May 31st. Steak Salad. Egg Salad on Rye.

Another day.  Another steak salad.  I've been eating this steak very slowly.  A great testament to my restraint as it was so small to begin with, I could have easily eaten it in one fine swoop (luckily I have my quarts of ice cream to lure me on to the next course).   I sliced the remaining piece, added it to a mix of lettuce with cherry heirloom tomatoes and the chick peas--was as pleased as could be.  A little excellent meat can surely go a long way.

Bistro filet, blushing for its portrait (it wasn't quite this rare)

After a long walk on the beach with Patty made egg salad with capers, celery and dill for an even simpler dinner.

May 30th. Steak Salad with chickpeas and tomatoes

Sarah sent revised plans, so the morning was filled with New Jersey kitchen thoughts.  Returning from yoga, with steak salad plans, I cooked the mysterious Harris Ranch steak in my cast iron pan. It was incredibly delicious and tender.  And anonymous.  I couldn't remember what it was called--only knowing it was an unfamiliar name.  Surely I could figure this out.  I called Harris Ranch for some steak identification work. At least I had a precise sense of butcher shop geography.  The steak I chose had been resting in the case between the ground sirloin and the rib-eyes. "Did it look like a big piece of sushi?" asked the customer service representative.  I hadn't made that association,  but  agreed that it did.  "That's a bistro filet," she informed me. Yes, that row of bistro filets did resemble massive slabs of  toro longing for giant beds of rice.

But, she explained, they are not tuna at all (I hadn't been fooled for a second).  They are cut from the teres major muscle, and as I learned from my own research  explained that bistro filets come from the teres major muscle, just off the cow's shoulder, and are also called petite teres steaks, described as a cheaper (and perhaps tastier) alternative to filet mignon.  This was all news to me.

In a day of many interruptions, lunch fell by the wayside.  But by dinner time, I made and ate a salad of steak, chickpeas, tomatoes and avocados while listening to Fresh Air Memorial for Doc Watson.

May 29. Latte at La Note, Lunch at In 'n' Out. Chick Pea Salad

Back to Los Angeles.  After a breakfast pancake made by Rinat as part of her pre-work, pre-school, four burner morning spectacular, I was picked up by Gene and Linda for the trip home.  After a quick stop at La Note, for coffees and croissants for the road, we picked up Joanie, who was also heading home and were on our way.

Retracing our steps, our first stop was at The Harris Ranch to continue our meat buying activities.  I bought a pound of hamburger meat, and a small steak whose name I instantly forgot as well as an excellent looking bunch of asparagus tips before we piled back into the car for our return visit to In 'n' Out.  Since our first visit, I'd done a bit of research on the secret menu.  As noted a few days ago, I'd long been familiar with "animal style" cheeseburgers--my regular order--but had not known (oh there was so much I hadn't known about the secret menu) 
that you can order well-done fries.  This time I got my cheeseburger animal style with those well-done fries--and all my previous complaints about the fries melted away.  As good as they were, I kindly shared them with Linda, Joanie, and Gene--they'd  had all ordered the bun-less variation (protein style), but were happy to nibble on a few carbs.

Picking up my car at Gene and Linda's, Joanie and I stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home for a few basics.
Sated from all that weekend eating (and knowing there was more to come), I  reprised a variation of Raphie's salad-romaine with chick peas, tomatoes and  green onions before treating myself to a sunset walk on the beach followed by a (also treated myself to a dish of chocolate and coffee ice cream--in memory of my mother--who I swear ate close to a pint of each (Schrafft's) every night.

May 28th. Oakland Biking. Wedding Brunch. Ikea.

The wedding celebration concluded with a Monday morning brunch for out-of-towners.
Now that I'm re-morphing  into a biker, I borrowed Rinat's bike and helmet and rode the 4.6 miles down Market Street to Scott's Seafood at Jack London Square for a fine spread of bagels, lox, roast vegetables and lots of conversation.
Biked back on Adeline, another broad Sunday-morning quiet street, empty for Memorial Day,  scarcely a car in sight.  Back at the house, in between serious bouts of folding and sorting line-dried laundry,  I managed to do still more  serious and delicious snacking with Raph---left over chicken with snow peas in coconut milk and a chick pea, tomato, feta and green olive salad.
And that wasn't the end of my  biking and eating.
A little ding on my phone alerted me to Sarah's update of New Jersey kitchen plans.  As Ikea was just a 16 minute bike ride away, I decided to continue my bicycle adventures and  check out Akurum cabinets and Nutid Refrigerators  I would not be buying a fridge--just looking--but I did hope to buy napkin rings for the Breines/Fried household.
My biking bravado was challenged by the ride to Ikea which involved  crossing over some intricate Freeway Overpasses--not exactly friendly bike territory.  We were now approaching the end of Memorial Day weekend so the roads were full of returning celebrants.  Needless to say, Ikea, whether in Carson, Oakland or Elizabeth New Jersey manages to be simultaneously familiar and over-whelming--so all was fine once I got there and was guided through the kitchen department (which was in the midst of a renovation, so not quite in its finest mode).

"We are a Swedish company," said Chan, explaining why salaried and hourly workers have the same name tags, no-one denoted as manager, leader, etc.  I nod appreciatively, a little social democracy in action.  They are three happy workers.  They are even happier when I tell them I could easily imagine (though I probably would not go to see) a movie based on their Ikea adventures.  And, once I assured them that I would  never humiliate them on Facebook, they let me document our visit.

Ilan, Raph, Tamar and Rinat all standing very straight

Alas, Ikea no longer carries napkin rings, so I biked back empty-handed.   Raph had just grilled the ribeye steaks I'd brought from Harris Ranch--which were even better than my parking lot sample and there was broccoli and ice cream as well!  No documentation of any of this, so  I'll take this opportunity to include this blurry, sun-splashed image of nieces and nephews, regular and grand taken two months ago.

