Snowcreek Resort at Mammoth Lakes: The Best Anniversary Gift

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Snowcreek Resort to check out their properties and enjoy a weekend in Mammoth Lakes. The timing was perfect – it would be right around my anniversary, and what an awesome gift - the opportunity for my husband and I to celebrate our 17th year of marriage amongst the majestic Sierras and towering pines. Besides, the official gift for the 17th anniversary is furniture, which doesn't sound very romantic to me. It's like, "Happy anniversary! I love you, and here's a desk to show you how much."

I grew up going to Mammoth Mountain to ski – it's only a five hour drive from Los Angeles – but they offer lots of warm-weather activities as well like hiking, biking and fishing. Sure, you wouldn't describe me as an outdoorsy person, but I do love getting away to the mountains and especially taking my kids there. It's great to get out into nature and feel the fresh air and hear the birds sing. So what if that singing is often interrupted by the clicking of my 14-year-old text messaging or the faint strains of 'Beat It' coming out of my 12-year-old's iPod – we're getting out into the great outdoors and that's all that matters, and I've got the iPhone pictures, the Flip video and my Twitter posts to prove it.

Snowcreek is a development that's actually been around since the '70's, but they've been developing it in stages. We stayed in a home that is part of a newer area called The Lodges. I love the architecture and design – a beautiful, clever combination of rustic with modern touches, which defies the whole image of the mountain condo. You won't any find orange shag carpeting, oppressive wood paneling or musty old sofa beds filled with pork rind crumbs here.

Our house was a 3-bedroom (plus loft), 3.5 bathroom house with a huge living room with fireplace, dining room and two balconies that overlooked the 18-hole golf course. Also, a state-of-the-art kitchen that made me want to cry with its beauty. (It was the first time that I actually wanted to cook and do the dishes while on vacation. Well, sort of.)

My girls were especially thrilled with the flat-screen TVs in every room, and of course the free WiFi – because it was important to be able to watch Hulu and update their Facebook status while taking in this view:

(Another huge perk – anyone staying at Snowcreek gets free access to their impressvie Snowcreek Athletic Club with tennis and racquetball courts, two pools, fully-equipped weight rooms, classes like yoga and spinning and a day spa [for a fee] that includes massages, facials and manicures. Perk!)

While we really hated to leave the comforts of our luxurious home, we were also given tickets for a gondola ride, so we headed out to the Mammoth Adventure Center located acorss from the main lodge at the ski area. Here you can try a little zip lining or practice your climbing on their rock wall, or do what we did - take a breathtaking gondola ride up the mountain and take in the amazing views. Many mountain bikers and hikers use the gondola to access the numerous trails available, which you can check out here. There was snow at the top of the mountain when we got there, which thrilled my 12-year-old to no end – she even put down her iTouch long enough to make a snowman.

Another event we were invited to was the Children's Fishing Festival, which takes place at Snowcreek Ponds, right on the Snowcreek property. The pond is stocked for the event, they provide reels and supplies for the kids and experts are there to give instruction and guidance. Unfortunately, it was the day we had to check out and leave to get to our next vacation destination so we didn't get to fish, but we stopped by to check it out. As expected, my jaded tween and teen were more interested in scoping out the food truck and hitting us up for Diet Coke money, but it looks like a great event for kids.

We were treated to a couple of great meals while we were there – lunch at an inventive, locally-owned place called Publik Square, and an amazing upscale eatery called Petra's that was to die for. Our dinner at Petra's was the night before our anniversary, but we consider it our official dinner since it was so fabulous and Sonny Carter was there. You can find out who that is, and read my reviews of Publik Squre and Petra's HERE.

We're planning on coming back soon to Snowcreek – my family of 30 gets together every other year or so for a big vacation getaway and I'm going to talk them into making Mammoth our destination. Besides, next year's our 18th anniversary and the official gift is porcelain, and I'd rather splurge on a Snowcreek getaway than a new toilet.

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Dining In Mammoth Lakes: Not Just Hoagies and French Fries

So what comes to mind when you think of eating at mountain resorts? Fried foods? Sandwiches? Digging up whatever's left over from inside the couch of your rental condo? Don't go there. We were recently invited by Snowcreek Resort in Mammoth Lakes to check out their properties and to get to know some local restaurants, and we were introduced to a couple of great places to eat that have fresh, inventive, imaginative food that you might want to try out. Besides, do you really want to gnaw on that year-old chicken bone?

