Mission Inn, Riverside, CA

Posted on December 19, 2011 by jamiegall1930

I finally made it out to the Mission Inn.  Over the weekend we took a trek out to Riverside from Los Angeles, and made an evening of the outing.  We stopped in Anaheim Hills so my love could try out Slater’s 50/50, and then we were off to Riverside.

He made his own contraption burger of the 50/50 Patty, Baconnaise, A ciabetta bread, Blue Cheese, Red Onions, Tomatos, and Dill pickle Chips.  He ate every last bite and gave the thumbs up for the sandwich he had put together.  I stayed with the Peanut Butter and Jealousy and was just as pleased!

But then we got to Riverside, and I resumed on breaking out the camera:

My love with his sandwich creation which he coined the name: Blue Baby

The stars were beautiful that were lit up surrounding the Mission Inn.  I

I love seeing the Carriage Rides go around the Inn.  But, I have to admit, I couldn’t help but worry about those horses, and really thought, “is this a form of animal cruelty?”

 

It was truly beautiful as you walked into the Inn.  This beautiful arch greeted you as Nut Crackers lined the walkway on either side of you.  Everyone walked underneath the arch in order to get into the Inn.

This is the back side of the Arch.  The front side is engraved in “Mission Inn.”

The last thing we did before we headed home for the evening was find the outdoor ice skating rink and watch those try to ice skate around us.  The time we watched not too many were falling, but they sure stayed close to the sides too scared to fall.

Although we captured one man who fell gracefully and stopped his fall by landing on his knees first.

It made for a truly wonderful Saturday evening, and I got to cross off another holiday to do off my list of Things I want to see in California!  That list started out so big, but each and every day it gets smaller and smaller.

Although tonight as I was going through pictures I realized I didn’t have that many pictures so it’s time to start adding to my collection, and the photography tours are going to be starting shortly.

Next Monday I’ll be visiting home, so enjoy this week of blog reading, for next week I’m taking the week off!

Happy Monday everyone =)

 


Categories: Fun Stuff | Tags: , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Slater’s 50/50 is the place to be!

Posted on December 15, 2011 by jamiegall1930

Have you heard of Slater’s 50/50?  Well, if you haven’t, it is a must visit!  With three locations: Anaheim Hills, Huntington Beach, and San Diego.  If none of those locations are close to you, it’s worth the day trip to Huntington Beach or San Diego to stop in for lunch or dinner.  You won’t be disappointed!

Slater’s 50/50 invited me out to dine with them and some other bloggers within the area for a night of fun and showcasing their new menu items.  It is a night I will truly never forget.

They started us out with a sampling of their appetizers and house salads.  The picture to the right is their “Slater’s Vampire Dip.” It is a combination of cheese, garlic, and artichoke dip all mixed into one.  It is served in a Sourdough Bread bowl along with pita chips.

The next item that was carried out was a sampling of all their appetizer menu items: Sweet Potato Fries, Fried Dill Pickle Chips, Beer Battered Onion Strings, Fried Artichoke Hearts, and Panko Fried Mac N Cheese.  The fries came with their own sauces: Slater’s Bacon Infused Ketchup, Pumpkin Sauce, Mustard Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Sage Mayo, and Tapatio Ranch.  If there is one sauce I highly recommend to try it is the Pumpkin sauce.  You add them in with the Sweet Potato Fries, and it is truly to die for.  The perfect combination.

Slater’s 50 50 also has a variety of salads to choose from.  The Slater’s House Salad is a blend of mixed baby greens, sliced pear, candied pecans, crumbled blue cheese and cranberries, with a raspberry vinaigrette.  The combination of the above foods make for a splendid salad to savor and enjoy over and over.

What TRULY makes Slater’s 50/50 stand out from any other restaurant are their combination of burgers.  This is the first I have seen with new, unique menu ideas.

The burger to the right is their Fried Chicken and Pancakes.  If you’re a huge fan of breakfast at night, like me, this burger is the one for you.  This burger is enriched with Friend Chicken topped with a house made bacon infused country gravy, two strips of thick cut bacon, and a fried egg between three buttermilk pancakes, smothered in real maple syrup.  This was one of my favorites of the night.

Other delicacies include the Peanut Butter and Jealousy: This is one of Slater’s favorites.  Their silver sterling ground beef topped with thick cut bacon, creamy peanut butter, and strawberry jelly, served on a honey wheat bun.  I would have never thought to add peanut butter and jelly to a burger, but it truly works, and I know I’m going back for seconds and thirds and fourths and….

