Christmas, A Car Crash and a Guardian Angel

Last year a guardian angel was looking out when I was in a serious car accident on Christmas Day.

This year I made a representation of that angel and gave it to my Mother as we celebrated Christmas this year.

Shine on.

 

Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market: Celebrities and Celery

Movie stars! Fresh fruits and veggies! And more!

You’ll find it all at the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market. If you don’t count my purely accidental farmer’s market forays in Europe, where they are a way of life, the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market was my first. I started going when it was located on Canon.

Stars!

Okay, you want to know about the movie stars. Between sampling the fruits and veggies, you are likely to find a star of a movie of the week here and a singer from a hair band from the 80s there. You’ll find celebrities mingling with the celery virtually every week.

It’s all low key. Potatoes, not paparazzi. You just may not recognize them in their Sunday morning sweats and sunglasses.Was that John Lithgow with the heirloom tomatoes? As a matter fact, yes it was.

Fresh Fruits & Veggies

But I don’t go to the market to ogle the celebrities. What do I look like? Perez Hilton?

I go in search of fresh produce bargains. And you’ll find plenty. I’ve taken home cabbage, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes and onions all for 50 to 90 percent less than if I’d bought the goods at the supermarket. Having said that, overall the prices are even better at the farmers’ market at Vermont and Wilshire.

And More!

The Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market was not only my first farmer’s market, it was also the place where I first tasted goat cheddar cheese.

I didn’t know such a thing existed. It’s also where I first spotted a lemon with dreadlocks.

The market also sells prepared food, flora and fauna.

 

Put A Star Under Your Tree

Dr. Wayne Dyer loved my book.

Give yourself star quality for Christmas.

Get your autographed copy of Starring in Your Own Life my motivational book, published by Simon and Schuster and bring more bling to your life.

Take advantage of the Christmas special and get two $12 books for $20–and get sparkling stocking stuffers.

Order today and you’ll get the books before Christmas.

 

How Top Chefs Stay Svelte

Surrounded by mounds of deliciousness. You don’t have to yield to temptation.

Do what top chefs do.

If they can do it, so can you.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-15/how-top-chefs-stay-thin/full/

 

Meh Meal: Studio City

Two Christians and a Jew walk into a deli. This is not a joke. It’s partly how I spent my weekend.

It was a delight to be invited out to a deli to celebrate Hanukkah this past weekend. The get together was the idea of a Christian who was raised to be very open to other faiths.

A couple of years ago I was invited to a Seder in Santa Monica. That’s a feast that celebrates the beginning of Passover.

Well, I wish I’d passed over Art’s Deli.

Ambiance and Menu

While there were menorah decorations, there was nothing festive about my dinner. At best the food was meh. The service was worse.

I ordered the fish and chips. The good news was that the portions were large. The bad news was that the portions were large. The batter was heavy. So was the fish. I could have done better at Long John Silver’s for a third of the price.

It’s the norm to eat the chips or french fries, with malted vinegar. The waitress did not bring either ketchup or vinegar and seemed resentful the fact that I asked for vinegar.

Ditto when I asked for my empty water glass to be refilled.

The coup de grace was when we were told repeatedly to hurry it along because the restaurant was closing.

Perhaps that was behind the surly behavior of the waitress. If they want to roll like that, at least warn us upon entry.

I have no plans to return.

The other good news is that the company was tasty.

Rating

Out of five tines, I’ll give Art’s one and that’s only because my dining companions seemed to like the sandwiches they ordered.

 

Happy Meal: Burbank

What can you say about a place that features potato balls, mango mousse and guava pastries but que bueno!

Most bakeries have a French twist. Porto’s has a distinct and wonderful Cubano flava.

The menu reflects the origins of Porto’s which can be traced back to a lady named Rosa. She started baking cakes in Cuba after she lost her job and needed to make ends meet.

Cut to six years later when her family arrived in Los Estados Unidos. With the help of her family Rosa eventually moved the bakery from her home kitchen to bakeries in Glendale and Burbank.

