This is great

Aaaah Christmas cookies!

They are just about one of my favorite things in the world- the coming together of everything I love about the holidays! This year, I think the award for the best compilation of Christmas cookies goes to Sunset Magazine. The December issue sat on my coffee table for at least two weeks before I finally opened it up.

The article has just four cookie dough recipes, but it gets creative with the fillings and decorations. Who knows? It could even inspire creative thinking!

Round 2

I stuck with it! Today I prepared the doughs for pumpkin pie and onion pie. I also made the turkey stock, which isn't difficult, but takes quite a lot of time.

Tomorrow we will make almost all of the dishes (stuffing, glazed carrots, boiled kale, put the pies together) so that Thursday all we'll have to think about is roasting "The Bird" and the other things that are better made the same day like salad and mashed potatoes.

After we are done preparing everything we can on Wednesday, we will be doing what I hope most of you will be doing and EATING DINNER OUT! You'll have enough to think about on Thanksgiving, and you're going to want to start the morning with a clean kitchen. Trust me.

Round 1

3 Days to go! I hope that you are at least thinking about your menu for the biggest feasting day of the year. I decided that I would finally go for "The Bird" this year rather than my past endeavors such of duck, Cornish game hen, or ribs.

I was very proud of myself for getting all of my shopping done on Saturday. Now all I have to do is meditatively stick to my game plan. What a fun week I have in front of me!

Today I made:
-cranberry relish
-sauerkraut with apples
-the filling for the onion pie
-the beet marinade for the marinated deviled eggs.

Didn't get to the pie dough. That'll come tomorrow. Try to have a spirit of thanks all week, and enjoy every minute of it!

I think you must know

In the past have shared with you many of my favorite restaurants. I like to keep this blog positive, but after my dinner out last Friday, I feel I need to rant. Oh yes, we had a terribly mediocre, horribly overpriced dinner. The kind that hurts when you pay for it. This brought back memories of a few other dinners we've had like that. These are dining establishments in Seattle which, no matter how often you hear people say they just loved it, I want to you please heed my words and avoid them like the plague. My biggest disappointment list...

....Begins with last Friday when Raj and I decided to explore the new high end shopping center in Bellevue called The Braven . We should have been clued in when walking by the new Louis Vuitton store that The Bravern caters to people who like to pay waaay to much for low quality junk just to make themselves think it's luxury. We wanted to try something new, anyway, so we went to The Artisanal Brasserie, which apparently is an extremely popular restaurant in Manhattan (that totally blows my mind, because I always imagined that New Yorkers know when they're being taken) and the chef came here to open a new one. The menu was promising, and almost looked like the index for Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I ordered an onion tarte and Raj ordered steak tartare for starters, and we decided to share a cassoulet for an entree (after all, and $20 entree should be enough food for the two of us, right?). It all sounded fancy, but in the end, my "tarte" was caramelized onions on a pita, Raj's tartare was ground beef, and the cassoulet was unremarkable and so small that Raj also had to order soup to fill himself up. The worst part was that combined with two glasses of wine the bill came out to be $100. Don't get me wrong, we've paid that for a good dinner out before, but this was seriously twice as much as it should have been. Combine that with the fact that we saw the movie "2012" after, and you've got one bad date (except, of course, the man I was with)!

If you think $100 is a nauseating bill, a year or two ago we wanted to go "somewhere nice," so we decided to go to Crush at the recommendation of many supposed foodies we had talked to. This was a while ago, so I don't remember the details of what we ate. All I know is that I so badly wanted to love it- the pretentious white decor, the insanely slow service, the food that just didn't tickle me. I wished even more that we had enjoyed the experience when our $250 check came at the end of the meal. Live and learn, and never eat there again, am I right?

Other places to not eat:

The Space Needle Restaurant (total novelty)
Burgermaster (does this go without saying?)
Lark (I'm taking the advice of friends on this one. Some people swear it's their favorite restaurant, but based on my knowledge of our tastes I think we'll skip it)

All I have to say is this:

Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS

5-7 apples, peeled, cored and chopped into wedges

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter removed from fridge 45 minutes prior

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put the apples in a 9x13x2 inch Pyrex casserole dish.

Sprinkle the lemon juice and nutmeg over the apples.

Sprinkle the cut vanilla extract over the top of the apples.

