A day in Santa Barbara... The Santa Barbara Mission, Crushcakes Cafe and The Lucky Llama

Left alone in Santa Barbara for a couple of days, what're a Mom and daughter to do??  Why eat, shop and take in the local sights, of course!  Dropping my son at UCSB for orientation, Liv and I made the quaint Upham Hotel (see our review) our home base and took on the town.

Centrally located and just a block and a half off of State Street, the Upham allowed us to leave the car and simply get out and walk.  With camera in hand we set out for our first stop of the day, the Mission Santa Barbara.

The Queen of Missions - Santa Barbara

Growing up in California, all students learn about the 21 Missions that make up a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823.  In 5th grade each student is assigned a single mission to study, and some 35 years ago the Mission Santa Barbara was my mission.

Making a field trip out of the project, my dad took me and my family from our Northern California home down to Santa Barbara so I could see my mission in person, and then we returned home to build a replica out of sugar cubes.

Today, more than 200 years after its establishment, the Santa Barbara Mission continues to be a cultural and historical site.  A beautiful church with a large and active parish, the mission also hosts a museum, gift shop, cemetery, mausoleum, and ten acres of beautifully landscaped gardens.  Known as the Queen of Missions, the Santa Barbara Mission is well worth a visit when you are in town.

For a complete history of the Mission visit the 

Santa Barbara Attractions Guide at SantaBarbara.com.

Hungry after our trek to and around the Mission, Liv surprised me with a restaurant suggestion.  Not one to usually research ahead of time, my interest piqued as she described a cafe "that I know you will love Mom... I read about organic salads and awesome wraps.  I think it's going to be great!".

After about a 10 minute walk through the lovely streets of Santa Barbara we found Liv's cafe suggestion.  Crushcakes Cafe, that is.  Now fully understanding her interest, I smiled at she explained she had seen Crushcakes on Foodnetwork's Cupcake Wars and it seemed to be a must try.  She was right.

Walking through the decadent cupcake shop we made our way to the cafe (lunch before dessert...), where Crushcakes features locally grown produce - indeed organic when possible.  Serving breakfast all day, the Peace, Love and Granola (vanilla bean yogurt topped with our homemade granola, sliced bananas, strawberries and honey drizzle) caught my eye, but so did the offerings of organic scrambles and breakfast burritos.

Crushcakes and Cafe (Get the coconut!!!)

The lunch menu covers soups, salads, grilled paninis, wraps and house specials like Chicken Ranch Quesadillas or Rosie's Tacos.  I'll admit I wish we had time for two meals, but as we had just finished a full breakfast, the Animal Lover Salad did the trick for me (mixed greens, roasted zucchini, caramelized onions, roasted peppers
toasted pumpkin seeds, portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, homemade vinaigrette) and Liv stuck with the Turkey Club Wrap and could only finish half before proclaiming herself beyond satiated.  After all, we needed to save room for cupcakes.

And save room we did.  Entering the bakery the names of the cupcakes alone made us want one of each (Strawberry Blush, anyone??  Or perhaps a Lemon Drop or Chocolate Bliss??), but we settled for one each - might I just interject here that the Coconut Cloud is one of the best cupcakes I've ever had - and took a set of 4 for the road.  Let's just say that Crushcakes has earned a rating of "must visit" when in Santa Barbara in our book.  #awesomeness

Our last adventure the next morning took us to Carpenteria... just about 10 minutes from Santa Barbara (South on the 101), Liv and I had a tip from one of her girlfriends about The Lucky Llama, and will most likely we'll be making this a regular stop as we hit the road back to San Deigo on future trips.

The Lucky Llama - Carpenteria, CA

Featuring Acai and Breakfast Bowls, the Lucky Llama also serves a fabulous line of coffee drinks that I'm certain is going to take a number of visits so I can try them all.

