and extra Merry Christmas to:

Winner of Pink Peppermint Design Giveaway: Melissa

Winner of the Red Possum Capelet Giveaway: Sandi

Winner of the Flora Bond Giveaway: Cindy Barriga

and….

the winner of the big kahuna $200 worth of free tuition to {Picture Perfect}……………………………

The Monkey’s Mama!!!!!

Congrats to all!!!  Contact me with your info so I can get these things out to you!

With the illness that hit me hard for the first two weeks of the year, I ended up throwing cards out the window this year.  So, if you didn’t get one from me, don’t feel bad…no one did!  

I wanted to share what I had designed here…sort of an e-card for all of you, my online family.     I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Thank you for your love and support.  Your comments and emails truly bring a smile to my face.  Thank you for spending a little piece of your day with me each day.    I’m signing off for a little bit to spend some time with my family, but I’ll pop in every now and then just cause I’ll miss you all!   I’ll be back soon with lots of great things in store for the new year. 

until then….

Merry Christmas

-t

And then when you open it and find this…

You know it’s going to be a GREAT day!!

I contacted Scrumptulicious a few weeks ago about taking part in the “buy this” series once I read her story and saw a few special things that they have to offer.  Not only are they selling cookies for a cause, but they make totally awesome gluten free, dairy free cookies as well.  All of their cookie options are available in both regular and gluten free/dairy free.   I know SO many people that are affected by celiac disease I thought this was a super cool option.  I love to see moms out there trying to be creative and make a difference!!

I received the cookie sampler and let me tell you…YUM!!!  I couldn’t believe how many different amazing varieties there were. 

Each came carefully wrapped, in perfect condition.  And, the forever crafter in me absolutely LOVED the personalized touch of a beautiful tag and handwritten note attatched telling you which scrumptulicious flavor you were about to indulge in.  Here’s a little peek at what I sampled…

Meyer Lemon Shortbread– thin star shaped wafer like shortbread cookie with lucious lemon flavor

Mandarin Orange Shortbread–Small, thick shortbread rounds with a hint of orange, glistening with sugar crystals

Cherrylicious–Cherries, Chocolate and Nuts…need I say more??

Vanilla Shortbread– Melt in you mouth buttery vanilla goodness

Chocolate Shortbread– the same buttery melit n your mouth cookie…only in CHOCOLATE!!!

Chocolate Chip– Everybody’s favorite cookie Rich, Classic, Delicious!

and my personal favorite…

Bittersweet Shortbread– Absolutely FABULOUS!!  and I’m not even a bittersweet chocolate kind of girl!  Something about that chocolate combined with the shortbread and dusted in powdered sugar…heaven.

There they are stacked right there in the middle…

they don’t look like that anymore!

The other thing I love about these is that they are totally reasonable!  I always want to send cookies or some fun treat to people as a thank you and then I go to check out at the chain stores and realize it’s going to cost me $45 to send a dozen cookies to someone.  No thanks!!   These make the perfect budget friendly, personal gift.  

Are you drooling yet??  Well, if you are you are definitely going to want to enter this giveaway!!  Scrumptulicious is sending a lucky reader some cookies of their very own.  To enter:

1. Visit the Scrumptulicious store and leave a comment here letting us know which cookie variety you would choose. 1 entry

2. Blog or FB about this giveaway and score 5 extra entries.  Leave a comment here with a link to your blog post or add me as a friend so I can check out your FB post.

If you are thinking this would make the perfect holiday gift for soeone you know, Scrumptulicious is offering a 15% discount on all holiday orders placed by the end of October.  Don’t forget to tell them you heard about them here!! 

Winner will be announced Tuesday night.  Good Luck!!

Have a great weekend!!

