California Eats: Amara Chocolate & Coffee

One of the most romantic places that I have ever been to has to be Amara in Pasadena. My Husband and I stumbled upon this place through Yelp when we were searching for a spot to end the night. We wanted something sweet. When its Yelp reviews mentioned authentic Spanish churros, we knew we hit gold.

The Place: This quaint little storefront is a hidden gem. We walked through the crowded streets, down a bar filled alley way, and made our way to the backside of Old Town Pasadena. It was late and most of the neighboring stores were closed, leaving most of the hustle and bustle to the main streets. Lucky for us, there were no people in the tiny shop that night. However, even if there were, it looks as though this place has a capacity of 20 people MAX. The small chocolate shop is perfect for snuggling and close elbow to elbow conversation. Cue the soft lighting and Spanish music and you got yourself the perfect date place.

The Menu: Variety isn't necessary in a place like this. A few choices of chocolate drinks and truffles and a decision of how many churros you can handle is all it takes. There are a few exotic coffees you can try, but really, this place is known for its chocolate.

The Eats: Churros and chocolate. Need I say more? I could leave it at that, really I could, but I'll go on. I consider myself a Churro fanatic, never leaving an amusement park or fair without covering my lips with cinnamon sugar. Oh, the joy. But, this is the real thing. Piping hot dough with long grooves nestling the cinnamon and sugar, a perfect vehicle for the Venezuelan dipping chocolate. I could eat either one by itself, but they are a perfect combination in your mouth. We also ordered a Venezuelan Hot Chocolate because we couldn't resist the smell when we walked in.

The man behind the counter was so nice. Since we were his last customers of the night, he gave us free champagne truffles. They packed a punch and Hubby and I both agreed that the alcohol was the star of that show.

My husband and I couldn't get enough of their churros and hot chocolate everything. We sat together at a tiny table and fed each other bites of Spanish treats and chocolate kisses. When you go to place where the atmosphere is just as sweet as the chocolate dipped churros, you know you found a great dessert spot. 



Wandom Wednesday: Recovery

This Sunday, my little snugaboo will be one month old. WHOA Nelly Furtado! I am torn between wishing time would stand still so I can have this little newborn forever, and wishing time would fast forward to the point where he can wipe his own butt. I'm sure one day I'll miss wiping his butt... one day.

GAH! Just the other day his little belly button cord fell off. I was both excited and disgusted, then I cried because he's growing up so fast. This was a big moment for the whole family.

I have to be honest and say that these past few weeks, although filled with magical moments, has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Baby blues hit me like a freggin' hurricane and I sobbed uncontrollably EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I heard crying sounds coming from my own mouth that I've never heard before. Even Baby Joaquin was like "What the hell, Mom! Why are YOU crying?" When I am in these deep holes of emotion, I often wonder if I'm cut out for this "mom gig." Hubby really had to dig me out of some really dark moments and there were even times I pulled him right down there with me. I felt so alone even though I was surrounded by everything a woman could ever want out of life. Dammit Hormones! I really had a difficult time with breastfeeding, getting up every 2 hours, going out in public, and even interacting with friends and family. I just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep for a redonkulous amount of days.

Then I remembered I AM a mom now and this little guy is counting on me. I remembered that newborns can pick up on mommy's stress and I couldn't deal with the thought of ruining my kid's life already. There will be times for that...like showing the video of his first bath at his 18th birthday party in front of all his friends and his stupid girlfriend, who I'm sure I'll hate. So in true obsessive compulsive and teacher lady form, I started a plan of action.....an IEP (for all you teacher friends out there)for myself to fight the blues.

1. Organize....in a cute organizer.

Ummm, I'm TOTALLY obsessed with my new planner. If you're into the good ol' paper organizers, check out ErinCondren.com. Her planners are so cute and functional. I am in organize heaven! I made it a point to plan out family walks, visits from friends, and simple trips to the market so I can feel productive. Those were the things that made me feel "normal."

I also love my Baby Daze tracker. Totally unnecessary but helps the OCD monster in me to keep track of every poop and pee that lil' man makes. That info will make for beautiful keepsake moments, no?



