Hummingbird Catering

Did you hear the buzz? Hummingbird Catering: Modern Hors d'oeuvres and sweets for any occasion! This is the hottest new catering company in Los Angeles, California, serving delectable, gourmet, made-from-scratch, exquisite one-bite wonders for your wedding, corporate events, holiday parties, open houses, birthday parties or any celebration or gathering! Why have a formal sit-down dinner party, when you can have your guests mingle and socialize over delicious, petite bites of California fusion cuisine? Your guests will be buzzing over these unique, fresh, vibrant hummingbird bites!

If you are a foodie like me or if you just want to be able to relax and be a guest at your own party to enjoy unique, modern bites, then get in touch with Hummingbird Catering, serving the greater Los Angeles area in California. Choose from a selection of warm and/or cold hors d'oeuvres and sweets carefully crafted and artistically presented on beautiful platters at your event.

For more information, check out Hummingbird Catering's website to view a glimpse of the menu choices: http://hummingbird-catering.com/

call: 323.570.2068


e-mail: yuko@hummingbird-catering.com 

Please include the following information with your inquiries:

-Event type
-Even date and time
-Number of guests
-Location
-Special additional services requested

Yuko Kitazawa, the owner and head chef of Hummingbird Catering, is also the author of Career Diary of Pastry Chef, which is available on Amazon.

Ten Ton Feather CD Release Celebration at the Freight & Salvage (with Karen Goodman)

I am so thrilled to share this music with you all. This is the first time I have heard Karen Goodman, owner of YIP YAP GO, sing in a concert performance and I loved it! Karen is the beautiful blond woman on the right side of the stage wearing a blank tank top and jeans. Her vocals are just stellar, so strong and so gorgeous! I think Karen Goodman would make an excellent addition to the band, Cactus Hunters! I can just imagine her vocals in the background adding some amazing textures and dynamics to the Cactus Hunters' Americana/Roots musical landscape. I am still learning more about Ten Ton Feather's great music:


"Crossing the borders of folk, blues, bluegrass, country, rock and roll, gospel, stomps and hollers, Rick DiDia and Aireene Espirituinvoke an evocative musical landscape that flows seamlessly through various breaks in mood, tempo and melody and makes the old sound new in an old sort of way."


"Ten Ton Feather" CD Release Celebration at the Freight & Salvage with some of our favorite musicians - Scott Amendola, drums; Bill Evans, banjo; Jon Evans, bass; Karen Goodman, vocals; Diana Greenberg, fiddle, and Brian Judd on mandolin.


Here is "Down at Albert Brown's" performed in Berkeley, CA on May 22, 2010:





Rick Didia and Arleene Espiritu:  www.tentonfeather.com


Click here for link to buy Ten Ton Feather CD.

photo by Keven Meynell

Clif Kid Organic Z Bar Baked Whole Grain Energy Snack

Clif Kid Organic Z Bars are one our new snack staples in our house. If you have a picky eater or if you are short on time and want a wholesome snack or light breakfast, these Clif Kid Organic Z Bars are a great choice because they provide a burst of balanced nutrition on-the-go. Clif Kid Organic Z Bars are made with "whole oats, plus 12 essential vitamins and minerals--so kids can keep going, growing, and exploring" (Cliff Kid Z Bar wrapper). You can actually see the oats and the texture of these bars is nice and soft and slightly chewy. The best part? They actually taste good, so your kids will actually want to eat them! My son is super picky when it comes to food but he actually wants to eat these Clif Kid Organic Z Bars. His favorite flavor is the chocolate chip, but he also likes the brownie and honey graham flavors. I love how these are made with organic ingredients without any high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, or artificial flavors, which seem to creep up in most kids' snacks these days. I just love having a healthy choice for a quick afternoon snack for my son.  Whenever we are running late in the morning, I feel good about giving this to him for breakfast. 

I just bought a variety pack of these Clif Kid Organic Z Bars from Amazon because they no longer had them at Costco, which is where I bought my first box. Trader Joe's is another good place to buy these bars because they are about $0.69/bar. I find buying them in bulk works for us because we go through them quickly! I signed up for the "Subscribe and Save" on Amazon for an additional 15% off and managed to get a variety pack of 24 Clif Kid Organic Z  Bars for $11.04, which is normally $12.99. That's a great bargain at $0.46/bar! Plus, I got free shipping, so it saved me a trip to the store (which I am always in favor of!). I can't say enough good things about these bars because they have made snack time enjoyable for my son (and for me for that matter!). No more food battles when it comes to these nifty Clif Kid Organic Z Bars! They are so perfect for throwing in my purse for emergency snacks on-the-go, too!

