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Making Boba Balls at Home

January 8, 2022
Making Boba from Scratch
Surprisingly, you only need 3 ingredients to make and roll your boba balls at home, the three ingredients are:
  • 1/2 cup of tapioca starch/flour
  • Between 1/3 cup but less than 1/2 cup of brown sugar (depending on your preference on sweetness)
  • 1/2 cup of water (divided)
That's it! Lucky for those who can't eat gluten, tapioca starch or flour is gluten-free and you can make sure it stays gluten-free by making it at home. However, it does require some work.

Instructions:
  1. Boil the 1/4 cup water with half of the brown sugar that you plan to use. When it has dissolved, turn off the heat.
  2. Put the 1/2 cup of tapioca flour into the pot and mix throughly together.
  3. When it has cooled down enough to touch, start kneading it on a flat surface. I always just use a sheet of wax paper and put it on my table. Then, work the dough on it. Make the dough nice and and flat and evenly cut into tiny squares so they can be easily rolled into a ball individually.
  4. Now boil a clean pot with water and fill it (how much water depends on how big your pot is). I just fill it enough where it's at least 4 times the amount of boba balls I'm boiling. Boil the water over medium high heat.
  5. Throw the balls into the boiled water over medium heat and cook it for about 10 -15 minutes. I like my boba balls (tapioca balls) to be soft so you may cook for less time if you like it chewy it in the middle. Then, boil it for another 5 minutes in low heat. When the balls are floating, you are definitely sure that they're ready. Drain the boba when it's ready in a colander.
  6. Now, in another pot, boil 1/4 cup of water and put the rest of the brown sugar (the other half that we saved from Step 1) in it and caramelize it into syrup over medium heat. I'd use my eye to judge how long it took but usually under 10 minutes. This may be different depending on the heat of your stove.
  7. After it's in like a caramel sauce consistency, put the drained boba balls in the pot of caramel and mix it until the syrup has coated the boba balls. It's ready to be put in a cup to use with your favorite drink.
You can watch my instagram video to see a short clip of how I made my boba balls.

See other vegan and gluten-free recipes that I've tried.

Not up for creating your own dough and rolling them? Buy some pre-made and all you have to do is boil them. Some of them come in a big bag like: E-FA Black Tapioca Pearl Boba, 2.2 Pound.

If you're a local or travel to SLO, find boba shops in San Luis Obispo County.

Use Boba Kits to Make Boba at Home:

 

Bunn Thai Bistro Restaurant in Grover Beach Review

January 3, 2022
There are a few Thai restaurants in Grover Beach but Bunn Thai is our favorite! Their food is authentic and the decor inside is warm and welcoming with pink walls!

They also have great lunch specials. We've dined there for lunch and have done many take outs for lunch and dinner. It's always a great experience each time. I've tried their Thai fried rice, pad see ew noodles, seafood sizzling plate, curry and a couple of their appetizers.


The only thing that I feel uneasy about is that it's located next to an adult store so the walk to the restaurant can feel uncomfortable with my kids. However, they usually don't pay attention as they're little enough and the restaurant can't help that.

Usually when I order take out from Bunn Thai Bistro, it takes 30 - 45 minutes for the food to be ready. There is another local Grover Beach Thai restaurant that we've order take-out from that only took 20 minutes and the place is called Bee House Thai Cuisine. They are a newer restaurant. See my review for Bee House Thai Cuisine.

Address of Bunn Thai: 968 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

 

Oyster Loft in Pismo Beach Review by a Central Coast Local

January 2, 2022
For one of our date nights, we ate at Oyster Loft in Pismo Beach! It's beachfront with a phenomenal view of the Pismo Beach Pier and ocean.
Oyster Loft Review in Pismo Beach
We didn't have reservations and just walked in around 5:20PM and luckily there was a table available. Once we were seated, it didn't take long for the other tables to fill up so I highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time! We were just lucky that they had room for us. 

Oyster Loft is located on the second story. It's a beautiful restaurant with one of the best views of the Pismo Beach Pier and beach at a restaurant. The prices are high so come ready knowing that you will spend a lot of money. However, the ambiance and delicious food made it worth it.

