Things i saw in europe

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

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

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

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

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:

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

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

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!!!

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

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?

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

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

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?

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

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...

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?