Free Flight in Del Mar, CA

I have to say, this was a pretty cool little place just down the street from the Del Mar Fairgrounds.  It's tucked away back into this weird shopping center, but Free Flight is a really neat exotic bird sanctuary that let's you get up close and personal with (mostly) friendly birds.  The friendliest birds are out on perches and can be pet and fed with fruits if you want to buy some from the staff (I recommend it). 

One caveat: the staff are not going to babysit you, so if you don't have any experience with birds, they're not going to watch and keep you from getting bitten.  However, there are plenty of bird enthusiasts who come by to hang out with their favorite birds and are usually happy to answer questions. 

There's also a cool Koi fish pond to boot.

Definitely a pretty neat little place to spend an hour or two when in Del Mar.

See more reviews at TripAdvisor here.

All Quiet on the Western Front...

There's actually been a lot going on here (in all ways crafty, foody, and crochet-y?), but very little blogging (as I am sure you can plainly see).  I've been working on processing some pictures for a little local photography contest.

In the mean time, enjoy this hilarious video.  I love the roly-poly crocodile the most, I think.

via Enpundit

Udon noodle soup with tofu and mushrooms

Ooh, this was super yummy, and I've had this bookmarked for a while as a slight change to tofu stir-fry everything.  Every time I look at Snixy Kitchen, I want to make everything she posts.

I actually adjusted this recipe as a blend between two Snixy Kitchen recipes, the miso udon noodles with tofu and the beef with udon noodle soup.

Did you know miso = soybean paste? A little bit of prior internet research probably could have kept us from wandering the aisles of 99 Ranch for a solid 20 minutes. 

P.S. See my guilty lunch time pleasure in the background? I usually try to hack away at the NY Times crosswords during the week.



Udon noodle soup with tofu and mushrooms
Adapted from Snixy Kitchen
Serves 3-4

1 lb. of tofu, rinsed and pressed between two plates to dry.
5 baby bok choy, coarsely chopped
10 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 package of dry udon noodles
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tsp togarashi
2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for frying tofu
1 quart chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut tofu into ½ to 1-inch pieces.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a medium cast-iron skillet. Add tofu in batches and cook, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes, until crispy and browned. Use tongs to flip the tofu and cook on the other side for an additional 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel and set aside.
Heat some oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the bok choy and stir to coat, cooking for about a minute. Cover and cook for two more minutes. Cook covered for an additional minute.
In the same pot, heat more oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook in the same way as the bok choy. Transfer to the bok choy bowl and set aside.
Mix miso paste, 2 tablespoons olive oil, togarashi, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Add mushrooms, baby bok choy, and chicken broth to a large pot. Simmer for a few minutes and add sauce to broth. Bring to a boil, add noodles, and cook udon noodles according to package.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Split the noodles and soup among bowls.
Distribute the tofu among the bowls and serve.

Quatuor Modigliani

Everyone thinks they're too cool for classical music, but these guys are too cool for you.  Seriously, I'm so glad we investigated these free tickets.  And even though they sat us in the very back row (that's why I was able to be a sneaky sneak and snap this photo), it was so amazing.  I was seriously enchanted by one of their pieces, I sat forward in my chair, and I could have cried.  It was that moving.

If you ever get the chance to see Quatuor Modigliani live, I would highly recommend it.  Even if classical music isn't really "your thing".  They're very young and fresh, this is not like going to see a bunch of old guys with gray hair.

Ear candy and eye candy, right?

Avocado Pasta

I think I saw this first on A Cup of Jo, and I think it's pretty good.  This recipe comes from the Blissful B Blog, and at first, it seems like too much work.  (Really, you want me to blend a bunch of things together? Not going to happen.) As written, I think it would make a really good dish, but the shortcuts we took still made a pretty tasty dinner.  We sauteed some shrimp with pressed garlic to add some protein to the dish.  Instead of blending, just cook the spinach by itself and add it all together with the pasta and shrimp, and toss with mashed up avocado.  Not as green as the original dish, but really good and creamy!

Ground Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers

OK, I was totally drawn in by the pretty colors. And that's how I came to buy a bunch of bell peppers at 99 Ranch even though I had no concrete plans for them.  We made these a la Heat Oven to 350 but subbed ground beef for ground turkey because that was in the freezer.

The best part might have been the generous handful of melted Vermont Cheddar on top, yum!

The Vite Cowl

My first finished KNIT object!

I've been looking for the perfect knitted scarf pattern, and even though I had to learn like 6(!) new stitches to make this cowl the first time, it comes together so easily and beautifully.  There's enough interesting texture to the pattern without using cables, which I don't have the ability or equipment to do.  This is the Vite Cowl by Kristi Johnson, and I was so enamored with the lovely teal cowl made in the example that I had to make one (or two).

This fuschia one is made out of one skein of Loops & Threads Charisma yarn.  The yarn is wonderfully soft and fluffy for being 100% acrylic.  I didn't bother to block it since I don't have blocking pins and mats and things, and I've been told that acrylic doesn't take to blocking well.  I made it on some huge circular needles so it was very loose which made it actually long and stretchy enough to use just one skein for the cowl.

Can you see the lovely leaf pattern?


I actually also made a second one of these in this beautiful mossy green 50% wool from the Lion Brand Cozy Wool line - I used about 1 and a half skeins.  I made it for my friend for her birthday way back in November (and actually got it to her on time!).  I was tempted to pick out some yellow shade of yarn, her favorite color, for this scarf, but I love a good green with gorgeous strawberry blonde hair.

Funny story, I'm like the world's worst gifter.  I usually promise to make things for some gift-giving occasion but then fail to produce the thing until 3-6 months later.  For this scarf, I was supposed to meet up with my friend for lunch, and I was seaming the ends together and weaving in tails when I was supposed to be leaving!  Of course, this means that I failed to get a single picture of that lovely cowl :(