Classic Movie Cafe

Classic Thrillers

For this weekend my classic movie recommendations will be classic thrillers now obviously classic movies have acting that is alot more dramatic than today's acting so you'll almost find some parts in these thrillers funny when they are meant to be suspensful but these are some great thrillers and you will be on the edge of your seat as thet story unfolds.

Wait Until Dark

Audrey Hepburn was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Susy Hendrix, a blind woman terrorized by a criminal (Alan Arkin) who's after a stash of heroin that was planted in her apartment inside a doll without her knowledge. When the stalker isolates Hendrix in her apartment, she must find a way to defeat him in a thrilling, chilling battle of wits, relying on all of her senses -- save her sight -- to stay alive.

Rear Window

As his broken leg heals, wheelchair-bound L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) becomes absorbed with the parade of life across the courtyard: A dancer, a lonely woman, a composer and a bedridden woman and her husband become like creatures in his voyeuristic zoo. But when one of them disappears, Jeffries suspects foul play -- and suddenly he finds himself in the center of the action with nowhere to run.

Charade

Cary Grant stars as Peter, who may or may not be a flimflam man who aids the recently widowed Regina (Audrey Hepburn) in her mission to recover a fortune hidden by her late husband. But three sinister crooks (Walter Matthau, James Coburn and George Kennedy) -- who'll stop at nothing -- also covet the loot. A cast of legendary stars has chemistry to burn in director Stanley Donen's suave comedy with an Oscar-nominated score by Henry Mancini.

Point Loma Sports Bar Wing Wednesday

On wednesday nights the Point Loma Sports Bar has a happy hour special on their hot wings and beer this is a great place to go for sport lovers the bar has so many TV's playing and there wings are so delicious you can get 1/2 dozen wings for just $2. I recommend going with friends and splitting a pitcher of your favorite beer.

UK Cornershoppe

The UK Cornershoppe has an afternoon tea that is a really fun experience for an afternoon with the girls. This is right next to Shakespeare's pub which I've already told you about and it is a cute little shoppe with a patio set up for afternoon tea. You must plan ahead for this because reservations are required. If you order the afternoon tea it will come with different types of finger sandwiches and little scones as well as a pot of tea. It's kind of a lot of food for one person so I recommend splitting one order of afternoon tea and adding another pot of tea for two people plus it saves you some cash. I love this little tea time place.

The Tractor Room

The Tractor Room made me immediately think Man Restuarant it's kind of fancy inside but the decor reflects the type of food served here. It has the look of a hunting lodge and thier menu consists of game meat(elk, buffalo, phesant, and wild boar). I went there for the Happy Hour and had Elk and beer, it is pricey so I recommend going for Happy Hour which literally is only one hour so don't be late if you want to get the most out of their Happy Hour. It's a fun dining experience the bar stools are covered in cow skins and there are antlers hanging up all over the restuarant.

Bronx Pizza

Bronx Pizza This Pizza Place claims to have pizza just like they do in New York and since I have never been to New York I'll have to take thier word for it. My coworker Tony is from New Jersey and he claim's that the reason why it taste's so much like New York Pizza is because they import water from New York to make the dough...seems to make sense. I really do like the Pizza here though it is so delicious and pretty cheap but be sure you bring cash and look over the menu online before you go because if you are like me and get intimidated easily the man behind the counter might scare you a little if he has to wait for you to decide you will not get on his good side he's so New York.

Tim + Melina

I am taking a break from the zillion recommendations that I have been posting to tell you about Tim and I. Tim is my wonderful boyfriend who I have been dating for 1 whole year as of today! We are each other's perfect match! I can't even begin to describe all the reason's I am in love with him, there are way too many. The thing I love most about him though is that he is my partner in crime, no matter what I do I know that I have someone to share it with cause he is right there with me partnering me on all of my best moments and greatest adventures. To Tim I love you so much and so glad we have spent the past 365 days together!

Casa De Loma

Casa De Loma I heard about this from my roomates who frequented this place many times while they were in college. This restuarant has a nostalgic old school feel, with its vintage-esque decor that has probably been there since forever.I recommend going here on a Tuesday night simply because this little mexican restuarant has karaoke but it's not the karaoke you would expect. There is a group of regulars that come and sing on Karaoke night all of them are adorable elderly people singing tunes like "moon river" or some sintatra favorites. The Karaoke is led by a lovely lady named Joe she plays your requests on her piano behind the bar. This is something you definately have to see to believe.
here nicole was being seranaded haha she's not sure which way to look

Tender Greens

If you are looking for something fresh and organic, I am recommending Tender Greens. They pride themselves on serving farm fresh food which comes fresh picked from Scarborough farms in Oxnard where the owners grow things naturally. When they have to buy things that their farm doesnt grow, they choose from a handful of small local farms that believe at picking at the peak of ripeness which leads to a more delicious and healthier dish. Thier beef comes from grain-fed hormone free cows. Thier chickens are raised on the range of Petaluma Poulty, not in cages. They are nourished with grain instead of hormone-rich feed. Thier tuna is line caught from the Pacific. When you go in you will see the difference the food looks and tastes so fresh and delicious you can see the difference in each bite.

