Let's Eat! Archives - Page 8 of 8

Let’s Eat!

It’s Comfort Food Time With Marie Callender’s Pot Pies & Cornucopia Salad!

December 22, 2014 / Food, Let's Eat!, Recipes

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EasyAsPotPie #CollectiveBias

I’m always excited when it starts to feel like winter outside! There’s just something about the cooler temperatures that gets me excited to pull out my winter sweaters and fuzzy socks and start cooking up comfort foods!

One of my favorite comfort foods are Marie Callender’s pot pies, specifically the chicken ones, which I actually grew up eating as a kid. They’re made with tender white-meat chicken, carrots, celery, and peas and prepared in a golden, flaky crust made from scratch, that tastes like homemade. Just writing about them makes me want one right now! The pot pies are also available in turkey, beef & a few different kinds of chicken flavors and are sold in a variety of sizes, to fit the needs of your own family. Although they’re available in Family Size, our family prefers the smaller individual ones. I think it has do with us each getting our own full crust!

As a busy mom, who’s always on the go, I appreciate a meal I can make for my family, that not only tastes good but is quick and easy to prepare. With our schedules, it’s sometimes hard to find very much “together time” at home. To prepare a Marie Callender’s pot pie, you just pop it into the oven. (They can be prepared in the microwave, too). While they’re cooking in the oven, I’m then able to spend some quality time in the kitchen with my daughter, making a side dish to complete the meal. My daughter loves to cook and bake so any time that we can carve out time to spend together in the kitchen is a plus. For me, it’s so important to make that connection with family.

One of our favorite side dishes is the “Cornucopia Salad“. This salad combines baby lettuce, green apple, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, feta cheese crumbles, and candied almonds. It’s tossed in a delicious olive oil-based dressing and just goes really well with just about any meal! It’s very simple to throw together too!

Ingredients for salad

6 cups lettuce of your choice, washed. (I sometimes use bagged lettuce to save time.)
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 11 ounce can mandarin oranges
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raw almonds, sliced
1/2 cup Feta cheese crumbles (blue cheese also works with this recipe)
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
3 tablespoons sugar
the juice from 1 lemon

Ingredients for dressing

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Candied Almond Preparation

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and almonds and put over medium heat.
Continue to stir the mixture every couple of minutes until the sugar starts to melt.
Once this happens, continue stirring evenly to sugar coat all of the almonds evenly and then transfer from the pan to some foil, allowing the almonds to cool down and solidify a little bit.

Dressing Preparation

Whisk together salt, pepper, sugar, and olive oil in a small bowl.
Finely chop up parsley and add to the mixture.
Set dressing aside and shake well before tossing onto Cornucopia Salad.

Salad Preparation

Add lettuce to salad bowl.
Cut and core apple and either cut into large apple slices or dice it up. Next, add to salad bowl. If you don’t plan on serving right away, squeeze lemon juice onto apple to prevent browning.
Drain mandarin oranges and add to salad.
Add dried cranberries, feta cheese crumbles, and candied almonds to the bowl and mix everything together.
Set salad aside until you’re ready to toss with dressing and serve.

For me, a Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie served with Cornucopia Salad IS the ultimate comfort meal that my family and I can all sit around the table and enjoy, as we chat about each others’ days. Family time together is the most important time!

This fall, Marie Callender’s launched the Comforts From Home Project, a program dedicated to bringing the heartwarming feelings, flavors, and favorites of home to those who miss it most…. those who protect America’s homes every day: the brave men and women of the U.S. Military. Every time you enter a code from a specially marked package of Marie Callender’s meals or desserts, Marie Callender’s will make a donation to USO2GO, a USO program that brings electronics, sports gear, books, games, and more to troops stationed in remote locations. Look for the code on participating products.

You can find Marie Callender’s pot pies in the frozen meals section of the grocery area in your local Walmart! Visit here to learn more about Marie Callender’s pot pies and here for more great recipes!

What’s YOUR family’s favorite comfort food to enjoy together?

I Took Down a Frank N’ Burger AND a Sundae of the Dead at Farrell’s!

