Halloween 2008-

What a lovely night.  No costumes no candy, no silly Halloween Haunted Houses.   About 25 tricker treaters, just perfect.  The best part was the food, the friends and of course the amazing conversation and wine.  For dinner we had the Easy Breezy Carnitas with fresh Blue Corn Tortillas from Berkeley Bowl.  Yummy black beans from the Crate and Barrel Newlywed cookbook (yes, sounds lame, but is really great), fried potatoes with duck fat and stuffed peppers with three cheese and corn.    Then to finish we had very fresh berries (thank you K) and the amazing NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes (thank you Alice Q foodie).   We had great conversation ranging from the debate, to Halloween traditions to the point of Blogs (what was the point anyway?).  Overall it was a great night and another one of those Halloweens to go down in history.    I am just starting to love those Halloweens that don't involve costumes or anything planned.  I like Halloween to be a special night, but not something that involves a lot of thought or insight.    This was one of those perfectly non-thought out nights that will always be remembered.  

Show some support!

With the election right around the corner I see more and more people getting amped up for what might be (cross your fingers, knock on wood and bury a frog leg in the back yard or something like that) one of the most significant and amazing moments in US History.  I can't remember us ordinary citizens showing such creative gusto for past presidential candidates in the past.  Just yesterday I saw two amazing pumpkin carvings.  One of Barack with full details of his tie and suit and another of the Obama symbol of the rising sun.  Pablo felt left-out not being able to voice his opinion and all so I thought I should buy him his own little piece of history to express his viewpoints through.  

Pug O'Lanterns

I don't think I have expressed how much I love Halloween.  I love it so much I don't even dress up or think up any good costumes when I dress up, but I still love it.  When I was a kid my mom (who was a nurse) would bring home parts of the dummies her students would practice CPR on and I would drip red nail polish all over the body part (usually an arm or a leg) and then I would stick it in the dirt in our front yard.  It was awesome.  Part of the tradition was also going out to pick out the perfect pumpkin and then carve the heck out of it.  I was lucky enough to marry someone who loves all of these traditions as much as me (or fakes it really well) and is a great pumpkin carver.  We are a good team.  I come up with the designs and Jesse brings them alive.   Does the pumpkin pug look like Pablo?  I think it is a pretty good liking.    What was your best carved pumpkin creation?  

Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, Gallimimus oh my!

I thought this was so cool that Jesse (over the last 20 years) has changed so little.   When we were at the Natural History Museum in DC he specifically requested I take his picture in the Dinosaur room.  This is a really cool exhibit named the Hall of Dinosaurs.   He didn't remember taking the picture the first time, but something drew him into the room again after so many years.  He also proceeded to wow me naming several obscure dinosaurs when I pointed at them including the Allosaurus.  I guess some things are never forgotten...like the dinosaurs.  

The End of Summer

With Daylight savings upon us I am really feeling the chill of winter.  Not really.  Today it was in the 70's and I played soccer and got a bit of a tan.  Growing up my whole life in California I have come to appreciate the subtleness of our weather.  I appreciate Fall not slapping me in the face and reminding me to pull out the tupperware of warm sweaters from the basement while putting up storm windows.  Jesse and I can't even remember to water so this type of readiness would be lost on us.   What we can do is replant our small little urban garden.    I took out the tomatoes, peppers and zucchini.  I was able to make one last caprese salad with the cherry tomatoes.  Now we have a refurbished garden with fava beans, carrots, arugula, onions, garlic and beets.  They will keep company with the current basil, strawberries and chard.  I will keep you posted on the success of this endeavor.  I have never planted carrot seeds before and I planted 3 different types so there will be carrots a plenty.  

Plump little Pumpkin

Ok, so I know I should wait until next Friday for this post, but the pictures are just too cute to keep to myself.   We just got our pumpkins and it was such a nice night for pictures I couldn't help myself.  Don't you think he could model for Pug Gap or something?   Is it just because I am his Mama I think he is this cute or is Pablo just the cutest pug out there?  Feel free to vote on it. 

