It’s been 6 months+ since we moved back to Northern California.
I think we’ve synched up nicely with the rhythm of life in Sacramento and the Bay Area. Last month, we checked out the farm team for the Oakland A’s, the Sacramento River Cats.
We scored some sweet seats next to the field and I spent a good part of the night ducking flying foul balls. We’re bringing a catcher’s mitt next time! Of course, we enjoyed the perfect ball park meal: a cold beer and a hearty hot dog. In this case, it was a kielbasa sausage.
Speaking of food, our trip back to Cali also helped us return to amazing meals in San Francisco. Susan and Tom had nothing but good things to say about Incanto’s Head to Tail Dinner. So, we tried it out a few weeks ago. It was a gentle, decadent introduction to offal dining and I loved every bite.
offal: 1: the waste or by-product of a process: as a: trimmings of a hide b: the by-products of milling used especially for stock feeds c: the viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal removed in dressing (from Merriam-Webster)
Anthony Bourdain often said cooks learned how to make the nasty bits taste good out of necessity. Eventually, those tasty dishes get elevated to gourmet dining because it demonstrates the cook’s skill in working with all the edible scraps, trims, bones, guts and more.
For chefs like Cosentino, cooking with offal has been transformed into an art form. It’s a nod to the tradition of past chefs who made do with little and a look forward to healthy, sustainable eating.
Almost 7 years ago, I would have never thought I’d be part of the offal dining movement. In our early dating years, Mark and I did Valentine’s Dinner at Incanto. It was an intimate, romantic dining scene. This was before Chef Cosentino exploded on the TV food scene with Iron Chef America. Back then, the food tasted delicious, refined, hearty and I wanted seconds. In 2008, I can’t wait for our next dinner at Incanto.
I woke up with sore, stiff joints this morning. Today, I may use my last day of my weekend to recover from jogging, yoga and skating. The exercises helps me stay sane with my graveyard shift.
It’s been about 7+ years since I tried a double salchow.
At Vacaville Ice Sports, I’m working on my jumps again, little by little. In comparison to my competitve days (more than a a decade ago), I am 40 lbs heavier. So, I need more energy and strength to pull off those crazy double jumps. Plus — a lot of mental games run around in my head as I’m doing laps around the rink. I’m trying to remember what it felt like to jump and forcing my body to have confidence in my landing abilities. Sometimes my body and mind don’t agree on what I can and can’t do. Before take-off, I have to say to myself: “Body, you will do this jump.”
I’m also getting used to falling on the ice again. She’s a cold, cruel mistress, sometimes.
Still, I’m having fun skating for myself.
And last month, we celebrated my dad’s birthday at Heavenly in Lake Tahoe. He did fantastic on his first day back skiing. He said it’s been 20 years since he last hit the slopes.
Snowboarding at Heavenly from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.
After chatting with my parents on the Gondola…Mark’s the first one snowboading. He’s in the top right hand corner of the screen, wearing dark clothing. I’m the next one snowboarding, in a white ski jacket.
We had a rocky time on the slopes with snowboarding. The snow was hard as ice and it really hurt to fall. Still, we managed to conquer the bunny slopes by the end of the day. Yah!
We woke up to a light dusting of snow this morning in Laramie. I’m blogging from the Coral Creek Coffee Company and about to bite into my bagel with veggie cream cheese.
We said good-bye to Kansas yesterday. A cold start to another cross-country road trip. Daisy made herself at home in the back seat. I’m happy we didn’t have a medicated puppy on this ride.
Here’s one last look at Kansas. We thought about taking a meandering pace. But we were worried about the forecast for a weekend ice storm and snowfall. We ended-up taking advantage of the clear skies. We drove through Nebraska and crossed over to Wyoming.
We did lunch at Brother’s. I ordered a local brew: the Three Stone Ale. Brother’s had glossy hardwood floors, flat screen TV’s tuned to ESPN channels and plenty of pub games like bowling lanes and pool tables.
