BBQ Dry Rub

Tastes may vary from palette to palette, but I think the following spices are a good base for any barbecue dry rub. Adjust amounts to your liking with a little more of this or a little less of that.

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Thyme
1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon White Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Celery Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Oregano
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Mix together in small bowl, pressing everything against sides of bowl with back of spoon to get it all really incorporated together.

Kale--Light and Easy

Since getting some kale with our farm share, I've been experimenting how to prepare it. Most recipes have been heavy on cream, butter and cheese--which obviously aren't very healthy and seem unkind to this nutrition-packed veggie. Tonight's preparation was different though, nice and light. I think this is the best kale I've made yet. (Sorry no pictures)

Wash and dry kale, then tear leaves from the stalks (which you can save for soup stock in the freezer). Steam the kale for 3-5 minutes and toss immediately with the following dressing (you can prepare while the kale is steaming):

1-2 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Herbs de Provence (or your favorite herb mix)
Juice of half a lemon
Salt & Pepper

Enjoy!

Top 10 Tips for Eating Healthy

While reconnecting with an old friend recently, we happened upon the subject of my healthier lifestyle. My friend was interested in hearing what helped me lose weight, and I rattled off a few tried-and-true methods I regularly use to keep my weight in check. Since our conversation, I've recalled other things I should have mentioned that might be more relevant. So I'm attempting here to list what are my Top 10 Tips for Eating Healthy after further consideration and mental debate.

1. Eat when you are hungry--First, you must differentiate between being hungry or otherwise unsatisfied. Once you accomplish that, I don't think you should just eat a meal because it is mealtime. Sometimes, you may have a bigger lunch and not be hungry at 5-6 p.m. In which cases getting in some exercise before dinner might be more what your body is craving. Then, you'll have a more revved up metabolism which will be helpful to burn off a balanced dinner, even if it's at 8 p.m.

2. Eat off a smaller plate--This is an everyday rule for me. At my height of 5' 2", my body does not require the same caloric needs of someone who is much taller (unless I'm burning 'mad' calories hiking or something else similarly strenuous). I've found that if I stick to a small plate, I'm more in control of the portions and calories. For example, if I'm having a sandwich for lunch, I usually only use one piece of bread folded in half, with a small portion of a vegetable-based side dish. This fits perfectly--and fills me up without weighing me down.

3. Skip the cheese--While we're talking sandwiches, I think many people are so used to putting cheese on their sandwiches that it feels weird not to, but I'm suggesting you just say "no" to the fattening, artery-clogging addition. After a while, you'll hardly miss it at all, and you can instead get a good burst of extra flavor from veggies, like arugula and tomatoes (in season, of course). If you must have cheese on pasta or pizza night, grate your own Parmesan, Asiago or Romano to control the portion.

4. Eat for balance throughout the day--I rarely eat bread or starch-laden meals back-to-back. If I choose to have a sandwich for lunch, I won't have pizza for supper. Or, if I have pasta for dinner, I won't have toast with breakfast. This forces me to think of meals with greater protein and veggie compositions.

Don'tcha

Today, as I was preparing a chicken to roast for dinner, I was listening to my iPod. I enjoy having music on while cooking and will typically dance around a bit to burn off some calories that I'll be indulging in later. My iPod is an eclectic mix, including everything from Stranglehold by Ted Nugent (a rocking song) to Don'tcha Wish Your Girlfriend was Hot Like Me, by the Pussycat Dolls. When the latter started up, I couldn't help but start singing my own lyrics, which went something like this, "Don'tcha wish your girlfriend could cook like me? Don'tcha wish your girlfriend knew how to bake like me? Don'tcha? Don'tcha?" I cracked myself up and just wanted to share.

New Food Network Show--Meat and Potatoes

Just the previews for "Meat and Potatoes" make me sick to my stomach. Are they serious with that burger the size of a grown man's head? And, how is that host going to do a full season of this show without having a heart attack, raising his cholesterol and possibly increasing his risk of cancer? I'm not a vegetarian, but I believe Michael Pollan had it right with "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Eating that much red meat is not good, and I bet the host knows this deep down inside, but agreed to do the show for the minimal fame and fortune that comes with the job. I wish him no ill will, but eating all that meat surely will make him ill.

