Lazy Ox Canteen

Another Staycation goal can be crossed off the list! I finished my last exam yesterday morning, and to celebrate the bf and I went out for a great Saturday night date at Lazy Ox Canteen. This was the 3rd week in a row I tried to get a Saturday reservation, and I finally they had something that wasn't 10 pm. Considering how good the food was, in the future I might take those 10 pm reservations if that's all they've got. Everything was outstanding. We split the ricotta fritters as an app. They were great, but I'd recommend it as dessert due to the saffron honey it came with. After, I got the artichokes with apples (complex) and the creamy polenta with mushrooms (rich and satisfying). Jeremy followed up with the Lazy Ox burger which was the.best.burger.EVER. The service was very nice too despite how busy everyone was. Food came out slow, but our waiter came to check on us several times to make sure we were ok. The overall experience was lovely, and I cannot wait to come back.

More Natural History

If natural history is not your thing, don't worry. I've got some non-Natural History Museum posts lined up for this week, but I just couldn't resist posting a few more pictures from the museum. There was so much to look at and learn about. I learned that the closest living relative to the hippo is whales, that emperor penguins can dive 840 ft deep (the deepest of any mammal), and that the ancient Incas made nose rings with whiskers-like extensions to make them look like cats.

PS: How cool is that bright green shell? It was the only green shell in the entire shell room. I hope that snail does not go extinct!

Butterfly Garden at the Natural History Museum

So despite what my previous post might have indicated, the gem room is not the only thing going on at the Natural History Museum. There's also a butterfly garden!

How cute is the picture of the butterfly on the man's arm with his little girl staring at it in amazement! Also, how amazing is that flower? Doesn't it kind of look like something you'd see on the Jetsons? It's the blossom from a passion fruit vine. Once I have a better garden set up, I am definitely going to get one of these.

PS: Butterflies too girly for you? The museum also does a spider exhibit in the same space in October. It's even open at night so you can see the spiders when they are active making (and eating) their webs! Doesn't that sound like the perfect thing to get you in the mood for Halloween?

Spice Station Inspired Cooking

In addition to going to Spice Station, cooking with the spices I got there was on my LA Stay-cation list. While I have not done as much "cationing" as I had hoped because the inner law student in me forced me to study well in advance, I have gotten to do a tiny bit of cooking (or mixing).

First, I made a blackberry/raspberry/lime cocktail. It involved exactly what you think: muddling a ton (at least 15) blackberries in 3 ounces of vodka, adding a generous helping a raspberry sugar (about 1 tsp. per ounce of vodka), and squeezing in a half of a lime. Shake well in ice and drink up.

Second I made hollandaise sauce with shrimp and coconut/lime salt. Peel and roughly dice the shrimp, throw them in a prepackaged hollandaise sauce as you are adding the water according to the sauce packet directions, add salt to taste, and simmer until shrimp are cooked. At the same time I poached 2 eggs and warmed a piece of toast in the oven (on 200 degrees, be sure to flip the toast half way through too, I like this better than toasters). Then I had myself a nice eggs Benedict breakfast.

Finally, I made a bean soup with carrot, celery, and the smoked salt. Soak the desired raw legumes (mine came in a packet but you can use whatever you like) in cold water for 12+ hours, then boil them for at least 40-45 mins (I did 35 and it was not enough). While boiling, saute chopped carrots, celery, and garlic in olive oil until soft. Once things get a bit mushy, drain your legumes, throw the sauteed veggies and a can of diced/stewed/etc. tomatoes in with the drained legumes. Simmer for awhile and add spices to taste.

PS: This is a re-post of something Blogger deleted.

Gem Room from the LA Natural History Museum

After a doctor's appointment on campus yesterday, I decided to reward myself by going to the Natural History Museum. So around 10 am (after stopping at the law school for a spinach and cheese croissant sandwich . . . mmm so yummy), I found myself at the door to the museum. Guess who else was at the door? About 1000 children. No joke. I picked a school visit day. The museum was a mad house, but as a testament to how good the museum is, I still loved it despite the deafening levels of screaming surrounding me. (How do teachers do it? I admire them so much.) My favorite was the gem room. There is so much to look at. I cannot wait to come back on a more peaceful day. I could look at the gems for hours and hours.

Pinterest Obsession

Have you joined Pinterest? I just got an account, and I'm in full fledged obsession mode. You can pin any image from the web to a virtual pinboard so you can keep track of it. I can already tell this is going to be immensely helpful in blogging. Prior to this, I'd just been booking marking links or taking screen shots and then forgetting about them.

So far I've got a general "Style Inspiration" pinboard (as seen above), but then I've also got all of these individually themed boards, like "Stripes," "Sequins and Shine," and "Statement Necklaces." (Judging by the names of my boards, apparently I'm into style inspiration alteration?) Pinterest makes it so easy to curate images linked by a theme. So expect more posts like Bags of a Different Color and Perfect Tomboy Fashion, since now I can organize my favorite images from the web!

An Exploration of Solstice Canyon

I wanted to hike to the Bridge to Nowhere on my stay-cation, but we had to scrap those plans because it's an all day hike and my hiking buddies are popular people with places to be. But as a consolation prize, my friend Helen suggested an awesome hike in Solstice Canyon. There were ruined buildings, waterfalls, rock climbing, steps that lead to nowhere, and tons and tons of wild flowers! What more could you ask for?

The hike to the first ruins only takes a few minutes and is completely flat and paved. Another 15 minutes or so farther with only minimal hills and you'll get to the second ruins. These are from a much bigger home with more to explore. Right behind them is the first waterfall too. (Rumor is there's a hidden grotto with a statuary, but I didn't find it.) The real fun starts if you cross the creek in front of the water and scale the rocks on the other side. You'll find some fun rock climbing (nothing too hard, but be prepared to get dirty), and you'll find a series of additional waterfalls spilling into deep pools. If you go hiking on a hot day, bring a bathing suit because you could definitely take a dip!