April 30th. Leftovers. Chile Relleno, Black beans with all the fixings.

Yesterday dinner  cooking frenzy filled the refrigerator--providing a day of excellent leftover meals.

For lunch, I re-heated the chicken soup from last week-- re-incarnating it in Mexican variation with with chipotle, lime juice,  and chicken.

For dinner, I pretty much repeated last night's meal--and even remembered to take a picture of the full plate I put together.  The last humungous chile relleno--I'd poured all the remaining batter into the pan--seriously altering the ratio of pepper to eggs, not quite appropriate for company, but certainly delicious.    That left-over  giant chile was happily accompanied by tomato sauce, black beans (with a bit of queso fresco atop), rice, sour cream, and as a bonus, which I'd forgotten last night, one avocado's worth of guacamole.

April 29. Black Beans. Chile Rellenos. Rice. Tomato Sauce. Roasted Cauliflower.

I'd made a reservation weeks ago  to see Gilda with Rita Hayworth at the Getty and had the astounding foresight to arrange for parking a-top the hill.   Arriving at the museum around one, I had time to see a show of  Los Angeles photos, as well as the Getty Institute's new print acquisitions which included Piranesi's imaginary prison drawings which Sam and I had first seen at LACMA, in what must have been a temporary show (or do they own them as well?) as well as in the stairwell of Dali's house/museum  in  Figueras, Spain.

I'd thought I'd seen Gilda years ago, but in fact had only seen clips, so was quite pleased to finally see it.  On leaving the theater, I saw a message from Emily, the young woman who was my guide of sorts on my bike ride to Ciclavia a few weeks ago (see seconds 57-59.  When I'd learned that she lived just a few blocks from me, I'd urged her to feel free to invite herself for dinner whenever.  
I was delighted as a bowl of black beans soaking at home and I'd been hoping some for an excuse to cook them up as an accompaniment to  chile rellenos (I had pasilla chiles in the vegetable bin, just waiting to be roasted and stuffed).

Chiles on the way (Madison Condon, 2012) 

Emily showed up about an hour and half later.  I'd already roasted cauliflower, and the black beans, as well as a simple tomato sauce for the chiles  were well underway.  With Emily's able assistance,  we were soon cooking the brown rice and the chiles.

We were probably sitting down to eat by 7:30--and had a delicious conversation filled meal (oh and I was indeed congratulating myself for pulling off such an elaborate feast with relative dispatch) .  Emily was also an excellent cleaner-upper making her a great player of  what's in the refrigerator.

April 28th. Salad with bacon, chicken, hard-boiled eggs and tomato. Photo collages.

Very quiet day.  No shopping.  No cooking.  Fairly minimal eating.
Cereal for breakfast.  A few days ago I began to make inroads in the boxes of cereal that Russell and Heather had left behind.  I'd assumed they'd be stale and I'd just toss them, but it seems that even no-preservatives-added-organic cereals can last more or less forever.  So...a little cereal with coffee for breakfast, and a grand salad for a very late lunch--spring greens with bacon, chicken, hard-boiled eggs and tomato--as I write this, I realize I'd forgotten the avocado--oh the pitfalls of abundance...

Quiet day followed by lively evening.  Went with Linda to the opening of the show of Chris Burrill's photo collages of the LA Uprising.  This was the first time she'd displayed these pieces she'd made 20 years ago---it's a great show and the opening was packed--people I hadn't seen in years.  Second night of cultural life in Venice, and a good opportunity to flash back into the past.

April 27th. Chicken leftovers: Sandwich and Soup

sCoffee at dawn with Ann. In town for a 70th birthday outing with her mother (she has a brother in Pasadena), she had dinner with Lena, Julian and Phoebe.  I'd left a key with Lena, so Ann let herself in while I was at the concert.   She was asleep when I got home and scheduled to pick up her mother at LAX at 8AM, so we had a quick catch-up over early coffee and off she went.
I can go a few hours Minimal sleep is not Can't say I do very well on minimal sleep--but biked to yoga, came home, made myself a chicken sandwich, biked to the library, planning to carry on, but ended up taking a nap, waking up in time for a bowl of chicken soup, and then biked to the last oncert of the season (only one I was in town for)at First Lutheran--Brass Quintet from the LA Phil.  --two nights of excellent music in a row!

April 26th. Springsteen. Salad. Potatoes.

My sister's friend Sue, from Humboldt County,  arrived around 11 last night, bursting with reports on the Springsteen concert in San Jose as well as all sorts of ticket strategies and concert going protocol. Laura had told me that Sue had bought several tickets for the Los Angeles concert, and she had told her that I might be interested in one.  Indeed, I was.  I'd first seen Springsteen in Harvard Square, in 1974 opening for Bonnie Raitt, and then again at the Sports Arena, perhaps 30 years ago.   I knew nothing of current ticket customs, but in a bit of fore-shadowing, I'd watched Springsteen's speech at South by Southwest, while cooking weeks ago, and had begun to long for another concert.   I was happy to buy one of Sue's tickets, and she was delighted to drive me to the concert, so we were set. After finding a perfect parking place on Horizon, we mapped out our agenda for today--and pretty much stuck to it--noon yoga, lunch, then to the Sports Arena.  She now had six tickets for the concert.  In addition to the original four she'd bought in her initial ticket buying frenzy, she'd purchased two General Admission tickets the day before.

General Admission(GA) tickets, I've just learned, are for the floor of the arena--no seats, but there is an elaborate system, varying from venue to venue (I think) to get a spot close to the stage.  I don't know if this is for all concerts or only for Springsteen,  but here's what had to be done in the attempt to get close to the stage.
Starting at one in the afternoon, the day of the concert, numbered wristbands are distributed to anyone who shows up with a GA ticket.   Once you get your wristband, you are arranged in lines, divided by metal pipings, a bit like the classic Disneyland winding line format.  At 5:30. there is a lottery to choose which number wristband gets in first.  That is, there is no advantage to getting there early.  You could be #3, but if #223 is chosen, you would not be one of the first 500 to get in.  We therefore made no plans to be the first on line.  Unfortunately, our calculations were a bit off.
We went to yoga, then made a grand salad for lunch--organic spinach with blueberries and almonds from 99¢ store with organic roasted golden beets, potatoes, and chicken (optional) for post yoga lunch.
When we arrived at the Sports Arena around four--congratulating ourselves for finding on-street parking--thus saving the $25 and $40 parking fees at lots--we learned that all wristbands had already been distributed (the four pm arrival  had worked for Sue in San Jose, but that was a different story).  We would not be in the lottery to get into the pit.  So be it.  In any case, Sue still had four tickets to sell, so we spent many hours hovering around the ticket booth, with the scalpers, random people with extra tickets, devoted fans hoping to get a better seat than the one they'd already purchased.  All, in all, a full-time hustling crowd.  With great foresight, Sue had packed up our lunch leftovers of seasoned baked potatoes, sweet and white with  curried chick peas, so we had some fortification--but needless to say, we were more than ready for the show, which was indeed incredible.