Devine Pastabilities

Devine Pastabilities another great place to go. They have an amazing creation that is so simple but so good, it is what they call a torpasta which is an italian roll that is hollowed out and filled with pasta. I know right it's to die for! This is a great casual restuarant and was voted best sandwich shop in San Diego!

Wine Steals

I haven't been to very many wine bars but I find myself going back to Wine Steals alot for thier happy hour. They have a great location in Point Loma at Liberty station, and it is a great place to go with friends to relax and enjoy some good wine, at an affordable price. Last time I went 6 of us split the everything board and it was plenty of food there was cheese crackers bread fruit and slices of meat, it was so good. They have affordable prices and have many specials going on throughout the week. Mon-Thurs they have pizza for $2 and everyday the have a large selection of wine for thier happy hour which is $4 per glass. Their Point Loma location is my favorite the feel is rich and warm. They used Tuscan stone and the natural architecture to replicate a fine tasting room. This location has the largest bar. Lounge in one of their couches or pull up a stool to one of their wine barrel tables.

Old Venice Restaurant

An excellent place to go on a date or to celebrate special occasions is the Old Venice Restaurant it is so delicous and such a great date place. All the tables have candles and the atmosphere is very romantic. Tim and I went here when we celebrated being together for 6months and I got the chicken florantine baked breast of chicken stuffed with imported cheeses, spinach, mushrooms,sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts over angel hair pasta with a pesto cream sauce. So delicious and their tiramisu is to die for. This place is pricy so I would recommend this for special occasions.

Lighthouse Ice Cream

The Lighthouse Ice Cream is a great place to go on a hot summer day. My favorite thing to get here is the waffle ice cream sandwich, they make two belgium waffles and put your favorite ice cream in the center. They also have a delicious waffle cones too! Soo good I recommend trying this place out.This yummy little Ice Cream shop is a christian business that has a box for prayer requests in the front.

The Pearl

The Pearl is a great place to go for drinks and to just hang out. I've only been here one time but i was so impressed with it the vibe is awesome. They had some award winning interior designer design it and you can totally tell its such a cool place to just chill and hang out with friends. Monday night their Happy Hour goes late, and Tuesday I heard they have a taco tues deal, also wednesday night they show movies by the pool!

Acai Bowls

Alright becauseof the wonderful San Diego weather a delicious thing to eat on a warm day is an Acai Bowl there are places all over San Diego that offer Acai even Jamba Juice has Acai, but the real gems are two of my favorite places. One is Chronic Smoothies on Turquois St. in PB sooo good theres are really big and delicious you get alot for your money here. Then there is also OB Smoothies this Acai bowl is very large too i still can't decide which I like better but I think Chronic Smoothies bowl is a little bigger, but OB smoothies bowl has more granola and fruit plus they add banana's which Chronic Smoothies does not so I guess make your decision based on your location. These by far are the best places to get Acai so check them out!

Con Pane

Con Pane Rustic Breads & Cafe. This is a sandwich/bread recommendation I absolutely love this place I think my junior year of college my roomate Andrea and I ate here at least 3 times a week. The bread here is all fresh and so delicious especially there chocolate bread which they only serve on the weekends. Tim and I also love the cinnamon rolls, but make sure you get them warmed up makes it even better. My favorite sandwich here is the turky cobb on the rosemary bread. Their focacia bread is also delicious!

San Diego the city where I live!!!!!

