tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70187134179692885832024-03-05T11:33:06.866-08:00The Hungry TravelerKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-92021078588587839812011-10-18T05:05:00.000-07:002011-10-18T05:05:52.555-07:00Apricot Bars With a Kick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmB40EAltBF86vuho0-HRo-rarkbT2xhB5xjfR6wPtkBwqOpBcVAaQqfz-lmCFJrZVyKlATayPwS52_OgioPXySjR5RcMkAWeAmbrzBDDI3Qvrds8kCM-3ua5JHYFvOl4pW0Z7nb9BY6w/s1600/IMG_2650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmB40EAltBF86vuho0-HRo-rarkbT2xhB5xjfR6wPtkBwqOpBcVAaQqfz-lmCFJrZVyKlATayPwS52_OgioPXySjR5RcMkAWeAmbrzBDDI3Qvrds8kCM-3ua5JHYFvOl4pW0Z7nb9BY6w/s400/IMG_2650.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Since my last post was on the indulgent side (as in, two sticks of butter and three kinds of sugar indulgent), today I thought I'd bring you these apricot-ginger bars. They're still sweet, but not too terribly bad for you, as they incorporate whole wheat flour and oats in both crust and topping, and don't contain very much butter at all. The kick in the topping comes from candied ginger (isn't ginger supposed to be healthy?), and most of the sweetness in the bars comes from the apricot jam. I used regular store-brand preserves, but you could try using an all-natural kind if you want: it might have a looser texture, but should still work (just please don't use the "diabetic" kinds that are sweetened with artificial sweetener. They taste funky.).<br />
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These are a homey, and homely, treat - the topping is very crumbly and the ginger bits tend to fall off, so they may not be best for a dinner party. They do, however, make a perfect afternoon snack with a cup of tea, or heck, even for breakfast. The ginger gives them quite a kick that might be just the thing to wake you up in the morning - if it's too much spice for you, however, feel free to dial back the amount a bit.<br />
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<b>Spicy Apricot-Ginger Bars</b><br />
<i>Adapted from Cooking Light</i><br />
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<i>These make kind of a mess, as the topping has a tendency to get everywhere, but they have a great, nutty taste from the whole wheat flour and oats. That said, you could use all all-purpose flour if you don't have whole wheat. The original recipe called for an 8-inch square pan, but I used one a few inches larger so that the bars were thinner and made more servings. If you go this route, just be warned they take much less time to bake - keep an eye on them. I have used both apricot and peach jam to good effect, and any jam or preserve that would compliment the spicy hit of ginger would work well - I'm thinking I might try blueberry next time, or possibly plum or fig.</i><br />
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1/2 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1/2 cup whole wheat flour<br />
1 cup quick-cooking oats<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
3/4 cup packed brown sugar<br />
5 tablespoons butter, softened<br />
1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger<br />
10 oz apricot jam<br />
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Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk together flours, oats, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Combine sugar and butter in medium bowl and beat until smooth. Add flour mixture and stir until crumbly and blended. remove 3/4 cup dough to another small bowl and toss with ginger. Set aside. Press remaining dough into a greased 8-inch square baking pan <b>[I think mine was slightly larger, which wasn't a problem - just be sure to watch them when baking as the bars will be thinner and so will cook more quickly]</b>; spread evenly with jam. Sprinkle ginger mixture over. Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown; cool completely on wire rack. Makes 16 to 24 bars, depending on how small you cut them.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-85638990168344252932011-10-15T10:54:00.000-07:002011-10-15T10:54:22.045-07:00Momofuku Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9oPpDkKMYNCGWChKFho70ui2J7MjnaqTd-i4-RQYSjIPb1FPQ0apLzOi3Wm6u5kfZwt1KyOFeOrTfz767j6IOdeBzD42NAr0Im76KvTciggOuv0OwXmZ4ifYUq4jp5nZV5RDelxLVMpt/s1600/IMG_2642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9oPpDkKMYNCGWChKFho70ui2J7MjnaqTd-i4-RQYSjIPb1FPQ0apLzOi3Wm6u5kfZwt1KyOFeOrTfz767j6IOdeBzD42NAr0Im76KvTciggOuv0OwXmZ4ifYUq4jp5nZV5RDelxLVMpt/s400/IMG_2642.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Hello friends! Sorry the for extended silence. But look, I've brought cookies! Blueberries and Cream Cookies, to be exact, from Manhattan's Momofuku Milk Bar, courtesy of Bon Appetit. They're a bit more involved than you're average chocolate chip, but definitely worth it, and are going into my usual repertoire for sure. The best thing about them are the milk crumbs:<br />
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They disperse throughout the dough and lend the cookies a pleasing crunchy and an intriguing creamy taste that make them pretty much irresistible. While I didn't mess with any of the ingredients on this first go-round (unusual for me), I did change a few things in terms of procedure.<br />
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First of all, I halved the recipe, which is enormous, and those are the amounts I give in the recipe below. The original made 35 cookies, which would have been the size of my face; I made the cookies an average size (about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of dough rather than the 1/4 cup called for) and still wound up with over 50 cookies in a half recipe. So be prepared for a lot of cookies, though they should freeze well. The original recipe has you form the dough balls then refrigerate them on the sheet pans overnight. Instead I stuck the whole mixing bowl in the freezer for about an hour (the dough was so sticky, as warned in the recipe, that I didn't even want to try forming balls before chilling it), then kept it refrigerating as I formed and baked the cookies two sheets at a time. I noticed that the first batch, still a bit soft despite its freezer time, spread quite a bit more than the later, more thoroughly chilled batches, so that's something to keep in mind. Next time I might go for the overnight chill just to experiment with the texture, if I can make myself be that patient (ha!). Also, try not to overbake them; one batch was a bit well-done and the cookies became crispy all the way through once cooled, rather than having that crispy-on-the-edges, soft-in-the-center cookie ideal (though my mom actually prefers them brown and crunchy, go figure).<br />
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<b>Blueberry and Cream Cookies</b><br />
<i>Adapted from Bon Appetit</i><br />
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<i>Don't be put off the by the extra step of making the Milk Crumbs - they come together in no time and cool down really quickly, so you can certainly bake the cookies on the same day you make the crumbs, or you can store the crumbs for up to a week for later use. They really add a unique something-something to the cookies, both taste-wise and texturally, and I'm eager to experiment with other flavors besides blueberry - dried cranberries might work well and would look pretty for the holidays, and chocolate chips would certainly be good. It might be fun to present them as regular old chocolate chip cookies and watch people's faces as they try to determine what's different. Also, I'm not sure how well this would work, but I want to try breaking up some Nabisco chocolate wafers and making a "cookies-n-cream" cookie. How great would that be?</i><br />
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For Milk Crumbs:<br />
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6 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder<br />
1/4 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar<br />
1 tablespoon cornstarch<br />
heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt<br />
3 tablespoons butter, melted<br />
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Preheat oven to 275F. Whisk milk powder through salt in small bowl to blend. Stir in melted butter with fork until clusters form. Spread mixture evenly on parchment-lined baking sheet; bake until dry and crumbly but still pale, about 10 minutes. Store airtight at room temperature for up to one week.<br />
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For Cookies:<br />
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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon light corn syrup<br />
1 large egg<br />
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt<br />
3/4 cup Milk Crumbs<br />
3/4 cup dried blueberries<br />
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Whisk together dry ingredients (flour through salt) in medium bowl. Combine butter, both sugars and corn syrup on the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, occasionally scraping down side of bowl, about 3 minutes. Add egg; beat on medium-high speed until very pale and sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed until just combined, occasionally scraping down bowl. Add Milk Crumbs and mix on low speed til just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in blueberries tile evenly distributed.<br />
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If you want to follow the recipe, now's when you should scoop out the cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 24 hours. I froze the whole mixing bowl for about an hour, then kept it in the fridge while baking each batch of cookies. Either way, preheat the oven to 375. Place 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoon <b>[1/4 cup if you want to follow the original proportions]</b> portions of dough several inches apart (cookies will spread) onto parchment-line baking sheets and bake until golden about 20 minutes <b>[mine took much less time, just a little over ten minutes, but I had refrigerated them for much less time than the recipe called for, which was probably a factor]</b>. Makes at least 4 dozen cookies at the size I recommend here, much less if you go for the Momofuku giant version.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-62395473429594992032011-10-05T10:01:00.000-07:002011-10-05T10:01:00.141-07:00Fro-Yo Showdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLOY_RPuHRYguEYHD3lrNmGbTwHTQZw5aFPHmC1pVWySsdO6KFjP-S48EvRrBSx35QMEyP8ntPvTVKw389-dzGQZlcY7GoahVYmsvz_ZBp9j8w2eUNK251KfMXWVc5uD_5ApzUG-qwGYY/s1600/IMG_2633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLOY_RPuHRYguEYHD3lrNmGbTwHTQZw5aFPHmC1pVWySsdO6KFjP-S48EvRrBSx35QMEyP8ntPvTVKw389-dzGQZlcY7GoahVYmsvz_ZBp9j8w2eUNK251KfMXWVc5uD_5ApzUG-qwGYY/s400/IMG_2633.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I have briefly commented on my love for the self-serve frozen yogurt shop before. Back in Los Angeles, there was one just a few blocks away from my apartment. I'm not proud to admit, the people working there new me after about one week of me living in the area. The place is called Cantaloop and they're an independently owned shop; there was also a Pinkberry (aka Crackberry) a few blocks in the other direction. Places like Pinkberry and Red Mango (they're main competitor) didn't impress me as much because they were pricier, offered much fewer flavor options, and were not self-service - I like to control my fro-yo. What can I say, I like the power.<br />
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For this reason, I wasn't particularly excited about my frozen yogurt prospects upon moving back home to Long Island. I knew Port Jefferson, the touristy little harbor town about ten minutes away from mine, had a Red Mango, but as this store is traditionally not self-serve I didn't pay it much attention. Then on a trip "down Port," as we say, one day last July while I was home visiting, I noticed a new place literally directly across the street from Red Mango. Called Yogo Delish, it was clearly self-service. How exciting, my little town jumping on the fro-yo bandwagon!<br />
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Then I glanced across the street, and noticed a sign outside the adjacent Red Mango - "Now Self-Serve!" Holy crap, they've converted! The craze must be here to stay. While I did manage to sample both during my last month home, I never really thought about doing a definitive comparison. I was pretty sure I preferred Yo Go Delish (another independent store), but I wasn't sure if I was just biased against the big yogurt chains.<br />
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So this time around, I decided I would go to one right after the other (not that hard since, as I said, they are across the street from one another), getting a small serving of a few different kinds of yogurt and toppings from each and comparing them (only things I liked, obviously, so I wouldn't be biased by a flavor I happen to find distasteful). I would also compare the environment and service, such as they are, to see how the two competing stores measured up. So, without further ado, let Battle Fro-Yo begin!<br />
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First up, the big name, Red Mango.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your typical set-up: some seating up front, yogurt cups and dispensers in the back. The flavors offered on my visit: chocolate, vanilla, espresso, strawberry, white peach, mango, pomegranate, and pumpkin spice. I was especially excited for that last one, which was heavily advertised, but I was underwhelmed:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I got more tart, yogurty flavor than either pumpkin or spice. Also, that one sample cup was all I got when I asked: other shops I've been to give out two or three sample cups so you can more easily try different flavors. Still, I managed to try and few, and settled on white peach, pomegranate, and pumpkin - while the pumpkin didn't impress me, that flavor went better with the more candy-like toppings I wanted, while the fruity flavors went with the mochi and gummy bears:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqR3i1_qJxgAQPfx6paNqUuSFY48Vg9DucaucpeIiUDPEs9Z3MQZ7cohx_J2dmJ94GlAQNlwUP5d-pl3psr9tP7zd_3dhD5jGQgtM_Q61onLakncj-1ksMfclHAQGi0q9DfzPhp5Iiu1G/s1600/IMG_2634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqR3i1_qJxgAQPfx6paNqUuSFY48Vg9DucaucpeIiUDPEs9Z3MQZ7cohx_J2dmJ94GlAQNlwUP5d-pl3psr9tP7zd_3dhD5jGQgtM_Q61onLakncj-1ksMfclHAQGi0q9DfzPhp5Iiu1G/s400/IMG_2634.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The little orange balls you see are mango tapioca balls (they also had strawberry), which is a plus for Red Mango - I love the way they pop when you bite them, providing a nice contrast with the chewy mochi and gummies. The Golden Grahams provided a nice bit of nostalgia and went well with the pumpkin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My evaluation: good, but not great. I'd give it a B+ - good topping variety, but could use some more flavors in general, and are particularly weak in their non-fruity flavor department. The fruit flavors were quite good, however, particularly the peach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up, the newcomer, YoGo Delish:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoReEQWozNJgoLpYmgzXBwTTuHPG-IA4GRAgLXIrSYaicSjmHo5S2ie5H-pQ97PlbW5ElvoynRwbvnLtT7hLJt0PbXz4PYwiI6S-fd0f60TVjKsP7flSDs8P6qRltFxxgntJou5Q_S_dI/s1600/IMG_2629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoReEQWozNJgoLpYmgzXBwTTuHPG-IA4GRAgLXIrSYaicSjmHo5S2ie5H-pQ97PlbW5ElvoynRwbvnLtT7hLJt0PbXz4PYwiI6S-fd0f60TVjKsP7flSDs8P6qRltFxxgntJou5Q_S_dI/s400/IMG_2629.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">No inside shots because the two kids serving noticed I was taking pictures and I felt awkward, but the place was bigger than Red Mango, with seating in both the front and back. Bizarrely, when I asked for sample cups the girl came out from behind the counter and wanted to get the sample for me, I guess to control the amount people can sample? Also awkward, and more annoying than Red Mango's solution of being stingy with the cups. However, the flavor variety at YoGo made up for any annoyance I felt, with a wide variety of both yogurt flavors and toppings. I actually ended up getting more than I meant to:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMO12OFF4zndUWinUL35qLWQfrUGWbfIOLgs3o4xMavqR587cf2nAfQ7ik5oXerdvNFR7nrh12kaUZJ3omRNEqH4hcKZmlc97XEgKzhFX3feh7MLo4Yt4bYYXfbRO3TOnaDi8DkFGpSvv/s1600/IMG_2635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMO12OFF4zndUWinUL35qLWQfrUGWbfIOLgs3o4xMavqR587cf2nAfQ7ik5oXerdvNFR7nrh12kaUZJ3omRNEqH4hcKZmlc97XEgKzhFX3feh7MLo4Yt4bYYXfbRO3TOnaDi8DkFGpSvv/s400/IMG_2635.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I wound up with mint, red velvet cake, cookies n cream, cheesecake, and peanut butter. They also offered fruity flavors: pomegranate-berry, very berry, peach-mango, strawberry-kiwi and possibly others I'm forgetting. I'll have to come back to try those. The toppings were similar to Red Mango's but with more on offer, including cookie dough, several types of candy, and animal crackers. They also had more sauce options: while Red Mango had caramel, chocolate, and honey, YoGo had all those plus butterscotch, strawberry and peanut butter (I got peanut butter and Ghirardelli creamy caramel). The actual yogurts were all strong-flavored and distinct, none of that weird "yogurty" tartness present in Red Mango (which I guess some people like, but I think overwhelms the various flavors and makes them all taste the same).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My evaluation: For their impressive fro-yo and topping variety, abundant seating, and friendlier staff (the kids working the register actually seemed interested in why I was taking pictures, and when they found out I was dong a comparison were quick to point out that YoGo was independently owned and thanked me when I said I loved their shop; the one guy at Red Mango, while not rude or anything, seemed mostly indifferent), I give YoGo an A-. Minus a couple points for the weird sampling system, but the flavors were good enough that in the end I was happy with my selection despite not being able to taste them before hand.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The verdict: Though both stores need to be less stingy with their samples (how much money could they possibly lose to that anyway?), to me YoGo Delish was the clear winner: more and better-tasting fro-yo flavors, greater and more interesting topping variety, young friendly staff, more seating, all adds up to a better overall experience. Perhaps because Red Mango is a large chain initially not specializing in self-serve, their product suffers a bit? As an independent store, maybe Yogo Delish cares a bit more? Not sure, but Red Mango better step it up if they really want to compete with the little guy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-18133722848735253562011-10-02T10:28:00.000-07:002011-10-02T10:52:30.874-07:00Chocolate!<div class="MsoNormal">I didn’t eat dessert after attending the Korean Festival last Saturday, which is unusual for me, because even if it’s just a small square of chocolate I like to end the day with something sweet. Never fear though, I made up for it and then some the next day when I attend the Luxury Chocolate Salon in Pasadena.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Entrance to the Salon was a bit pricey at $20 for the early bird online special (it cost more if you bought at the door), and it was so crowded in the ballroom of the Pasadena Convention Center that some of the lines snaked almost all the way around the room. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kWNgs-xn2IEnfdZHxWkVrouKl5xDhwKmtD-ywk01woZsX0OjQJzTbkj7c8fcSveeT6WBRXDPfdMZ8LQwR1-ifHNeqnmfB38UnKZSCThO8psq5lqUZt-KvgKQYY6SYeLvtSNPUQJOd_PX/s1600/IMG_2602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kWNgs-xn2IEnfdZHxWkVrouKl5xDhwKmtD-ywk01woZsX0OjQJzTbkj7c8fcSveeT6WBRXDPfdMZ8LQwR1-ifHNeqnmfB38UnKZSCThO8psq5lqUZt-KvgKQYY6SYeLvtSNPUQJOd_PX/s400/IMG_2602.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Still, the hours spent battling the chocolate-crazed mob was worth it for the sugar coma alone, plus I got to try some unusual treats and ogle some pretty gorgeous creations. Join me for some photo memories, won’t you?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was amazed by how artistic some of the designs were on the chocolate. I mean look at these:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5xSQclaP-hl0Nbd4TxonssFBPMicqRxXGaZnwJdUIn4zqbZhqwpmItjz3QYQEdGFHivSWv2u12K23dve6esC9xEevw2q2oUku-PjurU4_GMsfjbKE3PaYjO7_wwdIRN7SkhH7vnJCCwr/s1600/IMG_2595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5xSQclaP-hl0Nbd4TxonssFBPMicqRxXGaZnwJdUIn4zqbZhqwpmItjz3QYQEdGFHivSWv2u12K23dve6esC9xEevw2q2oUku-PjurU4_GMsfjbKE3PaYjO7_wwdIRN7SkhH7vnJCCwr/s320/IMG_2595.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw06Y9YiuJBnCKxsY1DMPtHUfmYY79XYcFf7mTHRfa2S58HVFOcXHcr8K22PeCmWTnO0CD42W_imyKiEiTL6wzBG-SfPfoY4OHU9bdG6bRl37pCdJzOuwCuxGKRNS8hh9ZxRHH-Bj7i8eD/s1600/IMG_2617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw06Y9YiuJBnCKxsY1DMPtHUfmYY79XYcFf7mTHRfa2S58HVFOcXHcr8K22PeCmWTnO0CD42W_imyKiEiTL6wzBG-SfPfoY4OHU9bdG6bRl37pCdJzOuwCuxGKRNS8hh9ZxRHH-Bj7i8eD/s320/IMG_2617.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjednOa8Ke3AZLnBU1soIaPR6dzFN_Ba_bOyrlnzdUG4xJX8yCCXRhiTDWTg7WDhVOGH_a5SJMgrPgJ50zDCxmQ9zm_mPW7kItrOFUMALvPWr_C2TplR98b-nIVZBMXrTaKqG9v4B8N7gu9/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjednOa8Ke3AZLnBU1soIaPR6dzFN_Ba_bOyrlnzdUG4xJX8yCCXRhiTDWTg7WDhVOGH_a5SJMgrPgJ50zDCxmQ9zm_mPW7kItrOFUMALvPWr_C2TplR98b-nIVZBMXrTaKqG9v4B8N7gu9/s400/IMG_2615.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There was <i>alot </i>of chocolate to try, as you can imagine, so I'll just give a rundown of the most interesting/delicious things I tried. There were some intriguing combinations, along with the classics, of course. Fruit, flowers, spice, booze, and tea were popular inclusions, though often in unexpected ways.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GuiVnLavMArmDKQVNIHZ-743RjEgKYRJQqu1sFzTSBYJKaWpGM_8_RYYxRzTOsdxMhZ1IacKnve-W0k0R0ebGCDkW7doMiIlIariWKi4JsqZTQ7fQqwBWBz05tuC8xLlMMy3Xzg6VkgI/s1600/IMG_2604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GuiVnLavMArmDKQVNIHZ-743RjEgKYRJQqu1sFzTSBYJKaWpGM_8_RYYxRzTOsdxMhZ1IacKnve-W0k0R0ebGCDkW7doMiIlIariWKi4JsqZTQ7fQqwBWBz05tuC8xLlMMy3Xzg6VkgI/s400/IMG_2604.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I tried Ciel's Thyme & Lemon, it was great. Didn't try any of these tea flavors, but did buy two bars from another vendor, The Tea Room, one a dark chocolate infused with mate, another a masala chai-infused milk chocolate.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREAPAuQMmwhO5fsmemMzC8QxyXQTNYmCs-bkqqNkJqofqEj-raNBkGVpmxjtFnVLe7j-zxKTxlHX7JslTfuAvZlC1oHTdXLo21VTGGxQyw6s_VJT3Y0ifLYnrcXcTw_meHEXsitsa_t7g/s1600/IMG_2587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREAPAuQMmwhO5fsmemMzC8QxyXQTNYmCs-bkqqNkJqofqEj-raNBkGVpmxjtFnVLe7j-zxKTxlHX7JslTfuAvZlC1oHTdXLo21VTGGxQyw6s_VJT3Y0ifLYnrcXcTw_meHEXsitsa_t7g/s400/IMG_2587.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My first taste of Durian from Marti Chocolatt! I didn't really know what to make of it - my first thought was "ew," but I think if I tried it enough it might grow on me. I washed it down with their other samples, including Mango Caramel (awesome), Rose Raspberry (ditto), and Pandan (don't really remember it, except that it was green on the inside).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8Dg2k2TsVmz_VzfwBLDCcoQNuhnyJka7PHkM2cqVAuIR4XzI5bNM8nKvUUciIFo_Klybqi-0StvQJpJ7NhFsj0Bt2-I-wEC_T6SrTcsmwfMuURSrTnPEtLXxRQGabu9u5l_n0DoWLDmD/s1600/IMG_2592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8Dg2k2TsVmz_VzfwBLDCcoQNuhnyJka7PHkM2cqVAuIR4XzI5bNM8nKvUUciIFo_Klybqi-0StvQJpJ7NhFsj0Bt2-I-wEC_T6SrTcsmwfMuURSrTnPEtLXxRQGabu9u5l_n0DoWLDmD/s400/IMG_2592.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn5rTJC8z8nTgiDH3RbfBaHNAbPhqwagvR375LE9NeiH1GfNvjT6BBaRvky1zSD39jM_qBPAN2d07T0an-6oWO9zF0QU6i2UuCG6qd7RYLCFYbkFO4zuL5XaunBMFpnrXxo7xrDrII3uk/s1600/IMG_2593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn5rTJC8z8nTgiDH3RbfBaHNAbPhqwagvR375LE9NeiH1GfNvjT6BBaRvky1zSD39jM_qBPAN2d07T0an-6oWO9zF0QU6i2UuCG6qd7RYLCFYbkFO4zuL5XaunBMFpnrXxo7xrDrII3uk/s400/IMG_2593.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ah, now these were interesting! Bootleg Chocolates in flavors like Salted Caramel & Hibiscus, Pineapple & Hibiscus, Lime with Spiced Rum, and Goat Pepper & Balsamic Caramel. I'd never heard of goat pepper - apparently their so spicy they make habaneros seem tame, but this just left a subtle burn going down, tempered by the sweet tang of the balsamic. Fantastic, and the other flavors were excellent, too. I had tasted so much chocolate by now I should have been suffering from palate fatigue, but the flavors of these truffles really exploded.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjqMPtrvlarrJQbLFhAn_voHYJGdOanA_T4t_SOGI-nbQoWcV2yYeWOB5_tVHyyF_n-JU1RQADTc3MBa3w2fTUoSkyG3i2PUsUXMVIormPvjDB3rGY2LnwQlAJGeaaz0_MpNRxoJ8zE9m/s1600/IMG_2605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjqMPtrvlarrJQbLFhAn_voHYJGdOanA_T4t_SOGI-nbQoWcV2yYeWOB5_tVHyyF_n-JU1RQADTc3MBa3w2fTUoSkyG3i2PUsUXMVIormPvjDB3rGY2LnwQlAJGeaaz0_MpNRxoJ8zE9m/s400/IMG_2605.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Same goes for the chocolates from Cocotutti, particularly this Raspberry Truffle - made from their homemade raspberry jam, this little bite seemed to contain equal parts jam and chocolate, allowing the raspberry flavor to really dominate. Their Orange Confit also used homemade orange jam, but was a bit too sweet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JczCp-K51E7h1sXMPHtbDtdTvgdTo3rygD7Ewnzv4K3BbI9OT6IicnO1zARQtKjfrfvWYtasnbJWe-kxenlrdZA8elS33K1fuM29OOgCa_7AGk9EijaYNhEI7LALbArry_ljgyUYumXl/s1600/IMG_2579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JczCp-K51E7h1sXMPHtbDtdTvgdTo3rygD7Ewnzv4K3BbI9OT6IicnO1zARQtKjfrfvWYtasnbJWe-kxenlrdZA8elS33K1fuM29OOgCa_7AGk9EijaYNhEI7LALbArry_ljgyUYumXl/s400/IMG_2579.