LA continued... Santa Monica and the Getty Villa

One of our favorite places to walk around when we visit LA is Santa Monica. I think when people try to imagine California, Santa Monica is probably the closest thing to what they see. There's the 3rd Street Promenade, the pier, and the long stretch of sandy beach of course. Galen and I spent all day there, mostly to avoid the afternoon rush hour. Even leaving at 8:00PM, we still hit traffic going to meet one of our best friends, AJ, for dinner. 

At dinner, AJ suggested that we check out the Getty Villa, which was originally built as a home for J. Paul Getty, but he died before its completion. Now it houses a bunch of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts from his private collection, as well as gorgeous gardens. We did a culinary garden tour that described all of the edible plants on the property, their mythological backgrounds, and if they had any medicinal qualities.

We went back to the condo afterwards thinking that we would spend some time at the beach since it had been so nice and sunny in the beginning of the day, but by the time we got back, the clouds had overtaken the sun. So, we pulled out a sleeping bag that we found in the closet, all of the towels, and two pillows and decided to take a nap on the beach. We both fell asleep with no problem, but then woke up about 30 minutes later freezing cold!

Oh! Also, Galen and I think we've found our favorite restaurant...ever. Umami Burger. If you're ever in California or live there but have never been, you must go to one! I'm admittedly not a burger fan, but I will eat their burgers any day of the week. Each location has their own signature burger, along with the regular menu, and the special at the Santa Monica location is a braised oxtail burger. The classic Umami Burger is also excellent: oven roasted tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, and a parmesan crisp atop the juiciest, tastiest burger EVER. I'm drooling right now thinking about it. They also have a special homemade ketchup, so you must order fries, but mostly just as a vessel to eat the ketchup. We ate there twice, no guilt.

We happened across a farmers' market in Santa Monica that day too!

A Japanese food court where we ate

First view of the Getty Villa. This would be an awesome amphitheater to get married in!

And now, a few selfies

Galen napping on the beach

Umami Burger! 

Fishing at Roosevelt Lake

And... we're back! 

It's been a fun and fast couple of weeks, although it feels like much longer. I have a lot of catching up to do with posting photos and such, so I'll start from where I last left off and conclude with the most recent event, my cousin Katie's wedding this past Sunday in New York, as a continue to sort through photos.

Continuing with my last post, Fishing Trip Preparation, we made it to the lake, which is 2.5 hours north of Tucson, but not without a little bit of drama. Our friends, Nick and Russell drove up in Nick's new Jeep, and Galen and I took his car, a Honda Element, which we were planning on sleeping in overnight, since the seats fold completely flat into two twin size beds, before driving back in the morning.

We got off to a late start and by the time we made it to the lake, it was completely dark out. Accidentally, we drove onto a dirt path (not really made for cars) and decided to turn around because Galen's car was barely clearing all of the large rocks, but not before a drunk shirtless guy approached our cars asking for a tow because his truck got stuck in some sand. Galen's car isn't 4-wheel drive, so Nick kindly gave it a try but without any success. Nick's gesture though, didn't go without consequence. Minutes after trying to help the other truck, Nick's car broke down. After waiting on the side of the pitch-black road for a tow truck and then trying to navigate without a map to the water, we made it to the lake shore at about midnight. 

Since we inherited 2 more passengers and all the gear in our car, there wasn't anywhere for us all to sleep, so we fished through the night, and Galen stepped up and drove home in the morning even thought we were all exhausted.

We ended up catching 2 fish that night, a catfish and a bass. We took home the catfish, and Russell took the bass, which he cooked the next night. It was delicious!

If we go again, we'll definitely map out where to go before heading up there!

Only ones out on the lake

Galen caught these little crayfish to use as bait

Our warhorse that made it through the trip

The next day before Galen filleted the little fishy

Manhattan Beach

This week Galen and I are in LA for a few days before our NY/Boston trip and before he starts working. My parents generously gifted us 3 nights in a condo in Manhattan Beach as a birthday/graduation present. It was a last minute thing, and I had to scramble to get subs for my Zumba classes, but I'm glad we made it here.

