A Well Kept Secret

Who would have thought that an American breakfast place named Cindy's could turn into a Thai place called Kow Thai Restaurant by dinner time? 

I sure never knew this after living in the small town of Davis for 5 years. My boyfriend and I finally found out about this well kept secret when his coworker enlightened us.  (How did she know about it? Who knows...) When I came to visit this past weekend, we decided to try it out.  Kow Thai used to be Thai Dynamite and is now under new ownership, so I'm not sure how they compare, but I did enjoy it.  I had some Thai salad and then tried something on the menu that I had not seen on a Thai restaurant menu before - artichoke soup.

This soup was so delicious.  It is basically like a traditional Thai coconut milk with mushrooms soup, but they added artichoke hearts!

This is what it looked like, minus the chicken: (photo courtesy of Baby Kato on food.com)

I am going to try to make this some time, but with the artichokes, more mushrooms, and no chicken - because it was just perfect that way.  You can find many coconut milk soup recipes online, but I did not find even one that included artichokes.

Not only did I enjoy my food, but Harry enjoyed his stir fry and Thai iced tea (free refills here - not like some Thai places). I'm glad we decided to try it.  I love finding unique places that offer new things that pleasantly surprise me. The fact that it was hidden inside of a diner, with hardly any customers, did not take away from the experience. 

Trying new things

During this summer, I am not working at my before and after school program - but instead am a counselor at a Day Camp. Unfortunately, I do not have any influence on the kids' snacks there.  They eat the same snack twice a week: goldfish, fruit snacks, animal crackers, goldfish again... and I have learned that it is important to try to teach others (especially youngsters) to try something NEW and maybe, just maybe they will actually like it!

-Try swapping plain old cheez-its for some other type of cracker (wheat thins? Kashi crackers?)

I wasn't always so open to trying new things, but once I got to college, I figured it was the perfect time to experiment. I tried out new recipes, learned from new friends, and was definitely tired of eating boring DC food.  It still isn't always easy to step away from the familiar and comfortable.  For example, this past weekend, the boyfriend and I went out for brunch at one of our favorite places in Sacramento.  (Already have posted about this place).  I was tempted to get one of my favorite things since we hadn't been there for a while - but then I saw this very interesting East African Veggie Burger.

I really enjoy vegetarian foods but didn't know if this would be good. I'm also not very good at making decisions. :o( However, I told myself I was feeling adventurous and decided to order it. Good thing I did - it was yum.  And my boyfriend, who rarely would order anything vegetarian, tried it after I insisted and he thought it was pretty good too! I am trying to convince him that even very healthy sounding things can be quite delicious.

This was a wonderful way to end our not so adventurous weekend and kick off a new week. 

This week I am returning to my previous job as a site director for a before and after school program.  I am excited about being able to use my creativity with this new group of kids - and get them to try new things!

A Spontaneous Adventure

Part of being healthy is doing what makes you feel alive.

Part of being creative is being spontaneous.

These two things definitely came together this weekend. Last night, my boyfriend and I decided to drive down to Santa Cruz and then do some hiking the following day.  There is nothing like deciding to go on a fun adventure in a moment's notice.  Exploring new towns, new roads, new restaurants, and new people, is something we always like to do.  As soon as we made the impulsive decision, I had a burst of energy and the drive down did not seem even half as long as it should have.

Some highlights: seeing baby quails, trying delicious fresh baked cookies from the Pacific Bay Cookie Company, hiking amongst ferns and streams, walking along cliffs with a view of the ocean, trying (and loving) a local restaurant by the harbor, driving along curvy roads while admiring the one of a kind homes, and good conversation with my best friend.

Valentine's Day brunch & dinner

We decided it would be better to go out for brunch at our favorite breakfast place: Tower Cafe in Sacramento, and then later cook our own dinner at home.
The Tower Cafe is so unique and the menu is great.  The outside eating area is lush and great for people watching: exotic plants, flowers, fountains, and colorful waiters/waitresses.  If you choose to sit indoors (or if weather makes that choice for you), the colorful decorations  and art on the walls are equally interesting and different.  Here are some photos from their website:

  

This is what I had for brunch: crepes filled with sweetened cream cheese, topped with almonds, whipped cream, and a huge array of fruit on the side.

Our Valentine's day dinner

Last week, my mom and I had developed a recipe for a good mango salsa, so I decided we could make that with some salmon.

The mango salsa: 

-one mango
-one medium tomato, chopped
-half of a white onion, chopped
-half of an Aneheim pepper, chopped and take out the seeds if you don't like too much heat
-3/4 cup kidney beans or black beans
-handful of cilantro
-salt to taste

Serve this over some baked salmon! Mmmmm......

Our side dish:

-1/2 onion
-2 small zuchini or 1 large, sliced
- sliced mushrooms after 2 minutes
-season with salt, pepper, and some garlic

Start with the onions and some garlic seasoning, sautee them on high heat to carmelize and then bring down to medium when you add the zuchinni.  Add mushrooms after about a minute.  Salt and pepper. (We added about 1/2 cup of some wild rice when we added the mushrooms - this rice cooks in 2 minutes)

-While cooking veggies, cook half a bag of Trader Joe's harvest grains, cooked in chicken broth with 1 Tbs butter
-Combine vegeables with harvest grains.  Quite tasty :)


The finished product~

Eating out vs Staying in

It is easy to eat healthy when you are on your own, but when you are with your boyfriend... it may be a little more difficult to compromise.  Most of the time, we eat out because he has absolutely nothing in his refrigerator.  He works out in the field a lot, so why stock up?  I think he has butter and some month old apple sauce. 

On Friday night we ordered a Papa Murphy's take and bake pizza. This is not usually something we do, but the decision is halfway between going out and cooking our own dinner. He wants to eat better, so he gladly chose the vegetarian pizza.  It was pretty tasty.  You really have to love pizza, in general.  Bread, cheese, and virtually any toppings you want.  It can be really bad for you: loads of meat, too much cheese, and 2 inch thick bread, but if you make it yourself or choose wisely, it can be balanced, and even more - a deliciously satisfying pick.  Something we might try - ordering a plain cheese and then adding our own toppings: artichokes, scallops, spinach, tomatoes.....

Saturday = flashback to the early days of our relationship. It is easy to forget to eat when you are first dating someone.  You have no appetite.  Well, that is also true when you are not getting along with someone.  My boyfriend and I did not eat until 4:00 pm. that day, after only having coffee in the morning.

What was for lunch/dinner?
If you are familiar with the restaurant Pluto's, that's what.  Pluto's is a great place in Northern California where you can create your own delicious salads.  You choose from about 15 different toppings, including meat, and it comes with freshly baked bread.  If you don't want a salad (and most people do), you can choose a sandwich special, or some carved meat, and add a side of mac and cheese, soup, or some veggies.

My favorite things to add to the Pluto's salad, or any salad:

-garbanzo beans
-kidney beans
-beets
-mushrooms
-blue cheese or parmesan
-broccoli, tomatoes, or a substitute veggie.
...to some mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.