A few new sites I like.

Snail My Email - Send an email, artists will be handwrite and doodle it, then physically mail it to your recipient anywhere in the world. Best part of this month-long (until Aug 15) interactive community art project is that the whole deal is free of charge. They're just trying to recapture the lost art of writing a letter and I'm totally digging it. 

Punchfork - The answer to the overwhelming number of food blogs I follow. Reading 100's of posts only to have nothing coming out of the kitchen is nonsensical. This gorgeous magazine-like layout showcases recipes from cooking sites I already love. Best part? The sortability! Real-time data like tweets and facebook shares measure a popularity score (sort by what people love!); real-time aggregate gathers new recipes as soon as they're published (sort by newest!); you can even search by what's left over in your fridge (continue to sort!).

a.mi.me.gusta showcases things of great interest to me. Music, fashion, grub? Check, check, check.

Calling all the single ladies.

Our wedding caterer has been gaining popularity and media notoriety. It's fun to think we were on the cutting edge of something fun and while our "different" wedding menu has become more mainstream since last May, Heirloom LA was doing small events and occasional food tastings at an LA wine shop. Now? 

lasagne cupcakes

(single portioned handmade lasagne....mmmmm)

Oh, now they're in the Wall Street Journal and Food & Wine Magazine. It's cool guys, we knew this stuff would blow up. Just call us clairvoyant trend-setters who know how to pick out fun, cool vendors to work with!

As an example:

Doing my part.

I have an aversion to produce bags. You know, the flimsy plastic bags that you use to gather 6 apples so they don't go all rolling around in the cart? I hate them. They never separate for me, they clog up the bag drawer in the kitchen, and no matter how many I "save" because surely there's a use for them in the future, they just clog up the kitchen and stick to everything and I hate them. Huge run-on sentences won't even begin to help describe my dislike for these bags.

Are you feeling me here, people?

Most of the time, I've resorted to just throwing the produce in my basket sans-bag; much to the disdain of the checkout people. I don't like dirty looks, I hate the stupid plastic bags, so you can imagine my squeal of delight when I came across this terrific find:

Breathable mesh, drawstring, perfect size, flexible fabric. They're terrific for groceries and I imagine would be great for travel as they're so lightweight and you could easily see what's in the separate containers. I love the colored tabs (just fun), the fact that I can wash the produce directly in the bag, and that they're machine washable. SCORE!

There are loads of different reusable bags out there and I'd highly encourage you to find your own fave. This particular set is by flip&tumble (google for local sources) and ran just over $10. I'm sure the crafty folks out there will be able to whip up their own set for much less.

Food Alert + a mini giveaway.

Phish Food Alert, that is!

The easiest restroom to access at the Union Square Macy's just happens to be right next to the only Ben & Jerry's I can think of in San Francisco...no wait, there might be one in Haight& Ashbury...not an area I frequent enough.  Anyway, this particular B&J + restroom combo is a ridiculous amount of geographical torture and I constantly think about writing a lengthy letter to the planning commission of the Macy's basement food court.

I mean, is it really fair to waft that glorious waffle cone scent and display buckets of deliciously sinful ice cream to those OBVIOUSLY en route to a VERY ice-cream-restricted zone?   Think about it.  How disgusting would it be to see someone pick up a kid size scoop of Phish Food only to waltz into a stall?  Where would they put it?  What about all the bathroom molecules that would end up in the scoop??  Gross, right?  Bleagh.  I suppose you could always pick one up on your way back out of the restroom (post washing hands, of course).

Luckily for me, I can typically convince myself to escape scot-free and usually sprint back upstairs to look at newest purse on sale. When I'm with others, however, peer-pressure gets the best of me.  Damn you, Ben and Jerry!

 

So, I'm innocently waiting for a friend to use the restroom the other day, involuntarily picking out the flavor I would soon be convinced to enjoy, when I spotted this:

What?  What the what?  Little bags labeled "Just the Chunks".  Now before you throw up a little in your mouth like I did at the thought of what could possibly be in the bag.....