April 25th. Quesadilla. Roasted Cauliflower. Roasted Golden Beets.

Another gray day.  Having taken care of most of the left-overs, made myself a quesadilla with cheese, cherry tomatoes and shallots for lunch.  I'd meant to put in an avocado, but since I forgot, the avocado got to star in its own solo salad--avocado with a splash of lime.

Oh, I have been making great progress in emptying the fridge, but now that Sue is coming tonight, how could I not do another round of shopping?
The truth is I don't need much of an excuse to hit the grocery stores--I long ago realized that just as going to museums, or taking long walks are mood elevators, I am often inexplicably cheered by a trip to the market.  It may be true that it's particularly exhilarating to stumble across great produce markets in foreign lands, but I can even get a bit of a buzz in my local and dreary Ralph's.
I don't know Sue well but I do recall from a long ago visit that she makes much closer attention than I to the caliber of food she intakes.  She is definitely a vegetarian, and perhaps a vegan.  No matter.  It also wasn't clear if she was going to be eating any meals with me.  No matter.  I wasn't sure, so a little food shopping was necessary.
Lena had coveted Q-tips to clean baby Phoebe's ears at tea time yesterday.  I'd packed up a good supply, but alas, she had left them behind.
I'd planned a little bike outing--a q-tip drop off at Lena's followed by a quick visit to the 99¢ store--in the hope of scoring those giant boxes of organic greens and who knows what other surprises?
But, rains were threatening--so I took the car.  Turned out just fine.  I'd forgotten I had to buy a new mop--and despite my newly recovered biking skills, I knew I couldn't manage transporting that.  The rains stopped while I was at Lena's so we did get to walk with Phoebe to the 99¢ store where I bought some smaller packages of organic greens as well as brussels sprouts, cauliflower, asparagus and remarkably enough, from a bin over-flowing with all sorts of fresh herbs, epazote, which I've been wanting to make with black beans.  Many potential meals from one quick trip.
And I wasn't done yet.  After walking Lena and Phoebe home, I had two more stops--Smart and Final--to buy the mop--but also to peruse their new more up-scale produce section, where I was inspired to make chicken soup, buying a chicken as well as dill and parsnips.  These purchases compelled me to stop at Ralph's for hearts and gizzards.  I knew I'd three frozen chicken feet from Whole Foods, and decided to pass on the backs and necks I usually buy there.  In the organic section of Ralph's there were also loose golden beets.  Oh--a fine shopping outing all around.
Returning home, I set to work on the soup.  I half-expected Sue for dinner, and knew she wouldn't eat the soup, but it did feel like something I had to make.
Sue called from the airport at 6:30--she was on her way, so I stepped up my dinner pace.
The little chicken was mysteriously blessed with two livers--a perfect snack, while the soup cooked and I roasted the cauliflower and  beets (I just wrap them in foil and pop them into the oven)  to add to the salad.
In the midst of these preparations, Sue called.  She'd just heard from a friend, whom she'd been hoping to meet, so she wouldn't be coming for dinner.  No problem.  The soup was for way in the future, the beets weren't near ready, the salad was still in its plastic boxes, and I happily ate the pan of cauliflower florets as soon as they emerged from the oven.
I eventually peeled and sliced the beets, sprinkled them with a bit of vinaigrette and saved them for another day, and after many hours, strained the soup, also for future meals.
And so ended a day of abundant shopping and cooking, but relatively little eating.

April 24th. Salad. Leftovers.

A long quiet day at home.  I did bike to and from an excellent noon yoga class, but spent the bulk of the day catching up with things and continuing to work my way through the leftovers.

I think I may have been derelict in recent days not mentioning the grapefruits that I've been happily eating since buying a big bag at TJ's last week.  Pink grapefruits. Surprising good.  I try to eat them instead of nibbling on peanut butter and jelly (something else I'm reluctant to discuss).

In any case, ate a half a grapefruit as soon as I got home, then a smallish salad with bacon, tomatoes and avocados for lunch.

For dinner, I finished both the mashed potatoes and the greens, and to vary things, cooked up an aluminum bag of cumin flavored chick peas I'd bought at TJ's months or maybe years ago (best eaten before May, 2012, the package advised, so their time had come).
The thrown together meals of single life.

April 23. Tea with Lena and Phoebe. Matzoh and Banana Bread. Leftovers for lunch and dinner

Woke up early enough to eat a proper breakfast before noon yoga.  Made matzoh brei, which always feels like a grand treat. Now that I'm biking to and from yoga, I return home seriously starving.  Still working my way through the greens, I fried up some bits of bacon (did I mention that I've diced the big chunks of bacon ends I'd bought at Trader Joe's and put them in the freezer--when I remember, I toss them into the little black pan and add to salads or whatever).   I also managed to perfectly boil two eggs (they were indeed picture perfect, rich golden yolks--but alas, I was too hungry to remember to snap their picture).  It was quite an excellent, if enormous salad.  

Shortly after I finished, Lena called.  She was thinking of walking over with baby Phoebe.  Perfect, said I.  I'd been meaning to call her for days--so was delighted for this surprise visit.  And, although I've been fairly resolute about emptying my refrigerator, I did have both banana bread and chocolate matzoh

Lena cleaned her plate, Phoebe was perfectly behaved, and I got to both walk them home and ride my bike back.

Later that evening, I made myself another smaller salad, as well as another round of mashed potatoes and chicken hash.

April 22nd. Huntington Gardens. Banana Bread.

After so many days of no cooking, I couldn't resist making a loaf of banana bread to bring to brunch at Suzanne and Peter's.

It was the perfect complement to the excellent asparagus and fried eggs that Suzanne made.  And mimosas too!!

We then had a splendid walk through the new Chinese garden and spruced up Japanese garden at the Huntington.  I hadn't been there in years, and it was a perfect southern California day--not too hot (it had been gray and cold  at the beach the day before, and really hot in Pasadena--but while it continued gray at the beach, Pasadena had a perfect Sunday).  It was a real treat.

Later that night, I got to re-visit some excellent left-overs.  Made a hash with the mashed potatoes and left-over chicken and another round of still-fresh-enough-greens.

April 21. Mar Vista Gardens. Laureen and Victor's anniversary

Another day of no cooking.  Late morning salad before biking to the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase.  Joe and Natasha's new garden was on display, along with about ninety others!!  Too much for me to attempt, even in my new bike-riding mode.  It was excellent (and so simple) to bike there.  Before my Ciclavia, Disney Hall outing, it would never have occurred to me to just bike to Mar Vista, so this is a major shift of perspective.

I spent several hours biking about, searching for addresses, chatting, etc., before biking home and heading out--in car this time--to Laureen and Victor's first wedding anniversary party at the downtown end of Washington Street.  The party was also a benefit for Las Carateras, the band that had played at their wedding--so lots of food and music.  And a treat to see glowing Laureen.

