Troys no 8. Drunk food overload. thank you.

Ok first off, I wasn't drunk. Or I think I wasn't. I know I was fine because I remembered the whole night, just not how I got a bloody toe. It was dripping over the floors a little bit BUT I was fine. Neosporin and Bandages. See? I disinfected my toe first.

It was a Sunday. And to be honest, I would hate myself if I don't have one night out with some friends involving some kind of alcoholic beverage during labor day weekend.

What is Labor Day? Here's what Urban Dictionary has to say about Labor Day

“The holiday at the beginning of when school starts that nobody really knows what it means.”

’Hey When’s Labor Day?
Next weekend Foo’
Oh Man! Yes! ..Whats Labor Day anyway?
I don’t know Cuh’ ”

— Urban Dictionary

If you are looking for what Labor Day means... go back to school.

... Going back to the story. I wanted to stay home, lay on the couch and watch countless hours of Homeland until it's not stressful anymore. But that sh*t is always stressful. My best friend Jocelynn called me and asked what I was doing.

'Laying on the couch' (I almost spelled coach).

'Do you feel lazy?'

'No, I'll call you when I leave'

And that was that. The commitment was done. She offered a way out. She asked if I was lazy and hell yea I was! But without a thought, I just put on a pair of jeans.. shirt, and sold my soul to her. I walked through the halls to say goodbye to John like it was a death penalty. John didn't want to go because he had too much work to catch up on. That normally means more trouble for me.

I'm not going to tell you how much I had to drink. All I can say is her boyfriend Mark, who has also became one of my close friends over the years, decided to make Margaritas. Poor guy was squeezing the limes with his hands and making simple syrup from scratch. Fun part of it was we get to drink it. It was either too sour or too sweet (sorry Mark), but one thing he did well was masking the flavors of the tequila. All I can tell you is that Jose Cuervo and I go way back. And we are not friends. We are enemies. But today, I won.

What I love about hanging out with these 2 is that everything is always a yes, sure, if you want, let's do it. I had steak for dinner, but had my heart set on something tonight. Mark said it first. Chili cheese fries.

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Chili Cheese mess

We headed over to Troys drive in No 8 in Highland Park on York. Mark wanted more than one order, but I said no and that we should share. See that there? Self Control. Why should one person eat that whole thing? You'll probably die, but you'll be smiling.

I stopped at the drive thru, and contemplated on what we should get. Was I hungry? I thought about my dinner. Had Marks 750ml tequila. Had a few chips. But we are sharing the chili cheese fries right?

*Pulls up drive thru*

"One chili cheese fries with the fries well done, one bacon cheeseburger with avocado, one carne asada burrito and ONE PASTRAMI BURGER."

OK What just happened there? Who gives a sh*t it was only $20!

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Dear John,

Sorry for the calorie intake. But I saved you some food?

love,

Daisy

Yes that saved my ass and we ended up watching 2 more episodes of Homeland when I got home. If you are a guy or a girl, always bring food home if you are out. I get hangry as hell. Sitting around, waiting. Pretending like I am busy but I am not. I'm not hungry either but you better bring me back something to eat. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, there's something wrong with you. And I am saying it like "there's sumthin' wrooooong wid chu".

Pastrami was on point and met the expectations of a drive in burger joint. Nothing you would raise a pinky about. And if you are going to be critiquing a place like this, it goes back to the same phrase "there's sumthin' wrooooong wid chu".

This is the cure to prevent hangovers. and 10 pounds.

At the end of the night, I was extremely happy I hung out with them. For a few hours, I actually forgot about a lot of things. Time just stopped and the stresses that I had went away. You need friends like that in your life. Even more important, the ones that can make you feel like who you are. I can fart at that moment and be cool with it. And I probably did who knows. Since I don't even remember how I cut my toe. Yeah, that part was not cool.

Here's the address guys:

4738 York Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90042

Enjoy and always cheers.