Ambiance:
The is a very casual lugar, a place to eat, not to profile. No one will care if you are wearing Jimmy Choos or workman boots.
The service is efficient and pleasant.

We placed special orders—no pork, egg whites only challah bread instead of a croissant—and the changes were made with a smile.

You do have to stand in a winding line in order to place your order. But that’s fine with me. It gave me time to figure out what I wanted.

Amuse Bouche: You can find all the things you would find at your basic bakery, baguettes, croissants and gateau, but why not try something new?

My dining companion ordered a mango-strawberry drink. I had a sip. Yum.

The guava pastries are delicious. Ditto the stuffed potato balls. I even tried a plantain and bean quelque chose. The beans actually make the sweet treat creamy.

It just makes me want to go otra vez.

 

Rodarte Comes to Target

First I swooned over Rodarte’s designs inn the fancy fashion magazines. There were the Degas dresses, the spider web stockings and the punk knitting.

Then there was the opportunity to actually touch the objects of my desire at Neiman Marcus and Nordtrom—but the prices kept us from having any long-term relationship,

Now those sisters from Pasadena are about to debut their collection at lower price points

There are 18 days before Christmas and are a mere 12 days before Rodarte comes to Target.

It’s a particular delight of mine to get high quality goods at good prices. A few examples: a pink Ungaro dress from a NM outlet and a Yohji Yamamoto from a resale shop that I’ve worn to shreds. It used to hand in Cher’s closet.

The Rodarte collection at Rodarte looks delightful.

If you’re stumped on what to get me for Christmas, the stockings will do ; ).

 

The End of Bring The Bling To Your Plate Month

All that bling. All that food. It had to come to an end at some point. And so it’s about time I say adieu to November is Bring The Bling to Your Plate Month.

This month I had the opportunity to share my Ma’s recipe, introduce you to some mystery foods, take you along with me to some great restaurants and even go pie making.

In the process I lost a half an inch around my waist, My goal is to lose another inch and a half by year’s end so that means I need to get busy so I can cinch it in at 25″.

It’s all been so much fun that I’m going to make December Bring the Bling to Your Holidays. Month–and what’s a good holiday without good food.

What’s on your plate?

 

How AIDS Has Touched Me on World AIDS Day

My former colleague, Burke Stone was one of my favorite people when I lived in DC. There was no one more enthusiastic when it came to finding a story. There was no one more sincere.

He liked me in spite of the fact that I was less than flattering when he started speaking about Tony Bennett one day. In my mind TB was old school. That’s in spite of the fact that I kept running into him along my travels—at the West Palm Beach airport, a few seats away from my breakfast dining table in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

I later found out that Burke was speaking about Tony as a prelude to inviting me to go to a concert with him. My pointed remarks kept him from doing so. When I found out, I ended up inviting Burke to a benefit featuring none other than the man who left his heart in San Francisco. We had a blast.

It was only a few months later I was visiting him in his hospital room, He did not recognize me. The AIDS virus had decimated his brillance. He died a few days later with his loving Mother by his side.

I would see how AIDS destroys, again, when I went to Zimbabwe. Soon after arrival I heard the term, “child-headed” household for the very first time.

Lineah Mazambuka is one of those children. I followed her to her tiny village and watched as she joyfully brought food, to a family of siblings and a grandmother, that totally depended on her. Lineah’s own parents had been killed off by AIDS. I checked, the cupboards were completely bare prior to our arrival. I was so pleased that I could help provide them with more food.

As I write about controlling myself so I don’t eat too much food, I want to remember that there are millions of people around the world that are not eating because they can’t. Food shortages have an especially detrimental impact on AIDS.

How has AIDS touched you?

 

The Answer to The Mystery Food Question Plus a Veggie Burger Recipe

The answer to the latest Mystery Food Question is—-taro root.

It’s a tuber used to make foods around the world, including poi in Hawaii and callaloo in the West Indies.

Gordon Biersch, Roppongi and the Burger Lounge in Coronado are among the San Diego restaurants that include taro in their recipe

One of my next food adventures will be to make taro burgers.