May 27th. Breakfast Pizza. Wedding Bar-b-que

A day of no cooking but much eating and celebrating.  I did re-heat the two slices of left-over Hudson pizza for a late breakfast with coffee before heading to Maya and Adam's wedding festivities at the Oakland Zoo.
Despite the big sign announcing we were at the Zoo, there were few signs of wild life.  The wedding was on the lawn outside of the Snow Building, which turns out to be a regular venue for such events, with splendid views across the Bay.  After the completely excellent and moving ceremony, there was a grand bar-b-que buffet where I got to feast for the second time in a week (it hadn't been a week since Zeke's Smokehouse) on pulled pork, brisket, collard greens and cole slaw.  And  dancing too!  

May 26. Driving North. In 'n' Out. Harris Ranch. Hudson's in Oakland

After a breakfast of sauteed onions and tomatoes with eggs, I drove to Linda and Gene's to head to Maya's wedding.  For the first time in eons,  I didn't drive north in the Camry, in fact, I didn't drive at all.  I was the passenger in Joseph's Mercedes.  And indeed, the back seat of that car was a good deal smoother than many others.
Our first stop was the  In'n'Out in Kettleman City.  Since it's debut years ago, it's my regular stop on my many trips up and down Route 5.  There used to be incredible lines, but now that others have appeared along the way, it no longer takes forever and begins to approximate its name.  I had a cheeseburger "animal style."  In secret menu land that would be extra dressing and grilled onions.  I learned about the secret menu from Sam at our first In'n'Out on Venice Boulevard (those were Sam's vegetarian years, but he loved to stop there for a grilled cheese, just adequate fries and a chocolate shake).  It wasn't long ago that Linda, had her first In'n'Out moment and was enamored of the protein style burger--that would be burger wrapped in lettuce minus bun, medium rare.  She and Gene were restrained in their ordering--sharing her minimal order (though I did happily share my fries).
Fortified, we drove a bit further to Harris Ranch (I've always driven by, glad to get past all those cow-packed, manure reeking feed lots).  (Had to go to  Wikipedia to get some muddled idea of where it stands on the righteous food continuum--needless to say caught somewhere between Michael Pollan and Temple Grandin).  Gene and Linda wanted to buy steaks as a gift for their hosts in Oakland--and inspired by the samples of well-seasoned rib-eye in the parking lot, I did the same.From there on to Oakland.  At Raph and Rinat's, the keys were waiting, as was a hungry cat.  Hilda had made reservations at Hudson on College Ave.   It's big and sprawling with a lively and noisy bar, but we were seated in a back room which was relatively quiet--and happily shared a pizza (we ordered the sausage with broccoli rabe as they were out of the clam pizza which had caught our eye), a Caesar salad, a fried cauliflower side and pork shoulder.  For dessert, we returned to Raph and Rinat's for the brown sugar cookies I'd brought from home.

Well-traveled cookies

May 25. Chicken, potato and roast vegetable hash. kale with bacon and fried egg.

A little shopping and a mani-pedi after yoga, delayed lunch (can it still be called lunch?). Excelling in left-over removal, I sauteed an onion with  the remaining chicken and roast vegetables for an excellent hash.

Kale with tomato, waiting for its egg

Several hours later, going for the gold medal in left-over work, I sauteed the un-cooked kale from the farmer's market with half a tomato (it didn't make it into the BLT).   After clearing a spot in the middle, I added a pat of butter and fired up an egg.  Another fine late evening meal.

May 24. BLT with avocado. eggplant with pomegranate molasses. Fried egg with re-fried roasted potatoes and carrots

Another late lunch.  Post yoga, post bike ride, I'd been thinking of a bacon, kale and egg combo, but instead went for a BLT with avocado (once there's an open package of  bacon in the refrigerator--even --or especially if it's Trader Joe's ends and pieces it's hard to just ignore--most of my food musings these days contain a few bacon bits).  Also made serious inroads into the eggplant with pomegranate molasses-- magnificently robust after many days of marination.

All that late afternoon eating was exhausting.  Or maybe it was the yoga and the biking.  I didn't think I had another ounce of energy when  Patty called, eager for a late afternoon walk.  It has been so southern California spectacular these days, I couldn't refuse.  I met her at the Rose parking lot--we walked beyond the Venice Pier and back to my house where, as a reward for urging me out of the house, I was able to offer her brown sugar cookies.

Just as Patty left, Julie called from New York.  We had a long proper catch-up.  When we finished, I made myself a very late but quite satisfying dinner of roasted asparagus(not left-over--the last bunch from the farmer's market)  with a sprinkling of cheese and a fried egg.   Also sauteed an onion to which I added some left-over roast potatoes--sounds like a good brunch--but it was fine meal at 10pm.

May 23.Chicken, cucumber and roast pepper sandwiches. The Last of the Meatballs

So many leftovers.  Hard to resist a breakfast of tiny chicken sandwiches made on toasted baguette rounds with mayonnaise, roast peppers and marinated cucumbers.  John, the haircutter, called with a cancellation appointment at 2pm.  I biked there straight from yoga  for my long-postponed trim.  Returning home after 3pm, my usual  late lunch was even later.  Needless to say I'd had plenty of time to think about it and was looking forward to finishing the last of the meatballs.

The Last of the Meatballs

Three meatballs with a few sauteed mushrooms and roasted tomatoes were quietly waiting their last re-heating. What a glorious final appearance it was.  Soup--beautiful soup.  I started with melting a few cubes of my frozen chicken broth.  In went the meatballs with their fragments mushrooms and tomatoes along with finely chopped garlic, scallion and cilantro, a bit of chipotle pepper in adobe sauce and lime juice.

Finished off last night's salad--romaine with golden beets, asparagus, roast peppers and the heart of that enormous artichoke.  A brown sugar cookie with iced coffee for dessert.  A splendid late lunch indeed.

