QR Code Caper

Birthdays are occasions not to be minimized (even if we want to minimize our age). My mom taught me that. She always made "events" out of birthdays. They weren't shrinking violet days. Oh no, they were big, boisterous days that started with a bang, full of singing, breakfast in bed, champagne, or whatever else you wanted . . . except for excessive sleeping because she abhors the concept of "sleeping your life away," even on birthdays. She went out of her way to make birthdays special, memorable and personal. So when my friend Karen's birthday rolled around in late July, we were looking for a way to celebrate that embodied my mom's approach.

We thought it would be fun to do Santa Barbara's Urban Wine Trail, but wanted to kick it up a notch. We devised a sort of scavenger hunt on bikes [drinking and biking, oh my!] with clues for each stop. But Meredith had the brilliant idea to use Quick Response (QR) Codes to direct Karen to each spot. What's a QR code, you might ask?

It's these little guys you see popping up more and more on ads, posters, and displays. You scan the barcode with a smart phone and it provides information, coupons, maps, URLs, etc.

Karen is a massive Beatles fan, so we themed the celebration Karen's Magical Birthday Tour and Meredith designed this "updated" album cover with our faces as the "new" Beatles to set the tone.

Each clue was provided on the CD label, along with the critical QR code which revealed the next destination.

Some clues were pretty easy, but some clues did stump Karen so the QR code was really helpful in getting us to the next stop in the Tour. I took video of Karen opening up each clue and some (OK, 418 to be exact) photos at each place. The plan was to load them on the appropriate CD as a memento, which I still have yet to do.

We picked up our transportation for the day (little Samantha was very disappointed she couldn't join the big girls on the outing) . . . .

. . . and then headed out to get some food to fuel our tour.

Once we had our provisions in hand, we formally began the Urban Wine Trail at La Tour, a very unique, hidden spot (which has since moved to bigger digs but still has Graham at the helm so life is good). We gave Karen a celebratory wine glass to use all day and kicked things off with a lovely rosé champagne.

We really challenged Graham by asking him to find a wine pairing for my BBQ potato chips, but he rocked it.

Next we stopped off at Carr and Kunin to soak up the sunshine and samples. It was a blast.

Then we landed at Oreana where we had cupcakes waiting for us. It wouldn't be a birthday without a vehicle to blow out a candle!

As the afternoon started fading into evening (and the cupcakes were gone), we decided it was time for some more food! We deferred to the birthday girl for her choice of cuisine. She surprised us all by asking to make a tour stop for burgers with a side trip to the batting cage! So we biked along the waterfront . . .

. . . and made our way here, and then grabbed a beer and a bat and started swinging. It was a hilarious sight to behold, no doubt. And this time, Samantha was able to join us.

Taking the queue from the setting sun, we figured it was time for us to bike back home and bring the QR Code Caper to a close.

Away

I've been away from here for a while.

You see I actually got very sick quite unexpectedly. Sick as in your day starts out completely unremarkable (breakfast, exercise, client conference call . . .) and then a few hours later you're in the ICU! Anyway, the point is I haven't really been up to the task of blogging, or really much else, for most of August. But I was completely humbled by the graciousness and thoughtfulness of so many who visited me in the hospital, stayed with me when I got out, sent me good things to read and beautiful things to look at, and made nourishing, delicious things for me to eat. It certainly makes me appreciate what a blessing good health is — and good friends!

So not a whole lot of cookin' has been going on in my kitchen of late. Seriously, I don't even know when I last made a home-cooked meal or what it was. This is what I "made" for breakfast this morning. I know, it looks like something a college student would eat.

In the wake of the mysterious illness (which is yet to be named but the doctors assure me I'll make a full recovery from), I also felt like I needed to get away and kind of regroup. So I stole away this week. While there will be no food pictures, I thought perhaps you might still enjoy these shots.

I do miss cooking and promise to get back to it soon, as well as blogging. Warm wishes to all for a wonderful Labor Day holiday ahead!

