Chinatown

We went to Chinatown today. We took the gold line train, took photos and ate dim sum. Fun!

I just ordered Santa Maria pinquito beans from Rancho Gordo!

Now I need to find a great recipe

Random things

I guess I just like lists. Lists of things I am doing, have done, want to do. This weekend, I did some homey, good-livin' type stuff. And there's still half a day to do more. I:
• took a pilates class
• got inspired to load up my itunes and listen to some bruce springsteen
• went out two... nights ... in ... a ... row!
• drank lots of red wine
• made crockpot chili (new recipe)

• went for a river hike with friends/neighbors/and dog-friends
• cleaned out the freezer
• made a new recipe for pasta salad
• made home-made chai tea
• drafted up the finishing touches of our seemingly never-ending front yard landscaping project, made a specific list of what is left to buy or plant. there is light at the end of the tunnel
• finally watched my netflix movie that has been sitting around for over a month
• signed up for a photography class that involves a train ride, chinatown and dim sum
• talked myself out of buying the ipad2... AGAIN... Still thinking on it 

Edamame and Cauliflower Pasta Salad

I made this pasta salad yesterday afternoon (thanks Mona for the recommendation from the Kitchn blog), then got invited to an impromptu barbecue. Just  before I threw in the feta, I remembered that some vegan friends would be there. Up to that point, it was vegan. So I put the finishing touch of cheese in a baggie on the side, and showed up able to please we omnivores and the vegans.
I'm trying to work on my food styling. What do you think?

Stool!

I got the stool I've been coveting. Gumbo-making will be a breeze!

Lebanese Joint

Last weekend I got to eat at my favorite Lebanese joint in San Diego, located behind my favorite bar. Ah, I miss that combo...

Mama's

Cotixan for dinner, Cotixan for breakfast

More juice... it had been awhile

I just love the old-timey look I can achieve with Hipstamatic on the iphone! It just.... makes me want to eat more fruits/vegetables and snap more pictures!

A lamb lamb

Last night's dinner was refreshingly good! I've never been a huge fan of lamb, but my husband made a delicious marinade for it and grilled it on our new BBQ. It was lovely! I just love Mediterranean flavors - I happened to be making a lentil/spelt/vinaigrette salad type thing last night, and it went perfectly! We also had broccoli and cauliflower on the grill with merely a little olive oil drizzled on top. So delicious. I think one of the best inventions in the world is a BBQ grill basket.

less is more

It's a busy, busy summer. I have been eating, cooking, traveling, reading food blogs and cookbooks, and sampling friend's specialties at backyard barbecues. But, I haven't been so thorough on blogging about it. So, I am taking the pressure off of myself to craft a post with wonderful photos, thought provoking, descriptive entries full of discoveries, research, successes and failures. Instead, I'm saying it's A-OK to blurt out a little something, one line perhaps and throw in a so-so picture if that's all I have, or not. Always keeping the focus on good food and its pursuit, just not stressing out about the documentation. Less is more. Right?
Now that I got that off of my chest, here's a long blurb about the gumbo I made last weekend...

Though the photos don't show the final product, they show the preparation, and frankly, the roux is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING! And most time-consuming. The last photo shows the clock at nearly 85 minutes. I learned that my clock stops at 99 minutes. In the end, I stirred this roux for approximately two hours. And it still wasn't chocolate brown! I was tired, hot and ready to be done with it and go on to phase 2: the rest of the gumbo cookin'! The final result was pretty good, not great. I brought it to a southern friend's bbq, and I heard someone comment that it tasted like gravy. I think that was a good thing (?) Everyone seemed to really like it, and it was tasty the next day too. I just know I've made better, and I know that it starts with the roux.
Last time I made it so successfully, I definitely achieved that dark brown color, and it was thin, liquid-y. This time, I gave up too soon because I couldn't stand it - and the result was much thicker, and not as tasty. Two things to try next time: 1) slightly higher heat, especially if I have a fan on in the kitchen. And 2) BUY a proper stool- geez! I sat for two hours on two phonebooks on a kitchen chair (low rent). I love gumbo, thus I need the proper tool to make it- a stool. Will post pictures when I find the perfect one!