Dine LA

Had yet another amazing session at YogaGlo yesterday and was excited to find out that they not only offer multiple yoga classes a day, but next door FitnessGlo offers different type of fitness work outs as well!  Since On Demand no longer has Fitness Videos to watch at home, I've had to get creative with my work outs since I like to keep some variety and shock my body.  FitnessGlo will give me an opportunity to go out and do something new each week too...YAY!

This week continues Dine LA, one of my favorite times of the year, and it only happens twice.  I love food and trying new things so I literally save up money so I can go out and try a bunch of new restaurants and cuisines.

Tonight, my roommate, Jessica, and I decided to try out 208 Rodeo in Beverly Hills.  We both liked the menu and we had never been there before so it was the perfect time to try it.  We both couldn't make up our mind between the Caprese and Beet & Goat Cheese Salad so we got both and split them.  Caprese won for me, hands down!  I decided on the Seared Scalllops with a corn puree, arugula and sun dried tomatoes in a lemon vinaigrette.  WOW.  Not only was it a huge portion (SCORE!) but it was super good.  Jess got the same thing, and we were both happy with our selection, and that Squash Ravioli I considered, was not even an afterthought.  After Dinner it was Dessert time, so Jess went with the Chocolate Truffle cake, something I would normally choose but I decided to get the Cannoli with Chocolate Mousse, and I made a great decision on that.  It was huge and I took over half home with me.  It was a great Roommate Date and an awesome meal.

I've got a couple more days to enjoy Dine LA, so this week continues one of my favorite things to do...Eat :)

*And I think it's about time to finish up that Cannoli.*

Molly Malone's and a Sunday Stroll

Finally, got to see one of my best friends, Mike Weiss, play at Molly Malone's last night!  The last time I saw him perform he played an Acoustic Show at The Roosevelt Hotel for a Charity Event and while he's been playing all over LA for the past year, I've been working for every single show he has.

So last night was the night!  I got to Molly Malone's in West Hollywood a little before 9 pm and at 9:30, Mike Weiss, and his all star band were rocking the stage!  Words could not express how incredible his performance was, in fact, his CD doesn't even do him justice.  From his powerful and fun lyrics, to the wonderful melodies and beats, his performance was top notch and the best I have ever seen him!

Check out Mike's Music at mikeweissmusic.com

He sang all originals but had to include a cover, of course!  Mike and I have sang Karaoke many a time together, usually 'Cruisin,' but tonight he blew the crowd away with Mika's 'Grace Kelly.'  I can't wait for his next show, and I'll be sitting front row again for sure :)

Today I enjoyed the beautiful 75 degree day here in LA with a nice walk and fresh air.  I love walking in the late afternoon on Sunday's, all the kids playing in the park, open house signs, less traffic, and of course, the beautiful view of Century City & Hollywood from the top of the hill in Mar Vista where I run the stairs.  It's a perfect time for me to reflect on the past week and success of the week ahead.   It's my Sunday Stroll. 

*Click here to check out Mike's music!* www.mikeweissmusic.com

Under The Sea

I got back to LA late on Thursday night after my trip to Spokane to shoot for ILF Media and I had an audition on Friday for a Theater Production of 'The Little Mermaid.'  I was really excited for it, because it's being presented as a Children's Musical, using the Stage Production of it, as well as the Disney Movie.

The audition was in Santa Monica and I started off by singing 'Baby Love,' and then did a scene from the movie with the Director reading opposite of me.  S* & I had a great conversation about her company and how she does Children's Productions, also teaches classes and does Children's Parties.  Since I love kids, this is the perfect job for me!  I felt really good about the audition so hopefully I'll get to perform as Ariel for the little ones!!

