Mondo

Burrito Box: What Was I Thinking?

Ok….here’s what I was thinking.

There’s a machine that doles out warm burritos in West Hollywood. No matter what I have to check it out.

Also, I was thinking…I don’t wanna drive or take pictures, so I guess I’ll bring Dave along.

This place must’ve been the nicest gas station store on the planet. You can’t tell from the outside, but inside they had rows and rows of designer whole grain tortilla chips and European refreshments. Think Whole Foods meets the Gas ‘n Sip.

Anyway, Dave and I waited our turn as a hipster gent tried to order a vegetarian burrito. His girlfriends discussed their lactose issues.

“I can’t have cheese or sour cream.” the tall one exclaimed.

We waited.

We were entertained by a music video during the interim. Did I mention that the Burrito Box wants you to dance while you wait for mediocrity? No? Well, it does.

“That’s mighty kind of them.” I thought.

Not sure why I started thinking like a farm hand, but it doesn’t matter. It was our turn, so we stepped up to the plate.

Dave and I ordered the Free Range Chicken Burrito. How could it go wrong? The burrito came from happy chickens. Our total came to $3.98.

We waited some more; but at least our ears were blessed by the soothing sounds of percussion-filled techno. Ugh.

Our burrito was ready.

Looked alright in the package, but then we took it out and good lord! The burrito was damp. Damp! It was like the Burrito Box’s cooking method of choice was steam. I took a bite and was completely unimpressed. The chicken was flavorless and the moist tortilla takes you aback.

Perhaps, a bit of hot sauce would help.

It didn’t.

There’s no picture of the burrito. I didn’t want to be reminded of what I’d tasted.

To alleviate my what-was-I-thinking moment, Dave took me to Greenblatt’s, arguably the best pastrami sandwich joint in L.A. When you come for a visit, skip the Burrito Box and go straight there. Order the #7 and look for the happy chick in the booth behind you. That’ll be me.

Stove Top Popcorn

I can spin a story about my love affair with popcorn and how it’s gotten me through some pretty rough movies and blah, blah, blah.

The truth of the matter is…everyone loves popcorn. It’s popcorn! It’s universal, like ~~porn~~ ice cream. Read More…

Ginger Lemon Tea and The Best Photo Shoot Ever

The Ginger Lemon Tea photo shoot was the best shoot ever…until it wasn’t.

Usually, I’m a hot mess but for once, Dave and I were super-prepared. I came to the studio with a ‘list of shots’ and Dave had pre-gamed his lighting set-ups. His first shot was 80% “there” which is always a good sign. In less than two hours we had four great shots. Four! I don’t know about anyone else, but that’s a lot for us.

We couldn’t have been more prepared for work; but there was no preparation in the food department. You know, food-food, like sandwiches or something. Yes, we had plenty of raw ginger root around, but I really wasn’t trying to snack on that.

But I was in luck. You see, this was a double shoot, so there was plenty of ginger root and popcorn. Yes! Sure, I’d made the popcorn six hours before and yes, it was a bit on the cold side, but how bad could it be?

BAD!

The popcorn was so cold that it wouldn’t absorb the butter; and it was so freaking chewy that while eating it, my jaw started to cramp up. Seriously, it was like eating a big bowl of greasy packing peanuts. But I was was so crazy-hungry that my dumb-ass kept eating it.

Grabbed a beer to wash it down, but unbeknownst to me, it had expired. Now, I don’t now if it was the expiration date or beer bacteria, but that bottle was skunkified. The aftertaste kicked me in the face like Bruce Lee.

But it was too late. No takebacks. My first pull of an ice cold beer is always glug, glug, glug, so… about half of a bottle of it-used-to-be-beer-but-has-now-turned-into-vinegar was in me. All I could do was wait for my impending stomach failure.

Perhaps, a hot cup of ginger lemon tea could cure what ailed me?

Nope.

Ginger root doesn’t cure food poisoning, people! No matter what I was in for a world of hurt.

But if you have a cold, this is the tea for you. Ginger has many healing properties. It’s great for soothing sore throats and clearing nasal passages. Sometimes I like to have a glass of ginger water first thing in the morning. It energizes me and has a nice kick to it-unlike the Bruce Lee kind. That kick just puts a hurtin’ on ya.

