The Marie Antoinette

Pearl Plum Vodka, Champagne, Lavender Syrup, Grapefruit.

I was intrigued by the name, then curious about plum vodka and last hypnotized by the idea of lavender syrup.
Then I drank it. It's like a unicorn peed magic fairy tales into a glass.

$10 at The Pearl Hotel, 1410 Rosecrans Street
Happy Hour 'till 7pm: $3 beers, $5 well drinks.

Cute Garden Things

Not sure what to do with that boring, lackluster, dead-air space above your yard? Put up a clothesline. This is an economical way to add color, diversity and an eclectic touch to your garden.





And, long garments such as towels, jeans and sheets can help camouflage any dead grass that may be on the other side (we are on water rations after all). As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."

Fruit Fly Slayer

Once a summer I turn into a (self-proclaimed) "slayer." Usually it's a personal vendetta I fulfill against the fruit flies that attempt a hostile takeover of my kitchen. What this actually plays out as is me stalking around the house with lotiony hands grabbing flies out of the air and crushing them (I find the lotion makes it harder for them to sneak out between my fingers). If an outside observer were to stumble upon me in such a state, they might fear for their life... I imagine the 911 call going something like,

Operator: "911, what's your emergency?"

Concerned Neighbor: "Yea...I heard some commotion at my neighbor's house so I came to see if everything's OK...and...and oh...my..."

Operator: "Sir what do you see?"

Concerned Neighbor: "I'm looking through the kitchen window. She is running around the house. She's...kind of hunched over and her hands... they look like claws and are covered in something white. She's smiling or...no...no...she's baring her teeth like a wild animal and frantically swiping at the air... so many swear words... good Lord I didn't know eyes could open that wide."

Operator: "Sir, you need to slowly back away from the window. No sudden movements. Someone will be there shortly."

Concerned Neighbor: "Something smells like cocoa butter..."

And while the fruit flies are well on their way to a bad end, I have bigger bug problems at the moment: Caterpillars. It's one thing to cuss with my basil, but it's a whole other issue when you start eating the petals off my cussing daisies. Just look at this mess. Poor innocent little flowers. They were so happy only two days ago...and now look at them. It looks like they were cast in a Tim Burton film.





How do I know it's a caterpillar? Two ways:

1.) I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar when I was child. I saw the f'ing holes it ate through those pages. Daisy petals don't stand a chance.

2.) I caught one of the bastards with her head buried in a newly ripened strawberry. And a couple days before that I found one going to town at the top of a basil sprig.

Now, growing up on a ranch I learned how to study and recognize tracks-- a skill I knew I'd put to noble use one day. Therefore, I know a caterpillar is the culprit in my daisy situation because I studied their bite patterns on the aforementioned basil and strawberries after I made the following public proclamation:

"Attention all hungry Caterpillars: From this day forward should you be caught within dining distance of any and all fruits, vegetables, seedlings and botanicals, an immediate and swift execution is the best you can hope for. Your cuteness affords you zero protection in this garden."

Then, I sprayed everything down with soapy water...that usually does the trick.




And if not?
The hunt. is. on.

Cucumber Basil Martini

The Westgate Hotel on 2nd Avenue, downtown, just made a new, fun drink menu. Go on a Saturday night to catch Gregory Page and the Make Believe Orchestra (9:00-midnight) in the Plaza Bar. Quite swanky.

Cucumber Basil Martini: Vox vodka, fresh basil, cucumber, ginger and nutmeg.

Also good:

Gin's Cup: Bombay gin, homemade ginger syrup, fresh lemon juice, orange, cucumber, cinnamon and soda. (Take the straw out and drink straight from the cup so you can smell the cinnamon as you sip.)

Horse's Neck: Knob Creek bourbon, house made bitters, house made gingerale.