Last night I headed up to North Hollywood for a Game Night with Dale & Thi and some of their friends.  We played games till after 3 in the morning...and boy did it get intense!  Thi makes the competition fierce and we had two teams ready for the first round of Cranium.  Karen, Dale, and I made a valiant effort but Thi, Jenny, and Jared did all too well with their Creative cards and beat us.  We played Apples to Apples next and it's such a fun game to play with a big group of people who don't know each other very well because it's a guessing game as to what the judge will choose.  Serious or comedy...it's a crap shoot!  Karen won Apples and Apples and shortly after we had 2 new guests.  Megan had come from a party where they played Mafia, which I haven't played since I was in grade school, but was always such a fun group game.  That didn't go over too well with the crew so we went back to Cranium and this time with Megan on our team  we won!  Even with Justin helping out the other team they couldn't compare to our master Humdingers!  We finished off the night with Taboo which got a little crazy, and in our final round we killed it!!  Next thing we know, it's 3:30 in the morning and time for everyone to head home!  Super fun and eventful Game Night!  Who's hosting next?!

The best thing about Game Night with a group of super creative people is how effective the games are at honing in skills that can help us all out in our daily lives, for the actors and creatives of the room, charades, singing or drawing helps us work our brain muscles while the intellectuals can figure out the polygraph questions and use reasoning to figure out the data heads.  Adults playing games...it's like we're all kids again!

Fell in Love in Spokane...

I arrived in Spokane, Washington, around 8 pm and very excited to take a breath of fresh air, check out the snow, and get to work!  

As I got off the airplane and headed to the baggage claim to meet me driver, there Steve was, holding a white placard with 'Ms. Wegner,' on it.  Whoa!  That was for me :D  He escorted me to the town car, got me a bottle of water and we were off to The Davenport Hotel in Downtown Spokane.  He talked to me about the History of the town, pointing out certain buildings and the celebrities he's driven around and about 15 minutes later we were at the Hotel.

WOW!  After I checked in I stopped in the lobby to take in the rooms around me, high ceilings, beautiful architecture, lavish furniture and paintings, it was so exquisite, I could barely believe it and kept thinking to myself, am I really this lucky!  Up the elevator I went to the 9th floor and room 909.  I walked into a room with dark mahogany furniture, a HUGE King Size Bed, and a marble bathroom with a glass shower and gold fixtures.  I had a view of Spokane and the train tracks (where a train came by every 5-10 minutes from 10 pm - 7 am).

I wanted to get in a quick work-out and take a swim in the pool so I could get a good nights sleep.  After my half hour run I swam laps in the pool.  It was empty and so serene with the painted scenes on all the walls.

I rinsed off and after changing headed down to the Peacock Lounge to have a glass of wine and study my script.  The Lounge was buzzing and after a few sips I realized I was pretty sleepy so I went back to the room, wine in hand, and took a nice long shower and cuddled into a bathrobe before I finished my wine and had everything memorized and prepared for the next day!

View from my room with a train rolling by!

The bed was so comfy and I literally sank in to the pillow top mattress but was so excited for my shoot I barely slept.  So I packed up my stuff and headed down to the lobby to grab a bagel and a Chai Tea Latte.  The producer picked me up and we were off to the ILF Media Building.

I met the crew I would be working with and was off to wardrobe to try on my outfit for the shoot.  After all the wardrobe was settled I got into the make-up chair while Amy worked on my hair first and then my make-up.  She was super sweet and an awesome artist!  When I was all glammed up I went onto the set with my green screen back-drop and ran a rehearsal with the director.

You'll be seeing me in the video for Kaplan College as one of their Spokesmodel's, talking about the Radiology field.  The shoot was quick and easy, and while we did the whole shoot two different ways, one with Radiology and the other with Radiography, it took just over an hour!  I was booked until 3 pm and we were finished by 12:15.  I had a blast on set and everyone was so fun to work with.

We all had lunch together and then Amy fixed my hair up for the plane ride back to LA and I chatted with Jim, our Director, about trips to Europe and New York, and then it was off to the airport.  Jim gave me a mini-tour of Spokane, taking me to a beautiful waterfall that during the Spring is in full force!  I fell in love.  The city was so beautiful, I had one of those moments where I could see myself living here at some point in time :)

I'm in love :)

I had a long wait in the airport and was finally on my way back to LA at 5 pm with a stop in Boise and Oakland before my final leg to Los Angeles.  A very long day, but worthwhile in so many ways.  I felt incredibly special the entire time and so thankful!

