High Tea @ Lovejoy's

Who: Three Ladies What:Trying to remain prim and proper whilst eating finger sandwiches, scones, and sipping three different pots of tea.Where:Lovejoy's in SF. Where no two plates are the same, nor the chairs, teapots, teacups, or even the spoons are for that matter. Maria treated my sister and I to an amazing experience of High Tea in the cutest shop I've ever been to. I'm so glad I had my camera with me!


We each had our own full teapots of tea. Maria had the Vanilla Herbal Tea, which was like drinking vanilla pudding, especially if you put cream and sugar in it like I did. My sister ordered the Apricot Tea, which was so fruity I thought I had taken a bite out of a piece of fruit. And last but not least, I had the traditional Earl Grey Tea, which was, hands down, the best pot of Earl Grey I've ever had! It was so glorious I'll probably go to sleep tonight thinking about it.

Our scones and finger sandwiches were equally as heavenly. The scones, light and fluffy with raisins, served with Devonshire Cream and Strawberry Jam was scrumpdillyumptious! We even dipped in and had some cream on its own! That stuff is amazing! Anyone know where you can buy the stuff? The sandwiches were an assortment which included: cucumber and cream cheese, ham and english mustard (it was sinus clearing stuff that would have made a proper lady blush), smoked salmon and capers, roast beef and horseradish, mandarin orange and cream cheese, and finally, cheddar and chutney. Not only did this experience tickle my tastebuds, it also indulged my love for antique china, furniture, and tablesettings. What a lovely Saturday afternoon! Thanks Maria!

Bored of Rocky Road?

Then check out Part I of interesting ice cream flavors from Japan, and Part II.

Pleasures of the Day

This is the array of flowers I picked today. I wish I had my camera with me in the garden. Everything is looking so spectacular! And the sweet peas are so fragrant. If only I can set up camp next to my garden and sleep next to the heady ambrosia of scents, I'm sure to have very sweet dreams.





And these are the various sizes of strawberries I find growing in my garden plot. I think I found two giants today. First I'm gonna find ya, then I'm gonna eat cha! Sadly, many were found by slugs and snails before me. O'well. Got a bunch of tomatoes as well as basil, an artichoke, and a lone spear of asparagus. I'll be having my veggies for dinner tonight!




And you'll probably find me at various times of the day, sitting in my newly acquired wingback chair. I've always wanted a wingback chair. I dunno why. But it seems like the perfect chair to be sitting in with a good book. It makes me giddy just looking at this chair in my room. It's leather, with a down filled seat-cushion and I sit in it every chance I get. It is my official "Reading Chair." And it's super comfy. Yes, it's the "Comfy Chair" as well.

News Clip

Read this interesting article from the BBC on why why some people are voting Republican. Scary is all I can say.

Yesterday's Eats

My sister, her husband, and I met up with some out of town relatives over in San Francisco yesterday and went to Postrio's just for a light bite to eat since the said relatives were staying in the hotel directly next door and were soon going to be on their way to a large banquet dinner. First, we were offered a lovely plate of bread. It was studded with walnuts and had an interesting hue of a purpley color. Perhaps colored by some red wine as it didn't taste like olives? We then went on to graze on a pizza of heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and basil. It was amazing how sweet the yellow tomatoes were. It was lovely, especially how one side of the pizza had the red tomatoes, while the other side had the yellow. It allowed you to appreciate and taste the difference of each fruit. And we had a salad of mesculun, blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, and candied walnuts in a balsamic vinegrette. It was okay. You could taste each element distinctly, however, I wanted more balsamic. What was extremely tasty was the merlot my mom ordered. It was a Joseph Phelps merlot. Glorious!

As the relatives headed to their banquet, we headed for Suppenkuche in Hayes Valley. My sister Amee had the Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein mit Bratkartoffeln und grünem Salat $16.00 (Breaded and Sauteed Porkloin with Roasted Potatoes and Green Salad), which was extremely good. Tender and crisp, and not greasy at all. The portions are generous. She barely touched her perfect looking potatoes and concentrated on the heavenly main portion of her meal. Brother-in-law Phil had his usual of Kräuterquark mit geschmolzener Butter und Petersilienkartoffeln $10.50 (Herbed Fresh Cheese (Quark) with Melted Butter and Bouillon Potatoes) since he is a vegetarian. It comes with a plate of various veggies, red cabbage sauerkraut, grated carrots dressed in a sweet vinegrette, pickled beets, and crisp butter lettuce. Mine came with a similar salad, albeit in a smaller form. I had the Käsespätzle mit Zwiebel-Buttersoße und gemischtem Salat $12.00 (Cheese Spätzle in Onion Butter Sauce served with a small Mixed Salad). This dish was the epitome of Rich! This is not one to have if you're counting calories. But it is a comfort food must.

