Mission accomplished

Back in February, Fluffycat and I went to Gregoire. The main purpose of this outing was so that she could order the bread pudding. We were thwarted when we were informed that they were out of bread pudding that particular night. Now Gregoire changes their menu monthly and that includes the bread pudding flavor. March was a no because Fluffycat said that she wasn't really into rhubarb. But this month was chocolate.
So let's start at the end of the meal -- the chocolate bread pudding with pear coulis.


Me? I'm actually not a huge chocolate fan. I still have Ghirardelli at home that I bought back in November or so. I like fruit flavored stuff which is why I got the panna cotta with raspberry sauce. And then I made Fluffycat try some of the raspberry sauce on her bread pudding because I've always thought that raspberry and chocolate go together very well.

Dessert is the easiest choice at Gregoire. We both labored over our entree choices for the entire day and didn't really decide until that final moment. OK. One choice was easy.


We both decided to share the grilled artichoke.


I went with the harissa-marinated lamb with a yogurt sauce...


while Fluffycat chose the beef kabobs.

And yes, there were plenty of leftovers. I was able to have two more meals from my leftovers in fact. The other item I had thought of having was the bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin. I don't really have anything already made for dinner tonight. Hmmmm....

Holding out

My first instinct was to blame Abby for holding out. However, the real cause was my laziness. Abby has been raving about Burma Superstar for years. And all I had to do as click the locations tab on their site to discover that besides the San Francisco location, there are also locations in Oakland and Alameda.

I could really kick myself for this as Burmese is one of my all-time fave foods. Generally when I need a fix, I go to Inya Lake in San Bruno or Nan Yang in Oakland. Both of those are not along my usual path. Fortunately Burma Superstar in Alameda is in an area that I often frequent for lunch during the work week.

I ordered the chicken samusas, chicken dhal and curry eggplant -- to go. It was all fabulous. So yes, I will be returning frequently.

Thanks, Abby!

Other people's food

As you know, I have been rather uninspired as of late when it comes to food. I think it comes from my battle with my body to lose those last few pounds. I realize now that part of the problem is that my body is trying to tell me that I am within the range of what's considered "normal." Yeah, maybe for someone else but not for me. So I go back and forth between giving up and falling back into the old habit -- just don't eat. I mean that literally on the not eating thing. But this is me trying to be healthy so I'll plod on as there are dresses that I love dearly hanging in my closet and I am almost there.

I had thought about doing a post earlier this week after seeing Cookiecrumb's hot dog post. I went with a bockwurst with sauerkraut and Russian hot mustard. But new was there to add? So I wrote nothing.

And then yesterday, Fluffycat told me about her meal from El Pollo Loco. For the second time this week I was excited about food. As I left work, I called Taqueria Guadalajara -- one of the best taquerias in San Leandro -- to place my order.


Roasted chicken, corn tortillas, refried beans, salsa, guacamole. And all for a mere $13. Boris was definitely excited over the prospect of it all but he got none.

And tonight I am really looking forward to dinner for the first time in weeks.

Kid in a candy store

I realized last weekend that part of the reason why it has taken me so long to take a cooking class at Piedmont adult is that many of the classes require you to bring your own knife. And my knives? Craptastic. The tamales class didn't require one to bring anything. And I had a lot of fun there. I decided that I no longer wanted to be limited in the classes I could take.

That's why this morning I headed over to East Bay Restaurant Supply. So many shiny pretty things there. But today was only about knives. And I think they're so pretty but I'm afraid to use them. After years of using that dull crap will I accidentally slice myself? Because I am the one who as a kid managed to grate her fingertips on the box grater. I just had to grate that last little nub of cheese.

Oh, and don't worry. I'll be returning to the store. Probably around the end of March. Because the salesperson said that they'll be having a sale then with tons of vendor demonstrations. Hmmm. Might even be worth taking a day off from work.

On track

I am not a big sandwich person. About the only exceptions to this are Reubens, Carolina bbq pork and burgers. With the weight loss thing, I haven't had any really. Because bread is evil. No, it is. Really.

