Luna and I celebrated the shortest day of the year by making Christmas cookie boxes and watching sappy Holiday movies on Netflix. We have already finished The Princess Switch: Switched Again (pure cinematic gold) and are watching the critically acclaimed A California Christmas as I type.
I LOVE Christmas baking. My two love languages are (1) feeding people (2) giving gifts. So gifting people edible treats is kind of my sweet spot. See what a did there? Gio is actively shaking his head in disappointment at my pun.
Anyway. I did all the baking for my cookie boxes on Saturday. It took about 8 hours and I celebrated with Panda Express for dinner. Here are the cookies at about 10 p.m. on Saturday.
Today I bought these boxes from Sur La Table and used some of the ribbon and tags I purchased last year at Papersource and – voila! – six Christmas cookie boxes ready to spread some joy.
Now… let’s get to the good stuff. What cookies are in those cute boxes you ask? Let me tell yah.
As most of the country tightens restrictions on businesses, gathering, and dining I wanted to share a few of Gio and I’s favorite spots in the South Bay (Santa Clara, San Jose & Sunnyvale to be specific). Almost all are available for take-out/delivery and all are small local businesses we love and want to help support through this time. Fried chicken for Thanksgiving dinner, maybe? Fried chicken for dinner tonight, definitely.
Where are your favorite places to eat in the South Bay? Where should Gio and I try next?
SANTA CLARA
Jasmine Thai: Also known as the place where Liz had her first Yellow Curry. The service is not always the best but the food is more than worth the wait. Our favorite dishes are the Yellow Curry Chicken and the Drunken Noodles.
Kabob & Curry: I recently spent 10 minutes discussing just how good Kabob & Curry with a resident on my medicine rotation. Highly recommend ordering take-out ASAP.
Santa Clara Farmer’s Market: Gio and I have been going to this Saturday Market for almost 10 years now and it has a very special place in our hearts (we got engaged on SCU’s campus after a morning at the marker about 1 year ago!). Our must gets include, burritos from Ruby’s Tamale’s y Mas (don’t forget to ask for the orange sauce), Vietnamese Iced-Coffee, The Hummus Guy, and a Bearclaw from Beckman’s.
Stan’s Donuts This family owned donut shop lives up to the hype. They are currently only doing take-out but Gio & I’s favorite Saturday’s were spent sitting at the counter drinking coffee and getting to know the other patrons.
Taplands Excellent beer selection and great atmosphere. They have a limited food menu (cheese boards, panini’s and pita) but it more than does the trick.
SAN JOSE:
Aqui Cal-Mex: Are you ready to get Swirl-ed? Aqui takes “industrial strength” frozen margaritas and swirls them with other alcohol to make very delicious and very potent drinks. Rumor has it, right now you can order these to go. If you go in person, I highly recommend a DD or utilizing uber/lyft. Did I mention the drinks are potent?
Cafe Rosalena: Best Breakfast Burrito in the bay (fight me). I’ve heard their salads are also excellent but have never eaten them. These delicious burrito bebes were a highlight of our distanced birthday celebration we threw back in June!
Kenji Sushi: My favorite Sushi place. Period. All the sushi was fresh and flavorful and the hot food (Udon & appetizers) were always amazing. This is one of the places I miss the most since leaving SCU.
La Victoria Taqueria: Famous for the orange sauce – La Victoria’s is a south bay staple. With multiple locations across San Jose it’s easy to find one close to you.
Paper Planes: A hipster mixologists wonderland. Delicious drinks, cool vibe. Would recommend as a classy start to an evening in Downtown San Jose.
The Loft: The Loft is one of my favorite places to go out in San Jose (when going out is a thing we do again). Highly suggest leaving a little bit before closing and walking to La Victorias for a late night burrito before heading home.
Zannato’s Market: Do you like giant delicious sandwiches, cookies, deli sides and a drink for only $10? Yeah. So do I. This locally owned market also features excellent local beer selection, butcher, and all your other general grocery store goods.
Nox Cookie Bar: This bakery, run by a Santa Clara University alum (GOBRONCOS!) is personally responsible for helping me survive graduation event season when I worked at Santa Clara’s Alumni Association. My favorite is the Chocolate Chip and Chunk with Sea Salt and the Oatmeal Raisin. Did I mention they deliver until 2:30 am? You.are.welcome.
SUNNYVALE:
Lados: Home to the best fried chicken sandwich I have ever consumed. (I know I’m out here making some bold statements today). My mouth is literally watering thinking of this food. Last time a got a side of chicken strips to have on my salads throughout the week, they lasted approx. 48 hrs.