As for beer, I had the Doppelbock, my sister and her husband both had the Hefeweizen, and Phil also had Dunkelweizen. Not being a big beer drinker, I could hardly keep these names straight. Especially after having finished my Doppelbock, which I later found the definition to: A stronger bock beer (up to 12%), though not necessarily double the strength. The original of the style was brewed by the Italian monks of the order of St. Francis of Paula, in Bavaria. It is a dark and sweet beer. And I'm a sucker for any dark beers. The Hefeweizen, which is an unfiltered wheat beer also brewed by monks, had a very unique herbal quality. And the Dunkelweizen is a dark wheat beer. It has the look of a dark, but the taste of a light. As if the Doppelbock married the Hefeweizen and had a child, that child would be the Dunkelweizen. At least, this is the story my mind has decided to fabricate to facilitate my elementary understanding of what I imbibed last night. And after a bit of internet sleuthing, I found out that the people at the Suppenkuche have another restaurant in the East Bay! Hurrah! It's in Alameda and it's called Spiesekammer. Now you don't have to put up with the trials of finding parking in the city. Whoo-hoo!

Adventurous Candy!

My sister got me a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans made by the JellyBelly Factory which I mentioned in a previous post. I'm excited to try the stranger flavors to see how they're pulling this off. So far, I've tried Grass and Spinach flavored beans. And they're suprisingly good, herbal and not too strange. I have a weird rule about eating jellybeans though. You cannot go searching for specific flavors in the box. You must shake the box, and whatever comes out, is whatever you eat. I have a strong belief in fate and yes, it extends even into my jellybean eating. This is what happens when you grow up in a family that never took to any particular religion, but believes in various "truths," you end up making your own rules. I'm much too full today to experiment some more with these beans though. We had appetizers at Postrio's, then went to Suppenkuche for some interesting beers and hearty German fare. And now I just want to give my poor aching belly a rest.

Can I Change My Mind?

Well, painting furniture was a more tedious task than I imagined. Sanding, painting, waiting, painting again, distressing, and cleaning up really took a toll on me. And I don't know how I feel about the outcome yet. I'm not disappointed, but I'm not wowed either. Perhaps these things take time to grow on you. I think my dining room furniture is undergoing a fashion identity crisis. I'm sure it'll work out in time.

Dessert for Breakfast

So, here's the picture of my Tab Tim Grob. I made sure you could see the "rubies." I used a half-cooked beet to give them color since I'm not big on the food coloring. I will describe it as: nutty, chewy, sweet, cold, creamy, refreshing, and fragrant. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Fresh Water Chestnuts (peeled and diced into ¼" pieces)

Beet, Pomegranate Juice, or Red Food Coloring

Simple Sugar Syrup (can be infused with Jasmine Flowers)

Tapioca Starch Powder

Coconut Cream

Ice


Directions:

1. Cut the beet into slices and boil with water for 5 minutes. Soak the diced Chestnuts in the beet water (or pomegranate juice) until they they take on the color. Approximately, 1 hour. If you are using food coloring, add a couple drops to diced chestnuts and stir.
   
2. While waiting, you can make your sugar syrup by cooking 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water.
   
3. Drain chestnuts and put into large bowl. Cover with the tapioca powder and toss to coat. Make sure they are not sticking together and have a nice coating all around.
   
4. Use a strainer and sift out the extra powder from the chestnuts.
   
5. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Prepare an ice bath.
   
6. Boil coated chestnuts until they float to the surface. Remove from the water and plunge into the ice bath. Let cool completely.
   
7. To serve, spoon rubies into a bowl with some ice. Add some syrup and coconut cream and enjoy!
   
   
   

Note: Can be served with slices of banana or other fruits. I've seen a version with Jackfruit, but I can imagine mangoes would be good.

Hmmmm....What Could This Be?

