and that's Sancho the most beautiful pit bull ever in front. Someday maybe he will be my own, we'll see!
Goodbye, San Francisco!
Since Tahoe is pretty much my favorite place in America, we decided to spend a few days there "on the way" to Eugene. Actually, it's not on the way at all... it's about 3.5 hours from SF to Tahoe, and 9+ hours from Tahoe to Eugene, the same as from SF. But it was worth it! We stopped at Berkeley Bowl after leaving San Francisco, I will certainly take any excuse to visit that magical place. We got pretty well stocked up, I did a decent job restraining myself. The supplies we got lasted nearly the whole time we were in Tahoe. I am getting better at staying on budget as far as food is concerned -- certainly my greatest expense.
Anyway, the drive went very smoothly and we arrived in a timely fashion. We had picked up some Vietnamese sandwiches on Larkin St. before leaving the city, which sustained us nicely throughout the trip. By the time we arrived, we really weren't very hungry, so I think we just had some snacks before bed.
The eating was really very good on this trip. I did most of the cooking, which was ok with me! There was so much lovely summer produce (which I brought from the city, pickings are generally rather slim at the Sav Mart up in the mountains). I really loaded up on my last Saturday at the farmer's market, and supplemented by my haul at Berkeley Bowl, we were well stocked. Jesse began our first day by making a much-needed shelter on the front porch.
It gets so hot out there! The sun is really strong, and the air is thin, so everything looks extra clear, like a Kodak ad or something. I love it! We decided to lunch under the awning, and Jesse made us some really spectacular sandwiches. As I have noted before, grilled cheese is one of his specialties, and these certainly did not disappoint!
These sandwiches were on sourdough bread, with dijon mustard, Australian cheddar cheese and black forest ham. I made a salad with watermelon, basil and cucumber, and we supplemented with one of my weaknesses -- BBQ chips. Yum, MSG! the sandwich was perfect -- buttery and crisp on the grilled side, soft and melty within. So good, in fact, that it deserves a close-up:
The accompanying pickles are from Happy Girl farms at the Ferry Building farmer's market, and they are truly delicious. If you ever find yourself down there at the market, go around back and find their stall. They sell a variety of pickled things; my favorites are the spicy carrots, bread and butter pickles, and spicy heirloom tomato juice. So good! Then we did basically nothing for the rest of the day, as it should be.
We decided that my birthday would be best celebrated over a period of several days, so Thursday night's dinner was just as celebratory as Friday's (my real birthday). I had made some pizza dough before we left SF, and I planned to grill some pizzas (my new favorite thing -- so easy and SO good!). Unfortunately the dough was a little hard to work with, I suspect because it had been stored for a few days, and then I let it get too warm while I was preparing the toppings. Jesse got the grill ready while I shaped the dough, and then I prepared the toppings. One pizza was to be topped with feta, tomatoes, basil and olives; the other with smoked mozzarella, basil, and Berkeley Bowl's divine roasted tomatoes. Here are my preparations:
I also sautéed some chard with garlic and made a salad to go on the side. Jesse alerted me that the grill was at its optimal state for pizza-cooking, and... the dough was completely stuck to the wax paper! I had a minor breakdown and pulled despairingly at the sticky clumps adhering strongly to the wax paper. What went wrong? Did I shape it too thinly? Let it sit out too long on the counter? Does the wax paper just suck? In any case, I made a frantic decision to ball all the dough I could separate from the paper together and reshape it into one larger, slightly thicker pizza. I decided to top it half and half, and it actually worked out pretty well. I threw the extra toppings on the salad and raced outside with the dough.
To grill pizza, you have to cook one side, turn it over, top it, and get it back on the grill to do the bottom and warm the toppings. The grill must be very hot, though if flames are coming up above the grate the dough will be burnt very quickly (I think that it tastes good a little burnt, but this may not be a universal opinion). as it cooks a little and unsticks from the grate, turn the dough with tongs or fingers so it cooks evenly and doesn't burn too much. It is done when it bubbles and is firm and... looks done, I guess. It all happens very quickly, so you have to pay close attention! I threw the dough on the grill, and very soon it was time to flip and top. Here I am in action:
By the way, I do recommend scheduling grilled pizza so you're not out there in the dark. that makes it a lot harder!
