Spam Musubi

If you are lucky enough have a friend who's from Hawaii, or have visited Hawaii, you might have been introduced to these lovely mini rice sandwiches...the best thing since sliced bread!  You can take these anywhere and they definitely fill you up.  Simple but ground breaking - spams slices cooked in teriyaki sauce, rice and seweed.

Because of said friend from Hawaii who was nice enough to bring me back a musubi maker, I have been able to make these myself, instead of begging them to make it at their parties.  :)   Always open to healthier options, I'm looking at trying to replace the spam with fried tofu slices.. will report back on that if I get to making it.

Cupcakes

This is the first cupcake picture that I took, back in 2009.. yes, there will be lots of commentary on cupcakes on this blog..  while it was Trophy Cupcakes that started the addiction for me, unfortunately, their quality of cupcakes has gone downhill over the last year.

While creative in flavor/icing, their cakes can't last for longer than a few hours and are a bit drier than other cupcakes.  Cupcake Royale has taken the coveted spot for me, as this cupcake was fantastic in flavor and moist, even after a 1/2 day or so.

here's a few cupcake pics from the last 2 years..thanks to all my wonderful friends who have indulged me at times.  there were so many pics to choose from!

Joe being dainty with his cupcake..

During my twilight phase, Joe got me Edward..

The most cupcakes I've ever received at one time..

I got to surprise some of my clients with holiday cupcakes..

here's a great holiday moment for me...

surprise cupcakes at work that made me a happy girl...

and lastly, one of my all time favorite cupcakes - the maple/waffle from Trophy's

Lombardo's Pizza

As a dear friend would describe this pizza, it's heaven in a box.  This gem of a pizza place is just a few minutes from our house and we are eternally grateful for that.  This is the landslide pizza - it has everything on it - what else can a girl want?  I love the restaurant because they are family owned, and sponsor local kids sports teams.

Pearl

At a late night happy hour at Pearl - it was completely packed and we had to go chinese old school to snag an open table.  Every appetizer was fantastic and the mojito was awesome!

Monsoon East

This was from a happy hour in June with girlfriends.  The drinks were tropical and vibrant, as well as creative - look at the seeds from that martini!  I wish I had more details to describe the event, but hey, I have a pass, because there was alcohol involved.  :)  The pork belly was fantastic, as you can see.

Bi's on Main

A couple of weeks ago, I was lunching at Bi's on Main in Bellevue, when one of my co-workers had a birthday.  The meal was amazing - everything tasted as it should and they didn't skimp on the ingredients.  The service was excellent.  The waitress had an awesome recommendation - the crispy garlic chicken is to die for and some of her diners come for that dish and only that dish.  I gave it a try and loved it, and will be adding myself to her list of diners that do that.

This is definitely one of the pricier restaurants that is totally worth it.

Jamie and her grandparents

This is a happy reunion of my parents and their granddaughter, in the end of 2008, on one of our trips to new york. She was ecstatic to see us, just as we were of her. I was lucky to catch this picture because I'm usually too excited to remember to take pictures when I am around my niece. She is such a joy in our lives.