KeepItsweetDesserts.com

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Whipped Chocolate Ganache

Keep It Sweet — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:23:26 +0000

I don’t know what it is, but when I travel for a weekend, I always have a million different bags. Maybe I just should take 1 big bag and call it a day? I just try so hard to be an efficient and minimalist traveler (ha!).

What if I want to workout? Sneakers. Are we going out to a nice dinner? Heels (maybe). Do I want to look pretty? Makeup. Work to do? Computer (always). Are we celebrating something? Gifts.

Am I supposed to bring some sort of dessert? Wait, that’s not actually a question. Do I want to blog about it? Camera (woops!). I am thankful for my iPhone!

I don’t really go anywhere without some sort of sweet treat, because frankly, I’ll be sent back from where I came if I don’t! For Mother’s Day weekend, however, I was a little behind on my baking. So instead of a finished product, I traveled with cake layers. Completely normal, right? Probably not, but you know what, it was worth it.

I’m actually a huge fan of pound cake. I very rarely make it but when I saw this cake from Michelle a few weeks ago, I was completely inspired to translate her recipe into a layer cake. It did not disappoint!

Since it was Mother’s Day, I knew the cake needed plenty of chocolate. The moist and dense (perfect pound cake texture!) cake layers were filled with chocolate chips and the outside was covered with a rich whipped chocolate ganache. The filling was vanilla buttercream. I was actually experimenting with a shortening-based recipe, but next time I’d just use all butter or at least half butter instead. Okay, now I am completely craving this cake again.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Whipped Chocolate Ganache

Serves 12-16

Cake very slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Whipped Ganache Frosting from Martha Stewart

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients:

12 ounces (1 1/2 cups / 3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

8 ounces regular cream cheese

1 pound 6 1/2 ounces granulated sugar (~3 cups)

6 eggs at room temperature

11 1/2 ounces (~3 cups) cake flour, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces (~1 cup) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees; grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans; line bottoms of pans with parchment paper and grease and flour the parchment paper; set aside

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and creamy; add sugar and beat mixture until light and fluffy; scrape the sides of the bowl

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed between each one until incorporated; mix in vanilla on medium speed until combined and then scrape the sides of the bowl

With mixer on low, slowly add the flour and the salt just until combined; do not overmix

Remove bowl from mixer and fold in chocolate chips

Pour batter into prepared baking pans and bake 40-50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from center of each layer; edges will brown slightly; do not overbake

Set aside cake to cool and prepare filling and ganache

Once cake has cooled, carefully remove layers from pans; run a knife around the edge of each layer for easier removal

Frost bottom layer with filling and top with second cake layer; frost entire outside of cake with whipped ganache

Basic Vanilla Buttercream with Shortening for filling

Ingredients:

3/4 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Beat shortening in electric mixer on high speed for several minutes until light and creamy; add powdered sugar and mix on low for one minute; scrape sides of the bowl and add vanilla; beat on high speed until light and fluffy; use immediately or covered in refrigerator up to five days; bring to room temperature before using

Whipped Ganache Frosting

Ingredients:

1 pound semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place chocolate in a large heat-safe bowl and set aside

Pour cream into a medium heavy duty sauce-pan and place over medium heat; bring to boil and remove immediately

Pour hot cream over chocolate, add salt, and let stand for 10 minutes

Whisk mixture until smooth

Chill ganache in refrigerator for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occassionally, until ganache is thick in texture but not hard

Once chilled, put ganache in the bowl of an electric mixer; beat on high speed for about four minutes or until light and fluffy and paler in color

Use immediately

Notes:

Cake layers can be made ahead of time; wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for one day or in freezer up to one month

Once frosted, serve immediately; cake can be stored in refrigerator up to two days covered lightly with plastic wrap; bring to room temperature before serving

Keep It Sweet Desserts Weekly Wrap-up 3

Keep It Sweet — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:55:25 +0000

I always find it interesting how excited I am for the weekend despite having to work during some or all of it. I think it is years of that TGIF mentality ingrained in my head. Plus, it is a usually more relaxed “working” weekend and involves fun things like a dinner at Talde with friends! We are actually going there tonight and I’m crossing my fingers that Dale will be there! Top Chef fans will know what I am talking about.