After lunch, we ended-up on I-80. This interstate will take us all the way to Sacramento. The 20-degree temperatures made pumping gas and taking the puppy out for her potty a frigid experience.
After crossing the Wyoming border, Daisy and Mark took a potty break by the Lincoln Monument. We were shocked and delighted to see it from I-80. We saw the temperatures jumped up to the 30s. That made it feel like springtime for our road trip!
We spent the night in Laramie and had dinner at Tommy Jacks. We loved the stuffed olives with Asiago cheese.
Despite it’s notorious past (the brutal murder of a gay college student a few years ago), it looks like a charming town. Cute boutique stores, coffee shops and other downtown haunts. Plus it has a Christmas flair since the streets are decked out with holiday lights and trimmings.
I also ordered the Easy Street Wheat. It was the server’s favorite local brew (even though it’s made in Colorado). The bottle instructions has drinkers pouring half the liquid into the glass, swirling the wheat stuff and then adding the rest of the beer. It had a subtle hearty taste and a smooth finish.
So far so good.
Mark, Daisy and I waited for the space shuttle Discovery to fly over Topeka about 15 minutes ago.
We waited near Burnett’s Mound (site of the 1966 Tornado). It was cold and too damn bright to see shuttle hurling towards Earth. However, we heard two sonic booms pass over us. The pass over didn’t rattle doors like the one over Covina. However, we thought it was damn neat to hear the double boom.
Another round of hot Kansas weather had me craving ceviche. It’s so easy to make and it tastes refreshing, as a meal or a snack. As long as you have the patience to wait for it “cook” in the fridge, I think it’s worth the wait.
Here are the fixings for ceviche - lemon and lime juice, 1/2 onion (chopped up), canned tomatoes and fresh fish. Mark found 2 pounds of fresh Tilapia at Dillons. Wowa! It didn’t have the fishy smell of old fish and it looked beautifully translucent.
Damn, I look domesticated. Mark went grocery shopping for the ceviche. After work, I prepped the fish for its overnight stay in the fridge. This time around, I stuck to the formula from Simply Recipes.
I served this ceviche up with guacamole and salsa paella.
I think it’s so cool to watch the translucent fish meat turn opaque in the mix of citrus juices, onions and tomatoes. I was once worried about serving up cold fish and I didn’t want to kill Mark with food poisoning. However, the fish keeps on cooking in the fridge, thanks to those yummy citrus acids.
Like cooking, relationships need time and patience. I’m celebrating an anniversary weekend with my hubby. On this day, we started dating seven years ago. It all started with a thrift store scavenger hunt in San Francisco and a sense of adventure. We tied for first place after judge deliberations at the Hush Hush. And later in the evening, we started holding hands at Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s amazing where we’ve been and the things we’ve experienced together. We mastered the art of taking self-portraits during our Euro Trip. We snapped this picture at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Our relationship needed time and patience. Apparently I can be a little crazy, moody, melodramatic and downright dysfunctional. I’m grateful Mark’s managed to stick by my side despite my roller coaster life. I also believe we’ve helped each other grown into better human beings. Now, I can’t imagine my life without Mark.
It’s getting hotter in Topeka. i can hear air conditioners humming in other apartments downstairs.
Last weekend, Mark and I had a blast at Legends in Kansas City, Kansas. I loved sipping cocktails and beer on the rooftop bar at Dave & Busters. We also watched a fantastic display of fireworks over Hooters.
After Legends, we did sangria and conversation at one of our favorite bars in Lawrence, the Bourgeois Pig. Then I came down with a case of the late-night munchies. We stumbled on Fatso’s. This bar next to the Granada sold slices of Pyramid Pizza. Yum. Some folks were ticked-off with the price hike, from $2 to $2.50. I think it’s partly because of the rising price of cheese. Still, I was happy to sit on the curb and enjoy my pepperoni slice.
This weekend, I wanted something cool, but hearty. I savored the memories of eating tirista on our Mexican honeymoon. So I figured ceviche would hit the spot.
