Foodie-bia

The Big News and a New Blog

2012-01-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

You've probably noticed I've been a little absent from the blog lately. This was partially due to increased hours at work, but probably more tied to the fact that I hate cooking, pictures of food, and thinking about food right now. Luckily, there is a good reason for my change in heart (or, rather, stomach), and that's because I'm 12 weeks pregnant! John and I are thrilled by the news and can't wait to welcome a baby into our home in August!

As a result of our new "endeavor", I started a new blog: Golden Gate Fam.

That's where I'll be documenting my pregnancy and our baby's life. Harper may or may not make thousands of appearances.

I've decided not only to start the new blog, but to stop posting on this one. I've loved doing Foodiebia, but I'm a practical person. I know that now, and certainly after August, I will not be focused on food, but rather on our little bundle of joy. I will keep this blog up, mostly for my own use to find old recipes, but if you want to see what's going on in our lives, please check www.goldengatefam.blogspot.com. I may even post recipes on there from time to time, if I ever get my appetite back.

Thanks for making this blog so much fun for me. I hope to see you over at the new location.

Love,
Kathy

Christmas Photos

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

I didn't take many photos at Christmas, but I did manage to snap a few good ones.

I got a couple of good ones of John and his mom in her backyard. We were lucky that the weather in Pennsylvania wasn't unbearably cold for us California types.

John spends time with his family by sitting in the same room as them and playing on his phone. How sweet.

We had quite a few people gathered together for the holiday, as shown by all the stockings. My stocking had some scratch-off lotto tickets, and I won $10, which John forced me to invest in more lotto tickets (even though I knew this was idiotic). Sigh.

Nephew Liam had a wonderful time opening presents - as any kid should!

He got some good loot too - including lots of plastic guns and cars!

Sleepy Patrick closes out my Christmas photos. Sleep tight, buddy.

Winter Doodle Romp

2012-01-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

See - I promised I would post photos from that doodle romp long ago. Sorry for the delay, but here are the cute doodles.

Here's Harper looking slightly less cute when she is sopping wet.

Sticks were very popular on the beach that day.

This Aussie Doodle just happened to be on the beach and joined in on the fun.

Joyce and David showed up with all of Harper's best friends, so her afternoon got even better. (Latte, above.)

This is their newest puppy, Popcorn. He also answers to Poppy and Poopy.

Mochi looking distinguished, as always.

Joyce and David are in Maui at the moment, so we have all three of their dogs at our place right now. It's a bit of a madhouse, but fun.

Popcorn had a blast digging endless holes.

Yes, this kind of thing just happens spontaneously.

After Joyce and David (et al.) left, Harper found a new cute doodle to play with. I told you those sticks were quite a hit! These doodles will create fun out of anything.

New Year

2012-01-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012!

How did you celebrate?

We headed up to Point Reyes and had a wonderful weekend. More photos to follow.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Harper et al.

Really, who cares about the rest of us when Harper is this cute?

Snug as a Bug

2011-12-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

This little bug is helping me get through my 10 hours of billing today. Did I mention we started letting her on the couch? She loves to snuggle in with all the blankets, and I love the company.

Drying Off

2011-12-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

I honestly haven't a clue where her face is in this picture.

Bonus Blog Blockage

2011-12-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posting this week and in the coming weeks. I have 91.95 hours to bill before December 31st in order to get bonus this year, so I'm a bit too busy to post much. I'm hoping to bill 20-some hours this weekend, which means I won't have to work on vacation. Oh, lawyering...

Miscellany

2011-12-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

I took 400 photos at a doodle romp last weekend, but I haven't had time to edit and post them. I promise to get to it pronto. At least in the meantime I finished addressing all my Christmas cards. If you're lucky, you might be seeing one soon! There may even be some shots of Harper girl in there. Shocker.

Christmas Treeing

2011-12-12T22:01:00.000-08:00

It must really be Christmas if we're out shopping for Christmas trees.

We didn't make it to our favorite Christmas tree farm this year, but we visited our favorite local lot which supports the Sea Scouts. (Boy Scouts of the sea apparently.)

The boys and dads put in a lot of work, but I'm sure they end up making plenty of money off this fundraiser.

At $98/tree, how could they not? (Ours was not $98.)

Here is John posing with our lucky lady. I went in hoping for a three foot tree, and somehow we left with a six footer. Oh well, it is a beautiful tree nonetheless.

I'm a sucker for a pine-scented winter home.

The Sea Scouts have a helpful netting contraption to net your tree before you take it home.

As you can see, our tree baaaaarely fit in the car with us. I forgot to take a picture of it all decked out, but I promise you that it's lighting up the room I'm blogging from. Merry Christmas, everybody!

Five Things

2011-12-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Christmas with your family early means the holiday season really does last a month (like all the retailers want us to believe). I got wonderful gifts this year from my family under the tree as well as in my stocking.

My aunt is big on family history, and gave me three vintage cookbooks from our family - from 1923, 1938, and 1943, respectively. Pretty incredible.

Santa must have heard me admiring my aunt's lemon bags, because two days later I found some in my stocking. You just pop one on the end of a lemon and the seeds stay-put. Genius idea!

My brother and his wife got me three incredible cookbooks. My brother said he picked them (from my wishlist) based on what he would like to eat. I love that idea! We both share a love for Mexican food since we ate it almost every week growing up. I can't wait to break out some of these wonderful recipes.

In New York I was the opposite of a bring-your-lunch-to-work kind of gal. I didn't just eat out every day, but I actually ordered in delivery every single day. That's some intense laziness. Now that I bring my lunch everyday, my new insulated lunch bag will get plenty of use!

A gift in my stocking was actually for Harper. It's a UVA football rope-thingie dog toy. Harper is obsessed with it. Wa hoo wa!

In the Rotation

2011-12-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

Reading the recipes I post on this blog is not necessarily the best reflection of what we are eating in my house. There are a lot of new recipes that I've made that haven't made it on the blog for many reasons (too ugly to photograph, I'm too lazy to photograph it, or its just not quite good enough). I probably cook on average about two new recipes a week. The rest of the week is filled with leftovers and some of our tried-and-true favorites.

This Kale Salad, above, is on the menu literally almost every week. We eat the remainder of the baguette that goes into the croutons alongside the salad to fill us up. If you haven't tried it, I definitely recommend it.

Curried Butternut and Red Lentil Soup is also a favorite in our house, and I've made it three or four times this fall/winter already. It's really easy, tastes great, and the lentils make it quite filling. If you like spicy soups, definitely try this with the diced tomatoes that come with chiles. Yum.

While this is technically a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Chipotle Tacos, I've made this meat many times for nachos and enchiladas too. It's the easiest and most delicious way to make chicken meat for Tex-Mex food. The enchiladas I just made with it were the best I've ever made.

It's not really the time or the place for zucchini, but I do truly love this Zucchini Linguine recipe. I'm sure it would still be wonderful with sad out-of-season zucchini. I made it a month or two ago and we scarfed it down.

Foodiebia Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-04T04:38:00.000-08:00

It's time for another holiday gift guide! Hope you enjoy these picks!

Williams Sonoma, $19.95

How adorable is this set of three wooden ornaments?

Rancho Gordo, $38.95

This gift isn't for everyone - but any avid cook would love a gift pack of heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo. Rancho Gordo has all kinds of gift packs, including a sweet sampler with vanilla and sugar.

Amazon, $13.14

My favorite cookbook - perhaps of all time, and definitely of this year - would make a great gift for any home cook.

MoMA, $42

The name alone makes this a great gift: Fruit Loop Bowl.

Crate and Barrel, $18.95

This set of cookie cutters are great at the holidays or year-round!

Fishs Eddy, $46.95
This acacia serving tray would be perfect for someone who loves entertaining.

Crate and Barrel, $12.95

If you know someone that likes to bake cookies, they need a cookie scoop pronto.

Fishs Eddy, $11.95
I fell in love with all the tea towels like this I saw all over France in restaurants. Classic and cute.

Etsy, $40
This Etsy shop sells cutting boards for all 50 states and is perfect for anyone who loves California or Virginia or Illinois or Michigan...

MoMA, $28
Not exactly Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast, but it will do!

Amazon, $20.58
This is a great book for any avid and adventurous baker in your life. The crack pie recipe alone is worth it!

Five Things

2011-12-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

Now that we're back on the West Coast, I won't be seeing any more roaring fires for awhile. My uncle and sister-in-law managed to keep one lit during almost every waking hour, and it was beautiful and comforting.

We spent the night before we left for Indianapolis surrounded by teenage girls and their moms at the Katy Perry concert. John got me floor seats for my birthday and the show was fun, ridiculous, and wonderfully over-the-top.

Our yearly supply of waffle cookies that we brought back from Indy disappeared in two days. Sad, but not surprising.

Natalie got me some baking gifts just in time for my Thanksgiving pie-a-thon. The bird is actually a pie funnel to allow the steam to escape from a pie to keep the top crisp.

I hope everyone is enjoying the fall produce as much as I am. I stick a pear and apple in my purse every morning to bring to work.

Broccoli Basil Mac and Cheese

2011-11-29T21:15:00.000-08:00

I'm not out to go out and ruin something perfect like mac and cheese. I like healthy food, but I like food that tastes good more. And if it tastes great, all the better.

I used to think that the only way to improve upon mac and cheese was to add bacon. And perhaps more cheese.

As it turns out, a helping of vegetables actually improves mac and cheese, bringing some depth to the dish.

This isn't like Jessica Seinfeld sneaking vegetables into food for kids, making nobody happy in the process. This is making a basil crumb topping to brighten the flavors. This is pulsing together creme fraiche, cheese, and cherry tomatoes to create an irresistible filling.

I'm the first to admit that cutting up a butternut squash isn't my favorite activity, but if you aren't up to the task, feel free to buy some pre-cut squash. Roasting the squash before adding it to the mac assures that it is completely tender by the time you're digging in.

This is no "healthified" mac and cheese that takes away everything delicious about mac and cheese. Instead it just adds to the beauty of an already great dish. Dig in!

Broccoli Basil Mac and Cheese

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 small butternut (or other winter) squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into tiny pieces

Olive oil

1 bunch of basil, stems removed

2 slices good wheat bread, stale or dried out in oven

Small head of broccoli, roughly chopped

1/2 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)

3 cups white cheddar cheese, grated

3 cups gruyere, grated

1 pint or yellow cherry tomatoes

3 cups (300 g) dried whole wheat macaroni

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Place pieces of squash on a cookie sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse half the basil, all of the dried out bread, the broccoli, and a glug of olive oil in a food processor until a fine crumb forms. Remove crumbs to a bowl and rinse out the food processor.

In a separate bowl, combine grated cheese and creme fraiche.

Place the cherry tomatoes and the remaining half of the basil in the food processor. Pulse a couple of times to break things up. Stir in the grated cheese and creme fraiche mixture.

Boil macaroni in salted water until just slightly undercooked. Drain, reserving one cup of pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot it was boiled in and stir in the cheese mixture. Add pasta water, as needed, to thin the mixture to the consistency of cream. If it is runny, the pasta will soak it up in the oven.

Transfer pasta mixture to a large baking or casserole dish. Sprinkle with green crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the topping is crunchy. Wait ten minutes before serving.

Thanksgiving in Indy

2011-11-27T22:03:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We had an amazing time in Indianapolis with my family.

Somehow I didn't snap pictures of the three desserts I made, but I did get a picture of the twice baked sweet potatoes (pre-second baking) I helped with.

The weekend was filled with china, silver, and champagne. Grown up partying, done right.