Cute Garden Things

When my sister and I were little, we used to sit with my Grandma Isabel in her garden (she has the most amazing garden) and paint rocks into ladybugs. I made some yesterday and thought about how much I love her. (I'm hoping that putting them in my basil planter will make the little f'ers who are destroying it cry, "Holy shit! I'm out of here! Monster ladybugs!!!")


I also painted some row markers for my newest planter box.

Farm to Table

I became a vegetarian after watching the film Food Inc.--actually, I'm a pescatarian (I eat a lot of fish). If you have not seen this film yet, I beg you to rent it or put it in your Netflix queue. When I first suggested it to my dad in northern California, I think he was skeptical that it was some left-wing "leaf-licking" propaganda, so I had to ask my sister, who lives in the same town as my parents, to call him and tell him to watch it. So (with her approval), he and my mom watched it, and now they, too, have made some adjustments to the way they buy their produce and meat. 

It's not that you shouldn't eat meat, it's more about where and how you get the food you're eating. (I'm not going to go into the social, political, and environmental reasonings behind my choices--that's what the film will show you.) But, to put it plainly, I don't eat meat unless I know the animal. That sounded less sick and twisted in my head. Let me try again: My parents live on a ranch where they can hunt for their food--which they've always done. This means they are eating fresh, wild meat that was killed quickly and humanely without exploiting another human demographic. Also, I remember growing up we raised a steer once. We would grass feed it and then had it butchered. The meat lasted an entire year. (P.S. The steer we raised was named Dinner and my sister and I used to ride him. I cried a little when he was taken to the butcher, but it also instilled in me a sense of appreciation and respect for the food that I was eating and I was grateful to Dinner for the dinners he provided.) 

In any case, I don't live on a ranch anymore, I live on a postage stamp piece of property in San Diego. So, unless I'm willing to shoot, skin, cook and eat the skunk that is destroying my apple tree every night--and believe me, I'm tempted to shoot the smelly little asshole-- I won't be hunting or butchering my own meat any time soon. (Well now I feel bad for calling the skunk an asshole. I don't mean that.  I'm sure he's a really nice gal*.) Therefore, I've had to search out places around San Diego that are intentional about where they get their meat and produce. 

If you head east, northeast or southeast of San Diego, you might be surprised to find loads of farmland. More recently local restaurants and grocers are buying produce from these farmers (even though it's a little more expensive than buying bulk from China or Chile) because they see the importance of supporting local farmers and they know that fresh food just tastes better, looks better, and is healthier than food shipped from across the globe or poured out of a can.

Last night I ate at a little restaurant I'd never heard of before called Sea Rocket. It is what's called a "farm to table" establishment because...well because of what I just described in the

previous paragraph (I'm sure you're keeping up here).  It was a small place with twinkle lights and papermache sharks hanging from the ceiling and candid pictures of the local farmers, ranchers, fishermen and breweries that they purchase from. Everything was local: from the honey drizzled over the Gorgonzola cheese made by a local cheeseman to the beets in the beet tart or the seared scallop and kale goodness pictured here (courtesy of the Sea Rocket Bistro website). I almost licked the plates clean. I also had a Karl Strauss light beer, but sort of wish I'd gone with one from Ballast Point-- just to try a local brew I'd never had before...but I guess that gives me something to look forward to next time. They also serve red meat here, if you're looking for that, but I'm sort of out of the habit of eating it right now. (And if you don't eat red meat much...beware of what it does to you should you suddenly ingest large amounts in one sitting. I'll leave that to your imagination.)

I'm mad at myself for forgetting my camera last night because you should have seen the fuchsia color of the beet and goat cheese tart. It was blindingly pink. It was like a rainbow threw up on my plate (only it was throw up that you'd really want to eat because it tastes really really good). Aaaand, they serve tapas. My last tapas experience was when my husband and I went to Cafe Sevilla, downtown and for some reason it was an awkward night where lots of things went wrong and was just, well, miserable. I think we might have been sick...or the food made us sick...obviously I drank too much since I don't really remember much. But my point is, that ever since then--sort of like how Pavlov's dogs drooled at the sound of a bell-- I would get instantly annoyed and antsy for no reason when I heard the word tapas. So, last night, it was good to have a positive tapas experience. $2 for a lima bean spread on warm chewy bread or $3 for the aforementioned cheese-thing. Good. Gooooood. (We didn't venture into the world of fish pate--but if you do-- let me know how that one goes.) 

