Foodie Fever: Keep on Truckin’!

This past weekend, we met up with my sister at the Gourmet Food Truck Festival held at the Del Mar Racetrack (the traditional site of the San Diego County Fair).  I’ve been seeing these types of events on television as well as all over the city.  I missed out on a smaller version a couple of months ago, so I when we reset our plans to see the “Cars 2 Experience” to next week, we knew exactly where we wanted to go.

Gone are the days of “the roach coach”.  There were 45 trucks at this event filled with edible mobile goodness at every turn.  Although my family only hit up two trucks, my sister, her friends and family share with each other by buying food from several different trucks, slicing up smaller portions so that everyone can have a sample, which reminded me of tapas.  We got to sample food from at least five other trucks this way (although I can’t recall which ones).

Part of the fun of this type of food festival are the trucks themselves.  Each truck had something savory to sell, and something fanciful for the eyes.  It was fun to walk around just to see all of the keenly decorated trucks with clever names.  Because of all of the incredibly long lines, we only went to two trucks:  Brats Berlin and Buttermilk Truck.

At the Brats Berlin truck, I tried the traditional bratwurst with sauerkraut and grilled onions while Deon tried the chicken jalapeno and onion sausage with spicy and sweet peppers.  Both were incredibly good, bursting with flavor and spice.

With a name like Buttermilk Truck, I knew I had to stop in to at least check out the menu.  For only $5, I was able to get the red velvet chocolate chip pancake bites and the housemade cake donuts.  We added just a touch of syrup to the pancakes because we weren’t sure how sweet it would already be, but it only made it taste even better.  Both dishes were moist and just sweet enough so they weren’t overbearing.  The butter was lightly whipped and almost tasted like ice cream.  There was enough to share with another person, so my sister and I devoured the whole thing.  That clearly was my favorite food truck of the day.  Apparently Andrew Zimmern has eaten there as a part of his “Appetite for Life” feature on MSN, a show all about America’s street cuisine.

I’m so very glad that we rearranged our weekend to make room for this festival because it is definitely something that we will be attending again.  This time, we will make sure to get out there early to avoid all of the long lines and hit up more trucks.  Hope you all had a great weekend!

Dominic and Mei-Lin had a blast at the Gourmet Food Truck Festival!

Foodie Fever: A Simply Smashing Burger Joint

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were looking for a place to eat in Del Mar.  Because we both work a shift that ends in the early afternoon, the restaurant we originally were going to eat at was closed for lunch and not yet open for dinner.  Enter Smashburger, one of the best a burger joints I’ve eaten at in a while.

Please excuse the pictures, as they were taken by my old phone.  I hope you can tell through the blurriness that this fantastic BBQ, Bacon and Cheddar Smashburger is as good as it looks.   I love a good BBQ burger, and this had amazing applewood bacon with cheddar, piled high with haystack onions.

My next favorite part of my meal was the Smashfries.  They are your basic shoe-string fries, but tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic.  Oh. My. Potato. Goodness.  I haven’t met a french fry that I didn’t like, but I think these fries just may rule them all.

Believe it or not, I won yet another Twitter contest by following @SmashBurgerSD.  I answered a trivia question about San Diego and won a gift certificate!  My husband came home from playing golf and I relayed the news about winning and he was elated because it was finally something he could enjoy.  As you can tell by my empty wrapper above with nary a crumb left that I highly recommend Smashburger.  There are locations all over the US, and eight are in California.  Cheers and thank you Smashburger!

Mode of Inspiration: FTF Blog Event for 8/17/2011

This month’s Full Time Fabulous August blog event is all about inspiration. Kristy Elena asked that we think about what inspires us and explain why. My recurring theme is and will always be Depeche Mode. I connected with their music at a very young age and have always identified with them because of their dark but hopeful lyrics. As I got older, I learned to appreciate the irony of their sexual and religious themes. Their inspiration is evident in the titles of many of my posts, and more importantly in the name of my blog. I can be mentally fighting for a title to an outfit post or an article. Then suddenly a lyric to one of their songs will pop into my head and I’m inspired.  To see evidence of how much they have influenced me, check out posts here and here, including outfit posts here and here.
But really, I derive much of my inspiration for everything I do in my life from the loves of my life: my husband Deon and son Dominic.
What inspires you? Check out what inspires other bloggers in the Full Time Fabulous Community.

Releasing My Inner Sporty Spice

With the start of football season just around the corner and our first pre-season game out of the way, I’m anxious to get out and see a game again.  As I put on one of my favorite vintage sports tees, I thought about what I see all the time at sporting events:  women wearing crazy stiletto heels, barely there clothing in all of their team’s glory and purses so large they need their own seat.  With nose-bleed seats that can be nearly 100 feet up and no elevator to help with the climb, I wonder why women dress like they’re going to a night club rather than like they are watching a (plug-in appropriate sport) game.

