Fruit, Photos, Clay & Dirt

Recently, whenever a recipe turns out really well I consider it as a possible blog post. So, I snap a quick photo and later when it is time to add a pic, I am horrified with the results. Images of awful slop (and that's putting it nicely) almost negate the positive memory of a meal. So, as my passion for photography and good food develop, I've decided I want to combine hobbies and get better at food photography.

The blood orange featured above was almost gobbled up by my bf before I could capture nature's candy in all its glory. I've been delighting in citrus this winter--it is the best snack--neatly wrapped, gives you pep, and it's good for you. While regrowing my love for blood oranges (which I became terribly sick of while living in Italy--it was the ONLY fruit I ever got) I came across an article on NPR about their merits. This last batch we got is so red that it's purple, which according to the article is due to the same chemical that makes blueberries blue.

We've also started up ceramics again--this time in a new place with new materials. Now we're getting our artistic groove on in an old pottery shack that's even closer to home. It is indoor/outdoor, VERY funky, near the ocean, and has 3 different kiln options (rakku, salt, and regular). Plus, I have been experimenting with new materials. I was getting almost decent with stoneware, so A talked me into experimenting with b-mix (stronger but I don't like it--too sticky feeling!) and porcelain. I have fallen for porcelain: it is so soft and light and easy to center and shape (but alas, also to ruin). I appreciate that I can work and still enjoying the sunshine and fresh air from the day:

The garden is growing wonderfully. Our brief spell of rain really brightened things up. I just planted some more strawberry and asparagus root systems, and got some summer bulbs to plant between the rose bushes. Gladiolus' galore:

The veggies are also prolific and I am looking forward to the harvest. I have Fava beans, celery, and a ton of leeks in the plot on the left and on the right are the peas, artichokes, Swiss chard, and a patch of cruciferous veggies (mainly broccoli and Brussel sprouts).

Spring Inspiration: Before & After of a Window Box

It seems like summer most of the year here with a few weeks of crisp autumn, chilly winter, and blooming spring squished in. Right now we are experiencing springlike weather--the trees are blooming, bulbs are coming up, and it is brrrrrisk outside. Last week was summery and near 80 so I'm not sure if there is much order to these seasons. Growing up in Hawaii we didn't have the distinct season change the mainland is blessed with (though we did have mango season, gardenia/plumeria season, tourist season, and huge-waves-on-the-north-shore season). In Santa Barbara the seasons don't change like they do in Oregon, and in Oregon they don't change like they do in Chicago or New England. I remember gleefully collecting acorns and colorful leaves my first year at college in Oregon while all the kids from Massachusetts scoffed, "They call THIS fall?" As a Hawaii girl I relish the transitions between seasons.

With Spring comes spring cleaning. I am trying to reduce the clutter and complications in my life and keep living simply, with hope that the order in my external life will reflect/compliment the peace I feel within. While I like this zen philosophy, and aspire to be a more of a minimalist, the truth is I am a total maximalist. I love stuff, collections, and am a natural-born gatherer. A seashell? Mine. A book I want to read? Mine too. Baby clothes? Let me get that and start a stockpile of gifts for so-and-so. It can quickly get out of control.. Everything in moderation. When you have too much stuff you stop appreciating it and instead appreciate the gift of open space. Which artist call "white space" or "negative space" right?

The flowers I haphazardly planted in my window box last fall have been bothering me. They were barely blooming when I bought them. Then they started growing into this chaotic rainbow:

Sorta pretty but purple (and hot pink!?) primroses, bright yellow violas, and red pansies, plus a few viney nasturtiums have become too much of a good thing. My entryway screams crazy artist lady.

So, inspired by all the showy-white blossoms on the trees around my house, I decided to go with clean, crisp, and classic white. I decided that flowers are eye-catching enough without having to come in shades of neon. I feel a lot better coming home being greeted by this elegant, calming flora made up of white malacoides (fairy primrose) and white dianthus (a carnation cousin).

Ta-da! Most of the blossom are still in bud form, but it's already a bit more zen this time around.

Building A Nest: Before & After of a Kitchen Floor

I am constantly working on creating a home for us here. I think "nesting" is the term these days. I have to admit, I started bawling when I first saw this place and its very institutional first impression. It's 1970s architecture at its worst, which involves minimal natural light, popcorn ceilings, buzzing fluorescent light fixtures, dingy chipped linoleum, and gritty "no slip" tape on all the steps: Wah! Wah! Waaaah! I have to mention that we arrived to our new hometown after 5 days of travel, a month of sleeping on couches, and a year of extremely intense grad school. Plus, a fire was raging nearby and it was raining ash (which I just took for Southern California air pollution). Oh, and as most of you know, I cry pretty easily.

For half as much money I got a bit higher quality of place in good ole' PDX. But, hey, that's the price you pay for paradise. And I have since realized the AMAZING value of having a spare bedroom in a town like Santa Barbara. This room doubles as my walk-in-closet/office/guest quarters/ project room/ professional library/ linen closet--and comes complete with it's own 3 ft x 3ft balcony. Okay, enough bragging about having an extra room. There are families of 8 squeezed into these townhouses--and we're filling ours up quite nicely.

