Four Days of Thanks

I am convinced that four-day weekends should happen at least three more times in the year. It is the perfect amount of time to have a few adventures and get some much-needed rest.

This year James and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our place. We wrestled with the idea of roasting another pig but, in the end, bought a heritage turkey from a friend of a friend's farm. I debated about buying a heritage turkey because they are pricey. The organic turkey in the store was $3.49/pound and the heritage turkey, $6 per pound. I didn't want to base my decision on price tag alone so I did some research. In the end I chose the heritage. Why a heritage turkey? Long story short- they are the happiest birds while they are alive and the only truly quality turkey for eating. Here is a good article that gives some good info on the benefits of heritage turkeys, Real Turkeys Make a Comeback. I also came across an incredible video from one of my favorite bloggers, The Perennial Plate, that really celebrated the process of getting a turkey from farm to table. You can watch the episode by clicking this link, Giving Thanks (to turkeys).

James did all the turkey work this year. He had a little shadow that was very interested in the process too.

The bird was so fresh and even had a few feathers left in it James pulled out before plunging it in to brine for 24 hours.

My sister, Summer, and I took on some other key items for the meal: Celery Root Stuffing, Mashed Sunchokes (and potatoes), our mother's Marinated Mushrooms, and Pumpkin Pie with a gluten-free crust. Our friends that joined us for the meal filled in the gaps with Green Bean Casserole, Shepard's Pie, and Cranberry Sauce.

Here are some pics of the flowers for the table that Summer and I picked from the farm where I have my apprenticeship. They smelled AMAZING!

After a DELICIOUS dinner, we digested while watching Elf and I vowed to spend the rest of the weekend working off the 5 desserts I ate :-)

More to come on how I did it...

Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers

I took my first trip into the heart of the Napa Valley last weekend. We went up to St. Helena to see Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers at the Long Meadow Ranch winery. They totally rocked.

I LOVE summertime!!

First Pepper of the Summer

It might be small but it packed a punch. My first attempt at growing peppers!! Fingers crossed I get more...

Urban Adamah

Last week James and I went to a screening of the film Food Stamped at Urban Adamah Farm in Berkeley.

The farm is located on an empty lot off of San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, CA. It was created as a place for Jewish youth to learn and reconnect with their Jewish roots of agriculture. The food grown on the farm will feed the surrounding community of Berkeley through the adjacent church and other food pantries in the area.

The group has access to the empty lot for the next two years so they designed the farm to be transportable. All the raised beds were built on pallets and the beds of dirt were laid on a thick layer of wood chips so they could be easily removed as well. Clever.

All the plants growing at the farm started from seed in the greenhouses. There is a huge variety of edibles growing as well as propagation of fruit trees for the surrounding community to plant.

The evening was a lot of fun, beginning with the farm tour, and ending with wood-fired pizza and Food Stamped, a great story of a couple in Berkeley that try to eat healthy for one week on food stamps. Pretty eye opening if you do not know much about the food assistance programs in our country. I would definitely recommend it.

And check out Urban Adamah. Totally unique model and really interesting group of folks.

I declare this Pie Day!

A peach-blueberry pie in honor of pie day. This gluten-free crust was amazing!! I baked this pie as part of Gluten-Free Girl's celebration of pie over the past few days. The recipe for the crust came from her cookbook and was DELICIOUS! Here's to pie day...

Feeling the love

An awesome thing happened to me the other day that came out of a really crappy thing and I just have to share it. A few weeks back my house was burglarized and my camera was stolen. The camera I had received a year ago as a gift from James and a bunch of my friends for my birthday. I had been talking about getting the camera, the Canon G11, for awhile. My digital SLR is soooo outdated and I really wanted a camera I could carry easily that would allow me to shoot manually and without delay. It was the gift of that camera that first inspired my 365 days of pictures challenge and the camera I use to photograph for this blog.

