2011. The year of changes. So much so that I pretty much forgot that I had set goals for the year. Someone asks why I set goals. Well, I’m trying to set a habit-forming goals instead of something I know I can’t attain.  Whatever I did well, I’ll keep up with for the years to come. Goal #10 has been a growing list, and I would like to keep it growing each year. Now, let’s first look at what a

Sure, sure. People give the lip service how how thankful they are around Thanksgiving all the time. But I, for one, really am thankful this year for my friend Matt. Without Matt, I wouldn’t be working at this contract, making new friends, learning new skills. I surely wouldn’t have found a work environment I truly feel at home in. Without Matt, I wouldn’t have the budget to continue to host a Thanksgiving feast for my “orphan” friends as I have

While I *am* indeed the official partner of Ghirardelli and a hostess to the upcoming Ghirardelli Intense Dark Pairings event for the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there was a glitch in promotion and folks are being sent here to OakMonster HQ for information on the event instead of to Food.OakMonster.com where all the coverage of the event will be. Click on the banner on right or… Click here and head on over to Food.OakMonster.com now! Get the information on the

I think it’s time we move the HmmFoodGood food blog to our real home here on OakMonster.com. Food.OakMonster.com is here, yo! We’ll be working on some graphics for the food page on here. And possibly update the blog over all as well. This whole limiting my television time seems to be working out. A little bit.

First week of 2011 and the goals have gone mostly untouched. Alas. The first cold of 2011. The game changer. I made New Year’s Eve dinner of 40 clove garlic chicken to feed James and Aurora and her sister Lee.  I took pictures of everything as it would be my first post for HmmFoodGood for 2011 according to Goal #5.  We sipped some wine and hung out until 11:30 before Brandon and I shambled home before the drunks got back

It has been a crazy year.  You can tell by the infrequency of my posts.  Despite the fact that I have given up my involvement with Thrill the World almost completely (I still do twitter for TTW headquarter), I managed to remain as busy as ever. I mean, look at how neglected this blog is!!! Let’s take a look back this year, see what all I did, and give out some 2010 awards, shall we? 2010 in Pictures: Drinking Buddy

Yes. I was at TEDxUSC. My mind was thoroughly blown. That’s another post unto itself so I’m not going into it here much. Breakfast: My Starbucks treat: decaf tall Americano with caramel sauce. Leftover plantano frito con frijoles y crema–fried plantains with beans and sour cream–from my Friday’s foray into Salvadorian cuisine. Ahhh…Sarita’s Pupusaria at the Grand Central Market! . Lunch: Mendocino Farms’ Vegetarian BLT.  Yes, you read that right. It has vegetarian “bacon” and pepper jack cheese. And it

This Easter weekend brought out friends old and new. Saturday I spent the morning with my hubby cruising down to San Pedro for a feast that is breakfast at Gaffey Street Diner.  The rest of the day I spent baking, mostly. That night, the hubby set me loose to party with my Twitter crew. We threw an early birthday party for @always_blond at @fstop23′s place.  The ever gracious host didn’t call off the party when he heard that his daughter-in-law

Guys, at this rate, going meatless is becoming a normal part of my routine.  Very comfortable with it now. Then again, it’s easy to do when you have a restaurant downstairs selling awesome vegetarian/vegan sandwiches at lunch time. Breakfast: The usual coffee treat from Starbucks Fage yogurt with peach puree. Yum!! . Lunch: Half of the French Onion Soup Melt sandwich from Mendocino Farms.  Grilled onion on melty aged gruyere on pretzel roll. Organic tropical iced tea A nice dose

I went to my college friend’s wedding yesterday.  I knew she is religious and as I received the invitation, I found out that he is too.  It’s a match made by God, essentially. I have been to many weddings: a full mass in beautiful cathedral and Christian-light ceremony which I really don’t mind.  I’ve been to the  we-made-our-own-tradition, and this-ain’t-about-God/gods ones, and those are usually quite fun. But this one totally takes the Holy Roller cake. It’s a little bit