Cambria

Rich was so sweet to plan a little getaway for us to celebrate/recouperate the wedding being over and the Master's Kids year finishing.  And also a little late anniversary celebration since our anniversary fell two days before the wedding.  He booked us a couple nights at the Cambria Pines Lodge, a place we had been once before and loved.

On the way there, we stopped for lunch in Ventura at a little gem of a restaurant called Cafe Nouveau.  One of their specialties is this ahi-avocado roll.  It has rare ahi, avocado, and an amazing sauce, all wrapped up in a flour tortilla and deep fried. As you've probably figured out, I can never get enough ahi tuna!  Love the stuff.  I love that they serve the roll  beautifully presented on a bed of crisp sauteed veggies.

 We took our time getting up to Cambria.  It's such a beautiful drive.   Here's the front of the hotel - so cute and charming.  Our kind of place.

Panoramic shot below (Rich taught me how to do this on my iphone)

The grounds are beautiful and it is delightful to walk the gardens.

There are different types of rooms at the lodge.  We prefer the free standing cottages.  You get a large living room and bedroom, each with a fireplace, plus a large bathroom with an open tub to relax in. We also had our own private patio that had two adirondack chairs overlooking the rustic property.

There is a fantastic nursery nearby called Cambria Nursery.  It is a must-see!  There is a darling gift shop in a large house on the grounds,  plus the landscape is beautiful and inspiring.  We probably spent over an hour there.  It is just a short walk from the lodge.

Breakfast was included with our room.  For lunch we went to the Main Street Grill  which was highly recommended by my foodie friend, Alik.  She told me exactly what to order and we were not disappointed!  This salad that she raved about was very fresh and had pine nuts and a delish dressing.




Next, she said we had to try their dry rub beef ribs.  She warned us to get there early as they sell out.  Honestly, neither of us are really a fan of this kind of thing...kind of primal, you know?   But we obeyed her command.  Anyways, in the end we didn't leave a bit on these bones.  They were that good. 

But here was the show stopper: their tri tip sandwich, which came on a garlic bread bun (brilliant -YUM) and had a killer house barbecue sauce.   I, who usually view meat as a condiment to my meal, wolfed down a sizeable half of this fat sandwich.

Not that we were hungry or anything after that lunch, but a piece of Linn's olallieberry pie is always a good idea around 3:00 p.m.   We actually drove out to their original farm store (10 minutes down a windy country road) and enjoyed our mini-pie on the shaded patio with a view of all the olallieberry bushes.  Later that night, after dinner, Rich insisted we go to the Linn's restaurant in town for ANOTHER piece of pie.  Who was I to argue?  (It's that good!)

Cambria is such a great destination.  The town is ultra charming - you can peruse garden & antique shops, and they have some really great restaurants.  I highly recommend  Linn's and Robin's as great places for dinner.  And, you are just a hop, skip, and a jump from Hearst Castle and the breathtaking California coastline.  There are a lot of places you can choose to stop at on the way:  Ventura, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, & Pismo Beach.

We hit Ventura on the way home for two last great food finds.  First, we went to a place our friend Kai has been telling us about, Snapper Jack's.   This place is money!  The fish tacos come in a crispy flour tortilla and their salsa bar is amazing.  We spent a mere $6 for lunch and it was awesome! 

Lastly... for me, no vacation is complete without a good ice cream cone.  And I mean a GOOD one.  It has to be super premium for me or it's not even worth it.  And it needs to be on a sugar cone. ;-)  Kai steered us rightly to McConnell's, also in Ventura, which was pure ice cream perfection. 

Brazilian coffee chip and vanilla coconut chocolate chip.  SO good.  They let you do a "split scoop" so you get two flavors.

Sadly, the whole time during our trip, a heavy gray cloud hung over us.  Our dear black lab, Olive, was sick when we left.  Hoping she would improve with meds, we left her to the care of Emma and Drew (who had just come in from his honeymoon).  Unfortunately, she got worse and worse, so we decided to cut our trip short to be back home with her.  She ended up passing away about 8 hours after we came home.  Originally, our vet thought she had some sort of infection (she had a high fever), but further tests showed an enlarged heart and a failing liver and the meds couldn't help that.  This seemingly came right out of the blue and she died just 5 short days after falling ill.  She had always been the picture of vibrant health and spunk.  She was even energetically playing fetch just the day before she got sick. 

