Gluten-Free Girl by Shauna James Ahern

I finally read Gluten-Free girl by Shauna James Ahern. I thought I would enjoy the book, but it wasn't captivating. I was bored. It felt repetitive. And if you're looking for recipes, don't bother. (There are only a few.)

Don't get me wrong, I think she's a great writer. However, if you follow her blog already, this book will bore you. Parts of the book are cut/pasted from the blog. yes. I am being serious.

Bottom line:
If you're looking for recipes, stick to her blog.
If you're new to gluten-free girl, read the book to get to know her, then head to the blog for recipes.
If you already follow her blog, don't read the book.

P.S. I admire her as an individual--her positive spirit and creativity when it comes to adapting recipes to be gluten-free. She is also an amazing photographer and writer.

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table

I recently borrowed A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg (aka Orangette) from the library. It was a wonderful read that kept me company for a couple of days.

The book is filled with recipes and stories about how food shaped her life. I remember laughing, crying, and smiling as I read the book. The recipes are easy to follow.

Before I read the book, I didn't think the book was worth purchasing, which is why I borrowed it. But now, I want a copy of my own.

Bouchon, Las Vegas

Recently, I visited Vegas with the B/F and his friends. One of his friends picked all the places for our meals. His choices were awful. The restaurants were overpriced, had overcooked and overly seasoned dishes, and a whole slew of other horrible things that I can complain about, but I won't. Finally, on the last day that we would be in Vegas, we found Bouchon.

The sourdough waffles were to die for.

My BF enjoyed the Croque Madame.

A melon salad that was infused in some sort of herb.

Some real awesome cherry spread for the bread.

Little Skillet and Kingdom Cake

Who doesn't love a cheap place to grab lunch? Little Skillet opened awhile back and it caters to the lunch crowd so it closes by 3:30 PM. It's a small menu but the food is delicious and cheap. What more can a girl ask for?

Entrance and Order Window.

My favorite: Salads with fruits! It was a mixed greens salad with nectarines, blue cheese, and citrus dressing.

Chicken and Waffles with Syrup. The perfect combo.

The chicken and waffles were absolutely delicious. Chicken was hot, crispy, and not overly seasoned. The meat was moist and tender. The best part: it wasn't greasy at all! The waffles were toasty too! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.


Lunch was awesome, but dessert was lacking. I recently heard about this cupcake stall that was at the farmer's market. Since the BF and I were near the market, we decided to drop by. We picked 2 mini-cupcakes: red velvet and chocolate. They look cute, huh? However, the taste did not live up to their appearance. Frosting was overly sweet and the cake was too sweet and crumbly.

Looks can be deceiving.

Cup-a-Soup by Lipton

Oohh lala.. Check out the Box.

My mom saw this new instant noodle package, and bought it. It's called "Cup-a-Soup." Lame name, huh? There's not much to say about it, because it wasn't impressive. It lacked noodles, veggies, and it was crazy salty.

I do have a confession about the poor quality of the product...the tagline is to "kill the 3 P.M. craving." That's the only excuse "Cup-a-Soup" has for not having enough noodles in the package.

Noodles.

Check out the MSG and salt.

It needs more noodles!

It's so bad that I added my own veggies to improve the noodle/soup. Go go fresh onions and lettuce.

The extra additions: veggies.

Doesn't that look better?