Baby Shower Labels

 This week we had a baby shower for one of the registered dietitians at work. The health educator, Susan, made the cutest labels to put on the mom-to-be's favorite chocolates. The theme for her baby's nursery is "jungle", so Susan found pastel animal graphics to put on the labels. I thought this was such a cute idea for an office baby shower, and so easy too!

xx,

Penelope Anne

Nic's Martini Lounge

I love cute lounges, especially when they offer a broad range of fruity drinks. We found a little gem in Beverly Hills a few months ago that not only offers ample "frou frou" drinks, but delectable desserts as well. (dark chocolate bon bons with coconut anyone?) It is called Nic's Martini Lounge, and we went there last week with Ben's brother and his girlfriend, who were visiting from Denver. But Nic's doesn't just offer you the standard cosmopolitan and chocolate torte, they have a vodka tasting room as well. Yup, that's right, vodka tasting! It is called the "Vodbox", and is basically a freezing cold room filled with any kind of vodka you could ever imagine. Before you go in, the boys dress in black fur coats and russian ushankas (fur hats), while the girls don leopard fur coats with white fur hats. It is really hysterical. Once you enter the Vodbox, you can taste any kind of vodka, from Russian Water to Acai Berry that tastes like gummi bears, to espresso, a rich dessert vodka with the warmth of an  afternoon cup of of this caffeine fix we all know and love. We had so much fun in the Vodbox, and each of us was able to personalize the tasting according to our preferences.  I learned a lot about how the taste of a certain vodka is dependent on where it is distilled, and vodka tastes best when it is at the perfect cool temperature. I would absolutely recommend this as a fun activity to do with friends, but pace yourself, you may come out a little tipsier than intended :)
xx,
Penelope Anne

All of us in the Vodbox

Poutine

Ben surprised me on Saturday night with a reservation at a quaint little French restaurant near our place. It is called Soleil, and appropriate to its name, has a sunny yellow awning outside. It was there that I tried Poutine, a French Canadian specialty that originated in Quebec. This dish that combines mild cheese curds, french fries, and a brown gravy. It sounds like a bit of a strange combination, but it was SO delicious!! I loved the way the gravy made the french fries just a little soft, and it felt like a whole meal. Soleil actually has a separate menu for Poutine, and offers it with various meats and other toppings, so you really could order it as a meal.

I also ordered Beef Bourguignon, another French dish, that is basically a stew with beef braised in red wine. If you have ever seen Julie and Julia, the character Julie spends the whole night making a perfect Beef Bourguignon, only to fall asleep while it is the oven causing her to burn it it (very cute movie). I definitely want to try cooking this at home. I was really impressed with Soleil, and it was really great to get a little taste of French cuisine in the middle of LA :)

xx,
Penelope Anne