The evenings were complete with Mexican train dominoes. If you haven't played, I highly recommend it.

Sweet B.J. slept in front of the Christmas tree and everyone gave him a pat whenever they passed.

One of the best parts of the weekend was meeting my cousin's toddler, Kai, for the first time.

He is a doll and smarter than you can even imagine.

He got quite a kick out of going through "B.J.'s door" as he called it.

I had seen lots of pictures of him online, but nothing compares to meeting such an awesome kid in person.

Another weekend treat: my brother and aunt made the family tradition: waffle cookies (gaufrettes). I had about two dozen in one day.

The day after Thanksgiving we had a bonfire with bratwurst and s'mores.

It was as awesome as it sounds.

My aunt and uncle live in a magical old home with a beautiful yard that I tried to capture in some photographs.

I've always loved their house, ever since I was a child. Now, I think I appreciate it even more.

My aunt has a flare for decorating, especially with antique pieces. If they are original to our family, all the better.

No detail was overlooked this weekend. Or anywhere you look in the house. It really is remarkable.

Our farewell brunch wasanother Sittler family tradition - crepes or "big pancakes" as they were known in the family. I stuffed mine with delectable homemade strawberry jam and powdered sugar.

This picture is as good as any to sum up my wonderful weekend. Thanks so much for having us, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Bill!

Apple Tart

2011-11-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

Incoming news bulletin: You Do Not Need To Make That Second Pumpkin Pie.

Why would you make two pumpkin pies when you could make one of these easy and delicious apple tart/galettes?

Everyone likes a little variety, and besides, when there are two different desserts you get to eat two slices. At Saturday there were four desserts, and I had four slices. That's how the rules work, people. Don't judge.

I am making this for one of our three Thanksgiving desserts. And if you follow Kathy logic...that means I get to eat three desserts on Thursday. Shucks.

This was actually my first time making "real" crust. I followed the recipe closely (though I needed less cold water than it called for) and the dough came together more simply than I ever imagined. Rolling out the crust is much easier than rolling out most other things I have rolled out, too. Who knew pie crust was actually not rocket science? (Almost everyone, it turns out, knew this before me.)

I don't have a tart pan (hint, hint), so I just threw it together in a pie dish lined with parchment paper. In the end I just let people grab slides from the dish instead of using the overlapping parchment to lift the galette out. The pieces came out surprisingly smoothly.

The recipe is super simple and perfect just as it is. No cinnamon is even added (though you can if you want), which will please my cinnamon-hating-but-apple-pie-loving dad. It tastes just like the ingredients - butter, sugar, and apples - coming together in a bubbly mass straight out of your oven.

So spread the word, this apple tart is perfect for you Thanksgiving table, or any fall table. It's just a tad more complicated than an apple crisp, but much more festive and beautiful. That's news that's fit to print.

Alice Water's Apple Tart
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Dough:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, just softened, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3-3 1/2 tablespoons chilled water

Filling
2 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
2 tablespoon butter, melted
5 tablespoons sugar

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in bowl of stand mixer. Add two tablespoons of butter and mix until the dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and mix until the biggest pieces are the size of peas. Dribble in the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just holds together while mixing on low. Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While the dough is chilling, peel and slice apples.

Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to soften a minute. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to form a 14-inch disk that is 1/8 inch thick. Dust off excess flour from the dough with your hands.

Place dough in a 9-10 inch tart pan or 9-10 inch pie dish lined with overlapping pieces of parchment. Place apples in a ring around the edge of the dish and then fill in the center circle with apples. (I had leftover apples - perfect for snacking!) Fold excess dough over the top of the apples.

Brush 2 tablespoons of melted butter over apples and dough. Sprinkle roughly 2 tablespoons of sugar on the edge of the dough and 3 tablespoons of sugar over the apples.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the dough and apples have browned. Rotate every 15 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before digging in.

Mashed Potato Casserole

2011-11-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

It's Thanksgiving week, people, and it's time to start figuring out how you're making your mashed potatoes. Not if you are making them - not making them is not an option.

The beauty of this casserole is that you can still have mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving without standing at the stove, a masher in hand, when your guests are pretending to patiently wait for dinner.

The thing about mashed potatoes is that they don't really keep well. If you mash them earlier in the day, they will be stiff and gluey by the time dinner rolls around. And then, what's the point?

Mashed potato casserole is the perfect make-ahead dish because you can actually make it tonight (i.e. a few days before Thanksgiving) and then bake it off on Thanksgiving to share with your family. I admit it's not exactly the healthiest recipe I've ever posted, but this is mashed potato casserole, guys.

On Saturday morning I got up at 7:30 and left about a pound of butter on my counter to soften while I went to the gym. I needed the gym. I was softening a pound of butter and planning on using about a pound and a half that day. That's my kind of day.

Natalie and Mitch were having their annual pre-Thanksgiving potluck and I was bringing mashed potato casserole, crack pie, and apple tart. No, we didn't need all those dishes, but I wanted to make them. It's hard for me to explain to people why I love cooking so much, I just do. I enjoy it so much that I will prepare so much food to bring to a potluck that I am cleaning out my stand mixer four times in one morning to get through all my recipes. I guess I didn't love peeling 6 pounds of potatoes, but I didn't hate it either. Just being in the kitchen with my toes getting covered in flour and my knuckles getting sore from all the chopping makes me happy. Even if you're not a cooking fanatic, I promise that you'll enjoy at least the eating aspect of this mashed potato casserole. The accolades around the Thanksgiving table are well worth the effort.

Mashed Potato Casserole
From the NY Times

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons, plus one teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan with butter. In a large pot, bring the potatoes, roughly 4 quarts of water, and 2 tablespoon of kosher salt to a boil. Boil 15-20 minutes, until tender. Drain potatoes.

Mash the potatoes with 10 tablespoons of butter, sour cream, 1 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir in the diced chives. Taste for seasoning. Spread potatoes into greased pan. Cover and refrigerate for up to three days or use immediately.

In a small bowl mix together the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese until coarse crumbs form. Crumbs can also be refrigerated for up to three days or used immediately.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle crumbs on potatoes and bake for 30-40 minutes until crumbs are crispy and brown. If baking the casserole right away (instead of out of the fridge), you can bake it for 20 minutes instead.

Five Things

2011-11-18T04:48:00.000-08:00

John showed how much he missed me when I was in New York by sending me flowers on my first day back in the office. No, it's not my birthday or anniversary, guys, I just have a good husband.

Next week is Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Christmas-With-My-Family-This-Year, so I've been doing lots of online shopping to be prepared. Even when the packages aren't for me, I always love coming home to something.

I might break into the Milk Bar cookbook this weekend with an attempt to recreate crack pie! If it works out, I might even try to get my family addicted to crack pie this Thanksgiving.

Do you do that thing where when you find something you love you buy it in multiple colors? Well I sure as hell do. I just bought this skirt in yellow...that I also own in blue and orange. Next up, green and red?

Our dog is a model. And in case you were keeping score, yes, that makes her better than your dog. She is in the cover photo of one calendar and the December gal in another calendar this year. Our doodle-loving neighbors and I submitted photos of our doodles in the calendar contest and were successful in proving that our pooches are the most beautiful of the bunch!

Sweet Pepper Soup

2011-11-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

Karaoke is not my thing. I have a huge embarrassment complex that does not make me compatible with getting up in front of people and belting out songs from the 80s. My mom would say I need to "get over myself," but I haven't quite found a way to do that just yet.

I actually don't mind that I'm karaoke adverse. When I'm enjoying a night of karaoke viewing, I feel no pangs of jealousy at the people making fools of themselves (or for the few that actually do a good job). It's who I am, and I embrace it.

John, on the other hand, does not either acknowledge that he is tone deaf or does not care. He even has his very own karaoke songs he goes back to again and again. His "good" ones, I suppose.
(I love you, honey!)

"Suspicious Minds" (originally sung by Elvis) is one of them. It's a song I'm not sure I had ever heard until I heard John belting it out. And the second is "Sweet Caroline." A karaoke favorite for men who enjoy singing songs in one note.

This soup doesn't remind me of the Neil Diamond tune for being one-note, but rather because I can't see the title "Sweet Pepper Soup" without singing it to the tune of Sweet Caroline. Sweet Pepper Soup. Bum Bum Bum. Good times never seemed so good.

This recipe requires sweet peppers, my friends. That means no greenies allowed. Red, yellow and orange peppers are your friends. As well as fresh herbs - thyme and chives - to be exact. No cream is necessary to make this soup bowl-lickin' good. It comes together in a flash and tastes perfect alongside some crusty bread and butter. Enjoy sitting next to your favorite karaoke singer. Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' sooooooooup!

Sweet Pepper Soup
From Happy Yolks (adapted from The Art of Simple Food)

1 1/2 - 2 pounds of sweet peppers (red, yellow, and orange), seeds and veins removed
1 small hot red pepper (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup brown rice (uncooked)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chives, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven. When oil is heated, add in onion and peppers. Saute for ten minutes until softened but not browned, stirring frequently. Add garlic and thyme and cook for another minute or two. Pour in stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits. Stir in the rice and the apple cider vinegar. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to let the soup simmer for 25 minutes. When everything is soft, puree in a blender or with an immersion blender. Season with lots of salt and pepper. Serve topped with chopped chives and with lots of bread.

The Empire City

2011-11-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

It had been two years and two months since I was last in New York, but who's counting?

I was back for a short three-day stint to attend a work training course, and it was amazing how many things were different and how many things were exactly the same.

Union Square Cafe is still as good as I remember, but I was happy to realize that we have found restaurants just as good (if not better) out in California now.

The cookbook selection at The Strand has expanded immensely, but their prices still can't beat Amazon, so I took a pass.

I visited Momofuku Noodle Bar to see how the ramen compared to California ramen. The pork buns were melt-in-your-mouth perfect, but the broth of the ramen couldn't compare to Ramen Dojo in San Mateo.

I made my first trip to one of the Momofuku Milk Bars to see what all the fuss was about.

I literally bought one of almost everything they sold. The compost cookies were amazing, and more addictive with every bite.

The "crack pie" (their words, not mine) was the most incredible dessert I've had in ages.

After I snapped the first photo, I thought I'd just take one bite. One bite turned into several and pretty soon I polished the whole thing off. Luckily, I bought the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook (signed) when I was there, so I can make crack pie anytime I want (and have several hours to spare).

Since I was in the neighborhood, I also stopped by Dylan's Candy Bar. I knew they would have red Swedish fish to take home to John (since they have every candy ever made), so I picked up half a pound as a sorry-you-couldn't-be-here gift.

While it was fun to walk around and be in "The City" again, it made me realize how much I love my life in California.

As convenient as the subway can be, driving to the grocery store is a heck of a lot easier. As beautiful as the skyline can be, it's not as beautiful as a West Coast beach. And as much as I loved New York, California is my home.

Plus I had this gal waiting for me when I returned, which wasn't half bad. We napped the afternoon away, as I attempted to get rid of my jet lag. It's back to the grind, but it's my grind, so I don't mind.

Five Things

2011-11-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

I absolutely adore cider in the fall. I've been buying big jugs at Whole Foods and heating up mugfuls in the microwave to drink with my breakfast in the morning.

Warm cider is even better underneath a warm blanket - especially a warm heated blanket. The only problem is that once you get underneath a blanket with a cup of cider, it's hard to unearth yourself and get to work.

John got a Xoom from work, and I've inherited his iPad. Now I can finally ride on an airplane and look like one of the cool kids.