Variation on Albondigas Soup with Three Meatballs

After all that lunch, I thought I might skip another meal, but I must have burned a lot of calories, or at least created the illusion that i needed more nourishment.  It wasn't long before my thoughts turned to dinner. The one time in my life when I really gained lots of weight was when I was training for the marathon.  I ran just enough to be perpetually hungry, but clearly not enough to melt away all that extra food--is that happening again?  These are things I do not know in my scale-less world.  In any case, I sauteed a bit of bacon, fried up some of the many left over roasted vegetables from the other night and tossed in the remaining brussels sprouts with bacon and dates for a quick enough dinner.  A brown sugar cookie with a little ice cream and caramel sauce was the reprised dessert of the evening.  

May 22. Fried egg with asparagus. Leftovers. Leftovers. Leftovers.

The refrigerator shelves are lined with packed tupperware and the vegetable bins are bursting with uncooked produce from the weekends marketing.
Some of the left-over asparagus were a perfect accompaniment for a fried egg for breakfast.  I dusted it with  a bit more cheese, for a little extra zip. Delicious and quite beautiful (if undocumented).
For lunch, there was last night's left-over salad--mixed greens, kale, avocado, golden beets and blood orange.  I'd thought I'd have a well rounded meal -- first course salad, second course meatballs.  I'd heated the meatballs with last night's sauteed mushrooms, and the even older roasted tomatoes (they'd gotten together in tupperware after last night's dinner).  But I'd eaten so much salad (most of it consumed before I remembered to take this picture), I couldn't finished those meatballs.

Long enduring meatballs.

Helping me pack dinner left-overs yesterday, Andrea signed up for dinner tonight (Dan would be back in San Francisco and Sam had a class).  The plan was no plan--just keep working through the fridge.
It's been years since I've cooked artichokes, but neither Astir nor I could ignore those enormous, tightly leaved chokes at TJ"s on Saturday--and it was certainly time to cook it.  I did some minimal trimming of the leaves, cut off most of the stem--and steamed it for what seemed like an incredibly long time (maybe over an hour).   Andrea made good  use of that artichoke cooking time by sorting through the tupperware drawers.  Since my return to Venice, these drawers have been a complete shambles.  In their attempts to help clean up after meals, my guests were invariably thwarted in their search for appropriate containers.  Andrea valiantly took on the task of re-uniting bowls with their covers, tossing out the the orphaned bits of plastic.
By the time she finished, the artichoke was done.   We happily ate it with some lime-and-chipotle enhanced mayonnaise.  That was just the beginning.  The other addition to the left-overs was a new round  roasted cauliflower.  Then of course there was the frittata, a salad of romaine with roasted peppers, golden beets, cucumbers and asparagus and the eggplant with pomegranate sauce.  The cobbler hadn't returned, but we happily ate the brown sugar cookies with coffee ice cream and caramel sauce.

May 21. Zekes Smokehouse in Montrose. Descanso Gardens. Norton Simon. Leftovers. Asparagus. Peach Cobbler

I picked up Dan at Sam and Andrea's at about 11  for a day of exploring the eastward edges of Los Angeles.  It's rare these days that I brave the traffic and the heat, but visiting Huntington Gardens with Suzanne a few weeks ago, I was reminded of the pleasures in those relatively far-flung neighborhoods and had vowed to return.  Dan's visit was a perfect opportunity.
Our first stop was  Zeke's Smokehouse in Montrose,a little community (not a separate city) nestled against the San Gabriels.   I'd read about it over the years, but never managed to make the trek.  Leonard Schwartz, one of the two chefs who had opened Zeke's years ago, had created the meatloaf at the long defunct 72 Market Street--a recipe I'd made for years.  How could I resist a long overdue pilgrimage? (It goes almost without saying, that I'm happiest beginning these outings with a food adventure.)
Before settling in for our meal, we surveyed the many restaurants that lined Honolulu Avenue, Montrose's main strip, before settling into a booth at Zeke's.   Although Dan was cutting back on meat, he was quite happy with his three sides--greens, baked beans and coleslaw, though not as thrilled with an ear of corn slathered with spices in a creamy cheese sauce.  I went for the Bar-B-Que sampler special, two meats--I chose pulled pork and brisket both excellent,  with two sides--mac and cheese and green beans--not as good as Dan's selections.  I was not looking for some "authentic" bar-b-que joint in Montrose (there is in fact a fine display  of photos of such places across the land to remind us perhaps that we are somewhere else altogether), but I liked the sampling--South Carolina pulled pork with yellow mustard sauce, Texas brisket with hot sauce--can't say I'm an expert in the field, but I was happy enough.

After-meal  (Dan Raskin, 2012)

On to Descanso Gardens.  I thought I'd been here years ago, but now realize I'd confused it with the LA Arboretum in Arcadia.   Much wilder, denser, and less manicured than Huntington Gardens (which has always been my wonder-garden of choice), or the Arboretum, it was a complete pleasure--and if guests are willing, I'm ready to make it a regular stop on my LA tours.
After making a grand tour of Descanso, through oak forests, blooming camelias, fields of California native flowers and relatively wild Japanese garden, we ended our expedition with the Norton Simon Museum--always a treat--before heading back to Venice.
Sam and Andrea called to say they were on their way just as I pulled into the garage, so I instantly set to work on a salad to accompany the many leftovers--chicken with roast vegetables, zucchini and onion frittata, roasted tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, brussels sprouts with dates and bacon and I'm embarrassed to say, probably more. Andrea and Sam arrived while preparations were under way-I am always happy to recruit sous-chefs and Andrea was soon chopping away on ingredients to add to the baby greens from Maggie's farm--kale, avocado, golden beets, cilantro, green onions and blood oranges--which we topped with a lemony vinaigrette.

Peach Cobbler with Aunt Frieda's Glinting Golden Pie Server

For dessert, Sam had brought a peach cobbler that he'd made with peaches bought at the Brentwood Farmer's market from a Deborah Madison recipe.  I brought out the coffee ice cream and caramel sauce once again.   Plenty of eating, and once again a huge array of leftovers.

