Freebies

Thanks, Lynda, to alerting me to an ice cream freebie. Mark your calendar for a free ice cream cone at your local Hagen Dazs on May 8, between 4-8pm. There are so many free food items out there, it's hard to keep track. This one you won't want to miss. Mark your calendar for a freebie at Chic-fil-a on July 13. It's cow appreciation day, and everyone who comes to chic-fil-a for breakfast, lunch or dinner, dressed in either full or partial cow costume gets a free meal (full costume) or free entree (partial costume). Sounds like fun. Subway is always a favorite of mine, and during the month of April, you can get two sandwiches for the price of one if you buy them before 9am. So come to Subway for breakfast, and get your lunch for later. Besides freebies, I recently discovered www.pinterest.com. All of you that are under 35 or have kids or grandkids between 18-35 already know about the website. I just discovered it, and although I haven't figured out all the pinning and repinning, I absolutely love it. For crafty people, cooks, or creative people, this is the site for you. I have already found so many wonderful recipes and cooking ideas. You've got to try it. I have a feeling a lot of the people on the site are young stay at home moms with a lot of time to post stuff. I heard that the company is already worth billions (where do their profits come from?), and that it is run out of a small office in Palo Alto. Go figure. If any of you know in advance about free stuff in the San Diego area, please let me know so I can post if in time for all to enjoy. In the mean time, check these freebies out and get lost in pinterest.com.

Crust In Carlsbad Means Great Pizza

We are always looking for the elusive "best" pizza in North County. A few weeks ago Alan told us about a place in Carlsbad that he ranks very high. I trust his opinion. He's a real foodie, and as a native New Yorker, Alan knows pizza. So Ron and I gave it a try recently, and within a week, we were back for more. We loved it. It's a small neighborhood restaurant with a nice bar, lots of wine by the glass, and lots of good food. Owner and chef Charlie will even make one of his own creations if you ask.

We began our meal with a delicious Caesar salad. Nice and tangy, with a good taste of anchovy, but not too much. Next, we had Ana, a red pizza with Wisconsin mozzarella, artichokes, baby spinach, sundried tomatoes, and ricotta. The crust was the star of the dish. It was crispy, thin, and puffed around the edges. The pizzas come in either 10 inch or 14 inch sizes. We had a wonderful wine by the glass at a very moderate price. Our waiter was Mikey, and I highly recommend you ask for him. He knows what's good, and is attentive and friendly. The next time we went we tried the fried calamari. I was a bit disappointed when it arrived at the table, as it wasn't heavily breaded and golden brown like most calamaris I've had. That turned out to be a good thing. This calamari was lightly breaded and fried and served with 3 dipping sauces. Our favorite was the curry aioli. Just delicious. Next, I had spaghetti and meatballs. This might have been the first time in 42 years of marriage that I have ordered that dish, and I don't know why I did, but I loved it. It was such a big portion that I took half home for dinner the following night. It was even better the second night, as the sauce had thickened. Ron had another pizza, this time with sausage, sweet red onions and mozzarella.

Other things to try include white pizzas, like Emily. Emily consists of olive oil, soprafina ricotta, mozzarella, portobella mushrooms, sweet red onion and heirloom tomatoes. Don't forget their delicious salads. One I want to try is the Carlsbad, with baby spinach, grapes, apples, raisins, glazed pecans, goat cheese and a citrus vinegrette. The children's menu is really a bargain if you have kids or grandkids to feed. For $6 they can get a bowl of mac and cheese and a drink.

I have to go back again to try dessert. Desserts serve 2-4 persons, and from what I saw you better have 4 people with you or you'll never finish. They offer a beautiful lava cake, but what I really want to try is Road Rash. This consists of vanilla bean ice cream topped with almond praline, candied nuts, fresh apple wedges, whipped cream, warm carmel sauce and peppered sugar bignet. The celulite is going to my thighs just thinking about it.

Try Crust in Carlsbad next time you're in the mood for excellent pizza, a great salad, a good glass of wine and an awesome dessert. Prices are moderate, nice ambience and great waitstaff. I loved it.