Love, love, love them! 

Nutritional Facts for Clif Kid Organic Z Bar Chocolate Chip:

Ingredients: Organic Chocolate Chips (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Oat Flour, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Fig Paste, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Syrup, Organic Maple Syrup, Organic Soy Butter, Organic Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Natural Flavors, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Fiber, Baking Soda, Salt.




Thank you Clif for making a great snack for kids--even picky kids!

Korean Language School (ages 3-12, adult group), Oakland

Today there was a major heat wave in the SF Bay area, so after I braved the scorching park with my son, I decided to take him home and do some low key things with him. I decided to try to teach him some Korean words and phrases. I just wanted to see if he was receptive to learning some Korean. He was! He learned how to say: "hi, how are you doing?", "repeat after me", "door", "thank you", "you're welcome", "my names is _____", and "you don't say!/really?/is that so?"

I tried to turn it into a game for him to make it more fun, and he caught on VERY quickly. For practice, I let him record his voice with my cell phone app, Voice Recorder, so he could hear himself speak the words and phrases. It was a sneaky way for me to get him to repeat it into the microphone for practice, too! He had fun and we tried to keep as cool as possible inside for the rest of the day.

In my excitement, I told my husband about how many words Josh learned in one afternoon and he asked if we should enroll him in a Korean school to learn more. So, we looked on the internet and came across this great advertisement on Craigslist for a Korean Language School! I'm tempted to take a class myself, since I need to brush up on my Korean and learn more!

I want to pass on this information for anyone interested in taking a Korean Language class on Saturdays from September 11-December 11.

Here is the Craigslist ad:

In our school, we teach Korean language including vowels, consonants, reading, writing, and conversation.

We also teach Korean culture through arts, crafts, cooking, singing, dance and music.


-Tuition: $150/ $125addt'l sibling,

-Age: 3-12, Adult group

-Place : 737E. 17th., CA 94606 (Oakland Korean United Methodist Church)

-Time: on Saturday, at 10:00-1:00 (Sep.11-Dec.11) 

For More Information, E-mail: serv-yrczh-1913871643@craigslist.org

Turtle Mountain So Delicious Coconut Minis (Nutrition Facts)

Turtle Mountain So Delicious Coconut Minis are just what the name proclaims them to be: SO DELICIOUS!

I just stumbled upon these mini ice cream sandwiches--or should I say, non-dairy frozen dessert--made with coconut milk instead of milk, and boy oh boy do I love them! What a neat twist on a traditional vanilla ice cream sandwich! My favorite part about these little treats is that they are only 100 calories for one whole ice cream sandwich! There's only 3.5 grams of fat and 7 grams of sugar per sandwich--that's amazing! You even get 2 grams of dietary fiber and 1 gram of protein with these sweeties--BONUS! Not too shabby for a dessert that hits your sweet tooth without making you feel too guilty for a little indulgence. And since I'm a huge coconut fan, these are a great alternative to my favorite macapuno ice cream, which is higher in fat and calories.


COCONUT SANDWICHES: 


The perfect snack size treat that you can feel good about eating. With an agave sweetened center, our So Delicious made with Coconut Milk Banana Split Sandwich Minis are the perfect snack.

Nutrition Facts Servings Size 1 Sandwich (37g) Servings Per Container 8
Amount Per Servings
Calories 100 Calories from Fat 30
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 3.5g	5%
Saturated Fat 2.5g	13%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0g	0%
Sodium 50mg	2%
Total Carbohydrate 15g	5%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Sugar 7g
Protein1g

•	Vitamin A 0%	•	Vitamin C 0%
•	Calcium 0%	•	Iron 8%
INGREDIENTS: NON-DAIRY FROZEN DESSERT (COCONUT MILK, ORGANIC AGAVE SYRUP, CHICORY ROOT EXTRACT, CAROB BEAN GUM, GUAR GUM, NATURAL COCONUT FLAVOR), WAFER [WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, TAPIOCA SYRUP AND/OR BROWN RICE SYRUP, PALM OIL BLEND (PALM OIL, SOYBEAN OIL, CANOLA OIL, VITAMIN E), CARAMEL COLOR, SOY FLOUR, BAKING SODA, SOY LECITHIN, COCOA, VANILLA, SALT].

