Sunday, November 30, 2008

at last!

today after unloading spencer and his musical equipment at church, i eagerly snuck away from the obligatory pre-church cordialities to go to the new farmer's market in old town la quinta. this is the best thing that could have happened to me culinarily speaking in the desert, short of le cordon bleu opening a new branch. i felt like giada, wandering around like a kid on christmas morning, asking questions and trying to befriend every vendor i met. i wandered through each and every stall, smelling, tasting, touching everything. Some enormous light green grapefruits, called oroblancos. they were sweeter than any grapefruit i'd ever tasted, and milder, too. that same vendor, from redlands (most of them travelled an hour or more to be here), let me try persimmon. it looks like a tomato but tastes something like a tart plum, and can be made into cookies. next was a very friendly and chatty lady selling herbs and potted lavender, along with produce, which she grows using little volcanic stones. she says they keep away fungi better than normal dirt, and allow her to be pesticide free in her farming. she had a photo album to show me all of this. bells rang, not from a church, but sounded cheery and european, and if i closed my eyes, i could be back in praha, wandering down cobblestoned streets to school across the vlatava river. i wandered past flower growers, wondering how many times a month i could come home with flowers before spencer would say something. at a stall selling flavoured honey and cheeses, i tasted 12 month aged gouda that was amazing- crumbly, salty, sweet and earthy. i resisted the nearly ten dollar price tag but am determined to go back and get some with a baguette and wine for a small simple dinner. i tasted many other perfectly ripe fruits, regretting that i had eaten breakfast before i came. suddenly an hour had gone by and i had to go to church, nearly escaping without buying anything, but i couldn't resist a rustic baguette and two muffins for tomorrow-blueberry and cranberry orange. this is going to be my new hobby and reason not to dread waking up at seven am on sunday mornings.

Monday, November 24, 2008

bethany does this count?

i am answering a prompt from kita's blog. because i am greedy and materialistic and can always rattle off a wishlist...

3 things i want for christmas.

1. a $10,000 giftcard to anthropologie. and that would go so quickly...

2. to get to go with spencer if he gets to go to nashville for work in january. i have always wanted to go there to see the bluegrass/country homeland and the culture. and by 'always' i mean at least five years, so that's always right?

3. a resonator guitar. specifically, this one: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/regular/3/5/6/274356.jpg&imgrefurl=http://folk-instruments.musiciansfriend.com/product/Dobro-Hound-Dog-Resophonic-Guitar%3Fsku%3D517823&usg=___ycFZtWgnXXDzfEokKQhhtREFGw=&h=290&w=290&sz=8&hl=en&start=1&sig2=R_q1MB1YX8UK8H58LsHtUg&um=1&tbnid=AVRtqQDbma_0iM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=115&ei=kJ4rSc-3PIy6sAP_s_XaAQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddobro%2Bhoundog%2Bresonator%2Bguitar%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DG

so much for a short blog. dang it.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Le Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrivé !

today is the third thursday in november... no not thanksgiving... it is like the french thanksgiving in a way, because tonight at midnight the beaujolais nouveau is released all over the world!! this wine, similar to a pinot noir, is harvested this year and only fermented for about 7-8 weeks. it is light-bodied and fruity and considered by wine snobs to be not a real wine, or of lesser quality because it should not be cellared. (it should be enjoyed immediately!) forget those stuffy connoisseurs and join the millions of people all over the world celebrating tonight. you should try and find some at a store near you- the most prevalent probably being georges debouef, who was a leading figure in making this genre of wine so popular. the best part is, it is cheap!!! and it goes great with thanksgiving dinner. so buy a couple bottles and take them wherever you are going next week. your friends and family will thank you.