On the working side, I’m actually putting together the baking class that I mentioned a few weeks ago. This morning I tested the cookie recipes I’m using and so far so good. I can’t wait until the class is official. Hopefully some of you can come!

Besides that, I’ve got graduation gifts, birthday parties and bridal showers coming up. I’m so thankful that things are still busy!

Finally, a snapshot of what has been happening this week:

Most popular product: Triple Chocolate Cookies

Current seasonal specials: White Chocolate Pistachio Fudge Cookies for Father’s Day (Brand new!) and the Gourmet Graduation Gift Basket

Most popular recipe/blog post: Mixed Berry Sauce

Open Keep It Sweet Desserts giveaway: 1 dozen KISD Items of your choice on Juanita’s Cocina

Three Favorite things I pinned all week: Cookie Butter Cookies (with Coffee Butter and Salted Caramel Butter) from WIllow Bird Baking, Lightened Up Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fro Yo from The Domestic Rebel, Chocolate Therapy Cake from Sprinkle Bakes, and Watermelon Strawberry Basil Skewers from Edible Perspective

Big, Chewy, Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Cookies: A How-To Video!

Keep It Sweet — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:12:12 +0000

Remember when I promised you eHow videos? Well, I’m going to try to get past my embarrassment and share them, yikes! You already have the recipe, but I figured you might like the video for how to make these Big, Chewy, Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Cookies. I’d love to hear what you think!

Asparagus salad with Wheat Berries, Raisins and Pickled Onions

Keep It Sweet — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:40:18 +0000

Yes, you are at the right place. This is still Keep It Sweet Desserts and I still prioritize baking over any savory production in the kitchen, but sometimes I need to get a little creative with mealtime.

In case you are wondering, I’m still working off the cookie weight (as I like to call it) from December. Turns out cookies for lunch, snack and dinner for one month straight without even looking at the gym just didn’t work out so well. Don’t worry, I didn’t completely give up cookies. That is unrealistic for so many reasons, but I do try to limit myself to a few a week. That combined with lots and lots of green vegetables has me finally feeling just a little bit better about myself. Four months later. It’s about time!

So when I got a package from California Raisins and OXO that challenged me to make a fantastic appetizer, I decided to make something healthy that would be a great summer appetizer for entertaining or even double as an entrée for a light dinner. I didn’t realize that a quarter cup of California Raisins is considered a single serving of fruit, what an easy way to get some nutrients into your meal!

This challenge definitely took me out of my element! I cook on a regular basis, but never with the expectation of sharing a recipe with others. Honestly, most of our dinners are pretty repetitive because I get too lazy to think of new dishes to make. Really, it was good for me to be pushed to make something other than roasted veggies, kale chips, or vegetarian lasagna.

My goal, and what I think I achieved, with this dish, was to get a nice balance of sweet, savory and a touch acidic along with a variety of textures. Crunchy asparagus, chewy wheat berries, creamy feta cheese, you get the picture.

Asparagus Salad with Wheat Berries, California Raisins and Pickled Onions

Active kitchen time (including pickled onions and wheat berries): 15 minutes

Total prep time (including pickled onions and wheat berries): 1 hour 15 minutes

Makes ~7 1/2 cups; Serves four as appetizer or serves two as a main course

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups asparagus cut into 1/2 inch pieces blanched and lightly tossed with salt and pepper (do not overcook, you want the asparagus to be nice and crisp)

1 cup cooked wheat berries (see below for details)

1/2 cup pickled onions (see below for details)

1/3 cup California Raisins

2 ounces good quality feta cheese

Directions:

