Archive for the ‘BonVivant’ Category

A little bit of everything

Posted in BonVivant, cali_lovin on 07/09/2010 03:35 pm by Queenkv

Over the last few weeks, my schedule in the newsroom was a roller coaster ride of responsibilities.

Last weekend, I tracked grass fires and fireworks for the evening news shows. During the week, I produced slideshows and logged a news conference on a scary house explosion for the website. I suppose it all adds up to a typical week for the gal who produces shows and web content.

When I survive the work week, I hit the road in search of new flavors and comfort food. Thank God for my hubby and friends who enjoy eating and drinking.
Take Out Art

Driving more than 1400 miles

Posted in BonVivant, cali_lovin, travel blog on 05/30/2010 08:24 am by Queenkv

When you get older, leave your ordinary life behind and hit the open road.

Highway 1D in Mexico
I’m trying to get used to the fact that I’m officially in my 30s: married, working, domesticated and totally reliable. We have a good life in Cow Town and we have stable jobs. After a few bumps in the road, I am happy to be working as a journalist.

So when May rolled around and we stared at the reality of turning a year older, we decided to celebrate with a couple of weekend getaways.

In fact, it took us two weekends and 1,000+ miles on my hubby’s Corolla to celebrate our birthdays in May.

DSCN4839.JPG
At the beginning of the month, we took advantage of my 3-day weekend (a prelude to my 10-day work week in the newsroom) and drove to Lake Tahoe. We left the chains behind and looked forward to hiking on the cliffs next to the lake, all under sunny skies.

Paint it all silver

Posted in BonVivant, cali_lovin on 05/29/2010 11:37 am by Queenkv

My birthday gift from my hubby: Flight of the Conchord tickets. Joy!

Waiting for Jermaine and Bret at the Greek Theater at Cal
Last night, we sat in the same seats I had for graduation at the Greek Theater and watch the New Zealand duo rock my world. Sure, most concerts at the Greek are about the music. Last night, it was all about entertaining the Cal crowd.

Binary Solo! from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

Susan and Tom introduced us to this band via their self-titled HBO series. I remember listening to the soundtrack as we drove home from Vegas a few years ago. Either way, they were funny and I enjoyed their homages to all genres of music; from 70s space rock ala David Bowie to boomin’ raaga beats for the dance floor.

After opening up their show with “The Humans are Dead,” Bret and Jermaine tangled with classic tunes like “Beautiful Girl” and “Too Many Dicks (on the Dance Floor).” They also hit up some new tunes as well.

My favorite part of the evening: an encore with “Business Time.” You know what it means when Jermaine’s down to his socks….it’s Business Time. Ah yeah.

Surf and Turf

Posted in BonVivant, cali_lovin on 04/17/2010 06:46 am by Queenkv

We spent a wet Easter Sunday in San Francisco with our friends. Because of my spiffy work schedule, my hubby suggested driving down to LA and spending the holiday weekend with family. But I didn’t like the idea of driving back home after Mass.

So, it was a pleasure to eat good food and chill with Susan and Tom. Over the last two years, we put a lot of miles on Mark’s Corolla, crossing the Carquinez and Bay Bridges. I think it’s totally worth the mileage to spend time with people I consider I close enough to be family.

This is the third year that we’ve done something special for Easter Sunday in SF, growing into a lovely tradition.

Easter Dinner at the Waterbar
We followed Susan’s suggestion of Easter dinner at the Waterbar on the Embarcadero. The stormy weather offered a romantic backdrop to our classy feast of seafood, wine and other gourmet treats.

Steak on the grill
Before the weather turned stormy, we marked the end of Lent with steaks on the grill. When I smelled the savory, rich aroma of meat sizzling over hot flames, I nearly melted.

Sans Meat

Posted in BonVivant on 04/12/2010 05:33 am by Queenkv

As a woman of leisure, I spent a lot of time challenging myself in the kitchen.

