friday night: making vinegar

a few months ago, we had this wonderful workshop from friend and fellow MFP, Chef Ernest Miller on fermentation. we each received samples of kombucha, white and red wine vinegar mothers.
i rarely drink white wine, but i recently had a bottle that had been sitting around and i decided to start my vinegar operation.

i basically took our white wine vinegar mother, 2 c. white wine and 1 c. water and combined them all in a large glass jar (or you can use a ceramic crock).
next i covered the top with a few layers of cheese cloth and secured it with a rubber band.

then i placed it in a dark, dry place...i don't have many options until i finish our root cellar, so i decided to put it under the sink.

now i just have to wait 12 weeks and then we have some white wine vinegar...to be continued...

CSA cooking: bean and kale soup and salad

basket inventory: parsley, basil, cilantro, spring onions, chard, 2 different kinds of lettuce, persimmons, zucchini, eggplant, arugula, limes, chives

this week was the first time i started to feel Summer leaving and Fall arriving. i started to wear leggings under my house dress and i don't leave the kitchen windows open the whole day like i used to.what a perfect way to celebrate the coming of cold weather by making a soup.

Bean and Kale soup:

• 1-2 onions, chopped
• 1 head onion, chopped
• 4-8 cloves of garlic, depending on how much you like garlic
• 4-5 cups of veg stock
• 1-2 cans of white beans (you can make your own but do you really want to do that for 1-2 cups of beans?)-just make sure they are done before you add them in
  
• 1 can 24 oz chopped tomatoes (but if you have whole canned tomatoes or even pureed if you want/have them), just remember that you will be eating them in soup so chop them if they are large pieces
• 1 large head of kale chopped
• salt/pepper, herbs
• crusty bread and parm cheese (optional)

you can make your broth from scratch (or use an animal-based product), but if you don't have the time i must suggest that you invest in a jar of Better Than Bouillon, this is a tiny jar packed with pots of stock and takes about 2 seconds to make and takes up about 2 inches of your fridge.

pour a few tbsp of olive oil into a soup pot, add the onions and garlic (if you want it chunkier, add celery or carrots!). cook for a few minutes or until tender. add broth and canned tomatoes, parsley, beans and s & p. simmer for 10-20 min. taste and adjust seasoning. add kale last few minutes.
garnish with fresh parsley, bread chunks, more raw kale or cheese or just leave it how it is.

Simple Salad:

this is actually something i make all the time, tonight i wanted something cool with the hot soup and just used what we had from the basket.

• various chopped or torn salad greens including kale, chard in = amounts or less than the salad greens
• various fresh herbs- we used the rest of the parsley, chives, spring onions
• dressing made from: lime juice from last week, balsamic vinegar (or any one that you like), s & p, mustard powder, garlic. shake in a jar and taste until you like it.

i must say of the 3 people eating, this was almost completely gone, the only thing left was 2 servings of soup which we will have for b-fast tomorrow-enjoy!

(the finished meal, right before Top Chef!)

farm & canning event: nov 1st

Morning Song Farm, our CSA farm and i have teamed up to do a series of seasonal events dedicated to farming, food and food preservation. Preserving the Season: Autumn, is our first event scheduled for November 1st from 11-4.
what is this event you ask??
spending the afternoon at Morning Song, a CCOF certified farm, participants will spend the day doing the following:

• a tour of an organic farm, its growing practices and daily life
• harvesting food from the farm
• a canning course from the food harvested (by yours truly!) in the farm house
• a 3-course local meal made from items on the farm and local goods from the Temecula area.

this is a unique event, unheard of in the region. if you are looking for a special day out or are an advocate of all things local, this event is geared to you!
email me or contact Morning Song Farm if you are interested/have questions.

Hollywood Farmers Market, Booger and brunch with Felix

on Sunday, i had my first full day at the Master Food Preserver table at the Hollywood Farmers' Market. even though i am not used to waking up that early anymore (i am more of a late night computer/book person these days), going out to Hollywood (especially with ZERO traffic!) was a real treat that i am going to look forward to once a month.
at the market, i shared a table with LA Master Gardener Kevin, who was handing out free seeds and giving advice on what to grow this time of year. Kevin also gave the the ins & outs of everything about the market: local crazies, regular customers, celebrity shoppers and favorite vendors.

speaking of celebrity..right in the middle of our conversation i noticed a familiar face. through the crowds, i kept staring, trying to figure out how i knew this person, and then it hit me:
Booger (played brilliantly by Curtis Armstrong) from Revenge of the Nerds!!

