Olive Oil or Vino? {w/ travel}

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Olive oil or wine? How does a food blogger choose?

Some of you would say wine without hesitation. The subtle complexities that make their way from the bottle of merlot to your tongue are just too much to deny.

But oh, have you ever tried a good olive oil?

This is just one of the dilemmas I face as I prepare for next week.

Because you see, next week - Friday to be exact - I will attend my first-ever food blogging conference. Eeek!

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chorizo Sausage and Pineapple Jam {w/ recipes}

I'm not a vegetarian - 

I love bacon.

And a good steak.

And oh boy, a roasted chicken? Yes sir-ee and more gravy please.

- but lately I have been cutting a lot of meat out of my diet. And I like it.  

I used to think that you had to have meat to make it a meal, but there are so many other ways to have a balanced, protein-rich diet.

I have embraced flexitarianism.

It’s like Food Network Star contestant Nikki Dinki says, “I like my meat on the side.”

New York Eats {w/ travel}

According to USA Today, there are more than 3500 restaurants in Manhattan. Allow me to share some of the amazing ones I visited, in what I am calling, A Very Incomplete Guide to NYC Eateries.  

Part I

Keste
Like many restaurants in Manhattan, Keste is a physically small restaurant with big flavors. This Neopolitan pizzeria also has incredible service - the host brought out a hot "pie" for us to sample while we waited for a table.

ate: the Margherita and Kesté pizzas, wine.

Alice's Tea Cup
In case you don't know, I have a thing for tea. My blog's name? It's the way I take my tea, with milk and a little sugar. I love everything about tea, especially tea parties. Alice's Tea Cup, a quaint tea shop and restaurant, did not disappoint.

ate: Alice's tea, Vanilla Almond tea, chocolate walnut scones, mixed berry scones, ham and cheese scones, Croque Monsieur sandwich, smoked chicken breast sandwich with granny smith apples and herbed goat cheese {<-- I will be replicating this someday soon}.

The Loeb Central Park Boathouse
A New York tradition, the Boathouse sits on the water's edge in Central Park. When we arrived the bar and restaurant were closing early for a private event, but we quickly ordered at the to-go station and sat outside, sipping Chardonnay while watching the boats on the lake.

drank: a California wine (oh, the irony!)

What I'm Loving Wednesday {w/faves}

What am I loving this Wednesday? I think the better question is "what am I not loving"? Today I feel so renewed and joyful, in no small part to the kind words in comments from yesterdays post. I tend to be a private person, and have a very hard time opening up. So it was incredibly encouraging to read all the lovely notes.

Thank you.

Here's what I'm loving this week...

...The Shins radio on Pandora
This station is perfect for work. It is mellow, but with the right mix of upbeat songs that will lift your spirits if you happen to find yourself in a work funk. Tons of Shins songs, Modest Mouse (every time I hear them it takes me back to high school), Amos Lee, Iron & Wine, Mike Snow, Fleetwood Mac, to name a few.


... the idea of FALL
I say idea, because that's all we have here in San Diego. It's been hotter than you know what the last few weeks, and while it's nice to have extra beach days, the cool, crisp days of autumn are calling my name. My heart is yearning for a gust of wind to blow red and yellow leaves across my front balcony.

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... Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race
How embarassing is it that this makes my list? But seriously, I love this show. I am crossing my fingers that Seoul Sausage will win and already planning my daytrip to LA to try their Kimchi Fried Rice Balls.

... blogging!
It feels great to be re-energized and full of ideas for things to post on in the coming months. I am considering doing a Daily December series (a post every day in December, eek!).

... my sweet husband
He's been particularly awesome this week.

Exhibit A

Grilled Vegetables and Quinoa {w/ food}

When the temperature rises, the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven and transform my house into a sauna.

Luckily, summer is the perfect time to grill outdoors. I picked up a small eggplant and sweet potato at my local market the other day. You could also easily use a variety of other vegetables including zucchini, portobello mushrooms, or summer squash.

I buy my quinoa at Costco so there is always plenty on hand.

Maybe you've seen or heard about quinoa but don't know what it is. Quinoa  (pronounced keen-wah) is a seed originally from South America. It is packed with nutrients like amino acids, calcium, and iron. It can be substituted for rice or cous cous and because of its high protein content is great for vegetarians, or anyone enjoying a vegetarian meal.

I started by slicing the eggplant and sweet potato into about 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. The eggplant will cook pretty fast on the grill so if it is sliced any thinner it will get too soft. The sweet potato will take longer so I put it on first, but if you'd like them to cook at the same time just cut the potato thinner.

This was my first time using the BBQ by myself. For some reason I've always bought into the social norms and let my husband use the grill. It was a little daunting. But I've learned that using an outdoor grill (BBQ) is nothing to be afraid of (especially if its a gas grill).

I first brushed each piece with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

I put the sweet potatoes on first since I knew they would take longer. I let them cook about 5-7 minutes on each side over a medium high flame. Then I added the eggplant, about 3-5 minutes per side. While it was grilling I minced some fresh garlic and prepared the quinoa.

I used chicken stock to cook my quinoa, but you could easily substitute vegetable stock, or water, to make this a true vegetarian dish.

