29 October 2012

Persimmon salad

IMG_2172edit

5 or 6 Fuyu persimmons
most of a fennel bulb & some of the fronds
about half a small red onion
4 or 5 purple & pink radishes, of various sizes
seeds from about a quarter to a third of a large pomegranate
microplaned zest of 1 Meyer lemon, & a little bit of the juice
1 shallot

Mandoline persimmons, fennel, onion & radishes. The persimmons & fennel can be marginally thicker than the onion & radishes, which should be as thin as possible.

Combine everything in a bowl, except for the fennel fronds & shallot. Put the shallot shavings in a bit of sherry vinegar & leave for a few minutes, then add olive oil, salt & pepper. Mix together, pour over the rest of the salad, & toss to dress.

Spread out prettily in a large, shallow serving dish & decorate with fennel fronds.

20 May 2012

Vining

P5200258blog

The Romano beans climb enthusiastically up their strings, sprouting new leaves as they go.

P5200255blog

16 April 2012

Wisteria

P4090068blog

I summon passing neighbors & strangers alike, to come & stand under it, listen to the bees buzzing… & inhale deeply.

It’s that good.

14 April 2012

What to do with leftover mac & cheese

It’s so much fun being a foodie in the Bay Area. You can have your mind blown when you least expect it. This time, it was a grilled mac & cheese sandwich, courtesy of The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen. Yes! You heard me right! Mac & cheese where normally just cheese would be! I only got to sample a quarter of a sandwich—such a tease—& then I couldn’t stop talking about it & thinking about it, until finally I went to Homeroom to scratch at least the mac & cheese part of the itch. As usual, I ate half of my mac & cheese & brought the rest home.

So just what do you think happened the next day? Duh….

P3310065blog

15 March 2012

not quite spring

IMG_1483blog

Almost two whole weeks without my main camera now. I had to send it off to the camera hospital. Fortunately still under warranty. But it’s surprising me, how much I’m affected by not having it. I feel kind of at a loss, oddly disabled. Does this mean I have actually become a photographer?

The little point & shoot has to suffice for now; I remind myself that good pictures are possible with any camera. Even with as mild a winter as we’ve had, this time of year is usually hard for me. In the past, it has brought much more severe forms of deprivation & disability, so I’m grateful that this time is just coping without a favorite tool.

20 February 2012

Biscuits

P2111901blog

Inspired by Whitney Chen’s biscuit wisdom, I made these last weekend. For some reason, I don’t remember ever making biscuits before. Maybe because when faced with that kind of butter to flour ratio (not for the faint of heart—literally), I’d usually opt for a pie. Good to step out of old habits once in a while; these came out deeelicious! Half whole wheat, half white flour, milk.

P2111903blog

30 January 2012

Where turnip cake comes from

P1121807blog

Daikon on granny’s kitchen counter, ready to come home with us. I always think of them as “turnips” though… because that’s what turnip cake is made out of.

21 January 2012

Phoenix

My granny is one bad-ass urban homesteader.

P1101516blog

She’s been farming the hell out of her backyard patch of Phoenix desert for 40+ years.

P1111617blog

I don’t know how much longer she’ll be able to keep doing it.

P1101521blog

For now, though, she sent us home with a suitcase full of veggies.

02 January 2012

Winter sunset

PC291326blog