Taste Buds and Cravings

I started a few things this weekend.

I've been craving a knit hat (even though it's warming up) and scarf in navy blue for the longest time now. The scarf was started a month ago and for the time being sits in my yarn bag...woops. The hat was started a week ago, but frogged back down to the ribbing...second or third (?) attempt at finishing it might be tonight or maybe tomorrow.

My second craving ~~> nutella crepes.

I went to the I.B. Farmer's Market last Friday and discovered this heavenly treat.
To be very honest, I didn't actually discover it myself, we ran into my friend's son's classmate and he strongly recommended it. Who am I to say no to fruit and chocolate? Um, not me!
Before you knew it we were marching ourselves down to the french crepe booth and ordered the tropical fruity crepe (and may I just add, a very cute french boy made mine).
Well, let's just say words cannot express the joy my taste buds experienced that day. Wow!
The combination of the nutella and fruit was heavenly.

Since that day the crepes have been on my mind, so a few days ago, I bought all the ingredients to make my own at home. I do have to thank my friend, Amy for the nutella; she had an extra bottle and kindly passed it on. Now that is one GREAT friend. THANKS AMY!!

The ingredients are pictured above. Here is the simple recipe. I used the Bisquick mix recipe for the crepes; the results weren't spectacular, but still edible. (I'm searching for a new crepe recipe).

The ingredients:
1 cup of Bisquick mix
3/4 cup of milk - I added some water to thin out the batter, of course you can add more milk instead.
2 eggs - mix all ingredients until well blended. Cook as if you were making pancakes.
Once the crepe is done, spread a generous amount of nutella to cover your crepe; top with a sliced banana or half, your choice; sliced strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Fold or roll that baby and top with more whipped cream. I overstuffed my crepe and chose not to top it this time. The verdict... it was deeee - li - shusss!
I took an extreme closeup photo of my crepe because as I was in the middle of devouring it, I suddenly realized I hadn't taken a picture. Aesthetic appeal is important to me and let's just say it wasn't a pretty sight after two or three bites... you get the idea. :-)

My third craving - a fun book. I have a few on hand already, but this one has been on my Amazon wish list for the longest time. A couple of weeks ago I spotted the book at Borders books during their tent sale. My friend mentioned she already had it and would pass it on to me. Yay!

Like everything else, I started the book, but have yet to finish it... so far, I likey.
It seems the only thing I finished was my dessert, but then it would be shameful not to, right?

Have a great weekend!

Memorial Sunset

This past Memorial Day weekend a friend and I went down to La Jolla in search of a spinach and cheese croissant at a quaint little bakery on Fay Avenue. Unfortunately, for me, they were closed. My taste buds would have to wait another day for such a treat.
With camera in hand, we searched for a place to satisfy our appetites, but since it was a holiday weekend, during the dinner hour at a touristy town no less, every eatery we came across was pretty busy. The alternative... walk down to the beach to catch the sunset.

This was our short jaunt to nirvana - in pictures. :-)

If there is one thing you need to know about me, it is that I have a great appreciation for the ocean and all its inhabitants.
The ocean should be respected and all living things in and around it should be preserved.
If you're lucky, you may be able to capture the beauty of the ocean in pictures, but nothing replaces its true loveliness when you see it with the naked eye.
On our way towards the beach, we walked along the streets of La Jolla lined with palm trees.

The weather was perfect.

We spotted (overpriced) beachfront condos facing the ocean. It would be nice to wake up every morning to the sounds of the waves crashing on shore, but the downside - you have to learn to endure the noise of the cars and people during the busy season; it's give and take.

Shops, cafes and restaurants.

Sneak peek of the Valencia Hotel. (side view)

Backyard view of the well-known pink hotel.

At long last, the beautiful sunset.

I feel very lucky to be able to see the ocean from any viewpoint in San Diego. Whether it's driving over the hill on my way to work or driving alongside the road, to me, the ocean represents serenity.

I can only hope the water in the gulf will look this clean very soon. It's heartbreaking to see and hear what is happening to the sea life in and around it, but mainly my heart goes out to the people of Louisiana - their livelihoods have been changed forever.
Can these people catch a break?
My thoughts and prayers go out to them.

Namaste :-)

Finales

I'm losing my blogging mojo.
Been busy making new things to add to my wardrobe and anticipating the end of the school year.
Speaking of endings, the season finales are in full swing this month.
The Greys Anatomy finale was awesome. I cried like a baby and I had to call my friend Leslie to share my sadness. She was DVRing the epi because she was busy helping her son with his 5 paragraph paper for school. She's such a great mom.

DWTS...almost coming to its final show. I really want Nicole to win. Evan is my runner-up, but who knows how things will actually play out.

Tonight is the LOST and Celebrity Apprentice finales. I'm going to be a maniac switching the channels back and forth tonight, but to be very honest I am a total cheater...I'm going to peek at the tweets for the scoop. Heehee. ;-)

In a perfect world...well, my perfect world, both Holly (the ball buster) and Bret (the cool sexy one) win this season of The Apprentice. I believe they both deserve it, but especially Bret considering what he has been through healthwise and is still recovering from his ailments. He has such a strong will to live, regardless of his condition, he's made it to the show tonight. I wonder if Donald Trump has ever considered two winners.

Whatever is meant to be, is meant to be.
Until next time... happy endings to all.
:-)

Which Austen Heroine Are You?

Would you like to play along? Click here or on the link below.
I found the quiz on Valerie's blog and thought I'd give it a try and share my results.

Take the Quiz here!

As it turns out, Elinor Dashwood was my favorite character in Sense and Sensiblity.
I love her levelheaded way of thinking and responsible attitude as she watched over her younger siblings while secretly yearning for her true love. :-)

Losing Steam

I've been away from my knitterie blog for too long.
My bad habit of staying up late and waking up early for work is wearing me out. It's my own fault. I admit it.
Today is Saturday, I've made potatoes and soy chorizo burritos, had my coffee. I'm in full throttle - ready to blog.
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Knittingwise, I started a few projects, including the baby blanket, but had to put them in the infamous WIP knitting bag for now.
Lately, I've been sewing up a storm. As painful as it is to admit - to myself - I've gained a few pounds, most which have settled around my middle (darn) and my clothes need some major alterations. I blame the burritos. Anywho, let's hope I can lose what I've gained very soon, but in the meantime...
My dear friend Amy asked me if I could help her make a costume for her daughter/my little Ravelry model... of course I said yes! I'll do anything for my friend's kids.

My little model is representing Italy in her first grade school project.
Her mother and I, scoured the internet for genuine Italian costumes and this is what she decided on.

I'm personally not too keen on dressing young kids in a lot of black, but since this is a costume I came to terms with it. :-) I'm still making a few adjustments and thankfully, mom was okay with not wearing a black blouse. Phew!
My favorite piece is the skirt with bright green, white, and red ribbons. The main reason for liking it so much, you can twirl and what little girl doesn't like to twirl in a big skirt? Fun.

The blouse is a simple white peasant blouse with puffy 3/4 length sleeves. I used and altered an old pirate costume pattern - Butterick 6295, if anyone is interested.

The red apron is adorned with lace and worn over the skirt (it's difficult to keep lace in place ...so slippery, even though I pinned it).

Voila! This is the finished costume.

The students are required to make their own headwear/hat, but I really think it needs something more than that and I'm afraid my little friend is going to look like an El Toritos waitress without the shawl shown in the picture.
If anyone has any suggestions for the costume, please feel free to comment.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday. :-)

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's day to all Moms.

photo: weheartit.com