Category Archives: friends

“Home Sweet Home” at the Orange County Fair

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The rides, the food, the exhibits, the animals, the shows! There is something for everyone at the fair and it is one of my favorite summertime hang-out spots to enjoy some good food, good company of friends and family, and some top-notch entertainment or a lazy summer afternoon of wandering around the exhibits, rides, games, or just sitting back and taking it all in.  This is the last week of the fair, so if you have not already had the chance to go, then make sure you head down there by Sunday August 12th!!

Here are some of my favorite things about the OC County Fair:

1. The FOOD!! You cannot go to the fair and NOT have any of the spectacular food options they have. Ranging from the healthy to the not-so healthy, whatever you fancy, I can guarantee you will find something delicious! Fresh Berries. Roasted Corn on the Cob. Deep-fried. Wrapped in Bacon. On-a-stick. Battered. Breaded. Dipped in chocolate. Eating at the Fair is a unique experience. 😉

Two of my favorite things!! Chocolate and STRAWBERRIES!!

I ended up getting a basket of  nice ripe, juicy berries and a chocolate covered strawberry!! YUM!

Bacon Wrapped… everything… I just love this sign.

Fresh Roasted Corn

OMG this was amazing!! Pulled-Pork Waffle Sandwich!! Totally curbed my craving for a funnel cake for dessert! So I ended up getting a chocolate dipped vanilla cone instead. I WILL get my funnel cake fix at the LA County Fair next month! 😉

My Dipped Cone… notice I still managed to get my funnel cake in the picture as well…. 😉

2. The ANIMALS! I’m sure you all know by now that I am a HUGE animal lover. I’m a sucker for a cute critter. The Centennial Farm and Petting Zoos are both great places to make some new four-legged friends.

3. The ENTERTAINMENT! As if the super adorable animals were not enough, since I could easily stay all day just visiting and making friends with them, the fair has endless opportunities for some breath-taking, action packed entertainment. One of my favorites since I was a young child, is the Peking Acrobats. I have to watch them whenever I make it out to the OC Fair!

4. The RIDES! What’s the fair without some exhilarating rides with some of the best views around of Orange County?

Some of the amazing views you will find when you catch a ride on the Sky Ride at night! Just DON’T look down below if you are afraid of heights! 😉

The La Grand Farris Wheel

View from atop the Ferris Wheel

5. FACE PAINTING!! If you didn’t notice already, my friends and I all got our faces painted. Being a kid at heart, the fair is the place to be a kid again and you can get away with doing silly, fun stuff like that. So it is NOT just for kids. Best part was, it was only $5 and we kept hearing comments from others on how cute our Hello Kitty’s were. 🙂

Mary, from Along Comes Mary getting her face painted!

Group Pic!

Close-Up of how my Hello Kitty turned out. I loved it.

6. All of the EXHIBITS & SHOPPING!! I didn’t have time to get pictures of all the Exhibits. I will have to cover that this weekend when I go again. 😉 There are TONS of awesome and unique items at the fair that you won’t find anywhere else. The fair truly is a one of a kind experience that everyone can enjoy.

Have YOU gone to the fair yet? If you’re not in SoCal, have you been to the fair this summer near you? What’s your favorite things about the fair? I’d LOVE to hear all about it! 🙂

The Suite Life at Dodger Stadium #DodgerDigitalSeries

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The Suite Life at Dodger Stadium

By Erin

Growing up in Southern California, I have gotten to go to many ball games since I was a young girl. The food, the sounds, the excitement. I love it all. The moving battle of nerves. When it comes down to three balls and two strikes, the guy at bat has the world on his shoulders. If he takes another strike, his head hangs low. If he knocks it out of the park, he stands among the gods. The rules are simple in baseball and any confusion is easily cleared up with more beer.

Earlier this week I was invited to Dodger Stadium for the Dodgers’ Digital Series for a night tailored to Los Angeles’ bloggers and influencers. We received a behind-the-scenes and VIP United Club Suites experience at Dodger Stadium that was like no other. The Dodgers’ Digital series is a social media experience that aims to engage fans online, in-stadium and at home. Fans can apply for the Dodgers’ Digital Series by visiting http://bitly.com/dodgerds. In this series they take the time to create a social media experience that will not be soon forgotten as they connect you with like-minded individuals in the social media world. You are taken right to where all the action is; right behind home plate where you can watch batting practice, get your picture taken with a team member of the Dodgers if you so desire or at least chat with them, see who’s singing the national anthem, who’s throwing the opening pitch as well as other guests/professional teams in the Southern California area that are being featured that night, and talk with local fox sports newscasters.  You may even get taken into the Vin Scully press box if you’re lucky like we were. 😉

Here’s the Play by Play of our night:

Photo Credit: Jamie Gall

Upon first entering the walkway to our seats there was a ton of Dodger’s memorabilia to look at and admire. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

How cute is this LA Dodgers Baseball cart? Later, Mary from Along Comes Mary & I took a picture in this cart!