It's Earth Day

I can't believe it was over three years ago that I wrote my first blog. Since then I've written over 800 blogs, and I'm still going strong. I couldn't let Earth Day pass with a mention of the things I now do without thinking, to reduce my footprint on the earth. I haven't really focused on reducing my footprint over the past year, but my good habits are making a difference and saving me some money. Here are a few of the things I do to help improve our planet. 1. Wash laundry in cold water only. Wash only full loads. 2. Empty my trunk of all the junk. This saves gas. 3. Keep the heat off at night, and add an extra blanket. 4. Close vents in rooms you don't use. 5. Cut back water usage in the yard by reducing time of automatic sprinklers by 20%. 6. Turn down the water heater about 20%. 7. Eat more leftovers. I found I was wasting so much food, but now I try to reuse leftover meat and vegetables and turn it into another meal. Most of us waste about 28% of the food we buy. 8. Composte. 9. Recycle paper, plastic and aluminum. 10. Use old newspaper wrappers for doggie poop bags. 11. Always bring canvas bags to supermarket, drug store, or anywhere you may need a bag. I hope some of these behaviors have become habits for you too. I bet you've got some other good ideas that I'd like to know about. Let me know. The more we reduce, reuse and recycle, the happier Mother Earth will be.

Have You Ever Heard Of Prosopagnosia?

If you're like me, you probably hadn't heard of prosopagnosia, or face blindness, until 60 Minutes aired a segment on the little known disorder in March. It's a condition that affects 2% of the world population, so although it is not considered a rare disease, it only affects a small group of people. Little is known about it, but those with the condition have huge challenges to overcome. It can be socially crippling.

Lesley Stahl interviewed two prominent men who have face blindness. Oliver Sacks, the British neurologist and author who has written on many neurological and psycholical conditions, has face blindness. Chuck Close, a renowned artist, who ironically paints mostly faces, also has face blindess. How do they deal with trying to identify people that they see everyday? Chuck Close gave an example of how he tries to deduce who a person is from various clues. Lesley Stahl showed him a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. He deduced that because of the mustache he was probably someone who wasn't living. (I'm not sure how that makes sense). The shape and size of his face also led him to the conclusion that it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Everytime they see someone, even their own children, they have to figure out who they are from clues other than facial. It's hard for us to imagine this. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for these people to go to a cocktail party, meet a lot of new people, and not have a clue who they are.

What causes prosopagnosia? Doctors are just starting to study the condition, but they feel it is an abnormal function of the right fusiform gyrus, a part of the brain. This can be a congenitive condition, or the result of a stroke or brain injury. It was amazing to watch on 60 Minutes the people with this condition struggle to identify even their own children. (from a picture). Of course in real life they would have other clues, like voice and mannerisms to help them out. There is no cure for the condition. It's just something face blindness sufferers have to live with.

Science is always discovering new abnormalities in the human body. I find it all so interesting. Another condition on the other end of the spectrum is those individuals that never forget a face. I will write about them another time. For now, the next time someone can't remember meeting you or doesn't seem to recognize you, think about the fact that it may be because of a medical reason.

One Hundredth Anniversary Of The Titanic

I went to see the Titanic exhibit at the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park a few weeks ago. It brought back memories of the movie, songs about the Titanic and taught me alot about the event which I didn't know. It's the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 14, and I was amazed about what I DIDN'T know about the ship.

First, the exhibit itself was excellent. As you enter, you are given a card with the name of a passenger, his or her cabin number, and a bit of history about the person. At the end of the exhibit there is a wall with the names of all the passengers who were on the ship ( over 2,200), and whether they survived or perished. I was given the name of George Dunton, who perished, but whose wife and children survived. The exhibit contained many artifacts from the extensive search carried out in the 1990's. One interesting fact that surprised me was that anything that had been stored in leather, like money, letters and papers, held up very well. Microorganisms from the sea cannot eat away at the leather, thus the contents of these wallets and pouches were preserved. Much of the china was in mint condition, while other pieces had the designs washed off.

