Fall Nibbling

On Saturday afternoons, once yoga class is done, I like to put together a little snack instead of a big sandwich or other composed lunch. Lately, I've been loving crisp apple slices paired with a mellow cheese. Last week, I found that pink lady apples go perfectly with Cowgirl Creamery's newest addition to their cheese lineup, Wagon Wheel. The last of the season's cherry tomatoes were sweet like candy, which helped out the figs, which were still not super ripe. Threw in the leftover piece of salmon from the night before, and a delicious fall snack was born! What's your favorite way to snack?

Tomato Fever!

The heat wave that rolled through San Francisco is rapidly ripening our tiny tomatoes, and in my opinion, they just can't ripen fast enough. I've got tomato fever!
My fave way to eat summer's juicy red tomatoes recently is simply, on a piece of gluten free toast, with an herbed goat cheese spread, basil, cracked black pepper, and sea salt.

Rose for the Weekend

Nothing beats a palest of pinks rose on a weekend afternoon. Whether it's a hot summer day or a foggy sweatshirt SF Saturday, rose is sure to make the weekend even sweeter. This is a French rose from a few weeks ago at the ferry plaza farmer's market. What are you sipping this weekend?

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! I just came back from an epic bike ride that ended at Bi Rite (the most fantabulous grocery store ever in SF) for some fresh fruit and veggies for the week. Those sunflowers just hopped into my basket. It couldn't be avoided.

Hope you had a wonderful long weekend and unofficial kick off to summer!

Keep It Stable

On a sunny Saturday morning, tucked away on a quiet garden patio on an equally quiet side street, over a soy latte, a mimosa, and a plate of baked tomato and brie topped with farm fresh scrambled eggs, I tipped my head back towards the sky, soaking up the giddy feeling that only sunshine and love can evoke. And new (to me) cafes.

For a simple but perfectly executed breakfast with the freshest ingredients, you have to try Stable Cafe. They have a small kitchen, two guys for the front of the house (one for cash register and mixing mimosas and one for the coffee machine), a gorgeous rustic interior and a sunny side patio complete with cacti and birds of paradise. The eggs are fresh from their farm in Petaluma and are quite frankly, the most swear inducing delicious eggs I've ever tasted. They're very gluten-free friendly, with more than 3-4 items on their menu skipping on toast altogether. I've tried the Stable Eggs, which was two perfectly non-greasy, but fried eggs with roasted asparagus on the side, a few slices of peppery salami, and a pile of organic fruit in the center. I've lately been partial to this little delicious number, the Piaf:

Delicate scrambled eggs with just a hint of cracked black pepper float above a few slices of melted brie and an abundance of baked tomato. Perfection.

Tres Francais

You know, the French really do have it figured out. There's the wine, and the cheese, and the terribly fashionable and svelte women, and the bike riding, and the art, and well, Paris. So, they happen to be catching some bad press at this precise moment, but I think most of us would agree that one man's actions can't very well speak for the whole country, no matter how shocking or philandering they might be. (See U.S. History, chapters 1992-2009 for recent references).

A few weeks ago, I was soaking up the French vibe, wearing my striped shirt, sipping a chilly glass of rose, and slicing radishes to eat on gluten free toast with the tiniest bit of butter and a sprinkling of salt when I was overcome with my absolute love for the peppery, delicate, perfectly reddish pink vegetable. I haven't been able to shake the feeling and have since bought radishes every single week.

Every day, run of the mill radishes, these are not. Oh, no! These are Easter Egg radishes in various shades and sizes, rat-tailed radishes, which sound disgusting, but are just stretched out versions of the typical red variety, daikon radishes with an extremely pungent scent and mouth watering spiciness, and any other type of heirloom radish I happen to find staring longingly at my grocery basket. I've eaten them in the tres francais manner mentioned above, sliced thinly as a taco topping, sliced thinly adorning turkey burgers, as perfectly round discs sitting on top of a classic salad, and especially paired with a stinky cheese and farm fresh eggs in a fluffy omelette. How do you like your radishes?

Did I Say Tomorrow?

When I said I had something delicious for you tomorrow, I really meant that I have something delicious for you today.

Juleps, my darlings! In case you didn't get your fill of this deliciously minty, perfectly refreshing, and ahem, just a bit, well, shall we say, strong - cocktail last week while cheering on ponies and wearing a ridiculously fabulous and oversized hat, I'm sharing them with you this week.

Every single recipe, including the one that my friend Deweesee over at 75th and Sedgwick shared with me, includes a few simple ingredients.

• Crushed ice
• Mint
• Water
• Sugar
• Bourbon

After much deliberation and a few "bourbon floats," we decided to use a martini shaker to really mix these guys up. If you're a traditionalist, you likely don't want to read on, because we also provided a variety of sweeteners, including sugar, simple syrup, and agave nectar.

My favorite rendition on the drink went like this:

5 sprigs of mint into martini shaker with 1 tablespoon agave and 1 tablespoon water. Muddle. Add crushed ice and an ounce and a half of bourbon. Add a splash more water. Shake like crazy. Pour, taste, and add more sweetener or water or bourbon if needed. And dear, whatever you do, make sure your julep station has mats that can be wiped down because things will inevitably get very, very sticky.