Simply Sharon

A Wish for the New Year/Decade/Century

2010-01-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

Can we return to not being treated like suspected criminals before boarding an airplane?

Enough is enough.

If someone *REALLY* wants to hijack a plane, don't you think they'd do the research as to which airports are going to use those full body scanning machines - and just avoid them? In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of regular people have to go through the entire tedious process of removing all outerwear and shoes and get full body scans... while the random angry person will just go to some airport that does not have the equipment.

What I want to be able to do again:

Take my friends/relatives to the gate when they depart... have a drink at the bar while waiting for the plane.
Greet my friends/relatives at the gate - and help them with the carry-ons while walking to the baggage claim
Just go on through to the gate without removing my laptop from my bag...
not have to take off my shoes/coat/belt - this is all so undignified.

Isn't there another way to promote goodwill and return to some sort of civil behavior rather than create more hate? I mean - think of all the poor people who's only "crime" was that they were born in some countries that are being bombed by the U.S. (and other countries)... what kind of quality of life are they living? So all they know is that they are being hated-upon because the country they live in is harboring terrorists... but what kind of terror are we wreaking among them? of course they're going to grow up resenting us... and hating us more...

so we are our own worst enemies. yes i'm ranting incoherently - but all this escalation of security measures is encroaching on our personal freedoms... and it can only continue so much longer until we all are at our wits' end. ENOUGH ALREADY!

If some crazy person is *THAT* angry and wants to kill lots of people - he/she can do it in many different ways - not just on an airplane.

and what's more - i heard the airplane (that landed in detroit - the one with the underpants bomber) referred to a weapon of mass destruction. WTF??? I wish i remembered where i heard that ridiculous statement uttered... It's a vehicle used for transportation... and it was almost hijacked. but it wasn't. what about that subway car in Madrid that was bombed? would that also be referred to as a WMD? I hate talking heads... they do nothing for real discourse. They do nothing for solving problems...

I sometimes hate TV...

but i really hate the whole airport experience now. i might have to stop air travel for a while. Thanks, assholes - for ruining it for the rest of us.

Things i saw in europe

2009-10-11T23:10:00.001-07:00

I went to Barcelona for my cousin Vanessa's wedding. But since i've been to Barcelona many times, i wanted to branch off and see new things...

Top of my list for Spain: Granada. why?

The Alhambra (thanks Prof. Irene Bierman, western Islamic Art History - UCLA)

Note: most of these shots were taken with my iphone. yup - that's it - just a phone camera. I was determined to travel light.

The Alhambra

Back in Barcelona, we visited one of the Gaudi' buildings I'd never been to before - also along Paseo de Gracia (further south from Casa Mila aka La Pedrera) is Casa Batllo'. Here's a detail from the rooftop - looks like the spine of a dragon. I love Gaudi. I love Art Nouveau.

Casa Batllo' (pronounced bat-yo)

Then I went to Paris. I stayed at a little hotel right next to the Pere Lachaisse Cemetery. On my last morning, before checking out of the hotel, I decided to wander through this necropolis - i call it that because it was such a huge cemetery - like a city almost - with lanes and mausoleums and crypts dedicated to families going back centuries... i was lost in awe by the stunning beauty of this quiet, peaceful final resting place for so many people. And as previously mentioned, I love art nouveau... I was simply entranced.

A random, errr, tombstone?

Again at the Alhambra - this shot below was with my iphone... the top one was a shot i took using my cousin's camera... when i showed him the reflection i got with this picture, he wanted me to take that shot on his camera - so we played with the angles... but this was the original shot. I think i got them to look through their camera lenses differently... their early shots were very basic and straight on... funny how we all see the world in so many ways.

Paris again - sorry the upload was out of order. Talk about being at the right place at the right time for a dramatic shot! But just about anything in Paris is picturesque. On this day in particular, the sky was so grey and ominous - yet the sun poked through every now and again. Le Sigh.

Cluny, Paris

Of course hundreds of shots were taken... but i thought these were nice to share.

Just like Huell Hauser

2009-10-09T03:06:00.000-07:00

My Sunday routine is just like Huell's.

This is where i get my eggs & chickens from...

and of course - some of my apples & peaches too...

I'm on a first name basis with both Thomas & Miguel (and Dexter & Candy from Fair hills farms)

http://www.fairhillsapplefarm.com/video.html

Persimmon time

2009-10-09T02:02:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting since late January. And like last year, I simply can't get enough of them. I've already started hoarding them.

clockwise from top right: Hachiya, "chocolate" persimmon with varying degrees of softness & a cross seciton, Giant Fuyu (cross section), Fuyu.

You think this is all I got? Hah! This is just a sampling of the varieties that i got.

Many people ask me about how you eat persimmons. I only learned last year. You see - 2008 was my year of discovering the joy of persimmons.

If you don't know how/when to eat these fruits, you might have a terrible experience which will turn you off from the fruit forever. But once you know the secrets behind them, you'll be treated to a marvelous fruit which is rather plentiful in southern california from October thru January.

Here's my little guide:

There are 2 main varieties - Fuyu & Hachiya

The brighter orange the fruit, the sweeter it is. They continue to ripen off the tree - so keep them on your kitchen counter until ready.

Hachiya - must be completely mushy! DO NOT try to eat this before it feels like pudding enclosed in skin. if you do try it, you will be punished with the most horrid texture filling your mouth... the tannin effect dries out the inside of your mouth - it's astringent and cakes up on your tongue, inside of your cheeks... altogether unpleasant!

Fuyu, on the other hand, can be eaten firm (like an apple) or soft. There are many varieties within the Fuyu family - and if you're not sure when you can eat it, ask the farmer at the stand... they won't deceive you - they want you back as a customer.

I love the sand-dollar pattern that you get when you slice it cross wise... so that's what i usually do. The giant Fuyus are my favorites. And i do like them on the softer side - but unless i buy them that way, they get eaten as soon as the color is right. I can never resist.

I tried that variety called "chocolate" - it had another name, which i can't remember - but the nickname of chocolate was given b/c of the brown flecks within the flesh. It had too many large seeds, so it was annoying to eat... the fruit/pit ratio was off. but it's nice for a bit of variety.

So from the above fruits - the Hachiyas have the right coloring - but are hard as rocks: do not eat yet. The Fuyus to the left are ripe, but not sweet enough for me... they are firm, but i'm waiting for the color to deepen. The soft giant fuyus have already been enjoyed, and of the 5 chocolate-persimmons only 1 remains - the others were soft and bursting apart - so they were eaten first.

The Autumn Market: Pomes

2009-10-09T01:15:00.000-07:00

It's Autumn in Southern California.

Windrose Farms - Santa Monica Farmers Market

I felt it this past Sunday morning. There was a little bite (nibble) in the air - that subtle crispness that signifies the changing of the season. Those heat waves lasted a bit too long.

Some of my favorite things about Autumn: the shift in produce available at the market. Not only did i go to the sunday hollywood market - but i went to my favorite wednesday santa monica market.

It's all about the Pomes now... and not just pomme (apple en francais)

Top row - Winesap (fragrant but starchy - best for baking, not eating fresh); Spitzenberg (bright flavor, slightly sour)

Center - Bella (haven't tried it yet)

Bottom - Smokehouse (meh - kinda mealy - but maybe it was that one that i had); Cameo (good for juicing)

Pears & Quince are part of this family called Pome.

clockwise from top center - Asian pear, Forelle Pears, Quince, Yali pears.

I wanted to try Quince.

I've never tried it before (neither tasted it, nor have i used it - i've always heard of it - but never experimented)

I've read about its fragrance, its flavor, how making a tea from its pips can soothe a sore throat, and how it makes a fabulous jam/jelly (membrillo).

So I bought a few... but i'm still waiting for them to fully ripen... they say the ripe ones will be yellow and fragrant. As you can see from the shot above, they're still pale green. I'm keeping them stored in brown paper bags.

Tom Petty said it best - the waiting is the hardest part.

I have about 6 quince. And i have one savory dish and one sweet dish i'd like to try.

the savory one comes from Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook: Sauteed quince, apples and potatoes. It's a side dish for the pork porterhouse.... but i'm not big on pork...

the sweet one is from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors book - Rustic Tart of Quinces Apples and Pears. her book also has recipes for jam & the Pip tea - which i'll make from the skins & cores from the fruit.

I also want to try doing an apple rhubarb pandowdy (also from Local Flavors.

either way - i have a lot of pomes here.

too bad i'm sick with a fever... i don't want to cook anything that will be shared. and this is also why i'm blogging at 1:58am - darned insomnia.

Hello blogspot, my friend

2009-08-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

I've missed you... not that i have forgotten about you. On the contrary - I think of you more than ever...

On this triple digit scorcher of a day when i want to remain as immobile as possible, what do i up and decide to do?

Bake a Salmon, of course.

Earlier today, before i left for work, i took a piece of salmon from the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw. And in typical "Sharon" fashion, I open my cookbooks at 10pm to see what can be done.

Suzanne Goin has been my hero for quite a while - my "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" cookbook is flagged with post-it notes sticking out in all directions. I've baked a salmon using her recipe, with modifications since i was limited to what i had on hand...

It's a Salmon covered with herbs... which herbs? Tarragon (check), Dill (check), Italian Parsley (check)! and minced Shallot... when do i ever have those 3 herbs AND a shallot? call it serendipity?

That, and the fact that my roommate is out of town... I'm alone - yet felt like sharing...

and i should be packing for my 17-day trip to europe. I've decided i'm not taking the big suitcase, but a small one and a carry on (yeah, right!). I never even touch half the stuff i pack on most trips anyways. and since i'm staying with family and going off on separate jaunts, i can wash and re-wear... as if i'm going to run into the same people in Granada, Paris & Barcelona...

just waiting for that salmon to be thawed, then i'll sprinkle with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, then slather it with the herb mixture, top off with fleur de sel (both sides)... and bake for 25 min in a 250 degree oven.

did i mention it was in the 100's today?

F*ck this kitchen is hot.

and i'm not even hungry anymore...

Why it's good to force myself to go to the market:

2009-04-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

On the heels of an exhausting day of food, the last thing i wanted to do was shop for food.

Yesterday I worked as a sous-chef to Lucy for one of her fabulous dinner parties. and today i'm knackered.

But i got up at 8, got dressed for yoga (which would have followed my quick market shopping)...
"must get there before the pea shoots are all gone!" thought I.
Hahahaha
wishful thinking!

i dragged.
and dragged.

decided to bake cookies for some of my farmer friends.

left my place at 10:30 am.

gave Jimmy - my valet parking guy who always hooks me up with free parking - a box of cookies.
gave Miguel & Candy - my apple farmers from Fair (something or other) Farms - 2 boxes of cookies - since they helped me yesterday when i was in a panic searching high and wide for pea shoots.
gave Tomas - from Lily's Farms - a box because he always saves me a chicken. they're the only chickens & eggs I buy nowadays.

I was still dragging... didn't want to shop. didn't know what to get. didn't feel like being there. I was too late for my pea shoots again.

But i decided on getting a chicken from Tomas.
Since i was going to roast a chicken, i wanted to roast Chiogga Beets too. So i visited McGrath Farms (where i get my pea shoots from) and asked if they had any.

Alas, a restaurant came by earlier and bought 4 cases...
Score! there was one forlorn looking bunch with 2 large & 1 small beet - so he gave it to me. Yay! and the guy promised me that next week he'll bring 2 boxes of pea shoots. (note to self - get there early!!!!)

Miguel & Candy also hooked me up with apples - i only wanted 2. They gave me 6. and they gave me a giant funny looking grapefruit (i forgot the name/variety) - some other farmer had given them a huge box of them so Candy gave me one. It's good to be friends with the farmers.

I stopped at Harry's Berries for one $5 basket of Gaviota strawberries. I like them much better than the cheaper Camarosa variety (which they don't sell).

This was all north of Selma. South of Selma, I stopped at this one table where the guy always has unusual specimens. He's the guy i bought the stinging Nettle from a few months ago. He still had some nettle for sale, but i didn't want to deal with it. Instead I got some interesting looking silvery-gray leaf wild growing plant called Lamb's (something or other). he suggested sauteing it. sure, why not try something different.

now my bags were getting rather full and heavy but i decided i needed shallots & an onion. so i went all the way down almost to sunset where these rather good looking guys from redlands sell a little bit of this and that...

Mind you - i'm still moving in slow motion... and that's when i get into good conversations with the farmers. I'm not just doing the transaction and leaving. I ask questions & learn about them & their produce. That's how i've developed my rapport. I'm not in a rush to get anywhere... i'm lingering slowly and really seeing what's there.

so back to those good looking guys who sell sweet potatoes & onions & a few eggs, winter squashes & these tiny strawberries for $2/basket. they really look pathetically tiny compared to the Camarosa (which i don't like), the Gaviota (which i do like), the Alvion (they're ok)...
These were Chandler strawberries. i sampled one - and it was impressively sweet & delightful. so i asked one of the guys to pick me a nice basket... he grabbed 2 and asked which one i'd prefer... I left it up to him... He went and combined the 2 into one... and gave me an extra large basket.

It's good to slow down. you make real connections that way.

Pictures will be posted soon. i'm overdue for a nap.

Too Hot for Soup

2009-04-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's shopping - though without a specific list - had me with ingredients to make this soup from the SMFM cookbook for Green Garlic & New Potato soup.

so i got to chopping.

mind you it was 95 degrees this april 20th here in L.A.

by the time the soup was done - i was melting.

so i opted for salad instead.

and ate al fresco!
New Potato Soup w/ Green Garlic (modified version from SMFM cookbook - working with what i had)

the salad contained watercress, pea shoots, fava beans, blanched ramps, chive blossoms (from my garden) & drizzled with lemon & olive oil.

to drink - i had water with mint... but then thought a Mojito would be nice... so i searched for recipes and this was the best one i found. of course i didn't have all the ingredients... but i've bookmarked it now, and will make some of the mint infused simple syrup for future uses.

Today at the Market

2009-04-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Today at the Market

On the days I'm not "feeling it" - i usually stumble upon new things...

Those Green Onion-y looking things with the roots attached: Ramps
they're like wild Leeks
Suzanne Goin from Lucques talks about them
Found them at the Clearwater Farms' stand.
I also got Morels.
those are the honeycomb shaped mushrooms.
apparently they pair up nicely with eggs.

I decided to give Fava Beans a try again. I got the pre-shelled ones.
They are too much work otherwise.

My other spring faves are Green Garlic & Pea shoots.

Citrus & Apples are waning

But Strawberries are in full swing!

I am in a fruit rut at the moment. The only thing out there that is affordable and peaking are Strawberries. I'm done with citrus at the moment... though i got 2 grapefruits... my Pink Lady apples are bruised and getting tired. Stone fruits (plums, peaches...) are still not out yet... so really the only fruit to get now are strawberries...

When i left the house this morning i was really in a bummer of a mood and was depressed there were going to be no fruits... but i'm really celebrating spring in the veggie department. And since I'm trying to cut back on sweets again - i bought a bunch of Casablanca Lilies... spent my $$ on flowers rather than sorbet... i'll look at them as a reminder to not eat sugar (if only).

Nooooo!!!

2009-03-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite bookstore is closing... my heart is breaking.

The Cook's Library on 3rd street... I love that store... I made a point of paying more (full price as listed on the book jacket) because of the service I would get.

Sure, I could get some books cheaper on Amazon, and I did at times... but only if it was a considerable difference... (40% or more - and some books are super expensive).

However when it comes to cookbooks - you really need to see the book. flip through the pages. see if the recipes inspire you. does it have any pictures? does it need pictures?

And because the Cook's Library specialized in Cook Books they were staffed by a crew of people who have a passion for food - and are familiar with the authors... or have had feedback from other customers as to the merits or flaws of certain books or authors.

I'd go there and ask for a book that had mostly seasonal recipes - mostly vegetables, but not vegetarian, not too complicated... and Alan (one of my favorite employees there) took me to a special section, pulled out a couple of selections - and highlighted one in particular... I ended up buying that one, and came back for another copy to give as a gift a week later.

It's a bookstore by foodies, for foodies... We have til April 30th... I will be visiting them... and then mourning their disappearance.

sigh.

Citrus

2009-03-13T00:18:00.001-07:00

As promised a while back - I was going to share some pix and comments on everything citrus...

I've tried a lot. I'm still buying some - what's still around, at least...

Newest discovery: Bergamot Oranges... that flavoring behind earl gray tea comes from the zest of the Bergamot Orange... It's a bitter fruit... mostly grown in the mediterranean - especially in Italy.

But i found this one vendor at the Hollywood farmer's market who had a few yellow lemony looking fruits in a basket simply labled "Bergamot $1". Being the inquisitive shopper that I am - I started asking all about them - and bought one. There's a picture of it above - I used my microplaner to zest it - and add it to my hot water... I drank some fragrant earl gray - infused water without the caffeine (or the resulting teeth stains).

Curious thing I discovered about a difference between lemons and limes... I started slicing them up and adding them to a pitcher of water that I would take to my room to remind me to drink more water...

... Lemon wedges/slices float - whereas the lime wedges/slices sink to the bottom. I noticed that a few times.

Also, during this celebration of citrus - I've been collecting the peels to candy them - an old middle eastern recipe for making preserves/confections... I remember my Nonna making them. The recipe i have (from Claudia Roden's book of middle eastern cooking) calls for the peels of bitter orange... I'm not sure what those are - or where to get them... but i did the recipe using Pommelos, Tangelos, Cara Cara Oranges (pink navel orange), Marsh grapefruit, Cocktail Grapefruit, Tangerines, Blood Oranges - and even Bergamot oranges... since you need to zest the fruit first before cooking them, i was able to collect the zest of all the bergamots and infuse some sugar with it. It's nice to add it to tea.

Pictured above is a small jar of the candied peels. Talk about labor intensive! there are so many steps and so much handling of the peels... takes forever... no wonder no one in my family does this recipe any more... it's from a time when there was no tv, no computers, no texting, no distractions... a time when people would gather around the table and work on creating these little tasty jewels. I'm sure mine aren't anywhere as good as my nonna's - i don't ever seem to have the patience... besides - other than working off a recipe that isn't too detailed, I don't have any real model to follow... so i'm not sure if i'm doing it right.

I sliced some up and sugared them so that i have little pinwheels of candied citrus - perhaps to top cupcakes or some other dessert.

For something a little more simple - I made a great dessert using a variety of fruits... For this, a sharp knife makes life so much easier - you have to supreme the citrus - that is cut the sections out of the membrane... once you get the hang of it, it's simple (as long as you have a good knife).

Citrus Medley with Rose water

use a variety of citrus fruits - grapefruits (pink/yellow/white), oranges, blood oranges, tangerines...
supreme them into a bowl - get a nice color combo going...
add 2 Tbsp of honey
add 1 tsp. Rose blossom water
add some chopped pistacios if desired.

