Tag Archives: Tastemade

SCUBA And More At The L.A. Travel + Adventure Show

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The L.A. Travel & Adventure Show was a blast, and the highlight for me was the SCUBA experience they had, right inside the Long Beach Convention Center!

Below is the video with expo highlights and my spontaneous decision to try SCUBA for the first time.

I’ve been whitewater rafting, ziplining, rappelling down a 240-foot waterfall in Costa Rica and much more… but one thing I’ve been anxious about trying is SCUBA, and the whole idea of breathing underwater and feeling okay. No idea why, but that’s pretty much the reason I haven’t gotten around to trying it yet.

So when my friend Sumita – who shared my trepidations about breathing underwater – and I discovered the 15,000-gallon heated SCUBA pool staring us in the face, we decided to just go for it. The folks from Be A Diver were so wonderful, encouraging us and making it fun the entire time.

Mind you, we were not prepared whatsoever to go underwater… but we just looked at each other and knew instantly that we couldn’t pass up this opportunity, so we just made it work!

Tanayas Table LA Travel Adventure Show Tastemade Video Pic

Got an impromptu SCUBA lesson… right inside the travel expo!

The guys at Be A Diver provided the wetsuits and all SCUBA gear, so it was an easy process from changing, gearing up, learning to use the equipment and getting to swim underwater for extended periods of time.

A ton of dazzling popular and under-the-radar travel destinations exhibited at the travel show, and you can find out more on the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show website.

The travel bug has always kept biting at me since an early age, but it bit me real good again after this expo! It got me wondering if I should visit New Zealand, Morocco or South Africa first… or another one of the countless possibilities out there.

Like I’ve said before, my philosophy is, don’t just wait until “someday” to do the things you really and truly want to do. I’m in my 20’s, and I’ve already traveled to all these places around the world, and more.

So if I can do it — from backpacking through Europe on a budget, to working in Hong Kong, to doing a volunteer and adventure tour in Costa Rica — so can you! Stay tuned for more travel and adventure posts from around the world over at Tanaya’s Travels, and more new and unique food coverage right here. Cheers!

VIDEO New Opening: 4th Street Market, SoCal’s Most Epic Food Hall

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Watch the video for a taste of the good eats you can find at this hip new food hall!

Check out the 1-minute video for a taste of the good eats you can find at downtown Santa Ana’s new food hall!

There’s a hip new food hall in town, and it’s the best one I’ve seen yet! Located in downtown Santa Ana, this new hub of cutting-edge eateries and small food businesses just opened and is ready to please palates.

My wonderful foodie friend Kelli and I ventured over to the new space over the weekend, and we were impressed at how it exceeded our expectations for design, variety, and innovation in their food offerings.

Tanayas Table 4th Street Market Food Hall

I started off with a Radical Botanicals rawktail, which is a raw (non-alcoholic) cocktail made with citrus and coconut milk. It was so delicious, and really settled my stomach to prepare my body for all the awesome food we were about to consume.

Tanayas Table 4th Street Market Radical Botanicals Pressed Juice Raw

Although there are 15 highly select food and drink vendors (there’s even a bar called Recess, by the Playground folks!), we finally settled on the Thai “khao soi” noodles from Jason Quinn’s Noodle Tramp, and the tater tot pork poutine from Stockyard Sandwich Company.

The noodles had a perfect bite and chew to them, and the sauce was rich in flavor and complexity. The tater tot poutine had juicy pork, plus a fried egg on it… so in other words, it was also amazing! The video above has more on these dishes.

Tanayas Table 4th Street Market Khao Soi Noodle Tramp Poutine Stockyard

After enjoying our food in the outdoor patio decorated with bold, colorful graffiti art and planters, we went back inside for some dessert.

Chunk-N-Chip really stood out to us, and what caught my eye the most was their champagne cookies and their French toast with bacon ice cream! I had to get it in sandwich form, I tell you. Who doesn’t want a little libation AND breakfast in their dessert, right? Ha.

The storefront is the ice cream sandwich maker’s first brick-and-mortar, as it started as a food truck. Claudia, the lovely owner, told us they are expanding their flavors and cone options. For now, they have brownie and red velvet waffle cones, but they will soon be rolling out at gluten-free, vegan cone.