Here is a photo of her sweet face just a few hours before we lost her.  What a sad little face.  :-(  How I cried and cried over this dog!  She was really the perfect dog- she loved us to pieces, was lots of fun, and never got into any trouble.   She was much loved and will be missed.  :-( 

I will always remember how much she loved her "beach vacation" in Carpinteria each year.

There is a dog friendly beach next to the campground and she loved to play in the waves!

Goodbye, sweet girl. :-(

The wedding pics are up!!

It is with great excitement that I announce that our amazing photographer Tracy Dodson has put up Drew and Stephanie's wedding pictures!

                                                       Click here to see them!

WDW - Seared Ahi Salad

We had this delicious salad in Maui a few years ago, and since then I've enjoyed recreating a variation of it at home.   If you love raw or seared ahi tuna as much as we do, you will love this salad!  Rich and I are head over heels in love with this salad.

I like to start with a butter lettuce or red leaf.   Then I add a variety of ingredients -  this time it was thin cucumber slices, mango chunks, strawberry slices, chives, and avocado.   I usually add candied walnuts, but I was out.   Fresh cilantro is really nice if you have some, and I like to use red bell peppers in place of the cucumbers sometimes.

The dressing is basically a variation of the Islands China Coast dressing recipe.  It is so amazingly tasty, but the bummer about it is that it contains mayo (soybean oil, blech).  I would love to find a way to make it without the mayo - so far I haven't been pleased with alternatives like yogurt or sour cream.  The original recipe calls for garlic powder but I kick it up with fresh garlic instead and fresh ginger which really makes it special.  Add a little wasabi powder or cayenne  if you like that kind of thing (I do).

The ahi couldn't be simpler.  I prefer to buy mine frozen from Sprouts.  It's very reasonable in price, wild caught, and always tastes very fresh.  All I do is rub the thawed fish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.   You can also rub a jerk seasoning on the fish - that is how it was made in Hawaii and was awesome. I use a very hot cast iron skillet and just plop the fish in for a quick sear on each side, 1-2 minutes tops.  I just let the fish cool a bit, then slice or chunk with a very sharp knife.

Now that it's summer, I know we'll be eating main dish salads often.  This one will be in regular rotation!

Seared Ahi Salad
serves 2

6 cups salad greens
1/2 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced (or red bell pepper)
2 tbsp. chopped scallions or chives (thin red onion slices work well too)
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro (optional)
1 mango, cubed
4 large strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup candied walnuts or pecans
1 avocado, cubed
1 piece ahi tuna (about 1/2 lb.), seasoned with olive oil, salt and 
   pepper, seared 1-2 minutes in a hot pan, and sliced

Islands China Coast Salad Dressing (my variation)

1/3 cup Best Foods mayonnaise
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
a pinch of wasabi powder or cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small food processor. 

Wedding Sneak Peek!

The wedding day was so amazing!  I have much to share, but for now here are a couple of instagram moments from my iphone...

 

Proud Mama

Magna Cum Laude  :-)

That whole chicken in your freezer

Truth be known, I really despise whole chickens.  

But, whenever I see them on sale, for some reason I feel compelled to stock up.

And sometimes, if I am at Costco and need chicken, I'll buy the whole organic ones in the 2-pack.  I come home and usually throw them in the freezer out in the garage.  Then as I open the close the freezer door to reach for fish or other meat every so often, I SEE THEM.  I begin to resent them for hogging my freezer space.  I know I should use them.  Then I think of the 2-3 day thaw time they need. I think of the unpleasantness of reaching inside to get their innards out.  I think of the chicken juice that gets all over the sink.  And I really don't enjoy cutting them up into pieces (plus I'm really, really bad at it).  Honestly, I just never really feel in the mood to deal with them.  So they sit.