Cut prepared pickled onion slices in half or quarters (half if you used a small onion, quarters if you used a large onion)

Place blanched asparagus pieces, wheat berries, pickled onions, raisins and feta in a large bowl; lightly toss

Serve immediately to eat warm or store in fridge and eat cool or at room temperature; best eaten same day

Pickled Onions

Prep time: 5 minutes, cook time: 1 hour+

Makes ~1/2 cup pickled onions; can be made up to two weeks in advance

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon table salt

1 small red onion or 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

Whisk together water, vinegar sugar and salt until sugar is dissolved

Place onion in a sealable jar; pour vinegar mixture over onions and cover for one hour

Can prepare onions up to 2 weeks in advance if sealed jar is stored in refrigerator

Source: Bon Appetit

Wheat Berries

Makes ~1 cup cooked wheat berries; can be made up to two days in advance

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (uncooked) wheat berries, rinsed and drained

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Bring wheat berries, water and salt to boil in a medium-sized heavy duty saucepan

Once boiling, reduce to a simmer over low heat and cover for one hour; stir occasionally

Once done, wheat berries should have absorbed most of the water; remove from heat and store covered in refrigerator up to two days before using

Keep It Sweet Desserts Weekly Wrap-up 2

Keep It Sweet — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:23:00 +0000

I’m currently writing this post from my parents house. Matt and I came in for the Philly Food & Wine Fest and to celebrate Mother’s Day. This spring has been so much busier than expected so I haven’t been able to come here as much as I normally like. Even if I’ll be working a bit, it is nice to get out of my normal routine. and have some family time.

A few weeks ago I got to meet the lovely Victoria Shafffer, a young aspiring talk show host who is even prettier in person than she is in the photos. She is just twenty years old, but already so mature and hard working. The day I met with her, she actually had an interview for a radio show later that day. We had such a good time chatting for a couple of hours, but for me the highlight was having her try some Keep It Sweet Desserts samples.

I brought a few different treats to the meeting, but the Chocolate Chip Cookie was definitely her favorite. Straight from Victoria: “Keep It Sweets Desserts are the best cookies I’ve ever tasted! Lauren has even managed to improve on the classic chocolate chip cookie! It’s so good that it’s worth every calorie!” I now love her even more. Oh, and wondering why Victoria’s name sounds familiar? Her father just happens to be Paul Shaffer. Most people know him from his work on Dave Letterman’s show, but I also love that he was recently the star of “PS I Love You” on How I Met Your Mother.

Finally, a snapshot of what has been happening this week:

Best last minute gifts for Mother’s Day: Gift certificates and Cookie of the Month Club

Most popular product: Brownies and Blondies Pack

Current seasonal specials: Strawberries and Cream Cookies for Mother’s Day (only available for a few more days!) and the Gourmet Graduation Gift Basket

Most popular recipe/blog post: 22 Easy Dessert Recipes that Make You Seem Like a Pro

Open Keep It Sweet Desserts giveaway: 1 dozen KISD Items of your choice on Crazy for Crust

Favorite new website find: Runnin Wild – love that some of my customers are foodie entrepreneurs as well!

Three Favorite things I pinned all week: Monkey Bread Muffins from The Baker Chick, Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Brown Eyed Baker, Cinnamon Roll from What Should I Eat For Breakfast Today, and Caramelized Banana Sticky Buns from Heather Christo Cooks

Let me know what you think of this new weekly post! Anything else you want to hear about?

Peanut Butter Banana Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

Keep It Sweet — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:16:14 +0000

I’m so glad that you seemed to enjoy my new weekly blog series! It makes me so happy to have a way of staying connected just a little more regularly. Definitely let me know if there are any other topics you would like me to include!

So these cake bars are another item I made when filming for eHow. In case you aren’t familiar with what happens when you film any kind of cooking how-to, you actually have to make everything at least twice. There has to be a final product to show in the short time you have to film, but you also have to make everything while filming. I sent the film crew home with leftovers, but was still left with a crazy amount of desserts after the fact.

