The Imperial House: A Flash From The Past

Before attending a Saturday night performance of Kinky Boots in late September, Ron, myself, Richard and Laura dined at The Imperial House.  It's right next to Balboa Park, only five minutes from the Civic Theatre, and they even take the Passport Card.  I had never heard of it, but Richard and Laura had been there many times, and assured us we would like it.  We did.

It's like an old fashioned restaurant from the 60's or 70's.  The overstuffed leather chairs, as well as the roomy booths, are red.  In fact, everything is red.  The fare is everything you remember from the past that you loved:  escargots, mock turtle soup, Caesar salad prepared table side and  warm spinach salad prepared table side.  The main courses included steak Diane, prime rib, salmon filet, lamb chops, and several other kinds of steak.  All come with baked potato, creamed spinach or roasted vegetables and fruit.  The main courses range from $23 for salmon (I had it and it was delicious) to steaks that range from $29-$35.  There were very few tables occupied when we arrived at 6pm and when we left at 7:30pm, and this was Saturday night.  Service was excellent.  I would go there again when I'm in the area, as it offers comfort, value and good food.

Languedoc Roussillon: One of the Prettiest Villages in France

I'm a great supporter of the public library, and all it has to offer.  Book clubs, lectures, movie series, and much more.  I recently attended a lecture by local author Susan Vreeland, where I learned about her most recent novel, Lisette's List.  She is a New York Times best selling author of numerous books, including The Girl in Blue Hyacenth and Clara and Mr. Tiffany.  Many of her books are related to art history, specifically the impressionist period, and many of her books take place in France.  If you like these two themes as I do, you will probably like her books.  I had not read anything of hers prior to hearing her speak, but have listening to her for an hour, I went into the library and checked out The Boating, based on the painting of that name, by Pierre August Renoir.  Her most recent book takes place in the village of Roussillon, located halfway between Avignon and Aix-en Provence.

Lisette's List is about three artists, takes place in the village of Roussillon, and critics are saying it is Vreeland's best work yet.  I have been to France many times, yet did not know anything about this small village.  It is considered one of the prettiest villages in France.  It is well known for its ochre mines, which are then turned into paint.  In fact, the entire village has a reddish/gold hue to it.  It is charming looking, and possibly a wonderful place to visit.  You can get the ambiance of the south of France without all the crowds.  However, it is not a high interest destination.  The ochre mines are interesting to visit, but other than that, there are no well known monuments, churches, or history.  It's just a beautiful little village, much like dozens of others in France.  I might have to visit this village on my next trip to the south of France, if only overnight.  It just looks like what most of imagine when we think of France.  Big cities are great for the sights, art and shopping, but the small villages give you a taste of what makes France one of the most popular destinations in the world.  I can see myself in a small square, sitting in a café having a latte.  Since that's not possible right now, I'm off to Starbucks in my local shopping center.

More Restaurant News in San Diego

It's hard to keep up with all the openings and closings of restaurants in San Diego, but I do my best.  I have some new places to tell you about, none of which I have actually tried, but I'll tell you what the buzz on the street is, and what kind of food they have.

Kettner Exchange calls itself a Progressive American Restaurant.  It reminds me of many other recently opened restaurant, with shared plates to start, small plates, and large plates.  The large plates include things like pork chops, short ribs, scallops, and chicken.  The small plates include interesting salads, and the shared plates include things like hummus, olives, cheese platter.  It's right near Little Italy, a happening place for food right now.  Another interesting new restaurant is called Underbelly in North Park.  I can't wait to try this place.  I guess you'd call it a ramen restaurant mainly, but it's got so much more to offer.  The ramen dishes come in beef, pork, chicken or vegetarian, and have lots of add ins.  They also serve octopus salad, trio tartare, tuna tataki, chopped seafood salad, and buns.  I think the buns are like bao's, but they're filled with a variety of interesting mixes like tempura eggplant and shitaki mushrooms and pork bell and pickled cucumber.  I hear lines are out the door for this place. Another new place is right in Balboa Park and it's called Panama 66.  It's right next to the art museum in a big space with a sculpture garden in back.  They have lots of craft beers, salads, hot and cold sandwiches, and a great (cheap) children's menu, like Nutella and banana sandwich for $5.  I'd like to order that!

A few other hot spots that you might like to check out include Crushed, Sab-E-Lee, Iron Pig Alehouse and Blue Smoke Sushi Lounge.  I'm sorry to say that none of these new restaurants are in North County.  Someday we'll get a better selection of top quality restaurants.  In the mean time, I don't mind driving 30-40 minutes for a great meal.  I've been doing that for a while and I'll continue to do that.

Wandering La Jolla: The Murals of La Jolla

I always enjoy taking a group on a walking trip around San Diego.  Over the many years I have been doing this, I've discovered so many little known sites.  The murals of La Jolla is one such site.  If you never look up, as most people don't when they're wandering around a city, you will never see them.  The 13 murals are on the sides of buildings, scattered around La Jolla Village.  On a beautiful fall day Fran and I took a group of 20 women on a wandering trip to view the murals of La Jolla, then lunch on the terrace at George's.  What a perfect day.

After finally rounding up all 21 women at our meeting place in Del Mar, we carpooled to La Jolla.  We met on the corner of Wall St. and Ivanhoe, just steps from our first mural.  Fran and I had previewed the walk a few weeks ago.  It was necessary to map out the best route, to see as many murals as possible.  We saw ten murals, as one has been added since I was last there.  The walk was about 2 miles total, which was a nice warm up for a wonderful lunch.

The concept for the murals began in 2010, when the Arts Council of La Jolla got together.  They decided they wanted to beautify the city, and make art available to everyone, 24/7.  They decided to commission murals to be painted on the sides of privately owned property.  Their first two commissions were painted directly on the walls.  After that they decided it was better to paint them in studio, then transfer them on to vinyl and hang them in a billboard style.  That way they could be moved if necessary, or easily repaired.  So most of the murals are movable.  They have commissioned artists such as Fred Tomaselli, Cathryn Opie, Julian Opie,

 John Baldessarri, and William Wegman, to paint the murals.  Each artist does his own theme, so the style and subject matters are varied.

Since our initial visit several weeks ago, one mural on Prospect has been moved.  In it's place is mural #14, by William Wegman.  He's the famous dog portrait artist, and I love his mural.  It's of a Weimerander breaking through a yellow background.  It's right near the Valencia Hotel.  If you're interested in learning more about the murals and where they are located, go to www.muralsoflajolla.com for background information, maps and pictures.  If you take a walk, be sure to include lunch at George's.  You will not find a better view of La Jolla Cove and the blue Pacific.  We had a wonderful day, made even better by the wonderful group of women who made it so much fun.

Monet Discovered in Suitcase of "Nazi Art" Hoarder

The recent death of Cornelius Gurlitt unveiled yet another painting stolen by the Nazis worth millions of dollars.  When Gurlitt died early this summer at age 81,  a Monet painting was found in the suitcase he had brought to the hospital where he died.  He was a reclusive man, the son of a Nazi-era art dealer who amassed a giant secret collection of hundreds of works of art either by seizing paintings from Jews or seized from German art galleries when the government deemed them degenerate.


Many of the works, which were seized in early 2012 in an unlikely way, are believed to have been stolen or extorted from Jews under a Nazi scheme to systematically plunder valuable art collections.  They were discovered by chance in 2012 during a tax evasion probe.  1,200 paintings, drawings and sketches had been hidden in his Munich flat for decades.  He never married and called the paintings "the love of his life."

