauce over the cheese, (k) add remaining mozzarella cheese slices, (l) sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
11. Spray foil with non-stick spray and cover the lasagna dish.
12. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
13. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes.
14. Remove from oven and allow to set for about 10 minutes before serving.

Are you a fan of make-ahead meals?  What’s your make-ahead meal?

I Know…

I know summer is on the horizon (despite Dallas’ recent cold front)…

…when the garden is yielding the most beautiful bounty.

…when a brightly colored bowl of apples serves as appropriate table decor.

…I dream about these smoothies for breakfast.

…when this salad serves as lunch and dinner for several days.  I double the dressing recipe.

 How do you know when summer is on the horizon?

FYI – Currently Listening to: Fiona Apple – I Know