Afternoon at the aquarium

This was inspired by David, Maddie and Boy Toy. Every time I go New York, David and Maddie swear that we are going to the zoo. Here's the problem. They always get dronk and then can't get up until late in the day. So yesterday I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for them.



I timed my arrival to coincide with the last penguin feeding of the day.

I originally took a photo of these lovely creatures but then decided that they really deserved video.


Otters!!!!





They even had an exhibit of birds that live along the shoreline.





Now I understand why folks rave about the place. And they're really great about emphasizing environmental issues and what each of us can do to make sure that these creatures continue to exist in the wild. For years I have used their Seafood Watch to make dining decisions -- because not all stores color-code their seafood like Andronico's does. And now the list is available as an iPhone app so now I always have it with me.

So yeah, if you haven't guessed, I see more trips to the aquarium in my future.

It's all about the food

Anyone who knows me, knows that one of the main features of a vacation for me is delicious food. Lots of food. This would be part of the reason why over the last two weeks, I have been consuming a lot of salads. And I know that I have dropped my caloric intake because often I was left feeling hungry. But I ignored that little voice that said, "Go ahead. Get some more food."

I worked all day Thursday and then made the two hour drive to the Monterey area. After all of that, I didn't want to go too far for dinner. Luckily on the grounds of the resort is a steakhouse. A Hawaiian steakhouse. I went with their appetizer of ahi tuna tartar that was topped with wasabi caviar and served with wonton crisps. My main course was their surf and turf combo -- lobster tail and a fillet. And I loved the inclusion of the orchid for decoration.

I am starting to think that there are going to need to be some beach walks to counterbalance all of the food consumption. Of course by the time this posts, I will probably be sitting down to another wonderful meal.

Early bird

For some reason I was up bright and early this morning, so early that the sun hadn't even risen yet. So I patiently waited for the first light.

Now I'm going back to sleep. I am on vacation after all.

Bay to bay

Tonight after work I left the San Francisco area to head to the Monterey area for an extended weekend. Last year my dad had reserved a unit at the timeshare. Actually it was a reschedule. He and my stepmother were supposed to be going to Cabo San Lucas last September. Then her health issues came up. At the time, my dad was still hoping that she'd recover and so he just rescheduled for this year -- in the Monterey area instead. After my stepmother's death, he decided that he didn't want to use the time anymore and so now it's basically mine. I didn't have enough vacation time to come for the whole week that was booked so I figured I'd make it an extended weekend. And now I'm thinking about next year. Leaning toward New Orleans.

I tried to take a photo for y'all right after I checked in but the sun was much too low in the sky at that point. That's OK. I'll take more photos for y'all tomorrow during the day so that you can get a clearer view.

The problem was that I was on the beach. If the moon was full and it had been later in the evening, then maybe I would have been able to take a successful photo. The beach is a one to two minute walk from where I'm staying. And all you want to do is walk along this particular beach. Because this is my Pacific after all.

Update: Apparently at least one of last night's photos sort of came out. But my post from this morning will still give you a much better idea.

Pure evil

... or why my ass keeps getting bigger.

When I think of San Leandro, I don't necessarily think of it as a destination city. I mean, how much could there be in the city to draw people to it? That's what I used to think before the company for which I work moved to the fine city almost a year ago.

Industrial in San Leandro seems to mean something different than it does in San Francisco. I decided this when one of the first places I found after the move was the Otis Spunkmeyer factory -- and factory store. One dozen fresh baked cookies for $4.25. Evil I say.

To date I have been able to avoid the next form of evil I have spotted around town. The fine folks of Kraft Foods also have a factory in town. And nearby there is an Entenmann's factory store.


Today I succumbed to one of the other evils in town. Yes, the fine folks of Ghirardelli also have a factory here. And once more, it is complete with a factory store. The first thing I noticed upon getting out of my car was the smell of chocolate in the air. I took this as a good sign and headed in. What did I find? Most of the chocolates were about 45% off of retail. I'm thinking that this could be a bad thing to know. All I know is that I managed to leave the store with only spending $10. But there were many things in there that caught my eye for future trips.

I'm starting to give up on the idea that my ass is ever going to get smaller. Because these days I have little willpower if any.

(For those of you who are now hankering to head on over to San Leandro, the factory is located at 1111 139th Street, between East 14th and Washington.)

The sincerest form of flattery

Earlier this month I had an incredible pork chop from Gregoire. But it was simple at the same time. So simple that I thought I might be able to duplicate it. Because the "problem" with Gregoire is that they change their menu each month. Fall in love with something? You'll never have it again after that month has ended unless you can duplicate it yourself. This time the love was so great that I had to make an attempt.

What you see is a pork chop stuffed with blue cheese and pecans. I'll tell you how I chose to make it but for the most part there will not be any measurements.

I chopped some pecans into a bowl and mixed them with some crumbled blue cheese. The chops? The label on the package said that they were king chops. Basically they were a double chop. Once I determined where the bone was, I cut a slit into the chops going toward the bone. And then I stuffed them with the cheese and nut mixture. Just some salt and pepper on the outside.

The chops were served with a jus. For this reason I decided to throw them in the oven. Now the jus was flavored with shallots but when I got home, I discovered that all of mine were moldy. In the place of the shallots, I diced half of a yellow onion and spread it around the bottom of a baking dish. I then threw in some sprigs of fresh thyme and covered it with some chicken broth. Then I put the rack into the pan upon which I laid the stuffed chops. About halfway through I turned the chops so that they could brown on both sides.

Tastewise I think I came pretty damn close. Now I'm thinking that I should get around to copying those other dishes that I have loved over the years from Gregoire.

Flashback

About four years ago, I discovered that Natasha likes to watch food cook in the oven. This photo is from the very day I made the discovery. She kept putting her paws on the hot oven door in an attempt to see what was going on. As soon as I turned on the oven light, she settled into position and did not move until I removed the contents. To this day, I now automatically turn on the oven light -- just in case someone might want to watch.

What made me think of this? Well last week was a week filled with crappy food - tasty but crappy for me healthwise. And by the end of the week, I was feeling pretty crappy. I needed something a little healthier.


And so I remembered the first dish that Natasha watched and prepared it for Saturday's dinner.

Of course I backslid on Sunday so right now it's mostly salads around here. Until I feel less blah.