  When the government discovered the art work, Gurlitt struck a deal with the German government, to help them track down the rightful owners of the artwork.  Apparently he did not part with all of his treasures in his deal with the German government.  A Monet painting completed in 1864, "Vue de Sainte-Adresse" may be the painting he smuggled into the hospital with him before his death.  It's amazing that even 75 years after artwork from the Nazi era was seized, stolen, or otherwise acquired by Nazis, we are still finding hidden works.  In his will, Gurlitt left his estate to a Swiss museum.  I don't know how many of the hundreds of paintings he had from his father's theft of art in the 1930's and 1940's, but he must still have quite a lot.  The Swiss museum is considering whether or not to take the paintings.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

As I've been making the rounds of numerous holiday parties, I hear many people talk of "going home for Christmas."  What does that mean?  I thought they were already home!  Home can mean different things to different people.  Many people feel nostalgic at holiday time, and want to return to the family home, to the place they were raised, to their hometown.   They want to see parents and siblings and talk about past holidays and catch up with family that they are separated from.  They remember traditions that they want to carry on.  Others, like me, consider home to be wherever you are that you feel warm and safe and loved.  That might be on a camping trip with your husband and children, or in the living room of a small apartment with good friends, or in a new home with people who are important to you.  For me it's not so much where you are, but who you are with.  I've lived in San Diego for 11 years now, and I consider it home.  Yes, I love going back to LA to visit my mom in the house I grew up in, but that's not home anymore.  Home is in Carlsbad, with Ron and Pepper, and visits from family and friends.

I thoroughly understand people that want to get together with the whole family, reminisce about days gone by, share the season with them, and it's great that so many do that, and enjoy it.  I find home right here in Carlsbad.  Sure, I love to visit with family, but I find I have a better time when we are NOT all together at one time.  For me, it's a better experience spending time with one family at a time.  That's just me, and when I write it, it sounds like I'm anti holiday.  Not really.  I just enjoy mom, kids and grandkids in smaller groups,  I don't know if they would rather be all together, but I know I have a better time this way.  As for being anti holiday, maybe I am a little.  I have lived my life  with each day being a celebration, not waiting for a birthday, Mother's Day or Father's Day to tell someone I love them.  Hallmark and the toy companies created these holidays to increase their bottom line.  I like to enjoy life to the fullest each day.  Sorry I have digressed a bit, as I wanted to write about home.  Home is right here in Carlsbad, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Cold Eggplant Salad

Sitting on the rooftop terrace of Georges, in La Jolla, my friends and I enjoyed a spectacular view on an October afternoon.  As usual, our conversation turned to food.  Here were are eating delicious food, and talking about more food!  Anyway, Sharon shared with us a recipe her daughter had made, that she just loved.  I decided to try it yesterday, with a little twist of my own.  Here it is, and I've included a few ideas on how to use it to create other meals.  Enjoy.

                                                   Cold Eggplant Salad

1 large eggplant
1 large red pepper
1/2 onion
1 carrot
1/2 zucchini
handful of flat leaf parsley, well chopped
2 large cloves garlic, well chopped
fresh or dried dill, to taste
2 T. vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the eggplant into long strips, like fat French fries.  Sprinkle with salt, and transfer to a bowl.  Let them sit for 8 hours, or overnight.  Remove accumulated liquid, and use a paper towel to squeeze more water from the eggplant.

Prepare the rest of the veggies.  Cut the pepper into long strips, then in half, so that pieces are about 1/2 inch wide and 4 inches long.  Also cut the carrots into thin strips, the onion into strips, and slice the zucchini and then halve each circle.

In a fry pan, heat 1 T. olive oil, and cook eggplant until soft.  Add remaining ingredients, and cook for 5 minutes, until veggies are cook, but not limp.  Transfer to a plastic container and refrigerate for several hours.

This is a great salad to put on a lunch or dinner buffet, serve as a side dish with any meat or fish, heat and top pasta with this salad, put it on top of brown rice (heat veggie salad), or serve it cold over farro or quinoa. Also, create a Mediterranean lunch, with pita, eggplant salad and hummus.  You can even add feta cheese to the eggplant salad for a real Mediterranean treat.   Or, eat it right out of the container as an afternoon snack.  Almost no calories and it's a perfect food if you're on the Weight Watchers "Simply Filling" program.  Enjoy. 

New Research At The Salk Institute

I was a terrible science student in high school and college, yet I am fascinated as an adult by many areas of science, especially research in the sciences that are improving man's quality of life.  I get newsletters from the Salk Institute that keep me up to date on such things, and a recent article about the work of Ronald M. Evans, professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory, got my attention.

Dr. Evans' lab discovered a large family of molecules, named receptors, that respond to various steroid hormones, vitamin A and thyroid hormones.  These hormones help control sugar, salt, calcium and fat metabolism: thus they impact our daily health as well as treatment of disease.  The receptors Evans discovered are primary targets in the treatment of breast cancer, prostate cancer and leukemia, as well as osteoporosis and asthma.  Additionally, Evans' studies led to a  new hormone that appears to be the molecular trigger controlling the formation of fat cells, and represents one of the newest and most important advances in understanding problems arising from excess weight and obesity and the potential treatment of Type 2 diabetes..

Without getting too scientific, what this means is this:  Evans' team has identified the missing link in the regulation of metabolism.  This linchpin is a protein known as fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1), which may open new avenues to the treatment of diabetes. FGF1 activity is triggered by a high-fat diet, and mice lacking the protein swiftly develop diabetes.  This suggest that FGF1 is crucial to maintain the body's sensitivity to insulin and normal levels of sugar in the blood.  Additional findings were found by Evans regarding the sleep patterns of mammals (sleep is a fasting period), and synchronizing rhythms of behavior and metabolic processes is important for cardiovascular health, and for preventing metabolic disease.

Everyday, scientists are discovering new treatments for diseases we thought we had the answer to.  It seems the more we know and find out, the more we realize how little we know.  It's all so interesting to me.

Jewish Community Forced To Leave Guatemalan Village

Six years ago, a group of ultra orthodox Jews moved to the remote area of San Juan La Laguna, 200 miles from the capital of Guatemala, Guatemala City.  The 230 Jews who live there come from several countries, but mostly from the USA, Israel, Russia, Great Britain and Guatemala.  About 40 in the group are children.  They moved there six years ago, living in an area inhabited by an indigenous population.  Why they moved there in the first place is still a mystery to me.  I researched this group and try to find the answer, but all I found out is that they were an ultra orthodox Jewish group, interpreting the Torah and Bible literally, and that they just wanted to live in peace.

The indigenous tribes in Guatemala are protected by the government against outside influences that threaten their culture.  Since October the local indigenous population has accused the Orthodox Jews of discriminating against them and of violating Mayan customs.  The Council of Indigenous Elders said that the Jewish community wanted to impose their religion on them, and that they were undermining the Catholic faith, the predominant faith of the village.

With threats of lynchings if they didn't leave the village, the Orthodox Jews decided it was better to quit than fight.  They say they are people of peace, and when the Jews and the indigenous representatives failed to reach an agreement to respect one another, the Jews are leaving.  They have already begun to leave.  They know they have a right to be there, but they don't want to be where they are unwanted and in fear of violence.  Who knows where they'll go next?  If anyone out there knows how they even got to Guatemala in the first place, I'd like to know.

Frontiers in Medicine: Advancement in Digital Medicine

Charlene invited me to attend a most interesting lecture at Scripps La Jolla in November, on the subject of the advancement in digital medicine.  I was blown away by what is just around the corner.  The evening was moderated by Dr. Steven Steinhugel, cardiologist at Scripps.  He worked with Dr. Eric Topol, formerly from Cleveland Clinic, who we are now lucky enough to have in San Diego.  The evolution of digital medicine has progressed by leaps and bounds in the past 20 years.  Super computers have gotten smaller and faster, in fact there has been a 2,400% improvement in their performance in just two years.  In the future everything will be on your smart phone.  We are so much more connected than we were just eight years ago.

