IT'S MY BIRTHDAYYYYY

Ok so maybe it's been more like a birthday month considering I've been celebating with different groups of friends and family since the first week of month. But here is a recap of some birthday desserts I've had so far with of course more to follow this weekend when I celebrate 3 more times. Yeah, this particular birthday has been pretty awesome.

S'mores Sundae from the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop at the Grand California

Fried Banana Split Monte Cristo Sundae from the Carthay Circle Restaurant at CA Adventure

"Birthday Cake" at Seasons 52

I opted for the Chocolate Peanut Butter cake

And I leave you with a short birthday song, "This is your birthday song, it isn't very long..."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEE!!

Birthday Celebration #3

I'm off to Disneyland again but this time with my sister. I LOVE going with her because she basically let's me have my way for the whole day. Here is a breakdown of our usual schedule:

5:30 am - I wake up SUPER BEYOND excited
6:00 am - I give my sister her first wake up call
6:30 am - Last wake up call or no time for coffee until we get to the park
7:00 am - We leave for the park
7:30 am - Waiting in front of the gates for the park to open
8:00 am - 12 am  - RIDESSSSSSSSS
12 am - 1 am - perusing the shops on Main Street


Today's agenda: Must Check out the new candy store

And persuade my sister into buying this awesome tire hat for me. That's right. A TIRE HAT!

I'm Back!

It's been soooo long since my last post that I feel like I'm doing my very first post all over again. I still don't know the direction of this blog. My new job and schedule is much different now so I won't be able to cook as much but I will still very much focus on my love for chocolate, sweets, food, and Disneyland. So, if I still have any readers (I would like to give a special shoutout to The Management especially) please bear with me.

In the meantime, let's recap on my latest activities. Last Saturday, Cars Land at California Adventure had its grand opening and everyone was super excited considering it was 5 years in the making. I made sure to arrive at the park an hour early because I knew it was going to be packed. The vibe was pretty awesome because I was surrounded by hardcore Disney fans. 45 minutes before the park opened, people were chanting "Cars Land! Cars Land!"  and were doing the wave. And 10 seconds before the gates opened, people were counting down New Year's Eve style.

Despite getting to the park early, the major ride at Cars Land, Radiator Springs, already had a pretty long line. I think I waited for a total of 2 hours (40 min were due to technical difficulties). I heard that later in the day, the wait time increased to 5 hours! The rides awesome but not 5 hours awesome.

I also had to visit the Ghirardelli Chocolate and Soda Shop. LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! As soon as you enter the soda shop, you are greeted by a Disney employee who has a basket full of Ghirardelli chocolate samples. Not only do they give you samples, but the package is opened for you and pushed out about 1cm so all you have to do is eat. Now that is service!

The inside of shop is extremely detailed, beautiful, and breathtaking.

They also give you the option of buying 80 count bags of chocolate squares. YUM!

The menu was pretty extensive and I spent a lot of time deciding on what my first Ghirardelli treat would be. In the end, I found myself drawn to the Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Sundae.

I was only able to eat half because it was so sweet and rich but it was heavenly. It definitely surpassed my expectations.

I can't wait to go back to Cars Land and the Ghirardelli Chocolate and Soda Shop to go on more rides and eat more goodies. Luckily, I don't have to wait too long because I'm going again this Saturday for my birthday. =)

Ojai Trip Recap

My Ojai trip was pretty fun and adventurous. The hotel was kind of weird. It had a hostel meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre feeling to it. The overall vibe was kind of scary at first but it got better later on.



My first time eating chicken mole or any savory dish with chocolate. It was good!

One of four wine flights

The aftermath of 4 wine tastings: 9 new bottles at home.

My new Michael Kors babies purchased at Camarillo Outlet on the way home.

Aloha

So, today is my last day at work. I got a new job and I start on Monday. The problem is that my work hours will change and I'll be starting a lot earlier. This is a good and bad thing. It's a good thing because I'd rather start earlier and get off earlier. But it's a bad thing because I'll no longer have time to bake in the morning. Up until now, I have gotten up at 5 am to bake cookies, cupcakes, and brownies. But now, I'm not sure what my plans will be in terms of baking. I for sure won't be able to bake cupcakes anymore, which is a major bummer. This leads me to my second predicament. Since I won't be able to bake as much, I'm not sure how this will affect my blog since this is mainly a food blog. I'm either going to have to make adjustments to this blog or create a new one that incorporates other aspects of my like rather than primarily chocolate and sweets. I don't know. We'll see.
Moving on, this weekend will hopefully be a fun one. After work (crossing my fingers that my boss will let me out early), I'm meeting my sister in LA for dinner and then we're heading up to Ojai for some wine tasting and olive oil tasting. So, Aloha for now! =)

Cozy Cone Motel

June 15th is a big day for Disneyland and California Adventure because Matterhorn will FINALLY re-open after undergoing major rehab and Cars Land as well as the Carthay Circle Restaurant will both be making its official debut. I've already made two reservations for the Carthay Circle Restaurant so I can try both of their lunch and dinner menus. Countdown till June 16 and 23rd!! Another restaurant that I cannot wait to try is the Cozy Cone Motel, which is located in Cars Land.
According to the Disney blog, here are some of the dishes that will be featured on the menu:

Cone #1: Churro bites with cinnamon-chocolate sauce, regular or cinnamon-spiced hot cocoa, and Ramone’s Pear of Dice Soda (desert pear and mojito flavorings topped with Sprite).
Cone #2: Soft-serve ice cream and “route” beer floats.
Cone #3: Breakfast features the bacon scrambled egg cone and scrambled egg verde cone. Lunch and dinner is chili “cone” queso and a chicken verde cone. Sip one of Fillmore’s Fuelin’ Groovy Ades (all-natural lemonade with wild berry foam, or pomegranate limeade with lemon-lime foam).
Cone #4: Pretzel bites with cheesy sauce. To drink, Red’s Apple Freeze (100% frozen apple juice with Red’s special flavoring topped with a hint of toasted marshmallow flavor, and passion fruit-mango foam)
Cone #5: With two flavored popcorns daily, you might find salt and vinegar, pickle, bacon and cheddar, sweet and spicy or nacho cheese. Also serving Doc’s Wild Grape Tonic (Sprite with wild grape syrup and wild berry foam).


I think this one is cone # 1? Either way, it looks mighty tasty and I can't try all of the cone selections. 

Disneylandia

Random Disney Fun Fact for the Day

Despite the security systems installed in all Disneyland's attractions (and the monitors being watched by park employees hidden from view) couples will still try to have sex while on the "dark" rides (such as Pirates of the Caribbean or It's a Small World), apparently not realizing that the cameras are infrared and can pick up their every move. On occasion they are stopped with a warning over the speaker; other times, as they exit, they are met with applause from knowing cast members.