But today the stars aligned and declared that I absolutely had to have a burger. So I headed on over the fairly newish Boulevard Burger on MacArthur. Because look. They have sweet potato fries too. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. They have now replaced Rocky's as my favorite burger joint in San Leandro.

Oh yeah. Totally forgot to mention that this was kind of a celebration. My current weight? Haven't seen this number in at least a year. I still have more weight that I'd like to lose. But today I treated myself to a burger (There will be salad for dinner.) as a reminder that it's OK to eat like this every now and again. Just not every day.

Sticking with it

Today was a bit of a challenge because for the first time this week, I did not bring lunch from home. That meant it was all about trying to make a healthy choice from one of the nearby restaurants.

Now I am a huge fan of the salad bar at Round Table but today salad didn't feel like it would be enough. I started thinking about adding on a personal size cheese pizza so I quickly headed over to the website to check out the nutrition info. Turns out it was around 600 calories. Not bad. And then Fluffycat was kind enough to point out that I could get a veggie pizza. Turns out that it was about the same amount of calories.

One of my coworkers keeps making comments like, "Are you still on that silly diet?" and "How can you not eat meat?"

I know that many don't understand. Let me put it this way. I only have one pair of pants that fit currently. Well, one pair of jeans does too but I can't wear denim to work. I am tired of the contents of my closet mocking me. And hello. I did the huge "let's help the economy" shopping back in May already.

The no meat thing really hasn't been that challenging. I had to point out to my coworker that there are plenty of protein sources other than meat. She's just one of those folks who thinks a meal is not complete if there is no meat on the plate. Next week I'm thinking of adding in fish though.

The other comment from the peanut gallery I received today was, "That pizza has a lot of calories." Guess what? Didn't eat the whole thing for lunch. Half of it's going to be dinner so it really isn't that many calories.

And now that I'm feeling a lot more in control of the food situation, I'm thinking that next week is time to add in the exercise/additional physical activity. It's my hope that by Thanksgiving or so, I can be at a size I'm much more comfortable with.

A little walk

Back in the 90s the military shut down a number of installations in the Bay Area. One of these is in my neighborhood. A developer purchased the property but apparently the deal has fallen apart. And so we are left with this instead of the fancy new development -- complete with commercial district -- that was promised.

It is such an eyesore. And a fire hazard as mentioned in the article. (Trust me. There's a building behind all of this crap.)



But I am really bummed about this. They were going to rehab this building to return it to its former glory. And the land below the building was going to be a park with walking trails and all. I was really looking forward to having the trails become available.

Oh well.

Pure evil

... or why my ass keeps getting bigger.

When I think of San Leandro, I don't necessarily think of it as a destination city. I mean, how much could there be in the city to draw people to it? That's what I used to think before the company for which I work moved to the fine city almost a year ago.

Industrial in San Leandro seems to mean something different than it does in San Francisco. I decided this when one of the first places I found after the move was the Otis Spunkmeyer factory -- and factory store. One dozen fresh baked cookies for $4.25. Evil I say.

To date I have been able to avoid the next form of evil I have spotted around town. The fine folks of Kraft Foods also have a factory in town. And nearby there is an Entenmann's factory store.


Today I succumbed to one of the other evils in town. Yes, the fine folks of Ghirardelli also have a factory here. And once more, it is complete with a factory store. The first thing I noticed upon getting out of my car was the smell of chocolate in the air. I took this as a good sign and headed in. What did I find? Most of the chocolates were about 45% off of retail. I'm thinking that this could be a bad thing to know. All I know is that I managed to leave the store with only spending $10. But there were many things in there that caught my eye for future trips.

I'm starting to give up on the idea that my ass is ever going to get smaller. Because these days I have little willpower if any.

(For those of you who are now hankering to head on over to San Leandro, the factory is located at 1111 139th Street, between East 14th and Washington.)

Something different

Most days for lunch, I run out to pick something up and then promptly return to the office. I eat while I continue to work.