I think it’s best to channel Mel C (Sporty Spice) by looking smart, sporty and comfy because so many crazy things can happen at any given sporting event.  Back in 2008, my husband and I went two football games outside of San Diego:  The International Series game with the San Diego Chargers vs the New Orleans Saints, and then to a Pittsburgh Steelers home game because they were playing also my Chargers.  I was pregnant at the time for both games.

At the Pittsburgh game, we were in the 5th to the last row near the top of the stadium.  Heinz Field is an open stadium and the game was in November, so you can imagine how cold it was!  I was in lots of layers and my wellies to ensure warmth and dry feet. About an hour into the game, angry words were exchanged between two fans, and a scuffle happened right behind me.  My husband swept me up and we quickly shifted seats a few rows down until things calmed down.  Security came over and ended the argument.  Later we found out that it was over spilt beer.

Although both were cold weather games and more than likely everyone was wearing something comfortable and warm, I can’t say the same for the games out here in sunny San Diego.  At a recent Padres game, I overheard an older woman complain about how much her feet hurt, asking her husband to slow down.  When I turned around, she was wearing 3-inch spiked heels, a printed capri pant suit and hauling a beautiful (but incredibly large) designer purse.  Her husband wasn’t too sympathetic to her situation.

Here is how I wear my favorite sports gear to show support for my team.  I changed my shoes a bit to show how I wear it to the office, and how I wear it when I go to an actual game or even a sports bar.

1.  A lightweight jacket or sweater – Games that go from the afternoon into the night can turn cold in a heartbeat.  It’s better to be safe than sorry.

2.  A piece of clothing that represents your favorite team – I like to do so in the form of a shirt or hat.  Usually when it’s a shirt, it’s either a jersey or vintage tee.  The one pictured above is one I bought on eBay.  It’s my favorite.

3.  Shorts, jeans or pants – It is very difficult to sit lady-like in a seat at a sports arena or stadium, unless you are in a suite or press box.  If you sit in the regular seats with the regular folk like me, it’s best to wear some kind of pants or shorts because of all of the standing, sitting and climbing that can occur throughout the game.  Wear skirts at your own risk (think about the trip UP when climbing stairs).

4.  A flat shoe or a wedge – To me, heels and sports events do not mix.  I will almost always wear flats, usually some kind of sneaker.  But if I do wear a heel, it will be a wedge.

5.  A cross-body bag – No matter how pretty or modern the stadium or arena, accidents will happen at a sporting event.  You take the life of your purse into your own hands by placing it under your seat or in the seat next to you.  It’s best to take just your essentials and wear a purse that can be easily slung across your body.  This will free up your hands to carry your child, food and a couple of drinks if needed.

6. Sunglasses & sunblock – Unless your event is strictly indoors, take a pair of sunglasses for sporting events that happen during the day.  It’s tough to be outside for that long, and your eyes can take a beating.  Also remember sunblock.  The back of your neck will thank you for it!

Top picture – London 2008, Wembley Stadium

Middle picture – Pittsburgh, PA 2008, Heinz Field

Outfit pictures – Cotton On sweater; vintage San Diego Chargers shirt from eBay; Hudson jeans; cross-body bag from Rome, Italy; Pierre Hardy for Gap wedges; Marc Jacobs red patent leather wedge espadrille sneakers; Alexander McQueen for Puma trainers

Weekend in Pictures: Trainspotting Again

 

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Last Sunday, Dominic and I went on yet another train (see his first train ride here).  This one was at our local mall, and every time we go there, he asks about riding it.  Before running errands, I decided it was time to finally take a ride.  It’s so nice because Plaza Bonita is ten minutes away and has many of my favorite stores, plus a Target for getting all of the things we need for everyday use.  After our train ride, I was able to return a few things, get Dominic some new “Cars” outfits, grab a few necessities, and lunch for the family.  Hope you had a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

Put to the Test: Hana Flat Iron by Misikko

Last week, I had the pleasure of using the Hana Professional 1.5″ Flat Iron given to me by Misikko.  I had read Tweets and reviews by other bloggers, so I was very excited when they contacted me.  The flat-iron came in a very nicely arranged and beautifully decorated care package, along with lots of little surprises.

Nestled in a tin case, the Hana iron also came with a heat-resistant storage bag and a silicone heat proof mat, both of which are ideal for traveling.  It also came with Shine Shield, which is an advanced lightweight leave-in treatment that protects your hair from heat styling.  Finally, there were a couple of make-up goodies from Elf, nail files and a sleep mask.  I could have taken this package anywhere!

Once I tried it, I was impressed.  I didn’t really include any before and after pictures because my hair is not particularly wavy, so the visible difference wouldn’t be as apparent.  The true beauty of this flat-iron is in how my hair felt after using it.

