Take 9 - Blame it on the papers, magazines and DVDs

Take 9

Blame it on the papers, the magazines and the DVDs !

When I lived in Canada, I often fumed at how expensive it was for us Canadians to purchase  or subscribe to American newspaper and magazines or to simply buy a copy of said newspaper or magazine. In Vancouver and way back in Montreal, I would occasionally splurge and buy the Sunday edition of the New York Times. The cost ? $9.50 Can $. Yes, for one paper. The San Francisco Chronicle was approximately the same price. A subscription to a magazine often meant a huge difference between the cost to U.S. residents and Canadian residents.  Ah, the cost of culture ! Well now that problem is no longer. We now have the opposite one. Here papers and magazines are just too cheap. Almost dirt cheap. So inexpensive that I have gone nuts. Really ....  We now have a 7-day subscription to the San Jose Mercury News, as well as the Sunday edition of the New York Times. This also gives  us full access to the electronic edition but there is nothing like holding the paper. Hearing its rustling.... Smelling the ink..... But, I digress. Additionally,  I have subscriptions to The New Yorker (published weekly), O magazine, Real Simple, Architectural Digest, Saveur, and surely I am forgetting some others. I also have a few Canadian magazines subscriptions. Oh and David has a few of his own too. When all is said and done and read, that is a whole lot of reading, I agree..... but after exercising and walking the pooch,doing housework and cooking what else is there to do? The holder of an H4 visa cannot be gainfully employed so this is my fun way of keeping busy and informed until I have Taylor trained as a Therapy Dog.  I have also recently been tempted to look look into volunteering for a Cityof San Jose  Rose Garden in great need of some tlc. I do have some experience with roses but that story is for another day. Stay tuned ....

On a totally different topic and shade of ink you will notice, and to give you a microscopic look into our lives, my husband and I love tv. However, many years ago we gave up on trying to watch series week after week,  religiously, because something always happened to prevent us from keeping up and then we would have a ton of them waiting on our pvr or tapes and the pressure got to be too much and unhealthy. Heck, this is supposed to be a lesurely activity meant to be relaxing. Now we tend to watch the trends and then decide to delve heart and soul into one series or another,catching up with the seasons through Verizon (video-on-demand) or buying the incredibly inexpensive dvds at Target or elsewhere. We are doing basically the same thing as previously but without the pressure and the worry of losing one episode or more.  All this to say that right now, we are into Mad Men, deep into Season 3.With Season 5 now airing, we started with the Pilot and made our way through the first 3 Seasons, at our pace.  Wow ! Very interesting but what a bunch of unhappy and dissatisfied individuals. Despite that, we just can't get enough of Don, Roger, Joan, Peggy, and the rest of the gang. We have to restrain ourselves from watching more than two episodes per night. Another series we just can't get enough of also available in reruns and on Verizon on demand but which is totally different from the first one is, The Big Bang Theory. By the same creators asTtwo and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory (TBBT) is lol funny, super clever and has an immense rerun power. Although very nerdy, it is also very now and can become anyone's favorite after just watching a couple of episodes.  Everyone sees a little bit of one's self in Sheldon, my favorite character. Not every tv  series is worth investing so much time in, but some truly qualify as time well wasted. Now if you decide to relax and watch the tube, you may want to indulge in a wonderful piece of cake. The recipe follows ......

Orange Pound Cake

15 Tbsp. softened unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. milk

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/3 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. grated orange zest

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 6-cup loaf pan with 1 Tbsp. of butter and set aside. Pour milk,eggs,and vanilla in a bowl and beat until well combined; set aside.

Sift together flour, sugar and baking powder into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk. Add zest, beating on medium speed, then add remaining 13 Tbsp. of softened butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time, waiting until each is completely incorporated before adding more.

Slowly add milk-egg mixture, beating constantly, until batter is just mixed together. Pour into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 55-65 minutes or more, depending on your oven. (Lightly cover cake with a piece of foil during baking if the cake begins to get too brown.) Allow cake to cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then un-mold. Using a skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake.

Make glaze by combining sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Reduce glaze by half. Brush some of the warm glaze over the top of the cake, reapplying until cake is saturated.

Yields 8 servings

Bon Appetit !