Ode to Columbia

I am still on a Washington D.C. kick having just flown in yesterday and still feeling the jet lag.  I think everyone should visit Washington D.C. once in their lifetime to get the vibe of the political scene in this crazy city.  I guess lately, it hasn't been working very well, but that is soon to CHANGE!   Here are a list of fun facts I leaned while I was there:

-The longest speech ever in the US Congress went on for more than 24 hours straight, delivered by Senator Strom Thurmond in 1957 (Definitely a type A personality.)

-Washington DC ranks second to the entire state of CA in the amount of federal employees living there.  

The longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere is found in the Metro Station of the DC suburb Wheaton and is a 500 foot long ride, more than twice the length of an average city block.

-The corridors of the Pentagon are nearly 18 miles long.  With 6.6 million square feet of space, the Pentagon is one of the world's largest buildings, even larger than the Empire State Building

-The first name of DC, Columbia, popularly depicted as a woman, is the same icon which is seen across the world introducing films produced by Columbia Pictures

Monumental Fun!

Jen loves the Jefferson Memorial
Washington at dusk


I miss my Pablo.  President Roosevelt's dog statue just doesn't make me feel as warm and fuzzy.




This is my last night in DC.  It has been quite a different experience.  I feel like this entire city is driven by policy and politics.  Not too much culture except the industry of politics.  Sort of  like the industry of Hollywood, but without all the fake body parts, expensive shoes etc.   Either way it really has some beautiful spots.  Here are some highlights. 

DC: Hollywood for Ugly People?

Now let's not be so harsh.  Sarah Palin was runner up in a beauty contest in Alaska.  Let's think about that.  Probably only 40% of the population is women and out of that many women only a small portion are actually women within the age group that would qualify for the beauty contest.  And out of that many only a handful probably even wish to partake in such a contest.  Also, I guess technically (and thank goodness for this) she really isn't part of Washington yet.  

Tonight I am packing for my trip and pondering what to wear and realized I guess it doesn't really matter since fashion seems very far from the minds of Washington at this time.  I guess that is a good thing since our country is really in a bad place right now.  If the only person I have to compete with is Sarah Palin I should be ok. 

Here are a few of the restaurants we will be stopping at:

Michael Richard Central and Zatinya

Pumpkins and Gorillas of Course

Today was our annual half moon bay trip to pick up pumpkins.  J and I have been doing this for the past 6 years or so.   About 3 years ago we found Arata's Pumpkin Farm.  This place is just plain silly.  It boasts Tractor Hay Rides, Jousting, Trains, Straw mazes, a petting zoo....I could go on and on.  The first time we went there was with our friends J and E who live in San Diego.  We had a blast.  We labored over pumpkins, did the train ride (not really we wouldn't have even fit), pet the animals (again not really, but we admired them) and had an overall great time.  Then last year we did the pumpkin patch with my nephews who are just the cutest and always happiest around trains and corn mazes.  

We did the tradition again this year with the nephews and had an equally great and odd experience.  Great because D and E were so much fun and at one point D was making snow angels in the hay.   Odd because I saw a McCain Palin button which was definitely not welcome at the pumpkin patch.  Mr. D insisted on pulling the wagon and little E insisted on a balancing act on the pumpkins.   Oh yeah, and there is this giant Godzilla made out of rust.  I guess metal, but it is so rusty and it's fur looks like it could impale someone.   Good times!

