Interweb Goodies

The September Issues are right around the corner. We're excited to check out Audrey Hepburn's granddaughter, who will be featured in Harper's Bazaar

Got a end of Summer camping trip? Check out these great campfire recipes!

Loving the new "Waterway" collection of eyewear from Warby Parker

Did you hear, Kim K is coming out with a book of selfies. We can't decide if she is ridiculously self involved or an amazing entrepreneur. Probably both

Looking for some new local yummyness? Check out this list of great restaurants in Oakland!

A Quick Trip to San Diego

Last Thursday I headed down to San Diego for a mini road trip & getaway. I went to college in San Diego so it is always nice to revisit my old stomping grounds. One of my very best friends still lives down there so I was able to stay and spend time with her. I was there 5 days but two of them were spent driving, so that really left me with the weekend to fit in all my favorite SD spots. 

While we did go out and have a dressed up, drinking night in the Gaslamp, most of the time there was spent relaxing and eating. Besides getting to spend time with the bestie, eating all my fave food was high on my priority list during my visit. 

You really can't go wrong with Mexican food in San Diego, it's everywhere and it is delicious. Sit downs to drive throu's, there is easily 100's of places to go. I ate several spots but my go to is El Indio, set just outside of downtown it is quick , easy and delicious. It has been featured on Diners, Drive Ins & Dives, and is a great spot for a tasty, affordable meal. I took my entire family here during graduation and they still talk about it today! Try the mordiditas, they are unique and scrumptious!

Another favorite of mine and a nice alternative to all the Mexican food is Sushi Deli. There are three locations, but I prefer the one in Claremont. There was always a crazy (worth it) wait, but now they have added a great back room and patio, which basically doubled their capacity. I'm sure there can still be a wait at times but the back patio was beautifully and breezy, grad a seat there if you can. Sushi Deli has an amazing and affordable selection of eats, plus a bar and a happy hour. They have traditional rolls but you should definitely try out there other more unique rolls!

Here we have the Fire Fire Roll and in the back the Pico de Gallo Roll. Not pictured; our third roll the Hot Hot Crunchy Roll. So delicious, def try a Hot roll, you wont regret it. 

Lastly I always seem to crave froyo when I'm in SD and luckily like Mexican food it is everywhere. So when the mood struck while hanging at the beach, I was only a short walk from my tasty treat! If your at La Jolla Shores beach, be sure to grad some froyo at Yogurt Your Way! 

Ocean Beach

Another amazing treat San Diego has to offer is it's many beaches! Depending on what your looking for you can find a beach that suits your needs. If you want to be naked hit up Black's Beach. If you want to take your dog and be a little more secluded head to Del Mar. If grabbing a drink or a lot of drinks then getting tattooed or pierced is your thing then head to Pacific Beach. 

Ocean Beach

La Jolla Shores

I however was in the mood for non of the above and instead went to Ocean Beach and La Jolla Shores during my visit. OB is similar to Santa Cruz, it is the mellower, hippier side of San Diego. The pier offers great views and there are lots of near by shops, bars and restaurants to keep you busy. 

La Jolla Shores is more of your classic beach. Lots of families and umbrellas. Beautiful surrounding area and a great place to spend the day soaking up the sun. If you get a chance I'd really recommend kayaking at the Shores. My friend worked for one of the rental companies and gave me an amazing tour of the shore and caves. There's a bunch of places to tour through and you can usually get a great deal via Living Social or Groupon. 

Hope you get a chance to visit SD for yourself!

-K

AKA Loves BURGERS

To celebrate 4th of July eve or what I guess we can call July 3rd we thought we would serve up some of our fave burger spots around these here United States. Most people will be eating burgers this weekend, and if your not grilling up your own why not try a few of our faves, enjoy!

Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers: With multiple locations across the Bay Area and a plentiful lists of burgers, fries and milkshakes you really can't go wrong at Barney's. Any burger can be made with beef, turkey, chicken, salmon patty or a veggie patty. There really is something for everyone here. And did I mention that everything is delicious, because it is!

Barney's curly fries are incedible

Bare Back Grill: One of Kira's favorite spots to grab a beer and a burger in San Diego. Great menu and a fun atmosphere only add to the fun vibe and delicious food. Good place to just chill and grab a pitcher with friends. The PB location is super close to the beach too!

In-N-Out Burger: How can we talk about burgers (and be in Cali) and not talk about In-N-Out? Seriously the best late night/lunch time/anytime burgers. Ashley loves her's with grilled onions and no tomatoes and Kira is a fan of the not so secret menu grilled cheese. And how can you go wrong with Animal Fries?

