Sam Zien – known to most as “Sam the Cooking Guy” – and his super-fun cooking classes are a local favorites here in San Diego, but you can also get a taste of him on his Discovery Health show (nationally), his own show (certain markets), and in his first cookbook – Just a Bunch of Recipes.

He also recently hooked up with Fresh Express to help promote their new line of Seasonal Salads, and hosted a little get-together at his house last week to give a personal demo of what you can do with these salads… delivered in his signature funny, laid-back style of course!

{photos courtesy of Shawna Parks}

Sam whipped up 3 different types of salads, which we happily taste-tested: steak & goat cheese, spicy grilled shrimp, and a Mediterranean spinach salad with roasted tomatoes (plus a fabulous Pesto Pizza appetizer!). All of the recipes were quick & easy, featured minimal dressing – and, most importantly – tasted super DELICIOUS!

Here’s the full recipe for the Steak Salad (pictured above).

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Steak Salad with Goat Cheese & Crispy Tortillas
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
4 oz Fresh Express® French Blossom Trio Salad
8 oz steak, cooked and sliced thin
4 oz goat cheese
2 fajita-sized tortillas
2 Tbsp olive oil
Juice from 1/2 a lime (about 1 Tbsp)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1-2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped fine
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:
• Combine oil, lime juice, vinegar, cilantro and salt & pepper. Mix well.
• Slice tortillas into matchsticks and cook in a dry, medium hot, non-stick pan until crispy, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Put salad in a bowl and add just enough dressing to lightly coat
• Plate greens and top with steak, goat cheese, and tortillas.

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Sam and Fresh Express are also helping to promote Restaurant Week here in San Diego – when more than 180 of San Diego’s best restaurants offer a fixed price, 3-course meal for $20, $30, or $40. This is a great excuse to get out and try some restaurants you’ve never been to before…at a discounted price!

And due to it’s popularity, Restaurant Week has recently been extended for another week… through Sept 25th! Click here for full details.

Speaking of restaurants, learn to “Dine Like a Pro” with these tips from Sam…one of his 3 video clips is pictured below. Check all 3 videos out here.

Last week, my husband and I attended the “Aloha Kitchen Challenge” at Roy’s Restaurant in La Jolla, which felt a little bit like experiencing an Iron Chef event first hand (or an episode of Hell’s Kitchen where the head chef is a whole lot nicer!).

The “Aloha Kitchen Challenge” is actually a gourmet competition that Internationally-acclaimed Chef Roy Yamaguchi has been hosting at different Roy’s locations throughout the country (and more are in the works if you’d like to attend one of them!).

3 culinary students local to the area are partnered with top chefs from local restaurants, who act as their mentors for the event, then they compete for the chance to win a year-long internship with Roy’s expert chefs. The students were all from the Art Institute of San Diego: Grant Toraason, Athena Gilson and Bruce Ricketts – and they were paired with top chefs: Jason Knibb of NINE-TEN; Bernard Guillas of Marine Room; Brian Malarkey, of Oceanaire; and Garrett Mukogawa of Roy’s.

Guests of the event are treated to a fun – and highly creative – 5-course meal, along with champagne and wine pairings for each course, if desired. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th courses were created by the 3 students, and all of the dinner guests + some special local celebrity judges voted on their favorite dish at the end of the meal.

Here are the 3 contenders… how great is the presentation on each of these dishes?!

2nd Course:
Ceviche of Scallop and Octopus
Melon Salad, Tempura Shiso Leaf “Taco”, Mango Vinaigrette

3rd Course:
Pistachio Sanyo Crunch Tasmanian Steelhead
Red Quinoa Filled Squash Blossom, Heirloom Melon Nectar, Gooseberry Kalbi

4th Course:
Duo of Pork: Ginger Beer & Cider Braised Pork Belly, Smoked Pork Loin
Thai Bird Chili & Peach Relish, Ogo & Green Papaya Salad

I have to say that every single dish was fantastic, so it was a tough decision… but my personal favorite did end up winning! Drumroll, please… the Tasmanian Steelhead dish (course #2) – so congrats to Athena Gilson! I would definitely order this dish again if it makes it on the menu – and the presentation of it was so wonderfully creative:

Here’s Athena with her mentor, Chef Bernard Guillas and Chef Roy.