Getting Smashed

It's Monday. What can I say except I miss the weekend already. I'm having separation anxiety and am wondering how I'll survive until Friday when the weekend comes back to greet us with hopefully this in hand:

It's my 2011 Drink of Summer. I tend to get on these kicks and right now this is it: the Bourbon Blackberry Smash. I first had a version of this a few months ago at a restaurant in town. It was called Red Rocks, which I think is quite a clever name. [I'm in marketing so I can't help but evaluate things like this on menus. . . . ]

But as I ponder how to brand my version, I think I'll call mine Bourberry.

Consider this your gateway drug to bourbon if you think you don't like it. 'Cuz after tasting this, you'll wonder how you made it so many years without this lovely liquor. The next thing you know you'll be drinking two fingers (or sometimes six) "neat" out of a lovely old fashioned glass (or plastic cup).

It really is the perfect summertime drink. The rich, tart fruit at its peak is the perfect match for the wood undertones you find in bourbon. And the sparkling lemonade adds just enough crispiness to it to really quench your thirst. Well, not that you'll want to stop at just one. And because it's considered a "smash," the blackberry seeds are intentionally unstrained , so it's the lazy man's cocktail. Perfect for when it's too hot to do any heavy lifting and you'd rather laugh at the silly face the seeds and lemon slice made in your drink.

I must say, it is rather perfect to sip from the veranda or the pool — or anywhere else for that matter.

So I hope you'll join me this weekend (or tomorrow) and get "smashed!" I hate to drink alone.

Bourberry

Makes 1 drink, but you'll want to quadruple this so plan accordingly

Ingredients

3 oz fresh blackberries

2 oz bourbon

1.5 oz sparkling lemonade (or club soda with some fresh lemon juice squeezed in it)

1/2 oz simple syrup (1:1 ratio sugar to water - or some agave syrup if you're lazy)

lemon wedge for garnish

Directions

Muddle blackberries in a glass. Fill with crushed ice. Add bourbon, sparkling lemonade and simple syrup. Garnish with a lemon slice and sip!

Easy A

I loved the charming comedy Easy A and thought Emma Stone scored an "A" in my book for her breakthrough performance and the witty humor and smart commentary throughout. I'm definitely looking forward to Emma's new turn as the protagonist Skeeter in the film The Help, based upon Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel opening August 10th.

If you've read the book, you know good ole Southern cookin' is central to the story. My mouth was watering thinking about the fried chicken they ate. I know that fried chicken. It's cooked in Crisco and it's extra crispy which locks in the juiciness of the meat. You need extra napkins—or a towel—to catch the juice as it runs down your chin. I know that smell of frying chicken. When you're hungry (or not), I'm not sure there is anything that smells better. I can close my eyes now and be in my grandmother's kitchen watching her deft hands commanding those chicken pieces in the skillet like a general while I wait for them to cool down enough to eat.


While I love fried chicken, it's not something you just whip up. It's rather involved and takes some practice before you perfect it. Clearly my grandmother has had a lot of practice. In fact, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit I've never even made fried chicken before! I'm happy just eating my mom's or my grandmother's. It's like if someone sews you beautiful clothing, like my grandmother also did, why bother to learn to sew yourself? That was my rationale anyway, which I realize now is quite short-sighted. So I'm planning to master fried chicken (or at least start trying) this year. It was one of my 2011 cooking resolutions, which may seem a bit off the New Year Resolution track of eating healthier, but it's not an every day dish so I'm not going to feel too guilty about it. So stay tuned for that!


In the meantime, though, let me share with you this Easy A (as in appetizer) recipe that is perfect for summer and has nothing fried in it! I made it as an appetizer while in Palm Springs this summer for a girl's weekend. It was a wonderful treat and easy to polish off poolside with a an adult beverage in hand, which are both required when it's 110 degrees.


I love cherries. They seem like such a quintessential summertime fruit. I can eat them by the bowl full. They always remind me of my dad too. The Colonel, as he's known, has two tricks. One is "The Quarter Trick." I will spare you the description, but if you've ever met him, there's a 99.999999% chance he's done The Quarter Trick for you.


