It's Officially Fall in San Diego, But How Can You Tell?

Go almost anywhere in the the country at this time of year, and you'll see definite signs of fall. Trees turning, cool mornings and cool nights, and shorter days. Not San Diego. It's hot and humid here, flies and mosquitos are still around, but yes, the evenings are cooling off. So how do you tell when it's fall in San Diego?

Check out the trees. Instead of turning beautiful shades of yellow, red and orange, our trees go from green to brown. That's one way to let you know it's fall.

Pumpkins. They're everywhere. Pumpkin patches and fields of pumpkins can be found all around the county. Oh, and Christmas decorations. Yes, they come with fall now too. It used to be they'd wait until after Halloween, but with business being so bad, holdiday decorating comes early.

The busy beaches turn quiet, my favorite time of year. Moonlight Beach, which is swarming with men, women and children during the summer, almost shuts down after Labor Day. The kids are back in school, the camps are closed, and we adults can play at the beach with little interruption. The ocean water during September is still warm and inviting. Quiet beaches is another sign of fall.

People are starting to wear something other than flip flops and shorts. You might see someone wearing real shoes or long pants. Then again, the weather's still so warm here you might have to wait another month to see that.

Traffic is another way to know it's fall. The heavy traffic on the 5 during the summer months has dwindled. Now it's just regulars using the freeway. Most of the tourists have gone home.

Finally, the cougars in Del Mar have changed their look from summer to fall. They have replaced their blue mascara with a nice shade of mauve or tan. And their bright, low cut summer dresses have been replaced with sexy black dress.

Enjoy fall. It's a beautiful time of year. You might actually be able to put on a sweater soon and wear some real shoes, rather than sandals. And enjoy the wonderful new fruits and veggies that grow at this time. San Diego is great all year round.

The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz

Visiting this remarkable exhibit just before Yom Kippur was fitting, as it gave me an opportunity to learn about the life of a remarkable woman and her family, and reflect on my own life. Esther Nisenthal was a 12 year old girl in rural Poland when the Nazis invaded her village in 1939. She and her sister were the only two from her large family to survive the war, and through 36 tapestries she paints a picture of what life was life in her village before the Nazis, during the occupation, and throughout the war.

The Oceanside Museum of Art has always brought to the community unique exhibits, from the wonderful quilt exhibits to Pop Art exhibits, to this tapestry exhibit. The museum is a little gem, and I always check their calendar for upcoming exhibits. This collection of tapestries can be viewed through October 25, and I encourage everyone who hasn't seen it to try and do so. You won't soon forget Esther Nisenthal Krinitz.

After the war, Esther and her sister came to America, where they had relatives in New York. Esther married, and lived a happy life here, until her death in 2001. While raising her children in New York, she decided to make a tapestry, first for one daughter, then later another one for the younger daughter, depicting her life in Poland. Her obsession with recording her history in this way continued for over 20 years, as she described her childhood through her coming to America in 36 beautiful tapestries. Unfortuntely, she passed away before she was able to tell the story of her life in America through tapestsry. We have her daughters to thank for putting the exhibit together.

Esther was not a trained artist, but was magically able to evoke great emotion through her art. Her work looks somewhat primitive but she tells through these tapestries the transformation of a young innocent girl, to an adolescent who learns to do whatever it takes to survive.

We've all seen, heard, and read many accounts of Holocaust survivors, but this one is different. It showed me that there are many ways to tell a story, and there is no end to the imagination of man. It also taught me that in our darkest hours, man is still hopeful. As you view these tapestries you can see hope in every panel. I hope you have a chance to see the works of this remarkable of woman, Esther Nisenthal Krinitz.