I never had pistachios growing up, and I never knew what I was missing out on. John doesn't like most kinds of nuts, but he loves pistachios, so I started keeping them around. This local brand of pistachios is so unbelievably good. It's so good that we eat a whole bag in one sitting. I bought the store out of the Salt and Pepper flavor the last time I was there. They have yet to restock.

I'm off to New York this weekend, and John is left to his own devices (mainly his xbox). At least he has Harper to keep him company. Let's pretend she made this sad face when I told her I was leaving.

Caramel Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies

2011-11-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

"Fall Foods for $300, please."

"A handheld pumpkin dessert better than cookies."

"What's caramel chocolate pumpkin blondies?"

"YES!"

Oh did you miss that episode of Jeopardy? Well, I'm pretty sure that happened.

These blondies start with a cakey layer of pumpkin...

Which is followed by a thick dose of caramel and oodles of chocolate chips. It's topped with another layer of cakey pumpkin before being popped in the oven.

Out of the oven comes an ooey gooey fall treat not to be matched. It definitely is the answer to Your Coworkers Will Love You for $600.

I made this as dessert for a dinner party we had a couple weekends ago. Paired with sweet pepper soup and broccoli basil mac and cheese, it was the perfect fall meal.

I've never been much of a Jeopardy watcher (we don't really have the TV on at 7:00 PM), though I did enjoy the Nintendo video game in my youth. I doubt I would've succeeded on any food questions back then, but nowadays I've got Fall Foods covered. With this recipe, now so do you!

Caramel Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies

From Tasty Kitchen

3/4 cups butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 12 oz. jar caramel (or 14 oz bag of caramels and 1/4 cup cream)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking sheet.

Cream softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin until combined (it will be very oozy at this point). Add in cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly add in 1 3/4 cups flour until just incorporated.

Pour 2/3 of this batter mixture into your greased pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over batter - use as much as you'd like. If using a jar of caramel sauce, simply pour evenly over the chips and batter. If using caramels, unwrap a bag of caramels and place in a microwave safe bowl with 1/4 cup cream. Microwave in 20 second intervals until completely melted, stirring every 20 seconds. Place dollops of remaining pumpkin batter over caramel layer and spread evenly with a knife or spatula.

Bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (other than some caramel). Cool completely before serving.

Provencal Tomato Soup

2011-11-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

At the farmers market two weeks ago...
Me: Oooh look, tomatoes. I'm going to make tomato soup this week.
(Rushing over to the tomatoes and filling up two bags.)

John: You know I don't like tomato soup, right?
Me: (Holding two pounds of tomatoes.) Come again?

I didn't know tomato soup was something people didn't like. I always thought tomato soup was a universal truth.

Everyone eats Campbell's tomato soup as a kid for weekend lunches, preferably with saltines. They progress to cream-laden tomato soups, which admittedly are a step-up from the Warhol period, but still aren't tomato soups at their best.

We're grownups here, folks, and it's time for real tomato soup. Either fresh tomatoes or canned work well in this recipe - just make sure they are good ones either way. Instead of cream, the soup is flavored with basil sprigs and a Parmesan rind (both removed before pureeing). To thicken the soup, rice, tapioca, or quinoa can be used.

I went with quinoa because I'm a rebel. This is grownup tomato soup after all.

I was too lazy to make grilled cheese to go with this hearty soup, but I made do with a thick layer of Parmesan on top and a baguette to dip deep into the bowl.

John made do with room service, since he was out of town when I made it. Lucky guy got to avoid the horror of tomato soup.

I've always loved tomato soup, and homemade is best. This rustic recipe is a great way to use the last of this year's tomato crop. I highly recommend you make this soup when your tomato soup-hating roommate is out of town. It's not to be missed.

Provencal Tomato Soup
From the NY Times

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt, to taste
2 pounds tomatoes, cored and diced (or one 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes with juice)
Pinch of sugar
2 large sprigs basil (or 14 leaves)
1 quart (4 cups) water
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Parmesan rind (optional)
1/2 cup quinoa, rice, or tapioca
Parmesan, grated, for garnish

Heat olive oil in medium Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in half the minced garlic and a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, basil sprigs (whole), the other half of the garlic, and sugar. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down a bit.

Add a quart of water to the pot, the Parmesan rind, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the quinoa, rice, or tapioca and cook another 15 minutes until the grain is tender and the soup is fragrant. Remove the basil sprigs and Parmesan rind. Puree in small batches in a blender or with an immersion blender. If you used fresh unpeeled tomatoes and you want a silkier soup, push the soup through a mesh strainer. (I didn't bother) Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper. Serve garnished with Parmesan and basil.

Five Things

2011-11-04T03:45:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween! I was busy working, but luckily I have nice neighbors to come bring the party to my place - in the form of bloodied witch fingers, of course! There were doodles in costume too - what could be better?

Flax. Get on it. Who knew this healthy seed was actually delicious in oatmeal?

If you like cookbooks as much as I do, then it really is time to get a cookbook stand. It's next to impossible to keep most cookbooks open to the right page without one, and this is a much better method than weighing down all corners with canned goods. John's mom gave me this one, and I use it all the time.

Natalie and Mitch brought us Hawaiian Alaea sea salt from their recent trip to Maui. It's red from red Hawaiian clay called 'Alae. I'm a sucker for good salt!

Speaking of gifts - this was a birthday gift from Joyce and David to support myCatan obsession. When they come over, Harper plays with Mochi and Latte under the table, and I get to kick some Catan ass at the table. It's the perfect relationship!

Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

2011-10-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

We like to sing a little song in our house entitled "Mean Mommy." It goes along to the tune of "My Buddy" or "Kid Sister" if you are familiar with those commercials form the eighties.

Mean Mommy
Mean Mommy
Wherever I go
She's gonna go
Mean Mommy
Mean Mommy
Mean Mommy and meeeeeee!

I usually break into this tune after I take away something Harper is very much enjoying. Usually a toy she is destroying or on the brink of destroying or maybe her antler chew toy. I usually try to replace what she was chewing on with something else, but I will be admit it doesn't really fill the void.

Luckily for Harper, now that I have a box of pumpkin dog biscuits in the fridge, what I'm most likely to replace her toy with is a homemade treat.

Granted, Mean Mommy doesn't just hand out treats for no reason. So I hide it within a toy within a toy so she has to work to get it out. That's Mean Mommy for you.

These are great treats for dogs (not humans - I tasted the batter and ick) - they love them and they actually have some healthy nutrients too. Pumpkin is full of vitamin A and helps dogs who have upset tummies. Cinnamon and molasses are high in nutrients too, surprisingly enough. But really it's just fun to bake something for my favorite pup and watch her enjoy it. Having a Mean Mommy has its perks sometimes.

Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
From The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook

1 c. oat flour
1 c. brown rice flour
1 c. pumpkin (canned or fresh)
2 tablepoons molasses
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients and mix until a cohesive dough forms. Roll out on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. The cookies can be placed very close together, as they do not spread. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Five Things

2011-10-28T02:50:00.000-07:00

We don't have the heat on in our house yet, but I officially turned off the air conditioning. The heated blankets remain in storage, but I have been snuggling with the cashmere blanket quite a bit. I might not be wearing socks to bed yet, but I have pulled out my long pants. Baby steps into fall, people.

Brussels sprouts are such a great fall vegetable. We've loved them roasted for awhile now, but I recently discovered how good they taste raw and chopped into a salad. They are essentially mini cabbages, so it's similar to the cabbage flavor in cole slaw. Delicious!

If not for the bone cookie cutter, you might think these pumpkin cookies are for humans. I promise to share the recipe soon for Harper's favorite new biscuits! We had fun this week making them together.

David Tanis just left his post as chef at Chez Panisse to become a writer for the New York Times dining section. I'm excited to delve into his cookbook and to read his work at the Times. From what I hear, the book is full of earthy and flavorful recipes.

I think the real reason everyone was upset about the iPhone 4S not looking different than the iPhone 4 was because we all wanted to show off that we had the new one. Well, I have the new one, and I have to post about it on my blog or else no one would know. My new favorite discovery is not Siri but realizing I can watch Grey's Anatomy reruns on Netflix while at the gym. This is life changing, people.

I wish I could tell you the name of these grapes, I really do. The vendor at the farmers market said they were "crispin grapes" (or something). I tried to Google it, and it appears that isn't a real type of grape. These are my new favorites because they are as crisp as an apple (all week, according to the vendor, but mine didn't last that long) and full of flavor. No one likes biting into a sad, mushy grape.

Simple Carrot Salad

2011-10-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, did you think this was a food blog? I seem to have gotten a little sidetracked lately what with all the Paris business going on here and then some sort of pumpkin nonsense. We are now back to our regularly scheduled blogging - meaning, less exciting things than gay Paris and pumpkin patches.

This salad may not be "exciting" but it sure is delicious. THe recipe perfectly epitomizes Alice Waters cooking and "The Art of Simple Food." Just grated carrots, a vinaigrette and parsley. Simple, but perfect.

This recipe calls for real grated carrots, not carrots grated in your food processor. This is for the benefit for the maker and the eater. As far as the eater goes, the thinner, irregular shaped carrots have a better texture, and the dressing adheres to them better. As far as salad making goes, I can promise you that using a food processor involves about zero fun. Alice Waters is keen on doing things manually, and I'm learning to love it. Cheesy, I know, but with a pound of carrots, it doesn't take much longer to grate it by hand than to set up the food processor.

Alice Waters said in the cookbook that her daughter always loved this salad and she would make a small version for her daughter's lunches, changing up the cuts (grated, julienne, or curls from a peeler). Don't you want your friends and family to eat like Alice Waters' daughter?

I sure as hell do.

Simple Carrot Salad
From Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food

1 pound of carrots, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Peel and grate one pound of carrots. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil and taste for salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the carrots and stir in 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Let the salad stand for 10 minutes, and re-taste for flavor. Add lemon juice, salt, or pepper as needed.

Pumpkin Patching

2011-10-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors across the street put quite the menagerie of pumpkins on their porch that John and I have been admiring all week. Well, admiring, and plotting against.

Not just any pumpkins would do for our rival porch display - we needed some of all shapes and colors. There's no better place to get pumpkins than Farmer John's in Half Moon Bay.

This was our third year in a row going to Farmer John's - and Harper's first trip.

Harper's favorite part was probably all the hay that she tried very hard to snack on. We told her "hay is for horses," but she was unmoved.

The strange thing about the whole day, is that we are having an Indian summer at the moment, and it was a high of 85 today. Kinda odd to be picking pumpkins in such heat, but I'm not one to turn down warm weather!

Farmer John said that last year they had three rainy Sundays (in their short one-month season) and they almost went out of business. I think the farm essentially needs to make enough money in the month of October to last the entire year. Talk about a stressful month.

We are always happy to support this great farm, though.

Especially a farm that provides us such ridiculous photo-taking opportunities as this.

Look closely and you can spot Harper in the wagon. She is a good sport.

Happy 80-degree fall to everyone. I wish you bath tubs full of gourds...

And wagons full of purchases. Purchases beautiful enough to rival any neighbor's.

Five Things from Paris

2011-10-21T02:08:00.000-07:00

I promise this is the last post about Paris, guys. Since I went into detail about the stores and shopping areas, I figured it would make sense to share what I picked up in all these wonderful places. I can't, unfortunately, tell you everything I bought in Paris, since most of the items are being handed out as gifts at some point. I mostly just bought things at random the whole trip - not knowing if we would keep them or if I would give them away. Then when we got home and unpacked all the goodies I started sorting everything on the top of the dresser. It seemed like an insane amount of stuff when we were in Paris, but when we got home I wished I had bought more. More jam. More tea towels. More whisks. You name it. I guess this loot will have to do until next time.