CSA Week 15

Two tomatoes
One pint of sungold cherry tomatoes
One pound of wax/green beans
One bok choy
One kohlrabi
One bunch of swiss chard
One bunch of beets with greens
Two shallots
Two summer squash (we had zucchini already)
Three cucumbers
Four peaches
Two pounds of new potatoes
Two sweet red peppers
Six ears of sweet corn

CSA Week 14

Three tomatoes
Two cucumbers
Two red onions
Two sweet onions
Two pounds of potatoes
One shallot
One pound of green/wax beans
One bunch of beets
One bok choy
One head of lettuce
One zucchini
One summer squash
Four juicy peaches
One green pepper
One eggplant
Six ears of sweet corn

CSA Week 13

One eggplant
One summer squash
One zucchini
Two cucumbers
One pint of cherry tomatoes
Three field tomatoes
One heirloom tomato
One head of garlic
Two red onions
Two sweet onions
One head of bok choy
One bunch of beets with greens
Six ears of corn
Two sweet red peppers
Two pounds of new potatoes
Four perfectly ripe peaches

CSA Week 12

Two eggplant
Two summer squash (had choice to include zucchini, but had some at home)
One pint of cherry tomatoes
Four tomatoes
Two cucumbers
Two sweet onions
Two red onions
One head of garlic
One head of bok choy
Six ears of corn
Four ripe peaches

Menu Inspiration

For tonight's dinner, we're having:

• Minestrone Soup with Cannellini Beans and Farfale Pasta

This was a fairly simple dish, using leftover ratatouille with whatever beans and pasta I had on hand. Add in a little chicken stock and season to your taste. Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese and fresh baguette. Mmmmm.

Menu Inspiration

I'm going to try a new type of entry here, called "Menu Inspirations." I hope to do this regularly, as it strikes me to share my family's menu choices with you. I may not include the recipes here for every dish. In fact, I probably won't. But, the idea is to possibly inspire you--in just a glance--to prepare something you might otherwise never try. For example (and simply put) today's menu includes freshly cut corn in tarragon butter. You may have lots of fresh corn on hand, but are tired of munching it off the cob, and from my menu description you can discern the main ingredients enough to try your own take on the dish. Of course, if anyone has any questions about my technique or the actual recipe I used, I'll be happy to share, as always.


So, tonight's Menu Inspiration is:

• Roast Pork with a Brown-Sugar and Apple Glaze
• Caramelized Onions 
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Freshly-cut Corn in Tarragon Butter

Weather-wise, this dish made sense with temperatures in the low 70s and a nice breeze in the air. Plus, we had lots of new potatoes, garlic, red onions and sweet onions from our CSA share (which we love).

CSA Week 11

Two eggplant
One zucchini
One summer squash
Four tomatoes
One pint of sungold tomatoes
Three sweet onions
One red onion
Two pounds of potatoes
Two cucumbers
One head of garlic
Six ears of corn
Four peaches

CSA 2010 Week 10

Two eggplant

One zucchini

One summer squash

Two tomatoes

One pint of orange tomatoes

One green pepper

Two pounds of onions

Two pounds of potatoes

One head of garlic

Two cucumbers

Six ears of corn

One the menu this week are green curry with seasonal veggies, roasted eggplant 'lasagna' (no noodles, thin eggplant), homefries, ratatouille, some kind of roast with potatoes and onions and Greek tomato/cucumber salad, for starters. Nothing recipe-worthy, but I'm fine-tuning and note-taking all the while in the kitchen.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

This recipe was adapted from smittenkitchen.com, one of my favorite food/recipe sites. I reduced the sugar just a bit and swapped in some oats for some of the flour. If you have a food processor, that makes preparation super easy. If not, mixing with your hands/fingers will work just as well.

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks, cold, cut into squares)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×9 inch pan.

In a food processor, pulse together 1 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 1 cup of rolled oats, baking powder, salt and lemon zest just enough to mix. Then pulse in butter and egg until incorporated and the dough becomes crumbly. You may have to give it a stir every once in a while to get all ingredients properly mixed in. (This can all be done by hand too, or with a pastry blender.)