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Carrot Cake Caramels from Amella. Really tasted like carrot cake, in a good way. Other flavors: passionfruit, black forest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2rZS55mu5Qs_uxdi9AEm-C-5SVkfnux2Lw65JIz8nGKP7Ssr94kRI0YcoQmdfxR3QSjvAfGq5-lGGGfjBWTgURwkoBJgb4sNWb9iv9AUXCUky_QpsE8BOQ_c3MGpRRPwYFzNxYD1HKlo/s1600/IMG_2608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2rZS55mu5Qs_uxdi9AEm-C-5SVkfnux2Lw65JIz8nGKP7Ssr94kRI0YcoQmdfxR3QSjvAfGq5-lGGGfjBWTgURwkoBJgb4sNWb9iv9AUXCUky_QpsE8BOQ_c3MGpRRPwYFzNxYD1HKlo/s400/IMG_2608.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Choclatique booth might have been my favorite bites of the event, mostly because of the look of the two chocolate I tried:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU47Z8WVJ-rNPFEpAWIgt66hHgdVG4i13FMBhWFEbyfHOtk89zwUzF1p7ODOaF7scz83X3Qm-5uZkJ7qjgZIW7NpBaidteALc9vdF7rBAOxSg8g1GAeTg1jH11cj-UUed-Fir1U0RHXiQ/s1600/IMG_2610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU47Z8WVJ-rNPFEpAWIgt66hHgdVG4i13FMBhWFEbyfHOtk89zwUzF1p7ODOaF7scz83X3Qm-5uZkJ7qjgZIW7NpBaidteALc9vdF7rBAOxSg8g1GAeTg1jH11cj-UUed-Fir1U0RHXiQ/s400/IMG_2610.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They had some more sophisticated creations using champagne, but come on, how cute are those, made for their Halloween and Doughnut collections.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gooey green innards! Lime-caramel. The doughnut truffle had a fudgy, almost brownie-like interior. Wish I could have tried all of them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFdP70AAG81VK112BG0NfeJ2cLmKacB58GJALoM3gOe2uAi0gsnZXYpHfRDA-AUfkWAHRD9gLs9qI5tONY2R3fDjD34IOcXtRrDlqRRKrB-Ysm1OMtE4sU9x2oDGaRZtnzKaZRSeHgRKf/s1600/IMG_2584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFdP70AAG81VK112BG0NfeJ2cLmKacB58GJALoM3gOe2uAi0gsnZXYpHfRDA-AUfkWAHRD9gLs9qI5tONY2R3fDjD34IOcXtRrDlqRRKrB-Ysm1OMtE4sU9x2oDGaRZtnzKaZRSeHgRKf/s400/IMG_2584.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Seattle Chocolates came in typical flavors like salted caramel, mint and coconut, but then they had some interesting ones like Margarita, Mimosa, Lemon Drop, and Blackberry. You could take as many as you wanted and they were wrapped (the only vendor do wrap their chocolates as far as I could tell), so technically you could grab a handful to munch on later if you were experiencing chocolate overload. I meant to do that with the few I took but, umm...I ate them there instead. Hey, I was there for five hours, this was my lunch!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While chocolate vendors obviously dominated the event, there were other offerings as well. In keeping with current trends, there were macarons for sale:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc4LewcybBPEflWzBTZfcAp5FeyBjJKiZ-FgCArPdF_BQq02wpHe37B3m2G7ZPLSG4vw-weQsSsh9Icuz48XQphSm7_1lrKqragCaMS1GRa5AoTIp7AKwiA6wQGgj-F7IJlXRkDb9YK21/s1600/IMG_2585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc4LewcybBPEflWzBTZfcAp5FeyBjJKiZ-FgCArPdF_BQq02wpHe37B3m2G7ZPLSG4vw-weQsSsh9Icuz48XQphSm7_1lrKqragCaMS1GRa5AoTIp7AKwiA6wQGgj-F7IJlXRkDb9YK21/s400/IMG_2585.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(To my extreme surprise, however - no cupcakes! What's up with that??)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dWrr18PNFCl3AD-Uaw9KT-80arx3KaOtPKjfscYwScH75n8acoiYEB7FNblOKCBu7K4d2YC1neaRIefICP5tuOnrsoJqxszr8ULCEZAzS9Nd6-730JYNdj_bwcmF-TVVSKcFlQ7JtCLl/s1600/IMG_2580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dWrr18PNFCl3AD-Uaw9KT-80arx3KaOtPKjfscYwScH75n8acoiYEB7FNblOKCBu7K4d2YC1neaRIefICP5tuOnrsoJqxszr8ULCEZAzS9Nd6-730JYNdj_bwcmF-TVVSKcFlQ7JtCLl/s400/IMG_2580.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I kept sneaking back to Toffeebox's booth, as did many others - something about that salty sweet combo is just irresistible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There was also alcohol - tequila and wine, to be more specific, which I think might have gone a long way in keeping people patient on the long lines. I tried a <i>very </i>sweet Orange Muscat, and some of this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG76tTTqZ-1B24ixuXY8Z1nMX5VC7znZsDWCesVK_JYq2WvLOi8TnW6_OT8DEPn0fat8tjXyuHoLNzQ8MDJg55IhYr-eUVjQ_seOqjM_Gb8F0iObPsMdznzlCc1m6q6muHN6U_8JHBxm0S/s1600/IMG_2596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG76tTTqZ-1B24ixuXY8Z1nMX5VC7znZsDWCesVK_JYq2WvLOi8TnW6_OT8DEPn0fat8tjXyuHoLNzQ8MDJg55IhYr-eUVjQ_seOqjM_Gb8F0iObPsMdznzlCc1m6q6muHN6U_8JHBxm0S/s400/IMG_2596.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not terrible, but...not exactly <i>good </i>either. Kind of like boozy fruit punch with a hint of chocolate. What I want to know is, is there actually chocolate in the wine, or do they just do something to it to bring out the "chocolate notes" that are apparently found in some red wines (not that I know anything at all about wine-tasting).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There were chef demonstrations and talks, too, including, to my delight, an interview with Top Chef Just Desserts contestant Danielle Keene:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTYwKA3Ts4QliqB_qCAR8uZAv6YUvqeUx8tBiC4fR3bFiV1cdYe7GsdDkKg_ms30ZkUqpiFE0bGVub6-vJJ0o9X_Ubx7RyNovv00IOyXdOAisQuVG76nHMAVdXyuVjBwdqn8wM271adiN/s1600/IMG_2618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTYwKA3Ts4QliqB_qCAR8uZAv6YUvqeUx8tBiC4fR3bFiV1cdYe7GsdDkKg_ms30ZkUqpiFE0bGVub6-vJJ0o9X_Ubx7RyNovv00IOyXdOAisQuVG76nHMAVdXyuVjBwdqn8wM271adiN/s400/IMG_2618.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Hard to see, but it's her, I swear.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After that I figured my afternoon was complete (and I could feel a sugar coma coming on and figured I should try to make the train home before it hit), so I headed out, promising myself I wouldn't have any more chocolate...for 24 hours at least.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-12267919898169203062011-09-30T05:17:00.000-07:002011-09-30T05:17:11.582-07:00Going Down to K-Town<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Sorry for the brief hiatus – I am back on Long Island, permanently as far as I know (long story) and will be attempting to get work in NYC in the near future. So posts will probably be even less frequent than they have been and not as interesting. Apologies, but I can offer you two more LA posts, mostly photos of a couple of events I attended last weekend.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">First up, the LA Korean festival at Seoul International Park in Koreatown (or K-town, as it’s affectionately known) Saturday evening. It’s a four-day celebration of Korean culture, but to me it looked more like a giant flea market, with over 200 vendors selling everything from perfume to electronics. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxTwMhwDqAY-plETJg2kqGRjmSAfUzyN5388MYf0v7NysarOGCp7O3VIWQZ2Qefce6fFix4d5ka5XEu7ENW_G5E7CBgibjHuEt2mgI4QdgGtHULrpgRf8fUKSw1-TiB6Ul4xe7-DKtZ_Z/s1600/IMG_2544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxTwMhwDqAY-plETJg2kqGRjmSAfUzyN5388MYf0v7NysarOGCp7O3VIWQZ2Qefce6fFix4d5ka5XEu7ENW_G5E7CBgibjHuEt2mgI4QdgGtHULrpgRf8fUKSw1-TiB6Ul4xe7-DKtZ_Z/s400/IMG_2544.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MtlDi73NFfZ_nhKvEwRXJc9gX8h9XsHAjehCEefi0poY1vd-1LNh_4y2eh3mZ0JwJj-2Dt4h4HOjB1r2xHTBChUzHi-JQdnLy_8gHFPu1AIYX-lMgiBnE9tFwX1wqBjbSgxypKmWroJh/s1600/IMG_2550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MtlDi73NFfZ_nhKvEwRXJc9gX8h9XsHAjehCEefi0poY1vd-1LNh_4y2eh3mZ0JwJj-2Dt4h4HOjB1r2xHTBChUzHi-JQdnLy_8gHFPu1AIYX-lMgiBnE9tFwX1wqBjbSgxypKmWroJh/s400/IMG_2550.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was more interested in the one long tent filled with food purveyors. Most of the signage and labeling was strictly in Korean (Caucasians were the distinct minority at this festival), so a lot of the time I had no idea what something was and could only guess by sampling or asking (which proved difficult, not because of a language barrier so much, but because at any given moment there were at least a dozen other people also reaching for samples, usually while shouting in Korean).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I confess to being almost totally unfamiliar with Korean food, but after sampling a few of the stalls, one word comes to mind to describe the general flavor: pungent. Almost everything I tried was extremely strong-flavored, not necessarily a bad thing, but a few of the things I sampled definitely would have done wonders for my sinuses had I had a head cold. Fiery red chili pastes abounded, sold in big jars or mixed into various <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">banchan</i>, such as kimchi of which there were bucketloads:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf06_tcsM9HW4uB6ce_zPMhd5-EJwlBndfTwji6IOHah2BiRrVe3RT5Xls0P8i057y0JsdQNF9d9WCreA0fASqi56hUAowHowWDlC6O-HhbldmDrgBeAEi8elcuQR-2JPk7G3xzYkg-zu9/s1600/IMG_2555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf06_tcsM9HW4uB6ce_zPMhd5-EJwlBndfTwji6IOHah2BiRrVe3RT5Xls0P8i057y0JsdQNF9d9WCreA0fASqi56hUAowHowWDlC6O-HhbldmDrgBeAEi8elcuQR-2JPk7G3xzYkg-zu9/s400/IMG_2555.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Most of the food laid out for sale and sampling were things like the fermented cabbage, preserved for adding to other dishes or using as condiments. People munched on dried seaweed and an endless variety of little dried fishes like they were eating potato chips and peanuts at a ball game.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQchGr7Hlm8yg6enjHYOEg04TzPlUq8tvUsVA5AclAMslSBW5ABxyTawNQGVg1tvfe3feyriuj2AdWZJjUbN_ik-r7FkDOK1lPnmpqLmM8SpHDziK0ctgFih3b3gtyRJr2qDlc9vIUhQJ/s1600/IMG_2546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQchGr7Hlm8yg6enjHYOEg04TzPlUq8tvUsVA5AclAMslSBW5ABxyTawNQGVg1tvfe3feyriuj2AdWZJjUbN_ik-r7FkDOK1lPnmpqLmM8SpHDziK0ctgFih3b3gtyRJr2qDlc9vIUhQJ/s400/IMG_2546.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>This one landed in my belly, bones, eyeballs and all! Hey, when in Rome…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Fn-XPw8BCuZgRKXSWttY7YFxdRlaXZ4CiqopT9-Scw3aL7S25G9NSW_L1g27B2dH00IPPEUvzORPkPk9aqKI6rEVv0EGMSXiE239vzBIT2PcgZtKtdevKcavooNizR75gJSphnF-nMJ_/s1600/IMG_2551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Fn-XPw8BCuZgRKXSWttY7YFxdRlaXZ4CiqopT9-Scw3aL7S25G9NSW_L1g27B2dH00IPPEUvzORPkPk9aqKI6rEVv0EGMSXiE239vzBIT2PcgZtKtdevKcavooNizR75gJSphnF-nMJ_/s400/IMG_2551.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">I actually kind of liked the fish, even if they were a bit prickly and hard to chew. I didn’t like this one so much though:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiWa3BLCtrQNYDkiEnv8B1LpmiSlsb2C3RfTKUSiMr7WojqUBVhnKdwvhQWn48LrxDOnB9g0d30Iw6AwrJ5KKx2rA2jRDG73GJZkfpa23wMqGGrrcxoH7gS7Tw7Q_ni-T0eICgvjdXe-D/s1600/IMG_2557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiWa3BLCtrQNYDkiEnv8B1LpmiSlsb2C3RfTKUSiMr7WojqUBVhnKdwvhQWn48LrxDOnB9g0d30Iw6AwrJ5KKx2rA2jRDG73GJZkfpa23wMqGGrrcxoH7gS7Tw7Q_ni-T0eICgvjdXe-D/s400/IMG_2557.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Gut of hairtail, anyone? Or how about some frozen crab (I think that’s what it was), the piece of which I sampled was still partially frozen.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHcjrPF6vjoJOQbIcK_788N-AhkZWFphrzJj7ItvtyU_v8Gm9upHTzAEEw6hiTi20tk1NRStGCroRPMryrx1aXb1AMOOGf6nk35Jv_NEngoy3O5dGJ-i4FYDeGSspjsGN49rdFKM1YOHS/s1600/IMG_2558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHcjrPF6vjoJOQbIcK_788N-AhkZWFphrzJj7ItvtyU_v8Gm9upHTzAEEw6hiTi20tk1NRStGCroRPMryrx1aXb1AMOOGf6nk35Jv_NEngoy3O5dGJ-i4FYDeGSspjsGN49rdFKM1YOHS/s400/IMG_2558.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Not sure if that was intentional, but it didn’t make for a very pleasant eating experience.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I did, however, enjoy the steamed rice flour buns filled with (possibly) sweet potato:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6yRNsrpv4dY42zdpZWRvMvh2jjGQRnptBUzbWcqZ-JBEof1-oy7Z4d5cYx1pKeUUD1ynGH2mVa4BudC8IgB1_6RG1HPr7yhIHvY6bVO6HK7dwAv77lVbu0WuAzzsNsP3J9CyWdnQufcv/s1600/IMG_2548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6yRNsrpv4dY42zdpZWRvMvh2jjGQRnptBUzbWcqZ-JBEof1-oy7Z4d5cYx1pKeUUD1ynGH2mVa4BudC8IgB1_6RG1HPr7yhIHvY6bVO6HK7dwAv77lVbu0WuAzzsNsP3J9CyWdnQufcv/s400/IMG_2548.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkSwhuOYRiAx-ETfaOS9YzOfWB07y1QitItSl_14bHhFn8fESZHpXlyI_pPP0x0sYfcMrvI0Y9U1IGgXd3MkKX_VOa8i8MZrjKbWyI6NuvmHf4uoXu917BNDuydFV0Louu8gSpqouamWn/s1600/IMG_2549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkSwhuOYRiAx-ETfaOS9YzOfWB07y1QitItSl_14bHhFn8fESZHpXlyI_pPP0x0sYfcMrvI0Y9U1IGgXd3MkKX_VOa8i8MZrjKbWyI6NuvmHf4uoXu917BNDuydFV0Louu8gSpqouamWn/s400/IMG_2549.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>And these glutinous dumplings, sort of mochi-esque, which they called potato and rice dumplings (I’m casing that’s what the casing was made from) and which tasted like they had hard-boiled egg yolk inside:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodoDworzJ2wMyUwlRxCKg1poFLZMtWfYXqA9-k1LKvUSJ9JfQzKY3zcrykd_r6J5tnGeLoZVvx3FrR1qur6G45Oti5dNlXX1U2496fdjh8tcCFjz7u5R5htJJ2oEamu-u_yg3fPH2E-NE/s1600/IMG_2547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodoDworzJ2wMyUwlRxCKg1poFLZMtWfYXqA9-k1LKvUSJ9JfQzKY3zcrykd_r6J5tnGeLoZVvx3FrR1qur6G45Oti5dNlXX1U2496fdjh8tcCFjz7u5R5htJJ2oEamu-u_yg3fPH2E-NE/s400/IMG_2547.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>At the hot food tents I learned that Korean food is not very vegetarian friendly.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuNK0a9vPyO4ZByKHhLLxRGPNtud4bw7c99rI2zoLCNMh8juR8JmDyI8gEKkIDrLShECxcYuo1ShPE91gP765wGHh7FD9oGF8-zUhAhg7vB8RmjGywFHHV0sM7g9CQlBgjT6XpSwAvEeA/s1600/IMG_2543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuNK0a9vPyO4ZByKHhLLxRGPNtud4bw7c99rI2zoLCNMh8juR8JmDyI8gEKkIDrLShECxcYuo1ShPE91gP765wGHh7FD9oGF8-zUhAhg7vB8RmjGywFHHV0sM7g9CQlBgjT6XpSwAvEeA/s400/IMG_2543.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFFQ_fslhx7txPFaqd_Fv6QLoW0pTRyFfS5s8Oo3_2opo88x8bv3YWzTn4EojoiNhLU4jpJ9-wF3n2ge-zMx8oe8zkr8foGanvkZT1I41cwXIv7Wsz3LcHMuxa1RW4I78xY8-yPpL9pNn/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFFQ_fslhx7txPFaqd_Fv6QLoW0pTRyFfS5s8Oo3_2opo88x8bv3YWzTn4EojoiNhLU4jpJ9-wF3n2ge-zMx8oe8zkr8foGanvkZT1I41cwXIv7Wsz3LcHMuxa1RW4I78xY8-yPpL9pNn/s400/IMG_2570.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>It is, however, very, very smoky.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you aren’t afraid of not knowing exactly what you’re eating, you can partake in griddled dumplings<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DGVDktflOqWfHrkgciu8_85fDDuDfAqMOsGAnCdXocSeUWZq28WRWAXJlNJMDK8DrfjLBFsNSDML_NhWJhLIkfN088FZrGU_idNa5T7sl1sWh_RDqV6jEvv0oTqMYwDC03OCLNngpaus/s1600/IMG_2559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DGVDktflOqWfHrkgciu8_85fDDuDfAqMOsGAnCdXocSeUWZq28WRWAXJlNJMDK8DrfjLBFsNSDML_NhWJhLIkfN088FZrGU_idNa5T7sl1sWh_RDqV6jEvv0oTqMYwDC03OCLNngpaus/s400/IMG_2559.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fried things on sticks with a spicy BBQ-type sauce</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v7DgZYjidb34Wr09eabx6cQasHxJ4_1oM0EosnSsCSrjjVMq6VbHshJLo6CaVLYc5nN17l_moDr9UmTQeDw53H2IIYwyxe23-T2V1tqwX7YcnJHP-esdatbJPc78dHQEydLV4-ovDSQ6/s1600/IMG_2560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-v7DgZYjidb34Wr09eabx6cQasHxJ4_1oM0EosnSsCSrjjVMq6VbHshJLo6CaVLYc5nN17l_moDr9UmTQeDw53H2IIYwyxe23-T2V1tqwX7YcnJHP-esdatbJPc78dHQEydLV4-ovDSQ6/s400/IMG_2560.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">And various pancakes and other dumpling-type dishes. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtB3loXlF2MC2gUsO8JJmLfW49MyC1wkiGtGbWIvFRNoXyQXrbuWNutzoyfaLX8gUnO06htDz0seQJMbFZLfrRl2duXcOIERE1BqRDW5HnBQvCqfD7N-aZ5GjCXTTjU7U8Iasi41lJmBDY/s1600/IMG_2561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtB3loXlF2MC2gUsO8JJmLfW49MyC1wkiGtGbWIvFRNoXyQXrbuWNutzoyfaLX8gUnO06htDz0seQJMbFZLfrRl2duXcOIERE1BqRDW5HnBQvCqfD7N-aZ5GjCXTTjU7U8Iasi41lJmBDY/s400/IMG_2561.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you are afraid, just go for the grilled corn on the cob.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYeGNg-2MYs89msgl3WlPkSAFAnozpNnFJEB90JRTHkRsV41k7vyTc5JrsaKiSpej0jLErWvwNVUf3Mu3j94DjgPBvE7A6RUwfCbijksZ8pXxRH40W1shDm3KEFMKCAvTv49wqWwPxQDP/s1600/IMG_2562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYeGNg-2MYs89msgl3WlPkSAFAnozpNnFJEB90JRTHkRsV41k7vyTc5JrsaKiSpej0jLErWvwNVUf3Mu3j94DjgPBvE7A6RUwfCbijksZ8pXxRH40W1shDm3KEFMKCAvTv49wqWwPxQDP/s400/IMG_2562.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Simple but tasty. If your stomach bothers you from all that spicy, fishy food, pick up some herbal tea, of which there were many different types being sold:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5NlyfvogLrpnS6o-m8tMsDhLlLusjczmag8IDvLl77XO8Dk2qUKkzggNMXuxN8RhU-QZrKMy5E6CYSVtsqnsaD6gHwEdFaHGZsHDh3KU4R6kRqZDDizexYljHVe2fgSg_pQ2787e3nD1/s1600/IMG_2553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5NlyfvogLrpnS6o-m8tMsDhLlLusjczmag8IDvLl77XO8Dk2qUKkzggNMXuxN8RhU-QZrKMy5E6CYSVtsqnsaD6gHwEdFaHGZsHDh3KU4R6kRqZDDizexYljHVe2fgSg_pQ2787e3nD1/s400/IMG_2553.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Or a cup of warming soup filled with veggies, pork and possibly tofu.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-s4wlpz2pJMyquTqU74qH2qLbVMMEL9LWr0VN_eT9hNbHWIrgETxsvoZDjrZnuXoTleCV3x5tzN0g4Yo745qxn3eKwYeU3WOx-7Wxjih-hb9_rPj_CsTL4Vt-biGDbnnuAMdIUVHiDvyg/s1600/IMG_2565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-s4wlpz2pJMyquTqU74qH2qLbVMMEL9LWr0VN_eT9hNbHWIrgETxsvoZDjrZnuXoTleCV3x5tzN0g4Yo745qxn3eKwYeU3WOx-7Wxjih-hb9_rPj_CsTL4Vt-biGDbnnuAMdIUVHiDvyg/s400/IMG_2565.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>An interesting experience to say the least, definitely good for branching out. Coming up next: massive amounts of chocolate!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-90418250625414296342011-09-29T04:01:00.000-07:002011-09-29T04:01:18.784-07:00I Know, I Know......I've been MIA lately, and there's good reason, I promise (personal stuff I won't go into here). There will be a couple photo-heavy posts up hopefully by tomorrow, but until then, how about another Omnivore's 100? This one, created by <a href="http://www.cakespy.com/">Cakespy</a> a few years ago, is one after my own heart - a dessert 100! So here you go, copy this list, bold-face everything you've eaten, cross out anything you never <div>intend to eat (what dessert would you never eat??).</div><div><br />
</div><div><a name='more'></a></div><div><div><b>The Sweet 100</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><b> <!--StartFragment--> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Red velvet cake</b></span></div></b> <!--StartFragment--> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Princess torte<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Whoopie pie<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Apple pie topped or baked with sharp cheddar<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Beignet<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Baklava<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Black & white cookie<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Seven layer bar (a.k.a Hello Dolly or magic bars)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Fried fruit pie (a.k.a. hand pie) – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I would’ve had this is McDonald’s still fried their apple pies…damn you health initiatives!<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kringle (thank you, Todd’s mom and dad!)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Just-fried (still hot) doughnut<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Scone w/ clotted cream<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Betty, grunt, slump, buckle or pandowdy <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(do cobblers count?)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Halvah<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Macarons<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Banana pudding w/ nilla wafers<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bubble tea (w/ tapioca pearls)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dixie Cup<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rice Krispie treats<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Alfajores<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blondies<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Croquembouche <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(I’ve had individual creampuffs, just never the whole dessert)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Girl Scout cookies (find me someone who hasn’t succumbed to those darn Scouts)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Moon cake<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Candy apple<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">26.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Baked Alaska<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">27.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Brooklyn egg cream<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">28.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Nanaimo Bar<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">29.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Baba au rhum<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">30.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>King cake<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">31.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Sachertorte<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">32.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Pavlova<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">33.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Tres leches cake<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">34.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trifle<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">35.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Shoofly pie<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">36.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Key lime pie (made w/ real key limes)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">37.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Panna cotta<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">38.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">New York cheesecake<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">39.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Napoleon/mille-fueille (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I actually think I may have had this at some point, but can’t remember, so…)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">40.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Russian tea cake/Mexican wedding cake (one of my mom’s Christmas cookie standbys – we always called them snowballs)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">41.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Anzac biscuits<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">42.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pizelle<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">43.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Kolache<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">44.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Buckeyes<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">45.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Malasadas<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">46.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Moon pie<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">47.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Dutch baby<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">48.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Boston cream pie <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(though I have had the Ben & Jerry’s flavor)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">49.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Homemade chocolate chip cookies (Mom makes the best!)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">50.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pralines<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">51.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Gooey butter cake<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">52.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rusks<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">53.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Daifuku<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">54.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Green tea cake or cookies<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">55.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cupcakes from a cupcake shop<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">56.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crème brulee<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">57.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Some sort of deep-fried fair food (twinky, candy bar, etc.) – actually not at a fair, but my friend and I deep-fried some Oreos once…they weren’t very good<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">58.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Yellow cake w/ chocolate frosting<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">59.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jelly roll (I made one once!)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">60.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pop Tarts (breakfast of champions)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">61.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Charlotte Russe<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">62.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">An “upside-down” dessert (pineapple upside-down cake or tarte tatin) – I’ve had both!<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">63.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Hummingbird cake<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">64.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jell-O from a mold (I hope Jell-O jigglers count)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">65.