I was at my painting class last night at city college and decided to step outside for just a minute cause my head was starting to hurt from staring at my canvas. As I went outside I looked around at the tall skyscrapers towering around me and I realized something I haven't thought about yet. I am a city girl me a city girl when did that happen. I mean you can only fully understand what I'm talking about if you would have seen where I grew up. I grew up in hemet that doesn't even really have any freeways going to it you have to drive through temecula or through roads that are surrounded by Dairy's. Hemet has barely anything to do there the mall is kind of a joke and the only thing to do is to go to the movies. There werent' alot of chain restuarants there when I was growing up. The school I went to was super small my graduating class was 21. Looking back I don't think growing up in Hemet was a terrible thing I mean we found our own ways to have fun and the people I grew up with were so nice a down to earth. It just seems wierd to me to compare where I was to where I am now. I mean I have fully adapted to living in a city and it hasn't even phased me at all until last night, and this is almost 6 years after living here. My life is so different now I have to get on 2 freeways to get to work growing up the only time I got on a freeway was to get out of town. I drive downtown twice a week to go to school and then I have to find parking in downtown. When I go visit or hang out with friends I take the freeway just to get to thier house and we also take the freeway to go to church. There is so many things to do from going to the beach, to hiking, to going downtown, a zillion different restuarants, events, farmer's market etc. I think the reason that this stands out to me so much is because I almost feel like I accomplished something by transitioning and not being afraid to transition from a small town to the city, and I guess for four months of my life transitioning to living in a developing country. Anyways so since I am now a "city girl" (if you really know me you know that term doesn't fit entirely) today I am going to be making a ton of recommendations on my favorite restuarants here in san diego.

Classic Movie Cafe

HAPPY MOVIES!!!!!!

This weekend I'm recommending a few of my favorite Happy Movies these are movies that are feel good movies that no matter how many times I've seen them they always put me in a good mood the first is one of my all time favorite movies.
Auntie Mame this movie is about a little boy who's father dies and he ends up having to live with his only living relative his Auntie Mame. His Aunt is a crazy Lady who only wants her nephew to experience all the wonderful things in life. Her philosophy on life is that "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death you've got to live live live!" This movie will make you laugh and wish that you had a crazy aunt like Auntie Mame.
The Thrill of It All my second recommendation is a Doris Day film. Beverly Boyer (Doris Day) is a happily married housewife whose life changes dramatically when the president of a soap company decides she's the perfect TV pitchwoman for his product. After the ads air, Beverly becomes famous and a better breadwinner than her doctor husband (James Garner) -- who doesn't cope well with the change! This movie is filled with hilarious moments that will make you fall in love with Doris Day.
Yours Mine and Ours is a great film about the combining of two rather large families Lucille Ball stars in this movie as widower Helen North who falls in love and marries Frank Beardsley it is a hilarious coming together of two families that results in a total of 18 children! You will be so entertained as you watch these families cope with the chaos.

Happy Hour

The Shakespeare Pub and Grille!

Last night was a great night with friends we went to this little english pub that I used to go to all the time when I was in college it's a great place to just chill and have good conversations. I have been trying to get people to go with me there for almost a year now and last night we finally went and I think we will probably go there more often now it's a good vibe and the thursday night happy hour has some pretty good deals. There's also a dart board there with some crappy darts i recommend bringing your own. Overall good way to spend my thursday night good company and good pear cider!

The Year of the Tiger

Last weekend was the Chinese New Year so I have been meaning to write about that. Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is commonly called "Lunar New Year", because it is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”. On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to reconcile; forgetting all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.
The Year of 2010 is the Year of a Golden Tiger, which begins on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011. The Tiger is a sign of courage. This fearless and fiery fighter is revered by the ancient Chinese as the sign that wards off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts. On New Year's day itself, it is beneficial to celebrate, to be happy, to have smiling faces, and to refrain from scowling, quarreling, or criticizing anyone.
The Tiger is one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet, and is feared and revered in equal measure. It features in many Asian cultures as a manifestation of courage, power, passion and royalty. In Feng Shui, it is one of the four celestial animals where it takes its place as the White Tiger. The other three celestial animals are the Green Dragon, Red Phoenix and Black Tortoise. The Tiger symbolizes the female Yin energy as opposed to the Yang male energy of the dragon. Ancient Chinese believe that the markings on the forehead of tigers resemble the Chinese character for "Wang", or King. In Imperial China, where the dragon is the insignia of the emperors, the tiger is the military emblem of the highest supreme commanders of the army symbolizing fearlessness and victory. The Tiger also represents earth, while the dragon represents Heaven. The powerful and stealth prowess of the Tiger inspire the martial art movements of many Kung-Fu masters.

San Diego Thing To Do #2

Museum Month!

One thing that is always nice to do in San Diego is visit Balboa Park's museum's every tuesday they have different museums that offer free admission and this month there is a deal you can get at your local Macy's that will get you into 39 different museums for free. There are also many coupons that you can find for the different museums in balboa park.

I have also included a link to the Park's coupons and discounts.