Choosing an Avocado Bowl (acai blended with avo and banana then topped with more banana, strawberries and some of the best granola I've ever had) and a Mango Bowl (same as avo only with mango - this one was our favorite), we found ourselves perfectly fueled to return trip to UCSB to pick up my son from orientation.

Mango and Avocado Acai Bowls to go...

While Liv has another few years before she needs to make her own college decision, our few days in Santa Barbara did a lot to make her feel at home in the town, and I have a feeling UCSB will be high on her college interest list.

A walk through the campus and visit to the bookstore gave her a taste of college life, then a trek into Isla Vista brought an even bigger surprise.  What was the first restaurant to catch here eye?  Why another Crushcakes Cafe, of course.  UCSB now seems like home.

Storke Tower... University of California at Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Getaway - The Upham Hotel and Louie's Bistro

We all have friends with opinions and recommendations for hotels, restaurants, etc, and of those friends we know the ones we can trust, the ones with classy, impeccable taste.  For me, that friend is Marsha.  My muse when it comes to anything travel or food related, I trust implicity what she recommends, and when she suggested the quaint Upham Hotel in lieu of a run of the mill resort for our stay in Santa Barbara I simply picked up the phone and made a reservation.  Dropping my son at UCSB for Freshman Orientation, I'm happy to say I've found my home away from home for the next four years.

Breakfast or wine on the patio anyone??

Built in 1871, the Upham Hotel claims the title of the oldest continuously operating hotel in Southern California.  Offering some 50 rooms and suites located in one of several single and two story buildings, the hotel embraces its heritage, yet brings a completely modern facility.

Featuring a generous continental breakfast, an afternoon wine and cheese and evening milk and cookies, the hotel brings more of a bed and breakfast feel than a hotel.  From check-in to check-out, the staff did everything possible to make our stay even more comfortable, all with a personal touch.

Arriving after a four hour drive from San Diego with my 18-year old son at the wheel, I don't think I've ever looked forward to a glass of wine more than I did that night.  However, we arrived just after the evening wine and cheese event had been put away.  Describing the last four hours to the front desk, the man simply walked to the kitchen, brought me a glass of white, smiled and said, "I understand..."  I think he did.

With three of us in the room, our only option at the Upham was one of the Santa Barbara Double Queen Rooms located in the Hibiscus building.  A lovely two story structure surrounded by lush greenery and trees, Liv loved that our key was just that, an actual key.

With ample room for our party of three, we unloaded our bags into the spacious walk in closet and once again, Liv loved the "old fashioned" (her words... not mine!) touches.  Using a pull chain for the light in the closet, I had to smile realizing that in her 14 years she had never seen one.  Might I mention that the crystal door handles also brought a smile to her face.

Living in Southern California, we love to open our windows, and the shuttered windows in our room opened to provided a lovely evening breeze enhanced by our spinning ceiling fan.  No need for air conditioning on our early August stay - temps at night fell to the low 60's, days were high 70's.  While we did hear occasional guest walking to and from their cars, everyone hushed their children and we had no issues with noise.

Breakfast, while described as continental, was a delight.  Including steel cut oats with a choice of toppings (my choice included raisins and cinnamon), bagels, bread, muffins, pastries, cereal and milk, hard boiled eggs, fruit (bananas, apples and grapefruit), assorted juices, and coffee and tea, one has a wonderful start to the day, and the choice of patio dining becomes even more of a bonus.

Continental breakfast served 7am -11am

Tucked away on the bottom floor of the main part of the hotel, Liv and I found Louie's Bistro to be our choice for dinner.  Again, we chose patio dining and enjoyed the cool evening Southern California breeze as the sun set behind us.

In business for over 30 years, Louie's also came highly recommended and after a day of tourist walking adventures we eagerly anticipated our dinner.

While the wine list features wonderful Santa Barbara and Central Coast wines, I asked our server, Patrick, for a hearty IPA.  His suggestion of the SLO (San Luis Obispo) Brewing Company perfectly hit the spot, and our relaxing evening began.

