Recently, Erin Gunn Brennan came down to the Slope so that we could have a girly Saturday. Mike was camping and Erik was working, so we got pedicures 😀 We supplemented the beautifying with food, of course.

Erin had been craving balls, so we trotted across the street to Hanco’s for lunch and bubble tea. I got a green salad with shrimp and crispy onion flakes and a honey green tea with balls:

I love Hanco’s salads. They’re so tasty, and I always feel satisfied at the end.

Erin got one of the famous Vietnamese sandwiches:

After our pedicures, we wandered around a bit in search of an “official” dessert. That’s when I remembered Sun In Bloom! I ate at SIB with the ladies months ago right after it opened (and I also ate there last year when it was still Organic Heights), but since both of those delicious meals, I’ve read about SIB’s brilliant raw desserts multiple times courtesy of Diana. Diana is no longer volunteering her time and talents and SIB, but I was sure some of her skill had rubbed off. We were not disappointed!

Erin and I split a mini chocolate/vanilla mousse cup and a mini strawberry cheesecake:

   

Plus a vegan chocolate chip cookie:

I must say, we left SIB completely stuffed. Those tasty tasty desserts were a meal in themselves!

The other noteworthy piece of Erin Gunn’s visit was this:

As a graduation gift, Erin brought me the fanciest, most intricate, most exciting goodie box of Teavana treats:

These are the most beautiful teas I have ever seen. I could not stop photographing the vibrant colors.

Mate Vana:

Rooibos Tropica:

Rooibos Sweet Amore:

(yes, look at those rosebuds!)

And Earl Grey Creme:

What’s more, the process of steeping has never been so exciting.

After putting the desired amount of tea in the little magic pot and letting it steep sufficiently, you just place the pot over a glass/mug and apply gentle pressure. The tea comes right out the bottom through a strainer, leaving the leaves behind as it exits!

  

I’ve been letting it out directly over ice mostly, as weather has necessitated cold beverages. Yay for fun new tea accessories! Thanks, Erin!

P.S. Another new exciting kitchen gadget arrived this week, thanks to my credit card points: a “free” food processor! Let’s hope I don’t burn it out within the week …

A couple Friday nights ago, I convinced Erik to go to Water Taxi Beach at the Seaport with me. According to the website, entry was free before 7pm and we’d be able to salsa dance all night!

We arrived at 6:07 and were informed that free entry only lasted until 6pm, grrrrrrr. I used my calm, angry voice to explain that the website was very clear about there being no cover before 7. The guy eventually let us in for half price, but I was not happy! We went to the bar to order drinks …

  

… and I asked Erik to get me a strawberry daiquiri. He returned to me with what was very clearly not a daiquiri. I brought the drink up to the bartender and told him I needed a daiquiri and not the lukewarm cup of syrup in my hand. He told me that they did not have daiquiris, even though the menu very clearly said, “daiquiri.” I gave up and went back to the table with my poor excuse for a strawberry margarita. I’m only smiling on the outside here:

I was annoyed about the cover and annoyed about the lack of strawberry daiquiri … and I got more annoyed when I began to see others with tall, slushy, fruity drinks that very clearly resembled daiquiris. I worked hard on my $10 cup of syrup and tried to relax as I enjoyed the view …

    

Sigh … pretty views can always calm me down.

I got hungry and ordered a $3.50 (eye roll) corn on the cob.

I was still hungry, obviously, and went back for an order of fish tacos. After shelling out $6 more and waiting 15 minutes, I ended up with this:

Due to the clear “s” in “fish tacos,” I had been expecting more than one. However, I ended up with one teeny piece of fried fish on a doubled tortilla, topped with shredded cabbage. Are you kidding???

On top of all of this ridiculousness, the DJ was not playing salsa, and no one was dancing. We cut our losses and left, significantly more broke than we had been upon entry. Not an easy feat, believe me!

The next day, I consoled myself with my own delicious food. Much cheaper and wayyyy more satisfying!

Spiralized zucchini noodles with coconut-sweet potato sauce:

Mmmmmmmm!! To make the sauce, I whirred together a baked sweet potato, unsweetened SoDelicious coconut milk, coarse sea salt, basil, oregano, and freshly ground black pepper.

In all honesty, the deliciousness shocked me. I was blown away!

I also made a fancy breakfast of french toasted Eli’s Pecan Raisin Loaf (rescued from the office conference table, of course) drizzled with molasses and served with sliced fruit:

I have absolutely no use in my life for over-priced entry to fake beaches with stingy food. I have much more use for feasting on homemade masterpieces.

That picture makes me so happy. As I said, pretty views always calm me down 😀