April 20. Salad. Brussels sprouts and caramelized chocolate matzoh.

Started the day with yet another batch of caramelized chocolate matzohs--not for me (well, not completely) but to bring to Katya's as part of my dinner contribution.  This time, I  mixed the nuts in with the butter and sugar--tasted just fine, but did not look nearly as lovely (refused to pose for photo). I'll stick with the my original system in the future (sprinkling nuts on, after spreading the chocolate).

I'm once again rich in left-overs, to say nothing of my abundant supply of organic salad greens.  For lunch, had a grand salad that included the leftover pomegranate infused eggplants, and the brand new chocolate matzoh.

Katya had also requested the brussels sprouts with bacons and dates, so I got to reprise that recipe.

Dinner was delicious. In addition to the above, delicious hummus dip made by Katya as well as roast chicken and roast vegetables.

Even, post Passover, and with the non-matzoh crowd, this matzoh is always a hit.
Joe lent me a spectacular multi-colored flashing necklace (made by Katya's niece Anna for my bike road home).
A grand evening all around.

April 19th. Eggplant with pomegranate molasses, sauteed chicken breasts

It's been a while since I've made a proper meal.  Yesterday, discovering a package of organic chicken breasts in the freezer (Trader Joe's, but both more distant and immediate provenance unknown) decided it was time to defrost them.  They were ready to go this morning, but I wasn't quite ready to address them.

I was up early enough to eat a proper breakfast before noon yoga, so while making coffee, I sauteed onion, zucchini, mushrooms with the aging cherry tomatoes to accompany scrambled eggs.

In the midst of this activity, decided it was time to address the aging eggplant in fridge.  Weeks ago, inspired by a Paula  Wolfert recipe, I'd sauteed tofu with with pomegranate molasses,garlic and mint.   This morning, using a somewhat limited stock, I approximated the original recipe.

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH POMEGRANATE SAUCE
One Eggplant (I used a regular globe eggplant, Wolfert recommends the longer Japanese ones, always an excellent choice)
Olive Oil

The Sauce
Two tablespoons pomegranate molasses
One tablespoon lemon juice
One crushed garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons fresh mint
1 tablespoon Italian parsley
2 tablespoons fresh pomegranate seeds (I didn't have these--but would highly recommend them just for the beauty)

Pre-heat oven to 425° Slice the eggplant into 1/2 thick inch slices.  If you believe in salting them (this is to remove bitterness, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't), put slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let them set for 30 minutes.  Rinse off salt, dry slices and place them in a single layer on a lightly oiled jelly roll sheet.  Brush with with a bit more olive oil, and bake on each side until golden brown (about 12 minutes per side--but could be more, depending on oven).

While they're baking, mix pomegranate molasses, lemon juice,  garlic, sugar and salt.  Remove nicely browned eggplant from oven. Place on serving plate (again single layer would be best).  Cover with sauce and top with shredded mint, chopped parsley, and if you have them, pomegranate seeds.  Cover with plastic and let rest until ready to serve (can be for hours).  If you refrigerate, bring to room temperature before serving.

That was my morning cooking.  One excellent side-dish.  No dinner plans.  There had been some vague exchanges with Patty about a late afternoon walk, which might seque into dinner.  When walking time rolled around, there wasn't much enthusiasm.  It looked like there's be no dinner.  That seemed crazy, so I offered to pick up Patty and make dinner here (she doesn't drive at night).  Once at her house, just around the corner from the 99¢ store, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a quick stop.  It was a triumphant visit--they had the enormous boxes of Earthbound organic salad greens and spinach (sold at whole food for many times the price).  I'd just heard a report on NPR about the precautions taken at Earthbound Farms(not always perfect, but they try).  In addition to big boxes of spring mix baby lettuce and baby spinach, I bought brussels sprouts for dinner at Katya's tomorrow, potatoes to add to my dwindling supply and red and yellow peppers.  Then home to cook.  It was all pretty zippy.    The eggplant was ready.  The chicken was defrosted.  I put the potatoes to boil.  Made salad--just those earthbound greens with sliced fennel.  The dressing was already made.  The spinach, though just bought, looked like it might not have that long to live (produce is sold at the 99¢ store before expiration date, but sometimes it's pretty close), so I sauteed some garlic in olive oil, rinsed the spinach, added it to the pan, and let it quickly melt down to almost nothing.

SAUTEED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH LEMON, CAPERS AND PARSLEY
Chicken Breasts
olive oil
butter
Panko Crumbs
Bread Crumbs
Lemon Juice
Capers
Parsley
Salt and Pepper

No quantities here--infinitely expandable as long as you have enough pans and patience.
I'm generally not a fan of chicken breasts.  They're usually too thick and dry, but I turned these into thin scallops, coated them in a mixture of panko and bread crumbs and sauteed them in olive oil with a bit of butter.  Once they were golden brown--not very long, I added lemon juice, capers, salt and pepper and parsley.  Done!!

I drained the potatoes, tossed them a bit in the hot pot to dry them.  Added milk that I'd heated in the microwave with a bit of butter--oh and a crushed garlic clove too--mashed it up into a fine frothy whip.  And there was the meal.  Pretty fast.  And completely delicious.

And that wasn't quite it.  Patty, who never travels without one kind of delicious chocolate or another, supplied a few squares of dark chocolate for dessert.

Wednesday April 18th, Leftovers and more.

Quiet Day.  Trying to completely empty fridge before any re-buying.  Egg for breakfast.  Salad at 3--finished off the organic lettuce mix, with the one re-maining piece of tri-tip (from Lisa), a few cherry tomatoes and fennel.  And steamed broccoli with lemons.

Dinner--matzoh ball soup--still completely delicious....

No food pictures, but here's the clean vent.

April 17th. Scrambled eggs and Home Fries. Observation Wheel

Another round of scrambled eggs and home fries for Maxine and Leigh, who were planning to spend the afternoon at the beach in Malibu before driving north.  No breakfast for me as I was having lunch with Perry.

We met at Primitivo's--which was closed, so went instead to Joe's which was, as it almost always is, incredibly delicious.

In lieu of dinner, I attended a snack-laden ridiculously long Venice Town Council Meeting, to raise my citizen's voice in opposition to a huge Ferris wheel at Windward Circle.  Oy.

April 16. Eggs and Potatoes. Home Fries vs. Hashed Browns

Due to my early bike departure yesterday, and their late return, I'd scarcely seen house guests Leigh and Maxine.  This morning, always happy to expand my repertoire, I was happy to make them breakfast.  Leigh initially refused, but Maxine was delighted to accept my offer.
I've had too many potatoes in the black bowl on the counter for weeks.  Now, I could begin to work my way through them and  perhaps even more significantly finally discover the difference between home fries and hash browns.  Is this something I once knew and forgot?  I don't think so.  I have memories of asking waitresses in diners and breakfast emporiums throughout this breakfast-eating land to clarify the available potato choices--and I suspect I always thought each place had its own definitions.  But now, thanks to some intrepid research, I now understand that hash browns are  are grated before frying while home fries are cubed or diced.
Perhaps I have more time nowadays, but it does seem that if you cut your potatoes relatively small, and cook them in a covered pan, so they are simultaneously steaming and browning, they can be cooked with relative dispatch.

