is it weird to want to smell like a fireplace?

I am starting to feel Fall in the air. We’re even supposed to get rain later this week! In the spirit of Fall, I have been really into toasty, smokey fragrances. My two current favorites are Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac and Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque. They are very smokey and woodsy and deep and I love them. They are not for everyone though. My best friend loves floral fragrances and responded to one of these with a less than enthusiastic “Oh, that’s…interesting. I don’t hink it’s for me.” 

The description of Feuilles de Tabac (English translation – tobacco leaves) on the Miller Harris website made me laugh:

“Feuilles de Tabac is essentially a male fragrance, although like many of the others, it is worn by a few mysterious and independent minded women.”

So I am mysterious and independent minded, am I? I used to think that I didn’t like perfume, but I’ve come to realize that what I actually don’t like are most florals – at least on me. I also find that I wear more fragrance in the colder months. Does anyone else like to wear men’s fragrance? Or other unusual fragrances?

happy friday

 

I have just started a long weekend. I had some friends coming into town, that had to cancel last minute. So instead i will use the time to do some fall cleaning and hopefully try out some new recipes. I have fallen madly in love with 101 cookbooks. You’ve probably already seen this site – it is pretty popular, but if you’ve never made anything from this site, do yourself a favor and make something now! It is the best resource for whole grain cooking I have come across. I had this for breakfast this morning. The sushi bowl has become a staple. It’s so simple and delicious. And the red rice and quinoa is my favorite thing I have ever cooked!

 

Also planned for the weekend – this opens tomorrow and I am so excited! I used to go here when I was little and I can’t believe my good fortune that I now live walking distance from it! I can’t wait to see the remodel. It looks like it is going to be amazing! I’ll probably go everyday for the rest of my long weekend. I hope you enjoy your weekend!

luella

 

We got a brief Fall teaser and now Indian Summer has kicked in. So today the sunshine is making me feel this from Luella. I’ll have to figure out a way to dress like this every day this Spring!

omnivore’s 100

 

I saw this on Chocolate and Zucchini and thought it looked like fun. Even though I’ve recently changed my eating habits, I have been an omnivore for the last 7 years and technically still am since I haven’t really sworn off meat forever.   

 

From the Very Good Taste blog:

 

Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food – but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

 

Rules:

 

1)      Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

PS – I’d love to know if you’ve done this as well.

 

Here’s my list along with a few comments:

 

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile – Tastes like chicken, right?
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht – I love beets more than almost anything!
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari – Love this – especially the leggy bits.
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich – I thought this was a funny one, then I realized the creator of this list is Brittish. I guess this sandwhich is only common in the US. Anyway, I prefer honey to jelly, but I also enjoy it with strawberry jam – not grape, not raspberry – strawberry.  My mom used to remove the crusts with a heart shaped cookie cutter. My first grade teacher held up my heart shaped sandwhich at snack time to show the class. She said “Look everyone! Her mother must really lover her.”
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses – No, but I would like to.
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes – I’ve had mead, but that’s honey, not fruit so I guess that doesn’t count.
19. Steamed pork buns – There are some seriously good ones by my house! The ladies are cranky (they think Pip is cute, so they are nice to me now) but it is sooooo worth it. Lucky the veggie ones are tasty too!
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes – I get really excited when these come into season.
22. Fresh wild berries – Wild blackberries grew near my house as a child. I spent every summer with purple fingers.
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese – My grandma used to eat this. I don’t like it. Not even a little bit.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper – No thank you. I’m not a fan of pain.
27. Dulce de leche – Heaven!
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda – I made it from a recipe I had. I’m not sure how authentic it was.
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl – Well, I do live in San Francisco!
33. Salted lassi – I’ve only had the sweet variety. I’ll have to try this.
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea – It’s especially good when had  here.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O – Yes, in my younger years, but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala – I have had this, but I prefer paneer tika masala. It is one of my favorite dishes.
48. Eel – Yum!
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut – I don’t get the hype. They’re too sweet for me.
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer – Especially in tika masala!
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal – As a kid.
56. Spaetzle – It’s really good here and here. I’m afraid to make it myself.
57. Dirty gin martini – I like my liquor watered down. I’ve had a vodka martini and was not a fan. I do like gin much better than vodka, so maybe…but still, I’ll take a gin fizz over a martini any day.
58. Beer above 8% ABV – Chimay – I’m talking to you!
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips – We always had these around the house when I was a kid! My mom has a very 1970’s health food sensibility towards eating.
61. S’mores – Fancy ones here as well as the traditional ones.
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin – Clay? People eat this? I had no idea.
64. Currywurst
65. Durian – I’ve heard horror stories of it making your house smell like gasoline for days. I’m affraid of that way more than the taste. I’ve heard it tastes like onions and garlic, both of which I like.
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill – I think I’ll politely decline.
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie – I have, but they are pretty gross.
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong – This is my all time fovorite tea! I have a cup almost every day. Smokey goodness!
80. Bellini – At the Top of the Mark.
81. Tom yum – Mmmmmm! One of my favorite soups!
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky – I heart Pocky! So does Pip.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef – I always meant to and never got around to it.
86. Hare
87. Goulash – I have a recipe that I’ve been meaning to try for years. I just never got around to it.
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox – Is there anything better on a Sunday morning?
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