Today I decided to use part of my lunch hour away from the office though. For months, I have thought to myself that I should head to the marina at lunch time since it's only a couple of miles away. So after picking up lunch in the neighborhood (Taco Bell, or as I call it Taco Hell. Because yes, sometimes I eat complete junk.), I headed on over.

It was a bit windy and I didn't have a sweater or jacket so I retreated to my car with my book after a few minutes. But I was parked right near the bench so I was able to still enjoy the view. And that land in the distance? That would be the runway at the Oakland airport. So yeah, I got to watch the planes land as well.

I think I'm going to be taking lunches like this more often.

Starting off

When I saw the zucchini at the Bohemian Farmers Collective, I knew instantly what I would make -- zucchini patties. They are a mixture of grated zucchini, crumbled feta, chopped green onions, some fresh dill and Italian parsley, and some egg and flour to hold it all together. They are served with some plain Greek yogurt.


Since the patties were meant to be an appetizer, I thought a cocktail was in order. Once more a no-brainer -- Persephone's Bees. (I first had this drink at Kitty's in Emeryville.) Juice of 1-1/2 small Meyer lemons, 1-2 teaspoons of honey, and about a quarter cup of Pearl Persephone vodka. (Thank you to the fine folks in Canada for making the vodka. It is magical.) Chill and strain. Of course, the honey is one of my purchases from beekind. For the drink, I went with the Sebastopol wildflower. (Yes, I bought more than one honey.) It's been one of my favorites from them but this year, I was told, it's a little different as it has some mustard in the mix.

Sad thing is that after that plate and cocktail, I had no room for anything else. So the rest became Monday's dinner. And yes, you will have to wait to see that.

Nearly missed

When I asked my dad where he wanted to go for Father's Day, he said, "Pican." I looked them up online, salivated over the menu for a few minutes, and then made the reservation for 1:30.

My father did not foresee the amount of cars that would be on the road and so did not reach the restaurant until almost 2. When I told the hostess that my dad was running late, she informed me that we would not be able to order after 2:15. So yeah, I was a tad bit worried as I sat there waiting for my dad. What would be the contingency plan? I started mentally reviewing what was in my fridge and various recipes that would not take half a day or more but that would still be impressive. But there was no need for the contingency plan.

We were seated and then faced with the task of deciding on what to eat. I half jokingly said that I wanted one of everything on the menu. As you can see, I ended up with the barbecue plate. My dad went with the salmon croquettes with a side of grits. Oh, and I tried their lavender lemon drop for my libation. It was fantastic. My dad said that it was all well worth the drive.

So ladies. Next girls' night?

Finding my bearings

Well, I'm happy to say that I have a new furnace and so will have working heat for the winter. Which is due around August or so. (Sorry. Couldn't resist.) Boris is adjusting to the fact that he can no longer sit atop the upper cabinets in the kitchen. Natasha has discovered that she actually enjoys canned food other than Pet Promise chicken and rice. She should. The stuff they've been getting lately costs more. But I love shopping at Pet Food Express.

I miss Berkeley Bowl and Andronico's immensely. I know. They're not that far away but I just don't see the sense in driving that far for groceries unless I absolutely have to. Especially now that I know that I can get all my favorite cheeses at Farmer Joe's.

Last night there was no leftover fish for dinner as I ate it at lunchtime when I came home to let the guys in to install the new furnace. (Have I mentioned the fact that I love that I can now come home at lunchtime if I so desire?) So that left me with the question of, "What's for dinner?"

I've been keeping things pretty simple around here these days. Time spent in the kitchen making elaborate meals is now spent unpacking the endless stash of boxes. Plus perhaps I am saving up my energy for later this month. Bottom line about making dinner choices is simplicity and not having to travel too far. The fact that it's pretty busy at work also adds to the equation. Today I arrived at work around 7:30 this morning and didn't leave until 6:00 this evening.

