Dear East Coast,

Please, please, pretty please, make a donut like this.

It can't be that hard. In California you literally can't go a block without driving past a place that makes these things fresh. No, this is not even remotely close to some stale Dunkin Donuts donut from a store that doesn't even appear to have an oven. 

It's always the little things that you miss, so if you could get right on this, that would be great.

love, 

Me.

Peppermint Shortbread Cookies- Put These on Your Christmas Baking list ASAP!

Oh... these are good. I'm not gonna lie, you probably should skip to the recipe and go make these immediately, then finish the post while munching on them.

I must confess, these were not actually my own idea. Yesterday we went to The Trails Cafe, which is a cute little place right in the middle of Griffith Park. Along with this amazing avocado sandwich, we also had the daily special, a peppermint shortbread cookie.

The only thing was, while it was pretty delicious, I didn't feel like it was quite pepperminty enough. So, I set to work. I found Ina Garten's shortbread cookie recipe and went from there. 

3/4 pound butter (unsalted)

1c sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3.5c flour

1/4 tsp salt

AND

10 full sized candy canes

Preheat the oven to 350. While it's heating, put the candy canes in a food processor (or, I guess, hit them with a hammer or some other creative solution). The pieces should be very small, big chunks will melt and spread when the cookies bake. Cream the butter and sugar together really well. Add the vanilla and salt and mix well, then stir in the candy cane powder/pieces.Then gradually add the flour- the dough will be a bit crumbly. Smush it together and wrap in plastic wrap. Set in fridge to rest for about half an hour.

When it's ready, roll it out. I made mine a bit thin, you should remember that there is nothing in these cookies that will make them rise (no eggs, baking soda, etc), so they will essentially be exactly the same thickness as they are when you put them on the cookie tray.

The recipe says to make them half an inch thick and bake for 20-25 minutes. You should probably watch the first batch carefully, since mine were relatively thin (which actually tasted good and crispy in the end) they only took about 17 minutes. You don't want them to be too brown, the edges should just barely be getting brown. When they look good, put them on a cooling rack and get ready to enjoy!

NOTE 12/13/13- since posting this, I tried again to make these cookies, and it did not go well. They spread out all over the sheet and generally looked like a crazy flat weird mess. Not to be deterred, I tried again. It turns out it is CRITICAL to let the dough chill. This time, I rolled it into a log, covered it in saran wrap, and put it in the freezer for at least half an hour. Then, I just sliced the cookies (which after all, is easier than rolling anyways!). The remainder of the dough went back in the freezer. In addition, I would slightly reduce the number of candy canes to 8. When you blend them in the food processor you end up with some amount of candy cane dust, which then acts just like sugar, and melts and can cause them to spread. I also baked them on parchment paper- do NOT grease the cookie sheet. Good luck!

The Gallery of Sandwiches: Round 4 "The Combo"

I have previously posted about various epic sandwiches that I've encountered. Some were old favorites, some were touristy must-haves, but this one is a little different.

I have been driving past this sign for something like 9 years, now.

It was really the "Home of the Combo" that got me. First of all, I thought maybe they were claiming to be the first place to have the standard drink/fries/burger combo, which seemed hilarious somehow, like it was a thing that had had to be invented. Like this tiny place was battling all the fast food joints, by still laying claim to it. Then, I kept imagining all the many and wondrous things that The Combo might include.

Every morning and evening I would drive past and sometimes there would really be quite a line at Marty's, so I got more and more curious. I kind of liked the idea of not knowing what "The Combo" was, though, so I avoided googling it or looking on yelp, or trying to learn about it at all. I avoided it, because I had a dream. A dream in which I would just walk up, with no idea what it was, and just order The Combo.

Unfortunately, as indicated by the Vienna Beef sign, and the burger-shack-like vibe, this dream was bound to involve some kind of mysterious meat concoction. And even more unfortunately, as wonderful as they are, a huge percent of my local friends during this period of mystery were vegetarians, so recruiting someone adventurous enough to head over and just eat whatever Marty's was ready to dish out was tough. So, for years I remained thwarted, because really, that's the kind of adventure for which you need a partner in crime.

Fortunately, I met Feeesh. I told him about the mystery of Marty's, and like with most things, he was totally game. It took us a long time to get around it, but finally, today, out of the blue as we were pondering lunch, he asked "Hey, you wanna try The Combo". At which point I almost jumped out of my chair bouncing with excitement, and off we went.

Just like in my dream, we walked up, and just ordered The Combo... behold...

Turns out, The Combo is a hamburger (made of beef freshly ground by them each day), topped with standard burger toppings, plus a sliced up hotdog! (and, for the truly brave, it can include chili. We decided to experience The Combo in its pure non-chili form, since we were newbies. Also, because we didn't want to have heart attacks on the spot). I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it... which obviously makes the whole thing even more awesome.

