Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Farm Fresh To You

CSA

Do you know what it is? It stands for Community Supported Agriculture where you get your food directly from the farmer's that grow it!

I signed up for Farm Fresh To You CSA program here in Southern Los Angeles.  The website is pretty cool and the program itself is very customizable to my needs.

I can have food delivered weekly, bi monthly or delivered every 3 or 4 weeks.  They also offer different portions to satisfy the needs of your hunger or the size of your family!

And if you do not like a certain food or are allergic, you can EXCLUDE it and they will just give you more of something else in the absence of those items you excluded.

My first box came last Wed! It was very exiting because they deliver it during the night (so the sun doesn't wilt anything while you're at work). Who doesn't love getting presents in the middle of the night? Its like Christmas every 2 weeks!

First CSA Box!

CSA unveiling

4/24 - CSA Box #1

7 Fuji Apples
1 Lemon
2 Haas avocado
1 bundle of strawberries
1/2 lb asparagus
1/2 lb of summer squash
1 lb baby bok choy
2 spring onions
1 red butter lettuce
1 green leaf lettuce
1 bunch of basil


The price of this service for this box is $31.50.

When the husband asked "is it worth the money?" I had to pause. I normally do this sort of shopping at my local farmer's markets.

So the jury is still out in terms of apples to apple (no pun intended), but there is a convenience factor that can not be over looked.

I'll continue to see if this is something I'd like to continue with. Perhaps playing around with the amount of food and the delivery schedule.

**on a fun note, before this box came, I had never cooked with either Bok Choy OR spring onions.  Having them appear on my doorstep (as it were) gave my life a very "Chopped" feel of opening up a box and experimenting with different foods.

I had ending up GRILLING my halved Bok Choy that were drizzled with sesame oil and garlic powder and roasting the halved spring onions with olive oil and thyme and finishing them off with some balsamic vinegar.  Fun experience!

Grapefruit Vinaigrette

With all that grapefruit juicy/pulp on hand, I wanted to try to use it a little bit creatively... and utilize Tazz some more so I thought... Grapefruit Vinaigrette!

Naturally, I just Googled it and searched for a recipe that listed things I already had in my place.  And here we go!

1 grapefruit
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

*I put them in Tazz and zipped it all together. I didn't follow the amounts of these ingredients because right off the bat, I had blended 4 grapefruits and wasn't exactly sure how much 1 grapefruit (juice only) would have yielded.  So I just eyeballed everything.  LOVED the Dijon part.

This turned out to be a really NICE dressing.  You can taste the grapefruit but it wasn't overpowering. You can get the hint of Dijon... I might have went a tiny bit overboard on the honey. 

grspe
 
**I have no idea why the text above is all wacky... just saying

Huge Balls of Citrus

My love of grapefruits come and go like the Santa Anna winds in Southern California. If the mood is right, I love them, if not, they will sit in my banana hammock until they rot. 
I have 2 grapefruit spoons and lots of memories eating them in the summer (growing up), picking out the big and small seeds like someone with OCD and then sprinkling the tops with a very nice heaping of white refined sugar.  After eating all the segments, I would squeeze out the juice, wringing every last bit of liquid out, and of course leaving my hands a sticky mess, followed by drinking the now very sweet remaining juice.
That was then, this is now.  And without the enticing taste of sweeeeeet grapefruit... ehhh. 
 
Right now, they were RIPE TO ROT. I stared at them for a long time with disgust.  Not to mention the guilt that goes along with the "I shouldn't waste food" and the "people in Africa are starving" and of course "but grapefruit is so good for you!"
 
I decided to play/experiment with Tazz and these 4 huge grapefruit that were bombarding my adorable banana hammock.  So I peeled them (spraying grapefruit essence all over my coffee table) and just dropped all 4 into the Vitamix container.
 
Within 20 seconds or so, I was left with a thick "grapefruit juice".  Which I then poured into... I know, I know, one of my Weck Juice jars.


grapefruit...everything but the peel 
 
  1. I was thrilled with this vibrant pink color that shines through the glass.
  2. I was thrilled that I got all the juice AND fiber that went along with it.
  3. I was thrilled that I have an easy way to incorporate "healthy" grapefruit into my meals.
In this case, I've been pouring the pulpy liquid into my morning smoothies when they need a little bit more liquid to take them from a soon to be sorbet to an actual thick smoothie.
 
