Bakery – Page 16

Su Pan Bakery (and more!)Esencia de Sabor (Rolando area)

January 21, 2017 Cathy Bakery, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

You are about to start reading another post of mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today. it's written by Cathy; the guys are busy.

Many of our days start out with some sort of appointment in various parts of the County, then taking random roads home and stopping either if seeing interesting signage or many parked cars at a storefront. That's how The Mister and I noticed Su Pan Panaderia, a Mexican bakery located next to a gas station, sharing a parking lot with both a Liquor and Auto Parts store, on El Cajon Boulevard, West of 54th. There are not many spaces in that parking lot and we've ended up parked across the street. Walking inside, the cash registers are directly in front of you. An ever changing menu board behind those shows breakfast and lunch choices, made to order in the kitchen. There are some items on the counter and pre-made sandwiches in the refrigerator. In addition to the refrigerated bakery items, the fresh shelves, to the left, are constantly being filled.

These were some recent purchases: Different combinations of cake, crusts and cookies combined with chocolate, cream cheese, jelly, fruit, nuts, cream and/or butter based fillings. Everything here has an extract, essence, aroma, flavor!

For example, this large double cookie is layered with a buttercream and chopped peanuts- a sort of home made peanut butter filling ($1.59).
That large, round 'pastry' on the second tray above is essentially two round vanilla flavored cupcake tops, slathered with a buttery buttercream (not sweet if you lick that in between portion)which is also frosted on the outside then rolled in sugar ($1.29). It's delightfully soft cake, sweet only because of the sugar crystals and so wonderfully perfect in its butter-vanilla simplicity.

Back to the menu board and cash register area.On the counter there's a tray of fresh and flaky empañadas ($2.49). The cream cheese with jalapeño is always a good choice (although the tuna empañada is really good, especially when warmed).
The most expensive breakfast burrito choice is the 'Hash Brown burrito' ($5.49) which has everything in it- eggs, cheese, hash browns and sausage, bacon, ham and chorizo. Everything. Very good and very large.

On more than one occasion, a ham and egg bolillo (($4.99) is a breakfast choice. The fresh baked bolillo bread is cut in half and a thin layer of beans are spread. Cooked egg, pan fried ham chunks, rectangles of Cotija cheese avocado slices and canned jalapeño slices complete this large enough for two breakfast.

Su Pan Bakery 5006 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego 92115 (619)287-2078 open 5 am-10:30 pm daily Website

In December, when a cart of fresh baked good were being transferred to the cabinets, a deformed walnut cupcake one was spotted and the nice worker asked if we wanted it. Excellent flavor, crunchy walnut pieces and now a regular choice.

2017 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Showcase of Floats and snacks at House of Cookies and Egg Roll Express (Pasadena)

January 13, 2017 Cathy Bakery, Chinese Restaurants, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome to another edition of mmm-yoyo!!!, the food blog with variants on the acquisition of said foodstuffs. Kirk is very busy with work this week and Ed (from Yuma) is very busy with retirement (in Yuma). Cathy is writing today.

Last Monday, January 2, was the official New Year holiday and the Tournament of Roses held its annual parade and Bowl Game. The following morning, The Mister and I drove North to see the parade floats lined up end to end, at the Showcase of Floats. The Banner float, which was first in the 96 unit parade entries (floats, bands, equestrian units), reflected the theme of this year, "Echoes of Success". Of the 44 floats in the parade, five are not judged (this is one of those) and 24 of the remaining floats are trophy winners. I'll just show you some details from some of the floats. Walking along to view takes at least two hours and that's if you aren't paying attention to the details that went into the meticulous decorations. You can see the work and thought that went into the design and execution of each float.

Cal Poly Universities entry, 'A New Leaf' featured three chameleons, with that yellow one changing color via an elaborate system of dowels. (YouTube video, 1:45 in length). The California Milk Advisory Board, with its entry "Legacy of Generations" provided a surreal view of a good variety of California Dairy products and emphasized the generations of California dairy families who helped to make California the most successful dairy state in the nation (The 'raisins' are covered with real raisins and the 'cereal flakes' are dried apple skin).

Ragu sponsored this "Simmered in Tradition" float, which was meticulously detailed in its design.
Dole Packaged Foods, "Spirit of Hawaii" won the Sweepstakes Trophy for the most beautiful entry in parade with outstanding floral presentation and design (The inside of the robe is lined with dried banana chips). The float that The Mister and I helped to decorate in early December was finally revealed and left in this position to display at the Showcase. The meaning of 'We Came, We saw, We Covered' was finally revealed during the parade. We were happy to be a part of the Farmers Insurance entry.
So much detail went into the decoration of every float. I will add some thumbnails to the end of this post and you can enjoy a few more photos, but now…it's time for the food portion of this blog post.
We had parked near the North entrance for the Showcase of Floats (there are three entrances) and walked, so on the way back to our car, we again stopped at the House of Cookies/Arsen Bakery, where we were recognized and warmly greeted.