The combination of the rose blossom water with the citrus & pistacio & honey is so delicious! it's simple - easy - light... you can adjust the amounts to taste... I used a really good bottle of rose blossom water where a little goes a long way... and I tried another bottle that i found a whole foods - weak and insipid... so make the adjustments to what works for you. Personally, I don't eat pistacios (they don't agree with me though i love the taste) so i omitted them from my prep... but i can see how the distinct flavor from that nut would enhance the citrus & rose - such a typical Middle Eastern flavor combo.

I'm pretty much done with citrus and I'm thrilled that Strawberries are back in season! Harry's Berries had some Gaviotas last week which i couldn't resist though they were more than 2x more than the Albions being sold all around at the market... So I paid more for Strawberries - I cut back on other things... bought chicken instead of fish.

What will replace the fallen?

2009-02-13T00:23:00.000-08:00

So the domino effect is hitting the large Multi-National corporations...

Were they getting too big for their own good? They killed off many small, independently owned & operated businesses... and now that they are going, what's going to fill the void?

Circuit City is one major chain that is going.
Ann Taylor clothing stores are already closed up and gone.
There are even massive layoffs at Wal-Marts and Starbucks.

For a while, it seemed that everywhere i would go - there were those mega-shopping centers... all designed the same, all housing the same chain stores... didn't matter what city you were in - you'd find that same shopping center with it's Toys R Us and Baby's R Us and Best Buy and the same fast food chains... all looping around a massive sea of asphalt parking lot. No local flavor - no charm - no personality.

I look at old photos of Westwood Village or Beverly Hills from the 70's or 80's and see the names of all the shops and restaurants that are long gone and dearly missed... they were replaced by chain stores... Bebe... Anthropologie... Victoria's Secret... the Gap... with all the same merchandise...

Anthropologie is vacating it's location on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills...

But so is Spirituali on Larchmont... Larchmont Blvd. has lost a lot of it's charming independent businesses recently due to jacked-up rents by new landlords.

Many factors come in to play here as to why all these businesses are shuttering in this economy... but as the storefronts become vacant, what will replace the businesses?

Say for example Home Depot were to close down. many of the small hardware stores that struggled to compete with the likes of the mega discount monster have since shuttered... where will one go to get some nails or caulk? No mega-store, no mom & pop shop... we're screwed!

I hope that some local flavor will return to the cities and towns that were once full of stores loaded with independently-minded selections of merchandise. What has helped many of the independent stores survive is that they had their niche, and they knew their customers - they knew how to serve the surrounding population.

One reason why I gave up on my subscription to the L.A. Times years ago is because they kept tinkering with it... and fouled it up royally. Some big shot out of Chicago buys it up, shuffles the writing staff around, re-organizes the layout, eliminates columns, and ships popular writers off to other cities with papers owned by the same big shot.

If Jack Smith were still alive today, he'd probably have been sent to Chicago. Sacrilege! And even though i wouldn't put Mike Downey on the same level of Jack Smith, i was still upset when he was shifted from the sports section to whatever he was shifted to before being sent to the windy city... His column sometimes appears... but how does it really affect me in L.A.? I liked getting the local paper written by writers who lived here, who grew up here, or who chose to live here because they love it here. But if many of the articles are by the Associated Press, or Times Staff Writer (who might be in some other city) - how is it the Los Angeles Times?

I'm not against the syndication of popular columns like Dear Abby & the like... but I long for the writers who have that special insight one can get by being part of the local scene. I loved Allan Malamud's column in the sports section... his use of the ellipses as punctuation was eventually adopted by yours truly... Steve Harvey's Only In L.A. column was always good for a chuckle, and even though it got tiresome, i could always count on Robert Hilburn reviewing some new band and comparing it to Guns n Roses, U2 or his other favorite Bruce Springsteen. These are some of the things i remember from the Los Angeles Times that I used to read and enjoy. Now? Meh... i get my news from the Huffington Post or whatever headlines pop up on my google start-up menu. If my local paper won't give me my local flavor, then why bother with it?

What's really killing me though is the loss of my favorite radio station Indie 103.1 - I don't know what to do with myself anymore when i'm stuck in traffic. When it first came out, the playlist was wild and fun and unpredictable. And though i hated him at first - i couldn't understand why someone would listen to that monotonous drivel... but i finally listened (really listened) one day - and realized the genius that was Jonesy's Jukebox. I would listen almost daily... i hated when i couldn't listen to the radio from noon until 2. I'm missing that station so badly... and every day that goes by, i'm furiously hitting my pre-sets, finding nothing of interest, going back to my barely functioning ipod, and getting bored again of the same songs i've heard hundreds of times over.

Again, don't get me wrong... I love my Sirius... I love listening to Howard Stern... but sometimes i want to listen to a station that is run out of the city i'm driving around in. If the weather is warm, I like to hear the DJ comment on the beautiful L.A. day. If the sunset is stunning, i like hearing the DJ comment on that. if there was a temblor, i will sometimes check the radio to again hear that i wasn't the only one who felt it. I can't get that on a station with no Djs (Jack-FM) or satellite stations... The current station selection is killing me! KROQ sold it's soul ages ago - and STAR is trying to be a sorry excuse for a copy of what is now the hollow shell of what was once a powerhouse of a radio station (again, i'm talking about KROQ). The Sound (100.3) plays some interesting songs that are off the beaten path... but i can't listen to a station that plays that much Steely Dan...

I once worked in radio (intern at KROQ 1994-1995) and i am aware of the inner workings/politics of the parent company behind the parent company that owned Indie 103.1 - and why the station was created, and how it evolved, crumbled and then ceased to exist...

But when these mighty corporations fall, can we get a return to the local? please?

I really miss Indie 103.1 - especially Jonesy, and all their other irreverent DJs... one of my favorite things was when i was driving home at around 5pm on a gorgeous day in June and the energy was great and TK was playing a song by the Fratellis... and after it was done, he said "I liked that - I'm playing it again"... and he did! The mood was right... why the hell not? It was live - it was in the moment... it fit the situation... you can't get that with all the pre-programmed radio stations... or from a syndicated show...

I love Los Angeles... now let's celebrate what makes L.A. L.A. rather than something we can experience anyplace, USA.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2009-02-09T00:25:00.000-08:00

Changes are abounding...

...And many were badly needed

Especially regarding the political regime...

But that's not what this post is about...

We all saw those posters with the words "HOPE" and "CHANGE" - and it seems to have affected a big lot of the population in many interesting/terrifying/exciting ways.

Frustration leads to exasperation... which often times leads to life altering changes... Several of my friends have recently made drastic changes in their work situations... others had those changes decided for them. But it all seems to stem from some frustration of not finding satisfaction in the stagnation in their respective workplaces.

I burned-out nearly 2 years ago. Quite a while before any of my other friends... I worked at a Mortgage company - it was a small company - by no means corporate... but I couldn't work in that office environment... There's more to life than shuffling papers...

I have a very wholistic way of thinking - very universal... this sometimes stalls me as my brain wraps around a process and it just explodes... and where do i start - and where does it go... see what i mean? I saw this whole mortgage fiasco happening in it's earliest stages... and while i was neither selling the loans, nor soliciting them - i was still helping the situaiton by compiling the paperwork and packaging loans... So even though i wasn't instigating the deals that most likely have gone sour... i was still a part of it - and i just couldn't justify it any longer. And though I hoped it wouldn't become such a terrible mess - I totally saw this fiasco coming. and i still see it getting worse (though again i'm hoping that it won't be as bad as it looks). So that's why I had to get out of there. I quit. but my "boss" (in quotes due to his ineptitude and shortsighted vision) was too proud to let me just offer 2 weeks notice... no - he fired me! Cha-Ching - i collected unemployment!

I was on the dole for quite a while. I also racked up a little bit of credit card debt - but I just needed to live a little. And I have no regrets. I was a miserable shell of a person before - with absolutely nothing going on except an unsatisfying job that i didn't believe in (not in principle - but in the way it was being done - in our company's principles... or rather lack thereof).

What am I doing now?
Still searching.
Still struggling.
Still looking for my calling
Still seeking my muse/inspiration.

But I'm a lot closer now than i was before!

I'm also much happier now, too.
I believe in the things that I do.
That means so much more to me than having some desk job working for "the man".

Can I afford all those little luxuries?
No.
Do I need them?
not really.
does anyone really need them?
newp!
they're just wants - not needs.

Cable was too expensive for me.
gone.
Flat screen TV?
why bother?
(though i was just offered and gladly accepted a tv that's much larger than my old one)
New car?
the current one still works... no need.

I knew most of the Joneses were all flash and no substance. and now that they're losing their homes with the late model suv in the driveway & all the fancy shmancy plasma TVs and the like... the ones they couldn't afford them in the first place... i'm not crying for them... BUT - where i do call FOUL is when these users/liars/cheats cry for help in the form of tax credits... they are in essence TAXING ME! That's right - those of us who didn't partake in any of these shady dealings will not benefit with any handouts... but rather our tax dollars will be going to the liars and cheats who are being faced with losing everything because they lied!

But i digress.
see what i mean about this universal thinking? i see the whole picture at once but when it comest to describing it or talking about it, i can't seem to put it in the right order - or in any order...

So perhaps these Changes will lead to all of us taking a good look at ourselves. our lives. trimming the fat. deciding what really matters.

The pursuit of happiness is the philosophical ideal that i espoused. and to me, that did not mean the pursuit of stuff.

but i also hope that companies don't keep laying off so many people. we are already being subjected to shitty customer service everywhere. don't keep giving me automated telephone service... hire humans! and hire the people within the comunity that you serve! I work at times as a personal assistant for people who are too busy to wait on hold trying to resolve issues... so they pay me to wait on hold & get things resolved. Don't you think life would become more efficient if we could call customer service and talk to someone within 1 minute?

No wonder so many of us are at a breaking point and saying ENOUGH! we definitely need changes... lots of them.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Today's breakfast

2009-02-01T00:06:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm watching my diet again - I've returned to taking pictures of my meals. I was doing that for a while. But then i stopped around the holidays... And now my jeans are tighter...

So as I mentioned previously - I'm experimenting with citrus. Not many pix at the moment unfortch - but here's one:

Blood orange sliced into coins, goat yogurt with dollop pomegranate jelly, black tea

Blood Oranges - ** I know there are several varieties - I'm not sure which one this was. I don't even remember the vendor - so i don't know where it was grown... I'll try others. but this batch, i wasn't to crazy for.

Cocktail Grapefruit - **** I'd avoided them until last week because a couple years ago - I tried one from a Trader Joe's... i found it to be very acidic and my stomach was none too pleased. But the lady (i forgot her name - but she's really nice) told me that it should be sweeter than the Oro Blanco grapefruit. I gave it another go - and I really liked it a lot.

Oro Blanco Grapefruit - ** I know that different growing areas and early vs. late season affects the flavors and the taste... but these past few have been kinda nasty. I'll have a talk with some farmers to find out what's up.

Cara Cara Oranges - **** They have pink pulp! nice flavor. i'm not a big fan of oranges - but i like the Cara Caras

Meyer Lemons ***** My absolute favorite lemons in the world (though not technically a lemon - it's a cross between a mandarin & a lemon. Thin skin, fragrant & somewhat sweet... you can eat some of the pulp without puckering... though i wouldn't risk totally damaging my teeth by eating such acidic fruit. I love using the zest for making lemon curd - or anything else requiring lemon zest.

Page Tangerines ***** Sweet, no pips, but the skin doesn't pop right off.

Dancy Tangerines *** Good flavor, loaded with pips, easy to peel.

Satsuma Mandarins **** easy to peel, no pips, kinda touch and go with the flavor - depends on the vendor/farm - i've had great ones, and i've had blah... who knows.

would you like fries with that?

2009-01-31T23:33:00.000-08:00

What's wrong with this picture?

Outsourcing Drive Thru operators?

seriously?

i think i read that article from the Huffington Post earlier this week - i just didn't have the time to blog earlier - though i meant to bookmark it...

But yeah - some chains like Jack in the Box & Taco Bell have been testing using out-of-state people on the phone taking people's orders at the drive thru.

Why? what is wrong with hiring from the local community? the people who would be spending money in your town - perhaps even in your restaurant!

Don't these people realize that they're shooting themselves in the foot?

If ya keep pushing down wages & downsizing in order to turn a profit - you have fewer people making money to spend on eating out at your establishment.

What's wrong with letting someone earn an honest living and get paid a fair wage?

I think i even wrote a blog about how some fast food operations are running smoother now that fluent English speakers are applying for jobs now that they've become desperate... so the customers are happy - there are fewer mistakes with the orders - the business is efficient and there's less loss... and i believe they were seeing higher profits as a result.

I guess other chains or fast food restaurants in other cities feel that it would be more beneficial to pay some servicing company, and pay someone sitting in some remote phone bank to take people's orders - rather than hiring someone locally and paying them directly...

I find this sad. I also think that it will turn out disastrous... as they're just being expedient without seeing the domino effect this will create.

A Resolution to Stick to

2009-01-04T23:59:00.001-08:00

I intend to meet up with my friends more often.

Sounds easy, right?

Easy enough - but it does take effort. True friendships last a lifetime. Sometimes they endure years of neglect - yet can pick up where things left off.Daniel(11 yrs), me, Courtney (11+yrs)

Something I like to make on occasion are croissants - from scratch. Yes, they're easy enough to buy at the market, or a patisserie... but I'm working on improving my technique and finding the right recipe.

So I decided to whip up a couple of batches and invite a whole bunch of people over for a

New Year's Day Brunch.

Lisa (17 yrs - though we lost touch for 10 yrs), Matthew (2 yrs)

I posted the time as 11am to 1pm and sent out about 80 emails - knowing i'd get less than 40% return due to the fact that it was so early - and many people were out of town - and another percentage don't check their emails/facebook/myspace accounts that regularly.

Carlos (11 yrs), Julie K (28 yrs), Michelangelo, (11 yrs)

Of those who did show up (22 total!) - I couldn't have been happier! I had some family, some new friends, but mostly old friends - who i've known for over 10 years. And many who hadn't seen one another for years. It was a great reunion. A great way to rekindle friendships... and a lovely gathering just for the sake of getting together.

The year 2009 will be one of getting together with friends - new and old.Julie K & Joan (10 yrs)

Have a Healthy & Happy New Year!

Almonds that taste like...

2009-01-04T23:43:00.000-08:00

Almonds

They're a good, healthy snack. Helps curb the appetite if you're out and about and need a pick-me-up.

I was in Reno for Christmas, with the family "K" - they've adopted me into their family... And when there's snow - there's skiing.

We all sat for our Apres-Ski drinks... and I pulled out my snack baggie of Almonds. Raw Almonds.

Me: Raw Almonds, anyone?

Vince: Raw?
- They're not roasted? or Salted?

me: Nope - just plain Almonds.

April: But they're not flavored?

Me: Uh, no - just Almonds.

Dom: But what do they taste like?

Me: Almonds! They're almonds that taste like almonds! (me, dom, vince, julie k)

Do Almonds really need to taste like anything else to be enjoyable? Jeez! They taste fine on their own if you can appreciate the taste of something in its natural state. Why does everything need to be flavored/salted/x-tremed to be worthy of consumption nowadays?

American Honey - neat

2008-12-29T23:47:00.000-08:00

I'm a neat kinda gal... I rarely take ice in my drinks.

Usually I go for tequila - I like that fuzzy feeling it gives me... though i don't like Patron... I'd rather have Sauza.

But tonight I tried went to a place I've been meaning to go to for ages... The Woods (La Brea @ Sunset).

They have a significantly larger selection than at the Burgundy Room - which is my usual haunt. granted it's a dive bar, and it's not supposed to have a huge variety - just large quantities of the standards that the regulars ask for.

I spied a bottle with the word Honey on it... and i asked the bartender, Amy - what was it. She took out a shot glass, poured some for the 3 of us to sample. I was sold. I asked her how she usually serves it.

Neat.

Perfect.

it was destiny.

I have a new favorite drink to order at a new alternate bar...

American Honey - by Wild Turkey.

Very smooth.

I still like the warm fuzzy feeling from tequila... but this one was yummy.

Becoming Orthorexic

2008-12-28T21:35:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of the term?

I hadn't until recently. I'm now reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food... and it's opening my eyes to how foods are being marketed and sold...

Terms such as Nutritionism, Edible Food-Like Substances, and Orthorexia are being introduced (not created by him - but totally new to me) & defined in this book...

Basically - Orthorexia is a term that fits me perfectly... I'm struggling with the Right and Wrong choices in Food. I want to enjoy going out and eating with friends... but I hesitate...

The argument in my head is "Where is this food coming from?"... but then i'll counter with "Don't be a bore - just go out and enjoy yourself." ... but then again - what is a good food choice?

I don't want grain-fed beef, beak-less chickens raised in cages... what about fish? Is it wild-caught or farm-raised? and where did it come from?

Remember the Melamine-tainted milk baby formula sold in China? and the tainted Pet food from last year? Well if that didn't raise some red flags about foods from China, maybe this will?

"Let's do Sushi" is a common invite I hear from many friends... but less and less, as they know that I don't like sushi... But that's not entirely true. I used to like sushi very much! But after learning about how contaminated the Eels being raised in China were - and I used to order fresh-water eel rolls all the time - I decided "NO MORE".

Honestly - these Michael Pollan books are changing my life... I really need to buy my own copy of The Omnivore's Dilemma - I only listened to the audiobook borrowed from the library... but I should own it.

Citrus time... analysis coming soon

2008-12-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

Apples are fading away...

but it's Citrus time in SoCal.

I'm not the biggest fan of oranges - too acidic sometimes. And I used to hate Grapefruits, but I forced myself to learn to like them. I love Lemons & Limes, but never seem to use them enough even though I buy some almost every week.

Today was a quickie market day. I just returned from Reno this morning - so I popped over to the Larchmont Market to get a few items so I'd have some fresh foods this week.

So this winter, I'll do an in-depth analysis of citrus fruits. The Larchmont market seems to be an afterthought market. Vendors sent by the farmers... but not many of the real farmers themselves. Although the lady I got my persimmons from & who sells delicious looking homemade jams seemed like she was personally involved with her farm.

Last year was the first time I'd ever had a Pommelo.

Mellower than a grapefruit - with a very thick pithy part of the skin. I bought one today. Along with an Oroblanco grapefruit and a ruby red grapefruit, & some Meyer Lemons.

Next week, I'll visit the Santa Monica or Hollywood market to find some vendors with interesting varieties of citrus... to find out what is out there - and learn (and share) about my new discoveries.

Bad Netflix Planning

2008-12-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

I currently have 452 entries in my Netflix Q(ueue) - with 24 listings in my "saved list".

The giant bulk of the movies/tv shows sitting in this Q were added about 2 years ago.

Every few weeks, I review the Q to see what's coming up, shuffle things around - perhaps bump something up to the top that is topical, or that I'm in the mood for now rather than later. I also eliminate titles that I've seen elsewhere in the meantime or am just not in the mood for.

But I haven't reviewed my Q for a while... so when I returned from my Xmas trip to Reno, what did I have waiting in my mailbox?

The Killing Fields & Schindler's List.