Lori

Take 8 - Taylor's Story

Taylor's story

Looking back a few years and many miles, David and I were sitting in our family room one evening discussing the pros and cons of adopting a puppy. Mostly pros, I must admit. We had the perfect location and the almost perfect situation. We were living in a large house on a half acre lot of rural bliss on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. David worked mostly from home as did I and there were plenty of good doggie daycare in the area if we ever needed to use one.  What kept coming up during our discussion were the facts that a) we didn't know which breed we wanted and b) neither of us had any experience raising a puppy of any breed. We knew we wanted what would become a large dog and wanted it from puppyhood. After doing a bit of research and regretfully rejecting Bernese Mountain and Newfoundland dogs because of their short life expectancy, our choice went to the Golden Retriever. The Golden's life expectancy is generally about 14 years (although we once met one who was almost 19 and still going strong) and is one of the easiest dogs to raise, perfect for us doggie neophytes. The next step was finding a serious and reliable breeder. I went online and visited the Golden Retriever Kennel Club and Canadian Kennel Club websites. I gathered lots of information about what to look for in a breeder and what to ask as well as what to expect. When I finally found a great breeder, we went to visit and met with the future Mom, Aimy. When the time came, she would be artificially inseminated (apparently lots of serious breeders now do it this way) with the sperm of a beautiful Golden Retriever named Fisher, who lived in Florida. Yes, when all the stars aligned, the sperm was actually flown from Florida to British Columbia, Canada and Aimy was inseminated . The end result was a gorgeous litter of 8 (6 males and 2 females).  After about 18 months of waiting, filling out forms, visiting, etc., we finally got to take  our baby home with the car radio blasting rock&roll music to sooth him from the shock of being away from his brood, as he cried himself to sleep. It was quite the experience having him in our lives but after little trials and tribulations, our baby is now a great cuddly pet. Let's just say raising a puppy is comparable to the labor pains of a pregnancy..... soon you forget the pain and discomfort and before you know it, you are making plans to do it again. With Taylor at almost 4 years old, we are thinking of getting him a little sister or brother.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I hope you will enjoy looking at these photographs almost as much as we enjoyed taking them. A note on a couple of them. In one photo, Taylor was on our front lawn napping away while several deer stood behind him. (Quite the guard dog !)  Also, on another, he is photographed at 2 years old with his Mom Aimy and his Grand-Mother Scramble. This is probably my favorite photo of all.

Aimy, after giving birth

He's one of them...

Or them...

Definitively one of them!

On the beach, at 5 months.

Before the water...

14 weeks - what can you say!

8 weeks

10 weeks - if you only knew, parents!

The Guard Dog

Smile!

I'm two, I'm too tired.

Taylor, mom Aimy, grand-ma Scramble.

Ah! Vancouver.  I'm 3.

Hello California!

Enjoy also the easy chicken recipe.

Barcelona Chicken Skillet

2 teaspoon Paprika
2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon fresh Thyme leaves minced
1/2 teaspoon ground black Pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small pieces
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet pepper (green, red, orange or yellow) cut into thin strips
1 large onion quartered then the pieces halved
1 can 14 1/2 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chicken broth or dry Sherry
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Mix flour, salt and all spices except peppers in a small bowl. Sprinkle chicken with 2 tablespoons of the seasoned flour. Cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet on medium high heat 3-4 minutes until browned. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper and onion to the skillet and cook and stir for five minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth or Sherry and remaining flour. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in red pepper (if using). Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes or more until chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy !

Lori

Take 7 - This, that and the other .....

This, that and the other .....


As I might have mentioned, we live in a rental townhouse which is part of a large gated rental complex in an average neighborhood. Rent ? Almost $2,500, and yes,monthly for a 25+ year old place. Prices were never so high in the past. The rental market is on fire at the moment and this has been going on since over a year now. Why? Here's how I understand it. People who can no longer afford to pay their mortgage are turning to rentals, so there is a higher demand for rental homes of all kinds and there goes rental complex conglomerates cashing in on people's demise and all of this taking place as we arrive in California. We can understand $2500 being justified for a new and luxurious apartment but for an older place ??? Another thing we had never heard of is pet rental. The complex is pet friendly but who wouldn't be when you charge $35.00 per pet per month, including the ones you never see, like our cat. Another thing we had never seen any place else, is a monthly bill for water consumption, sewage and garbage pick-up, an equivalent to homeowners' municipal taxes in Canada. Shouldn't that expense be included in our already sky high rent?  Ah well, so is the cost of living in wonderful and beautiful California !