Such a small area holds a great deal of delicious treats. This box was $4. Everything was so fresh, crispy, creamy and flavored wonderfully. A great, local, family run bakery. Arsen Bakery House of Cookies 2451 East Washington Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91104 (626)794-4280

A block away,

we'd been seeing this signage (and outside lantern decor) for years, but never were here when Egg Roll Express was open. We had finally the chance to dine here!

Simple decor, a pitcher of hot tea and weekday lunch specials!

Each lunch special comes with a choice of either hot and sour or egg flower soup. This was a wonderful, fresh, chicken based, creamy and very eggy egg drop served in a quite large bowl. I wanted more.

The serving plate of the special(#30-fish filet with Szechuan sauce)($7.29)was so cute! The food was even better. The spicy fish and vegetables were so fresh and flavorful.

The egg roll? Well, it was fried right (not greasy and nicely crispy) and filled with fresh and bright flavored vegetables. Quite good.
Since this was our first visit to a new Chinese restaurant, our standard , Egg Foo Young (with chicken) was ordered ($8.99). Wow! Every restaurant makes EFY their own way and The Mister and I liked this version. Filled with bean sprouts, onion and eggy goodness, the pancake was crispy even under the (not salty) gravy, chicken and fresh vegetables.

Egg Roll Express 2397 E. Washington Blvd Pasadena, Ca 91104 (626)791-2398 open daily 11a.m.-9:30 p.m. Website

We walked over 6,000 steps that day- starting off the year with a good habit. Soo and Maggie were here too, each wrote their own post! Here are some thumbnails of a few more floats. Here and Here is a link to 2017 float road testing, This is a link to one of the 'dry decorating days'.

Kababayan Market and Snoice (inside the market)

October 31, 2016 Cathy Bakery, Desserts, Filipino Restaurants, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

mmm-yoso!!! is what you are reading; a food blog. Usually there is a daily blogpost about food or food related events written by either Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) or Cathy. Since the guys are out and about (elsewhere in the world and the USA), Cathy is writing a short post.

More than three years ago, I wrote a post about a small Filipino market located South of Chula Vista. That location closed and the new location is closer to home, for me.

Walking in the doorway to your right, bakery items are on shelves to the right. Steam trays are straight ahead and everything is always fresh and being refilled. This two item tray ($7 with rice, $8 with pancit)(this photo is with chicken adobo and pinakbet). Adobo anything (meats or vegetables) is a type of preparation: simmered in a sauce of vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, pepper and bay leaves. Pinakbet is primarily vegetables (almost always, bitter melon and eggplant), but sometimes (in the version here) also has pork, all of it is simmered in a fish or shrimp sauce complimented with ginger and garlic (or onion); usually shrimp paste is a condiment.

At the end of the steam tray area are fried things. Chicken skins, dilis (anchovies), bulaklak ('ruffle fat'-intestines), pig skin plus meat-chicharrones. All the fried items are $8.99/lb. I try to only buy a small bag, so none of it gets old. It comes with a vinegar-garlic dipping sauce. Ukoy, a shredded sweet potato/carrot/bean sprout fritter, topped with a whole shrimp are usually in a pan on top of the steam trays, at eye level. These are great snacks.
Another item I will drop in to purchase is the garlic salted peanuts ($3.75 for the container). We both eat peanuts with skins and these are the best version of garlic peanuts we've ever had. cc likes the 'plain' peanuts from here, and other bakery items. There are also plenty of rice flour based desserts and, on weekends, skewers near the cash register.

A small seating area is just past the cash registers. That area used to be with shelving and refrigerated beverages, but last year a small pop-up stand was set up (see how it looked in cc's post here) and about three months later, it moved into the Water Store which was behind the wall, and is all built in with the bakery. Snoice is a family run dessert shop, making Filipino-inspired and Taiwanese customizable desserts.
Here is a better photo of the menu
These are the prices.