Happy Holidays?

These are movies I've always known I should see... and always said I'd get around to seeing someday... but at the same time?

No Paper? No Problem!

2008-12-23T02:22:00.000-08:00

Wrapping presents... I love doing it. Just give me a stack, and I'll wrap it...

I'm kinda picky when it comes to the paper. Thin cheap-o paper? Ewww - I hate using thin paper. It needs to be a heavier weight paper - one that doesn't just flop over.

But what's a girl to do when she runs out of paper? Especially when she's trying to espouse this new way of living - being Gorgeously Green?

Well, I re-purposed a brown paper Trader Joe's bag, natch! I'd decided a few months ago that once i finish my supply of wrapping paper, I'll use the supermarket bags. My roommate ensures that we have an endless supply of these bags... For the most part, I use my re-usable bags... and rarely go to supermarkets anymore. As a matter of fact - I haven't been to Trader Joe's in over 2 months. However Gina never remembers (or bothers, or cares) to take the red TJ's bags that are right by the front door. As a result, our supply of these paper bags is overflowing out of the closet.

It folded up quite nicely, and was heavy-duty. Now I had a brown paper package - all I had to do was tie it up with strings (or ribbons, rather).

With pretty ribbons dressing it up, who would know that this was a humble supermarket brown paper bag? You could even get a rubber stamp and fancy the paper up with a design... or draw on it. I like the simplicity of this look.

I'm also a sucker for nice ribbons - especially the wired ones. But I have, and will continue to re-use ribbons if I get some nice ones on my presents.

My breakdown... chinese-made goods.

2008-12-21T23:55:00.000-08:00

While I try my best to avoid the products that are "made in China" or other southeast asian countries... somethings just are not made in the USA anymore.

I don't know how much longer I can wear my converse. they are completely falling apart and separating where the canvas meets the rubber. also i must avoid wet pavement at all costs (not just puddles... and wet grass? forget about it - my socks will get soggy after 5 steps.

But what other brands of casual sporty shoes can I wear? I don't really have many options... and there aren't many Converse my size at 2nd hand stores... suggestions?

Computers:
I am limited to my connectivity due to the fact that I have a desktop. I am rarely home - and I have so much information that I am asked to access regularly - that if I didn't commit so many random thing to memory - I'd be of little help to those I help. And I like Apple computers. It's taken me a few years to get used to them. I use them at 2 of my jobs... and while I still don't "get" many things - I have really grown to love them.
So I want to get a laptop... a macbook... I don't need the ones with all the bells & whistles... I'm not doing any sound mixing or heavy duty photo editing... Just blogging, online banking, emails, writing letters and creating spreadsheets...

But while they're designed here in the USA... they are all made in Asia. So what are my options? get a used computer... a model that might be as old as this desktop I'm sitting at... or just breaking down and getting a brand-new apple.

And I've totally blown it the past few months... At Target, I got some slippers and a few other items from china... and at Williams-Sonoma as well. It was too late - I'd already walked out when I thought about where it was made.

so if I've already caved in and accidentally bought product made in china, and have plans to perhaps buy a computer made in china (and a printer as well)... is it OK for me to get new Converse?

I don't know what to do anymore.

Apples - a recap

2008-12-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

See Canyon Farms - Santa Monica Farmer's Market

I learned quite a bit about apples this year. After a long spring and summer without them, I eagerly awaited their return to the markets.

At the Hollywood market this morning - Lisa & I sampled Fujis and Pink Ladys. I rediscovered that I like Pink Lady apples. Then we got into a conversation with the farmer... about how we all hated apples when we were kids. Why?

The farmer explained that the supermarket apples that we found year round were kept in giant freezers... that's why the inside was always mushy or mealy. And they were specifically raised to have tougher skins (that would then be waxed) to keep the fruit within from spoiling.

That's why we all hate "Red Delicious". who came up with that name anyways? was it propaganda by the government to make us think that those apples were delicious because they were called delicious?

Pink Lady apples have a very thin skin - and the ladies at the stand described it's flavor like that of a jolly rancher. I'm not so sure I'd liken it to a candy - but seriously - those apples are delicious.

So here's my personal recap of the apples I tried this season:

I loved these:
Spitzenberg (early in the season - sept - early october)
Fuji
Pink Lady (later in the season)
Arkansas Black (late oct-mid nov. - 5 week season)

I disliked:
Old-Fashioned Red Delicious - (it wasn't mealy - but the flavor took me back to childhood - to when i hated apples)
Jonagold - same as above
Gala - they're ok - but i'd rather have the others.

The following were pleasing, but didn't stand out like the first grouping above
Criterion (gold skin - no freckles)
Gold Rush (gold skin - freckeled) - this little girl at our Thanksgiving gathering LOVED these.
Enterprise (early season)
Braeburn - I used them in the apple pie - which was very good. (mid to late season)
Muutsu (aka Honeycrisp) - but nothing to leap at. (earlier in the season)

As for the Winesap... they were very starchy but had an excellent flavor - yet not very good to eat fresh. They are highly recommended for applesauce or baking... but I didn't get around to cooking them - so next year i'll give them another chance.. the flavor really was enchanting. (early season).

On a side note: at the market today, I wanted to buy a vegetable - just one since I'm leaving for Reno Tuesday night. Okra was on my mind... but not at the tables... their season is OVER. Just as I learned that I don't hate Okra anymore & actually wanted it again - i have to wait another 10 months or so. Rats!

Sunday Breakfast

2008-12-21T23:18:00.001-08:00

Sunday December 21st 2008 - a very cold brisk & crisp morning.
Lisa's Birthday
we went to the hollywood farmer's market
neither of us bought much.

but i had to get persimmons... they're at the end of their season.
Pictured above is the Hachiya - the kind you have to wait till it's completely mushy - otherwise you get that weird tannin dryness and strange caking on the inside of your mouth... it feels as gross as that sounds.

Just Wondering

2008-12-16T02:02:00.000-08:00

There are many Hyphenated-Americans... but are there any American-(insert continent/region here)

What are Ex-pats living in other parts of the world called... other than ex-patriots?

Case in point:

Grey's Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington just became an African Citizen (of Sierra Leone)

Hello ALL,

Well…as I sit here in the TGMF office completely numb yet elated. I am at a lost for words. Minister Zainab Bangura has phoned me from New York to "officially" tell me that I am now a citizen of Sierra Leone and that I need to send her 2 photos for the Sierra Leone Passport that awaits me in Freetown. I could go on and on about how much that phone call means to me, but I will simply defer you all to the "Recent Work" section on Google's Wikipedia. President Koroma now goes down in history as the "first" African President to issue an African-American full citizenship based on DNA. Congrats to all who have been on this historical journey with me. Mission Accomplished. That said, I'm so moved right now that I am literally wiped out with the gravity of this new reality. Going home to celebrate with my "dual citizenship" with my family…One Love

IW
So is he an American-African now?

American Cars?

2008-12-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

Julie sent me an interesting article on the origin of cars - What Makes a Car American?

While I've been on a quest to buy locally/domestically... when it comes to automobiles, I've remained strangely ambivalent to the "Big 3". I actually feel a lot of contempt towards said 3 - especially after the hubris exhibited when the CEOs of said companies went to DC asking for a bailout.

And if up to 85% of the manufacturing is done internationally - then why should i support them... I'd rather go for a Toyota anyway - they make great cars. here, mostly.

I get the whole ripple effect and how their shutting down would be devastating to the U.S. economy... (the factories, the showrooms, the salespeople...) but if the companies were run so terribly all these years, they don't deserve to get bailed out.

My car is really on it's last legs - it's almost 20 years old. I will probably be in the market for a new car (or used - just new to me) sometime this year... but I hardly ever considered a Ford, GM or Chrysler vehicle. ever. They don't move me.

What I'm looking for - fuel economy, low-emissions, good design, reliability, low-maintenance.

I still have a fondness for the Mini Coopers.

On the less sensible side... i've always loved these:

My New Favorite Blog

2008-12-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

It's not for the faint of heart. He tells it as he sees it. Says things that I may think, but that I don't really say. Not because I wouldn't say it - but because he has a way of saying it.

Rude Jude Loves You.

Check it out.

And i'm sad to say that one of my recent favorite discoveries in the blog world is ending with 2008. Simply Breakfast. Jen's photographs of her morning breakfasts are so beautiful. she's even published a second book featuring these photos. I'd get them... only I don't really have room in my place for these books... lame excuse - I could always rotate the books on my coffee tables... I have other things ahead of these books on my wish/needs lists... but I'll always keep these earmarked for something to think of in the future.

Changing Seasons at the Market

2008-12-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to Kim. Thanks for reading, and thanks for encouraging me to get back to taking pictures and writing about my market escapades.

Persimmons are still in season (yay!) but nearing their end (boo).

I still like slicing them up and eating some almonds to start the day.

I've gotten back into drinking PG Tips black tea in the morning... I just bought my second box in 2 months - whereas before this autumn, my stash of tea bags were stale and over 2 years old.

What's not pictured are the ginger cookies that I promptly dunked and devoured prior to the shot.

Despite the fact that I have been promoting the exploration of seasonal foods, the fact that certain things are no longer easily available can be very frustrating!

Case in point: Poblano chiles. Not in season unless they're grown in hothouses. How am I going to make my new favorite and almost weekly recipe of the roasted sweet potatoes with Keffir Lime & Poblano Chiles? Also - I can only find the Keffir Limes in Santa Monica - not Hollywood. But I can usually get the Poblanos at Hollywood... thus forcing me to go to 2 markets.

And this new soup that I made and fell in love with - using Chanterelle mushrooms... next week is the last week for Chanterelles! And they are so darned expensive. $20/lb.!

The apples aren't looking that great anymore - the ones from my favorite apple vendors at See Canyon farms are at the end of their season. The Gold Rush were small, the Pink Ladies (pictured above) were bruised, and I didn't want to get the red apples. But I love that crew: Vinnie cracks me up telling me dirty jokes & stories about Canada & betting on Hockey - and the 2 girls there are funny too. It's such a pleasure to shop there and talk with people who remember you and recognize you. They remember me by now. Their Fujis were still good, and they had mandarins & sapotes (I bought one) & pears. But they are down to 5 varieties of apples when in September they had about 15!

Did you know you can get several different colors of carrots?

I have 2 red skinned varieties here. But neither have red flesh. I wanted the red-fleshed variety for my soup - but a substitution is in order - I couldn't find any.

instead, I have the red-skinned orange carrots, and the "Indigo" carrots - which have a darker red/purplish skin, and a white flesh.

There is a slight difference in flavor - but if you were to blindfold me, I wouldn't be able to detect which was which. but they make for a beautiful presentation!

Here are some Xmas Lima Beans. So-called due to their red and white swirly pattern, I suppose... and the fact that they're readily available in winter.

The title of the soup is "Elegant Barlotti Bean soup with Chanterelles & Chard" but I didn't find the Barlotti beans... However in the notes of the recipe, it said to use the Xmas Limas as a substitute... which I did.

And for yet another substitution, I used the turkey stock that I froze after cooking down the bones of the Thanksgiving turkey - instead of chicken stock. It was so good.

Routines

2008-12-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

I like getting into a routine.
I find something I like doing - then I make it a habit.

But when something interferes with the regular patterns, everything gets turned upside down - and I get out of the habit. Or rather... because I didn't do part A, then I can't do part B or C.

Since I haven't been taking pictures lately, I haven't blogged. And instead of thinking about what to write - I've been thinking about how I haven't been writing... which isn't very productive.

Last night, however - I took a walk down memory lane (in a way). It was a reunion, of sorts - it was partial... some of the players were missing... and the location was new...

It was like a time warp - 10 years into the past. It was 1998 all over again... Me & Julie & Kim & Courtney & Rob & Jen & Sarah... We went to The Smell downtown to see our friend Rob (Damage Effect) play - opening up for Babyland (who I hadn't seen play since Al's Bar closed down). We didn't end up staying for Babyland... but we were all loitering outside the club trying to figure out what to do next...

If only Cafe Nova Express was still open... on Fairfax just across from Canter's. That was the natural choice.

That was our routine 10 years ago. It was open til 4am. After whatever it was we were doing, we'd somehow all meet up at Cafe Nova afterward... or just go to Cafe Nova & play cards, drink lattes or chai & snack on Salads or Pizza (i had no dairy issues back then).

Alas, no consensus was reached. Half the group went to Redwood Bar. Julie, Kim & I got wrapped up in conversation, got into the car & drove back to Julie's place & continued talking.

It's rad when good friends who haven't seen each other in years can just get right back into conversation with no awkwardness.

contemplating... and being thankful

2008-11-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last posting... sorry.

Sometimes you just get caught up in your own life's dramas and need a jolt to look at the big picture again.

Thanksgiving is (was?) one of my favorite holidays... but this past one wasn't all that. The underlying feeling i had was that something is wrong... very wrong.

I have wonderful friends, and a lovely family... and i'm thankful for them - they are a part of my life.

This year we organized a family event... and it was the first time I played such a big role. Perhaps I bit off more than I could chew... but I was so stressed and all caught up in my little tasks - that when Thanksgiving day arrived, I was suddenly hit by such a strong wave of sadness.

Sadness and contemplating led to frustrations and a mini-meltdown... What did i do? I called mommy. She helped me put things into perspective. After listening to me vent & unload about the pettiest little dramas - she mentioned something about India...

- What's happening in India?
- You haven't heard?
- No - what? I don't watch TV and all I've been doing the past 2 days is cooking.
- The terrorist attacks - the bombings - the hostages
- ???

Wow - was I living under a rock? What a slap back into reality.

And when I was driving back to my cousin's to complete the cooking and have the meal, I saw a man with a sign - A Vietnam veteran who needed some money... all my food & money was in a bag in my trunk... I felt like a heel.

How many Iraqi war veterans are going to be on the streets just like this man in 2, 5, 15 years? They are going to be a part of the new destitute. Our country is still at war.

When I go to work in Hollywood, I'm seeing more and more homeless men and women in the corners asking for change or just humbly camped-out, sleeping and trying to stay warm.

So while I have countless things to be thankful for, I have this bittersweet feeling that i shouldn't be "celebrating" this holiday in such a big way for a while. I almost want to go on a Thanksgiving-Hiatus... but then would it be more of an insult that I'm not acknowledging what I should be thankful for? I have to do something different. put my work and effort to helping others instead rather than help orchestrate a big feast.

Adventures in Food

2008-11-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

Rather than cook the Bloomsdale Spinach, I decided to eat it fresh in a salad. According to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook - which is all I seem to be using nowadays, this variety of spinach (which has bumpy/nubby leaves) is low in tannins, and pretty sweet - and even the stems are sweet. So I tasted some, and it did taste pretty good.

Here's the salad I made. I chopped up the spinach into a chiffonade - which is kinda hard to even distinguish since the leaves are so bumpy. I added some Topo Avocado - this variety has a very thin skin... the vendor said it's even edible - and it is soft indeed. I prefer the flavor of the Reed Avocado I tried a couple of weeks ago. It was much richer and tastier than this one. Opal Basil & Pomegranate seeds (mascerated in Grand Marnier) were tossed in for color.

Normally I hate Okra. Not just because of the fuzzy skin (which can be gag inducing) - but the slimy innards. This recipe (again from the SMFM Cookbook) calls for roasting them.

First I rinsed the Okra, then with a Kitchen towel, I rubbed the fuzzy skin off. I shelled the fresh peanuts, chopped them coarsly then spread the Okra & Peanuts out on a roasting pan. Tossed them with Maldon Sea Salt, Red Pepper Flakes, Olive Oil - then popped it into a 425 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes.

The Okra wasn't slimy!!! As a matter of fact, the dish isn't bad at all. However it was rather labor intensive - shelling the peanuts & rubbing each okra. I kept pecking at Sunday's green beans & yesterday's roasted chicken - that by the time the okra came out of the oven - i wasn't hungry any more. it's a pity because i actually liked this dish. I hope it holds up well in the fridge.

How to Freeze Water

2008-11-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

I've been contemplating switching to metal ice cube trays instead of the plastic i currently have.

I googled the topic.

Didn't realize that so many others were having these discussions:

Debra Lynn Dadd has a pretty thorough Q & A on the topic

so most metal trays are Aluminum. makes sense. I'll look into it - eventually. But i got distracted by other things...

She has an interesting site as well. She's referred to as the Queen of Green. So I'm not sure if it's worth switching over since they say not much harmfull substances transfer over. I don't use much ice but still... you never know when you're gonna want a Bloody Mary.

After pondering this topic - i think i need one. A Bloody Mary, that is.

Seasons: Autumn in L.A.

2008-11-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

Snow does not a winter make.

If I had a nickel for every person who flippantly remarks how Los Angeles doesn't have any seasons...

This year is odd however. it was 80 degrees on Friday & it's November... and most of October was averaging in the 80s with a couple of days getting up in the 100's.

I have a low tolerance for cold - and right now i'm freezing!

Seasons do change in L.A.
they are subtle.
if you really take a look, and can appreciate these subtle changes - you will be rewarded.

Autumn
The air gets drier.
Santa Ana winds can kick up. (origin - Santana or "Devil wind" since it blows hot & comes from the northern deserts, not from Santa Ana in Orange County - and it has nothing to do with that Texan General either).
Brush fires are prevalent due to the dry brush after the long hot arid summer.
Santa Ana winds can make these fires whip out of control.

on a side note:
These fires are necessary for the Chaparral to regenerate - the seeds need the heat of the fire to open. It's part of the ecology of Southern California - the fires are cyclical - about every 10 years. What's made them devastating in recent years ----> non-native vegetation! Go ahead - plant eucalyptus trees because they grow quickly and smell nice. Their oils also burn HOTTER - and their fires are harder to put out! Also, the sprawl of the suburbs have moved people into the path of the fires - so what would have once been a wildfire in the far off mountains have become Super-Fires in people's backyards.

The Autumn light is also more golden since the sun rises & sets at more of an angle - giving us more dramatic sunsets full of gold & orange, pinks & purples... just gorgeous! and the colors of the buildings at sunset: a white wall turns to honey gold, or rosy pink.

As I sit here typing - wearing a second pair of socks & a hoodie (i don't want to turn on the heater yet) there's a sharp bite in the air. Today's sky was so dramatic! it was warm in the sun - but menacing clouds would pass by every now and again making it chilly. at sunset there was a cold wind that forced me inside.

True, we don't have those trees that turn colors as seen in postcards and the like... but the Plumeria are now in bloom... no - not native, but they have been planted everywhere.

If you see a tree with Plumeria - get close and take a deep breath - they are intoxicatingly fragrant!

Japanese Anemone is also in bloom now. Both the Plumeria & Anemone are found in various spots throughout the city - as Japanese gardening was all the rage & very much in vogue during the mid-20th century.

The Meyer Lemon trees are full of green fruit that will soon ripen into my favorite honey golden lemons. Pomegranates are plentiful, as are persimmons.