October 18, 2014 / Food, Let's Eat!, Restaurant Reviews

(photo credit: Farrell’s)

I am not ashamed to say that I ventured over to Farrell’s (again) on a specific mission….to destroy the Frank ‘N’ Burger AND a Sundae of the Dead! Yep! I sought out support from my mini-me, Emi, and a had a little cheering on from some of our favorite Farrell’s peeps over at the Farrell’s in The Shops at Mission Viejo! (aka “My Mall”!)

The Frank N’ Burger is a limited time menu item that’s available at all participating Farrell’s locations right now through the end of October. Farrell’s describes it as “a culinary monstrosity thought up and stitched together by a demented scientist”! Well THAT’S an understatement!

*They say if you drink a Diet Coke with it, the calories get cancelled out…so I did!

The Frank ‘N’ Burger is made with a 1/2lb fresh Angus patty, two beef franks, 2 strips of bacon, a fried egg, American cheese, onion strings, jalapeños, Farrell’s sauce, and a Jacobs Ladder pickle on top! I think I’d agree that is was”terrifyingly delicious”!

Emi may have abandoned me on this one for her yummy Mac n’ Cheese from the kids menu, but I didn’t give up! Clearly we know who the brave and gutsy one of our duo is……ME!

After dinner, we had to stay brave for our ghoulishly good Sundae of the Dead. Made with 3 scoops of chocolate “haunted” crunch and vanilla ice cream, buried under oozing strawberry goo, hot “sludge”, with gummy worms squirming through a mound of whipped mud and Oreo® dirt and a big shiny cherry of doom on top, the Sundae of the Dead is one monster you’ll never want to run away from.

It’s as yummy as it looks! I don’t even know what else to say about it except that I want another one now!

I think the picture says it all, don’t you? Nailed it!

Every visit to Farrell’s is a fun experience! (and we’ve visited A LOT!) It’s people like “Max” who make it extra fun!

So…I think YOU should hurry over to Farrell’s and dare to try a Frank ‘N’ Burger and Sundae of the Dead for yourself. They’re only around for the month of October though so you might want to get there today! You can even make your reservations online before heading in so you can avoid the most terrifying thing of all… waiting in line!

Are YOU brave enough to try them? Or have you already? What is YOUR favorite Farrell’s location to visit?

Blaze Pizza is Now Open in The Shops at Mission Viejo!

August 1, 2014 / Food, Let's Eat!

I think I’ll start off this post with the dessert first! I like to do that!

This is the s’more pie at Blaze Pizza! It’s the perfect beginning (or ending if you’re traditional) to any meal! We have been waiting months for Blaze Pizza to open in our mall and had already previewed their menu online. That’s when I knew I was destined for this dessert. It’s quite a yummy s’more pie and they stick it next to the pizza oven so that it warms up just right, to where the marshmallow melts.

Blaze Pizza is a great addition to The Shops at Mission Viejo food court area. They label themselves as “Fast Fire’d” pizza but by no means are they a “traditional” fast food, food court option! So fresh and so yum!

Check out the crowd that came out to celebrate their grand opening!

Did I also mention that all of these people were waiting in line for their free pizza to celebrate the grand opening?

Their menu has quite a few salads and numerous options for pizzas. Each pizza is made-to-order as you let them know what you’d like. I like that they offer options for people with dietary restrictions. It’s sometimes difficult for families to find a restaurant to dine at together, when they have one or more family members with special dietary needs and/or food allergies. Check out their menu allergen Info here. No matter what your dietary needs, they’ve got your covered.

I am so happy that Blaze Pizza has finally opened up in “my mall”!

Welcome to The Shops at Mission Viejo, Blaze!

Connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter too!

Blue C Sushi in Newport Beach! Get There!

July 30, 2014 / Food, Let's Eat!, Restaurant Reviews

When my friend Melodi from Eat Drink OC called and invited me out for a night of fun at the newest location of Blue C Sushi in Newport Beach, I was quick to accept the invite! I LOVE sushi and I’d heard from a couple of other friends that I needed to check out Blue C. They offer kaiten sushi which translates as “go around sushi”. There’s a conveyor belt set up within reach of guests so they can then grab food to eatndirectly off of it at any time.

