I’m feeling a bit peckish and as my thoughts turn to food, I thought I’d share some more photos from the farmers market in California. The zucchini blossoms were also being sold separately in a few stalls and although I’ve never made them this way, they’re very tasty stuffed with (usually) cheese of some sort and herbs a/o other things. They’re a feast for the eye as well.
We’ve already established that I love artichokes, thanks to a mom who grew up in California. These aren’t looking their best for eating but still work for photos. Look for a heavy artichoke with tight leaves that aren’t all split. My daughter did buy some (chosen by yours truly), her husband grilled the halves, and we enjoyed them greatly. Yes, you definitely need to eat the bottom (attached part) of the leaves, Deborah. On a good artichoke, they’re very meaty. Dip in melted butter, mayonnaise (plain or with herbs), or just eat plain as my husband and I usually do.
You say tomato, I say tomahto. Tomato, tomahto, who cares? Just get some and dig in!! My favorite cherry tomatoes are Sun Gold which my husband says taste like candy…but are good for you. Win, win.
Yesterday (Sunday) a glitch in the WP matrix caused the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge entry for “Doors/doorways” I posted to post on Saturday, rather than on Sunday. I republished it, but evidently many of you didn’t get it. It features some wonderful doors, so if you didn’t see it and would like to, click here for the link. I must admit it’s frustrating to put out a post I think many readers will enjoy and then have something like this happen.
Who doesn’t love garlic? My brother for one, but our family loves it. The farmers market had a variety of forms. There are also different types of garlic although I don’t know which types these are.
Where did the weekend go? Well, in my case, today (Sunday) was spent with grandson and family, walking in the morning and hanging out on the beach in the afternoon, not online much. Saturday morning we were once again at the farmers’ market and I didn’t push the stroller this time so that I could take some more photos. Here’s the first, colorful round. I could gorge on these berries!!
A pile of edible flowers grabs my attention. This stall sells bags of wild arugula and several salad mixes, one of which includes some of these flowers. I can’t buy any until Tuesday, the day before I go home, so that they’re as fresh as possible, but they served as food for the eyes during our visit.
I’d be happy to eat these peppers just raw and remember that colorful fruits and veggies are so good for you, pleasing both eyes and body.
Don’t expect to see much of me online tomorrow (Monday) as I have sole care of my grandson while my daughter goes in for a job interview and my son-in-law works. 🙂 I foresee lots of walks in my immediate future as well as lots of love and cuddles.
Finally, a reminder to check your spam folder. Tonight I found 43 spams after several days of none. No legitimate comments, so I deleted them all.
In my role as official stroller pusher for grandson, I didn’t take time to get many photos, but these artichokes had to be photographed. I love artichokes but I’ve never seen any like this! I’d almost hate to eat these. Perhaps putting them in a vase would be more appropriate. 🙂
We were much later than usual, so some things had started selling out but there were still enough to make me quite hungry.
These flowers are a bit more unusual than many I’ve seen. If I could, I’d love to always have fresh flowers in the house.
Closing thought…Every time I do a post about a farmer’s market, the grammar nerd in my wonders…is it “farmer’s market” (one farmer), “farmers’ market” (belonging to multiple farmers), or a “farmers market” (a market with farmers)? I’ve never bothered to look up the “correct” terminology and as far as I’m concerned none would be wrong. Any feelings or “official” thoughts?
We’re on the road in the dark again, over Raton Pass when we’re unable to see the beauty and my eyes are as wide as they go watching through the dark for possible deer or elk on the road. We have to driving the length of Colorado and right through downtown Denver. There’s so much smoke from fires that we can’t even see the Rockies and can barely see them in Colorado Springs where they’re almost next to the highway. Not much to say about driving through Colorado except that it’s great to leave. I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, a major east-west highway, is closed due to mudslides caused by rain in an area burned in 2020.
We see a few more interesting animals in Wyoming: a herd of bison (AKA buffalo, although incorrectly) which are in on someone’s ranch and oddly two camels, also not wild and in a large fenced area. But still–camels!
We stop at another interesting rest area, this one using passive solar. I love this!
On one side of the rest area is a sign celebrating the necessity of keeping cottonwood trees and we saw quite a few as we drove along.
Our original plan, going to the cabin and then back down in the morning to drive to Billings, Montana to pick up our older daughter for a week’s visit, changed to driving straight to Billings, an extra two hours, and then staying overnight, picking her up, and shopping at Costco before heading back to Sheridan for more shopping and then the drive up the mountain. You have to understand that although the distance from Sheridan up the mountain to the cabin isn’t too far but the road up the mountain is not only not paved, it’s in no way smooth, more suitable for four-wheel drive vehicles than our Toyota Sienna, although the Sienna goes up well. It turned out to be a good choice as the road was particularly rough and rocky this year, forcing me to ascend in first gear almost the entire way. Going down necessitates first gear until the bottom while trying not to ride the brakes. So we go up and down as little as possible. Besides, going to town isn’t nearly as much fun as staying up. 🙂
At any rate, we were tootling along at 80 mph through Montana and only about half an hour from Billings when the phone rang and plans were thrown into momentary disarray when we found out our daughter’s flight had been cancelled and there wouldn’t be another until Friday (this was Sunday and she would have arrived on Monday), leaving not enough time for her trip. After a bit of dithering, we decided to stay in Billings anyway, have a leisurely morning (i.e. not get up a 3:30 am), and then head back to Wyoming. We had a major, annoying glitch when our confirmed reservation through Hotels.com turned out to have been viewed by someone at the motel but not entered and our king room wasn’t available. The less-then-helpful woman at the desk said all she could offer us was a double bed…at basically the same price. No thanks and can you say “Poor customer service?”. But we did have a nice time before that in a nearby park where the trees weren’t cottonwoods but were huge and beautiful and older lovely homes surrounded the park.