HOME FRIED POTATOES
One onion
Olive Oil
Two or three potatoes

Dice the potatoes into half inch cubes.  Coat the bottom of a heavy pan with a bit of olive oil, and add the potatoes, spreading them into one layer.  Cover and cook over medium heat.  Sooner than you think, the potatoes should be nicely browned on one side.  Stir them about. At this point, add a finely chopped onion.  (As always, amounts are infinitely variable).  You could also throw in some chopped pepper. If the potatoes are more or less cooked, you can remove the cover, otherwise keep it on--it does speed things up.
I scrambled eggs in the same pan, but once again, there are infinite possibilities in egg cookery and companionship.

Before leaving for yoga, I'd managed to figure out how to fix the broken garbage disposal--which Leigh and I managed to do thanks to the borrowed Allen wrench from Lauren.  And now, post-breakfast, Leigh was taking on the most onerous (to me, anyhow) task of cleaning my oven vent.

Zipped back from yoga--vent spectacularly clean.  Went with Leigh and Maxine to his favorite kosher fish taco place for a very late lunch followed by a quick stop at Trader Joe's.  They were going to a Clippers Game at Staples Stadium.  I had a quiet night at home, with a late snack of that ever-delicious chicken soup.

April 15th. Big day for Bikes and Music. Ciclavia. Senior Rush. Missa Solemnis.

Living about twenty seconds from the Beach Bike Path, I've only recently begun to ride my bike for neighborhood errands. When the yoga studio around the corner moved its  classes to Fred Segals in Santa Monica, my two minute walk to class was replaced by a fifteen minute drive.  This was not progress. 

But the exercise gods work in mysterious ways.  Weeks ago,  while I dutifully worked  through my asanas, my car was smacked in the rear by a Fred Segal patron (or at least parking lot user) who did not even stop to write an apologizing note.  Deciding (in an unlikely moment of car vanity) that I needed a new bumper, I was suddenly car-less for a week.  Turns out that biking to yoga, if I don't drift into bike-dreaming, is almost as fast as driving and infinitely more enjoyable.

I was thus, more or less ready, with re-newed biking confidence, to consider biking to Disney Hall to buy a senior rush ticket to Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.  This madness was the result of really wanting to hear the Beethoven, coupled with concern that downtown might be difficult to negotiate with a car as it was the day of the fourth Ciclavia, when many streets were closed to automotive traffic.

Every part of this plan was cause for concern (or at least a touch of anxiety).  Could I manage the ride?  What about traffic?  How long would any of it take?  Would there be tickets?  What would I eat?   What in my limited wardrobe would work for both biking and concert?   Could I find anyone to accompany me--that would be someone at least 65 (eligible for senior rush)--though a student would also fit the bill--and willing to bike at least fifteen miles (there was always the possibility of returning by bus--though it did seem daunting to figure out how to get my bike attached to the front (does someone do it for you--the driver?  Would the  other passengers get annoyed?  

Getting ready to buy senior rush ticket (anonymous, 2012)

A little internet research led me to a group ride, leaving from Bikerowave, a bike repair collective on Venice Boulevard.  It was not nearly as difficult as anticipated.  The group was neither too fast nor too slow, the route was not too hilly, (I never had to stop and walk), and before I knew it, we were sailing through Hancock Park, joining thousands of other bikers biking past Lafayette Park, MacArthur Park, Langer's, and on to downtown (the same route I'd driven with Dan the day before). As verification, here's a video , with a four second rear view of me, dressed as above, black helmet, black pants, taupe shirt, just before the one minute mark -- I don't look like the spiffy biker of my imagination--but there it is.

I left the group to head towards Disney Hall, waited for the box office to open, where for twenty dollars, the computer randomly presented me one  of the best seats in the house. Hoping for a pre-concert snack, I roamed a bit through car-free downtown and Little Tokyo, but my morning peanut butter and jelly sandwich, augmented by the bag of sun chips I'd found in the cupboard seemed to do the lunch trick.  All lunch spots and trucks were so jammed, I postponed eating, locked my bike to a very lonely bike rack under the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and proceeded to the concert.  Oh--I was obnoxiously pleased with myself.  As I showed my ticket to the usher, he uttered his obligatory line, "You know, there will be no intermission in the program," to which I had to respond.  "Thank you, do you know that I biked here from Venice Beach?"

If possible, the concert was more exhilarating than the bike ride.  Ciclavia was over.  The streets had been returned to the vehicles.  I had thought I might take the bus home, but instead biked myself through Koreatown to the beginnings of the bike lane on Venice (just west of Crenshaw).   The wind was now against me, the air was cooler and this time I was riding alone, but it still was a thrill of sorts.  Lisa had called at some point and when I returned her call post-concert, she invited me to stop for dinner on my way home.  Nonetheless, hunger struck somewhere around la Brea, just as a taco truck was opening in a gas station, providing just the snack I needed to propel me back to Venice.   

April 14th. Weeding. Salad for Lunch. Scrambled eggs with vegetables. Chicken soup with matzoh balls.

Westminster Elementary Garden with weeders and clouds

Weeded in the Westminster Elementary School Garden in the morning.  Post-rain--plenty of mud.  The damp earth made weeding relatively easy, though it certainly is an endless task.   

Documentation of Muddy Knees (Deidre Samuels, 2012) 

I did get my hands dirty too, but they didn't make it into the picture.  Note the weeds at my feet--they're now history.  The garden is looking amazing--slowly taking over the immense asphalt parking lot.  Rewarding myself for community participation, I brought home a tiny perfect bunch of sweetpeas, and made  a lovely lunch plate of greens with avocado, fennel, cherry tomatoes and steak.

Turned out to be a day of many meals.  Raph and Rinat's friends Leigh and Maxine arrived mid-afternoon after driving from Oakland.  Maxine, who graduated from UCLA last year was going to a banquet there this evening, but she needed a little pre-dinner sustenance so I scrambled up some eggs with the last of the zucchini mushroom tomato dish.  Had to eat a bit myself, which didn't stop me from having a bowl of chicken soup (oh, I am getting a lot of mileage out of those matzoh balls) for still another meal later that evening.

April 13th. LA Touring. Langers to LACMA. Little Dishes at Bar Hayama

Dan has been in town visiting Sam and Drea.  We'd made a plan for some Los Angeles touring, and proceeded undeterred by warnings of rain, hail and thunder.  The rains hadn't begun as we headed downtown on Wilshire to Sunset through Beverly Hills and back to Wilshire through MacArthur Park onto downtown.  I've been gone for so long, I'd forgotten how much I can actually enjoy driving in Los Angeles, especially in this vaguely non-directive sight-seeing mode.   Dan had never been down most of these streets so it was all both new and familiar.  Disney Hall was sparkling, but just as we were about to look for parking to go inside the Bradbury Building, the rains began in earnest.  The downpour coincided with the onset of great waves of hunger, so we shifted gears and headed straight back to Langer's, in MacArthur Park, for two pastrami sandwiches (that would be one each, no sharing).

