Love n’ Haight

You know how people ask you that question “if you could live in any time period, which would you pick?” What would your answer be?

I think mine would be the  60’s. I would have definitely been into wearing long dresses, putting flowers in my hair and painting my face. I also love what the era stood for, making changes – removing hate and replacing it with love. I feel like Haight Street now is still a good representation of that feeling and era.

And to honor the beloved Haight Street, and my love-hate (pun intended) relationship with it – every week I’m going to feature something from this famous street, whether it be something weird or annoying (enter street kids) or funny or pretty or unique, and match it with something I am currently coveting, or loving.

The pastel shirt is from H&M and the peace sign was on the sidewalk outside my apartment.

Peace and blessings to all of you flower children!

DaT & SFMOMA

I was all about the acronyms this past weekend.  Yesterday my boo and I had ourselves a little date. We went to a really nice place for really cheap – courtesy of Dine About Town (DaT). And then we strolled along halls filled with truly inspiring artwork (SFMOMA).

For lunch we went to Lark Creek and participated in ‘Dine About Town.” DaT is a special where certain restaurants offer a fixed price menu (lunch and dinner options) at a discounted rate. The appeal is that most of the restaurants on the list are pretty fancy and normally we would never go to Lark Creek for lunch on a Sunday but because it was only around $20 bucks a person for an AMAZING meal we did it. (Read more about DaT here).

So for lunch, we started out with a salad, perfectly dressed and lemonades – that came in slushy form!

Then we moved on to the burger. Lark Creek is one of many restaurants that claims to have the best burger in SF.  And let me tell you – I’ve tried many of these places and Lark Creek’s burger is one of the best burgers I have ever had!

It was a steak burger (which made it super tender and juicy) topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, crispy onions and bbq sauce. It literally melted in your mouth, the bun was toasted and buttered and the bbq sauce complimented the steak perfectly. I would eat ten more right now and then go back for more tomorrow.

To settle our stomachs we walked down to SF Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). I had never been before (I know, I’m failing as an SF resident of 3 years now) and I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. I studied abroad in Paris and after being there and traveling around Europe for six months, visiting art museum after art museum,  I was kind of burnt out from art. But this was totally different. The art at SFMOMA is so unique and it felt so fresh and interesting. I love how modern art makes you think about and process what you are looking at, and how your reaction to the art is almost visceral. Here are some of my favorites.

I bought a print of this one, I really love the colors and lines.

Light Bulbs

This one was my favorite, Clifford Still. I wish there had been a print of this.

Happy Monday Friends!

Apple Pie Egg Roll Surprise

Something sugary to sweeten your day. For this  creation I blended a couple recipes together. The filling is caramel apple filling and I stuffed it inside a giant egg roll for easy eating. When it comes to desserts, I am usually inclined to make something mini or something handheld and if I’m lucky enough to find one that is both, I’m sold. I love the idea of changing a classic dessert, that usually requires a plate and fork, into an easy bite sized snack. THUS the apple pie egg roll surprise – its traditional apple pie with a twist!

Filling:
-2 cups apples (I like Granny Smith  – peel ‘em, core ‘em and sprinkle ‘em with lemon juice)
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
-1/4 cup sugar
-2 tbsp all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/8 tsp nutmeg
-1/8 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-2 tbsp heavy cream
-2 tbsp butter

“Crusts:”
-12 to 15 large egg roll wrappers (this recipe made me 15 rolls)
-white sugar and cinnamon mix
-egg white

Topping:
-3/4 heavy whipping cream
-couple tablespoons of sugar (I didn’t want to make it too sweet because the rolls have lots of sugar and cinnamon)
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Peel and dice apples and sprinkle with lemon juice
3. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and add apples. Toss to mix. Add vanilla and cream.
4. (Here comes the caramel part) Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add apple mixture and cook for about 5 minutes just to soften up the apples a bit and thicken up the sauce.
5. Lay 1 egg roll wrapper onto a clean surface and brush edge with egg wash.
6. Spread a couple tablespoons of filling across one side of the wrapper careful to keep it inside the edges
7. Fold the sides over and roll filling tightly in the wrapper to seal.
8. Place onto a buttered pan and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mix
9. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

For the whipped cream – Place cream and vanilla  in a mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer (or if you have a lot people around like I did,  pass the bowl and whip by hand).  As the mixture thickens, slowly add sugar until fully incorporated. Keep on whippin’ until its as thick as you want it and serve with your piping hot egg rolls.

Sorry about the last picture, I made these for my friends birthday party and forgot to make them look pretty for a picture. You can make these little hand held gems for any occasion, they are super easy to assemble and then bring to bake wherever you are headed. And I bet they would be delicious with any fruit filling inside – I’m thinking peaches for summer!

New Year – New Beginnings

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I am a firm believer in New Years resolutions, I love the idea of making a positive change at the start of a new year. I feel like it kinda reminds you that there are changes you would like to make and it gives you a timeline for making them. My resolution this year was to finally start this blog I have been talking about for ages.  So when New Years rolled around, I decided it was time to jump in – head first!