Daiisies

Quick ~ lazy fish sandwich

The name says it all. Quick and lazy. I went to Pavilions today and saw a bunch of goodies on sale leading to this post. I really didn't want to cook tonight. It's too hot, I've had too much to drink yesterday, watched too much Homeland last night, and I just didn't have enough sleep. So yeah, I didn't want to make a fish sandwich from scratch. Frozen beer battered fish were on sale for like, $4.99, so that decision went really quick. All I had to do was pick up some tomatoes, some french rolls, and a head of lettuce because I remember seeing a bottle of tartar sauce laying around somewhere.

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lazy fish

I'm not complaining at all. It's simple, quick, and feels semi gourmet. Plus, I get to have more time watching Homeland and that series is stressful as F. Paper plates, unbuttoned pants, and a bottle of root beer. You can hate me all you want because I have no tedious dishes to wash.

I used Gortons beer battered fish fillets. For tomatoes, I used Roma. Tartar sauce, I had McCormicks.

I'm all ups for frozen fried fish fillet recommendations because I LOVE FROZEN FRIED FISH FILLETS. Ain't nobody got the energy to make fried anything on a daily. So having some fun goodies are always a plus, and keeps me less stressed on those nights where you really just want to bum it.

Have you met my dad? He's hardcore. He would even freeze bread so don't judge me.

Cheers, and goodbye 3 day weekend, I AM OVER YOU.

Daiisies

Antojitos Guerrero - Highland Park

Address: 5623 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042, United States

Celebrating the last of the 3 day Hoorah, we've decided to go to one of our favorite places in Highland Park. Nothing fancy, nothing stressful, and definitely nothing that will break your wallet. But, it's definitely something that is delicious.

Antojitos Guerrero is a small hole in the wall that you will probably miss driving down York blvd. My heart is set on a few of their dishes, but their tostadas is definitely on top of my list.

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chips and salsa

It was hot in Los Angeles today. Really hot. So sitting outdoors, closing my eyes pretending like I'm in Mexico wasn't so luxurious anymore after over 30 minutes of waiting for our food. There was a huge part of me that said I would never come back, NEVER! Especially because the table behind us got their food first even though we ordered before they even got there (don't you HATE that?). I didn't feel hungry, but my temper sure made me feel like I was. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt, that maybe they have to marinade the seafood. Over 30 minutes later, with sweat dripping down my back, shoving chips and spicy salsa down my throat, this baby and the others started flying out.

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Tostada Mixta -  $7.99

This is their tostada mixta. Their fish ceviche is one of my favorites and it's definitely something we order every time with extra avocados. But today, I wanted something with shrimp. Noticing their Mixta consisted of Shrimp, octopus and imitation crab meat, we've decided to go for it with their success of making a legit fish ceviche. What a treat this was to see fish mixed in. I am assuming they didn't have any imitation crab meat today. EVERY SINGLE seafood you see here, is executed to perfection. The octopus was tender, the shrimp had a snap, and the fish was plump and slightly tart from the lime. The cucumber and the avocado helps balance the citrus. From this day forward, I will always order this. And, this saved them because now I must return in the near future to devour. By the way, the best part of this tostada is how every ingredient is kept to it's integrity. A lot of tostadas I've had, is extremely finely minced where you can't appreciate texture and the full flavors of the seafood. You definitely know what's in your mouth with Antojitos tostadas.

Their handmade tortillas are to die for. Go ahead and get ready to die. I love the thickness, the chewiness, and how it soaks up all the juices and salsa that you load in. (If you want to find a similar tortilla, go to Trader Joes. They have a corn tortilla that is similar to this). My favorites from this place is their lengua and their adobada. The first time I had adobada was from Antojitos. Not knowing what it was of course. Adobada, here, is pork marinaded and cooked in a red chile (not spicy). The other you see is lengua (Beef tongue) which is also one of my favorite cuts stewed to perfection. Their handmade tortillas run for $1.99 each, and they are worth it. Like why wouldn't you go for handmade tortillas?

If you decide to come, be ready to wait for your food and don't blame me for it either. Not sure what magic happens in the kitchen, but I highly recommend their ceviche/tostadas which seems to be made to order. They have other items, but it's a hit or miss. I'm definitely going back again to try their Molcajete.

Eat well!

#Foodwithinreach

Daiisies

Poke Salad Bar - Pasadena

"Summer is over" says the last 3 day weekend before all hell breaks loose for the rest of the year. I'm trying not to think about work, or the amount of money that's going to be spent now till next February.