Then our weather turned cold this week, and I thought of cooking one in my crock pot.  I don't know why this genius method isn't employed more often in my kitchen.  It is SO easy, it's ridiculous.  I just put the whole chicken in the crock pot with about a half a box of chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes in juice, and some homemade taco seasoning (recipe to follow).   If you want, you can cut the chicken in half, but it's not necessary.  I turn the crock pot on low for 5-6 hours, then strain the chicken (and loose bones) and tomatoes out, returning the juice to the crock pot.  I shred the fall-off-the-bone tender chicken and return it to the juice in the pot. Voila! Chicken meat for soft tacos, quesadillas, taco salad, enchiladas, tostadas... you name it!  It is so moist and delicious.  And, I might mention the house smells terrific all day as it cooks, which is so lovely on an overcast day. I'm going to start putting it in my rotation (we usually have a Mexican night once a week).  Of course you could use any chicken pieces as well.  I think bone-in chicken cooks up the most tender, and the mix of dark and light meat is perfectly flavorful.

I don't buy seasoning "mixes."  If you keep a well-stocked spice cabinet, you should have everything at your fingertips to make your own mixes, everything from taco seasoning, to chili seasoning, to barbecue seasoning.  Recipes are widely available online for virtually every mix needed.   And, as a bonus, your "mix" won't have all that weird stuff in it that you can't pronounce.

Recently I saw this at the store, and it truly made me laugh.

I don't mean to insult anyone, but is this not the dumbest thing EVER?   Have we stooped to this level of convenience (actually this package seems terribly inconvenient if you ask me)?  I mean seriously, people cannot put spices together for a recipe on their own?  I don't remember the cost of these, but most of it has to be wrapped up in the packaging!  Oh, but they are "inspiring" so maybe you are paying for that.  :-)

Anyways, here's the recipe I used for the seasoning.  I made this in full but only used half for one chicken.  You could double or triple this so it's ready when you need it!



Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning

3 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper

Mix altogether in a jar and shake.  Use half for one chicken.

Celebrating our bride-to-be

A shot of Stephanie, her lovely mother Luci, and me at her first bridal shower this weekend.  

Isn't our bride-to-be simply radiant?

May is just around the corner!  Such fun times!

Descanso Gardens and Tomatomania!

Descanso Gardens is one of those wonderful places to visit in the L.A. area.  It is a large, mature, and beautiful garden nestled in the beautiful community of La Canada Flintridge, just a couple miles away from where I grew up in North Glendale.  I hadn't been there in so long, I was really looking forward to our visit today.  We actually planned our visit there because Tomatomania was going to be set up for their annual sale of tomato plants.  We have purchased our plants from them for at least five years now and have had great growing success!  They set up each spring in various locations in the L.A. area, and it's always an extra bonus when they set up somewhere beautiful like Descanso Gardens or  the Arboretum. They have so many interesting and unusual varieties available, and the staff puts on helpful workshops and will advise you which plants to choose.

Today I was so excited to awake to such beautiful sunny weather!  It was so pretty, it felt like a true spring day, and I was ready for an outing.  We actually ventured out for a double date with our longtime, dear friends Don and Roxane.  We are so thankful for the long, enduring friendship we have had with them.  We have too many memories with them to even mention (beginning with our first apartments first married in the same building together -- the Ricardos and the Mertzes -- such fun!). They are like family to us and we are very fond of them and their four boys.  It's not often we get to have an opportunity to do something fun like this together as couples, so I was especially excited for the to get to have lunch and go to Descanso with them.   Don was the one who first inspired us to grow tomatoes MANY years ago after we first tasted his homemade salsa from his own tomatoes.  Now, I think we inspired him with our Tomatomania varieties (last summer we dumped boatloads on them) and he and Rox wanted to come along to the sale this year.

First, we had a great alfresco lunch at Berolina -- a big fresh salad, a grilled portabello panini, and of course a slice of princess cake.  :-)  We then ventured over to Descanso, picked out our tomato plants (I think we each bought a dozen), and then decided we could spend some time in the gardens.  We had such a delightful time walking the grounds and admiring all the spring blooms and color.  Here are some photos from our beautiful day.