Ginger Lemon Tea Recipe

Ginger Lemon Tea

Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

12 mins

Author: Mondo

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 inch piece of ginger root
juice of ½ lemon
honey, to taste

Instructions

Peel ginger root. If you don't get all of the skin, don't worry about it.
Cut ginger into coins, about ¼ inch thick.
Place ginger and lemon juice in a pot.
Fill pot with 3½ cups of boiling water.
Cover and let tea steep for about 10 minutes.
Serve with honey or preferred sweetener.

To find out how this was photographed, check out Dave’s post – Ginger Lemon Tea: Behind the Scenes

All Things Thursday: Burrito Box Edition

Hello friends. Happy All Things Thursday!

My apologies; it’s been a while. Let’s dive right in. shall we?

Just in case you thought we Angelenos were completely devoid of culture, I’m here to prove you wrong. Los Angeles just became the home to a vending machine that doles out ~~fresh~~ burritos. Yes, it’s true. Choose a burrito, swipe your card, and pay $3 for what I can only imagine to be tortilla-wrapped mediocrity. So, if you have a hankering for a good old fashion case of mud butt, venture over to the west side and visit the Burrito Box. LAist

The Sriracha embargo has been lifted! Hooray! For those of you who have been worried about the Srirachapocalypse, worry not. Huy Fong Foods company plans to resume shipments of Sriracha at the end of January. Whew, that was a close one. Fox News

A gentleman in a Ford Freestyle crashed into a gas station yesterday morning. You’d think he had some elaborate plan to crack the safe and steal a buttload of cash, but he only took one thing…a banana. Really, dude? That’s a whole lot of work for very little pay-off. Oh, the things you do when your potassium level is low. Huffington Post

On the recipe front…

How delicious is this Hot Fudge Pie? I don’t know, but I need to find out. (Bake or Break)

Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapeno Bites…get into it. (Doughmesstic)

Been hankering for muffins lately: Orange Poppy Seed Muffins (If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen)

I have a thing for Pan Roasted Potatoes. (Food 52)

Got a mandoline for Christmas. Thanks, Dave! Now, it’s imperative that I make:

Herbed Butternut Squash Chips (Food 52)

Baked Za’atar Egglant Fries with Lemon Tahini (The Kitchn)

Mini Herbed Pommes Anna (Bon Appetit)

and Microwave Potato Chips (The Kitchn)

I can’t believe it’s 2014! Let’s make it a good one.

You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Gandhi

Rose Parade Floats

Dave lied to you.

He promised that I’d write an All Things Thursday post for you last week, but I didn’t. Instead I wrote a little bit about resolutions and french toast sausages. Damn, those bad boys were good!

I guess I could’ve done a double post that day, but I just wasn’t feeling it. After french toasting and photo shooting, Dave and I took to Pasadena to check out the Rose Parade Floats.

It was a good time, but I could’ve done without the 81 degree weather. Wtf Pasadena? Can you give me a break, please?

Every year the City of Sierra Madre creates the most spectacular floats. This guy is my second favorite.

All you need is love…and a giant teddy bear, of course.

Tens of thousands of people come to see the floats every year. I think they were all standing around this one when Dave was trying to get a pic. What’s with that lady in the corner? Deep breaths, lady. We’re all in this together.

So close, yet Safari away.

Love this one. The lion is so fierce! Roar!

It is a great honor to volunteer for the Tournament of Roses. This “white-suiter” got the job done with flair.

Check out Glenbearian, aka Meatball. This beloved brown bear is infamous for stealing meatballs from the citizens of Glendale. Can you blame him?

Alhambra kills it this year with a Monster Truck.

To top it off, they put monsters in the monster truck. Brilliant!

A giant flower made out of 1,000 tiny flowers…I think my brain just exploded!

Look at the detail on those clown fish. Just…wow!

Adventures in Space: my favorite float of 2014. It was created by Public Storage.

I don’t know who came up with the idea of a crew of aliens aboard a giant rocket ship, but they blew my mind with the colors, design, and mechanics of this float. It opens up for pete’s sake!

The aliens were jettisoned from the rocket ship and drove right up to the audience. All I’m saying is…it’s a good thing we weren’t high. Kinda crazy.

…just a few of my favorites from 2014.

I’m so very lucky to live nearby so I can see, up close, all the hard work and creativity that goes into the Rose Parade Floats. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

Until next time, my friends.