I've taken many photos of the traditional Halo-Halo here ($4.25+), none of those photos will come out upright. Halo-halo means 'mix-mix'. Shaved ice is placed in a cup with with evaporated milk, sweet banana (saging), sweet potato (kamote), jello (gulaman), purple yam (ube) and topped with a cube of caramel flan and 'toasted rice' (pinipig-young, flattened crisp rice (that green you see on top)). Basically, you mix all the ingredients together in the cup, so each spoonful is a combination of the flavors. The optional ice cream you see in the first photo is the mais queso- corn cheese; I have always been curious about the flavor but never wanted to buy a half gallon in the store. The 'traditional' ice cream topping is ube. (This link is what Halo-halo is NOT.)

Of course, there is indeed Snoice here-shaved snow. This is a strawberry shaved snow (excellent on its own) topped with bananas and lychee jelly (small snow, $4, toppings 50¢ each). Simple and just right.

This little corner store in San Diego has a couple of great family owned and run businesses with authentic, fresh and tasty food-of all types.

Kababayan Bakery 8423 Paradise Valley Road (at Worthington) Spring Valley 91977 (619) 267-1493 open 6 a.m.-7:30 p.m., seven days

Snoice (inside Kababayan) same address, (619)432-5735 Open 11 a.m. daily, closed at 8p.m. Mon-Thurs, 9 p.m. Fri-Sat-Sun Website

2017 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test #1 -Tan Hoang Huong (Tustin), Copenhagen Pastry (Pasadena) and Burger Basket (Corona)

May 21, 2016 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Banh Mi, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog with contributions about food consumed from various places under various circumstances. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are relaxing today. Cathy is writing about her circumstances.

Yes, it is that time of year again. The President, Theme (Echoes of Success), Marching Bands and some float designs for the 128th Tournament of Roses parade were announced not long after the 127th Parade ended on January 1, 2016. Floats are in the beginning stages of being built and a "T-1" (first float road test of mechanics and maneuverability) of floats built by Phoenix Decorating Company (who built 22 of the 44 floats in the 2016 parade) was held on Saturday morning at 7 a.m.

Listening to traffic reports, an accident had the North 5 with all lanes closed, so The Mister and I left home before 5 a.m. and stopped at Tan Hoang Huong (THH) in Tustin, since we were there before 6 a.m. (when Cream Pan (our usual stop) opens). Located just West (under the 5) of Cream Pan, it is good place to grab a sandwich and other treats. I knew about it because of several posts on CC's blog.

We ordered two egg rolls (@65¢) and a pork pate chaud (85¢) to eat while we waited for our bahn mi to be prepared. Yes, that's a 'spam' and egg sandwich ($4.25).

Fresh items, great tasting. Not the same as K Sandwiches, but very good. THH 14081 Newport Ave Tustin, CA (714)731-1366 Open Mon-Sat 5 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Sun 7 am-4 pm website

We detoured around the accident (which blocked the North 5 for more than six hours) and arrived at the Road Test just after 7 a.m.

Raymond Street is the place. The floats were lined up. The Rotary International float is in a very basic stage. You can see exactly where the driver and spotter are seated. They are communicating via headsets, as they will during the parade. The spotter on the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs float is the lady to the left in the photo. She will be seated below the floor of that gazebo-like structure. The Kiwanis float is taking shape. The City of Alhambra float has a fire engine being driven by both a fireman and a fire dog… Lions Clubs International is celebrating 100 years of Service in 2017. I can tell this float will be even more magnificent once it is decorated.

There were more details, but you get the idea. We were off to our next stop, Copenhagen Pastry (again, I knew about it from CC's blog), located East on Colorado Boulevard. The truck (and a few cars) parked in front of the otherwise quiet street made the subtle storefront easy to find. The fresh selections were so tempting- yes, that's about everything offered- We bought a loaf of Rye bread ($6) the dense, chewy style, made with rye berries, sunflower and black flax seeds, a Spandauer ($1.95) flaky pastry topped with almond paste and custard and a slice of Kringle ($1.95) also filled with almond paste, custard and sugar. We will return.

Copenhagen Pastry 3731 Colorado Blvd Pasadena 91107 Open Tues-Fri 7-5, Sat-Sun 8-4 Website

This location of Copenhagen has closed

We began heading home, stopped at a Super H-Mart for some items and then hit another accident prone area of the 91 freeway, exited and decided to stop at
Burger Basket, which we have driven past during prior sidesteps from traffic. Order, pay, have a seat…watch the char grill happen. A double cheese burger- (charred to perfection)($5.49) Gosh, I haven't had such a great burger since Sima's. My semi-usual morning order of an egg sandwich with sausage ($5.89). Let me say, this was heavy and huge with unexpectedly large tasty breakfast sausages (skin slightly burned), a lot of egg and lettuce with tomato and mayonnaise. Burger Basket has been at this location since at least 2007 and again, wish we had stopped here sooner. We will be back.