For the appetizer, we asked for grilled oysters.
Oysters at Oyster Loft
Then, I had the scallops while my husband ordered an octopus dish.
Scallops at Oyster Loft Picture
The portions are not large so I'm glad we did order an appetizer. Next time, we might order two appetizers instead of just one. They had specialty cocktails that were definitely mixed by a pro.
Pictures at Oyster Loft Pismo
It was a such a romantic and wonderful place. I used to rank Ventana Grill as the best place for seafood by the beach in the Pismo Beach area but Oyster Loft got them beat! My husband and I agreed that this place would only be a once in awhile, special occasion visit for us! They are only open for dinner.

Oyster Loft Address: 101 Pomeroy Ave. Pismo Beach, CA 93449

2024 Update:

During Spring Break, we decided to come back to Oyster Loft to enjoy a nice family dinner since we weren't traveling anywhere this time. We got a chance to order dessert and they were delicious. We ordered two different ones and shared it between the four of us.
Dessert Pictures at Oyster Loft in Pismo Beach
The dessert names were Caramel Basket and Creme Brûlée. Do make sure that you tell the servers ahead of time if you have any allergies. They were both delicious but I think the Caramel Basket was extraordinary because it had ice cream and banana flambee!

My 10 year old felt adventurous and ordered the Octopus from the Small Plates list and he liked it! He also ordered a kid's buttered noodles. 
Oyster Loft Pismo Beach ReviewOyster Loft Pictures
I also ordered something different for an entree as my main course and it was the Roasted Sea Bass and Mussels. The sauce was delicious and the portion was decent! Not pictured is my younger son's mac and cheese, in which my son didn't finished because he preferred my processed Kraft mac and cheese that I usually make at home (LOL). After visiting Oyster Loft for the second time, I can genuinely say, Oyster Loft might be the best restaurant for us in all of San Luis Obispo County! It's just pricey so it took us over 2 years to finally visit again! We can't wait to come back to Oyster Loft again in the future for another special occasion.

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

Read about my visits at other romantic restaurants in San Luis Obispo County, including more in Pismo Beach:

I take walks in Pismo Beach quite often as a local. See my video clips below of the views and the beauty of Pismo Beach during my regular walks.
 

Vegan Steel Cut Oatmeal with Coconut Milk

December 28, 2021
Vegan and Dairy-Free Oatmeal I had a lot of coconut milk leftover so I decided to make steel cut oatmeal with coconut milk and have some to save for the next few days for breakfast. I think it makes a delicious dessert too. This is vegan and gluten-free. It only requires 5 ingredients with an optional 6th ingredient.

Ingredients:
  • I used 80% of a can of Lite Coconut Milk as I had used a bit of it for a meal and these are leftover, but you can just use the whole can. (unsweetened) (I used field Day organic and a full can was 13.5 oz)
  • 1 cup of steel cut instant oats (I used the Quaker Oats Brand)
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 1/4 of water to add when the oats are getting too dry
  • Sprinkle cinnamon powder
  • Sprinkle brown sugar (optional if you like sweeter)
Steps:
  1. Warm up the coconut milk over medium low in a small pot until it's a low boil.
  2. Add 1 cup of steel cut instant oats and mix it in the coconut milk for about 5 - 7 minutes (longer if you like it softer).
  3. Stir in 2 tablespoons of honey for another minute. Add a bit of water (I added 1/4 cup) if it's getting too dry.
  4. When satisfied with the consistency, scoop some into a bowl. Sprinkle some cinnamon and eat! You can sprinkle brown sugar to it if you like it sweeter! Eat!
It tasted wonderful. I love it. It's dairy-free but with a great milk substitute, coconut milk! For the leftovers, I stored them in small containers and put them in the fridge.

A Couple Days Later:

For breakfast, I just took out one of my pre-made oatmeal with coconut milk that I had stored in small containers. I heated it up for a minute. Then, I placed it upside down in a bowl and added some nut toppings and sprinkled a bit of brown sugar. Here's the picture below. Looks so fancy!
Vegan Oatmeal with Almond and Dried Fruit

Find other vegan recipes that I've tried.