The decor of this place is so fun. The atmosphere is even more fun! When we walked in, I immediately spotted the magnetic wall. I KNEW it was somewhere I’d need to return with my daughter so she could draw pictures to put them on the magnetic wall. I’m guessing she’ll also probably end up playing with the wall magnets.

How fun do these giant magnets look ?

You can’t help but become almost instantly mesmerized by the conveyor belt and the colors of the plates! Each one has a description of what’s on the plate and its ingredients. There are even some plates with gluten-free and vegan options. The plates are color coded to tell you how each one is priced, which makes it very simple.

There’s also an extensive menu of drinks, appetizers, and other items, such as hand-rolled sushi made to order and some of the chef’s favorites. If you’re curious about the freshness of the items on the conveyor belt, Blue C Sushi actually uses an electronic sensor system on the revolving plates to monitor how long they’ve been rotating. They take pride in serving the freshest sushi, so you’ll never be served sushi that’s been on there longer than 45 minutes.

This is about as fresh as you can get for sushi! (We named him Sebastian the Shrimp!)

The chefs’ area in the center of the restaurant allows for the sushi chefs to monitor every table and interact with guests. If you’d like them to walk you through the chef’s offerings and specialty items, you can press the blue button. They’ll also address any of your ordering needs at that time.

We had the best time chatting with “Joe” that night. He’s one of Blue C’s main sushi chefs and I loved that he greeted each of us with a little gift, our own personal blue ninja. Joe likes to keep these ninjas on hand for the younger visitors, but on this particular occasion we were the exception to the rule.

He might be tiny but my ninja means business!

When we sat down at our table, I was immediately mesmerized by the conveyor belt and all of the food going by on it. Not only is there sushi on the conveyor belt, but I also spotted some fresh fruit, edamame and other appetizers, and even desserts pass by us!

Desserts passing me by on the conveyor belt! Come back, cupcake!

Our server, Matt, was so much fun! I think you HAVE TO BE fun to work at Blue C! He got each of us started with a cocktail.

Mine was a beautiful blue one in a martini glass!

Before I knew it, the eating began! All I know is we started with some Spicy Edamame and the rest was history!

We were so lucky to be able to try quite a few of Joe’s own personal creations. He took so much time to describe each one that he’d made for us and even whipped up a few of his own personal favorites. The sushi was so fresh and I felt like I couldn’t stop myself from gorging! I’m pretty sure I ate my weight in fish!

Joe came out and actually sat with us at our table for a little while. We chatted with him about his background in the food industry and he gave us a deeper insight into the history of Blue C Sushi. Not only is he great at what he does, he also seems very passionate about it. I think that’s really important.

These clams were so delicious! Chef Joe made them especially for us!

As if we weren’t already stuffed, Joe insisted we also have dessert! Good thing I have a “dessert compartment” from when I was younger that always allows me to have room for it! Dessert arrived at our table, an incredible tempura brownie with ice cream and some shaved! Whoa! We were ready to eat it but first I stopped to take a selfie with Chef Joe!

This tempura brownie was to die for! Seriously, you NEED to try one when you go there!

The shaved ice was served with fresh fruit and topped with coconut milk! It was really yummy!

We had such a great experience at Blue C Sushi! It was a lot of fun to really get to know the staff working that night and it felt like we had our own personal chef. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially families with kids.

If you end up going soon, could you please call and invite me though? I’m totally ready to go back!

To locate a Blue C Sushi near you, click here! Connect with Blue C Sushi on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Summertime Happy Hour at Islands: a Review and Giveaway

July 3, 2014 / Food, Let's Eat!

Disclosure: this is a sponsored post in collaboration with Islands. All thoughts are my own.

Islands is such a great family restaurant. Regardless of which location you visit, they always have a fun, kid-friendly environment with delicious food. My daughter loves to eat there and it’s one of the places we visit often, as a family.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a Summertime Happy Hour media preview with some of my social media friends. I jumped at the chance to spend time with the girls and have adult conversation while sampling some of the drinks and food that are available this summer at a special price during happy hour!

Spending some well-deserved girl time with @fieldtripmom to celebrate the beginning of summer! Cheers! — Spending some well-deserved girl time with @fieldtripmom to celebrate summer!