That's right!  Ever wonder if your pint of CoffeeCoffeeBuzzBuzzBuzz or giant scoop of deliciously simple Strawberry could use a major boost of fun-shaped chocolate chunks?  Well then, you'd be super pleased to know that select scoop shops are now carrying bags of the little chocolate phish (phish food), and peace signs (whirled peace), and cows (surf&turf...has both phish&cows) that are typically only available after digging around all that ice cream!  Pure brilliance, I tell you.  Pure brilliance.

And now the fun part....

CHUNKY GIVEAWAY!

What would you do with your own bag of phish or cows or peace signs?  

 Most creative answer will win a bag, courtesy of the Kantaharas.

-- contest to close on 1-15-10 --

Click here for more info on the chocolates and for participating scoop shops.  There nowhere to click for more info on this giveaway.  All the info you need is written above.  :)

TyFlo to the Rescue!

We're all in agreement that facebook totally rocks, right? I mean, besides Jocelyn*. Email has been relatively innovative, cell phones have taken over the world, and obviously this blog has changed the face of all things communication (duh).  But can we all agree that 2009 was the year that facebook shifted up to spot number uno in terms of keeping in touch with people?  This is a more recent revelation of mine as I flashback to a couple of weeks and remember what was sitting in my facebook inbox.

Uh....YA!!  I'M TOTALLY THERE!

Do you remember the Tyler Florence Pulled Pork Sandwich post from the DAY BEFORE Holly's email to me?  Ya, I was all about TyFlo that week.  That's what we should all call him now, don't you think?  TyFlo?

I had a prearranged get-together with my friend Carrie that evening, but somehow managed to get to Union Square from the Mission in record time as soon as we were done!  Threw the car in a quick + hurried spot and basically sprinted from the garage direct to the chair right next to Holly in the Cellar of Macy's:

I literally ran in as the presentation was already occurring.

Definitely knocked over a few old ladies on my way in.

'Cause I'm cool like that.

Needless to say, we nibbled on many amazing nuggets of happiness:

Deliciously seared halibut resting on a parsnip/fennel puree + black lentils.

Topped with a delicate sprig of dill.  Mmmmm.

Calamari made with sparkling mineral water in the batter!

These are pictures of the actual dishes he made:
Halibut with lentils
Calamari
Ricotta dumplings with shaved radishes and greens

 

The ULTIMATE part of this entire evening was when the magic of TyFlo came over me and I became bold enough to throw my hand in the air to answer the question, "Is anyone nervous about making anything for the holidays?" 

TyFlo: Yes, to the cute girl in the fingerless gloves, sitting next to her friend in a cute green argyle sweater......((slight embellishment)).....what are you making?

Me: Um...a brisket?

TyFlo:  Oh, cool.  Brisket's are terrific around the holidays, are you making it for a large group?  Are you nervous?

Me: Um...it's for Hanukkah?  For my future in-laws??  Nervous.

---laughter from the crowd---

 TyFlo: Well, let me tell you the biggest secret about making a brisket................blah, blah.

And that's when my brain got all mushy and non-remembering.  Mostly because I was too busy trying to not get caught doing this:

WTH, I should've really been paying more attention.

But I got all confident and cocky about being amidst such a culinary sensation.  I mean, I may or may not have even called him TYFLO to his FACE.  What?  I mean, really, can you blame me for such behavior when I walk up to this image:

  That's Scott, ya'll!

Like of Scott and Holly's wedding circa 2008**!

Our friend, Scott!  How crazy is that??

He was TyFlo's #1 Assistant Man 
(I'm sure there's a more technical term for this position)

Scott did all the prep work to get the crowd the yummy tastings.

Don't worry, I've already invited myself + Jamie over to their place for dinner.

This guy was an integral part of the success of Ty's burgeoning career.

I mean, he took off running when his head chef needed a vegetable peeler!

Running.

Meanwhile, HeadChef brought his little son to entertain the masses.

And to help distract the crown while he took the time to pick a booger.

What?  No one saw that, right?  Good work being cute, son.

I think Scott looks much more professional:

I didn't see him pick his nose once.