As you can see by my shopping at the markets - there's a definite change in what's available locally. I'm shopping as macrobiotically as i can. 90% of my groceries come from farmer's markets - hence I'm getting locally grown fruits & veggies that don't lose their vitality/vitamins during shipping & transit. Well, I'm having fun with it. I almost overdosed on heirloom tomatoes - but that has passed

Days keep getting shorter - nights are getting longer. rain? who knows - our "rainy" season isn't until february... but it is starting to get chilly... and what's chilly for me is anything under 65. brrrr. i'm getting cold just thinking about how it's getting colder.

At the Market

2008-11-09T07:51:00.001-08:00

Honey Dates - $4
Okra - $3/lb
Fresh Peanuts - $3/lb
Persimmons - 4 for $1
Valencia Oranges - $.25 each
Pink Grapefruit - $.50 each
Beets - $2.50 bunch
Raw unpasteurized goat yogurt - $7
Black Arkansas Apples - $5/bag (8 or 9)
Asian Pear - $2.50/lb
"Yummy" plum - free! (given to me to try)
Onion - $.70
Brussel sprouts - $5 for 2 lb bag
Gerber Daisies - $2.50/bunch
Pomegranate - $1

I never liked Okra... but I have a recipe (Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook) that uses Okra and Fresh Peanuts. I've never tried fresh peanuts before - the skins are soft! So I thought I'd try that recipe since now's the season.

There's this one stand where I always get my asian pears from - and sometimes persimmons (or whatever else they have in season) - they always add a little extra after weighing... today she added 3 plums called "yummy" - I thought they were just describing them - but that's the name of the variety.

I got some flowers just because i thought they were happy and cheerful. I saw my favorite Ranunculus later at a different vendor... too late. I didn't expect to see them - i thought they were spring flowers!

The bumpy textured spinach is called "Bloomsdale". I'd read about it, but never tried it. When I asked the vendor, he told me he likes to cook it - saute it with olive oil & garlic. He added extra into my bag after weighing. Thanks!

Today's apples are called "Black Arkansas" - they're only available 5 weeks of the year - so they'll probably be at the market thru Thanksgiving or so. I sampled one last week and it was sooo good. Nice flavor - sweet yet tart - fragrant like a "Winesap" without that starchy texture i'd been getting from them - and supposedly good for cooking. I have yet to cook any of the apples I've sampled this year. I just eat them raw every time.

There's this great looking recipe for Glazed roasted Beets - normally using blood oranges (not available til winter) but could be substituted with oranges & pomegranates - hence the oranges. I normally don't like oranges much.

I also got a chicken & the goat yogurt from "Healthy Family Farms" - they're the ones I ordered my Thanksgiving Turkey from. I feel bad for cheating on Tomas from Lily's Eggs - but I want to try another chicken to see if there's a difference. I almost got a cornish rock hen - but I wanted to stick with the chicken for now. I'll roast it with my upright roaster.

No herbs this time. I realized, my chives are growing nicely, and so is the rosemary - and I just planted some thyme & basil. The only thing I'm seriously lacking in is cilantro. I always seem to kill it - and it always wilts or gets black spots before I get to use the bunch. sigh.

Up at 6:30 a.m. - Knocked out by noon

2008-11-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

I surprised myself this morning.
I was wide awake and full of energy at 6:30 am.
without the phentermine even.
I just couldn't sleep anymore.
This was after a night at the gallery/burgundy room where i closed the place out, waited for the drunks to leave the streets and all. I didn't leave until 2:30 & was barely in bed at 3am.

I stayed in bed til 7:30 then started working out.
Though I wanted to go to Santa Monica to hit the stairs & Farmer's Market - I just didn't go... Lisa couldn't join me and I still had so much food that there was no reason.

So I decided to tend to my sadly neglected garden on my front porch. All that sweeping & weeding & re-potting turned out to be a significant workout. By the time I was done, I was pooped.

All I wanted to do was nap. But first I had to shower. But before that, a friend needed to use my computer (and my help) to typeset some plaque she needs engraved.

Where did all that energy go?
Why was I wide awake after barely 3 hours of sleep?

I finally took a 1 hour nap, but i've been shuffling around the apartment since.
sleepwalking.
i didn't get to cook the veggies i bought this week - all i ate were salads.
as a result, I had 1bunch of rainbow chard that was wilting, 2lbs. green beans that were going limp with a couple of pieces starting to mold, 1/4 section of tahitian squash that was starting to look sad... all needed to be cooked and consumed - or else get thrown out. sigh.

so i roasted the squash, then the green beans, and wilted the chard with onions & garlic. 3 side dishes and no main course - all cooked at once since i was too busy (lazy) to prepare them earlier in the week.

Tomorrow at the Hollywood market - i'm NOT taking my cart - and only buying what i can carry.

and my persimmons still haven't ripened. hmpf!

note: the brighter orange the persimmon - the sweeter it is. you can get the greenish ones - but they'll take weeks to develop the color & ripen. my mistake of getting some not-so-orange persimmons.

vanishing black cod

2008-11-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

I like to take pictures of my meals... but one item i can never seem to photograph...

Nobu-style Black Cod with Miso.

why?

by the time it comes out of the oven, all i'm thinking of is eating it. it happened on sunday & again tonight.

I voted today. it took over an hour! most of the previous times i voted, it took 10 minutes or less. I'm thrilled that so many people turned out - this is such an important election!

GObama!

NO on prop 8

2008-11-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

I can't control the ads placed by GoogleAds.

Currently there's an ad which completely contradicts my political views. So here's me on my soapbox shouting as loud as i can:

NO on prop. 8

thanks.

Personal Shopper?

2008-11-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

It's obvious I like food.
I'm passionate about good food.

I am also inquisitive and ask lots of questions. I see something new at the farmer's market & i start asking, learning, sampling, experimenting.

I also like to share said information. Knowledge is light, right?

A friend came over for dinner - it was a barter, if you will - handy-work in exchange for dinner.

unfortch, the drill which was necessary for said handy work wasn't available... but the fish would spoil otherwise, so dinner went on... modified from the chilean sea bass as the entree to the black cod w/miso. (sorry - no picture - totally forgot)

but an idea did come up: becoming a personal shopper for fresh produce. Or just plain good food. Many people complain that they don't have time to do their own grocery shopping - that it's such a chore.

I love shopping. I seek out the best items. Some are quite expensive though. I will pay more for quality. I will pay more for sustainably farmed foods. But will anyone else?

My friend Holly came over around dinnertime earlier in the week - she had some of that composed salad I threw together a few days ago (pictured in an earlier post). She loved it - she always likes my cooking. She says she doesn't have time to cook. She eats milk & cereal regularly. It's easy & convenient and she loves it. Due to my intolerance of dairy & disdain for soy & growing apprehension for grains... I can't eat milk & cereal... sigh... and to think that I used to eat the junkiest stuff when i was a kid. wow - ignorance was bliss.

My breakfasts don't take that much time to prepare. just a little thought and creativity... or working with what i have for the week. and since my foods are mostly perishable, i have to eat it or throw it out.

Now if I do this purchasing thing, for several people, then maybe i wouldn't have the problem of my bunches of herbs or cilantro going bad before the week is done. I could go to the market(s), buy a couple of cases of things (perhaps at a quantity price break), divide it up among the various clients/friends - then deliver the produce with some recipe cards? So I could split the bunch of cilantro, and not throw away food i didn't get time to prepare.

This would be great for people who really pay attention to the foods/ingredients. My dad loved the apples i brought him yesterday. But now i think he's faking his enthusiasm...

flashback 2 years ago:
me: I made these croissants from scratch! it took 2 days to make them!
dad - grabs one off the plate and mindlessly stuffs it in his mouth.
(i was horrified - it needed to be heated up and enjoyed with some jam or coffee)
me: so what do you think?
dad: it was dry.
me: DRY??? DRY??? that's all you have to say about it? it needed to be heated - but what about the taste or the texture?
dad: it was good.
me: how would you know? you downed it in one gulp - like a dog eating a treat. seriously, did you even taste it?
dad: oh i don't know - give me another one.
me: you don't deserve it if you're going to eat it that way. go back to your costco baked goods.

Ok - so i'm not that nasty - i'm paraphrasing, and peppering the dialogue with my cynical thoughts. He knows i scrutinize his reactions, so he plays it up. i'm not really buying it, so it's all an act with no objectivity, no real exchange of information. I'll never know if he really likes something or has a preference for one thing over another just because he's now telling me he likes everything i bring him. I have to catch him off guard or trick him to get something honest.

So how could I structure this? How much would i charge? How about if the clients don't know what to do with the items or don't have time to do any of the cooking and everything goes bad?

Thoughts?

Adventures in Food

2008-11-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

Winesap apples - *** (Final assessment) Great flavor - strange texture. (5 for flavor, minus 2 for texture). maybe they're better cooked.

Reed Avocado - *****
according to the lady who sold it to me - they're only available 3 months out of the year (autumn, basically). Very buttery and creamy. So rich. I like adding it to my salad - just a little wedge. With such richness, a little goes a long way.

I also bought a Pink stripe Tomato. It was huge! it cost $4.83!!! but check out the composed salad I shared with Holly:Cross-section slices of pink stripe tomato, reed avocado, arugula, watercress, roasted chicken, toasted pecans, pomegranate seeds, cilantro

So sad. I bought mint & thyme last week. Didn't use either. They went bad. I hate letting food go to waste. I tend to over-buy in the vegetable department. I always get cilantro - half the bunch goes bad. every time. it's hard to purchase for one.

Inspiration

2008-11-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

I was looking for inspiration.

I found it.

In looking for new breakfast preparation & presentation ideas, I stumbled across a blog called Simply Breakfast . Jen is a photographer who takes the most gorgeous photos of her breakfasts. No text. Just a great shot. So now I'm taking pictures of some of my meals.

This way, I can see how my diet changes with the seasons & moods.

I'm currently loving persimmons. This is a Giant Fuyu. I love the sand-dollar pattern it makes when sliced crosswise.

I was planning on going to Santa Monica this morning with Lisa to do a workout on the stairs, hit up the market, then pop into Santa Monica Seafood. I'm skipping the stairs however since my hair is still looking good from last night's 60's (Mad Men) inspired Halloween ensemble. Seriously - I don't know how women could tolerate curlers. Hence my reluctance to mess it up less than 24 hours later.

Now that I've started buying Jam/Preserves from the farmers at the Farmer's markets - I can never go back to the super-market varieties.

Harry's Berries makes an excellent Strawberry jam. Just recently, they had Raspberry jam at the market. They only made 48. I bought 2 jars. So good! They haven't made Blackberry Jam for several years - apparently their crop hasn't been plentiful enough in recent years - and almost all get sold fresh at the market. But I did find Blackberry Jam from another stand.

I also keep purchasing Apple Jelly from Ha's Family Orchards. Lisa gave me this great recipe for Salmon with a Horseradish/Apple Jelly glaze. But somehow the jelly all gets consumed before i can do that salmon.

I made breakfast for my dad the other day. He likes the convenience of opening a pack of that overly-processed, sugar-laden sorry-excuse some people call oatmeal.

At my place, he got Over-easy eggs with chives, half a persimmon, and half of each of 2 different apples - Spitzenberg & Gold Rush. Lucky for him, I had some sprouted-grain bread in the freezer, and some butter. I rarely ever eat bread but he couldn't even conceive of the idea of having eggs without toast. While he was eating, he was my captive audience - and I broke down why his oatmeal is such a manufactured marketing ploy to make him think he's getting something healthful while in reality it is all concocted to sell less nutrition with more packaging to spur the economy... I'll spare you the details... but if you're interested in hearing the breakdown, drop me a line.

Whatever. I haven't been sick for months (I usually get colds every 2 months - i should have had at least 3 by now). I stopped taking vitamins. I do swallow a spoonful of apple cider vinegar every morning. I eat a varied diet giving me tons of vitamins. I rarely use the microwave. I hardly ever buy processed foods. Twizzlers not-withstanding.

They still make my mouth happy

2008-11-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

For all the talk of eating healthy & only shopping at the farmer's markets & stuff... when i fall off the "wagon" so to speak - i don't merely fall - I leap (with gusto, I might add)!

Last Tuesday at the office, someone brought the Halloween Fun Sized Twizzlers. I was done for. I can resist most commercial candies due to their dairy contents... and if i'm blowing my diet on chocolate, it has to be good chocolate.

But once I start with the Twizzlers - there's no stopping. So the next day I bought a bag to contribute to the office candy pot. As soon as I was in the car, I tore into that bag.

Wanna know what made it worse? It was a combo bag - with the Pull n' Peel variety in Green Apple, Wild Berry, Fruit Punch, Strawberry & then the regular Strawberry twists as well. Yeah - I probably ate 1/4 of the bag of 100 pieces.

I'm such a paradox.

friday's breakfast

2008-10-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

1 egg, 1 chive, 1/2 grapefruit w/ ground flax meal

No more vitamins or supplements.

2008-10-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

That's right.

I haven't taken my vitamins in quite a while. I never noticed a difference when I added them to my routine, and I still don't notice a difference now that i've eliminated them.

What I am doing however is getting a good variety of fruits and veggies... trying lots of different things - items I rarely ever ate. And if you scroll down to my posts from this past weekend, you'll see the variety of colors represented.

Orange fleshed squash, sweet potatoes & persimmons
rainbows of tomatoes (most of september)
Leafy green arugula & watercress
other greens in the form of rapini & chinese brocolli
white fleshed (red, green & golden skinned) apples & asian pears
deep red pomegranates
wild fish, grass-fed bison, locally/humanely raised sprout-fed bug-eating chickens & their eggs

I've strayed on occasion... I still can't resist cookies. I did have rice last week. I'm craving pasta but I haven't had it in over a month... i had some pretzels today.

But for the most part, my diet at home has been quite healthy. And you know what? I haven't been sick for ages. I usually get a cold at least once a season, but I haven't had a cold since february or march - I don't even know for sure. I feel guilty that I'm taking prescription Phentermine (sp?) - and occasionally advil or codeine even... but otherwise I'm taking myself off a section of the grid by not buying manufactured vitamins & supplements.

Food is Political

2008-10-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging for about 7 months now!

I'm still an idealist, and I still talk about politics here and there but it's changed over time, and i contemplated re-naming it - or starting a new blog.

The majority of my topics deal with food. Even before i read Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma", I was talking about farmer's markets & buying locally. But I just read the Cliff's Notes version (by Michael Ruhlman) of Michael Pollan's 8,000+ word essay in the New York Times Magazine. I've also started reading said 8,000+ word essay "Farmer in Chief" and right there from the start Pollan states that food is political.

I'm glad to see that we're on the same page since I respect what he says. I'm still on the waiting list with the L.A. Public Library for his follow up to "The Omnivore's Dilemma" called "In Defense of Food". I was around 100th on the list. I wonder how long it'll take. I got the book this time rather than the audio book. I hope it doesn't completely depress me like The O.D. did.

On a side note: I ordered my Thanksgiving Turkey from a local farm (healthy family farms in Ventura county). It's $4/pound ($80 for a 20 pound bird - yikes!) It's being raised humanely and not being fed any corn or soy... I may take a ride up to the farm one of these weekends to see the living conditions. So I'm cooking the Turkey, but it seems that we might have too many people and not enough bird... so my cousin's going to grill a tri-tip, and someone might bring a ham... well, at least we're heading in the right direction... er, make that "i'm trying to coax them into the right direction".

Ecomii

2008-10-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

Have you clicked on any of the ads on my page?

I was intrigued by one - talking about apple recipes... unfortunately the link didn't take me to the apple recipe page, but the website that hosted it was www.ecomii.com.

Even though i didn't get the apple recipes, I really do like this site! great articles and great information about ingredients to watch out for, good alternatives, and it's quite interesting.

so please click on the ads brought to you by ecomii.com - check out the site, and help me earn some cents here and there.

thanks!

Adventures in Food

2008-10-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

Apples:
Gold Rush - **1/2 nice crunch - good texture. flavor was ok.
Winesap - ***1/2 interesting undertones - couldn't quite distinguish it - but the flavor is distinct and fragrant. the texture was odd - might have been under-ripe. I'll try another in a few days. Juicy!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Poblano Chiles & Keffir Lime: ****
Recipe from Santa Monica Farmer's Market cookbook... Note to self - either cut the sweet potato slices smaller - or roast longer... and if roasting longer, add the poblano chiles later. But WOW! the flavor combo of Keffir Lime & Poblano Chile!!! Both of which I'd never used before - ever. I don't know if i'd ever tasted Keffir Lime (be it juice, zest or leaf) - but now that I know this flavor - oh it's amazing. Love it! Lisa liked the flavors too - but the sweet potatoes were just a bit too crunchy (under-roasted, my fault). Good thing I was experimenting with a friend rather than trying to impress someone.

All about Apples

2008-10-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

At the Santa Monica Farmer's Market - Saturday October 18, 2008

And this was just half the stand! This was the last week for Spitzenbergs... They were rather tiny too. Such a short season. All the apples were priced at $2.60/lb so i could mix & match. I took notes as to what I bought.

Yeah - that's my shadow. The light was so bright i couldn't see the image in the viewfinder. Oh well. (my pinky was raised... how dainty - haha)

L-R top row - Spitzenberg, Gold Rush, Fuji
center - Muutsu
bottom - Enterprise & Winesap

I tried an Enterprise today. The texture was nice - it had a good crunch. Not very juicy. Flavor was mild - and I was really trying to taste it to distinguish the flavors. It was alright. It's a pretty apple - great colors. But I'd chose others over this variety. I'll try cooking some of the others - maybe the flavors come out in baking.

My personal apple rankings (of the recently sampled varieties):
Spitzenberg - *****
Fuji - *****
Enterprise - ***
Gala - **1/2
Jonagold - **
Old Fashioned Red Delicious - *
regular Red Delicous - no star

Autumn!

2008-10-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Santa Monica (Saturday) & Hollywood (Sunday)
Poblano Chiles - 75cents for the 2
Keffir Limes & leaves - $1.50
Pomegranites - $1.25 each
Sweet Potatoes - $2/lb.
Pears - Asian & Bartlett $2.50/lb.
Persimmons - $2.50/lb.
Pumpkins - mini 50 cents each
Apples - $2.60/lb. (various)
Apples - $3/lb. (large fuji)

Today is October 19th... Technically it's Autumn... but so far this month, the average temperature has been in the 80's! Well - at least I'm seeing the changes at the produce stands.
I looked at the weather forcast for the week... It's gonna be in the 90's again this wednesday. WTF?

While perusing the Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook, I saw an "autumn" recipe using Keffir Limes & leaves. I've never looked for them before - but I never thought I'd find them... but I found them at Santa Monica on Saturday. So I bought them - but i couldn't remember what else went in that recipe! So I returned to the market Sunday in Hollywood to get the Sweet Potatoes to roast with the Poblano Chiles - and use the juice of the Keffir limes... there's more too it, but those are the main ingredients.

The more i'm trying them, the more I'm loving Persimmons - these are the Fuyu variety. I finally saw the Hachiya variety on Sunday - but I already over-bought. Next week perhaps. I got more pomegranites to make another one of those salads... and some baby arugula & more watercress (not pictured).