There were so many different delicious-looking drinks to sample. I just wasn’t sure where to start so I decided to try the Hapa Bourbon Tea first, which is made with Maker’s Mark, passion tea and fresh mint. Although I haven’t had many bourbon drinks before, this was really refreshing and didn’t *taste strong at all.

Next, I sampled the Makaha Maggie, which was made with handcrafted, infused tequila. Anything with pineapple is my weakness. The drink, itself, was like a vacation in a glass!

This is the pineapple infused tequila that Islands uses in the Makaha Maggie!

I munched on some chips, salsa and guacamole while trying a Spicy Mango Shandy, which is made with mango, Coors Light, and a dust of cayenne pepper for a kick. Fun fact: The Spicy Mango Shandy was created with the World Cup in mind!

Hanging out with @fieldtripmom, @cidstylefile, @mydisorganizedlife and @organizedisland. What a fun night! — Hanging out with @fieldtripmom, @cidstylefile, @mydisorganizedlife, @eatsukieat and @organizedisland. What a fun night!

All of the drinks from the Summertime Happy Hour that we tried, paired so well with the food. I decided to be brave and go straight for a Heat Wave burger! This is a seasonal menu item that’s been brought back by popular demand for the summer. The Heat Wave burger is topped with grilled Serrano and green chilies, pepper jack cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce and spicy mayo. If you love HOT, you’ll love this burger.

Don't let the glass of water fool you! The Heat Wave burger definitely earns its name! — Don’t let the glass of water fool you! The Heat Wave burger definitely earns its name!

We also got to sample the Beachside Sliders which are mini burgers topped with caramelized onions and ketchup, Island Reds and pickles, served on toasted buns. I am drawn towards things that are “mini” and these were no exception. I feel like you can eat more of something if it’s mini! Another “mini” option on their Summertime Happy Hour menu are the Hawaiian Sliders, which are a smaller version of the regular Hawaiian burger. These sliders are topped with fresh pineapple, teriyaki sauce, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, and swiss cheese. You can’t have a burger without some of Islands famous fresh-cut fries. I honestly can’t get enough of their fries, especially with ranch dressing to dip them in!

With so many great World Cup games to watch this summer and this awesome Summertime Happy Hour menu , you need to head over to an Islands to enjoy some of the stress relief they’re offering Monday through Friday from 3-7 pm and Sunday through Thursday from 9 pm-close!

Another reason to visit Islands this summer is so you can also enter to win weekly giveaways at each location. Weekly raffle winners will score a new beach towel, while each Islands location will end the summer by giving away a custom beach cruiser as the grand prize. Guests can enter to win a beach cruiser every time they visit an Islands location, and the winners will be selected during happy hour on Friday, Sept. 5.

I have even more good new though…you have ONE MORE lucky chance to win some Islands goodies right here on my blog!

Islands has generously provided me with a package to give to one lucky reader, which includes an Islands beach towel, a set of Islands grilling tools, and a $50 gift card for Islands Restaurants! Just enter on the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Farrell’s 5th Annual Charity Ice Cream Eating Challenge!

June 4, 2014 / Entertainment, Food, Let's Eat!

Farrell’s 5th Annual Splendiferously Superific Summer Spectacular Ice Cream Eating Challenge is almost here…and it’s going to be as ridiculous as ever! Did you know that 100% of the net proceeds from this event benefit CHOC Children’s and Make-A-Wish? How awesome is that? Do you see why I LOVE Farrell’s?
Beginning Friday June 20 through Sunday July 13, Farrell’s will be looking to qualify the fastest ice cream eaters to compete, head-to-head, at their Championship event, which will take place on Sunday July 20 in Downtown Brea. From June 20 through July 13, anyone with an appetite for fun and ice cream can walk into any of the seven California Farrell’s locations during normal business hours and to try and qualify! In order to qualify as one of the fastest, and be placed into one of the categories, guests must eat a “qualifying sundae”. Categories will include Men’s, Women’s, Kid’s, Big and Small (one adult and one child), 4-Person Teams and Professionals. Amateur guests can qualify by eating a 3-scoop ice cream sundae as fast as they can. Professionals may qualify by eating a 6-scoop sundae called the Pig’s Trough.