Post-demo, Holly and I got our new cookbook graffiti'd (awesome):

ew. holly, do you see the booger on the top of his head?

 

 Just kidding, Smile!

One final shot of my soon-to-be-taking-over-the-Food-Network friend:

Oh, did the ladies love him!

For a more legitimate recall of the night, check out holly's post.  Thanks so much for thinking of me, doll!  Made my week!

*Joc's dislike of most things tech-y is the directest contrast to my inner thoughts and desires, but that's one of my favorite qualities about her. We often sit in bewilderment of each other and laugh and laugh.  She, of this blog and my propensity for all the things from SkyMall magazine.  Me, of her lack of a personal computer and facebook account (no desire).  In fact, she promised to keep basic cable if I didn't make her sign up for facebook.  I felt like that was an adequate compromise and allowed me to uphold my duties of keeping her relevant to normal society.

**One of THREE Holly-weddings in the 15 months.

Perfect Food Thursday!

With my meat-loving fiance out of town and my veggie-loving friend hanging out for the weekend, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy a mess of great meat-free dishes for a few days. This one was a super easy and relatively hands-free one to pop in the oven for a quick and easy lunch!

A tray of firm brussel sprouts, drizzled in extravirginoliveoil.

Course sea salt and freshly ground pepper coat the exterior of these little gems.

I used to totally HATE the bsprout because it was one of those things you're "supposed to" hate as a kid.  That and forced naptime and cleaning my room.  As a young tyke, I seemingly understood that sleeping during the day was a luxury...I secretly loved naptime.  As for cleaning my room, it gave me  pleasure to organize and archive the items in my room, finding new ways to hide those notes we passed around in the classroom instead of paying attention to the subject at hand.  But for all intents and purposes, I HATED brussel sprouts, forced naptime, and cleaning my room.

It works both ways.  I LOVED things you were "supposed to" as a kid as well...ie, saturday morning cartoons.

I digress.

Look at the yummy granules of salt waiting to be roasted in.

My appreciation for the veggie didn't come about until last year when a work friend pried open my jaw and shoved a pan-fried sprout down my throat.  First of all, omg it was HOT!  Once I got over the 2nd degree tongue burns I was able to cherish it's naturally mustardy spiciness, the tender individuals leaves melting apart all over my mouth.  Mmmmm....sold.

Some of you may remember last winter when bags upon bags of those things went through this household.  I have since discovered COSTCO SELLS BRUSSEL SPROUTS.  Yes!  So when Dev was going through the fridge today and saw a HUGE bag of bsprouts she said, "Hey, let's roast these for lunch."

Ain't she so smart?

20min @425degrees.

Perfectly delicious in every way.

Roasted Chicken - Zuni Cafe Style (recipe)

Jamie says I'm just making it up, but I swear I heard somewhere that every girl marrying a Jewish guy is supposed to know how to make a chicken. Is that crazy? Challah and latkes are next on my list, but I swear it was specifically a chicken that the soon-to-be-married are supposed to know how to cook.

Crazy or not, I decided to tackle a bird.  It helped that there was one taking up much valued real estate in our freezer from a raffle we won at the yurty-yurt wedding a few weeks ago.  It didn't take too long of a search to find a seemingly easy and scientifically intriguing recipe.  The very strict preparation schedule and the HIGH-HIGH-HIGH temperature requirement seemed to guarantee a golden-brown, crispy skin with incredibly not-dry meat underneath. 

DONE.

Tender sprigs of rosemary are tucked under the skin.

Oh my gosh, great news.  It works!  There isn't a sliver of resemblance to that dry, sawdusty roasted chicken of yore.  Jamie even tried a piece of the skin (shock!) because it looks so tasty to him.  We're BIG fans of this recipe and I'm an even bigger fan of all the stuff you get to do with a whole chicken after the first night:

Day2: Used leftover chicken breast + dark meat.  Mixed with some leftover pesto, a splash of vinegar, and a handful of parsley.  Piled it on top of crispy romaine lettuce and chomped away.