Right now 61% of Americans own a smart phone, and by the year 2019, the seven billion people on the planet with own 5.6 billion smart phones.  Companies like Samsung, Google and Microsoft want to get into the health care industry.  Here are some of the ways digital medicine will be used in the future.  BP, EKG, pulse, temperature, output of CO2, glucose, oxygen saturation and respiration rate will all be monitored by  wearable sensor data.  This would be a bracelet or watch type band on your wrist.  Diabetics can constantly monitor their glucose level, and be notified when they need insulin.  Athletes can monitor their pulse, blood pressure and other vitals during workouts.  Heart patients can have immediate access to ekg's or other tests that might tell them they need doctor assistance.  High blood pressure, which accounts for 40,000,000 office visits per year, can be self monitored, medication can even be administered as needed.  In other words, health consumers will become more actively involved in gathering medical information, without the need for expensive visits to the doctor.  The information will be immediately, which will lead to more immediate treatment and possibly better results.  Shut ins who can't get to the doctor will be able to perform many important tests at home, transfer this immediately to their doctor, and be told how to proceed.

This is all very exciting to me, as we will see big changes in medicine in our lifetime.  These changes will cut costs, and lead to more efficient diagnoses and better patient care.  Dr. Eric Topol who is credited with inventing many of the initial medical uses for the cell phone, was way ahead of his time.  He has been using his smart phone to administer immediate EKG's to patients in his office, and giving them immediate results.  There will be no more waiting days for test results! 

Qualcom has partnered with Scripps in moving medicine forward.  Look for big changes to be available for us all very soon, and be prepared to become proactive in your own medical care.

Surprising Fran Was So Much Fun

Fran is one woman that is hard to surprise, so when her long time friend Judy called me and wanted to surprise her with a small birthday lunch, I was skeptical.  Could everyone keep a secret?  Yes they could.  Six of us met at Fig and Olive in Newport Beach.  The look on Fran's face when she approached our table was priceless.  At first it was one of confusion, then it was shock.  She was so surprised, and we were so happy to have pulled it off.

Any meal at Fig and Olive is memorable.  The restaurant has several branches, including Melrose Place in LA, Chicago, several locations in New York, and Newport Beach, where we ate.  The restaurant is big, bright, and beautiful, done mostly in white and shades of beige.  It's hip and contemporary, and so is the food.  The philosophy of the restaurant shows their passion for the best olive oils, flavors and cuisine from the Rivera and Coastal regions of the South of France, Italy and Spain.  They have a large variety of extra virgin olive oils, selected and paired with each dish.  Here is some of what we had for lunch.

We started out with an array of crostini, little round of bread or toast, covered with deliciousness.  Prosciutto, ricotta, fig, olive and walnut were on one crostini, another was covered with mushroom, artichoke, truffle, scallion and parmesean.  We ordered a platter of six, cut each in half, so we could each sample two.  The starter menu also includes crudo, or raw salmon, tun or beef tartare.  A variety of cheeses and olives are available, as are soups, bruschetta, and carpaccio.  Main courses include salads, tarts, Panini, burgers and several entrees.  The lobster roll on a brioche bun with truffle oil French fries was wonderful, as was the fig gorgonzola tartlet.  The chicken Panini that Judy ordered, was delicious, too.  I loved my salad filled with wonderful fruits and vegetables, including manchego and gorgonzola cheese, apple, fig, tomato, walnut, olive and greens.  Main courses include salmon tartar and favorite of mine, chicken tajine (Moroccan chicken).  It's a very ambitious menu, but everything I ate was outstanding.

To top off this fabulous meal, Judy ordered thin homemade sugar cookies, topped with marscapone cheese and special cherries, somewhere between fresh and dried.  Really special.  The whole day was special.  A chance to have lunch with six wonderful women, and surprise Fran.  My birthday is in February and I told this group we're all going back to celebrate again.

A Birthday Celebration At Herringbone In La Jolla

Birthdays are always fun to celebrate, and with my friends, it's also an opportunity to try some of the fine dining restaurants in San Diego that we don't ordinarily get to.  For Paula's birthday this year, we settled on Herringbone in La Jolla.  I had never been there, nor had I been  to Searsucker, another restaurant founded by Brian Malarkey, celebrity chef.  I was at the now defunct Burlap in Del Mar and was not impressed.  That's probably why they closed down, redecorated, and reopened as Searsucker.  However,  I loved everything about Herringbone, and would certainly go there again.

There were five of us who shared Paula's big day with her, and we got a good sample of what Herringbone offers for lunch.  First, the décor is fabulous.  With 100 year old olive trees in the center of the restaurant, the main room is a real show stopper.  Everywhere you look, up or down, there is something interesting on the walls or ceiling.  One thing there were not many of were customers.  We arrived at 12:30, left around 2:20, and noticed only about five occupied tables.  We didn't care, as we were enjoying our conversation and our meal.  Here's what we had.

I ordered a salad called Field Peas.  It was a combination of cranberry beans, haricot vert, argula, pecorino, sherry vinaigrette, and roasted beets.  I thoroughly enjoyed this unique salad, and would order it again.  Ellen ordered the salmon salad, a mixture of greens topped with a perfectly broiled piece of salmon.  The lobster roll, on a brioche bun with French fries and salad was a big hit.  Other interesting items on the menu included an oyster po boy banh mi, an albacore nicoise salad with argula, soft poached eggs, roasted red peppers, olives, and fingerling potatoes.  Several types of oysters are available, as well as a number of delicious flatbreads.  Of course a burger, fish 'n chips, and shrimp tacos are also on the menu.  For dessert, even though no one was still hungry, we ordered a decadent looking chocolate torte, with soft mousse on one layer and a layer of dark fudge like chocolate below.  Looked beautiful, but I didn't eat it.

The dinner menu is loaded with fish, from roasted whole fish, to seared diver scallops, wahoo, skate, and seared albacore.  Many sides like herb fries, sweet corn and roasted cauliflower are available as well.  The restaurant prides itself on preparing fresh foods using farm to table ingredients wherever possible.  Brian  Malarkey, the celebrity chef who started the fabric restaurants (searsucker, herringbone, burlap), has sold majority interest, but his touch can still be seen.  The restaurant takes pride in doing it right.  The presentation is beautiful, and the food is delicious.  For dinner it's an expensive meal, probably about $50 per person without wine.  Lunch, however, can be enjoyed for much less, around $22 per person.  Well worth it for a special treat, and lunch with Paula for her birthday was a special treat.

A Morning With Richard Lederer

You might not be familiar with his name, but Richard Lederer is someone you should know about.  If you take the UT, you can read his American Trivia Quizzes in the UT (page 2) everyday, and on Saturday you can read Lederer on Language in the "Local" section.  He's a linguist and a history buff, and the one hour talk he gave at the Cole Library in Carlsbad to promote his new book "Monsters Unchained," enticed me to purchase one of his books.  He has written over 30 books on everything from American Trivia, to books on aging (that's the one I bought), to puns, riddles, and other plays on words for children, age 8 and up.  He's funny, witty and totally engaging.  I loved listening to him.  He has such a way with words.

I did not know that the English language has four times as many words as any other language.  This makes it ideal for limericks, poems, palindromes, homophones, and other word riddles that I can't remember.  Richard was constantly using play on words, which I found quite witty.  He opened his talk by putting on a clip on bow tie, which he called a "beau ties," because means both beauty and male, and when you connect beau and ties, you have the word beauties.  Pretty clever.  He talked about poetry, and the first few letter of the word spelling POE, one of our great poets.  He talked about our the upcoming election, and called it "electile dysfunction."  He asked the question, "When is enough not enough?"  The first three letters of the word are eno, which when shuffled around spells one, and the last three words, ugh, spell hug when turned around.  The answer to his question is, "One hug is never enough."  Word play like this went on and on, and Richard remembers it all!