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Jamie Gall

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Walking past the Dodger’s Locker Room…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our tickets to get on the field and in the suite!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our final destination until game time was to a little section behind home plate in which we could stand and watch the batting practice happen around us.  That evening they were playing against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Shown below is Andre Ethier and A.J. Ellis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The classic LA logo.  🙂 We also were able to get pics with this famous icon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie, from Minnesota Girl in LA, Myself, & Mary.

LA Dodger “Andre Ethier” came over to talk with all of us LA Bloggers.  We talked a bit with him about the time he ran his own food blog, and that one of his favorite places to eat at in LA is Mozza. When  one of the other bloggers, Mona, asked if he ever cooked for his wife, he joking replied ;”No, that’s why I got married!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
That evening happened to be the inaugural LA Galaxy Night at Dodger Stadium celebrating the reigning MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy.   13 of the players were there with their championship trophy including: Sean Franklin, A.J. De La Garza, Bryan Jordan, Hector Jimenez, David Junior Lopes, Rafael Garcia, Dan Keat, Juninho, Marcelo Sarvas, Mike Stephens and Kenny Walker.  We even got a picture surrounding the trophy and one lucky LA Blogger got to hold it.

 

Here we are holding the LA Galaxy MLS Championship Cup. 

Photo Credit: Ben Platt

Jim Hill then came over and gave us some sound advice about work: “Go to bed late, get up early, and work like H-E-double L.”  Work hard, it will be noticed.  It is your reputation  that is the most important.

Nickelodeon star Max Schneider sang the national anthem and “God Bless America.” Here he is practicing before the game. They did an amazing job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curt Menefee was throwing the first pitch that night. He took this job very seriously and was practicing to get ready for his big pitch to get the game started.

Sadly, it was time to leave the field and head toward our suite, but not without getting a close up view of the Dodger’s dugout first. 😉

To our great surprise though, we had a detour on the way to our suite to the Vin Scully Press Box!! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And look who was there…. of course, none other than Vin Scully himself.

Ok, NOW we were taken up to our suite…. 😉

Photo Credit: Jamie Gall

 

Their suites are pretty incredible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our view for the game.  A pretty nice upgrade from the usual nose bleed seats, I’d have to say! 😀

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course then you have the food! I was sooo excited about the game, I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of my crazy nachos or dodger dog! Oh well… I’m sure you all know what baseball stadium food looks like for the most part… .but what you might not know about are the DESSERT CARTS that go by the United Club Suites. They offer delights from caramel apples to amazing cakes to candy filled popcorn; you have a lot of options.  You’d NEVER guess who we met out by the dessert cart since we missed it when it right by our suite, so we had to go next door to the next suite…. it was Reese Witherspoon! She is just as beautiful and sweet in person as she is on TV.

Photo Credit: Jamie Gall

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary and I got this HUGE Carmel M&M Candied Apple to share for dessert. Kerry, who was manning the dessert cart said our apple “was a little brown inside” when she cut it up for us and Mary had mentioned that this was her first game. So she offered to just give us the apple! How nice of her! Thanks Kerry, it tasted just fine! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reese Witherspoon with her friends and family in the next suite over from us! She’s the one in the lower left with the blue shirt & blonde hair…

A heartfelt THANK YOU goes to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their Social Media guy Josh Tucker that showed us around, for a wonderful evening of baseball.  It was great to see all the hard work that goes on behind the game from the social media aspect of it, to planning out the evening’s entertainment to the press room.  Thanks to one and all for everything that you do, to make these games and opportunites happen for fans like myself. If any fans out there are thinking of going to a game, it is well worth it! Especially if you get an opportunity like this, GO FOR IT!! Don’t be afraid to apply. You just never know what might happen. 😉

Ummmm wait a minute you must be asking yourself?? So WHO won the game? Well my friends, that was the only bummer of the night. The Arizona Diamondbacks won that evening a big 7 to 2 with a 3 run homer and a grand slam. >:-/ 

Disclosure: The LA Dodgers provided me with a VIP experience at the Dodgers Game from behind home plate to meeting a few of the players to a ticket in a suite at Dodger Stadium.  This story is my view of this experience. 

A Lovely Lunch at Stonefire Grill

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Looking for a new place to try out for lunch or dinner? Don’t feel like cooking on these toasty 95 plus degree dog days of summer? Want to try some new healthy options? Want a unique, fast-casual dining experience with a distinct and innovative style? Well then Stonefire Grill  is the place for you!! After hearing some great things about this place,  last month I had the chance to give  Stonefire Grill a try for the first time and it did not disappoint.  I really loved everything about this place.  Everything on the menu we had was delicious! Seriously, you could close your eyes and point to a random place on the menu and order. It will taste amazing.

