super yum with julie.....: Birthday Brunch and Dinner with my Fam

Woke up early today to have Champagne Brunch with my Family for my birthday. This was the best time for all of us to get together, since Wednesday (my actual birthday) is not a good day for everyone. We went to Luminarias in Monterey Park. My sister had heard reviews that it was fairly tasty, so we went to go try it. Like every buffet, there were hits and misses. The serve was good, and there was a nice mariachi band that was going from room to room singing various songs. We all had a good time hanging out and drinking mimosas and I even went back to the omelet station twice... it was my favorite item there...

I usually prefer my eggs to be over easy.. I am a sucker for runny yolks.. and somehow the cook making my omelet, with mushrooms and tomatoes, read my mind and somehow he knew I would like my eggs this way... seriously... way too good

I had my far share of these Mimosas... and I need to stop myself at one point and ordered some hot tea to slow down... I mean.. it was only 10:30am....

The best way to end my meal... freshly made waffles with a bit of maple syrup, a small dollop of whipped cream and strawberries..... I am still drooling

I found a few flowers around the restaurant that were yelling at me to photograph... I love Spring and all the beautiful and bright colors.

Played around with one of the functions on the camera and changed this photo to be seen in black and white

Of course my family and I met up again after I stopped by my place to do laundry. I have been running more often throughout the week, and told me sister I would come by the house, so we could go running together. My other sister showed up with GG as we were able to leave for our run, so plans changed quickly. Instead we played a Wii game called, Just Dance. This game was AWESOME! Way to combine 2 activities I really enjoy... dancing and playing with the Wii console. It was crazy fun, and my sister and I worked up a sweat! (we played straight for 45 minutes) Afterward, we did some yoga stretches as a warm down. We got done at the perfect time to make dinner. Last week I went to Umami Burger in L.A. and was inspired this week to make homemade burgers.

Stuffed Mozzarella Burger------>

All beef patty seasoned with various spices and lots of roasted garlic stuffed Mozzarella.

Grilled rosemary and parmigiano reggiano cheese rolls from Trader Joe's.

Italian Pork Sausage and Beef with Basil burger----->

Grilled rolls, Parmesan crisp, cole slaw mix, and Italian pork sausage and beef with basil patty.

<--Italian Pork Sausage and Beef with Basil Burger, Version 2

Grilled roll, roasted grill tomato, Italian pork sausage and beef with basil patty, and Parmesan crisp