Burger Basket 1058 West Sixth Corona, CA 92882 (951) 734-1331 Open 7 days 6:30-9:30 Website

It was a long morning and we were home before noon. I hope you are having a good weekend!

Bordeaux: Marche des Capucins, Fournil des Capucins, Église Sainte-Croix, and Jardin Public

April 2, 2016 mmm-yoso Bakery, Bordeaux, Cheese, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

The sun rose early and brightly on our first full day in Bordeaux. Even though we had arrived mid-morning we had still put in quite a few kilometers before deciding to call it a day. We would end up putting in some mileage on this day as well.

I had a destination in mind and we decided to just meander our way to our objective; one of the benefits of independent travel. The sun was shining brightly on Place de la Bourse as we headed off into the district known as Saint-Pierre, considered the birthplace of the city. The narrow streets are lined with structures from the 18th century and lead, one way or another into a square. We quickly walked onto the cobblestone lined Place du Parlement, once the location of the Royal Market.

The centerpiece is a beautiful Neo-Rococo fountain.

Walking to Place Saint Pierre, one can't help but notice the haunting, Gothic styled, Eglise Saint-Pierre (Church of St. Peter), which dates back to the 14th and 15th century.

It really stands out as the square and street is lined with restaurants and cafes, the name of one of them made us laugh……everyone does need a "Plan B", right? Place du Plais leads right up to the Porte Cailhau.

According to what I later read; there was actually a palace located here, the Palais de l'Ombriere the residence of the Dukes of Aquitaine and later housed the Parliament of Bordeaux. I really loved the relief-map sculpture of Bordeaux located right behind the Porte Cailhau. I did a little research and found a blog post about François Didier who created this work.

Near the Porte Cailhau, I noticed this plaque, which started with a few questions before telling us the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Bordeaux claims (along with two other cities) to be the birthplace of Eleanor, who would become one of the most powerful women in the Europe and after getting her marriage to Louis VII annulled would marry the Duke of Normandy, eleven years her junior….Henry, the Duke of Normandy would become Henry II.

A bit further down the way, past the Pont de Pierre we came across the Basilique Saint Michel.

It took two centuries to build this Basilica; starting in 1350 and finishing sometime in the 16th century. Possibly even more impressive is the bell tower which, like Pey-Berland Tower which stands next to the Cathedral of Saint Andre, stands apart from the church. And in case you're wondering who has bragging rights; Fleche Saint Michel is the tallest tower in Sothern France, standing at 114 meters, Pey-Berland Tower is 50 meters tall. On this bright morning there was a lively flea market going on in the square next to the tower.

A few blocks away, we found another church; the Église Sainte-Croix (Church of the Holy Cross).

This used to be a Benedictine monastery and was built between the late 11th and 12th centuries.

One of the most well known features of this church is the Organ built by famous organ maker and Benedictine Monk, Dom Bédos de Celles, finished in 1748.

This was a major landmark for me, as I knew we had to take a left here and swing around to get to our destination, Marche des Capuchins.

I'd read much about this market before we arrived in Bordeaux, it seemed to be a favorite with locals, and you know how much we love visiting markets when we travel!

The market was established on October 2nd, 1749 at the urging of Marquis de Tourny. If you like to see some old photos and read (a translated) history of the market, you can do that here.

We had a gameplan of sorts, but all revolved around bread. I'd noticed a bakery right across the street from the market.

I could actually smell the wonderful scent of bread baking. I followed my nose and ended up at the back of the bakery. The bakers looked at us, smiled and waved us in…….so our first experience at Fournil des Capucins was walking past the ovens and bakers baking bread to the front of the shop.

This would end up being our favorite bakery……I later found out the place is open 24 hours a day! With a steady stream of fresh baguette. How could we not get a baguette and a couple of croissants?

The smell of good fresh baguette is intoxicating….we'd seen folks walking along carrying bread with a chunk off the end missing. Well, I guess it's instinctive, because as soon as we walked out of the bakery, the Missus just bit a chunk off the end of the bread! It is that good…..

Fournil des Capucins
62 Cours de la Marne
Bordeaux, France

The smell of bread had overcome us….we needed something to eat and perhaps some espresso. Right across the back of the bakery, in front of the main entrance to the market is this stand.

Which made a decent cup of espresso that went nicely with our croissant.

Then we ducked back into the market and bought some cheese. We found the farmers and vendors in Marche des Capuchins quite friendly, even though we stood out from the usual crowd. They seemed to go out of their way to help us. We ended up at this cheese stand.

And got some cheese….