Above - some fragrant floral green tea from a killer tea shop that I highly recommend. Tea is huge in Paris (which surprised us both), and Mariage Freres is the tea shop to end all tea shops. This wonderful loose-leaf tea even comes with some tea bags to fill yourself. A nice touch.

Orangettes were everywhere in Paris, and this version with milk chocolate was calling to me (as my mom would say).

There was one thing I went to Paris with the intention of buying: Madeliene pans. Preferably from E. Dehilleron. I picked up two, in fact, and I can't wait to try them. I also bought a big whisk for good measure.

At Shakespeare and Company I was eager to pick up a book as a souvenir. What better kind of book to buy than a book on French cooking? I've been dying to get an Elizabeth David cookbook after learning she is one of Alice Waters' favorites.

I fell in love with this modern tea towel that we bought when walking around Marais. Tea towels are sold all over Paris, but this was the only one I saw with a modern twist.

Recommendations for Paris

2011-10-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not an expert on Paris, but while the trip is fresh in my brain, I thought it might make sense to distill the trip for everyone and provide recommendations from our experience.

1. Try to find a hotel in a fairly central location. If you do this, most things in Paris are walkable, which allows you to explore even more of the city.

2. While I loved walking around Paris, our feet would usually start protesting 3/4 through the day. As a result, I definitely recommend walking away from your hotel all day and then just taking the Metro back. The Paris Metro is phenomenal and easy to use. There are stops virtually everywhere.

3. Everyone is obsessed with buying the Museum Pass, but we skipped it. We were there for a week and unless we wanted to do all our museum-pass heavy things in a short period, it just didn't make sense for us. We didn't necessarily want to see every museum in Paris, and planned our trip around more casual events. Try to figure out how you want to spend your vacation before you necessarily buy the Museum Pass.

4. Speaking of museums, the Louvre is the most famous, and also the most heinous. You might need to go because you are in Paris, but it will likely be overcrowded and very hot in some rooms (it was hotter in the Louvre than outside for us). Maybe go in, see the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory and call it a day unless you are very interested in more ancient art.

5. The Musee d'Orsay is a much more manageable museum than the Louvre, and can be strolled in a couple of hours. It houses a lot more popular artists to modern crowds - Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, etc. - so it can be a lot more enjoyable. It was crowded but nothing like the Louvre.

6. Go to the Rodin Garden on a nice day. The line at this museum is little to nonexistent, and seeing the garden only costs 1 euro. The garden has a lot of Rodin's highlights and it is a beautiful setting to relax on a bench in between other activities.

7. The Arc de Triomphe is an underrated place. Of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, this is the easiest place to get a view because the line is very short. Notre Dame and the Arc both require hundreds of stairs, however, so make sure you consider whether you are up for that. (We were panting by the end but didn't need to take any breaks.)

8. Definitely do the Eiffel Tower, but make sure when you go you purchase tickets in advance for a particular entry time. The line will otherwise be one or two hours, which is fairly unbearable. You should go to the second platform at least, since that is where the best views are. If you are up for it, there is almost no line to walk to the second platform instead of taking the elevator.

9. The Champ de Mars park in front of the Eifffel Tower is the perfect place for a picnic. Pick up your picnic supplies on the nearby Rue Cler (in between Rue de Grenelle and Av. de la Motte Piquet) and stroll over to the park. Make sure you find a bench facing the Tower.

10. If you are of the food-obsessed persuasion, like me, I definitely recommend visiting E. Dehilleron (old-fashioned cookware store shopped at by Julia Child and Ina Garten) and Hediard (fine ingredient store selling teas, spices, chocolates, and more). Patrick Roger was our favorite chocolate shop.

11. Try to walk around as many neighborhoods as possible - ideally on the less touristy streets. We especially loved Marais and the Left Bank. (Be sure to visit Place de Vosges if you go to Marais.)

12. The books we used and relied upon heavily were Rick Steves' Guide to Paris and Hungry for Paris. Rick Steves' book has walking tours of many museums and sites, and also has walking tours of some of the exceptional neighborhoods in Paris. I highly recommend this book and carried it with us everywhere. All the restaurants we visited from Hungry for Paris were exceptional - much better than the random lunch spots we popped into. If you are interested in planning out your meals in Paris and going to restaurants with a purpose, this book is perfect. (We actually didn't get a reservation until we got there, and once we did we relied upon our concierge to make them for us at the restaurants I picked out. We couldn't get into some of my choices, but we got into most.)

13. Last but not least, here is my map of Paris, with a detailed key of all the color-coding up top. I will try to update it sometime to put my personal notes in there now that we've visited everything. (HFP = Hungry for Paris and DL = David Lebovitz.)

I hope you have the opportunity to go to Paris soon. And if you have any recommendations for how I can manage to move there, I'm all ears.

My Favorite Photos from Paris

2011-10-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

Reality has set in. We are back in the States, for better or for worse.

There are emails to be answered, voicemails to be listened to, and lots of laundry to be done.

While I long to still be on vacation, and in particular long to be in Paris, I figured it might be fun to pull some of my favorite photos from the trip into one post.

I like the photos with me and John in them, but for this list I will keep it to the photos that represent Paris itself, not our tour of it.

Everyone at work keeps asking how my trip was, and it's hard to know where to begin. I usually start with "Amazing!"

Paris is a city packed full of tourists, but also a city where families and friends gather in the park right outside Victor Hugo's house to lounge, laugh, and share some wine. I hope they do not take Paris for granted.

Taking my camera with me everywhere was worth it. Sometimes the ordinary things created the most beautiful images of our visit.

Hopefully someday I will be back and will take even better photographs of this amazing city. From this trip, though, these are the highlights.

Our Last Day - Rue Cler, Champ de Mars, and Rodin Garden

2011-10-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

Today was bittersweet. We had a great day in Paris, but it was our last. I don’t know when we will be back, but I hope we won’t be away too long, since it is my favorite city in the world.

There are two things I’m looking forward to about getting back to California – seeing Harper and hopefully leaning how to sleep again. Every night since we’ve been here at least one of us has slept terribly and been up for 3-4 hours straight in the middle of the night. We just never really got on the right schedule here, and it seems like we never will. I can’t imagine what it will be like going to work on Monday morning. Oy.

Based on the strong recommendation of my guidebook, we headed to tiny Rue Cler to see a genuine Parisian market street in action. Rue Cler has been closed to traffic (though you see an occasional car there making a delivery) since 1984, making it ideal for a stroll.

We went to Rue Cler not only for the eye candy, but to pick up a picnic for lunch. At Top Halles Fruits and Vegetables we picked up a package of raspberries and a Clementine, since we basically haven’t had fruit in a week.

Rue Cler offers shopping the traditional way – where every store has a specialty and you stop in at all the shops to get what you need. We picked up a hunk of Swiss (for John) and thin Parmesan slices (for me) at the Fromagerie.

We had to stop at the bakery to pick up a few beignets and a baguette.

My favorite shop was, of course, La Mere de Famille Gourmand Chocolats Confiseries – a chocolate shop that has been in the neighborhood for 30 years. I may or may not have walked out with more chocolate than anyone could ever finish in a single picnic (even me).

We took our picnic to the nearby Champs de Mars, a huge park that runs from the Eiffel Tower to the Ecole Militaire (Military Museum – no thanks!). Not a bad view during a picnic, right?

We were standing too close to the Eiffel Tower when we made the ascent, so we had to get a few pictures in front this time.

In one of the fountains out in front of the Ecole Militaire, two dogs had a great time playing and swimming. You probably couldn’t get away with that in the U.S.

When I told John this was Napoleon’s Tomb he basically blurted out “NOT INTERESTED!” Did he think I wanted to go in and take a look? In the words of Cher from Clueless, “As if!” [I’m not a history buff, if you couldn’t tell.]

We walked over to the Musee Rodin and instead of doing the whole museum, we paid one euro a piece to just see the garden. This ended up being a great decision since the garden is huge, beautiful, and full of many of Rodin’s best works. (Above: Burghers of Calais, Gates of Hell, The Shades, and Victor Hugo)

The museum is housed in a historic mansion where Rodin once lived and worked. Even when he was alive, his sculptures found a home in this garden. I can’t think of a better way to appreciate them.

Since it was our last afternoon, we headed back to the Left Bank to do some more shopping in the lively area. I didn’t snap many pictures, but believe me when I say it was packed with locals and tourists doing their best to support the economy. We picked up a large carry-on bag from a boutique to help haul home all our goodies.

Our favorite restaurant of the trip was one we visited a couple nights ago and booked again for our farewell dinner. L’Entredgeu was within walking distance (barely) of our current hotel – which means it is probably nowhere near anyone else’s hotels. It is definitely worth the trek, though, as this place was perfect in every way. The tiny restaurant looks like it has for probably the last 50 years, but nothing feels dated. The waitress was kind enough to help translate the chalkboard menu for us, which changes frequently. I got a “vegetable soup” (perhaps celery root) and the best roast pork imaginable. John got scallops St. Jacque, served atop their shells, which he proclaimed to be the best scallops he had ever eaten, and an amazing piece of lamb. John got two triangles of chocolate mousse for dessert and I had a thinly-sliced caramelized apple (put back together to look like an apple – stem and all), atop a cookie and served with burnt caramel ice cream. They were as good as they sound. (83 rue Laugier, 17^th, 01.40.54.97.24.)

Arc de Triomphe and Marais

2011-10-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

After grabbing a warm croissant and pain au chocolat for breakfast, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe from our nearby hotel. Once we arrived I’m pretty sure even the people on top of the Arc could still hear me talking about that incredible pain au chocolat. It was life changing, let me tell you.

Unlike the Eiffel Tower, which has no match, most people have seen several similar arches in their lives. Lots of big cities in Europe and the U.S. have these type of arches scattered about, but none are as big and as majestic as this.

The Arc de Triomphe manages to ruin all other arches for you, since it is beyond stunning up close.

And just when you thought you had seen the last of the “Kathy takes photos on top of another Paris monument” – you were wrong! We climbed up quite a few stairs for this view, and I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass me by.

The Arc de Triomphe is fairly close to the Eiffel Tower, so the views of the Tower are especially great. It can be hard to snap a picture with the Eiffel Tower showing up in the background on such a bright day – but I won’t complain about the sun

The Champs-Elysees is one of the twelve roads that leads out from the Arc de Triomphe, and is by far the most famous. While it is known for its shopping (and expensive cafes), John and I weren’t particularly impressed since we had already seen much more interesting shopping elsewhere in Paris.

We ditched the snooty shopping and hopped on the metro to head out to Place de la Bastille. We grabbed a couple of café sandwiches to go and ate them outside on a cute bench so we didn’t waste time and could get to the shopping.

My guidebook led us through the Hotel de Sully (not actually a hotel, but rather a mansion of 17^th century French aristocracy) courtyards to the Place des Vosges. We loved the garden.

John and I adored this beautiful square and could see why it turned Marais into an exclusive neighborhood (in 1605) – who wouldn’t want to live here? Now the Place des Vosges is full of locals and a few tourists there to enjoy some time outside.

Other than the Place de Vosges, Marais is great to visit for the wonderful shopping.

It reminded us of a Parisian Soho, except with slightly more boutiques and a few less chains. We did get a kick out of the Lee Jeans store, though.

Victor Hugo’s former house is on the square of Place des Vosges – so he was apparently doing pretty well for himself.

