Whispers from a Fish

"I don't like Asian food." 

Okay, I'm sorry. I was overgeneralizing when I said I didn't like Asian food. By that standard, I don't like any type of food. I'm going to be picky--or as someone once kindly said, selective--wherever I go. But that doesn't mean I need to generalize against entire continents of food. Noodles and veggies, I can eat that. It's the seasoning and sauces that tend to be too much for me. But I can handle a bit--and there is such thing as growing accustomed to certain types of food, as well. 

Well, when they sucked me into a Thai restaurant, I played it safe and got a Chinese dish. (And found it funny that I was the only one who said I like Indian food when everyone else thought that Indian food was too much. Strange.) I somehow survived going for sushi by getting a veggie roll and potstickers. And then a Korean place (the H Mart food court) was next. What do you do when in the face of a million dishes you've never even heard of, most of which contain ingredients you don't even like to eat? 

Ah, well, I have a hard time choosing, anyway. So this just narrowed it down to me. Which dishes are made with chicken? Very narrow selection. Which doesn't sound too scary but also sounds like something that is specifically Korean, that I would only be able to get here? So I made a choice--and it was fine. I don't know that I'll crave it, but I could eat it again. So why my fear, why my overgeneralization about not liking Asian food? I coaxed myself in and realized I can find something to eat in most places where I go. I dived into the ocean and came back up to the surface. 

I dived in just like this little fish friend here. I'll have to hand it to Koreans, their golden fish breads are unmistakably cute. Though turkeys are my animal of choice, I do get excited over fish-shaped things, too. And I much prefer the Korean fish dessert to their savory fish cake (which, okay, I tried, but I failed to see why I would want to sprinkle potent fish onto my food--don't we in the Western world usually cook fish in ways to make it less fishy, rather than trying to make non-fish foods taste like fish?) The bread was nice and warm, filled with your choice of filling. I went boring with custard because that sounded like a safe option. I don't think I care for red bean (I'm from the Southwest, not the South--beans shouldn't be sweet). So the fish bread was a nice, pleasant dessert.

And then there was the rose lychee milk tea. It also comes in just rose, rather than rose with lychee. I was overjoyed that the rose flavor was nice and strong. I do love rose, as I've said before. I would go back just to get this drink. I suppose I did also try a bit of a beautiful matcha and taro ice cream. Maybe I wouldn't mind getting more matcha ice cream. I don't crave ice cream often, but I might be more inclined to crave matcha ice cream. 

So maybe the dessert is where it's at for me. I guess that's what comes from poking around and trying something new. Don't be so quick to generalize (I'm sorry, I'm sorry, black and white thinking just comes so easily to me sometimes) because you never know what you might find. At the very least, maybe you'll find some fish bread. 

Diet Is a Noun

When I was in first grade, we had to do a report on an animal of our choosing. My favorite animal at the time was a horse, so my mom helped me make a barn and I hot glued one of my toy horses into the setup (hot glue being perfect because after the report is done, it just peels right off without damaging the toy). We also had to write out certain facts on our chosen animal: habitat and diet, things like that. Diet, yes, that means what they eat.

I think perhaps our everyday vocabulary too often forgets that diet isn't just a verb; it's a noun, and not just a noun referring to the verb. Everyone who eats has a diet, but that doesn't mean that you're "dieting." So being aware of your diet as "how you eat" is something that we can all do.

This is why I've been focusing not so much on things to not eat as on things to eat. Instead of focusing on not eating, for instance, potatoes, which I used to always buy, I've been enjoying berries. Who even knew I enjoyed berries? I always said, I don't like berries, do you want the berries off of my dessert? But the berries I've been buying are pretty nice.

I guess it was like that with a lot of things, though. I only recently starting eating artichokes; now I'm rather in love with them. It took a while to warm up to asparagus, that elegant vegetable. Growing up, I used to always eat each bite of salmon with some salad greens because I didn't really like the salmon otherwise; now I forget the history behind that and think that it's just flavor pairing. Some things you just have to get used to.