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Black forest cake<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">66.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Mock apple pie (Ritz cracker pie) – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I’m really curious to try this at some point<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">67.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Kulfi<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">68.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Linzertorte (mostly in cookie form)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">69.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Churro<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">70.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stollen (homemade!)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">71.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Angel food cake<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">72.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mincemeat pie<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">73.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Concha<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">74.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Opera cake<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">75.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sfogliatelle/lobster tail<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">76.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pain au chocolat<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">77.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A pie gingerbread house<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">78.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Cassata<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">79.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cannoli<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">80.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rainbow cookies (one of my favorites)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">81.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Religieuse<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">82.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Petits fours<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">83.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Chocolate soufflé<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">84.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Bienenstich (bee sting cake)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">85.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rugelach (another holiday staple)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">86.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hamentaschen (I’ve made these w/ my mom)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">87.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Homemade marshmallows (I’m counting the Jean-George marshmallows, since I’m assuming this just refers to non-commercial ones)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">88.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Rigo janci<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">89.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pie or cake made w/ candy bar flavors (Cheesecake Factory Reese’s cheesecake)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">90.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Divinity<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">91.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Coke or cola cake<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">92.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Gateau Basque<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">93.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">S’mores<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">94.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Figgy pudding<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">95.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Bananas foster or other flaming dessert<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">96.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Joe Froggers<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">97.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sables<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">98.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Millionaire’s shortbread (apparently a British invention, but they were just usually called caramel slices over there when I was there)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">99.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Animal crackers<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">100.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Basbousa<o:p></o:p></b></div><!--EndFragment--> </div></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-11502802616892560072011-09-23T11:33:00.000-07:002011-09-23T11:33:24.421-07:00Baking is Better<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1T7Ms-olSmKxq1AHnOUqEaJB1n-g5w6bfycQuY9BxBmGmyM1xDYCd3rMRLgJgXzqic_WKsotQI2Dr1kSYpuwBNeE1tz3JrZcMvYEiG9eeKqS395pw2uG_l274JD8tRF8ixnh-zaMXHSsK/s1600/IMG_2537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1T7Ms-olSmKxq1AHnOUqEaJB1n-g5w6bfycQuY9BxBmGmyM1xDYCd3rMRLgJgXzqic_WKsotQI2Dr1kSYpuwBNeE1tz3JrZcMvYEiG9eeKqS395pw2uG_l274JD8tRF8ixnh-zaMXHSsK/s400/IMG_2537.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I think it's fair to say I am much more partial to baking than to cooking. Case in point: for dinner last night, I sauteed some tofu, mushrooms (pre-sliced), snow peas and edamame (pre-shelled), cooked up some brown rice and then...dumped it all into a bowl with Trader Joe's Sate Sauce poured over it. Healthy, yes. Gourmet...not so much. But the entire meal minus the rice was from TJs, so I get yuppy points.<br />
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And what about dessert? Well for dessert I adapted a recipe for pineapple muffins and turned it into this pina colada crumb cake:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhes_T0lcKas6S-kDa1FlqbYcWESmaqTgER8Xi76MyWAtYyaCe2h_2xW49hA2ju5xW0CqPHEWC7ECeaextSKEvF_-BlmuFC5xqD01N2tYg6FhEuTh-b7VZXJ5T270ab2nhoP-lv-UNCXlTR/s1600/IMG_2536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhes_T0lcKas6S-kDa1FlqbYcWESmaqTgER8Xi76MyWAtYyaCe2h_2xW49hA2ju5xW0CqPHEWC7ECeaextSKEvF_-BlmuFC5xqD01N2tYg6FhEuTh-b7VZXJ5T270ab2nhoP-lv-UNCXlTR/s400/IMG_2536.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, definitely more of a baker, considering how excited I was to try this out and see if it would work. That's a problem I have you see (besides concentrating more on dessert than dinner): I have trouble making recipes as written. Cooking that's not a big deal, but baking tends to be more exact, with more room for error. This little experiment turned out pretty well, though.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The idea came about because of the 20-oz can of pineapple junks we picked up at TJs on sale one day and which has been taking up cabinet space ever since. I wanted a simple snacking-type recipe and so trolled the internet and came up with this <a href="http://annies-eats.net/2008/12/30/pineapple-muffins/">recipe</a> for Pineapple Muffins from <a href="http://annies-eats.com/">Annie's Eats</a>, a blog I don't follow but might start doing as it seems lovely. She actually got the recipe from <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/">The Pioneer Woman</a> (ah, the blogger recipe chain). The original recipe uses Rachel's Yogurt in Exotic Mango-Pineapple-Passionfruit flavor, which sounds delicious, but my local grocery store doesn't carry that brand. The recipe says you can use any pineapple-flavored yogurt, but doesn't specify fat content or anything, so I went with the closest thing I could get, which was 1% Pina Colada yogurt. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rather than make 14 muffins (why such an odd number?) I decided to bake it in a cake pan (9 inches I think) so I wouldn't have to wash and reuse my muffin pan. The original recipe calls for a glaze made of the same yogurt and brown sugar to be applied right before serving, which is probably really yummy, but since I was doing a cake I decided to do a brown sugar streusel instead and make it a crumb cake. Had to bake it a lot longer (at 375 rather than 425 so the edges wouldn't get done faster than the center) than the 15-18 minutes called for because of my changes, but otherwise it seemed to work really well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This cake is really moist from the yogurt and pineapple, with a nice thick crumb coating. Only problem? I totally forgot until I tried a piece that I really don't like pina coladas! Oh well, next time I'll try a different yogurt flavor. Though on the bright side, this ensure I won't eat the whole pan by myself, heh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOP7sG7gmGOtKnAxhE45zzqLCAxE-ET6bmkCnK7sh5CpA6ZqXPKwOsTolE-UiBbP7zFA5PZjAk6mUzYoVKco5jlxyRpRus5sKHdoEHZOP1zGQpbMX9766k062ZFHc7FFSRyEgXJ3IS_oE/s1600/IMG_2538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOP7sG7gmGOtKnAxhE45zzqLCAxE-ET6bmkCnK7sh5CpA6ZqXPKwOsTolE-UiBbP7zFA5PZjAk6mUzYoVKco5jlxyRpRus5sKHdoEHZOP1zGQpbMX9766k062ZFHc7FFSRyEgXJ3IS_oE/s400/IMG_2538.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Pina Colada Crumb Cake</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Adapted from The Pioneer Woman via Annie's Eats</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>If you are using pina colada flavored yogurt like I did want to highlight that flavor even more, you could add some sweetened flaked coconut to the streusel topping, and maybe a splash of rum to the cake batter. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For crumb topping:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup all-purpose flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup brown sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon cinnamon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For cake:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 6 oz. cartons pineapple-flavored yogurt, any fat content <b>(I used 1% pina colada flavored)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 egg</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup canola oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2/3 cup brown sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, or 1 cup roughly chopped pineapple chunks <b>(I used Trader's Joe's Sweet Pineapple Chunks in juice, drained)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 cups all-purpose flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 teaspoons baking powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon baking soda</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In bowl of food processor combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add butter and process until mixture is crumbly and thoroughly moistened (you could also do this in a bowl with a fork, pastry cutter or your hands). Set mixture aside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In large bowl combine the yogurt and egg. Add oil, brown sugar and pineapple and mix to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated (batter will be thick). Pour into prepared pan and crumble streusel mixture evenly over. Bake for 35-45 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (cake will be moist inside). If topping is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil for final minutes of baking. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I would serve this cake directly from the pan, since turning it out would probably result in the crumb topping coming off and getting everywhere. Not a fancy cake, but a good one!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-11435160217192235742011-09-21T06:50:00.000-07:002011-09-21T06:50:54.761-07:00Busy, Busy, Busy...<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">My blog has been a bit quiet as of late: real life is intervening as I continue my hunt for work (besides temp work, that is). I also haven’t been cooking much as Todd has been out of town, but now that he is back hopefully that will change. I should have some material from this weekend, but until then I decided to do something a bit fun. If you are a reader of food blogs or a blogger yourself, you have likely at some point run across The Omnivore’s 100, a list put together back in 2008 by UK blogger Andrew of Very Good Taste. It’s a compilation of 100 foods every omnivore should try – bold-face everything you’ve tried (even if it was just a taste), and put a line through anything you never, ever intend to try. Turns out my diet is more varied/adventurous than I thought! Try it for yourself, it’s quite fun; I know there are a few similar lists floating around the Internet that I might do later.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;"></span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">Also, I am now interning at two online publications: Edible Westside, a blog about local food and food-related goings on in Los Angeles, and ULife, a brand-new lifestyle website geared toward university students where I write articles about, you guessed it, food (mostly at least)! If you live in LA Edible Westside is a good place to find out about foodie news and events in the area, while ULife is an eclectic, fun site for college students (and really anybody else too, I think!). Check them out!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">And now, my version of The Omnivore’s 100:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Venison <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(I actually might have tried this at some point, most likely in sausage form at Burough Market in London, but since I’m not positive I won’t count it)<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Nettle tea<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Huevos rancheros</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Steak tartare</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crocodile (it was actually alligator, but I’m counting it)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Black pudding</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cheese fondue</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Carp<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Borscht</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Baba ganoush</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Calamari</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Pho<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PB&J sandwich (OK seriously, who hasn’t eaten this?)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aloo gobi</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hot dog from a street cart</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Epoisses <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(I’m actually not sure about this one, I’ve eaten a lot of runny cheese in my life; like the venison, I won’t count it til I’m sure)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Black truffle</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Fruit wine made from something other than grapes<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Steamed pork buns</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pistachio ice cream</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Heirloom tomatoes</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fresh wild berries</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Foie gras</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rice and beans</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Brawn, or head cheese<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><s><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">26.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></s><s>Raw Scotch bonnet pepper </s><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Don’t really fancy burning my mouth)</b><s><o:p></o:p></s></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">27.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dulce de leche</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">28.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Oysters<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">29.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Baklava</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">30.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Bagna cauda<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">31.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wasabi peas</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">32.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(I’ve had plenty of clam chowder, of course, but I don’t think in a bread bowl)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">33.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Salted lassi <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(But I have had a sweet lassi – mango, yum!)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">34.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sauerkraut</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">35.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Root beer float</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">36.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cognac</b> <s>with a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fat cigar </s>(don’t do cigars, sorry)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">37.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Clotted cream tea</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">38.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Vodka jelly/Jell-O</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">39.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gumbo<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">40.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Oxtail<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">41.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Curried goat<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> (Another one I think I may have tried at an Indian buffet once, but again unsure – could have been lamb, or anything really)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">42.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Whole insects<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">43.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Phaal<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">44.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Goats milk <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(only in cheese form!)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">45.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Malt whiskey from a bottle worth $120 or more<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">46.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><s>Fugu</s> (not worth the risk of death for a fish)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">47.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chicken tikka masala</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">48.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Eel</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">49.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (not my favorite, honestly, though I’ve never had a hot one, which is supposedly amazing)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">50.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sea urchin</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">51.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Prickly pear (in a Margarita)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">52.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Umeboshi<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">53.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Abalone</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">54.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Paneer</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">55.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><s>McDonald’s Big Mac Meal </s>(no desire…now if it’s chicken nuggets, we can talk)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">56.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Spaetzle</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">57.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Dirty gin martini<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">58.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Beer above 8% ABV<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">59.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Poutine<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">60.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Carob chips</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">61.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">S’mores</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">62.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sweetbreads</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">63.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Kaolin<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">64.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Currywurst<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">65.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Durian<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">66.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frogs’ legs</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">67.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (all except elephant ears)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">68.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Haggis<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">69.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fried plantain</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">70.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Chitterlings or andouillette<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">71.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gazpacho</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">72.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Caviar</b> and blini (done the caviar, not the blini)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">73.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Louche absinthe</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">74.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gjetost, or brunost</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">75.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><s>Roadkill</s> (that’s just unsanitary)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">76.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Baijiu<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">77.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hostess fruit pie</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">78.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Snail</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">79.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Lapsang souchong<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">80.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bellini</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">81.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tom yum</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">82.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Eggs Benedict</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">83.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pocky</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">84.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant </b>(Jean-Georges in NYC)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">85.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kobe beef </b>(might actually have been wagyu, but same thing basically)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">86.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Hare<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">87.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Goulash</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">88.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Flowers<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">89.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Horse<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">90.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Criollo chocolate<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">91.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Spam<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">92.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Soft shell crab<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">93.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rose harissa</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">94.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Catfish</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">95</span></span>Mole poblano<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">96</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bagel and lox</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">97</span></span>Lobster Thermidor<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">98</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Polenta</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">99</span></span>Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Snake<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-90361407186652831912011-09-18T12:38:00.000-07:002011-09-18T12:38:45.203-07:00Good Food, Indeed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThix77NT_tuyvVhOA243f1wVBqjddkNQJ2sirlRuC8mPmy0TpVHoJ7C8lcL8HyoXxjQ0eOY1gNzk09_feHla1URZS7SAHts8GIXa6fefyiDWXv_OvVDzMbCwxHP9hWDuJ1RWCzdzJC0pc/s1600/IMG_2514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThix77NT_tuyvVhOA243f1wVBqjddkNQJ2sirlRuC8mPmy0TpVHoJ7C8lcL8HyoXxjQ0eOY1gNzk09_feHla1URZS7SAHts8GIXa6fefyiDWXv_OvVDzMbCwxHP9hWDuJ1RWCzdzJC0pc/s400/IMG_2514.