Comfort Food Part 1

Comfort food is something we'll always find on the menu, we'll always make at home and we'll always crave. Why? Because it's so darn comforting. We are all conscious of eating healthy and watching our weight, but we have so many reasons to gravitate toward comfort foods. Any problem, large or small, and many of us turn to food. Last week we were out for dinner with our friends Jeff and Cookie. After eating a pretty healthy meal (we're all watching our weight) I couldn't resist ordering bread pudding for dessert. No one wanted the bread pudding until it showed up with three extra spoons, warm and inviting, covered with creme Anglaise. It was gone in a flash, and was it fantastic. We were at La Costa Grill, and I highly recommend their black and white bread pudding. Following is a recipe that I hope you will enjoy.

Bread Pudding with Creme Anglaise

16 slices (about 1 loaf)egg bread or challah
1-1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1T. grated orange rind
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim off bread crusts, cut bread in cubes, and arrange half of bread cubes in lightly greased 12-inch oval baking dish. Scatter 2/3 each of the cranberries and orange rind over top. Cover mixture with remaining bread cubes, then top with remaining cranberries and orange rind. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cream, all but 1 T. of the sugar and the vanilla. pour over bread mixture. Let stand for 15 minutes. Using baster, drizzle liquid over bread mixture several times. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until puffed and golden and until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Orange Creme Anglaise

1 c. whipping cream
1 strip orange rind
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange flavored liqueur or frozen orange juice concentrate

In a small saucepan, heat cream with orange rind over medium heat just until steaming. Remove from heat, discard orange rind. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale, slowly whisk in cream. Return to saucepan, cook, stirring constantly for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Strain into pitcher, stir in liqueur. Serve warm over bread pudding.

This is so good, and you can make it with lots of variations, for example replace cranberries with chocolate chips, and use a chocolate liqueur in the creme anglaise. Use your imagination. Whatever you do, it's going to be great.

Always Something New at Balboa Park

The other day I joined about 15 women on a trip to Balboa Park. It always amazaes me. You think you've seen it all and you discover a new museum, a new cafe, a new fact about the history of the park. This group was a garden group, so we visited both the Friendship Garden and then after lunch, toured part of the park with Ranger Kim, who showed us lots of plants, gave us some new historical information, and told us about Kate Sessions, the famous horticulturist.

If you visit Balboa Park on Tuesday, many of the museums are free. You have to go online and get the schedule for the exact dates, but on a rotating schedule they are all free on some Tuesday of the month. We started our day with a tour of the Friendship Garden, or Japanese Garden. It's a very lovely place to visit now, very peaceful, but they have ambitious plans for expansion. It is now less than three acres in all, but when they complete their expansion it will be over 11 acres. I don't know if I'll be around to see it, as it hasn't even started yet.

For lunch we all did our own thing. Some went to The Prado, some went to the cafe next to the Museum of Art, some brought their own sack lunch, and I went to the Tea Garden. This is a cafe adjacent to the Friendship Garden. It is self serve, and they call it fusion food. Rice bowls, sushi, salads, noodle soups and sandwiches. The sandwiches were especially good. We sat out in the shaded patio, listening to new age music in the background, and talking about how lucky we were to live in San Diego.

After lunch we met Ranger Kim for a one hour talk and walk around part of the park. We learned about Kate Sessions' influence on Balboa Park, then we toured the Botanical Garden. Lots of information. Kim was a wonderful tour guide.

So here's a place we can all discover again and again. There is so much to see, learn, and enjoy at Balboa Park and it's practically free. What a wonderful way to spend the day. I've been to many of the great parks in the world, and this is probably my favorite. Lucky us.

Blogging is Fun

I've been blogging now for about seven months. I thoroughly enjoy it. When I first started I thought I might run out of ideas, but they just keep coming. I try to stick to my mission, which was bringing you money saving ideas, restaurant reviews, recipes and travel information. I have moved off the mission somewhat to bring you stories about organic food and gardening and other tidbits that I find interesting.

I would like to increase my readership, and this is where you can help. If each of you who reads this regularly could send my blog info to two people that you think might like it, that would really help. They don't have to live in the San Diego area to enjoy my blog. I have several people in Los Angeles who read it regularly. So please, find someone to forward it to. I would very much appreciate it, and I will continue to try to bring you interesting information five days a week. Thanks.