 2. Don't be a Vampire Slug

People say to sleep when baby sleeps but when I did that, I felt like a vampire slug living in a dark house with the curtains always drawn shut. I needed to get some fresh air everyday. My little family and I went on our first walk around the block days after Joaquin's birth. We all loved it, especially Sonic. This helped with my sanity and my c-section recovery.

3. Take a damn shower

Since my c-section, my incision site open once. Lovely. I had to take a trip to the ER, they drained it, and told me to sponge bath myself for a few days. Sponge baths are hard if you don't have a nurse on hand to wipe you down the correct way. Sure I have a husband, but it is too early in my life for him to wipe my butt. When I got the green light to take a full shower, I danced...carefully, with joy. Showers are your friend and you should take one...even if it lasts a whole 2 minutes.

.via.





 4. Do what's right for YOU

-cracked and bleeding nipples
-nipple shields
-Lanolin cream
-Thrush
-Plugged Ducts

If you plan on breastfeeding, make sure you do your research on these things. I really thought that breastfeeding would be as easy as slapping the baby on your teet and letting him go at it, create a magical bond, blah blah blah..... no. Nobody told me that breastfeeding can be so hard!

I am a firm believer in "Happy Wife, Happy Life." Same goes for being a mom, too. If mommy isn't happy, then all hell will break loose in the house and everyone will be miserable. One struggle I had, and continue to have on occasion is breastfeeding. I want to write a full post about my battle with this, but in short, I had to do what was right for me. It seems like right now, the push is for breastfeeding and anything else is poison apparently. I felt the pressure hardcore and had to find ways to come to terms with what works for me and what wont drive me up the wall. In a nutshell, I hate breastfeeding...yes I said it...I hate it. I decided that the best thing for me right now is to exclusively pump and supplement if I need to.

 5. Cookies

Remember when I said I'd post the recipe for the pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies...yeah well, I had a baby and I totally forgot. Mommy brain? Better late than never.
FYI- I subbed the pumpkin spice and puree for a lazy can of pumpkin pie puree and I nixed the frosting and dusted it with powdered sugar.

Yummy recipe here!

I also did a my first TIM TAM SLAM! Oh, it's a thing. Google it. It's going to be big like Gangnam style. Mark my chocolate faced words.

For all you new mommies out there.... hang in there. It does get better. Atleast that's what everyone keeps telling me.

30 Weeks and How I Broke the News to Family

Don't worry, we didn't wait until 30 weeks to tell our parentals. It just took me 30 weeks to tell this story. I'm so timely, aren't I?

When hubster and I found out we were expecting, many emotions swirled in my worried little head. For awhile there, all I could think about was the chance of miscarrying. I just thought this was too good to be true. I'm a worry wart in that way. This worrisome thought made me question how long I really wanted to wait to tell the people that were close to me. On one hand, I didn't want to tell my family the news just in case something were to go wrong, but on the other, I would need their support and I would WANT their support if something did. So, we decided to go ahead and tell them. I wanted all the love I could get at that moment.

The Set-up: Sergio and I decided we would tell our families over a fancy dinner at one of our favorite places, Panda Inn. (Their Honey Walnut Shrimp is Orgasmic.) It isn't uncommon for our families to meet together for dinner a few times a year, so they didn't really suspect much. We had to tell my brother on another night because he was working. Boo, responsibilities.

The Props: For our mothers, we placed two pacifiers in ring boxes. Who would ever think that anything but jewelry would be in those purdy velvety boxes? They sure didn't. For the dads and siblings, we found cute bibs to gift to them. For Sebby, we bought him a toy that he would later be able to play with his first cousin. We presented each gift in a fancy $1 Target gift bag.

The big happy moment: Before the wonton soup was served, we thanked our families for coming and began to thank our parents for all the love and support they gave us through the years. We told our families that to show our appreciation, we bought them gifts. To throw them for a loop, we told them that they couldn't say that the presents were too expensive and we said these gifts couldn't be returned.

Our moms opened their ring boxes first and to my surprise, my mom started jumping up and down and screamed like a little girl. (I didn't expect her to scream) My MIL cried sweet tears of joy.

Our dads and siblings all beamed with happiness and showered us with hugs.

And Sebby didn't know what to make of the scary fact that a baby was in my belly. We tried explaining it to him in all sorts of ways, then he got distracted with the toy.