Well, first of all, this is the inbetween stage. It's not done yet. And if you're Amee, Phil or Sarah, you probably have a good idea since you helped provide the sweat labor of peeling and dicing fresh chestnuts I acquired on sale at Berkeley Bowl. After a search on the internet, I found an intriguing recipe for the Thai dessert, Tab Tim Grob, aka: Red Rubies. It's small bits of fresh water chestnuts, with an outer coating of chewy tapioca, floating in a mixture of coconut cream, flower scented sugar syrup, and ice. I'm totally enamoured. Will post a picture of it dished up and the recipe for it tomorrow, or later today, since I'm up past midnight again.

Strawberry Syrup

Strawberry season is starting to wind down but I've still got berries. Only problem is, I've run out of canning jars. Being too lazy at the moment to go buy some, I decided to make some strawberry syrup. I've been enjoying the elderberry flower syrup so much, why not do it with strawberries? In France, they have water that's strawberry flavored called Volvic Fraise. It's so wonderful, it's clear, and not the least bit sweet. It's just refreshing. And although the stuff I made is going to have color, and be a bit sweet, I think I'll be okay. I made it with some honey and some lime and lemon juice. So, if you stop by, be sure to get a glass. It sure beats Kool-Aid. Although, Kool-Aid kicks ass when it comes to dying wool.

Butter Knives and Jelly Beans

You know it's a glorious day when the postman brings you a parcel. I've been searching off and on for a couple years now for butter knives with french ivory handles. Don't worry, french ivory is made of celluloid and no elephants were hurt during the process. I finally got this set of 12 off of ebay for about $15 including postage. There were a couple that were quite tarnished, and so I started off my day polishing and sanding these. Now that my fingers are equally as sore as my other joints, I'm happy to say, "Hurrah! Let them come for scones and jam!"

Now the other little package I got was free Jelly Belly jellybeans! I was led to their site when I heard that they actually make the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean from the Harry Potter books. Yes, now you too can taste Earthworm, Spaghetti, Earwax, Soap, Dirt, Black Pepper, Sardine, Booger, Grass and even Vomit flavored beans. But if you take their little online test, they'll send you 1 oz. of free beans (the regular good tasting kind.) I think it's so interesting that I'm starting to like flavors I didn't care for before. I've learned to like black licorice, and popcorn. And I remember way back in the day when black licorice would actually make me want to vomit. Who knew you can now taste both in a jellybean? And who knows, maybe I'll learn to love Dirt and Soap as well.

When Your Garden Gives You a Little

I finally had the chance this morning to get over to my garden. I came away with 2 pints of strawberries, a handful of cherry tomatoes, 2 artichokes, some sprigs of basil, and a bouquet of flowers. I set about to make myself some lunch. I find that cherry tomatoes are so much more intense in flavor. And so I made a simple pasta sauce with them and the handful of basil leaves I was able to collect. It was so delicious and easy! I took a bite before I grabbed the camera. It always amazes me when something that looks simple and plain tastes so incredibly good.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti

Handful of Cherry Tomatoes

Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

1 Clove of Garlic, minced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Grated Cheese (optional)


Directions:

1. Start boiling water to cook the spaghetti.
   
2. While pasta is cooking, heat in a frying pan, 4-6 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add garlic to the pan and after a few seconds, add the cherry tomatoes. You might want to be careful and stay a safe distance, for as the tomatoes pop and ooze out their insides, the oil may spit at you. You may cover with a splatter shield if you wish. Stir periodically. Cook tomatoes until they have all popped.
3. Add chopped basil and saute until wilted.
4. Drain pasta when it is cooked and add to the pan with the sauce.
5. Return the sauce to heat and toss with pasta to coat.
6. Season with a couple pinches of salt to taste.
7. Plate the dish and sprinkle with grated cheese if desired.
   
   

Harlequin Marigold

I planted Harlequin Marigolds this season and am very pleased with them. I think it has to do with the fact that I like stripes. They're quite eye-catching don't you think? Speaking of eye-catching: my eye caught a chair I was carrying at work today and resulted in a small laceration right below my right eye. Let's just say that a well-rested Karleen would have been a 'safe' Karleen. Hopefully, I'll sleep well enough tonight and then some before I work tomorrow evening. Thanks Heather for first aiding my boo-boo.

Your Food Has Become Politicized

Take heed. You can support what you believe with what you eat. Read why I can't stomach Heinz ketchup here.