I could also put them into ice cube trays to add a frozen element to sorbets or to replace plain old ice.  They might make a refreshing spin on regular water if they have grapefruity ice cubes in them!
 
... Grapefruits may no longer be looked at with a harsh scowl if they show up in my banana hammock in the future. 


Welcome Home, Tazz.

Well, after wanting one for 11 years, and deciding I no longer wanted to wait to buy myself one as a home warming gift (for a new house or townhouse), I purchased my Vitamix. A 7500 to be exact... in Black.

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Here she is buckled up from the UPS pick up station.

I named her TAZZ!

First Run Through

Here we are making our first morning smoothie with her.  Bananas and oranges! YUM.

Brian enjoys!

'Daddy' was happy with her results as well!

Tazz, like her sisters and cousins, does NOT come cheap.  Vitamix is a machine of its own kind. Don't bother comparing it to a food processor or a blender.  They carry a 2.2 horse power engine, can blend ice cubes into hot boiling sound in 10 minutes or less, and can puree an apple just from dropping the whole thing into the base.

She has a 5-7 year warranty and is made in the good old USA.  BPA free as well.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Spring Releases!

The magical mind of David Sedaris will be releasing a new book of short stories, sure to split seams from laughing to hard!

From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new book of essays taking his readers on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences. Whether railing against the habits of litterers in the English countryside or marveling over a disembodied human arm in a taxidermist's shop, Sedaris takes us on side-splitting adventures that are not to be forgotten. (Available April 23rd)


To enjoy the experience to the 10th degree, get your hands on the Book on CD where David reads his works.  Pretty amazing stuff.  To get a tidbit, listen to his 
"6-8 Black Men" below.


you're welcome.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
If you're into Chick Lit (like I am) then you'll enjoy anything by Sophie Kinsella, best known for her series "Confessions of a Shopaholic".  Her new release Wedding Night (available April 26th) is sure to bring a smile to my face.

  
Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose during lunch at one of London’s fanciest restaurants. But when his big question involves a trip abroad, not a trip down the aisle, she’s completely crushed. So when Ben, an old flame, calls her out of the blue and reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. No formal dates—just a quick march to the altar and a honeymoon on Ikonos, the sun-drenched Greek island where they first met years ago.

Their family and friends are horrified. Fliss, Lottie’s older sister, knows that Lottie can be impulsive—but surely this is her worst decision yet. And Ben’s colleague Lorcan fears that this hasty marriage will ruin his friend’s career. To keep Lottie and Ben from making a terrible mistake, Fliss concocts an elaborate scheme to sabotage their wedding night. As she and Lorcan jet off to Ikonos in pursuit, Lottie and Ben are in for a honeymoon to remember, for better . . . or worse.

This book too is available on audio formats! 
Great for commutes or long drives! 

Monday, April 8, 2013

wall of glass

wall of glass by Petunia21
wall of glass, a photo by Petunia21 on Flickr.

Oh Goodness... Display case at Cost Plus world Market... this is not "good" for me.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Vases

Untitled by Petunia21
Untitled, a photo by Petunia21 on Flickr.

Ahhh yes. This can be found at my acupuncturist's amazing office...

He gets its... just saying

Friday, April 5, 2013

Thermoseseseseseses

Because you asked to see a picture of them together... okay, you didn't ask.
 
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A couple that Thermoses together, stays together!
 
...Just saying

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Summer is coming... are you ready?


Need I say more?  Just saying.

The Most Awesome Thermos!

 
I got the husband this cool small thermos container (that comes with its own spoon) when he was taking oatmeal in the morning to work (cause it really works very well just adding boiling water to dry oatmeal along with your fun additions, and letting it sit for about 15 minutes all sealed up)
 
I began to get jealous and would "borrow" it when he was not using his!  Well, I finally found a PETUNIA version! It arrived yesterday and I am so thrilled!

thermos

Its color is called "Cranberry" where as the husband's was "midnight blue"


thermos 2

Its got a great fold up spoon so you never have to be without a utensil
thermos 3

 
 You can eat out of the tin, or you can pour the contents into the small lid/cup (better for soups and such)

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My oatmeal this morning!!!! Thrilled with it!


And if you use this properly, and hot temper or cold temper, hot will stay hot for 7 hours and cold will stay cold for 9 hours!!!! 

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

You Know How I Love My Mason Jars!

 
Brought to you by mail hourly Michaels newsletter!

Pretty Colors

 
It should be unconstitutional for William Sonoma to email photos of these first thing in the morning... Just Say!