Head for Guatemala if we don't elect Obama

So this is not just an excuse to post pictures of our most recent and amazing vacation.  This is just a reminder out there that if Obama is not elected there are other options.  Guatemala is relatively safe nowadays, very inexpensive, easy to get around and did I mention incredibly beautiful.  We could buy a very large piece of land on this amazing lake (Lake Atitlan-soon to be one of the 7 wonders of the world) for less than a Toyota Hybrid.  We could start that Bed and Breakfast we always dreamed of.  I would cook for all the American tourist while I overhear them complaining about our failing economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare etc.  Jesse would be landscaping and maintaining the grounds of our quaint abode.  Yah, yah, I know there are problems with all of the above in Guatemala, but it just seems so remote and peaceful right now.   We don't go a day without hearing the new nonsense someone has dug up about Sarah Palin or the new lies regarding Obama.  Yes, it is all entertaining, but it is also exhausting keeping up with it and sometimes (often) I just want to get away.  

Easy breezy carnitas

Yum, pork.  Do you love it as much as me in all forms.  Being 1/2 Jewish I feel bad loving it so much, but there are just so many options with pork.  Prosciutto, pancetta, bacon, braised, fried, anyway you cook it.....still yummy.  I also feel guilty loving it so much when my little pug Pablo reminds me so much of a fat little pig sometimes.   Anyways, Jesse found this recipe in Alice Waters the Art of Cooking that was so easy, inexpensive and just downright tasty for a Tuesday night.  Here is this super simple recipe.  I recommend buying corn tortillas, cotija cheese, salsa and some peppers to saute and serve with it.  

Super Easy Carnitas from Alice Waters The Art of Cooking

1.5 lb pork shoulder (this is very inexpensive and feeds 2-4 people)

2 tsp of lime juice

1/2 tsp of salt

water

Put pork in pot and add water to cover pork

Add lime juice and salt

Simmer over low heat for 35-40 minutes covered

Uncover and cook until liquid is cooked off and meat begins to brown.

Serve over tortillas with sides. 

Here is my little fat pig of a Pug.  Definitely too cute to eat.  

Bloggin about my boo-boo

So this past Sunday I took quite a fall playing on the co-ed soccer team I am a member of.  Actually I am the team captain's wife which makes me extra special.  Although not special enough to avoid being clobbered twice by this meannie Italian guy who clearly didn't appreciate my soccer skills (or lack thereof).  Regardless, it hurt a lot and the first fall was so bad it caused the skin to burst open and little pugs run out.  Not really, but it was quite a laceration.  So bad that many on the team suggested I go to the emergency room to get stitches.  I decided that was a great idea and even better was to have a couple of beers before hand.  So 2 beers later I was in Central American in the Minor Injury Unit of the ER (ok, not C. America, but it felt close to it) This is the state of our healthcare in this country.  They took my vitals and wrote them on a post-it and had me present these to the nurse.  All this for $100 co-pay and countless monthly premiums.  After this I was ushered to a small cot with a drape around it.  Here they put my arm on a puppy pad like object so I could bleed on this and not the cot.  They determined I would be ok, but not before "excavating the wound".  Complicated term for using a water gun like apparatus to clean out the wound.  Then they put "special" tape on the worst part of the cut that is supposed to hold it all together.  Then I got a tetanus shot, lots of pain killers and I was good as new.  Now I have this very painful gash and grass burn on my arm and I was wanting to cover up my hideousness.  I decided to look into tasteful yet stylish bandaids.  These are some of my favorites.  

Express yourself

With the big vote coming soon and everyone getting anxious I thought I would set your mind at ease with some awesome Obama paraphernalia I found on CafePress.  There are some creative Obama fans out there.  It is important to display your support in a stylish manner.  It always helps marketing campaigns if they are fun, hip and full of style.  Look at Apple.  Would they even still be around if it wasn't for the amazing marketing of Steve Jobs and his elves?   

Here are a few of me favorite designs. 

 Send me some of yours. 

Things that Slide

Last night we had a feast.  We had D and M over for dinner. I hadn't gone to the grocery store and I wanted something special, but casual for a Friday night.  I was also trying not to spend too much money...with the economy collapsing and all.  This is difficult to do because I went to Whole Foods.  I almost never go to Whole Foods because Berkeley has such wonderful inexpensive local grocery stores (Monterey Market and Berkeley Bowl).  The reason I went there is because I know they have little buns for burger sliders.  These have recently become gourmet (as opposed to the White Castle type which are not gourmet).  I decided to make these because I thought they would be pretty inexpensive, but I could dress them up a bit with fancy stuff.  So I did two types.  

