contemplating... and being thankful

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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.