Filtering by Tag: places

San Diego Getaway

h o t e l :

Talk about a weekend getaway.

This last week Jared and I jetted down to San Diego for a small getaway trip. We stayed at the Kona Kai Resort & Hotel and it was lush! The hotel is newly renovated and has the most darling decor. If a Hawaiian interior decorator and a modern interior decorator had a baby, this is what it would look like. I'm kind of big on hotel beds and their comfy rating and this one was up to par. Very fluffy and and I was head over heels for that dramatic headboard. How gorgeous is it ?! Our room had a gorgeous little terrace and we had private beach access. These are just a few of the perks that made this hotel really stand out. 

After we checked in we popped a bottle of peach champagne and took a nice long walk around Shelter Island. Kona Kai is just one of many hotel and resorts along the island. It spans for about a mile and has an incredible view of downtown San Diego. Unfortunately we went when it was pretty chilly and raining on and off so we couldn't partake in any jet ski rentals, but they have them! They also have an amazing pool and you are just a few steps away from lying in the sun on the beach. 

d i n n e r : 

When I'm away on a mini trip I love trying a local restaurant out for dinner. I try not to touch any chain restaurants while I'm on vacation because I love to support local businesses and try out what they bring to the city. It's the small family owned restaurants that give towns a unique flare anyway!

We headed to old town San Diego! Old town is so charming! Filled with local shops where you can find anything from souvenirs, candles, kitchen decor, and so much more! Most of the shops have a unique Mexican flare that is so charming! We ate at The Tequila Factory for dinner. Jared and I are sort of big on margaritas so it was a no brainer to choose a restaurant that had 'tequila' in the title. But it was still incredible! I think it's safe to say I had the smoothest margarita I've ever had. We both ordered a set of fish tacos and a pitcher of margaritas. One set was beer battered and the other were blackened mahi mahi with pineapple salsa. If I'm staying near the coast there is like a 95% chance that I'm going to order anything with fish. To top it off we were serenaded by a real mariachi singer, talk about authentic!

s h o p p i n g + n i g h t l i f e : 

After dinner we headed downtown to the Gaslamp district. The Gaslamp area is also filled with a ton of great restaurants! If Mexican food isn't your thing I would totally recommend going downtown as they have a much larger variety! If you're headed down for a girls trip this is where you will want to stay! The streets are lined with bars, restaurants and shopping! Perfect for shopping and outings during the day and great for getting dressed up for a night on the town. 

There is only one thing you need copious amounts of for a weekend getaway: champagne, champagne, and more champagne ;) 

 


French Cooking Classes at Sur La Table

Katie, Ryan, Jared and myself stepped into Paris at Sur La Table's cooking class to make a freese-salad with sous vide poached eggs, creamy tarragon chicken, sautéed green beans with lemon-thyme dressing and caramel pear pot de creme. 

The caramel pear pot de creme was beyond our favorite. 

But the whole experience was great! We walked into a beautiful kitchen and we each had our own apron, name tag, chefs knife and cutting board. I had the same feeling as you did when you were in the fifth grade walking into class for the first time and you had a shiny new pencil box on your table. 

The first dish we made was the pear pot de creme and it was also our favorite.

Hands down this little mason jar was incredible. If there wasn't a bunch of strangers there I probably would have started licking the jar... I refrained. So today I wanted to re create this dessert in my own home and share it with you guys! It is a little bit more complex of a recipe but it wouldn't be french if it was! The only thing I needed was a blanket in front of the eiffel tower and a glass of champagne in my hand, Jared I hope you are reading this ;)?!

Basically we were Sur La Table's dream team if there ever was one. The two on the right in this photo are Katie & Ryan. Basically my favorite couple to do couple things with. If you don't have a good couple to go out on double dates with I feel bad for you because it is a BLAST! I think when you find another couple to hang out with and do fun stuff it makes adult life seem less real and gives you that fun connection with your friends like you had in high school. But then you realize that this is adult life. And these are the perks and it makes you feel like being a 20-something is actually good! So thanks Katie & Ryan because you make adult life that much more fun!

I hope you all love this recipe. Just for a quick tip! I get emails all the time from Sur La Table because I just love the store. I'm like a kid in a candy store and I want to buy everything. As annoying as it is signing up for store emails this one was waaaaay worth it. The class was originally 70somethingdollars but we got it for half off. Yeah i'll say it again, half off. So we got to eat an amazing dinner and have a 2.5 hour cooking class. 

The best part was, our boyfriends were way into it.

Katie and I thought it was going to be a drag for them but they ended up really liking it! So give it a try, can't really beat thirty bucks. 

au revoir!

 Caramel Pear Pot de Creme

Pot de Creme

1/2 Stick of unsalted butter
1/2 Cup of packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 Cups of heavy whipping cream
1/2 Teaspoon of course salt
1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract
4 Egg yolks

Pear Syrup

1 Lemon
1 Cup of light brown sugar
1/2 Cup of water
2 Pears, diced
1 Cinnamon stick or 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 Teaspoons of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

for custard

Place butter in a large sauce pan and heat on medium heat. When butter is melted add in brown sugar and cook over medium to high heat, stirring constantly until your mixture is smooth and bubbly, about five minutes. Slowly whisk in cream and bring the mixture to a boil, keep continue to whisk. The mixture may pop, bubble and splatter. Remove from heat and whisk in salt and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine egg yolks. Gradually whisk in the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture very slowly to prevent your mixture from scrambling. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into a large glass measuring cup to ensure ultimate smoothness.

Pour the custard into ramekins or small glass jars and place into a large rectangular baking dish. Pour hot water into rectangular dish until water reaches half way up your ramekins or glass dishes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Cook the custards until they wobble when gently shaken, about 1 hour. If mixture is not set, continue to check every 3-5 minutes (everyone's oven is different).

for pear syrup

With a vegetable peeler peel the skin zest of your lemon in attempt of one piece. This will make the removal from the pear syrup easier.

In a small sauce pan combine brown sugar, water, pears, cinnamon stick and zest of lemon and place on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring this mixture to a boil and stir frequently until the sugar has dissolved. Once boiling bring this mixture down to a simmer and cook while stirring frequently until the mixture has thickened. This will take 10-15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and remove cinnamon stick and lemon zest rhine. Set aside to cool completely.

Place cooked ramekins on a cooling rack until cool for about 30 minutes. Transfer the refrigerator to completely set. Spoon pear syrup on once cooled.