Well, when Matt was helping me clean up, I decided to taste a bite of the version of these cake bars I’d made a few days earlier. They were still really, really good. It was at that moment that I told Matt he had to take the plate away immediately. I knew I was in trouble.

The cake bars are moist and flavorful. I added the peanut butter chips because without them, the peanut butter flavor in the cake is very subtle. You actually don’t need the cream cheese icing, but really, you always need cream cheese icing.

Peanut Butter Banana Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

Serves 15

Adapted from my mom’s banana cake recipe

Ingredients:

Cake Bars

1/4 cup light sour cream or plain low fat greek yogurt

1 teaspoon baking soda

5 5/8 ounces (~1 1/2 cups) cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 ounces (4 tablespoons / 1/2 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

9 3/8 ounces (~1 1/4) cups granulated sugar

2 x-large eggs at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cups mashed very ripe bananas (~2 large bananas)

½ cup peanut butter chips

Icing

8 ounces light cream cheese

1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Cake Bars

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees; grease and flour a 9×13 baking dish and set aside

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in sour cream and let stand

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt; set aside

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, bear sugar, butter and peanut butter on medium-high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy

Add eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed

Stir in bananas and mix on low speed; add flour and mix again on low speed low speed just until combined

Remove bowl from mixer and fold in sour cream; fold in peanut butter chips and do not overmix

Pour batter into prepared pan; bake 27-32 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the center; set aside and allow to cool

Icing

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer for several minutes or until light and creamy. Add butter and beat until well combined

Add powdered sugar and mix on low speed; when sugar is incorporated, add vanilla and beat icing on high speed until mixture is light and fluffy; spread over cooled cake

Cover cake and store at room temperature up to three days

P.S. Thinking about cooking or baking for Mother’s Day? Check out this very extensive round-up of Mother’s Day recipe ideas!

Keep It Sweet Desserts Weekly Wrap-up 1

Keep It Sweet — Sat, 04 May 2013 17:07:28 +0000

So while I don’t usually have multiple recipes to share each week, I do miss blogging more often like I did before I launched Keep It Sweet Desserts. I thought it might be fun to add a weekly post where I give a little snapshot of what is going on over here and share some fun links and recipes I have found on other sites.

On life: Things around here are busy! Orders have been coming in more heavily than I expected for this time of year so that is definitely a good thing. I’ve been balancing my increased kitchen time with trying to be more social now that the weather makes me want to have a life again. I got to see my friend Samara twice in one week which was pretty much a miracle for me… with a special thank you to her friend who asked if I was pregnant. I realize that the question was a result of the Diet Coke I was drinking but whew, that was a self-esteem booster. Sidenote: the answer is NO.

Other things happening around here- I’m considering teaching a baking class, if only I could decide what I’d like to talk about first! I’ll keep you updated in case anyone in the NY/NJ area is interested in coming!

Beyond that, I’m going to make an effort this time around to get some more hands on board for the fall/winter. I think that means I need to start looking for interns or assistant bakers now. Know of anyone who wants some baking or entrepreneurial experience? Send them my way!

Finally, a snapshot of what is happening this week:

Most popular product: Brownies and Blondies Pack

Current seasonal specials: Strawberries and Cream Cookies for Mother’s Day and the Gourmet Graduation Gift Basket

Most popular recipe: Margarita Cookie Bars

Open Keep It Sweet Desserts giveaway: 1 dozen KISD Items of your choice on Flavia’s Flavors

Favorite new website find: Cookie Hound

Three Favorite things I pinned all week: Cake Batter Whipped Cream from Beyond Frosting, Sun Dried Tomato Marinara + Pine Nut Ricotta from Young Married Chic, and Peanut Butter Nutty Bar Ice Cream from Chocolate, Chocolate and More

Let me know what you think of this new weekly post! Anything else you want to hear about?

