So delicious - San Francisco!

Two back-to-back travel posts tells you two things - 1) I've been a busy girl and 2) I haven't been able to dream up exciting new recipes. BUT, that also means I'm getting inspired left and right from the delicious new things I've tried, so I can't wait to get cooking and sharing this month.

If you remember my trip to Seattle a few years ago, you'll know that when Luke and I travel, it's all about the food. San Francisco was certainly no exception! This trip was hastily planned (about 1 week in advance!) so we were at the mercy of our friends in SF (or those who used to live there) to give us some great recommendations to get us started. They delivered! Below are a few of the highlights:

Slanted Door

Pardon the Instagram pic!

I was in SF 2 days before Luke, so I didn't want to wait to start the eating adventures. I visited Slanted Door after a loooong work day and sat myself at the bar for a treat. The bartender was SUPER helpful, and after explaining that I wanted to try a few things, he mentioned they could do half portions of most of the menu - score! I ordered up half of an Imperial Roll, which featured pulled pork and shrimp, served in a lettuce cup. So many delicious flavors and textures, I'd highly recommend it! Note that it's extremely messy to eat, so consider yourself warned :)

Cafe Divine

After a failed attempt to go to the recommended Mama's (the line was SUPER long, especially for a Thursday morning!), we walked across the street to Cafe Divine. What a lovely little cafe in the Italian neighborhood of SF (another surprise, I didn't know they had such a thriving Italian community). I ordered the chai latte and waffles. But not just any waffles - they had bacon, cheddar and chives on top. The waffle wasn't belgian style, which was nice for a change, and they had a lovely crunch. Very filling, but very delicious.

Flour + Water

Several people recommended this spot, so Luke and I went preparing ourselves for a long wait followed by delicious food. Wait we did, but it was worth it. The hostess was lovely and kept the wine coming while we waited, and then we sat at the bar and enjoyed the company of those left and right of us along with a phenomenal bartender. The pizza looked amazing, but we couldn't resist ordering the 7 course tasting menu. All of their pastas are made in-house, and we weren't disappointed. 

Great view of the kitchen at the bar

Osaka

It wouldn't be a trip to the coast without some sushi! We visited the Osaka in the Castro neighborhood, which had such a fun vibe. I was surprised by the over-the-top rolls, but quickly got over that and chowed down :) If you like simple sushi, this isnt' for you. If you like a mix of textures and tastes, definitely go here!

Napa wineries

Visiting Napa was the top of my list, but I wanted to do it as easily and affordably as possible, while also trying as many wines as I could - a tall order! After weighing our options, we went the uber-tourist route and did a shuttle tour with Wine Country Tour Shuttle. Our favorite winery of the day was V. Sattui, which had a huge menu to taste from along with a lovely deli and cheese counter so you could assemble your own picnic to enjoy on their grounds. Luke was also a big fan of the Andretti winery - and not just because it's owned by a famous ex race car driver!

Cheese counter at V. Sattui

Enjoying the vineyard at Andretti

Magnolia Pub and Brewery

Located in the heart of the Haight area, this was a fun spot to visit. Not only are their beers spot-on (the Sarah's Ruby Mild was flavorful but not too heavy) but their pub-fare was responsibly sourced and delicious. Highlights included the Devil-on-horseback (bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with cheese) and the chorizo sausage over baked beans and a fried egg.

Rose's Cafe

Come here for the breakfast pizza! The crust is perfectly cooked, and it's topped with gruyere, ham and 2 eggs. We also added on truffle oil for a special something (I think it needed it). Things to skip - the breakfast cocktails. $9 for a mimosa is too steep for this Austin gal!

Be sure to add the truffle oil!

