don't bother me...i'm cooking

it's been a little while since my last post. it's not for lack of inspiration. in fact, i have gotten a lot of goodies in my csa box and it was thanksgiving, so plenty of reasons. but alas, no time...
today i take a break from my 11-hour day (that's right, 10+1, you need more fingers than you've got to count the hours i worked today) to reflect on my recent culinary victories and ogle my foodie porn.

roasted winter veggies. all major players present and accounted for, including butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and grape tomatoes and rosemary. with the addition of an onion from the store, this was to die for. not actually, or i wouldn't be here typing about it. but talk about the perfect blend of delicious and nutritious!

simple salad. never underestimate the power of a good salad to brighten up your dinner. spinach, avocado, and heirloom tomatoes. with the addition of green onions and feta cheese and dressed with a oil and vinegar, this was one of the prettiest (and tastiest) salads i have made in a while.

persimmons. who knew??? some of you might be thinking "where the hell have you been that you've never had a persimmon?" apparently, under some sort of rock that did not have persimmons. but as i spoke with friends and colleagues about this curious, orange goodness, i quickly realize i am not alone in my persimmon virginity. what to do??? i made a fruit salad per some recipe from epicurious with one of them. but i had five more. so i searched for more to do with them when i see persimmon cookies. fruit + cookies = happy belly. so i pureed them and mixed them up with your standard cookies ingredients. oh. my. cookie. so good!

brussels and greens. another good winter vegetable is the sprout of brussel. sauteed in a brand new boojie garlic infused olive oil (see temecula olive oil company), i cooked them until them were browned and a little crispy. i finished them with a little bit of honey infused balsamic (see temecula olive oil company, again). next time, i will use a little bit more balsamic to get a little more flavor from it. either way, tasty. it's plate partner in crime is the green of mustard. sauteed red onions in regular olive oil, i added the greens and some salt and pepper and cooked them down a bit with a little bit of cider vinegar. i finished them off with a little lemon. this was a magnificent way to spend meatless monday :)

kulinary ambiguity

stress=lots of baking. stressful last week=lots of baking last week.
cranberry almond scones. persimmon cookies. pumpkin pies.
the stress is not-so-good, the baking is fun, and the finished product is delish.
but when you have other stuff going on, sometimes you need a little help. and sometimes you need a little kulinary help. i was staring at chicken and had absolutely no idea what to do with it. i was totally unmotivated to do anything with it. if i were by myself, i would have put it back in the fridge and had a bowl of cereal and gone to bed. it was that kind of night. but instead, i am not alone, but i also did not get any help. so i cooked said chicken and it was eaten by it was not great and i was not feeling any sort of happy feeling that usually comes with baking or cooking.
ambiguity is hard :(

you've got...crabs!

don't worry, this is a restaurant review of the crab catcher in la jolla, not a public service announcement. let me first set the stage...
a year ago, i met a guy from an online dating site. we had drinks at a local sports bar while we talked for a few hours. fast forward a year and we are living together, eating together every night, and have a domestic, blended household (his cat + my two cats = crazy cat family).
to celebrate that memorable november day, we went out for dinner at the crab catcher in la jolla (thanks mama sue for the groupon gift of food).
friday night was cold and dreary but the restaurant was warm and romantic. we started with a bottle of savignon blanc. although i prefer red to white, i know it pairs better with most seafood and wine is a delectable first course. my beloved had the surf and turf (crab and fillet) while i had the wild mexican shrimp. now before you go crazy (why didn't you get crab at the crab catcher), i don't like most crab or lobster. have you tried it? yes i have. have you had good crab and good lobster? yes i have. it's just not for me. now, he loved both the surf and the turf. i tried both and did not like the crab (it was not the crab, it's just not the flavor/texture for me). my shrimp were not shrimpy at all in size nor in flavor. blasphemous as it sounds, i did not have an ounce of room for any desserts, i did have a box of chocolates waiting for me at home :)