The Publik Square

First up, for lunch we headed to The Publik Square, a small, locally-owned shop that serves breakfast and lunch. We had some great sandwiches – a big coup was finding a veggie wrap for my vegetarian 14-year-old that she actually liked. Score! I had an Italian wrap that was generously filled with Italian meats and veggies that I accidentally ate all of after telling my husband he could have half. On our way out of town the next day I stopped by for one of their Breakfast Burritos and it was equally delicious – and equally huge. Yes, I ate that one up, too, but my husband had learned a lesson and had already eaten.

Owner Ryan Farnes is also a snowboarder and owner of Publik Snowboards – there are a few of their custom snowboards, made from sustainable products like hemp and bamboo, on display and he mentioned they often have snowboard demos in front of the shop. (I also found this adorable story in a local paper about how Ryan met his wife in the aisle of the local Vons. Sorry, couldn't resist – I'm a sucker for how-they-met stories.)

Publik Square took over the space formerly occupied by Quizno's, but their food is much better, and a cut way above the fast-food establishments located across the street. Good food made with fresh ingredients and at a reasonable price – it's a find.

Petra's Bistro

For dinner we headed to Petra's Bistro. I can't say enough about the meal we had here, except that I'm trying to bribe my husband to make the drive to Mammoth next weekend so that we can eat there again. The restaurant is owned by brothers Robert and Kirk Schaubmayer and they've done a great job of creating a warm dining environment with an attentive and cheerful staff. We ate there the day before our 17th wedding anniversary, but my husband and I considered this our official celebratory dinner since it was so exquisite. In fact, we considered changing our anniversary date but we figured it would just confuse the children.

Our gastronomical adventure started off with an amazing cocktail – the Sonny Carter, which consisted of cucumber vodka, fresh ginger and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. I can't remember the story the waitress told us that's behind the name of the drink, but I'd like to rename it 'More Please.' Next we had a few appetizers, some exquisite ahi tuna bites that were followed by a dish consisting of polenta and pork belly that was one of the best things I've eaten in recent memory. I can't recall the official name, but again I would rename it something like, 'Five Of These' or 'Pork Belly Owns Me.'

For dinner I had their perfectly-cooked pork chop and even my vegetarian daughter admitted she was having trouble keeping her hands off of it. I had to remind her that she was going to have a hard time convincing her conscience that pigs were a vegetable. But can you blame her? Look at this creation:

To be honest, I can't remember what my husband or two daughters ordered because I was so in love with my pork chop, but I know that there were approving grunts all around. Then chef sent out a couple of desserts – a tiramisu and a beautiful dish of sorbets – and the grunts were replaced by high-pitched squeals. And that was just from me and my husband:

I plan to go to back to Petra's, but I hope I don't have to wait an entire year until my 18th anniversary. Although, to hell with the kids – I think I'll just move the date up a few months.

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Word To Yo Mutha! The Yahoo! Motherboard Summit

First of all, forgive me for using a Vanilla Ice quote in my title, but I thought it was a great way to show my enthusiasm for the amazing weekend I had as guests of Yahoo! for their first ever Yahoo! Motherboard Summit. Word! Also, it did remind me of a crazy karaoke night I had while I was there – I don't think I sang any Vanilla Ice, but I do remember belting out 'California Gurls' at the top of my lungs while doing some sort of pathetic shimmy during the 'Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top' part of the song. Which proves there is no dignity in karaoke, my friends – only grainy iPhone videos that a college admissions director will one day find online.

But enough about derailing my kid's future! Let me tell you about the Yahoo! Motherboard.

So, what is the Yahoo! Motherboard? It's a group of around 70 social-media savvy, plugged-in mom bloggers from around the country (and Canada) put together by Yahoo! to share and exchange ideas on everything from parenting to politics to current events. I'm honored to be in the company of such a smart, prolific group of writers and can't figure out for the life of me how I was chosen, although I'm thinking my days might be numbered once they get their hands on the above-mentioned video and see how I butchered 'Livin' On A Prayer.'