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">I spent yesterday morning and part of the afternoon at the Good Food Street Fair in Santa Monica, and came away tired, happy, significantly poorer and very, very full! Some snapshots of the day:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ly_GqOl2SgcodeJCG6DXoP39pQ1gI71qmxI97yPjOismsa05rTlGKr7syopNmxH8cX-4AUVTXlMuuE07Aj1kajqZlLEeHX0Y8pHGgYgdyXPiTclYp8KgN5scgo4x8C_3ecv7wRoUo4ET/s1600/IMG_2522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ly_GqOl2SgcodeJCG6DXoP39pQ1gI71qmxI97yPjOismsa05rTlGKr7syopNmxH8cX-4AUVTXlMuuE07Aj1kajqZlLEeHX0Y8pHGgYgdyXPiTclYp8KgN5scgo4x8C_3ecv7wRoUo4ET/s400/IMG_2522.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8imDL1eETkQNDudHW-t-eJXMsBdZSp5DxosiVEMm6rJ3kKkkrEvbxxgQPv3n07CGHQwc0v-ZzAWkJuxRfgBenPYm9zgLl4_1YSzeRt5EkbY-1MiX73LvZWeCKRExq-sW0zrGVFmFZwzH_/s1600/IMG_2524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8imDL1eETkQNDudHW-t-eJXMsBdZSp5DxosiVEMm6rJ3kKkkrEvbxxgQPv3n07CGHQwc0v-ZzAWkJuxRfgBenPYm9zgLl4_1YSzeRt5EkbY-1MiX73LvZWeCKRExq-sW0zrGVFmFZwzH_/s400/IMG_2524.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The campus of Santa Monica High School, full of happy people eating and browsing. The Street Fair, part of the week-long Good Food Festival, featured lots of local artisan food producers peddling their wares (with samples galore, yippie!), plus talks and chef demonstrations:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8o5KuUvIkDp1TtRQIwRFSxXPpbGfzpcDTBz12OT-qk4X06oGmkM52TcxbsqwdFx8sFBSCaXgcAW8d2xzw7kdWTGEBdoFWQ32GR5PsGCFw13P9NbNejzCFHeUFkedFbdLGiFDbKOlvuLp/s1600/IMG_2520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8o5KuUvIkDp1TtRQIwRFSxXPpbGfzpcDTBz12OT-qk4X06oGmkM52TcxbsqwdFx8sFBSCaXgcAW8d2xzw7kdWTGEBdoFWQ32GR5PsGCFw13P9NbNejzCFHeUFkedFbdLGiFDbKOlvuLp/s400/IMG_2520.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gazpacho!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The first thing you are greeted with upon entering, however, is the lovely sight of a bunch of food trucks all lined up waiting to serve. And in LA, street food doesn't just mean tacos, though they did have those:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4j666XjqLaxaAhTtHMYNFBGyc3lHvEc1pwiiX0vqpG0OqiU_luhGJQqtFBoNp4vAE2W3eCkNYbn1dXB3TeTrKPjqG-_uXjXuWQle5fMbpx76zJxQcbLQz_xZD1xVGKMZWUTuH8oGR0-B/s1600/IMG_2525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4j666XjqLaxaAhTtHMYNFBGyc3lHvEc1pwiiX0vqpG0OqiU_luhGJQqtFBoNp4vAE2W3eCkNYbn1dXB3TeTrKPjqG-_uXjXuWQle5fMbpx76zJxQcbLQz_xZD1xVGKMZWUTuH8oGR0-B/s400/IMG_2525.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beef and pork from happy cows and happy pigs (until they became tacos).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If tacos aren't your thing, never fear! There's plenty of choices.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_629760183"></span><span id="goog_629760184"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxDJriCeL6YjP8EnkybTScGCkd438dcpRwH634cbkEaBN7nrK-UBPLujJTQkMo8NGWTeXRC43nS3pXaixPhTdfs_mkAiUPEj2PlIG_ZFU5230rSMq_DLgqDqJERPRsxfz-TROdI21wZso/s1600/IMG_2515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxDJriCeL6YjP8EnkybTScGCkd438dcpRwH634cbkEaBN7nrK-UBPLujJTQkMo8NGWTeXRC43nS3pXaixPhTdfs_mkAiUPEj2PlIG_ZFU5230rSMq_DLgqDqJERPRsxfz-TROdI21wZso/s400/IMG_2515.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lasagna cupcakes, perhaps?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7wx7ZuSBPoNA-s4zMjVBNHwWmoITz55t13salREOCZqXFnI_fIQnRzLFI6lH_NsuxetpIgM9ggZA_7N4fa4WeN0mJmkihYdtKlnTiHnZClLsC5W7wxNIrsHCaqf4mtROvr61WKFY1S-B/s1600/IMG_2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7wx7ZuSBPoNA-s4zMjVBNHwWmoITz55t13salREOCZqXFnI_fIQnRzLFI6lH_NsuxetpIgM9ggZA_7N4fa4WeN0mJmkihYdtKlnTiHnZClLsC5W7wxNIrsHCaqf4mtROvr61WKFY1S-B/s400/IMG_2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That trifle sure looks pretty... no one said you can't have dessert for lunch! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There was so much more, too: french fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, veggie burgers, frozen yogurt - it was all a bit overwhelming. So what did I end up eating for lunch?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYp364rTfWXByHhnUY8pQx-NdcDyNabX-_hj8EsRO-Hl4UH98yTkg-9Qt610ofWBrrEPvq0mqqqfxWnOZ8BLQmCOnwOMRTTF4i-lIFnku9gU39069t7NhVZLb0grfLeWuDYF29MgslIip/s1600/IMG_2517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYp364rTfWXByHhnUY8pQx-NdcDyNabX-_hj8EsRO-Hl4UH98yTkg-9Qt610ofWBrrEPvq0mqqqfxWnOZ8BLQmCOnwOMRTTF4i-lIFnku9gU39069t7NhVZLb0grfLeWuDYF29MgslIip/s400/IMG_2517.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, a hot dog, my first in I don't even know how long...maybe seven years? Maybe longer? Full disclosure: I only even considered eating this because it was free. Never turn down free food, is my motto. And I must say, it was a really good hot dog. Probably because it was made by these guys:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpMxXBk-PUyTqzCGeCO98Atw-eqwztLMEiDNTd3gbgVJ4C2-XlXb9S_u_2CX0TW_evpWmjfPsEhDOi6GnG7S5QYU5_OTwymyWTz-AnpE0Mtz6lLyS67yy-qzve0z-eXxDIZMzJYsjuWzk/s1600/IMG_2526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpMxXBk-PUyTqzCGeCO98Atw-eqwztLMEiDNTd3gbgVJ4C2-XlXb9S_u_2CX0TW_evpWmjfPsEhDOi6GnG7S5QYU5_OTwymyWTz-AnpE0Mtz6lLyS67yy-qzve0z-eXxDIZMzJYsjuWzk/s400/IMG_2526.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And they only use good quality meat with nothing icky added to it. My one complaint was that the hot dog was kind of small, so the bun-to-dog ratio was a bit off-kilter. But on the plus side, a small hot dog means more room for samples!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There were lots of yummy things for sale, such as:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRgqp1cGZZhSjVsUafhPP9b4Zj0OwEnQSJS5VZeGyRcR-L8jWEuWWLx-Evcu3njVr5sfTaBDP_I0YQomW1EIEjCmrEvpiisJuUFsCkl_iAlfJSnnVQii53lCnJIKZj2bUVLPRcDXpkDOc/s1600/IMG_2510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRgqp1cGZZhSjVsUafhPP9b4Zj0OwEnQSJS5VZeGyRcR-L8jWEuWWLx-Evcu3njVr5sfTaBDP_I0YQomW1EIEjCmrEvpiisJuUFsCkl_iAlfJSnnVQii53lCnJIKZj2bUVLPRcDXpkDOc/s400/IMG_2510.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Macarons are kind of a thing right now, in case you didn't know. I was tempted, but then I saw these:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNyUmB4eyhobO42BVgbDTRO3OJ8yPqqOe_PXRt0lf2dlzo_g0qm1towM8RxqU7_qTXEkowZkDNKPNmlk8SKce3LPdQ9HDqa5yZcrICZ6FRrEdPLS9B5H1cHO8nx7y31r5YKrls2pde1uS/s1600/IMG_2509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNyUmB4eyhobO42BVgbDTRO3OJ8yPqqOe_PXRt0lf2dlzo_g0qm1towM8RxqU7_qTXEkowZkDNKPNmlk8SKce3LPdQ9HDqa5yZcrICZ6FRrEdPLS9B5H1cHO8nx7y31r5YKrls2pde1uS/s400/IMG_2509.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cupcakes, trendy but tasty! I tried the vegan carrot cupcake with tofu frosting (surprisingly awesome) and the chocolate-bacon* cupcake (very good, but no bacon flavor to speak of, to me at least), but settled on the classic red velvet for Todd, who arrived home from Arizona the next day (I'm such a good girlfriend, I know). The nice man who sold it to me also let me try one of their "truffles," which are actually balls of red velvet cake dipped in chocolate. Genius!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*Bacon in desserts is also a thing - there was a stand selling creme brulee and bread pudding that had caramel-bacon bread pudding as an option. I tried some, and again, lots of sweet caramel, almost no bacon flavor detected...are you supposed to not taste the bacon in these desserts? Would it be disgusting if you actually tasted bacon, and places are just kind of slipping it in there to be fashionable? Anyone know? Anyone?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even I can't just focus on sweets, however, especially when there's...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5obEzRWAPnB-WW21DGlmC9iSwc6UHnfdxDi1_z1mrMSwOrFR4KzMeo3PAzUuuebCUS11Uext_gpSUES7GXnZsZYesFpHIVNtQ6qrTsESyiaFuI9HZxKQ03vIION0o3SBiAeSZvkkzOCPi/s1600/IMG_2512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5obEzRWAPnB-WW21DGlmC9iSwc6UHnfdxDi1_z1mrMSwOrFR4KzMeo3PAzUuuebCUS11Uext_gpSUES7GXnZsZYesFpHIVNtQ6qrTsESyiaFuI9HZxKQ03vIION0o3SBiAeSZvkkzOCPi/s400/IMG_2512.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Smoked fish pate! I love me some smoked fish (daddy's girl), but these were quite expensive. Luckily, another booth was offering salmon salad lettuce cups for free:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumlhXByIlHbYKxo2Snun8_sQuoufa4f3wjuYkm4cHdsBDRyjNZqHLwemtKrGXaxPGe_j6toz-mxKCXDPN5Dcmm2XWsGIRT__IdNUAEZbyqrDY9m_TFs9x7oVGwNozEMRdZkmfrPYvYOqc/s1600/IMG_2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumlhXByIlHbYKxo2Snun8_sQuoufa4f3wjuYkm4cHdsBDRyjNZqHLwemtKrGXaxPGe_j6toz-mxKCXDPN5Dcmm2XWsGIRT__IdNUAEZbyqrDY9m_TFs9x7oVGwNozEMRdZkmfrPYvYOqc/s400/IMG_2521.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If I was independently wealthy I would have bought all those fish pates and every single jam sold by every single vendor. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQau1TotuaPiVof6yL_DzYkv2JRARnyBk6dC-hU9SY2C5BOmrTMnuildWmRU_jFfkoPEW8dbd1D97EbKFpcefVZDsSnZB9Ilpa1L4SMZh2Mn-dBzeXFdbvh5LruUNFkxPczY7YZPVYWvYL/s1600/IMG_2518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQau1TotuaPiVof6yL_DzYkv2JRARnyBk6dC-hU9SY2C5BOmrTMnuildWmRU_jFfkoPEW8dbd1D97EbKFpcefVZDsSnZB9Ilpa1L4SMZh2Mn-dBzeXFdbvh5LruUNFkxPczY7YZPVYWvYL/s400/IMG_2518.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh jam, I love you so, if only you weren't eight freaking dollars a jar...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's also good to keep it healthy once in a while with some fruit. The last of the plums are coming ripe, and you can bet I snagged one of those.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Wf8f5A8oyHIuPpMkx4VZEI_DV5pymA995GlcyGJRx_4E5z8ILywh1G2tgXdcE5QtBoLca-MoWC6q6AZi3LorMjciK1dnjkx5Z2ZNTj6Y4E-2k9HbVl83y4g7Cp_ugZwWLbGgmZhA7h9B/s1600/IMG_2528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Wf8f5A8oyHIuPpMkx4VZEI_DV5pymA995GlcyGJRx_4E5z8ILywh1G2tgXdcE5QtBoLca-MoWC6q6AZi3LorMjciK1dnjkx5Z2ZNTj6Y4E-2k9HbVl83y4g7Cp_ugZwWLbGgmZhA7h9B/s400/IMG_2528.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also continued my recent obsession with figs with this eeny weeny tart:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkIlKUnhAwfoYwKzksB96rPC2hz3nRdmJxJar2iUMtEZRpnmcO4gOInH38KEjTXCbSko69AGdu6M0QvfZ3w1XLpm5_lqE5K87tX5q9bd_6jdaoATEiRbxBoUeIVScmhMZ0VBf5sIdBviW/s1600/IMG_2513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkIlKUnhAwfoYwKzksB96rPC2hz3nRdmJxJar2iUMtEZRpnmcO4gOInH38KEjTXCbSko69AGdu6M0QvfZ3w1XLpm5_lqE5K87tX5q9bd_6jdaoATEiRbxBoUeIVScmhMZ0VBf5sIdBviW/s400/IMG_2513.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(This was accompanied by an eeny weeny agave cupcake w/ mascarpone frosting and an eeny weeny toffee nut bar...yeah, did I mention I was really full?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also scored a pint of some new (to me at least) kind of figs in a pretty shade of green:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcFToFR6hCT-6Z_YmwEmtW0o2jiaPbgmtDiF9BcV949Rpx5cIh4VC45E9HkOwPQZ_bnzpPxto0L85pOntnIqY-hywkSzjhLpJe9vO_5m7WkCTmB5N_GjNbH17rf7k4ZvCGNMhpWqQAM0P/s1600/IMG_2535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcFToFR6hCT-6Z_YmwEmtW0o2jiaPbgmtDiF9BcV949Rpx5cIh4VC45E9HkOwPQZ_bnzpPxto0L85pOntnIqY-hywkSzjhLpJe9vO_5m7WkCTmB5N_GjNbH17rf7k4ZvCGNMhpWqQAM0P/s400/IMG_2535.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Shopping is thirsty work, so I hydrated with a bottle of Cuties Tangerine Juice:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LzGxkI5bsu1Q6thrg1tdoY-2oeRaxr9w6yxSAXOipudHIpkeZLQoD8m6TYz19ZMdoqHYja3fuLb0iCkRARJ-f09yyD1Lf7Y5wu2OM_gcIYYyftkaMrKjzfzOrgpCWSDja7TRniCXMUY5/s1600/IMG_2530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LzGxkI5bsu1Q6thrg1tdoY-2oeRaxr9w6yxSAXOipudHIpkeZLQoD8m6TYz19ZMdoqHYja3fuLb0iCkRARJ-f09yyD1Lf7Y5wu2OM_gcIYYyftkaMrKjzfzOrgpCWSDja7TRniCXMUY5/s400/IMG_2530.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tasted pretty much like orange juice to me, but it was quite tasty nonetheless (Did anyone else know that clementines and mandarins were types of tangerine? Cause I sure didn't...). This same company also makes tangerine-based juice smoothies - the tangerine-kiwi, although a rather unappetizing shade of green, was also quite good, and made for a necessary refresher as the day was warming up considerably. In fact, by that point I was hot and tired and ready to gather up my loot and head home. Want to see what I got, besides figs and cupcakes, that is? Of course you do!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQkcdWIEXtRoHQI13e1FLk-JLh7E0KmcPjH7nbO3FNfelEEPeARR-n3cpXhYhFgQOtbgjBmBhhjIbi8dUta-EWrxcfe-1W8vd2z62ZuQbRARD9Wv5cTvWS13BID6vHY73qDkdIEkSveBV/s1600/IMG_2507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQkcdWIEXtRoHQI13e1FLk-JLh7E0KmcPjH7nbO3FNfelEEPeARR-n3cpXhYhFgQOtbgjBmBhhjIbi8dUta-EWrxcfe-1W8vd2z62ZuQbRARD9Wv5cTvWS13BID6vHY73qDkdIEkSveBV/s400/IMG_2507.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nature's Path granola and granola bar (these were free).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiQGRhTzP-02WZT7aH8QSKTOo89vb8OPK7zeU9amsL6rmApj35N1JYObRnurPD4F3e4_wQDwxfhBXkp-osjw_315eEUeQLTX1VPRq7VTHQBzG4f1Q0rUsNnC-dmNoOo3icmrEXYkyLp6e/s1600/IMG_2533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiQGRhTzP-02WZT7aH8QSKTOo89vb8OPK7zeU9amsL6rmApj35N1JYObRnurPD4F3e4_wQDwxfhBXkp-osjw_315eEUeQLTX1VPRq7VTHQBzG4f1Q0rUsNnC-dmNoOo3icmrEXYkyLp6e/s400/IMG_2533.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fat Uncle Farms almonds in Garlic & Herb and Ass-Kickin' Ginger (hee!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxjS2G4SYHMkW9tBVfXT182yKf5CDkYVsjjm5kxGJ6WxhmKeDBh3GLAyql8h3hptvYDHprhOU2zCKm63z_hH439XqQC6ZA-J_gyBuL_8K5Qkf-SJn3DLivVnGs0CfCOfEPR4C8z6LB59C/s1600/IMG_2534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxjS2G4SYHMkW9tBVfXT182yKf5CDkYVsjjm5kxGJ6WxhmKeDBh3GLAyql8h3hptvYDHprhOU2zCKm63z_hH439XqQC6ZA-J_gyBuL_8K5Qkf-SJn3DLivVnGs0CfCOfEPR4C8z6LB59C/s400/IMG_2534.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cheeeeese! Two flavors of goat cheese (Apricot & Honey and Garlic & Onion) from Drake Family Farms, and smoked cheddar from, um, somewhere else...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pumpkin butter from It Began in the Garden. Tastes like fall. Also quite pricey, especially considering I could probably get it at Trader Joe's soon for half the cost, but the older man working the stand was so sweet and enthusiastic, letting me try all different jellies and things, that I just had to buy a jar. Plus, look at the stand it came from:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLcl8JUVvEfPmRinGfBtLXKBbmr8_Ox26YkTz9ipiSzRpVxpUMU9X7ge6VmejWcEh4Rq7XRaNoINEUp7FMaMswspdd2nlzSepQ2q24VNlAS_7rO8hqvdeQXHMkXWf6oOK7mm9zHY1L1Eu/s1600/IMG_2523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLcl8JUVvEfPmRinGfBtLXKBbmr8_Ox26YkTz9ipiSzRpVxpUMU9X7ge6VmejWcEh4Rq7XRaNoINEUp7FMaMswspdd2nlzSepQ2q24VNlAS_7rO8hqvdeQXHMkXWf6oOK7mm9zHY1L1Eu/s400/IMG_2523.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Like a little garden itself. They had some interesting jellies made from flowers like lavender and wisteria. Not bad, but reminded me a little of eating soap. I guess I prefer my jams to be made of, you know, food...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of which, here's the last of my loot:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CzexExZyOXZ9l4eDXLyTgNf-aoACTK56wc6trxZotLXt2ppwkAZuKbKxPQgyVxX50RmJzGDHN5ruy1VWWICuQuhodnwjExWVjD0LjJycr_jU8OU5RVootjsjAz9oI4H7iXtBH3kHP5A1/s1600/IMG_2531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CzexExZyOXZ9l4eDXLyTgNf-aoACTK56wc6trxZotLXt2ppwkAZuKbKxPQgyVxX50RmJzGDHN5ruy1VWWICuQuhodnwjExWVjD0LjJycr_jU8OU5RVootjsjAz9oI4H7iXtBH3kHP5A1/s400/IMG_2531.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thats Plum & Fig Turshi (a kind of Persian condiment) and Pineapple-Kiwi-Mango Jam from Grace & I. The little jar on top is a complimentary Mango Turshi I got for buying two jars.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I can't wait to try out all my stuff! I'm sensing a picnic dinner in our future...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-67924569148316994812011-09-16T07:36:00.000-07:002011-09-16T07:36:46.479-07:00(Almost) Vegan Oatmeal Cookies<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqELIBl1d3qeaXnoiCXiE62lIUzXRP0FXuJJYZo65GwR_9RoEyVTnSY-IrzpxGWZ_STaGSOOWi2yjxrvMWIy8knykfm_hZYjfTYpz6P4WJDZuAGV2-GLVvqubwz4VAogYXbfLUnaqfKwwd/s1600/IMG_2505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqELIBl1d3qeaXnoiCXiE62lIUzXRP0FXuJJYZo65GwR_9RoEyVTnSY-IrzpxGWZ_STaGSOOWi2yjxrvMWIy8knykfm_hZYjfTYpz6P4WJDZuAGV2-GLVvqubwz4VAogYXbfLUnaqfKwwd/s400/IMG_2505.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This past Sunday I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">supposed </i>to spend the day outside, starting with a morning hike in Griffith Park, followed by a potluck picnic (both organized by the LA Foodies meet-up group). I had a batch of these cookies all baked up and was excited to explore yet another part of my new home city. But when my alarm went off at 8am, I awoke to nausea and a splitting headache. I gamely got out of bed...for all of five minutes, just long enough for me to realize that a hike was totally not happening, and then I was back under the covers for the duration of the day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">So, instead of frolicking in the California sunshine, enjoying what nature LA offers and indulging in homemade goodies with new friends, I spent the second half of my weekend in bed, sleeping fitfully and eating absolutely nothing for 24 hours. Fun times.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Luckily, I had eaten one of those potluck cookies the day before this lovely little bug hit (a necessary test run, you know), and so can confirm that these are delicious, despite some rather dubious alterations to the recipe on my part. You see, these cookies were not originally vegan (and, as the title suggests, still aren’t really since they have white chocolate in them, but you could easily leave that out or just replace it with vegan chocolate chips, more dried fruit, or nuts). The recipe, from Cooking Light magazine, calls for half a stick of butter and an egg. I had everything else that goes into the cookies (well, except for the originally-called-for dried strawberries; I subbed dried cranberries instead, though I’d like to try the strawberries at some point), just not butter and eggs. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Rather than buy these things and possibly have them go to waste (neither are used all that often in our house unless I’m doing a lot of baking), I wondered if I could adapt the cookies and make them (almost) vegan. I knew vegan cookies existed, so how hard could it be?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJRgoO7vBc7ZaYUxrDUtQnN9HqSK03Z_AgvpdvUWIEZulE678mP4CcNkmbEofIyVrjLKcqLAwJdqYmtRFJGR2ZQtp99WNpKFhSnT00qXXXpE1Zi99tg24a-iJlk0sBeSFFJk7FqNT8oCb/s1600/IMG_2482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJRgoO7vBc7ZaYUxrDUtQnN9HqSK03Z_AgvpdvUWIEZulE678mP4CcNkmbEofIyVrjLKcqLAwJdqYmtRFJGR2ZQtp99WNpKFhSnT00qXXXpE1Zi99tg24a-iJlk0sBeSFFJk7FqNT8oCb/s400/IMG_2482.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Not hard at all, it turns out, at least for this particular recipe (Note: oatmeal cookies are very forgiving!) – you can replace the butter in a cookie recipe with three-fourths the amount of vegetable or canola oil (so 4 TB butter = 3 TB oil). Egg replacers required a bit more research, as there are lots of suggestions out there in the Internets, but I decided to try the cornstarch method. The egg in this recipe mostly just serves as a binder in the dough, so technically cornstarch dissolved in water should work just as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My hunch was right, as it turns out – the cookies came out great. I was afraid they would harden too much once cool, but while the outsides became quite firm, the insides were nice and chewy with great flavor (of course the white chocolate chips might have helped with this – I might make them truly vegan next time to see how they turn out without the chocolate). And while the meet-up group didn’t get to try any, the people in my building sure seemed to like them – I left the container in the lobby with an inviting note in the morning, and they were all gone by that afternoon!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6htNxd4_pFaTH9isPpv-141L5W218ryBzA5YUvkgDomw1h1ZhiVfL_qERWIztFz4KboUxSJ16hO1UwF3heLE8TfHC7OzZamdTaBMUzHwfGNYsBuHJc_zSw6d9A4uVhieWtZW6dVPt3bJS/s1600/IMG_2504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6htNxd4_pFaTH9isPpv-141L5W218ryBzA5YUvkgDomw1h1ZhiVfL_qERWIztFz4KboUxSJ16hO1UwF3heLE8TfHC7OzZamdTaBMUzHwfGNYsBuHJc_zSw6d9A4uVhieWtZW6dVPt3bJS/s400/IMG_2504.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Almost) Vegan Cranberry-White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Adapted from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cooking Light<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The original recipe called for 1/3 cup white chocolate chips, which I doubled because I like chocolate, but I had trouble incorporating them and all the cranberries into the dough, as both mix-ins were rather large (ended up eating a few stragglers). Next time I might go for smaller chips, or just finely chop a whole chocolate bar. To make these truly vegan cookies, substitute vegan chocolate chips, nuts, or more dried fruit for the white chocolate.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">¾ cup all-purpose flour<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 cup regular oats<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ teaspoon baking soda<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ teaspoon salt<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">¾ cup packed brown sugar<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 tablespoons canola oil<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 teaspoon vanilla extract<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">¾ cup dried cranberries <b>(or try dried strawberries; blueberries could be nice too)</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1/3 – 2/3 cup premium white chocolate chips <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl stir together brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and cornstarch mixture until smooth. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine; mix in cranberries and white chocolate chips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">[I ended up forming the dough into balls with my hands in order to incorporate all the fruit and chocolate, which tended to want to fall out of the dough. Didn’t seem to affect the finished product.]</b>. Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about two dozen cookies <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">[I got slightly more]</b>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-35461980755267101772011-09-13T21:47:00.000-07:002011-09-13T21:47:27.125-07:00Chinatown Summer NightsThis past Saturday I attended the Summer Nights event in LA's Chinatown. After meeting up with a few other members of the Pleasure Palate meet-up group in front of Hop Li's Seafood Restaurant, we walked a couples of blocks til we found the "official" entrance to Chinatown:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This first thing we did was, of course, head for the food trucks. Fusion tacos are big right now; there were at least two offering tasty bites like these:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBlnkd4vYZwHo8pQQbUL_AM_YteBCGIes1vFKZ5LiddGJABbI5HAnel8xYkzF5AEQii-SnY8adeUiX4wyCQkRSdsbw2MIQhdz7HcU1qapF1cy7O1oBz5-9Wj1bRapY-KcwF7nCnxUdSf7/s1600/IMG_2495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBlnkd4vYZwHo8pQQbUL_AM_YteBCGIes1vFKZ5LiddGJABbI5HAnel8xYkzF5AEQii-SnY8adeUiX4wyCQkRSdsbw2MIQhdz7HcU1qapF1cy7O1oBz5-9Wj1bRapY-KcwF7nCnxUdSf7/s400/IMG_2495.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Those are crunchy tofu and pork belly steamed buns and a tamarind duck taco.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And my hickory-barbecue chicken taco, with peanuts, mango slaw, and green chile aioli. In my opinion $2.75 is a bit pricey for something you can consume in three bites, but it was tasty and a bit more complex than what you get at your usual tacqueria. I also tried my first bite of Korean fried chicken, which seemed to be basically fried chicken marinated in an <i>extremely </i>soy sauce-based concoction. Tasty in small doses, but if I tried to eat a whole portion I'd probably end up massively dehydrated. Luckily, a stand nearby was offering samples of Jarritos brand soda. I tried tamarind (left) and mandarin (right).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OjHbyg7QWy8GUzq5jGQmc0V76JAYnR7j2m7cYSNqxrQitbgmno3MDPJ5Ngl04qEZ1ASbTUr1a6HaZ8FuMaa4Mtt4NfXqGSMaoF-0CY571lXUJMPU4eOfuWe-j8NZnqlc5r4KaCYp_wr4/s1600/IMG_2503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OjHbyg7QWy8GUzq5jGQmc0V76JAYnR7j2m7cYSNqxrQitbgmno3MDPJ5Ngl04qEZ1ASbTUr1a6HaZ8FuMaa4Mtt4NfXqGSMaoF-0CY571lXUJMPU4eOfuWe-j8NZnqlc5r4KaCYp_wr4/s320/IMG_2503.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Verdict: Mandarin = orange soda but slightly better tasting, tamarind = not exactly bad, but not exactly good, either. Glad I tried it though.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> We ate our high-end tacos and salty chicken while being serenaded by birds hanging in cages from store awnings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKc5zzIYHez5ECVWTupw8mzR6wvahkXIsQw5wYqQvW8xHxDUEkps27wdoW8j_ge2i3phfWXMXVFwppxXO9_KaC0nPswDNIdv6syrn7Ccr4-sX6Yz6nr3aprbwLYdVptAKqeDoXo3raQ4OQ/s1600/IMG_2491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKc5zzIYHez5ECVWTupw8mzR6wvahkXIsQw5wYqQvW8xHxDUEkps27wdoW8j_ge2i3phfWXMXVFwppxXO9_KaC0nPswDNIdv6syrn7Ccr4-sX6Yz6nr3aprbwLYdVptAKqeDoXo3raQ4OQ/s400/IMG_2491.