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

Loved all the colors at the market

Like any good Austin foodie (or any foodie for that matter), I love visiting local markets to see what produce thrives in that area and meet the growers. This is bar far the BIGGEST and COOLEST market I've ever been to. So many vendors crammed in side-by-side, all with the freshest produce possible. And since it's California, the variety is insane. I was on sensory overload and got lots of great tastes, and I hope to come back here some day with a kitchen nearby so I can really shop my heart out :)

Luke enjoying our peach from the farmers market after a bike ride up to the Golden Gate bridge

Whisked away to cherry land

I don't often blog about my job, but this is too fun to pass up. This was the third year Whole Foods Market is celebrating Cherry Fest in stores, so we decided to take 3 fantastic bloggers up to visit the Rainier Fruit Company's cherry fields in Yakima, Washington.

The trip was a total blast (read my recap on the Whole Foods Market blog here). The bloggers were great (shout out to Gaby, Anjali and Meghann!), Rainier was so accommodating, and a few of my produce-savvy WFM colleagues made the trip the perfect combination of learning, delicious tasting and fun. 

Whole Foods Market field inspectors use sizers like the one pictured above to see how the cherries are measuring up

One of the coolest parts? Riding in a helicopter! Their farms are all over the state of Washington, so Rainier has a couple helicopters they use to get around. I was surprised at how smooth the ride was. 

 

Also, it was neat to watch their preferred method of protecting the fields from birds- falcons! They have a few falconers on staff who go to the fields each day and use falcons to scare the birds off. It was amazing to watch Jacob fly! (Yes, Jacob was named after Twilight). 

 

We ate an insane amount of cherries, both right off the trees and in a side-by-side taste test (my favorite varieties are rainier and sweethearts, in case you were interested).

Walking way, I have a new appreciation for cherries. I was hoping to whip up some amazing recipe to share, however I never could get past eating the cherries fresh, except to add them to a bowl of yogurt and granola for breakfast. Trust me, I'm having major blogger guilt. But, I have to say as someone who is driven so strongly by what I see in the markets and featured in my favorite magazines, it was such a pleasure to get to see one of my favorite fruits at the source. Hoping this happens again very soon!

Lemon Rosemary Drop

This past weekend our house was party rockin! We hosted a combo housewarming/birthday party and had close to 50 friends (and 3 dogs) over to our new humble abode. Luke and I love to entertain, and now that we have a much more spacious home, we've been having people over as often as possible. This one takes the cake though (literally! a lemon rosemary cake) and we had a blast planning for it. Luke's side was the beer. In addition to a keg of local beer (Austin Beerworks Pearl Snap Pilsner!) he also brewed up a gluten free beer in honor of a beer-loving friend of his who recently cut out gluten from his diet. My part? I planned plenty of snacks, decorations, cake and wine! The hit of the party was a delicious white wine cocktail recipe that I pulled from Better Homes and Gardens a month or two ago. Unfortunately it's not on their website, so I've typed it below with my small modifications:

Lemon Rosemary Drop


2 cups sugar
8 lemons, zested and juiced (plus additional lemons for garnish)
8 sprigs fresh rosemary (plus additional sprigs for garnish)
4 bottles white wine (they call for Pinot Grigio, I used Sauvignon Blanc)

Place 2 cups water, sugar, lemon zest and rosemary in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until sugar dissolves. Cool 15-20 minutes, then strain out solids.

Fill a 4-6 quart drink dispenser with 4 bottles wine, juice from 8 lemons and half of the syrup to start (I ended up using 3/4 of it). Stir well then add in lemon slices and rosemary sprigs. Have an ice dispenser on hand to enjoy chilled (I didn't add it to the dispenser since I didn't want to water down the wine!)

We were all pooped after a successful party - especially Benji!

A new mouth to feed

That's right! Now that we've got the house, the backyard and the dog door, we've got a new member of the family - a puppy named Benji! He's a border collie (with a bit of blue heeler we think), currently at 13 weeks and 35 pounds. 

I'm still cooking but didn't have any inspiring recipes to share, so instead I'm sharing a few choice shots of Benji :)

Benji loves his stuffed animals!

And de-stuffing them too!

He was a brave pup at the vet

King of the backyard!

My question to you: What do you feed your dog? What are his favorite treats? Any homemade doggie treat recipes you can share?

Mama Mia! Grilled Pizza!