I got some gelato for a snack (John found a doughnut later) – don’t you love this flower design? The French are just too perfect.

Before we metro-ed home, we took a seat at one of the sidewalk cafes for some hydration – John got a cappuccino and I gulped down another uber-thick hot chocolate. It’s nothing like the watery stuff back home, let me tell you.

On our way to dinner we happened upon a market right outside a metro stop. There were fruits and vegetables for sale (not all local, I believe), seafood, and premade food. Not a bad way to start your weekend.

We started our weekend off well too, with our dinner at Frenchie in the 2^nd Arrondissement. “Frenchie” isn’t the name of a restaurant you’d expect to see in Paris, but the chef picked up the nickname while working at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen in London (he also later worked at Gramercy Tavern). The place had a modern yet ancient feel to the aesthetic – exposed beams and a brick wall with modern tables and serve ware. The menu offers only two appetizers and two main courses to choose from. John and I had identical meals – the pork belly to start (melt-in-your-mouth tender) and the chicken for the main (flavorful and juicy with a perfect sauce). My lemon tart was to die for and John ate every ounce of panna cotta on his plate. The food reminded me of California more than Paris, but in a good way. I highly recommend it if you can get a reservation a few days in advance (5 rue du Nil, 2^nd, 01.40.39.96.19).

A Room with a View and the Eiffel Tower

2011-10-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

At our new hotel we managed to get a room with a view. Not just a view, but the view in Paris.

At night the Tower has a light show every hour on the hour, and we saw it glittering last night at 9:00PM. Hopefully we can catch it again tonight, because I never get tired of seeing it.

Our weird sleeping schedule meant we slept through breakfast this morning, so on our walk to the Eiffel Tower we caught a quick brunch snack of gaufres. Yes, we love anything made in waffle-form in France. These were lighter than air and absolutely delicious.

The line for the Eiffel Tower was one of the longest I've ever seen. So John stepped away to find the restroom and returned and hour later when I was almost at the front of the line. This is the smile of a man who got here just in time (or he'd be a dead man).

The views are exactly as you'd expect - spectacular. These are from the second "deck" where things are more recognizable (than at the tippy top).

I was kind of bummed at first when I saw the metal fencing all around the perimeter - "It will ruin the pictures," I thought.

Durrr...there is a level one flight up that has no grate, so the pictures are unobstructed. It only took us five minutes to realize this.

You can't take too many pictures from the Eiffel Tower - that's my motto.

I offered to take a picture of several couples (when I saw them taking a photo of just one of them or taking a self-portrait), but everyone refused me! I figured I could use them to take a photo of us in return, but alas!

We did manage to sucker a few people into taking pictures of us, but almost all of them are horrible shots and not focused on us at all. Most people were non-English speakers, so I couldn't tell them to tap the button to focus. We did get a few keepers, though!

The Eiffel Tower is apparently the most visited place in the entire world, and I can see why. You can't come to Paris and not visit - especially if you are with someone you love.

One last photo of the Eiffel Tower for today. I can't promise I won't post more later, though.

Les Halles and Musee d'Orsay

2011-10-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day in the Saint James-Albany Hotel, so we decided to do a few more activities close to the center of town before we moved a little further out. Here I am on our walk through the gardens in front of the Louvre before we cross the Seine.

We went to the Musee d'Orsay and got to see lots of great Van Gogh and Manet paintings, but there were no pictures allowed inside, so I had to satisfy myself with a few outside the museum.

The museum is in the midst of a lot of renovations, so many of its Renoir and Monet paintings were not viewable. I was pretty bummed about this, but we both still loved this fun and easily manageable (compared to say, the Louvre) museum. It will always be one of my favorites.

After the museum we found ourselves pretty famished and in need of some sustenance. Given that it is halfway through our trip, we figured it was high time we ate at one of the cutsey cafes found on every corner. Since this one is right next to the d'Orsay, I had the "Renoir." (Also available were the Degas, Monet, and Van Gogh.) I forgot to snap a picture of the French onion soup before I devoured it, but needless to say - it was delicious.

Before leaving our hotel, we had one last stop to make (i.e. one more place for me to drag John): the Les Halles cooking shopping district.

First stop was the completely non-touristy G. Detou, which is a small two-part store selling lots of chocolate, cocoa powder, cake decorations, dried fruits, salt, etc. Since this place actually serves locals, the prices were good and I picked up a few things. It was fun to mingle with the avid Parisian cooks.

Down the street we went to Mora, a store mostly serving a pastry chef clientel. I was amazed by all the frosting tips, cake pans, and silicon molds the store had. I picked up a dozen molds I plan on using to bake doughnuts.

Lastly we visited the famous E. Dehillerin store - frequented by Julia Child.

Because it is now so famous, I was expecting Williams-Sonoma. What we got, was more a warehouse of cooking supplies. You could get lost in all the corners that seem to lead to nowhere. The shelves are covered with pans of every shape and size wrapped in plastic and waiting for a chef to come pick them up. In retrospect, I'm glad the store was this way, since I have plenty of fancy cooking stores back in the U.S. This store is old fashioned in every aspect- down to the fact that the salesmen were fighting over who got my commission and then waiting for our bill to be rung up on a calculator.

The Les Halles adventures took longer than we planned, so we decided to check into our new hotel and just have a dinner in the room. We made sure to stop by the best bakery we had found near the last hotel and stock up on a baguette, quiche Lorraine, and a chocolate-covered cookie. At the local grocer we found more Gaufrettes (here called "Gaufres" - because they are not small?) and sea salt butter. We called down to the front desk for forks and knives and then dug into our feast. The quiche was the best I've ever had and the bread was the best of the trip. We both couldn't get enough of the extra salty and creamy butter. I wouldn't have traded this meal for anything.

The Left Bank and Notre Dame

2011-10-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance, but this is one hell of a long post. I knew my feet and legs were tired as I sat here in our cushy hotel bed with my feet propped up on the spare pillow - but it wasn't until I went through these photos that I remembered exactly why I was so tired. We packed in quite a bit today.

Like the mornings before it, today started off with a stroll in search of pastries. A croissant and pain au chocolat to be exact. We happened upon another adorable florist.

One of my favorite surprises of the day was this great bean, nut, and olive store called Maison Micro. I bought about two pounds of french lentils...at about 10AM. We then lugged them around until 4:30, which was not my brightest idea ever. I can't wait to make them at home, though!

I have no idea why I'm so scary looking here, but there you have it.

We crossed the Seine to the Ile de la Cite complete with cute shops and elementary school kids in matching electric yellow vests.

Of course the real draw of the Ile de la Cite is this church you may have heard of before, Notre Dame.

Beautiful stained glass surrounded us everywhere we looked inside stunning Notre Dame.

We bit the bullet and waited an hour in line to make it to the top (well not the tippy top) of Notre Dame, complete with chimeras and majestic views.

The back of Notre Dame is also not to be missed if you want to see the flying buttresses. (I also wanted to see the bathroom, out back.)

We then crossed over to a second island in the Seine - the Ile Saint-Louis. Not to be confused with St. Louis, Missouri, this Parisian island hosts some of the highest rents in the city and has numerous Berthillion ice cream shops (the best in Paris) and adorable food specialty stores.

We crossed the Seine again (with Notre Dame in the distance) to reach the famous Left Bank.

We made a stop at Shakespeare and Company bookstore which was started by an American as a bookstore downstairs and provides free apartments (still today) to writers. Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce were frequent visitors.

You really do see the damnedest things in Paris.

We made a special trip to Patrick Roger chocolates and were in awe of all their creations. This place is stunning - particularly the gigantic chocolate gorilla and candy pumpkins. We walked away with our fair share of chocolates from this place.

After grabbing some bread at Poilane bakery we tore off chunks for lunch while sitting on a bench watching old men play chess at the Luxembourg Garden.

We, of course, had to check out Les Bouquinistes - the riverside vendors along the Seine selling used books and had to pick up some macaroons from Laduree (they invented macaroons afterall) before leaving the Rive Gauche.

Dinner tonight was our favorite meal of the trip. Le Mesturet (77 Rue de Richelieu) is a casual and friendly restaurant with amazing food and great prices. My Hungry for Paris book described it as a place Parisians go to when they don't feel like cooking themselves. John and I both got the squash soup topped with friend ham (of some sort - not unlike bacon) and chives and I got tender and perfect duck confit with a beautifully crisp skin for a crust. We shared a chocolate cake with pistachio cream and left insanely full but happy.

Time to read the guidebook about tomorrow's adventures. Good night!

The Louvre and the Rest of Day Two

2011-10-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

This morning we both woke up before 5:00 a.m. and weren't able to get back to sleep. Stupid time change. Hopefully tonight we will be more successful sleepers, though our two hour nap this afternoon won't help matters. We had a great second day in Paris and walked until our feet couldn't take it any more! (Above: Random flower shop, Opera Garnier, random huge building, and spices)

We did quite a bit of food souvenir shopping, and Hediard was one of my favorite stops. Everything inside is packaged in their trademark red and black, and you can find the most amazing spices, teas, and preserves inside.

Fauchon is around the bend - their store is filled with their trademark colors - pink and black. Fauchon seemed a lot less authentic (read: more touristy and overpriced) and neither of us were tempted to buy anything from there.

Fouquet is an amazing chocolatier in an area with a pretty business-district feel to it. Much less touristy than some of our other stops, we loved everything they had to offer. The mix and match jars of treats are adorable and I'm sure they are delicious.

This chain store (La Cure Gourmande) focused on the packaging over the content, but it was beautiful and fun nonetheless.

We picked up some packaged gaufrettes (in honor of my grandfather) in one of those basement grocery stores of high-end department stores. They are probably the best packaged cookie I've ever had in my life - not a surprise since they are made with butter, sugar, milk, eggs, flour, etc (instead of fake things).

We had our first crepes of the trip for lunch before we hit the Louvre. I'm sure they will not be our last before we leave!

John smiles in front of the upside down pyramid because we didn't realize we were destined for that huge line behind him.

The Winged Victory, a beautiful hall, and a blurry family mirror photo.

Paparazzi!

All for this little lady.

John and I always keep our eyes peeled for dogs in paintings, even somewhat creepy ones like these.

I don't know this guy.

This guy kind of looks like he's wearing a breath-right strip.

Thing 1 and Thing 2.

This sculpture reminded me of Harper so much! We miss our girl!

Venus de Milo.

One of my favorite things were these dice we happened upon from 3000 B.C. (I think).

When you are in the Louvre sometimes the views from the windows are as good as the views inside each room.

We spent about an hour trying to navigate our way to the Code of Hammurabi. We are dorky lawyers and had to see the first known recorded laws!

After the long search for the Code, our feet were pretty much screaming at us for mercy.

As were the feet of these hundred people who all sat on the edge of a fountain outside the museum.

The sweet relief of knowing you are about to go take a nap.

For dinner tonight we went to a La Tour de Montlhery (also called Chez Denise on the sign) - a lively bistro that had every seat filled by the time we left. Half the guests were American tourists (who also likely had my Hungry for Paris book) and the other half were locals. John and I split an amazing frisee salad with crunchy garlic croutons and the steak frites. The frites were to die for and I definitely had an ungodly amount. The restaurant also had a great idea (maybe this is a European thing) - they give you a full bottle of the house wine on the table and you only pay for what you drink. Genius! We loved everything about the place and highly recommend it for an authentic and fun bistro experience!