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Must be a Chinese thing? The birdsong actually went quite well with the Chinese-style music being piped in through speakers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After the savory portion of our meal, it was time for dessert! There were some interesting options from the food trucks, like fancy S'mores (click to enlarge):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm66RsI4KEPnQYOG2IwCd_RH-CKqKblyWN6EnzM1MWWrTV-9deu7QMxZMNIAxseRExZ1lzj_2uxSm5tJ7JOnwcBi486wD-FBzg2LhbXSOvyva_Flamth4HUesUzcvxMnp3enjMk7nR6yO/s1600/IMG_2494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm66RsI4KEPnQYOG2IwCd_RH-CKqKblyWN6EnzM1MWWrTV-9deu7QMxZMNIAxseRExZ1lzj_2uxSm5tJ7JOnwcBi486wD-FBzg2LhbXSOvyva_Flamth4HUesUzcvxMnp3enjMk7nR6yO/s400/IMG_2494.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(And Scooby Snacks...I have no idea what those are.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also, weird flavors of ice cream:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Pancake Breakfast sounded kind of appealing (kind of), but there were also other things to explore, like my first ever Chinese bakery. There were plenty of pretty cakes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And fortune cookies of course (wouldn't those make fun party favors?)</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And the counter service offered boba tea, ice cream, and some other tasty treats. But sometimes all you want is a simple almond cookie:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This means you won't be too full for ping pong!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-16230477149195570622011-09-10T07:47:00.000-07:002011-09-10T07:47:05.758-07:00Weekend in Tucson, Part IIIMy second and final morning in Arizona, Todd and I took advantage of the rental car and went on a bit of a road trip. While I didn't think Tucson itself was very attractive, the surrounding countryside is actually quite pretty in a rugged, deserted sort of way:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuF03Jvv62tySDz7MKbVJAukpxrAzy-fUhuJtL3kdAf6Z-h2w_B-pmVTRu-zsxDZHPrU-q6dvzlq3lYWCeUQ2Std0xK_8oIfVwnoJ3E-qAt-HFwg0AABbcU1ghcMsozVjC7Q4_l-QkdIE/s1600/IMG_2453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuF03Jvv62tySDz7MKbVJAukpxrAzy-fUhuJtL3kdAf6Z-h2w_B-pmVTRu-zsxDZHPrU-q6dvzlq3lYWCeUQ2Std0xK_8oIfVwnoJ3E-qAt-HFwg0AABbcU1ghcMsozVjC7Q4_l-QkdIE/s400/IMG_2453.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLn7qh5C2CC3fjAcJZ3RVW7fhSc2owD681NWe2Nh2qNHNgYji6gvIN8wfP8GWemhiiU2BGdwbkSS1GOBQw8NTD5eB6wuJ66w_ti9edcqQMmnqFNJIrNj60Xkq2ujKUk2j_KhyhQ_OmJdYl/s1600/IMG_2464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLn7qh5C2CC3fjAcJZ3RVW7fhSc2owD681NWe2Nh2qNHNgYji6gvIN8wfP8GWemhiiU2BGdwbkSS1GOBQw8NTD5eB6wuJ66w_ti9edcqQMmnqFNJIrNj60Xkq2ujKUk2j_KhyhQ_OmJdYl/s400/IMG_2464.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As you can see, I was practicing taking photos from the car (I wasn't driving, obviously!). I'm actually pretty pleased with how these turned out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our first stop: Tombstone, home of the infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ok_Corral">Gunfight at the OK Corral</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgioQjJpCn0tJDNNdP5rzZsU7Mo4vuzKA_TaA2Ac6ueMShKqRsJeI6ULqgiFeNhOJJ3K6RuZnF0UFTMO0lFKG9KKyy94O9da9wDjxe6W9cnPXz42O77pMPnc2Wor-8JsRrS_DebyZQwbEO8/s1600/IMG_2462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgioQjJpCn0tJDNNdP5rzZsU7Mo4vuzKA_TaA2Ac6ueMShKqRsJeI6ULqgiFeNhOJJ3K6RuZnF0UFTMO0lFKG9KKyy94O9da9wDjxe6W9cnPXz42O77pMPnc2Wor-8JsRrS_DebyZQwbEO8/s400/IMG_2462.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also home to such tourist traps as the world's largest rosebush, Old West reenactments, horse and buggy trolleys complete with (in all likelihood) gun-slinging cowboys:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUwmplXzk9wAuppDxE7Z6WVuUx7LNisnahraNBBMesGtuVhRu0YqPWM_5tu8LhmK_vp29K51X0SepwB9-vCR1-5AXGkgLiLpWJkQqoWBs7ixGg7uRhGd6B8IQAgpqU92zgznnpyhFDcfR/s1600/IMG_2461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUwmplXzk9wAuppDxE7Z6WVuUx7LNisnahraNBBMesGtuVhRu0YqPWM_5tu8LhmK_vp29K51X0SepwB9-vCR1-5AXGkgLiLpWJkQqoWBs7ixGg7uRhGd6B8IQAgpqU92zgznnpyhFDcfR/s400/IMG_2461.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Plenty of stores selling of endearingly Old Western frontier-style kitsch, disguised with a 'rough-and-tumble' cowboy attitude:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And weapons. Of course.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We skipped the guns in favor of some fairly mediocre fudge, in peanut butter and mint chocolate flavors.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was the first thing I ate today, hehe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Tombstone, it was on to Bisbee, a mining town in the hills that, besides a giant copper mine, also has a bunch of antique shops, art galleries, restaurants and B&Bs housed in quaint old buildings. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we arrived around midday there was a small festival going on, with stands selling various arts and crafts and a stage with live music. There was also a few food stands, one of which caught our eye because they were selling...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fry bread! I first had this Navajo treat at the Four Corners on vacation with my family years ago. The people selling this fry bread didn't look like Navajo, but the bread was good, leaving no trace of grease on the paper plate despite its bath in hot oil. You could get it with cheese, but we went sweet with cinnamon and powdered sugar, which we proceeded to get all over ourselves. So yeah, this was the second thing I ate, also dessert. I guess I <i>could </i>have gone for the roasted corn to get some nutrients, but, ya know...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not that it didn't look yummy! But we decided to save our cash for a souvenir purchase, which we found at a store up the hillside:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmd-JuxNES601n25VEj1pSmJ_l1cbV7dnPH9fNM_CODDQzYG62mPgidYF1Hja7IGT0ljHg6EJiSfFoWdDajujlGv_HK78TPCt5aHiSsCXrzzBVRHJWJXI-5yewx9CLPE3knnMXW_wPw6L9/s1600/IMG_2473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmd-JuxNES601n25VEj1pSmJ_l1cbV7dnPH9fNM_CODDQzYG62mPgidYF1Hja7IGT0ljHg6EJiSfFoWdDajujlGv_HK78TPCt5aHiSsCXrzzBVRHJWJXI-5yewx9CLPE3knnMXW_wPw6L9/s400/IMG_2473.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's right, honey made by killer bees! The store was run by this slightly grizzled, slow-talking cowboy figure who you could tell was really proud of his product, encouraging us to try all the different flavors (things like raspberry, cinnamon, and some other products like honey mustard). Not cheap at $6 a jar, but it was really tasty, I am a sucker for artisanally produced goods.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Bisbee, we hopped back in the car and took off for Mexico! Actually just the border:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We turned around right there! Back north through Arizona's "wine" country, past lots of ranches, and a minor thunderstorm, finally back to Tucson in time for my afternoon flight. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And that pretty much wraps up my two days in sunny (and yes...hot) Arizona. Would it be wrong to say I was very eager to get back to LA? Only to arrive in the middle of a heatwave, heh. Thank you again, Kei and Martha, for letting me crash at your place and use your pool (and for the margaritas!), and of course to Todd for driving me all over the place!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-57518328835107390502011-09-06T12:33:00.000-07:002011-09-06T12:33:44.035-07:00A Weekend in Arizona, Part IIWhen last we left sunny Tucson, AZ, Todd and I were chilling at Epic Cafe, where we escaped the heat and got our (or my) requisite afternoon caffeine buzz while waiting to meet Kei and Martha (the couple who have kindly loaned their guesthouse to Todd for the month) for dinner.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am quite happy to take credit for picking our dinner location from the list of possibilities Todd had emailed before my arrival. I chose Maynards Market & Kitchen, a restaurant, bar and market place located in Tucson's historic train depot, which is still active today (we sat at the outdoor patio right next to the train tracks, making for an interesting but at times loud meal). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0R3sdqOQG1BFIONF4VWVX2P8RqFv3OyHG2nifH9m5XeiUYvL9TRhbUETlZe7_XucNQXvSMqzLAv_w8XE8wloBtwZkck0jjFRY2r6t-YBd7pv_yFagbaTwBD-DuVL4u5zVLov9MEGg4RKZ/s1600/home-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0R3sdqOQG1BFIONF4VWVX2P8RqFv3OyHG2nifH9m5XeiUYvL9TRhbUETlZe7_XucNQXvSMqzLAv_w8XE8wloBtwZkck0jjFRY2r6t-YBd7pv_yFagbaTwBD-DuVL4u5zVLov9MEGg4RKZ/s400/home-1.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Image curtesy of Maynard's <a href="http://www.maynardsmarket.com/">website</a>)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The restaurant serves a vaguely French menu made from locally sourced ingredients, many of which are available in the adjoining market, along with prepared items to go (the market also holds beer tastings in the summer and will be home to a farmers market starting next month).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We started with drinks: Todd ordered his signature drink that he gets at every place with a bar, the White Russian (with maraschino cherries):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DnUocyEkFzhRaevk5H2_LK23mOaAMBvHwsKM-x1aeFZ8N4p5X80Ks8VvxrhnGbDoZgZoWQB7w0XDZsaiSSBhA4vfa-pbsiG5mm1wCbR_CyYBEGxDgUyYjclXinOQdpO5Iyy844ByzTlJ/s1600/IMG_2444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DnUocyEkFzhRaevk5H2_LK23mOaAMBvHwsKM-x1aeFZ8N4p5X80Ks8VvxrhnGbDoZgZoWQB7w0XDZsaiSSBhA4vfa-pbsiG5mm1wCbR_CyYBEGxDgUyYjclXinOQdpO5Iyy844ByzTlJ/s400/IMG_2444.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He has ordered these all over Europe and the US and gets a slightly different version each time (the most wild variations occurred in European restaurants, where he would usually have to explain to the befuddled waiter what was in the drink, which the bartender would freely interpret, no doubt muttering things about bizarre American tastes...). The bartender at Maynards had a bit of fun with this version - while it contained the traditional cream and vodka, there were bits of ground espresso beans floating in the cream to replace the coffee liqueur, and I believe a shot of chocolate syrup as well. Surprisingly I actually like this, probably because it tasted more like coffee-flavored cream than alcohol, heh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After placing our orders the waitress brought out a plate of bread rolls with a disk of herb butter. I usually try not to fill up on bread before my meal arrives, but I am a bread fiend (we runners need our carbs!) and can't resist when it is really good. Which this was - slightly warm, nice and soft inside and pleasantly salty, kind of like pizza dough rolls you get at some pizzerias, if you know what I mean. We demolished the plate before any other food arrived and asked for more.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We had a good excuse to get more bread, though, because Martha ordered mussels (in a white wine and herb sauce) and an order of frites. You need bread to soak up the mussel sauce! (Though I actually wound up polishing off most of the second plate too...oops) The fries were great, nice and salty, just greasy enough to stain the paper cone in places, and perfect dipped in the accompanying lemon aioli (I have expressed my distaste for fries and mayonnaise, but aioli is different, I swear!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kei ordered the halibut special. Not sure exactly what the accompaniments were since it wasn't on the regular menu, but looks like lentils, corn, green beans, maybe nectarines and some kind of creamy sauce (I think the waitress said pureed leeks, but I could be mistaken).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Todd went with the Summer Vegetable vegetarian entree - grilled porcini mushroom, seven vegetable pearl barley "risotto," marinated heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn sauce. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nY7bR5t2Oy5r0x5gsJTbSsMOaem1C_ZJNW1_WXQ812Pj9YllFMqBsrt8lceIPkICWpeI0yHDGp6Z6WC2ny1Ll6iyvzsN4L-Uj9fBHAOc5bluUf-_HvQpMP5r3e_wHnMaw31d-X0qWPY1/s1600/IMG_2449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nY7bR5t2Oy5r0x5gsJTbSsMOaem1C_ZJNW1_WXQ812Pj9YllFMqBsrt8lceIPkICWpeI0yHDGp6Z6WC2ny1Ll6iyvzsN4L-Uj9fBHAOc5bluUf-_HvQpMP5r3e_wHnMaw31d-X0qWPY1/s400/IMG_2449.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Like Martha, I went with two appetizers as my entree. Up first is the roasted beet salad. A bit different from the one on the online menu, this one had slices of orange, halved cherries, Marcona almonds and whisper-thin slices of fennel all in a light vinaigrette that mingled beautifully with the beet juices. It was gorgeous - I only wish the light was better so the photo could have done it justice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My other choice was the cheese sampler plate, with five one-ounce portions of all their cheese, as well as a big blob of quince paste (one of my faves), thinly slices of nectarine and two little dried figs. I only wish their were more figs, but the cheese were great. Todd helped me finish, claiming that to be his dessert. Of course, we know how that goes, when you're presented with the dessert menu...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtI6Ax3NDCP754Gj146ocOjfFQSHTBbcHLIl8J7SyWZo-RR3PoWUIHUP3sAgEZsdpgr7YOb88KGiGaJBn-BZxcZ2b_zGQXBYsMGi2X5ana_JdLuV8Ng2io77WumZebbS0lPR7X9rDwId3P/s1600/IMG_2451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtI6Ax3NDCP754Gj146ocOjfFQSHTBbcHLIl8J7SyWZo-RR3PoWUIHUP3sAgEZsdpgr7YOb88KGiGaJBn-BZxcZ2b_zGQXBYsMGi2X5ana_JdLuV8Ng2io77WumZebbS0lPR7X9rDwId3P/s400/IMG_2451.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...You have no choice but to order dessert. Especially if that dessert is a root beer float, something I haven't had since I was a kid. We got two to share between the four of us, and they came in a tankard, literally, of vanilla ice cream layered with fizzy root beer. In a nice touch, each mug also came with a little carafe of extra soda on the side so you could add more to your float as you drank it down. Reminded me of diners where, when you order a milkshake, they give you the extra stuff that wouldn't fit in your glass on the side.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were all stuffed and very sleepy by the time we made it back to Kei and Martha's. Not too sleepy, though, to watch the first half of the AZ University football game and sample Martha's signature drink: a prickly pear margarita:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpD1SIrwMykmA9nxHfTdciTcwhncPhdtiVd2z77yjuhLCCKJkzqIkvzLFP4NCJLYjXgN2pgKYrnWu__4BOPewGycumj7JX5oWntHelGLMqO7GxHlxzN3v9NVSOqagehMTMTdMAVnT0H6e/s1600/IMG_2452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpD1SIrwMykmA9nxHfTdciTcwhncPhdtiVd2z77yjuhLCCKJkzqIkvzLFP4NCJLYjXgN2pgKYrnWu__4BOPewGycumj7JX5oWntHelGLMqO7GxHlxzN3v9NVSOqagehMTMTdMAVnT0H6e/s400/IMG_2452.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm not a big drinker, but I am a fan of girly, fruity cocktails, and since I had never tried prickly pear anything, my curiosity was picked and I just had to try one. Plus, look how pretty! It's basically pear-flavored vodka, sweet & sour margarita mix and prickly pear syrup, which is this gorgeous reddish syrup that looks a lot like grenadine. Makes for a very, very sweet cocktail, but hey, I never said my taste in drinks was sophisticated. Thank, Kei and Martha, for a great night (and for letting us use your pool and pet your cat!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-57542459026158720402011-09-05T18:52:00.000-07:002011-09-05T18:54:41.747-07:00A (Very Hot) Weekend in Tucson Part IAs I have mentioned in previous posts, Todd is halfway through a month-long gig at the University of Arizona, where he went to graduate school. This past weekend I flew down to visit him, so for you enjoyment I present to you 48 hours (actually less) in Tucson, Arizona.<br />
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One thing to know before visiting Tucson in early September: it is hot. Not even the hottest time of the year, and every day was over 100 degrees. I landed Friday evening at almost 10 at night, so I couldn't really appreciate the heat til the next morning, when I woke up and realized it was almost 90 degrees before 9 in the morning. Luckily, Kei and Martha, Todd's friends who were letting him stay in their guesthouse, have a pool.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They also have a cactus garden in their front yard.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And grapefruit trees (unripe, unfortunately).</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our day was pretty low key; Todd had rented a car for the weekend, and we spent the morning driving out into the surrounding Saguaro National Park, which was beautiful and rugged (and hot), and around town, which was not so beautiful, mostly dusty and very, very empty (because - did I mention? - it was hot). Tucson does have its share of funky, interesting eateries, however, several of which we sampled that day, starting with lunch at the original El Charro Cafe (there are several branches):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The place is interesting for several reasons: for one thing, it serves Mexican food, obviously, but it was actually started back in the late 1800s by a transplanted Frenchwoman, the great-aunt of the current owner. Also, this woman is supposedly responsible for the invention of one of Todd's favorite Tex-Mex dishes, the chimichanga, when according to Wikipedia, she accidentally dropped a burrito into the deep-fryer and almost uttered a Spanish curse word beginning with "chi," (if you've taken any level of Spanish in school you will most likely be able to figure out the word) but changed it at the last minute.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, this smacks to me of BS, because not only is this little tidbit not present anywhere on the restaurant's website, but, as the site does make clear, the original owner spoke French. Still, that didn't stop Todd from ordering the deep-fried death burrito, enchilada-style, meaning smothered in cheese and some kind of red sauce which was probably meant to be spicy but wasn't, with rice and refried beans on the side (warning, terrible pictures ahead! The lighting in the restaurant was terrible for photography):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I went a bit lighter with shrimp cocktail (though not really, because I ate most of Todd's beans as they weren't vegetarian and a good portion of the chimi too).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, if you think back to my final post from Riverside, and our last meal there at El Sarape, you may recall that we had pretty much the exact same lunch - shrimp cocktail for me, chimichanga for Todd. It was really interesting, because even though the dishes were the same, the flavors were entirely different. My cocktail at El Sarape (and all the other Mexican restaurants in Riverside and probably SoCal generally) was shrimp and some other seafood in an almost tomato-juice like sauce with lots of cilantro and little bits of avocado and cucumber, etc. Here there were shrimp, also peppers and cucumber, but then there was corn as well, and shreds of cabbage buried at the bottom. The sauce itself was much closer to what Americans would think of as cocktail sauce - thick, heavy on the ketchup, with the distinctive, sinus-clearing bite of horseradish. Different, but delicious none the less (and no mysterious saltines). Todd's chimichanga, besides being much heavier for all that sauce and cheese, also had a different filling - rather than just beans and cheese, had bits of various vegetables like carrots and zucchini embedded in a masa dough, so it was almost like a tamale burrito. Really really good, but what a gutbuster! With the requisite complementary chips*, I was almost too full for dinner, which would have been a shame, since it was fantastic! I will leave you in suspense, however, and tell you about it in the next post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*A word on the salsa: good consistency, flavor was off - too tomatoey, almost spaghetti-sauce-like, even, with not enough spice. What I need is a blend of Riverside (good flavor, too thin) and Tucson salsa styles - lots of spice, lots of chunks! Not that we didn't finish the chips and half the bottle of salsa anyway (the bottle, by the way, was like the kind syrup comes in with pancakes at a diner - not suitable at all for chunky salsa! Maybe I should write to them...).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This post is getting long, so I will leave you with a shot of the dessert case at Todd's favorite coffee shop in Tucson Epic, which live up to the shop's name, at least in size (I didn't try any unfortunately...next time!):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You can't really tell in the (very bad) picture, but that singe slice of strawberry cake could easily feed three people. The cafe itself is really cool; Todd and I spent several hours there in the afternoon after a refreshing swim at the guesthouse pool, and I could see why it's a regular hangout for him (so much so that when he's in town the kitchen puts his favorite soup on permanent rotation).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaTVjFdc8rT3HIIGWnG4Gi3CglxqzuaQgFzhL_Xz_9lYaS0ZBpR0sZ8O7SgyNginbTOaz4QXDK0mj0_OvZ4lwQWhhq8hGIkoozx8HY9iWrpct5Am4d1Kcp9rf2lhJFc0ODZEshUYANNfn/s1600/IMG_2443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaTVjFdc8rT3HIIGWnG4Gi3CglxqzuaQgFzhL_Xz_9lYaS0ZBpR0sZ8O7SgyNginbTOaz4QXDK0mj0_OvZ4lwQWhhq8hGIkoozx8HY9iWrpct5Am4d1Kcp9rf2lhJFc0ODZEshUYANNfn/s400/IMG_2443.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's got a funky interior (complete with boardgames), an equally interesting staff and clientele (and I mean that in the best way possible!) and an enormous menu of food and drinks (for this type of establishment at least). We actually had a late dinner at Epic the night I arrived, since it was one of the few places open at 10pm (the kitchen serves until 11), and my Cobb salad was tasty, with real bacon (I could smell it frying in the back when I ordered) and crostini made out of day-old bagels toasted and rubbed with spices. Todd recommends the Hungarian mushroom soup (tell them he sent you!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-65228607601868204242011-08-30T11:56:00.000-07:002011-08-30T11:56:20.753-07:00Market Moments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaOtnXwBrxb2ii7i8yOGQ4iyoNjYHYZgNDjAsX4_RLjHTCf5Tj9hWxp4fowC8A_-1s7th4F9xmtAojfQoKj4ZByJzSD9OZIGQKR8CVnLbBtzigsGcnr5fz7TYvywTT2NK13NyNiPbHxQ_/s1600/IMG_2420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaOtnXwBrxb2ii7i8yOGQ4iyoNjYHYZgNDjAsX4_RLjHTCf5Tj9hWxp4fowC8A_-1s7th4F9xmtAojfQoKj4ZByJzSD9OZIGQKR8CVnLbBtzigsGcnr5fz7TYvywTT2NK13NyNiPbHxQ_/s400/IMG_2420.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I can never get over the sheer vibrancy of the colors. It's a literal rainbow of fruits and veggies (including those lovely orange raspberries, which I've never seen before)!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Peach season is nearing its end (along with plums and pluots, sniff, I will miss them), but that doesn't stop the farmers from bringing in peaches the size of softballs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Heirloom tomato season, on the other hand, seems to be in full swing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Zucchini are sticking around, too (along with their flowers!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love scoping out the more exotic items, like the dragonfruit I first fell in love with in Barcelona.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And <i>nopales</i>, or cactus. Apparently a popular salad ingredient, don't think I've ever tried it though.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Black currants, which I've never seen outside of candy or jelly format (the British are crazy for currant anything, so I got a good dose of black currant-flavored foodstuffs while studying there last year).</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What I thought were mini melons turned out to be lemon cucumbers. They tasted pretty much like regular cucumbers to me, maybe just a bit sweeter, but aren't they so much cuter?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkigy9dvkJ6s6VZrRcPBshtnydegHvF3kDSTSwWetwlRUl92bWwWEJYXKhpypeW2cJPRWUFiKeaWqpQ0bSUewTS1N0y8zgfL6hTygrK4RwVfnAqyt5yWiJaLyb80e9UcXb9yDdsR7Or5A/s1600/IMG_2417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkigy9dvkJ6s6VZrRcPBshtnydegHvF3kDSTSwWetwlRUl92bWwWEJYXKhpypeW2cJPRWUFiKeaWqpQ0bSUewTS1N0y8zgfL6hTygrK4RwVfnAqyt5yWiJaLyb80e9UcXb9yDdsR7Or5A/s400/IMG_2417.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fresh dates, also something I've never encountered. Surprisingly crunchy, I think I prefer the dried ones for being more soft and sweet. Interesting to see how they grow though.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you're a meat-eater you've get a veritable petting zoo of choices (the rabbit's fresh).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And happy little (actually quite large) crabbies for the seafood lovers!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">OK, that's all I've got for now. I'm going to the SM market again tomorrow, so maybe I'll find something interesting to put up here again. If not, the next time you'll hear from me will probably not be til after I get back from Arizona this weekend. That's right, I'm off the land of guns and 100+ temps to visit the bf. C ya!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-38289169230290424182011-08-26T15:29:00.000-07:002011-08-26T15:31:15.518-07:00Wine Tasting at Vinoteque<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideXQ3rquAg4GougNB4oavifiIzm66ufrjAlUW5uolfa6kxfzNuaWVl69YGRLbBxmOWNysUzU35suDFNLipXRdJ1xuadVlJ-0g1OdpyzxOQMFd8uhQqA85ienDH8eV4mTR0Bl3MXpD3-R3/s1600/IMG_2404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideXQ3rquAg4GougNB4oavifiIzm66ufrjAlUW5uolfa6kxfzNuaWVl69YGRLbBxmOWNysUzU35suDFNLipXRdJ1xuadVlJ-0g1OdpyzxOQMFd8uhQqA85ienDH8eV4mTR0Bl3MXpD3-R3/s400/IMG_2404.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