Professionals can qualify by eating one of these 6-scoop sundaes called the Pig Trough!
(Photo: courtesy of Farrell’s)

All sundaes include chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream, hot fudge, pineapple and strawberry toppings and are then covered with Farrell’s freshly made whipped cream. The cost for amateurs to attempt to qualify is $20, for all categories, and $40 for professionals. Each entrant will receive a limited edition event t-shirt, a $5 coupon for a future visit to Farrell’s and the qualifying sundae. Remember: 100% of the net proceeds from this event benefit CHOC Children’s and Make-A-Wish!
Farrell’s will invite the top qualifiers to their Championship event in Brea on July 20! Farrell’s will actually close down Birch Street in Downtown Brea, in front of their Farrell’s location. The Championship event is an all day family festival and will take place from 11am until 5pm. There will be lots of rides (courtesy of Carnival Services), games, prizes, raffles, food, booths, music, and more!

How fun does last year’s event look, especially when you’ve got Max rockin’ the mic!
(Photo: courtesy of Farrell’s)

This guy looks like he’s still hungry!
(Photo: Courtesy of Farrell’s)

She’s powering through it!
(Photo: courtesy of Farrell’s)

At the Championship event, the Men, Women, Kids, and Big and Small categories all compete to be the first to finish a Farrell’s famous Pig’s Trough that has 6-scoops of ice cream and all the toppings. The 4-person team and each individual professional are going to attempt to finish a Farrell’s Famous Zoo sundae, which is 30 scoops of ice cream with all the toppings.

If you enter in the Big and Small category, you can use teamwork to win it all!
(Photo: courtesy of Farrell’s!)

Yikes!
(Photo: courtesy of Farrell’s)

Winners from each category will win a trophy and a year of free Farrell’s ice cream. 1st place in the Professional category also wins $300, 2nd place wins $200 and 3rd place walks away with $100.

One of last year’s winners!
(Photo: Courtesy of Farrell’s!)

Farrell’s also has an option for those that just don’t have the stomach to pound ice cream as fast as they can, but still want to participate in all the qualifying fun. During the qualifying period, June 20 to July 13, guests can get the event shirt, the ice cream “qualifying sundae’ to eat, along with a $5 coupon, all for the same $20, but they just won’t be timed. All YOU need to do is let your Farrell’s server know. Qualifying Farrell’s locations include Brea, Buena Park, Mission Viejo, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, Sacramento, and Santa Clarita. Complete details and rules can be found at Farrell’s website, FarrellsUSA.com/Challenge.

So who wants to win a year of free ice cream?

I think Emi and I are going to attempt to qualify for a category!

Don’t worry..I’ll post pictures, when we do attempt it!

The Time Farrell’s SAVED My Daughter’s Birthday Party AND My Sanity

May 5, 2014 / Celebrations, Family Fun, Food, Let's Eat!, Lifestyle, Orange County

Here’s the back story:
In case you didn’t know or hadn’t guessed, I’m the kind of mom who LOVES to throw a house party every year for my daughter’s birthday! I love to plan all of the details, far in advance, utilize Pinterest a ton throughout the entire planning period, seek out unique things to incorporate into the party and find vendors who are amazing but haven’t been very well known (yet). From the invitations to the coordinating printables to the custom cookies and the favors, I love all of it!
I don’t know what happened this year? I started out with a fun theme in mind for Emily’s 9th birthday, even had a few amazing ideas in my “party notebook” during the first few months of planning. What happened after that was just a series of hurdles followed by some awful events. The week prior to Emi’s birthday was the MOST challenging for me! Some of the obstacles I attempted to overcome included: a water leak in our ceiling, construction of that area, a majorly unexpected auto repair, a district walk through at my workplace, a heat wave paired with Santa Ana winds, a lady who was coming to do a little spa for the girls backing out, my inability to book someone new to come and do the party and probably the worst thing…..my daughter learning 3 days before her party that the cheer program she’d been in for almost 4 years, with the same coaches, was going to cease to exist as she’d known it! Yep, I had to inform her as I picked her up from school that day and then rush her to try out someplace new with some of her friends, all of which had bloodshot red eyes from crying! I cannot describe how horrible it felt to watch her become uncontrollably emotional and pretty much cry her little eyes out for the two days leading up to her party!
Needless to say, by Thursday, I knew I had to make a Plan B for WHAT I was going to do to modify this party I was having the next day, with 13 little girls, since I’d had ZERO time to get things ready while dealing with all of the previous.