 

Vegan and Gluten-Free Pancake and Waffle Mix

December 27, 2021
Today, I tried a vegan and gluten free waffle recipe to use with my new Waffle Wow waffle maker Kawaii Snacks edition (Kawaii Fun Snacks Mini Waffle Maker - 7 Different Food Emoji Designs Featuring an Avocado, Pizza, Ramen, Taco & More) that I received as a Christmas gift this year by a family member. This waffle maker makes cute shapes that are so exciting for the kids!
Waffle Maker with Cute Shapes
I typically don't do anything extra when I am making waffles instead of pancakes, recipe wise, so I am going into this with the same approach for vegan and gluten-free pancakes/waffles.

I found two recipes that I wanted to use and came up with something taking inspiration from the two. Here were the recipes: https://delightfuladventures.com/easy-vegan-gluten-free-pancakes/ and https://www.zuckerjagdwurst.com/en/recipes/vegan-yeast-pancakes-with-apples. One of them used vegetable oil. I used olive oil instead because of a corn-allergy in the family. Another difference is: one of them used baking powder and soda while the other one uses dry active yeast. I'm using dry active yeast. 
Vegan Waffle Mix Ingredients

My Ingredients List for these vegan and gluten-free waffles:

  • 1.5 cups of Gluten Free 1 to 1 Bob Mill's Flour
  • 1 packet of dry active yeast
  • 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar 
  • 1 tablespoon of dark brown cane sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of flax seed meal
  • .5 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup of warm almond milk (unsweetened)
  • 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
  • Olive Oil (Vegetable Oil is better for texture but for corn allergies, I use olive oil) for greasing the waffle maker
My son liked it but I think I may cut down or omit the flaxseeds for my next try next time. I felt like it was not as fluffy as I would've liked but my kid did not mind it at all. I didn't proof the yeast this time for this recipe and I wonder if that would change the texture to more fluffy if I had proofed it before adding to my batch? I've looked online for this answer and some would say it wouldn't matter, while others recommend proofing first before using.

Instructions:

First, I mixed the first 6 ingredients above in a mixing bowl. Then, I warmed up the almond milk because one of the recipes did that and I was curious. (I may not warm that next time.) I added the almond milk to the mixing bowl that I had my other 6 ingredients in already and mixed the bowl again. Then, I added 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and mix. This part is important to put last in the dry ingredients. I made the mistake of putting the maple syrup with the dry ingredients before the warm almond milk at the beginning and it made my batter so dry! If your batter ends up dry, a bit of water until you get to the consistency of your preference.

After that, I warmed up my Waffle Wow waffle maker and when ready, I poured the batter and cooked each batch for 4 minutes. I'm saving some for tomorrow as it turned out to be a big batch for one sitting. They are so fun! My son said he thinks it tastes just like regular pancakes. I took that sign as a win! I served it with a side of maple syrup for dipping.

Wow Waffle Maker Review
Note: We're not a vegan family. We're just eating more plant-based food to help with a health issue as many vegan recipes help support less inflammation.

Look at other successful recipes that I've tried under the Vegan category.

Second Take Experiment

It's New Year's Eve and I decided to try again!

Things that I did differently this time:
  • This time I proof my packet of yeast for 15 minutes before putting it in my batter. My proofing was mixing 1/4 cup of warm water, 1 packet of dry yeast and 1 teaspoon on sugar. Last time, I didn't proof at all and just put the packet of yeast directly into my batter
  • I also pre-mixed the flax seed meal ten minutes before I put it in the batter. My pre-mix was: 1 teaspoon of flax seed meal and 3 tablespoons of water. Last time, I used 2 teaspoons of flax seed meal and put it directly into the batter. 
  • I also did not add the 1 cup of water in the 9th item under the Ingredients List because there was enough water from my yeast proofing and flax seed meal mixes.
Even with the changes I made, it didn't make my batter fluffier. The texture and taste were still the same and my kid still enjoyed them.
 

About Me


San Luis Obispo Mom Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
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All photos (except for ads) on SanLuisObispoMom.com including: homepage, 'Family-Friendly Things to do' page, 'SLO Restaurants' page,'Mom Groups & Childcare' page, and 'blog' page were taken by me so they are my original content and belong to this blog/website.

To find family-friendly activities in the SLO area, go to the 'Family-Friendly Things To Do' page.

Some of the links are just useful local information that I'm sharing for free and some are commission-based products that may help me earn a small commission for each sale to upkeep with the fees of running this local blog.

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