Two Pastrami Sandwiches with pickles (Daniel Raskin,2012)

I got my regular--the #1 with Russian dressing and cole slaw.  Dan got his with an order of cole slaw on the side.  The cream soda is never quite as good as the memory--but I can rarely resist ordering it.  The pastrami lived up to all expectations.

Fortified, we then drove to LACMA.  We spent most of our time at the Robert Adams photography exhibit, but also whirled through the Serra, the Chris Burden's roaring Metropolis II, Ellsworth Kelly and the permanent collection.  On a rainy Friday afternoon, the whole museum was humming, very different from the almost abandoned site I remember from years ago.

Dropped Dan off at Sam and Drea's.  We met again for yet another meal at Bar-Hayama on Sawtelle, perhaps the culinary opposite (if such a category exists) of Langer's.  The blustery post storm evening meant that no-one was gathered around the famous fire-pit, but sitting outside, we ordered a fine selection of little Japanese dishes, mostly vegetarian, though we did have that always delicious black cod.  A day of excellent eating far from my busy kitchen.

April 12. Hike to Bach on the Beach. Chicken soup with Matzoh balls. Sauteed Zucchini and Mushrooms. Salad. Silicon Beach.

I was planning to go to yoga, but got an e-mail at dawn from Natasha suggesting we walk to the Annenberg Beach House for a piano performance of Bach's well-tempered Clavir.  I've fallen behind in my surveillance of Los Angeles art and music events, but today is the first official day of Natasha's retirement.  I had a long to-do list, but how could I not jump at her 7am offer to walk with her from my house to the Annenberg Beach House where there would be a performance of Bach's Well-tempered Clavier in conjunction with 29 other pianos throughout Los Angeles.  We weren't quite sure what to expect (Natasha might have been surer than relatively clueless me).  We did know that it would be starting promptly at noon.  We weren't quite sure how far it was from my house (later learned it was about 3 and one half miles).  We ended up almost running to get there in just under an hour--about 55 seconds before starting time.   We had no idea that the pianist at the Beach House would be Lucinda Carver, the director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.  Despite the short-comings of ocean side acoustics, we were thrilled to have a half hour concert of Bach with a bit of Chopin on a sun-filled rain-cleansed day.  

Bach on the Beach

We walked home, through Santa Monica, an urban counterpoint to our beach walk.  After almost eight miles of walking, I wasn't about to start cooking, but no matter, the refrigerator was full.

While I re-heated the chicken soup and matzoh balls (oh I did make a lot), Natasha sampled the vegetables I'd cooked on Tuesday night.  Though delicious, it was so random, I hadn't recorded it, but given Natasha's enthusiasm (as well as Meghan and Ivan's enjoyment on Tuesday), here it is. As in all recipes of this ilk, quantities are infinitely flexible.
SAUTEED ZUCCHINI AND MUSHROOMS WTH ROASTED TOMATOES
1 onion
2 or 3 small zucchini, sliced in rounds
Crimini or white mushrooms, sliced
a few cloves garlic
roasted tomatoes.

I had a motley assortment of tomatoes--four relatively tasteless Roma tomatoes nearing their due date, maybe half a cup of canned tomatoes in the fridge and some cherry tomatoes as well.  I decided to roast them (I actually staggered their roasting time, starting with the fresh Romas, with some olive oil, garlic cloves smoked paprika and coriander then adding the cherry tomatoes and finally the canned tomatoes).  I began the roasting before slicing the onions, so everything was essentially cooking at the same time.

As the tomatoes stewed away in the 400 degree oven, I sauteed the onion for about five minutes in olive oil , until they were soft, then added the zucchini.  After a few minutes, as they were beginning to brown, I added the mushrooms (you might want to add some more oil, or butter if the pan is looking dry).  When the mushrooms are browned and soft, add the tomatoes which should be well cooked by now (unless you're much quicker than I am--in which case you could probably figure out your own timing).  Add garlic and parsley.  Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

So--a lunch of many courses--soup, veggies, salad with fennel and those caramelized chocolate matzoh for dessert.    I even sent a container of soup home for Joe.

That late lunch meant I didn't have to think about dinner before going to the Venice Town Council's discussion of Silicon Beach.
While I was away, or looking elsewhere, tech companies, including Google have arrived in the neighborhood. Is this cause for woe or   celebration?  

April 11.chicken salad for lunch. chicken soup with matzoh balls. Lisa's tri-tip with roasted tomatoes. mashed potatoes

chicken salad for lunch--with apples and raisins and celery--is that a waldorf chicken salad?  I do not know.

A threatening gray day.  I decided I had enough soup for another round of matzoh balls and mixed together the ingredients for another batch.

Lisa called a bit later.  Gar had a terrible cold.  I told her I had a full pot of chicken soup.  She soon came over, kindly bringing her own container, to help me cope with my perpetual shortage of tops for my most random tupperware assortment.
In exchange, she brought four slices of the tri-tip she's made the night before along with cherry tomatoes roasted with garlic and parsley.  While we visited I heated the soup and boiled up the second round of matzoh balls.

Later that evening, Lisa and Gar and I  had more or less parallel dinners in our respective homes.  Mine consisted of a bowl of soup with matzoh ball, followed by two slices of that excellent steak with the cherry tomatoes and a small portion of my left-over mashed potatoes.

April 10th Chicken Soup, Matzoh Balls, Roast Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables,zucchini mushrooms and roasted tomatoes, sauteed bananas with whipped cream.

After many days of left-overs with a few additions, tonight I'm making a proper meal.  Ivan, has been in graduate school here for two years.  He'll be getting his degree in May.  I expected to see more of him, but I've been away for huge chunks of time and he had never been here for a proper meal.  We finally set a date.  He came tonight with Meghan, his girlfriend, who recently had gum surgery.  This gave me the opportunity to prepare one more component part of the seder-I-did-not-have.

The chicken soup has been nicely chilling for two days.  I removed the fat on the top (schmaltz) for the matzoh balls, which I proceeded to prepare.  I made some additions based on a Joan Nathan New York Times recipe complete with video.
MATZOH BALLS
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons schmaltz
4 tablespoons chicken stock (from the soup)
1 cup matzoh meal
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (could use more or less, depending)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped dill (herbs can be mixed and matched)
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper.

