Just Dance 4

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Impromptu dance party with Elli and her friends.

Today's post is by elli mulkey, age 11

Just Dance 4 is a fun, active, video game for the wii and play station. The game is for all ages. It's fun for party's, sleepovers, and just hanging out with friends. I really enjoyed playing it with my friends. You don't need to know how to dance, you just follow the people on the screen.

It is also a friendly competition. You try to follow the moves as best as you can to earn points. Who ever has the most points at the end of the game wins.

You can even make your own character and collect prizes for moving up levels. The prizes are new songs.

I LOVE dancing. So it's the perfect game for me. I've only played it a few times and I'm already on level 6. It is easy to work, and definitely a fun family game!

My recommendation is to buy it, then try it!  You can buy it here: Amazon or ToysRUs. It is available for the Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect, and PlayStation 3.

I gave it a try too. And, wow, what a workout. I think I found my new exercise program with the just sweat dance option.  Woo hoo!!

Miami Vice Cocktail

We just went from here....enjoying the pool, beach and beautiful views in Cabo San Lucas and delicious frozen cocktails like the Miami Vice. (Half Piña Colada half Strawberry Daiquiri and one hundred percent yum.)

To home......where we're getting ready for the first day of school. Which is of course exciting. But it means summer is over and we're back to our school routine - less freedom and fun. We'll need some date nights on the patio with home-made versions of the Miami Vice cocktail!!

Elli was a nervous chatter box in anticipation of her first day of middle school, which is today.

She lay in bed quizzing me on multiplication tables.

"Is eleven times eleven one hundred and twenty one?" she shouted from her room.

"Yes."

"Is eleven times twelve one hundred and thirty two?

"uh.....yes."

Did I cheat by looking up the answer on my iphone. Maybe.

"Yay! I'm doing math problems in my head!" she said.

"Mom, what's two divided by three?"

".6666"

"oh, okay."

"Good night, Elli." please stop quizzing me!! I'm starting to sweat.

What am I going to do when she starts quizzing me on algebra?

MIAMI VICE COCKTAIL RECIPE

Ingredients:
Bacardi 151 Rum
Master of Mixes Pina Colada Mix
Finest Call Strawberry Puree
Ice

Mixing the Drink:
Start with the piña colada. Put 1½ scoops of crushed ice in the blender. Add 2½ ounces of the 151 rum and 8 ounces of the piña colada mix. Blend for 30 seconds. Pour the blended liquid into a mixing glass or a large cup.

Next prepare the strawberry Daiquiri. Follow steps 1-4 again, replacing the piña colada with your strawberry daiquiri mix instead.

Presentation:
Pour the piña colada mix in the glass, followed by the strawberry daiquiri mix. Pour it very carefully and be sure that the red strawberry mix will not combine with the white piña colada mix, so you can form a horizontal design.

Enjoy!

Citizen Chef Meals: Easy and Tasty Thai Dish

Thai Sesame Stir Fry

I was sitting at my desk the other day thinking about what to cook for dinner when I got an email from a new food company here in Northern California called Citizen Chef.  It was like a little food angel reaching out to me.

The email went something like this:

Dear Kris,

According to a survey 93% of people say sharing a meal is the most important activity in connecting them with their family. So where do busy moms and dads find the time to stir up a quick, and healthy meal for family dinner?

Meet Citizen Chef, a recently launched San Francisco-based food startup focused on providing a solution for busy parents – by bringing healthy ingredients to families who are time strapped, on-the-go and want to share a home-cooked meal. Each meal “kit” includes fresh veggies and flavors that prepare a complete chef-inspired dinner in under 15 minutes.  

Any interest in testing out a meal?

uh, heck yes!!!

I printed the coupon and drove straight to Whole Foods.

My first thought was "hmmm this doesn't look like very much food.

The mister is a BIG eater." Then I read that you had to purchase the meat. It wasn't included in the kit. So much for a "FREE" meal. Nothing is ever free. What was I thinking?

I picked the Thai version and decided to prepare it with chicken, so I headed to the butcher to buy 2 chicken breasts.

The box says it's ready in 15 minutes. I'm happy to report that to be true!

The meal was fresh, tasty and just the right amount of food for three people - even for my big eater.

Now for the one negative: the price

The kit is $9.99 + meat

I'm not sure I would spend $9.99 for the kit. We shop at Trader Joe's all the time where we purchase great veggies, sauces and rice for less than $9.99, and it's enough for more than one meal.

On the positive side - it really doesn't get much easier or faster than this. So I'll definitely keep it in mind for those occasions when we're in a pinch - like back to school night.

And guess what? That's exactly what it's intended for.

So good job Citizen Chef. You did exactly what you set out to do.

As Jacques would say, "happy cooking!"

ps. Right now the meals are only available in Nor Cal Whole Foods. You can click on their website to see store list.

Cocktails at Aziza Restaurant in SF

We had the most amazing drinks and dinner with friends last night. We ventured into San Francisco and tried a Moroccan restaurant called Aziza. It's not like any Morrocan restaurant I've ever been to. No sitting on cushions on the floor. No eating with your hands. Chef Mourad Lahlou has taken traditional Moroccan dishes and reinvented them in ways that harmonize with the fresh, local, artisanal ingredients of Northern California. It was really impressive.

I'm not sure they were quite ready for three couples out on the town on a Wednesday night because all their kids were away at camp.

We started at the bar. We almost didn't make it to our table we were having so much fun.

The mixologists (bartenders) along with the owner have created a menu of cocktails using fresh ingredients, muddled herbs, vegetables and fruits, spices and of course the latest and greatest spirits. It was hard picking which drink to order.

We were all in awe of their skills behind the bar, and the flavors of these cocktails. We wanted to try them all.

Spices ready to go.

Vodka, cilantro, kaffir-lime

Sangria, lambrusco, citrus, blueberries

Vodka, dill, saffron, black pepper

Vodka, strawberry, fresno chili

Grapefruit, absinthe, bourbon

almond, hickory smoked salt air, anejo tequila

Have you tried any interesting cocktails lately? Do tell!

Oh, we did have dinner, too. It was amazing. But I didn't grab any pics. The most interesting and unique dish we had was the white gazpacho. And none of us could get enough of the home-made flatbread with the three spreads: chickpea, yogurt-dill, piquillo-almond. So flavorful and yummy. I really wanted a whole plate to myself.

And dessert? TO DIE FOR. They have an amazing pastry chef.

Aziza Restaurant and Bar
5800 Geary Boulevard
San Francisco, CA 94121
415-752-2222
info@aziza-sf.com