Then the Honey Walnut Shrimp was served and I got distracted.... it was a perfect night.

About a month or two later, we told some of Sergio's family via prayer before a dinner one night. Hubby volunteered to say grace and slipped in a special shout out to the Man above for blessing us with a baby. Everyone was squealing with happiness. We couldn't be more blessed.

30 Weeks....Wowza

How far along? 30 weeks. 6-10 more weeks left! Maybe I should pack the hospital bag soon.

Total weight gain: 35+ pounds. I am shameful.

Maternity clothes? My work attire consists of the same 2 pair of work pants, leggings, and jeans with any top that is willing to fit my growing belly. I finally invested in some good work shoes, too.

Stretch marks? I Heart my Burt's Bees Belly Butter

Sleep: Backaches and heartburn is keeping me up all night.

Best moment this week: Getting my new shoes in the mail. I can wear something other than flip flops now. This is big news for my kankles!

Miss Anything? Sleeping on my back, having energy, my ankles, and NOT being swollen.

Movement: Some days Baby is active.

Food cravings: Sees Chocolates and pancakes. Not together, but that's a great idea!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing at the moment
Gender predictions: Even though everyone says boy, I feel like it's a girl.

Labor Signs: Not yet

Symptoms: Major swelling in my legs still, constipation from my Iron supplements (whoo hoo.), moodiness, and major fatigue.

Belly Button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? Off

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody and stressed from work

Looking forward to: This weekend. Hubby and I are going to stay with my parents and my mom said she'll pamper me so I can relax and de-stress. How awesome is she? She already took my order for what I want to eat!

25 Weeks!

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain: 20+lbs. Trying to eat a bit healthier these days. Chocolate is healthy right?

Maternity clothes? Chillin' at home this week so workout gear and bathing suits are my uniforms

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Waking up to pee ALOT! *Note to self: Remind hubby to put toliet seat DOWN!*

Best moment this week: Letting my mom and my nephew feel Baby kick. So exciting to see their faces.

Miss Anything? Running and sleeping on my back.

Movement: I'm pretty sure I felt Baby punch me. It was more of a sharp jab. I also think Baby wants me to keep moving because Baby was kicking my back to get up off the couch yesterday!

Food cravings: Sweets. CHOCOLATE!! See's chocolate to be exact. Hubby bought me a lot of it. It's dangerous to have around.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell of Sonic's doggy treats. This is a new thing. 

Gender predictions: Still feeling like it's a girl. Lots of girl predictions from others this week.

Labor Signs: Not yet

Symptoms: Acid reflux. After scarfing dinner, I feel like I'm going to explode. Need to eat less.

Belly Button in or out? It's still half in and out. Freaky.

Wedding rings on or off? I bought myself a fake ring because sadly mine do not fit anymore. I feel like it's too early for me to be pulling my rings off. :(

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and oh so blessed!

Looking forward to: Letting more people feel Baby's kicks. I actually enjoy when friends and family touch my belly. I have yet to have a stranger touch it though. I don't think I would like that.

Asian Supermarket Sweep

Did anyone else watch that show, Supermarket Sweep? (Not Asian Supermarket Sweep) Seriously, the best show ever! Don't act like you don't remember those gold wrapped hams.

A few weeks ago, my parents went on vacation to the Philippines, Vietnam, and Korea. I was very jealous. They went to the Philippines because that's their homeland, Vietnam because my Uncle works there, and Korea because that's where my brother was born and they haven't been back since. Ahh, the life of an Army family. Even though I couldn't go, my mom and dad promised to bring me lots of goodies! They DID NOT disappoint!

First up in my bag o' goodies were some real deal chopsticks from Vietnam, these adorable chocolate lollipops, and the coolest toolsknown to man! I will be showing this off in a future post. You won't want to miss it! It makes something that is awesome!

And of course, my parents couldn't forget all the cooking presents!

My mom couldn't find a Korean cookbook that was in English, so she brought me these recipe cards she found at the market. Now all I need is a Korean friend who will traslate. Anyone?

She did find a Filipino and Vietnamese cookbook. I will be making and eating lots of Vietnamese spring rolls this year.

