Artist Trading Cards

Hi Everyone,

    For two weeks, in my spare time, I was drawing up some cards for a fun little project on Tumblr called Artist Trading Cards. I pretty much just doodled what ever came to mind. it was really fun to do and I'll definitely be participating again in the future. All of my cards are traditional hand drawn on card stock paper and colored with Copic markers and color pencils; plus washi tape for added decoration. 

    If you're interest in participating, here's the link to the page with info about the project.

Thanks For Reading!

Art Festival / Sunday Funday

Hi Everyone,
    Today I woke up to the sound of food trucks parking outside my front door! Not only is it Father's Day but it's also the Beekman Street Art Fair! As an artist myself, I was super excited. If you don't know, Beekman Street is Saratoga Springs art district. Vendors of different crafts came out to show and sell their creations. My husband had to work today, sadly, so it was just myself. But he did eat at the food trucks with me before he had to take off; I got him some more treats and put them in the fridge for later.
    I took some pictures and got to talk with many different artists. All artists shown are credited. 

Let's Start with the food! 

My neighbor Ralph owns this cute little vintage truck. That's his son in the truck.

    Grasso's Italian Ices has been around since the 1930's and was started by my neighbor's father Ralph Sr. The Ices served on the truck today is still the same recipe and it's served from the same little truck. It kinda takes you back in time. Today the truck is operated by Ralph Jr's son, Ralph 3rd, and his granddaughter Sophia. I got a lemon and a strawberry ice.

Original American burger slider

Chicken onion buffalo ranch slider

    I'm a sucker for a good burger and little burger sliders make me hungry just thinking about it. I don't eat cheese but today I lived a little; special occasions call for indulgence. Both of these burgers were ordered from the Slidin' Dirty food truck(link). We enjoyed these with smoothies.

Sticky Bun

     I had to get a toasted, sweet sticky bun from Eat Good Food; a new food truck that just recently started. It came with some extra butter on the side and walnuts on top.

Cronut and a classic cannoli 

    I've never heard of a Cronut until today. What it is, is a croissant and a donut in one; A donut shaped croissant. I got mine with raspberry jam and it was so delicious! Almost like a jelly donut. It has a little bit of saltiness from the croissant dough. 

Knitting Nellie. Plush toys.

   I saw this booth and immediately had to get one of these plush toys! Just look at them. They are super adorable and they are all unique; no two are the same. There are turtles, elephants, both lady and gentlemen gnomes, and owls. I took a long time to decide. It was between either the turtle or elephant. I choose an elephant. I really wish I could have bought another one. Maybe next time. Thanks again Knitting Nellie! I hope you see this post. If you want a cute plush of your own, here's a link to her Etsy Shop.

My sweet little elephant plush

    I also bought 3 of these really delicate wooden ornaments. One is for myself and the other two are gifts. These were made by Barbara Boughton, she doesn't have a website but has an email.

This beautiful handmade wooden snowflake/star 

This is how close I was to the food trucks! That's my front door!

    If I had anything to sell I could have set up shop on my front porch. 

    That was my Sunday Funday. I had a really great time and it was fun getting out of the house for a few hours. Seeing all the crafts inspired me and hopefully one day I'll sell some of my own creations at a fair. But for now I'm gonna snag some food from the trucks before they're gone!

Thanks For Reading!

Saturday Ethnic Food Paradise

Hi Everyone,
    As a native of Southern California I'm used to having really good ethnic food. Here on the east coast it's really hard to find decent Mexican food, that isn't tex-mex; and that alone can make any Californian go crazy! Well, I did some research and found myself a little Mexican market in Albany, NY. It's literally called the Mexican Market.

To start we ordered a chicken tamale. It was wrapped in a banana leaf. 

My food. I got 3 Carnitas(shredded pork) tacos. They were so delicious!! 

My Husband ordered the tongue burrito. Delicious and massive!

Here is their menu. Already thinking about what I want to try next time!

Of course I had to get my Mexican candy fix. They had a lot more but these are my favorites.

     If your in the Albany area next time and want some good food, stop at this place! If your a SoCal native living on the east side and haven't had a good taco in ages, stop here and you won't be disappointed. It's a little hole in the wall but don't let that scare you. Grab some chili watermelon candy or a Jarritos soda on your way out.

   After our pleasant experience at the Mexican Market, and with full happy bellies, we went to our favorite Asian Market to get some groceries for our second meal of the day: PHO! My husband is Thai and he makes Pho almost every month. If you don't know what Pho is, it's a beef noodle soup and it really delicious!

Giant Eggplant

Bitter Melon. It's really good in stir fry.

Giant carrots and Daikon. Two of my favorite vegetables :)

Asian snacks. They had a whole isle, both sides, filled with snacks.

Milky Chocolate is always so cute

We bought some Japanese beer

I finally got myself a Durian fruit. I've been dying to eat a fresh one. It might have a funky smell but it's delicious.  

Some more alcohol. Plum wine is sweet and very concentrated. I think it would go well with dessert.

My little treats from the Asian market. Meiji brand dark chocolate and mango Hi-Chew.

 Finally, we got back home and ate Pho. Delicious beef, noodles, meat balls, onions and cilantro swimming in a big bowl of beef broth. Some Sriracha, hoisen sauce and fish sauce to add more flavor to an already perfect day. I'm in ethnic food heaven.

Pho. 

Thanks For Reading!

Recipe #3: Sloppy Joe Sandwich made from Scratch!

Hi Everyone,
    I think the sloppy joe sandwich is just as American as the burger, and I know I've eaten a lot of these sandwiches as a kid. Most people buy the mix from a can at the grocery store but you can make it from scratch at home! It's really simple; I think it's better than the canned sauce and is more rewarding. Because you decide what goes in it, you can customize the recipe. This can be made in minutes, and is a fast and tasty dinner.

Here are the ingredients that you'll need: 

• 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
• 1 cup of Ketchup
• BBQ sauce
• 1 heaping spoon of Tomato paste
• Half of a green bell pepper 
• Garlic powder

    First, take the ground beef and place it in a large sauce pan with a little bit of oil. Brown the meat until all of it has crumbled and pinkness is gone.

 Turn off the stove and drain what little liquid had come out. Return to stove, set the burner on medium, add the garlic powder and your chopped green bell pepper. 

Mix well. Now add in the tomato paste and ketchup. Set the burner on low.

Mix well again, then add the BBQ sauce; about half a cup.

Check the meat mixture for flavor and add more ketchup or BBQ sauce until desired taste has been achieved. 

And now you're done!

True to it's name. This sandwich is sloppy!

Add cheese and this messy sandwich becomes even more gooey and delicious.

Hope you Enjoy and Thanks For Reading!