May 20th. Roasted Chicken with lemon and vegetables. Roasted Asparagus. Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and dates, eggplant with pomegranate molasses, brown sugar cookies Solar eclipse

Woke up early and began dinner preparation while boiling water for coffee.
I always seem to begin by roasting tomatoes.  This time, I added chopped up tasteless but firm romas to my usual little grape tomatoes and also  roasted neat slices of eggplant for the eggplant with pomegranate molasses.  While the vegetables cooked, I  rinsed and dried the chicken to get it ready for roasting,(sauteeing the liver in butter for a breakfast snack). Making the more elaborate variation, I chopped parsley, garlic and dill, which I slipped under the skin.  After rubbed the chicken with salt and pepper and slipping two well-punctured lemons inside, I sewed it neatly together, wrapped it in clingy plastic and set it into the refrigerator to soak up its flavors through the day.

Finished the eggplant, then proceeded to the brown sugar cookies.  Sarah discovered this recipe from Cook's Illustrated a few years ago.  I follow the text pretty faithfully, though I prefer smaller cookies, which means I get more and (I think) they cook a bit quicker than the larger variations.  If I get a good part of the dinner cooked in the morning, and do the rest in the evening, it doesn't feel as if I've spent the day cooking--and I do like filling the house with baking, roasting and buttery smells early in the day.  As I was planning on four for dinner both Sunday and Monday--with vegetarians and carnivores both nights, and no real time for cooking on Monday, my plan was to make the two meals at once.
To continue my slightly compulsive shopping, I  biked to the Ocean Park Farmer's market where I bought quite beautiful asparagus, golden beets, kale, garlic and  deep blue irises. I couldn't begin to cook all that produce immediately, but their  time will come.

Much later, resumed dinner activities beginning with my old standby of a zucchini and onion frittata.  Long a staple for brunches, I've now taken to preparing it as a vegetarian protein option for dinner.  Continuing the vegetarian option, I cut up enough vegetables--potatoes, carrots, onions, turnips and celery to cook some with the chicken and let others roast on their own. I feared the crimini mushroom might be aging, so I quickly sauteed them with garlic, and chopped parsley.

Vegetarian Vegetables--Ready to Roast

Moving right along, put the chicken in the oven (with its own set of vegetables),  got  the brussels sprouts and the asparagus  ready to go and headed out for the partial eclipse of the sun. 

Partial Eclipse of the Sun, Venice, May 20th, 2012

Late Sunday afternoon, always insane on the beach at the end of my block--today wilder than ever as huge crowds gathered at the drum circle to beat their way through the sunset solar eclipse.  We weren't getting the ring of fire, but thanks to the swiftly moving clouds, we had an ever-shifting celestial spectacular.  Rightly or wrongly, most viewers convinced themselves that the clouds made it possible to sneak quick glances without burning out our retinas, while others swiveled about with their pin-holed papers.  We all assumed our cameras would not be damaged by looking straight at the eclipse, so the non-drummers struck the by now normal pose of viewers in crowds--heads tipped back, hands  bearing small rectangular objects held aloft. 
Emily arrived soon after I returned home.  As we waited for the rest of the party (which turned out to be only Perry--oh indeed there would be plenty of left-overs), we devoured a platter of 
roasted asparagus with parmesan and a splash of lime.  
Needless to say, that left us plenty for dinner, ending with the cookies, coffee ice cream and fleur de sel caramel sauce.  

May 19th. Meatballs. Farmer's Market. Star Market. Trader Joe's. Bowls. 800 Degrees

Biked to 9am yoga, prelude to a day of many errands and chores. First stop--a little wedding present work at Sur la Table, then onto the Santa Monica Farmer's Market--the little mostly organic one--haven't been there in years--but planning for two dinners--Sunday and Monday--both with vegetarians, was inspired to buy  potatoes, parsley, cilantro, lemons and two bunches of sweet peas (flowers, not veggies).  Then home for another round of meatballs.  How could one pound of chopped meat last this long?  And it's not over yet!

The never-ending meatball supply

Shopping confusion at Sur La Table--so off to Luna Garcia to re-calibrate gift selection--returns and another sample of expresso at Sur La Table and then..on to more food shopping!

En route to Trader Joe's, traffic slowed at the Star Market on Santa Monica Boulevard, and since there was a parking place right in front, it was almost imperative that I check it out. Drearier than most other Middle Eastern markets I've gone to, they did have a splendid assortment of pomegranate molasses (I didn't need any), but even though I'd just bought parsley and cilantro, I couldn't resist buying more at the ridiculous price of 39¢ each as well as yellow onions at three pounds for a dollar and quite decent looking little eggplants.

Then--on to the Trader's where I met Astir and Girma wandering through the aisles.  As usual, I bought more than the organic chicken and yogurt on my list, including more brussels sprouts, a giant artichoke, two boxes of firm tofu, and as a special bonus, a quart of coffee ice cream and a jar of their relatively new (to me anyhow) fleur de sel caramel sauce.
These purchases were setting me up for future cooking.  Saturday night I met Dan, Sam and Andrea to dine at 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza in Westwood.  It's a pretty wild spot--a long line snakes down the block--but all advance word is that it should not scare anyone off--it moves quickly.  and, in fact, the line is central to the restaurant.  It continues inside as you mosey along a cafeteria style line facing a line of pizza makers.  The idea is that as you move through the various stations of pizza wielders, they add ingredients as requested.  As you pay the cashier, your personalized pizza (you can also order one of their creations) is popped into the 800 degree oven -- and in minutes you get to bring it to your table.  It might not have been the best pizza in the world, but the format is so goofy and fast food friendly, it's worth the price of the pie.  

May 18. Grilled Cheese. Green salad with eggs, asparagus and bacon.