Christina Perri: "Jar of Hearts" (live)

Just came across this live version of Christina Perri's "Jar of Hearts." This is such a beautiful song, so soulful! I love how "So You Think You Can Dance" gave Christina Perri a huge break in her singing career by debuting a choreographed dance routine to her song. It's just incredible how she hit stardom overnight because of that!




Watch the "So You Think You Can Dance" routine to Christina Perri's "Jar of Hearts"

FREE Amazon Prime Two-Day Shipping for College Students

Sign up for FREE Amazon Prime Two Day Shipping for college students! What a great opportunity to get free two-day Amazon Prime shipping for college students! I have Amazon Prime and I just love, love, love it! Everything arrives in one or two days--yup, I said ONE day! Sometimes things ship within a couple of hours of ordering and depending on your location, some items will arrive the next day. I've had that happen several times. I love how Amazon is making this offer available to college students because it's a great way for college students to order discounted books, food, and school supplies if they don't have time to go out and shop for these things, or if they don't have a car to easily access stores that sell certain items they want.

All I can say is I wish I were a college student so I could get Amazon Prime free for a year! I would definitely use it to buy non-perishable dorm food and snacks for the dorm, along with books, of course!

Amazon Prime free for one year ($79 value)

Unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping on textbooks and millions of other items

No minimum order size

Upgrades to One-Day shipping for $3.99/item

E-mail alerts for exclusive deals and promotions

It's free for students - sign up by providing your school and major

Learn more about Amazon Prime for students.

Kids Bowl Free! Two Games a day! (Expires September 15, 2010)

Kids Bowl Free 2 games a day from now until September 15, 2010 at select locations. What a great way to expose kids to the joy of bowling! I am thrilled about this freebie! Just click on your state and register at Kids Bowl Free at the location you want visit.

Click here for Participating California Bowling Locations.

HAPPY FREE BOWLING!

The Partridge Family; "I Think I Love You"

Today's Earworm just happens to be The Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You." I just can't get it out of my head!

Trader Joe's Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies

Trader Joe's Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies are a miracle breakthrough in a store-bought cookie box! With a name like "Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies," I couldn't help but wonder what these cookies were all about, so I decided to pick them up during my last Trader's Joe's shopping trip. The Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookie box itself is super cute and has a very homemade look to it with a hand drawn oven on the side, on top of which says, in pretty cursive writing:

"One Taste...of these crunchy cookies and we knew we were on to something good.  These cookies showcase the power of simple ingredients well-wrought into a classic recipe: great butter + great chocolate chips = Highbrow Cookies." 

There is a lot of truth to that little blurb! Man alive, these cookies are delicious if you like crispy chocolate chip cookies. They taste like they were homemade! I mean, in a pinch, if you had to bring cookies to some event, these could pass as homemade because each cookie is uniquely shaped, just as an individually formed homemade cookie would look coming out of your home oven!  The taste is superb for a store-bought, packaged cookie.  Trader Joe's always manages to sell amazing, high quality food at reasonable prices. For fourteen (net wt. 7 oz/198g) of these yummy Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies, Trader Joe's only charges $3.99. That's not bad for the quality ingredients they use and the amazing fresh, homemade taste you get to enjoy from your pantry! There are no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients, which is very hard to find in a store-bought baked good these days. Even the bakery cookies at supermarkets tend to have hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list, which deters me from buying them.  But, now I am hooked on Trader Joe's Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies--and I don't usually like store-bought cookies! I tend to just make my own because they taste better to me, but if you don't have time to make your own cookies, these will satisfy any craving for a homemade chocolate chip cookie...and yes, your eyebrows will raise up high when you bite into one of these babies, because you'll be shocked at how tasty they really are!

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2 cookies (28g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 70 Calories 140
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 7g		11%
	Saturated Fat 4.5g	22%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
	Monounsaturated Fat 0g
	Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 25mg		8%
Sodium 140mg		6%
Potassium 0mg
Total Carbohydrate 17g		6%
	Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
	Sugars 12g
Protein 2g
Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0% Iron 4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Thai Translator Network

Adissapong Praphantanathorn: Thai Translator Network
Professional Thai Translator: Thai native speaker with extensive translation experience in many types of localization processes and over 10 years of translation experience.