Despite my panic at unforeseen developments with the dough, it turned out really well. I had used my friend Elizabeth's dough, which combines rye flour with all purpose flour, and I added a little whole wheat flour too. It's a fantastic dough and very easy indeed. There's not really enough time on the grill for the cheese to get really melty, so if you care you could blast it in a very hot oven for a few minutes. I don't care much, though, and we were quite ready to eat.
It was delicious, and felt very festive!
Jesse gave me one of my birthday presents after dinner. Here it is:
It is a gorgeous little espresso maker, the likes of which I have never seen before. The metal plate at the bottom goes over the burner, and the demitasse cups rest on it. There is a double spout under that snout, and the espresso simply runs out directly into the cups! I love it!
We had a simple, decadent dessert of stroopwaffel cookies (dutch honey/maple filled waffle cookies -- very expensive but buttery and very sweet and so worth it!), espresson, and mascarpone.
Yum!
The next day, Friday the 28th, was my birthday. I made us waffles for breakfast, some of them with mashed banana mixed in the batter. Boy, were they good!
We had them with chopped pecans, fruit, and of course maple syrup. I have had my waffle iron since I was about 11, and it really does the job well. I love waffles!
After breakfast I opened my presents, which really blew my mind in their cohesive theme and beauty of selection and presentation. Jesse will likely have more to tell you on that at some later date.
After the festivities were wrapped up (or unwrapped, rather), I went to pick up Jeff at the Reno airport, and for the rest of the day we once again did mostly nothing until dinnertime. I prepared another festive dinner, making use of both our excessive produce and the summertime desire to grill everything. We grilled some summer squash and broccoli (I had never grilled broccoli before, and it was so good! The little florets got crisp, and the smoke heightened the broccoli's earthiness), and I put the vegetables on garlic-parsley pasta with some perfect Andante Dairy fresh goat cheese, some ubiquitous summer basil, and some caramelized onion and fennel.
I also made a salad with these lovely heirloom tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic, and basil.
The finished product:
Once again, we had a very festive dinner, and I felt very well fed and well fêted for my birthday. So far, being twenty nine is a real treat!
The next day we had to go get more supplies, as more friends had arrived. Jesse spotted these in the cooler with the normal eggs at the Sav Mart:
Yes, those are six hard-boiled eggs in a bag for 2.99. Now I have really seen everything.
We decided to make burgers that night, after a fantastically relaxing day at the beach. We mixed some spicy chicken sausage with the beef, and made some nice fat cheeseburgers, served with more grilled squash, caramelized onions with mushrooms, and the usual toppings.
In our hungry excitement they came out a little underdone, but we all ate them anyway, with little to no hesitation. I am happy to report that no one got sick, and they tasted quite good! Nothing else to report there.
By Sunday the food selection was getting a little slim. Somehow I ended up having an all-orange lunch:
-- a beautiful heirloom tomato sandwich, with orange slices and violently orange BBQ chips. It is my favorite color, after all!
That night I had planned to use up the rest of the food in sort of Japanese fashion, making miso soup with mushrooms, Hodo soybeanery fresh tofu, and pea shoots, accompanied by sesame soba noodles with avocado and cucumber. But we got a call from my cousin Adam, who is on an epic 8000 mile motorcycle trip, including a leg up and down the West Coast and a stop at Burning Man. What an intrepid traveler! Anyway, the poor man was famished after surviving for a week on energy bars and the like -- he has to travel very light. He was due to arrive around dinner time, and requested red meat. So Jeff got some flank steak, and marinated it in soy sauce, with ginger, garlic and pepper (an effort to echo the meals Japanese theme). It actually went ok and the dinner was surprisingly tasty; the steak was the best part. Here's the spread:
I think he wants me to stop taking pictures so we can eat!
Adam arrived about an hour after we finished dinner, and ate most with great enthusiasm. That's what I like to see!
So, that's what we ate on the final trip of this vacation-filled summer. I think we must have spent at least 4-5 weeks on vacation this summer, not to mention the perpetual holiday of unemployment. We are so lucky to have had the opportunity for so many trips and adventures, but now I am very ready for school to begin again and for this new part of my life to pick up some speed. I am well-installed in Eugene and practicing cooking for one (impossible!). I'm discovering plenty of tasty Northwestern treats around here, you'll soon see some of what I'm working on in my glorious little kitchen.
1 comments:
Post a Comment