The weekend, so far, has been absolutely beautiful. The weather was nice, sunny, and not too unbearable even though there were some heat in Pasadena. John and I went to the flea market today at Pasadena City College. It's only on the first Sunday of every month. There's no entrance fees, just find street parking, grab a Starbucks and head on over. The market is inside their parking structure and outside their lot. It's really a fun treat if you want to kill some time, be outdoors, getting some exercise, or just looking for unique items to decorate your homes with. Most of the little vendors are cash only, but once in a while you will find some stands that takes credit cards.

After spending about 45 minutes to an hour browsing through the aisles, we were hungry and ready to grab a snack.

By the way, breakfast consisted the usual bacon and eggs.

Since we were in Pasadena, we decided to head into Old Town. After little thought, we wanted to try this little joint called Poke Salad Bar.

What's great about PSB is the toppings that they offer, for free. I know this may sound weird, but I love imitation crab meat. I don't know why. Don't judge me either. There's just something comforting about how sweet it is... and growing up eating California rolls thinking it was sushi really made me appreciate them differently.

I ordered salmon and yellowtail with all the fixes minus the pineapple. I also added a yuzu vinaigrette which flavors were not present. John doubled down on the salmon with additional spicy tuna, but he did not go loco with the fix ins like I did.

The flavors were satisfying. I was also happy with the portions considering it being larger than Flour and Tea on Lake (which I'll never go again). I parked at the Fair Oaks structure since it's 90 minutes free. A quick lunch and a visit to Crate and Barrel did not run my time over 90 minutes.

I highly recommend this place if you are hungry, want something tasty, affordable, satisfying, and wouldn't feel too ripped off. The total for 2 after taxes came out to $21-ish.

Try it and let me know what you think. They also have other options like shrimp, tuna, and scallops. Rice can be substituted with salad and you can also make a burrito!

Now that the sun is going down, and dinner will be soon... it's time to get drunk. OH! And John found $5 on the floor which he made me pick up. I feel terrible, but at the same time, finders keepers losers weepers.

Happy 3 days! Cheers.

Daiisies

Instant Ramen - Frozen Dumplings - Egg. dead.

What time is it? Whether it's 2am, 10am, or 2pm, it's always a good time to whip up a quick meal before dinner time. I went to the gym today and was starving when I got out. I was thinking about everything I wanted to eat while spinning. As I closed by eyes, I started going through what I had at home. Within no time, my hour on the bike was up. Peace out 20 miles, it's Friday and I shouldn't be at a gym.

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Instant ramen, dumplings, and egg.

Ingredients are simple. Get your favorite instant ramen or whichever one you are craving at the moment. Frozen dumplings. Don't know which ones to get? Sorry I don't know either. HAH! Just kidding but not really. If you go to an Asian Market on the weekends, there will probably be samples with a lot of bags going on this blowout sale. That's when I would buy a few body bags of frozen dumplings. I am not going to pay $6+ for a bag, so wait till they go on sale for like $2.50-$3ish. It's a steal.

Timing. The first thing that I do is heat up a non-stick pan with some oil heated on medium high to high depending on how hot your stove is. I like my pan HOT (By the way, I used canola oil). I also started heating water for the ramen. Once you drop the dumplings in the pan, it will start sizzling like sh*t. This is when I would tuck my arms in like T-rex. After about 1 minute, I would add water and cover it with a lid to steam the dumplings. Add enough water where it cooks out after 3 minutes or so. If there is still water left, don't worry it will cook out/evaporate.

Once your dumplings are steaming, drop the ramen in the boiling water to cook. This will be quick. After your noodles are done, pour it into your bowl and arrange your dumplings (the bottom of your dumplings should have a nice golden brown). Now, quickly crank up the heat on the same pan you used to make your dumplings, add some oil and fry up an egg. I season my eggs with salt and togarashi pepper. Slide your egg on top of your noodles and voila, I am your BEST friend.

The egg should be crispy with a nice golden butt. The yolk should goo lusciously all around.

Comfort Food. E N J O Y.

Daiisies