Posted by missjunebug on May 14, 2013
Crepes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
missjunebug and her trusty Mr.JB enjoyed a field trip recently to Santa Barbara in search of a taste of France. missjunebug thought it would be the perfect Mother’s Day treat for her, and Mr.JB really had no choice since it was Mother’s Day after all! They recently returned from a fab trip to Paris, and they were beginning to miss the fine French cuisine, especially savory crêpes!
missjunebug just googled Ventura County + crêpes and Pacific Crêpes rose to the top of the Google search. The P.C. website is very helpful: menus, location, hours, even a cool story in the news about the history of the restaurant and a little bit about the French family who brought Pacific Crêpes into being!
If you find yourself in need of a change of food pace from the usual breakfast, lunch, or dinner, check out Pacific Crêpes. missjunebug highly recommends the delicious La Francaise with two over easy eggs, Swiss cheese, and ham, folded up along the edges to perfectly contain all that savory goodness. They brew up an awesome cappuccino, too! The ambience is French bistro-ish and even has a couple of tables for al fresco dining. What a fun food find! What a great place to enjoy it!
Pacific Crêpes is located at 705 Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara. Call 805-882-1123 for ressies and show up from 9-9 Saturday, 9-3 Sunday, or Monday-Friday 10-3 and 5:30 to 9. Like all true French, the staff takes a break and has a life!
Posted by missjunebug on March 7, 2013
Al Fresco Dessert! Perfect! Photo by mjb2013
missjunebug and a dear friend made their way from SoCali suburbia to a hipper, cooler, vibe-ier locali: Aroma Coffee and Tea Company. What fun! And what fine food.
missjunebug is on a mission to try every tuna melt she meets up with on the menus of her restaurants of choice. Aroma’s Tuna Melt with swirly black and white rye bread, yummy tomatoes, and delicious tuna fishes did not disappoint. missjunebug’s friend had an Asian noodle-y salad that looked exotic and colorful.
The Aroma menu is complex, interesting, and it offers breakfast fare and a fair amount of lunch and dinner items that you just can’t go wrong in choosing. missjunebug found the Buenos Dias, Los Angeles! section particularly intriguing but she passed on the enticing South of the Border flavor in her on-going pursuit of the Perfect Tuna Melt!
After the meal, missjunebug and her dear friend made their way back to the pastry case that graces the entrance to the charming restaurant, an erstwhile home with vintage touches and many tucked away, comfy tables in which to enjoy a fresh repast. Her friend ordered the Princess cake, a many-layered, custardy delight; missjunebug made a beeline to the Bee Cake. Believe missjunebug when she says It be good!
The next time you want to escape the fast food joints, the burger stops, and the other links in the restaurant chain, hop in your car and head down to Aroma Coffee and Tea Company for delicious food and fun. You’ll find them at 4360 Tujunga Ave. Studio City, California 91604 • Ph: 818.508.0677. Hours: Mon – Sat 6am to 11pm / Sun 7am to 11pm.
When you’ve eaten your fill of fab food, take a stroll down Tujunga and pop into the local boutiques for a little shopping, window or otherwise. missjunebug found a nice pair of earrings for a nice price while her friend found a lovely handcrafted skirt.
The perfect end to a perfect day.
Posted by missjunebug on January 26, 2013
Snow in Santa Rosa Valley? Not quite right! Photo by mjb2013
missjunebug woke up to a winter wonderland of fog this morning. She couldn’t resist taking some pictures of the white billowy landscape below her property.
Fog laying low below. Photo by mjb2013
Line upon line: Wall, Fence, Fog. Photo by mjb2013
Fog and Fenceline: Fine! Photo by mjb2013
Posted by missjunebug on December 19, 2012
missjunebug was walking her Spoonbug the other day and found these two cool tiny things: Tiny Piney Cones (science-y name) and Nature’s Own Tic-Tacs (very science-y name). Check them out! She threw the leaves in for some local autumn color. And, yes, missjunebug wants to emphatically assure you SoCali has all the fall colors, just in tiny amounts! Enjoy these final days of fall before Winter Solstice (or the end of the world) arrives!