Richard says we are pattern makers, that's why we like limericks, poems that follow a particular pattern, and other plays on words.  Heteronyms (spelled the same, pronounced differently and with a different meaning) are voluminous in our language.  Bow, bow, row, row, entrance, entrance are just a few heteronyms that Richard uses with which to make funny rhymes.  He also loves anagrams (two different words using the same letters).  He has a poem called Daniel Nailed (anagram).  He talked about Donald Sterling (former owner of the Clippers) and Adam Silver (commissioner of the NBA) and the coincidence of the their last names.

His final reading was the story of Cinderella.  He took two words that were placed together in a sentence and switched the beginning sound of each one.  For example, the handsome prince, became the pandsome hrince, and the four horses became the hour forces.  He recited the story with many changes in every sentence from memory, and the audience loved it.  Next time you see his article in the UT or hear is coming to speak somewhere near you, try to get there.  You won't be disappointed.

Meet In Paris: A Neighborhood Bistro

Ron celebrated his 72nd birthday in Los Angeles.  We spent the day visiting our new grandson, Calvin.  He is the newly adopted infant of David and Tracy, who got married about 18 months ago.  He's so tiny!  You forget how little and fragile they are at just a little over six pounds, but before you know it he'll be a big boy.  Ron was afraid to hold at first, but he ended up with Calvin in his arms, fast asleep, for a half hour.  We both just loved our time with him, and enjoyed seeing David and Tracy, first time parents, adapting to everything so well.

There's nothing more that Ron likes to do is to take his children out for dinner, and that's exactly what he did that night.  Unfortunately Phil and Deborah were in Colorado and couldn't join us, but David and Tracy, Brian and Beth and Ron and I had a wonderful time together.  Here's what we did.

We decided to try one of the many upscale restaurants on Culver Blvd, in Culver City.  In the space of two blocks there must be 20+ wonderful restaurants.  As Ron is a lover of French food, he chose Meet in Paris, a neighborhood bistro that couldn't get any more French.  The bistro is small, tables are close together, there's a large outdoor eating area on the front sidewalk with lots of little tables under a big red awning.  Friendly waiters helped us select our meal from so many choices.  We were there on a Tuesday night, which is all you can eat mussels and fries night.  They have over a dozen sauces to choose from, or you can try them all.  No one in our party opted for the mussels, but they did look fantastic.  We tried the tarte tatin a la tomate as a starter (tomatoes, pears and blue cheese in puff pastry) which was delicious.  We also order escargots, my favorite, and they were delicious, served with lots of French bread to sop up the garlic butter.  I also ordered the onion soup, oozing with cheese (love the crusty part that you have to peel off the soup bowl).  Yum.  I ordered steak tartare, which was excellent.  I got the appetizer size, but you can get the entrée size which is served with delicious skinny French fries and a salad.  Ron and Brian ordered bouillabaisse.  The dish was filled with all kinds of fish, swimming in a saffron broth, with a toasted baguette and rouille.  Tracy had a simply prepared fillet of salmon over sautéed veggies, and David ordered linguine aux fruits de mer.  It was really a fine meal.  We finished with coffee and a decadant fondant and ice cream dessert.

The best part of the evening was getting to share the meal with two of our three boys and their wonderful wives.  We swapped stories, made each other laugh, and got to spend some quality time together.  A memorable evening for sure, and just what Ron wanted.  Next time you're in LA, try a meal on Culver Blvd.  Meet in Paris is a great place to eat with family or friends, or try one of the many "in" places in the area.  A wonderful evening was had by all.

What Are Holidays All About?

I'm writing this the night before Thanksgiving, the unofficial start of the holiday season that will last through the new year.  I think a lot about what I am thankful for, and what holidays are all about.  First, we will not celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow.  Instead, we will all be together on Friday at my house.  My mom, David and family, and Brian and his family will drive from LA to San Diego to be with us.  Phil is in Colorado and we will miss he and his family.  We celebrate on Friday so that our kids can celebrate with both sides of the family.  Thursday they will be with one group of relatives, and Friday they'll all come here.  We started doing this a number of years ago, and it has worked out well.  Those that have to drive save a lot of time and energy trying to get to Thanksgiving in holiday traffic.

I have so much to be thankful for.  Good health, a wonderful, loving and supportive family, a new grandson, a new house, and wonderful friends.  I think about this as we over indulge at the dinner table for the next six weeks, and over spend at the department stores during this time too.  For me, the holidays are a time to reflect, and a time to show appreciation to those I love.  This appreciation does not have to be shown in the form of expensive gifts, but it seems that more and more, that is how we show our love and appreciation. I try hard not to get caught in the spending frenzy that affects so many.  I have just about completed my holiday shopping, and almost every gift is small but thoughtful, a token you might say.  More important (I hope to the recipient) is the heartfelt card I will write to accompany each gift.  After all, who among us really "need" more?  Kids of course always want a new toy, and to me, kids are what the holidays are all about.

I had been trying to get to Costco for the past few days to pick up a prescription, but could never get into the parking lot.  Today I went when they opened.  It was still mobbed, but I did get a parking space.  I could not believe the volume of toys and food that people were buying.  I've never seen anything like it.  If this a preview of what's to come, the retailers are going to have a very merry Christmas this year.  But, they'll have it without me.  I've already done my shopping, and they won't get rich off what I spent on gifts this year.  While everyone is out racking up debt on Black Friday and beyond, I'll be sitting at Starbucks reading a book, or taking a walk on the beach.  To me, holidays are about spending time with those you love, telling them how you feel about them, and showing them with a small, thoughtful gift.  Your children's love for you is not based on how much you buy for them.  Children from very poor countries love their parents deeply, gifts or no gifts.  Americans have a need to keep up with their neighbors and don't want their kids to feel they have less than the boy next door.  So parents rack up debt to make sure their kids don't feel left out.  Is this what the holidays are all about?  Not for me!

New Eating Habits

I'm afraid to speak to soon as I've been down this road before, but I think, after almost 70 years on this planet, I've figured out the key to weight control, for me anyway.  Several months before my surgery  I joined Weight Watchers for the umpteenth time.  Their new program offers an updated points program, plus another program called Simply Filling.  In the Simply Filling program you just eat the foods from a list of approved foods, plus you have 7 points a day to play with.  The list of foods contains many things I like, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, yogurt, and popcorn.  You just eat until you are full.  My goal was to lose 15 pounds before my knee surgery, which I didn't quite make.  I lost 12 pounds prior to surgery and continued losing every week after surgery.  I am now about 8 pounds from my goal.  I've never been this close.

Native Foods, a vegan restaurant in Encinitas, had a cooking demo and taste testing event in September that I thought would be perfect to help me continue my new eating habits.  Charlene and Audrey, two health conscious friends, accompanied me. We were not disappointed, in fact, the event exceeded my expectations.  Susan, one of the company's executive chefs, cooked several dishes for us, ones that could easily be done at home.  My favorite recipe, and the simplest, is listed below.  It's a arugula-cashew crudité, that you could take to any buffet and be proud of.  It was simply delicious.  Here it is.  Hey, even if you're not a vegan, it's nice to eat an animal free dish once in a while.

                                                       Arugula-Cashew Crudite

3 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2cloves garlic
6 cups arugula or baby spinach blend
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 T. lemon juice
pinch of salt
dash of pepper
crushed red chili pepper (optional) to taste

In a food processor, pulse the cashews, nutritional yeast and garlic gently , so that the ingredients are mixed but the cashews are still chunky.  Empty into medium bowl and set aside.  In the food processor, add the olive oil and lemon juice first, then the greens.  Pulse to blend well.  Mix two together and season with salt and pepper and crushed red chili pepper, if desired.  Serve with thick crostini-type crackers and veggie sticks.

This dish can also be used as a sandwich spread  and made creamier, like hummus, if you like.  It can also be turned into a salad dressing, by adding vinegar and more oil.  Be creative and enjoy.

By the way, 1.5 T of nutritional yeast gives you 130% of the RDA for Vitamin B12.

