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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?!

Today I went to Chez Panisse Cafe for lunch with my friend Minna. I hadn’t been back since i stopped working there in December. Fantastic meal! and it was really really nice to see all those friendly faces. i should go more often.

what we ate:
4 appetizers-

Washington State oysters on the half shell with mignonette sauce
Champagne to wash them down

Roasted beets, carrot salad with cumin and lime, and herb jam on flatbread
Bourgogne Vezelay, La Chatelaine, Domaine de la Cadette, France

Cardoon and frisée salad with grilled anchoïade toast

Asparagus with lemon cream, chervil, and bottarga di muggine

2 entrees-

Pan Fried Alaskan halibut with pickled vegetables and parsley mayonnaise

Grilled Hoffman Farm chicken al mattone with Belgian endive, potato-celery gratin, and salsa verde
Westrey Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon

2 desserts-

Pineapple sherbet with kumquat confit and gingersnaps

A bowl of Jim Churchill’s Pixie tangerines and Black Sphinx dates

Megan came over and we made some impromptu pina coladas. YUM!!!
that coconut creme stuff is good. and instead of pineapple juice we used fresh pineapple and made the drinks in a food processor.

dinner last night. our cupboard is bare. bare bare. so this is one of those meals created from nothing. something from nothing i like to say.

indian flavors. i made cous cous with some fresh cilantro sprinkled in. and potato, corn fritters with curry and cumin and fennel flavors. and a mint/cilantro chutney.

with dinner we had a very nice Cabernet S. that our dear ol’ friend Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe Vineyards made a while back. He is generally a Pinot Noir guy, so i was eager to try his Cab.

Dallas and i recently found Circolo on a hunt for neighborhood cocktails. We had been a couple times for drinks (i am a fan of their Key Lime Martini), and this time we decided to try out their dinner.

We started with the Circolo Ceviche Duet. Pretty tasty. I really enjoyed the fried yuka chips that went with it.

I ordered:
Lemon Grass Roasted Chicken
tequila reduction, corn bread and white onion relish, chayote dumpling.

I did not really get into my entree. When it arrived all I could see on the plate was chicken and more chicken. There were 3 pieces total. A huge thick breast, a leg, and a thigh – all in all, 1/2 chicken! holy cow! i was overwhelmed by my plate before i even started. underneath i found the extras – which i was unable to identify. it looked just like thanksgiving stuffing. Not too bad, but a little soft and bready, and not much in the way of offsetting the dry chicken. there was a sauce, which was good, but very little of it – not enough to make the chicken seem moist. Also there was no sign of a vegetable anywhere. the plate was all about the chicken. with so much of a focus on the chicken, i would have liked to see a little more care go into the cooking of it. It was dry, and the skin was a bit goobly goo in places.

i’m sure we’ll go back there for cocktails, and perhaps an appetizer at the bar, but i won’t bother with dinner again. there are too many restaurants in San Francisco to give them all a second chance.

I’m trying to find a good recipe for thom kha gai – a coconut milk based thai soup. when browsing the interweb i found a funny ingredient i had never heard of before. Can you guess which one?

1) 1 cup sliced chicken breast.
2) 2 tablespoons sliced kha.
3) ½ teaspoon turmeric powder or fresh tumeric
4) 3-4 pieces som khaeng
5) 1-2 tablespoons fishsauce
6) 2 cups coconut milk.
7) 3 shallots, lightly crushed.
8) 3-5 mouse-shit chillies (phrik kee noo)
9) 1 red chili, shredded.
10) coriander leaves.
11) 1 cup thick coconut milk.