All for fall still life! Photo by mjb2012
missjunebug asks: "Now don't those look like Tic Tacs??" Photo by mjb2012
Posted by missjunebug on September 4, 2012
One of missjunebug’s favorite words has always been comfort. It has a pillowy sound that is as soothing as its meaning. It also has some interesting connections in our language that resonant with many of us: to give comfort, to receive comfort, to enjoy comfort food, to relax and be comfortable, especially in our surroundings and clothing, to feel comfortable with someone you’ve just met or seen again after a long time, and to work well because you are in your comfort zone. She even likes the antithetical use of it: to give cold comfort to someone, meaning of course, no comfort at all.
There are a few brand applications of comfort that no doubt have parlayed their success at least partially from the word comfort figuring prominently in their products. Who wouldn’t want to stay at The Comfort Inn? Who would refuse a cocktail made with, yes, you guessed it, Southern Comfort? Better yet imagine having that drink, “a unique blend of natural fruit, spice and whiskey flavors that together create a distinct taste” while you are relaxing in your comfy room at the Comfort Inn? Sounds pretty comfortable to missjunebug.
But perhaps the most likely location to find comfort is home. Home sweet, comfortable home. missjunebug has experienced an epiphany of profound proportions recently, having been absented from her home for (count ‘em) 18 days. And not on vacay either. That kind of absence is pretty easy to handle even if you get a little homesick. But missjunebug was confined to a hospital bed enduring one of the most uncomfortable experiences of her life.
Now believe missjunebug when she says she is super thankful for all the great care she received from doctors and nurses on her “team” as if she is in some kind of endurance sport, which now that she thinks of it, maybe she is. But you must know there was nothing comfortable about it. She’s pretty sure that if there are any Al Qaeda guys out there we need to subject to some attitude adjustment, all we have to do is arrange for NG (nasal gastric) tubes to be inserted down their throats and they’d come around to seeing things our way pretty damn quick.
So you’ve probably figured out her epiphany by now, as banal and cliché as it may be: There is no place like home. No place more comfortable, cheery, freeing, fresh, happy, and shiny. She is so thankful to be home with her steadfast Mr.JB, her super doodle Spoon, and her precious Lefty kitty. She plans to keep tapping her heels together from time to time to make sure she stays there.
Posted by missjunebug on July 28, 2012
A Carrara Pastries Croissant with an Italian Twist! Photo by mjb2012
missjunebug had some not so fun medical procedures this week that compromised her diet considerably. The first one (a PET/CT scan) cancelled all carbs and caffeine from her diet for more than a day. Arg. She quickly entered the sad realm of Headache City and no amount of protein or vegetable matter could make up for that profound lack of sweetness and starch and caffeination. missjunebug needs her caffeine and carbs!!!!
The next day she was back to a normal diet for 24 hours, then she had to go all clear liquids for 24 more hours to prepare for a lower GI series performed by a hospital radiologist that assured her the procedure would go by quickly. This, of course, is a matter of perspective. missjunebug’s perspective was no quite so sanguine.
Ever had a baby? Now imagine that baby is traveling down that other canal. Arg x 10. TMI no doubt but to get back to the restricted diet, the interesting thing she realized was that it was tons easier to go all liquids because the beverages she drank had…wait for it…wait for it…caffeine and carbs! She rounded out her intake with some beef broth and chicken broth and those 24 hours just flew by. Clearly (pun intended!!!) missjunebug could never be a big fan of Atkins. But this is all prologue.
What missjunebug really wants to talk about is what she did to catch up on her carbs once the medical procedures were in her rear view (pun intended!!!). She headed over to that lovely, sleepy bedroom community of Moorpark, CA to scoop up some of the best Italian croissants on the planet at the recently opened Carrara Pastries.
This beauty of a bakery is full of delightful Italian pastries, cookies, and cakes, but missjunebug’s two favs are their light-as-air croissant, lightly glazed and their lightly powdered sugar croissant plumped up with the most luxurious and luscious Chantilly cream you have ever tasted. You can see the croissant in the photo above practically floating above missjunebug’s plate! That’s thanks to the meticulous execution of authentic Italian recipes by pastry chef Massimiliano Carrara, a native from the city of Lucca (Tuscany). To borrow a Brit word, he’s brilliant!
