Versailles Cuban Restaurant

One of the great things about living in Los Angeles, is that there is no shortage of amazing food from every possible type of Latin cuisine there is. Versailles is Cuban Comfort food at its best. The signature Garlic Chicken is juicy and flavorful and has enough garlic to scare off plenty of vampires.  The costars of soupy black beans, steamed white rice and crispy sweet plantains pair perfectly with the savory garlic chicken garnished with lots of grilled onions.

The buttery garlic soaked bread that comes before the meal is quite addictive. Be forewarned, that you will want to take a nap when you finish this meal. Maybe we should have siesta in Los Angeles:-)

Delicious, but be sure not to breathe on anyone when you leave...LOL

There is nothing like freshly baked bread dripping with buttery garlicky goodness

The traditional soupy black beans are perfect over rice

The food is delicious and a great value, but not the place to go for atmosphere and ambiance. But sometimes simple comfort is a great thing!

Versailles Cuban Food

1415 South LaCienega

Los Angeles, CA 90035

310-289-0392

Candy Cane Lane

 Candy Cane Lane is a Winter Wonderland located in the community of El Segundo in Los Angeles. Residents of this swanky neighborhood with a mix of McMansions and cute single family homes have been decking out their neighborhood in a festival of lights since 1949. It is a sight you must see to believe. There is something absolutely magical about seeing homes decorated in a glow of skittle colors to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. The 1200 block of Acacia in El Segundo is blocked so that the general public can freely walk the neighborhood and admire this colorful display of the holidays, so park your ride and get to walkin:-)

My son and I had a great time walking the neighborhood and this will definitely be added to our list of Christmas traditions. We even got to visit with Santa on our excursion to Candy Cane Lane. This is definitely worth checking out, so grab a coffee or hot chocolate  and take in the awesome views! Enjoy the pictures, I am thrilled at how they came out and I don't usually take a lot of night photos with my camera. I hope you enjoy them!

This home is decorated to look like the North Pole Airport. Awesome! 

Absolutely beautiful to look at

Christmas Carousel on the front lawn of a house

My mini me could not contain his smiles:-)

Christmas train circling the front yard

This house has a fun Charlie Brown theme

Isn't this the cutest?

Candy Canes!

And to make our outing complete, a visit with Santa!

The magic of the holidays!

 I have a photo of myself at the age of 4 smiling exactly like this:-) My son is 5 and looking exactly like I did when I was close to this age. The joy and happiness on my son's face is priceless

"A Beautiful Sight, were happy tonight, walkin in a Winter Wonderland"

What an awesome tradition

My son was quite smitten with this glowing angel

Merry Christmas!

Candy Cane Lane

1200 Block of Acacia

El Segundo, CA

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cookies

This is the perfect cookie for the holiday season. Moist, cakey and lots of spice from the cinnamon. Apples and a hint of nutmeg give these even more flavor.These are perfect for cookie exchanges or just relaxing with a cup of apple cider, coffee, or your favorite holiday beverage.

This is a great change from the traditional oatmeal cookie and tastes like an apple crisp in cookie form:-)

Ingredients

3/4 cup shortening

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups quick oats

1 cup peeled diced apple

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 and grease cookie sheet. Mix shortening, egg, vanilla, sugar  and milk in a mixing bowl.

Beat on medium speed until well blended. Combine, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and nutmeg in a different bowl and then add the creamed liquid mixture until just blended. Stir in oats, apples and walnuts. Drop rounded tablespoons or shape into little balls with your hand and put on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for thirteen minutes or until set. Let cool for a couple of minutes on cookie sheet and then remove and place on baking rack to cool completely.

Bon Appetit!

Breakfast With Santa

When you have children, the holidays take on a whole new meaning, especially Christmas. Every child has a love for Santa Claus that defies human explanation. I am always in search of great outings for me and my son and I  knew that having Breakfast with Santa would put a smile on my son's face that would light him up like a Christmas tree, so I planned for us to attend the annual Breakfast with Santa Event at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. 

Before I told him about our little adventure, I playfully teased him by asking him "Guess who were having breakfast with?" after he couldn't figure it out I started singing: "you better not pout, you better not shout and before I could get the rest of the song out, squeals of laughter and "Santa Claus! Santa Claus!

  My little one had been anticipating our Breakfast with Santa for a couple of weeks and was counting down the days and once we were there, the look on his face was priceless.  The venue is absolutely beautiful and its a great way to expose your children to a more upscale experience.  There was lots of delicious food, servers catering to our every whim, a friendly elf greeting children and posing for pictures and lots of fun crafts such as decorating your own gingerbread man. The highlight was when Santa arrived and greeted the children. My son was thrilled to get up close and personal to Santa. He kept saying: "Mommy he is real ! Santa is real"

If you have young children or you just want to experience a nice holiday celebration. I strongly advise you to check out the Breakfast with Santa event. I have lots of photos to share! This experience  was so fun and memorable for me and my son, that the best way to tell the story is with the photos. I hope you enjoy them:-)

Stay tuned for more of our Christmas adventures!

 My son loves dressing up. He looked quite dapper and stylish today

Definitely making a fashion statement with his Skechers and pinstripe vest combo:-) He loves my scarves so when I got him his own cute little scarf he did not want to take it off. It was adorable watching him stand in the mirror and style his scarf all kinds of different ways.

Mimosas, Champagne and Apple Cider

Buttermilk Biscuits

scrambled eggs

Crispy Bacon

Sausage

 Nothing like hand carved Honey Baked Ham

Ham glistening with honey and brown sugar

Buttermilk Pancakes

Lots of delicious imported condiments. The Lavender honey was epic!

Assorted Muffins

Waldorf Salad

Caesar Salad With Fresh Shaved Parmesan

Flaky, buttery croissant

 Pastries

Pancake swimming in pure maple syrup

Kaden is thrilled that he gets to drink his apple juice from a goblet:-)

Kaden and a cute little elf

Kaden and I take a break from all of that good eating to  decorate cookies in Santa's workshop

Don't sprinkles make everything festive?

I think we did a great job:-)

Kaden is taking in the view from the window

The view from the window overlooks the beautiful fountains and Christmas tree on the ground floor

 Santa!

Dessert time!

 Mini Cheesecakes

Chocolate Mousse

Lemon Tarts

Gummi Bears:-)

Back in Santa's workshop decorating candy cane cookies

 

Santa's Mailbox

This tree and presents were so pretty, I had to get a picture of it

Reindeer ears, YAY!

 

The decor at the event was so pretty and festive

Are my ears on right?

 I had not planned on being in the Santa photos, but my little guy insisted. He even wanted me to sit on Santas lap, LOL

This is the joy of Christmas through a child's eyes:-)

Breakfast With Santa

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Music Center

135 North Grand Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

213-972-7565