WEEK 5 - Chicken Katsu and Chili

Or Japanese Fried Chicken...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-katsu/detail.aspx

And my mom's famous chili recipe! Yum!

REVIEW on WEEK 4

Monday
- Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon
- jewelry
- Bachelor Night
- wrote first draft of script

Tuesday
- Moonscoop
- Yoga

Wednesday
- Simply Coffee with Nika
- Sidewalk Grill with Amy

Thursday
- premise
- Pinot Days at K&L Wines
- Beauty and the Beast in 3D at El Capitan

Friday
- picnic at Brand Park
- Made Broccoli Soup and Curry - Dinner Party and Quelf

Saturday
- China Town Dragon Parade
- Rehearsals for "In My Dress"
- Amalfi Restaurant for Gabe's Birthday
- Palm Tree LA - Karaoke

Sunday
- Driving 'round the Valley

WEEK 4 - Brocolli

One of these amazing recipes...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fresh-broccoli-salad/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cheese-and-broccoli-chicken-soup/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-with-garlic-butter-and-cashews/detail.aspx

REVIEW on WEEK 3

Monday
- Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
- Chicken Dinner
- Bachelor Night

Tuesday
- ZOE Project
- Yoga

Wednesday
- Coffee Roasters - Nika
- Costco - Carolyn
- UCLA Novel Writing

Thursday
- Photoshopping
- Writing
- Oswald

Friday
- Health Insurance
- Breakfast Burrito
- Novel
- Your Shape Evolved

Saturday
- CAFAM
- Cerritos Tofu House

Sunday
- Walk
- Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon!

MONTH 1: VOLUNTEER - Zoe Project

I had to do a research project for ZOE Project. The project entailed looking up books for kids ages 12-17 in the Indonesian and Laos language.

REVIEW on WEEK 2

Monday
- Apt. stuff
- Lasagna

Tuesday
- UCLA Ext. Class - Novel Writing I
- Lunch with Dan at Rustic Spoon
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Garlic Chicken
- Yoga

Wednesday
- Green Carrot Coffee House
- Lisa's - Hungarian Goulash

Thursday
- Girly Time
- Tutoring
- Nika's for dinner

Friday
- Lulu's Beehive
- Lunch with Will at El Criollo
- Resume
- Chicken Enchiladas

Saturday
- The Muppets Movie at Disney Studios
- Dim Sum at Empress Pavilion
- Mom's house - babysitting Noah and Jaden

Sunday
- Travel and Adventure Show @ Long Beach Convention Center
- Rainbow Harbor and Shoreline Village - Yard House
- Drago Centro

Orbitz Review

I would give them a 0 if I could. I can't believe they tell us we're "confirmed" for our hotel in Miami (the Hampton Inn) and when we tell the Hampton we have a late check in the day of arrival, they tell us that we aren't booked. I gave them the confirmation code and everything, and they said I need to sort it out with Orbitz.

So we call Orbitz. They say we are all set, but I tell them what the Hampton told us, and they call the Hampton. We're on hold for 30 minutes. They finally come back to us and tell us that the Hampton is booked and can't accommodate us. WTF? Can't accommodate us after charging our credit card and everything? We had booked our room with them 6 months ago when rates were low ($120 a night). They tell us they can book a room at another hotel, of course it will cost twice as much. The thing is, Orbitz should pay for our room for that night for MAKING US HOMELESS IN A FOREIGN CITY! All they can do is offer us a $50 voucher. Like we want to ever use them again! I was appalled by their customer service! I cannot say how appalled I am with this place! It's not right to put someone out on the street and there should be some penalty or consequence for this kind of treatment. I mean, if you or I book a hotel and cancel/don't show, we are still charged a certain % or charged for the night. Likewise, shouldn't hotels (in this case, booking agents?) be responsible for a person's welfare and take responsibility for their negligence? In all my years of traveling - and trust me, I've stayed at about a hundred different hotels in my lifetime - this has never happened! I wouldn't recommend anyone using Orbitz unless you want to find yourself homeless in a city you've never been before! Buyer beware!!!!

And you think I'm done with this review? Oh no, I'm not. The second "bad Orbitz experience" we had was last month - December 2011 - the same month they left us homeless! We stayed in Napa for New Year's Eve, and I was told by a hotel staff member that we were only booked for one night, not two!!! I was shocked that Orbitz fell through again! Luckily the hotel had a room for us, but we could have been homeless again! Twice in one month! I can't believe how unprofessional and rude Orbitz is as a company. My boyfriend and I will NEVER use them again. And trust me, we travel often!

MOR - Spinach Sausage Lasagna

This is the actual recipe I made last week - My Own Recipe (MOR) - not the Weight Watchers one.

RECIPE FOR - SPINACH SAUSAGE LASAGNA

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (lean)
2 links spicy Italian sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbs chopped garlic (from a jar)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
16 ounces Marinara Sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
9 wheat lasagna noodles
Italian Herbs - (1 tsp of each of the following: oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme)
2 tbsp crushed red pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef and sausage until evenly brown. Drain the fat, then add in the onions and garlic and cook 3 minutes. Mix in the spinach and Marinara sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Add Italian Herbs and crushed red pepper. Reduce heat and stir occasionally until spinach and sauce are heated through.
Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. I prefer them a little more al dente than fully cooked.
Spray a 9x13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray, then layer 1/3 of the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the marinara meat mixture then 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat layers twice, and top with remaining cheese and cheddar.
Cut foil to fit over dish. Spray one side with cooking spray, and with cover, sprayed side down. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the foil and turn off oven. Let stand uncovered 15 minutes in oven. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

WEEK 2 - Chicken for dinner

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/curried-honey-mustard-chicken/detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-pot-pie-soup/detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/crispy-baked-chicken/detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-enchiladas-ii/detail.aspx