Prop 8 and the "Protection of Marriage"

2008-10-19T01:35:00.001-07:00

Passing Proposition 8 protects our children and places into the Constitution the simple definition that a marriage is between a man and a woman.

So if you're divorced - you've already tossed the whole sanctity of marriage out the window... and spat in the faces of your kids too (if you had any)...

If you're divorced and still support Proposition 8 - then you're a bleeding hypocrite and really have no leg to stand on.

If you live in California, please vote NO on 8!!!

10!

2008-10-19T00:51:00.000-07:00

A new personal best!

Destination: Santa Monica 4th street stairs
ipod shuffle: selection courtesy of Carlos & Carrington's itunes catalog
Goal: 10 sets
Partner: solo - just the ipod.

Start time: 9:15 am - kinda late & rather crowded.

1st set
warmup
ipod - billie holiday
easing my way in.

2nd set
down immediately
pause before going up
ipod - led zeppelin - hey hey what can i do

3rd set
down immediately
pause before going up
this is usually a tough one but it wasn't so bad

4th set
down immediately
pause - getting winded - watch girl with red shoes do push-ups... i should be doing those too... but then she'd think i'm copying her... why do i think she'd care? why do i care... almost halfway done...climb up again
ipod - rod stewart - don't remember the song - something fun & upbeat though.

5th set
down immediately
halfway there! but i want to stop... no! musn't quit. go up sideways leading with the right foot. activate a different set of muscles.
ipod - rod stewart - i wish that i knew what i know now

6th set
wander around a bit - then down.
ipod - led zeppelin - ten years gone. good jogging tempo for me.
decide to jog to the concrete steps. it looked so odd going west. (lisa & i usually went from the concrete to the wooden set on entrada).
up - Archies - Sugar Sugar... it was peppy... there was a smile on my face, but boy was this tough.
jog back to the wood steps - stop at car to get a tissue (darned allergies).

view looking down from the middle of the concrete steps

7th set
down immediately after the break at the car.
up - sideways leading with the left foot.
ipod - Ozomatli - yes! just what i needed - a little funk.

8th set
down immediately - the Ozomatli song is giving me that groove i needed.
jog over to the concrete steps.
ipod - Madonna - Holiday. good song to workout to.
jog back to the wood steps.

9th set
down immediately
ipod - elvis costello - watching the detectives (or something like that)... i can't go up to this! unacceptable!
fine - jog to the concrete steps. up - this matches my last workout...
jog back to the wooden steps.

10th set
ipod - led zeppelin - not the lemon song but something else like it.
down - legs are shaky... but i keep going.
take a break at the bottom
up - steady pace...

can i go for one more? make it 11?
ipod - rolling stones - beast of burden

forget it - there's no energy in that song... go to the car to stretch - & enjoy the view. (this picture was taken a while back - but today's scene was quite similar).
End time - 10:35 - that was a long workout.

go to the farmer's market (no cart).
proceed to buy 5 pounds of apples (pictures and taste test results to follow), and a jar of blackberry preserves... and other heavy fruits... and i parked on the 5th floor... dummy! i take the stairs anyways.

Autumn in all Its Glory

2008-10-19T00:47:00.000-07:00

Dinner at Lisa's.
I made the salad.
Pomegranite
Persimmons
Pecans (toasted)
Feta (goat - crumbled)
Watercress
Dandelion greens
Celery.

yum!
(thanks Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook)

Delicata & Chinese Broccoli - experimenting

2008-10-08T22:28:00.001-07:00

No real meals here - just experimenting.

I roasted my winter squash - the Delicata. Since I don't have anything strong enough to chop it raw, I pierced it several times with a knife, popped it into a 375 degree oven, and roasted it until it was soft enough to slice up (about an hour).

Perhaps I could have let it roast a little longer - it was getting soft, but was still pretty, er - crisp? not that it was crispy - but it was firm rather than soft. After scooping out all the seeds & stringy insides, I scooped out the flesh (or pulp as it was referred to in one cook book) and put it in a corning ware dish to store in the fridge. I tasted it plain. It's sweet and flavorful. I sprinkled some cinnamon - made a nice accent... but I didn't prepare any real recipe with it... I don't really know what to do with it now. At least I now know what to expect when I roast it whole in the oven, and how to handle it.

I guess i can portion it out into 2 cup servings, wrap it up and freeze it to use in the next couple of weeks. Winter Squashes are high-sugar vegetables, so I can't just eat it in large amounts if i'm trying to lose weight...

Chinese Broccoli - I prepared it the same way I prepared the Rapini (or Broccoli Rabe). I didn't find it any more bitter than the Rapini (as the lady at the stand cautioned me). It was good! Lisa suggested I stir-fry it with some soy sauce and oyster sauce & some other stuff... I'll get her recipe next time & try it.

Winter Squash - Delicata - *** It's good. It's something from the season. It's different, so I get different nutrients... I'll have to try it in some recipe rather than just eating it plain or sprinkled with cinnamon (though that was a very low fat way of eating it).

Chinese Broccoli - *** Again, it's good. But nothing I would eat raw - It has to be cooked. Nice for a change. Since i'm still new to the whole rapini thing anyways, I'm sure my rating will go up once I'm more familiar with it.

Persimmon Tomato - **** Never heard of it until the SM Farmer's Market. It is very fleshy, and orange in color like a Persimmon - but it's a Tomato. Nice texture - and since it doesn't have as much of the slimy seed stuff, I did enjoy it more than a standard tomato. I had it with the olive oil, balsamic, avocado & basil.

The Future of Our Nation?

2008-10-08T22:17:00.001-07:00

Kids Then Children Now (by Robbie Conal In collaboration with Debbie Ross)

Infrastructure doesn't only encompass roads & bridges & waterworks & sewage systems...

It also includes schools, education, access to affordable healthcare & basic nutrition... If we don't invest in our future, who is going to run the country when it's their turn to come of age?

How did so many politicians become so stingy with education - and the public education system? How many were the product of public education? how many send their children to public schools? i wonder. has the percentage gone up (doubtful)? stayed the same? gone down (most likely)?

Can Anyone Explain This To Me?

2008-10-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

The Lincoln Savings & Loan meltdown...

I get it in vague terms.

I get McCain's role, and why his actions to stop regulators from intervening was criminal.

I remember the scandal - and the bailout...

Charles Keating was convicted and went to jail. The other senators were disgraced and didn't seek re-election... But somehow McCain got a slap on the wrist - and continued pushing for less regulation.

But how exactly was the $$$ being toyed with? I know that it had to do with some failed real estate investments (sounding too familiar already), but how does the bottom just fall out? how did it fall out then?

I know why it's falling out now... I saw it first-hand when I worked at a Mortgage company. Wanna know why I quit? among other reasons, I just couldn't stand the greed and the lies.

I couldn't bear to watch so many people who had no business buying houses (waaaay beyond their means) were enjoying this life of luxe - while I was just paying rent, and driving a 1989 Toyota Camry. I was the paper pusher... i saw how numbers were fabricated on the NI/NA (no income/no assets) loans... The borrowers were going "Stated/Stated" or "Made-up/Made-up". I could have made up my own numbers and gotten a condo.

I was a bit jealous... but i was also full of contempt for those liars (namely the borrowers, the loan officers, and the bank account executives). The Loan Officers and Bankers got their commissions... they were living large for a while... and no - it never trickled down to the general office staff - not even me, the "Executive Assistant" - it was a fight to get any raise let alone health insurance. Now the lying borrowers are being foreclosed upon... the lying loan officers are looking for new work since the mortgage business is in the shitter, and well, many of the banks we used to work with are now going under. Surprise, Surprise!

The writing was on the wall, and I wanted no further part of it... I didn't want to see it, I didn't want to help pass through the papers that assisted lying cheaters.

That's why I'm so opposed to the bailouts! So many were riding so high while I was just sraping by, under the radar, in my rent-control apartment, still driving my '89 Camry.

What ever happened to having good work ethic? Responsibility? Accountability? Why do the profits get privatized (to the select few) and the losses turn into bailouts?

And are the companies/banks that are getting benefits from the bailouts going to share any of their profits (if any)? Who owns them? Offshore multi-national corporations headquartered in Dubai?

I'm not liking this one bit... I don't get what's going on... but I can smell something's rotten!

In Case of Emergency

2008-10-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

I've been reminded - and would like to pass this on...

Have a stash of emergency cash available.

I used to deal strictly with credit cards, and sometimes would go weeks with hardly a $5 bill in my purse and scraps of change in jars at home...

Imagine if suddenly we had NO access to any of our money. What if there's an earthquake and the power goes out. for a week!

or imagine that some fraudulent activity went on and your bank closes your account while things get repaired - on a friday... and won't let you have anything until monday or tuesday... This just recently happened to a friend of mine - Washington Mutual froze her account on a friday when they saw her account's security was comprimised - but even when she went into the branch to try and talk to a manager - she still couldn't get any of her own cash!!!

So if you don't already have an emergency stash somewhere... start one. now.

and with all this crazy talk going on about the economy and banks being bought up or bailed out... it's a good idea to have some cash on hand.

just sayin.

9!

2008-10-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

That's my new personal best... 9 sets at the Santa Monica Stairs.

Last time I did the stairs was several months ago - so this wasn't a level I was working to... I just kept going until my thighs wouldn't lift me up any more steps.

Lisa went on to do a 10th set - but those last few steps up on my 9th round were like trudging though mud - I seriously couldn't lift my legs up anymore... and they were shaking!

So what did we do next? Santa Monica Farmer's Market, of course!

There is this one stand that had 12 different varieties of Apples! Included were: Winesap, Braeburn, Empire, and Spitzenberg (among others).

I'd read (in the Farmer's market cookbook) that the Spitzenberg was Thomas Jefferson's favorite, and that eaten raw, it is "flavorful, complex crisp, sweet-tart" and cooked it's "warm caramel flesh, best sugar-acid balance, moist, soft texture, deep apple flavor"... So I had to give it a try. I bought 4. They are kinda small - and I wanted to cook some to see what they'd be like, but I've already eaten 2 of them. They're very good! nice crunch and texture. the flavor is delicious. If you ever see them at the market, don't pass them up - give them a try!

I didn't find my favorite "pink stripe" tomato - that was one i found at the Hollywood market... But there was this one stand that had about 2 dozen varieties of heirlooms & other tomatoes. I got a few (again). They just look so good!

Spitzenberg Apples- *****

now I just need some advil and/or muscle relaxers... i think i'll be in even more pain tomorrow - it's always the 2nd day after a workout that's the killer... of course Lisa & I didn't stop - we went on to do abs & arms when we got to her place... so my triceps are hurting too.

Adventures in food - a new series!

2008-10-03T21:25:00.001-07:00

Since I'm experimenting so much with new ingredients at the various Farmer's Markets as the seasons keep changing... I might as well start a series...

So tonight's new items:

Broccoli Rabe & Jonagold apples. Not together, though.

I did a simple blanch and saute of the Broccoli Rabe.

I brought a pot of salted water to a boil, added the chopped Broccoli Rabe & cooked it for about 2 minutes. I let it drain over the sink and sit in the strainer while i heated some Adam's Ranch Olive oil & sliced 4 cloves of garlic. When the oil was hot, I added the garlic until the perfumes were released - then added a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes I bought last week when I went to Penzey's (they have the best spices!). Then I added the well-drained Broccoli Rabe... tossed to coat & heat through... & voila!

Originally I was going to cook this with Hot Italian Sausage (from trader joe's - not organic, i know) & pasta - but as I'm trying to lose weight - I opted for just the veggies.

Easy & delicious.

I also bought Chinese Broccoli, which the lady at the market said was more bitter than the BR. It has a coarser leaf, with a little ruffle, and a darker color. I'll try cooking that the same way to see how it compares. That will be tomorrow's side dish.

Broccoli Rabe ***
not really my fave, but it was good. I'll have to try it with other things. I had this alone, so the meal was - well, it was comprised of Broccoli Rabe, Garlic, Oil & Red Pepper Flakes. (note to self: go easy on the red pepper flakes when they are new & fresh - they are so much more potent than the stale old ones...)

Jonagold Apple **1/2
I prefered its flavor over the Old-Fashioned Red Delicious's - but it still reminded me of that apple flavor I knew growing up when I didn't like apples. The texture was not all that mealy but there was something to it that made me not like it.

When I was a kid - the fruits we had in the house mostly comprised of apples, bananas, grapes & oranges (in the summer we'd get melons, strawberries & stone fruits - and other seasonal items occasionally). Boring! Needless to say - i wasn't much of a fruit eater.

My dad loves apples. but he eats mindlessly. he just eats an apple while reading a magazine or the newspaper. he doesn't seem to pay attention to the flavor or texture. he just eats them. he'd always get Red Delicious. Back then, we used to shop at Alpha Beta on Pico & Beverwil... and all I knew about apples were the 3 colors - Red, Golden Delicious & Granny Smith (green). I'd go with my mom to the market, and that was the routine - getting a bag of Red apples.

I never really questioned it. It was just what we'd get. Eventually I noticed there were Jonagolds & Jonathans - and sometimes we'd get those too. I never enjoyed them. I never wanted to eat an apple. I never craved apples. In fact - I hated them!

Alpha Beta was eventually bought out by Ralph's - and our regular store (which was really going downhill and had a pathetic selection near the end) closed down.

We started going to Vons in Cheviot Hills. Maybe that's when I noticed the Galas and the Fujis. They were more expensive than the cheapo Reds (by what - a nickel or two?) but we eventually tried the Galas. I liked them a little better.

For some reason, we never got the green ones. My dad always reached for the Red.

Eventually, when I hit my teens, i did start questioning this - and would start getting green apples instead. Hey - I was finally eating apples - that's a good thing, right?

But I didn't try the Fujis until i was in my 20's and moved out of my parents' house. I love Fuji apples.

I was actually craving apples during the early summer months - when they were out of season locally. The only ones they had at the farmer's markets were the ones kept in cold storage from the previous season. Not good. And buying Washington Apples (let alone New Zealand) goes against my buy local philosophies.

Now that they're back - I'm taking this opportunity to try as many varieties as I see to really find out which ones I like best, & which ones I like least.

Most of those fruits I grew up with - the Red apples, green grapes, oranges & bananas - are now my least favorite fruits. At one point, during High School, I ate a banana almost daily with my lunch. But one day, my tastes just changed - and I was disgusted by them. I still don't like them much. I'll have a banana bread muffin once in a while - or I'd occasionally have a smoothie back in the day (when I could still tolerate milk) with a banana... but most of the time, the thought of the flavor simply repulses me.

I like these experiments... keeps things fresh and exciting. I'll get in a routine for a while, then switch it up. I enjoyed the figs, berries, peaches, apricots, cherries et. al. during the summer - but now i'm enjoying apples, pears & grapefruits again.

The 3rd apple I bought last sunday was the Mutsu (also known as the Crispin locally), I have yet to try it - it's still in the fridge.

Why did my Hiccups come back?

2008-10-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

I used to be notorious for my hiccups.

And then suddenly they just went away.

When I worked at a desk job, years ago - it was almost like clockwork: 5pm would roll around...

hic.... hic.... hic....

that would of course be followed by snickers from my co-workers who would all be staring at me and smiling. they found it funny. to me it was just normal.

but i've always hiccuped on a daily basis since infancy even - according to my mother. she would dread it when someone would make me laugh while i'd have the hiccups because it would be a minimum 10 minutes of hiccups.

hic... hic... hic...

But shortly after I quit my job at the mortgage company - the hiccups just faded away. what was a daily occurrence lasting several minutes - sometimes multiple times a day simply became a single random HIC every once in a while.

I started working again, and this job has me sitting at a desk for several hours a day sometimes. And once again:

hic... hic... hic...

So i'm wondering - what is it that makes me get these hiccups?

It's not just when i'm sitting down at the desk in front of the computer. I'll get them while standing at the stove cooking. Or driving around. Or sitting back having a coffee with a friend.

Perhaps it's the act of sitting up at attention for several hours a day? When I was a student, I'd be sitting at a desk for several hours - and I always had hiccups.

Could it be that holding that posture or staying in a seated position for long periods of time daily makes me somehow get these random spasms in my diaphragm that hit me at different times throughout the day?

Hmmm... it's a theory.

I can't seem to get enough!

2008-09-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight's dinner featured more goodies from the Hollywood Farmer's Market.

I sliced up a "Green Zebra Stripe" tomato & a "Pink Stripe" tomato (which didn't really have any pink coloring that I could tell - it was mostly yellow with some variations to the tone)- and drizzled them with some Adam's Ranch Olive Oil, and finished them with a sprinkling of Maldon sea salt & pepper.

The main course of the meal was leftover Halibut (not from the farmer's market - but safe according to the Seafood Watch guide) with a chunky tomato vinaigrette (using another heirloom which i can't remember the name of, sorry).

Quite colorful considering that all I had was fish & tomato.

I'll still be eating more tomatoes this week as you can see from the platter of them on the counter behind my dinner plate.

I also purchased a Winter Squash. I guess I'll roast it some time this week. I've never tried this variety. actually - I'm a novice at Winter Squash... Only tried roasting a butternut squash once, and Pumpkin Pie from Marie Calendar's doesn't count.

This week in Apples:

I want to know more about them. There are so many varieties out there. So I'm buying one of each to see which variety i truly like most.

Old-Fashioned Red Delicious: It has a matte red skin with green striping to it (no picture - I ate it already). Different looking from what we find in the supermarket - the highly waxed - gleaming deep-red apples. The texture wasn't as mealy as the supermarket type (++) but it still had that "Red-Delicious" taste - which I don't like.

Next up - Jonagold & one that starts with the letter 'M' and i think there was a 'u' in it... but I forgot the name. It's green.

Ratings
***** - Love it
**** - a keeper
*** - ok - good for variety
** - meh - I've had better
* - never again

Old-Fashioned Red Delicious apple **
Pink Stripe Tomato - *****
Green Zebra Stripe Tomato - ***
Lindner's Bison Kebab cubes - *****
Lily's Eggs (Chicken) - *****
Lily's Eggs (Eggs) - *****

Better than nothing?

2008-09-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

My representative - Henry Waxman - disappointed me today.

He voted Yea on the $700billion bailout...

But seriously - how could he know through osmosis that he was not representing me? I didn't try contacting him on how I felt.

So I went onto my Senators' webpages (Barbara Boxer & Diane Feinstein), and emailed them how I felt. My header screamed:

"NOOOOO - I do not support the bailout!"

Why should the irresponsible parties who created this disaster be rewarded at the expense of the taxpayers?

I didn't buy a house I couldn't afford.
I didn't buy a new car that I couldn't afford.

I'm still driving an '89 toyota camry that I inherited 8 years ago.

I also take the bus to save $$ on gas.

So why should I help fund those who spent beyond their means and were too greedy?

and the bankers... why do they get such exorbitant salaries, bonuses & golden parachutes?

shouldn't they pay that money back first before the rest of us foot the bill?