A few nights ago, I went to a wine tasting event at <a href="http://vinotequeonmelrose.com/">Vinoteque</a> 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).<br />
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This was only the second wine tasting I've ever been to, besides the couple of times I tagged along with my parents when they drove out east on Long Island to visit some wineries (that was before I was legal to drink, so I couldn't really participate). I am not a huge wine drinker, and would probably offend a lot of connoisseurs' sensibilities sense I tend to prefer fruity, bubbly wines that taste more like slightly-alcholic juice than wine. But I figured I would give it a try, since it was walking distance from my apartment and there would be food involved.<br />
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We (there were three small groups including ours, with eight people in total) sat out in the back patio in a little courtyard behind the restaurant, protected from the street noise.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpdlSm5uILKl6RTDnFBDD6TaHPUWqrX0Jhp5r8fon-jd52MgTcEdFLH7L4o50quzn3xWKOOs7w_O-tSItGS3cuXMvhBKSIBHU672ZzL88vufTIp0XLwWmsYxz8xjgHmSvSNfcCBDkkjhW/s1600/IMG_2399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpdlSm5uILKl6RTDnFBDD6TaHPUWqrX0Jhp5r8fon-jd52MgTcEdFLH7L4o50quzn3xWKOOs7w_O-tSItGS3cuXMvhBKSIBHU672ZzL88vufTIp0XLwWmsYxz8xjgHmSvSNfcCBDkkjhW/s400/IMG_2399.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbrkgRxLw0m9EW_4GxPnilAcSKxBPm1oEM_T1FcII0AD03Vgjxbe98S2Acy5QjIe4PG9VpUBHQ5aQotTHPBhJU1WMQEGv6OfoXSfi1oEKIZb70t6bSIlSQbwZZDJKA6F5aoiehwKS22dH/s1600/IMG_2402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbrkgRxLw0m9EW_4GxPnilAcSKxBPm1oEM_T1FcII0AD03Vgjxbe98S2Acy5QjIe4PG9VpUBHQ5aQotTHPBhJU1WMQEGv6OfoXSfi1oEKIZb70t6bSIlSQbwZZDJKA6F5aoiehwKS22dH/s400/IMG_2402.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The line-up, ready for sippin and swirlin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ryan, the sommelier (and I think a part owner of the restaurant), was really funny and knowledgeable, and had a cute Irish accent, which just makes everything he says ten times better. Here he is, giving us a quick intro into the proper way to taste wine:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5ioxRdXf7lN4ny2T3WOArJJUOQfnG1wT50q9xSspvTulzA8YF738PhQDuTiH5GxVHW6vV8ZpGlRFwasreaC4Ot3L4Pwr4QILadr-u5yg_-Hatpg3qXdBZ1VWkcwhyphenhyphenicJ8mcYk-ics7rI/s1600/IMG_2405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5ioxRdXf7lN4ny2T3WOArJJUOQfnG1wT50q9xSspvTulzA8YF738PhQDuTiH5GxVHW6vV8ZpGlRFwasreaC4Ot3L4Pwr4QILadr-u5yg_-Hatpg3qXdBZ1VWkcwhyphenhyphenicJ8mcYk-ics7rI/s400/IMG_2405.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We tasted three wines, all from Northern California - one Chardonnay (pictured above), a red Zinfandel and a Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm partial to white wine myself (fruity and girly, remember?), and true to form I preferred the Chardonnay, but I actually quite liked the Zinfandel, to my surprise. The Cabernet was a much stronger red, so not my favorite, but still drinkable. Maybe my tastes are maturing? Or they could've just been really good wines.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, you don't just guzzle the wines down - there's a method, which Ryan expounded for us. First you swirl the glass to aerate the wine, and also so you can observe its viscosity, or how quickly it drips down the side of the glass after you swirl. This tells you how alcoholic the wine is - I want to say teh faster is drips, the less alcohol? I probably should have taken notes...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then you smell the wine, which if you know the first thing about wine should tell you some other stuff about the wine's quality and how it was made. If you're me, it tells you that the liquid in your glass is, indeed, wine (yeah, notes definitely would've been a good idea). Finally, you taste the wine, making sure to coat your mouth completely to get all the depths of flavor. We had a list of the wines telling us what flavors to look for - notes of peach and melon, spices, chocolate, etc. I tasted mostly wine of varying degrees of...wineyness...God, I'm unsophisticated!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm much better at talking about food, so let's move onto that shall we? Turns out Darrell, our group leader, comes here a lot and kind of knows the chef, K.C. Ma, who came out to talk to our group before the tasting. Before that, though, we received two small plates to start.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bG0zkkNYDS9Fx_HmW9m8VAoiIIr65vxr6mQ070eDq0lGOehtAy25_SL3baUnDlcKnqTyLawoidp6NWv1LRNWzhu5wNgJBTKC8XwgRn0KZnPomZ6Ggardcuf-kzvB2kQWXTAn1vjfch18/s1600/IMG_2400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bG0zkkNYDS9Fx_HmW9m8VAoiIIr65vxr6mQ070eDq0lGOehtAy25_SL3baUnDlcKnqTyLawoidp6NWv1LRNWzhu5wNgJBTKC8XwgRn0KZnPomZ6Ggardcuf-kzvB2kQWXTAn1vjfch18/s400/IMG_2400.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Darrell ordered a plate of sweet potato fries with fried parsley (which he noted on the LA Foodies site tasted kind of like seaweed, not necessarily a bad thing) and spicy garlic ketchup. I loooove sweet potato fries, and these were very well fried with nary a sad one in the bunch, enhanced by large flakes of sea salt.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This baby arugula salad with warm caramelized peaches, sunflower seeds, parmesan and candied lemon vinaigrette was a gift from the house. I'm normally not a fan of arugula, but this baby version was hardly bitter at all, and the vinaigrette was awesome. Very sweet, but that worked perfectly with the peppery arugula and salty parmesan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then Chef K.C. came out and talked to our table; when we asked what he planned to make for the tasting, he offered to send our table special dishes that were different from the other two tables. All right, VIP treatment! Or so we thought... But more on that later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dish #1 (Chardonnay): kampachi and salmon crudo with capelin (flying fish) caviar and shiso vinaigrette. Impeccably fresh fish. I'd never had bright green fish eggs before and can't say they tasted like much, but popping them between my teeth was fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNItwgueJ5539SEKgwuyigVeJUhZFmfIpkcNfE70o9l4j-hBg74MjhrkVqeXKxlkqmiGq9Peq41M6J4EPCPXHVkRMXcKr1hYoZ-IEzbyhvpcVcO0GqHc43AwpNWp5QSrJTNnVsA0YYYcum/s1600/IMG_2408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNItwgueJ5539SEKgwuyigVeJUhZFmfIpkcNfE70o9l4j-hBg74MjhrkVqeXKxlkqmiGq9Peq41M6J4EPCPXHVkRMXcKr1hYoZ-IEzbyhvpcVcO0GqHc43AwpNWp5QSrJTNnVsA0YYYcum/s400/IMG_2408.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Please forgive the terrible photo, it was getting dark. This dish was actually kind of a joke from the chef, and is not on Vinoteque's menu. Dish #2 (Zinfandel): steak tartare. When K.C. was chatting with us before the tasting and asked us what food we wanted, Darrell joking mentioned steak tartare with the red wine. And so K.C. made it for us! This was surprisingly amazing to me, since when I think steak tartare I tend to think "raw hamburger" (this may just be based on my experiences with filet americain in the Netherlands, however). But this was nothing like that, just tender chunks of juicy steak in some sort of vinegary, herby dressing. There was a boatload of it, too; we ended up sharing some with the three ladies next to us, who had begun eyeing our table enviously by this point.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZpMIQpBTtM1QJP7EB10Z44I81ZIqBrhmL_VzWKHDLGpIyYQj1KWYYLsABwfrxK5t6OMiW0BvY7Ce2fBnBp9WqjTB8a6mJbocFDrFaIrMBL34hedwDuVdh84OMPeyYXnOBoBj7LYen-sm/s1600/IMG_2412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZpMIQpBTtM1QJP7EB10Z44I81ZIqBrhmL_VzWKHDLGpIyYQj1KWYYLsABwfrxK5t6OMiW0BvY7Ce2fBnBp9WqjTB8a6mJbocFDrFaIrMBL34hedwDuVdh84OMPeyYXnOBoBj7LYen-sm/s400/IMG_2412.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dish #3 (Cabernet Sauvignon): peppercorn-crusted pork pate, a new dish also not appearing on their menu (I'm assuming it will at some point). Good - melted like butter in the mouth - but couldn't really compete with that tartare. Also, although we were given toasts to eat with the tartare, there were none forthcoming for this pate, so we just ate it with our forks. Am I wring in thinking pate is usually spread on toast or crackers or something? The peppercorns on top were a nice tough though, providing a needed kick among all that buttery, porky softness. Again, we shared the last bit with the other table, cause it's a bit much to just shovel rich pate into your mouth without bread or anything.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That ended the wine tasting; now comes the awkward part of the night that kind of put a bit of a damper on the whole event, for me at least. After inquiring whether we wanted to order more food or buy a bottle of wine (the types being tasted are offered for half price, a great deal if you're in the market for wine, which none of us were). Upon being told we were finished for the night, he brought us the check, which is when we discovered that the restaurant had CHARGED us for the upgrade to our food. And not a meager few dollars, either: they wanted $10 extra dollars per person!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, given that were already had a discount on the tasting and the quality of the food we were given, this amount (would've been a bit less than $30 per person total) was far from unfair. What was unfair was that we weren't told beforehand that there would be an extra charge for the upgrade. Hell, we didn't even <i>ask</i> for the upgrade, the chef offered it to us. Even though Darrell mentioned steak tartare, it seemed pretty clear that he was just joking around and not actually placing an order. Darrell himself was quite surprised, and it placed him in an awkward situation. He knew he had to ask that the extra charge be taken off the bill (it wasn't fair to me and the other person in our group, who had zero control over the menu), but he was also friendly with the restaurants' owners and a frequent customer and clearly didn't want to do anything that would damage that relationship.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the end, he ended up asking the charge to be reduced by half to $5 per person, leading to a bill of $21 per person, about what I expected to pay for the evening but still, in my opinion, $5 too much because I thought the entire upgrade should have been removed. I understood why Darrell wanted to compromise, and he said whomever he talked to (I'm guessing Ryan) was perfectly nice about it, so I want to believe it was just a miscommunication of some sort, but if it had been just me I would have asked that the entire extra charge be rescinded. Again, it's not a question of cheapness and I do believe the food we were given measured up to the price asked for, but <i>we were not given a choice about paying extra for that food</i>. That's the main thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So right, I'll end my rant now. I don't want it to seem like I didn't enjoy myself, because I had a great time, the wines were really good and the food was excellent, plus the sommelier and chef seemed like really great guys and the atmosphere was relaxing and cool. Overall I would highly recommend Vinoteque's Sip n' Swirl events for anyone interested in wine, and the restaurant as a whole for very good food. Just don't mention steak tartare unless you're willing to pay for it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://vinotequeonmelrose.com/">Vinoteque on Melrose</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">7469 Melrose Ave</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Los Angeles, CA 90046</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(310) 860-6060</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-46117612944073032702011-08-24T19:35:00.000-07:002011-08-24T19:35:06.765-07:00Fig Madness<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjeWwzgXOeO5bgYZnglie9acuWAHdJ2Gxa7Dh1s-Vlr4mhSlAF_0-0YAe4sKlE_JgSh_JXVgXgvNCKHGKQ1TFvlZqwPAS9d21FPaQsOrqSmEnu5mwStxduqDBNuS25384JYoySrk9Ou2g/s1600/IMG_2393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjeWwzgXOeO5bgYZnglie9acuWAHdJ2Gxa7Dh1s-Vlr4mhSlAF_0-0YAe4sKlE_JgSh_JXVgXgvNCKHGKQ1TFvlZqwPAS9d21FPaQsOrqSmEnu5mwStxduqDBNuS25384JYoySrk9Ou2g/s400/IMG_2393.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">This doesn’t hold as much for the sturdier winter fruit like apples and citrus, which can survive a surprisingly long period of neglect in the fruit basket, but for summer stone fruits and berries the window of opportunity to eat them when they are perfectly ripe is short-lived. I usually get around this by only buying small quantities, but in the case of the figs I purchased at Sunday’s farmer’s market, I had no choice but to get them by the basket. A small basket, to be sure, but still more than enough for one person (Todd is teaching Arizona this month, and he also doesn’t like figs, which I think means there’s something wrong with him.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">All seemed well until that evening, when I sifted through the basket, looking for a likely specimen to scarf down. While most of the figs were plump and just a bit soft – i.e., perfection – there were a few that were mushy, their skins beginning to shrivel. And what was this? This one was splitting on the bottom, threatening to leak its seedy, sweet flesh…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In a moment of panic I seriously considered eating the whole basket right then and there, but luckily I came to my senses in time to prevent what would surely have amounted to gastrointestinal disaster. The thing to do, since obviously I wouldn’t be able to consume the whole basket before they started to go downhill, was to cook the figs. Since I had already tried my hand at roasting, I decided to make fig preserves.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I set about trolling the internet, looking for an easy-sounding recipe I could make with the ingredients I had in my kitchen (the nearby supermarket is open 24 hours, but I was feeling lazy). Eventually I hit upon <a href="http://simpledailyrecipes.com/1017/simple-fig-preserves/">this one</a> for fig preserves, which was as simple as they come - requiring only figs, sugar, honey, water and lemon juice. I decided to give it a try, with the addition of the spices from <a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spicy_fig_orange_microwave_jam/">this recipe</a> and a couple pinches of curry powder thrown in for good measure. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TNY8h9naGRmyawkcBuAAHdsEi2IX_mVcMv-MjRczyhuHSwuCq2RbEY8es73obWPTN6SGZtJA0jzjTh8UdafjtTy_DT550KUcPZTMGPw125Tv1qfZOv9CQz2M-COZBOwUNvLvj6xHjWNW/s1600/IMG_2392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TNY8h9naGRmyawkcBuAAHdsEi2IX_mVcMv-MjRczyhuHSwuCq2RbEY8es73obWPTN6SGZtJA0jzjTh8UdafjtTy_DT550KUcPZTMGPw125Tv1qfZOv9CQz2M-COZBOwUNvLvj6xHjWNW/s400/IMG_2392.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Little figgies waiting for their bath...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5Zn6NfZpSZuU3iG-3b93SbIctfUFP1oY6Mf1ag2X-PUrnG7okaz6KcmqPIzwTGQvSuDT5doMnKv0k7VCwbO4-kQk7DTit00_RxuLp7ltSZXfk-N9fLBEg2qAkRtOAaAWwnUlQDZG9XUo/s1600/IMG_2394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5Zn6NfZpSZuU3iG-3b93SbIctfUFP1oY6Mf1ag2X-PUrnG7okaz6KcmqPIzwTGQvSuDT5doMnKv0k7VCwbO4-kQk7DTit00_RxuLp7ltSZXfk-N9fLBEg2qAkRtOAaAWwnUlQDZG9XUo/s400/IMG_2394.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bringing some sugar and spice to the party...</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The original recipe called to simmer the ingredients for 10 minutes, but I let mine go at a fairly vigorous bubble for over 20, probably closer to half an hour. This gave me a chunky jam that is probably not as loose or sauce-like as the original recipe intended, but which I preferred.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6qF5IFncitZbA_ZjlgFvoVuJuJuZX9CChW46kXNsWf1doeNOaP_V1aM3l1RwIuuOZD2JcAqsWswmKwXXP6wpCVK4_8FFXHdXmbjNg_leOb-FeTZRDp1bLAHp8Y29bwpVNfmzS6kpqNB0/s1600/IMG_2397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6qF5IFncitZbA_ZjlgFvoVuJuJuZX9CChW46kXNsWf1doeNOaP_V1aM3l1RwIuuOZD2JcAqsWswmKwXXP6wpCVK4_8FFXHdXmbjNg_leOb-FeTZRDp1bLAHp8Y29bwpVNfmzS6kpqNB0/s400/IMG_2397.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Give it a stir every now and then...</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Just a bit of warning, this is very sweet stuff (and I even used a bit less sugar than the recipe called for), though the spices help a little and give it a nice warmth. I actually added the curry powder at the end upon tasting it and thinking it needed something more to cut the sweetness, but don’t go overboard with the spices or you’ll mask the flavor of the figs. I might reduce the honey a tad as well next time, but I think the nature of fig jam in general is to be sweet. This makes it a nice foil for a rich, pungent cheese like gorgonzola or brie, or as an accompaniment to roast pork. If anything, I can at least breath a little easier now, knowing my summer bounty won’t go to waste.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtk8cwMTJr81VVZcvxoFr6K9M232cbBvnS7BgdKKuTL9LCmFsZg12hXmYC4xy1hyphenhyphenUj3hUAyYm-qmsxCuHTo3BB-YzCuH6JO5Y7IdPrbLPqmHbUmKIRke-9agHj3x8nesyvH9NEceaqHEB/s1600/IMG_2398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtk8cwMTJr81VVZcvxoFr6K9M232cbBvnS7BgdKKuTL9LCmFsZg12hXmYC4xy1hyphenhyphenUj3hUAyYm-qmsxCuHTo3BB-YzCuH6JO5Y7IdPrbLPqmHbUmKIRke-9agHj3x8nesyvH9NEceaqHEB/s400/IMG_2398.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Spiced Fig Preserves<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adapted from Simple Daily Recipes with Jill McKeever<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 pint fresh figs, roughly chopped</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tablespoons sugar <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">[I used very scant spoonfuls, so it was probably more like 1 ½- 1 ¾ tablespoons]<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tablespoons honey</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ cup water</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">[I skipped this because I didn’t have any lemons on hand and didn’t want to go to the store just for a tsp of juice. Can’t hurt to add it if you have it; mine turned out fine without.]<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">1/4 tsp each (scant) of ground ginger, cloves and cinnamon</div><div class="MsoNormal">A couple pinches curry powder <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">[the spices were my addition, and can probably be played around with in terms of amounts and types used]</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bring all ingredients except lemon juice to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer, uncovered, until thick, about 15-25 minutes depending on how saucy or jam-like you want it. Let cool, then stir in lemon juice, if using, and transfer to glass jar and store in refrigerator.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment--> Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-34780580254172843732011-08-22T05:36:00.000-07:002011-08-22T05:36:53.793-07:00Brazilian Food at the Farmer's Market (Kind Of)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhph8VwbIbxazLbbUeQWFSjNYcSoCXxmCHPk4gD_k931-S6SOESOcdTHJBhpOif2CH2QzZ6g27hbpDbpkOEzLt8Blurco9mJMOmCcyjcggjE5V1H_4n_sJgBc9VFGRIdrT43ziKhxW5_rYM/s1600/IMG_2369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhph8VwbIbxazLbbUeQWFSjNYcSoCXxmCHPk4gD_k931-S6SOESOcdTHJBhpOif2CH2QzZ6g27hbpDbpkOEzLt8Blurco9mJMOmCcyjcggjE5V1H_4n_sJgBc9VFGRIdrT43ziKhxW5_rYM/s400/IMG_2369.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal">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, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every day of the week!</i> What could be better, right?</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Well, it turns out the name is a bit misleading. This isn’t actually a farmer’s market, but rather an open-air food court of sorts next to (and probably mostly servicing customers of) the giant outdoor mall called The Grove, with stalls offering all manner of prepared foods and a few enclosed buildings selling specialty items like Spanish groceries and hot sauce.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8m1NigKMCWEMvrWgO9CThZgdM3DX_CaoETYg22WoXD3NSDUH4cZrNOKMEd8IEa_KvE7pKNSa-zZt6eogGTiZlnoxbvviNMprsOk2Xv_hCKiOH5HfYGUkNAQxAr62P0ZowZe_ls_P484M/s1600/IMG_2365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8m1NigKMCWEMvrWgO9CThZgdM3DX_CaoETYg22WoXD3NSDUH4cZrNOKMEd8IEa_KvE7pKNSa-zZt6eogGTiZlnoxbvviNMprsOk2Xv_hCKiOH5HfYGUkNAQxAr62P0ZowZe_ls_P484M/s400/IMG_2365.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>While I was initially a bit disappointed, I soon embraced the festive atmosphere (lots of food for sale in one place = festive atmosphere for me) and wandered about, waiting for something to strike my fancy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I settled on the Brazilian place, Pampas Grill, largely because they offered food in buffet form. I am a sucker for buffets. Yes, I know this calls my status as a so-called “foodie” into question, as buffets invariably offer lackluster food at best, but let me lose on a crappy Chinese buffet, complete with indeterminate things of deep-fried nature and sticky sweet, neon-orange sauces, and I will happily go to town. Luckily, the food at this particular stand was quite a few notches above Chinese buffet quality. Here's the plate I made:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0YvnjbWfA7CznC_TyvfTXJTPv3Ls-Z7Gv115xAN6WCGCINYHbctn_OVNUwGMTqIgzM5A0eqWxv5nsUnPjp5Qg1GVIndC0Q0351nUXoqgJaf7HjGpPEoBNCig08v59LjS4F_tOsWf0x8Z/s1600/IMG_2361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0YvnjbWfA7CznC_TyvfTXJTPv3Ls-Z7Gv115xAN6WCGCINYHbctn_OVNUwGMTqIgzM5A0eqWxv5nsUnPjp5Qg1GVIndC0Q0351nUXoqgJaf7HjGpPEoBNCig08v59LjS4F_tOsWf0x8Z/s400/IMG_2361.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Interestingly, quite a few of the items on the buffet were similar to Southern American soul food. Okra made an appearance for instance (the green thing on the plate) – I only took one piece, prepared for slimy ickiness, but it was actually free of slime, though I still didn’t love it – as well as collard greens (I skipped those) and stewed catfish (at the top of the plate - can’t resist the fish!). Rice and beans, South American staples, naturally made an appearance, as well as a few dishes that are, as far as I know pretty standard American fare – you can see my mashed potatoes and chicken marsala at the bottom of the plate. Not too Brazilian to me, but they were pretty good nonetheless.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I went for some more exotic items too, like the banana squash (the orange lump), which was good, probably similar to acorn squash, and the fried yucca or cassava (the beige-ish stick-like thing), which was not so good – very starchy and little tough to chew. The fried ripe plantains, though, were excellent; I think it’s kind of hard to mess up fried sweet plantains (different from fried green plantains, or tostones) unless you burn the hell out of them, and even then I imagine they’d still be pretty good on the inside. The bread-like thing on the plate is pao de queijo, or cheese bread. Made of cassava flour, these seemed to be very popular, and are cheesy, moist and chewy on the inside, a pleasant surprise since I was expecting more of a cheese-flavored dinner roll-type thing. I washed it down with a Diet Guarana soda:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1JGvcnf5yaltdszGiQGYY-ArHTRn7tSDtWBahFGZt1Cc7Rwyd-iiIFcG5LTWC66POJCwnpxEzNtVI0iph3LGyaBWGMdklgTwXJBDrhNKioQ5aqWDiREFyq-EeL9c4mLAGe3GcvZF7gPL/s1600/IMG_2362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1JGvcnf5yaltdszGiQGYY-ArHTRn7tSDtWBahFGZt1Cc7Rwyd-iiIFcG5LTWC66POJCwnpxEzNtVI0iph3LGyaBWGMdklgTwXJBDrhNKioQ5aqWDiREFyq-EeL9c4mLAGe3GcvZF7gPL/s400/IMG_2362.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The buffet also has standard items you find on salad bars everywhere (you can see my potato salad and canned beets in the photo), but the main draw for most people is the skewered grilled meats, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">churrasco</i>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VvRG3hssELfVB_FK3smnLiIRyktPX3jsHDskws1BMdZubkal0-H6zaTKKCKn_xx7ePKaQ7WiWzI2fP8Ki6lpj3GWax3wUqe1q5gw3jzQbFkSsG9d-huxJDIyLSMy_Qb6F0ftZwAaG1oj/s1600/IMG_2363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VvRG3hssELfVB_FK3smnLiIRyktPX3jsHDskws1BMdZubkal0-H6zaTKKCKn_xx7ePKaQ7WiWzI2fP8Ki6lpj3GWax3wUqe1q5gw3jzQbFkSsG9d-huxJDIyLSMy_Qb6F0ftZwAaG1oj/s400/IMG_2363.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once you get past the buffet you get to the carving station, where some friendly Latin American guys will carve you a pile of whatever meat you fancy. Not being a huge fan of charred meat products (and wanting to keep the cost of my lunch low, as I had already paid a visit to the nearby Whole Foods beforehand), I stuck to the buffet fare.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After lunch I wandered I moseyed on over to the Grove to do some window shopping (including some drooling over the merchandise that I can neither afford nor fit in my kitchen at Sur La Table). I am proud to say that I had my first celebrity sighting – Mario Lopez was filming some sort of show at the central courtyard. What show, I have no idea; I only watched for a minute or so before I got bored. Does my complete disinterest in celebrities mean I fail as an Angeleno? Maybe if it had been a celebrity chef I would have stuck around a bit longer and tried to get some photos*. I actually kind of want to find out where Hell’s Kitchen is filmed and try to get a glimpse of Gordon Ramsay (sure his shows are God-awful in a “can’t tear myself away it’s so bad, I must keep watching even though I feel guilty” sort of way, but hey, the man’s <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/life/2008/04/20/burger-king-78057-20388483/">an In-n-Out fan</a>, he can’t be that bad!)