Combine eggs, schmaltz, broth, matzoh meal, nutmeg,ginger, herbs, salt and pepper.  (that would be all the listed ingredients).
Cover and chill in refrigerator for several hours or over-night).
When you're ready to make matzoh balls, start boiling large pot of lightly salted salted water. You should also gently re-heat your pot of cooked chicken soup.   Remove mix from fridge, it should be nicely thickened.  With wet hands, shape into balls about the size of ping pong balls.  When the water boils, gently drop balls in, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes.  When they're done (they'll have grown substantially and look exactly like proper matzoh balls), remove them with a slotted spoon and put them into the soup.  Serve.

We started with the soup, but also had Roast Chicken with Lemons and Vegetables, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes (a bonus potato dish--there were potatoes roasting with the chicken, but due to gum surgery I added this variation on my standard mashed potatoes.  AS always, all quantities, as well as type of potatoes  can be juggled as you see fit.

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
Five Yukon Gold Potatoes
Four cloves Garlic
Milk
Butter
Salt and Pepper.
Boil Potatoes until they are pierced easily with a fork (you can peel them or not--I don't--but I suppose they are more elegant if peeled).
Drain, then put potatoes back in pan with heat on low and jiggle them a bit (so they don't burn).  The goal is to dry them out a bit--makes them fluffier, I think.  Heat 1/2-1 cup milk (I use 2%, but depending on your longings  for or aversion to fat, you can use any thing from skim to heavy cream).  If you'd like you can melt 2-4 tablespoons butter in the milk as it warms.  

Masher in repose

Using an old fashioned potato masher, add the milk and butter slowly, getting rid of lumps in the potatoes while the liquid is absorbed.  You can squeeze a couple of garlic cloves in at this point.  For a milder garlic taste, you could roast the cloves first--but I think the potatoes can handle the raw ones.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.
I also sauteed onions, mushrooms and zucchini in olive oil and added roasted tomatoes.  Oh--there was a lot of food.

Bananas with sour cream.  Imagine whipped cream here.

There were still more chocolate matzohs, but I thought we could use something a bit softer, so  while Meghan and Ivan did a splendid clean-up, I sauteed sliced bananas in butter--adding a bit of brown sugar.  Several weeks ago, I'd served the bananas with sour cream.  Tonight Ivan whipped up some heavy cream.  We added a little vanilla.  No complaints at all.

April 9th. Left-over tuna and salad lunch. Dinner of Brussels sprouts with dates and bacon, chicken, roast peppers and more--attempting to empty the fridge once again.

Monday--a few left-over nibbles for lunch--tuna, salad.

I'd invited Linda G. for a left-over dinner (roasted cauliflower farfalle, chicken, eggplant stew, roast peppers--and not a left-over brussels sprouts with bacon and dates --lucky us--I was going to prepare them with the not quite so perfect substitute of raisins--but Linda arrived in the nick of time with a surprise gift of pistachios and dates--so into the brussels sprouts went the dates!!)  Of course, chocolate matzoh for dessert.

Well fed, we watched A Separation, the Iranian movie, which was truly extraordinary.

April 8 Easter Sunday. Starting Chicken Soup. Another round of What's in the Refrigerator.

Biked to Angela's where Linda had invited me to view eleven visiting grand children hunting for Easter Eggs.  Most of the moms had been in baby play groups together 30-40 years ago.  It was indeed a testament to long and lasting friendships, a triumph over time and geography.

Took a detour on my way home to complete my chicken soup purchases.  Bought chicken feet, necks and backs at Whole Foods, as well as proper dill,"  dill in a great big bunch as opposed to one of those little plastic packages.

Can I go to Whole Foods without popping into the
99¢ store?  Fat Chance.  Both stores were buzzing, mid-day Easter Sunday.  On my bike, I had some constraints--couldn't buy massive amounts, but couldn't resist two boxes of organic spring mix greens, a cauliflower, brussels sprouts--the usual--I am a creature of culinary habit with variations.

Having amassed all chicken soup ingredients, feeling quite pleased with myself, I tossed the  assorted parts--backs, necks, giblets, and a whole chicken in the pot and the cooking began.

Carol Brenner, called around 5pm.  We'd met 35 years ago.  When we first moved to Los Angeles, her father Ray lived across the street from us on Paloma.  As a college student, she would visit him.  In recent years, we've bumped into each other a few times at museums and concerts, and she has called me once or twice when she has a ticket or two that she is trying to sell.  In short, we have had only the most minimal of contact over the past thirty years.
But, nothing is ever that surprising.  Carol was calling at 5pm on Easter Sunday because she had been thinking of coming to Venice with friends earlier in the day.  In the twenty plus years since her father's death, she has often come to Venice to celebrate her birthday (which had been the day before).  Somehow the day had slipped by, the friends had opted out, and she'd decided she probably had enough time to come for the sunset, and thought she'd give me a call.
She, of course, knew nothing of my penchant for cooking for unexpected guests, but we made plans for her to come by for a walk and perhaps a snack.
It was close to 7pm when she arrived (she lives deep in the San Fernando Valley).  By then, the soup with all vegetables added, had cooked for hours, and I'd strained it into another pot.  Plenty of time for us to zip out for a sunset walk.

When we got home, it was easy enough for me to organize a quick meal.  I'm slowly getting to prepare and eat most of the components of a seder meal.  Weeks ago, when I wasn't exactly sure when Passover began, I bought a jar of gefilte fish (I have to admit, with plenty of horseradish, that bottled gefilte fish works just fine for me).  Turns out it's a favorite of Carol's--so there was our appetizer.  I'd roasted another pan of cauliflower which Id added to the left-over farfalle--not exactly Passover food, but we are flexible people.  The delicious eggplant zucchini stew got to make an appearance, along with roasted peppers, salad, and chocolate matzoh for dessert.

It was close to 10pm when we finished cleaning up the kitchen--just in time for the third episode of Mad Men--by far the best of the year.  A most successful, unpremeditated round of What's in Naomi's Refrigerator.

April 7th. Nibbling on Chocolate Matzoh.

No proper meals at home. Busy day on the town. A few bits of that incredible chocolate matzoh before proceeding to brunch in Brentwood (long story for another time perhaps).

Dinner with Gar and Lisa (I brought my eggplant dish and caramelized chocolate matzoh--to add to the many Chinese treats they'd bought on their way home from the desert--bar-b-qued duck, sticky rice, dumplings, etc.

In between those meals, a quick trip to LACMA, the photography of Daido Moriyama and the art of the woman surrealists. A day of lots of art and no cooking whatsoever.

April 6th. Caramelized Chocolate Covered Matzohs. Marinated Tuna.

Another day of left-overs and waiting--not sure when the car would be ready. .
Salad and the rest of last night's frittata for lunch.
Inspired by Sam's culinary efforts last night, humbled by the realization that I myself had never made caramelized chocolate covered matzohs.
I remember occasional boxes of chocolate covered matzohs appearing when I was a child, but they were never that exciting.  Years later, when Sarah was in college and invited to seders on her own, she reported that she would make a delicious crowd-pleasing chocolate covered matzoh, but as we haven't had a seder together in years, I'd never sampled them.   Spurred on by the possession of six un-opened boxes of matzoh, I decided that with no seder obligations of my own, my personal seder meal would revolve around chocolate and brown sugar.

