The Channel Islands

A few weeks ago, Beth wanted to check out some beach rental houses in the Channel Islands by Camarillo/Oxnard... figure we'd make a nice little road trip out of it.  Although we got distracted by the outlet malls for a few hours, we still made it to the beach before the sun sets.  This place is gorgeous.











After a nice stroll on the beach in the warm summer weather...
Of course we got hungry :)
We Yelped and found this seafood restaurant thats just a few blocks away from the beach. It was called

Fishermen's Catch
3960 Tradewinds Dr
Oxnard, CA 93035



Here is what I read in Yelp about this establishment...

Fishermen's Catch is owned and operated by an Italian fishing family, The Guglielmo's, that dates back three generations. The father son team both own their own fishing boats - the Sandy Bea and Philip Nick. They specialize in catching fresh white sea bass, local halibut, crabs and lobsters.


The Guglielmo's opened Fishermen's Catch to bring fresh affordable fish to the public. They take pride in both their fish and their customers. After fishing in the early morning you can visit them at the Fish Market and Grill.They purchase the fish they don't catch from high-quality vendors from all around the United States. If we don't eat it...We won't sell it. Come visit us at Fisherrmen's Catch as we are "Redefining Fresh."

When we were there, The Mom and Pop of the Guglielmo's family would walk around the restaurant cleaning and wiping the tables... chatting and conversing with the customers, old and new.  We felt welcomed... and the food was great!

The famous clam chowder



We also ordered Mahi Mahi taco, calamari taco, sea bass taco and shrimp taco... you just have to try at least one of the 4... we got all 4 :)



And of course we have to order something healthy, so we feel skinny :) Grilled red snapper fillet with grilled vegetables and brown rice.

Atlantic Time Square then Big Bear Adventure @ 3AM

This was a special night for the Changs... Another one of our spontaneous adventures!

10:00 PM

Atlantic Time Square - Monterey Park, CA.
This place is almost exactly like one of those big outdoor shopping plazas, without the typical chained establishments like PF Changs or Applebees. Instead it is a plaza of famous SGV restaurants... Chinese, Cantonese, Taiwanese, Japanese and Vietnamese. Basically, if you are a big fan of Asian food and new furbished condos... this is your paradise!

Phoenix Food Boutique is a restaurant specialized in food and desserts from the southeast region of China. It is definitely worth a visit! Check out what we ordered:

House Special Pan Fried Egg Noodle with shredded duck, chicken and bean sprouts. I don't think anymore explanation is necessary for this dish... It was a very special serving of chow mein.



Braised Tofu with seafood



11:00 PM

After the delicious dinner at Phoenix Food Boutique, we decided to go on a night photo scouting adventure.

Route 66 was on Beth's mind and that became the first target destination of our adventure. The Wigwam "teepee" Motel to be exact. I mean, a motel that is shaped and designed like an Indian teepee tent... Badass.

When we arrived at the motel, we were freaked out a little bit and we changed our minds at the office window. Mainly because it reminded us of Heisenberg's neighborhood from Breaking Bad... creepy and it would probably be more fun if we had more people with us.

1:00 AM

We were disappointed... heading back home and about to call it a night...
I thought, Hell no! It's 4th of July weekend and I am not going to waste my precious holiday weekend at home. Maybe it just felt like the perfect timing, but I was determined that we should totally check out Big Bear Lake, early Monday morning.

3:00 AM

It was 3AM and there weren't any other options that are awake at that time. Todd at the front desk of Northwoods Resort gave us a great deal so we have a comfortable bed to sleep in. We were blessed with the 2nd largest suites in the resort... also badass.

comes with king size bed, small kitchen / bar, jacuzzi, living room and balcony.



Wake Up and Explore Big Bear Lake

we drove up to the lake to get some fresh air, I wish I had a grill...



When we were scouting for future cabins for rent, we drove by this patriotic house.



Lunch at the local pizza joint. Hits the spot



After lunch we drove back to Pasadena.
Back to reality.
It was a great getaway!
Happy 4th Everyone!

Oven-Baked Salmon

Did you know that cooking salmon is actually a very easy procedure?  It's literately just 3 easy steps, so easy even a caveman can do it!

All you need to season a perfect oven-baked salmon is just salt and black pepper.
remember that... :)



Step 1 - Wash, Cut and Season

Once you get your fresh piece of salmon filet...

• wash the filet with cold water.
• cut the filet in portions.
• season the filet with salt and fresh black pepper.

Step 2 - Baking Tray

• First, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cover the baking tray with tin foil.  That way you can avoid washing the baking tray by simply pulling off the tin foil :)  
• Once you covered the baking tray with tin foil, oiled it lightly with canola oil or any other cooking oil (you can use olive oil for more flavor).  
• Place the filet pieces in the baking tray, then slide the tray into the oven, let it bake uncovered, 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. (Set the timer, so you don't forget)

Step 3 - Done!

Pull the tray out of the oven... Serve!



For tonight's dinner, I cooked up some pasta mixed with marinara sauce and grilled some egg plant slices... Quick and easy!



Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this recipe! eatwithjoe@gmail.com

A Tale of Two Family Meals

Lin Family - Aunt Heidi and Uncle Lin gave us shelter throughout the whole trip!  And food of course!  Most of the time, Uncle Lin whips up his signature hot pot.  I know we've had many different hot pots during our visit in Taiwan, but this one you can taste "love".  We love our hot pot dinner with some "fried foods" and Taiwan beer while uncle sips on his "Johnny Walker"... Good times!

Taiwanese loves fried food... My wife is from Kentucky and she said, "Taiwanese must've been frying food long before Colonel Sanders!"  Well, why? I think it's the Taiwanese popcorn chicken... maybe its the fried sweet potatoes!  

To make a really good spicy hot pot soup base... you need pork intestines and duck blood!

More photos in this slideshow!

Yeh Family - Aunt Anita and Uncle Yeh love me! what can I say... I am a lovable person!  Well, they knew that Beth and I are in town... so they invited us over for a home cooked lunch!  Uncle Yeh is a great cook, he can cook seafood like no other.  We ate so much we could barely walk... 

The family of crabs :)

I can go for one of these now... mmmm sooo good!  Uncle Yeh's seafood porridge has shrimp, crab meat, oysters, fish, and clams

More photos from Yeh Family in the slideshow below

I miss my Taiwan family already... :(