Marché des Capucins
Place des Capucins
Bordeaux, France

We had fully intended to do a nice picnic and headed back to the apartment after doing a bit of window shopping on Cours de l’Intendance. Where we saw the ultimate way of entertaining a pup while his "dad" did some shopping in the store.

Just get him some rope and cord to keep him occupied!

We cut through Rue Voltaire and stopped at the Carrefour Market in Place des Grand Hommes. The Missus, laden down with bread and cheese gave me a simple directive…."get us some white wine" which was simple enough. What I wasn't ready for was the whole wall of white wines! Like over 50 different bottles…vintages…blends….I went with something rather local, with some reservation since it was 4,9€ – five bucks and change. The Missus was cracking up when I got out of the market….she'd seen the look on my face when I got to the wine department….analysis paralysis.

We headed up to Jardin Public, the large public garden and green space that was two blocks from our apartment. It's quite a lush and welcoming park.

The park was founded in 1746 in style of a French Garden. Napoleon III turned it into more of an English style park during his reign. There's a nice large pond, the Natural History Museum is located here, and there's even a Puppet Theatre.

Nice, but it was getting a bit too hot for us…so we headed back to the apartment and had a really nice "indoor picnic"……with the A/C on…..doesn't get much better than that!

With our cheese, bread, strawberries, and of course the wine….which was excellent, crisp, light, with a touch of sweet, and a balanced acidity…..

In fact, the Missus would have me go back for this very bottle of wine a couple more times during our stay in Bordeaux.

It's not always about eating out when we're travelling……when in Bordeaux, it was the cheese and wine….oh, and don't forget that baguette!

Sunday Sandwiches: Arely French Bakery Cafe

March 27, 2016 mmm-yoso Bakery, Sandwiches

Cathy has posted on Arely Bakery several times over the years; the most recent being about a year and a half ago. A few months back I noticed that the tiny shop had expanded, taking over the shop next door…..I'm trying to recall what it was….beauty supplies perhaps?

In need of an early lunch, I decided to drop by and grab a sandwich before a series of conference calls that would take up a good chunk of the day.

You can see the expanded dining room next door as you enter.

Back in 2007, Cathy ordered the "Le Parisien", it was a mere $4.50 back then; now it's $7.95, though now it looks a bit larger.

The baguette, baked on the premises, was decent, it could have been a bit more crusty and was, in typical San Diego style, a bit more chewy than I prefer. The Black Forest Ham was decent; but the real star of the sandwich was the brie, rind and all, which made this sandwich quite good, earthy tones, very mild pungency (nothing even close to real French Brie, which I believe is still illegal in the US), and very nice in this sandwich. In terms of proportion, I would have enjoyed a bit more tomato and less lettuce.

With the work scenario a couple of weeks later, I decided to call and pick-up the Prosciutto Panini ($8.60), which was wonderfully toasted.

Man, the toasting job on this baby was just about perfect. Didn't care for the prosciutto they used however, as it was extremely salty and paired with a very mild mozzarella it was the dominating flavor through out my eating experience as everything else; the basil and the tomato were just nullified. Too bad, because in terms of texture, this was really good.

Thinking that I had to try a panini again, I went with the Caprese Panini ($8.50).

Bad call on my part as went too far in the other direction with this one. While the tomatoes tasted quite good, the whole thing was a rather bland mess. The bread wasn't as well pressed this time; I'm thinking the cheese didn't hold up real well. In fact, when I separated the two halves there was a giant glob of melted mozzarella.

Last week I decided to drop by one more time. This time ordering the Le Lyonnais ($7.95).

And while I'd prefer lardon/bacon to salami on this, I really enjoyed the sandwich. Nice smear of fairly tasty egg salad, nice crisp greens, acid from the tomatoes and pickles. Very nice overall. I'm still of the same opinion of the bread and even think that a light toasting might make everything that much more enjoyable.

The two young ladies who have run the counter on the days I visited were very nice and friendly; especially with some of the rather "cranky" older customers. One of these days I'll stop by for breakfast, or even perhaps lunch. For now, it's nice to have another sandwich option fairly close by.

Arely French Bakery Cafe
4961 Clairemont Drive, Suite A
San Diego, CA 92117

Tortas Y Jugos Goyo and the Panaderia next door (Escondido)

February 15, 2016 Cathy Bakery, Fruiterias, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! while Kirk is (still) on vacation and Ed (from Yuma) is researching places to eat (in Yuma). Cathy is writing today.

