Update: Life (food) in Napa

Instead of updating on what I've been doing in Napa, I've decided to update on what I've been eating in Napa. All of these photos have been taken by my phone, so sorry if they're not the best quality!

Let's start with these donuts from Boon Fly Cafe. Super cute and tiny as you can see by the comparison with the fork. They're coated in cinnamon and sugar and come with a chocolate dipping sauce. The texture is interesting--more dense than a regular donut.

This meal is working backwards. This was my main course--chicken and waffles. Malt waffles with honey butter to be more precise. I took a bite of the waffle before I took a picture. The waffles were super yummy and the chicken was really crispy. Better than Roscoes? Don't ask me, I'm biased and am not a real fan of Roscoe's. *gasp*

Also from Boon Fly cafe, was this appetizer. I started eating it before I took a picture. Oops! It's a dungeness crab cake with avocado, grapefruit, hearts of palm, wild arugula, and meyer lemon aioli. Hands down the best part of the whole meal. So yummyyy. Drool.

This amazing (and spicy!) taco is from C Casa. It was a special, so they don't have it on their regular menu. This place has the best gourmet tacos. They also have this awesome crab salad. So Fresh! This taco happens to be duck, spinach, and blood oranges with red onions and lots of jalapenos. They also have buffalo, prawns, crab, steak, and others.

This small feast is from Pica Pica, Venezuelan food. I got two arepas (did not finish either... wah)--one pabellon which is shredded beef, sweet plantains, black beans, and queso fresco. The one on the top left is pelu'a which is shredded beef with cheddar cheese. They had garlic yucca fries that day, so I ordered a side of that and got some pica'chup (not pictured) and another sauce to dip.

Next, these are my FAVORITE cookies. (Annie the Baker.) They are super doughy and chewy and oh so good. Pictured are (from L to R) Tuxedo Macadamia, Cocoa Loco, and Peanut Butter Extreme! (Yes, the name of the cookie really does have an exclamation point behind it.) She comes to farmer's markets during the spring and summer, but seeing as we're in the middle of winter, I got these at Napa Style in Yountville.

Okay, this will be my last food picture of the day. This is from Michael Chiarello's Napa Style Paninoteca. I went to Bottega for my birthday a few years ago, and it was good, but this was BETTER. I got the Giana which is roasted garlic and rosemary salami, speck, proscuitto, fontina cheese, basil aioli, arugula, and sun-dried tomato on a baguette. It comes with a vegetable giardiniera. Above that is potato soup. Can I just say, this is the best sandwich I've ever eaten? Really. Truly.

Okay, that is all for today. =) I am now 75 lbs heavier and hope you are 75% hungrier. Until next time, bye!

Oh hello...

I have drunk the milk.

Bobby Flay's Minted Lemonade Recipe

Hm, I should have wiped down the lemonade pitcher... oh well! Haha.

There's a few lemon trees in the backyard and we had leftover mint so... C and I made minted lemonade... =)

We didn't follow the directions exactly. For one, we soaked the mint in the simple syrup. And I didn't add as much syrup as the recipe called for. I also used much more water. I think it really depends on what kind of lemons you use. Ours were a little bitter and the juice was really dark... almost like orange juice. I haven't figured out what kind of lemons they were... Anyway, just taste as you go and pee later!

Minestrone

Sorry about the glare in this picture... it's the best out of all the ones I took.

Anyway, I really wanted to have minestrone so... I made some. Haha. I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine. I forget what issue. I think, October 2010?

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Stalks Celery, diced
1-2 Carrots, diced into cubes
1/3 lb Green Beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 28-oz can Tomatoes, diced (or you can use fresh)
1 14-oz can Tomatoes, crushed
6 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
1 15-oz can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper

Pasta (whatever kind your heart desires, orecchiette, farfalle, elbow, fusilli, whatever)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Cook the onions until translucent. Next, add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Then add the celery and carrots and cook until they begin to soften. Add the green beans, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the green beans. If you're going to consume all of it immediately, also add about 1/2-1 cup pasta. If you're not, cook the pasta separately and then add it to the soup when you serve. Otherwise, your pasta gets really mushy and disgusting.

Top with freshly grated parmesan and enjoy!

Stop and snap

the pansies.

Not Your Everyday Kind...

cookies going in...

cookies coming out...

yum

i will follow

you anywhere.