And let me just say that Yahoo! certainly does everything in style. They offered to fly us to their headquarters in Sunnyvale (I drove, more about that later) and put us up in the Four Seasons Hotel in Palo Alto. I'm not used to such swanky accommodations – how is it that there is an elevator that stops on every floor, and each room has its own toilet? And try as I might, I couldn't find a single blood stain on the bedspread. Who stays here, the Queen? My room was huge, with a massive bed made out of ecstasy and clouds. Then there was the luxurious bathroom with a huge sunken tub and a TV coming out of the wall. Yes, I soaked in there while sipping a glass of wine and watching The Food Network. (That last sentence there? Pretty much sums up how I'd like to die.)

 

The actual conference portion of the summit consisted of several informational sessions on things like online safety, editorial guidelines and various aspects of the Yahoo! brand. My favorite was the one presented by the people behind Shine, Yahoo!'s website just for women. I liked how they gave us straighforward, useful information about writing for the online community, and how to get people to read our content. Much more useful tutelage than what I got from an editor I once worked with who told me, "Sex in the title and boobs somewhere on the page." I did what he said, but I still thought it was a bit much for the PTA newsletter.

There were some sobering moments during the conference, too. One of the most impactful presentations was the one on online safety that involved the tragic, heartbreaking story of a teen driven to suicide by a sexting incident. (My fellow blogger April writes about it here.) I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when the video was over, and we all thought long and hard about how much more we were going to keep an eye on our kids and their texts and Facebook pages.

And what story about 70 women in one place would be complete without a paragraph or two about cocktails and food? There was plenty of it, starting with the amazing spread during our conference (check out those cupcakes) and our lovely dinner at Nola afterwards. Come to think of it, there was hardly a moment when we weren't surrounded by an abundance of things to eat and drink. At the Yahoo! headquarters they have their own cafe, where all the workers can get free beverages and snacks all day long. I don't know about you, but as far as employee perks go unlimited cappuccinos beats a 401k, a dental plan and a corner office any day.

And speaking of liquid gluttony, at the hotel I had what is now my favorite drink ever – the Basil Lemon Drop Martini. Not only is it tasty, but you can feel good about drinking it because between the basil and the lemon it's practically got a salad built right into it. Genius is what it is! I'm thinking if I use one of them to wash down a multi-vitamin I can call it a meal.

And here's something hysterical – somehow along the way, I got talked into being on a panel of bloggers who gave feedback on and talked about Yahoo!'s advertising. I know! How did that happen? I figure someone must have gotten drunk, scrawled my name on the chalkboard as a joke, and then didn't realize what they had done until the programs were printed up. I can just see them now, pointing fingers at each other and saying, "I thought YOU erased her name," and then someone got fired. But I guess I did okay – no one booed or threw their gum at me – and I think somewhere there's a video of it that I can watch someday. I'm betting it will be just as painful as that karaoke footage, except with more shimmying and less music.

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It really was a memorable weekend, and I have to thank the organizers at Yahoo! – Amy Heinz, Jeanne Moeschler and Stacy Libby – for putting together such a great event where I not only came away with valuable information, but where I got to meet and hang out with such an intriguing, exceptional, badass group of women. 

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Wii and Netflix Go Together Like Pizza and Martinis

A few weeks ago Nintendo threw me a fantastic party to help me get the word out to my friends about their partnership with Netflix. Did you know you can stream movies and TV shows straight from your Netflix queue through your Wii and watch them on your TV? Well, did you? Yes, it's amazing but don't ask me how it works – like my explanation for everything else I don't have a clue about, I'll just tell you it's done with magic. How does the music come out of the radio? Magic. How does an airplane stay in the sky? Magic. How does popcorn pop? Magic, voodoo, and a little bit of oil.

Nintendo sent over a Netflix/Wii streaming disc (which you can get here), some genuine concession stand treats (hello, Raisinettes!), a catered meal and best of all provided me with a three-month subscription to Netflix. We had a subscription many years ago, but canceled it when we realized it wasn't cost effective for people like us who take eight months to get around to watching a DVD – that one viewing of Eraserhead in '02 cost us $96.

(The process is simple: Set up an 'Instant Queue' on your Netflix account online, pop the streaming disc into the Wii, access your queue and select the title you want, and the movie downloads within seconds.)