CSA 2010 Week 9

One bunch of beets
Three tomatoes
Three onions
Two eggplant (one purple, one white)
One green pepper
One zucchini
One summer squash
Two cucumbers
One head of garlic
One and a half pounds of new potatoes
Dozen ears of corn
One pint of fresh blueberries

CSA 2010 Week 8

This week, my arms actually strained with the weight of all the produce as I walked to the Jeep. Check out this bounty.

One head of lettuce
One bunch of beets
One kohlrabi
Two cucumbers
Two tomatoes
One eggplant
Four carrots
One green pepper
Two sweet onions
One and a half pounds of wax/green beans
One head of garlic
One pound of new potatoes
Dozen ears of corn
One quart of delicious, pick-your-own blueberries

CSA 2010 Week 7

One head of lettuce
One bunch of Swiss chard
One head of bok choy
Two cucumbers
One large zucchini
One summer squash
One tomato
One head of garlic
One pound of green/wax bean mix
Four carrots
Half a dozen ears of corn
One quart of pick-your-own blueberries (some big as crab apples)

CSA 2010 Week 6

One bok choy
One head of radicchio
One bunch of carrots
One pound of green bean/wax bean mix
Two cucumbers
One zucchini
One summer squash
One quart of mouth-watering, pick-your-own blueberries
One beautiful tomato

CSA 2010 Week 5

One head green leaf lettuce
One head of red leaf lettuce
One bunch of beets
One pint of sugar snap peas
One zucchini
Two summer squash
One bunch of scallions
One bunch of komatsuna
One bunch of yukina savoy
One beautiful tomato

Quiche with Swiss Chard, Bacon and Caramelized Onions

This dish features Swiss Chard from our CSA farm share. I served it with a side salad.

One bunch of Swiss Chard, leaves and top half of stems chopped
One large sweet onion, thinly sliced
Small amount of olive oil for cooking vegetables
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup of whole milk
Three eggs
1/2 cup grated cheddar or Swiss
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Six strips of bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
One prepared (uncooked) pie crust (lately I'm lazy and use Pillsbury)

First, you must prepare your vegetables. Cook the onions and chard stems in a saute pan over medium low heat with just enough olive oil to coat the pan for at least 30 minutes or until browned and soft. For the best caramel color, don't stir the onions/stems much while cooking. Let the heat do the work. Then, add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Stir frequently while cooking for about 2 minutes, or until leaves are thoroughly wilted. Put pan and vegetables aside.

CSA 2010 Week 4

Two heads of green leaf lettuce
One head of radicchio
One bunch of beets
One pint of sugar snap peas
One bunch of scallions
One bunch of swiss chard
Two beautifully ripe tomatoes

CSA 2010 Week 3

One bunch of Swiss chard
One pint of sugar snap peas
Two lovely tomatoes
One bunch of garlic scapes
One bunch of beets
One bok choy
Two heads of lettuce

CSA 2010 Week 2

For the second week of our CSA share, we got a nice variety for so early in the season, including:

1 head of Boston lettuce
1 bunch of small beets with greens
1 bunch of turnips
1 bunch of scallions
1 bunch of garlic scapes
2 tomatoes
1 quart of beautiful strawberries

I think the tomatoes are destined for pico de gallo, and we'll enjoy the strawberries with just a little whipped cream. As for the rest, I'll have to think on that. Will post anything exciting I come up with, but all will surely be eaten even in non-exciting form.

Asian Veggie Stir Fry with Udon Noodles

Asian Veggie Stir Fry with Udon Noodles

After receiving some yukina savoy cabbage and scallions in our CSA share, a Web search of the savoy cabbage inspired me to do a stir fry.

I used the following veggies that I had on hand. Use as much or as little as you like. The key is to cut them all about the same size so they cook evenly:

Summer Squash
Zuchini
Red Bell Pepper
Celery
Carrots
Scallions
Yukina Savoy Cabbage

I served my stir fry over Udon noodles, which I boiled in advance according to package instructions and chilled with a cool water rinse to cease cooking.

Honey Mustard Dressing

This is the simplest honey mustard dressing recipe you will ever find and it's perfect just the way it is.