Sharing the Pepper Shrimp with avocado and a fresh tomato salsa, Liv and I chatted about our day and proclaimed our dinner most likely far better than what her brother was getting at his first meal at the UCSB dining commons.

Patrick happily adjusted the pasta dish to my "I like it my way" requests and suggested the Chicken and Spinach Ravioli for Liv.  Again, both fabulous choices and we polished off both plates along with a basket of warm bread.  Inquiring about dessert Patrick just smiled and said "The Banana a la Louie, of course" (custard filled puffed pastry with caramelized bananas).  As the front desk had also gushed about the Banana dessert it seemed a done deal, and again a fabulous choice.

Pepper Shrimp with Avocado and Tomato Salsa

Banana a la Louie... custard filled puffed pastry with caramelized bananas and vanilla gelato

Satiated, tired and happy, my girl and I wandered through the quiet grounds and back to our room.  Texting my muse, Marsha, our thanks for her hotel suggestion, we know we've found our home away from home when when visiting Santa Barbara.

Liv Life Note:  Neither the Upham or Louie's knew we planned to write reviews... all thoughts and opinions are completely our own.

To Be Continued...

Click here to see also our last Santa Barbara post for more meal recommendations and a visit the State Street Farmer's Market!

A Day on the San Diego Bay... a photo essay #wordlesswednesday (almost)

After living in San Diego some 18 years, I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that last weekend was the first day I've spent on the water in the San Diego Harbor.  With stunning views of wildlife, sailboats, military activities and gorgeous scenery, it's a day to consider if planning a visit to our beautiful city.

As no words can convey the beauty of the day, I'm simply going to show you with a (nearly) Wordless Wednesday.  Enjoy!

 

Coronado Bridge

Waving as we sailed by...

A dog from a fishing boat ran towards the sleeping sea lions and it was abandon pier!

Hotel Del Coronado

Sunset skyline with the famous Hotel Del Coronado spire

Coronado Bridge

City of San Diego

City of San Diego

Bring me that hoizon...

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes from Beach House Baking ... Best I've ever made!

Irresistibly deep dark chocolate cupcakes.  Moist, with a perfectly tender crumb and topped with a luscious rich frosting in addition to the perfect amount of chocolate sprinkles.  Could it be possible to make these exquisite chocolate dreams in your own home kitchen?  Even if you are not the most adept cupcake maker and an even less adept cupcake decorator?  In a word... Yes!

I'm not one to gush all that often, but I have the best job in the world.  It pays pennies on the hour, but the benefits are fabulous.  Benefits like mail days that bring cookbooks to my doorstep for review... cookbooks like Beach House Baking by Lei Shishak.

Described as an Endless Summer of Delicious Desserts, the Beach House Baking cookbook had me at the title alone, but toss in beautiful photography, foolproof recipes, ingredients found in most kitchen pantries and a passion for my beloved sand-to-surf lifestyle and we have a book that has risen in my ranks to a near all time favorite.

Author, Lei Shishak hails from the East Coast and comes with background in Private Banking that thankfully transitioned to her true love of baking.  With accomplishments including graduating at the top of her class from the Culinary Institute of America with honors, time with Chef Scott Friedman and other mentors in Los Angeles, the position of Executive Pastry Chef at Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Orange County, CA, Lei was more the prepared to open her own bakery.

After spending a few years here in California, Lei came to know the beach lifestyle that I also fully embrace.  She sums it up aptly in her cookbook introduction... "California is not only a physical destination it's also a state of mind" and she knew she had the perfect location for her bakery in San Clemente, California.  As a California Girl myself, to completely concur.  

San Clemente, California

"I wanted to write this book so others could experience the beach lifestyle I and many others are fortunate to have.  I get to bake every day in the prettiest place on earth.  I wanted to share these tried and truly delicious recipes that I enjoy baking and sharing with everyone in my life.  My high quality, made-from-scratch desserts will transport you to beaches and tropic paradises you've alway hoped to visit.  Not only will this book bring you into the kitchen, it will take you to places beyond."