My plan was to replace the camera through financing, but then amazing things happened. James and I celebrated our 3-year anniversary last week and he gifted me half of my new camera. WHAT?!?! The following day my supervisor at work handed me an envelope with cash inside. My co-workers had pitched in and gifted me the extra money I needed to replace my camera. AMAZING!!

I was able to replace the camera I had lost and know, more than ever, that I am surrounded by the most generous and caring people. What more could you ask for? THANK YOU!!

Time to go shoot...

Sweet Cherry Jam

We have been swimming in cherries.

Cherry season is James' fave and he is averaging a full grocery bag of cherries every weekend from the market. After od'ing on fresh cherries we went out and bought a cherry pitter so we could make jam.

Cherry Pitter = Clutch kitchen utensil for baking/jamming with cherries.

It is totally possible to cut out the pits with a knife if you don't want to spend the extra cash, but for $12 we will be able to make lots of jam in a short period of time this year.

After my usual search on tastespotting.com came up short for good recipes for sweet cherry jam, I decided to follow the recipe from the pectin box. I like to use Pomona's Universal Pectin. It allows for less sugar than most pectins and works well. I chose the Pomona's recipe because it called for cherries, lemon juice, and sugar. Keepin' it simple.

I had a little bit of cherries left over after measuring the amount I needed for the Pomona's recipe, so I made one batch of cherry jam with no pectin. It turned out really well. I just simmered the cherries longer than usual until the cherries broke down. I then added the sugar and lemon juice and simmered until the jam thickened. A good test to see if your jam has thickened is to spread some on a clean spoon and let it cool.

Celery Root

You may not know about celery root. You should. It is an awesome vegetable rarely used by your average cook and it that can be used in endless ways. You can mash it, puree it into soup, roast it, eat it raw in salad, and so on.

The inspiratin for this salad came from the DeYoung Museum cafe. I recently visited the DeYoung Museum with James and his family. I ate a salad very similar to this at the cafe and thought it was the perfect combination of everything I like; crunchy, sweet, salty, light, and veggie-tastic.

The ingredients in my version included:
Celery Root, chopped into matchstick-size pieces
Fennel, halved and thinly sliced
Baby Arugula
Dates, chopped
Pear, halved and thinly sliced
Lemon vinaigrette (lemon, olive oil, champagne vinegar, agave)
Parmesan cheese

The cafe served this salad with a goat cheese crostini which was the perfect pairing for the salad. I substituted parmesan because of my lack of supplies.

Farm Apprenticeship

I am one step closer to my dream of being a farmer. Yep, a farmer. As of March 19th, I am officially a member of the 2011 Ecological Horticulture Apprenticeship class at Alemany Farm in San Francisco. The farm is located right off Interstate 280 on the south side of SF. Formally the vision of S.L.U.G., it is now run by an all volunteer staff and produces a bounty of food inside the city limits of SF.

This image shows the interstate on-ramp to the highway at the top and the farm's main beds of mostly cover crops. The cover crops are planted to feed the soil and protect the ground from erosion during the rainy, winter months.

The apprenticeship program lasts for 11 months covering the full growing cycle of the farm. I attend class once a month and then am free to help out at the farm every weekend in between.

 The hillside of the farm covered with fruit trees.

Ever since I can remember, I have known I would end up on a farm. When I was younger it was my dream of owning land so I could have hundreds of wild horses running through my backyard. As I am getting older my dream is changing. I enjoy city life but I still long to spend my days with my hands in the dirt. So the first step is to learn how.

A winter day's harvest.

Photo Therapy

So a photo every day for 365 days was a little ambitious. I promise to post every week. I am still shooting more which was my ultimate goal in the first place. Here are my latest...

Sunny mornings on the way to work.

Taqueria Love

Every once in awhile my roommate gets up early on a Saturday or Sunday and rides his bike south to the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. His destination, Taqueria San Jose. His mission, Menudo.

Menudo is a traditional Mexican soup made with tripe and Taqueria San Jose serves it only on the weekends. I haven't had it myself but he swears it is the best in town.

