Puppy Love

Farmer's Market Dish

Didja know that Davis was named one of the 10 great places to shop at a farmer's market in the US?  Yes, not a top 10 great, or 10 best, just one of the 10 great places (randomly picked from all places considered "great," I assume).  In the very reputable Travel section of USA Today... just let me have this one, okay?  It's pretty adorable for a little town and prices are SO MUCH lower than the Ferry Building's farmer's market in SF.

So, PD and I took a trip there last week and came home with some lovely ingredients to make vegetable tian.  It's a meatless dish that not only I, but PD as well, loves.  Yes.  Meatless.  And he loves it.  The fresh farmer's market produce certainly makes it tastier, but this Trader Joe's seasoning blend that I recently discovered, subtly takes it over it top.  So far, it taken everything over the top - this vegetable tian dish, mac and cheese, eggs, and... uhm, yeah... that's pretty much all that I've cooked in the past week and a half.

Trader Joe's: 21 Seasoning Salute

The main players in this dish: Basil, this two-toned-squash-thing-that-I-thought-was-so-cute-but-don't-know-the-name-of, heirloom tomatoes, onion, potatoes, and the magical 21 Seasoning Salute.

The final result.  In one of my beloved vintage Corning Ware casserole dishes.

 I always feel so much better after having this - it's a load of veggies, olive oil, and a few seasonings.  I feel like it negates the daily bags of Pop Chips that I might possibly be slightly addicted to. 

... and since you've probably deduced from the previous picture, there are 2 other, a little less classy, "secret ingredients".

Ahh!  The secrets out.  The healthiest dish I make involves cheese from a plastic shaker jar and Cheeze-Its.

Missing the City

What I miss most about SF is that there are SO MANY different types of people and they each have their own thing going on.  There are no weirdos because EVERYONE is a weirdo.  Well, some might disagree about the no weirdos part, but you get over that pretty fast - they can do what they want,  you can do what you want, there will be no judgement (because, really, who has time for that anyway), and everyone will just be happy together doing what they want.

That's what I miss most.  By far.

The second thing I miss most is the how walkable and public transportation accessible it is.  Buses, subways (2 types - MUNI and BART), light rails, cable cars, taxis, and heck - even pedibikes galore.  Between all that and the hills, who needs a gym membership?  You don't have to consciously plan to be active, it just comes naturally with living.

A close third is the food.  Oooh my, the food.  I did not realize how much I would miss it.  There are some fancy schmancy places there, but what I find myself missing are the little, casual, even "hole-in-the-wall" places.  Fancy a fish sandwich?  The best burger ever?  Sushi (that doesn't include cream cheese or deep fried shrimp in every roll)?  Moroccan mint tea?  Freshly baked brioche bread?  I've got a place for that (read like: I've got an app for that.).

I've been feeling a twinge of homesickness.  Can you tell?  Even though it's not my home anymore.  But I'll still call it that anyway. 

Oh yeah, and I also miss being able to see the ocean (or the bay, I guess) from most places.  If anything, you are most likely a 10-15 minute walk away from an amazing view of it.

Okay.  Enough of this longing.  Good night.

Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches

At a friend's 30th birthday dinner last week, I had the best pie of my life.  FACT.  It had a tasty peach and cherry filling that was just sweet enough, without the sugar overpowering the freshness of the fruit.  And the crust... Oh, the crust!  It was the perfect balance of being both flaky and crumbly, with a subtle (actually not so subtle) hint of butter with each bite.

Dreams were had about that pie, so I thought an attempt to recreate it was in order.

I got a crust recipe from Smitten Kitchen, and googled a recipe for the filling found here.  And I got my peaches (and cherries) from Costco (rather than from a can in a factory downtown).

It didn't come out bad, but it was far from the masterpiece of last week.  I mean, it would be disrespectful to compare the two.

Changes for next time:

• Before adding the peaches to the mixture, pop the sliced peaches in the microwave (covered) for a minute or so to get it softer.
• Use the same crust recipe for the bottom half, but for the top portion, I realized that I should be using a "crisp" pie recipe.  Like from here.
• Use a deep dish pie dish.  And pack in the filling.  I only ended up using a third of the filling for the pie and used the rest to make an impromptu cobbler.

Food styling by Danabus Stecil.

Nature's candy in my hand or can or a pie..Millions of peaches, peaches for me...Millions of peaches, peaches for free...  Look out! 

Is the song now totally stuck in your head too?  No yet?  Here ya go:

It's been difficult meeting people out here.  In SF, I worked and there were always new people with similar interests to meet and chat with.  And because I lived in a very cozy and walkable neighborhood, I've never really felt like I was lacking in socialization. 

It's a different story out here.  The only person I see 5 or 6 days out of the week is PD (excluding the cashiers at Bel-Air).  So I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I made 2 friends.

After I introduced PD to them and showed him the assortment of new felt colors (for the hair) so that I can make more friends, he said that I really needed a job to come along.  Stat.