Lei Shishak, Beach House Baking

And that's exactly what her books does.  Bringing Morning Treats, Beach Beverages, Cupcakes (including Happy Hour Cupcakes!), Cookies and Brownies, Hand-Crafted Ice Cream Sandwiches (they are swoonable!), Frozen Pops, and Pies, Crisps, a Cobbler and Cheesecakes, Lei transports us to beaches around the world.  From the East Coast of the USA and on out to the West in California, to the shores of Japan and back to the Caribbean, Lei brings out our inner "surferness" and has us tasting a little bit of paradise in each recipe.

Coconut Chai Tea Lattes warm us up on chilly gray mornings while Mango Yogurt Swirl Pops cool us down with a taste of the tropics.  A fabulous Baklava recipe transports us to the shores of Santorini while Golden Butter Cupcakes with Madagascar Vanilla Buttercream take us through the Indian Ocean and the Ultimate Road Trip Cookie takes us everywhere in between.

As luck would have it, Lei established her bakery, The Sugar Blossom Bake Shop, in the quaint little California surf town of San Clemente, a mere 30 miles from my own little surf town of Carlsbad.  And with school out for summer a field trip seemed in order.

Heading north with Liv and her girlfriend, Audrey, the girls perused Beach House Baking and the miles passed quickly as they gushed over the recipes throughout the book.  Liv chose the S'Mores Cupcakes as her number one choice, and Audrey similarly gushed over the German Chocolate Getaway and the PCH (Piña Colada Highway) Cupcakes.  Me??  I swooned over the photo of a simple Dark Chocolate version topped with chocolate sprinkles.

Arriving at the bakery, luck once again was on our side as the Sugar Blossom counter featured each of our favorite cupcakes, and we placed an order of our favorites in addition to one of each of the other offerings.  Rounding out our order with the Ice Cream Sandwich of the day, the Waimea Bay (a red velvet version and also in the cookbook!) we took our treasures to an outside table and settled in to tasting.

Liv and Audrey react to a first bite of their Waimea Bay Ice Cream Sandwich!  (Kind of like a red velvet version.)

Tucking into the ice cream sandwich, the girls' eyes grew wide after their first bite.  Looking at each other they proclaimed "This is the best ice cream sandwich I've ever had!!" at exactly the same time and burst into a fit of giggles.  With groans of sweet pleasure the sandwiches were sent to Instagram in a flash and envious comments appeared almost instantly.

My favorite comment from the girls was "These taste like a real person made them and like they are filled with love."  The girls are right.

Moving on to the cupcakes we had intentions of trying each of the 8 versions we had set in our bakery box, but none of us made it past our proclaimed favorite before confirming the expected excellence and then claiming complete satiation.  Bidding the sweet Lei goodbye we made our way to the San Clemente Pier to walk off our treats and enjoyed a fabulous hour beachside.

But back home was where the challenge began.  We'd all tasted Lei's version of the cupcakes, but would I, a somewhat inadequate cupcake baker, be able to follow the Beach House Baking recipe and recreate the incredibleness?  Again... yes.

Irresistibly dark and incredibly chocolaty with that perfect moistness and tender crumb we topped our cupcakes with a luscious rich frosting and just the perfect amount of chocolate sprinkles.  Just like Lei did at her bakery and just like she described in her book.  While ours may not have been quite as pretty as hers, the taste was every bit as good (well almost... she is a master pastry chef you know...), and brought the flavors of our day on the beach into our very own kitchen.

Beach House Baking... it's the perfect summer read.  Bringing a little bit of the beach to you where ever you may be, you will find yourself turning to this incredibly beautiful book time and again for any occasion you find yourself baking.  With clearly written recipes and mouthwatering photos, Beach House Baking will have you pumping made-from-scratch treats that will garner oohs, ahhs and requests for recipes from everyone you meet.