I whipped up this cold seafood dish based on recipes from the South Beach Diet, Simply Recipes and what’s available at the grocery store and inside my cupboards. Both called for red snapper. The only fresh fish available at the market was US Farmed Catfish. Some day, I’d like to try it again with the red snapper.
catfish (or really any fresh fish you enjoy)
frozen shrimp
salt
1/2 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 onion, sliced up
1 1/2 cups of lemon juice (bottled)
2 cups of lime juice (bottled)
oregano
So, I thawed out the shrimp. Then I washed the catfish and sliced it up into strips. I added the fish, shrimp, tomatoes and onion to a Pyrex pan. I topped everything off with several dashes of salt and oregano. Then I poured the lime and lemon juice and stirred it up. I made sure the seafood was coated with the juices. According to both recipes, the citrus acid ends up cooking the fish. I covered the mix and left it overnight in my fridge.
Today for lunch, I topped the ceviche over hot rice, mushrooms and corn. I could really see the difference in the catfish. Overnight, it lost its raw translucent color and now looks cooked. Neato. Mostly yummy. I think chilly seafood tastes so satisfying on a hot day. I wish I added more spice to the ceviche — like chili powder. I also wanted to use less of the lime juice and more of the lemon. The tangy lime flavor almost overpowered the fish. I think I’m going to add cilantro to my next serving — to add a bright bite to the seafood.
Well…I spent my holiday weekend hacking, wheezing, sniffling and infecting my hubby. I’m so sorry Mark! Since I celebrated my birth date with Tylenol Cold pills and a few tears, we also tried to salvage my birthday celebration on Saturday with a ball game at Kaufman Stadium. Uh. The KC Royals lost again. Almost Deja Vu from our last Royals game.
So, I shot this video with my new FlipVideo camera. Sweet!
My Hubby is so fierce!
Werd.
Now, I hope he feels better soon.
I still have a wicked headache from my cold. Grrr….
I’ve been babying myself - sleeping in until 10, eating well and watching plenty of TV. Mark has been an angel; taking care of Daisy and me.
And Daisy has been Daisy.
I launched a new Project 365 blog on my birthday. Oral Fixations will have a daily blog post on anything that goes into my tummy. Food or drink and/or both. I plan on sticking with this photoblog for one year. I think it will be a fun challenge, both as a blogger, shutterbug and as foodie who’s watching her waistline.
Wish me luck.
And now…what producers should not do to their on-air people.
Sure, it’s all fun and games until the cameras stop rolling. I’m sure Nancy Grace ripped into the producer after the show.
By the way, I think the animals humping bit was some liberal video editing by the YouTube user who posted the clip.
I have a few minutes left on my birthday. And I’ve been sneezing, coughing and feeling dopey headed all day. I’m about to pop some Tylenol Cold pills and pray I can work tomorrow.
So, my body made an executive decision that I will not be partying on my birthday. I had lovely cards from family and co-workers, tasty cookies and gifts…but no booze. I guess it is truly the end of the line for my young adulthood.
Mark woke me up with these awesome gifts and cards from his family. Yes, that is a digital video camera. I can’t wait to post my new videos on this blog.
Ok - the temperature is 34-degrees and bearable. This is the second weekend Topeka got a snow dump. Yesterday, we ventured outside to workout at the gym before the heavy snowfall moved into our area.
Last weekend, it felt bitter cold. We tried heading to Lawrence for trivia night at a local bar. We didn’t make it past the first rest area - the highway needed some serious plowing.
Mark was wonderful about scrapping the ice of the windows. Today, he wiped off snowfall from our Corollas. His looked like it when thru a car wash since the dirt stuck to most of the ice…and he scraped it all of.
Last weekend, we caught Stranger than Fiction at the 2-dollar movie theater. Good movie, but icky weather. During the week, when I covered for our cool evening producer, I kept muttering on headset, “The weather outside is frightful.” Then our graphics guy replied, “But the newscast is so delightful.” Yes - groaner fouls all around. Ok Mother Nature, I’m tired of snow - let the sun come out to play, please.