Stir the mixture around a bit with a spoon.

Combine maple syrup, cinnamon, oatmeal in a bowl. Cut in butter.

Sprinkle mixture over apples.

Bake 45 minutes or until topping looks crisp.

Here is why you are thanking me:

Difficulty: none

Refined Sugar: none

Wheat: none

Guilt: none

You can also replace the butter with coconut oil to make it vegan or the oats with quinoa to make it even healthier (although that's a bit adventurous for me).

Again, you're welcome. ;)

Anthropologie, you're killing me!

Below are the most ridiculously adorable measuring cups you have every seen in your life, courtesy of Anthropologie (in order of what I think to be least cute to most cute).
Geese? Yes, geese! Awwwe

If you need more fowl in yer kitchin, there is a sort of chicken set, too. I'm dying...
Flowers...perhaps a little hard to level off, but still, it's making me crazy!

I love these beautitully painted stone wear measuring cups. Aaaugh!
And last- NESTING DOLLS! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE THEY ARE SO FRICKIN' CUTE!

If your head isn't spinning with cuteness yet, these should put you over the top (also from Anthro)

Oh yes, you too can look adorable while you're using your adorable measuring cups.


I don't think I've ever wanted a pair of salt and pepper shakers this bad. They are just perfect!

Current Obsession: Crystallized Ginger

Crystallized ginger (also known as candied ginger) is not something new, but lately I have been wanting to put it on and in everything I cook and bake. And not just for the nutritional value.

I first began loving candied ginger four or five years ago when I made a cranberry relish from Real Simple Magazine on Thanksgiving that used about 1/2 cup (I'm still searching over the internet to find a link for you, but RS doesn't seem to have it anymore). It was the first time I actually liked cranberry sauce.

Since then, I usually just munch on it for a sweet treat or when I have a stomach ache. However, like I said, lately I've had a hankering to put it into things. Especially into things with chocolate.

I did the dessert catering for a party the other day. Since discovering that most women don't really eat dessert (Tell me, how to they live??), I usually try to include some sort of small bite that goes well with coffee. I made these chocolate biscotti with candied ginger from Martha Stewart. They were really easy, and for taste I would give them an 8/10 (which is where Martha's recipes usually seem to land). It's definitely worth a go.

For the lot of you who like to eat real dessert, I have for you Orangette's Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Candied Ginger. Oooooh man.....

1 cup granulated sugar (for vegan version, use raw sugar)
1 large egg (or 1 ½ tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer plus 2 Tbs warm water, says Glenn)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (or ½ c non-hydrogenated margarine), at room temperature
2 ripe medium-size bananas
3 Tbs milk (or soy milk)
2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
Small chunks of candied ginger, to taste
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar, egg, and butter.
In a separate bowl, mash bananas; then mix with milk.
In another separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three parts, alternating with banana-milk mixture in two parts, stirring by hand until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, ginger, and optional nuts.

Turn batter into loaf pan, smoothing top with the back of a spoon, and bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes; then remove bread from pan and cool on a wire rack.

I don't get it...

Hey, check out this website! If you want to be a pastry chef like me, or just go to culinary school, then this will help your search for the perfect food education!

Anyway, I was reading an odd article on the New York Times website. According to the Federal Trade Commission, "Beginning Dec. 1, bloggers, Twitterers and many others who write online product reviews must disclose the receipt of free merchandise or payment for the items they write about. The guidelines, an update of the F.T.C.’s 1980 guide concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, will affect many in the beauty and fashion blogging community, where freebies ($40 eye-shadow palates, $250 clutch purses and, yes, $69 jeans) are rampant. The rules reflect the commission’s concern about how advertisers are using bloggers and social networking sites to pitch their products."

***Hey, do you like to cook? You should go to culinary school! Start your career here!***

I don't understand how this is humanly possible, and I also don't understand why bloggers have been targeted. People have been paid to talk about how they liked products for decades and maybe centuries. Yes, popular bloggers receive free stuff sometimes. Yes, bloggers even get paid to do their jobs.

Hey, you know what? I really value my pastry school education.

