Celebrating the Holidays at Knott’s Merry Farm!| @Knotts #MerryFarm

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Erin

Celebrating the Holidays at Knott’s Merry Farm!

By Nisreen & Erin

Knott’s Berry Farm, the first theme park in the nation, carries a legacy of joy that once a year it indulges in completely. From November 21, 2015 to January 3, 2016, the seasonal Knott’s Merry Farm brings the winter of storybooks to life in southern California, complete with dazzling decorations, fresh snow, and show stopping performances. There’s more to see and experience this year than ever before!

It’s Snowing in Knott’s Christmas Craft’s Village!

Ghost Town transforms into Knott’s Christmas Crafts Village at this special time of the year, turning into a shopping wonderland that boasts local artisans and Knott’s specialties throughout the Village. It’s a magical white winter complete with jolly Santa Claus in Santa’s Christmas Cabin.

Then make your way to share your wish list through the fresh snow that falls every night across the Village, from the School House to the Saloon and stretching as far as the Assay Office. All around the cabin, you can find decadent pastries, homemade cookies and seasonal craft beer to satisfy everyone’s favorite indulgences. Take your picture with Santa to bring the memory home with you!

Just a *few* of the yummy treats to be found at Santa’s Christmas Cabin! 😉

Calico Train Ride

Don’t miss Christmas on Engine 41 as you make your way around the park. Ghost town and Calico Railroad invite guests to celebrate the holiday with the crew of Engine 41! Vintage cars are filled with an ever-changing group of cheery Ghost Town denizens eager to share their busy Christmas plans.

Stop by to see the new show: Christmas Time is Here, Charlie Brown. The show features a delightful mash up of some of your favorite holiday songs with a cheerful and heartwarming dose of the Peanuts gang.

As you wander the streets of the Village you’ll find it brewing with adventure.

Calico Carolers make the streets sparkle with holiday cheer to the tune of song and hand bell chimes as they walk past chainsaw sculpting performances, delicate glass blowing demonstrations, and tasty treats. All around will be Knotts’ world-famous holiday treats: poured-to-order maple lollipops at the Gold Trails Hotel, warm gingerbread men at the Farm Bakery, tasty holiday churros from the Churro Factory.

Live Shows

Returning this year:

Merry Christmas, Snoopy!

The PEANUTS® gang is back on the ice with a cast of world class ice skaters in the traditional, Merry Christmas, Snoopy! for a breathtaking show: tree trimming, waiting for santa and more holiday adventures carved in ice! Enjoy all the best parts of the season with your favorite characters in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre on select dates from Nov. 21-Jan. 3.

Snoopy’s Merriest Tree Lighting

On the Calico Square Stage, find a magical tree lighting that will awe the young and young at heart with a cast of marching toy soldiers, Mrs. Clause, dancing snowmen, and Snoopy, everyone’s favorite beagle.

Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies

On select nights, music lovers can head to the Birdcage Theater to see Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies perform comedy and upbeat bluegrass as they are warmly welcomed to continue their Knott’s Merry Farm residency.

The Ghost Town Miners

Joining the musical side of the Knott’s Merry Farm, The Ghost Town Miners brings cheerful bluegrass to the Fireman’s BBQ Stage as they return for another year!

New attractions joining the family:

Christmas Time is Here, Charlie Brown

Families with young children will find much needed entertainment at the Camp Snoopy Theater. Christmas Time is Here, Charlie Brown is the perfect mashup of our favorite holiday songs and a heartwarming show by the PEANUTS gang.

Knott’s Melodrama Company

The Knott’s Melodrama Company shares a deeper side of the holidays with daily performances in the Bird Cage Theater. Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol and O. Henry’s, A Gift of the Magi, bring to life the spirit of the season in moving performances.

Make the Most of the Season

Monday through Thursday, November 23 – December 10, 2015, enjoy the Knott’s Christmas Crafts Village for free. Bring the whole family to enjoy the beautiful decorations, unique gifts from local artisans, and everyone’s favorite holiday treats. Admission is included in theme park admission each day.

For your favorite theme park lover, a 2016 Season Pass is an incredible stocking stuffer! It includes one free admission in 2015, unlimited visits in 2016 (no blackout dates!), discounts on some foods and merchandise, and access to year round events! All for just $81.00 right now. You can find out more about when this price expires at knotts.com or by calling (714) 220-5200.

City Taven & Sprinkles Cupcakes in DTLA at FIGat7th! | @FIGat7th #FIGat7th

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Erin

City Taven & Sprinkles Cupcakes in DTLA at FIGat7th!

By Erin

*Disclosure: I was invited out to FIGat7th to try out a couple different places for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own. :)*

Fall is here and the holidays are just around the corner! As Thanksgiving festivities and yuletide cocktail ideas dance in our heads as to what to serve at holiday parties, FIGat7th’s restaurants and eateries have great options for your upcoming winter and holiday food festivities, or if you just want a delicious meal out without any fuss to enjoy the holidays with.

The restaurants at FIGat7th are cooking up with the most fresh and seasonal ingredients to create up a collection of amazing signature dishes. Located in DTLA (Downtown LA) at 7th + Figueroa, it is a bit of a hidden gem in the heart of downtown, not too far from the Staples Center (but without the huge price tag for parking as you can park all day for only $5 with validation on weekends and after 4pm on week days! You really can’t beat that price in the DTLA area!)