This pasticceria featuring homemade Italian desserts will not disappoint. You can find it right across the street from another Italian fav of missjunebug’s, Cafe Firenze. The next time you get a carb craving, check out Carrara Pastries at 476 West Los Angeles Ave, Unit A-13 in Moorpark or their delicious website at www.carrarapastries.com.
If you want more that one or two croissants be sure to get there early, around 9 or so, because these pastry perfections go fast! Or call 805-552-4250 the day before and let the pastry chefs know how many you’d like. Sadly, missjunebug had to learn this the hard way arriving one morning at 11 am, about two hours too late to enjoy authentic Italian croissants! Is there anything sadder than an empty display case where fresh croissants should be, but aren’t? missjunebug doesn’t think so!
Even their packaging is golden perfection. Just take a look!
Pretty Packaging Pleases missjunebug! Photo by mjb2012
Buon Appetito!!!
Posted by missjunebug on April 26, 2012
Check out missjunebug's shiny new wrap bracelet with added bling! Photo by mjb2012
missjunebug had some fun recently getting crafty at Queen Beads in Camarillo. This nifty bead shop is located at 1877 E. Daily Dr. Camarillo, CA 93010 (805) 987-2555. Chris Dodson, the resident Queen/owner of Queen Beads can graciously assist you in supplying all your jewelry making needs. The shop is spacious, well-organized, and fully supplied with fabulous beads and stones and buttons and wires and leather strings of all kinds to get you started making your own Chan Luu-inspired jewelry or any kind of jewelry you want.
missjunebug is a Chan Luu wannabe so under Chris’ expert direction, mjb was able to make her own wrap bracelet in just a few hours using some gorgeous coral beads. missjunebug did have to take a break during the process and run across the street to have lunch with a friend. (Yummy beef enchiladas!) But she made it back and finished her little masterpiece in no time at all. Thank goodness missjunebug’s friend who introduced her to Queen Beads, didn’t mind mjb jumping from one social event to another. missjunebug is determined to get in as much fun between rounds of chemotherapy as she possibly can!
That little wrap bracelet could not have turned out any better. Queen Chris is a natural born teacher with some awesome clipboards and clips that make weaving that little bracelet together as easy as pie. The directions are printed right on the clipboard! And the thread used to anchor the beads has a built in needle! How cool is that? Very. Very.
missjunebug’s dear friend did a neat trick herself by making her bracelet from some lovely blue-green recycled beads she’d harvested from jewelry she no longer wore. Now that’s clever! And believe missjunebug when she says her dear friend’s bracelet turned out fabulous, too! missjunebug has some really smart, eco-minded friends.
So the next time you get inspired to make jewelry worthy of the Sundance Catalogue or Chan Luu’s beautiful pieces, take heart! You can do it with the help of a bead shop like Queen Beads. Look for local bead shops in your area that offer reasonably priced classes and get busy with it! Imagine the fun you’ll have, the beads you’ll recycle, and the money you’ll save! Or you can do what missjunebug did and buy brand new shiny beads to make a bracelet! Oh. my. yes. Even more fun.
Happy beading!
Posted by missjunebug on March 14, 2012
The other day missjunebug had a few pieces of art work to pick up from her fave framer in Ventura: Gonzalez Framing. They’re located on 4160 Market St. #4 Ventura, CA 93003 (805) 477-0749. She’s had many, many pieces framed here and has never been disappointed in their work. They are perfectionists, and they use the best materials to protect and to enhance special art pieces.
Here’s one she recently had framed. Won’t it look great in her newly painted kitchen? Oh. my. yes.
What a great framing job for missjunebug's chickens! Thanks Gonzalez Framing!
So what does this have to do with Cow Cookies? Well, right after missjunebug picked up her awesomely framed art works, she realized it was time for a little lunch. Right around the corner (practically) from Gonzalez Framing is Royal Bakery & Cafe. This little gem of a lunch spot is located at 4726 Telephone Rd. Ventura, CA 93003 (805) 658-6030. They have a wonderful menu including soups, salads, sandwiches, quiches, pizza, desserts, and coffee. What more could you ask for on a cafe menu? missjunebug had the divine Tuna Pesto Melt on French bread. Such a delicious mix of tuna, red onion, celery, and pesto, topped with melted cheddar and toasted to perfection. She suspects all the menu items are equally delightful to the taste buds.