I agree. 

Friends are adapted from patterns found here.

Run Like the Wind

I got these shoes last week as a very nice present.

In the past decade, my fitness regime has turned from running, to yoga, to zilch for the past year.  Well, maybe not completely zilch -  I cut the fat off my meat now.  Just nip it at the bud, I say.

I am a shorter person (barely reaching 5'1) with a small frame (according others and this article), who tries but doesn't always eat the healthiest (Fried chicken or chips of any kind? I'll take 'em.).  It's called "skinny fat".

Urban Dictionary definition: To look slim, even with revealing clothes, but when touched, the touching hand sinks into fat before reaching muscle.

Lovely, right?

Being "skinny fat" and having three decades of life under my belt just can't be the best for my heart.  So.  I'm taking up running again, with new shoes to boot!  They simulate barefoot running without the creepy visible shoe separation of toes.  I took them for a whirl Monday on the treadmill and felt fantastic!  Instead of needing to stop because both my leg muscles are tired AND my heart is not able to keep up, it was just my heart begging me to stop while my legs felt like they can go for miles and miles!

I'm going to test them out again this afternoon to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

Disclaimer:  I might by hyping them up a tad, since my base comp was my previous pair of runners from 2006.  So these are just a big upgrade for me, to say the least.  I'm just way behind in the running shoe technology.

Boston

I went to Boston last week.  It was my first trip there and (like 90% of the places I visit), I can totally see myself living there.

Top 10 things I loved about this trip (in no particular order):

• Hanging out with family.
• The historical vibe of the city.
• The delicious abundance of fresh lobster.  Lobster sandwiches in particular.
• Dunkin' Donuts on every corner.
• The warm and humid summer weather.
• The trip to Maine for soft-shell lobsters with a successful Barbour Outlet visit on the way.
• The 7-day CharlieCard pass.
• How the amount of walking negated all the calories consumed.
• Going to the Old State House Museum.
• Walking around the campuses of impressive Ivy Leagues schools.

Cap to Cap

This past weekend, PD and I road tripped with SF friends to visit friends (and recent relocatees) in Carson City.  It was a 36 hour whirlwind of a blast.    

Snippets of this blast included:  several comedic road rage inspired commentaries, a delicious charcuterie spread, a dayhike with continuous Lake Tahoe views (And boy - was the water blue and crystal clear!  Now I get all the "Keep Tahoe Blue" bumper stickers.), chipmunk sightings, GIANT portions of ice cream, a tasty home-cooked dinner, an introduction to Love in the Wild, a downtown walking tour, Taiwanese food, and a successful trip to the Patagonia outlet.  And obviously, quality friend-time.

I feel lucky to have such cool friends.  Especially friends who carry an extra Nalgene bottle of water and bring extra cash.  ;)

Pit stop in Placerville.

First sighting of friends! Nope, we did not caravan. Just perfectly timed.

Accidental Best Potatoes EVER

PD and I skipped our usual Meatless Mondays (Meatless Mondays ≠ no meat all day.  Just a meatless dinner.  And by usual, I mean about 1-2x/month.) this week and opted for T-bone steaks instead.  Oh.  And, by the way, did I mention that we were barbequing because all of our pots and most of our dishes were dirty?  Anyhoo.

I planned on making asparagus in the toaster oven on foil (no dishes necessary!) and saw that we had a bag of fingerling potatoes in the fridge and wanted an easy way to make them.  Collectively, we decided to dice them up, toss them in olive oil, S+P, and smoked paprika, and cook them in the BBQ over a mesh basket.  I was not expecting much, but they were by far the tastiest potatoes that I can remember having.  Crispy and smokey on the outside, sweet and tender-but-not-mushy on the inside.  The word "tender" gives me the heebie-jeebies...  but let's just say that they beat the Cajun Fries at Five Guys.

Point Two Miles

  This summer, I live just 0.2 miles and 4 minutes walking (according to Google Maps) from this:

This is the closest field from my place and I am LOOOVIN' (The words that first came to mind were actually "tickled" and "delighted"... Why I'm thinking like an 80 year old, I don't know.) that it's sunflowers this year.  Did you know that different crops are planted each year because they absorb different nutrients from the soil?

I'm going to try not to take this for granted since I know it won't be there for the next couple of years (at least).

I got a call yesterday from PD while he was at work letting me know that he had a last minute work thing and had to leave for a couple of days.  There's always been a little more notice when he has to leave for work and I usually make plans and have somewhat of a schedule.  But yesterday he came home, packed his things and was gone within 30 minutes.

Finalizing plans and walking out the door.  I'm sure that it didn't bother him AT ALL that I was just snapping away with my camera.  Note: He might see this soon and insist that I remove these images.

I had no plans and the house all to myself, with no one to reflect my own guilt.  So I stayed in PJs, got comfy on the La-Z-Boy recliner, and watched TV/went online for NINE STRAIGHT HOURS while grazing on a giant bowl of leftovers.  It was very attractive.  The only reason I got up was because I decided to watch TV in bed.