I haven't yet finished the meatballs--but managed to make myself this salad for lunch, leaving the eternal meatballs in the fridge.  Sadly, none of the splendid ingredients--perfectly cooked egg, apple smoked bacon, slender organic asparagus are readily apparent in this photo--those sparkling greens manage to camouflage it all--but if you look very carefully you can find evidence of all ingredients.  Unlike my many meatball sandwiches, this does seem like the perfect post-yoga California lunch.  Praise be.  

No meatballs

I was so happy with this minimalist late lunch, continued the lady at lunch theme with not much more than a cucumber sandwich for dinner albeit with a fistful of chocolate chips for dessert.

May 17th. Another meatball meal. Roasted cauliflower. Roasted beets.

My wandering mind moments in yoga are full of roasted vegetables and salads, but what can I say?  I bike home, arrive in a low-grade state of starvation and am completely unable to resist those waiting  meatballs in my refrigerator.  The meatballs might not officially be left-overs, but the bread we bought at Rockenwagner's on Monday certainly is.  It initially worked for sandwiches, but today, it was so stale I toasted up little rounds, spooning the meatballs with expanded sauce over them and was quite happy with my three o'clock lunch.  

The magic meatball bowl--how many meals can it provide?

Again thought my very late and relatively heavy lunch might have meant no dinner (don't I ever learn?).  Took a quite lovely walk along the beach with Patty--neither of us felt like heading out into the gray sodden late afternoon--but once we headed to the sand, the clouds lifted, the sun shone, and we had nothing but self-congratulations both for the weather and our enjoyment.
Sam called just as I got home--despite the time difference we were both straightening up and preparing tiny dinners.  I was planning to have a proper green salad, but ended up foregoing the greens and going just with roasted cauliflower as well as beets that I'd roasted several days ago.  Jackie and I had salvaged them when we were composting old vegetables at the Westminster Garden. I'd washed them, wrapped them in foil and roasted them in the oven for almost an hour.  In fact, only three or four small beets were actually edible.  A few were too old and woody and went right back to compost--but the good ones had been marinating in my vinaigrette for a few days and were absolutely fine.

May 16th. Meatballs. Triple Expresso Gelato. Salad with avocado and blood oranges.

Although I'd been mentally roasting asparagus to eat with eggs for lunch, a perfect and healthy meal.  But, I ended up eating a meatball sandwich instead. Arrived home starving from biking and yoga and those meatballs, jammed into their container were ready to go.  Perhaps I shouldn't call these meatballs left-overs.  Maybe they were prepared to provide an endless series of lunches and dinners, irresistible and delicious.

Still more meatballs

Then biked to Whole Foods where I met Lena and Phoebe--and continuing the afternoon indulgence had a triple expresso gelato (small size--but that felt triple as well).  Of course I couldn't resist a quick dash into the 99¢ store for some random purchases--cauliflower, organic lettuce, milk, etc.
Thought I might pass on dinner altogether, but eventually made a quick  salad with the Farmer"s Market greens, avocado and blood oranges.  A different sort of indulgence, I suppose

May 15. Breakfast Burritos. Meatballs.

The last stop on the Pine/Mirabelli's food tour of Los Angeles was Lily's--a Mexican stand in Malibu, recommended by a college friend of Benno's.  The outing provided a perfect opportunity for a drive up the coast on a splendid California day.   Though we were fast approaching lunch time, we were advised by the waitress to stick with the breakfast burritos, which we dutifully did (except for Jackie who was guarding our table for seven and thus immune to all suggestions).

Then back down the coast for a final packing and good-byes.  I was hoping that the lunchtime breakfast burrito might carry me right through the night, but it's not that often that I can pass up on dinner, and those meatballs that had never been served as a proper dinner were quite ready to do their duty in a meatball sandwich--so there was dinner for one, with plenty left-over.

More Meaballs

May 14. Morning meatballs. Still more restaurants.

After that first chicken meal, only minimal cooking the past few days.  In anticipation of guests, I'd defrosted a pound of ground beef thinking I could make some emergency hamburgers if necessary.  But, this morning, the thought of  four sorry little patties, was too depressing and since I'm always a happy first-thing-in-the morning-cooker (especially with a house full of people),  I began cooking my favorite meatballs.

Meatballs

That was pretty much the cooking (though not the eating)  for the day.  Jackie left for a walk with Diana while I biked to yoga, meeting them post-Gjelina lunch on Abbott Kinney.  Diana headed back to the valley, and although i'd been planning to go home for a meatball lunch, we ended up stopping at 3 Square Cafe, where Jackie watched as I ate three miniature sandwiches with three tiny salads before stopping at the bakery for a loaf of bread for the waiting meatballs which Ivan and Benno sampled before heading out with Jackie and Meghan  for a beach walk.  Andre was off on a day of visits with old friends and family, but the rest of us headed to Sunnin, a Lebanese restaurant on Westwood Boulevard -- a favorite of Ivan's and Meghan's, previously and sadly unknown to me..  It was a great treat--excellent fried cauliflower, exceptionally delicious falafel, assorted eggplant salads and many other appealing dishes we didn't get to.  Meghan was heading out early in the next morning, so Ivan brought her home and Benno, Jackie and I met him at Century City (after a mis-guided stop at the Westside Pavilion) for an 8:50 show of The Avengers.  This was not a movie that pandered to my demographic, but I was happy to  catch up with the culture in good company.

May 13. Mother's Day Brunch. Salmon Salad. Roast Potatoes. Marley. Nanbankan

With a refrigerator stuffed with left-overs from Ivan's party--poached salmon in a mustardy, lemon sauce, caprese salad, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella and a box of desserts--we had the beginnings of a Mother's Day brunch.  The tomatoes from the caprese were too dreary, we sauteed them with some onions and garlic before heading to the Ocean Park Farmer's Market for a little shopping. In the many months of my absence this Sunday market has become much less of a cook's market and even more a place to meet friends for brunch,  bring the kids for pony rides,  etc.  We made enough purchases--green onions, kumquats, strawberries, lettuce, dill, parsley, potatoes, etc. to ward off starvation, but we had to make a stop at One Life to get the onions we might need.  Andrew had found the missing Mother's Day flowers from Sam and Sarah on the back stairs of the back house when he was throwing out garbage and Benno and Ivan each brought a splendid bouquet as well, so the house was filled with flowers as Jackie and I turned the left over salmon into a salad with finely chopped celery, green onions, capers, dill, lime and the mustard sauce with a bit more mayonnaise.