It was interesting to learn about the 3 classes of service available on the Titanic. 1st, 2nd and 3rd (steerage). At the time of the sailing, class distinction in London (where ship sailed from ) and New York (where it was headed) was clearly divided. The ship reflected this. Different china and menus were served in each class. There were sitting rooms for reading and smoking, again divided by class. The staterooms of course reflected the difference in class, with 1st class staterooms luxurious and beautifully appointed, while steerage rooms contained 2 bunk beds and a tiny dresser. The cost of travelling first class at the time was $2,500, the equivalent of almost $50,000 today. On the low end, 3rd class cost $40 at the time, or $950 in today's world.

I was amazed by the many famous people on board, including the Astors and the Guggenheims. There was a not so famous woman on board named Marguerite Brown, who has since become very well known. She was a suffregette and very involved in the movement to improve the rights of women. When the ship went down, she was thrown into a lifeboat with other women and children. While waiting in the freezing cold for help to come, Ms. Brown told stories and sang songs to keep up the spirits of the freezing women and children. She is known today as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."

As I went through the exhibit, I thought about how life can change on a simple decision. One man decided to surprise his fiancee and sail to New York. He perished. Another family decided at the last minute NOT to go on the inauguaral sailing. Is it fate or luck?

Finally, there were many warnings that ice was ahead, that the ship should slow down and change course. The captain and his crew thought the ship was invincible, and did not heed the warnings. We all know what happened. So many lives lost by something that apparently could have been avoided. Just another example of why we should all enjoy each day to the fullest.

More Food Show Finds

I was expecting the food show to be filled with items containing kale. It seems to be the "in" food this year, but I was wrong. There were a few items, most notably a crunchy kale snack. I have tried to make something similar. It is great when first made, but does not stay crispy, so I'm guessing the packaged variety has preservatives. In addition to crispy kale, here are other foods I tried and liked.

One of the best products I tasted is Julian's Belgian waffles. They are to die for. They're very expensive, but nice to have in the freezer if you're in a bind. You can buy them at Whole Foods in the freezer section.

Sunland peanut butter was sampling their various spreads. Crunchy, banana peanut butter, and chocolate peanut butter are all delicious. Justins is another peanut butter company, and this year they have expanded into peanut butter cups, similar to Reese's. They're delicious and available at Whole Foods and Jimbo's. Karoun is a great company that makes interesting cheeses. This year I tried the lebne cheese. It is tart and similar to the consistency of cream cheese. It is delicious on pita bread. If you want to try it first, go to Sammy's and order it. I love it. Another company, Adonia, sells Greek frozen yogurt. The bars are only 75 calories. Another cheese product made by Heini's caught my attention. It is made in the Amish country (since 1935). They have several varieties of yogurt cheese which I tasted, and was pleasantly surprised. I was also told that they melt well. Look for them in specialty markets.

Finally, one of my favorite products that I discovered last year and rediscovered this year, is Ozery's Morning Rounds. They're similar to English muffins only thinner. They toast up great. They come in several varieties, including multi grain and cranberry nut. Great for something a little different than toast.

I have much more to tell you, especially about trends in frozen foods, but that will have to wait for another time. I hope you look for some of these items. They're well worth trying.

Restaurant Week In Boulder

It seems every major city has at least one restaurant week per year, and on my recent trip to Colorado it was restaurant week in Denver and Boulder. My kids have a favorite restaurant, Arugula, which we went to on a Saturday night. 7 week old Elsa slept in her cradle on the floor the whole time we were there, so we all got to enjoy the evening.

The restaurant is in a small strip center, and consists of two rooms, one with a small bar. The tables are separated so that you're not listening to the conversation at the next table. I like that. Our three course meal for $24.95 consisted of a starter, first course and entree. If you by some remote chance still had room for dessert, it was extra. I started with a beet salad with greens, cheese and nuts. Phil had the house made chicken liver pate, which he just loved. Other appetizers included fennel salad with lemon and olive oil with cherry tomatoes, basil, pine nuts and feta cheese. An arugula and dried fruit salad was fabulous too.

The next course was a pasta course. My favorite dish (I sampled everyone's food) was apple and squash penne. It was a little bit sweet, with a fruity sauce. Deborah's favorite pasta is lemon and garlic shrimp orecchette, which she says is better every time she goes there.