California Farm Tour and a California Mexican Rice Bowl

"Do you know where these vegetables come from?" A question I remember asking my kids years ago as we wandered the grocery store.  

"From the, uh, the vegetable store...?", was always their questioning answer.

The vegetable store indeed.  But where is that vegetable store?  Or the fruit store for that matter?

Just last week I received the answer to those questions as I participated in a behind the scenes tour of various farms in Southern California's Imperial and Coachella Valleys.  As guests of the California Farm Water Coalition, fellow bloggers Priscilla (She's Cookin'), Barbara (Barbara Cooks) and Jeanne (The Jolly Tomato),  and I visited local farms growing produce making up some 60% of our nation's winter supply.

Located in the very south of Southern California, the Imperial Valley boasts mild winter temperatures making it the perfect growing venue for winter vegetables including spinach, various types of lettuce, carrots, onions and broccoli, among numerous other varieties.

Every drop counts...

However, being part of a desert brings to the forefront the issue of an average 3 inches of rain per year, nowhere near enough water to grow crops to fill local packing plants with the necessary produce to supply much of the nation's food needs.  And with current California drought conditions making matters even worse, farms are doing everything in their power to irrigate crops as efficiently as possible.

While farming may seem like "big business", most of the farms in the valleys are still family owned, and many of these families have been farming their lands for generations.  Water scarcity in recent years however, has some farmers allowing their lands to go fallow for seasons, some seasons stretching into years.

The Faces of Farming

Our tour brought us to local farmers working hard to keep their crops fully watered while staying up to date on the most efficient irrigation standards for each particular crop.  From sprinklers to drip lines, the precious water flowing from the Colorado River to the valley's irrigation canals is used at maximum efficiency.  (Read more about our tour from the Imperial Valley Press)

LaBrucherie Spinach Field

J.P. LaBrucherie, a fourth generation farmer with LaBrucherie Produce, brought our team of bloggers to one of his El Centro spinach fields and took us through the life of a spinach seed from planting to packaging.  Beginning as one of 3.5 million seeds in an acre, a spinach plant takes some 30-45 days to harvest.  Irrigated with sprinklers, these plants thrive in the local warm winter climate. 

While we missed the actual harvest, J.P. described the scene with a machine slicing the tender leaves from the plant, essentially doing what needed a field of people in the past.  The plant is then left to re-grow, but as the remaining leaves may be somewhat damaged from the initial cutting and simply not as pretty as the first round, these leaves are then cut for frozen or chopped packaging.

As an side interesting note... have you ever noticed those slender leaves in your spinach bag?  I've always wondered if they were another plant somehow mixed in by accident, however they are actually the first little leaves to emerge from the spinach sprout.  Same plant, simply a different shape.

Moving on to lettuce, J.P. brought our team to his iceberg and romaine fields.  Entering the field the scent of fresh salad wafted around us as J.P. plucked heads from the ground, broke off the root end and and served up romaine crisper than any I've ever tasted.  Beautiful specimens are actually harvested by hand and packed right there at the field, a process I'd love to see in person one day.

Irrigated by furrows, the fields are tilted ever so slightly to encourage the water to flow from one end to another while keeping the produce dry and the roots wet.

Making our way toward the Coachella Valley, our next stop brought the heavenly scent of citrus blossoms as Dennis Jensen, of Seaview Packing, took us through lemon and orange groves.  With the groves nearing the end of the picking season new growth sprouted from the freshly manicured, squared off trees, and the fragrant blossoms brought the beginning of next year's crop to life.

Lemon... 2015!

Driving through the citrus grove our van broke out into a tropical palm filled paradise and we soon discovered "the date store".  Apparently I'm the last person to know that the gorgeous "Date Palm" is actually where dates come from.  Taking us through the life cycle of a date, Mr. Jensen explained the laborious process of rising into the spiky (I've heard the spikes can puncture car tires) trees some 8 times in a season to prune, pollinate, pick, etc.