I don't really have a problem with the FTC's law, assuming it is protecting the consumer and not per chance having anything to do with...say... lobbyists. What bothers me is that fashion magazines, television, movies, and the radio have been doing this forever. Do you know how sales of a pair of jeans go up when a celebrity is wearing them? Do you think that celeb actually paid for those jeans? And it's not just the pages in magazines labeled "advertisement" that are doing paid advertising. I've even heard rumors of clothing stores giving away clothes to popular kids in high schooles. So why do bloggers and twitterers (tweeters? twits?) have do disclose every time a company sent them a product to sample and write about? I certainly would not write about a product if I didn't like it- free or not.

By the way, owners of fine Seattle dining establishments, I would be happy to write a review about your restaurant if you give me a free dinner. Can't promise it'll be a good one, but why don't you send me a couple gift certificates and we can see what I think?

Lastly, another paragraph in the article states, "Even before the new rules, some bloggers identified posts that advertisers paid them to write as 'sponsored.' But most don’t have formal disclosure policies, or they tend to use ambiguous language about giveaways."

Maybe I am missing something.

This article was 'sponsored' by www.allculinaryschools.com

Why I love...happy hour

It's not because of the half-priced cocktails and well drinks.

I discovered the wonder of happy hour about two years ago. You see, it's not only dive bars that serve peanuts and all-you-can-eat fries participating in happy hour. Many a high end establishment offer a special menu as well. Sometimes the menu is completely different than the regular menu, sometimes it is the same but at a discount, but more often than not it's smaller portions of the menu plus a few extras. Fried calamari seems to show up at nearly every happy hour (Those squid must like the house wines....zing!) . I like it because more often than not restaurant portions are too big for me, and I haaate wasting half of a $30 plate if it's something that cannot be taken to go, or we won't be on our way to a fridge any time soon. Raj likes it, because he can order plate after plate of food and not worry about the bill climbing sky high.

One problem Raj and I both have is that neither of us gets off work early enough to enjoy the before 6:00 on weekdays happy hours. I really appreciate and want to acknowledge restaurants that get creative with their happy hour times.

Without further ado:

Dragonfish Cafe- 3-6 pm, 9-1 am daily, and 3pm-1am Mondays(!)
$2 and $3 half rolls of sushi (good sushi), and $4 and $5 small plates such as Sesame Soy Tuna and Lime Rickey Shrimp.

Coastal Kitchen- 9pm-11pm daily
Everything is three bucks, including house wines and beers. The Arepas and fish tacos are both awesome and filling.

Boka Kitchen and Bar-Sunday and Monday, 3:30 to Close, Tuesday-Friday, 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to Close, Saturday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. to Close
Everything on the bar menu is half off. 'Bar food' includes a sizable grilled Angus beef burger with truffle fries, pacific rockfish with summer succotash, and a charcuterie plate.

Tutta Bella Pizzeria- 3-6pm Monday through Friday
I've never actually been to this happy hour, because 1. It's only at the Westlake location (MAJOR bummer) and 2. The hours are stingy (even bigger bummer). But I love Tutta Bella, so any kind of discount on their food needs to be noted. From what I've heard the "little plates" that are $3-$6 aren't actually that little.

This Squash Looks Like a Duck

...and other fun with squash.

My first idea for this blog was to celebrate fall by giving you an extensive list of great websites that have to do with squash. (Not so) Shockingly, there were not very many. I came up with three, one of which only sort of has to do with squash. I know, I know...I'm stretching it here.

The "This Peanut Looks Like a Duck" blog just absolutely cracks me up (and also proves what an unsophisticated sense of humor I have). Whenever I have a blue day, I log on to cheer myself up. There happens to be many pictures of various squash on this blog because- think hard about this- many squashes resemble ducks. Did I change your life?

Second, a website that I found most fascinating. The MBG Kemper Center Plant Finder has a list of over 150 varieties of squash that are pictured and identified. I honestly had no idea that many types of squash existed, let alone in one farm (The Great Pumpkin Patch located in Arthur, Illinois). How many varieties must there be in the world? Some look like ducks, while others look like little creatures that might crawl into your homes and suck your brains out:



Lastly, eHow has step by step instructions on how to make your own homemade pumpkin puree. This may sound ambitious, but it's fairly easy. I swear the most difficult part is cutting the pumpkin in half without losing a finger. I should know, I did it tonight (made pumpkin puree, that is, I didn't lose a finger). Using fresh pumpkin puree enhances the flavor of your desserts like you cannot imagine. I freeze the puree in 1 cup portions, 2 cups equaling one 15 ounce can of pumpkin.