We also, roasted potatoes, and

roasted asparagus with parmesan and lemon

Graduation cake with strawberries and kumquats for dessert.

We'd gotten such a late start it was well after 3 when we finished.  Jackie's tradition is to have her family accompany her on a cultural outing of her choice on Mother's Day--the destinationtoday was Marley: The Movie, playing at the Santa Monica Laemmle.  We zoomed, getting there just after the trailers had begun.   The two moms thought it was really good, the rest of the party might not have been as enthusiastic but liked it well enough.
After a sight-seeing stroll through downtown Santa Monica to Ivan's apartment, we dropped Andre off for a visit with cousin Johnny and Jackie, Ivan, Benno and I headed off for a late dinner at  Nanbankan, a Japanese restaurant that Lisa recommended when I mentioned we were thinking of going to Sakura House, my regular go-to for yakitori.  A fine time was had by all.

May 12. Compost trimming. Chile Rellenos. Ivan's Party

Second Saturday of the month is community work day at the Westminster Garden.  Last month was a moment for serious mud.  Today, with Jackie as a visiting gardener, and a post-garden lunch date at Lisa and Gar's, I didn't want to get too down and dirty.  Jackie and I found the perfect job, chopping up over-aged vegetables and assorted weeds into appropriately small pieces to encourage compost disintegration.   Mildly obsessive, cleaner and easier than most garden tasks, we were two happy composters.

Frying Chiles (Madison Condon, 2012)

Jackie headed off for afternoon graduation parties, while I went to Lisa and Gar's.  Lisa had bought four splendid pasilla (or were they poblano?) chiles, which we leisurely turned into a fine lunch of chile rellenos, preceded by left-over shrimp/corn chowder and steak.  As I peeked at the recipe, we were inspired by the transformation underway in this photo.  It's always a surprise --takes a while--but definitely worth it--especially with a few cooks at work.
Fueled by the excellent meal, we even began to edit Lisa's  Vietnam pictures--more on that anon.
Then home and on to Ivan's graduation party for the California members of the family at Tahitian Terrace, the complex where cousin Andre's cousin Johnny lives.  Catered by Mrs. Garcia's of Venice, we had a buffet of salmon, chicken, pasta, caprese and green salads and for dessert a huge Italian cake as well as cannolis and sfogliatelles

A familiar New York Italian meal with spectacular views of Santa Monica Bay and lots of left-overs for my refrigerator.

May 11. Snacks for many. Lunch and Dinner out!

A full house--but except for coffee and toast for Jackie, assorted snacks for Andre and left-over pasta and fish for Benno, little at-home eating (and next to no cooking!).

Jackie and I had a very delicious prix fixe lunch at Joe's (I had a kind of the hangar steak with mashed potatoes, wild mushrooms and asparagus, Jackie  had wild salmon with parsnip puree and other wonders--and I'm not even mentioning the starters and desserts).

Soon after Jackie, Andre and Benno left for Ivan's graduation and assorted associated festivities, I biked to the library and then biked at top speed to Santa Monica to meet Linda at the Laemmle's.  I'd given into her entreaties to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  I had no doubts I'd enjoyed it.  I know I should be grateful that it is pandering to my exact demographic, but still....In any case, why pretend that I'm not a sucker for these exact fantasies--whatever its flaws, I loved seeing the old Brits wandering those Jaipur streets and had a fine weepy and uplifting time, followed by a a good enough meal at Tender Greens, a righteous chain that must have sprouted when I wasn't looking, full of excellent intentions and inexpensive o.k. food.

As the sun set, I biked home along the bike path at a more leisurely pace, new bike lights and excellent light necklace happily flashing.

May 10th Chicken with peppers, onions and tomatoes.

Woke up too early this morning.  Jackie, Andre and Benno will be arriving around 4pm--I'd originally thought Jackie and I could shop and then cook--but my middle of the night brain reminded me that it would actually be dinner time when they arrived after a meal-less flight---and it would be a good idea to have a meal ready to go.
I've been accumulating chicken legs,thinking of some kind of Moroccan dish but instead decided I'd revert to my old favorite chicken cacciatore from Marcella Hazan's Classic Italian Cookbook.  Although this was a regular for decades, one of my most enduring comfort dishes,  it somehow didn't get included in the 52 recipes. Years ago, after major surgery, when I was bed-ridden and unable to cook a meal, my friend Carol brought the family dinner every Sunday (she claims she only did it once or twice, but in my memory there were many weeks when she and Neil arrived bringing this chicken) the meal I most remember was some variation of  As I was making coffee, I began browning the chicken for this version:  
POLLO ALLA CACCIATORA
4-6 pounds drumsticks (about 16--though I think the dish would be better with whole legs, i.e. thighs and drumsticks) )
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-2 cups flour
salt
pepper
1-2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion (two medium onions)
2 peppers, red, yellow or green, seeded and cut into thin strips
3-4 carrots, sliced very thin
2-3 stalks celery, sliced thin as well
4 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1/4-1/2 cup chopped parsley.

Wash chicken pieces in cold water, drying thoroughly with paper towels.

Chicken legs, looking sadly and deceptively un-browned (is it the lighting?)