A quick internet search led me to Marcy Goldman the creator of caramelized chocolate covered matzohs (how had the brown sugar and butter component escaped me?)

Here's my variation.
4-6 sheets matzoh
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark)
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (I used a mix of semi-sweet and bittersweet)
1 cup toasted pecan bits (or any nut of your preference, or none)

Preheat the oven to 350.
Line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil--rolling the foil up around the edges.  Top the foil with parchment paper.  There is a lot of stickiness in this recipe and at clean-up time you'll be glad you took what might seem like excessive precautions.
Cover the sheet with whole pieces of matzoh.  Fill in the empty spaces with smaller pieces.  The whole sheet should be covered with one layer of matzoh.
Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a heavy duty saucepan over medium heat stirring constantly.  When it starts boiling, continue stirring and cook for another three minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in the salt and vanilla and pour over the matzoh, spreading it evenly with a spoon or spatula.
Put the pan in the top of the oven and cook for about fifteen minutes.  It should bubble merrily, but not burn--keep peeking to make sure all is well--if it appears to be burning, lower the heat.
Remove from the oven and immediately cover with the chocolate.  Let the chocolate melt for about five minutes, then spread evenly.  You can then sprinkle it with coarsely chopped toasted nuts (I used pecans) or some fancy salt.
Cool completely (you may have to put it in fridge or freezer)--then cut or break into pieces.  Store in air-tight container.

That was my seder prep.  Jack called around 4pm--the car was fixed.  I took the green Culver City bus from Windward Circle--admired new bumper, now minus faded Obama 2008 sticker, and drove immediately to Trader Joe's to see if I could figure out what might  accompany the waiting matzoh, and also to buy provisions for the chicken and soup I was planning to make for Ivan and Megan next week.  Got a few bunches of daffodils and for the first time, bought frozen tuna (can never remember if tuna is something we're suppose to avoid to save the planet, but told myself that I should trust the Trader to do the right thing in this department.  After a quick stop at Ralph's to buy gizzards and hearts for the soup, I headed home.  Sarah called just as I arrived.  It was 9:30 in NYC--she'd just left work and was biking over the Brooklyn Bridge--favorite phone time.  As we chatted, I prepared dinner--marinated the defrosting tuna with a little soy sauce, lime and crushed ginger and garlic for a ridiculously short time.  Sauteed the tuna -just a few minutes on each side and served myself a dinner of tuna, with sliced avocado and tomatoes.

This picture conveys the components, but perhaps I was feeling a bit lonely or sorry for myself.  It looks like I erred on the side of sparse and minimal, but truth is that photo is deceptive.  Sometimes I don't remember to take a picture until after I've eaten most of my meal, but for some reason, I just photographed this sampling and proceeded to eat about three times as much before proceeding to the chocolate matzoh.  

April 5. Leftovers on the edge. Seder hints.

So many tupperware containers.  Time to do a little refrigerator control, I won't even go near yesterday's left-overs.  Working on clearing out ancient odds and ends.  For lunch,  I cooked up the one remaining slice of bacon--removed it from the pan, then sauteed one half an onion with mushrooms that I'd bought too long ago.  Tossed in what I'd hoped would be the last of the black beans and rice--for an adequate if not astounding lunch.

Biked to the taxman on Lincoln, then to a 5:30 yoga class.  The sun was setting, and evening chill had arrived as I returned home at 7.
Sam called in the midst of making chicken soup.  I have no seder plans this year, so am happy to dispense advise.  Turns out that my posted recipe wasn't quite as explicit as it might have been.  As I elaborated to Sam, I made a few adjustments to the text. Hope it's now comprehensible as well as delicious.

While dispensing soup advice, I re-cycled the remaining cup of  rice and beans now augmented with mushrooms and onions  I finely sliced one lost brussels sprouts I'd found in the fridge And using, the Chinese grater I'd bought in Hoi An, Vietnam, I grated in a carrot as well.  I added all of this to three eggs beaten a spoonful or two of water and a splash of soy sauce for a multi-cultural pre-Seder frittata.  

April 4th. Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Eggplant and Zucchini Stew, Tofu and mango with pomegranate molasses, roasted peppers

Dinner for Sam, Drea and Tommy.  Decided to go all vegetarian without too many repeats of past meals.

I'd made  a variation of my eggplant and zucchini dish, not exactly a ratatouille or a caponata--but could be confused for either.  It rested in the refrigerator while I prepared the rest of the meal.

Also--pasta with roasted cauliflower--inspired by a a Deborah Madison recipe that used  boiled cauliflower.

FARFALLE  WITh ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Two Heads of Cauliflower cut into small florets, stems in small pieces

1 pound Farfalle

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup well toasted fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

red pepper flakes

capers

salt and pepper

I began by roasting the cauliflower .  I used three  jelly roll pans full.  Well, actually , I used one pan three times.   I can never have enough roasted cauliflower and wanted to make sure there'd be plenty.   Set the cauliflower aside.

While the pasta is cooking,  heat the butter along with the olive oil in a large pan.   Just before the pasta is done,  add the  cauliflower  along with the pepper flakes, capers and salt and pepper , to the  oil and butter.  Drain the pasta.  Add it to the pan, along  with the grated cheese and bread crumbs.  Mix well.  Add parsley and serve.

Farfalle with cauliflower gussied up with roasted slivers of pepper

Yes indeed,  I also roasted red and golden peppers, making efficient use of the broiler while the oven was busy with all those trays of florets.

Weeks ago, in a fit of righteousness, I'd bought two packages of tofu--a perfect source for protein for this all-veggie meal.  In recent years, my tofu recipe of choice has been caramelized tofu, but instead chose to have another whirl with  pomegranate molasses 

After much poking about,  with some inspiration from a Paula Wolfert eggplant recipe, and a recipe for tofu salad from Nature Path's Organic food (we are, after all, talking tofu), I came up with the following:

SAUTEED TOFU WITH MANGO AND POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

One package extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into neat pieces

One Mango, cut into relatively neat pieces

Lemon and/or lime juice--several tablespoons

Garlic-a few cloves, crushed 

Ginger-(optional and variable)

Soy Sauce-few tablespoons

Rice vinegar--a few tablespoons

Pomegranate Molasses-several tablespoons

Sugar-a dash

Mint leaves-1/2 cup shredded or chopped

Parsley--two tablespoons

silver plated coffee beans?

The first  task is to press the tofu, i.e. get rid of some of the moisture.  Many possibilities with varying outcomes.  My favorite at the moment is to wrap  the whole block of tofu in paper towels, place it between two flat cutting boards and  place my  jar of mysterious silver weights,  purchased at a garage sale years ago, on top.  Their   proper use, I think, is  to weigh down pie crusts--but they  are surely available  for other duties.  An hour or so should be plenty of time--but if you forget about it for a while, no harm done.
Then, crush a few cloves of garlic and a bit of ginger and stir into the  juice of one lemon or lime , soy sauce and rice vinegar.
Slice   the tofu into relatively neat rectangles--or squares and cover with the marinade.

