Bouquets of Bacon!

Girls love getting big bouquets of roses...and what do guys love? Bacon roses! Come to think of it, everyone loves bacon, so everyone should love these treats that are both appealing to the eyes and to the taste buds. These turned out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself...

Roll and pop in the oven.

Crisp and tasty.

Add bacon to artificial bouquet.




Voila! 

Pesto.

I just love the taste of pesto and it compliments so many different dishes. A lot of the pesto I have bought, however, has been super oily and not my style. I had been meaning to try making my own pesto to toss with pasta or on crostini. Seeing as though I've never made pesto before, I looked up some recipes and added my own spin to them. Rather than the traditional basil used to make pesto, I used arugula and some spinach. I added my pesto to linguini and threw some shrimp in there too and it turned out really great. Recipe follows. Would you say your pesto is the besto? Please share tips on how you make your pesto!

Arugula & spinach pesto in the making.

Finished pesto linguini dish with shrimp.

Paired with Hart Rose wine I got from Temecula.

Pesto Linguini with Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of fresh arugula and spinach (mixed)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound of shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 1 pound of linguini pasta (can be any pasta though)
• lemon zest and Italian parsley for garnish

1. Blend the arugula and spinach with the garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup of olive oil, processing until well blended.
2. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Using a knife, cut the back of the shrimp to butterfly them.
5. Marinate shrimp with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt in a Ziploc bag.
6. Grill the shrimp on high heat until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to a plate.
7. Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water. Stir occasionally, about 8 minutes.
8. Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
9. Toss the pasta with the pesto in a large bowl to coat, adding the reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time to moisten.
10. Top with the grilled shrimp and garnish with lemon zest and parsley. 

Spontaneous Getaways...Wine Not?

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! For me, this weekend I had a spontaneous desire to get out of town so my boyfriend and I trekked to Temecula where some of our favorite wineries are. The first time we went there was after buying a Groupon deal that gave us a few wine tastings at various wineries, and the awesome wine and a fun time brought us back!

Some wineries are more tourist driven and a bit pricey, and they all have a different vibe. Hart Winery, for instance, is a great spot to buy good wine that is moderately priced (they have the best Rosé!), but there isn't much of a nice ambiance to sit down and enjoy a glass of wine there with a great view. Leoness Cellars, on the other hand, is more pricey but it has an amazing area to enjoy your wine outside. The outside seating overlooks the winery's grape vines and also has a nice view of the some of the Temecula wine country. Churon Winery was also a great tasting spot...word to the wise, they pour double the wine in your glass than most other wineries do for the tastings here *wink wink*. 

As far as food is concerned, I wasn't expecting anything amazing from such a small town, but I ended up finding some great local spots that left me wanting to go back for more. We loved Gourmet Italia, which had delicious authentic Italian dishes and the nicest owner/manager who spoke to all the restaurant patrons throughout the night. Check in on Yelp and you get a free cannoli! The Great Oak Steakhouse at the Pechanga was also great. And for breakfast, save your appetite for pancakes of many many flavors at Original Pancake House (pumpkin all year round!). 

Needless to say, Temecula is a great mini getaway and I would recommend it to anyone looking to relax and have a fun, delicious, and tipsy weekend ;)

Leoness Cellars.

Leoness vines.

Hart Merlot.

Before fermentation.

Pops of sunshine color among the vines.

Ponte Winery.

Brooklyn, we go hard.

Aside from Los Angeles, New York City is one of my favorite places in the world, and of the many times I have traveled there, not once did I venture to Brooklyn...until the last time I was there. Per the request of my friend, Natalie, who I traveled with, we set off the the Brooklyn bridge for an afternoon walk across it from Manhattan, where I realized what a beauty not only the bridge is, but also the view looking back on Manhattan. The bridge is 1.3 miles long, giving plenty of opportunities to see the surrounding scenery from many different angles. 

We trekked across it in the blazing August afternoon heat, which I would absolutely not recommend!  I definitely enjoyed most looking back towards the Manhattan skyline...seeing it from the Brooklyn bridge is incomparable to seeing it from any other viewpoint in the city. Brooklyn itself was interesting to see. Sneakers thrown over telephone wires, urban basketball courts, and even a different attitude among the people. 

Walking so much opened our appetites. I had heard many great things about Grimaldi's Pizzeria as a Brooklyn hotspot once you cross the bridge, unfortunately the line was way too long and we were way too hungry so we ate at Ignazio's Pizzeria. I've held a litle regret not trying Grimaldi's, so I am impatiently waiting for the LA location to open this summer! Beautiful sights, an afternoon workout, urban culture, and delicious food...why people don't take advantage of this New York City sight is beyond me.

Sprinkles.

Summer time is coming and that means its time for everyone's favorite treat...ice cream! But what's better than ice cream?..Mixing cupcakes and ice cream together. Sprinkles, a long time favorite cupcake spot of mine, added an ice cream parlor next door to a few locations last year and I have been addicted since. I've gotten my ice cream fix there twice this week already. With delicious flavors and even more delicious toppings, you can't go wrong here. For all you red velvet lovers, you can even enjoy a red velvet waffle cone or red velvet cupcake crumbles in your ice cream cup.

Cookie toppings.

Sprinkles sundae: cookie dough ice cream with a red velvet cupcake. 

Locations: Beverly Hills, CA and Newport Beach, CA

Summer Fashion.

Fashion is ever changing and although there are some staple items everyone should have, some pieces are in style during certain seasons. Since summer is coming up, I thought I'd share what I think are the most fashion forward colors, trends, and must haves for the season. These are my top 6 fashion picks for summer 2013...

1. Cynthia Rowley flask bangle; available at Cynthia Rowley or cynthiarowley.com

2. BCBG two tone floppy hat; available at BCBG

3. Thigh leg chain; available on www.ZHOVAK.com

4. Smoldt double handle satchel; available at Aldo shoes & accessories

5. Meteur cutout wooden wedge sandal; available at BCBG

6. YSL lipstick in Corail in Touch no. 14; available at Sephora and Nordstrom 

Gatsby!

The best thing about seeing movies on opening night these days (other than being able to reserve specific seats), are the fun movie themed parties the theater holds with movie themed drinks and party favors. The opening night of Gatsby was no different. The cinema had green screen photography that put us in the middle of a notorious Gatsby party! I so wish we would have dressed up for Gatsby's 20's vibe to fit in more, but these memories are great nonetheless.

Ain't no party like a Gatsby party, cause a Gatsby party don't stop!

The closest I'll get to this dream haha.

As far as the movie goes, it was great! The modern cinematography and wardrobe coupled with the movie's setting was done really well, in my opinion.