And last but not least, they bought me this BEAUTIFUL apron from Korea to add to my apron collection. It is made to look like a Traditional Korean Wedding Dress. Isn't it gorgeous? I don't even want to cook in it.

..via..

My parents also took a massive amount of food pictures for me! I will be posting those soon,  so we can all take an imaginary trip to Asia.

In the meantime, you can take your own trip to Asia by visiting your local Asian market. Now, don't be shy or bashful. I know it can be quite intimidating to roam around a market that is literally quite foreign to some you, but be brave and see what's in there!

There are aisles and aisles of new and exciting things to try...

Dumplings and tofu? CHECK.

Delicious sweets? CHECK.

Tea choices galore? CHECK.

Instant Curry for when you're in a hurry? Yuppers!

Loads of cute snacks? HELLOOOOO Kitty!

But take heed because there are some unusual items that you might not see at your local Trader Joe's.

But, other than the hanging ducks and rather unique butcher and seafood section, you're good to go! And if all else fails, ask one of your asian friends to take you! I will gladly go with anyone who asks, but only if you buy me some Hello Kitty Crackers.

On my last trip, I loaded up with all these goodies for under $40. That's a steal if you ask me!

Delicious Filipino bakery items.

Some sauces, seaweed snack, ramen, falafel mix, and a $5 steamer!

Dried mango, green tea, and macadamia nuts.

If you ever go to an Asian market, you wont regret it. You will find lots of yummy treats and interesting knicknacks. And for all your girly girls out there, their makeup is top notch! Take a chance and go to one. Trust me, I'm Asian.

Some of my Asian recipes

Pad Thai and Pineapple Fried Rice

In a hurry Chicken Curry

Lemon Herbed Chicken Curry

Soy Glazed Salmon

Dim Sum Dumplings

Filipino Lumpia (Eggrolls) and Pancit (chow mein)

Wandom Wednesday: Addictions

1. There needs to be an Instagram Anonymous and I need to be the president. I am on that thing way too much for someone who has a job and a LIFE! I posted 6 times yesterday and feel embarrassed about it. Like, who the hell am I for showing you what I'm eating, wearing, thinking, or pooping? Oprah?

2. I am also addicted to games on my iPhone. Brizzle, Bejewled, Temple Run, Bakery Story, Words with Friends... I'm all over that like brown on brown rice. Send help immediately.

Birzzle

3. On that note, I am finally winning at a game of Words with Friends. This never happens to me. Sadly, people think I'm going to blow them out of the water because I'm a teacher, but I actually suck at Scrabble. It's because I'm impulsive and don't think about my words before I throw 'em down.

Case in point, yesterday I threw down HOES because I thought it was funny. After I pressed SEND and laughed my head off, I realized I could've put SHOES. I is stupid.

4. I'm also addicted to these. Boston Cream Pies My friend Christine had me over for dinner and she made these for dessert. I think she's trying to sabotage my exercise plan. Thanks, Christine. Some friend you  are.

via Annie Eats

5. I want to write another Wandom, but I have to check my Instagram and lose more Words with Friends games. Toodles.  

The Vacation of Champions

Belated Merry Christmas, readers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend filled with family, friends, and lots of yummy food.

I am on Winter Vacation and loving every second of it. I have been busy with baking, cooking, and spending time with my family.

Blogging has always been in the back of my head, but truth be told, I really wanted to take a break and just ENJOY life. I heard a comedian once say that if Jesus Christ appeared out of the sky, we would all be on our phones trying to take a picture, or tweeting it, or Facebooking it instead of enjoying and experiencing that joyous occasion. So, instead of living through my camera, cooking with my camera, and eating through my camera, I decided that I wanted to fully enjoy my Christmas through these brown eyes of mine. And that I have been.....

However, I have been Instagraming a bit in lieu of blogging. So if you have Instagram... add me (missjoanna17). I will definitely add you because I LOVE looking at pictures of random things through different types of lenses.

So, here is my break in a nutshell thus far....

I won The Avid Appetite's blog giveaway! I received her yummy treats and just like that....everything was in my tummy!

I also cooked and baked a TON! And just like that.... everything was in my tummy!

Christmas Empanadas

And of course, there were presents. Amazing presents. My family knows me so well.

This vacation is delicious!

• How was your Christmas? Tell me what you got! I'm nosey like that.