Peanut brittle and brown sugar cookie – Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous

Peanut brittle and brown sugar cookie - Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous
With sea salt. $2.50
Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous, San Francisco CA

It may be a little difficult to tell from the pic, but this cookie is actually pretty sizable. And DELICIOUS! I’ve got to say that this was probably the best cookie I’ve had in a while! SO good!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2012

Traditional dance performance, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Traditional dance performance, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. I emerged from the 24th Street Bart Station one weekend and was treated to this random dance performance. Very cool!

Mini pastries – Fantasia Coffee & Tea

Chocolate button cookie Fantasia Coffee & Tea
Mini chocolate button cookie.

Mini eclair Fantasia Coffee & Tea
Mini eclair.

Mini strawberry shortbread cookie Fantasia Coffee & Tea
Mini strawberry shortbread cookie.

Mini cream puff Fantasia Coffee & Tea
Mini vanilla cream puff.

Nonfat latte Fantasia Coffee & Tea

Non-fat latte.
Fantasia Coffee & Tea, San Jose CA

Stopped here for a coffee and sweets break while shopping in Santana Row for the first time. The sweets were ok, nothing special. I was able to talk the cashier to let me mix and match the pastries though since they were 5 pieces of $3.50. And it’s great to sit outside in the park area in front of the coffee shop on a bright, sunny day!

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Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph. The interior of this basilica is beautiful! Unfortunately, they were having a service when we visited so we couldn’t look around as much as we wanted.

German chocolate cookie – Anthony’s Cookies

German chocolate cookie Anthony's Cookies

I was surprised how much I liked this flavor. I got it on a whim, but it was really good! I didn’t realize there was dried coconut inside until a few nibbles into it. Very yummy. I don’t know if all the German chocolate cookies stay chunky and upright, but I liked it. The center stayed a little undercooked and was absolutely delicious! $1.25
Anthony’s Cookies, San Francisco

Cookies and cream cookie – Anthony’s Cookies

Project 365: Day 50

So I biked to work this morning, and I was stupid and didn’t eat anything after I got to work so I ended up being super tired and lethargic all day. I really should remember to eat something after an hour-long morning ride. And another downside was that I gave in to temptation and stopped by Anthony’s Cookies on the way home. I was SO hungry!

Cookies and cream cookie Anthony's Cookies

I think this is their most popular cookie, and although it’s very good, it’s not my favorite. There’s something about the texture that I don’t particularly like. Or perhaps it’s the extra greasiness of the cookie bits. You should try this, but I think you’ll find that you like the other flavors better too. $1.25
Anthony’s Cookies, San Francisco

Cookies and cream cookie Anthony's Cookies

With a small carton of 1% milk. $1.25

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Office Holiday Party Extravaganza!

So my office held our 2nd Annual Holiday Potluck and everyone (well almost everyone) brought delicious food to share! I’m posting some of the yummy food so you can get a few ideas for your next holiday get together.  If all else fails, make a Costco run apparently. I mean who needs a fancy corporate holiday party when you can have a good ole potluck?! All names have been changed to protect the innocent! 🙂

Pork belly steamed bun

Pork belly steamed bun – Papa Chang
We all know that most holiday plates are fattening so why not get it in the form of tender pork belly?! Just top the bun with shredded scallions and hoisin sauce for an elegant presentation! You can purchase frozen buns at your local Asian market and steam them prior to serving.  Xiexie!

Pigs in a blanket

Pigs in a blanket – Rapunzel
Simple but delicious, a perennial party favorite! Just wrap ‘Lil Smokies (these are turkey) with crescent pastry rolls (these use a low fat variety) and voile, you have an all-American treat! According to Rapunzel, each piece has only 45 calories!

Pomegranate kielbasa bites

Pomegranate kielbasa bites – Dumes
The perfect combination of beefy meat and sticky sweet. Simmer sliced beef kielbasa sausage in a mixture of pomegranate juice, ketchup and Tabasco sauce until the sauce is thick and reduced. Serve on a buttery Ritz cracker to make it classy! Thanks Dumes!

Spam musubi

Spam musubi – Sophie
Perfectly portioned and utterly delicious! Spam plus sushi rice and a nori strip equals a happy vicenteSF! Arigato!

Traditional Midwestern Queso Surprise

Traditional midwestern queso surprise – vicenteSF
OK, I made that name up but my roommate IS from Kansas and he makes this delicious dip once in a while. Just combine Velveeta cheese (SO American!) with browned ground beef and a can of Ro-Tel brand diced tomatoes with chiles (another midwestern staple) in a crock pot. Set it and forget it! It’s customary to eat this with potato chips, not tortilla chips, silly!

Quiche lorraine

Mini quiche lorraine – Mats
Another easy potluck option, the frozen mini quiche! Just throw into the toaster oven for a few minutes and these buttery, salty bites are sure to please everyone!

Shrimp cocktail

Shrimp cocktail – Pong
Costco wins again! Seafood always ups the chichi factor!

Roast chicken

Roast chicken – Pong
And antoher Costco treasure!

Chewy mixed chip holiday cookie

Chewy mixed chip holiday cookie – Rapunzel
These are surprisingly good despite Rapunzel’s baking track record! Just kidding. These nommy cookies have milk chocolate, white chocolate AND butterscotch chips! And lots of butter for all the good lil boys and girls!

Almond jello with fruit

Almond jello with fruit – Sophie
Sophie fights back with a more sophisticated dessert approach. The light almond jello pairs wonderfully with fresh fruit!

Walnut brownie

Walnut brownie – Jefe
And what’s more traditional than some chocolate brownies with NUTS! Walnuts are a safe, delicious and nutritious choice!

Melkesjokolade chocolate

Melkesjokolade chocolate – Huff
And Huff brings up the rear with a Norwegian contribution! Tusen takk!

Happy holidays, everyone!!!

Chickpeas & cookies – Nopalito

Gotta love the freebies at Nopalito!  Every meal begins and ends with some yummy free treats.
Nopalito, San Francisco

Fried chickpeas Nopalito

These seasoned, deep fried chickpeas are frickin’ addictive.  They’re salty and dry which makes them perfect to eat with some beer or sangria!  I wonder if they’d give me more if I asked? A great way to jump-start your meal.

Polvorones Nopalito

And when your check arrives, it’s accompanied with these delicious cookies which I think are “polvorones”. They’re crumbly, nutty and sweet. I would have guessed that they’re made with almonds but I’ve read that the Mexican variety is usually made with pecans. Regardless, they’re nommy!

Oatmeal chocolate chunk cookie – Koffi

Oatmeal chocolate chunk cookie Koffi

With nuts and coconut. $2.75
Koffi, Palm Springs

I know you can’t tell from the photo, but this is a monster cookie.  There’s no way I could have finished this cookie by myself, nor would I have wanted to (since I do have bouts of health conciousness, hehe).  So I made David eat it with me, of course.  It was delicious!

Iced coffee Koffi

Iced coffee.  Summers in Palm Springs are definitely hot so iced coffees are a must!

Gingersnaps – Miette Patisserie

Gingersnaps Miette Patisserie

Luscious ginger flavored cookies, perfectly molded, dusted with sugar and stacked in a cute container for your enjoyment!  These cookies were delicious, and the ginger flavor was not overwhelming.  They had a bit of a crunch and a faint nutty flavor.  No wonder these morsels made the 7X7 Big Eat list!
Miette Patisserie, San Francisco

Gingersnaps Miette Patisserie

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012