Driving in California is a pleasure ! Yes, really .I guess it all depends on what you've seen elsewhere. Full disclosure, David and I are not car people. We can drive, of course, but we are not driving horses. We hardly ever take the Freeway. Street driving is great and good enough, as far we are concerned. Barring the odd impatient and angry driver, and they are few and far between, people here are generally very patient on the road. When we first moved here, I was a little overwhelmed, to say the least. I didn't and still don't have a good sense of directions so it was hard for me to remember how to get somewhere and names of streets and I did get lost a few times. However, each time, there was a Guardian Angel to get me out of trouble and to show me the right way. Also, when you are unsure you tend to slow down looking around to find your way. Never, I promise you, has someone honked or passed me in a fury like in other North American cities. Furthermore, in the California Driver Handbook published by the DMV, they have a whole paragraph on honking and that basically it should be used solely for emergency purposes or to get someone's attention in case of danger. I can actually say that I very rarely hear car horns here. At first you don't notice it and one day it dawns on you. Of course I am talking of driving experiences almost exclusively in Silicon Valley. For anywhere else in California, you will have to stay tuned.

We have also noticed how polite and helpful people are in businesses and public places. People are careful not to bump into you with their shopping carts and apologize for cutting you off. Is it that we are new here and still with stars in our eyes unable to see the yoga for the yoga mats ? If so, NAMASTE everyone !

Now an update to a previous post. Not so long ago, I mentioned the swallows of the Capistrano Mission. Well it would appear they no longer go there. They used to arrive in Spring to build nests among the stone ruins of the Mission. Now they aren't coming anymore because cliff swallows, who are not birds of forests and generally avoid treed areas, did not care for the increase in trees and vegetation in Southern California. They are seen in the area each Summer but not at the Mission. Research is being done to find artificial ways of luring them back.

Here is a recipe for a great way to use leftover pasta, particularly spaghetti. I adapted a recipe from the great Giada Di Laurentiis by adding a few ingredients. Feel free to switch some items too.

Torta di Pasta


8oz spaghetti
1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
4 large eggs
1/2 cup bacon bits
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 cup grated Fontina
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil


Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain. Toss with the sun-dried tomatoes. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl whisk the eggs, bacon bits, salt, pepper flakes, Parmesan and Fontina. Add the cooled spaghetti mixture and toss to coat.


Preheat the broiler; melt the butter and oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Transfer the spaghetti mixture to the skillet and press to form an even layer. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the broiler and broil until the top is golden brown about 5 minutes depending on your oven. Remove the skillet from the oven and cool to room temperature.


Invert the torta onto a plate and cut into wedges.


Enjoy !


Lori

Take 6 - University Campuses

In Montreal I was charmed by McGill University's campus, prior to and while studying there. I loved to walk around admiring its very old buildings, the majesty of its architecture and loveliness of its mature trees. Little did I know I had not seen anything yet. A few years later, I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia and was enchanted by UBC (University of British Columbia) and its small village feel with large expanses of grassy areas, and acre upon acre of prime land, even parts of it bordering the Pacific. Now, needless to say, I have been bowled over by the American universities. Even the smaller ones like Santa Clara and San Jose State University are  peaceful places to visit and totally inspiring. I was not prepared for my first visit to Stanford. OMG ! More than impressive...... if not just the mere size of it. We were there for a few hours and managed to cover only a fraction of it. Fountain after magnificent fountain of calming water, landscaping displays and hundreds upon hundreds of palm trees. Also, all campuses are pet friendly (on leash, of course) so lots to see while your pet is getting his or her exercise and you are too.  There is a totally impressive church to visit once you have driven the long driveway and parked your car. Stanford Memorial Church, dedicated in 1903, is located at the end of the mile long axis and was built at the request of Jane Stanford as a memorial to her husband. I often talk about churches and chapels, true, but only because I find the architectural details so amazing. You can stand either inside or outside and admire the intricate work of artisans of stained glass and mosaic. Simply awesome.  The fountains are also something to see. I love fountains. I don't know how many there are on the Stanford grounds but I saw several and as I intend to go back, I will count them and photograph them all. In the meantime, here are some photos and I promise more to come in another post.