Image via Trip Advisor

Lindy's on 4th: Ashley's fave burger place in the Dirty-T! Tucson's very own Lindy's on 4th is a spot that should not be missed. It's a small place that's open late and has been featured on Man vs. Food! The 'Mac and Cheese burger' that is topped with Kraft Mac and Cheese, is one of the most popular burgers.

Image via Lindy's on 4th

The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden: One of Kira's favorite meals in Nashville had to be at The Pharmacy. Old school vibe with malts and phosphates but presented with a modern flair. Eat on the back deck with a turkey burger in one hand and a strawberry ginger phosphate in the other, perfection.

Yo Mama's Bar & Grill: The name alone gets your attention, and the food will too. Great spot tucked away in the hustle & bustle of New Orleans French Quarter. This place is really more of a bar setting, dark and smoky but the burgers are quality. Oh and there bathrooms are outrageous, must sneak a peek in the ladies and the mens!

-A&K

Easy Panzanella Salad

Spring time makes me crave fresh flavorful ingredients. Recently I wanted to make a quick and simple flavorful dinner. I complied what ingredients I had and decided that a panzanella salad would be the way to go. A panzanella salad uses thick pieces of bread that has been quickly soaked in different liquids such as juice from a tomato, olive oil, or balsamic vinegar. For my salad I soaked it in tomato juice, which brought out the flavor of the meal.

I saw the image above on myrecepies.com and it inspired the dish below! 

Easy Panzanella Salad 

Serves 1 

2 thick slices of bread (ideally stale or day old bread) cut or ripped into bite sized pieces 

10 cherry tomatoes

4 basil leaves cut up

1/4 cup of thinly sliced red onion 

1/4 cup of garbanzo beans 

1/3 cup of cucumber sliced

Salt and Pepper to taste 

1 tablespoon of olive oil + 2 tablespoons 

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 

Start by preheating the over to 425 degrees. Place the bread in a bowl. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and squeeze the juice into the bread with the bowl. Mix, cover, and let sit for about 10 minutes. After it has soaked, place the bread on a backing sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bake in oven for about 10 minutes. The bread should come out crispy and golden brown.  While the bread is in the oven, cut up the basil, red onion, and cucumber and place in a medium sized bowl along with the garbanzo beans. When the bread is done mix with the other ingredients and drizzle on the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. 

Have fun with the ingredients! There are tons of different ways to enjoy panzanella salad!

Follow along on Twitter and Insta here! 

-A

NOLA: FOOOOD

I spent last week in New Orleans with my friend Neda and it was amazing! The short story is I fell in love with the city; the people, the music, the food. Oh my goodness the food, I basically ate the entire time and could not have been happier.

Off top I'll say NOLA is not catered toward vegetarians at all. Pescatarians however will have a field day, I ate a different kind of seafood everyday. There is a ton of great restaurants with great food every where. It's hard to go wrong food wise, but the options can be overwhelming so here's a list of some really yummy finds, enjoy!

Golden delicious beignets

Cafe du Monde: In French Quarter, open 24/7, must eat the beignets and then eat more beignets!

Powdered sugar for daysss

Cajun Seafood: Multiple locations, local spot that is cheap and delicious. Great place to grab a Po Boy and a beer outside of the touristy areas.

Blue Oak BBQ: Two locations, one on Canal St and the one we went to inside Chickie Wah Wah, a great bar/ music lounge in Midcity. The food was so delicious and well priced. I had the amazing zesty Gulf Shrimp Tacos and Neda had the Beef Brisket Platter. The sides are killer too, must try the brussel sprouts.

Blue Oak serving up some tasty treats! Photo via Blue Oak BBQ

K-Paul's: In French Quarter: We heard they had the best bread pudding in town so of course we had to check it out. It was delicious! Fancier spot so if you want to eat inside throw on your Sunday best. Or you can just get the bread pudding to go like we did!

Royal House: In the French Quarter: The windows open like doors so its beautiful and breezy, they also have great balcony seating upstairs. Must try: Shrimp Creole and the Cucumber Mango Mojito.

Delicious Shrimp Creole at Royal House

Tout de Suite Cafe: On Algiers Point, just a quick ferry ride from downtown. This place was super cute and sweet. Great place for Sunday brunch, you must have the grits! They are amazing (esp if your hungover).

Yo Mama's Bar & Grill: In French Quarter, delicious burgers and ri-dick-ulous bathrooms, literally. They are covered with naked folks! Bar set up + the bathrooms = not a family spot but definitely fun.

Fair Grinds Coffehouse: Great coffeehouse in MidCity, voted #1 coffee in New Orleans by Gambit. It's out of the hustle and bustle and serves up a great chai latte. You can quietly work inside or chat outside on their deck. There's also a great little park across the street that Neda and I sipped and strolled through.

