Food related

farmers market, Food related, Gluten free, Gluten-free, Ingredients, Made at home, Stuff I make

Lemon liqueur

Aside | Posted on by Brian and Jim

I have a pile of lemons at our new home…I had planned to make limoncello as I did with grapefruit at our old house. But I wasn’t feeling it. I hinted around online and made a conglomerate recipe…

I actually used 6 lemons….all of them as this will be strained later.

I chopped them small/medium ish

I added 1 cup of sugar to the lemons

Then I poured in 1/2 the vodka and shook to dissolve. Then the rest of the vodka. This jar held 1/2 the bottle with the lemon bulk in it.

Soundly shaken again abs detached in a dark cabinet.

I feel like this will be far more lemony than limoncello! I’ll get back to you in 4-6 weeks

beans, Food related, Gluten free, Gluten-free, pulsepledge, Vegetarian

Pinto Bean Meatballs (with Buckeyes instead)

Aside | Posted on by Brian and Jim

It started with me bumping into a recipe for pinto bean breakfast sausage….and then I saw piles of pinto bean sausages around. I decided on beans, mushrooms and garbanzo flour as a binder since I had that on hand. i started with some Rancho Gordo Buckeye Beans.

I processed the beans up, and finely chopped like a ploy d of mushrooms

After a nice cook down as far as they could go, I married the beans , some garbanzo flour, and the mushrooms with some Rancho Gordo Mexican Oregano, Penzey’s Justice, Deliciou vegan bacon seasoning, onion, garlic, salt. These guys became meatballs. They were wrapped in plastic. The ones I used, I steamed and the others are in the freezer.

After steaming, I sautéed them. I served them with my previously mentioned dried spaghetti squash, a summer squash melange and some homemade chimichurri

Food related, Gluten free, Gluten-free, Ingredients, Vegetarian

Dried Spaghetti Squash

Aside | Posted on by Brian and Jim

I had planned to create a post about my pinto bean meatballs I made last night but I thought the spaghetti squash would just get lost…and I ordered online from the company tonight.

A few months ago we were in Sprouts and I saw this package of dried spaghetti squash.

And it’s just been hanging around since. Yesterday I had focused so hard one the pinto bean meatballs that I kinda neglected the rest of the dish. I threw some squash in a pan because it needed used…then I remembered the dried spaghetti squash and busted it out to soak. Once done, it sautéed nicely before being buried with toppings.

I don’t think it’s widely available but I ordered more online and some of their other products at Solely included fruit jerky, dried fruit and more of the spaghetti squash. I like their mission and their story so I was happy to order and share with you.

Food related, Fun things I find to eat, Ingredients

Return to the Santa Monica Farmers Market

Aside | Posted on by Brian and Jim

Finally back to the market after nearly 4 months…we tried two weeks ago but protests had it closed down (the same neighborhood had had looters)…there are still lots of boarded up windows:

But the market was busy even though its way spread out for distancing:

On of the prizes and purposes for the trip was mara des bois…from Harrys Berries

Pricey but he loves them.

I went for tomatoes and they finally are debuting:

Also found were lemon cucumbers and german butterballs.

And our first goat cheese in a long while.

This is the closest to normal i have felt in a while even with masks and spacing. I needed a brief moment to be happy….

farmers market, Food related, Fun things I find to eat, Gluten-free, Ingredients

Recent food finds

Aside | Posted on by Brian and Jim

I am constantly taking pictures of food that i see and i have fallen so far behind in sharing lately.   Im going to try and do a catch up of the last couple weeks of things that I thought were fun enough to share.  Passionflowers are blooming, figs and squash are in season.   We are like a week or two away from the Southern California summer cornucopia of ridiculous bounty.

My neighbor at the community garden has a full on passionflower wall growing.  I have never had the fruit.   I was planning to trellis one in my backyard this year but a young plant wont survive our july vaca so after we return.