Three Stories of Cosmic Intervention

The Rainbows

Sometimes, life doesn't happen the way you expect it. Sometimes, it has plans for you that you never could have imagined. I have three true stories to tell. They all have to do with the love of my life. The man who means so much to me, but can never be there for me. (Although I hope someday that will change.) And why, against the advice of those near and dear to me, I still hold on, and hold on. Sometimes, you can't ignore what the Universe is trying to tell you, even though reason doesn't follow. You see, I've tried to give up on him. I've tried to forget. I broke it off once, and resolved to put him out of my mind. And it worked, for a while. I was keeping busy, spending time with friends, pushing him out of my thoughts. I had gone to my parent's home for the weekend to do some work and some laundry. I had made it through a whole week without missing him, or thinking about him. As I was getting ready to leave, my dad, who usually listens exclusively to classical music, put on a CD and the song, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World," by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole began to play. Well, this is a song that Lance loves and he had introduced me to it. So as I packed up my car, my resolve to not even think about him was broken. "Dammit!" I thought. And as I drive onto the freeway, in the big wide open sky, is a rainbow. And then another rainbow. And I start laughing to myself. Because even if I had managed to push him out of my mind for the last week, the place he holds in my heart cannot be forgotten. And the Rainbows made me realize that although it may not make sense, some things are purely magical.

Sophia - Meaning=Wisdom

I think Lance was away somewhere, unreachable. And this usually puts a damper on my days. I was working at the elementary school where, in the kindergarten class, we have 2 Sophie's and 1 Sophia. It's difficult to say the correct name sometimes, mistaking a Sophie for a Sophia or vice versa. One of the Sophie's who usually doesn't come to the afterschool program asked me to tie her shoelaces. As I was tying them, something propelled me to ask her if I could try to guess her birthday. She nodded "yes." The first thing that came to mind was 'October,' to which she also nodded yes. I was stunned that I guessed it correctly on the first try. Then for the date, I said "20th?" She quickly nodded yes. I couldn't believe it. I asked her if she was serious and she confirmed that I was completely correct, her birthday was October 20th. Lucky guess, one out of 365. Later on that night, I had forgotten the whole incident until my roommate came home to tell me about her extraordinary day. She said that a woman she had never met, with whom she had mutual friends, came to pick her up to take her on a trip to Napa. The woman didn't know our particular apartment number, but she knew the address. And she was able to figure out which unit my roommate was in after looking at the sign I had painted for the door. Apparently this woman was psychic. And they spoke for a while about me and my plants, and artwork. At the Francis Ford Coppola winery, as they were looking in the library, Francis comes out. My roommate is introduced to him, as she is in the film industry. He gives her a souvenir of a little red can of wine, aptly named Sophia after his daughter. She pulls it out of her bag to let me inspect. Looking at the little can with the name Sophia written on it reminded me of my own psychic moment earlier in the day. So I go on to tell her about my own extraordinary day. I felt energized by the conversation, as if there was still something magical in the air. As I stood over the bathroom sink, brushing my teeth, it hits me. October 20th is the date I met Lance!

The Turtle

I hadn't heard from Lance in nearly 2 weeks. He had made a commitment to move his office over to my place so that I could actually see him, rather than not at all. Instead of keeping to his word, I get an email saying that he's been busy and that he's off to LA, and then to Asia. When he does finally write to me, he tells me he's unsure of where we stand. At which point, I tell him that I've been standing in the same spot for a while now but he hasn't been there and that he needs to decide whether or not he wants to be with me. And well, I'll let him tell the rest of the story. I got this email from him:
Ok. It is official. We are most definitely cosmically connected in the most serious way. I just got in from a seminar in Boston for Trading and I had just finished emailing you from a parking lot on my laptop cellular connection. I had an empty drink and Jack in the box bag and saw a dumpster across the parking lot. I was thinking how this is never going to work between us because of all my hang ups and busy life. But as I approached the dumpster I could see something reptilian peeking its head around the corner of the trash bin and 'alacazam pow' there I found a lonely lost dehydrated turtle. So I went into a store and bought a large Tupperware and some room temperature water. He drank for quite some time. Then I bought a marker and some paper and wrote "Lost a reptile?" and my email address. Then plastered the sign all over an apartment complex behind the shopping center. He is such a cool little turtle. He has a very round shell and is about the size of a softball. What should I feed him/her and is it the kind of turtle that likes water? Well the Native Americans believe that animals appear to show you the path that you should take in life... and well, I can't think of any better animal that could so unequivocally be associated with you :)

