Famished Writer

As a self defined “foodie” (now a common descriptor) I have been completely consumed with my Thanksgiving dinner menu. This is not my first rodeo and every year I attempt to make it new and special while balancing traditional fare. I just finished reading an informative and educational, yet fluid read, of a book entitled “Food in History” by Reay which discusses briefly the historical tradition of the first Thanksgiving feast. Growing up in school we were taught the basics, there were Native American Indians, Pilgrims, a cornucopia and smorgasbord of food. While on the surface the basic facts are true enough, I came to realize the neglect in public education as to the significance in history of exactly what food was present and available at this historical dinner, which in effect changed the import and export of foods and spices for America as we know it. Introducing new food items to a child is reported to be done several times (at least 3) not only for allergic reasons, but to acq...

What to do when someone gives you 45 just nearly ripe Passion fruits grown by a local Ranch in Fallbrook? When was the last time you remember seeing these wrinkly, giant prune looking specimens in a grocery store? If your local market had them you most likely walked past foolishly assuming judgment of flavor on their shriveled outward appearance. Many of us have been exposed, even if only recently to some of the more non-traditional fruits that have been infusing recipes with passion (fruit) and vigor in the recent years attempting to achieve a new and miraculous flavor, “unami” perhaps? Fruit with savory has become a trend and a challenging task to accomplish with any amount of success aside from the traditional citrus (lemon, lime, orange) and stone fruits (pears, peaches, nectarines, etc.). More exotic or tropical fruits have been infusing alcohol drinks for decades; the requests for flavors of Mango, Pineapple, and Guava have become recognizable flavors to parts of the world no...

As it is commonly said, “you are what you eat”, I wonder if such adage applies to what you drink? There certainly seems to be a stereotype when it comes to this subject that is generally accepted. When I was a cocktail waitress patrons were judged in the analyzing of tips and costs of drinks. If a customer ordered the “Happy Hour Special” or a mixed drink with well liquor, they were considered “cheap” by the staff and drinking to become intoxicated, getting the most “bang for the buck”, there were of course the regulars who ordered the “usual” flavor of choice, regardless of its location on the shelf (i.e. top shelf or well liquor). When I was bartending the orders that would come in were less about the tip and more about the preparation and ingredients of the drink ordered. Blended drinks, such as Margaritas, Pina Coladas and the like (which required pulling out the temperamental blender) were for “pain in the butt” customers that enjoyed the fruit more than the punch. Even in media...

There is something I have noticed about myself that seems quite primitive in nature. This has to happen to other people as well. Whenever I am low on funds, or put another way, completely broke, I get really hungry, thinking about food every minute, shopping the pantry and cupboards, and generally obsessing about food and the next meal. Logically it must have to do with a “Hunter Gatherer” mentality, looking at my cupboards and fridge become more barren, being able to see the back of the pantry and the shelves clearly in the fridge, as though I was watching my harvest become depleted with winter on its way. Some days I cannot wait to get started on a complete day of cooking, which now has become as musical and methodical as I would imagine a “smooth working restaurant” to run, save for the limit of space and a dishwasher, oh, of course and a prep cook in my tiny little home. The day begins as usual, making lunches and breakfasts before taxiing my kids to school. The first step to...

We have all had those days that start with an eerie feeling from the time the sunrises, only to play itself out as a day from "Twilight Zone". The October Fall air was crisp and the sun shone brightly this morning as I began my morning ritual of making breakfasts and lunches for my children. Flipping on the news as a voice of company as usual I was informed a "Sig Alert" on the nearby freeway, which means the traffic always overflows onto our street. I had no idea what I was in for in the simple task of getting my kids to school on time, both schools being less than 2 miles away. A Tractor trailer truck had Jack knifed causing two of the four lanes on the Interstate to close for morning rush hour traffic. Hearing the constant thump of news helicopters should have been a loud enough indicator. Thankfully my son loves to be early to school and because of this he made it on time, since he would have had a conniption fit considering his obsession with time (whew!). I ha...

It has been some time since my last post and I have no excuse. Let's just say I am greatful for left-overs in my fridge. People generally either rely on left overs as a quick meal or snack which can be re-heated or re-created into something else or they abhor them as though they were straight from the previous nights trash. My son is exactly the latter, but perhaps will change once he is a bachelor in college. My daughter in stark contrast lives by my leftovers, in fact sometimes I make a dish (i.e. killer steak chili, pesto pasta salad with sun dried tomatoes, etc.) just for it to hang out in the fridge for her. She will tell me quite bluntly if there are not enough plastic containers in the fridge. When she was a little girl full of innocent mis-pronunciations like "ty-wrangle" for triangle, she would say she wanted "Left Odors", which I thought was pretty funny, because sometimes that is not far from the truth. As my children age and become more independent, ...

Just bought some fresh herbs for the garden, should save me some money on the quantity of herbs I use and buy! I had a pot with Rosemary and Thyme, Rosemary is looking scraggly now (but still usable) and the thyme died. As I looked closer in the pot I did spot a couple of thyme leaves coming back (hooray)! Our garden certainly needs a good watering this evening. It has been a perfect slow, warm and sunny Summer day here at the beach. We had a swarm of bees that flew in 2 days ago and nestled in a hibiscus bush adjacent to our front porch near at the entrance to very busy restaurant. For the safety of pedestrians (children and babies) as well as the guests of the restaurant they had the bees exterminated, which makes me incredibly sad, yet I do understand the logistics of why they chose to have them killed. I wish there were more bee keepers in order to have them safely removed. I came home from the grocery store this afternoon to discover that the store clerk that had bagged my meats p...

Just had a night "off" from my children, the first since early February which was for my Birthday, planned to excess and doomed for disappointment. Last night was strangely quiet, and quite nice all the same. We went out to a local Mexican Cantina and shared our favorite appetizer, a smorgasbord of fried Mexican treats, flautas, mini tacos, quesadillas, and is too much for us to both finish ever. The Margarita was sinfully sweet strawberry syrup, with a healthy shot of Tequila of course. Such is the form of my indulgence, I would forgo a fine dining experience any day for the simplicity and consistency of a rich, belly hugging meal such as last night. We returned home, proceeded to watch a movie, whereby I promptly fell asleep at 10pm on the couch, an exciting night out for certain! Tonight I am back in the kitchen (although I did throw together a late night pizza for us to nibble on last night which was delicious). I am going to try a recipe I saw on Jamie Oliver's sh...

My daughter made us all laugh last night when she was changing into her nightgown and exclaimed "My armpits smell like garlic!", my son was disgusted, but he is easily disgusted approaching the tender sweet age of 13. She did not mind, and in fact thought it was interesting that you not only "are what you eat", but you can smell like it too! She should have perhaps learned this from our recent Road Trip for the summer. We were camping in S. Lake Tahoe and she was "smelt up" by a bear after she ate beef jerky one night and forgot to brush her teeth before bed. Thankfully to her and I, she slept through it and the bear lost interest in her tent. So I suppose since she was sleeping there wasn't a "lesson" to learn from per se. Tonight, since it's Friday, I am making Ciabatta Paninis with Black Forest Ham and Smoked Turkey Slices, Swiss Cheese, and I think I am going to mandolin some Fuji Apples slices inside as well. I am going to serve i...