The van nuys german deli is sooo close to my house:


Usually i will get two smoked brats, 2 swiss and 2 neurenberger for the 2 of us and simmer in saurkraut and wine…

Head cheese anyone?


Does everyone know that i love marzipan!   British cadbury chocolate and marzipan enrobed in dark chocolate are two wonderful things. 

Gooseberries!

If you zoom in, you will notice flavors of soy sauce in this chinese whisky

Fresh almonds

Dragonfruit

Banana blossoms


No name whiskey shots for your carry on bag

I thoroughly enjoy stroopwafel and if you have had an am flight on United, you have been gifted with a stroopwafel…not sure of the cocktail i would make with this

Last weekend was a roadtrip to the BH branch of Laduree to get the much coveted Barbie box

And of course view the special promo display dolls

Macaron!!!!!  

Its fig season!   I have some in the fridge waiting to be covered with cheese and balsamic

Its still peach season

Jim is scoping out his fav variety of strawberry



Tomatoes are breaking in.  Next week will be full blown tomato explosion

Look close…bok choi and cress flowers

The aquash in unstoppable now.


So that updates like 2 weeks of non restaurant/non home cooking pics….home tou saw something fun or unique.

Cooking equipment, Food related, Uncategorized

Be our guest be our guest

Aside | Posted on by Brian and Jim

So some of you may have noticed my plates, serveware, cookware, is mostly le creuset.

So unbenownst to me williams Sonoma had a limited edition piece like none ive seen so far.  

And today it arrived:





So…..opinions please.  This is a pan i have wanted for a while, the price is inflate due to limited edition, do i use it? Keep it on “display”? Or sell it?  The prices are already up on ebay:-p

Food related, Restaurants, Uncategorized

James Beard Award Winners

Aside | Posted on by Brian and Jim

So…Los Angeles didnt represent–except for some finalists.  Chicago, who knew there was so much yum there.    Heres a link to the James beard award winners…from open table so you can quickly snag a reservation.  Has anyone been to any of them…let us know

Speaking of James Beard, i was bombarded by emails telling me to watch his documentary….America’s First Foodie!   We havent seen it but here is he Bon Appetit article from last week : Americas First Foodie. The man had a tv show before any of the others but he was before his time…..let me know what you think!

farmers market, Food related, Fun things I find to eat, Gluten free, Gluten-free, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

Third street promenade farmers market

Aside | Posted on by Brian and Jim

We are blessed to have a year round growing season, and we are on the verge of the moment where the most of those riches shine!  Saturday at the santa monica third street promenade farmers market, the following are a prelude to the full summer bounty:

Figs!  I forgot to take a pic before i cut up the ripe ones…it was a nice basket of 1/2 ripe and half ripe in a day or two

My fav farmers market cheese for years…i got the mozzarella and asiago…dont for one minute think its traditional mozza or asiago…they surely have their own style .  Spring hill jersey cheese from nocal.

Lemon cucumbers

Baby red leaf heads

The very first of the tomatoes

Citrus!!!

Cucs abound

Herbs

Its still cherry and peach season

Jim Taylor waits for these puppies all year…high price, small fruit, big taste


One years i will buys these and spend the day shucking them.  Can you imagine fresh garbanzos!?!

So tonight the figs will be sharing a plate with goat cheese and a Bordeaux cherry balsamic ibought in  palm springs

Food related, Made at home, Stuff I make, Uncategorized

My new favorite kitchen tool

Aside | Posted on by Brian and Jim

The oven crisper pan! Jim was watching HSN and a version of these came on the screen..they looked intersting so i was immediatly on the amazon app pricing and then ordering.


My first use was fries

Here they are getting ready for the over and i cannot find my “after pic” (which may mean that i forgot to take one)….

But I did remember to take a picture of my tofu fries when they were all nice and golden top and bottom

I have already bought a second set as a gift.   And im looking forward to using them fith zuchini and eggplant in the near future.