Some of their burgers include: The Old Timey, The Signature 50/50, The BallPark, Burger Carbonara, The Thanksgiving Burger, The Flamin’ Hot, The Big Daddy Melt, The Eat Your Veggies Burger, California Chicken Sandwich, and the Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.

One of Slater’s 50/50 newest creations is the Pittsburgh Pastrami.  This is a combination of piled high salami, spicy brown mustard, dill pickle chips, coleslaw, and french fries on grilled rye bread.  Yes, that’s right, french fries right in the sandwich.  You won’t be disappointed with this one!

If that’s not enough, Slater’s 50/50 also allows you to make your own creation where they offer you all of the sides, all of the sauces, and all of the bread of your choosing, and you come up with your own creation.  If you like Spicy, pick all the spicy items, but rumor has it, IT GETS HOT.  One person even tried to put all the ingredients in one sandwich.  Slater’s literally delivered it in a bowl.

All of the burgers are easily shared, so come with a group, create your own creation then pass it around the table for a sampling of a GREAT meal.

Slater’s 50/50 also has some pretty amazing desserts.  From their Bacon Chocolate Brownie to their Cococarma (toasted coconut, caramel, and chocolate atop a shortbread cookie served a la mode,) and their homemade bread pudding.  Every item served at Slater’s 50/50 is absolutely delicious.

The prices at Slater’s 50/50 are also reasonable.  All of the appetizer’s at Slater’s are under 6 dollars, and all of the burgers are under 12 dollars.  It makes for a great dinner date, or an outing with friends.  One thing is for sure, you won’t be going home hungry.

Slater’s 50/50 provided me with a free meal with an entire sampling of all of the food items available.  They also provided me with a Slater’s 50/50 cup, t-shirt, and some fun coupons to take home.  Although these items were free, the thoughts and opinions of this blog were strictly my own.  I would recommend Slater’s 50/50 to anyone.  


Categories: Fun Stuff | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Those PESKY Giveaways!

Posted on December 15, 2011 by jamiegall1930

First, I hope I don’t offend anyone, but as you know, on Thursdays, I like to talk about blogging and my thoughts on issues I’ve seen around the blogosphere.

Last week in my group SoCalLadyBloggers someone mentioned giveaways and how annoying it is to go through so many hoops for one giveaway.

Last night I also meant some fabulous ladies and the topic of giveaways was brought up again.  I just have to write about it!

First off, nothing is MORE fun than winning something.  Giveaways are great, it draws people into your blog, but the true question honestly comes down to this.  Are the people who take the time to read your blogs a consistent following or are they just there to sign up for the giveaways?

I admit, in the beginning, I was the second.  Ooooh, free stuff, sign me up, but now that I am truly beginning to develop relationships with the bloggers around me, I love to check into their blogs.  Sometimes if I see they’re giving something away I’ll sign up, other times I’ll just read about it and see the fun stuff they’re giving away.  They’re working hard for that giveaway.  They talked to the company that is sponsoring the giveaway or if not, they’re paying their own money to make the giveaway happen.

BUT lets get down to business:  What is the purpose of Giveaways?

Remember, we are bloggers, we have a readership, we are INTRODUCING new products to our readers, but when it comes to a giveaway, honestly, it truly comes down to THE Company and the Product that is being given away.

I love when the people show the site of the company or have you connect with the company via twitter or facebook.  I love when bloggers take the time to truly introduce you to the product and to what the company can truly offer you.  Remember, it’s about the company, and the people behind the product more than the product itself.  The company wants promotion, so to have a giveaway and by the end of the blog you don’t even remember the company promoting the product, it’s probably not a GOOD thing.

My other pet peeve when it comes to GIVEAWAYS?

I’m going to say it: RAFFLECOPTER.

Seriously? Why so many hoops to go through?  Why do we have to follow 20 people?  I know, I know, you just have to follow one person or do one thing on the blog in order to be entered, but when I go to a blog and I see a huge list of things to do for one giveaway I quickly jump off the page and say HELL WITH IT.  

I have seen some blogs that use Rafflecopter and they only have 1 or 2 items for you to do.  BTW, to those blogs, I thank you =)

I guess what I’m trying to say is what does blogging mean to you?  Do you want a huge list for people to go through hoops to get to the giveaway or do you honestly want people to remember the company and product that you’re promoting?  And also make it fun for the giveaways?

I love the blogs where you leave a comment on the blog.  There are some really neat things people will say about the product, and when you read through those comments and people haven’t heard of the product before and they’re psyched about it, to me, that’s what BLOGGING is truly about.

Just my thoughts for today.  What are some of yours? =)

 


Categories: blogging | Tags: , , , , , | 16 Comments