Beautiful, Unspoiled Ireland

For not much more than the cost of a flight to New York, you can visit Ireland this winter. Between Novemeber and March, Aer Lingus and several other airlines, are offering flights from the West Coast to Dublin for $250 each way plus tax. The total comes to around $610. Ireland is an amazing country, a combination of rugged beauty, history and architecture that will amaze you and lots of good culture. The weather's not great at this time of year, but the lack of crowds everywhere may compensate for that.

Ireland is a small country of only about 7 million people, including Northern Ireland. Finally, Northern Ireland can be included on your itinerary, and although I haven't been there, I hear it is worth including. Toursists outnumber residents, as they have over 7 million visitors every year, so going in the off season is a good idea.

My favorite trip would included a rental car, a very light suitcase, and some good travel books. That's about it. I would stay at B and B's. This is a great way to meet locals, go where they go and meet like minded travellers. When you check in to a B and B you are usually greeted by one of the owners. Most are warm and friendly and really make you feel welcome. You will get a key to your room, plus a key to the front door. Owners love to chat with the guests, give you their take on local folklore, and suggest pubs, restaurants and sights to see. Each morning you will be served a breakfast fit for a king. A full Irish breakfast is included in any B and B stay. This includes fried eggs, bacon, fried tomato, mushrooms and bangers. Some breakfasts also include white and black pudding, which is actually not pudding at all. It is a sausage stuffed with meat and grains. Go figure. Sometimes you will also have a choice of cold or hot cereal, fruit, bread and yogurt. What a meal.

B and B's are usually about half the price of nice hotel, so give them a try. Then get in your rental car, remember to keep to the left, and enjoy the beautiful sights of Ireland.

Grapefruit is not for Everyone

I love grapefruit and grapefruit juice, but because of modern science, it's no longer part of my diet. It's interaction with many modern day drugs was discovered in Canada, by accident, in 1989. A team of researchers was studying the interaction between alcohol and a heart and blood pressure medication. They suspected that alcohol might modify the metabolism of this medicine. They ended up flavoring the alcohol with grapefruit juice. They discovered that blood levels for thoses that took the drug felodipine in grapefruit juice, was four times higher than when taken in water. This research was ignored at first, but through time and more studies, it was determined that something in grapefruit, Pomelos and Seville oranges block a liver enzyme from breaking down certain drugs. Without the enzyme, blood levels of these medications increase beyond the recommended dose and can lead to dangerous side effects.

There are so many good things to say about grapefruit, it's hard to imagine that they could be dangerous. Grapefruit is a powerhouse of nutrition: Vitamin A and C and potassium along with smaller amounts of B vitamins, calcium and other minerals. The pectin in a grapefruit lowers cholseterol and can help with weight loss. Antioxidants protect against cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration. For a diabetic grapefruit is a way to get a nutritious citrus fix that's low glycemic as well as healthy.

At the moment there are over 30 common drugs that have been identified as having the "grapefruit effect". I stopped eating grapefruit several years ago when my doctor put me on a statin drug to reduce my cholesterol. Some of the drugs that have the grapefruit warning on the label include calcium channel blockers, cholesterol lowering drugs (zocor and lipitor), sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs (valium, halcion), heart drugs, transplant drugs, estrogen, HIV/aids drugs, and epilepsy drugs. Several other common drugs are suspected of having the grapefruit effect, but the final results aren't in yet. Thse include viagra, flomax, claritin, singular, and allegra.

Unfortunately, you cannot drink grapefruit in the morning, then take your pills at night. The grapefruit interaction is long lasting. I just wonder, since my doctor recommended a statin to reduce my cholesterol, and grapefruit is a natural cholesterol reducing food, maybe I'd be better off eating a whole lot of grapefruit and skipping the pills. Just an idea.