Our meal that night came from one of our favorite restaurants – California Pizza Kitchen – and we decided the drink of choice for the night would be martinis. Maybe an odd beverage to pair with pizzas and salads, but we thought it would add a nice adult, upscale air to the evening of dining and fine cinema. After all, we were using our fancy new movie projector, and I was looking forward to kicking back with my friends, noshing on some pizza and sipping a beverage while watching La Dolce Vita.

Which is why it all felt so futile when the choosing of the movies quickly got overtaken by the kids at the party, and I turned my back for a minute to mix up a pitcher of Cosmos and came back to find this on the screen:

Damn those diabolical toddlers! I managed to lure them out of the room by throwing a box of Junior Mints out onto the lawn, but when I left again to mix up a pitcher of Lemon Drops (hey, my friends are insatiable when it comes to free booze) I came back to find a gaggle of girls watching this:

Come to find out this movie was neither streaming through the Wii nor a Netflix DVD, but was a gift my 14-year-old had gotten for her birthday. This party was seriously getting out of control. What was coming up next – reruns of Matlock on Beta? Thank goodness the Nintendo people weren't at the party see the anarchy.

This time I lured all of the teens and tweens out to the backyard with a couple of Forever 21 gift cards tied to a string so that we could get to some serious movie watching. Unfortunately, by then a lot of the adults were starting to get restless from the mixture of vodka and pepperoni in their stomachs and headed outside before I could get another movie queued up. Personally I think it was just an excuse to go out and dig around in the lawn for those Junior Mints.

Eventually I gave up, and gave the controls back to the kids so they could watch 3 Ninjas and Ace Ventura which they had so cleverly queued up when I was busy mixing up that fifth pitcher of martinis. I joined the party outside, but not before sneaking onto the computer and queuing this up to watch later on my own:

I forgot to mention the nice people at Nintendo also sent over a Flip camera to record the festivities with, and my 12-year-old aspiring filmmaker was in charge of that. Here's a movie she made:



Mandatory small print disclosure that I implore you to read: I was not given any monetary compensation for hosting this event or writing about Nintendo or Netflix products, nor was I required to write a review. From Nintendo I received a Flip camera, a three-month subscription to Netflix, food for my guests and Wii Points cards to distribute. Beverages were provided by me, but if Nintendo were paying for the vodka I'm sure it would have been the good stuff and not the cheap swill I passed off to my guests.
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Celebrities, Hot Dogs, and A Time For Heroes

A few weeks ago I was invited to attend the A Time For Heroes Celebrity Picnic put on by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation. What a great day, filled with activities, games and celebrities -- David Duchovney, Billy Crystal, Joel McHale, Dick Van Dyke and Carmen Electra were just a few that I saw. I was invited by my friends at Kodak, who were one of the sponsors of the event and hosted a booth tricked out in a safari theme -- all the celebs were flocking to it for the chance to take a photo in front of their cool backdrop. I heard I just missed Olympian Evan Lysacek showing off his impressive hardware. Of course, I'm talking about his Gold Medal.

The Kodak booth was definitely the big celeb hangout, and I would have just stayed there all day if it weren't for my 12-year-old and this weird thing she wanted to do called eating. I was like, "Hey, I just know Mark Wahlberg is going to be coming through here any minute and I just want to feel his arm," and she was all, "But we've been here for two hours and all I've had is an old mint from your purse." Sometimes kids and their weird priorities make me sad.

But speaking of priorities, the real celebrity of the event is Elizabeth Glaser, the late wife of actor Paul Michael Glaser. Here's her story:



I've heard and even written about the picnic, which is now in its 21st year, so it was an honor to be among the guests. As you may have guessed, celebrity picnics are way more blinged out than anything you or I might have. For example, forget about lugging a rusty hibachi and cooler filled with Costco hot dogs to the park -- this picnic had a Pink's Hot Dogs booth serving up their famous chili dogs. Wanna do an activity with the kids but are tired of collecting rocks and cigarette butts? How about sitting down and making a drum while sitting next to Joseph Lawrence? Yes it's true -- I was getting crafty with Joey from 'Blossom.'