And a few more shots of the behind-the-scenes action:

Celebrity guest chef (and former San Diego Charger) Marcellus Wiley was more than happy to help serenade guests for the evening…

Chef Roy Yamaguchi actually sat down at the table and chatted with Sonny and I for a bit – and he was  incredibly nice and had such a calm, content spirit to him. (I’m thinking that living in Hawaii must make one extra happy, right?)  When asked about what the inspiration behind these event was, he said – quite matter of factly – that he simply wanted to inspire and encourage aspiring chefs, and that they really tried to make this a fun experience for the students, as opposed to a high-pressure situation. (Sorry – no Hell’s Kitchen-style drama here!)

“Teaching and mentoring aspiring chefs has always been a passion of mine,” said Chef Roy.

I also asked Roy if he had any tips for novice chefs at home… and he said the best thing is to just “keep it simple” and not stress out over the dish. And honestly, that’s just fine by me. When I want something exotic like Pistachio Sanyo Crunch Tasmanian Steelhead, I’m more than happy to go out and leave it to the professional chefs… or in this case, to the students!

Visit roysrestaurant.com to find a Roy’s location near you.

Photos by: Chaz Cruz

Last week was a bit of a light posting week because I was pretty much consumed with last minute details for the Swiffer SocialLuxe Lounge - the “pampering party” kick-off for BlogHer ‘09 that I co-hosted with 5 other bloggers in Chicago last Thursday…which ended up attracting over 500 guests!

My main responsibility for the event was the party decor & room set-up. The set up became just a tad stressful when we decided to move to a larger room – with a completely different layout of course – the day before the party :0 We had to rent lounge furniture and a zillion power strips & extension cords to accommodate all the vendor & beauty station needs, but in the end the new space worked out great – blessing in disguise!

For the floral centerpieces, I wanted to do something with a “spa” feel that was impactful, yet simple to put together, since I had to do all of the arranging at the venue itself. (Here’s the inspiration board that I worked from, as seen in an earlier post.) There were 2 different styles of arrangements, and 2-3 color variations within each style.

ProFlowers shipped in tons of gorgeous mokara & dendrobium orchids, white hydrangea stems, and ti leaves. I purchased the sandblasted manzanita branches, curly willow, tall pilsner vases, ceramic vases, and dahlias at a local Chicago floral supply. (I’ll do a step by step breakdown of both of the centerpieces in another post – they’re honestly super easy!) Crystal ornaments and rhinestone word stickers (purchased at Michaels) were used to embellish each arrangement and add a bit of glam.

Framed signs with phrases like “Hello, Gorgeous!”, “Say Cheers to Cocktail Hour”, and “Yes, I do deserve to be pampered… obviously!”, sat on tables throughout the party.

I used the same stock image of the girl in curlers on the custom Jones Soda bottles that we made for the event (pictured in the top image). I liked her goofy attitude. =)

More info to come soon… in the meantime you can see more pics on the SocialLuxe Lounge Photostream over on flickr, which were uploaded LIVE from the party courtesy of Eye-Fi! (Most of the decor shots are on the last pages, since they were mainly taken before the party started.)

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P.S. After the past few large-scale events that I’ve done this summer – I have even more respect than ever for wedding & event planners – so a quick shout-out to all of you!

It’s amazing how much problem solving has to be done on the fly when it comes to events… between the wind blowing our centerpieces over at Tisha’s shower last weekend to the last-minute room change, step & repeat banner/stands not arriving in time (Hello, Kinkos at midnight!), and several other “road blocks” with this one – I’m really getting some use out of the thinking cap at these parties. So MAJOR props to those of you that do this stuff all the time!

Here’s a sneak peek at the inspiration board for the Swiffer SocialLuxe Lounge – a BlogHer kick-off party that I’m styling and co-hosting with these 5 wonderful ladies on July 23rd. (…which is suddenly right around the corner!)

This event is a “pampering party” but it’s also a place for socializing, checking out tech demos, taking photos, and sipping cocktails, so it was a bit of a struggle at first when trying to come up with a plan for the decor.  I definitely wanted to work the spa element in, but also have a good mix of “hip lounge” style in there as well so that the atmosphere still feels a bit glam too! So after playing around with things for a while, here’s where I ended up…

The colors are inspired by the party’s logo & invitation. Fortunately, the key colors – orange, vibrant purple, and black – work very well for both “spa” and “lounge” vibes, and they’ll be accented by punches of lime green (in honor of our title sponsor – Swiffer) and white.