I tossed the grilled vegetables with the minced garlic. The flavor of garlic changes as it is cooked. Anyone who has ever tried to eat a whole raw garlic clove can tell you that uncooked it is unbearably strong, with a unique spiciness to it. Compared to the sweet flavors of roasted garlic they seem like entirely different food items. I tossed the minced, raw garlic with the freshly grilled vegetables and let the heat slightly cook the garlic to release some of its sweetness to complement the sweet potato.

I placed it atop the quinoa and sprinkled with a bit of parmesan cheese.

What you end up with is a delightful dinner. Packed with natural protein this is a perfect alternative for anyone looking to have a Meatless Monday or just enjoy grilled vegetables and quinoa.

Del Mar Fair - A Fried Food Lovers Paradise {w/ food}

hi friends!

Thought I'd share some pictures of the Del Mar Fair from last weekend. I don't know about your town, but San Diego gets really really into the county fair. We were able to get group ticket rates for a season pass at the same cost as a single ticket. I foresee many day dates of kettle corn and people watching in my future. 

How amazing is kettle corn? Pretty amazing right? And I love how you basically HAVE to get the largest size. We approached the stand confident in our decision to get the medium. We even talked about it ahead of time. 

Steven: What size should we get? 

Me: Medium. Have you seen the large? It's crazy big. 

Steven: Ok medium. You know they'll try to talk us into the large. 

Me: It's ok. We have will power. 

Apparently not as much will power as I thought.  

I love fair food. Fried Twinkies, fried Snickers, fried Kool-Aid, fried Klondike bars. Basically anything you can think of, but fried. 

These are beer battered, fried (big surprise) potato slices drowning in ranch and a cheese-like sauce. Oh so bad for you, but so delicious. 

I promise I normally don't eat like this, but when it comes to the fair, any discretion I have in day to day life goes out the window. Oh well. 

Do you go to the county fair? And if so what is the worst/best thing you've eaten?

{btw, all of these photos were taken via Instagram. You can follow me if you want at fotoKris}

Summer Seafood Feast {w/ food}

This past weekend Steven and I celebrated our good friend Travis’ 30^th birthday. Steven and Travis have been friends for nearly 18 years (holy cow!).

Travis’ parents have a love for the finer things in life – stinky cheese, fine wine, and great food. Yum!

To celebrate this momentous occasion Travis’ dad prepared a feast. We had Alaskan King Crab legs, muscles, jumbo shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn on the cob. It was all cooked together in a HUGE aluminum bucket pot.

The pot was filled with chicken stock, water, and old bay seasoning. Easy peasy, right? The result was sublime. I love seafood and this was definitely the best I’ve ever had. The addition of Andouille and sweet sausage perfectly complemented the seafood. And the corn on the cobb? Yeah, it was amazing too. Steven doesn’t even like corn and he had two pieces.

The best part of the meal? No utensils. Everyone used their hands. 

We paired the meal with 2 bottles of  Grand Cru Chardonnay (fancy schmancy). Grand Cru is a regional classification that describes the terrain in which the grapes are grown. One was from 2000, the other 2005. I'm no wine connossieur, but lately have taken an interest in educating myself on viticulture and oenology. It's fascinating really.

It was so fun to be a guest at this dinner and sit back and enjoy all the lovely food. But I was also inspired to throw a fancy dinner party myself... anybody want to join me? 

Gourmet Lunch Trucks {w/ food}

If you haven't already noticed, food trucks are popping up all over the place.

And not your typical run of the mill greasy, fried food serving type of trucks.

More and more frequently they are hand-crafted, fresh, and even gourmet.

Discover SD wrote a post on the top 10 food trucks in San Diego back in February of 2011. On their list is my favorite, Miho Gastrotruck.


I discovered Miho last fall. The 2 Miho trucks drive around San Diego making stops in differents locations on different days of the week. They added Carlsbad to their rotation list and I was hooked. The food is amazing! It is a true farm-to-table experience with most of the fruits and vegetables being grown locally and the prepared products locally sourced.

Here are some of the items on their menu this week:

JERK BURGER

grass fed beef, farmers market stone fruit chutney, goat cheese, local arugula, jerk aioli, local gourmet bun / 8.25

LAMBURGER

all natural lamb, harissa aioli, goat cheese, caramelized onion, local arugula, local ciabatta / 9.5

SQUASH BLOSSOM QUESADILLA

local squash blossom, anaheim chile & citrus salsa, caramelized onion, local arugula, Spring Hill cheddar, cotija, local flour tortilla / 7.75

THAI SLOPPY JOE

larb-style all natural Berkshire pork, fresh local mint, local cabbage, fresh red onion, hoisin, whole wheat bun / 8.25

CARNITAS TACOS

all natural Berkshire pork, hand made guacamole, fire roasted salsa, house pickled red onion, cotija, local corn tortilla / 2 for 7.95

VEGGIE BURGER

quinoa, farro, beet & carrot patty, havarti, local butter leaf, grilled red onion, herb aioli, local whole wheat / 7.75

I seem to always end up getting some type of hamburger, but coworkers have also raved about the carnitas and these spicy chicken biscuit sammy's they have sometimes. Another amazing item? "The bello". A balsamic marinated portobello sandwich. It makes me believe I could be a vegetarian. But when it's not available I go for the beef hamburger. So maybe I wouldn't be a good vegetarian.

The menu changes fairly frequently, just enough to give a good variety.

Have you tried any great food trucks lately? If not I'd highly recommend it.