Things to Do Irvine

December 9, 2015

We are wrapping up our recent California adventures with our adventures in Irvine!

We enjoyed our time in Irvine, and loved doing some activities that made us feel more like locals than visitors. We had some great recommendations from DestinationIrvine.com, and I’m excited to share some of the fun things we were able to do!

Here are 4 Things to Do in Irvine that make you feel like a Local:

1) Irvine Spectrum:

The Irvine Spectrum is one of California’s most popular shopping and dining destination. They are more than just a place to shop, the Spectrum also has a carousel and a 108 foot tall Giant Wheel designed in Italy. We had a great time riding the Giant Wheel, and walking around the Spectrum. The mall is quite impressive, and is a popular spot to hangout for locals.

Outfit: Dress: Mika Rose Tai Pan Trading | Hat: Tai Pan Trading | Clogs: Similar (affiliate)| Watch: Arvo Wear

Irvine Spectrum Center

Open 10 am- 9 pm

670 Spectrum Center Drive

www.irvinespectrumcenter.com

2) Diamond Jamboree:

The Diamond Jamboree is a multi-cultural dining and shopping experience that brings together many different Asian cuisines and International flavors.

We loved the Diamond Jamboree shopping center! Being a lover of all Asian foods, it was the perfect location for us to grab lunch or dinner while we were in Irvine.

85° C Bakery in Irvine we found was a happening place with all the locals. We went in a few times during our stay and it was always packed with customers.

We discovered some really great Asian style cakes and breads. We let each of our kids pick out a little treat, and they were thrilled. I loved the blueberry cheesecake the best!

85° C Bakery

Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center

2700 Alton Parkway, Suite 123

Irvine, CA

www.85cafe.us

We also headed to dinner at Pho Saigon Pearl for some Vietnamese comfort food. Pho noodle soup is a family favorite, and my kids and husband all loved it. Their broth was very flavorful, and I am very picky when it comes to my Pho broth. Their ingredients all were very fresh, and the restaurant was very popular.

Pho Saigon Pearl

Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center

2700 Alton Parkway, Suite 121

Irvine, CA

I have been on a big Ramen soup kick lately, so when we were at the Diamond Jamboree we came across Ajisen Ramen. We headed there for lunch, and I got the Ramen with Pork and it hit the spot.

Ajisen Ramen

Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center

2700 Alton Parkway, Suite 145

Irvine, CA

www.ajisencalifornia.com

3) Pretend City Children’s Museum:

Pretend City is a pretend magical interactive “city” for children, where they can play “grown-up” by going to work, buying the groceries, visiting the doctor, collecting their pay from an ATM.

My kids thought it was pretty cool that they could work at a restaurant, and check-out at the grocery store. They punched their timecards and at the end got paid their pretend money. I feel like the museum catered the most to kids about age 2-6, but my 8 year old also had a really fun time!

Pretend City Children’s Museum

Open 10 am to 5 pm

29 Hubble Irvine, CA

www.pretendcity.org

4) Irvine Regional Park:

Irvine Regional Park is not your average park. It is a beautiful public park, but so much to offer! We went on a train ride, paddle boats in the pond, and they also have surrey bikes you can rent. We noticed a lot of locals there enjoying the afternoon at the many playgrounds and walking trails. They also have a small zoo!

Irvine Regional Park

1 Irvine Park Road

www.ocparks.com/irvinepark

Open daily: weekdays 10 am – 3:30 pm; weekends 10am-3:30 pm

While visiting Irvine, we stayed at the Embassy Suites Irvine.

This is a great place to stay while visiting California, since it’s not too far from the beach and a quick drive to Disneyland. Irvine is a very nice and safe area, and we really enjoyed our time there!

We couldn’t help but let the kids try out the Photo Booth area in the lobby of the Embassy Suites. Can you even handle Thomas in those nerd glasses?! Ha!

We loved the location, and my kids thought the breakfast buffet and snack time was the best thing ever! They loved picking out their breakfast each morning, and it is great for a family on a budget to have breakfast included! You can spot my cute family eating breakfast if you look really close. My husband is in the yellow shirt.

They have an indoor pool, which is always a favorite of the kids, and I also enjoyed using their fitness center while we were there.

We were able to get a King size suite, which was nice to have a separate room from the kids, and they all slept out on the pull out sofa bed in the living room area. I love having some separate areas and more than one TV to make it feel a little less like travel, and we can all retire for the night without interrupting each other. It was a great place to stay with our young family!

Embassy Suites Irvine

2120 Main Street

Irvine, CA

IrvineOC.Embassysuites.com

Thank you so much Destination Irvine for all the great recommendations for fun family activities and places to eat, and Embassy Suites Irvine for the lovely stay! (all thoughts an opinions are my own) I can’t wait to come back! (Luckily I have a quick trip back at the end of the month!)

For more information and ideas for things to do in Irvine, be sure to visit DestinationIrvine.com

For more posts on our California adventures, be sure to check them out here, and see more of our family travel adventures, here!

Recipe // Harmons Christmas Brunch

December 4, 2015

Christmas Brunch is something that my family and I look forward to each year, and holds some very special memories.

I am excited to team up with Harmons Grocery and the Harmons Bloggers to bring you the ultimate list of recipes to inspire your Holiday Brunch.