Another one bites the dust

"Please be advised that Gourmet magazine will cease publication after the November issue."

...is what I saw the other day when I went to gourmet.com to print up a recipe. All I have to say about this is: dang. Actually, that's not true. My real commentary is this: FREAKING CRAP, WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ALL MY FAVORITE MAGAZINES!?!? I am much too upset to use propper grammar. First Domino goes under, and now this, which is even sadder because Gourmet has been around for 60+ years. I dare not publish the other magazines that I like, as this will probably ensure their demise as well.

I apologize for not telling you about this sooner. Honestly, I don't know how long this has been public information. You may have known long before I did. This does not keep me from lamenting on my blog about how disappointing this is.

"Subscribers can look forward to receiving Bon Appetit magazine for the remainder of their subscription. The Gourmet.com website will remain available during a transitional period, and access to Gourmet recipes will also remain available via sister site Epicurious.com and the Epi iPhone application."

Boooo! I would print up all your favorite recipes now- just in case. I mean, who knows, the INTERNET might cease publication next...

I finally like wine!

Let's acknowledge the truth- while it can add so much to a meal, the consumption and/or appreciation of wine is not a necessity here is the United States of America. A person can live his or her entire life without a drop and be just fine. If wine is not for you, I understand. It's expensive and- let's all be honest now- does not taste good at first. In fact, I would guess that the sommeliers with the most sensitive palates didn't like wine when they first began drinking it. How could they? Honestly, I did not like wine for probably 25 years of my life. However, as a trained chef, I felt it very important to develop a taste for it in order to go as far as I possibly could in my culinary experience.

Like chopsticks, appreciating wine takes practice. And (unlike chopsticks) a lot of money. For a long time, when I drank any kind of alcoholic beverage all I tasted was "burning." I started, as recommended, with cold whites. Riesling was immediately my favorite, and I ordered that a lot to begin with (I still like it). As they began to taste to sweet, I moved on to dryer whites and reds- I could tell my taste was shifting, but really, if I skipped a glass of wine my dinner wasn't missing anything. If I was honest, I still preferred a Pellegrino.

I didn't realize that I had truly begun to have good taste in wine until last June, at my sister's graduation party. I hesitantly chose a bottle of wine for the party of eight or so that were coming to dine with us, and was very proud when everyone raved over how good it was.

In Europe, wine consumption is very different. Allow me to share one of my favorite pictures from my time in Crete:


This girl was one of the cutest things I had ever seen- sitting on a bar stool at my sister's wedding reception, swinging her legs, swirling and sniffing the last few sips of her parents' glasses, and obviously getting a little tipsy. We all know that if this was the US, the authorities would have been notified and this girl would have been in foster care by the end of the night. Not here, though. They simply view wine differently than we do, and my little friend was learning to responsibly appreciate wine from a young age. (By the way, it's not like she drank every day. This was a wedding, and we were all celebrating).

Just as when I was in Tokyo I thought to myself, "I'm so glad I've learned to use chopsticks!" While I was in Crete I thought to myself, "I'm soooo glad I've learned to like wine!" Something there definitely would have been missing if I hadn't. I am glad I have finally gained a taste for wine in a way that enhances rather than overpowers my food experience. My bank account may not be, but I certainly am! ;)

Annika's best kept secret

By accident, we discovered brunch at the Four Seasons hotel in Downtown Seattle. There is a restaurant in the hotel called "Art." Sounds pretentious and expensive, I know. But it's not. Here are the reasons you should check it out....

1. Great food. Always the most important factor, of course. You can tell they chose fresh, high quality ingredients.

2. They treat you like royalty. Being that you are in a Four Seasons hotel, they ought to. It's decorated very chic, and all the chairs are fluffy, comfy arm chairs.

3. There is almost never anyone there. No wait- and I really get tired of waiting an hour and fifteen minutes for lunch at Portage Bay Cafe.

4. All entrees between $10 and $19. Very decent, in the end.

5. I saw Toby McGuire there. That's Spiderman, in case you don't know.

6. I love this song!

Things I've purchased, and things I still want

If anyone is interested...Here is a list of recent (and by recent, I mean the past year) purchases for my kitchen that I am happy with.

