In the garden

Currently growing in my patio garden:

Tomato, eggplant, zucchini, jalapeño, romaine lettuce, tarragon, sage, two kinds of basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, potatoes, and lavender.

 

I recently harvested the lavender blossoms and have some drying. The rest I used to make lavender scented sugar cookies. Thankfully I froze half the dough, because my wonderful dog and his canine roommate helper decided to help themselves to the two dozen freshly baked cookies. Ah, the joys of pets...

 

I currently have a green tomato and a baby jalapeno growing out there, which I'm pretty psyched about. I've been known to have somewhat of a "black thumb" when it comes to gardening, but so far o good -- it probably doesn't hurt that the weather out here is so ideal.

Summertime flatbread feast

I love summertime, not just for the nice weather but for the food -- of course! Fresh fruits and veggies, lots of seafood...summer is definitely the best season for foodies (unless you count the holidays, but don't even get me started on that). I really look forward to my food magazines showing up this time of year, with all their fresh takes on uses for seasonal produce. This "pizza" -- or maybe "flatbread" would be a more accurate title -- is something I've come up with on my own and make several times throughout the season -- its easy, quick, and delicious. If you have an outdoor grill or a grill pan, use that, but if not, a cast iron skillet (and in a pinch, any kind of skillet, really -- or even a warm oven) will do.

Ingredients (serves two -- or one, if you're hungry)

2 nectarines or peaches, sliced, but don't bother peeling them (see note)

drizzle of balsamic

fresh rosemary, chopped

Drizzle of olive oil

2 pieces wheat pita

Several slices of prosciutto (regular ham works, too, but go with the prosciutto -- the king of meats -- if you can)

Parmesan or another hard, nutty cheese, freshly grated

Salt to taste (optional -- keep in mind that both the prosciutto and parm are salty)

In a skillet, heat the stone fruit over medium heat just until it is warm and starts to soften. Remove from the pan and put in a small bowl, immediately toss with balsamic and rosemary. Set aside.

Brush both sides of the pitas with EVOO. Then add to skillet or the grill, keeping them over medium to medium-high heat (depending on the size of the pan you're using, you may have to do this one at a time. If so, just store one in the oven or microwave to keep warm while you finish the other). Once one side of the pita is crispy, just a couple of minutes, flip and then top with prosciutto and grated Parmesan. Cook until everything is heated through and the pita is crisp. 

Remove from the heat, top with nectarines, and serve immediately. This is also good with some fresh arugula on top.

Note: If you are working on a grill, halve the nectarines and grill them, then slice and toss with balsamic and rosemary.

Eating my way through Jack London Square

Oakland has a bad rap, both in California and across the country. And yes, there are certainly some parts that I avoid -- but there are some really nice areas, too, that are completely underrated. The Lake Merritt area, Rockridge, and Jack London Square are all cute, happening areas with a lot of cool shops and restaurants. Because of its convenient location to my apartment, I've been eating at various restaurants in Jack London Square (and no, not just at Ben and Jerry's...). One of the best things about the area -- besides the awesome farmers' market there every Sunday morning -- is that it's on the water, so not only can one eat outside in the gorg California weather and enjoy a view of the bay, but seafood is abundant. And I know that you know how I feel about seafood.

So far I've hit up Scott's, Kincaid's, and Miss Pearl's.

I went to Scott's fairly soon after I moved in, along with my brother and my roommate -- and we all loved it. Sitting outside with a view of the water was a definite plus. We all shared a shrimp cocktail appetizer, made with bay shrimp, which are quite small -- but that worked out because then there were more to go around! My roommate had a warm lobster roll, which i am going to get next time (it looks delicious, and she loved it). Alex had a seafood saute, which he also liked. Finally, I had the seafood cioppino, a classic San Francisco dish. It had tons of fresh seafood in a slightly spicy tomato broth -- yum! And it was served with a slice of sourdough-turned-cheesebread that was to die for!

Alex and I went to Kincaid's (pictured above) pretty recently. The service was okay, but not great (a trend I've found in most of these places), but the food was really good. We both had clam chowder to start, made with bacon and leeks. Seriously some of the best clam chowder I've ever had. Alex had never had it with bacon before -- which makes zero sense to me, consider that clam chowder and bacon are two of his favorite foods of all time -- so he was in heaven. The restaurant serves these really garlicky rolls, which were outstanding...I ate way too many of them, and then barely had room for my entree. I actually had an appetizer -- the hot crab dip -- as my main course. It was okay, although it seemed overly sweet to me. But maybe I was just too stuffed to really tell at that point. Alex had a twist on seafood etouffee, which he enjoyed -- and it was served on cheesy bacon grits instead of rice, which was delicious. And then we had dessert. I know, I just said I was ridiculously full -- but when has that ever stopped me before? Alex had some kind of crazy chocolate cake with homemade hot fudge sauce, and I had a waffle sundae with homemade butterscotch and hot fudge. Both were crazy good, definitely the highlight of the meal. Alex couldn't even finish his -- another first. Of course, I somehow manged to eat all of mine...