Ahi Tuna Sliders

1 piece of ahi tuna (if you go to WF they will coat the sides in sesame seeds which looks really cool and cut it into 4 exact pieces)

plain yogurt and mayo 

lime juice/lemon juice

fresh ginger and bottled pickled ginger

Mix the above together (not the tuna) to taste and consistency.  This is the sauce you put on your tuna burger.  Heat a pan with a bit of oil on it until it is really hot.  Sear each side of the tuna for 3 minutes and remove immediately to stop the cooking.  This will leave them just a bit pink in the middle.  Put the tuna, a bit of yog

urt sauce, more pickled ginger and endives on each little roll or burger and serve.

Beef Burger Sliders

1 lb of really good ground beef (WF sells grass fed, organic ground beef from Northern California for $7.50 a pound and it is really good and I usually hate ground beef)

1 egg whipped lightly

1 small block of good blue cheese (I found this smokey blue cheese that was amazing)

1 small shallot chopped finely

smokey seasoning or smokey salt

Mix the above together.  Cut up one onion into thin slices ( I used a Cipollini which ended up being the most expensive thing I bought at WF).  Cook in a good amount of olive oil until browning and very soft.  Once they are almost done add a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the pan to deglaze.  Make 6-8 smaller patties but not too dinky.  Heat an oiled BBQ or grill and cook burgers turning once.  These take a bit longer than the Tuna (8 minutes per side).  They came out just a bit pink in the middle which was perfect. 

Serve with little rolls or small burger buns topped with balsamic onions and endive.

Oh yeah, here is a picture of my new shower curtain as well.  It took me weeks to find something not terribly expensive, not too girly and not plastic.  Shower curtains also slide.  

Paint fumes make you high and that is a bad thing

EcoHome Improvement can prevent that.  This place is wonderful.  Jesse and I go there rather often.  This is another great thing about living in Berkeley.  I have never seen a store remotely like EcoHome.  They are for real in their quest for a green and healthy home.  All of the paints they carry are no VOC.  Yes, Home Depot carries a few no VOC paints, but they don't hold a candle to the vast array of colors you can choose from (you also don't get lemon water, cookies or treats for your dogs from the staff at Home Depot).  Actually, you can choose from any color in the whole world with their paint tinting system.  If you have the desire to match your car to your bedroom EcoHome can make that happen.   They also can do remodels using all natural, sustainable, recycled and all around environmentally friendly products.  Oh yeah, they carry rugs, carpets, light-bulbs, wood stains, painting supplies (including paint trays made out of recycled 7-up bottles) appliance etc.  Lastly, their prices are comparable to Big Box home improvement stores so you don't have to feel guilty being green.  

Soccer and squash

Here are two things you never would have thought go together.  They go together for me because I have more than enough of these 2 things in my life right now.  I have a small little urban garden, but it puts out plenty of life.  Tonight I made a squash pasta from 3 Lebanese squash.  It was so easy and tasty and perfect on a hot summer night (which we get a lot of in October in the Bay Area).   It tastes great with white wine and a little friendly presidential debate.  

Ok, soccer has nothing to do with this, but I have been pla

ying a lot of soccer which is really surprising since I have never played before the last 3 months of my life.   I took a few pictures since I never had these kinds of pictures (me as a kid ice-skating was more like it).  It is definitely a good workout and maybe gets me eating more pasta to increase my energy...or something like that.  Wish there was something I could eat that would help with the soreness. 

