What an exciting time!  The “Master of the Glass Half Full” (pictured above dressed in white) has befriended me and I am thrilled  to help him circulate his message as a “positivity ambassador.”  The Master of the Glass Half Full is a positivity guru on a mission to spread the philosophy of positivity across California.  I don’t know how he found me.  I think  a friend of a friend told him all about me and how much I love drinking milk.  He mentioned a gal told him how I was a firm believer in drinking  a warm glass of milk before I go to bed every night for a sound sleeping experience.  I guess she knew I need my 8 hours of sleep  in order to keep up with my emphatic  joie de vivre.  He then told me to start drinking 3 glasses a day, it makes for a pretty smile. All that calcium builds strong teeth and prevents cavities.  Now I could continue smiling all day long… a form of positivity.

Do you know the story of the Master of the Glass Half Full?  Let me give it to you in a nutshell.  Basically this guy, his real name is Simon Felix, was madly in love and the relationship went south.  His poor heart was shattered into smithereens.  Needless to say he had a hard time seeing life through rose colored lenses after that.  Best said he was now a pessimist.  One day he set out to leave his home town of San Mateo, California in search of self discovery.  During these travels he met an old wise sage.  The sage noticed his negative outlook on life, and decided he needed an uplifting change. The wise sage gave Simon Felix an old box, when he looked inside there was a crystal glass and a note that read “fill this glass with milk.” He followed the instructions and no matter how much milk he poured the glass never filled to the top, and once he started drinking out of the glass it never emptied pass the half way mark. It was permanently half full. The message became clear he would never see the world as half empty again because his glass was always Half Full!  The rest is history in the making. Simon Felix became the MASTER OF THE GLASS HALF-FULL, and is here in California to sprinkle his positivity all over the land.  Follow him on twitter here. Like him on Facebook here.

Let me show you my new friend.

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor’s Board and Latina Mom Bloggers.

There I am.  Happy as a camper at The Taste.  It was little over a week ago I started planning which events I would attend.  I felt like a little kid going to Disneyland for the first time.  Giddy, nervous, not knowing what to expect, just confidant it was going to be GOOD.  I wasn’t disappointed.  The Taste was everything it promised to be and more.  Let me take you along for an abbreviated ride of the events through my experience.

Friday Night: September 2nd

Location: Paramount Studios Back Lot

Event: The Art of Mixing

This event celebrated mix drinks and some food.  Music was provided by KCRW.  Jason Bentley spun his magic for our listening pleasure then shortly after Mariachi El Bronx took the stage much to the crowd’s excitement.  The highlight of the evening for me was the demonstration provided by Chef Ricardo Zarate (Chef of the year by: Food & Wine) and Chef John Rivera Sedlar.  Ricardo taught us how to fillet a fish and John taught us some of his signature salsas.

The dish of the night that stood with me was surprisingly a delicious little pink cake.  It was brought to The Taste by Cakes Suzette.  Champagne cake that was moist, rich, dense, buttery, perfectly sweet, and covered in chocolate.  Heaven to the tongue.

The next day I went back for round two…….

Saturday day: September 3rd

Location: Beverly Hills

Event: Secrets from the Kitchen & Cellar

This was family day for me.  My fiance and our son Max joined me on this jaunt.  We watched Chef Celestino Drago make a beet risotto, then he served it on little platters and Max rarely eats anything but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sample some of Drago’s cooking.  We sat in on the interview with Chef Ludo and Krissy Lefebvre.  Not to mention the food was so sensational….. we might have over eaten.  Eeeeek.

Sunday Night: September 4th

Location: Downtown Los Angeles

Event: Food Noir

Sunday night The Taste came to my part of town and in my opinion it was the best of all the events I attended. Film + Food = Happy Me.  I had a great time and the food was knock my socks off good.

Us food bloggers were in our element.  We took a minute away from eating and made a picture.  Me- Presley’s Pantry,  Quyen- Kitchen Runway,  Ericka – Nibbles & Feasts

The stand out dish of the night came from Rivera Restaurant: A corn flan with black quinoa poured over the top.

Monday Afternoon: September 5th

Location: Beverly Hills

Event: Picnic in the Hills

The last day was celebrated with a bang.  We ate well, drank lots of wine and lemonade, and learned how to make strawberry sprinkles cupcakes by none other then Candace Nelson….. Don’t be jealous.

