When in NOLA.

Oh, New Orleans, you are a wonderful town! And as a foodie, I must mention some great spots we ate at. For the first time I stayed in the arts district, this gave us access to walking to different areas of the city I hadn't explored before. For starters, sis + fam arrived before us so they got to eat breakfast at Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar, which they relayed the info about. And of course we had to go. photo source

The place is small and eclectic. We waited a cool 20 minutes, but that was on a weekday, it does get thick. We all got dishes and shared; I tried eggs, potatoes, french toast, coffee...and who know's what else?! It was however, delicious. A yummy breakfast spot.

For details click here>>> Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar

photo source

To close off our trip we headed to Cochon for dinner. I noticed this restaurant as we were walking to some club that it was in the cut. I suspect Cochon was closed that night because I didn't really see anyone, but the night we went, maaan, we waited atleast an hour. When we got called in, we were seated in a large table near the back. The restaurant was beautiful, simple, with wood tables and some paintings. Very urban farmer-ish. Best way I could describe it. I wouldn't be surprised if this was at some point a warehouse. The menu had a variety of stuff, but none was chicken. As you would guess pork is the main thing here, which I don't eat. They did have gator though! But I didn't go for that neither. I opted for some side dishes. I found the cucumbers and herb to be particularly delicious. We also had dessert, vino, but most importantly a lovely experience.

For details click here>>> Cochon

Wonderful Mini-Documentary

Shadeism from Shadeism on Vimeo.

Monthly Focus

For the month of January
The focus is Principled
What people who live the learner profile display: They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Monthly Focus

While doing some research online I came across the "Learner Profile for an Internationally Minded Person." Right below the title it stated the purpose. "The aim of the program is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet help to create a better and more peaceful world."
I dig.

For the month of December
The focus is Open Minded
What people who live the learner profile display: They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

This learner profile was created for a school, and has focuses for the months of September through June. I will, early in the month post the focus on the month so we can work on them individually.

summer time in the city.

So. I was really going to post all this good info back in May; and now it's already the end of July. (Oh my!) I've put together some links of places I like to visit during the summer. There is still plenty of time to enjoy some really good shows. Grab a blanket, some wine, some friends, maybe even a boo'ed up situation and have fun!

Freeness.
Grand Performances
Wine & Jazz at Hollywood + Highland
Friday Night Jazz at LACMA
Thursdays at Sunset Skirball
Summer Concert Series at Levitt Pavilion

Cop some tix.
Ford Theatre
Hollywood Bowl

The Ford Amphitheatre and Hollywood Bowl offer low-cost daytime shows for kids- calendar can be viewed on their site.

Hope you all had a great Valentines... Mines was lovely, spent with loved ones; my sister and my closest friends. Color theme: white & red. On the menu: Italian.


*the dinner table

Last night I had a dinner party. Theme: Fall Harvest. The Fall is such a yummy season; browns and oranges, peaches and yams, cool breezes and hot tea, men and scarves (or rather men rockin' scarves).

The dinner went great! I am really blessed to have such beautiful friends that are all talented in an array of things. We ate, sipped, laughed, conversed, played games and had seconds.

The menu:
Appetizers:
Tomatillo Salsa with Chips
Wine almond crusted cheese with Crackers, Strawberries and Grapes

Main Meal:
Corn Chowder
Turkey Salisbury Steaks
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Rosemary Chicken
Candied Yams
Salmon Croquettes with Garlic Paprika Dip
Macaroni 'n Cheese
French Baguette
Baby field greens with Cranberry Walnut Dressing

Desserts:
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Sooooo, my digi-cam was hella MIA and I did not get to take pics of the table. When it was found there was not much to take a picture of, which definitely is a good sign.

Also, I'd seen a wish tree in a foreign flick. When me and sis were in Pasadena one day going to Laemelle's, I saw all these wish trees and was excited; we contributed by adding our wishes to one of the trees. Come to find out it's a Yoko Ono project. I was inspired by that and decided to create one for the party. This one would not only be a wish but also a thank tree.



To read about the Pasadena Wish Trees go to:
http://imaginepeace.com/news/archives/670