RoundAbout San Diego

With the tomatoes I bought at the farmer's market on Friday I made this soup today. Based on the reviews I read I decreased the chicken stock to 1 cup and I didn't have sherry vinegar so used a dry sherry instead.

Chilled Golden Tomato Bisque



1 pound yellow tomatoes
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon mild honey
1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar
Pinch of cayenne

Garnish: chopped red tomato and basil

Coarsely chop tomatoes and purée in a blender with broth until smooth. Force through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.

Whisk in cream, honey, vinegar, cayenne, and salt to taste.

Quick-chill by setting bowl in an ice bath until cold, about 10 minutes.

I thought this was very good but not the 'spectacular' I was expecting. It was light and a little sweet and I'm wondering if using a little less cream would be better. This was incredibly easy to make and I will definitely serve it again.

Ahh! Tom Jones and The Green, Green Grass of Home. He certainly couldn't have imagined my lawn when he started singing that song.

I mowed the backyard lawn this morning and was in awe of how green and lush it was.



However, if you look closely you will see that its mostly crab grass and weeds. Why do the weeds always look so good?

While mowing the lawn I noticed this strange plant growing



I don't know what it is and couldn't find anything on the web. With the afternoon's heat it had wilted quite a bit so I'll have to see what it looks like tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

Gio's is the new trendy spot in La Mesa to see and be seen. Tonight, after the farmer's market, we stopped to have a glass of wine and to see what the menu has to offer. Gio's has been open only a short while and they have not yet put up their sign. Looking at the building from across the street it looks very open and light. The front windows in the bar area roll up giving a great view of the street which is especially great on Thursday nights for the La Mesa Village Car Show.



Gio's serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a great wine selection. What's not on the menu is their wine and cheese plates, which is what we had. You can order a flight of wine from a particular region with a selection of cheeses and meats. The regions they cover are Latin America, Europe, France, Australia, and domestic. We had the European selection and asked for all white wines that fit in with our mood that afternoon - light and summery.



The platter was beautifully presented on a bamboo cutting board. There was a great selection of cheeses which were mostly English, some fresh fruit, and a selection of salami (salamis? Bookwomen, what would you say?).

Here's a view of the bar from our table

Today is my last day of vacation for the summer. At the beginning of summer I had so many vacation hours on the books that I decided to take every Friday off so I could enjoy a long weekend. Starting next week, after Labor Day, I go back to my regular schedule. School starts in a few weeks so I need to knuckle down an prepare for my new students.

The day got off to a good start - coffee on the patio, read the newspaper, did a few errands, and a bit of housework. It was a really hot/humid day so spent most of it relaxing and reading.

Around 3:30 we took off for the La Mesa Farmer's Market which is held 3:00 to 7:00pm every Friday. We are trying to buy local fruit and vegetables as much as possible and we really enjoy strolling around the market. Last week we bought some fabulous heirloom tomatoes and we wanted to get some more today. Here are some photos to show you a little of the local scene starting with Alex picking out his peaches for the week and a fiddler keeping us entertained while we shop.



The farmer's market has such a festive feel about it - many of the vendors offer samples of their foods such as tomatoes, olive oils, nuts, and cheeses. It's so much fun taking in all the sights and sounds and the colors of the fruit and vegetables are amazing.



This week we bought peaches, tomatoes, white corn, green beans, a red leaf butter lettuce, and some kind of green squash. This should last us for several days.

Friends of ours, John and David, recently moved to Sacramento from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After seeing pictures of their backyard we are really looking forward to visiting them.



This is their waterfall - what a great way to block sound from your neighbors



And, of course I will clean myself up a bit to walk down this grand staircase

I came home from work on Tuesday and found my favorite trusty alarm clock laying on the floor, a victim of Boo's adventures exploring my bedside table. This was my Andy Warhol clock, battery operated with a second hand that would tick-tock away minute by minute. It had a gentle alarm that I never slept through but which didn't disturb Alex too much when I got up for work each morning.



Much to Alex's dismay I pulled out my very old (antique?) radio alarm clock that my parents bought me for my 18th birthday.



This clock has been half-way around the world with me and still keeps perfect time. It also has an obnoxiously loud alarm which caught us both by surprise this morning (I had forgotten what it sounded like). Alex, Boo, and I were fully awake with pounding hearts at 5:30am. I hope Boo has learnt her lesson and stays away from my bed-side table.