Let's keep this momentum going!!

Free Wi-Fi in Oakland

I'm currently en route to Spokane, Washington, for my Shoot with ILF Media!  I checked out the weather and it's going to be in the 30's tonight...YAY!!  So excited to see some more snow because I did not get enough of it while I was home in Wisconsin for Christmas.

Lucky for me, my audition material was my shooting script, so memorizing it has been quick and easy.  We have our shoot tomorrow morning and I fly back to LA at 5 pm, so it will be a very short day tomorrow as well.  

Last night Thi and I celebrated our new jobs over a Dine LA Dinner at The Palm in West Hollywood.  Dine LA is basically Restaurant Week here in LA.  A bunch of Restaurants throughout LA offer a prix fix menu that includes an Appetizer, Entree, (sometimes a side), and a Dessert for a set price based on the restaurants normal prices.  I haven't had steak since I was home over Christmas so I ordered the filet, asparagus, an arugula salad, and chocolate cake, while Thi ordered their famous 3 pound lobster!  Over wine, the time flew by and 3 hours later, closing the restaurant down, we were packing food to go and saying goodbye.  A great celebration and dinner with one of my best girls :)

This morning I had a wonderful e-mail from my Mom, wishing me luck, congratulating me on this new acting job, and continued success, as well as achieving one of my dreams...couldn't have been a better way to start my day!

So here I am in Oakland, waiting for my connection, taking in the beautiful bay as the sun sets.  I could get used to this...

The Famous Viper Room

I've never been to The Viper Room; it's world famous, and in my opinion, is something every person in LA needs to experience at least once!  

Thi, Dale, and I at The Viper Room

Lucky for me, Neil was playing a show at The Viper Room Acoustic Lounge on Sunday Night.  I had a couple friends who were coming to the show, one of my best girl's, Thi, who has incredible style, so I knew this was an opportunity to get all gussied up, and play up my rocker chic vibe since we were going out in Hollywood to a fabulous venue!  Even better, we had access to the whole club, so while the Acoustic Lounge was downstairs with it's own bar and drink specials, the upstairs had the famous stage and big open dance floor.  Most people who have been to the Viper Room have a really good story to tell, but I'll leave that up to you to find out on your own!  The band playing upstairs was pretty good but my friends and I wanted to be sure to have a place to sit for Neil's show so we enjoyed the other artist before Neil in the Lounge.

Neil went on at 10 pm and got to play for almost an hour.  Always playing his own amazingly written songs, and adding a couple new covers to his play list for the evening, there was something for everyone.  Much to my surprise, a short intro and then a few familiar chords, and I got my 'Everlong!'  Absolutely amazing!  After that, it became effortless for Neil, and waiting for an encore, the audience got quite a treat.  He started playing Poison's 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn!'  And by the time he got to the chorus, the entire room was singing...you can see for yourself here :)

All in all, we had a blast at the show, and it's going to take a lot to top this Viper Room visit!  Rock on!

What's for Dinner? Part 2.

As I sat watching 'Chopped' last night with my roommate, I realized I could probably watch Cooking Shows all day long.  No joke.  I find them fascinating.  I love being creative with my food and what I make, and I get inspired by these chefs coming up with $10 Dinners, 30 Minute Meals, and Restaurant Chef Secrets.

It inspired me to create a meal based off one of the shows!  While I really want to try a Gnocchi from scratch, that's best suited for another day, because as I'm getting over a cold, Soup sounds perfect and delicious!  

Carrot Soup has been one of my favorites ever since I first had it a couple years ago.  Both my Grandma's used to make soup that I would help with.  Grandma Jacoby would make Bean Soup in a creamy broth, and I would pick beans from her own garden, and cut them before she would get started on everything.  Grandma Wegner would make Rainbow Chicken Soup, and I'd be helping her put the ingredients together, mix everything up and see how beautiful it was when it was finished.  While both are amazing, Carrot Soup is perfection.  