What Starbucks Isn't Telling You

There's a blog I just discovered called www.foodbabe.com.  It's very informative.  It will tell you more information than you care to know about your favorite foods, and make you think twice about eating them.  I recently learned some information about Starbuck's, some of which I already knew, some of which was new to me.

Many people do not like the strong, sometimes bitter taste of Starbucks coffee.  To many the beans seem burned, which creates a strong, bitter taste.  In response to this Starbucks has created coffee in several different strengths, including blonde, their weakest coffee.  In a taste test with six other coffees (I don't know what brand all six were), Starbucks came in last.  Folger's beat them!

Their lattes and macciatos are extremely popular, but do you know what is actually in them?  The pumpkin latte, a fall favorite, has no real pumpkin, carmel color, and several chemicals.  You probably weren't expecting that.  Starbucks has many fancy drinks listed on their menu, but you can "create your own."  There are many combo drinks that customers have created, one of them being the fruity pebbles Frappuccino.  It's a mixture of several different flavors.  At my local Starbucks they have a creation "for dogs only," which I have seen, but Pepper has not tried it yet.

Finally, the calories.  No one likes to think about them, but the average fancy frappuccio drink has 400-500 calories.  That's quite a lot for a snack.  Add a muffin or scone for 350-400, and you have an almost 1,000 calorie snack (or meal).  That's way more than anyone should be having.

If you love your Starbucks like I do, there are several ways to keep the calories down.  I generally get plain black coffee, but if you don't like that, the lattes are delicious, and you can order them with non fat milk.  If you must get a frappuccio, get the one with skim milk, and no sugar.  (they use an artificial sweetener, but there's only so much you can do), and it cuts the calories in half.  Finally, I never buy any of their baked goods.  First, most of them are no good, and second, they're no good for you.  So keep your morning ritual of a visit to Starbucks, but mind what you order.  If you want, ask to look at the nutritional book which lists calories and ingredients for all products.  It's a real eye opener.

Executive Action On Immigration

I usually steer clear of political discussion in this blog (I'll leave that to someone else), but I feel I must speak.  Executive action or executive order (there is a slight distinction) has been around since the birth of our country.  Early presidents used this sparingly.  You could count on one hand the number of times most presidents used executive action in the first 150 years of our county.  But in the past 75 years, presidents in both parties have used it a lot.

President Obama has used executive action 193 times during his presidency.  By comparison, here is a list of other 20th and 21st century presidents and their use of executive action.  Franklin Roosevelt 3,522 times, Truman 907 times, Eisenhower 484 times, Reagan 381 times, George H.W. Bush 166 times, Clinton 364 times, and George W. Bush 291.  So what's all the fuss about Obama using executive action so much and acting like a dictator?   I don't get it.

Some of the most powerful and courageous actions by presidents have been taken in this way.  Are you aware of the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln was an executive action?  Also, Truman made a bold and courageous action by ordering the armed services to integrate.  Had he not taken this action, we might still be debating the subject.  Other important executive actions by recent presidents include the following:  Gerald Ford took executive action to abandon the use of certain chemical herbicides in war, Carter froze Iranian assets in the U.S. during the hostage crisis, both Regan and GHW Bush took action to defer the removal of certain immigrants, JFK established the Peace Corps.  He also recognized the right of federal workers to bargain collectively.  LBJ prohibited discrimination in employment decisions based on race, religion, sex or nation origin, and Nixon prohibited discrimination in competitive federal jobs.

  Some pretty important decisions have been made through executive action.  Obama's action on immigration is just another important action taken by a president who has tried to make immigration part of the conversation, but Congress has failed to even discuss.  Is it legal?  That's for the constitutional lawyers to decide, but based on precedent, you'd have to think it was.  We have elected this president to lead our country, and he has certain powers  that he does not need our approval to implement.  If people aren't happy with who is president or who is representing them in congress, they have a right to do something about it in the next election.  We just had an election where people showed how unhappy they were with congress, and threw out many long time members.  Let's hope that the people they replaced will legislate, which is what they were elected to do.  So far, I don't see that happening.  It's just new faces in congress doing the same old thing, NOTHING.  Pardon me if I'm skeptical.

Nozomi: My New Favorite Sushi Restaurant

Thanks to Jean, five of us had a fabulous lunch and afternoon in La Jolla recently.  Jean had been promising me for months to find a good Korean restaurant for us to try.  She has some Korean friends through her church that were going to tell her the best Koreans eateries in town.  Unfortunately her friends are not crazy about any of the Korean restaurants, but they did turn her on to a Japanese restaurant that I loved.  It's called Nozomi, it's on Regents Park Row in La Jolla, and it is fantastic.

Actually, Nozomi is owned by a Korean entrepreneur, Duk Moo Han.  Duk began his career selling Korean food out of a push cart, but through years of hard work was able to open a restaurant.  He now has two branches of Nozomi, and life is good for this man.  That's because his restaurants are so good.  We went for lunch on a Wednesday at noon, and the place was packed.  Lots of businessmen and women, shoppers, and lots of Asians.  That's always a good sign.  The menu is too extensive to tell you everything they have, but here are some of the highlights.  My favorite dish was Nozomi's famous Chirashi Salad.  It's got greens, then is topped with several different types of raw fish, like salmon, tuna and octopus and orange roe eggs.  Mix it all together, add the chirachi sauce (or a ginger dressing if you don't like spicy) and you've got yourself a feast.  We ordered the original size, and five of us shared it.  We ordered several rolls, like caterpillar roll, soft shell crab roll, and California roll with salmon and tuna on top.  The rolls were good and fresh.  Nozomi is also known for a green noodle soup which Jean said was just ok, so we decided not to order it.  Also on their menu are sushi boats (so much fun to eat), sashimi combos, curry dishes, tempura, teriyaki bowls, and several rice bowls and even a few Korean dishes.  Please try this restaurant for lunch one day while shopping at Westfield Plaza in UTC.

Lunch was not the end of this fun filled day.  Carole and Jean suggested that we go over to the UTC shopping center and visit the store Pirch.  This was a first for me.  I had never heard of it before, but this first visit will not be my last.  It's a kitchen appliance and design store, a bath design and appliance store, and much more.  When you walk in, you see a big bar with a huge espresso machine.  Walk up and order any of a dozen different coffee, tea and flavored water drinks free, to enjoy while you shop.  I had the best cup of coffee I've ever had.  Then, browse.  We looked at kitchens, ovens, smokers, pizza ovens and super expensive ranges.  Pirch also has cooking demos daily, some requiring reservations, others are on a drop in basis.  One of the chefs was getting ready to do a smoked turkey, in a beautiful outdoor smoker/barbeque.  I didn't ask the price of anything.  I didn't want to be depressed by the fact that most of the things in this store are for the very rich.  However, don't let that deter you.  They treat everyone like a king or queen, and you'll feel great just browsing there.

Thanks, Jean, for planning such a fabulous day.  Thanks to Stephanie, Debbie and Carole for joining us and reminding me of how many great friends I have made since moving here.

Today Is Ron's Birthday

Today is Ron's 72nd birthday.  I have been with him for more than 45 years, so I probably know him better than almost anyone else around.  His childhood friends Phil, Ellen and Howie have known him for 60 years, but they haven't lived with him!  What is it that's made him so endearing to me for all these years?  The reasons are many, and if you know him at all  you may understand the attraction, but if you don't, here are some reasons why, after 45 years I'm still here.

Ron is one of the smartest men I've ever known, which was one of my first attractions to him.  Tell him something once and he'll remember it forever.  Does he have a photographic memory?  Some have said yes, but he says no.  He has a memory for facts and figures like no one I've ever known, especially when it comes to sports.  Don't try to argue with him about who was on the 1968 Cubs team, or what college a particular football player attended.  You will lose.  When he was in business in Los Angeles, before the days of speed dial, he had his entire phone book in his head, over 200 numbers.  He's also smart enough to know what he doesn't know, and over the years he has evolved into a man who knows something about everything:  art, history, politics, people.  We have had interesting conversations over the years on topics ranging from child rearing to government to the NFL policy of it's "bad boy" players.  You'd think after 45 years you'd run out of things to talk about, but we don't.  Did you ever go to a restaurant and see an elderly couple sitting across from each other, eating their meal, and not speaking a word?  I don't ever want that to be us!