Decor elements will include black linens, “zen” rocks, custom signage, “beautified” beauty tools (think blowdryers + rhinestones) and floral arrangements featuring varieties of white, orange, and purple orchids.

I’m also planning to do some floating and branch-themed accent arrangements featuring dahlias and azaleas or whatever other great color-coordinating blooms I can get my hands on from local florists when I arrive in Chicago. Ah, the joys of DIY arrangements for out of town events! (Sourcing for all flower images is at the bottom of this post.)

For the party’s signature drinks, we’ll have custom-labeled Orange & Cream and Fufu Berry Jones Soda, which can be enjoyed with or without a vodka kick, and a few other fun options like the Swiffer “Clean-tini” (a.k.a. “green apple martini”).

Custom signage & cheeky phrases will be another key element of the party. I love working a bit of Anne Taintor-style humor into parties whenever possible… so look for more of that to appear in the post-party pics! And if you have any ideas for witty phrases to feature at a party that’s specifically full of blogging women, feel free to send them my way!)

Floral Image Sources:
Image 1 (clockwise from top left): The Knot (real wedding); Brides.com – (real wedding); The Knot (real wedding); The Knot – (real wedding); The Knot (real wedding); Image 2: Brides.com – Paradise Found; The Knot (real wedding).

Exciting news to share! I’m co-hosting a pre-BlogHer “pamper & primp party” on July 23rd in Chicago along with these 5  fabulous women bloggers! This is your chance to kick back, relax, and mix & mingle with other bloggers (including some of your favorite names from the blogging world!) before the conference starts.

The party will be held “open-house style” from 3-8pm in the “Monarch Suite” (2500 sq ft!) at The Hyatt Regency Chicago (within strolling distance of the convention). Guests will be treated to mini spa treatments, great food & drinks, live music, demos from our wonderful sponsors, and more!

We’ll also be announcing the winners of the BlogLuxe Awards at the party. Even if you’re not attending the conference, you can still nominate and vote for your favorite women bloggers in each of the 8 BlogLuxe categories:

Ready to party with us? Space is limited and filling up fast, so make sure to RSVP soon! To reserve your spot, visit www.socialluxelounge.com and click on “Get on the List” at the bottom of the page. Hope to see you there!

P.S. I’ll be styling the party as well… so stay tuned for more info on the theme & party decor details!

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Special thanks to my co-hostesses for all their hard work: Jane Maynard (This Week for Dinner), Allison Czarnecki (Petit Elefant), Ciaran Blumenfeld (Momfluential), Beth Feldman (Role Mommy), and Marie LeBaron (Make and Takes).

Here’s a little recap of the May 7th Bridal Registry event at Bloomingdales San Francisco that I participated in with Michelle Prelli from Brides.com and Christy Weber from What Junebug Loves (both fabulous women, BTW!). The crew from Bloomingdales (pictured below) was quite warm & welcoming as well…

The main purpose of the event was to introduce brides-to-be and engaged couples to the new Set Your Table tool on Brides.com, which basically allows you to mix & match china patterns and tabletop elements online to come up with your own favorite look…. while in the most comfortable setting possible – like at home in your PJ’s! {Pictured below, from left: Michelle, Christy, and me during the bridal registry discussion.}

For those of you that have seen the movie Clueless, the Set Your Table tool reminds me of (a more sophisticated version of) the “outfit matchmaker” program that Cher had for that all-important task of figuring out the perfect ensemble to wear when you’re a sophomore in high school! Here’s a screenshot…

In addition to the Set Your Table demonstration & general registry tips discussion, lots of great SF-based wedding vendors set up tables and chatted with guests…

Le Crueset and Hello Lucky were there with their gorgeous products. (It was fun to see Hello Lucky’s letterpress drink coasters (below) because they always remind me of this lovely Retro Chic bridal shower created by one of our readers and featured here at HWTM!)