If you need help with Thai translation, then check out the Thai Translator Network website. With Thai Translator Network, you will get superior Thai translation and excellent service performed with precision, professionalism and integrity for whatever your needs are.


Areas of Specialty


Software/hardware localization
Business management
Marketing/Advertising
Voiceover for video trainings and business presentations
Multimedia localization
Desktop publishing
Game scripts/movie subtitling
Business newsletters
Dental products
Tourism
Consumer electronics
Editing/proofreading


Contact Thai Translator Network

Amazing $74.99 deal on DROID 2 by Motorola on Verizon Wireless

Techdealdigger has an amazing offer on the DROID 2 phone if you enter this code 25RAFPCVER1 at checkout. 


The retail price of this phone is $549.99 if you buy it outright, no contract. With this offer, you can get this Android phone for $74.99 with free shipping! That's $125 less than the current offer through Verizon Wireless if you renew a contract, and it's $475 off retail price. Get the latest version of Android with this DROID 2 phone: Froyo, Android 2.2. 


What you get with DROID 2:

• A 3.7-inch touch screen plus a real slide out keyboard
• A top of the line 1GHz processor
• FlashPlayer 10 so that you experience the complete web (and brag to your iPhone friends how their phone is limited to non-flash sites)
• Ability to share your 3G with up to 5 other devices via Wi-fi
• 5MP camera with dual LED flashes, face detection and panoramic mode
• DVD quality video recorder

NEWS FLASH: Android OS has just outsold iPhone 4 in the latest quarter! People are getting the idea that the iPhone is not the end all and be all of smartphones. Android phones offer a lot more than iPhones do, believe it or not! Now you can have Flashplayer and see all the sites you were missing on the iPhone! The best part is that your DROID 2 phone can be turned into a HOTSPOT!!! You can broadcast 3G to your laptop and other devices where ever you go! Now that's HOT!!! If you try to do that with your iPhone, you will have to pay EXTRA FEES!!!!

Buy your DROID 2.

Don't forget to enter this code at checkout to get the $74.99 price: 25RAFPCVER1.

Bank of the West: FREE iPod Touch When You Open a Checking Account

Bank of the West is offering a FREE iPod Touch to new customers who open any personal checking account by September 3, 2010 with funds new to Bank of the West and either set up a monthly recurring direct deposit of at least $500, or pay 10 bills online, or make 20 debit card transactions. Direct deposit must be payroll, Social Security, pension or other government benefits. It looks like there is no monthly service charge and no minimum balance for one of the checking account options as long as you comply with one of the above stipulations (i.e., have direct deposit, pay 10 bills online or make 20 debit card transactions), but please see the fine print for more details.

What a great opportunity to get a FREE iPod Touch!

Contact Bank of the West for more details or find a branch near you.

Lucky Supermarket, My Lucky Day!

Today, I was a frazzled-in-a-rush mom with "high frequency memory loss." After doing some quick grocery shopping at Lucky Supermarket, I was scurrying to load my groceries into my car. In my frantic pace, somewhere along the line, I totally forgot one small bag in the shopping cart or elsewhere and drove home to unload my goodies. It was then that I realized that I forgot some items! I guess I just didn't see the last bag in the shopping cart: a small canvas reusable bag filled only with two small tins of shoe polish and waterproofer. (That should have been my first clue that I would forget that stuff, since those aren't things I normally buy at the grocery store!)

Anyway, I rushed back to Lucky after I put all my groceries away. I darted to the customer service desk and waited in line. The lady that checked me out was at the customer service counter now and she recognized me immediately. As soon as I started talking, "Excuse me, I was just here and I bought some..." she pulled out my canvas bag and said, "I think I forgot to give this bag to you." Man oh man was I happy! I told her thank you and I was just ecstatic that no one walked off with it in the parking lot! That just goes to show that there are still a lot of honest, nice people out there!

Thank you so much Lucky Supermarket for holding onto my missing bag and waiting for me to drive back to claim it! Thank you so much to the good samaritan (a Lucky employee or fellow shopper, perhaps?) who turned in my bag to the Lucky customer service counter--you made my day! I really appreciate it!! It really was my lucky day today despite my frantic, rushing, forgetful mom mode!