Continuing our walk down travel memory lane with a dreamy drive through Montana to celebrate our dear friends, Kori & Drake’s Wedding in Bozeman. This post will be formatted a little bit differently because we moved locations each day so I’m ditching the repeat it, delete it, eat it format and instead ya’ll are just getting some random highlights.
If you haven’t been to Montana – it really is a must see. I grew up begging my parents, “Can we PLEASE go somewhere WARM for vacation instead of MT?!” Now that I live in CA I find myself missing our drives through the mountains. We did this trip with my parents (who btw celebrate their 29th anniversary today!) and it was a really wonderful get away!
DAY 1:
STAY: Residence Inn by Marriott Missoula Downtown The hotel had just opened when we stayed in March 2019 but we loved it and would definitely stay again. It had easy valet parking and a great complimentary breakfast. The rooms were spacious, clean, and each has a small kitchen if you were planning a longer stay!
FOOD & DRINK:
BBQ at The Snake Pit Located just off I 90 in Kingston, ID this place has some freakin delicious BBQ. The aesthetic is very, um, rustic. But the food is consistently delicious and my parent’s consider this a MT road trip staple. Dinner at Iza Restaurant According to an article in the Missoulian they closed in Dec 2019 which is SO SAD because the food was good not only the first day but also delicious the next day when we ate it at 1 AM after Drake & Kori’s Wedding After Dinner Drinks at The Dram Shop Affordable Tap Room with tons of local MT beer walking distance from the hotel!
DAY 2:
STAY: The Lark Hotel, Bozeman MT Great location, amazing service, but really thin walls. They put earplugs and white noise machines in the rooms for a reason.
ACTIVITIES: Clark Fork Farmer’s Market: If you have read our other travel posts you know we love a good farmer’s market. Before heading to Bozeman we walked from the Residence Inn to the Clark Fork Farmer’s Market. If you can tell from the photo below – we liked what we found. I would highly recommend you plan a Saturday morning in Missoula to see this!
DRAKE & KORI GET MARRIED! Let me tell you, this was weddinggoals. First, communication leading up to the wedding and their food and hotel recommendations were A +++. Then they bussed us to this unbelievable venue for a sweet and thoughtful ceremony, amazing dinner, bonfire complete with S’mores, and a bus-ride back to local bar to keep the night going. We were so touched to witness their love in a place that is special to all of us!
FOOD & DRINK: Starky’s for Lunch This restaurant has also closed and is apparently reopening as a placecalled Reverly! If it is anything like Starky’s it will be tasty.
DAY 3:
Can we all just take a moment to recognize how annoyingly photogenic Gio is. Jacket: Marine Layer
STAY: Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa When staying at Chico you have a lot of different lodging options. In the main building accommodations are more rustic and then there is also new construction that is 3-4 minute walk to the hotel lobby and pools. My dad sent us to the room farther away without realizing he had booked a suite. I will never really understand the middle of the room jacuzzi tub but I did appreciate the towel animals.
ACTIVITIES: Hot Springs The pools at Chico are always pretty full, but they are always clean and it’s cool to experience the natural hot-springs. Be warned natural hot springs are a little stinky (sulfar smell) but your nose will adjust.
Horse Riding This was my first time on a horse and I LOVED IT! We were supposed to do a 2 hour trail ride but there was a storm passing through and it wasn’t safe to take the horses out of the stables. Even with an abbreviated ride it was still fun!
FOOD & DRINK: Breakfast at JAM: Great coffee & a breakfast sandwich that is , “right out of a hung-over boy’sdreams” – Gio Lunch at Chico Salon: Classic bar food and live music on site at the Chico resort. Dinner in the Dining Room at Chico Fine dining in the middle of the Mountains. I’ve been here multiple timesand it has never disappointed.
DAY 4:
On day 4 we drove from Bozeman back to Spokane. It takes about 6 hr 30 minutes but you gain an hour back because you cross from Mountain to Pacific time. One stop you cannot miss is getting a Huckleberry Milkshake at the St. Regis Travel Center. Huckleberry’s are an Inland NW summer staple andthis truck-stop turned tourist destination is a MT road trip classic. Gas up, look at the Live Trout Aquarium, grab lunch, and browse the MT gift shop while munching on the complementary popcorn.
Just a quick round up of some of the things that Gio & I have been eating lately! I’ve linked the recipes where possible & included some alternatives for you to try as well!
