Things I love about California, cont...

One of the things I really like about Cali is high end gourmet delis. They are really an aesthetic experience. The smell of good coffee brewing, glass cases full of triple chocolate brownies and Italian cream cakes, in addition, to colorful salads and delicious sandwiches on artisan breads. What is not to like? And if they have a beautiful patio, heaven! While in college I frequented this particular deli, Pierre Lafond. One of the most novel things they have is air fries, fries cooked with hot air instead of oil. They are really great and healthy. For the life of me I cannot figure out why these have not caught on elsewhere. Can you imagine how great it would be to replace the traditional fries with these at high schools and colleges? Anyway, back to my deli reminiscence. Actually, it is secretly a dream of mine to own and run a place like this. Maybe not quite this high end(it would not be unusual to spot a movie star at Pierre Lafond's in Montecito). I think I would really enjoy running a deli. Maybe someday.

Strawberry Picking

Last week our family went out of town a bit to Wold Strawberries to pick our own berries. There is usually only a week or two a year when you can do this so we were glad we didn't miss it while we were traveling. We picked one tray/basket which came to 11 pounds. Originally I had wanted to pick 2 baskets but it is a good thing I did not. Berries don't stay fresh very long so you have to preserve them right away. I chose to wash and dry and then freeze them. I also made some jam and a strawberry crisp. The crisp recipe was from the Crisco website. I am not a fan of Crisco but I just substituted butter for the Crisco. It was a good recipe and passed my husbands test. His mother makes a lot of crisps so he knows what he likes. The strawberries are so beautiful it was fun to photograph them.

Things I love about California

A good Italian sandwich is a beautiful thing. Before I was married I lived in an apartment in downtown Santa Barbara with many roommates. It was fun to live just a couple blocks from the main strip. And one of the best things was that we lived just around the corner from an Italian market, simply called, The Italian Grocery. It is a tiny little market that has a very nice deli counter with very big and tasty sandwiches. The sandwiches are packed with real Italian cured meats, like capocollo, sopressata, cotto salami, genoa salami, and cheese. It is topped simply with tomato and lettuce and then dressed with mayo and with oil. Whenever I am in town I drop by this market for a sandwich. I have searched high and low for another Italian store like this but have not had much luck. When I lived in Chicago I kept taking little trips to try to find one but I never did. I am sure there must be one but I never figured out where. In Chicago there is a Little Italy but not a hometown market quite like this one. I bet Italian locals know where one is but for now this little tiny one in Santa Barbara is my favorite.

Caffeine California Style

While in California I ordered a Decaf Ultimate Vanilla Ice Blended Coffee with chocolate covered espresso beans and no sugar added. When did coffee get so complicated? Sometimes I just have to laugh at people's orders. Can't anyone just order a coffee anymore? The price of these complicated drinks is no laughing matter, though. This baby set me back about $4.50 and that was for the small. But I was on vacation and threw caution to the wind. I don't think that all these coffee house drinks would sell quite so well if they called them what the really are which is milkshakes with caffeine. Coffee sounds like something you can consume everyday without guilt. But it doesn't seem right to order a milkshake on the way to work everyday, even if it is non-fat, decaf, no sugar added.

On Vacation

I am on a long needed vacation and wont post for a while but I am gathering ideas and enjoying some California sun and food.