Because of the thickness of my hair, I usually blow dry it, add product, then style with a flat-iron.  When I used the Hana flat-iron, I immediately felt how conditioned and smooth my hair felt.  I have had problems with other straighteners where it made my hair feel coarse or slightly burned.  But because my hair came out feeling nearly moisturized, I didn’t feel at all like I used any kind of styling tool.

The real test was when I tried it after I let my hair was air dry.  Since I’m growing my hair out, this is what I worry about the most because I know blow drying will only be done when I am going to work due to time constraints.  Again, I was impressed at how straight my hair was and how conditioned it felt.  I didn’t really even need to add that much product, which would be a cost savings in the long run.

If you are looking for an easy to use styling tool that conditions your hair as you use it, I think the Hana Professional 1.5″ Flat Iron is a great product.  This iron normally sells for $214, but is currently $129 on their website and comes with a travel pouch and heat pad.  For Any Second Now readers, you can get an additional $10 off for any orders over $100 with the code Any2nd.  Click on the picture below to take you directly to their site.  Happy styling!

Babyliss Flatiron

Moroccan Oil

Hana

FTC Disclosure:  I received free product and was asked to review the product in return.  Although I did receive free product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

We Have a Winner!

A winner has been selected for the Lulu*s $50 gift certificate!  Please help me congratulate Sandy!   I will contact you by email later today and forward your information to Lulu*s so that they can contact you with the details on receiving your $50 gift certificate.  Yay Sandy!

Thanks to everyone who participated, and again, thank you for following Any Second Now!

FTC Disclosure: The Lulu*s gift certificate winner was chosen at random using Math Goodies.  This post and the initial contest announcement post (seen here) were not sponsored and the gift certificate was provided by Lulu*s as a courtesy. I did not receive any compensation and was not required to do a review.

Stars & Stripes

I am trying very hard to embrace mixology through pattern mixing.  Sometimes I succeed, sometimes it’s a bit of a mess.  But after a couple of nice pointers from Kimi’s awesome post on her blog All The Fuss called “Power Clashing: I Do it Because I Can“, I thought I would try again.  I kept my patterns simple and in the same color family, as well as the accessories.

Below is my newest eBay acquisition.  I have been looking for my size in these very cute Poetic License shoe boots for a long time, and finally found them on eBay.  Although they are all black, there is subtle scallop detailing that make them beyond adorable.  The material is stretchy which makes them incredibly comfy for the height.  Most of all, they’re just so pretty!

Outfit – Charlotte Russe blouse; American Living blazer (JC Penney); H&M jeans; Rebecca Minkoff purse; Poetic License shoes; Bebe crown brooch; Coach sunglasses

(Bonus picture of Dominic in another outfit picture, playing with Lightning McQueen.)

Weekend in Pictures: Three if by Sea

Last Sunday, we went out to Seaport Village to fly another kite that we bought Dominic because the other kite had been taken by the wind (original post here).  Since this one was bigger, badder and had a different reel, we knew this one would be able to stand what Mother Nature had to offer. Meet Dominic’s new kite, The Red Baron!

We then ventured back into Seaport Village and had cupcakes at our favorite place, Frosted Robin.  This time, we had the chance to sample the English Sticky Toffee, German Chocolate and Peanut Butter cupcakes.  We washed the sweetness down with some white peach tea and chatted a bit with Sheree, the owner and manager (see my interview with Sheree here).

We ended the day at Joe’s Crab Shack on the Embarcadero, in a building that used to be the San Diego Rowing Club, which was deemed a historic building back in 1979.  It’s right on the water, behind the San Diego Convention Center.  Dominic enjoyed all of the wall decor and we enjoyed the food and the scenery.  We are lucky to live in such a beautiful city like San Diego.  Hope you all had a great weekend!

I wore my favorite comfy shoes by Marc Jacobs the whole day.

A Thank You & A Giveaway From LuLu*s!

Dearest lovelies, have I told you lately how much I love you?  Did you know that LuLus.com loves you, too, and were gracious enough to provide a $50 gift certificate to one lucky reader?

Here’s what you have to do to win:

1.  Go to the Lulu*s site and pick out your favorite item.  There are SO many awesome things to choose from!  For example, here’s one of my favorites:

Qupid Bikini 153 Red Velvet Color Block Peep Toe Wedges

2.  Come on back to Any Second Now and post a comment listing your favorite item.

(Note added 8/8/2011:  Please post your comments by midnight PST 8/10/2011.)

3.  Next Thursday (August 11, 2011) one lucky reader will be chosen at random to win, so please check back to see if it’s you!

LuLu*s was the first site to give my readers a discount nearly a year ago, so I’m very excited that they wanted to help me bring you this awesome giveaway.  Thanks ever so much for reading, following, commenting, and for being YOU. Cheers and good luck!