Stacked chicken enchiladas with green sauce. I am still getting this one ready to share!
Minestrone Verde from The Defined Dish. I CANNOT hype this recipe enough and am counting the days until it’s cool enough to make it again.
Peach & Strawberry Bourbon Cobbler inspired by this recipe from Half Baked Harvest I was too lazy to make biscuits like the recipe calls for so I used cobbler topping instead.
Pasta Bake with Italian Sausage & Bread Crumb Topping (I’ll write this one up soon!)
Banana Bread from Keepupwithktap.com. Gio loves banana bread so this was a special treat for him!
This one is random but I actually took the time to grill my tortilla in my grill pan before making these tacos for lunch and let’s just say I am never going back.
I LOVE SALAD! Seriously. When I was in JVC and living on $100 a month, my “splurge” would be to go at to the salad bar at the local supermarket. This salad is one of the best.
Growing up, my mom normally made this for potlucks or parties because it had some “unique” ingredients we didn’t normally keep on hand. Now, I LOVE it for meal prep. If I have an extra hour on the weekend I can turn on a show (right now I am rewatching Gilmore Girls) and get chopping! Pack the dressing on the side and you have a lunch to look forward to all week long.
Most recently I made this with chicken instead of steak. Honestly, it wasn’t as good. I think part of it was because I roasted the chicken in the oven instead of grilling it, so it was missing a crispiness. But also, I think the richness of the steak plays more nicely with the herby dress. So of course, you can use any protein in this – but wanted to provide full disclosure that the yum factor may be impacted.
I couldn’t find an original recipe source for ya’ll on this one. We (a.k.a my mom who I just texted) think it was a weight watchers recipe. So as always – thank you to whoever created this – my stomach thanks you!
Hope you enjoy this! Let me know if you make it!
xoxo
Liz
Thai Steak Salad
Ingredients:
1/3 C fresh lime juice
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 T brown sugar
1 T water
1 T Thai fish sauce
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 Thai, hot red, or serrano chiles (seeded & minced)
1 lb flank steak, trimmed
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
cooking spray
6 C torn romaine lettuce
1 1/4 C quartered cherry tomatoes
1 C thinly sliced red onion
1/4 C chopped mint
2 T sliced/pealed fresh lemon grass
Directions:
Combine first 7 ingredients (lime juice – chiles) in a bowl, whisk to combine
Prepare grill or broiler
Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt & pepper. Place steak on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray and cook for 6 minutes on each side. Let rest 10 minutes. Cut steak against the grain in 2 inch pieces
Combine steak, lettuce, and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing tossing to coat
Tips & Tricks:
I have a really hard time finding fresh lemon grass and using it before it goes bad. I now keep pre-cut lemongrass paste, like this one, in the fridge and add it to the dressing.
My mom’s tip would be – remember not to change you contacts after cutting the peppers.
Does any else feel like Monday’s require chocolate cake?! I sure do. So here is a story and a delicious cake recipe as a prize for making it through this day of the week.
When my Grandma Ruth passed away, my grandpa gave my older sister her recipe file. Since I restarted this blog, my sister has been sending me photos of recipes to try – Look at that cursive script! All of her recipes are written out like this and you can tell the ones she loved the most by the oil stains and crumbs.
Grandma Ruth had a famous sweet tooth and anything chocolate was her dessert of choice! I made a vinegar chocolate cake for her birthday every year starting in high school. It is rich and (fun fact) VEGAN! The vinegar gives the cake its moisture and replaces the eggs you normally find in cake batter.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! I made cupcakes and served them with fresh whipped cream & sprinkles. I also tried to make a layer cake in a pie pan — it broke into pieces when I was trying to get it out of the pan. Can’t win them all.
Grandma Ruth’s Vinegar Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
3 C flour
2 C sugar
6 Tbs cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2/3 C salad oil
2 Tbs vinegar
2 tsp vanilla
2 C water
Directions:
Sift together all the dry ingredients
Add wet ingredients to dry. “Mix only until dry ingredients are mixed well, do not over mix” – Grandma
Bake at 350 degrees. Test with a toothpick in the center
25 minutes if using round cake tins (makes 3 layers)
30-35 minutes if making an “oblong cake” – which I assume means a 9×13 pan
22 (ish) minutes for cupcakes.
Tips & Tricks:
As with all Grandma Ruth Recipes. Salad oil = light oil of your choice!
Adventures of a Wannabe Sungoddess 