Mmmmmm gorgeous bread topped with burrata, grilled grapes, olive oil, salt and a little basil leaf.  I about fainted from the happiness this dish brought me.

The outstanding exhibitor for Monday was Fig and Olive….. Everything I sampled at their post was sublime and tap danced on my taste buds.

At the end of the 4 days I had expired. I was exhausted and fell asleep with a smile on my face much like when I was a kid at the end of my Disneyland visit.

Thank you Los Angeles Times / Food & Wine for bringing such a wonderful event to my town.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley, Mando Lopez, and Ericka Sanchez

I belong to a group of Latina bloggers, and within the group there are a few of us obsessed with food.  One of my blogging hermanas decided to call a Latina Cook-Off challenge. The only criteria is we use pistachios and bacon in our recipe and post it on Saturday September 3rd. Here is my entry to the cook off…. a simple appetizer that will be gone faster then you can say WONDERFUL PISTACHIOS!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for pistachio cheese filled dates wrapped in bacon:

16 – medjool dates

1/4 – cup cream cheese

1/4 – cup goat cheese

17 – wonderful pistachios (shelled and chopped)

4 – stalks green onion (chopped)

1/4 – teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

1/4 – teaspoon black pepper

8 – slices bacon

Take dates and slice down one side and remove pit.

In a small mixing bowl add cream cheese, goat cheese, chopped wonderful pistachios, chopped green onion, Lawry’s and black pepper. Mix well. Then fill a teaspoon with a heaping amount of cheese filling and fill date. Repeat till done.

Grab your bacon and slice in half.

Take a half piece of bacon wrap it around date and close with a toothpick. Repeat until done.

Place all bacon wrapped dates on a aluminum foil lined cookie sheet.

Place under the broiler on high  and cook on first side for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden crisp, then remove from broiler flip them over and cook on the other side for an additional 4 minutes.  PERFECT PISTACHIO CHEESE FILLED DATES WRAPPED IN BACON!!!!!!

No compensation was received for this post. I was provided with a sample of  Wonderful Pistachios to aid this recipe. The recipe and opinions are my own.

I recently went to a Yoplait Light event, and it couldn’t have happened to me at a better time.  You see, I’m about to film my first webisode for this blog and to be quite honest I am beyond busy with everything.  When I find my time is limited I also find that I grab whatever is available to me and gobble it down quickly, so this was a great refresher course on how to stay on track and make smarter healthier choices for my body.  Yoplait Light is launching a new campaign asking people to swap out an unhealthy snack for a yogurt instead and see the difference.  Yoplait made this idea seem like a no brainer when a delicious Apple Turn-Over Smoothie was served to me in a martini glass, because not only was it refreshing and tasty….. It’s good for me too.  Plus I liked the fact that they used apple in a smoothie, what a clever move.  Next time you are about to reach for a big greasy sloppy snack think LIGHT and shave those unwanted calories away.

Apple Turnover Smoothies

Prep Time: 10 Min

Start to Finish: 10 Min

• 2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® Light Fat Free apple turnover yogurt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup chopped apple
• Apple pie spice
• Apple slices

1. In blender, place yogurt, applesauce and chopped apple. Cover; blend on medium speed until smooth.

2. Pour into 2 glasses; top with apple pie spice and apple slice.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

No compensation was received for this post.

In the words of Annabella from Bow Wow Wow…. “I Want Candy!” Aside from wanting candy all the time, I also want my favorite nut, pistachios. Why not combine the two for a perfect pairing and take my sweet nutty cravings to a new level of BIG LOVE.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Mando Lopez

Ingredients for pistachio toffee:

1 – cup butter (melted)

1 1/3 – cups sugar

1 – tablespoon corn syrup

2 – tablespoons cold water

1/2 – teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 – cup salted Wonderful Pistachios

12 – ounces chocolate chips (melted)

First line a cookie sheet with a non- stick baking mat or wax paper. I use both, but I’m a freak… One method is good enough.

Then take your bag of Wonderful Pistachios, cut it open and GET CRACKIN! I like to shuck my pistachios before I start making the toffee.  Once done removing shells place 1 cup of pistachios to the side, and with the remaining 1/4 cup coarsely chop.