Our first stop was to City Tavern, which is located on the lower level of the mall. Once you enter this large space with exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood floors & walls, with wooden tables and chairs, you will forget you are in a mall. It’s like a little oasis in the big city.

We came on a Sunday and they were serving brunch. Brunch is served until 3pm on Sundays. Obviously as you can see from above, I had to have a mimosa. What would a Sunday Funday Brunch be without some yummy mimosas? 😉 My friend and I both love cheese, so we decided to start out with the farmhouse cheese board– which is off of the “SHARE” part of the menu, consisted of: cheeses, crisps, and accompaniments. It was the perfect way to start out our meal.

Another one off the “SHARE” portion of the menu that we decided to sample were the Deviled Eggs! Chopped bacon, housemade hot sauce and chives made for a unique twist on the deviled egg!

Next, we opted for the kale and quinoa salad that is in the “GREENS” section of the menu. Besides quinoa and kale; apples, raisins, walnuts, and apple cider vinaigrette topped this one. It made for a nice, light, and very tasty course.

Moving onto some of the main courses during brunch, one that caught our eye was the fried chicken and biscuit from the “RISE & SHINE” part of the menu. The fried chicken was amazing, crispy on the outside while the meat inside was so tender and juicy, while the county sausage gravy and biscuit were so heavenly!

If you’re looking for more of a burger or sandwich, then give this lovely number a shot! The pastrami swiss burger from the “HELD” part on the menu will make your taste buds happy. Smoked pastrami, swiss cheese, creamy coleslaw, on a whole grain bun with mustard aioli makes up this tasty piece.

At this point, we were starting to get pretty full, so we decided to call it a day at City Tavern so that we would still have room for some cupcakes at the Sprinkles Cupcakes upstairs. 🙂

With so many different fun flavors to choose from, it was so hard to pick two to try! They all look so yummy and delicious!

I ended up going with the seasonal choice, Pumpkin Spice (on the left, which is available through November 30th) and the Cuban Coffee flavors. Oh my, there are no words to describe how utterly delicious a Sprinkles cupcake is. If you’ve had one before, then you know what I mean. They were both fantastic, I enjoyed every last moist, flavorful morsel of each one of these cupcakes. The Pumpkin cupcake is laced with fragrant ginger, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon and is topped with a sweet cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The Cuban Coffee is a Belgian light chocolate cake topped with a powerful dark roast coffee frosting and subtle notes of cinnamon and cocoa. After having these, we were stuffed and decided to a little bit of shopping before heading back home.

What would you have at City Tavern for Brunch? What flavor cupcakes would you choose at Sprinkles? FIGat7th has a flavor everyone can enjoy this holiday season! 🙂

Ghoulish Gatherings this Halloween with Personalization Mall #Halloween @PMallGifts

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Erin

Ghoulish Gatherings this Halloween with Personalization Mall

By Erin

*Disclosure: I received these items in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own!*

Are you excited for the Halloween season yet? Halloween is just a few short days away, do you have everything you need or are you already thinking of how to go even more all out for Halloween next year? Personalization Mall has everything you need for that special Halloween look you’re going for. Here’s my collection of my favorite frightening gifts that cover all of your Halloween and Party needs, from customized decorations, to personalized candy bowls for your special trick-or-treaters, all the way down to the smaller details like personalized wine bottle labels for your ghoulish gatherings!

Here are my top 5 items for this Halloween! 🙂

1) Disney® Personalized Maleficent Coffee Mug

What better way to get in the Halloween Spirit every morning, than with Maleficent herself?! Maleficent is one of the most popular and recognizable Disney Villains, and she will help you curse those mornings and get through your day.

2) Halloween Welcome Mats

There are some adorable Halloween Welcome Mats to choose from. Get your guests and trick-or-treaters in the mood for some Sweet Treats, while reminding them to wipe their feet! 😉

3) Vintage Halloween Personalized Wine Bottle Labels

Looking for something different or unique to have at your next adult halloween party? Or as a very special hostess gift to take along to your next gathering? Take a look at these awesome freaky labels! The ghosts and ghouls attending your haunting party can take their pick of poison, fresh blood, or witch’s brew! Tasty! Which would you like to try first? 😉

4) Spider Web Personalized Stickers and Treat Boxes

I saw these and knew they’d be perfect to hand out to the students that I tutor and teach as you can personalize them with the name of your choice. This would be perfect to hand out to friends, co-workers, or for kids to hand out to their classmates at school or to their good friends. I love the look and the colors in this, and it is the perfect size to put in some yummy holiday treats!

5) Trick Or Treat Have Some Sweets Personalized Candy Bowl

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without the perfect bowl to put your Trick-Or-Treat sweets in! The bowl is VERY heavy, but it is very large as it will hold 5 quarts of your favorite treats! I love the saying on the bowl, “Trick or Treat, have some Sweets!” and the fun Halloween colors make it very festive. It is the perfect bowl to keep my candy in for all the trick or treaters that come by.

I think we are all set for Halloween now! What are your “Must Haves” for the Halloween season?

Horsing Around In LA

Celebrating the Holidays at Knott’s Merry Farm!| @Knotts #MerryFarm