Stonefire Grill first opened in Valencia in 2000 by sisters, Mary and Maureen Harrigan.  They wanted to move away from lengthy dining and thus created a fast-casual eating establishment. The focus of Stonefire Grill is on fresh ingredients to create dishes that are freshly prepared and simply delicious. Diners can enjoy Stonefire Grill in one of 7 locations, at home, or catered for a party.

When you first walk in you would order your food at the front, find your own seating, and they bring the food to you. Everything, from plates to soda fountain drinks to BBQ sauces, are left in one section of the dining area so you can get up and get whatever you need whenever you needed it.

Stonefire Grill recently added some refreshing Quinoa salads to their menu, which were the first items we tried. Quinoa is the seed that is high in protein and contains all 9 essential amino acids, making it a “super food” as it is a complete protein. Furthermore, for all of you health nuts out there, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus, and is high in magnesium and iron. It is also a great source of calcium, and thus useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. Quinoa is gluten-free, easy to digest,  and contains no wheat and,when heated, is fluffy and creamy with an al dente texture that takes on the flavor of other ingredients in the dish. Quinoa has taken center stage on Stonefire Grills’ menu with the introduction of 3 new dishes. My favorite of the three was the Healthy Hybrid; so light and refreshing, just PERFECT for lunch on a summer’s afternoon!

Stonefire Grill offers 3 variations:

Keen Green: A blend of fresh spinach, pesto and quinoa with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado and Parmesan cheese for $8.99.

  Healthy Hybrid: Quinoa with garbanzo beans, red onion, green bell peppers, Kalamata olives, cucumber, tomato and artichoke hearts tossed with Dijon mustard vinaigrette and topped with feta cheese for$7.99.

 Quinoa (side):  Simply prepared in vegetable broth with a dash of fresh lemon, mint and green onions; single $1.59,small $2.99, medium $4.99 and large $8.99.

The entire lunch was amazing, I kept saying the same thing after the first bite, “This is sooo good!!”  The rest of our table agreed, there wasn’t anything we tried that we didn’t like. Everything was so fresh and tasty. We tasted the new quinoa salads; Keen Green and Healthy Hybrid, Tri Tip (both the Pepper Garlic & BBQ), Fresh Lemon Garlic Salmon, BBQ Chicken, Garlic Bread, followed by their famous homemade Carrot Cake, Fudge Brownie, and Cheese Cake for dessert. The food is primarily served family style as the portions are great for sharing. We had the petite salads, and as you can see, they are definitely big enough to share with others, or enough for you to take an extra meal home with you. The bread sticks were amazingly flavorful and buttery.

As for the meat, I am in love with the Pepper Garlic Tri-Tip with Gorgonzola butter. It was sooo tender, cooked to perfection, melt in your mouth good. The BBQ Tri-Tip was also delicious, but I love pepper garlic and gorgonzola butter!!! The salmon was simply prepared, very flavorful, light and flaky and grilled to perfection. The chicken was also very tender and had a nice Mesquite BBQ flavor to it. Next time, I can’t wait to try their ribs!! I have heard the meat is just fall off the bone delicious. Each item was cooked well, not overdone. All creations were very pleasing to the palate as well as to your wallet as the  food is priced affordably. You get a lot for your money as the portions are very generous. We had plenty of left overs at the end as we all took a box home with us for dinner! The Tri Tip is $13.99, The 1/2 Chicken is $6.99, and the 1/2 pound Salmon is $9.99. My favorites from the afternoon were the Healthy Hybrid, Pepper Garlic Tri-Tip, and the Carrot Cake!

Speaking of Dessert, I hope you left some room for some!!! Here are some pictures of the sugary, sinful delights. As you can see, they are plenty big enough to share with everyone at your table! We had a full size of the Heavenly Cheesecake (ONLY $5.49) and look how HUGE it is!! I only wish we had gotten a full size carrot cake piece too, as we only ordered a 1/2 portion ($3.29) I am usually a cheesecake girl, but the Incredible Carrot Cake is just that, INCREDIBLE!  It won me over. We also had their famous fudge brownie too ($2.79), which I would order again as well. It was very chocolatey, fudgey, and oh so good!!

Stonefire Grill is truly a restaurant that I will be going to again and again. Perfect to go out to with friends or family or if I’m just tired and had a long day and want take-out. If you live in or are visiting in LA, Orange County, or Valencia, then Stonefire Grill is a must try.

Locations:

Valencia, West Hills, Fountain Valley, Irvine, Chatsworth,
Pasadena, Thousand Oaks

Social Networks:  Blog, Facebook, Twitter

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post.
The brand/PR representative invited me to taste the new menu. The opinions
expressed in this post are solely mine and I was under no obligation to provide
a positive review. I received permission to post company trademarked logo and
images on my blog.