Heat the oil in a large skillet (it should be large enough to hold all chicken pieces without crowding).  Roll the legs in the flour (which you've put on a plate), and brown until golden brown on all sides.  Although my biggest pan ultimately held the entire dish, I had to do the browning in two batches--removing the browned legs to another pan, sprinkling them fairly generously with salt and pepper.
Spoon off most of the fat, leaving the bits of browned chicken and some fat behind.  Add the wine and boil rapidly reducing it by about half.  Scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Lower the heat, add the sliced onion and cook for five-ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Return the chicken to the pan, along with the pepper, carrots, celery, garlic and tomatoes with juice.  Turn and baste a few times while cooking.  It should be done in about a half hour (depending on how long you browned them, how large the legs, etc.).

So the main course was ready before 9am.  It rested until Jackie, Andre, Ivan and Benno arrived completely hungry at 3pm.  I sent Ivan and Benno to Zelda's to buy a baguette while I re-heated the chicken, made a quick salad.  I served the chicken over spaghetti  (this is certainly not what Marcella would do) sprinkled parsley over it all--and we had a fine very late lunch.  

There are, needless to say, endless variations of this dish.  If you want the original Marcella Hazan from p.309 of The Classic Italian Cookbook, in a complete, readable and unstained  form you can find it here.

May 9. Dover Sole. Left-over pasta. Ceviche and Shrimp Cocktail from La Playita

Oatmeal this morning.  I'd thought it would be more substantial and hold me longer, but, perhaps because I didn't bike off to my usual noon yoga class, I was starving by noon.

Consolidating left-overs, I combined the cup or so of remaining vegetable broth with the pasta of many sauces and the brussels sprouts in a heavy sauce pan. As part of my freezer emptying  program, I'd  defrosted a neatly wrapped package of dover sole filets from Whole Foods (it was in the freezer when I returned home in March). I coated the neat little filets (appearing as fresh as the day they were caught), in bread crumbs and quickly sauteed them in olive oil and butter.  With nothing more than a squeeze of lime, they were very good indeed.  For dessert, I watched a fairly recent Maurice Sendak interview with Colbert which might be a must see.

Patty called around 3pm.  She was looking for an appropriate celebration of the excellent weather.  We decided to take a relatively proper hike on the Los Liones Trail to Paseo Miramar.  I hadn't been in the Santa Monica Mountains for close to a year.  The air was cool and clear--flowers were in bloom--pretty close to perfection.
And if that wasn't enough, we braved rush hour traffic on the PCH for a quick run through Trader Joe's-and then made a surprise stop at the La Playita, the taco stand on Lincoln around the corner from Patty (and adjacent to the 99¢ store.   We were quite happy with the taco al pastor and the ceviche.  The shrimp cocktail was a bit bland, but we livened it up with lime juice and hot sauce and congratulated ourselves for our full pleasure afternoon/evening.

May 8th. Late lunch with Lena and Phoebe. Salad with asparagus and eggs. Black Bean Soup. Left-over pasta. Brussels sprouts with bacon and dates.

Very late lunch--Lena came by with Phoebe around 3.  I'd biked back from yoga and had just made myself a salad with asparagus and hard boiled eggs.

Since Lena is on relatively new born baby schedule, she can always use a meal, so once I knew she was coming, I emptied the refrigerator, and readied an assortment of late afternoon snacks:  Another round of brussels sprouts with dates and bacon, black bean soup. And there was also a pasta with some combination of red curry peanut sauce.
A meal ample enough to carry me right through dinner and beyond.

May 7th. Left-over pasta, Potatoes, cauliflower and onion in TJ's Red curry sauce. Sauteed chicken breast.

Pasta with caramelized tofu, broccoli and carrots for breakfast.

Potatoes, cauliflower and onions with Trader Joe's Red Curry Sauce for lunch (also with pasta).

Dinner--no more pasta!  I'd found a chicken breast in the freezer (who knows its provenance?  Not me.)  Defrosted it  yesterday, and tonight sauteed it with panko, this time with  parmesan, and a splash of lemon.  Warmed up the remnants of the roasted tomatoes as well as the smidgen of eggplant with pomegranate molasses.  And there was dinner.

A day of three solitary meals--left-overs with additions.

May 6. Breakfast at Figtree's. Cucumber salad with sour cream and dill. Black Bean Soup. Caramelized Tofu with broccoli, carrots, fennel and peanut sauce. Roasted Tomatoes. Eggplant with pomegranate sauce. Cucumber salad with sour cream and dill. Roasted Peppers.

Phone rang around 8:30 this morning.  It was Andrea---she'd finished her final law school exams,  had been early morning biking with a friend and was now in the neighborhood.  Was it too early too call.  Well, almost, I had to admit.  I'd been up, but reading in bed and not quite ready for the world.  Still, I knew I'd be delighted to see her, so suggested she come by for coffee and breakfast. I quickly restored a bit of order to the house (reminded myself that despite exhaustion shouldn't wait until morning to clean up...you never know).  When Andrea arrived I

groggily put up water, ground coffee, started thinking eggs--when I realized it was not yet 9am--if we leapt on our bikes we might make it to Figtree's for the wondrous 1/2 price meals before 9am.  No cooking.  No cleaning.  Just beach sitting and corn cakes with poached eggs.  We'd arrived in Venice in the summer of 1976.  Sarah was born November, 1977 and Figtree's must have opened in early 1978 -- it was just a coffee bar--I don't remember food--but I'd go there with baby Sarah for expresso and a chat with Bill and Tammy Feigenbaum (the original Figtrees).

We had a fine breakfast.  I was already planning a vegetarian dinner for Emily--Since Sam was off kayaking, I invited Andrea to join us, and as she had planned to dine with Jeannette (Matt would be off coaching his nephew's ball game), we were suddenly a party of four!  Andrea offered to bring bread and dessert--and I had ample provisions in the fridge (big surprise)--so we were set.

