Summer in Santa Cruz......and more feasting.

After 10 grueling weeks of summer session, I can finally just relax. I have been living in my swimsuit - going to the beach and laying out pretty much every day. And, as you have seen, I've been eating like a queen. Feast upon feast, I am slowly but surely gaining all of the weight I lost earlier.

Before I went to UC Santa Cruz, I thought that all Santa Cruz had to offer was the boardwalk. I mean, what else is here? I thought that pretty much summed up the entire city. But lately, I've found that I have become somewhat of a local - hitting up all of the best spots in town that tourists rarely ever hear about. If you ever roll by SC, here a few places that are worth checking out:

FOOD:

• Café Brasil (order the açaí bowl, banana pancakes, and anything creative - be prepared for a long wait to be seated...I'd say it's apart if the experience)
• Emily's Bakery (hands down - the best croissants ever...I like the plain croissant and the ham and cheese. If you're a fan of chocolate, that one is good, too)
• Marini's (I looove getting caramel apples dipped in peanuts here!)
• Cole's BBQ (HIGHLY recommended, but only come here if you are hungry)
• Café Palomar (order the steak nachos to-go and sit outside by the beach)
• The Crow's Nest (if you come here during awk-hours, like around 3-4pm, all appetizers are half-off)
• The Crépe Place (BIGGEST strawberry crépe I've ever had)
• The Buttery (haven't tried this place out yet, but I've never heard a negative thing about this place...apparently, they have the best tarts, breads, and sandwiches)
• Charlie Hong Kong (just don't order the chow mein)
• Chocolat (such a good dessert menu...so good)
• Sushi Totoro (not as good as SF sushi, but it's the best SC's got)
• Oswalds (fancier, but every one raves about this place)
• Betty's Burgers (local fav)
• Thai Noodle House (I personally like this place better than the more popular, Saibeng)
• Marianne's Ice Cream (kind of like SC's version of Mitchell's Ice Cream)
• Zachary's (GREAT for breakfast, and reasonably priced)
• Zoccoli's (cute little deli located downtown)
• Kianti's (big portions, good if you're craving Italian)
• Taqueria Los Pericos (cutty and cheap...just like a taqueria should be)

PLACES:

• The Red Room (huge bar/lounge that is always packed)
• Twin Lakes Beach/The Harbor (right by Café Palomar...if you're here, get the nachos!)
• Natural Bridges Beach (never too crowded and free street parking)
• Pogonip Trail (must take this to get to the next "place")
• The "rope swing"/Garden of Eden (great experience...must go on a nice, sunny day)
• Tree 9 (I haven't made it to the very top myself)
• Westcliff Drive (BEAUTIFUL view & a must see...paths that lead to tide pools)
• The Porter Caves (a fun adventure, but be sure to wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty...and bring flashlights)
• The Mystery Spot (I, too, need to check this place out.....I believe it's only $6 for admissions)

Notice how my "FOOD" list is so long. Haha!

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER FEAST...RIGHT?

FEAST #3

Appetizer - Andrew's homemade guac/salsa. It had a slight kick to it, and oh was it good...

Barbeque chicken, marinated in what else? Why, soy sauce and black pepper, of course.

Andrew sautéing padrón peppers. He interns at the Meder Street Farm (which I got to tour that day) and padróns are their specialty. They go for $4 a basket at the Wednesday farmer's market downtown, but he gets them for free in exchange for his hard work helping out at the farm! You just have sauté them in a little bit of olive oil and sea salt - they're not spicy or anything, but MMM are they good!

Violetta prepared the avocado, tomato, nectarine salad. I love how it's so colorful!

Derek and I made the cheesy scalloped potatoes. They were our first time making them, but the dish was a hit. We used this recipe I got from my Program In Community & Agroecology (PICA) class last year.

The plate: BEFORE/pre-devouring, and trust me...I had seconds...........and thirds, fourths, and fifths.

The gorgeous bouquet of flowers that Violetta hand-picked from Andrew's farm. So pretty!!!

The plate: AFTER, and 5,000 calories later.....ugh, so worth it.

After days and days of UTTER FEASTAGE, I decided I needed to go on a bodily cleanse......maybe lay low on the food consumption for a while.

However, I couldn't resort to total starvation. I've stretched my stomach out way too much to not eat....(it's too soon for that).........HAHA! So, I decided to use up the ingredients I had in my kitchen and whip-up my first attempt at meat loaf.

Here it is before I put it in the oven and before I put the marinara sauce on top. I didn't exactly follow the recipe, because it asks you to grate the vegetables, but I chopped them instead. I used ground turkey and chopped zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, onions, and cilantro.

Oh yeah, I kiiiiiind of made deviled eggs, too. I couldn't cut off the feasting cold-turkey!!! It has got to be a process..... =)

The final product. The meatloaf was so-so...I would have liked it to be a bit more crisp up on the top. I think I'll tweak the recipe a bit next time around. The deviled eggs were delicious, though.

I hope you enjoyed all of this talk about food.......and I hope it inspires you to go out and cook on your own, too! Bon appétit!!!