Bacon and Cheddar Puffs

I enjoyed cooking dinner and catching up with my hubby over a hot meal. I got over my hesitation/fear over baking and produced some tasty cheddar gougeres. I bonded with my hubby over rolling pizza dough and cutting up pasta noodles. On dry days, we fired up the grill for fresh fish and sausages. All the culinary activity, from chopping vegetables to studying recipes, helped me cope with being out of work.

Inside My Kitchen

Posted in BonVivant, cali_lovin on 02/15/2010 10:54 am by Queenkv

Channeling my inner Martha Stewart.
Since I’m freelancing, between jobs and spending plenty of time at home, I’m challenging myself in the kitchen.

Cod en Papillote
Thanks to Serious Eats, I tried out this French technique with fish: Cod en Papillote. The foil helped cook the cod fillets perfectly. Unfortunately, I used salted butter. That, plus a generous pinch of salt made this dish too salty for my palate.

Weekend of Bacon

Posted in BonVivant, cali_lovin on 01/17/2010 02:03 pm by Queenkv

This weekend, Susan introduced me to Guanciale.
Love at first whiff.

2 Pounds of Bacon and Guincla. Getting ready for pasta goodnesss
In San Francisco, we fried up 2 pounds of porky goodness last night. The fatty smoke warmed up the kitchen and left our clothes smelling yummy.

Pasta, Mushroom and Wine
After saving all the juicy guanciale and bacon fat, Susan showed me how she did Pasta all Carbonara: raw eggs, Parmesan cheese, fried bacon bits and of course – all that rendered fat. We also baked garlic bread and sauteed some mushrooms and onions with garlic salt, thyme and butter.

It all added up to a delicious, hearty, gourmet dinner in the Mission.
Pasta alla Carbonara

Good times.

Fall Flavors 2009

Posted in BonVivant on 12/02/2009 04:30 am by Queenkv

Finally. December.

I’m trying to keep track of all the amazing food we sampled over the past few months. So far, I have tweeted several gourmet experiences. Now – I’ll try to sum up some of those dining adventures, beyond 140 characters.

Charcuterie
We did a Thanksgiving Lunch at the Bistro in downtown Sonoma. I needed a relaxing afternoon after spending 10-plus hours in the newsroom. This Charcuterie plate had a lovely mix of foie gras, pork tartine and sausage. I loved spreading the rich foie on white bread.

Davis Dim Sum
We continue to head east for comfort food in Davis. I enjoy the handmade noodles from the Noodle House. I always order these dim sum plates as appetizers: pork BBQ buns and onion pancakes. These hearty flavors fill me up on a chilly autumn day or soothe my stomach after a night of drinking.

Chicken Fried Bacon
In Berkeley, we celebrated Scott’s birthday at T-Rex BBQ. I had to try the chicken-fried bacon. Crazy! A bit chewy and I managed to sample some hints of bacon goodness in this hor d’oeuvre.

Back In The Kitchen

Posted in BonVivant on 11/29/2009 09:28 am by Queenkv

I had to work on Thanksgiving. I knew I had no energy or patience to cook after producing a 3-hour show. So, we decided to save our Thanksgiving cooking/feast for Saturday.

I always feel guilty about spending the holiday away from our family in So. Cal and in Buffalo. If you sign on to work in TV news, that’s just one of the realities for our schedules. I’m still happy to mess around in the kitchen with my immediate family: Mark and Daisy. This reminded me of our Thanksgiving Meal in Topeka.

8 Hours Later

Buckeye State

Posted in BonVivant, travel blog on 10/13/2009 04:39 am by Queenkv

Inside my newsroom, I surprised people with my plans to visit Cleveland on my 2-week vacation.

They thought I was crazy. I rattled off some places worth visiting, like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They nodded, but I don’t think I changed any minds. Screw it. I had fun. This city by Lake Erie has amazing food, great drinking spots and compelling cultural institutions.

Plus – it was sunny in Cleveland. That was a welcome change from our soggy days in Western New York.

War Memorial

Cleveland also introduced me to the joy of pierogies. I fell in love with these Beef Cheek Pierogies at Lola. One bite was filled my mouth with savory, rich goodness. I almost ordered seconds.

Beef Cheek Pierogies

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