Wusthof Classic 8" bread knife. I debated adding to my Bob Kramer for Shun collection, but I decided that the bread knife was entirely too large. I wanted mine to be handleable (not a word, I know), and opted for this nice little size (and 25% of the price).



Krups Belgian Waffle Maker. I finally broke down and purchased this. I have to say, it doesn't have the best reviews (it doesn't have the worst, either), but it is working just fine for me. Now my waffles are all crisp on the outside and soft on the inside like I like them.


Mitered Hem Napkins. I have wanted cloth napkins for a long time, but took a while to find the right ones. I want napkins that I can abuse and have them still come out of the wash fine. And who in their right mind would buy dry clean only napkins?

Le Creuset 7 1/4 quart round French oven. I bought this today! Just as I was lamenting to my husband that sometimes I feel unequipped for large party cooking, and as he was responding that Le Creuset never goes on sale, we saw it. Sitting on a shelf at Sur La Table, shining like the sun in all it's discontinued "Dijon" glory. It was marked down 30% off, which was enough for me to bring it to the register to buy, but even better when the sales girl took an extra 20% off that. The final price was $150 for a $365 pot that will be of infinite value to me. Cha-ching!

Now, I want a splatter screen, but refuse to pay $59 for one out of principal. Any suggestions?

Also, seeing as my blender smells like burning motor every time I use it (which isn't actually that often), I am on the lookout, but not in a hurry. I like this one:



Waring Professional Bar Blender. But it can wait.

Trying to be cool

Occasionally, I like a vanilla latte. Whenever I run into a coffee shop to get one, I always slow down for a minute and look at the people sitting around. Inevitably, there are a few people sitting here and there typing away on their laptop computers. You know the ones I'm talking about? They sit there, slowly sipping coffee and using the free Wi-Fi, obviously working on something very cool and important, like the graphic design of some band's newest album, or maybe writing an article for a fashion magazine or a clever political commentary. I kind of always feel a twinge of jealousy and fascination when I see them. How do they have the time for this? What awesome thing are they so intently working on? Who actually gets paid to sit and sip coffee? Could I ever be so cool?

I had the perfect opportunity to try it out today. I had to take my dog to get his hair cut, and the salon is about 25 minutes from my house- too far to drive there and back mulitple times in two hours. I don't have to be at work until 1, so I thought I would try my hand at looking awesome with my MacBook in one of my favorite places- Volunteer Park Cafe.

I am actually here right now. Although I want one of their super good house made pastries, I ordered a granola and a soy chai latte. I ran this morning (adding to my cliche coolness today), and need something healthy. I sit down to type. How does a person type and eat at the same time anyway? The man next to me (who also has a laptop) asked me if my internet connection is working. I think this must mean that I'm in the cool-person-with-a-computer-in-the-coffeehouse club. I even have something cool to write about- food!

But let's be honest. I now have to go to the bathroom, and I have a $1200 computer with me. Now what do I do? Leave it out on the table with my purse and my cell phone? Ok, not to mention the sun is now shining directly on my computer screen and making it difficult to see. My chai is now cold, and I still have an hour before Toby is done being groomed. Hmmm...It's kind of loud in here, too. I really can't see my screen now. Also, I'm kind of embarrassed at how dirty the screen is. I'm sure a rule of being in computer-coffeehouse club is that your laptop must be free of fingerprints and dust.

I don't think I'm cut out for this. I think I'm going to pack it up, go to the bathroom, and continue my blogs from home.

Sorry...

I didn't intend for that last blog to be such a downer. I had an absolutely amazing time in Crete, and was (am) going through withdrawal. Also, I was reading through my last post and realized that although I kept talking about how good everything was, I never gave any specifics as to why it was so good.

So, here are a few things I have taken home with me:

-Feta on everything. Kinda used like butter- on your bread, your potatoes, etc...It's in everything, as well. The feta there was usually all sheep, as far as I could tell, and very mild. Not the sharp, tangy taste that you imagine.

-Yogurt thicker than anything I've ever experienced. I just don't know if there's anywhere to get it here. I have been buying "Fage" for years, but apparently in Greece that's the cheap, crappy stuff.

-Simple dishes. Straight meats and vegetables, nothing extremely fancy, but everything extremely fresh and perfect. Except, I guess, the lasagna and moussaka, which are more labor intensive.