And I was recently reminded (and outraged by the lack of media awareness) that McCain was one of the Keating 5. Hello? bailout part II?

So perhaps I'm a little bit all over the place... I didn't want to write too long a letter - I wanted to get my point across.

But I took a few moments out to contact my senators to tell them how I felt. They supposedly represent us - and if we don't tell them how we feel, then how can they truly represent us?

Or am I being an Idealist here... do they really care about serving their constituency or have they been bought?

Sigh... at least I tried...

McCain: The Most Reprehensible of the Keating 5

2008-09-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

Click Here for a link to a very enlightening article on presidential hopeful, John McCain's involvement in the Lincoln Savings & Loan debacle... back during the first Bush Presidency.

The burden of the FDIC insurance payments was given to the taxpayers...

Who's going to be paying for this $700 Billion bailout?

you.
me.
our kids.

How are we going to fix those potholes?
oh funding's been cut
New books at school?
the money's been funneled elsewhere.
Repair Levees?
it will have to wait.

Our infrastructure?
crumbling.

How do you Melt Meat?

2008-09-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

While vacationing with my parents in Julian, CA - about 15 years ago - we decided have dinner in that charming little mining town in San Diego County before our long drive home. We had a choice of 2 restaurants... we went to the Fondue place.

That was my first time having fondue. We had a cheese fondue - and dipped pieces of bread, blanched broccoli, and some other veggies... I remember the waitress now - explaining how to stir from the bottom, and to shake off the excess cheese "twirl [the fondue fork/skewer] against the rim of the pot - and never, ever tap!"

Mom: You know, we have a fondue set.
Me: Really? How have I never noticed it?

Yes, my parents had a Fondue set - probably a wedding present or something... I guess it was the rage back in the late 60's early 70's...

About a week after our return home, I asked about the fondue set. She pulled the whole set out.

Me: what are all those little dishes for?
Mom: for the condiments.
Me: what condiments? we didn't have condiments with our cheese.
Mom: it's for the Meat Fondue.
Me: (completely perplexed and horrified) How do you melt meat?

apparently, you cook cubes of meat in hot oil that's burning in the pot... no cheese involved.

The fondue set has been in my possession for the past 8 years and last night was the 2nd time I used it - and the first time for meat.

When I bought the cubes of Bison meat from Lindner's Bison at the Hollywood Farmer's Market, I saw a suggested recipe for fondue. I popped the package into the freezer when I got home. I wasn't ready to cook it yet.

I was having computer issues, and I bartered computer clean-up assistance in exchange for a home cooked meal. Even though i thought I'd washed my hands of him... turns out, I needed Mike's help... he does a great job of pissing us all off (within our circle of friends) - but somehow he just weasels himself back in. pretty smooth if you ask me.

He got his bison he'd wanted.

I got my computer fixed.

While waiting for the meat to marinate, & the computer to de-frag - we walked to the museum (LACMA) . We did a brisk walk through - from the Ahmanson building - where the Magritte painting (at right with Mike) is now housedto the new BCAM - then back home through Hancock Park (that's the name of the park) where the La Brea Tar Pits are.

You know - the Idea of Fondue is so much better than the Reality. It's such a pain set the whole thing up.

BUT - IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!

was it the bison?
was it because it was basically fried in a pot of oil?
was it the marinade?

Whatever the combination - the meat was delicious.

And in keeping with that 60's spirit (I've been watching Mad Men - great show), we had cocktails with the meal - Bloody Marys - followed by vanilla flavored Brandy on the front porch with cigarettes. Not only did I smoke... I chain smoked - about 5!! That's all they do on that show - smoke, drink, & have affairs.

All I can say - I was hurting this morning.

But I still made it out to the Hollywood F.M. and spoke with Mrs. Lindner - and bought a brisket. It's in my freezer now.

Keating 5

2008-09-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

If you can't learn from the past - you'll be granted the opportunity to re-live it.

For anyone not aware of the Keating Five, here’s a very simple summary:

Charles Keating owned a savings and loan in California. He was illegally using the money of his bank’s customers to give loans to himself and friends that they didn’t have to repay, and to speculate on risky real estate investments, which was strictly forbidden by U.S. law (the latter was one cause of the Great Depression).

When the feds found out what was going on and launched an investigation into Keating and his company, Keating called five U.S. Senators whom he had wined, dined, and lavished with hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations and personal gifts for years.

Keating asked the five Senators to tell the feds to bug off, and the five Senators, later known as the Keating Five, obliged, meeting with federal investigators twice and pressuring them to stop investigating Keating’s crimes. They bought Keating some time, but the feds didn’t give up and eventually Keating was nailed. The reason the feds were so persistent was because Keating wasn’t playing with mere chump change. Keating blew $3.4 billion through illegal personal loans and bad investments, and the FDIC eventually had to reimburse Keating’s customers who had been ripped off. (The FDIC is a part of the federal government funded by taxpayers dollars, so when Keating stole from his customers you and I were the ones who paid for it.
)

(Background Info - Keating wasn’t the only Savings and Loan owner who was committing fraud, 20% of the S&L’s that failed during that three year period were found to have been caused by fraud and/or insider trading. The failure of the Lincoln Savings and Loan and other S&L’s pushed the country into a recession, costing the U.S. government $126 billion dollars in FDIC insurance payouts to investors. All of this came to a crescendo during the first year of the presidency of George H.W. Bush, who pushed through the S&L bailout plan to keep the economy afloat.
)

When the involvement of the Keating Five was made public, a scandal erupted and the Senate Ethics Committee launched their own four month long hearing into whether the Keating Five senators had violated Senate ethics rules. It was a giant mess (see the Keating Five Videos section). The other four Senators left office either immediately or within one term. John McCain was formally rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for exercising “poor judgment” for intervening with the federal regulators on behalf of Keating, but because McCain accepted Keating’s gifts of travel and vacations to Bahama while McCain was a member of the House of Representatives (he served one term there before moving to the Senate), the Senate claimed they had no jurisdiction to censure McCain.
(However the meetings to pressure federal regulators occurred during the first few months of McCain serving in the Senate in 1987, so that excuse doesn’t hold up)

John McCain then went back to the drawing board and re-invented himself as “the Straight-Talk Express” and the media gobbled it up. “Tax-Evading-Criminal” doesn’t sound as catchy as “Straight-Shooting-War-Hero”.

Ever since the scandal, when McCain lies today, it’s never questioned, because he’s a “straight talker”. The man has more skeletons in his closet than any politician in history. The Keating Five is just one bone.

There are two fantastic articles about the Keating Five we highly recommend reading.

One is from 1989, written by the Phoenix New Times, called McCain: The Most Reprehensible of the Keating Five. That article does a good job of capturing the anger at the time at John McCain and the other corrupt Senators. It took an incredible spin job for McCain to have survived the scandal.

www.mccainkeatingfive.com

More Tomatoes

2008-09-17T20:18:00.001-07:00

I can't help but eat tomatoes right now... They just look so good at the farmer's markets.

This is my modified caprese salad:
slices from 2 different colored heirloom tomatoes,
watercress,
buffalo mozzarella,
a drizzle of Adam's Ranch Olive Oil,
a pinch of Maldon sea salt,
fresh ground pepper,

and voila!

Gotta mix it up a bit! if you have great looking watercress, skip the basil...

This past Saturday, I was at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, and picked up a bottle of the most delicious olive oil (from Adam's ranch - click above in the recipe for the hyperlink). Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil... so smooth, so rich, so yummy! And it's local (ding!). It was price-y but it really made me want to test it out and savor the flavor - and it is indeed worth the extra bucks. It's comparable in price to some of the fancier label imported brands... but I've never found one that really stood out to me before - enough for me to take notice, at least.

And the idiot that is me wanted to test out my intolerance to dairy by getting buffalo mozzarella - just to see... but what did I also do? Got goat's milk yogurt AND had some Lemon Bars that Lisa & I baked the other day (with real butter)... So how can I tell what caused this recent breakout? sigh... one thing at a time, dork-o!

Lisa & I have been cooking together again... we are pretty damn good cooks - i might add! Lisa's dating a chef... and he was duly impressed by our tilapia last night. Good in, good out... we buy only the best (organic, seasonal, local).

She takes pictures of everything she makes... so I will too. Provided i remember to take a picture before digging in.

Civic Duty part II

2008-09-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

I reported back for Jury Duty this morning at 10:30 (took the subway - so convenient)... they called roll at 11am and told us to report back at 1:30.

Really? we get there mid-morning, and then they tell us to come back 2.5 hours later? Not enough time to really go back to work and return.

So I took a stroll thru the Civic Center. I forgot my camera (again) but i found this website with pictures of all the things I saw today (publicartinla.com/civiccenter).

Moses (representing Mosaic Law), King John with the Magna Carta & Thomas Jefferson with the declaration of Independence.

I like the stylization/art deco quality to these statues.

Nice to walk by these interesting places - I'd never notice them while driving, but on foot, I looked up and contemplated them.

Now I'd have never discovered this park had I stuck to the streets. But I decided to cut through the "Mall" area and found a nice setting with such a crashing sound coming from this massive fountain. I just fell in love with the Mid-Century stylings of this Civic Center - very angular and flat - dramatic horizontal lines and a long low profile.

It must look spectacular in May & June as the fountain is surrounded by Agapanthus plants & Jacaranda trees - the place would be all abloom in blues and purples. (unless the agapanthus flowers are white - but they're usually blue). These pictures are definitely old - the trees and landscaping are much more mature now.

There was a starbucks down in that park so I had a coffee and tried to read a book... but I felt like calling my mama (in barcelona) - she didn't call me this weekend (hmpf!) so i called. I should call more often. I want to visit her again soon.

1pm rolls around & I head back to the courthouse. Hint - if the elevators going up to the 11th floor are totally packed, take the elevators that go from the 12th to the 19th floor, and get off at the 12th and descend 1 flight of stairs... much easier than climbing 11 flights like i did 2wice last week... i hate crowded elevators!!!

1:30 - roll call. They make us wait some more. 2pm - case dismissed. What a freaking waste of 2 days. I didn't even get to run my mouth off again and get dismissed by the prosecuting attorney! we were all dismissed... guess they settled or plea bargained. oh well... no more jury duty for another year.

I took a different route to get back to the subway station... via Temple. I saw this interesting mosaic mural - a topographic map of Los Angeles. This picture doesn't do it justice at all. The colors are much richer in real life.

It's good to take different routes - I used to park near the Disney hall, walk along 1st street then go up on Hill to Temple.

B-O-R-I-N-G!

Gotta cut thru the park, look at the public art. Soak in the different settings... This is what life is about... Experiencing as much as you can... and if you're forced to be somewhere you really don't want to be - explore... see why something like the Civic Center was built - why it looks the way it does - what purpose does it serve... Sure, I'd never say "I want to go to the Civic Center just to sit by the fountain"... But now that I know it's there, next time I get Jury Duty - I might go and take a coffee in the park.

Doing my Civic Duty

2008-09-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

Jury duty time.

on 9/11

It was because of 9/11 that my family all decided to become U.S. citizens. I was born in Montreal, Canada & never really applied for citizenship even though I lived here in Los Angeles since the age of 1.

Or was it because of the 1st Bush election? I can't remember now what was the catalyst...

But with Citizenship comes the right to vote, & the duty to participate in Jury service.

1st time around - about 3 years ago, I hung around all day, and was dismissed in the end. No panel selected.

This time - no such luck. I was picked at about 2:30 pm. And even though I did raise my hand and ran my mouth off about stuff that i can't talk about just yet - I wasn't dismissed.

I had my camera in the car... I should have taken it with me on my lunch break - Jurors now park in the Disney Concert Hall... and I took a "self-guided" tour of the joint. I also walked through the mall of the court houses and saw this great fountain and some fabulous mid-century architecture.

Even though the courtroom was dark and dated looking - I really did take a liking to the wood paneling and the slender vertical lines near the ceiling in the interior of the courtroom... and the way it broke around the clock... Wish I could take a picture of that. I really liked that wall. They really crank the A/C super high in there. I was freezing. maybe that's to keep people like me from falling asleep.

I'll take my camera with me next monday so I can take shots of some of the stuff that caught my eye (to post herein).

correction

2008-09-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

Lowered Expectations was a MadTV skit.

And speaking of Lowered Expectations in regards to dating... I have such low expectations about Jdate (yes i'm still occasionally logging on to see who'll message me)... I was surprised to actually meet 2 really decent guys... (the tally of those I deigned to meet in person: 5 absolute NOs, 1 meh, 2 Yes).

that being said, i realize that I just don't know what i want! I'm not sealing the deal with anyone lately... is it because i'm simply letting these men pass through my life? I think i've reached some sort of comfort level in my singlehood that i just don't know how to open up to anyone anymore...

And for some reason, I'm not feeling overly concerned about this... I'm getting scared that I should be worried. Hmmm - i'm scared that i should be worried about not being too concerned... That's a roundabout way of thinking if i've ever seen one.

Maybe it's not them after all... must be me. Oh well - maybe that handwriting analysis guy was right after all (from that earthday post back in april)

Hurray! and Doh!

2008-09-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Carrington got me 2 wonderful books for my birthday... one of which I've been wanting for ages... The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook (pictured right). I was so excited to start using it... and I was going to prepare for todays shopping - find a new recipe to try out that's especially perfect for what's in season NOW.

But Thursday night, I went to my friend Lisa's to cook dinner with her. Tuesday she had me over for shrimp with this amazing salsa & broccoli.

It was my turn to cook - but since my roommate always makes the most obnoxious gagging sounds & snide comments when I cook fish - I took it to Lisa's.

I took both the above book & my other favorite from Cooks Illustrated (pictured left) and forgot them at her place.

She left for Napa this weekend.

Sigh.

But we had the most amazing Halibut!

Halibut with Chunky Tomato Salsa

INGREDIENTS


1/2	pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, each tomato quartered (about 1 cup)
1/4	teaspoon table salt
1/4	teaspoon ground black pepper
2	medium shallots , minced (about 3 tablespoons)
2	tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
3	tablespoons lemon juice
6	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Mix tomatoes with salt and pepper in medium mixing bowl; let stand until juicy and seasoned, about 10 minutes. Whisk shallots, basil, lemon juice, and oil in small mixing bowl; add to tomatoes and toss to combine. Pour vinaigrette over pieces of cooked fish and serve immediately.

I'd just prepared this meal for my boss - so I took some of the the extra salsa with me to Lisa's - along with some spinach to wilt with garlic. (the boss got baby potatoes with butter and chopped mint & a caprese salad)...

This recipe is a keeper - so easy! and the fish didn't leave any lingering smell at all. I bought a piece of wild caught halibut - about .6/lb - came to $13 - including the tomatoes & spinach, it came to about $20 total or $10 each. a bit of a splurge - but not breaking the bank. Healthy & light.

(must get book back asap!)

This Sunday at the Market

2008-09-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes!

They're looking gorgeous - so colorful and flavorful even... and I generally don't like tomatoes... but how could I resist. I bought 3. I also got:
a rainbow assortment of radishes
3 zucchini ($9 for this & the above 2)
basil ($1)
mint ($1)
watercress ($1)
mixed baby greens ($3)
broccoli crowns (2@$1)
3 pounds of apples (I asked for 2 and he gave me the extra pound gratis) ($6)
golden & red raspberries ($6)
3 pink grapefruits ($2)
1 lb. each raw almonds & raw walnuts ($15.50 total)
dates ($4 - guilty pleasure)
a jar of strawberry jam ($6 - but soooo worth it)
and a basket of figs. ($1.50)

I returned 3 empty cartons of eggs to Tomas from Lily's farms & got a chicken ($13). I also returned an empty glass jar for jam to the people i'd gotten some apple jelly from - they gave me a quarter.

I also got a pound of Bison cubes to make Bison Fondue ($10). The recipe looked interesting... I bought them despite the fact that I cancelled what was to be another meeting of our 'Diner's Club'. I popped the bison into the freezer.

On tuesday I received a text from Michelangelo:

Whenever we convene the food society again i'm coming with you to the farmers market and we're going to eat buffalo steaks ok?

I told him Sunday was the next time I'd be free, and Linder's Bison is always there. So we set sunday as the day... I asked if it was just him or if Ara was joining... he went and invited Ara... ok - no problem.

Last night (saturday) I contacted him on AIM to find out what time he'll be meeting me at the market - that I'll be getting there around 9:30...

Mike - Why so early?
Sharon - because it's from 8 til 1:30, and i don't want to go when it's too hot or too crowded
M - but i'm entertaining tonight
S - um - we had plans to shop together - what time will you be up?
M - I invited Holly too.
(now i love holly to pieces - and she's always welcome, and she always appreciates my cooking - wonderful guest)
S - At what point was I to find out about this? That's it - deal's off... I'm not shopping alone and then cooking and setting up for dinner for 4 all by my self.

I've been underemployed for too long - and I go to the effort of carefully selecting fresh, organic, seasonal, locally and hopefully ethically/sustainably grown foods... but I can't foot the bill and feed 3 other people when all they bring is a $10 bottle of wine or a box of eggo waffles.

That was $80 of groceries! not that all those items will go into one meal... but if I'd gotten 2 pounds of bison (enough for 4) that would have been about $20.

I'm over it. I was going through my cranky/blue moment - and now i'm just taking it in stride... i've mellowed... and i'm just dismissing the whole hassle of Mike... he can be so obnoxious... i should know better... i've known him for over 10 years now... washing my hands of his silliness effective immediately... and it's in print!

So much for "Lowered Expectations"...

2008-09-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Remember that skit from Saturday Night Live - from ages ago? it was a play on the old dating service "Great Expectations"... anywhoo - in the skit, the dating pool was from the not-so-choice candidates...

well, my friend Megan & I came up with a theory about "lowered expectations"... in the workplace.

Ever notice how the slacker gets so much praise when he/she actually decides to put in some sort of effort?

Yet the person who goes in everyday and gives 100% gets slammed if he/she has an "off" day?

I've always had a strong work ethic. I do what needs to be done. And I do it well. I give 90-100% most of the time.

But what always burned me up was the way the slacker - who bummed around and got by doing just 50% - would all of a sudden give a little extra - like 75% - Bonus Time! If I ever gave as little as 50% to 75%, I'd get chewed up and spit out.

So this is how it works... the slacker is all of a sudden doing the boss/company a favor by performing, and everyone is suddenly thrilled. whereas the hard worker is just taken for granted until the one day when he/she doesn't meet the standards - and it's time for a lecture or a meeting.

I have one job where I get the job done in a timely manner. If I ever show up on time, my boss is stunned. I work for her every wednesday - sometimes I show up at 12, sometimes at 12:15. My original start time was supposed to be 11am. But she knows - I get the tasks completed - so what does it matter what time I show up? Unless there's a specific reason why I'm needed at a certain time, I just show up whenever. I don't plan it that way... it just turns out like that.