Being a certified sweet tooth, I especially enjoyed the tastings going on at the Cakework table… delicious!  Also loved their cute purse-shaped cakes…

Tables for Ralph Lauren and Church Street Flowers…

All of the images in this post are courtesy of Michelle Pattee Photography. I chatted with Michelle for a while and she’s great! You can check out more of her work here – and her cool new line of home pillows (which feature some of her photography) at archivaldecor.com.

Guests that attended the event were also treated to small bites and champagne. The acrylic serving pieces were fantastic – especially the “towers”. (Yes – that IS salmon-on-a-stick…makes for easy eating with one hand!)

Thanks again to Brides.com and Bloomingdales for being such great hosts! Be sure to check out the Set Your Table tool at Brides.com if you’re in the market for new china… or just feel like being creative!

I’m really excited to be part of a cool bridal event happening this Thursday, May 7th at Bloomingdales in San Francisco – especially alongside the company of Michelle Preli, Editor-in-Chief of Brides.com, and Christy Weber – CoFounder/Executive Editor of the fabulous Junebug Weddings!

If you’re in the area, please join us from 6-8pm for cocktails, sweet & savory tastings, and bridal registry tips & discussion. There will also be a laptop bar where you can learn the ins-and-outs of the exciting new online Set Your Table tool from Brides.com (see example below). Soon you’ll be mixing and matching place settings the same way you do outfits!

Hope you can make it – we’d love to meet you! Please RSVP to 415-856-5376 to let us know you’re coming!

And for those of you in the Chicago area, this event is also coming to Bloomingdales, Chicago on Thursday, May 14th! More details here.

In honor of Barbie’s 50th Birthday/Anniversary – Mattel went all out with a very cool, VERY PINK birthday bash at the “Real” Life-Size Barbie Dream House in Malibu, CA.

Jonathan Adler was tapped to do the interior design of the “Dream House”, and celebrity event planner Colin Cowie (who also hosts’s Lifetime’s Get Married show) brought the ridiculously cool party to life with an overwhelming amount of Barbie-themed decor, sparkly pink things, and clever details.

As someone who loves both interior design and event planning – and can appreciate a good dose of “girlie girl” now and then – I definitely felt like a kid in a candy store at this party! Everywhere you turned there was something “happy” to look at – from Barbie’s luxe pink bedroom (which included a shoe closet filled with 50 pairs of Barbie® pink peep-toe Christian Louboutin heels)…

…to a fireplace flanked by pink plastic poodles… to cocktail serving trays filled with acrylic pink ice! (The toilets even had huge pink satin bows tied around the seat covers… talk about attention to detail!)

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Since HWTM is all about party planning – we asked Cowie – the brains behind the bash – to share some of his favorite party details with us… as well as a few tips that we can use at home. Here goes:

HWTM: “Barbie Malibu Dream House” sounds like such a fun party theme! Can you give us some insight into your overall vision for this event?
CC: I WANTED TO CREATE AN EVENT THAT WAS COMPLETELY PERSONALIZED TO BARBIE. AS ALWAYS, I START WITH A THEME (POP ART), AND A COLOR PALETTE (BLACK WHITE AND PINK), AND GO FROM THERE.  I WANTED ALL OF THE ELEMENTS TO BE VERY VIBRANT AND TO HAVE AN IMPACT BY USING A LOT OF REPETITON.

HWTM: When I plan parties, there are usually 1 or 2 ideas that I’m especially excited about – the ones that trigger those famous “Aha!” moments during the planning process. What ideas are you most excited about for this party?
CC: THE BAR AND THE DESSERT BAR INSTALLATIONS -  THEY ARE TOTALLY OVER THE TOP AND GRAPHIC.

HWTM: What is the most over-the-top idea you have planned for the party?
CC: THE WALL BEHIND THE BAR – IT’S COMPRISED OF 750 ACTUAL BARBIE DOLLS AND FRAMED BY A PRECINIUM OF PINK UNDERLIT JEWELS.

HWTM: Keeping in mind that most at-home parties will be on a, er…slightly different budget than this particular event, what tips would you share with someone looking to host a similar theme at home?
CC: CHOOSE A THEME AND A COLOR PALLETE, THEN WRITE DOWN ALL OF YOUR IDEAS AND PROPOSED COSTS, AND THEN DECIDE WHICH IS GOING TO GIVE YOU THE MOST IMPACT WITHIN YOUR BUDGET. COLOR CREATES CONSISTENCY AND WILL HELP CREATE A UNIFIED THEME THROUGHOUT THE PARTY.