I also went behind the scenes to create this video for the making of their brownie batter cones. Trust me, you need to try it for yourself!

Tanayas Table 4th Street Market Chunk N Chip Ice Cream

There is so much more to try at the newly opened 4th Street Market, and I can’t wait to be back soon for the rest.

Check out the video above for the food in action, as well as some shots of the awesome decor. LOVED the quotes from famous foodies on the ceiling!

To find out more on the 4th Street Market, and for hours and directions, go here. Until next time, cheers!

Try This: DIY Terrarium Workshops

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Check out our terarrium-making in action, dinosaurs, mimosas and all!

Check out our terrarium-making in action… dinosaurs, mimosas and all!

You know those little glass globes that seem to be quite trendy these days, with tiny little plants inside them, resembling a mini desert oasis of sorts? Well, ever since I saw the first one a couple years ago at a Patchwork Show in Long Beach with my mom, I’ve wanted to make one!

Thankfully, that craft dream was realized when my friend and fellow Tastemaker Laila invited me to take a DIY terrarium-building workshop at MakersKit in downtown Los Angeles. It was a day of mimosas, cupcakes, joking around with our witty instructor Jawn, and of course, learning how to build life-sustaining terrariums full of itty bitty plants… and even a plastic dinosaur and/or gnome or two (see video above).

While the rest of our friends and I sipped on mimosas, Josh led us through the process of properly layering our glass bowls. We started with tiny white volcanic rocks, which actually pull excess moisture away from the succulents and hold it at the bottom. This way, the globe doesn’t need holes at the bottom for water to drip out of and get messy. What a “neat” idea! (ha..ha)

A few of the steps to creating the different terrarium layers.

A few of the steps to creating the different terrarium layers (clockwise from top left)

Then, we layered as we pleased with glittery golden sand, a couple types of pebbles, and of course soil so our little low-maintenance plants can thrive. At the end, I couldn’t resist asking Jawn how long it would be until I risked killing my plants due to my lack of being home much.

Turns out, they only need to be watered about once a week if kept in the sun, and even less frequently otherwise. My kind of plants! Plus, the entire finished project is cool enough to use as a unique (and handmade!) design element in the home.

Check out the video above for the process and the final result in action. MakersKit also has other types of DIY kits on its website. They also have a YouTube channel with fun videos to help guide you through your crafting insecurities, should you have them. If you’re in L.A., you can definitely go in for a class, too. I highly recommend it as a group activity!

Tanayas Table DIY Terrarium Makerskit Mimosas Cupcakes

Now, pardon me if you don’t mind, while I go admire my mini Jurassic Park-themed terrarium.

It felt so good to get crafty again, and reminded me that I need to let my creative side out with different types of classes more often. Any ideas or suggestions for what to tackle next? Let me know! Let’s all go outside our self-imposed lines and try something totally new this month. Cheers!

 

New Opening: Prova Pizzeria + DineLA Week

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Lorenzo shows us the top pies created at the newly opened Prova Pizzeria.

VIDEO: Lorenzo shows us some of his favorite pies at the newly opened Prova Pizzeria.

During dineL.A. Restaurant Week, we were invited to go behind the counter at Prova Pizzeria and taste West Hollywood’s newest authentic Italian pizzeria.

Upon walking in, there was already a sense of warmth and welcoming. Once I learned the story behind the passionate owners, it made even more sense. Chef Vito and his brother Lorenzo are from Italy, and their passion shows in their warm and welcoming attitude, as well as in their third-generation, 100-year-old family dough recipe.

The dough is a fusion creation, with influences from Sicily, Bari and Naples. As a result, the dough is thin, yet has a nice rise and chew around the edges of the crust:

20150122_145040Lorenzo was on hand to personally show us the ropes behind their mouthwatering pizzas with unique toppings, such as the “La Vito” (pictured) which consists of savory mortadella ham, creamy stracciatella cheese and crunchy pistachios. It was definitely my favorite pie, although the “Margherita D.O.P.” that we also tried — which is on the DineLA menu — was also outstanding.

We also had appetizers such as the Assorted Olives & Taralli (an imported Italian pretzel) and the Speck (smoked prosciutto) & Mozzarella, as well as the Carciofi salad, which had artichokes, arugula and pine nuts. All had a great acidity and tartness to them to balance out the delectable pizzas.