I happened to find myself in the Fruitvale neighborhood today around lunchtime so James and I headed into the taqueria for some al Pastor tacos.

Delicious!! Best thing about Taqueria San Jose, all you can eat chips and salsa.

Photo Therapy

All aboard...

Photo Therapy Returns

When I made the decision to take a photograph everyday to post on my blog I didn't realize how hard it would be, especially when it won't stop raining. It is a struggle to create each day but I wanted the challenge. I wanted to push myself past my comfort zone. So, after a two week hiatus, I am back with more photos to share. Here goes nothin...

Since Monday was a holiday and the sun was shining, James and I and a few friends went for a 'hike' in San Francisco up to Twin Peaks. We walked through neighborhoods I had never been to and discovered the Rooftop Alternative School. This place looked amazing with gardens everywhere you looked and art all over. I have to learn more about what is happening at this school.

 

After our hike, James and I went to see the photographs on exhibit at Pier 24. This was a really special experience for me because a number of the photographers that I truly admire had photographs in the collections. Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston, Diane Arbus, to name a few. The show is comprised of Randi and Bob Fisher's private collection and is free to the public with an appointment. I loved seeing these pieces of art at this gallery. The gallery was not crowded because your time slot is limited to 20 people and I could take pictures of the photographs! I will not be posting any of the photographs because I am not sure if I even legally can but to have some of the most famous images from these photographers is truly exciting. I snapped the above photo after leaving the gallery from the pier. A self-portrait for my collection :-) And another from a sunny day in Berkeley.

These boots are made for walking...

Ground Beef

I am an estate sale junkie and a few months ago I picked up a vintage meat grinder for $8. Man, am I glad I did because we just made one of the most delicious burgers I have ever had.

Grinding meat is one of the easiest things I have ever done. I think it took all of 10 minutes and then we tossed in s&p and some minced garlic, made some patties, and then threw them on the griddle, and wallah!!

SO GOOD...

Photo Therapy

This is really teaching me to see my neighborhood from a different perspective every day.

Friday...

Beef take 2

Last night we prepared two beef dishes. One will be ready in 5 days. More about that dish to come.

 

The second was beef chili. The recipe came from 'The New James Beard' cookbook. I came across this gem while digging around my local thrift store. Cookbooks are an awesome thing to look for at thrift stores. 

The recipe originally calls for pork and beef but we opted to omit the pork. In the book the chili is described as akin to the Mexican Mole. I conquer. It was different than your average beef chili and oh so good! Without further ado, here is James Beard's Beef and Pork Chili, sans Pork and tweaked a little.

The Goods:

3 pounds beef chuck cut into 1 inch cubes

Flour

2 large onions, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 coves garlic, finely chopped

1 to 2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup tomato puree (preferably homemade)

1.5 cups beer (can also use 1 cup dry white wine)

2 cups beef or chicken broth

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/2 ounce cocoa powder (around 3 tablespoons)

Dredge the meat lightly in flour. Saute onion in butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until golden in large dutch oven. Lower heat and add the chopped garlic. Cook 3 or 4 minutes. Remove the onion and garlic mixture and set aside. Quickly sear the beef cubes in dutch oven. When browned, remove from pan. Add the onion and garlic mixture back to the pot along with the beef, salt, chili powder, oregano, cumin, tomato puree, beer, and broth. Cover and put in a 250 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and test the meat. If it is not tender, cook for another 20 minutes, or until quite tender, then add the sesame seeds and cocoa powder. Stir in well and cook for another 30 minutes. (The chocolate acts as a liaison that pulls the flavors together, and is a slight thickener.) Taste before serving and correct the salt and chili powder content. Garnish with cilantro or green onions and a dollop of sour cream. (I use plain yogurt)

Isn't this plate awesome? I got these for James' birthday. Had to show off the beef...

Photo Therapy

Day 4 and 5...