The final course was a small sized entree. I was already full but managed to eat a few bites of the hanger steak, cooked to perfection and topped with Marsala shallot sauce and Gorgonzola Dolce. Most of it went in a take home box. Another delicious entree was the seared sea scallops. They were topped with a Romanesco sauce and were served with a lemon and oil dressing on the celery salad.

In all a wonderful dinner, great price, and good service. I can't wait to go back again. Every night Arugula serves a regular menu plus specials, so there's always something new to look forward. This is a great choice next time you're in Boulder...

Food Trends From Expo West, 2012 Part 1

I'm not sure where to start with what I saw and tasted at the recent natural food expo in Anaheim. First, it was much busier than last year. That's a good thing. It means more food and beauty industry people are doing business. Next, for the first time some of the booths represented food trucks, not actual food companies. My favorite was Cool Haus, a food truck based in Los Angeles. They have four trucks in the LA area, one in Miami, one in Austin and one in New York City. They sell ice cream sandwiches like you've never had before. They offer five flavors, the most interesting being brown butter candied bacon ice cream on chocolate chip cookies. I was stuffed by the time we got to their booth, but the young men and women I was walking the show with loved this. I know they're thinking of expanding, so look for them in the future in San Diego.

As always there were many, many water, tea, lemonade, natural soda and kombacha drinks. This year lemonade is big. Hansens has a new line of lemonade called Huberts, with many flavors like mango lemon, strawberry lemon, and maybe five others. They're delicious, but a little on the sweet side. Another tea company, Inkos, has nine flavors of tea combos. Go to www.healthywhitetea.com to learn more. The other new addition to the drink market is coconut. Coconut flavored water, plain coconut milk, and coconut mixed with cold coffee. Recently coconut has been touted as a "good" cholesterol, which perhaps explains the reason for the increase in coconut products. I also noticed a coconut spread, by Earth Balance, similar to margarine.

Ciao Bella was sampling their gelato and sorbet. I tried the blood orange sorbet, which was tangy and delicious. They have about 10 flavors of each, and their products are sold at Trader Joes. SO Delicious was a company that must have spent a fortune on advertising at this show. They were handing out samples of soy milk and soy ice cream sandwiches. I found the ice cream icy, not creamy. Their products can be found in most supermarkets.

I have lots more to tell you about expo 2012, but I will continue next week with more products, more trends, more wonderful things to eat. Finally, Phil's company (my son Phil), Evol Foods, sampled their flatbreads this year, which were delicious. They are not yet nationwide (their burritos and bowls are), but if you like Evol's other products, ask the manager for Evol flatbreads at Sprouts and Whole Foods. More to come next week.

Just Label It

I attended the Natural Food Expo West show in Anaheim in March for the fifth consecutive year. Ever since Phil started showing his product, Evol Foods, at the second largest industry food expo, I have been there. Part of the reason is that it gives me a chance to see Phil for a few hours, and the other reason is that I love attending the show. I love to see the new products and trends in food. This year I couldn't help but notice the sign "No GMO" on many products. I knew that this meant no genetically modified organisms, but I hadn't focused on this as a problem before attending this trade show.

Genetically modified organisms are found in many foods we eat, and there is no legal requirement to list GMO's on the label. Our country has come a long way in the past 15 years in food labeling. We now have information about trans fats, salt, cholesterol, sugar and food allergans that we didn't have just a few years ago. This helps us make informed decisions about what we put into our bodies. If you look at a map of the countries that DO NOT allow GMO's in their food, you'd be amazed. Europe, Australia, much of South America and large parts of Asia are all among those that have banned GMO's. We are one of the few industrialized nations in the world that has not banned GMO's or at the very least, required manufacturers to list them. We have a right to know what is in our food. I would like to know if the tomato in my canned tomatoes has been genetically altered. There are modifications that they can do to foods to make them more resistant to insecticides. This sounds to me like the chemical used to do this might very well be toxic.

Large companies like Con Agra and Monsanto (which controls the soy market) use a lot of genetically modified organisms in their product. They have a strong voice and a huge interest in keeping GMO's off product labels. Organic farmers and manufacturers and ordinary people who want to know the facts are trying to change this. At least give the public the information, then let them make up their own mind.

