So That Happened...

I KNEW IT!

Oh, look!  I'm not dead.  I'm very much alive but just verrrrrrry busy here, especially because I leave for vacation tomorrow - yay!  However, I couldn't let this story pass without commenting. 

Remember that whole salmonella scare where we all stayed away from tomatoes?  Granted, that wasn't hard for me being that I can't stand raw tomatoes (processed tomato products, like sun-dried ones, ketchup or tomato soup are okay, though), but the latest news is that there could very well be another source for the illness:

Taken from this article:

The FDA has begun looking at jalapeno peppers as a possible cause of the outbreak, as well as ingredients used to make salsa such as cilantro and Serrano peppers.

Because cilantro is EVIL!  Cilantro is the devil's weed!  Cilantro breaks up families!  And rumor has it that a cilantro plant was seen starting one of the zillion fires here in my lovely state.  Because it is E-V-I-L.

Deep-Fried Artichoke Hearts

I really love artichokes. I'll take artichoke hearts in a salad or added to a panini, or even just a plain artichoke steamed and served with melted butter. I also love me some good fried foods, AS YOU WELL KNOW. Yum. So you can imagine how happy I was when a few weeks ago I had the great fortune of stopping by Pezzini Farms in Castroville, CA. Okay, it wasn't so much a stopping-by as a "make a fast and hard right off the freeway after seeing the billboards." How can one resist the siren song that is deep-fried artichoke hearts?

Artichokes in their natural state. Now you know.

The lunch truck that makes the deep-fried goodness.

Here you go: fresh deep-fried artichoke hearts with lemon-dill dipping sauce. I. KNOW. They were just as good as they looked.

This post is dedicated to Carol, who I am sure would agree with me that everything tastes better when deep-fried. Even artichokes.

Everything About This Photo Is Just Wrong

EW.

I am SO OFFENDED by this. The breakfast side order that is hash browns is one of the best things EVER. Prepared properly, it is a dish of wonderfully crunchy, starchy perfection (and with a dash of salt and pepper, of course - sigh), so to see it prepackaged like this makes my stomach turn. Is it that hard to shred potatoes? Does one really have to resort to buying whatever this is and adding WATER to make something that dares to call itself hash browns? Can you imagine what this must taste like? Why bother?! My heart, it aches.

Or maybe that is just the oil from the browns talking.

Blood Oranges!

Yay!

My co-worker gave me a bag of blood oranges! He has a tree and I am one of the lucky ones who benefits. Whatever shall I make? Sorbet? A reduction? I DON'T KNOW. I'm just glad I won't get the scurvy now. Thanks, Co-Worker!

The Counter Revisited

I've written about how much I love The Counter. I went recently and just had to share my photos:

Sweet potato fries rule the world.

Check out my burger, y'all. Yes, it was as good as it looks. Swoon, drool.

I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT

To everyone who is within driving distance of a Beard Papa's, I insist you stop what you are doing RIGHT NOW and get over there and buy yourself one of these beauties:

BEHOLD! I present to you the Cookie Crunch Puff. That's right, I said COOKIE CRUNCH PUFF, as in they sprinkled COOKIE DOUGH on top of the original cream puff before baking. (I KNOW!)

Can't you just taste the creamy filling goodness and crunchy yet delicate exterior from here?

Yeah, I pretty much ate that in under three minutes.

Many thanks to the lovely Jenna for enlightening me about the latest Beard Papa's development.

Roasted Green Beans

(Photo taken by me on 1/28/08.)

This is my favorite way to prepare green beans. I'd share the recipe with you but I got it from Cook's Illustrated so it is not mine to share. It's really very easy to make; I'm sure you can figure it out.

Indulgence

For those still waiting for vacation posts (LISA - hee) I am in the process of writing them, so in the meantime I wanted to share this photo I took at the end of last week's wine and cheese event at the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills.  It was a great night with great friends!

YUM.  Every night should end like this.

A Year Without Starbucks: A Mission Impossible?

I was going through my January receipts the other day when I realized that I did not make any Starbucks runs that month.  Mind you, I'm not a coffee drinker - I don't even have a coffee maker but I do have a French press which I use for tea - so I don't really crave much less miss the stuff, but I do like the occasional chai or tall decaf sugar-free vanilla latte with soy milk.  (God, that looks obnoxious all typed out like that.  Yeesh.)  I haven't even made any Coffee Bean runs, and Lord knows I love me their English Breakfast Tea lattes, which do come in decaf if you are so inclined, AND I AM. 

Anyway.  I've decided to keep up my previously unintentional boycott of Starbucks (and to that extent, Coffee Bean) because my visits, however sporadic they may be, do add up, and that's money I'd rather put towards other things if I'm going to be serious about reducing my debt this year.  I know - it doesn't sound like much of a sacrifice because I don't go regularly to begin with - but every little bit counts, and something tells me the franchises won't miss my business judging from how crowded the local shops always seem to be.

We'll see how long this lasts.  There may come a time when I am driving home and am sleepy and need some type of fully leaded drink to keep me awake.  Or - and this is most likely - the holidays will roll around and Starbucks and/or Coffee Bean will lure me in with their siren songs dressed as eggnog lattes.  They always get me with the eggnog lattes.  Damn them.  That said, I think I can make it for a good long while, but I'll keep the Starbucks gift card I received as a Christmas gift in my wallet, you know, just in case.

One Reason Why You Should Like Me If You Don't Already

I put truffle salt on my macaroni and cheese.