In my ideal world, I throw a meal together when the guests arrive, but even a meal that is almost ready to go sometimes takes a bit of advance preparation.  I had to press the tofu, prepare the cucumber salad and make a vegetable broth.  The descriptions are long, but none of it took very much time.   There were enough left-over black beans to turn into soup.  If my guests weren't vegetarians, I'd mix the beans with the frozen chicken broth cubes in my freezer, but instead I emptied the vegetable bin to cook up a quick stock.

VEGETABLE BROTH

1 Onion

2-4 Cloves Garlic

3 Carrots

4 Stalks Celery

Parsley

Dill

2-3 Quarts Water

This broth might not have been necessary.  I could have just added water to the brew of beans--but this is more flavorful.

CUCUMBER SALAD WITH SOUR CREAM AND DILL 

I usually just sprinkle some soy sauce and rice vinegar on thinly sliced cucumbers but because I had both sour cream and dill I took this path:

1 English Seedless Cucumber, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons sour cream

4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon white vinegar

pinch of sugar

pepper

Salt

Sprinkle cucumber slices with salt.  Let it sit for several hours.  They'll release lots of water--drain as well as you can.

Mix sour cream, dill, vinegar, pepper and sugar.  Pour over cucumbers and serve.  

The Weight

This was my best iteration of tofu pressing:

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.   I cut the tofu into neat little  pieces, ready for their later caramelizing.

The peanut sauce didn't have to be made in advance--but I was in good prepping mode--so I forged ahead in yet another Deborah Madison inspired recipe. Again, you can play with these measurements, add a different hot sauce, chili oil, etc.  Be brave!  These are all excellent ingredients--it would be hard to go wrong.

PEANUT SAUCE

3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons (at least) soy sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon Rooster chili garlic sauce

Mix all ingredients together.  Add 2-6 tablespoons warm water to get a proper saucy consistency.  Taste--add salt if necessary. 

Emily, Andrea and Jeannette arrived hungry--we were soon eating the soup, accompanied by  little side dishes of chopped red onion, cilantro and sour cream.  There was also the cucumber salad and little bowls of leftover eggplant with pomegranate molasses, and roasted tomatoes.  Excellent starters all.

On to the next course:   Caramelized Tofu  in a stir fry with broccoli, carrots, and fennel with peanut sauce.

Many different parts, but with eight hands, we pulled it together with ease and grace.

As the tofu browned, and the pasta water boiled, we proceeded to:

BROCCOLI, CARROT AND FENNEL STIR FRY

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

4 carrots, sliced into 1 1/2 inch sticks

1 good sized  broccoli stalk, cut into florets, stem sliced into 1 1/2 inch sticks

Vegetable Oil

Add oil to a heated wok or heavy pan.  Stir fry the ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds.  Add the carrots and broccoli, cook for another couple of minutes.  When they are cooked, add them to the waiting caramelized tofu.  I had planned to toss in the peanut sauce, but ended up serving it on the side. 

Caramelized tofu, broccoli, carrots and fennel in peanut sauce

In addition to bringing bread, Andrea had also bought an assortment of cookies--a fine dessert.

All guests were excellent cleaner-uppers as well as great talkers.  By the time they left the fridge was stocked with a new round of left-overs, kitchen was sparkling and the dish washer was running.  A Sunday of two excellent meals.  

May 5. Fried Eggs and Veggies. Garden Walk Snacks. Big Moon at Sunset. Cinco de Mayo lefftovers ef

A proper breakfast to gird me for house-viewing and docenting at Venice Garden Walk.
There was a bit of left-over tomato sauce from the chile rellenos, as well as one slice of eggplant that had escaped the roasting of the other night.  I cubed that eggplant slice and sauteed it with  maybe two tablespoons of the bacon bits I now have in the freezer with a bit of olive oil, then added a chopped garlic clove, and after another few seconds tossed in the tomato sauce, as well as smoked paprika and coriander.  While these were cooking, I popped another round of cherry tomatoes with sliced garlic into the oven to roast--the house was filled with excellent smells from both pan and oven--a perfect way to start the day.

When this brew was warmed, I pushed it to the side of the pan, added a pat of butter and fried two eggs.  Looking at the picture, I can see black beans and/or avocado would have been a splendid accompaniment, but time was at a premium and my brain wasn't that active, so this, with toast and coffee, was breakfast.
I got to Las Dorados Children Center for sign in at the appointed time, and stashed two tiny muffins and a few grapes for later munching.  My docent stint began at 1:20--giving me several hours to bike about seeing as many houses and gardens as possible. More on that (perhaps) another time.  Stopped at Lincoln and Rose--thinking I'd get some organic greens at the 99¢ store.  It's Cinco de Mayo and to celebrate, a band is playing on the roof of La Cabana.  Many happy people in the street.

 They didn't have the huge boxes of greens, but there were greens to be had as well as red and yellow peppers and asparagus.  A sign outside of Whole Foods announcing a sale at the Seafood Bar drew me in, although I actually didn't know what the Seafood Bar might be.  Turns out, it was all sorts of seafood salads and ceviches.  I bought some shrimp and scallop ceviche and then, at the cheese counter, after some good tasting, bough a chunk of very delicious and reasonably priced Danish blue.

After an excellent sunset bike ride to the Venice pier to watch the giant moon rise over the city as the sun sunk beyond the Santa Monica mountains, I returned home (didn't get to see the big moon until a bit later) and made myself an excellent Cinco de Mayo platter--a cheese quesadilla accompanied by left-over eggplant with pomegranate molasses and roasted tomatoes  and as an extra treat, salvaged the last avocado from the fridge and stuffed it with that quite delicious celebratory ceviche of scallops and shrimps.

May 4. Salad. Happy Hour Hamburger.

Somehow didn't get around to eating lunch until well after three-salad with eggs, tomato, bacon--I was thinking it might hold me through dinner, but when Linda suggested we meet for happy hours hamburgers at the M restaurant on her corner, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.  Turns out the salad was a mere appetizer for a bargain hamburger and fries which we happily ate at outside table.  Must be summer in southern California.