Something about this ad was so 50's.

BEEF!!

Perks of dating a farmer's market manager; loads of cheap/free, delicious food.

James came into 60 pounds of organic beef this last weekend in the form of four primal cuts. Equipped with the internet, a borrowed cleaver, and a rubber mallet, he butchered all four primal cuts and we are now swimming in delicious, high-quality beef.

Next task; figure out what the heck to make with all this beef. Since Sunday was the Super Bowl we cooked up a 15-pound brisket. After all, football and meat are one in the same, right? It was a hit and there was even some meat-mouth toss action.

Plans for beef this week; beef broth, braised short ribs and probably a stew or chili. More to come from our meaty adventure...

A photo a day therapy

My mother used to ask me, when I would call her all stressed from life, 'have you done anything creative lately'? Her prescription for a balanced life is to spend at least two hours per week doing something creative. She is a very wise women.

So, here goes nothin. I am vowing to take a photo everyday for the next 365 days and post them for your viewing pleasure. Hopefully my collection will give a snapshot into the things I come across day to day.

Day 1, 2, and 3...

Unique IKEA rugs. Who knew?

When i think of rugs from IKEA visions of robots and black and white squiggly lines rush through my head. But recently IKEA is selling a line of rugs that is really unique and different from their typical geometric ways. I came across these rugs on my endless hunt for the perfect rug for my living room. I have the misfortune of living in a house where I cannot change the color of paint on the walls and they are not white. I never thought I would say this but 'I wish they were white'! The walls in my living room remind me of seafoam green and I have been having the hardest time finding a rug I LIKE that would work with seafoam green walls. I think I found it.

ALVINE RUTA from IKEA

I love this rug because it reminds me of Moroccon Berber rugs but without having as much white space (good for dog owners). They have another style of these handmade rugs, which I like but isn't right for my space.

ALVINE RAND from IKEA

January House Tour

As a way to keep up on my photography skills I contribute to a really cool blog, Apartment Therapy, by doing house tours in the Bay Area. The house tour gig is an awesome way to get an inside look at the amazing homes people in the Bay have designed for themselves. Who knew there were so man talented closet interior designers out there?

My latest tour is from the SOMA neighborhood in San Francisco. Praveen is a software engineer with a playful side who loves color. Check out his pad on Apartment Therapy.

New Name

I need a new name for my blog. The current name is too long and doesn't really describe what my blog is about. I am looking for something short and catchy that gives a sense of my interests in photography, food, anything and everything vintage, and respect for the ground I walk on.

I wish I could get away with just my first name but everyone would think I was blogging about yoga if it was called 'Lilias'.

Any ideas?

Happy Girl Kitchen Cafe

If you have been to farmer's markets in the Bay Area you have probably stumbled upon Happy Girl Kitchen's delicious pickles. They now have a brick and mortar in Pacific Grove, CA where you can buy their pickles, apple cider, and other canned goodies any day of the week. My boyfriend James is friends with the manager of the cafe and we stopped by on a recent trip to Monterey to check out the new digs.

Happy Girl Kitchen does all of their canning and pickling in this new cafe kitchen by hand. Yep, by hand. That means they hand chop everything and even use the same boiling water bath method I use in my home when I am canning.

With a lack of really great food in the Monterey/Pacific Grove area, Happy Girl Kitchen cafe brings a welcome change. They also bring workshops where they teach everything they know including cheese making!

I had to show these display shelves. This is such a clever idea with the ladder.

 And these mugs, so cute.

Gotta Love Holiday Dog Accessories

I am not one to dress up my dog on a regular basis but I could not resist putting Ryley in the jingle bell collar he received from Santa.

My brother's dog Copper had a matching collar. I couldn't believe these dogs didn't rip the collar off the moment they started walking around and jingling. I guess they love the sound of jingle bells as much as we do. (Copper doesn't usually look this crazy. I caught him at a weird moment)

And then there is Betty. This is the best dog hat ever!!