Let’s get the toffee rockin and rollin…. In a big pot over a medium flame with a candy thermometer attached to the side, drop in butter and allow to melt. Mix with rubber spatula.

Then add in sugar, and mix in completely before adding in corn syrup and water. From this point forward you will be mixing constantly.

Keep stirring your buttery sugar mixture until your candy thermometer reads 300 degrees fahrenheit.  This will take about 15 to 20 minutes and your mixture will go from pale brown to deep golden brown. Then remove from flame and add vanilla. Your mixture will bubble and pop. This is good news!

Add 1 cup of Wonderful Pistachios, and mix well.

Then pour onto prepared cookie sheet and top with melted chocolate.

Spread chocolate carefully over top of toffee to coat it!

Then if your anything like me…. you’ll run off and hide somewhere and eat the chocolate off the spatula.

Okay back to work…. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pistachios on top of chocolate, and place in the fridge overnight or for at least an hour.

When ready to eat. Break it into pieces or eat the whole slab! Enjoy!

No compensation was received for this post. I was provided with a sample of  Wonderful Pistachios to aid this recipe. The recipe and opinions are my own.

Makes my mouth water.

I was recently invited to come and learn about seafood sustainability at BlueWater Grill in Redondo Beach. It was a lot of information to take in, but here are some of the highlights/tips I managed to bring home with me.

– BlueWater Grill is one of the FEW restaurants in California that offers menu compliance. Meaning every shellfish and seafood dish on their menu meets at least one of the following criteria:  Marine Stewardship Council certification, Monterey Bay Aquarium “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative”, Santa Monica Seafood “Blue” as approved by MBA, Aquarium of the Pacific “Seafood for the Future” certified, or Certification by a scientific body as a “Best Practices” aquaculture producer.

– Most reliable places to buy fish: Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, and Santa Monica Seafood.

– Things to look for when purchasing fish: a translucent sheen, bounce to flesh, clear eyes, and a red bloodline.

– Wild vs. Farm Raised: If you can, eat WILD fish. If not, know exactly what farm you are eating out of and eat out of United States farms. We have very strict policies in place. As a side note we tried 4 different types of Salmon side by side and the farm raised paled in comparison to the wild.

– Chilean Sea Bass is the poor man’s lobster, or just a delicious buttery fish!

– Last but not least…. BlueWater Grill has an amazing Bloody Mary Bar!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

BlueWater Grill:Redondo Beach

665 North Harbor Drive
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Phone 310 318 3474

VIVA TO EATING GOOD FISH!

Erika serving her truffled shumai.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the exclusive truffle party of the year.  Erika Penzer Kerekes of “In Erika’s Kitchen” is one of the nicest ladies on the planet.  I don’t know anyone who is generous enough to open up their home to a bunch of food bloggers and knock our socks off with all her amazingly delicious creations.  Believe me when I say, she does it right.  Sponsors were clamoring to donate their goods to the most sought after private party according to LA WEEKLY.  Piles of Fiji water kept the crowd hydrated. Cases of Wente Vineyards wine filled everyone’s glasses.  Most importantly Sabatino Tartufi’s truffles, truffle oil, salt and honey were all the rage. Posted below are a  few pictures from the party, keep in mind these pictures don’t do any justice to how scrumptious the food was.

The menu:

Truffled egg salad,  Emery’s Salad with pancetta and truffle vinaigrette, creminelli “tartufo” salami and fabrique delices truffled pates,  truffled puff pastry straws,  creamy wild mushroom soup with truffles,  truffled radish tartines,  open faced filet mignon sandwiches with truffled butter,  truffled twice baked melissa’s potatoes,  truffled pork and shrimp shumai, roasted california figs and goat cheese drizzled in truffle honey,  truffled pacific rockfish brandade,  crostini with fresh ricotta thyme and truffle honey,  crepes with truffled duck confit,  truffle butter spaetzle,  truffled chocolate truffles,  truffled rice pudding,  and rice krispies treats with truffle salt.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Mando Lopez

My pal E. Sanchez of Nibbles & Feasts and I toasting to all the deliciosa comida.

Thank you Erika for hosting such a fabulous party!