Bonjour From Paris

2011-10-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Bonjour from Paris, dear friends! We have survived our first very jet-lagged day in the City of Lights. I got about 1 hour of sleep right when our plane left for Paris and then didn't sleep the rest of the trip. We landed in France at 9:30AM, and luckily my adrenaline kept me on my feet (for a bit).

After checking into our hotel, we went looking for lunch. We happened upon one of the spots on our must-see list - Angelina's Tea House - just a few blocks from where we are staying.

We settled into our seats on the second floor of this beautiful cafe - John with his "chef's salad" (crudites) and me with my "Angelina's club sandwich" (crust-less toasted white bread with turkey, melted cheese, and hard boiled eggs). I also devoured some of the best fries I've ever had in my life. I think I will get along with the French fries in France.

Angelina's is most famous for its hot chocolate. Whipped cream comes on the side (unsweetened) and I topped my thicker-than-a-milkshake hot chocolate with plenty. It was essentially like drinking a chocolate bar - in the best way imaginable. I highly recommend the experience.

For dinner the concierge booked us a tabled at Goumard - a Michelin-starred seafood restaurant a few blocks from the hotel. John had lobster and herb ricotta-topped squid pasta while I had the John Dory with roasted root vegetables. We were both too full for dessert, so we decided to take a walk instead.

We had no idea what a treat we would be in for as we managed to stumble upon many of Paris's most beautiful sights for the first time this trip - lit up in all their beauty.

We walked along the Seine, which was heavily trafficked with boat dinner cruises.

Each view was more beautiful than the last.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of Paris aglow.

Of course I also had a snap a picture of the King Charles Spaniel puppy we saw with his daddy outside the Louvre.

For a city as big as Paris, there weren't many people walking around. John and I got to enjoy the views by ourselves.

We were, of course, serenaded with plenty of Carmen Sandiego-esque police sirens though. Even the sirens are charming in Paris.

An evening preview of all the sights was a perfect way to spend our first night in Paris. I can't wait to get out early tomorrow morning to experience more of the city.

Five Things - Au Revoir Edition

2011-10-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Au revoir, my dear readers! We leave our house tomorrow at 5:30 AM to hop on a plane to Paris. Well, actually a plane to Houston and then a plane to Paris. Here are five things in anticipation of our trip!

I had to get new sunglasses because clearly I need to look fabulous...and hide the huge bags under my eyes from jet lag.

I'm hoping to do some blogging while I'm there since clearly I will be taking thousands of pictures. We got an extra compact flash card for the trip to accommodate the large amount of photos of that beautiful city.

A little trip to Sephora is necessary before a European adventure, right?

I spent a few hours creating a very involved Google Map of Paris. Each color indicates a certain attraction. Yellow is for museums and big items - Notre Dame, Louvre, etc. Blue is for chocolate shops. Pink is for creperies. Etc. Etc. This is how to travel in 2011 people.

And last but not least, I have a huge pile of clothes on the bed ready to be packed tonight. Wool pencil skirts and thin sweaters will make up my uniform for the trip, I think.

Next time you hear from me I'll be eating baguettes and pastries on the other side of the world!

Happy First Birthday, Harper!

2011-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy first birthday, to our treasured pup, Harper! I hope you enjoy some year-in-review photos below.

Here are shots from the first day she came into our lives.

On her second day with us, we dragged her to a cold and rainy park. Sorry, Harps!

Our Christmas puppy got to our house in early December, so we got to spend the full holiday season with her. She mostly enjoyed the wrapping paper.

It was easier to get family photos back when she was tiny and easy to carry.

Even though you could hold her easily, she would often do a sneak attack of kisses and/or bites when you least expected it.

The little munchkin graduated from Puppy Kindergarten.

Uh oh - here comes trouble. She's definitely medium-sized by this point.

She was happy to graduate from intermediate class.

She mastered the art of off-leashing.

She spent lots of time with her best buddy, Mochi.

She got her first injury - a punctured paw, apparently from a stick. No wonder she has it out for sticks every time she can get a hold of one.

She has grown more graceful recently and runs with John three times a week.

Her first haircut was only traumatizing for me. Now she has had three!

She always loves to hang out with her friend, Cody.

Advanced training and tricks - mastered!

Mochi got a little sister (Latte), and Harper got a new playmate!

We enjoyed a great 4th of July in Mendocino as a family.

She is still very much a puppy, always looking to play and have fun. She is much more reliable and obedient now than she was several months ago, though. Now we mostly experience the fun parts of puppyhood with very few of the drawbacks.

She always has a blast at Point Isabel. It's one of her favorite places.

She does a great job joining us on shopping adventures and eating outside on patios. She's been doing that with us since she was 4 months old.

She is still slightly mischievous, especially when a game of chase is involved.

She has brought me and John so much joy in these past year. We can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with her! Happy birthday, Harper!

Curried Butternut and Red Lentil Soup

2011-10-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

I had never thought of adding lentils to a soup that was pureed, but that's why I'm not a recipe developer, isn't it? I rarely cook new things based on random ideas floating around my head. Maybe one day I'll get to that point, but for now I'm happy to stand on the shoulders of giants. Well, if not giants, then bloggers, cookbooks, and magazines.

I've made plenty of butternut squash soup in my day. It's one of our favorites. I've never made it with lentils or canned tomatoes, though, and I have to say, I love the additions. The lentils help add body to the soup, and they have the major benefit of pumping up the protein of a vegetarian meal. The tomatoes add some acidity to the soup, which I think is needed with the milder taste of the lentils.

While I may not be able to concoct a recipe, I am able to tweak them to my tastes pretty well. I modified the original recipe and added a carrot to the mix, since I didn't have a whole lot of butternut squash. Since we love spicy soups, I added extra heat via curry powder, cayenne pepper, and most importantly fire-roasted tomatoes with chiles.

Either the recipe as written or with my adaptations - this soup is a keeper. It's John's new favorite soup, replacing the fat-laden baked potato soup I've made in the past. This recipe is much easier and healthier, so we'll probably be sticking to this one a lot this winter.

A baguette-for-two on the side (in my opinion the baguette is the perfect size for two people to split with soup for dinner) and topped with some chopped cilantro makes this the perfect fall meal.

Curried Butternut and Red Lentil Soup
Adapted from Eat Live Run

1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled and cubed (or pre-cut pieces)
1 - 1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 large carrot, chopped
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 medium onion, chopped
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or diced tomatoes with chiles)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (or grated on a microplane)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Kosher salt, to taste
Chopped cilantro, to garnish

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add in chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes, until onion is soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute, stirring often. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne pepper and cook another minute. Add in the cubed squash and carrot and stir to combine. Add in the chicken or vegetable stock and scrape the bottom of the pan immediately to release the browned bits. Add in the can of tomatoes (juice and all) and the red lentils. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to let the pot simmer for 20 minutes, until the lentils, squash, and carrot are all fully cooked. Transfer to a blender carefully or blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add salt to taste and extra cayenne pepper if you want more spice. Serve with chopped cilantro.

Farmers Market Haul - What We Got This Week

2011-10-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

As most of my readers know, we religiously visit our local Mountain View Farmers Market every Sunday morning. The earlier the better, since it gets crowded and some of the specialty things sell out. Here is a peek at what we bought this week and will be consuming before we head to Paris. Yes, we eat all of this in a week, except for maybe a peach or some tomatoes that go bad before we have a chance to gobble them up.

This is the California life.

Beautiful yellow cherry tomatoes sit on the counter for salads and snacking.

This stone fruit is from Donna, who sells the best peaches and plums imaginable.

These are tiny Padron peppers, which I'll be making for the first time in a couple days. (I've been eyeing them for weeks and finally bit the bullet.)

I picked up a cantaloupe bought to support cantaloupe growers who aren't killing people and a Yukon Gold potato for my new favorite recipe (I promise to share soon!).

This Acme baguette was devoured with leftover soup for lunch on Sunday.

Scallions and cilantro are staples for adding some zest to my work salads. I can't tell you how wonderful fresh herbs taste in salads. Okay, I just did.

These super sweet dried apricots are to take on the long plane flight to Paris on Saturday.

I managed to score the last bunch of fresh on-the-vine edamame, and I can't wait to eat them tonight. Fresh edamame is hard to find, and I hear it tastes infinitely better than the frozen variety.

Now that we're on a bean-eating kick, I had to pick up some more fresh beans. These have a name I can't remember, but they cook up beautifully - white and creamy. (The green tint disappears during the overnight soaking, interestingly enough.)

Plump grapes for snacks are accompanied here by avocados and Persian cucumbers for my work salads.

A big bunch of kale and another of radishes will add a peppery kick to salads.

Carrots of various hues, with their stems of course.

Spinach, arugula, and Little Gem lettuce - lots of it.

My last surprise find of the market was this Morganics Peppermint Beeswax Lip Balm. It was sold at the honey purveyor, and I couldn't pass it up. Maybe I'll buy some for everyone I know for Christmas!

Fettuccine with Corn Pesto

2011-10-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

I think I've finally figured out how to speak "menu." While eating leftovers of this amazing pasta at work I chuckled to myself about what I would say if someone asked me what I was having for lunch. "Oh, nothing, just fettuccine with pan-roasted corn pesto, fresh basil, Peccorino Romano, and slab bacon." I would shrug as I dug my plastic fork into my Snap Ware for another bite of the loaded pasta strands.

But no one asked, so I didn't mention it to anyone. I just sat alone at my desk, reading food blogs, and trying not to spill any corn pesto on my legal pads.

Sure, "fettuccine with corn pesto" is the name of this dish, but the menu-ized version is much more accurate and reflects how amazing it really is.

On Monday mornings I settle into my desk (slash lunch table) and email a few of my friends what I was lucky enough to eat the previous weekend. It wasn't just a salad, it was an arugula salad with fresh peaches, shaved Parmesan, and pesto dressing. It wasn't just short ribs and potatoes, it was slow-cooked red wine short ribs over creme fraiche mashed potatoes.

People at work are starting to glean that I have an interest in food, but they have no idea how deep it runs. So for now, I will eat my lunch in the company of my favorite food bloggers, and find comfort in my simple fettuccine leftovers.

This recipe almost didn't make it onto the blog because it is past prime corn season, but then I decided I couldn't hold out on you guys. This is one of the best things I've made in awhile. John and I couldn't stop eating it - though luckily we saved a smidge for me to bring to work and entertain myself.

Fettuccine with Corn Pesto
From Bon Appetit August 2010

Makes 4 large servings

4 bacon slices, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus additional for serving
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound fettuccine (preferably from the refrigerator section, not the dried kind)
3/4 cup chopped basil leaves, divided

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, stirring often. Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Leave the bacon grease in the pan, and add in corn, garlic, salt, and pepper. Saute over medium high heat until corn is tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to a bowl and reserve. Pour the rest of the corn mixture into a food processor and add in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and pine nuts. With the machine running, add olive oil through the feed tube and blend until the pesto is almost smooth.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot until tender but still slightly firm. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Return the cooked pasta to the drained pot and add in the pesto mixture, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta over medium heat, adding in cooking water 1/2 cup at a time until it reaches desired consistency - for 2-3 minutes. Season pasta with salt and pepper and serve pasta topped with grated Parmesan, bacon pieces, and basil leaves.

Five Things

2011-09-30T03:45:00.000-07:00

I've been celebrating my birthday all week, and the celebration will continue this weekend as we head to a couple of great dinners. Yesterday was my actual birthday (29 on the 29th!), and John's mom gave me this great organic dog biscuit cookbook. Harper is in for a treat soon! I'll let you know how the pumpkin cookies turn out!

