Eegees in Tucson, AZ

Its a hundred degrees here in Tucson! What I've learned is that you cool down with an Eegees, a HUGE slushy drink that literally freezes your brain. Its the only way to beat the heat here, along with some COLD SNAP YOGURT (more on that later). But my absolute favorite thing about Eegees? Pizza Fries! Little itty bitty crinkle cut fries with pizza sauce, cheese and ranch! Gimme a break, I'm on vacay! ;)

Trader Joes - Tarte D' Alsace

If you've ever been to trader joes, you know they have an array of specialty frozen foods and this is one of my absolute favorites. I only get it once in awhile as a very awesome treat because let's be honest - "a French style tart with ham, caramelized onions & gruyere cheese" can't be that good for your thighs when you're trying to shape up for the summer. Well get ready to work it off cause I'm telling you, it's worth it!




                                                             Yummmm - for only $4.99

Arroyo Chop House - Pasadena

Ever since I planned a steakhouse birthday dinner for 20 for my bestie, Margarita, last summer it has become one of our staples when jase and I decided we want a nice steak dinner. As I have stated before, jase is very into being "old man" (i.e. Extra dirty martinis, boat shoes, dinner jacket) and this place suits him perfectly. Not to say Arroyo Chophouse is an old man joint, no no, I'm just saying it's a nice classic change from all the modern wonders of Hollywood.

One of my favorite things here is the pineapple martini ($12). They infuse their own pineapple vodka so it's served perfectly sweet, tart and chilled. Another must get is the garlic bread ($6). Trust me on this one, I don't have a photo, but I have the breath to prove it. Hah just kidding. We also shared a photoless chopped salad ($13). Yummm

What photos DO I have?




A perfect medium rare cowboy rib eye. We split it because it is HUGE. According to them, the reason why the steaks are sooo delicious is because the are the ONLY restaurant in Southern California that serves, exclusively, the highest grade of beef available - USDA Prime. So next time I'm at Mastros, Mortons or Ruths Chris, I'm gonna see what grade beef they have out of curiosity.

Oh, those huge onion rings ($8) were soo good. I hate when the onion ring falls apart and you end up having an onion hanging from your mouth and the breading in your hand, these are perfectly held together rings! And if you're getting potatoes, choose the scalloped ($8).





For dessert, homey apple pie ($9)!! It was practically swimming in a yum caramel sauce. The ice cream to pie ratio was perfect. How could an apple pie that looks like this go wrong? It didn't.

Arroyo Chop House
536 S. Arroyo Parkway
Pasadena, CA

Giada for Target

I was doing a target run today and saw my beloved Giada's adorable cookware line. I love her show and am always dreaming of ways to crash her pad while she's filming Giada at Home. However unsuccessful, i decided the closest I would get to eating her food is, well, never. Unless it came in a jar. Wait a second ...



Ta-da! For just $2.99 a pop, you can pretend she's cooking for you. Or better yet, WITH you. Fun times! I dug out my bag of frozen giant shrimp from Trader Joe's around $10 and my trusty Barilla thick spaghetti $1 and off I went!




My three le creuset babies going to work! I love them so much I use them for EVERYTHING! In the orange we got the water boiling the pasta, the blue has the shrimp sautéing with butter and garlic, and finally in the yellow I sweated an onion and sliced mushrooms before adding the magic Tomato and Basil Sauce. I like to cook the shrimp separately because I don't want them to overcook in the sauce and get all rubbery and gross.




When the shrimp were done (only takes a minute, when they are pink and curled) I took them out of the pan and used some of the tomato sauce to deglaze the bits of garlic and yummy shrimp juices and added it back to the yellow pot. I learned this in cooking class and I realized it really does make a difference in flavor!



Finished! Giada helped me with dinner, can't you tell? It's a shame I didn't have any Parmigiano-Reggiano in the fridge cause then it would really be a Giada masterpiece. Buon appetito!