Every night on my way home I pass by Galvan's. Last night I decided to take the plunge. After perusing the cases, I decided on the NY strip steak -- one of my favorite cuts. It was the best steak ever. (Many thanks to Zoomie for inspiring me to buy a grill pan and to discover the joy of herbed goat cheese atop a steak.) Needless to say, Galvan's will now be a regular stop. Next on the list is to check out the farmers' market in downtown. If I can find parking because the parking situation during the market is worse than Berkeley Bowl on a Saturday afternoon.

Getting back on track

So Tuesdays are supposed to be about media. And here we go.

I often forgive Boris for his behavior because his original home? Blocks away from Billie Joe's. Boris is just a rocker at heart.


Being an East Bay kind of girl, I have loved Green Day for too many years. (Every punk kid in the East Bay knows about Gilman.) And so I need to get their album. Especially since I hear there is a song on there about Oscar Grant.

Because I'm a punk rock chick at heart. And was kind of bummed when I didn't get into the City to hear Jello Biafra speak last night. And I know some of you are saying, "Who?" (And if you had to click through on the link to find out about Jello, then I'm thinking, "How can you not know?") But I know my fellow punk rock souls are saying, "What? I missed him as well."

You can take the girl out of Berkeley...

This past weekend was my usual holiday dogsitting stint with Dumb and Dumber. I felt kind of guilty because there was all the unpacking to do at home but this also means extra cash for NYC. And I did more than just hang with the dogs.

Saturday I got to spend time with the Zombie family. You would think that I had had enough chicken but then the various Wing Stop locations kept taunting me. I did not give in.

Saturday night I let someone twist my arm into going to meet up with some folks I know from high school. What I learned is that chatting with them on Facebook is enough for me. Because other than going to the same high school together 25 years ago? Yeah, not much else in common. Now if my best friends from high school had been there it probably would have been different. I've kept in touch with them all these years. Back then we joked that we were sisters. Perhaps it wasn't so much of a joke. But those other folks? Just don't have time to be around folks who raise eyebrows when I act like me. I get enough of that from my family. Thank you very much.

Oh, and there was reading. I finally finished Garnethill. And while out with Zombie Mom on Saturday, I discovered that there was a new book in the Sisters Grimm series. Finished that as well.


This morning I awoke in a strange house. (Marin and family moved at the beginning of April. This was my first weekend in the new house. But I can walk to Astronomico's from there amongst other places!) And I wanted bacon. And hash browns. So I drove to El Cerrito to get breakfast from Nation's -- cheese omelet, bacon and hash browns. I washed it down with a vanilla shake.

And so now I'm getting ready for the trip to New York. And finishing that craft project so that I can put it in the mail before I leave. And thinking about how sometimes it's good to be taken out of one's element. Makes one so much more focused about what's important in life.

Getting settled

Thursday night I officially stopped being a resident of Berkeley. That's when I finished cleaning the old place and turned in my keys.


This was the first thing I saw as I got in my car to leave the apartment that last time. For some reason, I thought of Cookiecrumb.

So over the weekend, I decided to start doing some exploring. And by exploring, I mean checking out grocery stores. While Berkeley Bowl really isn't that far away, I thought it was time to become more familiar with stores closer to home.

In my travels, I discovered that there is a Safeway on Redwood Road. Kind of strange though. Like they have gift cards but no greeting cards. (I had to pick both up for Sista Locks's graduation on Sunday from Berkeley. I know that she will be a fantastic principal.) They also only have beer and wine. No other alcohol. It was kind of strange. Made me think I had landed back in Virginia somehow.

I was on Redwood because when you head down the hill, it becomes 35th. And that's where you find Little Joe's. I will be stopping there at least a couple of times a month since they have the Emmentaler and the "crack cheese" that I love so much. And so on Sunday, the kitchen officially reopened.

Mussel-fennel bisque -- again.
This was followed by this week's flavor.


Banana-walnut ice cream

Now if I could just get Natasha to eat something other than her old food. Because the closest places that sell that stuff are in Alameda and Berkeley.