Which does finally bring her to the Cow Cookies. These big and tender iced gems are shaped like dairy cows each marked with its own pattern of cow spots. Cute! Clever! Fun! and Delicious! She took six of them home with her in a congenial little box.
Check out two of her Cow Cookies and then check out Royal Bakery & Cafe a.s.a.p. You won’t be sorry. Especially if you rustle up some Cow Cookies to take home with you!
Cow Cookies Rule! Photo by mjb2012
Each Cow Cookie has its own unique design! Photo by mjb2012
A nifty box for Cow Cookie transport! Photo by mjb2012
Posted by missjunebug on March 3, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
missjunebug has been having some fun on the internet! She’s been busy creating her own personal bulletin boards that reflect her tastes, aspirations, desires, and interests. Yes, you guessed it: Pinterest! This is almost as much fun as shopping on the internet, but there’s no credit card required!!
missjunebug’s boards include My Style which reflects fashion preferences, a couple on food (healthy recs “Eat Food, Mostly Plants, Not Too Much” and a semi-healthy mega-delicious one entitled “Splurges, Indulgences, and Extravagances” with delicious pics of all those craved only-every-once–in-a-while treats missjunebug can’t live without. What else? Home Decor featuring wished for things for the Hacienda. Tangible Philosophies, a thought-provoking collection of smart things people have mused about and displayed in the most interesting of ways.
missjunebug is sure you get the idea behind Pinterest. Pin pics to your heart’s content, explore the interests of others, and get altogether inspired by the great ideas out there being pinned and repinned. Cool x 10. Thanks to missjunebug’s friend Rox and her friend for recommending this website. Oh, and speaking of friends one of the coolest parts of Pinterest is following your friend’s interests! Double good fun fo sho.
Now just imagine a website pinning up Design Finds from all over the world that are for sale from $1 to $10,000 or more. Credit card required! If you get a little weary of living in the potential world of fun finds from pinning on Pinterest, move over to Fab.com to do some serious shopping in many interesting marketplaces including ones for fashionistas to foodies and everything in between. missjunebug just made her first purchase of a cool waterproof winter jacket for upcoming travel to the Stans! Yeah, those Stans: Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan! She will be warm and dry no matter the weather there! If you’re a fan of the bargain find on Amazon.com you’ll love the hunt for design finds on Fab.com.
missjunebug wishes you Happy Pinning on Pinterest and Divine Design Find Shopping on Fab.com!
Posted by missjunebug on November 5, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
missjunebug knows you know the rest. She was running a few errands today, a Saturday, something she almost never does since she has the leisure to shop during the week when 90% of the world is working give or take a per cent or two. And what does she find at her local mall? A FULL sign on level one of the parking garage. No way! She circled up to level two where she usually parks where there were only 56 spaces available out of hundreds. No way!
Way.
Lucky for missjunebug she found an open one! Now Level Two was down to 55 spaces!
missjunebug was on a mission! She was buying a birthday gift card for a friend and a wedding present for a lovely niece, but the people she was bumping into had already polished off the Halloween candy and dashed right to the Christmas stocking. And stocking up they were! Perhaps this is a good sign for the economic doldrums the country’s been navigating through for three years give or take a year. (Check out Margin Call with Kevin Spacey if you need a refresh about how we ended up in those econodoldrums.)
But missjunebug digresses.
Back to the madcap shopping going on at her mall: she was hardly in the mood for it. Why? She’d just watched Skipping Christmas the day before. Yes, you read that right. She watched her first Christmas movie on the 4th day of November while she was baking cookies for a church event–one unrelated to holiday cheer.
missjunebug is just not ready for the seasonal whimsy quite yet! And if you are at all familiar with John Grisham‘s little homage to Christmas…spoiler alert…believe missjunebug when she says in the filmed version despite what the title promises, the Kranks played by Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis most definitely do not skip Christmas.
Not that missjunebug would really want to. She’d just like to ask for a delay of game! At least tonight she can fall back an hour on the clock postponing the frenzied inevitable.