After a frustrating time of sitting in parking lot trying to find another (and more expensive) motel, make the reservation, drive there, and check in, we were more than ready for the outdoor patio, smooth dark beer, and tasty food at The Montana Brewing Company! If you’re ever in Billings, we highly recommend it. The BBQ shrimp salad and the pork belly sliders with homemade fries were both delicious, although the online menu appears not to be current.
In his infinite wisdom, my husband decided we needed dessert, which we asked to have halved in the kitchen. They went over and above, halving the cookie but giving us each a full measure of local (and awesome) ice cream. We couldn’t even finish but the entire experience made the hassles of earlier fade into stuffed oblivion.
While back in Illinois, I managed to work in a good amount of delicious food, all in good company. A friend and I met for coffee one day and then on a second day for lunch at Blue Sushi Sake Grill in downtown Naperville. After a year of Covid, it was a treat to once again be eating in a restaurant. We’d planned to eat outside, but the wind kept us in although still distanced from other customers. Neither of us eats raw fish, but we managed to dine exceedingly well anyway. This first selection, called Crunchy L.A., consisted of 8 pieces (yes, each of those four is made of two pieces) of crab mix, avocado, cucumber, crispy panko, and sweet chili sauce. I love panko for its crunch and the entire dish was delicious. I’m a big fan of square dishes, so I would have loved to have taken the plate home with me. I also just want to put out there that holding a piece of sushi with chopsticks while dipping it in sauce and thengetting it to your mouth, all without it falling apart is NOT the easiest thing in the world to do and you’re forced to put the entire piece in your mouth because trying to bite it in half ensures that it will come apart if it hasn’t already. Don’t ask how I know this; just take my word for it!
The Hawaiian Roll (tempura fried, mango, salmon, crab mix, and mango sauce) was a surprise because it was served warm but it was still oh so good. Even though the pieces appear relatively small, after two dishes each, we were replete and a stroll along the Riverwalk, followed by a time of sitting in the sun chatting was just the thing. If there are any things that can enhance time with a friend or friends, good food is certainly one of them. And a friend paying for your lunch is the unexpected but much appreciated end to a perfect day (or at least the middle of that day.) 🙂
I’d planned to make dark chocolate cherry scones, but that didn’t work out. (I’m also trying to find more whole wheat pastry flour but have had no success so far. Maybe people are making toilet paper from it.). But I had some Trader Joe’s croissants in the freezer, so last night I pulled out one chocolate (AKA pain au chocolat) and one almond for my husband. Just let them sit all night and bake in the morning. Easy peasey and quite tasty, too.
The mug, filled with Mao Feng black tea, was a gift from my parents a few Christmases ago. Not as fancy as some of my teacups, but much used. I’d be happy to get you a fancier, more delicate cup of you like.
What on earth is okonomiyaki? Nami, a Japanese cook based in San Francisco at justonecookbook.com defines it thus:
Okonomiyaki (literally means ‘grilled as you like it’) is a savory version of Japanese pancake, made with flour, eggs, shredded cabbage, meat/ protein and topped with a variety of condiments. Better known as ‘Japanese pizza’ in the US, you can definitely prepare the filling and toppings however you like it. A wonderful way to use up your leftovers!
In Chicago, Stephaine Izard of Girl and the Goat fame serves a marvelous okonomiyaki, certified to taste authentic by our younger daughter who’s been to Japan, at her Little Goat Diner. The first time I ate there, my dish was overwhelmingly voted the best of the three dishes, according to the other two diners. This time, we all ordered okonomiyaki (with a giant, homemade cinnamon roll as our appetizer!) and all agreed it was amazingly delicious. That’s a soft-yoked egg on top, ready to meltingly join the rest of the dish, which includes eggs, cabbage, pork belly, scallion, and tasty Japanese mayonnaise.
You can get Stephanie’s recipe and even watch her make okonomiyaki by clicking here. If you don’t feel like making it, you won’t be sorry to find a restaurant that serves it. If you’re in the Chicago area, make a reservation at Little Goat Diner. If not everyone wants to try this, they have plenty other delicious choices. Here’s a link to the diner menu, from which you can also access the bakery and coffeehouse menus and other of Stephanie’s restaurants.
There are other restaurants in the Chicago area serving okonomiyaki, including one that just opened and is dedicated to various styles of this dish, but I haven’t tried any of them, so I’ll stick with what I know and perhaps have a chance to try another place before we move.
January 21 update. One of my online friends tried this dish, putting her own spin on it and making it more user-friendly. Take a peek and see what you think (and what her husband thought): Down-home Okonomiyaki.
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