Here is a very easy recipe for yummy muffins. It's a no fail breakfast staple.

Banana Walnut Muffins

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 very ripe bananas
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup walnuts (whole or chopped)

Blend first 4 ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and mix until blended. Fill paper cups with batter and bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Enjoy !

Lori.

Take 5 - Missions

Many years ago, during my first trip to California, I visited San Juan Capistrano (founded in 1776) located 70 miles North of San Diego and one of the 21 Missions between San Diego and San Francisco. I was so impressed with its beauty, calm and tranquility that I promised myself I would make a point to visit each one of the 20 other Missions, at one time or another. A tall order when you live in Montreal ! San Juan Capistrano is the one Mission where each year, on or about March 19th, (St. Joseph's Day)  the swallows return to stay until it is no longer warm enough for them and they leave again to winter south of there.  How they know to return at the same date is a mystery to everyone and many people gather at the Mission each year to witness their return. Fast forward many years later, 3 years ago actually, this time with David, we visited San Diego de Alcalá (founded in 1769). Another beautiful chapel with well maintained grounds and the ubiquitous gift shop. I don't approve of the gift shops in every Mission but let's face it, maintaining a place like that cannot be cheap and this is a way to generate funds. Also, David has a dear Aunt who is a nun and we make a point of getting her a little token from each visit to a Mission. Now since living here, we have visited two more: Santa Clara de Asís in Santa Clara (founded in 1777) and the first to bear the name of a woman. After many relocations due to fire, flood and earthquake, it finally settled at its present location also known as Santa Clara University. Finally, our fourth Mission visit was in Carmel on Christmas Day (more on Carmel in another post) where we walked the grounds and visited the chapel of San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (founded in 1770) in the bright sunshine on a bitterly cold day. Unfortunately, being Christmas Day when we visited, the shop was closed so no gift for dear Auntie Micheline which only means we will have to return. For more information on the Missions go to www.missionscalifornia.com The next three we plan on visiting will probably be San Francisco de Asis, located in San Francisco, San Jose. located in Fremont and Santa Cruz, located 72 miles South of San Francisco  in beautiful Santa Cruz. More on those in a later post.
For now, enjoy those photos taken at the aforementioned Missions:

Here is a wonderful recipe I found in a magazine and have adapted to my taste. The finished product looks so professional, your guests or family will not believe you actually made it yourself. A few pointers I have picked up through trial and error and after making this tart at least a dozen times. I don't suggest trying it with oranges, although quite tempting, because the orange taste does not come out as outstanding. A tart pan with removable bottom is a must if you want to achieve the professional look. And finally, tart weights. They are ceramic beans you put in the bottom of your uncooked crust, over parchment paper to ensure your crust does not puff upward. You can also use regular beans which you will discard when the crust is done. Your choice !

Classic lemon Tart

Crust:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 TB sugar
1 TB lemon zest
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cut in pieces
1 egg yolk

Filling:
2 eggs + 5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup 35% cream
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 TB Limoncello (optional)
Icing sugar for dusting

Position rack in bottom of oven and preheat to 350F
Combine flour+sugar+lemon zest in bowl of a food processor and mix. Add butter + yolk. Whir until crumbs clump together, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to centre of a 9" tart pan (with removable bottom). Press dough firmly from middle to edges. Line pastry with parchment paper and pie weights. Bake with tart pan on a baking sheet for about 25 minutes.

Whisk eggs + egg yolks + sugar in large bowl. Whisk in cream +lemon juice and limoncello (if using). When crust is done, remove beans and parchment. Pour filling through a sieve into crust. Return tart with baking sheet to oven and bake 30 minutes more until filling jiggles slightly when shaken. Cool on cooling rack. Refrigerate 1 hour and sift icing sugar over top.

Bon appétit !