Friday, May 2nd
I woke up at 3:45 a.m. and sat straight up in bed, suddenly wide awake. It was the day of Emily’s party. A thought came to mind…Farrell’s! We are HUGE Farrell’s lovers and there’s one very close to our home inside The Shops at Mission Viejo. I went online just to look at the kids menu and saw that there was any area to make a reservation online. I assumed it would only take a reservation for small parties but sure enough, when I entered my date, time and number in our party (13 kids and 3 adults) it took my reservation! I think I let out a big sigh of relief at that point. I think I knew right then, at 4 a.m., that everything was going to be OK.

I remember taking a picture of my laptop screen after I made my online reservation at 4 a.m. because I so overjoyed!

We’ve been to Farrell’s a couple of different times over the past few months, including the amazing grand opening at their newest Buena Park location AND Barbie’s birthday celebration at The Shops at Mission Viejo. I don’t think it’s possible to visit a Farrell’s without having an amazing time! Each of their locations exudes a crazy amount of positive energy and the food and nostalgia are something extra special for me that remind me of my own childhood .
I actually called Farrell’s around 10 a.m. that morning, just to double check with the manager on duty that they’d gotten my online reservation and that it was going to work out for a party our size. I spoke with “Steven” and he was so helpful on the phone and he confirmed that he did have my reservation. He asked me a few questions about our party and we decided together that our party would best be seated up front, in the area closest to the ice cream bar. It’s the location where you get the most drum action and that’s a biggie, right? Steven then reviewed the staff scheduled to work that evening and let me know that he’d be having “Michael” as our server, reassuring me that we’d be in good hands. This literally brightened up my day and I hung up smiling.
When I picked up Emily from school that day and told her about the slight change in our party plans, she had a huge smile on her face! She thinks she’s this big Farrell’s VIP because she’s hung with the best of the Farrell’s peeps at some of their different locations! In her world, this party would just be one more event that she could add to her Farrell’s repertoire!
Upon our arrival, it was such a pleasure to meet the manager on duty, Steven. He greeted us at the front desk and made Emily feel special, mentioning that he already knew it was her birthday and giving her a special birthday sticker to wear! He had mustache stickers and menus for all of the girls to color and led us to our table, which was already set up. Steven was so considerate that he even sat the 3 adults at our own table, separate from the table of 13 screaming girls! It was like the reverse of having “a kids table”!

Our server, Michael, came right over to the girls’ table and was ready to get the party started! He was so patient with all of them. I don’t know HOW he had the patience to deal with the craziness of 13 screaming 9 year olds but I can confirm that the guy was like an instant hit with the girls! (obviously)

I can’t even say enough good things about our server, Michael!

I need to point out something else that amazed me about our server…his knowledge of the Farrell’s menu. I’m not talking about their regular menu…I mean the fact that when we informed him about one of the girls who is “gluten-free”, he turned to us and said, “you don’t have to worry, I have A LOT of knowledge about this and I will take care of her!” He then went and grabbed one of their gluten-free menus and helped her with her special order. I think that was the point he definitely won the 2 moms over in our party! (Farrell’s also offers a “nut allergy” and “egg allergy” menu for guests)

Farrell’s has a gluten free menu!

They also have “nut allergy” and “egg allergy” items!

Michael kept the Shirley Temples and strawberry lemonades flowing at the girls’ table! I must’ve apologized to him about 100 times for all of the screaming and craziness coming from their table and he just kept telling me NOT to apologize and let me know that he works with kids like this every day and enjoys it! Ha! And here I was thinking I was the crazy one!

As if the girls weren’t already excited just to be hanging out,

they let out some extra noise when dinner arrived table side.

The Kids Mac and Cheese seemed to be a big hit at our table!

I ordered the Grown Up Grilled Cheese!