Definitely one of the highlights for my daughter was getting to take a photo with Erika Christensen, who stars in one of our favorite shows, Parenthood. She couldn't have been sweeter, and most of the celebrities were pretty accommodating given that they were being stopped every two seconds to pose for a photo. Joel McHale even called my 14-year-old on her cell phone to say 'hi,' which was very nice of him even if he did say to her, "Hey, your mom's very cool and maybe a little bit creepy." Who knew he could see that perfumed letter balled up in my hand?

I heard they raised $1.3 million that day to help the Foundation fight pediatric AIDS. It was an amazing day, but in spite of all the games, food, music and activity, the real reason for the event was always in the forefront, especially when Jake Glaser got up to speak and thanked the crowd for coming out to support a cause that so greatly impacted his life and meant so much to his mother.

I do have lots of photos from the event, but as guests of Kodak and out of respect for the Foundation rules we were asked not to post any non-approved photos publicly. I'll have some photos from Kodak's photographer up soon.

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Summertime And The Livin' Is (Fresh &) Easy

Last weekend was a momentous occasion, one of great beginnings and the promise of hope. One that lifted my spirits and helped me look to the future with a renewed sense of well being.

No, I'm not referring to my 14-year-old graduating from middle school, I'm talking about the start of grilling season!

Not that it wasn't great seeing my beautiful daughter walk across that stage and into the next phase of her life. I'm just saying this 'next phase' might be just a little bit better with juicy steaks, ribs and burgers grilled to perfection and served on the patio.

And to get me started, Fresh & Easy sent over a box of grilling and cookout essentials. As you know I'm a F&E devotee so a package from them is always an exciting day. Okay I admit, not quite as exciting as my daughter graduating from middle school.

But check out what I got!

• The Vine Yard Pinot Gris This citrus-y wine goes perfectly with chicken and fish and is a bargain at $6.99. I'm becoming a huge fan of The Vine Yard label -- I just recently had their Riesling, and it's become one of my favorite wines. (Fresh & Easy has a huge selection of wines for under $10. Go see for yourself. And bring me a bottle.) 
• Condiments Fresh & Easy has their own line of Organic Ketchup, Mustard and Barbecue sauce and they're all under $3. This leaves more money to pick up several bags of...
• Fresh & Easy Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt Kettle Chips Trust me, you'll need more than one bag. Moments after the photo above was taken that bag was mercilessly ripped to shreds and the contents ingested in mere minutes. And no I didn't share but I did let the kids have the entire bottle of mustard.
• Fresh & Easy Gourmet Wheat Hamburger Buns These are baked daily by Il Fornaio. These taste great, but my only complaint is that they're a little big for the average sized hamburger patty. Or maybe I need to start making my burgers bigger?
• Fresh & Easy Soft Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies Like the chips, these were gone pretty quickly. I set the bowl down a few feet from where my girls and their friends were sitting on the couch so they had to get up to reach them. It's the most I've seen them move all summer.

If you're planning on grilling this 4th of July weekend, Check out Fresh & Easy's famous Mixed Grill Pack, a variety of beef, sausages and chicken. And if I sound freakishly excited about that it's because I am.

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tags: fresh and easy supermarket | fresh and easy mixed grill pack | 4th of july barbecue 

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World of Color: Yet Another Reason Not To Pass Up California Adventure

It's no secret that between the two Anaheim parks, California Adventure is the scruffy little sister to it's more glamorous sibling, Disneyland. The Magic Kingdom has better clothes, better hair and let's face it -- probably gets all the cute guys.  

But I think all that is about to change with 'World Of Color,' the elaborate nighttime water show that just opened at California Adventure. A few weeks ago I was invited to the premiere of this newest attraction, and by the looks of it I think more people will finally be paying attention to the 'little sister.' It's like she threw away her retainer and training bra all at once!

(It's also no secret that I'm the only one in my family that prefers California Adventure, with its shorter lines, wide open spaces and wine with dinner. It's also home to my favorite ride, Soarin' Over California, the best ride ever invented -- that is, if you don't count my other favorite ride.)

In a nutshell, 'World Of Color' is a combination water show/light show/movie experience that takes place on a 'stage' of water, bigger than a football field, in Paradise Bay. For those of you who hate nutshells, here's a brief description from Disney:

During the under-25-minute show, “World of Color” immerses audiences in technological wonder and the enchanting magic of beloved Disney and Disney•Pixar characters, combining nearly 1,200 versatile fountains, dazzling colors, Disney music and an all-new kaleidoscope of audio and visual effects...Animated sequences projected onto the “World of Color” water screen will flood the senses, taking audiences on an imaginative journey into the colorful worlds of such classics as “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King” and many more.