More hometown love

Yesterday I did indeed return to Seabreeze for more crab. This time around I also picked up dessert -- a yummy pineapple coconut cake. (Yes, there was red velvet available as well but that's rarely my first choice.) Per usual, I read the label to see who had made this slice of yumminess -- Cassandra's Wedding Cakes in Richmond. And that got me thinking.

I rarely purchase desserts. Some of my favorites though are the lovely creations from the folks at Rubicon. And when I buy a Rubicon product, I also have the satisfaction that I am doing something socially positive as well. And I guess after this weekend's events, I find myself thinking even more about doing things that have a positive social impact. Because it seems like whenever the East Bay makes the national news it's because someone has been killed.

Feel the burn

Today I got all kinds of wild and crazy for lunch and finally headed over to Wing Stop to give them a try. I've been curious about this place for a number of months. I mean they offer a flavor called "Atomic."

I don't know if that's the right word but I did think they were hot. Didn't stop me from eating them though. Of course, I did split my order -- half Atomic, half Original Hot. The Atomic left my lips tingling for at least a good 20 minutes. Good stuff.

After dining, I called my dad. He had not heard of the place but apparently there is one in his neighborhood. He's hoping to try them out this weekend.

And now I must go back to see how things are going in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Since right now I'm tied for the lead in the office pool. And no, I did not make my picks. My dad told me who to pick when I called him earlier this week. The guys at work say that I have to buy them drinks if I win.

Home

First of all, a reminder. The creativity will start flowing again once I move. Which should hopefully be in about a month or so if everything continues to go as it has. In the meantime, I've been spending a lot of time on Facebook catching up with old friends and some new ones as well.

Last weekend hanging out with high school friends I was reminded of one thing -- you can take the girl out of Richmond but you can't take Richmond out of the girl. They may be closing my high school. Many from my class think it's a good thing. According to my friends, we were one of the last classes to graduate from the place while it was still decent. And then there's that prison thing. Every time I've taken someone past the place, they say the same thing. "That was your high school? It looks like a prison." I pointed out Saturday night that not only did we get a fine academic education but we also got an education in some survival skills.

I wasn't born in Richmond. Heck. We didn't even move there until I was three. (Prior to that we lived in Berkeley and Bend.) Since most of my childhood was spent there though, I have always considered it to be my hometown. And for this reason, I joined the Facebook group devoted to my city. And then I found this gem. That's right. A blog devoted to my city. OK. So maybe y'all are not as excited about it as I am. Unfortunately when the semester ended, it seems these two students stopped writing.

Self-reliant limbo

My life is currently in flux. But it's at that point of making change in which I sometimes feel like I'm just treading water. I know that in the end there will be changes. Meanwhile, I'm just hanging here in a kind of limbo. I've come to realize that I've been holding off on the craft stuff because I want to get through the most of this change first. So it may be some time before you see any crafts around here but I'll try to keep up with the food stuff.

Whenever I'm about to go through changes in my life, I usually don't like discussing them too much. Fear that it will all fall apart? That's my best guess as to why I keep things to myself. But now I've hit a different part in the process so here goes.

It all started with my aunt's death last July. My dad wanted to pay off her house and to give it to me. Thing is the mortgage on the house was higher than its current value. I spent months telling my dad that it was a bad investment. Then the plan became that he would help me in buying another house with some of the money he had inherited. OK. Perhaps another reason why I was hesitant in sharing was because my life has been filled with promises from my dad. He has a history of not always delivering -- especially on the big stuff. But he gave me the initial financial documents I needed to get pre-approved and so I thought that perhaps things had really changed.

Throughout this all, I have suffered with my mother's derision. Why would I want to buy a house? And if I want a house so desperately, why can't I just buy her house in Richmond off of her? Why don't I want to live in Richmond? (Nothing against my hometown. It's just that I've done the commute on 80. Never again if I can help it. Besides Richmond just isn't quite urban enough for me -- if you understand.) During this past week, other stuff transpired -- I'll get to that shortly -- and my mother made my favorite statement of all. Why would your father ever plant this stupid idea in your head? I haven't spoken to her since that conversation.