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
salt & pepper to taste

Whip it all up and store covered in the refrigerator. Shake lightly before each use.

CSA 2010 Week 1

This year, we purchased a full farm share from Heron Pond Farm in South Hampton, NH as part of their Community Supported Agriculture program because the half share last summer just wasn't enough. They offer a great variety and a very fair return on investment--which was $500 for a full share (paid back in February to help kick start the farming season).

Each week, I will post a picture of our share to build awareness of this great opportunity to get local produce at its peak of freshness. I will also try to post pictures of anything I prepare featuring weekly ingredients.

Two heads of red leaf lettuce
One half pound of yukina savoy greens
One bunch of scallions
One tomato
One pint of perfect strawberries

This week, among other things, we had sliced strawberries with whipped cream and this salad:

Salad with farm-fresh red leaf lettuce, scallions and tomato. Also has leftover pulled chicken, crisp bacon, granny smith apple, celery, green pepper, cucumbers and grated carrot. Topped it off with homemade honey mustard dressing.

And, we had a nice Asian veggie stir fry a couple times, using the yukina savoy greens (recipe follows in later post):

More to come. I promise

With my husband away, I haven't been cooking anything too exciting lately because cooking for one just isn't the same. However, when he's home at the end of the month, I will surely be back in the kitchen and whipping up some delicious recipes for my honey, who I hear has been nourishing himself with BBQ take out and Subway. So, he'll be very ready for some CanCan concoctions. Until then, eat fresh and local whenever you can.

Turkey Veggie Chili

Still in San Diego, and wanting a little something spicy, but healthy, I opted for an easy chili.

As I've mentioned, I'm without many conveniences of home, such as my spice rack, so I relied upon an old favorite, McCormick's Original Chili seasoning. I've also been using ground turkey instead of beef or pork for health reasons, and this time I wanted to amp up the vegetable content for a more nutritious all-around meal, so I included a rainbow assortment for the most impact.

The Value of a Chicken

I'm sure I'm not the first person to discover the value of a whole chicken, but today its worth struck me as blogworthy. Plus, I haven't been cooking anything fabulous lately, so I'm overdue for a post.

As I've mentioned, I'm in a temporary home in San Diego for 8 weeks while my husband is out here for work. It's been nice, but I miss my kitchen and my things. Here, I have very few pans to work with, and all are very poorly made, which makes most cooking techniques a risk, at the very least. Aside from that, I don't have many of my go-to tools, such as a good roasting pan, so we've been relying more heavily on store-bought prepared foods, such as a rotisserie chicken we got at Von's Supermarket the other night--for probably the 12th time since I arrived here 6 weeks ago. Their chickens are great! Probably the best supermarket-cooked chicken I've ever had. And, at $5.95 for a cold, day-old version, the chickens are a real steal!

With that $6 bird, I will do various, all be, simple meal preparations for the next few days when I'm in a pinch for a quick fix. This afternoon, I had a cold chicken leg with the thigh (skin removed) and a side of cole slaw. Tonight, we had Caesar salad with chicken breast meat and a freshly baked baguette that I rubbed with minced garlic before tossing it in the oven; we shared a single breast. Tomorrow, I may use the other breast for a sandwich or stir fry, and the next day I'll pull off what's left and reserve it so that I can simmer the carcass for a nice chicken stock. I'll use the stock to make soup (maybe with some leftover pulled chicken), or I'll use it to make rice, gravy, or anything else I can think of within the week that follows.

The best part--or most valuable--is the fact that when we return to the east coast, we will be again treated to fresh whole chickens, free from my in-laws' farm. I think those chickens are appropriately called "priceless." Oh, and they give us eggs too! We're pretty lucky--but everyone can appreciate the value of a chicken anytime they can find multiple purposes for it at home.

Sidenote: As soon as I start cooking something noteworthy, I'm going to include photography. At least I'm going to try to include photography. We'll see how it goes.

Braised Shallots and Crimini Mushrooms

While we're out here in San Diego during the winter, we have the added pleasures of visiting many farmers markets. I think there are around 15 weekly markets in the San Diego area. So far, we've been to four: Mission Valley, Point Loma, Ocean Beach and of course, my favorite, the Little Italy Mercato.