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*Major food geek confession: the first time I went to dinner at Le Bernardin in NYC with my family (my first Michelin-star dinner ever, out of three so far), we were early for our reservation and so were standing around outside the restaurant, when someone – my mom I think – pointed over our heads. A few feet behind us, Eric Ripert – executive chef of Le Bernardin and frequent guest on shows like Top Chef, of which we are fans – was standing talking on his cell phone. We squealed like pre-teen girls at a Justin Bieber concert (OK, maybe not that bad – at least we were quiet about it, since he didn’t seem to notice). What can I say – any man who can cook fish like that deserves undying adoration.</div><!--EndFragment--> <br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-40692717021610684052011-08-20T10:54:00.000-07:002011-08-23T11:32:01.880-07:00Only in Hollywood Can You Get Thai Food and Elvis Under One RoofFor 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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Nfd_V5wV8uDVMfwXaXorpvc01QDIXHqCrQ7rk_PNtiB6_Qrg2w_XKIjNwwWAah8ZzlpIpMRHDkFlL8hHb43fKYQRpMVzsLn1j1B8yI403zp0b2sg6tUiASqgBU7kpyB7RndCEnSls8MK/s1600/IMG_2379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Nfd_V5wV8uDVMfwXaXorpvc01QDIXHqCrQ7rk_PNtiB6_Qrg2w_XKIjNwwWAah8ZzlpIpMRHDkFlL8hHb43fKYQRpMVzsLn1j1B8yI403zp0b2sg6tUiASqgBU7kpyB7RndCEnSls8MK/s400/IMG_2379.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This restaurant is a bit, shall we say, unique, in that the front of the (extremely large, usually boisterous) interior is dominated by a stage set where people play live music next to a giant statue of Elvis Presley.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSB4tewXYamlMe9JZ85Q_euyi6g86yolU3xO5M29Jj2RGwlhNP5iza2xp67T6yipFnma9RBxit-TtEzWtKNXI_xjRayxStvugmX5GLeEiu9AixiNu9cHvrzTUys3JRvceV5AuoxaWvG99l/s1600/IMG_2389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSB4tewXYamlMe9JZ85Q_euyi6g86yolU3xO5M29Jj2RGwlhNP5iza2xp67T6yipFnma9RBxit-TtEzWtKNXI_xjRayxStvugmX5GLeEiu9AixiNu9cHvrzTUys3JRvceV5AuoxaWvG99l/s400/IMG_2389.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Apparently they have an "award-winning impersonator" who plays sometimes (this according to their <a href="http://www.palmsthai.com/">website</a>), though we have yet to be serenaded by Elvis while eating there (that guy playing up there isn't him). I'm actually kind of thankful for that...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They also have a giant fishtank and a pretty nice bar along one side of the room:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpqcsMzUWpgf9RYS8vd1xSpavGbmhLy70ZbFQJldaKho3sdY4fTPvYbv6ne25xbek3YV-GqzbfQIU6dffTOknULv1O2AQq__XVVXVBBRp482fNhwyzzIhJ4iAB88INDITsv7K3TFm8xOR/s1600/IMG_2381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpqcsMzUWpgf9RYS8vd1xSpavGbmhLy70ZbFQJldaKho3sdY4fTPvYbv6ne25xbek3YV-GqzbfQIU6dffTOknULv1O2AQq__XVVXVBBRp482fNhwyzzIhJ4iAB88INDITsv7K3TFm8xOR/s400/IMG_2381.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you squint you can just make out the flashing neon sign for BOBA, Thai iced tea with tapioca balls, which is what Todd usually gets (I enjoy taking sips of his, but a full glass of boba would fill me up too much for dinner). This time, however, he opted for the Thai iced tea smoothie:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTyS2YJzOs1x3OnuuMw_ErRexfh8HCpqSsJayCtYAer2D5BFyBG4XMGxWocbb05Km_mdKhzVf8ZhM16fQzhD2KHwVXqCJ4XWoY1BE5yRrZwbCEAHZmQq4lQnbGOQJXGpfbDCi_-y6HkWC/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTyS2YJzOs1x3OnuuMw_ErRexfh8HCpqSsJayCtYAer2D5BFyBG4XMGxWocbb05Km_mdKhzVf8ZhM16fQzhD2KHwVXqCJ4XWoY1BE5yRrZwbCEAHZmQq4lQnbGOQJXGpfbDCi_-y6HkWC/s400/IMG_2384.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Basically just Thai iced tea (which I believe is usually made with sweetened condensed milk) blended with ice, this was nice and refreshing, the perfect thirst quencher while we perused the absolutely ginormous menu. Seriously, check it out online, it's crazy. And be sure to take a look at their "Wild Things" section, which has offerings such as these:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-YLDwULkXj2FTJNJqm-VVDotkO0S2LpVOipZVo1xlNjt00OgMeCEEaY4oow8Yxa2yHzKCbzqZktayGA8-uWXcybDQNAwibhNLW5czBo0VCSL8S5g0TxGWm2lsglGC7cr85DA_dIpPSXC/s1600/IMG_2382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-YLDwULkXj2FTJNJqm-VVDotkO0S2LpVOipZVo1xlNjt00OgMeCEEaY4oow8Yxa2yHzKCbzqZktayGA8-uWXcybDQNAwibhNLW5czBo0VCSL8S5g0TxGWm2lsglGC7cr85DA_dIpPSXC/s400/IMG_2382.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And these:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhJzmt789LqStkfqjts5nEHeu3elpkv4kVFzB_PiNK7ZkSvv61iLHyllh_-xeFaVazOyVKg-hVoKHgt6MuUWSGUx4iAi5LISs5T2PkUB1OLmJnrqib-cHuXgU_fsKe4kV50b4ufN36IJr/s1600/IMG_2383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhJzmt789LqStkfqjts5nEHeu3elpkv4kVFzB_PiNK7ZkSvv61iLHyllh_-xeFaVazOyVKg-hVoKHgt6MuUWSGUx4iAi5LISs5T2PkUB1OLmJnrqib-cHuXgU_fsKe4kV50b4ufN36IJr/s400/IMG_2383.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Honestly, even with the boar and the deer and the spicy chicken feet, the item that intrigued me most was the one called "Raw Naked Shrimp with Spicy Sauce." Sounds like an advertisement for Thai food, Girls Gone Wild style.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I am somewhat ashamed to admit that Todd and I both went pretty tame with our meal, but hey, we know what we like. We ordered an appetizer of fried tofu that came with a sweet dipping sauce chock full of peanut bits:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaxj8nVn9WpTKUHGoeob57XWSx1rqCtbyqD3o4yjDEhICZsnSMcav3dvHK_pmbtkchQ2T6cDHGeu2vmiPNw5fgE0CeD2r2vIF7JEqmE9YT5L4A_iwu57ht-rs2KVW3kJD4qnDFR-na4dQ/s1600/IMG_2385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaxj8nVn9WpTKUHGoeob57XWSx1rqCtbyqD3o4yjDEhICZsnSMcav3dvHK_pmbtkchQ2T6cDHGeu2vmiPNw5fgE0CeD2r2vIF7JEqmE9YT5L4A_iwu57ht-rs2KVW3kJD4qnDFR-na4dQ/s400/IMG_2385.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This actually wasn't my favorite dish: the tofu wasn't piping hot, and anything deep fried that is less than that just tastes kind of off to me. It was a little too on the chewy rather than crispy side for me, but wasn't greasy at all, and the sauce alongside was so good I could have eaten it with a spoon (and I actually did at one point, shhh). Also, just some warning for anyone intending to eat here and order appetizers before dinner: every dish you order will likely come out within about two minutes of each other. Seems they don't really do the whole "appetizer" and "entree" thing here. Which is fine, just good to know when you go.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Luckily my seafood noodle soup didn't disappoint:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWpA8EHXd5WiZ9FSXcr2SfY_duy87UsKEZbPuWb_iOEOCiRO5diWNSwW0Oim14criP561WwMrric-F1nQGQgrg54lYL51JITH752AdhRwsf-UAbQVcJRqQ3D2VEnkYqnIQ5dFfEh4_enw/s1600/IMG_2386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWpA8EHXd5WiZ9FSXcr2SfY_duy87UsKEZbPuWb_iOEOCiRO5diWNSwW0Oim14criP561WwMrric-F1nQGQgrg54lYL51JITH752AdhRwsf-UAbQVcJRqQ3D2VEnkYqnIQ5dFfEh4_enw/s400/IMG_2386.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It came with mussles, fish balls (anyone know how exactly those things are made and what exactly goes into them? I love them but they kind of scare me a little too), shrimp, squid, imitation crab (aka, krab), some little crunchy things, bean sprouts, scallions and a bucketload of rice noodles. Seriously, I felt like I was eating forever and there was still a whole bowl full of noodles leftover. I would have liked the ratio of fishy things to noodles to have been a bit heavier on the fishy things side, but it was still good. Todd ordered green curry with (more) fried tofu, which I will not post a picture of because it came out looking like vomit, but it was very tasty. Portions are generous here because you're meant to dine family style with a group, but this was good for us because we wound up with plenty leftover for next day's lunch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Can't forget dessert, of course. Desserts at Asian restaurants don't tend to impress me, but Todd occasionally likes to order them. Unlike their extensive dinner menu, Palm's makes it easy for you to choose a dessert by only giving you two options: fried bananas or ice cream (coconut flavored that night). We went for the bananas:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nc5KZDjw68U8iUoXDfhK82D5l1E1c_mvvwycFGRUdwV84XiXwELIu-57B5cTLf6Uqoxw8U6VFkZg-1bJW7Ws-KLbxLLqB8apnCZ9P9ZP8elvFha749utkH-PHcP4VyPN2XehdET2WqZB/s1600/IMG_2388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nc5KZDjw68U8iUoXDfhK82D5l1E1c_mvvwycFGRUdwV84XiXwELIu-57B5cTLf6Uqoxw8U6VFkZg-1bJW7Ws-KLbxLLqB8apnCZ9P9ZP8elvFha749utkH-PHcP4VyPN2XehdET2WqZB/s400/IMG_2388.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coated in a golden, crispy rice flour batter with coconut and sesame seeds, these looked great, but I'm sad to report that, like the fried tofu appetizer, these were not my favorite rendition of fried bananas I've had. I think these suffered in a similar way as the tofu for not being piping hot (does Palm's deep-fry all their fried items beforehand and keep them under a heat lamp, I wonder? These came out awfully quickly...) The inside should be practically melting and the batter shatteringly crisp - like the tofu, these were more chewy than crispy/melty, and they definitely could've used some sort of honey sauce as they lacked sweetness in my opinion. Though I managed to scarf down several pieces, so it couldn't have been that bad, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all Palm's Thai is a funky, fun place, with good prices and usually pretty decent food. There's a good mix of traditional dishes common to all Thai restaurants along with some more adventurous items for those who want to branch out. I'll let you know if we ever end up going on a night when the Elvis impersonator's in town...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.palmsthai.com/">Palm's Thai Restaurant</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5900 Hollywood Boulevard</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Los Angeles, CA 90028</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(323) 462-5073</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-79015325340221813852011-08-18T08:30:00.000-07:002011-08-18T08:30:34.584-07:00How Many Cookbooks Do You Own?<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGeSXABDi1SeHghtHsMm42A5pfFrvleJLTuDlhhP9VTYZaeul9dG7NLm9qrzGW95FAmkIvtxClfNR870_pfRbOMqfJNjb_tH_Zd2jhII9LB_n4xIrtTUNuPRU2lJN1MEmMXBkVKVAER1W/s1600/IMG_2372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGeSXABDi1SeHghtHsMm42A5pfFrvleJLTuDlhhP9VTYZaeul9dG7NLm9qrzGW95FAmkIvtxClfNR870_pfRbOMqfJNjb_tH_Zd2jhII9LB_n4xIrtTUNuPRU2lJN1MEmMXBkVKVAER1W/s400/IMG_2372.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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).</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Honestly, I get most of the recipes I use online, or occasionally from the pages of a magazine. When I’m looking for something to cook I almost always turn first to either Google or one of several trusted food blogs. I have a problem with spending money you see (some may call this being cheap; I call it being thrifty), and hearing from other food bloggers how they don’t really use a good majority of their cookbooks (this is probably not true for everyone, of course, but seems to be the case most of the time for the bloggers I follow) makes me not want to splurge on a book unless I’m positive I’m going to use it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mark Bittman’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How to Cook Everything Vegetarian</i> is one of those books. I got the non-vegetarian version for my sister for Christmas, then found myself thumbing through my mom’s copy of the veggie version and decided to order one for myself. I haven’t actually cooked many things from it yet, but I have used it as a resource several times, looking up ingredients and cooking techniques (it's already got the food stains to prove it). Bittman’s writing style makes it a great book to simply read through as well. The man knows his stuff (and he’s a runner, like me!), and the book really does cover just about every ingredient there is (except meat, of course).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So when we Todd unearthed a God-knows-how-old package of dried nori sheets while we were packing up our Riverside kitchen, I turned to this hefty green tome to figure out something to do with them. Like most people, when I think “nori” I think “sushi,” but it turns out you can use it as a seasoning as well as just a wrapper for rice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsd1KJJiD33pUs95GHeH8vhXDc3nFIQrIF4FS9-F863alMNvcjIfVARMCEMGiDoCzzaBufjWXqoOljxRwOvqRZ8HrTV6ojnHPpPp6tGVFLs69z6owqiNBYvn__fUiKISGazBhXVUlO1IF/s1600/IMG_2370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsd1KJJiD33pUs95GHeH8vhXDc3nFIQrIF4FS9-F863alMNvcjIfVARMCEMGiDoCzzaBufjWXqoOljxRwOvqRZ8HrTV6ojnHPpPp6tGVFLs69z6owqiNBYvn__fUiKISGazBhXVUlO1IF/s400/IMG_2370.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>I decided to try my hand at Bittman’s “Nori Shake” recipe, which sounded ridiculously simple: first you toast two nori sheets in a skillet just until they start to turn green, which the recipe says should happen very quickly, just a few seconds per side. Well, my first sheet took a lot longer than that – in fact for a while it refused to turn green, so I cranked the hit up a bit, which worked well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately that kind of screwed me for the next step, which is to toast a tablespoon of sesame seeds in the same skillet. Ever wonder what happens when you pour sesame seeds into a hot skillet? They start shooting into the air like tiny Mexican jumping beans, scattering all over the stovetop and counters. I took the skillet off the heat and stirred frantically while trying not to get pelted in the eye by flying seeds, and soon they were fragrant and golden per the recipe specifications. Into a bowl they went with a teaspoon of salt and a bit of cayenne pepper, and then I crumbled the nori on top.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWhPEVDgBl13JY7ArqcEoIPSsFmIeCgdgOvAUJn21d9HXF5yCDFZtHhceud_Mr7eHCllmY6YNtfm-P4nX-33XSuvJQGZr_jQJnOmWmE9cyP5cOXs617ICBoiTaUEjfYgvqzXEMvp9sRzo/s1600/IMG_2345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWhPEVDgBl13JY7ArqcEoIPSsFmIeCgdgOvAUJn21d9HXF5yCDFZtHhceud_Mr7eHCllmY6YNtfm-P4nX-33XSuvJQGZr_jQJnOmWmE9cyP5cOXs617ICBoiTaUEjfYgvqzXEMvp9sRzo/s400/IMG_2345.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Or tried to. The recipe suggests the alternative of whizzing the toasted nori in a spice grinder to make it finer, and I really suggest you do this, because I spent a good 10 minutes trying to tear the nori into tiny enough pieces so that it would mix with the seeds and salt. I got it pretty small, but the sesame seeds still wanted to collect at the bottom of the bowl rather than disperse evenly with the seaweed. Eventually I gave up and decided that, rather than sprinkle the nori shake over the finished dish, as I think is intended, I would mix a few tablespoons in with the rice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYnqqZ444LRlAFWrP8y4eV2CxtYUJ_B_vanb37pJWby8CkdzvikH-7PQTOCLs0F45CQY98qtNGDgu81ZOFVI8UqGRpKcwjUmcbPk6ssa_RBBhkGSJj9yJp2oaCKEZfV5QtH8rPAsRVXey/s1600/IMG_2341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYnqqZ444LRlAFWrP8y4eV2CxtYUJ_B_vanb37pJWby8CkdzvikH-7PQTOCLs0F45CQY98qtNGDgu81ZOFVI8UqGRpKcwjUmcbPk6ssa_RBBhkGSJj9yJp2oaCKEZfV5QtH8rPAsRVXey/s400/IMG_2341.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Like so. I used California brown rice, a short grain rice that is a bit reminiscent of Japanese sushi rice, though it’s not sticky like good white sushi rice should be. It’s what we had, though, and it worked.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On top of the rice I put some vegetables I had sautéed with teriyaki sauce (I know, I know, I cheated – I would’ve made my own sauce but we have an ancient bottle of the Kikkoman stuff in the fridge that I’m trying to use up.). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkkKQMHs6_EjRBtwMwPm9Jd2DbXP-u4pXxmLjBaPnOx-3BINiHtS4lgO9TGgQ0dDAy7jFzuN8gX76mMUqSTt2mqGDe7XaEbOGmZTE8aY4zysNzmZK2GcmxLP_ysJzCOUbe7T6a_PGsZp-/s1600/IMG_2343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkkKQMHs6_EjRBtwMwPm9Jd2DbXP-u4pXxmLjBaPnOx-3BINiHtS4lgO9TGgQ0dDAy7jFzuN8gX76mMUqSTt2mqGDe7XaEbOGmZTE8aY4zysNzmZK2GcmxLP_ysJzCOUbe7T6a_PGsZp-/s400/IMG_2343.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">There you’ve got mushrooms, onion, broccoli and bell peppers, along with two cloves of garlic. Sautee til almost tender, then pour a few tablespoons of teriyaki sauce (or plain soy sauce if you prefer) over and sauté until the veggies are completely cooked and coated in sauce. Pile onto the rice in a bowl and serve, preferably topped with pickled ginger (you can find it at Whole Foods and, for a better price, at Cost Plus World Market).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyq5b5Woafo1KmAHnSuVJyg083q-6z5yG9qQfebj5kAHlr28CXHVybPAh8KuB-M_cXtWVFvdoEu7RkkVcI9PwIslm1OqBhj3jHtCkcLT6Rqfw25yzqW5R_CjrMxF0eY6cvRgCj6Vp3t-RA/s1600/IMG_2344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyq5b5Woafo1KmAHnSuVJyg083q-6z5yG9qQfebj5kAHlr28CXHVybPAh8KuB-M_cXtWVFvdoEu7RkkVcI9PwIslm1OqBhj3jHtCkcLT6Rqfw25yzqW5R_CjrMxF0eY6cvRgCj6Vp3t-RA/s400/IMG_2344.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">And there you have it, a yummy bowl of Japanese-flavored goodness. You can vary the veggies any way you want (I’m gonna try asparagus, red onion and crimini mushrooms next), and use sushi rice if you want to be more authentic. I'll give you a quick version of the nori shake recipe here, since I am unsure about posting recipes from a cookbook online without permission. Hopefully Mr. Bittman won't mind me telling you this much - if you want the actual recipe, buy the book! (Seriously, there's a lot of good stuff in here, it's worth a look.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Nori Shake Seasoning</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Toast two sheets of dried nori, one at a time, until they start to turn green, a few seconds per side. Remove and let cool. Meanwhile toast 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds in same skillet til golden, then add to a bowl with 2 teaspoons and salt and a bit of cayenne pepper if you want some kick. Crumble the nori into the bowl, or use a spice grinder to grind the nori more finely (recommended), and mix it into the seeds and salt. Store for up to a week.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment--> Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-13429719255099189342011-08-15T08:46:00.000-07:002011-08-15T08:46:10.648-07:00Scenes From a Farmer's MarketSo, 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiUOBjM6ojBjpVf7WErlD2mCLbNwiPFbVFQmEByy81AnLR5dNUzHB3gzII9pFHWLMT0kdkEvMVwvRNKUpDczNrPonLN7gtAixTrZcvWAcHvodLBDSnmeXphwN_UbjX5VrQb9fJH5IeVL7/s1600/IMG_2346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiUOBjM6ojBjpVf7WErlD2mCLbNwiPFbVFQmEByy81AnLR5dNUzHB3gzII9pFHWLMT0kdkEvMVwvRNKUpDczNrPonLN7gtAixTrZcvWAcHvodLBDSnmeXphwN_UbjX5VrQb9fJH5IeVL7/s400/IMG_2346.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
This being Southern California, the market is year-round. This being Southern California, the produce is also gorgeous. No need to truck in fruit and vegetables from Chile around these parts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-ujAvu8HbBuWCU8XAe2L-K6BVX86ux-cTnPe-B_bePbg-YArRtq2Y6BBMS95EHOThoTVXhCdkxuB0eTWt6cprR8ivuPj-D5hiRQDR-TBeZAiIlXcrQ9btQqB_SaOF-pCMVVs1GiaMN9l/s1600/IMG_2356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-ujAvu8HbBuWCU8XAe2L-K6BVX86ux-cTnPe-B_bePbg-YArRtq2Y6BBMS95EHOThoTVXhCdkxuB0eTWt6cprR8ivuPj-D5hiRQDR-TBeZAiIlXcrQ9btQqB_SaOF-pCMVVs1GiaMN9l/s400/IMG_2356.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Heirloom tomatos. Check out the size of those beauts!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMKFxcAWvLyazEbkdAT21N8jpHGGrmnPET27YDl3srvLdAv2ysmgfwCd_Gt0XArj-31NOgTv8Ykqwtu5zldqkS4z7vgFg6ivfEbRgqfGCg10meXfTiT3qZ-qIq-fYxGrkgzvm57gHdaaw/s1600/IMG_2357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMKFxcAWvLyazEbkdAT21N8jpHGGrmnPET27YDl3srvLdAv2ysmgfwCd_Gt0XArj-31NOgTv8Ykqwtu5zldqkS4z7vgFg6ivfEbRgqfGCg10meXfTiT3qZ-qIq-fYxGrkgzvm57gHdaaw/s400/IMG_2357.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">'Shrooms of all kinds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwmmnVDSyLH_N9n36n2ECQ8nk_odL_ro10jLOjG34i7neT573SnrC4kdrZPJL094x7FBnR3M32hZN33dEIUAkJ-0My4EyYeY1IhFZSsURrYm2Nnt3DZ_wEmRKYaUuTaVkm84Zr4McRBu4/s1600/IMG_2355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwmmnVDSyLH_N9n36n2ECQ8nk_odL_ro10jLOjG34i7neT573SnrC4kdrZPJL094x7FBnR3M32hZN33dEIUAkJ-0My4EyYeY1IhFZSsURrYm2Nnt3DZ_wEmRKYaUuTaVkm84Zr4McRBu4/s400/IMG_2355.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Peaches, plums and nectarines are in season right now. Most stalls had slices of samples out, and may I just say: Oh my god! These were some of the best stone fruits I have ever tasted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLgsYw-71nVF0K23fwqFzJdc1tHwtyfc8PUNTSr4QVv5aq6Pp02KKY2YYzKdk7zVNBsF2AyUMaok4iC8zEAFQt5QNWlY2_crlW4lCxApvd9rCoF0gdxf8L7_51QzvoSx3modc_mYYgb9w/s1600/IMG_2354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLgsYw-71nVF0K23fwqFzJdc1tHwtyfc8PUNTSr4QVv5aq6Pp02KKY2YYzKdk7zVNBsF2AyUMaok4iC8zEAFQt5QNWlY2_crlW4lCxApvd9rCoF0gdxf8L7_51QzvoSx3modc_mYYgb9w/s400/IMG_2354.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This stand, obviously, sold goat cheese. I'm sure the cheese tastes great, but OMG LOOK BABY GOAT!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBtd7oV6c9fb8DccXxEDMDGUI6tN3nPfOjUfORMRwkojs0AFwRWQZGagB9HxoqY6oE3oZT3278NwPgUyLeXi9pIUpO9FWIrv67Bwo2d8IOGu4dz49QkMx5znwMhhtS7J76vefgwJp5S2r/s1600/IMG_2359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBtd7oV6c9fb8DccXxEDMDGUI6tN3nPfOjUfORMRwkojs0AFwRWQZGagB9HxoqY6oE3oZT3278NwPgUyLeXi9pIUpO9FWIrv67Bwo2d8IOGu4dz49QkMx5znwMhhtS7J76vefgwJp5S2r/s400/IMG_2359.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If goat's not your thing, they've got bison, too (our household happens to be vegetarian, or I might have wanted to try a buffalo burger. Ya know, for research purposes.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">People strumming guitars and singing were scattered throughout the market, serenading people camped out on benches or on the grass, munching on breakfast/brunch from the many stalls selling prepared foods.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5254iCtNVxl4MhjTsynZ1MqnUga6cIs08vQ4EpTpEtSPXENvBqD7-M3ES2e2ZU2GkT-j-jSHMuG9ep9nnrrkeS4D-wqQUiIX1zFj_RKT83DwfDEhHi0HYIw0TyUgSAM2mkhxAqpGKcZPV/s1600/IMG_2348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5254iCtNVxl4MhjTsynZ1MqnUga6cIs08vQ4EpTpEtSPXENvBqD7-M3ES2e2ZU2GkT-j-jSHMuG9ep9nnrrkeS4D-wqQUiIX1zFj_RKT83DwfDEhHi0HYIw0TyUgSAM2mkhxAqpGKcZPV/s400/IMG_2348.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thai food is <i>everywhere</i> in LA (click any picture to enlarge). Here you can get a fresh coconut to sip on, too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseiY6ZAza3fyU122DL0JHYasLj6j7kQ48Q9-rd42YONAVYzV8e4kKOmFwyNHU53u8lAlDvlpbKukk4gHPoPHPUHDO8bxXKUVsqEd9h3-sId2TTuPW9gLNbXrM6DZVhhCpjPo1DsTPlPaN/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseiY6ZAza3fyU122DL0JHYasLj6j7kQ48Q9-rd42YONAVYzV8e4kKOmFwyNHU53u8lAlDvlpbKukk4gHPoPHPUHDO8bxXKUVsqEd9h3-sId2TTuPW9gLNbXrM6DZVhhCpjPo1DsTPlPaN/s400/IMG_2351.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Actually, liquid refreshment sounded pretty good, it was hot that morning. Luckily, Mexican food was also being sold around the market, complete with the requisite fresh fruit juices and horchata (ever had this? It's a drink made by grinding up rice with milk and cinnamon and tastes like drinking liquid rice pudding. Still can't decide if I like it or not...)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAZp8Hk9q2AfrdLfoowwBTWa-jMnRbVNeJ9h63gZw4DHxFoqhEmTgJHpLQU2Gv6wZ0GLdzxvvhI51kQvcI5O7i5Kjwiu8uHXJmNMD3PQqUK-xkkIg5Hxq-NNjh9FMeF3lWKppmeZTk2Lk/s1600/IMG_2353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAZp8Hk9q2AfrdLfoowwBTWa-jMnRbVNeJ9h63gZw4DHxFoqhEmTgJHpLQU2Gv6wZ0GLdzxvvhI51kQvcI5O7i5Kjwiu8uHXJmNMD3PQqUK-xkkIg5Hxq-NNjh9FMeF3lWKppmeZTk2Lk/s400/IMG_2353.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They have aebleskivers! They're little round puffy Danish pancakes made in a really cute pan, kind of like a popover. The Dutch have something similar. Takes me back to my days in Maastricht; unfortunately nobody seemed to want puffy pancakes that day...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-77634682190777026472011-08-10T11:56:00.000-07:002011-08-10T11:56:25.446-07:00Our New Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKrjftmmTwHDT7EYOIMjdO_a8Yq1POFa0aAEYHCd9hv2saCqsyjsWDRQlXbGcFOTBEeFy2w-2uUn7b-4AVT8jQNIyu2SIgh3J_xG7YjxTQCU62d1P26y9DnWQCKoyYQ7-gK-yhleBm5Ni/s1600/IMG_2337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKrjftmmTwHDT7EYOIMjdO_a8Yq1POFa0aAEYHCd9hv2saCqsyjsWDRQlXbGcFOTBEeFy2w-2uUn7b-4AVT8jQNIyu2SIgh3J_xG7YjxTQCU62d1P26y9DnWQCKoyYQ7-gK-yhleBm5Ni/s400/IMG_2337.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Todd and I are now official residents of Hollywood! Our apartment is fantastic, and the move-in mess is (almost) all cleaned up. There's so much light, and if we want fresh air we can step out onto our little balcony, or go up to the rooftop deck where there is a shallow pool and the cutest, tiniest hot tub I've ever seen. And of course, there's my favorite room in the place:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EV4qqMaoip6Ad7p1-IN4hfMCYEXqtqfvDnCPq2tXMYGW-fReVU2WBTiqyHn8Y8vMAjHbXrNsae87rQtV8KioI3WP4znjDhZsFWmr3yP4j12u1q7lLKCukTRAh1E3KHSq3Hmblwt9jGd2/s1600/IMG_2336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EV4qqMaoip6Ad7p1-IN4hfMCYEXqtqfvDnCPq2tXMYGW-fReVU2WBTiqyHn8Y8vMAjHbXrNsae87rQtV8KioI3WP4znjDhZsFWmr3yP4j12u1q7lLKCukTRAh1E3KHSq3Hmblwt9jGd2/s400/IMG_2336.