The second trick, which I haven't seen him do in a while but remember it fondly from my childhood, is he could take the cherry stem in his mouth and somehow tie it into a knot using his teeth and tongue. As a 5 year old, that was fascinating stuff! Anyway, if you've got any Easy A cherry recipes, please send my way while summer is still here! This year is flying by. . . .


Prosciutto and Cherry Crostini
Adapted from Cooking Light



Note: I made this as a crostini but you can easily make it into a sandwich if you wanted a larger serving. It would also hold up well for a picnic. You can certainly change out the meat (salami, turkey, etc.) and the fruit (plums, peaches, cherries). I kind of don't think you can mess it up.

Ingredients

1/4 cup fig preserves
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
5 oz soft goat cheese
baguette, sliced on the diagonal
2 cups arugula
2 cups cherries, pitted and sliced
5 oz very thinly sliced prosciutto



Directions

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
Spread cheese evenly over bread slices; divide arugula, cherries, and prosciutto evenly over bread. Drizzle with fig preserve mixture. And plan to make another batch 'cuz these go fast.

Tru Dat

Two weeks ago, I was in Chicago, which is one of my favorite "eating cities." Some people rate places based on their architecture, museums, sports teams, etc., but I'm all about how awesome is the food there?! I keep a long list of eating spots I want to try in different towns. I think I'd have to live half the year in Chicago in order to make a dent in my list.

Sadly on this trip, my colleague (and awesome friend) and I only had one night to dine as we wished. To a girl like me, that's a daunting and depressing task. How to choose just one restaurant in such a foodie city? I thought if you've only got one shot, you might as well go big or go home. With all the recent hype around Next, that was first on the list, but it's nearly impossible to get tickets (unless you're my cool friend E.G. who somehow snaked some tickets 4 days after I left town and is now out of my will). We happily settled on Tru and decided to go for the over-the-top tasting menu.

I can still recall my first chef's tasting menu experience. It was a 2002 business dinner at Nobu in Manhattan. I was with a group of very sophisticated and successful professionals I'd met earlier that day. They choose the restaurant and insisted we get the 12-course tasting menu (did I mention they were also picking up the check?). I don't think I've ever seen such a parade of endless and exotic dishes in my life. Although I wasn't the most adventurous sushi eater at the time, I was not about to not eat each course in front of these men. What I learned was two-fold:
1) I needed to take more risks with food, as my palate was opened up to a whole new world of ingredients, flavors and dishes. It was liberating and exciting, like travel is for me.
2) There is a physical capacity the stomach can hold. Seriously, I actually threw up half the food later that night as I experienced first-hand what the term "gluttony" is —and it rightly should be one of the seven deadly sins.

OK, back to the tasting at Tru. . . . First off, math is not my strongest suit but the 9-course chef's collection menu somehow ended up being 13 courses. I was a little afraid of a repeat gluttony episode, so we took our sweet time savoring each course—almost 4 hours! That was probably also a good idea because did I mention that each course was paired with wine. . . and we started with cocktails? What a rookie move!


I don't want to be too indulgent here but let me give you a quick rundown of some of the highlights. The photos do not do justice to the taste or presentation. I have a new found appreciation for food stylists and photographers.

Cucumber salad on gelee, bouchot mussel veloute

(beyond sublime, near genuis)

White sturgeon "caviar," avocado, hazelnut

Duroc pork belly, stone ground grits, pickled ramps

. . . which I liked a lot.

Scottish salmon, sorrel, smoked cream

Glazed veal, fava bean, morel mushroom, tokyo turnip, prosciutto

Selection of cow, goal and sheep's milk cheeses

Gold flaked chocolate filled with liquid mint, which you must eat in one shot and close your mouth when you bite down or you'll find yourself covered in liquid mint but is insanely delicious! Give me a bib and I'd eat a dozen.