All excited to grow our selections! Glad our guys are great gardeners!

Breathtaking tulips in many colors all in bloom

So many to choose from!

It's magical (& fragrant) walking through the lilac garden

Rox snaps a "later gram"

Sourdough Recipes

I'm in love with the sourdough process!  About 3 months ago, I made my own starter.   It is now thriving and I find myself using it a few times a week.  "Souring" is an ancient practice and helps make your whole grains more digestible and nourishing.  What has really been helpful is the Sourdough A-Z e-book I purchased from www.gnowfglins.com.  The technique is well explained and it includes many wonderful recipes.  I haven't even tried traditional bread yet as I've been having so much fun with muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc. I use freshly ground whole wheat flour in my starter.

So far, my favorite recipe is sourdough waffles!  Words cannot express how delightful they are.  They are so light and crispy like the Belgian kind at my favorite bakery. I love to slather them with butter and real maple syrup, hot off the waffle iron.  And they are the easiest/healthiest things to make- just add some starter to eggs, coconut oil, salt, a little sweetener (I like maple syrup), baking soda, and the batter is ready to go.    I freeze any extras in baggies and just pop them in the toaster to eat.  I really would maintain my starter forever just to be ensured a constant supply of these.  :-)

The sourdough waffle recipe is here.

I've also been experimenting with sourdough pizza dough.  I've made pizza dough three times -- it keeps getting better with each attempt but I'm not there yet.  :-)

This morning I made English muffins.  They were absolutely delicious!  And so fun to make.  I made the dough last night with starter, raw kefir, and flour.  This morning I shaped and griddled the muffins in my cast iron skillet.  They turned out quite pretty, I just had to share.  The recipe can be found here.

Kefir smoothie

My Drew takes a smoothie to go on his way out the door every weekday morning.  He always leaves around 7:00 am for either work or school.  I usually make enough smoothie for two people, and either Emma or myself drink the rest.

I make the smoothie about the same everyday in my capable Vitamix:

-1 frozen banana, cubed
-a handful of frozen pineapple chunks or mango chunks
-a handful of frozen berries -- either the organic antioxidant blend from Costco that I LOVE, or a mix of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc.
-small handful of fresh spinach
-1 Tbsp. organic flax oil
-around 1/2 cup milk:  raw milk, full fat canned coconut milk, fresh almond milk
-around 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice or a couple whole peeled oranges
-ice

Even though the raw smoothie is bursting with wonderful enzymes and vitamins, too much sugar (even natural sugar) can cause your glands to work overtime to handle the hyperglycemic response of all that fruit.  Protein slows down the response and eases the sugar into your system.   Sometimes I put a little hemp protein powder in, but I can't really put a good dose of it in without altering the flavor and texture of the smoothie.  And for Drew the smoothie needs to be more pink than green, you know?  :-)  (He doesn't know that I put flax oil in either...shhh).   I don't like to use any processed weird dairy protein powders (super yuk).  If I use raw milk there is a some protein, but why not add a probiotic along with that protein too?

Today I decided to add some raw unflavored kefir to the smoothie.  1 cup of kefir has 8 g. of protein!   The smoothie turned out fabulous!  I personally enjoy drinking the kefir plain, but in the smoothie it is absolutely delicious.  The tang  and creaminess is great.  You can either cut out the original milk in the recipe or not.  I added about 3/4 cup kefir to the above recipe, using coconut milk as well.

In case you're wondering what in the world kefir is, or even how to even pronounce it (some say KEY-furr and some say KEFF-urr, it's actually Kuh-FEAR) here is an interesting article on the benefits of it.  Say it how you wish, kefir it is basically the dairy cousin of kombucha.   Instead of a scoby, kefir "grains" are used to ferment milk.  The complex symbiosis of more than 30 microflora form a grain-like structure of proteins, lipids, and sugars.  So kefir is a fantastic probiotic.  And in its unpasturized form you also get all the wonderful benefits of raw dairy.  And yes, you can make your own kefir as you can make kombucha (uh oh... that sounds like something I'd do...watch out!).   

You can buy Organic Pastures raw kefir at Sprouts market.