Lori

Take 4

Last Thursday I visited the Macworld 2012 at the Moscone Center West, in San Francisco. I had an opportunity to pick up a ticket for a few dollars so I went for it.  I felt a little intimidated amongst all of those geeky Mac afficionados but hey, they couldn't tell that I hardly knew squat about anything Apple, or could they ?!? . When we moved to California, I got myself an Iphone, to my husband's dismay, who would have liked me to get an Android but, I digress. A couple of weeks later, as a combined belated birthday gift/Christmas gift, I became the proud owner of an Ipad (Thanks, husband !) so I am no longer an Apple Virgin, but still, far from a geek.  I walked around this huge array of exhibitors boasting the different possibilities of their wares, most of which were of no interest to me, but I did make a couple of purchases. The first one was a new pair of earphones.  My husband kept complaining about his earphones so I thought these would be a great improvement. They are SnuggBuds, inner ear buds with excellent bass and ambient noise reduction. Another particular plus about them is that their wires are made of cord which virtually eliminates those darn tangles. My husband is now gaga for them. My second purchase was a little gadget for me that is called iBallz and it's the ultimate iPad protector.($20.00)  It is a harness with huge balls at each corner so that when you drop your iPad, and believe me, you will, your device will not be  the first thing that hits the floor. The balls do the cushioning. The harness also has several other functions such as stabilizing the iPad and when one of the balls is repositioned under the ipad, it serves as a tilting aid. It's also ideal for gamers. I love my iBallz. You can find out more about them at www.iballz.info.  I continued my visit and could have bought a couple of other gadgets but I did not want to over do it. I had to keep a bit of budget money for lunch and shoes. So on to lunch.

There  is a chain called Chevy's. Chevy's is a Mexican restaurant and purists will hate what I am about to say but if you cannot find the authentic little Mexican hole in the wall where a whole family works diligently to produce food like the real stuff, then pick Chevy's. The food is very good, reasonably priced and the service is great. And if you like the taste of Magaritas but want to skip the buzz of Tequila at noon, ask for a virgin Margarita.  A great substitution for the real thing and just as tasty, without the buzz and the extra calories and at a much lower cost.

Then it was directly to DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) I have been a customer of DSW for at least 10 years. And guys, DSW is not just for the ladies, they have shoes for you too, including sneakers. But back to ladies' shoes. DSW has shoes, shoes and more shoes + handbags, wallets, belts, socks and lots more. And the great thing about it, there is a shoe for every budget. Also, they have a discounted section where you are sure to find a little gem or two. The largest discounted department I have seen at their stores (because I have visited several in California and Washington) is the one on Powell stree,t in San Francisco. Their whole basement is filled with shoes and bags that are additionally discounted on top of DSW's usual lower prices. Double discount ! Plan your visit because you could easily spend a couple of hours in there. You can also go online to shop www.dsw.com and I am told that they will be shipping to Canada in the near future.  Oh, and one more thing about DSW, they have a customer appreciation program where you become a member, accumulate points and when you reach a certain amount of points, you receive a coupon, through the mail, to use at any of  their stores or online. How great is that? And, before you start wondering, those are just things and places I liked on my day trip to San Francisco, I am not a paid blogger.

Finally, after a few more stops, I was back on the train to go home. Caltrain has a great service, is comfortable, reasonably priced and I loved the experience.  I was sitting kitty corner and a few rows back from the unisex toilet. Well people, the results are in and I can hereby declare that, men as well as women do not interrupt their conversation on their cell phones when they enter the washroom.  The door to the washroom was one of those sliding metal types that kept slamming back and forth as a new user entered or exited . Most people I saw going in there, either male or female were carrying on a conversation on their cell. I was curious and wanted to see them on their way out. Well folks, believe it or not, either on the same conversation or a new one, they were still talking. HUM......can't the person at the other end of the line hear what they are up to ???

Finally, here is a great Banana Bread recipe from my own collection. You can omit the nuts, if you are so inclined. Your place will smell yummy in no time !

Lori's Banana Bread
(makes one loaf)

3 very ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake or all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans work well)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pan. Peel bananas and mash them in a large bowl. Add sugar, egg, oil and vanilla and beat until batter is well blended. Beat in flour, baking soda, salt until smooth. Add in nuts, if using, and stil just to incorporate nuts into mixture.  Pour into loaf pan and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake approximately 45 minutes. Test with toothpick. Cake is done when toothpick comes out clean. Put pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool on rack.

