New York

Dinner I cooked



Seared Scallops w/Sweet Pea Qunoia Cake




Sirloin, Fingerling Potatoes, Asp, Barley Red Wine Sauce





My friend Gerlyn moved to New York, so I decided to hit the Big Apple in style. I was also able to meet up with my other friend Vin and see my cousin Michelle, while also meeting new friends, Eli and Lauren. The nightlife in New York is incredible, it's alive, incredibly diverse, and a food lover's dream. My discoveries on this trip were eating Pho in Koreatown at 4 AM, Chumleys, New York Pizza, Murray's Cheese shop, Long Island wine, the biggest doner kabob and that NY never sleeps! We ended up eating at 11 Madison Park, taking a food tour of Greenwich Village, seeing Rent, having a dinner party with guest chef (me), and staying out all 3 nights until 4AM. We also had the worse coffee experience at Cosi where Gerlyn almost swallowed a fly found in her coffee! .

Eleven Madison Park Dinner

Eat. Drink. No sleep. Gotta love my vacation.

Gerlyn and her coffee The Rain Man

Look familiar?

The Doner Kabob

Baseball on the West Coast

DODGER BLUE, Los Angeles, CA

People have always said that Los Angeles does not have the best sports fans. Coming from Virginia Tech, DC area, and Philadelphia, EVERYONE is die hard and I am not quite used to the no love. But I was able to go to a few baseball games this season and have changed my mind slightly.

There are two Southern California teams, the Dodgers and the Angels and ambiance of stadiums and even fans are unique in their own sense. Dodger Stadium is literally 5 miles from my house, right off of the 110 the oldest highway in California I might add. My cousin Tina, a Californian all her life and my host/tour guide since I moved out here, got tickets on the 3rd base line, 10 rows back. Dodger Stadium is one of the only stadiums left that is an independent for instance, not like STAPLES Center or FED-EX Field. The Stadium is old but kept up with scarce food choices. I was told to get the classic ‘Dodger dog’, a 12 inch dog which I rate a C+ , the plus for originality. First off, everyone is late in LA, hence, we arrived early, in the middle of the 1st inning. Crowds starting filling the stands by the 3rd inning when it got rowdy with beach balls flying and by the 5th inning, fans were hauled off for drunken banter and fights. The amazing phenom was this game was no where near playoff time and it was packed. I enjoyed seeing the ‘Dodger blue’ with palm trees and mountains tucked in the background.

THE RALLY MONKEY - Anaheim, CA


I usually go to Angels stadium with my cousin Ha and husband Tim. This year, there was an addition, Hayley, my newest cousin. The crowd at Angel stadium is much like Camden Yards in Baltimore, family oriented, fun loving, folks. The stadium is new and overlooks Orange County on one side and the 5 freeway, food selection is decent, and the bonus was the fireworks display at the conclusion of the game!