The Combo is not for the faint of heart, I ate it 7 hours ago, and have no inclination whatsoever for any kind of dinner. But, the burger was delicious, and freshly grilled right in front of you, the hotdog was delicious... all in all, mmmm. (in addition, even though I didn't test its powers in this regards myself, I would suspect that this might be one of the highest forms of hangover food).

Now that I've gone, I let myself look up Marty's on Yelp  and apparently it has been there for years. If you're local and craving a fresh burger, it may be worth a shot- they also have an assortment of other things, including turkey burgers, but we stuck to our Combo guns, so I can't vouch for the rest...

All in all, quite a dream-satisfying weekend lunch.

Ahh... summer.

There are some things not to love about Los Angeles in the summer... those are things like sitting in traffic in the blazing sun. But, one of the most awesome things is the increase in street fruit vendors (maybe they're around all year, but it still feels like a summer thing). You can identify them by their rainbow striped umbrellas, and little carts stacked full of fruit and ice. Usually there is an array of options like fresh mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, coconut, jicama, and cucumber. You ask for what you want, they chop it up right in front of you, and toss it in a bag. Then, the magic happens- they ask you what you want on it, and the only correct answer is chile, lime, and salt (con chile, limon, y sal). This results in a hefty dose of chili powder, a sprinkle of salt, and limes squeezed all over it. All this for five bucks!

Tell me you don't want to stick your fork in that. Seriously, try to make it the whole car ride home without nibbling at every stoplight.

I've actually tried to replicate something similar at home with a fresh pineapple. I sliced up the pineapple, sprinkled with chili powder and salt, and squeezed some fresh lime.

Now, this is a classic combination, and it definitely was delicious although maybe slightly lacking in the magic that happens when you stumble upon a fruit guy and chops, squeezes, and sprinkles the whole thing super fast right in front of you. It is definitely a way to make your summer fruit salad more spunky

CSA Box... woo!

I've posted before about how much I love my CSA box. Now, I got a little worn out of squash and ended up taking a break for a while. But, I'm back, baby! This week was my first box of the summer... check out the deliciousness:

- 4 Detroit Red Beets
-1 bunch  Blue Kale
-1 bunch Siberian Kale
-2 Artichokes 
-4  Carrots
- 1 bunch Red Chard
-1 bunch Green Chard
-4 Spring Onions
-4 Zucchini
-4 Peaches

I'm going to be busy! Let me tell you some of the things I have planned...

1. grilled artichokes with grilled chicken

2. Roasted white beans, onions, garlic and braised kale

3. Swiss chard and red pepper stir fry with quinoa

4. roasted beets and greens with roasted chicken breast

5. Kale with chicken andouille sausage

Now, I'm not promising that I'm going to post on all of them, because most of these are new endeavors, and I only want to share the things that actually get my stamp of approval. But, keep your eyes out!

A New Adventure: CSA Box!

Something is afoot, and I'm not going to lie, Charlotte and I are pretty pumped about it. OK, that might be a little white lie because I'm having some amount of trouble getting her properly enthused.

Whats up? I finally, after quite a while of looking, found a CSA to support. For those LA area people who might be interested, the one I found is the South Central Farmers Cooperative Community Supported Agriculture, the main feature it had that the other ones didn't is that you can sign up each week as you want to- which, since I am not a family of 4, means that if it takes me more than a week to eat everything, I'm not buried in a hailstorm of kale (a scenario I imagine somewhat like this scene from the Simpsons of Homer eating donuts in hell, around minute 2 in this video). ANYWAYS... I got my first box this week! Check out the bounty...

I've already busted into the cantelope, which is quite delicious.

(pictured next to the favorite go-to breakfast of me and my co-gardener across the city, Feeesh- egg whites on top of whole wheat english muffins with Laughing Cow cheese spread.

You are sure to see more... its all very exciting- watermelon! purple basil! patty pan squash! (I think), Rond de Nice Squash (I think based on google)!, summer squash! spaghetti squash! the cutest little eggplant ever! fresh tomatoes! kale! (as a side note, I have already learned something about basil... apparently, the appropriate way to store it fresh is the same way you store flowers- trim the stems and put it in a glass of water- who knew!).


I'm hoping to wrap this into my budget cooking posts by trying to create dishes that are based on these items, and that use basic staples (grains, onions, garlic, beans, flour, olive oil, chicken, broth, (feta and almond milk, around here), etc) that I have on hand- essentially I've made sure I have everything like that on hand and am now going to see how long I can go without going to the grocery store. We'll see!

An unlikely duo.

So, it has been raining here in LA. For the rest of the country this would be no big deal, but as far as we are concerned, this is a monsoon (aka three days of rain IN A ROW). I decided the least I could do is to let my little plants get a bath and celebrate, so put them out on the edge of the balcony the other day.

I just got a kick out of how funny they looked together, partly because there is no natural scenario in which these two kinds of trees would ever mingle. And partly because something about the way they're leaning towards each other makes it look a little like they've headed over to the corner to chat, and are conspiring on some secret scheme.

Wintertime Bike Ride...

So, this was my afternoon on Martin Luther King day... sorry East Coasters!