The Mister and I were in Escondido again and next to the Toyota dealership on Lincoln Avenue, there's a small strip mall. There were five small places to eat as well as a Laundromat. Based on prior experience at strip malls anchored by Laundromats, we decided to stop. At the inner corner,

these two looked good- Tortas y Jugos and the Panaderia right next to it.There are menus outside and also at the ordering area. Pay, have a seat and your order will be brought to your table. Neat and clean inside, it looks new. Checking out Y***, the oldest review is from March, 2013; Tortas Y Jugos has been here a while. Even though there are photos showing fries on the plate with the tortas, we were surprised the $5.99 price was inclusive.

I ordered a *Cubana* torta, which is NOT the same as a *Cubano* Sandwich. In Mexican eateries, a *Cubana* torta is as varied as the taqueria/taco shop/stand where you are eating. Basically it is a 'kitchen sink' of leftovers; a fresh baked, toasted torta/telera roll filled with a collection meats, lettuce, tomato, avocado and cheese as well as a thin layer of refried beans. The version here at the Goyo Family place had ham, salchica (a sliced hot dog), chorizo, bacon and a thin, crispy piece of Milanesa (breaded, fried beef or pork; it was too thin to really tell, but the crispiness was what the sandwich needed). If you are like me, who orders an 'everything' bagel, or a coffee-tea-milk at boba places, then a Cubana is a good choice; always a surprise, unique and with multiple fresh flavors. The fruit salad (large, $6.29) which had a bit of every fruit in season as well as cottage cheese, granola, raisins, coconut flakes and honey. A Vampiro (orange, beet, celery and carrot juices) ($3.99) rounded out this meal we shared. So very fresh. I really enjoy fruiterias.

When we were finished, walking next door, to the unnamed Panaderia, we were greeted with the smells of fresh baked goods. There was also an area for cinnamon tea, cinnamon coffee and hot water.This was our purchase, less than $2. Very fresh and good.

Happy to have found this hidden gem.

Tortas Y Jugos Goyo 655 East Lincoln Escondido, CA 92026 (760) 871-6000

Here is an interesting blog post describing Cubanas.

Papa’s Donuts – malasadas! (La Mesa)

February 13, 2016 Cathy Bakery, Desserts, Hawaiian Food, What Cathy Eats!

Papa's Donuts has closed. It will be missed.

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! during your perusal of the interwebs. Kirk usually writes posts here, but he is too busy vacationing. Ed (from Yuma) is too busy to write a post today. Cathy is writing this one about a newer place with some unique products and some very well made common products.

There are many small businesses located along Lake Murray Boulevard and The Mister and I were so happy to have found this one. Papa's opened in late August 2014, but we were unaware.Papa's Donuts is in a small storefront located at the far end of the Big Lots anchored strip mall (across the street from the Ross Dress for Less anchored strip mall).

We first stopped here in December. Subsequently, we've noticed sandwich board signs at various sidewalk locations on the block and at the median, pointing where to turn.

Stepping into the store early one rainy morning, we noticed racks of fresh donuts ready to be placed in the display cases. Walking in, to your right, one of the wall menu boards is updated daily with a "Special" as well 'filling of the day' for the malasadas (a Portuguese treat, re-tooled and made famous in Hawaii, at Leonard's, which Kirk mentioned in a 2012 post).

«—Click the thumbnail for the story of the Bobby "O", the donut special available only on weekends.

Behold, the Bobby "O". Its cross section-that's haupia cream (light flavored young coconut; not a concentrated sweet coconut flavor) the topping is a wonderful dark chocolate and it is topped with chopped macadamia nuts. So delightful, so fresh and so special. (The price is 95¢-a fancy donut without a fancy price).Everything is made fresh daily, because there are no leftovers: from 5 p.m.-closing, donuts are $5/dozen.The malasada trays are right in front as you walk in. 3 for $2.50 and, as tradition, you are given a warm, unfilled, sugar/cinnamon coated treat when you leave.The amount of fillings vary (Lilikoi is passion fruit and has such a strong flavor that not much is needed) and each one I've had is a wonderful treat. {Above are the guava, lilikoi and haupia (young coconut)}.

Another great little family owned and run business!

Papa's Donuts 6179 Lake Murray Blvd La Mesa, 91942 (619) 741-5135 Website Open Mon-Fri 5 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat 6 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun 6 a.m.-4 p.m.

These are from that first menu board- raspberry fruit jelly, dobosh (dark) chocolate and bavarian custard flavors. That's half a French Cruller; the donuts here are a normal, old fashioned size.

2016 Rose Parade Showcase of Floats, Breakfast at Philippe the Original, Snack at House of Cookies

February 6, 2016 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog with almost daily posts about food. For over ten years, Kirk along with some help from Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy (and a couple of others) have been sharing cooked and purchased meals and incidental stories to go along with the consumption of said meals. Today, Cathy is writing.

