Starbucks to Stater Brothers - Thursday 4/9/209

I have been reading a lot about food lately. And I listen to KCRW's Good Food every week. And like most of you I eat food every day.

But it sure seems like it's popping up on my blog more and more.

Anyway, I tried Starbucks' "Perfect Oatmeal" this morning, along with a latte. They're promoting these $3.95 breakfast combos to offset the popular belief that all coffee at Starbucks is $4.00 a cup.

No, that's only if you don't really like coffee and are really looking for hot Baskin-Robbins-like fare. Which is completely legitimate. I like a Carmel Machiatto, a Chai Tea Latte or a Green Tea Frappucino now and again myself.

But I don't go complaining about paying $1.60 for a 12 ounce cup of coffee (that's a short, which you can order, but which is not on the menu.) At most stores, all the sizes are under $2.00. It costs that much for my cuppa joe at Andrew's every day (though there are admittedly--usually--free refills).

Anyway, the oatmeal was pretty good. I added all the provided additives: brown sugar, mixed dried fruit and nuts in separate little packets. Oh, and milk. Mmm.

And no, I'm not a huge fan of the show on the cup. I work on it, and they gave me a travel mug.



I'm not sure whether to be charmed or slightly repulsed by the addition of cucumber fish and boats to the newly refurbished seafood counter at the Stater Brothers grocery in Canyon Country, but I do like to see people being creative in the work place.

It was hard to get a shot with my camera phne that wasn't obscured by the overhead lights.

She Likes Me, She Really Likes Me! - Wednesday 4/8/2009

You know how I can tell? Because she finally busted loose with some strawberry jam for my English muffin.

It's been nothing but mixed fruit from the Surly One at Andrew's NoHo for the past year. This indicates a serious step up in my status. She even complained to me about the new cook!

I'm so in.



When's the last time you had to wait for a train? It was a lovely day for it.

I was in Palmdale, picking up yet more prescriptions. Besides the Prednizone and Codeine cough syrup for bronchitis, I am now on antibiotics and ibuprofen because a quarter of one of my molars broke off this morning (not on the muffin), prompting a fabulous root canal this afternoon.

The pharmacist assures me that there is still room for actual blood in my veins along with the chemicals.

It all makes me long for a nice glass of Shiraz, which is of course out of the question.

If you are having respiratory problems this spring, check them out with the doctor! We have one friend with walking pneumonia and another who is hospitalized on a ventilator due to a Legionaire's-style lung infection!

Blooming Tea - Tuesday 4/7/2009

I bought a couple of blooming teas a while back, and finally got around to trying one of them. See? It starts out as a little bundle of tea leaves all tied up in a ball.


It's about an inch in diameter.



You add water that's not quite boiling and watch it start to unfold and slowly sink.



View from above.


Almost unfurled.


Hmm. Interesting. It's not as brightly colored as the picture on the jar it came out of led me to believe. Kind of a neat thing, partly to see the full tea leaves.

Flavor : minimal. I kind of wonder if these things don't sit in the shop for a long time, since they're $3.00 each or 2 for $5.00. Of course, I went for the deal and did the two-fer, and I'll give the other one a go.

p.s. It looks really disgusting when you take it out of the water. Like...on a level with road kill that has been knocked into a water-filled ditch and then retrieved. Don't look!

Tomasina Gets a Name Change - 4/6/2009

The writing group met at Tomasina's house again this week. Isn't this a lovely little table?

From now on, she'll be known as Antipasta. I think it's more appropriate, really. I think it may have been an original moniker a looong time ago on this blog.


This hangs on the outside wall of the house overlooking the deck.

I love this!

Biscotti di Frioli - Sunday 4/5/2009

My nephew, Beans, shared his almond biscotti recipe with me this past week, and I decided to dive right in today. There are surprisingly few ingredients. It surprised me to find that the only liquids are the eggs and the extracts.

I double the recipe because it stands to reason that if 12-20 biscotti are good, 24-40 are better!


The "loaf" ready to go into the oven.


The first batch, by the time I was done with the initial baking time, then flipping on one side and then the other for 10 minutes each, was decidedly overdone.

I blame the dark baking sheet, my faulty oven, and my own silliness for not checking the progress at around 30 minutes.


The second batch is perfect! Except I might like a little drizzle of white chocolate on them...something I hadn't thought of when shopping.

Next time, pistachios. And I'm wondering if pine nuts would be interesting!


Hyrda and I tag-team cooked a nice chicken stew.

I also made a mushroom risotto and a celery salad (we both put celery in the shopping basket and ended up with three bunches!) to take to my writing group tomorrow night.

We are good to go for the week!