At the trade show in Anaheim there were many speakers and panel discussions on this topic. It is clearly something people want to change in package labeling. In years past the hot topic has been fair trade farms. I guess that issue has been dealt with, and getting the U.S. to label GMO's is the topic de jour. Expo West was interesting as always. Next time I will talk about all the food trends I noticed at the show. For now, check out www.organicitsworthit.org or truefoodnow.org and learn more about GMO's. You may not be shocked, but you will find out how we have been lied to and decieved by the giant food companies. They have called foods "natural" that are far from natural. We need to keep putting pressure on government agencies to label food properly. We need the facts before we decide what to put into our bodies. Let's get this information on the food label.

Mia Franchesca Del Mar

Ron and I recently celebrated our 42nd anniversary, and on the suggestion of my friend Karen, headed to Del Mar to try a new restaurant DaVanti Enoteca. It's in the Del Mar Highlands, just across from the new Cinepolis theatres. I called the day before to see about a reservation and was told they do not take reservations. So we got there on a Thursday night and discovered that they were closed for a private party. Just our luck. However, the same owners have a more traditional Italian restaurant, Mia Franchesca, right next door. We were lucky to get the last table and enjoyed a wonderful meal.

Executive chef Scott Harris opened his first restaurant in Chicago in 1992, and now with a group of partners, has dozens of restaurants in Illinois. They also have a few in the San Diego area. Mia Franchesca is a contemporary, casually sophisticated trattoria, with simple, rustic cooking in a friendly modern atmosphere. The manager on duty the night we ate there was Dana, who was warm and friendly and helpful in every way.

Our meal began with bruschette with spinach and goat cheese. Just delicious. I enjoyed the ravioli con carciofi, a ravioli filled with artihoke and basil, topped with a tomato basil topped with mozzarella. Ron had the linguine all sora assunta, sauteed sea scallops and spinach in a light tomato cream sauce. Everything else I saw looked rustic and delicious. The desserts looked fabulous, but we were too full to try. A cast iron apple pie in a skillet looked incredible. It's a small menu, with great choices, and the portions are very generous. Mia Franchesa was a good find, and I'm looking forward to DaVanti Enoteca, by the same owners, next time I'm in Del Mar.

Hydrofracking : What Is It?

I recently saw a documentary called Gasland, which definitely caught my attention. It's about hydraulic fracking, which is a means of extracting natural gas deep in shale deposits that were previously inaccessible by conventional drilling. Horizontal fracking differs from vertical fracking in that it uses a mixture of 596 chemicals, many of them proprietary, and millions of gallons of water per frack. This water then becomes contaminated and must be cleaned and disposed of.

Gasland pointed out the destruction this process is doing to our water, land and how the 2005 Energy Bill exempted natural gas drilling from the Safe Drinking Water Act. It also exempted companies from disclosing the chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing. Essentially, the provision took the EPA off the the job. It is now commonly referred to as the Halliburton Loophole.

The increasing pace of natural gas development threatens rivers and streams that provide clean drinking water, habitat for fish and wildlife, and recreation. A company called American Rivers is working hard to protect and restore rivers and clean water. They support the natural gas industry in concert with the rest of the energy industry, to adhere to adequate and enforcable measures to protect the land, water and the people that live in these areas.

Hundreds of different types of chemicals are used in fracturing operations, many of which can cause serious health problems. After fracturing takes place, both the waste fluid that is brought back to the surface as flowback as well as the fluids that remain underground can contain toxic substances that may come from the fracturing fluids. Additionally, hydraulic fracturing can release hazardous substances that are naturally occuring into the environment, such as arsenic, mercury and radioactive materials. These substances present risks to underground sources of drinking water and need to be regulated.

Fracking takes place on private property in many places, even in backyards where children are playing. Propery owners have little or no leverage in determining where hydraulic fracturing operations may take place. In most states companies are not required to pubicly disclose the types and amounts of chemicals that are injected underground in the fracturing process. Residents and land owners have no way of know what they're being exposed to.

We've all seen the picture of a man turning on his water faucet and having a mini fire explosion in his sink. This industry needs to be regulated. Natural gas is an important product, much needed by our country, but the extraction of the gas must be done in a safe and responsible way. Please check out the enclosed map to see where fracking is taking place right now. It seems to be everywhere.