Remember, each oven is different so your baking time might be slightly longer. Also feel free to tweak it to your liking.
Enjoy,
Lori

Take 3

Most Silicon Valley companies are known for their excellent benefits and work conditions and some would even qualify as truly generous towards their employees. Wel,l the Big Cahuna has got to be at the top of that list. This became more evident when the Big Cahuna sprung a surprise on its employees. A very pleasant surprise ...... I might add. It scored 13,000 tickets to a private showing of Cirque du Soleil's tribute to Michael Jackson - The Immortal World Tour. The tickets were available on a first come, first serve basis, two tickets for any employee  (one for the employee and one for a guest) ,totally free of charge and including transportation from the Big Cahuna campus (all large companies in Silicon Valley use the term campus to describe the space they occupy which can sometimes be a few dozen buildings in one area) to the venue in Oakland. Thankfully, my husband was one of the lucky ones who responded early to the invitation and got two great tickets. Unfortunately, hundreds of employees were disappointed when tickets ran out and let's just say they missed a fantastic show. Imagine 13,000 people all converging to one venue and most of them from the same site. Huge luxury coaches were hired for the event and everything was so well organized that transportation went very smoothly. The show is what you can usually expect from Cirque du Soleil, namely unmatched quality and great talents but this time with the added bonus of Michael Jackson's songs  and the scenarios created around those wonderful hits.  I have had the pleasure to see several Cirque du Soleil shows including some at their very beginning in Montreal, where you sat on benches to watch and under a big top. Back breaking for sure, but in line with tradition of the circuses of the world. This time it was quite comfortable and our seats were very good at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Many thanks to the Big Cahuna for a wonderful time.

Bay Area Air Quality Management District has an environmental program here called Spare The Air and this program is set up to determine whether people should be burning materials such as wood logs, Duraflame or pellets in their fireplaces or wood burning stoves. Each time there is a ban, it is announced on the newscast on tv or the radio and if you miss those, you can go check the status of the air online at sparetheair.org/. The only people allowed to burn something on those days are the people who's sole source of heat is through burning wood, etc.. Should you miss the warning and burn despite the ban and someone complains, you will first get a warning in the mail. Should you sin again, it'll cost you upwards of $400.00. So, each time we plan to light a fire in our chimney, we go online and check. Recently on tv, there was a piece about that group often getting it wrong by banning when they shouldn't and not banning when they should be doing it.  One group against another. Who is right? Who knows! At least, it appears someone is on the lookout for clean air. 

I must mention a wonderful place we have discovered in San José and that is Bijan. This is a pastry shop + cafe, etc. (two locations in San José) we came across it on our first visit here before moving to the USA. If you want to eat the best croissants available without shelling out a large amount of money for a ticket to Paris, this is the place and at a very low cost. They have the best croissants we have eaten outside of France and also the best pains au chocolat (chocolate croissants). Although we are not big fancy cake eaters, we have also indulged, each to celebrate our birthday, in one of their single portion confections. OMG. Well worth the visit to Bijan, either downtown ( next to the Fairmont Hotel) or their  Saratoga + Kiely location and at both locations, the personnel is extremely nice and helpful.

Here is another wonderful recipe borrowed from one of my favorite food bloggers if not my top favorite. His name is David Lebovitz and you can find his website and blog at www.davidlebovitz.com  Mr. Lebovitz is an American who lives in Paris. He worked for 13 years as a dessert maker and professional baker at the renowned Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. He is also the author or several books of fantastic desserts. I own two of his books and although they both contain great recipes and tips, the one entitled  The sweet life in Paris is hilarious. Mr. Lebovitz captures brilliantly the oddities and quirks of living in the city of lights and of its native and adopted sons and daughters.  

Chocolate Cake

9oz (250g) bittersweet chocolate chopped
8 tablespoons (120g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (65g) sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature, separated
2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt

-Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9 inch loaf pan and line bottom with parchment.
-In a large bowl set over simmering water, heat chocolate and butter until smooth.
-Remove from heat, stir in half the sugar, egg yolks and flour.
-Beat egg whites and salt until they form soft peaks. Gradually add remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks.
-Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining egg whItes. Scrape into pan and smooth top.
-Bake 35 minutes until center feels almost firm. Cool in pan.


Enjoy,
Lori