Savory and sweet, we have you covered with some amazing recipes that I have tasted and give my whole hearted approval! So, sit back and relax, because we have all sorts of recipe and ideas for your Holiday or Christmas Brunch!

Starting with the sweets, I am sharing the recipe for this Overnight Challah French Toast recipe with Homemade Whipping Cream and Homemade Vanilla Bean syrup. I hope it becomes a family favorite and a recipe you will use time and time again. They are easy and convenient to be able to have ready the night before and just place in the oven when it’s go time!

Jesseca over at One Sweet Appetite is sharing a recipe for Overnight Cinnamon Rolls. What is Christmas without cinnamon rolls. So heavenly!

My friend Si, over at A Bountiful Kitchen made this savory Christmas Morning Brioche and Tomato Bake. It’s almost like a savory bread pudding, so perfect!

Becky from Vintage Mixer completely sold me on her Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Casserole! This dish was amazing, and totally not something I would have thought of. I definitely am going to be making this one!

Rachael from La Fuji Mama brought this amazing Cheese and sausage Quiche that was so flavorful, and the crust was perfectly flaky. She’s the queen of beautiful pie crusts, and now I know they are tasty too!

Can you imagine this being your spread at Christmas morning brunch? Well, technically it could be! So, head on over grab the recipes, and start planning your Holiday Brunch!

Here’s another round up of all the recipes by all of the Harmons Grocery Bloggers:

Overnight Challah French Toast with Homemade Vanilla Bean Syrup by Me

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls by One Sweet Appetite

Christmas Morning Brioche and Tomato Bake by A Bountiful Kitchen

Huevos Rancheros Casserole by A Vintage Mixer

Cheese and Sausage Quiche by La Fuji Mama

This post is sponsored by Harmons Grocery, your neighborhood grocery store.

All photos by me.

Recipe // Christmas Brunch Overnight Challah French Toast

The holidays are a time to indulge a bit, and to create recipes with lasting memories for years to come. I love a good tradition! We have a tradition of eating Christmas Brunch as a family, it is always a special morning with our kids fresh off of a Christmas high of opening gifts. We always have great memories of Christmas morning!

My favorite thing about food is the memories it can bring back, and when I incorporate a dish into a special holiday, I hope that we will always remember those good times while eating the dish in years to come!

I am teaming up with Harmons Grocery and the Harmons Blogger team to bring you several ideas for your Christmas Brunch table. (see bottom of the post for all the links!) We hope you can find a recipe that will help you plan your brunch!

My family has a tradition of eating German pancakes with homemade vanilla bean syrup, but this year I am thinking we may swap the pancakes out for these overnight challah french toasts with homemade vanilla bean syrup and whipped cream. They are perfect for Christmas morning brunch since they can be made the night before and they can be popped in the oven on Christmas morning.

The Challah bread from Harmons Grocery is a family favorite around our house. Every time we do our grocery shopping at Harmons, my kids beg me to head to the bakery for a sample.

I thought it would fun to incorporate the Challah bread into the overnight French toast. Challah bread has egg in the dough, and it has an amazing taste and consistency that is perfectly soft.

I have the Harmons bakery slice the bread at a 25 setting or 1 inch thick and I dredge it in the egg and milk mixture. With Challah bread you can allow the bread to soak up the mixture a little bit like a sponge. Next, I sprinkle the top and bottom with a good coating of the brown sugar and cinnamon mix. This allows it to caramelize and create a beautiful gooey crust when you bake it.

Next, I top it with bits of butter, and cover and refrigerate it overnight or for at least 4 hours.

Overnight Challah Bread French Toast Recipe

Makes 14 slices

4 tablespoons butter (2 tbs to grease cookie sheet, and 2 tbs to top the bread)

1 loaf Challah Bread from Harmons. Sliced at Harmons on a size 25, or 1 inch think (Challah should get roughly 14 slices)

Egg and Milk Mix

8 whole eggs

3 cups half and half

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Brown Sugar Mix

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1) Melt 2 tablespoons butter and grease a parchment lined cookie sheet.

2) Dip Challah slice into egg and milk mixture and allow to soak up some like a sponge. Next, sprinkle the challah slice with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on the baking sheet.

Cut another 2 tablespoons butter into small pieces and sprinkle over the bread.

3) Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.

4) Remove from fridge, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden. Serve with fresh whipped cream, homemade vanilla bean syrup, and fresh fruit.

Homemade Vanilla Bean Syrup

1 stick unsalted butter

Melt in a medium saucepan over low heat. When just melted add,

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup cream or half and half

Simmer over medium heat. When it starts to bubble up, turn down to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

When cool, add 1 teaspoon of Vanilla bean paste. Keep in refrigerator. Great on waffles and pancakes too!

Stabilized Whipped Cream

2 cups Heavy Whipped Cream

1 teaspoon Gelatin Crystals (optional, this helps it hold it shape after you pipe it)

4 teaspoons Water (only if you use the gelatin)

1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste

1 cup powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, mix together 4 teaspoons water, and 1 teaspoons gelatin. Mix well, and place on the stove over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves (Stir the entire time), it doesn’t take long just 20-30 seconds. Don’t allow it to get thick! Set aside to cool.

In a mixer, whip 2 cups of whipping cream on medium speed. Add Vanilla Bean Paste, and Powdered sugar. Drizzle in cooled gelatin mixture.

Whip until the whipped cream forms stiff peaks. Serve over Challah French Toast.