Marie Callender's Fresh Peach Pie

I grew up on Marie Callender's pies. They have locations all over the SF Bay Area.

 

 

In the summer, they have fresh strawberry and fresh peach pies for $14.99. The fresh peach is my favorite. The peach is ripe and the glaze is delicious. The crust is the best

2013 07 13

Taste Buds

We went for lunch at Taste Buds and they had a buffet for $9.99 on the weekends and $8.99 Tue-Fri. The restaurant is located at 673 Grape Ave, Sunnyvale.

 

Lunch choices included potato bajji (potatoes dipped in chickpea flour batter & deep fried), tandoori chicken, fish fry, aloo gobi (potatoes & cauliflower cooked in spices), paneer butter masala, butter chicken, goat curry, corn saag, chicken or vegetarian dum biryani. It was a nice variety and pretty tasty.

 

I love the pappadam--lentil crackers.

 

Freshly made naan is brought to the table.

 

 

 

2013 07 13

Mission Peak

My husband wanted to train for his upcoming backpacking trip and decided to climb Mission Peak in Fremont. He dragged me along.

Mission Peak is located off Stanford Avenue. Take the Mission Boulevard exit from I-680 and turn right at Stanford Avenue. There is a parking lot but it fills quickly on the weekends. We got there at 8 am on a Saturday and we had to park on the street about 1/4 mile away.

It's a 3+ mile hike from the parking lot to Mission Peak at 2512 feet high. It's a dirt trail and there is NO shade along the way. It took us 3 hours to make the climb and return and I'm not a fast hiker. There was a woman who passed me and she was twirling a hoola hip all the way up.

The summit offers a nice view of the entire bay but it is crowded. Reminds me of Yosemite in the summer. There was a line of hikers all the way up the trail.

2013 07 13

Jang Su Jang

I was in the mood for Korean food and turned to Yelp to see what was recommended. Jang Su Jang was highly ranked. It's located at 3561 El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, next to the Korean food mall.

 

The accompanying side dishes. I liked the chap chae but the rest were not memorable. 

 

Cabbage Salad. I've never had this as a side dish and this was good. 

 

 

Seafood Pancake--$14.99. This got high marks on yelp but I thought it was just okay. The pancake was slightly mushy but the seafood was good.

 

Clam Tofu--$10.99. This was okay but I still like the one at Kong Tofu in Cupertino better.

 

Yang Nyum Galbi--$29.99. Beef Short Ribs grilled at the table by the wait staff. This was delicious but expensive. There were 2 rolls of the short rib for $29.99.

 

Bulgogi--$24.99. Marinated ribeye beef. This wasn't worth it. The Galbi was much more flavorful.

 

 

2013 07 12

Falafel's Drive In

Falafel's Drive In was opened in 1966 and has been a staple in San Jose since. They serve the best falafels and were featured in "Diners, Drive Ins & Dives."

It's located at 2301 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose.

 

 

Order at the counter, grab a picnic table and wait until your number is called.

 

Falafel Salad for those who are watching their carbs. It features falafels with a salad of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and carrots with tahini yogurt dressing. It's $7.75 and very filling. The falafels are the best--crispy and flavorful.

 

Baba Ghannouj--$5.50. This is roasted eggplant with a great smoky flavor. I could eat this all day.

 

The Bab Ghannouj comes with 2 pita bread. Their pita bread is from Caravan and it's soft and delicious!

 

 

 

2013 07 12

Donuts & Bagel Cafe, Santa Rosa

I discovered a new donut place and it's my new favorite place.

Donuts & Bagel Café is located at 750 Stony Point Road, Suite A120 in Santa Rosa.

 

I didn't try the croissants but these were huge. It's about twice the size of a regular croissant and cost only $1.50.

 

Apple fritter--$1.35. These were also huge. They were light and NOT greasy or overly sweet. Delicious!

 

Chocolate raised--$0.85 each or $7.25 for a dozen. These were also light and delicious.

 

Donut holes--$0.15 each or $1.35 for a dozen. Loved these as well. It's so easy to polish off a dozen!

 

 

 

2013 07 04

Low Country Boil

I like watching the Food Network on the weekends and getting recipe ideas. I like Trisha Yearwood's Southern Kitchen and decided to try her recipe for Low Country Boil. I modified it a little for my taste.

Low Country Boil

2 quarts water
4-6 small red potatoes, quartered
2 Tbs Zatarain's Concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil
13 oz Hillshire Farms Chicken Hardwood Smoked Sausage, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 ears of corn, cut into quarters
1 lb large shrimp in shell
Salt

Add quartered potatoes to cold water and bring to boil. Add salt to taste and the Shrimp & Crab boil. Cook for 10 more minutes. Add smoked sausage and ears of corn and cook for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and boil for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and serve.



2013 07 06