House of Cookies, Pasadena Farmers Market and 2014 Rose Parade float testing

mmm-yoso!!!-a blog about food and the events leading to acquiring said food.  Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are busy acquiring and Cathy is posting today.

Hi.  I'm writing this post about our day in backwards order...we stopped at House of Cookies last on this road trip to Pasadena, but it's been our destination since we parked in front of it on the first day of the year and today we had time.  

The signage for House of Cookies is visible...if you look for it. The doorway is small as is the interior of this family run Armenian bakery.

As you walk in, there are cookies packaged  and on the shelves at the door...

There's a refrigerated case with cakes to your right...

and small pastries in another refrigerated case at the back wall, next to another set of shelves of cookies.  Yes- those are the prices.  

It's *tiny* insde- four adults have difficulty turning around if all are inside at the same time.  The husband and wife owners are very friendly.  They are Armenian (as are a few of the businesses in this area) and only on Saturdays, they fry a few items (seen above, on the front counter) and offer them for sale- the powdered sugar covered rounds are filled with a custard, the oval shaped fried cakes are filled with either a peppery mashed potato filling or a ground meat filling.  (The fried items are $1)

We also purchased what's in the photo above. The fruit topped one has a delicate crust and the same not too sweet cream filling as in the round fried donut. The eclairs are marvelous, not too large, fresh, not too sweet... and the flaky cream filled horn was perfect. We bought all the above, plus two meat filled and one potato filled.  ($7.20-total. Really)  You can see the delicate layers of the fried sweet donut, and just a little of the custard filling layer: not too much, not too sweet; perfect! Did I mention it was still warm?

 

Lightly fried, still warm, perfectly seasoned ground meat...these little meat pies are wonderful- and only made on Saturday.  

A **wonderful** local place.

 

House of Cookies 2451 East Washington Blvd.  Pasadena, CA 91104 (626)794-4280

 

 Before stopping at the House of Cookies, we were just down the street - Pasadena High School- which has a Farmers Market in the parking lot every Saturday morning.  I've written a few posts about this market.  

On this day, almost every booth -and one entire booth- had fresh peaches available. I suspect in a few weeks, the same will be true for tomatoes.

This is a really nice Market, filled with a great variety of booths with beautiful fresh produce, flowers and other products.  It's busy, bustling and filled with pleasant odors of fresh.

     
   

I really enjoy looking and shopping here. Overhearing the farmers telling cutomers that regular cabbage is not growing now and only Napa is available...and that the lemons from last week are all gone and the only ones are still white and on the tree is a good sign that the farmers here bring quality products to sell.  

Our real reason for waking at 4 a.m. Saturday July 13; it was another Road Test day for the floats that will participate in the 2014 Tournament of Roses parade, being held for the 125th time. (Here's a link to the first road test)-at the Rose Palace assembly and decorating barn of Phoenix Decorating.

   The Trader Joe's float, "Relish Your Dreams", is in the basic/rebar phase of construction and looks to have wheels of cheese, pickles and crackers as well as some small appetizer forks. I haven't seen the Artist Rendition yet and can see the float is very detailed.

 Last month, the  City of Alhambra float as in its rebar stage and now it was road tested in the 'cocoon' stage.  It's a "Monster" truck- complete with monsters!  Rotary International's float, "Engage Rotary, Change Lives" was road tested with adults aboard today. Last month, it was wood and foam over rebar.

Shriners Hospital for Children with it's "Love to the Rescue" titled float, Lions Club International and Lutheran Hour Ministries were also road tested with people on board.

The Odd Fellows and Rebekahs float was driving down Raymond Street when we got there this morning-this is the 'camera view' side of the float; more detailed than the other side...

Having the people onboard- and having them all able to get off the float in 45 seconds (in case of fire)- is the final stage of Road Testing and the floats will be stored at the Barn next to the Rose Bowl Stadium (the Rosemont Pavillion) until the first Saturday in December, when 'detail decorating' begins.

The Kiwanis float is very detailed, with an owl in one tree and an eagle at the top of another tree.

The Donate Life float is a group of lanterns and the float is titled "Light up the World".  I heard that the float will have organ donor families and recipients riding on it and walking along the five mile parade route next to the float. 

The Western Assets float was also tested today.  You can see a giraffe rebar outline to the left.  I also saw what looked like gazelle and elephant outlines.

Well, that was an early and busy Saturday.  We woke at 4 a.m, left at 4:59 a.m. and got back into the driveway at one minute after noon...  Hope you had a good weekend!

 

Comments

[Kirk]

Hi Cathy - I'm not quite sure what "year" of these posts is......but it always amazes me how much work and planning goes into this every year. Like work six months ahead.....

[Cathy]

It's a year round business that Pasadena is centered around, Kirk. In January, they clean off the floats (google "Dirty Jobs: Rose Parade Float dismantler" -there was an entire episode) and by January 31, the theme for the next parade is chosen and announced. My first Parade post was about the 2007 Parade (so I've posted on 7 years of floats and started the 8th year) and I included photos from the 2006 Parade in it: http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2006/12/rose_parade_pre.html

[Soo]

Thanks for the cool before the parade photos!

[caninecologne]

i love these updates and seeing the progress on the floats! the monster truck float from Alhambra is going to be so cool!

nice to know about the cookies place. dirt cheap prices too!

[Cathy]

It's such fun to see the progression, Soo. There will be a road test a month until November then the decorating begins -only the Saturdays in December until Christmas and then daily from the 26th-30th...a great experience.
Thanks, cc. I am curious to see the Trader Joe's float progress, as well as all the others; it's so interesting. House of Cookies is one block from House of Basturma, which is next to Carmela-the other side of town.