Dinner was a success and we ready to move onto the best part of all! The girls knew what would come next…a special birthday sundae, a special birthday song and a whole lotta drum….. all in honor of Emily’s 9th birthday!

The singing hadn’t even started and she was already blushing!

This video can give you a good idea of what it’s like to celebrate your birthday at Farrell’s! (I think Emi was trying to hide)

And then they all dug into their own kid sundaes! Mmm!

The kids sundaes are a good size and so yummy!

By this point I was so relieved and so pleased at how everything had worked out. It wasn’t just a birthday meal out but a total celebration and all because of everything that Farrell’s has to offer in its dining experience. I just have to say “Thank you, Farrell’s!” not only for saving my daughter’s birthday party this year, but for also saving my sanity! We will be back soon!

The girls had so much fun at Emily’s birthday celebration at Farrell’s!

For more information about Farrell’s and to check out their regular menu, as well as information about parties, click here.

Fun at the Newest Farrell’s in Buena Park!

February 26, 2014 / Food, Let's Eat!

We were so excited to attend a pre-opening VIP event last weekend at the new Farrell’s in Buena Park. It actually didn’t feel like we even went to a restaurant, it was more like this giant party with 200 of our newest friends, that just kept on going!
Upon our arrival in the parking lot, the girls immediately spotted the Medevial Times mobile and insisted on posing for a picture with it! (Little did they know, they’d soon meet the actual knights inside the restaurant!)

I love the location of this newest Farrell’s because it’s very close to so many of the family attractions that the city of Buena Park has to offer, including Knott’s Berry Farm and Medevial Times. After checking in with the Farrell’s hostess, we were greeted by Alesha from Medevial Times. She had a promotional table set up and was handing out Medevial Times swag and coupons for the attraction. Alesha really interacted with my girls and even visited our table a few times, once we were seated.

Two of the Medevial Times’ Knights were walking around inside the restaurant, passing out t-shirts and crowns and helping the Farrell’s crew deliver some of the exciting desserts that require a whole lot of singing and hoopla! The girls REALLY wanted to order The Zoo, which is one of those desserts, JUST so they could have it delivered by the knights, but we also knew there was NO WAY that the four of us could finish a dessert that had like 1000 scoops of ice cream!
The energy of the entire staff at Farrell’s was amazing and it was something you could feel right when you walked in the front door! I think this is why it felt like we were at a party. While you’re at your table, you are constantly being invited to participate in songs and clapping and although it does seem like there’s non-stop drum banging occurring throughout your entire visit (because there is), you’re so busy having fun that you don’t seem to mind it nor the fact that your child or children are NOT sitting quietly at your table and that’s OK under these circumstances!

We started off with Farrell’s Ooey Gooey Cheese Sticks as an appetizer. For lunch, I ordered the Fabulous French Dip sandwich and the girls all ordered the sliders off of the children’s menu. There was even an option to upgrade the regular fries to chili cheese fries, so of course they hopped on that opportunity right away! We were careful NOT to eat too much regular food since we were ultimately trying to save room for some of their infamously crazy-good desserts!

Farrell’s isn’t just a fun family restaurant, it’s a total entertainment package, something that you don’t get at typical restaurant. This was apparent after just a few of the talented and energetic crew spent some time at our table, amusing the girls. First, “Max” stopped by our table, and the girls immediately spotted one of the buttons he was wearing which had a pickle on it. He then explained to me that the button was actually Mr. Bob Farrell’s original motto.

I think the girls took that as their cue to not only start asking him for pickles every time he passed by our table, but also to nickname him “Mr. Pickles“! Not long after that, we came to learn that “Mr. Pickles” was actually half of an infamous entertainment duo that you can probably meet at just about any Farrell’s community event, and at a future Farrell’s openings. The other half of the duo was nicknamed “Mr. Jake” by the girls. Jake is best known as “The Purveyor of Good Times” in the Farrell’s world. These 2 guys were so good with my girls, brought them stickers, pickles and took boatloads of pics with them. I think the girls instantly became lifelong fans after spending about 5 minutes with this duo!