Simple Summer Squash Pasta

3 large summer squash of any variety chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 cup of pancetta (I bought the already chopped pancetta at Trader Joe's which you can also freeze)

4 large garlic cloves chopped

1/4 cup of lemon juice (meyer lemons are great if you have them)

1 tablespoon olive oil

sea salt and peppa

Boil pasta according to directions

Saute pancetta in olive oil until pink.  

Add garlic saute until golden

Add squash saute until a bit soft

Add lemon juice

Add sea salt and pepper to taste

Spoon over pasta and add fresh parmesan cheese on top

This isn't no 30 minute meal.  This is like 15 minutes!

Goldenbleu makes you happy

I know purses and shoes don't make you happy.  That said, I like to feel girly and stylish and Goldenbleu makes you feel that way.  They make well made, stylish purses and shoes.  I learned about this company from a good friend of mine who had a friend who worked there.  This was a few years ago when they were just starting up in San Francisco.  At this time I was lucky enough to get on their email list.  The luck of this is I hear about all the sales, and sales they have.  40-70% off last season's purses, clutches and shoes.  You can also find out about these sales directly on the website.  I highly recommend them.  These bags and shoes are seriously well made and of great quality.  I have 2 purses and 2 pairs of shoes.  Definitely could always use more.  

I am obsessed with this neighborhood

Marc 49

So I have written a lot about the Temescal neighborhood in Oakland.  This is yet another entry about this neighborhood.  It happens to be exactly in between my house and my friend Dawn's work.  We would always meet in this neighborhood for a drink after work, but alas, we are not made of money and all of the restaurants are a bit on the pricey side for a Monday night.  This is right about the time, I miss the countless loungy casual restaurants of San Francisco.  Perfect places for the after work drink and lite snack.   

Enter stage right, Marc 49.  This place fits the niche we were looking for.  The wine selection is one of the best I have seen this side of the Bay.  We did the wine sampler and they let you choose 3 or 4 wine flights from their entire list of wines.  And tasty flights they were.  I can't even pick one I loved most since I loved them all.  To top it off they have a great selection of panini's for $7 and for $3 you can add on a salad.  Not just your garden salad either.  I had butter lettuce with blue cheese, apples and caramelized walnuts.   Last, but definitely not least was the atmosphere.  This is an area I find the East Bay lacks.  Great food, but sometimes I miss that hip and trendy feel.   This place has it.  Great lounge area inside and even better outdoor areas.  The room we sat in was an indoor/outdoor room and we felt like we were sitting in the inside of a wine barrel.  Wood floors, walls and ceilings.   Definitely a proud to live and eat in the East Bay kind of night.  

The new old 90210

What can I say.  I loved 90210 as a teenager.  I honestly don't know anyone in my age group (male or female) who did not watch this show.  It was on for a glorious 10 years.  Beautifully written, well directed and extremely well acted....seriously.   I mean when one whole episode was dedicated to Brenda losing her virginity to Dylan I knew this was not just any show.  Oh, the innocence of it all.  

Flash forward to 2008 and we have the new 90210.  I was skeptical to say the least going into this.  How could they ever recreate the sleep-over episode and who could possibly play spoiled adopted Steve Sanders.  Well, we ain't in Kansas anymore and neither is Annie the new Brenda on the new 90210. She moves from Kansas with her adopted brother (a much less dysfunctional Steve) and family to set her roots in Beverly Hills.  This is a different Beverly Hills from 1990.  Everyone is having sex and everyone does drugs.  At first I was a bit appalled by it all and longed for the sweetness and coyness of Kelly and Donna.  I was disappointed Kelly and Brenda were so infrequently in scenes and how sad and boring their story line was.  Now I am 4 weeks into it and I hate to say it......I am loving it.  How could you not?  It is full of cliches, teenage drama, affairs, dysfunctional parents...you get the idea.  Not much different than the old stuff, but with more updated clothing, skinnier actors, and of course less innocence.   Love it or hate it, it will never be the institution that the original 90210 was.  It is definitely not for everyone, but give it a try and see if the old zip code still suits you.