Big, Chewy, Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Cookies

Keep It Sweet — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:28:37 +0000

Last week was…. well, it sure was a week. Emotionally my head was somewhere else. As soon as I heard about the marathon bombing my heart just ached for everyone there. Then there was the explosion in West, Texas. It was too much for one country in just a few short days.

But then something amazing happened. Early Friday morning, my beautiful niece was born! Hannah is the most amazing baby girl and just like that, I was reminded of the wonderful miracles happening every day! I’ve been excited to be an aunt for months, but this brand new addition to the family is even beyond what I could have expected.

And in the middle of all that, for every minute that I wasn’t glued to the news or hanging around the hospital maternity ward, I was prepping to film videos for eHow. 10 videos. In one day. AKA craziness. When I originally agreed to do this, I didn’t grasp quite how much work it would entail prepping to film, baking on camera, and rushing to clean up during the taping. In case you are wondering, it is a lot of work. Initially I was also really nervous. I’ve never done something like this before. Well, in all of the excitement of everything else. Okay, mostly because of the fact that I could NOT wait to finish taping so that I could get to the hospital and meet Hannah, I actually wasn’t nervous at all. There is another miracle for you! I think I’m actually more nervous to see how cheesy and awkward I ended up looking. If I’m not completely embarrassed by the final products, I promise to share them with you once they are done! [UPDATE: You can see the eHow video for the Big, Chewy, Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Cookies here!]

So the good news for you? I made a few things that I really want to share the recipes for. These cookies for instance, make them. You know how much I love chocolate and peanut butter and this cookie is no exception. Thick and chewy (like most cookies should be), with a little crunch from those salty pretzels. Seriously, just make them.

Big, Chewy, Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 24 large cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (4 5/8 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 cups creamy peanut butter

5 5/8 ounces (¾ cup) granulated sugar

4 1/8 ounces (1/2 cup) packed light brown sugar

2 x-large eggs, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup pretzel pieces (1 ½ ounces)

Sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda, set aside

Using a mixer, in a large bowl beat peanut butter, butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy

Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined

Reduce speed to low and stir in flour mixture just until combined

Stir in chocolate chips and pretzels

Chill dough for 2 hours

After, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper

Use a large cookie dough scoop to place cookie dough balls (about 1/4 cup each) on top of parchment paper, 1-2 inches apart

Lightly sprinkle cookie dough with sea salt

Bake ~14 minutes until cookies are brown around the edges

And a few behind-the-scenes pictures for good measure

Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate Chips & Strawberry Buttercream

Keep It Sweet — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:15:58 +0000

This recipe came about while I was testing out ideas for an upcoming Cookie of the Month, and wondering how I could brighten up the resulting flat and not so exciting lemon cookies.

Don’t let me fool you, the lemon cookies actually taste quite good on their own- they are chewy and delightfully lemon flavored (not overly sour or overly sweet). But you know, they were just so boring. Besides, I gave you a lemon cookie before that stood so well on its own it didn’t need any extras.

So of course I had to consult with my mom, my go-to dessert expert. She had the genius idea of adding strawberry buttercream. So smart because not only do these cookies now scream summer, but they also have the prettiest pink filling!

I used this strawberry buttercream before for cupcakes and it was a huge hit, so I’m so glad we found a way to highlight it again!

Oh, and I realized that I might have left a few of you hanging. For those of you who don’t follow me on social media, you may not have seen the big news I had teased about a few weeks ago. Keep It Sweet Desserts was featured on the TODAY Show! We were showcased as having the BEST BLONDIES on the East Coast. Why yes I am still freaking out about that!