Ron also has one of the best senses of humor of anyone I know.  He has kept a smile on my face for 45 years, even through some very hard times.  He's got an encyclopedia of jokes in his head that he can recall at any moment.  If he's with a doctor, he's got doctor jokes, if he's with a golfer he's got golf jokes, and so on.  In the early 1980's we went on a driving trip through France with friends Jerry and Joanie.  Ron drove, and Jerry and Joanie sat in the back seat on this journey, and we listened to hours of jokes and stories from Ron.  We were definitely entertained, which was great, since the radio didn't work.  Even in our most difficult years Ron would stay positive and look to the future, which leads me to another reason I love him so.

Ron is the ultimate planner.  As an accountant that's part of the job description, but it doesn't always carry over into one's personal life.  We never bought anything we couldn't afford, we always had a plan for the future, so when our problems began, which were out of our control, Ron was thrown for a loop.  All we had worked for was taken away, and we had to start over, but I can hardly remember a time when this got Ron down.  He made a plan, and we have followed it and are feeling pretty good about how far we've come.  Yes, family and friends have been supportive and helpful, which has made our life as it is today, possible.

Ron is also one of the most caring, empathetic people you could meet.  Often that's covered up by  an exterior that makes that seem not so.  One quick story tells it all.  When I was teaching school, and we were in our early 30's with three children, I came home one day and told Ron about a partially deaf student I had named Jesus.  His family did not have enough money to purchase expensive hearing aids that would help him.  It was about $800 for the hearing aids, and the next day, unbeknownst to me, Ron took a check to my principal to pay for Jesus' hearing aids.  That was a lot of money to us at the time which we could not really afford, but if was just the first of many times he has helped those in need, at his own sacrifice.  I love that.

Finally, Ron is a true and loyal friend and husband.  If you are his friend, there is nothing he won't do for you.  His friend David was sick and in the hospital for 186 days.  Ron visited him 184 of those days.  Who does that?  When I had my knee surgery he surprised me.  He was there for me every step of the way!

I haven't mentioned his talents, like being a great bridge and poker player, great accountant and financial planner, loving father of three wonderful sons, and especially great husband.  Hardly a day goes by that he doesn't make me feel special in some way.  A text that says "I love you," flowers on occasion, or just a look that says I love and appreciate you.  I  really thought that love and respect might wane after 45 years, but it's alive and well and better than ever.  These 45 years have had their ups and downs, but the positive attitude of Ron, his undying love for his family, and his clever mind that has allowed us to come back from nothing, have kept us going.  He is a winner and I'll keep him.  Happy Birthday, Honey.

Bike Share Program A Big Success

In 2007, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the first bike share program began.  There are now programs in 36 cities, including Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco and New York City.  When the program began there was great concern over helmetless riders might be in jeopardy.  The statistics are in, and after 23 million rides, there have been no deaths in the U.S. bike share program.  That's pretty amazing!

When New York's program, sponsored by Citibank, was launched in May 2013, critics and late-night television hosts shared dire predictions for riders, some of who were only then learning to ride.  New York tried to impose mandatory helmet laws, but failed.  In the New York program, only 40 people have been hurt in 10.3 million rides.  Part of good safety record for the bike share program has to do with the bikes in use.  The bike has a very low center of gravity, wide tires and drum brakes that stay dry even in wet weather.

Although most cities do not require the use of helmets, some cities, like Boston, have helmet vending machines.  All in all, the bike share program has been a big success.  It does several very positive things to downtown traffic.  Bike users get some exercise, less cars are on the road, and it is helping the environment with less gas being used and less pollution getting into our air.

I did not know that this program existed until recently, but it certainly seems to be a program with a bright future.  I'm hoping we San Diego adopts this program sometime soon.

Great White Shark Population Is Healthy and Growing

A new census study shows there are more than 2,400 white sharks off the coast of California.  This is evidence that protective measures should be maintained because they are increasing the size and health of the population. 

A study by a 10-member team led by George H. Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, bolsters a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determination that the eastern Pacific Ocean population of great white sharks does not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act.  The great white shark population is healthy and growing, a new census shows.

NOAA(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) began researching the status of the great white shark population in 2013, after the environmental groups Oceana, Shark Stewards and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition calling for endangered species protection.

A 2011 census by UC Davis and Stanford University estimated that only 219 adult and sub-adult great whites lived off the Central California coast, and perhaps double that many were in the entire northeastern Pacific Ocean.  The surprisingly low estimate prompted environmentalists to launch fundraising campaigns to "save the great white shark from extinction," and file the petitions that made the great white the first candidate for listing as an endangered species in California ocean waters.

It appears to have been an overreaction by some environmentalists, as up to 10 times as many sharks may actually exist.  The listing as endangered status for the great white was not warranted.  The environmental groups were too quick on the draw.  Their hearts were in the right place, but their petitions cost taxpayers a lot of money and diverted resources away from species genuinely at risk.

Ghosts of the Cities: Coyotes

Coyotes were originally known as ghosts of the plains, but more recently they are ghosts of the cities, because they are heard but not seen.  Although a relatively recent phenomenon, coyotes have become the top carnivores in an increasing number of metropolitan areas across our country, including Chicago.  However, we know very little about how coyotes have become successful in landscapes dominated by people.

The Urban Coyote Ecology and Management study is working to answer questions such as how coyotes have adapted to urban life and how man and coyote can co-exist.  The study traps adult coyotes and marks pups from natal dens during spring.  They are micro chipped, weighed and measured before being released back in the area from which they came.

Coyotes play an important role in the eco system.  They eat small rodents and other animals that might otherwise become out of control.  We need to learn to be able to identify coyotes, and keep our small children and small pets away from them.  They are useful in maintaining the balance of nature, but we must remember that they are wild animals and should not be touched or captured.

Many urban areas control the coyote population by simply clearing out ravines and canyons where they might live, and killing coyotes and everything else that lives there.  Hopefully there is a better way.  The Urban Coyote Ecology and Management study address several important questions that may help man and coyote co exist.  What are the full ramifications for people, pets and other wildlife when the coyote suddenly becomes a neighbor?  Do coyotes reside in urban areas because of an attraction to and benefit from human activities in urban areas?  These and many other questions will be answered as man studies the urban coyote and will hopefully find ways to control the population with decimating it.

A Date With My Honey

After almost 45 years of marriage, we still plan a date.  We like to set aside one day a month for US.  We've been doing that for a while, and our last date, on October 31, was so much fun.  I'm already looking forward to our next date.  The reason we enjoy these days together is that normally, we are not together (during the day) for much of the week.  Ron has his friends and activities, and I have mine.  Most evenings are spent together, except for my occasional poker game and his occasional poker game, or possibly, a bridge game.  So a day together is special.  Here's how we spent Halloween, 2014.

We left the house around 9:00am and headed for our favorite breakfast spot, 101 Café in Encinitas.  Ron was yearning for an apple pancake, so we split one!  Just enough to keep us going for the morning.  Then we headed to Balboa Park.  We were going to the Museum of Art, to view their current exhibit, Gaugin to Warhol.  There was an 11am docent tour which we attended, and got some interesting background on the artists represented in the exhibit, and the Allbright Knox Museum, from which all the works come.  Picasso, Pissarro, Matisse, Gaugin Van Gogh, Kandinsky, Pollack, Warhol and many, many more artists were represented in this fine exhibit.  After a quick visit to the museum shop (I couldn't resist buying something), we were off to lunch.