I watched an online video a few months ago of Mark Bittman, of NYTimes.com, doing one of his minimalist cooking episodes. I can't find the video and I can't remember the title but it was something along the lines of leftover frittata. Today I decided to do my own version of this trying to use up a few ingredients that were on their last legs and called it

Empty-the-Fridge Frittata



4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 package mushrooms, quartered
1/2 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 onion chopped
1 cup frozen hashbrowns
8 eggs
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 tbsp chopped chives
1 cup chopped tomatoes

Heat broiler.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan and saute mushrooms until golden brown. In the last 2 minutes add the sliced shallot. Meantime whisk eggs and stir in shredded cheese. Remove mushrooms to a plate. Heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and add chopped onions, saute until a pale brown and add frozen hashbrowns. Continue cooking until hashbrowns start to turn brown and return mushrooms to pan. Turn heat to very low and add egg mixure. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat and sprinkle chives and tomatoes on top. Put under broiler and cook until set and browned. Serve with a salad.

If you've read previous posts you know I love frittatas. They are cheap, filling, and almost anything can be added. This is a great way to combine leftovers in your fridge to create a tasty and filling meal. An 8-egg frittata serves the two of us for dinner and leaves leftovers for the next day's lunch.

This is my favorite tofu recipe (Alex prefers MaPo Tofu). We had this tonight served with zucchini and ginger (scroll down) and rice.

The first recipe is my version and the second recipe is the original from epicurious.com

Tofu with Soy-Orange Dressing



1 packet firm tofu
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp corn starch
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 large minced garlic clove
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
3/4 tsp corn starch
1 1/2 tsp water

Cut tofu into 6 slices and drain in colander for 1/2 hour or so. Lay on a few pieces of paper towel and top with paper towel. Place plate on top to soak up any liquid. Dredge tofu slices in corn starch while heating oil in large non-stick pan. Saute tofu until crisp and brown on both sides.

While sauteing tofu heat in small pan ginger, garlic, orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and corn starch mixed in water. Whisk until bubbling.

Serve tofu with sauce. Serves 2.

Original recipe.
Panfried Tofu on Sesame Watercress with Soy-Orange Dressing

3/4 lb extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 bunches watercress, tough stems discarded
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Pat tofu dry. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté tofu until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.
Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook watercress, turning with tongs, until just wilted. Stir in sesame seeds. Transfer watercress to a platter and arrange tofu on top.

Simmer remaining ingredients in skillet 1 minute and drizzle sauce over tofu.

The side dish was originally from Cooking Light Magazine using snowpeas. The only thing I did was to change it to zucchini (Alex is not keen on snowpeas) - everything else remained the same. I served the soy sauce on the side.

Snowpeas (zucchini) with Ginger

1½ Tsp dark sesame oil
3 cups snow peas (zucchini), trimmed (about 8oz)
1 Tsp minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
¼ Tsp ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add peas and ginger and saute for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in soy sauce and black pepper.

4 servings

Yesterday we visited our local farmer's market and bought an array of fresh organic fruit and vegetables. This afternoon we had some of the fresh organic heirloom tomatoes for happy hour. I sliced them and then drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. On top I sprinkled some feta cheese and chopped young basil from my own backyard - how organic can I get?



I served this with some artisan bread, also from the farmer's market, and additional oil and vinegar. Oh, and of course some wine. I can't believe the difference between these and store bought tomatoes - they were so sweet, fresh tasting, and incredibly juicy.

Alex and I had a great weekend in the Paso Robles area, the Central Coastal area for wineries, last weekend. We left on Thursday morning and drove up to San Luis Obispo where we stayed at The Madonna Inn. We had dinner in the very pink dining room and slept in the Independence Room.



Before dinner we took a tour of Bubblegum Alley in San Luis Obispo



For more photos on The Madonna Inn and Bubblegum Alley go to http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=48480qjp.2tk0zxsh&x=0&y=-ixrl1j&localeid=en_US

The next day we were up bright and early to thunder and lightening and while eating breakfast the skies opened and it poured with rain. All the locals (and I was amazed at the number of locals eating breakfast - it was so expensive) kept saying they had never known it to rain in August.



After breakfast we drove to the coast and visited Morrow Bay to view the rock.



Continuing up the coast to Hearst Castle we almost missed our tour time but was able to take the number 1 tour - the general tour for those that hadn't visited the castle before.



The afternoon finished with a bit of wine tasting at the Adelaida Winery and then we headed to our hotel in Paso Robles for the night.



We stayed at the Best Western Black Oak Motor Lodge for the night. After meeting up with some friends in the jacuzzi Alex and I headed out to dinner.

For a complete photo review of the day go to http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=48480qjp.4padate9&x=0&y=3ynueu&localeid=en_US

After meeting Ann, Diana, Cindy, and Debbie in the diner for breakfast we took a slow drive out to the countryside for some more wine tasting. We had planned to wine taste at 5 or 6 wineries but that changed to just 4 tastings as the day progressed. We took the day really slow and easy, enjoying the scenery as we drove around. I was the driver so only had a full tasting at the first winery (less than one glass) and then just had a sip at the others. Our first stop was at J. Lohr Vineyards & Winery. Our pourer is getting her BS in Wine and Viticulture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and we had a great conversation with her about growing grapes - I don't think we are motivated enough to try that ourselves but the interest is there. We eventually moved on to Graveyard Vineyards - the one vineyard that Alex really wanted to visit. The wine was quite good but what really impressed me was the location. The house/wine tasting area was on top of a hill with 360 degree views. It was quite spectacular.