 ***UPDATE – I did not read carefully! I crossed out everything I have never tried, rather than those items I would never consider eating. Rather than uncross everything, I’ll just say that the only items I would never eat are the scotch bonnet pepper, raw or otherwise, and most likely the roadkill.

*Photo by Marcus Nilsson for Domino

 

 

 

avast, me hearties!

 

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! What’s your pirate name? Mine is Bloody Ritzy Vidal of the Miss Gata The Dirty Sea.

making changes

 

Well, here it is, 2 1/2 weeks after my grand declaration that I had returned to the world of blogging. Seriously – where do the days go? Anyway, like everyone else, we are busy people in my house. We used to be pretty healthy eaters. Emphasis on “used to be”. Since becoming busy, working parents we have been turning more and more towards fast and easy food – whatever that may be. I realized that while I carefully calculated Pip’s daily fruit and veggie intake, I was eating as little as 1 serving some days!

Living in San Francisco, by default, makes me a bit of a food snob. On top of that, I worked in restaurants for over 10 years. I have always turned my nose up at “faux food”. So imagine my surprise when at work, while eating my regular Lean Cuisine lunch that I had been “enjoying” for months, I suddenly remembered who I was. Lean Cuisine?!?! Seriously?!?!? No offense if you enjoy Lean Cuisine and other frozen treats (I do confess a fondness for a few Trader Joe’s frozen treats – Trader Joe’s is OK, right?), it’s just not me. I need to feel nourished by my food.

 

So a few months ago, I started going to the Farmer’s Market on Tuesday’s during my lunch hour. I work a short walk from the Ferry Building so I don’t know why it never occurred to me before to do this. It’s such a nice way to spend an hour right in the middle of the work day. I get a week’s worth of produce (since it’s local, it’s super fresh and lasts way longer than super market produce). I’m sure look a little funny walking around my serious financial district office building with carrot tops billowing out of my Amoeba tote, but I totally don’t care. I kinda like it actually.

 

So this new ritual has increased our produce intake dramatically. Our next step was to add whole grains to our diet. Not just breads or cereals – which are good too, but the actual grains themselves. Once we started to get the hang of it, the next step became apparent. Giving up meat.

 

Now, I don’t claim full vegetarian status. We still, and I’m quite sure, always will eat seafood. Does that make me a pescetarian? There was a decade of my life that I did call myself this (OK, more like “I’m a vegetarian, except for fish”) but I don’t now. The reason for this is that I can’t say I will never eat meat. If someone invites me to their home and cooks for me out of kindness and hospitality, I will eat it – whatever it is. When traveling, I may eat meat. I think if I am ever in Germany, I will have sausage. If I am ever in France, I will have ham in some form. If I am ever in a restaurant that is renowned the world over for some meat dish and the veggie options are not appealing, I bet you can guess what I will do. But in my day to day existence, I will eat primarily vegetarian. What does that make me? A semi-vegetarian? A part time vegetarian? A slacker vegetarian?

 

Whatever you call it, I feel good about it.