Day 3: Other leftover meat bits are used to supplement Hudson's meals, taking care to remove all those easily splintered bones.  We struggle to get him to eat regularly, but this chicken seems to do the trick.

Day 4: Took remaining carcass (gross word!) out of freezer and simmered it in cold water with chunks of celery, carrots, and onion.  Seasoned with whole peppercorns, celery salt, and a chunk of parmesiano reggiano.  Poured cooled broth into baggies to lay flat in the freezer in preparation for the inevitable H1N1 attack.

 Mmmmmm....

Zuni Cafe’s Roasted Chicken
Adapted from the cookbook from the Zuni Cafe, San Francisco

Serves 2 to 4

• One small chicken, 2 3/4 to 3 1/2-pounds  (get a small one or multiple small ones for bigger crowd) 
• 4 tender sprigs fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary or sage, about 1/2 inch long 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• A little water

Season the chicken: [1 to 3 days before serving; give a 3 1/4 to 3 1/2-pound chicken at least 2 days]Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat very dry inside and out. Be thorough — a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown.  I had a moment of revelation during this process about goldening (yes, I made up a word...again) meats.  DRY!

Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Using your finger, shove an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.  Definitely do not know my chicken body parts and kinda "winged" this step.

Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and pepper. Season the thick sections a little more heavily than the skinny ankles and wings. Sprinkle a little of the salt just inside the cavity, on the backbone, but don’t otherwise worry about seasoning the inside. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.

Prepare your oven and pan: [Day of, total time is 45 minutes to 1 hour]

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle (I just used our largest pot).

Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle.  I definitely got confused about which side was the breast...stop laughing...and again, kinda made it up as I went.

Roast the chicken: Place the chicken in the pan in the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn’t, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over — drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking. Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to recrisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes.

Rest the chicken: Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the clear fat from the roasting pan, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl it and use them in something else (stuffing, pasta dish, veggies, etc).  You can let the chicken rest while you finish your side dishes. The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools. 

It was a hit with every member of the fam.

Random SF food find!

 Would you go in here for anything fresh + yummy?

Ya, me neither.

 

But check it out.  Pal's was recommended by the donut place across the street.

Cute label.

Hmmmm....So far, so good.

 

Oh.holy.sandwich.

Organic chicken salad - amaaazing.

On a longish Omega roll w/ chili, lime, cucumber, topped w/ fresh Vietnamese herb salad

"The idea for Pal's started about a year and a half ago.when I thought that it would be a great idea to open a small take out sandwich counter that serves clean, great tasting new twists on old favorites at a reasonable price using all fresh, local ingredients from my grower friends.and neighborhood backyard gardens. The idea being that a locally supported micro food enterprise would be a good thing because we love making fresh, clean, great tasting, simple food for people and we would be supporting our local growers and food makers and hopefully make a living in the offing. We did not open Pal's because we wanted to surf some new bay area food trend.

We believe in what we do and we feel good when you come in and enjoy one of our humble concoctions and maybe share a few laughs. Our goal is to continue to make great tasting food and to continue working with other neighborhood like-minded microvores like Dynamo Donut, Humphry Slocombe, Ryan Farr and others who are trying to make some good tasting sense out of tough economic times. We want thank everyone in the Mission community for supporting us and a special thanks to Kasa, the owner of Tony's market. Without his support, good humor and integrity, Pal's would still be a dream."

I highly recommend this spot while you pick up your icecream and a donut in the Mission.

On a personal note, I found a 2" strand of gray hair this morning.  It's in a spot I can't see well enough to grab and so it stays in my head...mocking me...taunting me...threatening to peek out and show the world that I'm older than I act.  Grrrr.

Fall's a-coming.

yummy strawberry popsicles
summer '09

Fall...or ""autumn"", depending on how pretentious you're feeling today...is met with mixed feelings from me this year. Traditionally, the anticipation of pumpkin pie and caramel apples and new notebooks and backpacks have made my knees buckle. I mean, really...New Notebooks?? Oh geez. I.love.new.notebooks. This year, however, I've been enjoying the crap out of summer-time and I'm having difficulty knowing how to look forward to cooler weather and so much more indoor time.

picnic with annie @ dolores park.