I've never lived alone before, but just based on yesterday, I can see myself getting real slummy real fast.  This video totally resonates with me:

As an attempt to make up for yesterday, I set my alarm this morning and made a to-do list for the rest of this week.  In the middle of trying to make a dent in our never ending giant pile of laundry, the doorbell rang with a flower delivery from PD.  Today's a 50%-silly-50%-sentimental two year benchmark of this BBQ date that we had - I couldn't help but to feel completely gushy and my heart melted just a bit.  And that slight annoyance I was feeling with having to empty out coins, receipts, and old packs of gum from his jean pockets melted away too.  And was replaced with even more gushiness.

I just mentioned how I loved peonies last week to PD, while I was writing this post.

Gone Fishin'

I have several vague yet fond memories of fishing when I was little (<8 years old, for sure) like, setting my pole on the dock and not paying attention when the bobber when down and having the fish swim away with my pole.

There was also a (very) brief stint in college where I got a pole for my birthday from my roommate.  We woke up early one Sunday morning, went to the pier with our poles, and got sympathetic looks (and proper bait) from the other (real) fishermen.  Our unsuccessful fishing trip was worth it in the end since we were up early enough to get breakfast at McDonald's on our way home.

I went "legit" fishing for the first time with PD yesterday.  I learned how to cast, tie on a fish hook, hook a nightcrawler, and reel 'em in.  We didn't catch anything and the only thing we reeled in was our original bait and a couple of leaves.  But it was just the two of us - without the TV, magazines, the radio or any other distractions.  I had a lovely time.

Flowers

Having a backyard and actually growing things in it (I believe it's called, "gardening") is still a relatively novel idea for me.

The backyard currently has an herb garden that I love and get tons of use out of, a lemon tree, and other green colored plants, but no flowers of any kind.  I enjoy fresh flowers and buy them every so often, but never thought about actually planting them... until now!

I need to do some more research but a few of my favs so far are hydrangeas, peonies, and roses.  I need a hardy type, with a high survival rate to withstand several days (at least) of neglect.

Any suggestions?

The Rotisserie Chicken

It's been almost two months and I'm still lovin' that $4.99 rotisserie chicken.  After letting it cool down a bit, I set up my de-boning station on folding TV trays in the living room so that I can be entertained (usually HGTV for Food Network).  I get a giant Pyrex bowl to keep the meat in, and I just use the lid flipped over to save the carcass.  What I've made with it so far:

• Chicken stock:  I boil and simmer the carcass with celery, carrots, and an onion quartered with the skin on.  Did you know that it's the onion skin that gives the stock the yummy golden color?
• Chicken tortilla soup:  I use the carcass stock and adapted from The Pioneer Woman's recipe.  I replaced the bell peppers with a bag of frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots, and green beans) and used the rotisserie chicken instead.  I loosely halved the recipe.  PS.  The cornmeal makes a huge difference - don't skip that step (it was worth the $2.29 splurge on the box!).  Topped with cilantro and low-sodium Fritos.
• Chicken pot pie:  Adapted from my gal pal.  I used regular milk instead of cream, bouillon cubes instead of stock, and only one pie crust (used on top).  Changes were made because I'm cheap and trying to keep costs down.  And I also added in a finely diced potato.
• Chicken nachos:  This is more assembling and opening cans than cooking. Saute chicken with diced onions with a bit of salt and a couple big shakes of chili powder.  I toast tortilla chips and top with the chicken, a box of Mexican-Style Rice-A-Roni, and can of vegetarian chili.  I finish off with cheese and avocados if I want to make it fancy.  
• Chicken salad:  Nothing special.  Mix with the usual mayo, pepper and a couple squeezes of Heinz relish.  I add chopped up bits of celery and/or apples if I'm feeling ambitious. 

Next up, I'm going to try chicken congee (Chinese chicken and rice porridge).  What are some other affordable and easy recipes?

Dining In

I used to have dining and meals figured out down to a tee when I lived in SF.  Not only did I know the abundant variety of tasty (and relatively healthy/affordable) restaurants, their menus, and what my "usuals" were by heart, but I also knew based on where I was coming from (work, gym, errand running, etc.), which were on the way either by walking or MUNI connection, and how many meals I can stretch each takeout order to be to maximize cost efficiency.  Example: Getting a quart sized order of Grandma Mary's Chicken soup from the San Francisco Soup Company and asking for extra pieces of bread is sufficient for lunch and dinner that day, with more than enough leftover for dinner the next day too. It comes out to about 4 bucks a meal.

Now that I'm living with PD (who is not as tolerant as I am to eating the same leftovers for consecutive days) in a rural suburban countryside without the extent of (or any) tasty takeout options, coming up with an affordable variety of meal options has been a struggle... until now.

I've discovered the delight that is the $4.99 rotisserie chicken from Costco.  Recipes to come!