Our new favorite thing to buy at the farmers market are these BBQ pork buns from a stand that sells dim sum. We just take them home and steam them for 15 minutes, and dinner is ready! Delish!

I ordered a new pair of glasses from Warby Parker, and they arrived this week. All of their prescription glasses are $95, and the shipping is free. They send you 5 pairs for a free home try-on, which helps solve the problem of buying something like glasses online. Like the whole Toms thing, for every pair you buy, a pair is donated to someone in need. Works for me!

We've been eating a lot of vegetarian meals lately, so I've been trying to incorporate more beans into our diet. I've started cooking beans from scratch, which has proven a lot more challenging than I originally anticipated (I keep overcooking them!). I finally made our first successful meal of beans recently though, so that's progress. These Rancho Gordo heirloom beans are from a local company, and I can't wait to try them. Good Mother Stallard - that sounds like a good type of bean, right?

John and I have been preparing like mad for our trip to Paris. And by "preparing" I mean buying things like new jeans and boots for said trip to Paris. The important stuff, of course. Hopefully I can go shopping again this weekend to load up on last minute essentials like cardigans and skirts.

Kabuto - Best Sushi in SF

2011-09-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

It is possible I have never seen an episode of Cheers (not on purpose at least). I have, however, eaten at a Cheers restaurant, which had the most unfathomably disgusting ribs a 12 year-old could and would not choke down. When I think of Cheers, though, I think of sushi, not those ribs. This relationship would be a mystery to anyone but John.

We both have fantasies of having a local restaurant that we love and visit so frequently that they know our name. We had such a place (well, minus the knowing of the actual name bit) in New York - our favorite sushi haunt, Takahachi. We went there almost every Friday night for a late dinner before we walked to the movie theater to see whatever romantic comedy was showing. Our usual waiter always greeted John enthusiastically when we came in and the chefs would smile their "hellos." So to me, when I think of great sushi I think "the place where everybody knows your name."

By far our favorite sushi place in San Francisco is Kabuto. They don't quite know us yet, but we are working on it. It's not in walking distance to our place like Takahachi was, so it takes a bit more time to create the Cheers vibe.

We went to Kabuto for the first time a couple years ago based on its insanely positive Zagat rating. Thank you Zagat, for another win! The atmosphere is a little lacking, but I almost prefer it that way. There is nothing pretentious about this place, and we always sit at the sushi bar to watch the action. Everything is fantastic - from the sashimi to the American-style rolls (shrimp tempura above) to the special rolls the chefs think of (I know we had one with pear recently). We recommend this place to everyone we know, so it must be all their new customers that are distracting them from recognizing us just yet. I guess we'll just have to go more often.

Rye Soda Bread

2011-09-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

I guess fall has finally arrived in the Bay Area. I say "I guess" because it rained this weekend for the first time since May but is now back to sunny and 75 degrees for the week. Fall is strange round these parts.

It seems everyone nowadays considers fall their favorite season, my husband included. Not me. I'm a summer kind of gal. Frankly, I feel like fall is only welcomed with open arms because people get sick of 90 degree weather. Well guess what, it's nice and temperate all summer here, so why would I want it to get cold and rain? Why would I want my beautiful tomatoes and strawberries to disappear from the market?

I suppose I am interested in the breads and soups of fall and winter. They even might be trading my tomatoes for.

I made this rye soda bread in the dead of summer and we enjoyed it with some leftover soup, but I'm sure it would have been even better once the temperatures start dipping.

If you haven't made soda bread before, it's a breeze. There is no yeast involved, so you don't have to wait for it to rise. 30 seconds of kneading is all you need (har har) to pull this bread together.

The rye flavor in this bread is very mild, so it works well to accompany just about any soup recipe you have. (And Lord knows it goes well with butter.) Next time I will probably make a half recipe since this bread is too dense and filling to finish between two people in one evening. I suppose if soda bread and soup are involved, I can join the masses and welcome the love of fall into my life. But only if it means I have an excuse to buy another cute pair of boots.

Rye Soda Bread

From Super Natural Every Day

2 1/3 cups rye flour

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and topping

1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 3/4 teaspoons fine grain sea salt

2 cups buttermilk, plus more for brushing the bread

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle of the oven.

In a large bowl, stir together flours, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the buttermilk. Stir together by hand until the dough just comes together.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 30 seconds. The dough she pretty a pretty cohesive ball.

Place the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet. Brush buttermilk over the top and sides of the dough and sprinkle with flour. Cut eight slashes into the dough ball, being careful not to cut all the way through.

Bake for 30 minutes and then move the rack up a level and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. The bread is done when it is crusty, heavy, and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

Five Things

2011-09-23T03:30:00.000-07:00

Harper had a week-long sleepover last week that thrilled her to no end. Our neighbors went out of town, so we were taking care of Mochi and Latte for the week, and Harper couldn't have been happier. Now that the Three Amigos have been separated, since our neighbors came back, Harper has been moping around the house and attempting to drag me to their place on every walk. Apparently I'm not as much fun as Mochi and Latte to have around.

As a thank you gift for watching the dogs, Joyce and David brought us this huge box of cookies from Hong Kong. My favorites were the panda cookies in back, but the almond biscuits came in a close second. Now I need to figure out a way to transport Paris pastries back to the U.S. to thank them when they watch Harper!

Last weekend I got to meet one of my heroes: The Alice Waters. She was at Omnivore Books for a signing, and I couldn't miss the chance to meet her. I didn't even know she had so many cookbooks - and I already have a lot of hers! Naturally I needed copies of these previously unknown books of hers. I got her to sign a few of her amazing cookbooks in her distinctive handwriting, and I walked away giddy. She was very sweet.

Vintage food mill - score! Per my request, my mom sent me her old food mill, in the box and everything! Is that Italian, Mom? I remember using this together in her kitchen to make homemade tomato sauce out of our garden's tomatoes. Pretty much what I imagine doing with it again one day!

And last but not least - to my Wedding-Date-For-Life, John. Weddings are a lot more fun with a wonderful man by your side.

Creamy Stovetop Corn With Poblano Chiles

2011-09-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

Remember when roller skating parties were the Event of the Season in elementary school? The clunky brown skates with orange laces didn't usually compliment my outfits, but somehow I was able to overcome this and have a good time. The games were the most interesting part of the evening. The limbo and Four Corners were popular, but Red Light, Green Light was always my favorite.

Was Red Light, Green Light, popular at your local skating rink too? You know the game - the random skating rink employee asserts his power over adolescents by calling out "green light" to get them to go and "red light" to get them to screech to halt. This game is, not surprisingly, much more difficult on skates than it is in Chuck Taylors.

The first person to reach the finish without getting busted for moving after "red light" is called, is the winner. Of what, I can't say for certain. I seem to remember that coupons at the snack bar were involved.

I have no doubt that this stovetop corn was nothing like that snacks served at the skating rink, but the red, green, and yellow can't help but remind me of a stop light. If I recall, "yellow light" meant you could keep moving, and was really only used to trick you into stopping before you needed to.

This colorful dish tastes as good as it looks, maybe even better (especially in the dim lights of my no-longer-sunlit-during-dinner kitchen). This recipe comes together quickly, other than roasting the chile peppers. After melting one pair of plastic tongs holding the chiles to the gas flame on our burner, I decided it was easier to simply place the chiles directly on the burner surface and roast them that way. After blistering the skins black (using your broiler or gas stovetop work well), the chiles are placed in a Ziploc bag for 10 minutes to steam. The skins slide off pretty easily after that, and then you can move onto the easy stuff.

I'm new to the world of creme fraiche, and I have to say, I like it here. Think of creme fraiche as the French version of sour cream. I know for sure it is sold at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, so check there if you are as new to the creme fraiche world as I am. The tang from the creme fraiche really makes this dish shine. The sweet fresh corn tastes perfect next to the smoky chiles (which are not spicy after roasting, by the way). A squirt of lime juice at the ends brightens all the flavors to bring it to the next level.

I've made this dish three times in about a month, that's how crazy I am about it. There is probably only a week or two of fresh corn left, so get to it. Or, more appropriately, green light!

Creamy Stovetop Corn with Poblano Chiles
Adapted from the NY Times

2 tablespoons butter
1 red bell pepper, diced
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Minced jalapeno, optional
Kernels from 4-6 ears of corn
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips (I have also substituted Anaheim and Hatch chiles)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup creme fraiche
Juice of 2 limes

Start out by roasting your chiles, and place them in a plastic bag to steam before peeling. (See here or here.) Cut kernels off of 4-6 ears of corn. Remove skins from chiles and cut into 1/4-inch strips

Heat two tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When melted, add in diced red bell pepper, Cook pepper for 3-5 minutes, until slightly softened. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and minced jalapeno (if using). Add corn and chile strips to pan and cook until corn is tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add plenty more salt and pepper. Add in scallions and creme fraiche and heat through. Add in the juice of two limes and taste for seasoning.

The Rest of Napa

2011-09-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

This was our third weekend trip to Napa (the first being our honeymoon), and I think I love that place more and more each time I go. Not that it's original to love wine country - the food and the beauty are unmatched. We are pretty lucky to have this place in our backyard.

This was our first time in Napa with a pooch, and it made the experience better. This shot was taken at the Rutherford Grille before I chowed down on BBQ ribs and cole slow.

We stopped at Peju winery on the way out of town to pick up a couple of bottles - with Harper of course. It's amazing how many wineries in Napa welcome dogs.

We stopped at a farm stand to pick up some local vegetables to eat for dinner when we got home. Big juicy tomatoes, a couple of white nectarines, and an eggplant zucchini. What I made for dinner didn't exactly compare to the food we had in Napa, but we made do.

Napa Knapp Wedding

2011-09-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago John and I attended the most beautiful wedding in the history of weddings. Our friends Trevor and Andrea got hitched at the Beaulieu Garden up in Napa.

Trevor looked very excited as he anticipated his beautiful bride.

And she was beautiful all right.

Cheers to the happy and lovely couple!

And a big thanks to them from all their guests for hosting such an amazing party.

It was like a fairy tale eating under the lights and chandeliers.

Don't you wish you had been invited to this incredible affair?

Everything was perfect down to the personalized menus, color-coordinated napkins, and floral sprigs.

I loved this cute method of the seating chart pick-up.

On top of the incredible setup, the food not to be believed. They picked the chef for her farm-to-table cuisine and we were blown away.

And this is how big we were smiling before we ate the peach and arugula salad, crab cakes with succotash, and sea bass with fresh peas.

By the time it was dark we were digging into our wedding pie (instead of cake). I chose raspberry and John had apple. I wouldn't have minded a taste of the third option, peach, but I wasn't very well acquainted with the guest on my right, so I decided to keep my request to myself.

Best wishes to the happy couple. May their life together be as beautiful as their wedding.

Smitten Ice Cream

2011-09-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

Remember that "ice cream of the future" they suckered us kids into eating in the 80s. Newsflash: Dippin' Dots is not the ice cream of the future, it's just sugared ice pebbles. Also, there was the "space" ice cream that was freeze-dried and altogether saw dusty in flavor. Neither ended up being better than real ice cream...or even as good as ice cream.

Well guys, I have discovered the real ice cream of the future. If you've seen Top Chef, you've seen the contestants whip up ice cream with liquid nitrogen. I never thought much of it, because I figured it was just a trick to use when you're in a time crunch, not something that would make ice cream better.

Wrong-o!

Ice cream made with Liquid Nitrogen is the creamiest ice cream you've ever eaten. Maybe because of the quickness with which it freezes the ingredients, but there are essentially no ice crystals in this ice cream, making it taste even more luscious than you're used to.