Our original plan was to go to HashHouse A GoGo, but due to terrible construction on that street, we decided to go to Mission Hills, to the new hotspot, The Patio on Goldfinch.  What a good decision that was.  First, almost everyone in the restaurant was dressed in costume or looked pretty exotic out of costume.  We sat on the front patio, a very animal friendly place to be.   There was a large dog with a water bowl supplied by the restaurant sitting on the floor, a small dog sitting on a chair, and a miniature potbellied pig sitting on the floor with his owner and friends, all in costume.  The pig was not in costume but did have her nails painted blue.  The restaurant supplies home made cookies for the dogs too, so if you plan to go there with your pet, call ahead to make sure they can accommodate you. We had a fabulous lunch, which I will blog about later, and got home around 2pm.  Right now we're home, waiting for trick or treaters.  We love seeing the little kids, so excited and all dressed up.  The perfect ending to a perfect date with my honey.  Next month, we plan to go to the Museum of Torture (Ron's choice).  That ought to be uplifting!

Life In Balance

I've told you many times about my favorite resort for rest and relaxation, Miraval.  I follow them on Facebook, and find many delicious recipes, plus tips for living a healthy, stress free life.  I found this list of 10 do's and don'ts, to keep you balanced and stress free.  Here it is.

                                    ‬

All of these will lead you on the right path, but I especially like #1,2, and 3.   Let go of comparing, competing and making judgments.  Hard to do, but comparing yourself to others, or competing with others will just lead to stress.  As for making judgments, well, I try not to.  Most decisions in life are not black or white, right or wrong.  There are many ways to do most things, so why judge someone for the way they are doing it?  Who says that your way is right anyway? 

How do you potty train a child, and at what age do you do that?  There's no right or wrong answer.  There are many approaches, and the timing is different for every child.  How to boil an egg?  There are even several ways to do this, and neither is more correct than the other.  I try to follow these 10 guidelines to Zen in the hope of maintaining balance in life.  The one I need to work on?  Number 10.  Although I find myself chuckling many times during the day, big belly laughs are rare.  I guess I need to find funnier friends!

Carnitas Snack Shack Comes To Del Mar

After a lively discussion at book club in September, several of us met for lunch at the newly opened Carnitas Snack Shack in Del Mar.  It's in the space formerly occupied by The Counter, in the Del Mar Highlands.  The space has been remodeled, and has a lively, full of energy feel to it.  Around the outside of the space are booths are two or four, and in the center are high top tables for four, all put together in a long, family style arrangement.  That way you can come in solo and sit at the family style table, or sit as a group of five, as we did, and feel equally comfortable.

The inspiration for the restaurant was Carnitas Speck, owner Hanis and Sara's mini pig.  One wall in the Del Mar restaurant has a huge pig  sculpted from wood adorning it.  The restaurant opened in 2011, North Park being their first location.  It was an instant success, serving slow food-inspired, pork-centric American cuisine, snacks, and locally crafted beers.

Chef Hanis Garvin was born and raised in San Diego, but his love of cooking took him East to culinary school.  Finally, he returned to his roots in San Diego, and has been a fixture at fine restaurants in the area for many years.  He has cooked at Kensington Grill, Pacific Del Mar, Pacific Coast Grill and Chive over the past 15 years.  He and his partner Sara Stroud, have helped Carnitas Snack Shack earn high marks for creativity and excellence.

Vegetarian Buffalo Wings

My husband loves buffalo wings, but I never make them at home because I really don't like them. This recipe will satisfy both of us, and it's gluten free to boot! I'm kind of a wimp with hot food, so I am looking for a mild "hot sauce." If I can't find one, I will make these next time with just a little butter on top to get them nice and brown. I like to use ranch dressing for a dipping sauce, but a blue cheese dressing is good too.Crispy Cauliflower Buffalo WingsIngredients1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces1 cup garbanzo bean flour1 cup water1 tsp. garlic powder1/2 tsp. salt1 tsp. melted butter or ghee2/3 cup hot sauceDirectionsPreheat oven to 450F. In a medium size bowl, combine flour, water, garlic powder and salt.Whisk together until smooth. Toss cauliflower into batter making sure to coat each piece completely, then place battered cauliflower on a lightly greased, non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, tossing half way through.In the meantime, combine melted butter and hot sauce in a large bowl, stirring. When cauliflower is done, remove it from the oven and gently toss it in the hot sauce mixture. Place cauliflower back on the baking sheet and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until it becomes crispy. Allow cauliflower to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite creamy dressing.Enjoy!

Dyslexia

As I've mentioned before, I have some of the most interesting conversations with my Y friends.  After an hour of dancing, lifting weights, or spinning, we will sit and have coffee and talk.  Friday our conversation went from the troubles of one woman's dyslexic son, to which health care program to sign up for during the Medicare open enrollment period.  As a  teacher for 21 years I taught many children who were dyslexic.  Some had never been identified, but I was pretty sure that's what their problem was, as they were bright and articulate, yet struggled with reading and spelling.  I believe there was a stigma attached to that diagnosis years ago, and parents were reluctant to attach a label to their child.  There is so much that can be done to help dyslexic children, it's a shame not to give them all the tools available.

Miriam, a friend from the Y, has a high school son that she was telling us about.  He is dyslexic, and struggles to keep up in some AP classes because of all the reading.  He gets tapes of the texts he is reading, and listens along with the tapes.  What a great idea.  I didn't even realize that this option was available.  The problem is that it's time consuming, and in higher level classes there is a lot of reading.  Miriam also told me that she had heard that there is a font designed for dyslexics, which is supposed to increase reading ease and speed.  It's called Open Dyslexic font, but in the research I did, scientists did not find it any better than others.  They found that Lexia Readable, Verdana and Helvetica were the preferred fonts by dyslexics.  They also found that italics were the most difficult for dyslexics to read.  It has to do with the spacing of the letters, and also letters placed straight on the page are easier to read.  Miriam also told me that her husband and brother in law are both dyslexic, verifying the notion that dyslexia is hereditary.

The key to success in helping the 2.8 million school children that deal with this condition, is early diagnosis.  There is so much new information on the subject, and many new ways to help kids.  They can learn to read and write and continue into higher education in any area they choose.  Early diagnosis, patient teachers, and patient, loving parents will help them, and for that matter, all children. (BTW, reversing letters is NOT a sign of dyslexia.  It is common place for young children to reverse letters.)

Summer Flan With Berries

Wow.  A summer flan with berries and whipped topping for 260 CALORIES?  When I saw this recipe from Miraval Spa and Resort, I had to share it with you.  Located in Tucson, Miraval is my all time favorite getaway spot for rest, relaxation and education in a more healthy lifestyle.  The food is fantastic, and from time to time I post one of their recipes.  Below you will find the recipe for a summer flan. Although it is not so low in calories, it sure beats a piece of cake for 400+ calories, or some other sweet desserts.  It's healthy and not loaded with artificial ingredients.  I have not made it yet, but from past experience I have found that everything they put out there is delicious.  You can serve this and not even tell your guests that It comes from a health spa. They'll never know. (personally, I would use  a commercial topping like Cool Whip, or just skip the whipped topping all together, if you're trying to keep the calories down)


MAKES 6 SERVINGS

• 1 c. 2 percent milk
• 3/4 c. heavy cream
• 1/4 c. half-and-half
• 1 Vanilla bean, cut in half, seeds scraped out
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 c. plus 5 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. water
• 1/8 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 4 oz. fresh seasonal berries
• 1 tbsp. Sweetened Whipped Cream (recipe follows)