(remember this scene!)i wasn't able to grab my camera in time, and unfortunately the next time he walked by, i was busy answering a question :(

this time i also didn't have the time to score the deal of the century, i had to rush back to finally attend my friend Felix's brunch-where i met one of my favorite people, Chef Mark Cleveland from the beloved Avanti Cafe. i was so excited, Mark and i have never had the chance to hang out in a non-work context-PARTY!

(pasta with baby lentils, lima beans and other goodness)

(beets with micro greens, and a quail egg-YUM)

(Mark taking pictures of his meal)

(Chef Felix relaxing after a terrific meal)

but probably the best thing of the day (besides the various goodies that Mark brought me and that i will be talking about later this week), was this one guest's awesome poncho that was a five-in-one accessory. she was more than proud to show of her goods.

(poncho then...)

(side deal...)

(chunky necklace...)

(shoulder shrug...)

(pulled up with a bunch in front)

i think i need one of these.

affordable art: Ashley G and Drew

(wouldn't it be great for a kid's room?)

I just found this talented creative duo: Ashley G and Drew, partners in work and life designing cute prints and do-dads in Portland, OR.
What i love about these works (besides the fact that you can get them for around $20 a pop!) is that they have these adorable ornaments with a selection of their images. Talk about a great and indie holiday gift that can be showcased year-round, talk about the perfect wall piece for the smallest of spaces (and also about $20)! They also do a collection of cards and i think clothing-at least that is a section on their etsy page.


They also do custom portraits as well...a great b-day or anniversary gift!.


UPDATE: i have recently seen a few of these images for sale at Urban Outfitters...but i think you should go through Etsy or their site instead so they can have more of the profits.

the fun part of my job: Salvage Life and Au She Cosmetics

i must admit, one of the best things about having a store like this is being able to meet so many incredible, talented people that are right in our area.

just yesterday i was able to meet 2 fellow female entrepreneurs: Beth from Salvage Life and Tatiahna from Au She Cosmetics.

I met Beth from Salvage Life at a craft fair in Cerritos...looking at her pieces, i instantly fell in love with her artful deconstruction of things that i would normally overlook. I immediately wanted to carry her jewelry. Beth and her adorable daughter came by in the morning with a series of necklaces made from vintage watches, chains, belts and other trinkets that were combined together to make one-of-a-kind pieces.
she also sells lovely vintage slips and wears that complement her jewelry line. Her blog has better images of her work.
(Beth's beautiful and curious daughter)

(trying to get to her mommie's jewelry!)

(necklaces made from old watch pieces and vintage chain-GORG!)


In the afternoon i met with Tatiahna of Au She Cosmetics. I had only met her a few days ago, when she came in to drop off her application for Patchwork. I asked her what she was selling and she told me that she had a line of handmade, natural and organic cosmetics. HOW do you even begin to make makeup! not only that, but she uses at the least 99% natural ingredients (most of her line is made with natural pigment as well.
i have been searching high and low for a small-batch, natural line, one that i could try and actually talk to the person who made the product-i had completely given up on it and here she was in Placentia!
Tatiahna was formerly a make-up artist and while she loved make-up, she didn't love the industry..she really wanted to work with people and work with a product that made your insides as good as your outside and is a rebel in the cause for changing beauty stereotypes. we met today and now i have a few samples to try out (the lip products smell WONDERFUL!)

(Tatiahna demoing how to mix eye shadow with her cream primer)

CSA cooking: leek frittata

basket inventory: beets, a large melon, dill, basil, lettuce, arugula, chard, kale, limes, passion fruit, bell peppers, leeks, spring onions, radishes, avocados

my good friend August came by after a few months in France and we made this super simple frittata, which is basically a quiche without the crust (at least the way i make it!). the cooked leeks can be used on other things as well, use them like you would cooked onions.
(august juicing limes-we will use it later for dressing!)

LEEK FRITTATA:

leeks
6 eggs
salt, pepper, and your favorite spices/herbs
parm cheese (optional)
olive oil or spray oil for baking/saute

heat the oven to 350

clean the leeks and cut off the green parts only leaving the white and light green areas. slice to desired thinness. cook the leeks with a little oil for 10 min or until they are soft or even slightly brown. cool slightly.

whisk the eggs together with salt, pepper, and additional goodies that you like with eggs. add the leeks and give a good mix to make sure that they are spread throughout the eggs.
spray a pie dish (i use thrift store glass ones-they are cheap!) and dump the egg mix into them. sprinkle with cheese and place in the oven for 15 min or until the eggs are ready. slice and enjoy!

(right before we put it in the oven)