What Would You Do If You Won The Lottery?

For several days Lotto fever was in the air. Everywhere you went there was talk about the $640million jackpot. I would drive by shopping centers and mini markets and see people standing outside urging passersby to buy a ticket. I can say I have never bought a lottery ticket, which gives me a slightly less chance of winning than everyone who does buy lottery tickets. Not buying a ticket does not keep me from fantasizing about what it would be like to win that kind of money. Everyone thinks about it. I was at the Y this morning and the 2 young men at the desk were talking about what they would do if they won. They both agreed they would keep their job.

So what would you do if you won 1/3 of $640million? After taxes, and if you take it in one lump sum as I would, considering my age, you've still got over $100million. I would start by paying off the mortgage on my kids houses, and buying a house for the one who doesn't own. Then I would buy a house for myself. Next, I would put $200,000 away for each grandchild in an education fund that would hopefully get them all through college. I would also plan an extravagent vacation for our whole family, grandma, kids, grandkids.

The rest of the money would be put into a charitable foundation which I would use to fund charities that I believe in and future projects that I feel are worthwhile. I would try to set up something local to teach children about healthy eating and get local schools to serve healthy meals. I have always believed that all change is local, so my idea of changing childrens' eating habits and their exercise habits, would lead to better health in the community. I would spend my time looking for projects I felt were valuable to donate to, and creating new ones.

The one thing I wouldn't do is go on a spending spree for myself. I am happy with my lifestyle. I don't need boats or planes or second homes or expensive jewelry. I would want to make sure my family was taken care of. Then I would find worthwhile organizations to donate to. If I was younger and still working, I would very likely give up my job and work full time for a charitable group of my choice.

It's fun to fantasize about this, but for me I know it will never happen. Who wants to be faced with crazy relatives and friends coming out of the woodwork asking for money? It's nuts what happens to some of these people who win mega millions. One day I'll do a blog on what has happened to some of the big winners over the years. When you don't have alot, you know who your real friends are.

Music From The Heart

I was listening the radio one morning and found the announcer talking about Bruce Springsteen. I was lucky enough to go to the Coliseum in Los Angeles back in the 1980's and see him perform. I loved the concert. His songs talk about the value of hard work and the struggles of the American worker. The announcer was wondering how he could know about the struggles of the working man. After all, he's one of the 1%. But was he always? Of course not. His father was a working man, often out of work, and his mom had to take out a loan to buy him his first guitar, for $18. He knows about the plight of the working man because his father lived it, and so did Bruce in the beginning. From what I can see he's still a hardworking man. Just because he's made a lot of money doing what he loves doesn't mean that he doesn't understand what hard work is all about. I thought the announcer was really off base when he said that Bruce Springsteen knows about the plight of the working man because we all know about it. I don't agree. I feel you need to have lived it to understand it. You can't understand how difficult life is for an immigrant unless you are an immigrant.

I was thinking about the business of Bruce Springsteen understanding the working man in relation to my own experiences. I remember when Ron first left for Taft and I was alone, I would often have people say, "I know what you're going through." No, they didn't know what I was going through. That old phrase, "Don't judge anyone until you've walked in their shoes," is so relevant. You might think you understand what someone is going through, but until it's happened to you, you don't truly understand it. When Ron returned from Taft and told people how difficult it was to settle into a normal life, they couldn't understand why unless they had experienced incarceration themselves. Luckily for me and Ron, our life has settled into a normal routine, where we are both happy.

A few situations come to mind where people have been quick to say they know how you feel. Death of a parent, spouse or child, dealing with a loved one who is addicted to drugs, having a loved one incarcerated, losing your house to foreclosure, losing a job and not being able to get another, being discriminated against because of race or religion, or weight. These are just a few of the many situations that come to mind. Many of us have experienced discrimination, loss of a loved one, or loss of a job. We can empathize with someone going through this experience because we have been there too. But you can't really tell someone else how to behave towards a child with drugs. Until you've walked the walk, you don't really know what you'd do.

I listen to country music occasionally, and marvel at how the men and women who write the songs express love, compassion and dispair. Their songs come from the heart, from their life, just like Bruce Springsteen's song do. It's hard to write that stuff unless you've lived it.