-Something I'm very excited to try is baking salmon on a bed of rock salt. It draws the fat out, and leaves just the pure salmon flavor. The taste is similar to when it is smoked.

-Celery leaves for flavor. I am always trying to find ways to use everything I buy, rather than throwing stems and greens away (although, I've already admitted I often do...)

-They use a lot of bell peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Those vegetables are definitely what I saw the most of. It makes sense, but not at all what I pictured.

-No hummus! It's not Greek! Not to mention the tatziki was just greek yogurt and a bunch of garlic. I never ate a pita or a falafel. They did serve dolmas, though.

Unfortunately, what I could not take with me was the 40 Euro worth of Cretan honey that I bought. I had to carry on my suitcase so I wouldn't miss my connecting flight and had to throw three jars of it away at the airport. So sad.

Ps. Remember the Disney movie Moon Spinners with Hayley Mills? Well, apparently it was supposed to take place in Crete. I used to watch it when I was little, and I just bought it on Amazon to watch again!

Greece

Ok, so the last couple of weeks have been absolutely insane!

August 16: My sister Skypes us from Chania, Crete (Greece, that is), and informs us that she is getting married...to her Greek boyfriend...in Crete...within a month.

August 23: The day is set for September 12th, we begin planning, freaking out, and buying plane tickets. Somewhere in all of this (I think shortly after the tickets were bought and there was no going back), I began to relax and ride the wave. After all, I was going to Greece, yo!

September 8: 6:30 am I board a plane to take a flight to Philly, then to Athens, then to Chania. 24 hours later, I am hugging my sister, meeting my new brother in law and his family, and being offered food.

Yes...the food. I could spend a month's worth of blogs telling you about my experiences. How wonderful the family was, how much love there is between my sister and her new husband, how gorgeous and warm the Mediterranean is, how the Greek language was nearly impossible even though I'd studied it for three years in college....



But this is a food blog. You want to hear about the food. And you will. Because I can't stop thinking about it.

I have been all around the US, Canada, and Mexico. I have also been to Tokyo, Jamaica, Ireland, London, and Paris. Hands down, this was the best food I have ever had in my life. My sister's new Greek family owns an Italian restaurant in the Venetian harbor in Chania called Veneto. This is where we ate every meal (did I mention for free?). These people just love to feed you. They give you twice as much as you ask for, and then try to give you seconds...and thirds....and most of the time I took it.



IT WAS SOOOOOO GOOD!


Everything was fresh, local, hand picked out by the restauranteurs, made with love (even the phyllo dough was hand made), and abundant. We had fish soup, rabbit stew, lamb in 10 different ways, more fish, and a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables (by the way, now I know why I
hate tomatoes. My palette somehow knew that they were all wrong. The tomatoes there I
loved!) The grapes tasted like candy. And ooooh the wine! Each glass was absolute perfection. And it never ran out.


And this was just the regular, every day food. For three days around the wedding we celebrated and feasted. It was literally the best of the best. Even my mom, who has viewed me as an insufferable food snob for the past few years finally said to me, "Now I know what you are talking about when you refer to good food!"




September 15: We came home. I think we are all a little lost now. We were first off very sad to say goodbye to all our new beloved family members. Also, there is a true hole. In my stomach. I have not known what to eat, because I know nothing will measure up. I made Raj take me to a Sicilian restaurant last night.

I am trying to be inspired, I really am, but at this point I am only discouraged. Even I, who thought I knew what good food was, had no idea until now. And it's literally on the other side of the world.

It's that time again.

Last year, this very same thing happened. The weather, as though it knew it was September 1, suddenly felt cooler and was undoubtedly rainier. The difference is that while last year I was singing the praises of fall, this year I don't want it to come! I wonder how this is, since last year we barely even had summer as much as we had a few fairly warm days. Perhaps the two full months of sun awakened the Southern Californian in me enough to get used to the good weather again- and take it for granted, even.

Not to mention the summer produce this year has been awesome. I have been practically living on peaches, nectarines, and blackberries the past couple of weeks.