-t

It was a matinee so we stopped for a quick bite in downtown SD beforehand at one of our favorite spots Extraordinary Desserts.  Usually we visit the Banker’s Hill/Balboa Park location which serves only dessert, but we decided to hit the Little Italy location this time which has a savory menu as well.   I ordered the Serrano Ham Panini with buffalo Mozarella, balsamic onions and a red plum conserve.  It also came with a small pilaf salad as well.  John had the salmon panini and we both ordered their specialty drinks.  Mine was a passionfruit with simple syrup and sparkling water, and his was a Kiwi concoction which they say is their specialty.  The food was beautiful…

but unfortunately looks can’t make up for taste.  It was supe tough and didn’t taste all that great.  About the only thing I would order again is the kiwi drink…that was good.

But, who really cares about the food all that much when you’re going to a place called extraordinary desserts anyways, am I right??   This is where they really shine.  You know you’re in for a  calorie filled experience when you arrive and this is the first thing you are greeted with…

Seriously the most beautiful desserts I have ever seen…mounds of cakes, cheesecakes, tortes, fruit cobblers, brownies, cupcakes, napoleons, you name it they have it and it is covered in gold leaf and edible flowers.  Truly an experience to eat something so beautiful. 

Our selections were :

Toasted Macadamia Caramel Cheesecake

Unlike anything you’ve ever tasted! A rich and creamy cheesecake with a macadamia shortbread cookies crust is covered with homemade caramel and topped with a thick layer of whipped cream.

and my personal favorite…

Dulce de Leche

A crunchy milk chocolate confection is hidden between layers of chocolate cake and creamy chocolate mousse. Homemade dulce de leche finishes this over the top chocolate torte.

Yes, this one is good enough it needed two pictures!! ;0  So, if you’re in the San Diego area and looking for a place to stop for something sweet then this is the place.  Just a warning, on the weekends they are open late to accomodate late night snackers and we have been known to stand in line for as long as 45 minutes to get a seat.  (at least at the banker’s hill location)They don’t take reservations and the dessert menu changes daily so your favorite might not always be there…but I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding a new favorite!    Prices range between 8-10 dollars on average per dessert but the portions are VERY generous and you can definitely share. 

We are foodies.  We LOVE to go out and explore restaurants.  Thanks to my sister, we have a Zagat membership and we are religious readers of the travel bible… Frommer’s.  I thought on ocassion I would throw in a restaurant review here and there to let you know about some of our favorite places in the OC and new places that we find.  SO, here’s an oldie but goodie!

A few years ago we were introduced to this family favorite by some good friends.  It’s a little tucked away in an old house in downtown Laguna,  just a little south of the intersection of Mermaid and Second, but it is worth hunting it down!  If you love Mexican food, than this is a MUST try.  Be sure to bring a few quarters to feed the meters. 

Be prepared to mingle with the locals and make some new friends.  Seating is TIGHT.  Just four small tables outside and indoor seating that totals all of three barstools…but again, it’s worth the standing room only!

They are known for their fish tacos, especially Salmon, but I’m not a Salmon lover so I LOVE the Halibut tacos…

The chicken tacos are YUMMY too…

Everyone I talked to, locals, visitors from Georgia, and a surfer from Costa Rica all raved about their food too.  I think I’m going to have to try their avocado lime salad next time…that seemed to be a popular choice.  Order yourself a lemonade to wash it all down…it is the best fresh sqeezed lemonade I’ve had in quite a while…no minute maid here! 

With reasonable prices, a friendly casual atmosphere, and amazing food you should definitely give La Sirena Grill a try next time you’re in the mood for Mexican.   Maybe I’ll see you there!

La Sirena Grill
347 Mermaid St
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 497-8226

Have a great day!

-t

I thought I had died and gone to party planning heaven when I set eyes on this little gem last week while walking through Ghiradelli Square.  If I had a cute little boutique tea shoppe this is EXACTLY what I would imagine it looking like.    I only wish it was closer for my sweet little girl’s sake. 

The perfect mix of whimsy and whit not only is Crown and Crumpet a feast for the eyes, but talented Pastry Chef Caroline Romanski will make sure your tummy is happy too. 

Use this color palette as an idea board for your next little girl’s party.  Wouldn’t it be fun to throw a tea party like this for your little one that looks like this? 

Next time you’re in the area stop by Crown and Crumpet.  You won’t be disappointed!