On January 2 of this year, The Mister and I drove to Pasadena to see the 2016 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade floats lined up end to end, at the Showcase of Floats. The 42+ floats were viewable at 2 p.m. on January 1, but we were watching a football game and didn't want to drive up. I've been keeping you up to date with the float road tests as well as a day when we helped decorate floats for this parade, themed "Find Your Adventure", which was co-sponsored by the National Park Service (which is celebrating its 100th year as a government agency). This gathering is all the floats at the end of the parade route, on display following almost a year of work.The City of Los Angeles float "Discover Los Angeles" is the float that Dennis, The Mister and I worked on and it is quite beautiful with all the organic materials.

Singpoli Group's float "Marco Polo- East Meets West" and the detail of one of the dragon paws gives you an idea of the work that goes into each of the floats in the parade.

The Lions Club "Camps for All Abilities" float was a magnificent display of use of live and dry materials.The South Dakota Department of Tourism sponsored this float, "The Great Faces and Great Places of South Dakota", which was overwhelming in detail. Notice the multiple colors/materials used to depict the carved rock and shading of Mount Rushmore. This was my favorite.Rotary International float, "Working Together for Peace" was filled with great details, like this grasshopper on a watering can.
Trader Joe's "Fearless Flyer" in full decoration (he's even wearing a Hawaiian shirt) was magnificent.The details of The Sierra Madre "Rollin on the River" are just beautiful.The 'bees' stuck on the beehive on the Miracle-Gro "Life Starts Here" float are really peanuts!The American Heart Association teamed up with Union Bank to celebrate its 30th anniversary in "A Union of Hearts". So Cute! People were posing along the side of the surreally large "Every Second is an Adventure"float sponsored by the Los Angeles Lakers.Northwestern Mutual sponsored this float, "Dancing Into Adventure". The City of South Pasadena constructed and decorated "Fishing Follies".

"Adventures in Real Food" sponsored by Real California Milk was displayed next to several booths which were handing out samples of yogurt and cheese, along with coupons and t-shirts.Just to give you an idea of how crowded the Showcase can get, this is a view from the East end at about 10 a.m.. That's the Royal Court float a bit to the left; they were posing for photos.

All in all, a great parade. The theme for the 2017 Parade has been announced: "Echoes of Success" and the planning has begun.

Of course, there was food involved in this day. Since the Showcase opens to the general public at 9 (although Seniors and Handicapped can go to view the floats as early as 7 a.m.) we drove up at a leisurely pace and took the 101 from the 5.Philippe The Original opens at 6 a.m. daily. Kirk has posted about a meal here and so have I. It's the same system, just not as busy in the morning. Walk up, order and the nice lady orders from the kitchen, which prepares most of the meal while she is preparing your tray. You pay her (they take credit cards now!), grab the tray and find a table. The whole meal was $15.04. I am fascinated with this self serve water dispenser; it reminds me of elementary school.The ham and cheese omelet is $6.60- it comes with the potatoes, biscuit (or toast) and coffee (or tea or juice). Quite large and good.The egg & cheese sandwich with sausage ($5.60) because I always order breakfast sandwiches. I like this version. A slice of still warm fresh made coffee cake ($1.60) rounded out this meal.

Philippe the Original 1001 N. Alameda Street Los Angeles 90012 (213)628-1731 open seven days 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Website

When we drive to the Showcase, there are three entrances. You can park for free and take a bus directly to an entrance gate for $3, pay for parking closer, or park a bit farther on a neighborhood street for free and walk. We park on Washington Street, nearest the North entrance. We've stopped at House of Cookies, run by a very nice husband and wife only a few times over the years, I posted about it once. The wife (who is usually working) remembers us. This year she asked why we don't stop in more often…and we told her that we live in San Diego. She was surprised that we stop at her place, and we were surprised she remembered us. It was nice.
The store is a tiny tiny place. Everything is fresh and tasty.
We bought the potato cheese filled puffy pastry and the Napoleon and the tiramisu all for less than $4.

This was a great second day of 2016 and prepared us for the upcoming year.

Arsen Bakery House of Cookies 2451 East Washington Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91104 (626)794-4280

2016 Rose Parade Float Decorating and other year end activities

December 26, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, Chains, Festivals & Events, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, primarily a food blog. Now that Christmas is over, Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are relaxing. Cathy is switching into overdrive, because she's been following traditions which continue until the 12th Night after Christmas Day.