I have another job where I work there once a week. Again - there's no set time... just 5 hours or so - as long as it takes for me to get the tasks completed. I work independently. we communicate via email or texts most of the time. She also knows I am not a morning person - and that if she ever sees me before 9 am (let alone 10) - hell must be freezing over.

Here's the problem: I just started a new job. I'm very very thankful for it, and I want to do a great job. However, there are 2 people in the company that I've worked with before. They know my work ethic and how I'm hard-working, blah, blah blah.

But they've been singing the praises of ME and telling the boss how awesome I am and how I'm the best and that he must hire me...

Way to set the bar so high.

How can I even meet those HIGH expectations? Now I'm gonna start a new job where if i ever make a mistake - the boss is gonna be thinking "dude - they told me you were the best - what's up with this?" So I have to start out of the gate performing exceptionally - where's room for improvement?

Doctor goes Green by going Pink

2008-09-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

If you are of the male gender, you may want to skip this post...

... Finally went to the gyno today for my annual exam. apologies to anyone i may have spoken to earlier due to my testiness due to my anxiety over going to the doctor.

When i was escorted to the room, i was told to put on the gown and drape the sheet over my lap.

They were cloth!

and they were pink!

no paper gowns or paper sheets... less garbage, but it does create a different set of expenses - water usage for laundry and detergents... but this is less garbage, indeed.

very nice touch. i commented to him how i appreciated his eco-friendly change. we almost spent more time discussing the earth than we did with my exam/health. but i was happy to see him again. much better than the planned parenthood doctors who don't speak english and just grab their swabs and escort you out.

Weasling my Way Out

2008-08-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

I asked a weasel... she obliged.

Dear Wiley-

i was on this date the other night, and while most of the conversation flowed quite nicely… i let slip something about why i don’t like soy products. big mistake!

i tried to back out of it - to say something frivolous and just let it slide. but my foot was firmly planted in mouth.

he pressed on - was he feigning interest? he said he was genuinely interested. I knew better - i knew that explaining the truth (my truth, at least) would be a bad idea.

I really need to learn how to skirt the issue delicately -to just play it off like nothing was mentioned.

sure it’s ok for me to talk about these things with friends, with people who already know me - we get into interesting exchanges of ideas…

but with people i’m meeting for the first time? never again!

Dear No Tofu-

You must keep telling your truth. If it resonates, he’s worth seeing again. However if you say you don’t want to talk about it, maybe another time, and he won’t stop- he’s a douche. He should respect a lady’s boundaries.

If they ask, go for it. If they are too pushy, simply say:

Hey, what is the max bandwidth on your email, dude? I’ll send you my dissertation on the subject.

Dude, I’m taking my foot outta my mouf now and gonna put it up your butt.

But, some guys might like that too much.

Then ask if he’s heard the latest on Jamie Lynn and Brit. Skirted and skirted.

For solutions to your random problems:

Weasels have been advising man kind since the dawn of time. Where do you think the idea of weaseling your way out of something came from, huh?

Send us your questions and we will have Wiley Weaselle answer them or other guest weasels will tell you the secrets of life let you in on how to get out of whatever bind you got yourself into.

We will tell you how to do what is … right.

Go ahead. Ask away. No question is too large or too small.

Email us at lifebehindthesmogcurtain@gmail.com with your questions and ponderings.

This site is not paid for and not affiliated with Weasels Duping Humans or The Weasel Takeover.

Off the Grid

2008-08-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

I'm now on disc 7 of 13 of the Omnivore's Dilemma. It is such an interesting journey. Seriously - I can't recommend it enough! Please go out and read it, or get the audiobook and listen to it.

I was almost looking through my closet for things to iron just to continue ironing while listening! yeah, yeah - i have no idea where this recent love for ironing came from.... i'm just going with it.

Have I mentioned that I want to run away from this city life and get off the grid and live on a farm and raise goats & chickens? sounds familiar. if i didn't mention it here, i know i mentioned it several times. maybe if i say it enough times, it will come true? like how since the age of 34, i've been saying i was 35 - and it finally happened... hmmm...

I got a text one day a couple of weeks ago from my dear sweet friend Flyn... he suggested we run away together and get married... how i wish that was possible! I'd just visited him recently. he lives in petaluma, CA now... and what does he have on his property (his mom's actually)... 3 sheep, 2 lambs, and a huge vegetable and fruit garden! He wants to come back to hollywood and i want to go to some place exactly like where he is. I wish he'd get better already. I miss him so much. his eyes used to smile. they don't smile any more. all the pain meds (and pain) have dulled the life out of him. sigh.

West Hollywood Farmer's Market

2008-08-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

I discovered a Monday option!

Well, I've known about it... but today I finally tried it - it's at Fountain & Vista - Monday from 9am to 2pm.

It's a small one - like the Larchmont Sunday market. Not overwhelmingly crowded either (yay!)

It's been a while since I last went to any farmer's market... I've been out of the loop. all that housesitting just takes me out of my routine - and once the routine gets interrupted, it takes a while to get back on it.

There were so many gorgeous looking tomatoes and squash - and squash blossoms too. Lots of stone fruit... not much in the berry department - that season is fading away...

but i don't like tomatoes too much and i didn't feel like having squash... but I got broccoli ($1.50/lb.), white peaches (freestone), o'henry peaches (freestone) and pluots (mix&match $2.25/lb) and grapefruit ($2/bag - about 6). I generally prefer nectarines to peaches but i like anything with a free stone (as opposed to cling).

I've been avoiding large crowds of people lately... the hollywood market is such a clusterf**k - that i just didn't want to deal. but after listening to 5 discs worth of the Omnivore's Dilemma, I felt like I had to go.

How to Skirt the Issue?

2008-08-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

There is an art to it... skirting the issue...

I wish i was better at it.

case in point: I use this blog to talk about things, shed the light - if you will - about issues that are rather global in scope... but also talking about the steps I'm taking, and hopefully encouraging someone else to take - at trying to be a solution to the problem.

that being said: I don't want to talk about these issues discussed herein!

why?

because i come across looking like a complete kook!

i was on this date the other night, and while most of the conversation flowed quite nicely... i let slip something about why i don't like soy products. big mistake!

i tried to back out of it - to say something frivolous and just let it slide. but my foot was firmly planted in mouth.

he pressed on - was he feigning interest? he said he was genuinely interested. I knew better - i knew that explaining the truth (my truth, at least) would be a bad idea.

I really need to learn how to skirt the issue delicately -to just play it off like nothing was mentioned.

sure it's ok for me to talk about these things with friends, with people who already know me - we get into interesting exchanges of ideas...

but with people i'm meeting for the first time? never again!

that was thursday... still haven't heard from him...

oh well.
whatevs.
next.

I've heard the problems... what's the solution?

2008-08-24T14:37:00.001-07:00

I like audiobooks.

I don't feel as guilty just sitting and reading a book. I can do chores such as cleaning or ironing or working out while listening to something i'm interested in.

I'm listening to "An Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.

While only on disc 3 of 13, I've learned how the Industrial Military Complex is driving our agricultural system, why corn has taken over, and how absolutely depressing this all is. Of course, I've completely over-simplified this... the whole big picture would be impossible for me to convey without regurgitating everything from the book... you'll just have to read it.

So what's the solution?

Where is one to start? I listen to this, get depressed... feel completely impotent - how can my changes have any effect on the world?

And despite all I'm saying here on this blog, when I'm "out" - be it eating-out, out-of-town, out-on-the-town, out-at-a-friend's house... I'm always finding ways of cheating my own principles.

I make allowances that I can't expect everyone to change because of what I say... but then when left to my own devices - outside of my home - I just make allowances.

Recently I started drinking Whiskey again. I made the switch from those yummy raspberry kamikazes and/or tequila for some silly reason. I was dressed very "vamp-y" one night at the gallery, and a vamp wouldn't drink a kamikaze - she would drink whiskey. But whiskey is made from corn.

Now I'll be damned if i stop having a libation whilst at the gallery. I tried to develop a taste for gin a while back. can't do it. I also don't tolerate liqueurs too well either... so what can I switch to now?

And pretty much the only mixer at the bar that doesn't have High Fructose Corn Syrup is Dole Pineapple Juice... Ok... I guess i'll have to search for a new drink...

Wow - leave it to me to make a link from audiobooks to what I'm gonna drink from now on.

Unclear on the Concept

2008-08-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Google's AdSense thingy that puts those windows with advertisments based on my content isn't quite getting it right.

Currently, the ads are for Soap ingredients - featuring Palm Oil. (imagine me rolling my eyes right now).

As much as I would love for everyone to click on the ads on my page, to perhaps generate some sort of income for myself...

Please don't buy the Palm Oil.

Thanks.

Seafood watch

2008-08-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am prone to feeling guilty... about a lot of things... perhaps it's my Jewish heritage?

When I shop for groceries, I get especially conscientious. Although when I go out to eat, many of my principles go out the window - just because I really have no control over someone else's purchasing choices. but i digress...

My friend Gavin gave me a copy of the West Coast Seafood Guide 2008 when he went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He obviously "gets" me.

With my cheat sheet in hand, (you can view your own regional copy here) I went to Santa Monica Seafood to get some fish. I handed my card to the guy who was helping me, and asked him to show me some fish from the green column - ahem - the affordable ones... Pacific Halibut is a great fish... so expensive. Same with king salmon...

I'm not a fan of Red Snapper. I never remember this when I go shopping. I'm such a newbie with fish. All I really know is Black Cod (which I do with this Miso Glaze), Salmon (wild caught) - which I'm used to cooking now... and Tuna in a can (which I try to limit due to mercury concerns)...

But everything else... I'm clueless. I bought some Tilapia too. Haven't figured out how I want to cook it yet. But it's inexpensive, safe on my list, and I know i've had it before and liked it.

It's been a while since I've been to a farmer's market. I'm feeling disconnected. I miss the fresh fruits. Though Lucy's fig trees have been full of fruit & i've gotten my fill for the summer. I miss apples. I'm looking forward to the local apple season.

Quote of the Day

2008-08-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs

-- Albert Einstein

More Customer Dis-Service

2008-08-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

Even when you know what you want...

... getting it can be a challenge.

Case in point: I had to get a video game for a friend's birthday. I was lagging and EB Games had just closed 5 minutes earlier. Doh!

Friday night, I'm all dressed up - it's 8:05pm... I dash off to Best Buy hoping they have the game.

I know the layout (the corporation dictates it)... I head to the game section. But I don't see the games for Nintendo Wii...

Me: Excuse me, where are the games for Nintendo Wii?
Clerk#1: The cashier gets the games for you. They are locked behind the checkout stands.

ok... I go to the big long grey cage behind which are the much coveted and often nicked games that must be caged for their protection. But instead of the games & other wares being behind glass beckoning us to purchase them - they are behind a cage... tedious to look through.

Me: Is there someone who can show me the Wii games?
Clerk#2: No, I'm sorry I don't have the key - only the cashier has the keys. you'll have to get in line.

Fine. I get in line - empty handed.

After about 5 minutes, it's finally my turn.

Me: I'd like Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii.
Cashier: (hesitant) ok.

After about a minute, she returns empty handed.
Cashier: There aren't any out there, I called up the storage to see if they have any in inventory.

At this point, a customer she'd already assisted had returned to get some credit applied or to finalize his transaction.

Then she turns to me...

Cashier: Since they are checking on inventory, I'll have to help the next people in line.
Me: Wait - I'm not done! Isn't there anything else? I need to get a game.
Cashier: I'm sorry - I'm just the cashier
Me: But you're the only one who can help - you're the only one with the key.
Cashier: There's a long line - I have to help the next people.
Me: I WAITED IN LINE - I WAITED MY TURN! (i'm not shouting or anything - but i was firm)
Me (cont'd): What's the next most popular game? I don't know these things - I'm a girl - what do the guys like?
Me (cont'd): C'mon, I need your help - just show me the selection and I'll pick something - I'm not going back in that line.

I'm obviously not some slacker just moving from my couch to get a game to play for a night in. I'm dressed up for the bar/gallery - I don't have all night to just wait... I wanted to get in there and out as quickly as possible.

She concedes and takes me to the cage.

What do I see staring me in the eyes? Super Mario Galaxy.

Me: There it is - Isn't that the game I asked for?
Cashier: oh.
(wow - what a dolt! - rather than argue the point any further i hurried things along)
Me: Ok - done - I want that game - ring me up.

That took all of 2 seconds for me to spot it. If she'd done her job in the first place, I'd have been out of there 5 minutes earlier (that includes her fruitless search, her argument with me, and the other customer she helped in the meantime).

Seriously... If I hadn't known the name of the game I wanted... I wouldn't have gotten any customer service whatsoever. Even knowing what I wanted didn't ensure rapid service.

If Best Buy really cared about it's customers, it would start by treating their employees better - so that they would care and stay with the company and know what they were doing... I'm sure they have such a high turnover of employees that everyone is simply clueless - left hand doesn't know, let alone care about what the right hand is doing.

Pretty Clean

2008-08-17T12:14:00.001-07:00

I love the cleaning products from Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day product line. I just placed an order for some online... since most stores don't carry the entire line - and this way i won't have to drive around town to get the scent I want for the specific product.

Take the Geranium scent - I love it for ironing, and in the bathroom... but not in the kitchen. Lemon Verbena - I love it as a dish soap, but never for laundry products. Strange how picky I can be.

Besides, why should cleaning products smell so 'chemically'. Like Windex or Pine Sol... they knock me out with the fumes.

Unfortch, their bar soap has palm kernalate and other palm derivatives... therefore I didn't get any bars of soap. I'll keep searching.

My friend Megan is creating a line of hand made soaps, and I have some designs I want to do. But if I'm putting my name on any of them... you can be damned well sure that I'll look into all the sources and get the best earth-friendly, eco-friendly materials... and make them smell and look pretty too! If you can't find better, then do it yourself, right? Be the change...

Orders? I'll keep you posted.

Oh - and packaging! It should be pretty on the outside as well as on the inside (and eco-friendly)

Darned Principles!

2008-08-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

I made some pretty bold statements along the way on this blog.

There are some issues I truly believe in and don't want to break if I don't have to.

Others, I just have to bend the rules to accommodate for ease of everyday life (e.g. eating meat that's not fed grains, getting a new cell phone, computer parts...)

But yesterday, as I was wrapping up my stint of house sitting, I had to re-stock the pantry and fridge according to the list that was left for me.

Issue: Palm Oil (and all it's derivatives - palm kernel oil, palm shortening, palm kernalate...)

It's pretty ubiquitous. I find it in soaps, crackers, cookies - lots of places!

Why is it bad?

Apparently, farmers are burning down the natural habitats of Orangutans, Sumatran Rhinos & other endangered species in order to plant more of these palm trees for the said oils. I must confess, I haven't done my own personal research into this, I first heard of this issue in an article from the L.A. Times a few months ago.

If there's an easy substitute, I'll grab the alternative.

However I didn't want to waste too much time that was not on my dime at the grocery store reading the backs of packages.

Carrington usually has some sort of cookies available for snacks. I wanted to re-stock her supply because being the cookie monster that I am, I devoured quite a few. Couldn't find any.

I'm a good baker. I can make cookies. So I baked some. 2 batches.

now i'm gonna break out because I ate some... and they had butter.

why do I do this to myself? damned principles!

Spooner Lake

2008-07-26T18:51:00.001-07:00

I'm not angry - I'm just squinting.

Took this picture with my phone... Had a picnic up at Spooner Lake near Lake Tahoe.

Along the walk, I picked up an Aquafina bottle, a bit-o-honey wrapper, a Corona bottle cap & another plastic candy wrapper.

Be the Change...

I Almost felt bad. Almost.

2008-07-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

I was at Big 5 today, making purchases for my employer.

While in line at the register, I heard the cashiers asking people for their Zip Codes.

Why?

I'm sure there are tons of market research reasons why they ask for zip codes. But if I was to answer their question, which zip code should I give? My employer's zip code (which would match the billing address of the credit card I'd have used)? or my personal zip code?

There was a time that Pep Boys used to ask for a zip code from every customer - and the transaction couldn't be done without giving up this information... I vaguely remember this being discussed in the news - this is like 5 years ago or more even... They had to change their policy due to some judge's decision...

So when I was asked: "May I have your zip code"

My reply was a simple: "No" (not a short or sharp "no" but not a drawl either...) - I almost felt like a bitch just saying that.

Of course, she's just doing her job, asking for the zip code according to store policy... but really, why are they asking for this information? can't we just purchase our goods and go on?

As long as I'm disrupting the system, I'll consider my job done.

The Story of Stuff

2008-07-17T18:24:00.001-07:00

Click on the title - it's a link

This 21 minute documentary should be mandatory viewing for everyone!

chilling.

I swear, I'm gonna pack up soon, move to a farmhouse, raise chickens & goats, and grow my own food, get off the grid, and bike everywhere.

Intolerance Sucks!

2008-07-16T02:35:00.001-07:00

There are many types of intolerance...

intolerance of certain races/ethnicities
intolerance of homosexuality

they all suck... but the one that really kills me:

intolerance to Dairy Products. It just hit me about 3 years ago - before that, I was fine. It's cow that's the real culprit. I'm guessing it may have to do with what the cows have been eating... I'm gonna blame the GMO corn/grains for my allergic reactions. I get those nasty cystic pimples - the big painful ones under the skin. Goat & Sheep milk don't affect me as badly... but I still get breakouts every now and again due to errant butter or cream in some sauce.

I went to Melisse for dinner tonight. Michelin rated 2 stars... fabulous french food...

Sometimes you just have to decide - enjoy a great meal and experience the food as it was meant to be prepared or don't go there.

Being the foodie that I am, I sucked it up, and just accepted what was presented. From the amuse-bouche to the dessert - there was some sort of dairy in just about everything... and it all tasted soooo good.

And the cheese plate! Oh. My. God! The bleue cheese - St. Auger (i may have misspelled that) was so creamy and what a wonderful flavor... and the Humboldt Fog... man - I love cheese! why do i have to break out?

Was it worth it? well - yes, and no... I wonder how badly this episode is going to be. I'm gonna drink plenty of water and green tea and hopefully I can cleanse most of it out of my system.

To Tell the Truth?

2008-07-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

How do people really find anyone on these dating sites? I know they work for some people - I know of a few success stories even...

But the BS quotient is so high that it makes my head spin. And to make things even more confusing: the more vague and enigmatic I am, the more the guys want to chat with me. So let me get this right - the more real i am, the less they care, and the more vague, the more they want to know. Makes me wonder: do they really want to know me?

I was at Michelangelo's the other day. He took on the role of armchair psychologist. we got to talking about dating and told me I should go on jdate. I gave him my laundry list of why i hated it - but since we were at a computer - we checked if my profile was still there - and it was.

When I got home, I decided to re-tool it a little. I updated stuff - added newer pix. but since I'm not a paying member, I can't initiate conversation or read messages. I have to wait for the guys to Instant Message me. That means I have to be logged on in order to communicate with anyone.

Your first introduction to a person on the site is via the screen name or "handle", if you will - which is usually some variation of the person's name perhaps with a number or something about the city where you're from. But on Jdate - you sometimes get names that indicate that they're Jewish... this is already called Jdate... duh!