As you can see in the video above, I even got to fire my own pizza in their wood burning oven! Prova is a fast-casual concept, so it’s perfect for lunch, dinner or even a post-night out quality bite.

20150122_145053DineL.A. runs through this weekend (Feb 1, to be exact), so I highly recommend getting yourself over to your favorite restaurant on the list for a special three-course menu at a special price.

However, even if you miss dineL.A., just know that it will be back… and that there is no wrong time to get a taste of Prova Pizzeria. Service, efficiency, authenticity and quality… this place really does have it all, and it made me miss my days in Italy! Lorenzo’s hospitality and jovial spirit really made me feel part of the Prova family, and I can’t wait to get back for another slice — or two — of that “La Vito” pizza!

20150122_145043You can check out Prova Pizzeria’s website for the menu, as well as for more information on visiting the new West Hollywood eatery. Ciao!

 

Recipe: Bourbon Pecan Pie Cookies For The Food Blogger Cookie Swap

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Tanayas Table Bourbon Pecan Pie Cookies 1

What’s better than cookies and pie? How about cookies AND pie, wrapped into one delicious and decadent holiday cookie?

Pecan pie is a favorite with my family during the holidays… so I thought, why not blend our favorite pie into cookie form for my first year participating in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap for a great cause?

Official Food Blogger FB Cookie Swap 2014 Badge Tanaya's Table

These Bourbon Pecan Pie Cookies are gooey, sticky and nutty with a hint of chocolate and the aroma of vanilla and bourbon to bring it all together. I thought they would make great batches to send to three of my fellow food bloggers to whom I was assigned to send holiday cheer… in the form of cookies, of course.

I also baked some more of these cookies to share with my fellow Los Angeles-based food bloggers at our annual holiday cookie swap. Last year I made red velvet gooey butter cookies, and these pecan pie cookies seemed to be just as big a hit! In fact, all my fellow food blogger friends brought something irresistible to the table.

Check out this one-minute Tastemade video for an overview!

The most delectable cookies made in L.A. all crammed into a 1-minute video!

The most delectable cookies made in L.A. all crammed into a 1-minute video!

Being especially short on time this year due to family circumstances, instead starting from scratch in formulating this cookie-pie mashup recipe, I decided to do a little background research first. After all, reinventing the wheel is not the greatest use of time, right?

Thank goodness for this Spend With Pennies recipe, because it provided me with a solid base and allowed me more time to adapt the recipe to my taste… and to dress it up with a little bourbon love!

You can definitely modify the recipe below however you would like, depending on how much time you’ve got to do your holiday baking this year. Hope you enjoy these as much as we did. Perhaps you can even start your own cookie swap tradition!

Tanayas Table Bourbon Pecan Pie Cookies 2

Bourbon Pecan Pie Cookies

Ingredients

    • 1 prepared pie crust (check out Crazy for Crust’s all butter from-scratch recipe here)
    • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
    • 1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted & chopped
    • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1/4 cup corn syrup
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
    • 2 large eggs, beaten (set aside 2 tablespoons for egg wash)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1/4 cup bourbon (or more, if desired!)
    • 1/4 cup semi sweet or milk chocolate chips (optional)
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a large non-stick pan, combine butter, pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, bourbon and salt. Over low heat, slowly stir in eggs (minus the 2 tablespoons for egg wash). Continue to slowly stir on stove over medium-low heat just until slightly thickened (just about the consistency of pudding). Stir in vanilla, remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Roll out dough and use a 3″ cookie cutter (I used the rim of a glass) to cut out circles. Gently fold the edges in, about 1/8-1/4″
  4. Brush the egg wash around the pie crust edges for a glossy finish. Sprinkle with granulated sugar for a golden brown crust, if desired.
  5. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of the pecan pie filling into each circle. Top with chocolate chips, if desired.
  6. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until filling is just set and crust is lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
  7. Enjoy!

Speaking of cookies, the L.A. Cookie Con & Sweets Show is coming in January! Stay tuned to receive a discount code for Tanaya’s Table followers, plus a behind-the-scenes video of the newest bakery to open in Hollywood serving unique, internationally inspired baked goods!

L.A. Cookie Con Official Blogger Badge Tanaya's Table