vidalicious.com

We are just about to enjoy (hopefully) a Vidalia Onion that we grew in our garden! It is the very first one harvested.  Its a little small still, but it seemed silly to buy an onion when we have our own.  This fine onion will be sautéed then added to soy “meat” for TACOS!  

p.s.  Today is 33 weeks!

On Thursday my aunt and uncle visited us. We went to Bi-Rite Creamery and had some of their delicious ice cream. It is mostly organic and freshly made on premises. I had one scoop each of Salted Caramel and Honey Lavender.  

I was already a fan of Bellwether Farms when I tried a container of their Sheep Milk Yogurt, Blackberry.  Oh my goodness!  It was delicious. The price is quite a bit more than other yogurts ($2.99), so it has to be reserved as a treat. It is super creamy, rich, and fresh tasting.

They also make a really nice fresh Sheep Milk Ricotta that we used to get at Chez Panisse, and their créme fraîche is the first I reach for. 

This is what $40 can buy you at the Berkeley Tuesday Farmers Market…

- Sungold cherry tomatoes

- Red cherry tomatoes

- Carrots, 2 bunches

- Sweet Corn, 3 ears

- Apricots

- Seascape Strawberries, 3 baskets

- Red Butter Lettuce, 1 large head

- Celery

- Figs, 1 basket

- Garlic, 2 heads

- Yellow Tomato

- Scallions

- Parsley

- Chocolate Pecan Chewy Cookie (not shown)

Don’t these just make you want to have a garden party?
I’d love to fill one up with lemonade!

I realize it is a bit odd for a pregnant lady to be thinking about, and blogging about Jell-O shots, but hey, I’ve got them on the mind. Whenever it begins to get warm outside my party planning juices start flowing. This summer is the year for a Tiki Party. Of course we’ll do the usual frozen piña coladas, but this year I’ve been pondering also serving tropical flavored Jell-O shots. You know, as a “Welcome to the party! Have a jell-o shot, everyone’s already in the yard” sorta thing.

I was browsing around the internet for recipes and found these crazy shot glasses. They are called the Twist ‘n Shot.

Just Twist, and Shoot!

“The solution to the pesky problem of getting your jello shots out of the glass…”

If you have any Jell-O shot tips let me know!
(Its been a long time since I’ve been to a frat party.)

I have the worst headache today. I’ve been pretty much useless. The only time my head isn’t pounding is when I nap. Therefore I’ve already taken two today. All I can do is sit and watch the sun play on the walls. I thought it looked especially pretty on my lemon display.

Yume brought up some crickets from LA that were flavored with bacon AND cheese.

Can’t say they were super delicious, but we ate ‘em anyway.
Actually, the worst part about them turned out to be the artificial bacon and cheese flavoring.

The other night at the restaurant we were pretty stoked to have this home style classic for staff meal.
We work with gourmet food all night long, and work up quite an appetite. Its fun after a long shift to be able to dig in to something like this.
I just had to take a photo to capture its cheesy gooey essence.

(and of course that is all house made ground organic yummy meat in there!)

Sometime around last June I decided we needed a BBQ. MMmm… Just the thought of seared meat and its caramelized sugars sizzling away on the grill makes me daydream. All in a matter of minutes, I could whip up some tasty grilled vegetables for the Hubby, and a juicy steak for myself. Both would have that nice smoky char flavor. We’d be cooking outside, perhaps drinking a beer - just like Americans do.

Living in the city, barbecuing is still quite a treat. It requires outdoor space and a commitment to hauling the equipment around every time you move (which city folks tend to do often). This outdoor space doesn’t have to be a full sized yard, or even a deck. Some people will bbq on their fire escapes, hunched over a tiny plate sized grill, hoping not to arouse the landlord. Others have no shame and will set it up (along with the cooler of beer) right on the middle of the sidewalk. However you grill, it is always a special occasion and a good reason to have friends over.

Anyway… Last June I found the grill of my dreams. Modern, sleek, sexy (yes a grill can be sexy), innovative, and best of all it has, in the same unit, both gas and charcoal. It is the Fuego 01. Check it out at fuegoliving.com

To make a long story short - the Fuego 01 has finally been released (almost a year later). I went and checked it out live in person yesterday. It is gorgeous and looks exactly as expected. So I was about ready to dive in and order it right then and there - come to find out many of the “accessories” haven’t been released yet.

Included in the list of un-released “accessories”: Charcoal drawers, Infrared drawers, All weather protective cover, Hood (to cover food while cooking), Digital read screen, and Hooks and baskets for hanging on the grill face.

If you ask me, these are necessities, not accessories.
We are currently pondering the purchase.
It is sexy though, right?!