It's not unusual to find names like: "DowneyJewnior" or "MrEJew" or "NativeJewYorker". C'mon, seriously?

Now since I can't initiate conversation - I have to wait til someone IM's me. Some guy named Jason1234 (not the right numbers - protecting the guilty...) starts chatting me up... then tells me to email him - at Mitchel1234@... com. So wait - are you Jason or Mitchell. He said he got stalked on this site. ok - fair enough. I then see his Myspace page, and his name is listed as George on there!!??!! WTF??? Then I look at his pictures and recognize him - he's some douche that I'd already blocked on both Myspace & Jdate years ago! Creepy predator alert... he's not the stalkee - he's the stalker!

I ask you - what is the ratio of fact vs. fiction on these profiles? Some are just blatantly looking for a hookup. And if that's the case - why don't they just go to a bar? My friends tell me that I should go on a dating site like Eharmony or Match or Jdate - that I'll find others looking for relationships... that's why they're paying for the servic]\\]. I don't know about that... I'm seeing so much of what I already get at the bars - that I figure - why bother?

I'm online a lot. I usually have about 5 windows open at once... But I hate Instant Messaging - especially with strangers. It's so tedious and boring. Nothing makes me walk away from the computer faster than small talk on IM!!

Perhaps I'm just not cut out for the whole online dating thing. I have so much contempt for it due to some lame experiences - that i'm just too cynical about it all.

At least at the gallery where I work - I have Torrance (the doorman) to filter out the idiots. He'll straight up tell someone who's about to walk up and talk to me - "don't you go in there to rap with her". Thanks T!

Maybe I'm just not cut out for dating in general.

Another suggestion from Mike: I shouldn't be so honest all the time. I should lie more - be more mysterious. My roommate also espouses this philosophy to a different degree - she says not to give it all up (information, that is) in the beginning - let them get to know you.

That night I went to the bar/gallery - and apparently was introduced to a friend of a friend (I'd had a few shots already)... He asked me about myself. I told him i was an "enigma". I re-met him a few days later - and he'd reminded me of that... (I said that?)... question is: was he annoyed by that or intrigued... hmmm - if i'd asked, i'd have turned into someone boring - but how do i play with that - especially when sober?

There might be some truth to what they're saying... Unfortch - I'm just way too honest. I am so bad at lying! and in this case, is it a bad thing?

I've since stripped my profile down to almost nothing - I get more email messages (that I can't open) and flirts (again - can't read them) and views than before.

Yet I'm still not going to pay $35/month for membership to read them. I still hate Jdate.

4th Street Stairs

2008-07-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

Destination: Santa Monica

Mission: Conquer the 4th street stairs

Partner in Masochism: Lisa

Goal: 5 sets

8:30 am.

I overslept.

Wanted to be out by 8.

Called Lisa - woke her up.

-Stairs?

-I'm sleeping

15 min later

phone beeps - new text

"I'm up"

I'd fallen asleep again

Roll out of bed.

threw on some clothes - grabbed a quick bite.

out the door in 20 min.

Santa Monica

75 degrees already

perfect day.

too many fit people running up and down those stairs.

can we do this?

it's been almost a year.

we used to do this regularly.

down.

not so bad

up.

torture.

seriously - my heart is pounding.

and we went slowly!!

walk to the concrete stairs.

down

legs like jello

walk to the wood stairs

must take break

gasp

omg.

perhaps i should start to embrace my curvy figure?

no no no - it could use less curve.

must keep climbing.

me: we used to do 8 sets?

lisa: look - if we go down now, we're halfway through.

me: okay... doesn't sound that bad.

down the wood stairs.

legs are shaky

take a 30 sec. break at the bottom

let the fast ones start first

whatever you do

just

don't

look

up!

woohoo!

one set to go

down

wow - i have a little energy now

not as bad as before

Lisa: you're gonna be feeling this tomorrow

me: and Monday

last time!

halfway there - almost done

Lisa: lets do one more set - we'll walk to the concrete steps

Me: Wha? (well - the third set is the worst - now it's not so bad)

top of the concrete setps

looking down

legs are really shaking now

done.

walk to the wood steps.

I like being behind slow people - so I can go slowly and not feel rushed.

but not that slow

so hard to pass someone

but i actually pass

heart bursting out of rib cage

can't slow down now

top! we made it!!!

Mission: accomplished! and more

Final count: 6 sets, plus 1/2 mile walk (approx.)

note to self: if i plan to go to the farmer's market - bring another shirt.

purchases: white peaches, apricots, artichokes, asparagus, stuff for a gazpacho.

forgot to put shopping bags in car. had to use plastic bags.

must re-use.

what's easier - fasting or this type of torture?

must cut back on chocolate.

and no more late night after bar meals with megan.

should also cut back on tequila.

I'm exhausted. must take a nap.

Vitamin D and the paradox that is me.

2008-07-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

I live down the street from Ralph's but I walked about a mile round trip to go to Trader Joe's.

I always attributed the fact that I don't look my age to the fact that I don't smoke, and I stay out of the sun (or wear sunblock). But that's slightly untrue. I don't like wearing sunblock either - I'd rather not slather on all those chemicals that just get absorbed into the skin.

Besides, I've been reading articles that say people today aren't getting enough Vitamin D. So at 3:30 this afternoon, I walked to Trader Joe's.

I don't know why, but the past 2 weeks, I've been wanting to eat things with Mayo... and I've been out. So that was one thing on my list... actually 2 - I love their Wasabi Mayo - gives my tuna salad a nice kick, and the regular mayo for egg salad or sandwiches.

Going down the freezer aisle, I saw something that had my name written all over it... literally. "Sharon's Sorbet" in Lemon and Coconut. I'd just had coconut sorbet last weekend at that pool party (the one with those 3am ribs) and I wanted to get some... but I was on foot and it was hot. It'd have melted. hmpf!

I also didn't get the salami or the turkey - neither being organic... but I bought pancetta to go with the leeks and asparagus... go figure.

Did you know that Charles Shaw now has White Zin? I rounded the corner and thought - "oh - pink wine... I want some"... suddenly it looked like a good idea.

When I finally got home, I opened the bottle of Pinot Grigio I had in the fridge (it was 5pm) rather than the impulse buy of the white zin.; and opened up the Egg White Ranchero salad (no mayo/no cholesterol) because I was hungry and it was healthy and looked good... But didn't I go there for mayo?

It also took all my might to not go to SK's Donuts on the way back. I'd made a pact with myself a while back. I've been wanting to go there ever since reading all the reviews on Yelp.com (especially the one from my friend Antonio A. - or was it his testimonial when we talked about it?)... I'm not allowed to stop there unless I walk to SK's from home. No drive by donut stops. they are open 24 hrs - so i could always go there after the gallery/bar. But I haven't. And I still have yet to go there. The fact that all I had was 60 cents in my purse kinda played a part - so I didn't cross the street and I avoided temptation. Also - If I'm gonna have a donut, I should make that special walking trip just for the donut - not as part of my grocery shopping.

My friend Maria told me about how 7-11 was giving out free slurpees today (since it's July 11th - 7/11) and I thought how perfect - It would go so well with that donut. and there is one just 2 blocks from SK's. The idea sounded nice. But no go. I'm saving my calories for when I go to Melisse on tuesday!

How I Finally Picked a new Swim Suit

2008-07-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

I realized I needed a new swimsuit - especially since it's summer, and pool parties are popping up around town. My roommate has no problem with swimsuits - she can order them online and have success with just about anything.

Me on the other hand... well, let's just say i'm rather curvy - and some suits look cute online or on the model... but when it comes to trying it on... YIKES!

My email junk box had this promo for Saks - "Save up to 70% and earn double rewards". Not that I shop there much, but I had a $75 gift card to use, and some of the styles online looked promising.

Me: "Gina - want to go to Saks to find a SwimSuit?"
Gina: "Sure - I've never been there"

Fast forward 2 hours - we were finally out the door... so much for spontaneity. But I wasn't in a rush...

Now I really hate shopping for swimsuits - the agony - the depression - the fluorescent lights! But Gina made it so much easier - she kept grabbing styles, bringing them to the fitting room - helped with the vetos & maybes. Even took photos with her phone so I could see how i looked in a picture! What a trouper. She actually enjoyed it even.

It came down to one bikini - where i loved the top but was iffy on the bottom; a blue 1 piece, and a black 1 piece. There was also this great blue retro looking suit which they only had in a size 2 but I could get a larger one online. Since I didn't want two blue suits - I went for the black.

After the transaction, I realized I didn't look at the label.

WHERE WAS IT MADE? sigh of relief - MADE IN U.S.A.!!!

for curiosity sake - we checked the blue runner up - made in China. unfortch for me, the adorable retro one that I wanted to get online was also made in China - and ditto for the Tommy Bahama bikini top.

That black suit was meant to be.

On our way out, we decided to sample some perfumes... and came upon the display for Bond no. 9 exclusive to Saks 5th Ave.

I'm almost embarrassed to say we almost spent an hour there sampling so many... The sales girl was so patient - and really knew her perfumes. I totally fell in love with 2 scents: West Side with the colorful bottle.

But there was another one I liked too - not sure which one I like better.

The other one - which I got a sample of (yay! I love me some free samples) was Saks Fifth Ave. for Her... That one was nice! Wearing a nice perfume has a lovely mood brightening effect. My birthday is coming up... (consider the hint dropped).

Honorable mention should go to Nuits de NoHo... smelled like Angel but not as strong, and it can be worn directly on the skin.

But I like Saks 5th Ave. for Her best... reminiscent of Fracas.

Solitude in a Crowd

2008-07-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

I realized today - or yesterday - or since it's 6am the next day and I haven't gone to bed yet since 23 hours ago... I realized - oh wow it's late...

but that's not what i realized...

I realized sometime within the last 23 hours that one of the reasons I like taking the bus is the sense of quiet and solitude that I get. Even among a bus or subway car full of strangers, I can feel completely anonymous... and there's a quiet dignity and peacefulness that I get.

Though large crowds make me anxious - the larger the crowd, the easier to disappear - and as a result, I can just be alone... among strangers.

Am I making sense? Probably not... I should just get to bed now.

I miss the freedom of taking the bus!

2008-07-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned at the beginning of this month - I didn't get a bus pass for July.

I didn't think I'd use it that much... I've only taken 2 rides - $2.50 worth... but if I'd had my bus pass, I would have used it several more times.

Case in point: Sunday I went to a friend's BBQ. He picked me up so I was without transport. But he lived near some familiar routes. I ended up crashing on the couch because we were all much too spirited to drive anywhere (even at 3am after eating ribs). Come the morning - I wanted to go home... but I was dependent on a ride since I also had no cash or change for the bus fare... Sigh.

Today, on the 9th day of the month - I took my boss's car to the dealership to get service. If it wasn't for the shuttle service, I'd have been stranded. But I don't know how I'm going to get back to the dealership to pick up the car. Perhaps I'll have to cab it. It's on her dime - so the time I'd be on the bus makes up for the cab fare... but taking a Taxi seems so extravagant.

I like being mobile and self sufficient - and I actually got used to just hopping onto the bus or metro and just tapping my card (TAP - transit access pass - silly acronym). The extra walking and stair-climbing was a good way to keep active too. Now I have to make sure I have enough $1 bills & quarters - or $5 for the day pass if I'm taking 4 or more rides.

Maybe I'll see if I can fill up my card with a certain number of rides - to see how long it lasts me. Perhaps the $62 I paid for the month would actually last me 2 months? Or maybe It will only last me 20 days... I should have counted all the rides I'd taken the previous 2 months... If only I was so organized. Go figure - I keep 2 family's paperwork in order - but when it comes to my own...

And what's the difference between Perhaps & Maybe? I switched them up in the above paragraph... why would one use perhaps over maybe & vice versa? hmmm...

My new pet project

2008-07-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

I live in an apartment. I don't have any plot of land to plant a fruit orchard or vegetable garden.

But my friend Mike lives in a house in Burbank. And there's no lawn... just dirt...

However in the back, he'd recently planted tomatoes & basil - both of which were thriving.

I want to create a garden in his yard... something drought tolerant, and edible...
but my goal is to get it to be something like this, an Urban Homestead. A fruit tree would be a nice touch - but not till much later.

I'll start with the easy stuff - Rosemary, Sage, Thyme... and just for Mike (who requested something fragrant and ornamental) Lavender.

Too bad he doesn't have the greatest kitchen... He likes the way I cook vegetables... We have little "Diner Club" gatherings where we try new recipes with what's in season. But they're at my apartment where all I have growing is some rosemary, thyme & chives.

This was a couple of months ago...Ara, me & Mike - Beer-can chicken, waffles (courtesy of Mike... uh... thanks), Asparagus with Leeks & Pancetta, and salad...

Bi-son Curious... and other thoughts...

2008-07-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

I was talking about exotic meats with some friends yesterday...

Jason said he was curious about trying bison... That was too easy...

It's easy to eat healthy and properly at home - but when going to parties outside of the house, it can be a challenge. Fortunately, the people having the poolside bbq yesterday were also inclined to eat organic and healthy (though not to the same degree as me - but I'm way out there). We had Asparagus wrapped Tilapia (the recipe i linked this to is with salmon - but Jason used Tilapia instead), Steaks, Bok Choy with portobello, Caprese salad (all purchased from Whole Foods)... and apparently someone brought ribs, but those weren't cooked until the second round of eating started much much later.

but you know - a strange thing happens to me when i get hungry in the middle of the night... somehow at 3 am, some ribs were thrown down and they were so good. This is ME - Sharon - gnawing on pork ribs that I dipped in bbq sauce where the first ingredient was High Fructose Corn Syrup (though it was toned down with some beer - Texans really know how to doctor up BBQ sauce). Mmmm, ribs.

Did you know that you can get Goat Mozzarella?

Why I Love the Santa Monica Farmer's Market

2008-07-07T13:13:00.001-07:00

I was housesitting last week - but my employer asked me to get ingredients for some recipes for the 4th of July BBQ she was hosting upon her return.

I also needed to get stuff for my Spicy Guacamole that I took to the BBQ I attended.

Destination: Santa Monica Farmer's Market - Wednesday.

Parking is hell though - yes - I drove... there were too many things to carry.

The tomatoes are looking so good now... and this was the absolute last week of Boysenberries (from a different grower than my usual guy at the Hollywood market).

While I love the Hollywood market (it's close, and it's on a sunday) - the Santa Monica CFM has a lot more growers/vendors. And it's all about the fresh food rather than prepared meals and vendors.

Heaven for serious foodies.

Guacamole & Salsa Verde

I don't measure out the ingredients really - I just gather these items, start chopping - mix them all together, and adjust from there:

Avocados for the Guacamole/ Tomatillos for the Salsa Verde
Tomatoes
Red Onion (or white - but I liked the look of the red)
Scallions (white & green parts)
Cilantro
Jalapeño or Serrano pepper
Lime juice - freshly squeezed
Kosher Salt

I used about 5 or 6 avocados and 1 pound of Tomatillos (blanch for 3 minutes to reduce bitterness).

I chopped up the 2 tomatoes (one red, one orange), half a red onion (small dice), Scallions, Tomatillos, and since i couldn't find Jalapenos, I used Serrano instead - finely diced.

For the Guac, I cubed the Avocados, dropped them in a bowl, tossed in some of the tomatoes, the red onion, the cilantro, about 1/3 of the Serrano pepper, and mashed it all together. I promptly added the juice of one Lime so the Avocado wouldn't turn brown, and then added several pinches of Kosher Salt... Until the balance was right. Note: many people insist on never adding garlic to the guac. I've enjoyed it both ways - but I chose not to add it here... and don't over-mash the Guacamole - It's best when it's chunky. I hate the overly processed ones.

For the Salsa Verde, I chopped the tomatillos into small dice, and to it I added the rest of the tomatoes, red onion, scallions, the balance of the Serrano pepper (since tomatillo mellows the heat a bit, I could go heavier on the Serrano), lots of cilantro, and the juice of another lime. oh - and 2 cloves of garlic finely minced.

Basically - the 2 salsas use the same ingredients so i make them in conjunction.

****

Yesterday I was invited to a pool party - and since I didn't go to the Farmer's market in the morning, I was stuck with very little on hand... but what I did have: 2 avocados and some leftover Salsa Verde... So I cubed up the avocado, and added about a cup worth of the Salsa Verde - and it worked!

Why I won't get a bus pass this month

2008-07-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

I probably won't be driving much this month - but I don't think I'll ride the bus that much either.

Not $62 worth at least. After my disastrous experience that one Saturday night in June - I've become rather disenchanted with the whole thing. I won't take the bus to/from Hollywood on Friday or Saturday anymore... and if I do take it on a weeknight, I only need to pay $1.25 each way - since I won't have any transfers.

If I do need to take multiple buses - then I'll pay the $5 day rate - but even then - It won't add up to the $62 monthly rate.

I have seriously cut back on my driving though. gas is ridiculously expensive. I paid almost as much to fill up my tank as I did on my bus pass. I'm now averaging 2-3 weeks between fill-ups.

I'm planning on taking a road trip up to Petaluma... that's gonna cost a pretty penny. But I'll need transport in that small town - so the train would be silly. I'll use my dad's Honda - gets better mileage than my 18-year-old Toyota... or is it 19 now?

Brownie points: I got 2 friends to finally visit the Hollywood farmer's market - and both were pleasantly surprised with the quality of foods - and both did their shopping under budget! yay! And they used their re-usable bags. I haven't been preachy... just sharing my enthusiasm - and it's working... slowly but surely.

Relocalize

2008-06-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

I got an newsletter from the Locallectual.com site that referred me to Relocalize.net.

I just joined.

But due to my short attention span at the moment... I haven't quite had the chance to peruse the site too well... but it's now bookmarked and I'll check it out and report on what I feel is worthy of comment.

Sponsors?

2008-06-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

I can't be bought out - nor will I sell out...

... but if I can earn a few $$ from ads on my blog...

well, why not?

apparently they surf my content and find ads that would pertain to my posts...

so please click on the ads and visit my "sponsors".

Beating the Heat

2008-06-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not a morning person but I wake up when it's sunny.

For some reason - I was awake at 7am and decided to go to the Hollywood Farmer's market super early.

I got a Chicken!! They've been sold out for the past 3 weeks...

Last chance for Boysenberries in Hollywood. I got a basket. If I'm ambitious, I might hit up the Santa Monica FM on Wednesday to get the absolute last basket of the season. Rory & Rob are awesome - super friendly. It's nice how you can get to know the vendors and they recognize you.

I tried the most delicious Blenheim Apricots - and got a pound. The lady explained what made them "dry grown" or something... The trees are by a river bank, and their roots go super deep to extract the ground water. The fruits are tiny, but the flavor is super concentrated. As compared to other apricots i tasted - they were large and watery tasting. no where near as fabulous as the ones i got from that one lady.

It was so hot by the time I was done - and I was done before 9am.

Nap time.