I decided on a Carrot Orange Ginger Soup and went on a hunt at the Grocery Store to get all the ingredients I needed...carrots, oranges, chicken broth, ginger root, etc.  I also decided to do this Banana Dessert I had seen on $10 dinners so I picked up everything for that as well.  I've never made a Soup on my own before, so this was really exciting, and since this isn't your typical Soup, and I was going to do my own take on it, I was a little nervous.

Here are the ingredients needed for tonight's 'What's For Dinner?'
Carrot Soup
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 pound of Carrots
1 Onion
1 Orange (and the Zest of the Orange)
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Piece of Ginger
1/4 Cup White Wine
1 Bay Leaf (or a 1/2 tsp)
3 Cups Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper
4 tbsp Sour Cream

Banana's & Sweet Cream (based off a Recipe from $10 Dinners by Melissa D'Arabian)
2 tbsp Butter
4 Banana's
1 Orange (and the Zest of the Orange)
2 tbsp Sugar
Salt
4 tbsp Sour Cream
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Look at that color!!

For the Carrot Soup, heat olive oil in a big pot, then add in your carrots (peel and rough chop, I cut them in quarters) and your onion, also roughly chopped.  Let them sweat and soften for about 5 minutes.  While you're doing that, get your garlic, ginger, and orange zest together.  I zested one orange using my multi-grater, a zester is preferred.  PLEASE be careful when using a grater, I kept tapping the grater with the palm of my hand and actually cut myself because it's so sharp (duh, it grates vegetables and cheese, I don't know what I was thinking using my hand.)  Then I juiced the orange for later.  The ginger root was an interesting ingredient.  I absolutely love ginger so I wanted that zing in my soup.  When buying ginger root, look for one that is smooth, unblemished and almost see-through.  You don't want moldy ginger.  Clean the ginger and peel the skin, then I cut it into cubes.  Once the vegetables have started to sweat add your garlic, orange zest, and half your ginger (you'll want to add the other half to the blender when you're blending for a fuller flavor).  After a minute or two, the wonderful scents should be coming through and add your white wine (I used a pinot grigio) to de-glaze the pot.  Then add in the chicken stock, your bay leaf and bring that to a boil.  After it's boiling, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and tender, while stirring occasionally.  Next, you'll need a Blender or Food Processor, so once your vegetables are tender, let the mixture cool for 5 minutes, then blend or process your soup along with the rest of your ginger in thirds until smooth.  Once you've blended the whole pot put back on stove and heat adding in the orange juice, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream.  This recipe made 4 bowls.  It was a hearty, healthy, sweet and tasty Soup that I was really proud of!
*Tip: This soup can also be served cold!

I turned my flash off so you could better see the texture :)

Before I started the Banana Dessert I made the Sweet Cream.  I used 4 tablespoons of Reduced Fat Sour Cream, added in the brown sugar, cinnamon and the zest of another orange.  I mixed that well and put that into the fridge to keep cool while I heated a pan and used one tablespoon of margarine and a tablespoon of cinnamon margarine.  I cut the banana's in half lengthwise and crosswise.  Once the butter was melting I added the banana's in and started sauteing them until they caramelized.   I juiced another orange and added that to the pan along with the sugar and salt, let that cook for another 2 minutes until the banana's were browned and soft, and the sugar and orange juice had formed a glaze.  I served the banana's on a plate with a dollop of the sweet cream.  It made a whole lot of dessert but I would make more of the sweet cream because it wasn't enough for all the leftover banana's.  It was a really quick and easy dessert that was awesome.  I would never have guessed that the sour cream could be put into a dessert but it was awesome and paired perfectly with the banana's.

All in all, I was really proud of my meal, the Soup from scratch, and trying something new.  I know both my Grandma's would be really proud of me :)