Each had vendors offering beautiful local produce (some certified organic, some spray free, etc.), flowers, prepared breads, entrees and treats (oh, the desserts are drool-worthy), as well as products of local artisans. For me, all markets are a feast for my eyes. I instantly start imaging what I could do with this and that--then I remember I am in my temporary winter home, with little more than a frying pan, small glass casserole dish and soup pot to work with. Ugh. All this produce and so few ways I can prepare it in this limited kitchen.

During my most recent market trip, to Ocean Beach (on Wednesdays, 4-7 p.m.), I spotted these big beautiful shallots and recalled a recipe I read about carmalized whole shallots, something I had never considered before that sounded quite delicious. I also saw some nice crimini mushrooms and thought the two would make a nice side dish to the stuffed chicken I had planned for the following night. Since I rarely follow a recipe word for word, I did my own spin on it, as follows:

Braised Shallots and Crimini Mushrooms

12 whole shallots, peeled with roots left intact
12 whole crimini mushrooms, wiped clean with dry cloth (do not wash mushrooms)
5 tablespoons of butter (I used salted)
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 cups of white wine (I used pinot grigio)
1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves (or a fresh sprig or two would be nice)
Salt and Pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In medium sauce pan over medium low heat, melt butter. Once melted, add thyme, sugar and whole shallots. Stir gently to coat and let cook about 8-10 minutes, stirring just occassionally. Transfer to casserole dish, top with mushrooms, wine, salt and pepper. Pop into oven, uncovered, and cook for about 30-40 minutes. You can cook it for longer, but the shallots will break down much more.

Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon to leave most of the (fattening) juices behind, then just drizzle a bit of this flavorful goodness over whatever else you are serving, such as stuffed chicken breast and roasted red potatoes, as I did. I also reserved the leftover sauce in a container in the fridge to possible use later in the week as a sauce compliment, or to drizzle over bread when making crostini.

Leftover shallots and mushrooms would be terrific over mashed potatoes (made with that leftover buttery wine & thyme sauce) or make great pizza toppings!

The recipe that inspired this used a bit of red wine vinegar instead of so much white wine, for a tangier taste and more caramelization versus braising. That might be worth a try another time.

Sidenote: Peeling shallots is a pain in the ass, I know. If you peel off more than just the skin layer, I suggest saving the remnants (skin and all) in a bowl in the fridge to use when making your next pot of stock. I try to save all my vegetable ends and skins for this purpose. I think it adds a tremendous amount of flavor, and I'm sure a variety of good nutrients seep into the stock during a slow simmer. If anything looks too rotten in your stock bowl when it comes time to add to the pot, just discard. At least you tried to use it all up. In my case, I try to make a stock (usually with chicken bones) about once a week to use for on-the-fly soups and anything else that needs a boost of flavor.

Grilled Veggie Tacos with Black Bean Salsa

Grilled Veggie Tacos with Black Bean & Corn Salsa

A recent meal at Islands restaurant on Claremont Mesa in San Diego inspired this new recipe. I think it will work great with whatever vegetables are seasonal at the time you decide to make it.

I used zucchini, summer squash, red bell pepper and yellow bell peppers as the base in this batch. All vegetables were cut into fairly chunky pieces for grilling and rubbed with olive oil and a little taco seasoning.Veggies were lightly grilled, maintaining firm texture, but gaining nice hot grill marks. Once done grilling, slice out nice taco-sized strips from each piece.

The salsa is pretty easy to make. Just mix:

1 can of black beans (canned, well rinsed and drained)
1 cup of frozen corn (thawed) or a couple fresh, grilled ears of corn
juice of one lime
2 ripe tomatoes (finely chopped)
half a red onion (finely chopped)
1 large fistful of fresh cilantro (finely chopped, with most stems removed)
1 fire roasted Serrano chili pepper (finely chopped, stems and ribs removed), or substitute a jalapeno pepper
Salt & pepper to taste...it will need a fair amount of salt, but go a little at a time and test. 

World's Healthiest Foods

Lately I've been very interested to know what nutrients I'm getting from the foods I eat. Actually, I can thank Dr. Oz for this and my desire for a healthier lifestyle overall. But anyway, my Web searches eventually led me to this wonderful resource: the World's Healthiest Foods (http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php).

