Market Moments

It's been a crazy week here, as I embark on my quest to enter the workforce, Cali's 15% unemployment rate be damned! It's pretty stressful, but oogling gorgeous produce always puts me in a better mood. On that note, I offer you some more moments from the farmer's market (Santa Monica this time). Enjoy!

Wine Tasting at Vinoteque

A few nights ago, I went to a wine tasting event at Vinoteque wine bar, part of their Sip n' Swirl series (I went as part of the L.A. Foodies meet-up group; Darrell, the group's founder, had coupons for the night).

Fig Madness

Fresh fruit makes me nervous. That seems like an odd thing to admit, but I surely can’t be the only one who, when faced with a basket of, say, fresh spring strawberries or summer peaches at the peak of ripeness, experiences a slight frisson of anxiety when they consider that there is no way all that fruit can be consumed in its purest incarnation (that is, right out of hand, preferably standing over a sink to catch the juices) before it invariably begins to cross the line into over-ripe territory. I can’t stand the thought of beautiful farmers market fruit languishing in the refrigerator, slowly turning to mush before being tossed out with the trash.

Brazilian Food at the Farmer's Market (Kind Of)

I’m on a sort of quest right now to go to as many farmer’s markets as I can in L.A. A pretty tall order as this is a big city, and it being California and all, pretty much every neighborhood has its own weekly (sometimes more than that) market. I’ve already visited my neighborhood market in Hollywood, but then I learned of a place a bit farther afield, but that sounded too promising to pass up. It’s called the Original Farmers Market, located on Third and Fairfax, and is open, get this, every day of the week! What could be better, right?

Only in Hollywood Can You Get Thai Food and Elvis Under One Roof

For Todd's last night in LA (he flies out to Arizona this afternoon to teach for a month), we walked down Hollywood Boulevard to one of our favorite Thai restauarnts (or Todd's anyway, I haven't sampled enough Thai food in this town to come to a decision): Palm's Thai Restaurant.

How Many Cookbooks Do You Own?

Seems to me every blogger who gets asked that questions admits to owning dozens if not hundreds of cookbooks, containing more recipes than they could ever hope to make in their lifetime.

Me? I have two. One of which you see above. I bought this book just this past spring, which means for the first six months or so after I left my parents' home for good, I only had ONE cookbook (another vegetarian book).

Scenes From a Farmer's Market

So, you know you're starting to get settled into a new place when 1) you can use the kitchen without standing there scratching you head for five minutes wondering where the heck you put the [insert random item here] and 2) when you become a familiar face at the local neighborhood farmer's market.

I'm almost there on the first part - I still lose things on a regular basis (it's amazing how many places there are to hide in such a tiny space; then again, I still lose track of things in my parent's kitchen and I've been using that one for years). I have been cooking dinner almost every night, and may even have a recipe to share soon.

As for the second, while I can't be called a regular at the Hollywood Farmer's Market since yesterday was  only my first time going, I have the feeling it will become a Sunday morning ritual for me:

Our New Home

Almost There...

Tomorrow the movers will be here bright and early to help us load up all this crap into a big truck and lug it to Los Angeles. Whoo!!

Aaaargh!

This is the state of my kitchen right now. As you might have guessed, we are in the process of packing up our stuff for the big move to Los Angeles this Sunday. As a result the blog will most likely be a bit quiet for the next few days, though I may have time for an update or two, you never know. Wish us luck!

A Day Out in NYC

I'm leaving for California tomorrow, so Saturday I spent some quality time with both my parents and the greatest city in the world (sorry for anybody who doesn't agree, but nothing I've seen so far in my life has changed my mind). Here, some some images from the day, starting with Fort Tryon Park on the north tip of the island. 

Can you believe that's Manhattan?