Anyway, back to these cookies! Make them right away and then make them again for Mother’s Day, they’d pair very well with a package of Strawberries and Cream Cookies

Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Strawberry Buttercream

Makes 20 cookie sandwiches

Cookies very slightly adapted from Martha Stewart (as seen on Baked by Rachel)

White Chocolate Chip Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:

10 1/8 ounces (~2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

11 1/4 ounces (~1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar

2 x-large eggs at room temperature

2 tablespoons lemon zest (~1 large lemon)

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees; line baking sheets with parchment paper or slipats and set aside

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; set aside

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar for several minutes until light and fluffy

Scrape the sides of the bowl and add eggs and lemon zest, mix on medium speed just until combined

Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture just until combined; scrape sides of bowl again and then stir in white chocolate chips

Use a medium cookie dough scoop (~2 tablespoons) and scoop cookie dough 1-2 inches apart on prepared pans

Bake 8-10 minutes or until center of cookie appears set and edges are a very light golden brown

Set aside cookies to cool and prepare buttercream

Strawberry Buttercream

Ingredients:

4 ounces (1/2 cup / 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup strawberry jelly

1 cup powdered sugar

Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment on high speed for several minutes until butter is light and creamy

Add jelly and beat on high speed for one minute; scrape the side of the bowl

Add sugar and mix on low speed until combined; then increase the speed to high and beat for several minutes until frosting is light and fluffy

To make the cookie sandwiches:

Set cookies into pairs closest in size to one another

Pipe or spread 1-2 tablespoons of buttercream on the bottom half of one cookie in each pair; lightly press other cookie on top of buttercream

Store cookies in an airtight container up to three days; may be frozen up to one month

Notes:

These were pretty large cookie sandwiches, you can definitely use a smaller cookie dough scoop and just reduce the cooking time by a couple of minutes.

If you aren’t a fan of white chocolate chips, feel free to leave them out, but they do compliment the other flavors really well.

What to Do in San Diego, Part 2

Keep It Sweet — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:09:48 +0000

While my favorite part of travelling is exploring a new city through its food, I love getting some physical activity in the form of a long hike with gorgeous views almost just as much.

Well, after eating pancakes like this, it is kind of necessary. I’m actually fairly new to hiking, but I really do love it. It can be physically challenging, but it is also the best form of free therapy. Fresh air, vitamin D, and a couple of hours to just think or talk about life. Oh yeah, and take endless photos.

Lately when we have been planning our trips, we look for a couple of hikes to go on and try to make sure at least one of them is somewhat long and somewhat challenging. This particular hike on the Iron Mountain Trail was perfect for us. I think it took us about 2 1/2 hours or so. On our previous trip we did a 4-hour hike where towards the end, we got a little antsy.

Unfortunately my photos don’t even do it justice, but it was pretty cool to be able to see San Diego from the top of the mountain. I actually wish we had done this hike again while we had the chance!

Pancakes and eggs benedict apparently were the perfect hiking fuel, but afterwards we wanted something fresh and light. Matt was on a mission to eat as many fish tacos as possible on the trip and thanks to a recommendation via Twitter, we knew we needed to try out El Pescador Fish Market in La Jolla. On this visit (it was so good we went back later in the week), Matt had fish tacos (duh) and I had an incredibly fresh seafood-topped salad.

Matt probably won’t appreciate me sharing this, but he actually said that if he could eat like this all the time at home, he probably wouldn’t eat red meat. Shh, don’t tell him I told you.

California, I love you.

And speaking of fish tacos, Kathy had told me that we needed to check out Las Olas while we were in town.

And if you can believe it, this was the view from our table.

This actually ended up being a perfect early dinner for us. We stopped at Las Olas on our way back from Disneyland (yes, we went there!), just in time for sunset.

The fish tacos weren’t quite as good as El Pescador’s…

…but crossing the street after dinner for this was unbelievable!

I only wish I had my tripod with me, I couldn’t help but take a billion photos as the sun went down. How do people get to live here (and why don’t I)?

What to Do and Where to Stay in San Diego, Part 1

Wordless Wednesday: San Diego