And then Alex and I went to Miss Pearl's for lunch just last week. We sat outside in the glorious sunshine, so that was awesome. He had -- wait for it -- clam chowder to start! (Shocking, right?) It was good -- also containing bacon -- and had something else that I can't quite put my finger on that gave it a certain uniqueness -- fennel, maybe? We shared some cornbread, which was good, although a little dry, and then he had a fried chicken sandwich and I had fish and chips with sweet potato fries. We were both happy with the main course. The batter on my fish had some Cajun spice in it, giving the dish a neat spin. Also, I know this is weird, but the iced tea was really good.

So, we still have to hit up Bocanova (small plates), Il Pescatore, and Haven, as well as the chicken and waffles place across the street. I'll keep you posted!

Three weeks in California

So, I’ve been in California for exactly three weeks, and I have so much to ramble on about, I’m going to do it as bullet points (of course, if I’d bothered to update in the past few weeks, I wouldn’t have that problem – but you move across the country and then tell me if you have time to blog right away).

Awesome things I’ve had to eat so far:

-Seafood cioppino with cheesy sourdough at Scott’s Restaurant

-Breakfast at the Oakland Grill twice – and the best chicken apple sausage – a surprisingly popular menu item around here

-Sweet crepes at Crepevine in Berkeley

-Dinner at Liaison in Berkeley – Alex had the trout almandine (a favorite of both of ours) and I had the canard a l’orange…and profiteroles for dessert

-Indian food I actually enjoyed at a little hole in the wall up the street, and pretty decent Chinese – and some Korean BBQ at a random food truck at the Treasure Island Flea Market

-Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee on every corner. You know I’m in heaven.

-Fruit at the farmers’ market. It’s like, oh, so that’s what a strawberry/peach/raspberry/cherry/orange actually tastes like

Awesome things I’ve done so far and that I love about living here:

-Death Cab for Cutie at the Fox Theater last week (they closed with my favorite song, with a freaking orchestra! It was epic)

-Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee on every corner

-Treasure Island Flea Market

-Target right up the road

-Sweet new patio garden going on

-Seeing the ocean every day

-Fresh crab meat for 5.99 at Safeway (the real stuff)

-Having money to spend on coffee and crab and cherries, and not constantly being on the verge of a mental breakdown due to a lack of funds

-Seeing my brother at least once a week

-Direct deposit!

-Weekly farmers’ market right next door

Places in Oakland I must check out – not even getting into the numerous Berkeley and San Francisco destinations (although, I must mention, I have never been to a Sur La Table shop and can’t wait…and Tyler Florence’s shop up in Napa…):

http://rockridgemarkethall.com/

http://www.urbanuniversity.biz/urban_furniture.htm

http://urbanindigo.com/

Oh, and Happy Mother’s Day, mom!

In season now

So over the weekend, I read 'Alice Waters and Chez Panisse' by Thomas Mcnamee -- it seemed fitting, considering that I'll be heading out that way on Saturday (excited squeal). The book included several examples of menus at CheZ Panisse over the years, most -- if not all -- which include local, seasonal produce. So that got me thinking -- what is in season in northern California right now? Like, what can I expect to find at the farmers' market next Sunday? Here's what I dug up:
In late April, here's what one can expect to find: Apples, Asparagus, Avocados, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cherries, Fennel, Grapefruit, Halibut, Pacific, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Nectarines, Okra, Onions, Oranges, Peas, Pistachios, Potatoes, Radishes, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Rutabaga, Scallions, Shrimp, Pink, Spinach, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Turnips.
So I guess the question really is, what's NOT in season in northern California right now?
Just wanted to share...and gloat a little, too :)

When you go to San Francisco...

So, it’s official – California dreamin’ is now California reality. That’s right, folks – in a few weeks, I am leaving the Berkshires behind and headed west to the land of fruit and nuts. I know you’ll want to laugh at me, but I have it in my head that I need to go westward, to the land of gold and oranges.

So how did this happen? I had a long talk with myself a few months ago about where I wanted my life to go next, what my goals are, and what I felt like I was missing. One of the biggest things to immediately pop into my head was family. As you probably know, my family is scattered across the country – my parents are in Texas, my brother in California, and then my extended family is mostly in Michigan and Massachusetts. My grandparents live pretty close to where I am now, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned. I have been so lucky to be able to be close with them – I mean, I’ve always been close to them, but once I moved to Vermont and then here, I was able to spend a lot more time with them. I try to visit them every few weeks, and I bring my dog with me – he and my grandfather have grown very close, too. 