There are some Utopian aspects of my community: Most of my friends here happen to be my neighbors, we have a free thrift store, a thriving and friendly community of gardeners, kids are always laughing and playing outside, and it's a very diverse community of pretty educated folks. Plus I have a view of the Santa Ynez Mountains from my kitchen sink and I can walk to the beach. So, now that I know better I like it.

As far as the interior goes--a little bit of paint goes a long way. And when a place is filled with stuff of your liking it starts to feel like your own. As a girl who grew up in the tropics with 17 foot tall ceilings in my house--the darkness factor does bug me. But I have mirrors squeezed into every dark corner, bouncing in as much natural light as I can get into this place. This helps immensely.

Despite an awesome view the kitchen is still pretty fugly. But it's on its way, like the rest of the house. I thought I would document a our latest do-it-yourself development. We found a roll of vinyl outside last night, neatly rolled and in perfect condition, ready to be swapped (or swiped?). This spot near the dumpster is also where we found our screen door . So we "redid" our kitchen floor.

Before we had chipped, 35 year old, green-gray, industrial floor tiles (read: underfunded public schoolhouse tiles). Plus, the cracks gross me out--who knows what germs lurk within them?

After: Fresh and fabulous, easy to clean, vinyl "wood" floor. Not the classiest, but a definite improvement, dontcha think?

Now, what to do about the peach gray colored cabinets...

I think I can deal with them for now.

Strawberry Smoothie

Strawberry Smoothie
Originally uploaded by Emily October

We've had a few overcast, almost winter-like, days lately. And suddenly I am craving fruit and thinking of the amazing fruit salads my dear friend Cristina can throw together on a whim. Bruised supermarket produce is rarely inspiring and the farmer's markets, though still going, aren't at their peak for much other than citrus. So, my best choice is my stockpile of frozen fruit. I threw this together a quick smoothie.

Plain (unsweetened) soymilk
Frozen strawberries--make it pink!
frozen mango--make it creamy!
frozen pineapple--make it sweet!

Since I only had plain soymilk on stock (which I like to use as creamy base for sauces) I added a wee bit of:
vanilla extract and a
squirt of agave nectar.

This natural sweetener from the agave plant feels so appropriate to use in this climate. The desert-loving agave (or "century plants") decorate just about every parking lot.

Voila--tropical delight on a "cold" winter days.

Film Recommendation

I recently watched a lovely documentary called "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill." It follows the journey of a flock of wild parrots living in San Francisco but the main focus of the film is the man who befriends and attempts to protect these cherry-headed birds. He's a quirky, harmless fellow, who reminded me of how much I appreciate California for its tolerance and draw for such non-conformist types.

Other pluses of this film include fascinating animal behavior, the excellent film footage, the gorgeous San Francisco setting, and a spark of romance.

I saw it in the "watch instantly" section of Netflix and have also noticed it at the public library.

Culinary Successes and other Standouts

Neatloaf
Who knew? This was a cousin Janna recommendation. This is the hit (and formerly top secret) recipe from the veggie restaurant Ananda Fuara in San Francisco. It was a perfect hearty main course during the holidays. It is a strange medley of ingredients, some a bit more processed than I typically use, but it actually combines into deliciousness.

Banana Bread
I doubled this simple recipe, gave some away, and brought it to a New Years Eve fest. i wouldn't normally write about something so basic, but it was very popular. I gave it to a Taiwanese friend who had never had anything like banana bread, and she had me teach her how to make it (she calls me Super Girl and Super American for my domestic skills). I threw in a handful of dark chocolate chips which made it more of a gooey treat than muffiny wholesomeness. Make sure you use overly ripe bananas!


Barbecued Beans
Buying beans from the bulk bins has several benefits--it's more economical, tastes waaaaay better, and allows you to avoid cans. We've been avoiding canned foods since they are lined with the hormone altering plastic BPA. BPA is linked to reproductive cancers; I plan to keep my breasts (1 in 8 women, people!) and Andrew needs his remaining testicle so we are being as careful as we can be for now. So now what do you do when you need a few quick servings of ready-made beans? Turn to the freezer!

Right now I have a huge vat of bbq beans. I sauteed a few yellow onions and some garlic in olive oil and then threw in some pinto beans that had soaked overnight in purified water. I covered the beans with water, added a jar of Ghetto Gourmet BBQ sauce, and brought it all to a boil. I then covered it, reduced the heat and let it simmer on very low for a few hours.

Delicious! One of our favorite meals? Bean sandwiches. Sounds a little weird but it is quite good. I took some dark rye bread, a thin layer of Mayo and some cold clumpy bbq beans, topped with avo and lettuce. Pack a sandwich like this for your man and it's enough to make the other boys at school jealous.

I now have freezer bag portions of black beans, pintos, and garbonzos which are great for quick meals. As needed, I cut them out of the bag and then heat in a ceramic bowl in the microwave.

Middle Eastern Pizza
This pizza was inspired by my friend Linda and her adventures on recipezaar. I was out of tomato sauce so we made this very unpizzalike pizza for dinner. I cooked the pizza dough first, then spread it with a layer of homemade hummus. I then topped with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms, sprinkled with the red chili flakes. I de-veganized this recipe with a tiny sprinkling of goat cheese. Muy bien!