143.2…National Wine Day

Did you know that yesterday was National Wine Day? I hope you all celebrated properly! I did! Not only did I unveil my new blog design (do you like it??) on this very special day but I also partook in some wine as well. Duh!

My husband and I met a few friends for dinner last night at Pacifica Del Mar.

I love this restaurant. The view of the ocean from their patio is beautiful and the food is usually very good. We sat outside and toasted National Wine Day!

The table shared calamari:

It was overcooked and tough. Boo. We also shared the Ahi Tuna Tartare:

That was much better! I love tuna tartare. For my entree I ordered the Pan Roasted Seabass with Soy Glaze, Sticky Rice, Bok Choy and Green Coconut Curry Sauce.

I’ve had this before and loved it. Today though, the fish was overcooked. :( The coconut curry sauce was excellent though. Dessert made up for all the overcooked fish.

Mocha Semifreddo with Toffee Bits:

We each ordered a different dessert so we could share but I basically dominated this one. Delish!

Dina and I:

After dinner, we walked across the street to the L’Auberge Del Mar Hotel for a drink.

I think I was extremely successful in celebrating National Wine Day. Can’t wait for it next year! :)

The picture I took of breakfast was actually the second breakfast I made. The first breakfast I made was a Vans waffle with almond butter and the rest of the cantaloupe. Well….I think the waffle was really old because it turned hard hockey puck. The cantaloupe was old too…it tasted weird.

Entering breakfast number two:

Egg Nutrigrain waffle with almond butter and an apple. :) I took the kids to school and went to Starbucks for a delicious skinny vanilla latte.

I love you latte.

I had another cooking class at Great News. Two classes in one week! Today’s class was “Burgers and Sides.” You know I LOVE burgers!!

The first recipe was Teriyaki Beef Burger with Ginger Sauce and Asian Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Cilantro Dressing:

Loved this! The Asian flavors in the burger were great! The pasta salad was excellent. It would be a great thing to take to a picnic or barbeque! I have a feeling I’ll be making it this summer!

The second set of recipes was Caesar Chicken Burger with Red Onion and Basil on Sourdough Rolls with Caesar Coleslaw with Tangy Caper Dressing:

Another winner! The Caesar style dressing was incorporated into the ground chicken and the coleslaw.

Next up was BBQ Pork Burger with Cheddar Cheese and Shredded Lettuce with BBQ Pinto Bean Salad:

This burger tasted like a pulled pork sandwich. Love! The salad was good too…loved the combination of beans, corn, tomatoes and avocado.

Lastly was Southwest Turkey Burger with Pepper Jack Cheese with Chipotle Potato Salad with Fresh Corn:

This was also amazing! I loved the spicy turkey burger and the potato salad was fabulous with the fresh corn!

Now I have all sorts of new burger ideas for summer. The cool thing is that all these recipes are interchangeable in regards to what type of meat you use. Each one would work well with either beef, turkey or chicken.

After class, I picked up the kids from school and took them to their “Dog Smart” appointment. My son is about ready to “graduate” the class….he is doing so well! My daughter is coming along more slowly but we are getting there. Eventually we will get our own dog. I’m not sure how excited I am about that. The way I look at it, it will just be one more living thing I have to take care of. ;)

Hubby has to work tonight so I’m not sure what dinner will be. I don’t feel very inspired. We’ll see what I come up with. Don’t be disappointed if it’s cereal.

Did you celebrate National Wine Day?

What’s your burger of choice? Chicken, turkey, beef or something else? :)

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