Sniff, sniff.
Maybe I'll just desperately hang onto some of my favorite images of this summer while making the transition into fall? Find my inner-chi while coming to terms with no.more.barefeet.on.grass?
Sniff, sniff.

grassy green park time.

Things to look forward to...in no particular order:

Fall tv is coming back in full swing --yay for 'theOffice' and '30Rock' -- minus a few of my FAVES. Damn you, CW, for canceling 'Privileged'. I have a long list of crafting and baking I want to do. We haven't used the crockpot all summer...chili cook-off? Jamie has an increased "workload" over the next little while aka "fairytale football". He'll be glued to the computer + tv for the next few months. We also have a close friend's wedding to attend in a few weeks up in the northernest part of Northern California - barns!farmlife!tractors! oh my!

does it get more SUMMER! than this?

Follow us as we transition into a series of "savings months" as we prepare for our upcoming wedding. Any assistance or advice in the savings department will be much appreciated. One thing is for certain, our typical travel-llanting (travel+gallivanting) will have to be kept relatively local for awhile. Isn't it advantageous that there are plenty of things to do in our immediate area?

more strawberry popsicle.

oh, that strawberry popsicle.

The Kantahara B&B is officially open for any visitors and surprisingly booking up quickly. Let us know if you're coming into town and want a free place to crash right smack dab in the middle of SF. Needless to say, we'll plan on keeping just as busy even if we're tethered a little bit more to the homestead. Happy Fall, Ya'll.

My Fave Tee.

I don't think we showed you the shirt Jamie got @ the NYC BBQ Festival a couple of months ago! Tongue-in-cheek for a jew. Clever + cute design, huh?


Oh no!

Sarah said...

going to be honest.
don't get the shirt.
sorry.

Dear Sarah,

I'm so sorry to confuse you! The bbq event took place in New York's Madison Square Park; a park easily reached by the N and 6 lines of the NYC subway system. This was the logo for the event:
So, they took the main pig logo, threw on the subway lines, renamed it Madison Square PORK, and I thought the design was so cute, clever, and still simple. The fact that Jews are typically supposed to stay away from all things PIG makes it double-y funny to me.

I hope that adds some clarification for you!

Sincerely,

Leslie

Let them eat cake!

Marie Antoinette had a point.

Cake.is.good.

Our week-long southern california relocation was a success. We got in some quality family time with visits to a couple sets of parents, one sibling, 3 golf games, Sarah time, and a spa-night for ME + some work friends. I didn't take a single picture at the spa, which does not indicate a bad time had. In fact, I was so relaxation-station that I couldn't be bothered to lift my camera to eye level to snap a few shots.

We were more than happy to return to our regularly scheduled photo-taking ways once back together though! Por ejemplo:

1st cake tasting!
Viktor Benes in Gelson's.
These crazies jumped at the chance to "help" us taste.
(Jamie's dad + stepmom)
Viktor Benes
+Parisian Cream = YUM.
- froo-froo cake design.
- it's in a grocery store.
I love having control of this blog...bwahahaha.
Jamie's face is TOO MUCH.
had.to.post.

2nd Cake Tasting!
WHAT IS THIS PHOTO??
who poses behind their cake in their undies??
Bread Basket
+Prettier cakes.
+Good delivery rates.
+Lots of fresh fruit.
+Jamie liked the chocolate mousse cake.
-I liked the white cake with raspberry puree (weird, it's like my least fave berry).

"Voted Ventura County's Best Bakery for over 15 years, invited to create pastries for Bon Appetite, Williams-Sonoma, The American Food and Wine Festival,Modern Bride, The Knot, Westlake Magazine, Inside Weddings, Los Angeles Magazine, and featured on Pop-TV shows, The Wedding Story and Queer Eye for the Straight Girl."

Really?? You're really advertising QEftSG in your credits, Bread Basket? Really??

SO many more bakeries to go to. Our list is long; the schedule, intense. If located in California, please submit desired dates to attend tastings with me. I'm going border-to-border with this thing and am willing to take ya'll every step of the way.