A Side of Sweet

Long Overdue:: My 4th of July

I somehow managed to forget about these photos from my 4th of July. I hope you’ll indulge me as I post them both as a memory for myself and to share them with all of the awesome people who I spent the day with. It’s still July, so it’s not really that late…right?

I definitely had one of the best 4th of July’s on record. I met some of my residency pals in Crissy Field, which is one of the best places in town to watch the fireworks. One of them staked out a spot for us starting at 10 am! Thanks to her I was able to spend my first 4th of July in San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge on the horizon and a great view of the fireworks. To top it off, I think it was the clearest 4th of July on record – literally not a cloud in the sky.

4th of July in San Francisco

Plus, I got to experience these incredible pants, that have now graced the legs of two generations of San Francisco pediatricians. When this guy shows up, you know it’s going to be an adventure.

4th of July in San Francisco

Looking back at these pictures of Maddie three weeks ago, it’s amazing to see how much she has grown. She was three months old this weekend and she’s already looking so much more like a dog than a puppy. Luckily she still acts all puppy! It’s fantastic to have her around and watch her curiosity and energy as she explores the world around her.

4th of July in San Francisco - Crissy Field

Every day since we moved to San Francisco, at least once per day I completely stop everything I’m doing and just think, “Wow, I live here.” I hope I always wake up with that feeling. It’s incredible. 4th of July in San Francisco - Crissy Field

Between the perfect weather and the great company, it was definitely the best 4th a girl could ask for. 4th of July in San Francisco - Crissy Field

Mulligatawny Soup

Gluten Free Vegetarian Vegan

About a week ago, I had the opportunity to meet one of the more “famous” bloggers from San Francisco. I went to an art opening that her husband hosted. She was very sweet in person, so I followed up on our conversation with an email telling her how happy I was to meet her and telling her about my blog and how excited I am to be in San Francisco to be a part of the blogging “scene” here. I also reiterated how impressed I was with her husbands paintings. It was definitely a let down when she responded to my heartfelt email with “Thanks for coming!” and nothing more. She didn’t even sign the email!… Read More »

Basic Granola Bar Recipe + How to Stretch

Vegetarian Vegan

I love making my own granola and granola bars. Although it is becoming more common to see granola bars without additives like high fructose corn syrup, I really like putting things into my body that don’t come wrapped in plastic and with ingredients that I can pronounce. I love this basic granola bar recipe that can be altered based on your cravings and what you have around the house. I used pepitas that I’ve been trying to get rid of for the longest time and some dried apricots. To make the bars vegan, substitute maple syrup for the honey. The bars can also be crumbled to use as granola. If you bake them longer they will be crispy and if you bake them a shorter amount of time they will be softer (duh).

This recipe was also featured on the blog of one of my favorite companies on the planet, Brooks Running! Thanks for having me as a guest blogger, Brooks! You can see my post about the right and wrong ways to stretch here.

Hiking Big Basin Redwoods State Park

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite docs from Wisconsin was in town for a visit. Being an athletic and outdoorsy guy, he suggested that we catch up over a hike instead of doing to the usual meeting for dinner or drinks. He wanted to try hiking Big Basin Redwoods State Park. I happily agreed and extended an invitation to my fellow residents to join us. We decided to hike the Berry Creek Falls Loop.

We ended up with a nice sized group of people, with Pat and puppy along as well! This hike is very popular, but given the length of the hike I found that people were scattered around enough that it didn’t feel crowded.

The trail was very well marked and the only reason we needed the map was to check out progress.

Hiking Big Basin Redwoods State Park - Berry Creek Falls Loop

Berry Creek Falls is a beautiful 11-mile loop that winds around a few different waterfalls and is mostly shaded by the beautiful redwood trees that give the park its name. We chose a hot day to hike, so we were definitely very lucky that it was shady! The hike has a reputation as being “strenuous” and I have to say that I mostly agree.

Although there wasn’t much for scrambling over boulders or steep climbs, there was elevation change (about 2,700 feet) that it still felt like a good workout. The path was fairly wide and mostly packed dirt. All of the people in our group were athletic, so we made excellent time and finished in just under four hours – even with several stops to show off how truly strong we are:

One of the members of our group had to work a night shift at the hospital, so we clipped along at a nice pace so as not to finish too late! I think if we did it again, I would budget more time so we could take advantage of the waterfalls and relax a bit more.

Redwoods State Park is known for banana slugs and I was stoked that we found one along our hike! Apparently they get much bigger, but I thought it was pretty impressive.

It was a really lovely day and I have to give a shout out to my visiting friend for organizing it. It’s definitely going to motivate me to get out of the city more often and explore the surrounding bay area!

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever!

Vegetarian

Truly the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! They are tasty and delicious with crisp edges and gooey centers. They freeze well too.
One of the best things about residency so far is the people I work with. I am so lucky to be surrounded by my fellow new residents who are some of the nicest, smartest and hardest working people I have ever met. It’s an amazing thing to work side by side with someone for 80 hours per week and still want to make happy hour plans after work. In talking to residents in other fields, I know this isn’t always the case. I think working with kids selects for the best people!

Speaking of the best, I try not to throw around superlatives superfluously (har, har), but these are literally the best chocolate chip cookies I have every had. I first found the recipe on Sweet Paul, but they are actually by Kathleen King, owner of Tate’s Bakeshop. These cookies are so good that Kathleen actually has a whole online business dedicated to shipping them all over the United States!

These cookies freeze well, so I made an extra batch to keep on hand when unexpected friends or guests drop by. Nothing says ‘welcome home’ like a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie!

Momofuku Bagel Bombs with Goat Cheese, Bacon & Scallions

Vegetarian

Even though I’ve never eaten at Momofuku or Momofuku Milk Bar, thanks to the internet I’ve been a long time fan. I’ve been steadily collecting a collection of Momofuku pins on Pinterest.

When one of my favorite blogs, Love & Olive Oil, chose bagels as the theme for their July Kitchen Challenge, I knew I had to try the Momofuku bagel bombs. Momofuku bagel bombs are a spin on the traditional bagel in that what would traditionally be bagel toppings are baked inside the bagel instead…. Read More »