Smitten Ice Cream in San Francisco churns your flavor TO ORDER with liquid nitrogen. You read that right, folks, they make the ice cream just for you.

This will be the freshest and creamiest ice cream of your life. I have to even reluctantly admit that it's better than my own homemade ice cream. Plus it requires no work from me and allows me to have fun flavors while John has his boring chocolate. Get yourself over to Hayes Valley and try yourself a scoop (or two)! Welcome to the future.

Five Things

2011-09-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's an exciting week in our house. We are living in a three dog house at the moment (not to be mistaken with a Three Dog Night), and dog sitting our neighbors' two doodles. Harper is in heaven, having the time of her life, and John and I are constantly cracking up at their crazy antics.

In Cambria I tried my first fig and have been on a fig-eating roll ever since. Fig season is short, so it's a good thing I caught onto their greatness when I did. Figs ahoy!

While we were in Napa last weekend we used our handy dog book to find out about this great off-leash area surrounded by grape vines. Harper had a great time tiring herself out with some Australian Shepherds.

No trip to Napa is complete without some Thomas Keller, right? We couldn't get into any of his restaurants (which is fine since Redd and Bottega were incredible), but we did find our way to Bouchon Bakery to buy some toffee. It was everything I expected from a Keller establishment.

You can't tell from the picture, but these are some of my larger tomatoes, the Ernie Rounds (about the size of a child's fist). My tomato plans aren't doing great, but they are producing some fruit, which makes it all worthwhile.

We visited a great olive oil store in St. Helena where I picked up this garlic olive oil. To make this oil the garlic is pressed with the olives (instead of later infusing olive oil with garlic flavor). It tastes great with bread and on tomatoes (especially my own).

Kale Caesar-esque Salad

2011-09-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

It's time to meet a new member of the kale family: Tuscan kale. Also known as black kale or lacinato kale (i.e. don't fret when your grocery store doesn't have anything named Tuscan kale), this kale isn't curly-leafed like the kale you are used to. It also has a milder flavor and can be eaten raw.

If you don't believe me about the raw bit, just try this salad. It is a life changer.

This salad will make you want to eat kale. That's right, I said that. You will actually want to eat kale and you will crave this salad.

I've made this Caesar-esque salad three times in two weeks. It has even become a main dish in our house.

I know, I know, you seem skeptical. Eating kale as dinner does not sound pleasant. Try this salad and you will change your mind.

The kale leaves need to marinate with the dressing for at least five minutes to soften their flavor a bit. Raw garlic and plenty of grated cheese give this salad lots of punch. But the good kind of punch, not the punched in the face kind of way.

I always thought croutons were only good because they are fried bread. This recipe uses either cut up toast or food-processed toast to make croutons or coarse crumbs (whichever you prefer - my favorite method is cutting the bread into cubes since that doesn't dirty a food processor). You won't even notice that the bread isn't drenched in oil. It tastes perfect.

If you can find the right kind of kale (you might need to wait until the winter depending on what part of the country you're in), you should give this simple and life-changing salad a try. Afterwards, you are free to feel smug for at least a week for all the kale you ate. Go for it.

Kale Caesar-esque Salad
From In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark (via Shutterbean, Sassy Radish, and 101 Cookbooks)

Makes two large servings

1 bunch Tuscan kale (also called black or lacinato kale)
3 pieces of good bread
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus a pinch
1/4 c. finely grated Pecornio or Parmesan, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cut the bottom two inches off the kale stems and discard. Using either a knife or your hands to remove the stems from the kale (you can hold the stem in place and rip up with your hands). Rip or cut into bite-size pieces. Place the kale in a large salad bowl.

Using a mortar and pestle or a heavy knife, pound or mince the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt until a paste forms. In a small bowl (or your mortar), add in 1/4 cup Pecorino or Parmesa cheese, 3 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of one lemon, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix together to form a thick, cheesy dressing. Pour the dressing on the kale leaves, toss well, and let marinate for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast 2 slices of bread until fairly dark (but not burnt). Either chop into small pieces (my new favorite method) with a knife or grind in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Pour all pieces, including all crumbs, into the bowl with the kale. Top with more grated cheese and toss well.

Cambria for Labor Day

2011-09-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Cambria, Cambria, Cambria...where do I begin? Well, first of all, John and I aren't even sure how to pronounce "Cambria." I've been assuming it's pronounced similarly to the word "Cambridge," but we suppose it could be pronounced closer to "camera." The reason we don't know how to pronounce it is that no one we know has ever heard of this place. Whenever we told people we were going down to Cambria (of unknown pronounciation), we were met with blank stares. "Halfway between LA and San Francisco," we would say. Still, nothing.

We certainly don't mind that this place is a mystery to all our friends. One of the reasons we love it so much is because it is so quaint and filled with such natural charm. Colored picket fences, flowers blooming, and a Main Street that can be walked in about 20 minutes.

We ventured a few more miles south to Morro Bay. Seeing the tell-tale Morro Rock (above) was not our focus, but a nice bonus.

Of course we went there to visit the dog beach!

This beach stretched on for miles and Harper (and her parents) had a blast.

While in Cambria we had to follow the signs to the Red Moose Cookie Company. "Made with love?" Yes, please!

Unfortunately, their cookies come in bags of four...which meant we had to leave with a dozen. Snickerdoodle, peanut butter, and orange sugar cookie. They were incredible.

We ate all our meals outside and were particularly fond of Robin's Cafe in downtown Cambria. The dog-friendly patio out back was right next to a magnificent garden with a pear tree that provided fresh pears for their desserts.

When back at the beach house, Harper loved to sit right in the middle of the open door facing the deck. I think she liked to smell all the smells in the fresh air but preferred the cushioned carpet.

We are thrilled to have found such a great seemingly-secret vacation spot. How is it possible that the entire Bay Area isn't clued into this wonderful oasis a few hours south?

Five Things

2011-09-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

It's nice going on vacation on a three-day weekend because when you return to work, you aren't the only one who feels like slacking. Nothing like a four-day workweek to cut down on productivity. Cheers to that. I only wish that we were going back to Cambria this weekend!

In Cambria Harper has lots of opportunities to show of her new trick - swimming. She doesn't go in just for the heck of it, but she'll dive in after a stick or another dog. We knew she'd realize she loved swimming eventually!

Within a 24-hour period on vacation I read this entire Lucky Peach magazine. Big deal, you say? Well Lucky Peach is the new culinary magazine from McSweeny's that is actually more like a book. There are zero advertisements, just pages and pages of content on a single subject. This issue was all about ramen, and I am even more obsessed with the idea of going to Tokyo than ever.

John and I ate every lunch and dinner in Cambria outside - except for our final dinner which we ate at the beach house. The pictures above are from a restaurant with private alcoves equipped with your own fireplace to enjoy outside. We were in heaven.

Cambria is a pretty small town that is surrounded by wildlife. The first evening Harper spotted a deer outside, and she barked to show it who was boss (Harper barks about once every two weeks, so this was noteworthy). The next day when we all came upon this deer (and deer friend, not pictured), she seemed to take it in stride, apparently having overcome her fear fairly quickly. The older I get, the more I like relaxing rural retreats.

The second book I finished on vacation was Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook. Being keen on food policy, I was enthralled by this book. It tells of how those bright red (but flavorless) tomatoes get on our sandwiches and in our grocery stores year-round. I can give you a preview: Florida grows tomatoes in nutrient-free sand and enslaves migrant workers from Latin America to pick said tomatoes while exposing them to pesticides that make them sick! It's a little more uplifting in the end, but it definitely further encourages my organic and local habits.

Cambria in iPhone

2011-09-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

John and I headed to Cambria last weekend for Labor Day and couldn't have loved it there more.

What's not to love about mile-long wooden boardwalks overlooking the ocean? (It was dog friendly too!)

And how could we not love this view?

I only have time to post my iPhone/Instagram photos because I was up late playing Settlers of Catan last night. (I let both our tomato suppliers win.)

This was our view from the deck at our beach house. Harper and I loved to sit out there and read. Well, I did most of the reading and she did most of the hummingbird chasing.

We brought Damages Season 3 to watch and were enthralled as the chronicles of Patty and Ellen played over this ultra warm fire.

Just a walk away from our house was the best "dog park" of all time.

It's not really a dog park, just a huge recreational area with great views and lots of trails that so happens to allow dogs off leash.

Harper adored the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve and everything about Cambria. John and I have found a new go-to vacation spot. More pictures to follow soon!

Google Movie Night

2011-09-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Last week John and I caught a movie at the Cineplex de Google. They were showing Raiders of the Last Ark outside, so how could we not go?

Harper also was dying to see Indiana Jones, and she got to meet some cute kiddies with Dr. Jones hats.

A healthy dinner from the Google cafeteria...

Was followed by a not so healthy snackfest. What's a movie without popcorn and candy anyway?

John is a big Indy fan, so he had to struggle not to let every line from the movie escape his lips before Harrison Ford had a chance to say it first.

I can safely say all members of the LaBarre family enjoyed movie night. I promised Harper that the next movie we saw wouldn't have any snakes though.

Carmel Doodle Romp

2011-09-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Yet another doodle romp on the beach, yet another million pictures! Hope you don't mind the latest installment of the doodle romp chronicles. (Izzy above is the same age as Harper and lots of fun.)

Here Harper goes chasing Harpo. Confusing, much?

What a blonde beauty!

Harpo and Harper still at it!

Harper's best friend, Mochi was there, looking dapper as always!

Mochi's little sister, Latte, was the youngest pup there and wowed everyone with her cuteness.

Here's the whole group. Most of the doodles are form Almond Blossom, a doodle breeder in the area.

Harper may or may not have stolen this little boy's bucket and made him chase her around for five minutes to retrieve it. I was laughing so hard. This picture reminds me of the old Coppertone ads - maybe that really did happen one day!

Three way tug-of-war is difficult to finagle, but they managed!

No one has as much fun on the beach as doodles!

Five Things

2011-09-02T03:45:00.000-07:00

John and I are off to Cambria this weekend to "celebrate" Labor Day, if you can really even celebrate that holiday. We will be renting a beach house with Harper in tow, as we are wont to do. Hopefully the tomato plants will survive a drought for a few days.

The tomatoes above are from ONE DAY of picking from our neighbor's two tomatoes plants. Joyce kindly shared this batch with us and it was almost enough to keep us in tomatoes all week. Our tomato plants produce about one cherry tomato a day. Hurmph.

Random lovely kitchen found on Pin Interest

Have you heard of Pin Interest? I'm starting to get into it recently and you can check me out here. The more people I know on it, the better, so let's all start pinning!

Oh radishes, why did I forsake thee for 28 years? I have recently discovered how much I love radishes, and I've been walking away from the market with multiple kinds every week. This watermelon radish is particularly spicy tasting. I love radishes sprinkled in my work salads every day; the crunch and peppery taste cannot be beat.

It's come to my attention that Settlers of Catan is played by lots of my friends. Who knew? My brother and his wife introduced me and John to the game, and it's one of our favorites. We've started a fierce rivalry with the neighbors. Let's hope we don't alienate our tomato suppliers before the season is done.

Sorry for all the fruit and veggies in this Five Things, but the market is blossoming and I can't keep my feelings to myself. John and I were pressured into trying some new melons at the market last weekend and absolutely fell in love with these canary melons (two for $5 - bargain!). They taste like honeydew melons...on steroids! Honeydew is John's favorite...or was, until Canaries came into our lives. If you get a chance, check these out sometime.