The girls were extremely impressed when they got to witness an epic ice cream eating contest between the Medevial Times knights and the team of “Mr. Pickles” and “Mr. Jake“. Each team took a very different approach to how they were going to beat out the other one. While the knights continued mowing through their trough, the Farrell’s duo actually utilized glasses of water to wash it down, while stirring the ice cream and making it more liquid. I couldn’t actually watch for very long, but the fact that “Mr. Jake” did it all with a camera headband on is even more hilarious! I’m kinda wondering where THAT video footage is?

When it came time for our own desserts, we decided to share an order of the “Ice Cream Nachos” (yep, they exist) and a “Banana Split” and yep…our desserts were accompanied by drumbeats and a song! Both of these desserts were giant and yummy! I jokingly told the girls, who are all competitive cheerleaders, that if this had been one of their cheer competitions, that they would’ve placed first! (I may have helped them a little bit)

Everything about Farrell’s is so nostalgic. Their menus are printed on newsprint and you actually can take them home with you. The drinks are served in (plastic) vintage Coca-Cola glasses and there are little American flags stuck into just about every appetizer, burger and dessert. The decor is mostly black and white, with touches of red here and there and each table has an old-fashioned stained glass lamp hanging above it. The servers wear uniforms adorned with armbands and these adorable straw hats that are available for purchase in their shop.

Each Farrell’s location features a shop where you can buy logo merchandise and choose from a HUGE variety of old-fashioned candies. The shop also has a ton of other fun trinkets available, including Farrell’s mustaches.

My daughter and her entourage just didn’t want to leave the place! I don’t think we were there any less than 3 hours! After they spent time getting their posters autographed by their staff favorites, and taking MORE pictures with them, it was finally time to say goodbye!

Whether you remember Farrell’s from its way-back-when original locations, or you are just learning about it now, it’s something you need to experience just once! Emi hasn’t stopped talking about it since the other day and is just begging to go back again. It was THAT much fun!
Farrell’s in Buena Park is NOW OPEN!
650 Beach Blvd.
Buena Park, CA 90620
Phone # (714) 484-9700

We Love Casey’s Cupcakes!

December 26, 2013 / Food, Let's Eat!

I absolutely LOVE anything pink! One of my main nicknames is actually “Pinky”! The first time I Casey’s Cupcakes boutique, I was in awe of all the details. With so many cupcake stores open in Orange County and so much competition, it really takes something special to stand out above the others. If you’ve spent any amount of time in a Casey’s Cupcakes boutique, like maybe to enjoy one of her cupcakes and a coffee, you can also watch the episode of “Cupcake Wars” that she was on and that she won! Yep, not only is she adorable, but she can bake….and bake under some major pressure!

Recently, Casey’s hosted a photo contest on Instagram. I didn’t NEED an excuse to go into her Fashion Island store and enjoy a Confetti Cupcake, but if I had needed one, this was it! The store looked extra beautiful because it was all decorated for Christmas! Although there were so many cupcakes to choose from, including her Flavor of the Month: Glamorous Gingerbread, but Emi and I are still always drawn to the Casey Confetti Cupcake. This cupcake is so yummy, I swear I could eat two in one sitting, all by myself! I’m not even sure if I like the frosting or the actual cupcake more? Both parts are amazing! Before I let Emi sit down to enjoy her cupcake, I had to snap a couple pics of her in front of the adorable Casey’s Christmas tree!

I think this expression on Emi’s face says it all!

This is definitely our favorite cupcake of them all….Casey’s Confetti Cupcake!

So…imagine our excitement when we found out that we’d won FIRST PLACE in the photo contest! I told Emi that we’d split the prize package, since it was her photo that won the contest, but it was me that submitted the picture. Emi actually negotiated with me that I also get her one of the Casey dolls. I thought it was a fair deal! We returned back to the Fashion Island store to pick up the prize package on Christmas Eve,wearing our matching hot pink jackets! You have to DRESS the part, right?

As if we hadn’t already loved Casey’s Cupcakes already, now we’re even bigger fans! If you haven’t visited one of her 5 locations, you need to get yourself to one soon! She also offers packages for “Decorate Your Own Cupcake Parties“ and a very special “Tea Party and Tiaras“ exclusively at the Woodbury location, which is something that Emi is hoping to do next! Have you visited a Casey’s Cupcakes location yet? If so, what was your favorite cupcake flavor?