Lately

Lately, it's been difficult to find things to post about because I haven't been cooking much, aside from the same old staples (beans, rice, roasted veggies, oatmeal..) Haven't been to the Farmer's Market much, because of a busy schedule. And -it's about to get real- ESPECIALLY because of this darned heartburn, acid reflux, gerd, ulcer or whatever-it-is that's been making my upper GI ache recently. So my adventurousness in cooking and eating has been, well, temporarily paused.
I recently read an article about a nutritionist who has developed something called The Plan which I will investigate further. The brief article mentioned that several foods we think are good for us, in fact are recommended for health and weight loss by doctors and nutritionists, may not agree with us at all. A common one is oatmeal (which I eat regularly). Apparently it can do more to cause bloating and gum up the system, causing more bad than good. Might I be allergic or sensitive to oatmeal? I don't know. But I'm hopeful I will figure it out. And learn something along the way. 
Seems strange that on the biggest eating holiday of the year -Thanksgiving- I have no pictures or recipes or notes to share. I DID enjoy myself, as I always do on Thanksgiving. I made the same Balsamic Green Bean with Roasted Onions dish I always do, and totally forgot to document it. It was easier this year now that I have a little more cooking knowledge under my belt. I cooked, I ate, I loved hanging out with my family and friends.

And for no particular reason, here's a picture of my favorite guy enjoying a Fall day.

Gumbo Notes

Made gumbo again.. getting pretty good at it. Especially now with my new stool! This time, making the roux was a little different because from the beginning I put the heat up a little higher than my usual conservative-don't-wanna-burn-it, low level. It went from blond, to caramel to dark caramel much faster, though still about 90 minutes of constant stirring. The hardest part is the anxiety of judging exactly when that color has gone to the perfect "milk-chocolate" tone. 

Try

I'm going to try something new every time I go to the farmer's market. Last time I hit up three new ones. Persimmon, peashoot, and some kind of kale.

Burn

This is the pasta dish that forced me to realize - I have a problem. I don't know if it's called heartburn, or GERD, or acid reflux ... or what. I DO know that I've been in denial for years. Apparently eating a delicious bowl of acid-heavy tomatoey, garlicky pasta does not agree with me anymore. I really should have realized the correlation between dishes like this, and the subsequent three days of misery. Anyway- I'm looking for suggestions/recommendations on what to take, what to do/not do, etc. I am determined to not let this keep me down. I mean, when I go to Chicago, I WILL be eating deep dish and sausage. So, I best find the antidote pronto.

NYC!_3

We ate some great food. And enjoyed. So much so that documenting all of it with good photographs really was secondary to the enjoying (evidently...) Here's a little sunthin' anyway.

I went a couple places with my boss, places that he had been and recommended: the Post House, Patsy's, Carmine's. Then on my own time, with friends or my sweetie, we went to other fun bars/restaurants: Les Halles, Manitoba's, Ray's, Walter Foods, Viniero's, Schnipper's, Joe's Shanghai, PDT... So great. Seriously, when does the cleanse start?

NYC!_2

New York State of Mind..... 9 days in New York, you'd think I would have had many great pictures. Apparently not. But here are a few that show the general mood of the city, at least part of the experience that I chose to document.

NYC!_1

Just got back from a work/fun trip to New York City. It was great! Chilly and expensive, fun and tiring and illuminating, inspiring, thought-provoking, and of course too short! Well, actually, I'm glad to be home, so perhaps it was just the right amount of time. Ate a LOT, walked a lot, saw a lot, need to do another cleanse...
Lots of pics, not sure any are great. Here are a few from the High Line. LOVE the high line btw...

I have so much to say and post about recent NYC trip.. But this first!

We came home with a cocktail book from a super secret cocktail bar in the East Village. First cocktail attempt from this book-- a success! It's called "A Little Bit Country"

LACMA

We finally saw the Tim Burton exhibit. It was CROWDED! It was great though. If I had the time, I would have loved to go back at an off hour and really look at all the drawings, doodles, and read more of his movie and story notes. The little bit that I read, it reminded me that even though someone is famous and successful and creates fantastic art, they had to start somewhere. I'm only witnessing the end, the result. They had to start somewhere. With an idea, it develops, perhaps over weeks or even years, through several drafts, with other people... Reading his notes made me realize that everyone starts somewhere, and how important it is just to start.

October

This time of year makes me want to hike and admire the turning of the leaves, make pumpkin-flavored everything, and buy knit-hats and scarves in all shades of autumn colors. Living in SoCal, the changing of the seasons is subtle compared to other places, so I have to take notice and celebrate in my own unique way. Already camped, so next up - COOK!! Here's a start...

Pumpkin Soup