PREHEAT the oven to 325° F.
PLACE six 4-ounce ramekins in a deep baking dish and set aside.
COMBINE the milk, cream, half-and-half, and vanilla bean and its seeds in a medium heavy saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
BEAT the eggs, egg yolks, and 5 Tbsp. of the sugar in a large bowl until frothy. Whisk 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture to combine. Gradually whisk the remaining hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Set aside.
TO make the caramel for the bottom of the ramekins, combine the remaining ½ cup sugar, water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan, stirring to incorporate the water into the sugar, being careful not to get the sugar mixture onto the sides of the pan. Cook undisturbed over medium heat until a light amber color, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and spoon 1 Tbsp. of the caramel into the bottom of each greased ramekin.
LADLE the egg mixture over the caramel in each ramekin, dividing evenly. Pour hot water into the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the custards are set but still slightly loose in the center, 45 to 50 minutes.
REMOVE from the oven, uncover, and let the custards rest in the hot water for 10 minutes.
REMOVE the custards from the water and cool slightly before refrigerating. Chill completely before serving, at least 4 hours. (If storing longer before serving, cover each ramekin tightly with plastic wrap before refrigerating.)
REMOVE the flans from the refrigerator. Using an index finger, press around the outside edge of each flan to release from the ramekins.
INVERT each flan into a shallow dessert bowl or onto a dessert plate. Top each flan with fruit and ½ tsp. of Sweetened Whipped Cream. Serve immediately.
CALORIES: 260; TOTAL FAT: 17 G; CARBOHYDRATE: 22 G; DIETARY FIBER: 0 G; PROTEIN: 6 G

Sweetened Whipped Cream

MAKES 1 1/2 CUPS; SERVING SIZE : 1 TBSP

• 1 c. heavy cream, very cold
• 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar, sifted

IN the bowl of an electric mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, combine the cream and sugar and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Serve immediately.
CALORIES: 90; TOTAL FAT: 9 G; CARBOHYDRATE

Saving Our Birds

It was 100 years ago that the last Passenger P

igeon on earth, Martha, died in her cage at the Cincinnati Zoo.  What happened to her merits close attention.

The passenger pigeon was among the most famous of American birds, not because of it's beauty, or its 60-mil-an-hour-flight speed, but because  it is the largest-scale-human-caused extinction in history.  Possibly the most abundant bird ever to have existed, sometimes migrating in flocks of 3 billion.  The passenger pigeon has been extinct for the past 100 years.



Not a whole lot extinctions come close to what happened to the Passenger Pigeon.  The fate of cod fisheries in the late 1900's mirrors that of the passenger pigeon a century before.  Pacific Bluefin around the world are down 96%, and may be next in line for extinction.  There are many examples around the world, but the good news is that we still have time to do something before it is too late.

The 2014 State of the Birds report, a periodic assessment of the health of our bird population, will soon be out.  The results will tell us what we should be doing to protect at risk species.  We know that timely conservation action works.  Peregrine falcons and bald eagles, for example, demonstrated that our underregulated pesticide habits were poisoning the environment, and us.  Once we knew this, we did something about it and our environment of endangered species are vastly healthier because of it.  Had we done something in a timely manner back when the passenger pigeon was in danger, we may have been able to save the species.

Today we have The Endangered Species Act, a powerful piece of environmental legislation that is helping to keep bird species and other animals, from becoming extinct.  Birds in particular, are a barometer for the health of our lands and waters.  Very recently the toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie rendered Toledo's water supply undrinkable.  A healthy bird habitat makes for healthy human habitat.

Right now there are 230 species on the 2014 State of the Birds watch list.  We need to continue to commit and invest in maintaining existing species, and paying attention to the birds.  Had we done this in the 1800's, the passenger pigeon would still be here.

Brooklyn Girl=Great Food, Ambience

From the minute I walked into Brooklyn Girl, I knew it wouldn't be my only visit to the trendy Mission Hills eatery.  Established in 2011 after the close of their very successful Trattoria Acqua in La Jolla, Michael and Victoria McGeath wanted to open a neighborhood restaurant fashioned after what was happening in Brooklyn.  Brooklyn has been leading a culinary, artistic and creative revival in our nation and the McGeath wanted to take this trend to Mission Hills.  Along with chef Colin Murray, the McGeath's have created a truly neighborhoold restaurant, open for brunch, lunch and dinner.  Mission Hills reminds the McGeath's of their native Brooklyn, with an old time spirit, and a comfortable feel.  This wonderful vibe that I felt when I walked into the restaurant makes this a place in which you want to hang out.

No matter how good a restaurant makes you feel, if the food isn't good, you won't be back.  Not a problem at Brooklyn Girl.  The food is delicious, the menu is creative, and the ingredients are top quality.  Menus change with the seasons and what is available each day at local markets.  Everything is farm to table.  Their charcuterie choices come from MeatMen, and the cheeses are from Venisimo.  Here's some of what we had.
As soon as you sit down, a bowl of spicy, buttery popcorn is placed on your table.  Drinks are ordered, and you and your party are ready to drink, snack, and peruse the short menu.  The menu begins with small plates, or as they call them "Street starts."  Roasted stuffed bone marrow (stuffed with mushrooms, blue and goat cheese, fresh herbs), bacon wrapped Vietnamese meatballs, oyster tacos, chilled gazpacho, and black mussels, Thai style are just some of the starters.  I enjoyed a beet salad, which included yellow and red beets, fresh Burrata cheese, avocado, almonds and a shallot dressing.  I ate every bit of it.  Richard had the all kale Caesar, which was a Caesar salad using kale instead of romaine, and included bacon and hard boiled eggs.  It was wonderful too.  I enjoyed a pizza, topped with littleneck clams, bacon, fingerling potatoes, and Brussels sprouts, in addition to cheese.  It was most unusual, but the mixture worked.  The pizza was a little thicker than I like, but the dough was delicious.  Richard and Laura each ordered Mary's free range duck.  You can order one full duck and split it, or order two halves, which is what they did.  It was very crispy, with a ginger and honey glaze on the skin, served in a skillet with wonderfully cooked winter veggies, including sun chokes and carrots.  It was a delicious dish.  Ron ordered the pork chop, so big he brought half of it home for dinner tonight.  It was served with with baby carrots, braised collard greens, apple pear spiced chutney and pork jus.  Fantastic dish.

We were too full for dessert, but I noticed a caramel budino on the menu that I will make room for next time.  The restaurant also has some interesting art on the wall.  We liked it so  much we asked our waitress about the artist, and it turns out he is a server in the restaurant.  His name is Patrick, he came to our table to meet us, and tell us more about his work.  The piece I especially liked was a portrait of Scarlett Johanson, a huge painting, which felt like she was looking right at you.  After dinner we walked across the street to look at the other hot restaurant on Goldfinch, The Patio.  That will be our next dining out experience, so you can look for that review shortly.  All in all, Brooklyn Girl was a wonderful dining experience, and one I will visit again and again. 

Bananas In The 21st Century

Bananas have long been one of the many contenders for the "perfect food," and now with research being carried out by Australian researchers of a genetically modified banana enriched with vitamin A, it may become the number one most perfect food.

It is believed that bananas originated in Malaysia around 4,000 years ago.  In 327 B.C there is a record of Alexander the Great's army finding them growing in India.  Eventually, bananas made their way across the ocean to the Americas, where the majority of them are produced today.  Bananas have many properties that make it such a perfect food, like high amounts of potassium and antacid effects which protect the stomach from ulcers and their subsequent damage.  Australian researchers in Queensland, developed a banana with up to five times more vitamin A than usual.  Vitamin A deficiency blinds some 300,000 children annually and is linked to the deaths of nearly 700,000 others, mostly in East Africa, where bananas are a staple but lack essential nutrients.  Put the vitamin A in one of the staple foods of East Africa, and help eliminate blindness.

The project is backed by a $10 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Critics warn that the long-term effects of genetically modified foods remain unknown.  Human trials are underway and researchers hope to receive approval to grow the bananas in Uganda by 2020.  They say the technology could later be used for other crops around the world.  It's great when science and agriculture team up to produce a better product.  Bananas were always good.  Now they're going to be great!