At least I can bake again. Today I wanted to make blueberry coffee cake. I thought it was the perfect compromise- the coffee cake part seemed to be warm and cozy, while the blueberries are still fresh and summery. The recipe I found called for vanilla extract and walnuts. I replaced these with almonds and almond extract, since I don't like walnuts and almonds were my only other option. I knew it would work, because it's similar to the way we did coffee cake when I worked at Whole Foods. And work, it did. It was delicious. Oh, and relatively low fat, too.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or regular whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 3 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
  
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, the baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, cinnamon and almonds. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter and oil until fluffy. If necessary, use the back of a spoon to press out any lumps in the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until fully combined. Beat in the almond extract and yogurt.

Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, stirring until just combined.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the nut mixture over the batter and top with the blueberries, gently pressing them into the batter. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture over the cake, pressing gently. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly and then unmold and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. Cut the cake into 2-inch squares.

To make you giggle

I purchased a little book the other day, just because it made me laugh. It's full of one-liners regarding money, consumerism, and the economy. Some are snarky and sarcastic, and some are insightful and helpful. Here are a few I found regarding food:

Buying items in bulk makes you feel like a stalwart pioneer woman. (Or like one of those mothers on the Discovery Channel who have twenty kids.)

Packing your own lunch saves calories, too.

Kale, okra, and mustard greens are still a bargain.

Lets cut to the chase: buying chickens won't save you any money on eggs.

Don't skimp on plastic wrap. The name brands are actually better.

And definitely don't skimp on paper plates- unless you like having a meal slide into your lap.

One bite of something delicious is worth ten bites of something so-so.

If you buy a pound of coffee at Peet's they give you a free cup of coffee.

You can freeze nuts practically forever so that they don't go rancid.

Chili is so filling!

The less you eat, the more your stomach shrinks.

A blind-taste study found that nonexpert wine drinkers prefer cheaper wines.

Good Prosecco is better than bad champagne.

Caviar doesn't sound as tasty when you call it "fish eggs."

It's time to try all those vegetables like cabbage that you once had the luxury of avoiding.

Maybe Ronald Reagan was right- ketchup is a vegetable. And it's available in gigantic free quantities almost everywhere.

And my favorite of the entire book not necessarily having to do with food....

You'll feel better if you can categorize everything you can't afford as "tacky."

Sticken' it to 'em

I have very mixed feelings about the new guidelines for sugar intake that the American Heart Association has recently come out with. The basic information is this: try to keep sugar intake to 100 calories of added sugar. Added sugar is defined as sweeteners and syrups that are added to foods, either during the manufacturing process or at the table. This does not include natural sugars that show up in foods like fruits and dairy products.

So let's think about what that means, then. 100 calories is about 6 teaspoons, or 25 grams of sugar. That's not a lot. Especially when you remember that added sugar often shows up in non-dessert food like ketchup, spaghetti sauce, teryaki, and do you know how much sugar is in an energy bar?

So lets look at the world through cookies- as I so often do. If you count that an average chocolate chip cookie recipe has about 1 1/2 cups of sugar (that includes the chocolate), that is 72 teaspoons of sugar (1.5 cups x 4 tbsps in a cup x 3 tsps in a tbsp). Assuming the cookie recipe makes two dozen cookies, that's 3 regular sized cookies. In a day. If you never eat any sugar in anything else.

My feelings are quite mixed about this whole thing. I do like my sugar, you know. I wanted to try this out, but in a way which I could succeed. I have decided to start with straight white sugar (so it doesn't include the honey in my tea, or maple syrup I may put on a pancake) that may be added to my cereal, desserts, sauces, and any other food, and limit it to 25 grams. This is hard. It will remind me to drink water, as I do not want to waste my sugar intake on juices and other sweetened drinks.

On the other hand, I LOVE this! You see, if the average can of soda has 8 teaspoons of sugar- that's already 2 teaspoons above the recommended level. The government is indirectly discouraging the consumption of soda, candy, and many other processed foods produced by companies that have long controlled these agencies and all their official "recommended intakes." (Not sure what I'm talking about? Where do you think the food pyramid came from?)

I am curious to see how this pans out. I do think this information has not thus far been highly publicized for a reason. I don't think we'll ever see a commercial recommending the limit of sugar the way the dairy industry advertises having 4 servings of dairy a day (or whatever amount they have decided to push on the American people). In the mean time, I encourage you to join with me in this sugar experiment, and see if we can limit our sugar together.