Fair Grinds and fair trade

Writing this up has made me so hungry, hope your inspired to try some of these places! I definitely enjoyed eating at all of them. Stay tuned next week as I'll be sharing more from my NOLA trip including great music and other spots to hit up!

-K

Feeling Green

I have re-found a love for juicing!

I think juicing can be really intimidating at first! What do you juice? Will it taste good? How do I even use a juicer? These were my big questions at first. With Pinterest as my guide I found some good recipes that wouldn't leave me with the taste of grass in my mouth.

When I first started juicing one of my biggest complaints was how long the process was. Finding the right veggies and fruits, juicing them all (with pealing and cutting before) and then cleaning! It took for-ever. Not ideal for a girl on the go! I talked about this frustration with a cousin of mine this past Christmas and he mentioned that he freezes his juice, fabulous idea! And just like that I loved juicing again.




Here is my current juice concoction:
4 large cucumbers
1 bundle of celery
1 bag of kale
2 grapefruits
2 green apples

Once I juiced everything, I mixed it all together and evenly divided it for I have my juice lunch for the next 2 weeks!

In the morning I take my frozen juice out of the freezer to let it defrost and then add about a cup of coconut water when I am ready to drink!

Let me know what some of your favorite juicing recipes are!

-A

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Blogs

Hello bloggers and readers! Since we started this blog we have found ourselves really becoming avid blog readers. We like to check them pretty regularly, comment on posts, and gain inspiration. We decided to put together a little list of our favorite blogs for you to look over and read!

First up are Ashley's go-to blogs. Fashion, food, and lifestyle! I love anything that is fun to look at - and these definitely fall under that category. These lovely ladies inspire everything from get-togethers with friends, the way I style my outfits, or some new-beauty trends. 

Blog reading + coffee + inspiration notebook

Fashion

The Fashion Canvas - great patterns, easy to read, inventive outfits

The Sweetest Thing - amazing beauty tutorials, bright colors, preppy-modern style

Little Miss Fearless - simple and classic with a twist

A Spoonful of Style - lots of fabulous pops of color, streamlined outfits, relatable content

Kendi Everyday - chic, bold, and fashionable. Blogger and boutique owner has a great eye for style

Lifestyle

Cupcakes and Cashmere - the perfect mix of outfits, great recipes, and great tips about life

A Beautiful Mess - two sisters each with their own style, great home decor, food, crafts, and fashion

Lauren Conrad - My role model. Everything from workouts, to parties, to fashion, and everything in-between.

Food

Iowa Girl Eats - simple meals that are absolutely delish, fresh ingredients, and recreations of classics.

Noble Pig - the perfect blog to look at when you want to impress your family with your cooking skills



In addition to theses blogs, I love reading countless others. Photography and travel are becoming two of my new favorites. I also have truly enjoyed reading all of our new followers blogs. There is such a fun community out there and I can't wait to become more of a part of it! What are some of your favorite blogs? Let us know in the comments section. Additionally, make sure to follow us on Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on blog posts, fun activities, and much more coming in 2014!

-A

Quick and Easy Stir-Fry

On Wednesday we went on a little adventure, did some blog-talk and realized that we were super hungry. After much thought we decided on an easy lunch time stir-fry. All you need are a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge/pantry.

In ours we decided on shrimp, edamame, broccoli, and green bell peppers.

All you really need to do is chop everything up (or use frozen veggies), cook over medium heat, add your spices, add your protein, and serve over rice with your favorite sauce!

Veggies: bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, asparagus, carrots, edamame, water chestnuts, baby carrots

Protein: chicken, shrimp, pork, beef, tofu

Sauces: siracha, soy sauce, sweet and sour, lime& ginger.

Enjoy!

-A&K

Banana Pecan Raisin Muffins

Sundays are a time of relaxing, reality TV watching, and prepping for the next week. I try to not make definite plans for Sundays because I know I will end up breaking them. I do whatever my heart desires on that day; sometimes that means waking up early for the gym, other times it means having a movie marathon with the roomie. This Sunday I woke up with a huge urge to bake! I had some old bananas that I wanted to use so I thought some banana pecan raisin muffins for the next week would be perfect. I love banana muffins because you can really add anything to them!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 bananas (older bananas are better)

1 egg beaten

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup pecans

How To:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees and place cupcake liners in muffin tin (will make 12 large muffins)

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl mash bananas, then add egg, oil, and vanilla and mix well.

Combine wet and dry ingredients then add in raisins and pecans.

Fill muffin tins and bake for 18-24 minutes, muffins will be done when the tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

Flour first

Dry ingredients

Bananas

Mix it all up!

Perfectly golden brown muffins - ready for the week!

Add some tea and your favorite fashion magazine for the perfect Sunday activity!

Happy Baking!

-A