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a small galley kitchen, but despite it's narrowness it has plenty of counter and cupboard space and, get this, a DISHWASHER! We had one in Maastricht but not in Riverside; I am so glad this apartment included one. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, things are rolling right along. Unfortunately due to a mix-up with Time Warner we don't yet have internet in the apartment, though that should be corrected some time today or tomorrow. Until then, I've been making the five minute pilgrimage to the near-by self-serve frozen yogurt shop, which has Wifi. And yogurt, of course:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnayz5VSZFGbOKKPSJ4srEoV8NPpymfuu7i79m1Xr8j_DJ1UdoH7chCi8rUHcEetsHIb4OW3dOZPBuApCCOw_TWwCrUz3c32-CXUHd1e0ktomET3U4Q8ca8ygyR5tYOTerY0Vw0efdSPsM/s1600/IMG_2332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnayz5VSZFGbOKKPSJ4srEoV8NPpymfuu7i79m1Xr8j_DJ1UdoH7chCi8rUHcEetsHIb4OW3dOZPBuApCCOw_TWwCrUz3c32-CXUHd1e0ktomET3U4Q8ca8ygyR5tYOTerY0Vw0efdSPsM/s400/IMG_2332.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Toppings bar. All those syrups in the back are for shaved ice, which you can customize just like the yogurt. Cantaloop is the only yogurt place I've seen that has this feature.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The self-serve froyo phenomenon seems to slowly be moving east from California (the little touristy harbor town near my parents' home on LI has two now), the West Coast is still where it's at: there are at least half a dozen within a few square miles of our apartment, and hundreds more scattered throughout the city. I like it because you can get as much or as little yogurt you like and mix and match flavors and toppings to your hearts' content. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju5Bka8gJyy1ETTQVFX9pymjkzdX4yg9O5b00tYKm_wNqzW37ZHfPtZUUXhUfTm2GDmz1d6m1ppmwwWwAsVCL6dY1TzZpaFNOeGwHOAY4GQtIfupD5GJjoqMs90koSu9dLc78DFH6HBSA/s1600/IMG_2333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju5Bka8gJyy1ETTQVFX9pymjkzdX4yg9O5b00tYKm_wNqzW37ZHfPtZUUXhUfTm2GDmz1d6m1ppmwwWwAsVCL6dY1TzZpaFNOeGwHOAY4GQtIfupD5GJjoqMs90koSu9dLc78DFH6HBSA/s400/IMG_2333.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I like to go heavy on the mix-ins. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've eaten an embarassing amount of ice cream in the past few days, as well as an inaugural dinner with Todd's friend and her boyfriend- who are now only a couple miles away from us, as opposed to 60 miles - at In-n-Out Burger, which is also within walking distance, which could get dangerous...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have no fear, though, I am eating real food as well! For the first meal I actually (sort of) cooked in our new kitchen, I made these:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I roasted some figs to bring out their sweetness, just plain, no oil or seasoning or anything, because I was planning on serving them with this:</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Balsamic vinegar, bubbling away. The recipe is from Mark Bittman's <i>How to Cook Everything Vegetarian</i>, but it's hardly a recipe: just bring a cup of balsamic to a boil, then immediately turn the heat down and let it simmer nice and gently for a while til it gets reduced to about 1/4 cup and is nice and thick and syrupy. I followed one of his suggested variations and added two tablespoons of honey to the vinegar while it was reducing. I also waaaay over-reduced it (and got impatient and turned the heat up too high at the end) so it was less syrup and more tar-like sludge. Still tasted good, though! I drizzled it on top of a log of goat cheese and served it up with the figs, some bread, and some other goodies from Trader Joe's, along with some sparkling pear hard cider from a cidery near Todd's aunt and uncle's home in Washington:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With the kitchen now consecrated, our life in Hollywood (oh how I looooove saying that!) can officially begin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-45087032383944309542011-08-06T15:54:00.000-07:002011-08-06T15:54:28.093-07:00Almost There...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyv2g8o5_FfV9AxiBmc0ABKIb9etF8fmQK2LElorzCDNLSc2_rHdOlKH6ipgnv5Zp85ZiYC8r0ZgPrzXzVRz4coDSaYho_CsY3CORuA2_XWOIBacyPi2BDo8zrngp1yhk081qaj1d7pr_1/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyv2g8o5_FfV9AxiBmc0ABKIb9etF8fmQK2LElorzCDNLSc2_rHdOlKH6ipgnv5Zp85ZiYC8r0ZgPrzXzVRz4coDSaYho_CsY3CORuA2_XWOIBacyPi2BDo8zrngp1yhk081qaj1d7pr_1/s400/IMG_2331.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">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!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">LA will be exciting, in large part because there will be lots to see and do (more than here in Riverside, anyway), much of which will include food (were you expecting anything else from me?).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In between unpacking all our stuff and beginning the job-hunting process (oh god...), I intend to check out what the neighborhood has to offer. Some places I'm interested in visiting:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Whole Foods on Santa Monica Boulevard (I know, they're an evil corporation that is way waaaay overpriced, but at least they're an <i>organic</i> corporation that is way overpriced!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Hollywood Farmers Market (I live in Hollywood, woo!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Farfaix Farmers Market (more like a giant grocery store/restaurant complex really, along the lines of the Ferry Building in San Francisco I think)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Santa Monica Farmers Market (sensing a them here?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Plus restaurants of course: there's a self-serve frozen yogurt place within a couple of blocks, Todd has already located a cupcake bakery nearby, and we've already eaten well at a Thai restaurant just minutes away. All those things shall be blogged, and more!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And if Todd has anything to say about it, there will be Mexican food. That's one cuisine I'm not so into, honestly, but I think that has less to do with the way it tastes and more to do with my lack of exposure to good Mexican food before coming to So Cal (there may be some good places in NYC; on Long Island it's pretty much Taco Bell or nothin' as far as Southwestern/South of the Border food goes).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the West Coast, though, they do Mexican right, and our final meal out in as Riverside residents was at El Sarape, a little dive of place downtown.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_453pAWy-4CWERQ35abb6egho-6YrlfnHM__D7xvpIUHYuR693LHsGC6qEjzW8OEcEMqFBWTNJCL0z0hRiyvW3cfCp7QCO2Y4XYBG3T3eyViiri4tLgC6Aw3PWA51G3uBgK9obgm93vMn/s1600/IMG_2329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_453pAWy-4CWERQ35abb6egho-6YrlfnHM__D7xvpIUHYuR693LHsGC6qEjzW8OEcEMqFBWTNJCL0z0hRiyvW3cfCp7QCO2Y4XYBG3T3eyViiri4tLgC6Aw3PWA51G3uBgK9obgm93vMn/s400/IMG_2329.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Todd's deep-fried burrito of death, aka "chimichanga." You should have seen the waitress's face when he said he wanted only cheese, beans and rice inside, no meat.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ1agj22cFfB7QNZpduK0oGfpo1S4yHkMwbu1Cy-OSVT26mSZQIRIEL8zFxKFhc4er-jMC8v-Xae_mJwWksgGfekYg-JqK9u8a158fPPJDXSOobBUKa9r2j5YEnuYN597Fu_IzzifoS6u/s1600/IMG_2330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ1agj22cFfB7QNZpduK0oGfpo1S4yHkMwbu1Cy-OSVT26mSZQIRIEL8zFxKFhc4er-jMC8v-Xae_mJwWksgGfekYg-JqK9u8a158fPPJDXSOobBUKa9r2j5YEnuYN597Fu_IzzifoS6u/s320/IMG_2330.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My much healthier shrimp, octopus and abalone cocktail (just kidding - I ate a bunch of Todd's lunch too). Mexican seafood cocktails are completely different from what us gringos think of when we hear "shrimp cocktail," ie cold shrimp with spicy ketchup-based sauce. This was cold, but the seafood is suspended in tomato juice with bits of avocado, tomato and onion (and always served with saltines, for some reason. I didn't eat them.) They did actually give us a bottle of ketchup with our meal, but we couldn't figure out if it was for me or Todd or both of us (don't know how you would put ketchup on mine, so probably meant for Todd), so we didn't use it. Everything was yummy though, and like all good Mexican places they give you a basket of freshly fried chips and salsa right away. In this case there were two salsas, one red, one green (tomatillo). Both good and spicy, but a bit too thin for my taste (as salsa in these places tends to be; I think it's a style). Gimme chunky salsa I can scoop, not this runny stuff that drips on the table on its way from the bowl to my mouth. Ok, end rant. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A good, very filling lunch, with hopefully more to come starting tomorrow when we become official Hollywood residents. Stay tuned!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-49018962171464037002011-08-03T15:13:00.000-07:002011-08-03T15:13:06.705-07:00Aaaargh!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOqRy83fLm_dIsVrf6lTqXfc9FlFGderQUraRPXMTDJQnELOhJBPDDzKxekUEcZuWkoge6mkWNZ7LQ0oD8UXvVYspf8EnXtDAg98eK5NyHp8lzBmtyi9B7eegYF5rWA7n5MeueEoQG-8N/s1600/IMG_2327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOqRy83fLm_dIsVrf6lTqXfc9FlFGderQUraRPXMTDJQnELOhJBPDDzKxekUEcZuWkoge6mkWNZ7LQ0oD8UXvVYspf8EnXtDAg98eK5NyHp8lzBmtyi9B7eegYF5rWA7n5MeueEoQG-8N/s400/IMG_2327.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">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!</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018713417969288583.post-6418850510581130512011-08-01T16:32:00.000-07:002011-08-01T16:32:16.355-07:00A Day Out in NYCI'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. <div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9BkKqs3hetsYJtkbp8FP72Goae_OMJsOng20Ut9ZKfdm3fsUiYNOj-7nBBJpaPc3QpL86Ie9R_OK9EydTTIpWnRm_zLq4n6JIsA7IO-aNIsnGVPKoW5icKQBYi_CrXSjhyphenhyphenjjQRd0ZuZP/s1600/IMG_2299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9BkKqs3hetsYJtkbp8FP72Goae_OMJsOng20Ut9ZKfdm3fsUiYNOj-7nBBJpaPc3QpL86Ie9R_OK9EydTTIpWnRm_zLq4n6JIsA7IO-aNIsnGVPKoW5icKQBYi_CrXSjhyphenhyphenjjQRd0ZuZP/s400/IMG_2299.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzoNlKNf7VKD8_L8xmDZ9rn6lXW4dcd9oE5URwH7ehKoczM5wTTxxej4PK0mMBrpSeoHnPetru-Zo4JnmOOXhNpejckYEwsrXGBeTpCHgUAIGgIcpAVQB6HYR_KRSSs1ye9zSAkZipIAEB/s1600/IMG_2297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzoNlKNf7VKD8_L8xmDZ9rn6lXW4dcd9oE5URwH7ehKoczM5wTTxxej4PK0mMBrpSeoHnPetru-Zo4JnmOOXhNpejckYEwsrXGBeTpCHgUAIGgIcpAVQB6HYR_KRSSs1ye9zSAkZipIAEB/s400/IMG_2297.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Can you believe that's Manhattan?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This park is home to the Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that incorporates art and architecture from five different medieval French cloisters in one medieval-looking building (it was actually opened in 1938, so not actually medieval):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQ5VHPqa2jcFYwrZK6pxm7Yb0WeK8JtfDdaqesr6UVC6MgxtDlLoP31_-ZktlKasONglm7iOjcIDy-zjdkxBSmRRNdMoiBXCyuiuTX5MKN-YM0yKTfvrdekGZleCeV0zJOW2IlSi4WeR7/s1600/IMG_2295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQ5VHPqa2jcFYwrZK6pxm7Yb0WeK8JtfDdaqesr6UVC6MgxtDlLoP31_-ZktlKasONglm7iOjcIDy-zjdkxBSmRRNdMoiBXCyuiuTX5MKN-YM0yKTfvrdekGZleCeV0zJOW2IlSi4WeR7/s400/IMG_2295.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The place is full of lovely paintings, sculptures, etc., but what I really found interesting was the gardens:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcmLm3IS25fDFQlSDqPkTtESyGmoMwdMZC-91pdzNfobCrHYR2ci-M7CNdcNQ3jra5XjlVdeeevkW9VW7rhknrZEssAg575luzZPxUv3Dm60FLHii12ifUY4zXG3CITUDldcsmePDKz8-/s1600/IMG_2279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcmLm3IS25fDFQlSDqPkTtESyGmoMwdMZC-91pdzNfobCrHYR2ci-M7CNdcNQ3jra5XjlVdeeevkW9VW7rhknrZEssAg575luzZPxUv3Dm60FLHii12ifUY4zXG3CITUDldcsmePDKz8-/s400/IMG_2279.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One garden was set up like it would have been in a real medieval cloister (that's where the monks lived, in case you didn't know), complete with informative labels:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI47hgwIuM2HcSgGGMMc24eZ_MMzzFS8wS6betrP8QJZgMfYH3PPI1IbzgnVhOcahXuhVw-vDiqPZcrJihTj2GG_QMdBlOZMDsHmmfotDOdN4xKRviM95FRH6EoJXycPcxZNbmADBsSpCK/s1600/IMG_2289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI47hgwIuM2HcSgGGMMc24eZ_MMzzFS8wS6betrP8QJZgMfYH3PPI1IbzgnVhOcahXuhVw-vDiqPZcrJihTj2GG_QMdBlOZMDsHmmfotDOdN4xKRviM95FRH6EoJXycPcxZNbmADBsSpCK/s400/IMG_2289.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some of the plants are, apparently, magic.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPt7GRK_IEq712wpC0OE6hQcBZWvRlRjCVuoplHyi2HWbGARb0qjptfP4A0PUjXVW7VbqomCmIyjMqhScftBXV-_7hYv7XRUl1vDCfM9lNqaSWjcVM_vWjba_pFtyh-uR3nUjWbGXHTZI/s1600/IMG_2290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPt7GRK_IEq712wpC0OE6hQcBZWvRlRjCVuoplHyi2HWbGARb0qjptfP4A0PUjXVW7VbqomCmIyjMqhScftBXV-_7hYv7XRUl1vDCfM9lNqaSWjcVM_vWjba_pFtyh-uR3nUjWbGXHTZI/s400/IMG_2290.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is one the magic plants; it's also poisonous, according to another helpful sign. Don't touch!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thankfully, the monks also grew some non-poisonous (and probably non-magical) plants; they had tons of herbs, for instance:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmuenTnMsRUi2GEr7hXw3D3fXwt4Bd6jB9SEPJf766FpXOuHhXoDx_7YELA9_KVCXlZq6Vthgr9NYMYZ-RMJE39d0UkXU_K0BavLdb5IzcFzjfVMEchk2MXauyCKBTLwX8yTMcX6Hf_ly/s1600/IMG_2287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmuenTnMsRUi2GEr7hXw3D3fXwt4Bd6jB9SEPJf766FpXOuHhXoDx_7YELA9_KVCXlZq6Vthgr9NYMYZ-RMJE39d0UkXU_K0BavLdb5IzcFzjfVMEchk2MXauyCKBTLwX8yTMcX6Hf_ly/s400/IMG_2287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The herbs are taking over the garden!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There were also fruit trees, with some fruits I've never seen in their natural (aka, unpicked) state before, like these:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMt590KD9XVsv9Y8bantBLAK1tLs5w88OEREXfbb3mvWfaX3KwLstSy3w3EdwXVjQkMmbX_R9fyhpBiwC4kkf4wubVgTNzK0ofcRxnXEmyHLtpaG1gamqCqnS8nK2o4-cNztp_oJ6pAmG/s1600/IMG_2283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMt590KD9XVsv9Y8bantBLAK1tLs5w88OEREXfbb3mvWfaX3KwLstSy3w3EdwXVjQkMmbX_R9fyhpBiwC4kkf4wubVgTNzK0ofcRxnXEmyHLtpaG1gamqCqnS8nK2o4-cNztp_oJ6pAmG/s400/IMG_2283.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Quince!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeF9f4fDsrDzzPUEAkmUa_qYOF6sC5qUN24JZHsfQLVFyKqBRWdeRT__fa9eLY_-Tuv9SnwiWLw8QAcBf-Wm0WFa5SWh-S26gf0dhB6eCcyXGj5KdRYxNQCtD836o6-G37PgG8vQILzTM/s1600/IMG_2291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeF9f4fDsrDzzPUEAkmUa_qYOF6sC5qUN24JZHsfQLVFyKqBRWdeRT__fa9eLY_-Tuv9SnwiWLw8QAcBf-Wm0WFa5SWh-S26gf0dhB6eCcyXGj5KdRYxNQCtD836o6-G37PgG8vQILzTM/s320/IMG_2291.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Unidentified citrus! (Seriously, the little sign just said "citrus species." So helpful.)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_R-CZ9JhshxKfnTPnhZaHcSBVW_fqLWL-uY8Nz4IEWtwUjqa53cfbCGVmKJF8fQEd2wYljWaakWtaEa7Td1FuXYARunKEdrsvoaGFvedztmAxXM9tvR97tf8Y_t2PyWf3Y7hEhGtP_vt/s1600/IMG_2292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_R-CZ9JhshxKfnTPnhZaHcSBVW_fqLWL-uY8Nz4IEWtwUjqa53cfbCGVmKJF8fQEd2wYljWaakWtaEa7Td1FuXYARunKEdrsvoaGFvedztmAxXM9tvR97tf8Y_t2PyWf3Y7hEhGtP_vt/s320/IMG_2292.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pears! (Actually, one pear. Poor, lonely pear)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZB-iTWZWecllYaFqu_fbCmzuI1eX2wxCwaAW7yT_2i3BKb4ymeQHyrsQZ4nuYqymiTfuBlEfAQ1J2i-9cgIA26ekqiOzZmqOabEWqUQt1m9fbVtwGfaY1Vxn1ywrPx1j9XtkpGFX48edh/s1600/IMG_2288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZB-iTWZWecllYaFqu_fbCmzuI1eX2wxCwaAW7yT_2i3BKb4ymeQHyrsQZ4nuYqymiTfuBlEfAQ1J2i-9cgIA26ekqiOzZmqOabEWqUQt1m9fbVtwGfaY1Vxn1ywrPx1j9XtkpGFX48edh/s320/IMG_2288.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Figs in the making! (Prefigs? Protofigs? Figlets?)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_uqqoTUWuYOWoIlLQz6YeZLQZPasrCEVXbrGcdkQyUBCFhUALwtzNyzgIBxFPPd6O_iGhkjU66vvlx9_s5nLpk-VcMTfUlsO07YdjF9XAnhz2Hb2Vlxuz3PxTe0yblrjmo2yS9dEGYba/s1600/IMG_2282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_uqqoTUWuYOWoIlLQz6YeZLQZPasrCEVXbrGcdkQyUBCFhUALwtzNyzgIBxFPPd6O_iGhkjU66vvlx9_s5nLpk-VcMTfUlsO07YdjF9XAnhz2Hb2Vlxuz3PxTe0yblrjmo2yS9dEGYba/s320/IMG_2282.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Baby pomegranates!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the park we drove downtown (which took almost an hour. Hooray for NYC traffic!) to see Highline Park, a major engineering feat right that used to be an raised railway servicing the meatpacking warehouses, was abandoned for years, and has now been converted into a park/walkway where mobs of citygoers can escape the street traffic and take in a bit of sun and greenery. It starts just below 13th street and runs up to 30th, with more to be added eventually, and really was incredibly cool (and hot and crowded on this particular sunny Saturday, but still pretty great). I mean, check out the plants they have growing up there:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9h-IbusQERIWZAbbjiNU1UDhQ55J9A9B9FnGCQayubEAKxorOTP3LxwyNou0cKIDsaq_CQMUwKDfPhgFOZNatxAUadluI_fZf48tjDVtnNxuLplAZ3ILHx7dKy96rx-I7wa54ZHpQs2E/s1600/IMG_2319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9h-IbusQERIWZAbbjiNU1UDhQ55J9A9B9FnGCQayubEAKxorOTP3LxwyNou0cKIDsaq_CQMUwKDfPhgFOZNatxAUadluI_fZf48tjDVtnNxuLplAZ3ILHx7dKy96rx-I7wa54ZHpQs2E/s400/IMG_2319.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-SDNMQvARSM3v9PObC6X7M7r6ussbu8fTDZdGmMxH_EVyiyfL-DpPAyqLvn1hdapxp3LYVuE3bG_q65QDs_RM_Wm02TensvkYeb1nO36JPezYzQlTHR6soaUM_lZ5G8e61vzqVPsMI-b/s1600/IMG_2306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-SDNMQvARSM3v9PObC6X7M7r6ussbu8fTDZdGmMxH_EVyiyfL-DpPAyqLvn1hdapxp3LYVuE3bG_q65QDs_RM_Wm02TensvkYeb1nO36JPezYzQlTHR6soaUM_lZ5G8e61vzqVPsMI-b/s400/IMG_2306.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You get some nice views along the way, too:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrphXsFy0MFb68iOezlr2tLQCZmtiappKQ7WvvnCs5I74pmr_EIjQENi0us8u2HPZUilvQdRasCPEcMmd6LiQAix6CbhaYwtkWMYF3J1vRRPCFfcnhIkITDB90YdwlSIoDP1KebeP2JW4/s1600/IMG_2302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrphXsFy0MFb68iOezlr2tLQCZmtiappKQ7WvvnCs5I74pmr_EIjQENi0us8u2HPZUilvQdRasCPEcMmd6LiQAix6CbhaYwtkWMYF3J1vRRPCFfcnhIkITDB90YdwlSIoDP1KebeP2JW4/s400/IMG_2302.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There's lot's of fun things for New Yorkers to see and do up there. For instance, you can relax on a lounge chair and soak up some rays:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEhGZwWlH9wtENya7dv8RdwNZp92ejh1Wo1PWFNs-b3vLO2XZdiu7KmwxrW06mVGxDmiOAmpZhJjUyPAD9XRbeOXKm01_9ALAocjjceuzc6QObcR7svxj5PwgWo6s7UAts3xXDATqmsmz/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEhGZwWlH9wtENya7dv8RdwNZp92ejh1Wo1PWFNs-b3vLO2XZdiu7KmwxrW06mVGxDmiOAmpZhJjUyPAD9XRbeOXKm01_9ALAocjjceuzc6QObcR7svxj5PwgWo6s7UAts3xXDATqmsmz/s400/IMG_2313.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And once you're burnt to a crisp, you can cool off (or at least your feet) in the artificial stream:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljavAzlV-6VUWOsQMh7P5Es5DBQMYnOaQH1gwfyC6VgcNrHkZ5S4jm_JdSPbD8kRL5RX10nZ23uEmh8v_3XvBObWURkY758dkhVd5vPJLiqAlyr-oUPp-pioFIie4tFr3eZWq_vWrb51l/s1600/IMG_2307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljavAzlV-6VUWOsQMh7P5Es5DBQMYnOaQH1gwfyC6VgcNrHkZ5S4jm_JdSPbD8kRL5RX10nZ23uEmh8v_3XvBObWURkY758dkhVd5vPJLiqAlyr-oUPp-pioFIie4tFr3eZWq_vWrb51l/s400/IMG_2307.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And of course, because this is NYC, after all, you can eat. Cold things were popular on the day we were there. Shave ice, for example.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbURTguCG3tg_FdLEtoSg2vsycuUcmenvcbE0gi0QgJTMVWSCBh8vAr29xnwti_8rS6Slo7iuTyNhe2vhteouCimdxeap7bbnoNkClwp1njsySD0JfbdE35pxruYRYPHcZIonz0bKXgR7/s1600/IMG_2314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbURTguCG3tg_FdLEtoSg2vsycuUcmenvcbE0gi0QgJTMVWSCBh8vAr29xnwti_8rS6Slo7iuTyNhe2vhteouCimdxeap7bbnoNkClwp1njsySD0JfbdE35pxruYRYPHcZIonz0bKXgR7/s400/IMG_2314.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Like a snow cone, but better. Those guys up there used a nifty tool to shave bits of ice off a giant block and then poured syrup on it. Here's a closer look:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuceb496GqMW2kQAqF8SeobMkvS9G7Tf3NC4l40V3jfkapGCMIJg6lyeU_rx3NPB7H6oqdrMKpKGObjr452D9YlKJjmIRJFXBTMg5Nnvis2MySW0XWHyXD584-Le9fmaVbUsXGbIO3NGX/s1600/IMG_2315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuceb496GqMW2kQAqF8SeobMkvS9G7Tf3NC4l40V3jfkapGCMIJg6lyeU_rx3NPB7H6oqdrMKpKGObjr452D9YlKJjmIRJFXBTMg5Nnvis2MySW0XWHyXD584-Le9fmaVbUsXGbIO3NGX/s400/IMG_2315.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you'd rather have your ice in popsicle form, you can get a paleta (a Mexican frozen juice pop) instead:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUC3gykJQIFpS804Kzzm2HDXFElr8oWRv2p6JZ6AKeEGDAPkWIsB9U2N2gf05dsSxxsey9lvk4gjoUK0hrVtwyYeXDR8IQpRN3jEUeP-Vd_oVQZVhZVkQtJFGUs1_sQlcHOzqgViKelXE/s1600/IMG_2320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUC3gykJQIFpS804Kzzm2HDXFElr8oWRv2p6JZ6AKeEGDAPkWIsB9U2N2gf05dsSxxsey9lvk4gjoUK0hrVtwyYeXDR8IQpRN3jEUeP-Vd_oVQZVhZVkQtJFGUs1_sQlcHOzqgViKelXE/s400/IMG_2320.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Or you can get a cookie ice cream sandwich! Remember Chipwiches? These were like that only homemade, so naturally better (I'm assuming as I didn't actually try one, but the dozens of people chowing down seemed happy):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AgzsOYW0iDVar5YJ6sZQ8LPfSBeII2yY-qxPh_RiJ9Olr1gzvl6uBBoEjJpP_g5KFsRHkRRg8APXljQLTLvVaB_uN9zYWvlTTbHJ8B8Z_AtTI4DRJDRJApiX-0HG0cFR8ZYNAohUrvM9/s1600/IMG_2322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AgzsOYW0iDVar5YJ6sZQ8LPfSBeII2yY-qxPh_RiJ9Olr1gzvl6uBBoEjJpP_g5KFsRHkRRg8APXljQLTLvVaB_uN9zYWvlTTbHJ8B8Z_AtTI4DRJDRJApiX-0HG0cFR8ZYNAohUrvM9/s400/IMG_2322.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm assuming the sample sandwiches set up on top of the truck were fake, since they weren't melting and it was like 95 degrees up there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The birds get to eat, too, and out of some very artistic feeders:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIFoJvvxbNxnUW7uUdYGcYWdKo1ok5KK3nSsL3smLs2ESIB1JwCZRMDEK-l3pIxbi32oCNcIpnS1LMPYwrpXTsCqMIzXfmhxIoKUnYHishDYS31aoysQg5o573a9_TILHRuV30Lx3PGFX/s1600/IMG_2301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIFoJvvxbNxnUW7uUdYGcYWdKo1ok5KK3nSsL3smLs2ESIB1JwCZRMDEK-l3pIxbi32oCNcIpnS1LMPYwrpXTsCqMIzXfmhxIoKUnYHishDYS31aoysQg5o573a9_TILHRuV30Lx3PGFX/s400/IMG_2301.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Speaking of food, there was a skating rink set up for the summer near the 30th street staircase up to the walkway, next to which was a food court consisting of a bar and a few food trucks. As you can see, it was a popular place:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_5w0zBok1gPJvlQAAlzApAG3JRBfktrIK5X6-d7c_BRS8v_yuMbd40N7dVkRhvauf5hXH4W4MzMCWqWAgrpP_Q7bFuyqisvgqKlGAtlthjyStcu6FtxpBRFtLIR4J2AZXWunz47B1_Yf/s1600/IMG_2323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_5w0zBok1gPJvlQAAlzApAG3JRBfktrIK5X6-d7c_BRS8v_yuMbd40N7dVkRhvauf5hXH4W4MzMCWqWAgrpP_Q7bFuyqisvgqKlGAtlthjyStcu6FtxpBRFtLIR4J2AZXWunz47B1_Yf/s400/IMG_2323.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwStGw_tSY1cj06nunvf4ulMAaVZUYrJt-PXfQlVZhKuHipsvEFylMy9X7oYKzLkdF_7gW_G0EOCu4IcMOE1Q_t_fkCVw7442yREzo9DqNFBiBD5y4DPYM8vgaZFa47f0mjX1015gHt7RS/s1600/IMG_2324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwStGw_tSY1cj06nunvf4ulMAaVZUYrJt-PXfQlVZhKuHipsvEFylMy9X7oYKzLkdF_7gW_G0EOCu4IcMOE1Q_t_fkCVw7442yREzo9DqNFBiBD5y4DPYM8vgaZFa47f0mjX1015gHt7RS/s400/IMG_2324.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NSU_QeJwxdzkzW731Ccl68yT4H5VU8x1-B9KTNV1afI4vIw5gVL4jfonpK91QnaPUNRJ2ZM6VSVjMWaGbDYNoeu2lO54N-r8_aGFQxvXjrkVdS9idIKnNi7JMwzjEktNui54u1GpbAWF/s1600/IMG_2325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NSU_QeJwxdzkzW731Ccl68yT4H5VU8x1-B9KTNV1afI4vIw5gVL4jfonpK91QnaPUNRJ2ZM6VSVjMWaGbDYNoeu2lO54N-r8_aGFQxvXjrkVdS9idIKnNi7JMwzjEktNui54u1GpbAWF/s400/IMG_2325.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In NYC, food trucks sell things like Korean tacos and dumplings (there was a pizza one too).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And if you want to work off all those ice pops, ice cream sandwiches and kimchi tacos, you can make a stop at the trapeze school!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ADrcFYP2QBBah3kPtxyzWnSHOmXzNveJ4KgtJLIwhg7w6ZSvEiZOTQKezjOmlbfUgxpAlOuuAb-mBRZ8kjasLUyL9cBHQ0YFxtMNpsWgOmOgdFv9tnepAX4xVrTt-G_YsVLuHTlZ2qHN/s1600/IMG_2326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ADrcFYP2QBBah3kPtxyzWnSHOmXzNveJ4KgtJLIwhg7w6ZSvEiZOTQKezjOmlbfUgxpAlOuuAb-mBRZ8kjasLUyL9cBHQ0YFxtMNpsWgOmOgdFv9tnepAX4xVrTt-G_YsVLuHTlZ2qHN/s400/IMG_2326.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, New York, how I will miss you. I'm sure LA has some cool stuff too (which I will be hopefully discovering and documenting here), but there's still one thing NYC has that California does not:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismwMCxdBjunoyKkxh0_3o5k0WKcmH8JzfSHrXAhqf4n7nArtnqwAgzfw5KxTcVp8c6G4wZDvbElBeFt0HsC8mvTmYwAGkKw2vKgy4sl3iKTMIdJ_JngYGQU_b-7DV1nZldXhDAjzcAi7h/s1600/IMG_2317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismwMCxdBjunoyKkxh0_3o5k0WKcmH8JzfSHrXAhqf4n7nArtnqwAgzfw5KxTcVp8c6G4wZDvbElBeFt0HsC8mvTmYwAGkKw2vKgy4sl3iKTMIdJ_JngYGQU_b-7DV1nZldXhDAjzcAi7h/s400/IMG_2317.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rock on, New York.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06694661859648875844noreply@blogger.com0