Fitness February

Alright so it's my duty to update you on how im progressing for Fitness February, and I'm happy to report that I am doing much better. I went running almost everyday and I took a spin class and went on a few long bike rides. Feeling good about getting my workouts in. I hope to continue this trend past the month of February.

Sugar Sugar

For Valentines day I came up with the most delicious creation all because of a few errors. I wanted to make sugar cookies for valentine gifts for Tim's roomates since I'm always invading thier space. So last week I got to work and I made your everyday average sugar cookies.

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

2 Tbsp milk

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder.
Then it's usually my specialty to melt white chocolate chips and decorate the sugar cookies with that simple enough right. WRONG I couldn't figure out how to lower the temp of our microwave and therefore kept burning the chocolate. When I finally used up my entire bag of chocolate chips I decided to try the double boiler thing and found another bag of chocolate chips but the ones I found were so old that they did no good. Finally after all that mess I figured out how to lower the temp on the microwave so I went back to the grocery store bought another bag of white chocolate chips and just in case I bought a tub of strawberry pilsbury cake frosting, just to be safe. I got home and burnt another batch of chocolate and was so frustrated decided to just go with the strawberry icing I put a little bowl of it in the micro for 15 sec to get it runny and added some red food coloring to make it a brighter pink then went to town drizzing the strawberry sweetness on my sugar cookies. I couldn't stop there though I couldn't accept the fact that I had failed at something as simple as melting chocolate chips so I lowered the temp of the microwave to a 6 out of 10 then put a cup of white chocolate chips in with a teaspoon of crisco and melted it for 1 min then added another 30 sec to get it really smooth and it came out perfect success, so I drizzled some of that on the cookies as well and finished with some red sprinkles. The result was amazing sweetness strawberry white chocolate sugar cookies they were a big hit.

My Valentine's Day

My Valentine's day was so special it started out with breakfast at my house which i burnt the bacon and set off the smoke alarm. Right when my roomate and her boyfriend sat down to have a romantic breakfast together talk about killing the moment then we couldnt figure out how to turn it off, but finally we did and then Tim arrived. We exchanged gifts he got me a bouquet of red roses and a valentines day card, and I gave him a bouquet of candy that I made. We went to church and the service was soo good. Then we went to get our bikes and make sandwiches and we took a bike ride along the harbor and then took the ferry over to cornado where we had a picnic on the beach. After that we headed back got ready for dinner and went to the Athen's Market a cute little Greek restuarant downtown. There was a singer there singing some sinatra songs and taking requests. It was so nice then we headed back to my house for some almond champagne and to catch some of the olympics. Overall a wonderful day.

The Spanglish Sandwich

I was just now craving a sandwich and was thinking about the part in the movie spanglish where Adam Sandler creates a mid-night snack sandwich that literally got my mouth watering just watching him make it and then I thought about it just now and began craving it.
https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/stolrsky/shared/spanglish_sandwich.mov
click link above to see the part of the movie that got us all craving that delicious sandwich.
So I tried looking up that sandwich just now and turns out I wasn't the only one that craves that sandwich.

When James L. Brooks wrote the screenplay for his film "Spanglish" he included in the stage directions the notation that the hero of his film, a culinary genius, would make "a snack we will remember and copy." By the time the script got to the actor, Adam Sandler, the snack was expected to be something that "everyone in the audience would want to eat at home." And by the time it got to the professional chef who was the advisor on the film it was expected to be "the world's greatest sandwich."

And so it fell to Thomas Keller, whose Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry is a landmark in California cuisine, not only to create this amazing snack but also to train Adam Sandler, who had never cooked before, to make it so well on screen that his character would contemplate it and exclaim, "Oh -- Baby" even before taking a bite. This tall order was met so well that almost from the moment the film was released people began sharing the recipe, and the sandwich began appearing on the internet as well as on menus of trendy restaurants.

so here you go here's the recipe and a video tutorial as well.

http://

Classic Movie Cafe

I'm starting what i like to call the "Classic Movie Cafe" I will try to post classic movie recommendations before the weekends for those of you interested. In honor of this lovey dovey holiday coming up I am recommending three of my favorite girly romantic films.
Starting with an Audrey Hepburn classic, Roman Holiday I absolutely love this film staring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck this is Audrey Hepburn's first appearance and this film is shot on location in Rome which I love. The movie is about princess Ann (what i told you it was girly) who is tired of being in the public eye and desires to have a normal life, she runs away from the palace one night and spends the day in Rome as a tourists sight seeing and enjoying herself. Gregory Peck plays a newspaper writer who stumbles upon this crazy princesses Roman Holiday and has fun taking her around the city. Watch it its great.

