Traditional Mexican Stew - Birria

May 15, 2016

Living in San Diego I am surrounded by delicious Mexican Food so Mexican Food cookbook is not something I am normally attracted to. So far I had only been tempted by Rick Bayless "More Everyday Mexican" and "Fiesta at Rick's." However, while browsing the cookbook table in Costco "Claudia's Cocina, a taste of Mexico" by Claudia Sandoval, winner of MasterChef Season 8 called out to me. Discovering that she was a local from National City/ La Mesa sealed the deal. 

I am so very glad I bought the book. I choose for my first recipe to try, Traditional Mexican Stew- Birria from the book. It allowed me to work with various types of beautiful chiles I see at local Mexican grocery stores, that I have always wondered about. Relatively easy to make despite the longer ingredient list. The results?? Two Big Thumbs UP from family. I have made it twice already and thinking it might be time to make it again!

Mysterious Cardamom

July 31, 2016

Are these green cardamom pods? Have not been able to find pictures of fresh cardamom at this stage that look like these. What variety of cardamom are these. The mystery continues. Stay posted for updates as I get confirmation. I will dry these cardamom pods and let you know. I transplanted what I remembered as either the Green or Black Cardamon plants that I had purchased from Walter Anderson Nursery, into the ground of my Temecula garden about almost 3 years ago. This past May, the plant started flowering. Long buds rose from leaf stalk, ending the sword like sheath that enclosed the flowers to be.  

Better Than Flour Banana Bread

June 16,2016

This is a keeper for sure!! Delicious, comforting and all banana bread-y. I did not miss the sugar; in fact felt that the banana flavour was more pronounced. I suspect the same could be said of my family because of how fast the banana bread were devoured. I must say, they tend to favor the minis baked in the brownie bite pans. So easy to swing by the kitchen and pop a tasty mosel (almost without anybody the wiser.)

Baking with Less Sugar

June 2016

While on a recent trip to New York I came across Joanne Chang book BAKING WITH LESS SUGAR. It is exactly what I had been looking for. Both sides of our family have a history of diabetes. We have been eating healthier and leading a more active lifestyle. I had been cooking lower carbohydrate and less sugar meals for my family for awhile now. But, sometimes you crave a little something, not necessary sweet but with a great mouthfeel to end the meal or as a pick me up.

Faced with the shelves full of Cookbooks that I have to cull for the move, I was trigger shy of buying yet another book. Luckily, I was able to borrow the ebook version of it from our local library. Joanne Chang of Boston's Flour Bakery, is of the Sticky Buns Throwdown with Bobby Flay fame. She beat the Master Chef.

My first try was the Blueberry Bran Muffins. The recipe looked so promising I purposely went out to buy the wheat bran.  2 1/2 cups of blueberries provided moisture, sweetness and drama! You peel of the muffin wrapper and are greeted deep purple promise of deliciousness. It is buttery and delicious. Yum!

Baking with Less Sugar

June 2016

While on a recent trip to New York I came across Joanne Chang book BAKING WITH LESS SUGAR. It is exactly what I had been looking for. Both sides of our family have a history of diabetes. We have been eating healthier and leading a more active lifestyle. I had been cooking lower carbohydrate and less sugar meals for my family for awhile now. But, sometimes you crave a little something, not necessary sweet but with a great mouthfeel to end the meal or as a pick me up.

Faced with the shelves full of Cookbooks that I have to cull for the move, I was trigger shy of buying yet another book. Luckily, I was able to borrow the ebook version of it from our local library. Joanne Chang of Boston's Flour Bakery, is of the Sticky Buns Throwdown with Bobby Flay fame. She beat the Master Chef.

My first try was the Blueberry Bran Muffins. The recipe looked so promising I purposely went out to buy the wheat bran.  2 1/2 cups of blueberries provided moisture, sweetness and drama! You peel of the muffin wrapper and are greeted deep purple promise of deliciousness. It is buttery and delicious. Yum!

Pared Down Garden

June 2016

The garden is looking quite bare. You can see right through to the back of garden to Pomelo and Kumquat trees.

The banana grove has been removed. I miss those gorgeous banana leaves swagging in the wind. In all the years I never put up window dressing on the windows. The Banana leaves from the outside provides all the window dressing I ever needed.

How Do You Move a Garden?

May, 2016
The past couple of months and weeks has been strange and uneasy for me. I had been purging and packing our offices for the office move. If that is not unsettling enough, I had also started the same purging and packing on our own San Diego home. But my most ambivalent feeling might be regarding my garden. Over the years, we have grown our San Diego garden in the style of the lush tropical garden we grew up with. The San Diego weather has allowed us to grow tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, Sapote Ciku, longan as well as figs, persimmons, and citrus like pomelos and kumquats. In anticipation of our move and sale of the house, we had started clearing out and tidying our San Diego garden. Not everyone appreciate the "Jungle Look" we favored. 

The plan is after we tidy up the garden, we can plant a more acceptable palate of plants to prospective buyers.