Take a look:



The 'Blue Carpet' premiere before the show was a great celeb-watching event -- I'll post my photos later this week, including more of this stud and this couple who looked so happy at the time.  Also, God answered my prayers and I finally got to stay at the Grand Californian. I'll be posting a review of my time there later, and for once it doesn't involve me stealing any toiletries.

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tags: world of color | disneyland | california adventure

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Perfect Timing: Summer Is Here and So Is Super Mario Galaxy 2

We're just starting the second week of summer vacation over here at Casa Sweatpants, and I'm not sure who's happier, me or the kids. Those last few weeks of school were so brutal that I think we all deserve a medal for surviving it, and we got something even better -- Nintendo sent over a copy of Super Mario Galaxy 2! They also sent over some freeze dried ice cream and some Tang to go with the intergalactic theme of the new game, but the edibles were gone before I even got to try them. That's the last time I say the words, "Open the package and I'll be right there."

To be honest, I haven't had a chance to try out the game, either. As with most of them, the kids don't have the time to ever show me how to play, so if I ever pick up a controller and try to jump in it's all, "Hey, you're doing it wrong" and "Can you just wait and try it when we're all done?" It's like being at my high school dance all over again.

So in order for this to be accurate, I had my 11-year-old, who is the video game expert in the house and has logged around seven-thousand-hours on the game, write this review. She's a fantastic writer, and I swear she came up with 'devilishly handsome Mario' all on her own.

Personally, I LOVED Super Mario Galaxy 2. I had the first Super Mario Galaxy and enjoyed it, so I had thought the next one would be just as good. Even though there are so many Mario games, this seems to be my favorite of them all. I’m not sure if it’s the creative planets they come up with, the devilishly handsome Mario, or adorable Lumas that fly around, but I’m completely addicted to this game.

The storyline in the first Super Mario Galaxy was the same old thing, Bowser captures Princess Peach, and Mario has to rescue her. The only thing that I found odd was that because this game was a sequel to the first, I expected the storyline to change. In the first game, what had happened was that Peach had invited Mario to this Star Festival or something, and Bowser had arrived, captured her, and took her to the center of the universe. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Princess Peach had managed to make the same mistake again of hosting the Star festival and was captured by Bowser to the center of the universe again. Other than that flaw though, the rest of the game was good.

Throughout your adventure through space, you travel to different galaxies and worlds, capturing stars and coins. I loved the worlds they had created, each with their own level(or levels) and a magical coin you could collect. Some worlds were engulfed with water, while others were dry as dust. Some even had a special items only found there, enabling Mario to transform and have a special power required for finishing the level.

The whole point of the game is to capture stars to power the starship(that strangely resembled Mario’s face) Mario rode on to reach Peach and save her. Each time you got a new star, the ship could go further, getting you closer to the center of the universe where Peach is. On your starship, you have Lumas (little star creatures) that fly around as well as their leader, a big plump purple Luma that guides you along the away. You also have your classic Toads(little dudes with Mushroom heads) that are aboard your starship helping out by delivering mail and working a small bank.

You also meet many new creatures that lurk around the Galaxy from dangerous Jellyfish and jittery bugs, to cute space bunnies and wide-eyed Penguins. I find that you can get VERY attached to this game, where to the point you are cussing at the monsters when you are losing, and not leaving the TV to even eat dinner. But overall, I think Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a super game and is sure to be a hit.

I couldn't have said it better myself.
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tags: super mario galaxy 2 | nintendo wii | video game reviews

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Loo Hoo's Asian Comfort Food Has Me Under Its Spell

A few weeks ago I was invited to a food tasting hosted by Cindy Liu founder and chef of Loo Hoo's Asian Comfort Food. Is that the greatest name or what? When we met I was going to ask her if it was a nod to Cindy Loo Hoo from 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas' but before I could say anything she put a delicious, icy cold Lychee martini in my hand and then I totally forgot what I was going to say. Then she put some hot, homemade dumplings in front of me and I even forgot more stuff. Then I woke up the next morning and I had a Loo Hoo tatoo on my hip. I'm just kidding about the tattoo part.