My second recommendation is a musical called Gigi Leslie Caron stars as Gigi, an avant-garde French waif being groomed as the fille de joie of affluent and handsome Gaston (Louis Jourdan). Soon Gigi metamorphoses into a stunning beauty, and the head-over-heels Gaston asks for her hand. But Gigi's courtesan grandmother is aghast: No one in the family has ever considered something as plebeian as matrimony! This 1958 gem won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director (Vincente Minnelli). This is a fun movie that will make you want to drink pink champagne and sing in french.

And for the third Funny Girl starring none other than Barbara Striesand this movie is so ridiculously great Barbara stars as legendary Ziegfeld Follies comedienne Fanny Brice,an unconventional beauty who grew up in the Jewish slums of New York dreaming of stardom. When Brice finally becomes the toast of Broadway, the resentful reaction of her husband (Omar Sharif) threatens to destroy their marriage. The film received eight Oscar nominations. Note: This version includes musical interludes. You will love this one!

Rosie Posy

For those of you wondering what is the deal with the roses on valentine's day well here it is, according to popular legends red rose is considered to be a favorite flower of Venus - the Roman mythological Goddess of Love and Beauty. Hence the red Rose came to be associated with love and romance. Historians believe that the tradition of giving red rose on Valentine's Day became popular in the 1700s when Charles II of Sweden introduced the Persian custom of "the language of flowers" to Europe.

There are many other colors of roses however so how do you decide which color to choose well here is a list of the meaning behind each color.

Red Roses - Love and passion

White Roses - True love, purity of the mind and reverence

Yellow Roses - Friendship, celebration and joy

Pink Roses - Friendship or Sweetheart, admiration

Peach Roses - Desire and excitement or appreciation

Lilac Roses - Love at first sight and enchantment

Coral Roses - DesireOrange Roses - Enthusiasm and desire

Black Roses - Farewell or "It's Over"

Bouquet of Red and Yellow Roses: Happiness and celebrations

Bouquet of Red and White Roses: Bonding and harmony

Bouquet of Yellow and Orange Roses: Passion

However you don't have to go with just roses for Valentine's day. Other flowers that are popular on the occasion of Valentine's Day include tulips, daffodils and irises. Many people also prefer a mixed flower bouquet on Valentine's Day, as it looks colourful and attractive

Looking for Something to do this weekend Chocolate Lovers.

I already have plan's for valentine's day Tim is cooking up something special for sunday but if you have not yet come up with valentine's day plans for your special someone or for something to do with friends see info below about a CHOCOLATE festival going on in downtown Escondido.

"Hearts will not be the only thing melting downtown for Valentine’s day! Bring your sweetheart or just your sweet tooth to Escondido’s For the Love of Chocolate and SweetArt Festival, Saturday, February 13, where the streets and shops of Grand Avenue will be saturated with chocolate. All around downtown, chocolate will be the theme of the day. Fun activities for families and lovers will be held at different locations and times throughout the day. Click here for a schedule of events.

When: Saturday, February 13, 2010, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.Where: Grand AvenueTickets: $20 per person; includes 10 beer or wine and chocolate pairing tastes. LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS. Admission to Sweet Street is FREE.Check out our flyer for more info . . ."

http://www.downtownescondido.com/chocolate.html

VALENTINE RECIPE "chocolate strawberry ice cream sandwiches"

I found this recipe from Lisa Wong Jackson of Good on Paper and it looks so delicious. I might try making these tonight if i can hopefully clear out some room in my freezer.

Chocolate Strawberry Heart-Shaped Ice Cream Sandwiches, makes 24
· 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
· 1/2 cup cocoa powder
· 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
· 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
· 1 1/2 cups sugar
· 2 large eggs
· 1 tablespoon milk
· 2 to 2 1/2 pints strawberry ice cream, slightly softened
1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, vanilla, and sugar. Add eggs and milk, and mix until combined. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula at least once. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface; use an offset spatula to unstick the dough every few turns of the rolling pin. Roll dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough using a variety of heart-shaped cookie cutters from 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, making sure there is a top and bottom cookie for each sandwich. Place hearts on a parchment-lined baking sheet; chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator; use a fork to prick holes all over the surface of the cookies. Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. Using half the cookies, spoon softened strawberry ice cream about 1/2 inch thick on each underside. Place matching cookie on top of ice cream, top-side facing out. Transfer immediately to freezer to harden; repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve directly from the freezer. Sandwiches can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 to 4 days.