We tried a couple of other vineyards including Cass Vinery where we didn't actually taste any wines but had a really nice lunch of antipasta salad and a bbq pork sandwich.

After lunch we went to Sculpterra Winery and Sculpture Garden. We loved this winery - the wine was good but the sculptures were really impressive.



The highlight of the day (weekend?) was the event at Tobin James Cellars. Our friend Diana's sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Steve, are members of the wine club and whenever there is a special event they can bring guests. This time they had arranged a party of 16 people and we were part of the guest list. We had a fabulous time at this all-you-can-eat/drink BBQ. There was a local band playing all sorts of music to fit everyones taste - jazz, reggae, motown, rock, alternative, etc. With everyone drinking what they wanted the dance floor was soon packed. And yes, we drank what we wanted. Some might say that this was not a pretty sight but I have to come back with 'we don't care'.



Does Alex look as if he cares?



For more on this fun-filled day go to http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=48480qjp.cjfng9jl&x=0&y=gmz8zd&localeid=en_US

After our night of eating, drinking and dancing we got off to a somewhat late start to come home. As we were traveling along highway 46 - east bound - we came across the James Dean Memorial or Roadside America - James Dean



It's an odd place to be. The memorial is wrapped around a tree, a store in the background, and signs telling you to watch out for rattle snakes. All the rocks around the tree are handwashed and polished from Japan. You are free to leave mementos if you want - we saw pieces of wrapped hard candy, a bouquet of dead flowers, and a bird carving.

Our nieces, Astrid and Pippa, currently living in Tanzania are enjoying a quiet moment while on vacation in Zanzibar a month ago.



I wonder what secrets they are sharing.

We've had to put the bathroom on hold for a few days while Alex catches up on his work a bit. Even though he does stay at home all day it does include earning a bit of a living.

We did take an outing today to the the usual DIY stores to look for a pedestal sink. I think I can now walk blindfold around Home Expo and still know where everything is. Anyway, we couldn't decide on a sink that we both liked that was reasonably priced. We did, however, find a couple at well over $500 that we thought were unreasonably priced. The end decision was to stick with what we had already bought - the IKEA sink unit - and learn to live with it.

We are going on vacation on Thursday to Paso Robles to do some wine tasting and will continue with the bathroom when we get back.

Alex is not a huge fan of chard (or greens, kale, cabbage) so every now and again I try a new dish on him to try and change his mind. Tonight's dinner went down really well with him and he even said I could serve chard again. A huge thanks to epicurious.com for providing this recipe. We finished the meal with leftovers of Lime Meringue Pie from yesterday.

Rosemary Lamb Chops with Swiss Chard & Balsamic Syrup



For balsamic syrup
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns

For chard
1 bunch Swiss chard (1 lb)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon water

For lamb chops
8 rib lamb chops (1 1/4 lb total), trimmed of all fat
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Make syrup:
Simmer syrup ingredients in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart nonreactive saucepan (see cooks' note, below) over moderate heat until just syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Pour through a sieve into a small bowl, discarding rosemary and peppercorns.
Sauté chard:
Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Stack chard leaves and roll into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-wide strips.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add chard stems and ribs, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until stems are just tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.

Broil chops while chard cooks:
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle chops with garlic, salt, rosemary, and pepper, then broil on a lightly oiled broiler pan, 4 to 5 inches from heat, turning over once, for medium-rare, 6 to 7 minutes total. Serve chops and chard drizzled with balsamic syrup.

Cooks' note:
Stainless steel and enameled cast iron are nonreactive, but avoid pure aluminum and uncoated iron.

On Friday morning I made cinnamon raisin bread in the breadmaker and it made this massive loaf. We could barely wait for it to cool down before eating thick slices of it dripping with butter - it was so good.



This morning I made cinnamon raisin bread with a few of the slices using a recipe from epicurious.com

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast



7 large eggs
2 1/2cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 1 1/2-inch-thick slices cinnamon-raisin bread or French bread
4 tablespoons (about) unsalted butter
Maple syrup (optional)

Whisk first 6 ingredients in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add bread to egg mixture and let soak 20 minutes, pressing down occasionally.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add bread to skillet. Cook until golden brown, turning once and adding more butter as needed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake until bread puffs up and is firm in middle, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with maple syrup, if desired.

I was sitting on the patio early this morning having my cup of coffee and reading the newspaper when I heard some birds squawking out of control. When I tried to see what was going on I saw this hawk perched on the top of an electrical pole in our alley way.



The 2 little birds kept flying around the hawk and appeared to be dive-bombing it. They must have had a nest somewhere in the area and were trying to chase away the hawk.