HWTM: Aside from Barbie herself, what other types of things should be present at any Barbie-themed party – from Malibu Beach House to Rock Star Barbie?
CC: PINK, PINK AND MORE PINK! BARBIE IS TIMELESS AND TRANSENDS SO MANY ERA’S. USE A LOT OF BLING AND A BIG DOSE OF GLAMOUR.

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Thanks so much to Colin for providing us with all this inspiration! (Check out more tips from Colin over on GetMarried.com.)

Pictured above is one of my personal favorite ideas from the party – centerpieces created from pink roses in the shapes of handbags and heels… which were displayed on lucite tables filled with tons of miniature Barbie brushes, sunglasses, shoes & purses…GENIUS!

Another element that really stood out to me where the witty, cheeky phrases that were projected onto the house and printed on things like cocktail napkins and glow-in-the-dark drink stirrers. This idea really added to the FUN factor of the party, and the sayings included things like:
• “I wasn’t designed to do housework.”
• “A plastic tan never fades.”
• “Doll-icious”
• “Eat healthy but always have a decadent dessert.”

Mantras to live by, right? (At least in a DREAM house!)

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In order to keep this from being the world’s longest post, I’m going to save the drink recipes and a few more details for Part 2. In the meantime, here are a few more pics from the party… and you can also view these at a little larger size in the facebook album.

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The party really lit up after the sun went down…

No red carpet reception for this party… celebrities rocked the PINK carpet instead!

Barbie’s custom-made pink VW beetle – complete with a built-in, pop-up makeup vanity in the trunk (of course!) – greeted guests near the pink carpet.

Barbie’s kitchen was fully equipped for one thing… CUPCAKES!

Getting the PINK s’mores platters ready for guests to roast over the backyard’s built-in fire-pit!

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Click here for pics of the Pink Carpet celebs… which included Supermodel/Project Runway host Heidi Klum, Ginnifer Goodwin (He’s Just Not That Into You), Lauren Conrad (The Hills), and cutie Madeline Carroll (Swing Vote).

Well, Barbie® officially turns 50 today, and I have to say she’s still looking about half her age!

In honor of the milestone birthday/anniversary, Mattel is rolling out the pink carpet at a big celebration happening tonight at her “Real” Life-Size Malibu Dream House®. With help from style gurus like event-planner-to-stars Colin Cowie (the brains behind the bash) and designer Jonathan Adler (who decked out the Dream House) – this is sure to be one fabulous party!

A few hints of what Cowie has planned for the party include:
• 146 pounds of pink candy to line the dessert table
• custom-made lucite tables filled with thousands of tiny shoes, mini handbags, and Barbie® sunglasses
• 3,000 pink roses, 100 hydrangea and 300 ranunculus for the centerpieces
• themed signature drinks like Barbie® Doll-icious!, Ken’s Caiprirosca, Strawberry Blonde (see image below) and It’s a Pink Thing

I’m covering the party as press tonight, so there will be a full recap later this week – along with drink recipes, decor ideas, and a few tips from Mr. Cowie himself(!) on how to host a Barbie-themed party at home. I’m also just planning to tweet from the event, so feel free to follow me for pink carpet updates!

For our readers in the Los Angeles area, treat yourself this Saturday to Pamper Me Fabulous, an oh-so-chic spa and beauty event! (Click here for a recap of last year’s event.)

About the event:
Pamper Me Fabulous brings together all the things you and your girlfriends love. Take a break from the stresses of life to luxuriate in mini beauty and spa services from the best Los Angeles spas and salons, shop for beauty products and “crave” products, taste gourmet sweets and eats and score a Hollywood-style swag bag all under one swanky roof in the heart of LA.  Plus, ten percent of all ticket sales to the event benefit Step Up Women’s Network.

In addition, Pamper Me Fabulous is hosting the first annual Fabulous Female Awards, recognizing female heroes who exemplify excellence and serve as a source of inspiration.

DATE:  Saturday, March 7
LOCATION: Vibiana, 210 South Main Street, Los Angeles, CA

For more info and to Purchase tickets, please visit www.pampermefabulous.com. HWTM readers will receive 10% off the ticket price. Just enter “HOSTESS” at checkout!