I am very fortunate, in that I have a bike, love the ocean, am a giant chicken about riding on the street, and yet someone had the foresight to build a bike path almost directly from my apartment to the beach! This most excellent invention is the Ballona Creek bike path ("creek" apparently being a LA euphemism for "flood channel", but, whatever).

Its actually pretty scenic, especially at high tide and most especially in spring when the second half is lined with fields of yellow daisies. What I like best is that the first half basically goes through people's back yards and side streets, past elementary schools and small neighborhood playgrounds- the kind of things you normally just drive past and never look at very carefully unless they directly involve you. But on the bike you go slower, and on Saturday mornings you pass by people hanging out laundry, men playing soccer, kids playing, all kinds of things. And there is a completely random selection of people on the path itself (hard core bikers in whizzing groups, wearing lots of spandex; old couples going really slow and wearing visors; little families with kids on tricycles; people just strolling along).

Sometimes you get so caught up in your own daily routine, that you construct your own version of wherever you live. You make it out of the places you know you like, fill it full of people you already know or who are pretty similar to you, and can just exist in that bubble endlessly. I like the process of finding places I like and building a little world for myself- it makes a big city feel like home. But, I also like feeling like I'm really seeing the city the way it really is (instead of just my version of it), and really getting a quiet backyard peek into the LA's that people completely different from me have constructed for themselves.

Anyhow, here's the path! Starts off a little industrial (but I'm attached to this bridge. There is no clear reason why it is even there at all, yet its kind of large. and very rusty.)

And, it gradually opens up a little...

And there are more and more plants...

And then you get to see things like this...

And... you're at the beach, and can ride by the ocean! (or lay in the sun and read, either way)
Love it!

... and this is what makes the traffic all worth it...

So, sometimes living in LA can get a little old, with the traffic and crowding and so on and so forth. Usually, this feeling gets fixed pretty quick when I remember that I can do things like decide to get dinner from any kind of restaurant you could ever want (last night: Ethiopian), wear flip flops year round, hear three different languages being spoken on my way down the street, and this kind of thing.

But today was a topper... this week the northeast is being buried in snow (or so I hear), but, this was how I spent my mid-January Sunday afternoon...




ahhh...

Summertime in the City

So, summer in LA has its pro's and con's. The con's are things like traffic jams on the 405 (which are always there, but in the summer your car is approximately one million degrees), throngs of tourists, and hot hot weather.

But then, there are the pro's. And, one of my all time top favorites is this... (taken from my cellphone, of course, which explains the fuzziness)... the Hollywood Bowl. It has been there since 1922, and there is definitely a reason.
Why is it so awesome? let me count the ways:
1. if you take one of the shuttles that leave from all over the place, getting in and out is almost ridiculously easy, enabling you to smugly ride past the vast lines of misguided people who decided to drive.
2. sitting in the late afternoon sun picnicking with your friends is strongly encouraged
3. bringing in bottles of wine and glassware is not only acceptable, it is also strongly encouraged
4. you're in the middle of the city, but it is in such a quiet spot, you feel like you've gone somewhere special
5. then of course there is the music (this show was Feist). although, I really think it could be almost anything, and you'd still be glad you went...

LA Type Girlfriend

This is the last remnant of my series of cell phone pictures. You know, a lot of people spend a lot of time and money doing the internet dating thing, or speed dating, or blind-dating... but really, not enough people just go ahead and post signs on telephone poles. It works for finding lost pets, why not for finding a girlfriend? I saw this on a trip to San Diego...

Now the interesting thing is, I am from LA, and I could be considered computer smart. But somehow, I never called. Who knows, this could have been a tragic missed opportunity to find my soulmate... at least he gets points for creativity!

Random Act of Snowman-ness

This is another of the backlog of photos I forgot I ever took using my camera phone. Now that I see it, I remember taking it because I was completely captivated by this accidental finding... it satisfies my need for random hilarity...

This photo is dated 10/23/07, and I think its awesome. I found this little guy, just randomly, around the back of a building at work. He is made out of the kind of crushed ice we use in lab, except normally you just dump it in the sink and don't, you know, create ice sculptures out of it (although, obviously, given what I now realize we could be doing, this is our loss).

At any rate, as you can see, he's a little lonely since he's definitely the only snowman around these parts (LA being less snowman friendly that the average climate)- I think his expression even looks a little wistful... if he was a puppy, I would totally take him home...

Truth in Advertising

Ok, this is hilarious. I drive by this apartment building EVERY DAY and have been doing so for about 4 years now... and I never noticed this until someone (my Mom! who was visiting with my family!) pointed it out Sunday. A lot of apartment buildings around here have named themselves, and most of the time they're pretty cheezy, usually something about sunbursts, villas, and the like. But this one... this one completely takes the cake...
Do you think they just never said the name out loud? Or, did they think that a fancy font and spelling it with an 'i' would bamboozle people? Or maybe, just maybe, they thought that they'd just put it all out there, and see if anyone would just rent it anyways...