And what happened? Well, it seemed innocent and all at first. My dad suggested that I chat with a friend of his who is in real estate. That conversation with his friend completely blindsided me. Why should my father put up so much for a down payment? What about my real estate agent? My mortgage broker? Were they really doing their jobs properly. The first question made me pissed off with my dad. Why didn't he just ask me himself if he was so concerned? (Duh. Because he hates direct confrontation. Let's all pretend that everything is fine.) The other questions? Left me feeling like I'm some idiot who doesn't know how to ask the right questions -- even though I'm not.

Back in December, my father finally started contact with the insurance company for a policy that my aunt had had. We all assumed that he would be the beneficiary. This was part of the money he had promised me as part of a down payment. Last month we found out it wasn't his to promise because I was the beneficiary. I got the check this past week.

I got to thinking. What would happen if I only put 5% down? I ran some preliminary numbers in a spreadsheet and then I contacted my mortgage broker. She confirmed what I thought. It would decrease the amount of loan for which I'd be approved. But I could take care of it on my own.

Thursday evening my dad called to see if I had talked to his friend. He's such a bad liar. Because I told his friend that I was pissed off by the whole thing and I'm sure he called my dad during the day. So I let my dad have it with both barrels. Told him that I would have appreciated it if he could have come to me personally with his concerns instead of going through someone else. And that I had rerun the numbers and did not need him under the scenario his friend had presented. And would not be discussing the topic with him -- or my mother -- any further. Because I was going to make a decision on my terms. Haven't heard from him since that conversation either.

Over the weekend I've had more time to think. So far in this process loads of folks have promised assistance. I know that there are a variety of reasons why they have not been able to deliver. That's OK though. I'm done asking for help. Because it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't need their help. Never have.

This week will mark four years since I moved into this apartment. I did that completely on my own. Found it. Moved in. Unpacked. Done it before. I'll do it again.

What to say?

I had thought of posting more food from Gregoire but really now. This is supposed to be about my creations and all for the most part. So no Gregoire food. Although the duck was tasty. And the smashed Red Bliss potatoes topped with cheddar cheese? Well, they did manage to mix two of my favorite foods in one dish. Now if they had added bacon to the mix... Ummm yeah. If that had happened, I don't think I would be here. I'd be in a coma somewhere. The overload of serotonin and all.

Meanwhile I'm slogging along. There's stuff I'd love to talk about but not quite yet. Hopefully soon. And yes, I have to work today. But not tomorrow. Because tomorrow should be a national holiday as well. I'm just hoping that the folks in Chocolate City have not lost their minds completely with all this excitement in an extended weekend. What am I saying? It's D.C. Not like it's Oakland. Not to hate on Oakland but folks there tend to get a little bit riled up over the smallest of things. Like losing a spot to the Super Bowl. International Boulevard was on fire that night. Seriously. But I love that my peeps in Oakland feel so passionately about stuff.

This past week I read a really cool article from the New York Times. Go check it out. I'll still be here. Did you read it? Cool, right? So maybe I'll finally really get that dialogue that I've been wanting for the oh past 20 years or so. Because after all of this, if folks are not ready to converse honestly (Notice I did not say "conversate" even though I love my skank TV viewing?), then Nat may just have to get a room ready for me. This is serious stuff, y'all. I don't do winter. But stuff around here over these last few years had had me so freaked out that I might just have to suffer. Because that suffering is better than what we have been through.

Oh and speaking of folks who have had to suffer, check out this post quoting Al Sharpton. Normally I am not down with Al, but then Zombie Mom sent me this same quote -- before it appeared on the blog. I think Al has managed to sum up a lot of frustration quite well.

Oops. I'm not supposed to be discussing politics, am I? Well tomorrow there will be food. And a day later than usual, there will probably be the media day.

But for now I'm going to sit around humming a certain Paula Abdul song.