Growing the popular Medjool and Deglet Noor (meaning Tree of Light) varieties, the palms provide a beautiful Garden (did you know a Date "Grove" is properly called a Date "Garden"?) and have piqued my interest in dates.  More on that in the weeks to come...

Moving on to the orange section of the farm, workers worked at picking the last of the beautiful Valencias from the heavily laden trees.

With a family-like familiarity, Mr. Jensen greeted workers with smiles and jolly laughs, and workers spoke with thankfulness and appreciation for the opportunities on this farm.  One woman in particular spoke how Mr. Jensen had passed his knowledge of the industry to her as they worked together and she now works in management at an adjacent farm.  Her contagious laugh had us all smiling right along with her.

Taking us through the groves Mr. Jensen passed out bags giving us the opportunity to pick and pack our own oranges showing that a certain skill is indeed necessary to pick quickly and properly so as not to injure the trees and branches or oneself.  Picking oranges in quantity is not quite as easy as it might seem.

Perfectly suited to drip irrigation, lines bring water directly to the root of the trees with no wastage in the process.

Automated to bring exactly what is needed, the water is pulled from the Coachella Canal, a branch of the All-American Canal, now a lined (it used to be an earthen canal,  and is now lined with cement) canal to eliminate seepage while flowing, farmers open aqueducts to bring water into ponds which is then readily available when needed.

Coachella Canal

Making our way passed the Salton Sea, a "sea" with a fabulous history of its own, our team made its next stop with Ellen Way of Prime Time Packing.  Another generational family farmer (her family has been farming since the 1700's), Ellen's quick smile and passion for agriculture exuded from every part of her as she took us through the life cycle of a pepper plant.

The largest Pepper Grower in California, Prime Time doesn't take its title of "The Pepper People" lightly.  Bringing green, red and yellow peppers to market nearly 365 days a year, Prime Time uses conventional fields as well as hothouses screened with mesh to assure the marketplace receives high quality peppers.

"One of the richest growing regions in the world, this fertile ground and warm climate are ideal for the demands of growing premium-quality peppers. Coachella Valley is the base of Prime Time's operations. Peppers are grown both in spring and fall seasons."
Prime Time

Actually a fruit, tiny peppers form after the plant flowers.  Grown conventionally in an open field, "plastic covered beds are used to cover the ground to aid in water conservation, weed control and to protect the fruit from direct soil exposure. Modern drip irrigation systems are utilized as well as the latest cultural technology."

Hence, each little plant gets its own personal water spout and is fed and watered just the perfect amount to bring big, beautiful peppers to our markets.

And then there are the hot house varieties.  Thicker walled peppers are cultivated in mesh hot houses which allows the pepper production season to stretch year round.  Hot houses bring a longer growing season, disease and insect as well as inclement weather protection and as much as 4 times the crop when compared to conventional methods.  However, those benefits come at a cost of some 4 times as much as conventional methods.

Prime Time's conventional pepper fields - Coachella Valley

With three completely different yet very similar farms under my belt, I returned home with a new appreciation for how important farmers are to our livelihood.  We may not think of them often, but they are indeed a daily part of our lives responding to our desires without us even fully realizing it.  Here's hoping the rains see fit to drop a little rain on our parched state to keep these farmers farming.  For more information see the California Farm Water Coalition... Food grows where water flows! 

With peppers on my mind, a few gorgeous red beauties found their way onto my grill for one of our favorite, yet very simple meals.  Filled with grilled peppers (I have a feeling the are from Prime Time...!), grilled onions (probably from the Imperial Valley), brown rice, beans and a loads of fresh ingredients (including ripe avocado most likely from one of my favorite farms in Temecula), this Mexican Rice Bowl has earned a spot on the favorite list.  Join me?  And when you get the chance... thank a farmer.