Sea Rocket Bistro is on 30th between Thorn and Upas. 

Also, on the 30th of every month, many restaurants on 30th have special offers: either discounts or a special off-the-menu option. Check out the 30th on 30th website for a list of restaurants that participate.

Another farm to table restaurant worth a visit is:

Tender Greens on Historic Decatur Rd in Liberty Station, Point Loma. Try their Tuna Nicoise Big Salad.

*See sidebar called "My Language Defined" for explanation.

Just Getting Started

I'm excited about this blog because I've found a new passion (that is only rivaled by my addiction to running and cheap wine): growing stuff in my yard. (That almost sounds like "stuff" is bad...but I promise I don't have "stuff" if that's what you're looking for.)

I recently discovered that my husband can make things out of wood! The first thing he built me was the desk, pictured below, (which I am currently typing at) out of an old gate that was left behind by the previous tenants of our house. It's cute, huh? I thought you should see a picture of it. (I also painted and re-upholstered the chair...in case you were wondering: Salvation Army find: 2 for $12! But I digress...)

This desk is in front of a window that looks out over the backyard and part of my garden. Once I realized my husband could make stuff, I immediately requested two large garden boxes (and more are on the way)...so that I could start growing my own organic vegetables...and I'm hoping this carpentry gig I've set him up with will give him abs like Jesus. (I heard that in a movie and have been dying to use that line...so glad I did.)

Observe Garden Box#1: This is an older picture, but today this box has 2 fruit bearing tomato plants, 4 eggplants, 6 jalapeno pepper plants, and 1 black bell pepper plant. (And a random sprinkling of lettuce I did as an afterthought.)

This is what I want my newest blog-baby to be about:

A. Growing my own food, then cooking and eating it. I'm a good baker. Not so much a good "cooker." But that's just because I wasn't inspired by my own reapings. I'm also hoping to get good ideas from you too. Also, as problems come up with the garden, (i.e. How will I get rid of the fly problem in the yard? or Am I over-watering my tomatoes?) I will try to find ways to fix them that may help you one day...and vice versa. And last, we'll see if my gardening techniques (i.e. yelling at my seedlings to "hurry up and grow you little bitches!" or talking dirty to them) will pay off.

B. Farm Boxes. If you haven't heard of this you will soon... when I have money again in the fall (teacher on summer break=low cash flow from July-August), I'm going to sign up for a farm box from either Suzie's Farm or Sage Mountain Farm so that I can supplement my garden produce with other produce that's fresh and in season. (i.e. You should NOT be eating asparagus right now. It's not in season, so it's shipped from who-fi'ng-knows-where.) One reason people are nervous about farm boxes is because you really do get whatever is being harvested that week...so sometimes you might find yourself staring at a box full of squash blossoms, beets, hibiscus flowers, and dandelion greens wondering, "What in the bloody hell am I going to with all this?" That's what I'm here for. I'll tell you.

C. While I might be "organic" in many ways, I'm also un-organic in others. Like, happy hour. I've come to enjoy finding new places or rediscovering hole-in-the-wall joints with happy hours for fun drinks, funky fried foods in a variety of locations with good views (be it the service staff or the San Diego skyline...either way). I've recently decided to pride myself on the fact that I "know" people in San Diego and need to exploit these connections much more than I do. So I'll be giving my recommendations for restaurants, meals, drinks, happy hours, etc. I don't really need a reason to eat and drink more, but "researching" for this new blog will hopefully lessen the guilt.

Which is just another reason why I run.

Bon appetit!