Month: May 2016

Your Weekend Hit List ~ Memorial Day Weekend!

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Happy Memorial Day Weekend, LA!! Since we’re all adults, we assume you know how to find your way to the beach or your friend’s BBQ this weekend. For those still looking for fun stuff to do, we’ve got you covered! Check out your Weekend Hit List below! WEEKEND FESTIVALS Go Greek at the Valley Greek Festival in Northridge—the once-a-year all-weekend festival filled with the best Greek food, booze and pastries you can find in LA! Be prepared to eat your way across the fest. There’s Greek music and dancing too for those who like to hold hands with strangers while making a happy fool of yourself. HOT TIP: the sourdough Greek doughnuts made fresh in front of you, drizzled in honey and cinnamon, will have your soul moaning for more! May 28-30. $3.00 entrance fee. http://www.valleygreekfestival.com Join the New Orleans revival at the Cajun & Blues Music Festival in Simi Valley. Live Cajun, Zydeco, Creole and Blues musicians perform on multiple stages over two days. Shake your caboose and chow down on jambalaya and crawfish …

Roasted Potato Salad ~ (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

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Happy Memorial Day Weekend! As we all gather together to celebrate this weekend with bar-b-ques, picnics and potlucks, I am brought back to memories of my childhood. Driving to Granger, TX. Fresh dill growing like wildflowers flanking the steps to my grandparents’ back porch screen door. The intoxicating smell of fresh dill and laundry came wafting through as I ran up the steps and into my grandparents’ kitchen to see my grandma mixing her creamy half-mashed potato salad for supper. She would set the beautiful ceramic dish on the table with sausages and sauerkraut. My boisterous entrance was always followed by big hugs and a blessing as we gathered around the table. My dad was in the military and in my childhood innocence, I associated Memorial Day with family, fun and food. But as an adult, I also think of Memorial Day as a wonderful day to take a moment to honor my Dad, along with all of the men and women and their families who have sacrificed for our country. So in honor of Memorial …

Fantastic Negrito ~ Kensington Presents at The Viaduct

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In a town built on over-hyping while under-delivering, it makes sense that when you write an article declaring an event “The Best Secret Party” in all of Los Angeles, folks might assume you’re exaggerating. “Really? The best though…?” you can practically hear them thinking. Here at Sirens & Scoundrels, we’re sworn never to lie to you and to bring you only the best of the best of LA. So we were beyond stoked when, rolling twenty friends deep to the most recent live concert event at the Viaduct, Kensington opened up their can of coolest-party-ever-whoop-ass on the very grateful crowd, proving us right once again as they delivered everything promised…and more. In a far corner of Los Angeles State Historic Park’s seemingly abandoned neighborhood, large art sculptures made of reclaimed materials dot the path to a nondescript opening in an iron fence with only one glowing neon “VIADUCT” sign to light the way. It certainly feels like you’ve followed the cement-brick road to some strange urban Oz. Luckily, the gatekeepers here are friendly and let …

Eastern Sierras, CA

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When we met up with Daniel Mansfield of The Adventure Project for our San Bernardino National Forest mountain hike last month, we arrived with one burning question in mind. Our common mission is to get people out and exploring all the amazingness the West has to offer. But Daniel’s mission is, more specifically, to get people out into the mountains. So the one thing we needed to know was…if he could choose just one place in all of California to take someone to experience the Best of the West, where would it be? Without missing a beat, his answer: The Eastern Sierras. We were a bit surprised by this, having never heard particularly much about them ourselves. Everyone knows and loves the Sequoias, Yosemite, Mammoth, Big Bear—all our resident beauties. But “Eastern Sierras” wasn’t readily rolling off the tongues of our hike-loving friends. We had to know: what was it about THESE mountains that made them stand out so far above the rest? There was only one way to answer that question. Road trip. Three weeks later, …

Gluten-Free Pasta Salad (with Vegan Option)

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If you’re looking for the fastest, easiest, most delicious on-the-go dish to bring to your next summer picnic or potluck, you’re in luck! This is your new go-to recipe! I started making this Gluten-Free Pasta Salad a few years ago and it became an instant hit amongst our friends. Now whenever summer rolls around and a gathering is afoot, this salad is always requested. Light, tasty, healthy and extremely satisfying all at once, this salad can be tossed together in a few minutes and holds at room temperature. Bring it to your next Summer Outdoor Movie Night (for your LA List, click HERE) for a dish guaranteed to put a smile on your friends’ faces and have them coming back for seconds—and thirds! Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 8-12 mins Total: 20 mins Serves: 8-12 people, depending on portions INGREDIENTS~ 1 bag of gluten-free pasta (I use Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Pasta) 1 bag of organic arugula 1 can of organic garbanzo beans 1 box of organic cherry tomatoes 1 log of chevre or 1 box of …

Dutch Baby ~ (w/ Gluten-Free & Milk-Free Options)

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As an LA native, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have my family here. In a city full of transplants, my friends consider themselves lucky to have inherited my family by proxy. Over the years, my mom has been adopted as the resident mom on duty, lovingly nicknamed “Mama Gina”. Her meals are the stuff of legend. People are always sniffing around, asking what Mama Gina’s got cooking in her kitchen. Never a day goes by where she can’t been seen buzzing away over her stovetop, pots and pans a-bubblin’, delicious scents wafting down the street through the windows so you can actually smell the intoxicating aromas from the kitchen as you pull up. A few months ago, my mom started experimenting with a new recipe that has since become a heavy-rotation favorite at Sunday Family Brunch…the Dutch Baby. If you can imagine a giant soft-yet-crispy popover pancake soufflé baked in an iron skillet, you’ve got yourself a Dutch Baby. Now, if you can imagine that drizzled with butter, a touch of sugar and fresh-squeezed …