oh great

This is why I've become such a pain-in-the-ass (P.I.T.A. for short) when it comes to eating out...

For a while, i was doing a great job of not eating out much... but now this reminds me why I should not trust what the restaurants are sent from all those meat factories.

this comes the day after I had the equivalent of steak tartare from Carousel Restaurant in Glendale... well, I'm still standing - so that's a good sign.

Barnsdall Farmers Market

I finally visited the Wednesday afternoon Barnsdall Farmers Market - and I'm so happy I did!

Not only did i get the gumption to finally try this bizarre looking vegetable called "kohlrabi". I've always wanted to try it but never got around to it. It's kinda like a beet - but purple (or green) and with it's leaves growing from different parts of the bulb (or tuber?).

But - the best part of my exploration of this teeny tiny little market: Bill's Bees will have a stand there every other week! They are the ones who I got my favorite honey of all time from: crunchy wildflower honey. Unfortch, they didn't have any today... but i had a great conversation with Leroy who is manning the stand there. I started asking about the bees -

"how are the bees doing?" - i asked

"funny you ask this week - if you'd have asked last week, everything was fine... but this week - well, we had to kill 5 queens - they'd been Africanized."

oops - sorry... had to turn the fire off from the kohlrabi that I've been sauteeing in browned butter per the Santa Monica Farmer's Market cookbook's instructions.

ok - back to the bees: they are in bad shape. The honey is still great over at Bill's, but don't take it for granted... don't take any of life for granted... if the bees die, we die...

so which honey did i get? Since the Almond crop was particularly bad this year, the almond honey was already sold out. it had a great taste, but all they had left were the honey sticks. The sage wildflower was ok, but nothing like the crunchy wildflower - so i passed. I've had orange - but I've never had the caramelized honey before. They cook it down so there are fewer vitamins, but the mineral content is higher (per Leroy). He also said it's perfect for bbq sauce and baked beans. Sold!

In all, this market doesn't come close to Santa Monica's Wednesday - but SM's Saturday is the only one that has Bills Bees - not Wednesday... So since i missed Sunday, and this one is subway close - it's a good option.

Also - i tried a new fruit called a watermelon pluot... very interesting taste. Today was a great little adventure... plus - how can you pass up being at a FLW house on a hill facing the Griffith Observatory? If it wasn't so hazy with such a marine layer, I'd have taken some pictures.

Favas

They're in season now... but i think i missed out on this one way of cooking them that i've been hearing about lately: beer battered & deep fried.

Instead, I followed the recipe that introduced me to Fava's - making a Fava hummus

from Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

It's fairly simple yet somewhat labor intensive.

I bought the favas in th

e shells/pods - but they can be purchased already shelled. that would save a lot of time, but it's easy enough to do it while watching tv or something.

After shelling the favas, you gotta blanch them to remove the outer white skin - and what you're left with is a beautiful bright green bean (above left in bowl).

For the hummus recipe, you basically need some good olive oil, garlic, chile de arbol, rosemary sprig, salt & pepper - and of course the Favas.

heat the oil, swirl in the chile & rosemary - then add the garlic, let sizzle about a minute, then add the favas & seasonings. when tender, remove the rosemary and chile, drain the oil - and puree in a food processor, adding the oil in a steady stream until the puree is a nice velvety smooth texture.

serve with a topping of chopped black olives & feta cheese with parsley.

of course i forgot to buy those ingredients - so here's a picture i took of some of the hummus last year.

Poppy Lemon

I love lemons... Especially Meyer Lemons. They make the best lemonade and a kick ass limoncello.

Today I'm attempting a recipe i first saw on Smitten Kitchen - it grabbed me from the start. Deb's pictures inspire me - and, well - i'm not going to attempt to compete... so much for my diet and weight loss goals.

The recipe calls for 8 egg yolks! ugh. what am i going to do with all the whites? meringue? 7 min frosting? omelets? hmmm.

One reason why i love the smitten kitchen blog: she asks the same questions I ask when i look at a recipe... 8 egg yolks? 1/2 cup flour? and 1/2 cup corn starch? She said it came out great - so we'll see in a bit.

Good Morning

How I lose weight: don't eat anything that I wouldn't post a picture of.

Coffee

Egg

Sprouted-grain bread

chives (from my garden)

arugula

and a little crumble of feta cheese

Wax

I wasn't too sure about this sandwich...

This was my first intake of food in 24 hours, after a not-so-good reaction to some Sauza the night before.

All I really wanted was some saltines. then i wanted a burrito from Cowboys & Turbans... then i just wanted a carne asada burrito... and then the thought of all the flavors and smells made me queasy again.

A sandwich. a simple sandwich. peanut butter and banana. but the only bread on hand was sprouted grain...

needless to say, i was underwhlemed by the looks of the sandwich. But you know what makes a sandwich better?

Wrap it in Wax Paper! I love to wrap my sandwiches in wax paper - it makes it more complete.

I almost didn't want to eat that sandwich after making it - but once it was wrapped, sliced in half and ready, it was much more appealing.

my kryptonite

My friend Lisa loves to cook and bake and seek out new recipes. This recipe for chocolate chip cookies is by far the best.

2 secrets - chill the dough for at least an hour (preferably overnight)... and sprinkle the cookies with sea salt just before popping them in the oven.

I've done this recipe so many times - i know it by heart. It's my go-to recipe when i have a hostess gift to take. they don't last too well - must be eaten the same day (or the next at the latest)... but that's fine, since they are usually inhaled upon arrival.

i have such a weakness for cookies...