as always,

Lance

I've Been Busy

I decided yesterday that I wanted to sew something. So I went through my stash of fabrics and was inspired to make some linens for my table. I have some gorgeous silk dupioni fabrics in jewel tones that really compliment my butter-yellow dinnerware. The only trouble was, my honey colored oak table didn't compliment it at all. So I took up the project of painting my whole dining set white, and then distressing them. I went to the local paint store and bought the off-white color "icelandic poppy" from the Ralph Lauren paint collection. I think I liked the name most of all. I've been thinking about the breed of horse I would want to get, if I really did decide to get one, and I think I'm leaning towards the Icelandics right now because I like their size (small) and the fact that they're gaited, which translates to a really smooth ride. They've been clocked at speeds of 35 mph, about the speed of a moped. I'm very excited to have some change in my apartment. I'll post a picture when it's all done. I've noticed that I've become increasingly sensitive to the art of table setting recently. As my sister is into fashion, I'm into the fashionable table. I recently ate at a local restaurant which I think is on the low-high end, with entrees from $15-$23 dollars. But I was so displeased with the utensils they had us using. They were flat, weightless, shapeless, and plain. I'm somewhat bothered that this bothered me. I wonder if this makes me a snob?

Layered Eggplant with Chevre

This is another dish I've been making quite often. It's easy, healthy, beautiful enough to serve to guests, and delicious! I love cooking with a minimum of ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 medium to large eggplant

2½ cups of good quality tomato sauce (I use Mario Batali's Sugo Pomodoro from Trader Joe's)

5 oz. or so of goat cheese, you could use a little more, or a little less

1 egg

½ cup of grated cheese (ex:Parmesan, Romano)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

salt



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
   
2. Cut up eggplant into approximately ½" slices, but be sure to get 10 slices total.
   
3. Coat baking sheet with olive oil and lay eggplant slices in single layer. Sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt.
   
4. Bake eggplant for 30 minutes, turning once during baking.
   
5. While eggplant is baking, let goat cheese come to room temperature. In a small bowl, blend cheese with the egg using a fork until a smooth paste is formed. Add a pinch of salt and set aside in refrigerator.
   
6. In a square casserole pan, layer 1 cup of sauce. Then lay down 5 slices of the baked eggplant.
   
7. By spoonfuls, mound the cheese mixture evenly over the eggplant slices. Cover with another layer of Eggplant.
   
8. Pour remaining sauce over dish and top with grated cheese.
   
9. Return completed dish into the oven to bake for another 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
   
   

Fish in a Tube

I took a trip to IKEA this afternoon in search of some bowls. I didn't find what I was looking for, but their food section did provide me with some adventurous explorations of Swedish comestibles. Case in point, Kalles, apparently "loved by millions." It is a creamy cod fish caviar paste in a tube. And I didn't buy just the regular version. I got the green tube, which is dill flavored. A fellow shopper, who was also reaching for the stuff, told me that it's good on boiled eggs. And she should know, considering that when I asked her if it was any good, she said, "of course I like it, I'm Swedish. The Australians have their peculiar things they like to spread on bread, and well, this is ours." I'm guessing that she was referring to Vegemite when speaking of the Australians, whom, by the way, are offering $3000 for babies born after July 1, 2004, in an effort to boost declining birth rates. You can read the full article here. Anyway, getting back to the fish in the tube: I had it on toast. It's definitely fishy, and salty. And you can taste the dill. I wouldn't say it was bad, but "loved by millions?" Maybe I have to try it on hard-boiled eggs before I say anymore. I also purchased some Elderberry Flower Syrup which I am sipping on this very moment. Just mix one part syrup to 4 parts water and you have a very refreshing beverage. And I believe it's good for you as well.

Apparently, I am a:

"WECF--Wacky Emotional Constructive Follower. This makes you a candle burning at both ends. You work until you drop, and you play until you can stand to work again. You have so much enthusiasm that you can find it hard to control on your own, and you appreciate the guidance that channels your energy and lets you be your best. (guidance, yes, i could definitely use some of that)

In a relationship, you require lots of attention and support. You often over-contribute and end up feeling depleted and cheated. You may benefit from more time alone than you grant yourself.(so true, so true)

Your driving force is the emotional support of others--especially affection. You can run on empty for miles if you have positive energy behind you. Without it--as it occasionally must run dry--you are depressive, listless, and difficult to motivate.(yes, i have been known to get that way sometimes)

You need a lot of affection. Get it any way you can, but never at the cost of your self-respect or well-being. "

Take your own quiz and let me know who you are.