The few pieces of mango and tofu that survived long enough to be photographed

Drain the marinade, reserving it for the sauce.  Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy pan and brown the tofu.   You want it nicely browned and a bit crispy on the outside, but soft inside.  Shouldn't be longer than a few minutes on each side.  Remove to a serving platter.   Mix the tofu with the cut-up mango.  Add the pomegranate molasses, mint, parsley and a dash of sugar  (not sure of this is necessary--but  it tasted a bit tart).  Turns out one package of tofu was scarcely enough for the four of us.  It disappeared almost immediately.  No left-overs at all.

Drea had brought a dark bread which was perfect with all those veggies, and for dessert, she'd brought a gigantic chocolate chip cookie.  We divided the cookie into four  large quarters and  with  the last sliver of key lime pie  cut into four tiny pieces, we had a fine finish to a very jolly meal.

Apri 4th Lunch. Brussels sprouts with bacon and raisins. Black beans and rice

Brussels sprouts with bacon and raisins!   On Monday, driven by hunger, cooking needs and time constraints, I'd spent too much time in yoga thinking about lunch.  As a pre-emptive measure, I began lunch preparations while I was making coffee this morning. The hunger I can deal with, it's all that planning that muddles my mind.

A few brussels sprouts had escaped the delicious fate of their brethren, but their time had come.  I sauteed them with a bit of bacon, substituting raisins for the dates before heading to yoga.
Indeed, knowing that lunch was prepared, calmed my ever-restless monkey mind.  I even did better than usual in my attempt to approximate bhujapadasana.  It was a perfect California day.   As I rode my bike home--happily anticipating my lunch of brussels sprouts, black beans and rice--the crowds packing the Santa Monica Pier conjured up old images of Venice and Santa Monica as meccas of tourism.

April 3rd. Car, Cascarones, Grilled Cheese and thinking ahead.

Waiting to be healed

Friday--perhaps while I was enjoying my Egg McMuffin, or maybe going through my yoga paces, my car, waiting patiently in the Fred Segal parking lot was smacked, right in the soft bumper spot next to the Obama 2008 bumper sticker.  The perpetrator chose not to leave a note.  Could I ignore it?  The damage is just cosmetic.  Even here in car-crazed Los Angeles, I haven't minded driving my 1997 Camry, but once it starts looking like a moving wreck, we're entering another paradigm.  Appearances are, after all, appearances.  After doing due diligence, I brought the car to Jack.  He could take care of it, he assured me, but it would have to be there for at least two days.  That was almost fine, but first I had to make quick run to TopValu--the Mexican market for eggplant, zucchini and peppers for tomorrow night's dinner.

I had intended to take the long walk home, but as I was now laden with groceries, Linda, who works in the office gave me a ride.  En route she told me about Cascarones, confetti eggs.  A tradition in her family, as in Mexico, you can think of them as a cross between pinatas and Easter eggs.  Colored eggs are filled with confetti, and after the Easter Egg hunt, everyone pelts everyone else--filling the room, or yard, or wherever with tiny bits of colored paper.   According to Wikipedia, they originated in China and eventually made their way to Mexico.  Rather than dying hard boiled eggs for an Easter Egg hunt, the eggs are empties (Linda starts saving her hollowed out shells around Christmas time).  "In this economy, you wouldn't hollow out eggs without eating them," she says.  At one point, when she ran a restaurant, she had hundreds of eggs to paint and stuff with confetti.    She is her families designated Easter egg preparer, and this year, she told me she's just doing a few dozen.  If any are left over (not likely), she offered to save one for me.

Waiting to be chopped

Once home, I began preparing the vegetables for the eggplant and zucchini brew that made me so happy last week.

Waiting for the pan

Conventional wisdom, as well as my own opinion, is that this dish will only improve by tomorrow, so was pleased to get started today.

Took a break for an early evening walk with Katya.  Coming home, I finished the eggplant dish and finally had the time to make the sandwich of yesterday's yoga dreams--grilled cheese sandwich with bacon, tomato and avocado.  Very good indeed.

April 2nd. Another Leftover Lunch. Another dinner on the town

Breaking many rules, I spent too much time in yoga thinking about lunch.  Going through (not for the first time) the contents of my refrigerator, is it any wonder I skipped a whole sequence (this is an ashtanga class where you go through a memorized series of poses), as I mentally constructed  a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon, tomato and avocado.  And it wasn't just the sandwich on my mind.  I had an appointment to have my teeth cleaned at 2:30--could I get home, make this sandwich, take a shower, clean my teeth before their cleaning, and get to the dentist in less than an hour?  No wonder so many poses slipped right off the mat.

Is it possible I did none of the above?  Maybe I managed two out of five.  Given the limited time, I had to abandon my dream sandwich and instead re-heated Saturday's brussels sprouts with last week's rice and beans, before giving my teeth a good cleaning.  For the first time in years, Gail the hygienist, did not scold me for lax flossing.  For small triumphs, we are indeed thankful.

No dinner worries.  Carol and I went to the opening of the Herb Ritts exhibit at the Getty where we had fine drinks and snacks on the patio before partying our way through the art--a grand retrospective of Ritts' work--with a splendid room of celebrity photographs through the decades and celebrity sightings as well (though not by me).  High glamour all around.

April 1. emptying the refrigerator.

Not clear that my activities are all post-worthy, but hoping the trajectory of my meals creates some sort of minimal narrative, I'm trying to record every day. If I re-heat the same dishes there is at least consistency--but how interesting can that be?

As far as I can tell, anyone who frequents produce markets of any sort, generally overbuys and has to figure out what to do with too many left-over vegetables.  My concern on Sunday morning focussed on some serious stalks of broccoli that looked like they might not have much of a future.

I know broccoli is the symbol of good-for-you food that no-one wants to eat, as in--could congress create a mandate for people to eat broccoli?  This is not my issue.  I'm a long-time broccoli fan.  I might not like it quite as much as roasted cauliflower, but it is OK.

Despite these warm feelings, I'd quite forgotten the broccoli in the crisper.  I was thinking bacon and eggs, and decided to  include a broccoli salad which led to a sudden shift of menu. I made fried eggs with a side (more of an appetizer as I managed to eat it before the eggs were cracked) of a broccoli salad with bacon, red onion and golden raisins with a splash of cider vinegar--and because I couldn't resist a spoonful or two of mayonnaise.  No recipe.  No pictures.  Just a confession.

Met Linda G. for a walk--so windy we couldn't promenade by the sea. We sat instead on a patch of green in Hotchkiss Park before having a Happy Hour hamburger, fries and sangria at the restaurant on Main Street previously known as Orange (current name unknown).

Biked home as the sun was setting.  No need to open the fridge.