We closed the place down around 1:30 am, and Ronda was bold enough to ask for a kitchen tour. Our noble hosts let us ooh and ahh over the rows of copper pots, the industrial burners, the food prep for the next day, and all the other behind the scene stuff I found fascinating. It's like walking into the airplane cockpit for the first time when you're a kid.


Ronda enjoyed a moment of imagining herself in the kitchen fray mid-service. . . .

Somehow I get the feeling she wouldn't look quite so refreshed and glamorous on the job.

The time came when we had to say good-bye to our fabulous service team, Aaron and Chad, and head out for a night cap (because we needed more alcohol).


As a parting gift, they gave us a personalized menu, which we lost later that evening (keep reading for how that could've possibly occurred), but the hostess was nice enough to reprint for us the next day when we stopped by and had the chef sign it! It was TRU-ly a first-rate experience in every detail.


Per Ronda's suggestion, we ended up here, found some seats next to our favorite piano man and sang with abandon. Let me just come right out and say this: The more you drink the better we sound.

We certainly enjoyed ourselves on our one night out on the town. Unfortunately, the "night" ends in Chicago at 5 am.


Thankfully, I had enough sense to order a burger and fries from room service at 4 o'clock in the morning when we got back to the hotel. I'm embarrassed to say I ate the whole thing, which is impressive after our 9-13 course (depending on your math) tasting menu. And possibly more shocking than that is we ate a lunch of deep dish pizza at the famous Gino's East the next day!


It's no surprise that I've been on a diet since I got home.

Fine Swine and Wine

Greetings from Chicago! I have the esteemed pleasure of kicking off the weekend here — with my first stop at this spot, which I've been waiting to try. The theme alone makes me happy: Cheese, Swine & Wine. I mean, what's not to like?!

I have the good fortune of being here with my dear friend, Ronda, and we were happy to start things off with a beautiful glass (er, bottle) of the most lovely summer wine. It's very similar to Spain's txakoli but a vihno verde from Portugal. Light, fruity and slightly bubbly. Vinho verde literally translates to "green wine" but the name isn't referring to the color. It's a reference to the notion that this wine should be drunk right away, when it's very young, or green. So Ronda and I heeded the name and got busy sipping away and enjoying the beautiful afternoon in one of my favorite cities.

Wishing you a great weekend, wherever you might be!

The British are Coming

My Club Med friend, Janine, recommended I bake something special in honor of the Royal Couple's impending visit to Santa Barbara. Since I can't pony up the $4000 to stomp divots with them, I'm hoping this gesture will temp them into at least a hand shake!

When I thought about something appropriately British to make, scones were one of the first things that came to mind. But honestly, I'm just not that into them. I think generally speaking there are muffin people and there are scone people. I'm in the former camp. I prefer moist, cakey baked options over dry, crumbly ones. Although I've never gotten that excited about scones before, this recipe got such rave reviews it did sound fit for royalty (not to mention the recipe title is a pretty strong endorsement). Plus the recipe said it took only 15 minutes to prepare which got me kind of excited. And it didn't use eggs. Is it just me or does anyone else think eggs are messy?. . . .

[On an aside, I just noticed the bottle of Marker's Mark in the background of this photo. What can I say? Doesn't everyone have that on their kitchen counter next to the bottle of olive oil?]

After whipping these up (in no more than 15 minutes), I think I know why these are a hit: they're essentially chocolate chip cookies masked as something much more refined. But per someone's suggestion, I did add more OJ than the original recipe calls for. It created a texture more palatable to me (read: less dry), but still preserves the essence of a scone.

The butter keeps them flakey and the orange zest adds a touch of flair. In short, I thought the result was a scone — but better. Some people may think this also captures Wills and Kate: royalty but better.

English Royalty Chocolate Chip Scones

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

8 Tbsp orange juice

1 tsp orange zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With your fingers, a fork or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips and zest. Mix in the OJ to form a dough.

3. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. Pat or roll into a 9-inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. With a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 12 scones, pushing the dough scraps together for the last few, if necessary. Transfer scones to the baking sheet.

4. Bake in over until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove and move to wire racks to cool.