It lists what The George Mateljan Foundation believe to be the best 130 foods for good health, based on numerous scientific studies which are identified throughout its many informative pages. For easy searching on the list, food items are grouped according to type, such as vegetables, seafood and beans. Then, each item has a link to another page with a slew of information about health benefits, nutritional profile, history of its origin, how to select and store and much more. If you are interested in the potential power of food to prevent disease, this is the resource for you!

Check it out sometime to discover more about your favorite foods and others you don't know much about!

Veggie Pizza--Soggy again

A pizza craving was upon us (again) today, so we got takeout from Fillipi's Pizza Grotto on Kearny Villa Road in San Diego. We had heard good things from some of the locals, so our hopes were high.

Well, I'm sure the pizza would be great if it wasn't all soggy from the water content of the veggies that seeps out during bake time. This is an ongoing problem with a lot of pizza joints, in my experience. My suggestion is to roast the vegetables separately first, therefore extracting some of the natural liquids while adding some additional flavor. Who doesn't love a roasted pepper or onion?  And the simple extra step will greatly improve the texture of the whole pie.

City Deli--San Diego

I'm going to try to include more restaurant reviews in my blog, starting here.

Today, we visited the City Deli on University Ave in San Diego, after I researched local deli options. I had a hankering for a sandwich on rye with a good sour pickle. Sure enough, the restaurant kept a bucket of whole sour pickles on every table to help yourself. My 2 year old and I enjoyed one right away. We were sat in a cute half-circle booth and promptly had glasses of water and coloring materials for my son.

I ordered a patty melt on rye with Swiss cheese and a side of cole slaw. My husband got the grilled Reuben with slaw and fries. We both had giant unsweetened iced teas. We ordered mac and cheese for my son, with a side of sliced tomato. To kill time while waiting the 10 minutes for our food, we strolled by the pastry counter to consider dessert. There were many choices, from cakes and pies to creme brulee and cannolis. My husband later chose the lemon/coconut cake, which he said was a huge slab of sugary goodness, and my son got a frosted cookie. We all enjoyed what we had for lunch, and my deli craving was satisfied.

The City Diner is a nice little city joint, with friendly and attentive service. The food seemed a little over priced, but the quality was decent enough. I imagine making many items in house carries its extra cost so I didn't mind paying the extra bucks. I'm not sure I would rush back for more, but I'm glad I experienced the City Diner firsthand.

Pineapple Salsa

This is a great side dish with fish or chicken, and it's super simple to make. The ingredients are 1 diced sweet red pepper, 1 diced jalapeno pepper (seeds and ribbing removed), 1 small bunch of cilantro (chopped well) and 1 can of pineapple chunks, with each chunk sliced into about 4 pieces. Combine all ingredients, including pineapple juice, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving to allow time for all flavors to combine. For a little more kick and color, add a small amount of red onion, finely chopped.

How to select an avocado

I'm often disgusted by the selection of avocados at the supermarket. They are usually over priced and over ripe, and people squeeze them constantly to determine ripeness, leaving them bruised and brown inside.

If you want to pick a perfectly ripe avocado, don't squeeze it. Look for the little stem stub on one end. If it's still in place, flick it off and look at the color of the hole underneath. If it's still a little green, the avocado is green on the inside and ripe. If the hole is brown and all dried out, so is the avocado.

San Diego-Little Italy Mercato

If you are ever in San Diego on a Saturday, don't miss the Mercato, a gathering of 90 street vendors selling a huge variety of items produced locally, including fruits & veggies, dates, goat cheese, chocolate, nuts, sea salt, fish, bread, dips, jellies, pottery, jewelry, teas, spices, flowers and much more. Most vendors offer samples of their goods, so it can be like a giant buffet. There are also prepared food vendors selling regional cuisines. My favorites are fish tacos with grilled mahi mahi, grilled sardines on a stick, freshly pressed panini sandwiches and wide selection of European sweets.

If you go to the mercato, try to bring small denominations of cash to ease sales transactions and having your own re-usable shopping bag is a big plus. Plan to spend at least an hour meandering among the booths.