So, I love being close to them…but the price I pay is that I see the rest of my family only about twice a year – and we’re all together over Christmas…and that’s about it. It makes me really sad, because I think that as far as modern families go, we’re really close. Sure, we squabble (and sometimes worse), but we all really love each other and enjoy each other’s company. That’s especially true with my brother and I – we’re fairly close in age, and I am lucky enough to say that he’s one of my best friends.

So to summarize, being closer to my family seemed like a worthy goal.

And from there, my immediate next thought was food. I mean, of course. And of course, San Francisco and the Bay Area are a major food hotspot. Not only is Berkeley home to Chez Panisse and the beginning of the locavore, slow food movement in America, but go a little north and you’re in wine country (ahem, the French Laundry – Thomas Keller is a god). Plus the city is overflowing with awesome restaurants, particularly seafood (which you know to be a passion of mine). So that kind of seemed to make sense.

And then I thought about my job. Food and food writing are still a passion of mine (thank goodness for this blog and the opportunity to spout off about whatever is on my foodie mind at the moment, even if it is rather sporadically). I hope to be able to pick up some freelance assignments out that way and continue to move forward in that sense – and there’s the thing. I wasn’t going to move forward where I was working. Although there are some major advantages to the job, it wasn’t going to get me where I wanted to be…and I was soooo tired of being sooooo broke all the time.

Put all that together and what do you get? California, baby! So I started looking for jobs and a great one came my way and off I go! I am going to miss my grandparents SO MUCH (I wish I could just pack them in my suitcase and take them with me), but that is the only con to an otherwise pro-filled list. As the guy from Doc Hollywood once said,"Sometimes a man's got to do what a man's got to do...and sometimes, that's in California."

I’ll write again soon – this time probably about the Dungeness crab I just ate and the cake from Miette that I’m looking forward to (never mind lunch at Chez Panisse). Looking forward to it!

A trip down memory lane

A few weekends ago, my longtime friend Kate came to visit. We’ve been friends for about a billion years, but hadn’t seen each other in a couple years due to extenuating circumstances – a baby (hers), multiple moves (mine), and life in general (both). It was great to see her and catch up.

One evening, I prepared a fabulous dinner (if I do say so myself)) – Thai coconut shrimp curry and Thai iced tea (a fave of mine).  Over dinner, we got to discussing the best, most memorable meals of our lives, both home cooked and dining out. This is a game I love to play – I love to think back on these outstanding meals, who I enjoyed them with, and how they made an impact.

For home-cooked meals, the answer is easy – mini-Thanksgiving a few years back in Texas. Have I told this story already? Well, I’m going to share it again.

This was a few winters ago, not too long after my family and I had moved to Texas. Having grown up in Pennsylvania, winter in Texas seemed really strange to me. No snow – and often, not even freezing temps. Then, one day, a miracle! A snow storm hit the area. Classes were cancelled for Dad and I (my father is a professor…have I ever mentioned that?). We left the university early and ventured home, with a stop at the local grocery store – which also almost led to the car getting stuck. Funny tangent – the town we lived in gets so little snow, they don’t have a plow. So, snow is left to just accumulate on the roads until it warms up and melts. That, in combination with a whole town of people who are not used to winter driving, leads to some problems.

Anyway, we finally made it home safely. We got dinner started – roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings – and changed into our flannel jammies. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing board games with the house filled with the mouthwatering scent of roasted chicken. Everything was, of course, delicious. This is one of my favorite Texas memories, plus my favorite meal ever.

Deciding on my favorite meals out is a lot harder. Here are some, in no particular order:

Mr. B’s Bistro, the first time I went to New Orleans with my dad. Mmmm, gumbo ya-ya and pasta jambalaya.

The City Tavern in Philly, again with dad. This is just such a cool experience – one of the oldest restaurants in the country – plus, the food is delish. Many of the recipes come straight from Martha Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

The first time Danielle and I went to the Union Oyster House in Boston – also one of the oldest restaurants. I love seafood, and theirs is the best. Oh, Stanley! (That’s what we named my lobster…never mind).

In Burlington, the time I ordered two salads from the Bluebird Tavern, back before they changed chefs and were still awesome. Also, the Peking duck at A Single Pebble is to die for.  Both with Danielle, of course.

Trying to find the best fish and chips in San Diego, which actually involved a plethora of different restaurants. The place at Ocean Beach won, of course. (Dad agrees).

Viva, here is western Mass. Both times I went were outstanding – the datiles make my heart sing.

Gosh, I feel like I must be forgetting some. I’m sure they’ll come to me over the rest of the afternoon, so this may be continued. What’s your memorable meal? Was it just because it was delicious, are were atmosphere and company a factor?