We're in Santa Monica for the day. Galen is currently hunting around for a public restroom while I hold our seats at a free Il Volo concert. Never heard of them? Neither have I, but they sound pretty good. So, I'll just do a quick post while I wait. 

Because I am without computer and only on mobile, here are a few phone photos from our sunset walk along Manhattan Beach last night, but I will load more from the rest of our trip when we get home on Friday. :)

Manhattan Beach Pier. That little building at the end is a free aquarium.

See the 2 little surfers in this one? 

Fishing trip preparation

It seems like I've been doing a lot of food posts recently, I guess it's the easiest thing to post because well, sometimes it's the most exciting thing to happen in our day. :/

Well, tomorrow we're planning on going night fishing with our friends, Nick and Russell, up at Roosevelt Lake. Since the catfish are spawning right now, the plan is to catch about 30lbs of fish and have a fish fry the next day. This plan though is based on what Galen has been reading on fishing forums online. Supposedly, last weekend someone caught 60 catfish, there being no limit on the number of catfish one can take from the lake, so our hopes are high.

He's totally obsessed with the show River Monsters, and I think imagines our trip to be like the show...but we're just a bit more amateur than Jeremy Wade. Hopefully I'll be able to get some good photos even though we'll be out there in the middle of the night.

Back to the food. We've decided to pack spam musubi for dinner tomorrow. Don't hate on spam. Fry it up in a pan, with a scoop of white rice... so ono. For those who are unfamiliar, it's a popular Hawaiian snack that's highly portable and can be eaten at room temperature, perfect for a day at the beach/lake. We made ours with egg and oyster sauce. We made these for our family's Christmas potluck in NY this past year as well, but it was much harder since I didn't have my musubi mold. If you want to try to make these, invest in a mold, like this one, or a bamboo mat.

Here are the photos:

yum.

Galen and I have found our new go-to, quick, painless, no-fuss, weeknight meal. We discovered this Italian tomato puree from World Market and were shopping while hungry, so we went for it. Whenever I go into that store, I always find something to buy. They sell loads of international groceries and home goods. 

This particular tomato puree claims to be from tomatoes with a lower water content, so the puree is more concentrated...not sure if I believe that, but it still tasted awesome. The pasta is bucatini and was also found at World Market. The recipe for this dish couldn't be simpler:

• Saute 1 chopped onion and 4 chopped cloves garlic in olive oil
• Boil pasta
• Pour tomate puree into onions and garlic
• Heat on high, stirring, until reduced by half
• S&P to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• Toss pasta in sauce

This dish tastes so clean and savory. Try it out!

Devastated.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead

Does anyone else read/watch Game of Thrones? I'm reading book 3 right now, which is the same season that the television show is on, except the show is ahead of where I am in the book. I just watched this week's episode, the one with the Red Wedding if you're reading the books, but I haven't gotten to that part yet in the books.

Well, I am completely broken up about what just happened! I won't go too much into detail in case you don't know what is coming, but I can't believe it! My heart hurts. This is worse than when Dumbledore dies (sorry if you haven't heard by now).

The season finale is this coming Sunday, but I'm so mad at the author, I don't know if I'll watch it...I'll probably watch it.

Chefs de cuisine

Galen and I attempted for the second time to make our own pizza at home...well, more like assemble our own pizza. The dough was pre-made from Whole Foods, sauce from Trader Joe's. We added asiago and parmesan cheeses, sliced salame, fresh tomatoes, and crimini mushrooms. 

We've "made" pizza before but using Trader Joe's brand garlic and herb dough, which was a better consistency and taste than the one from Whole Foods. This particular pizza came out a little doughy after baking. 

Anyhow, just thought I'd share the photo and keep on with this posting streak I've got going.

Has anyone else made pizza at home before? Any tips to offer? Comment below!

Oops, I just realized I forgot to take a photo after it was baked.