Grilled pizza - it seems like each summer, every food magazine I read has a story or recipe for grilled pizza. I'm not sure why, but until now, I was too chicken to try. What if the dough fell through the grates? If I used a pizza stone, what if I messed up picking it up and broke it? Now that Luke and I have our fancy new house with our fancy new backyard and fancy new charcoal grill, I ran out of excuses - and I'm SO glad I did. This was not only simple, but infinitely better than any of the oven-baked pizzas I've done over the years.

Grilled pizza

1 bell pepper

1/2 red onion, sliced in thick rings

1 pound whole wheat pizza dough (got mine from the Whole Foods Market pizza guys)

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating pan

2 tablespoons fig jam

1 large, ripe tomato, cut into slices

1 ball fresh mozzarella, chopped

3 ounces pancetta

8 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper

Heat charcoals. Meanwhile, section bell pepper into quarters and cut red onion into rings. Once grill is hot, grill vegetables until beginning to blacken, about 4-5 minutes.Remove from the grill and cut both into smaller bite-sized pieces.

divide pizza dough into 2 balls. Oil a large, rimless baking sheet well, then press out dough as thin as possible (about 1/2 inch). Place dough directly on the grill grates and close the lid, let cook about 2 minutes or until bottom is starting to get good grill markets. Flip over using a large spatula or the baking sheet. Spread olive oil on one crust and fig jam on the other. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over both crusts, then top with sliced tomato, bell pepper and onion.Close grill and let cook another 2-3 minutes, until bottom crust is browned and cheese is melting.

Quickly crisp pancetta in a skillet and chop, then sprinkle over pizza with basil. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then enjoy!

 

Easy Breezy Breakfast

My sister and her husband came to stay this last weekend, and they brought my 2 favorite nephews - their dogs Cooper and Bear! I knew we had a fun weekend ahead of eating, drinking and playing with dogs, so I wanted to have an easy option for breakfast while still making it special so they would enjoy their first trip visiting us in our new house.

 

The menu:

• Blueberry and almond scones from Everyday Food magazine (I liked these, but they weren't my favorite scone, a bit too soft for my taste. But, I loved the abundance of blueberries and crunch of almonds in them!) (prepare these the evening before and then pop in the toaster oven just before serving to warm)
• Fresh grapes
• Yogurt jars

 Yogurt jars

4 ounces honey yogurt (or buy plain yogurt and stir in 1 tablespoon honey)

2 ounces raspberry jam

4 ounces granola

Using 4-ounce mason jars or bowls, place 1 oz yogurt in the bottom of each dish, taking care to smooth out for an even surface.Next, layer in 1/2 ounce (about 1 spoonful) on top of the yogurt, evenly distributing. Finally, top with yogurt. 

The yogurt jars were our favorite part of the breakfast, so next time I might try doing 6 or 8 oz servings instead since we all gobbled ours up!

Pork Chops with Peach Salsa and Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Peach season is here! Peach season is here! For some reason, this year more than others, Luke and I are FREAKING OUT about peaches and down several of the small, ripe, juicy ones in a day. This lunch was so fresh and satisfying, we were literally licking our plates (I'm not embarrassed to admit it!).

Pork Chops with Peach Salsa

1 3/4-inch thick, bone-in pork chops

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large or 3 small peaches, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced

1 shallot, finely diced

1 lime, squeezed

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and cook pork chops 3-4 minutes per side or until they reach your desired level of doneness.

Meanwhile, add chopped peaches, jalapeno, shallot, lime juice and cilantro to a bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil - add more oil if desired.  When pork chops are done, top with salsa and enjoy!

Zucchini Ribbon Salad
A simplified version based on this recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine

2 zucchini, washed and ends trimmed
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmigiano Reggiano, optional

Stand the zucchini up and, using a vegetable peeler, peel it into long ribbons. Rotate 90 degrees and proceed to do it with all four sides of the zucchini and discard the center seedy section.

In a large bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Add zucchini ribbons and toss thoroughly to combine.  If desired, top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.