Cindy cooked up a fantastic feast for a group of us bloggers. First up were the dumplings -- she served up three different varieties: vegetable, pork and my favorite, kimchee. I love kimchee, and I love fried food, so putting them together in a neat little package is just pure genius. These are handmade dumplings made from recipes that Cindy created, and best of all she uses natural, farm raised meats that have been humanely raised with no growth hormones, antibiotics or animal by-product feeds. In other words, these are not from your grocer's freezer.

Next up Cindy brought out a couple of noodle dishes. One was a cold salad and the other was spicy Thai Red Curry noodles. Both of these were delicious and quickly devoured by everyone there. I don't know if you've seen a bunch of hungry bloggers at a food event, but it's kind of like watching the shark feeding at the aquarium. But a little more vicious.

For dessert Cindy served up something I've always wanted to try, Thai Mango Sticky Rice. This is rice that's been slightly overcooked and then mixed up with coconut milk and chunks of mango. I'm sure I just completely got that recipe wrong, but you get the idea. Either way, it was really tasty -- a very different melding of textures and flavors that kept me scooping up spoonful after spoonful even when I thought I was full. Once again, kind of like those sharks.

Cindy served all of these dishes with a Riesling, a wine that I usually find to be too much on the sweet side, but it went perfectly with all of these dishes. Yet another example of Cindy's voodoo! I told her that I want to go on a restaurant tour with her, because she's the best kind of foodie -- incredibly knowledgeable and accessible but not obnoxious about it. You know who I'm talking about. 

By now I'm sure you're drooling and smacking your lips, wondering where you can get your hands on some of Loo Hoo's Asian comfort food, and you're in luck -- Cindy cooks up her menu of amazingness at farmer's markets on Thursdays and Sundays:

THURS: Thousand Oaks Farmer's Market, at the Oaks Mall (1:30-6:30pm)
SUNDAY: College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, Lot 8 (8am-noon)

Also, Cindy caters, and you can either pick from items on the menu or she will create a menu especially for you. Now that's what I call comfort food.

Thanks to Cindy for a great evening! I'm serious about hanging out. I promise not to force you to make me a Lychee martini. Well, maybe just one.
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tags: loo hoo's asian comfort food | cindy liu | food

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Bobby Flay Got All Up In My Grill (Book)

A couple of months ago I was invited to attend a taping of a commercial that chef Bobby Flay was doing for Hellmann's. I had to cancel the morning of the shoot because one of my kids was sick, but Kathleen, the coordinator, was nice enough to send me a copy of Flay's new book Bobby Flay's Burgers Fries and Shakes.

I'm just getting around to checking it out now because I wanted to get some grilling ideas for all those fabulous backyard parties I have planned for the summer, the ones where I fire up the Tiki torches, have my cabana boy bring me a martini and lounge by the pool. After I remembered I don't have a pool and the neighbors didn't like me asking their sons to fetch me my drinks, I got out the torches, opened up Flay's new book, and started looking for ideas. And this is what I found:

He autographed it! Now that Bobby Flay has touched my book I know for sure I'll have no problem cooking up the perfect burger or grilling the perfect kebab. Goodbye charred, blackened slabs of inedible flesh, hello succulent, delicious pieces of meat. (Insert inappropriate cabana boy reference here.)

(Wait -- is that really his signature or one of his staffers? Is he really sorry he missed me? Does he really use Hellmanns mayonnaise? These are the things that keep me up at night.)

I haven't had time to try out any of the grilling recipes yet, but I did whip up a batch of his Horseradish Mustard Mayonnaise the other day, and it was delicious. Dip your fries in this, pretend you're sitting by the pool and have the neighbor bring you a tall one.

Bobby Flay's Horseradish Mustard Mayonnaise
(Flay says this sauce is traditionally served alongside prime rib, but recommends it for burgers, too. I say it's probably good with everything.)

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: chopped fresh herbs such as chives, dill or tarragon. 

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and horseradish in a small bowl and season withthe salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. The sauce can be prepared 1 day in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator. Makes 1/2 cup.

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tags: bobby flay | bobby flay's burgers fries and shakes | food network

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