On the drive home after The Mister and I had another non-traditional Thanksgiving meal, we talked about our next drive to Pasadena which was almost a monthly road trip this year. I had signed us up to volunteer to decorate Rose Parade floats back in June, choosing a Saturday in early December. When we arrived to check in, fellow blogger, Dennis, was also at the Rose Palace decorating barn of Phoenix Decorating Company, fulfilling one of many items on his "Bucket List". The view from the floor when we walked in is amazing.

There were two floats still under construction ( sponsored by United Sikh Mission, to the right in the above photo)… and this one, sponsored by Farmers Insurance. This float, mentioned/pictured in my October Road Test post will be following behind the main part of the Farmers Insurance float.

It was a day of preparation of dried flowers (so they could be pulverized in blenders and then the powder glued onto the floats), 'beaning' and 'seeding' and various jobs involving glue. More soothing and meditative, not the frenzy of fresh flower preparation (including the filling of thousands of vials with water) which begins today and continues until judging on the 31st. Taking a break, Dennis and I climbed to the catwalk (where the general public can also walk, for a fee) to take some photos…

The parade will be on television, kicking off at 8 a.m. on January 1. If you'd like to follow along and know the Order of the March, this link to the Pasadena Examiner lists each participant in order. There is also an app (it's free), mentioned on the the Tournament web site of the 2016 Parade Program. Beginning on page 39, there is a short paragraph explaining each participant and a photo of the band, equestrian unit, or the artist rendition of the float as it will appear in the parade. The Theme of "Find Your Adventure" combined with the co-sponsorship with the National Park Service (and the beginning of the NPS 100th year) is sure to make this parade one to remember!

Since this is a food blog…our meals that day…since we didn't have to leave the house at our usual 5 a.m., we had some breakfast at home then stopped in Tustin for cheesy delights; my most favorite version of ham and cheese baked into a bread and, on the left…a sort of cracker-cheese with a bit of flour; just the right amounts of each for a lightly salty, crispy pastry. Once again, we didn't purchase the delicious strawberry confections that Cream Pan is famous for. Cream Pan Bakery website

We did bring our own lunch, some sandwiches, and had those with coffee at the nearby Starbucks.

On the way home, there was one stop and then we saw horrible traffic, so ended up taking side roads to try to avoid, eventually stopping at the Etiwanda Avenue (in Mira Loma) location of Farmer Boys
Where I ordered my 'usual' breakfast sandwich (this time with bacon) and The Mister tried some sort of chicken/cheese/avocado/bacon sandwich… I have no description, except it was good as always; we were exhausted. Farmer Boys Website

Leaving the decorating barn, we had stopped at Orchard Supply Hardware in Pasadena to pick up the first of 2016 business giveaway calendars.Orchard Supply always has a train themed calendar and this year is the first time (in 85 years of calendars) when an artist's work has been featured two years in a row. The artist, Ken Muramoto, is extremely talented (and the youngest artist who has contributed to the tradition of OSH calendars). You can read about him HERE.

I enjoy the Vallarta Market calendar, because it lists the Days of the Saints in a format I can look at randomly. The Nijiya calendar is always beautiful. The Vietnamese Market Thuan Phat's calendar is HUGE and beautiful. The calendar from Lucky Seafood was…um…interesting this year. I know there are alway several designs chosen for the printing. This one we received well…I just never thought of a cartoony Asian man taking a selfie…but this calendar will be in my kitchen and I am sure it will make me smile every single morning in 2016.

The Mister and I also went to Fort Rosecrans, just after the annual volunteers from Wreaths Across America had finished placing wreaths in memoriam of our fallen military. Not every grave was covered, but each year a different section is completely filled. Volunteers will be needed for cleanup the second to last Saturday in January.
Once again, before our trek to the Cemetery, we stopped at P.L. Bagels for a buttered, toasted (available on weekends only) bialy and a (similarly prepared and available every day) everything bagel. Reasonable size, fresh made daily, seeds on the top AND bottom and sold until they run out. This family owned and run San Diego institution is great. P.L. Bagels 3704 Voltaire Street, Suite 107 San Diego 92107 (619) 223-4788 open daily 6a.m.-1 p.m.
Finally, one last local institution (more than 50 years in the same location) is closing and moving, because the land on that corner is more valuable than whatever rent the owner can get from the gas station, car wash and Mary's Donuts, combined. I've briefly mentioned Mary's in only two posts over all these years, but it is walking distance from home and since it is open 24/7…it is very much part of our 'rotation'. The new location is even a bit closer for us, but the ambiance just won't be the same…I hope the donuts are.

Mary's Donuts 9031 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619) 448-4800

I hope you are having a wonderful Season.