Not that you need to get used to everything. Tomatoes I cannot eat because I simply don't like them--and fittingly enough, I now find that tomatoes, even in things like sauces, probably aren't a suggested food for me personally. Dandelion greens would be very healthy, but even my bearded dragon doesn't eat those; I thought arugula was strong until the day I tried dandelion greens.

I simply mean to say, enjoy eating good things. Food makes such a difference, as does out attitude towards it. Find what foods are healthy towards you personally and eat them. There are so many foods in the world (especially if you're living in a country where you can walk into a store and pretty much buy whatever food you can think of), so don't focus on the ones you're not eating; focus on the ones that you are enjoying. When I did that report in first grade, I didn't list all the foods that horses don't eat; I just wrote down what they do eat.

Disneyland Adventures: Part 2

I had been hearing such tell of so many Disneyland foods that I had never tried. So for this trip, I had a mental list of many, many foods I wanted to get to--if I could fit them all in during just a short day and a half visit.

To maximize time, as well, I decided to go for the bringing-things-to-snack-while-you-walk-in method for breakfast, which would probably also allow for two lunches instead of just one. This method also meant that, only by the time we were making out way from Hyperspace Mountain and Star Tours over to the west side of the park, I was getting hungry again. And there was no line for Dole Whips, so I thought, hey, why not just get one now.

I'd never had a Dole Whip before. I was too excited to even get a picture of the pretty yellow swirl; I just started eating it instantly. And it is kind of fascinating, almost more like a popsicle than an ice cream. Nice and light, a little tangy. I did kind of eat it quickly quickly (which is unlike me) because I was expecting there to be a little bit of a line for Splash Mountain by this point in the morning but there was barely an inch of a line (maybe it had opened late that morning).

Since I don't have a picture of the Dole Whip, here is a picture of the Jungle Julep.

The Jungle Julep is not as exciting as the Mint Julep that you can get in New Orleans Square. That mint and lime drink is lovely; this one was okay. It was more of a slushy drink, with a fruit candy type of flavor. Pretty, though. I had the Jungle Julep because first lunch of the day (around 11:30 maybe?) was at Bengal Barbecue, another place I had never tried. The chicken skewer was good; I would get that again. But the vegetable one was disappointing, especially after I had heard that oh, they're so wonderful, the only way to get people to eat vegetables who don't usually like vegetables. The squash were fine, the onions I would have preferred cooked a little more (I stopped eating them before the end), I don't like peppers (so I didn't eat much of those, either), and the potatoes mainly tasted like cheap potatoes to me (which probably just means that they weren't organic--because yes, I can often tell--with bananas, too--I'm not trying to be snobby, there's just a taste difference).

And a Disneyland corndog? I had never had one of those. So second lunch was one from DCA. Which is funny because, well, yes, it was good, but there is also a limit to how good a corndog can be. Anyways, if the hot dog itself were better quality, then the whole thing would have been better, too. But yes, sure, it was good as corndogs go.

Dinner, by the way, was a Mint Julep and a Monte Cristo and a beignet at New Orleans Cafe. Classic.

Day two started with a ride on Autopia and then the opening of Toontown for the day (more on that later). And then breakfast from Jolly Holiday Bakery enjoyed at one of the tables there in Toontown, which was really perfect. It was that moment where I was so hungry that a croissant with egg and bacon (I always end up taking bacon out and yet I didn't this time; that's telling) and some fruit on the side was just the best thing ever. And watching Toontown in the morning before it's full of people? Somewhere on the line between peaceful and whimsical, a special tone.

Lunch that day was at Rancho del Zocalo, where, you know, I got the tostada salad for the shorter line and because tostada salads basically have all the ingredients that other dishes have, anyway. Nothing remarkable but it was good; I'd go there again if I didn't have anything else I particularly wanted to try.

And then the last thing. The last thing I ate at the parks was from Red Rose Tavern, where I went just to get the Grey Stuff and Gaston's Brew.

The dessert is white chocolate mousse served up on a thin sugar cookie. Hiding inside of that big swirl is cake, red velvet, I suppose. Not the absolute most amazing dessert I've ever had; mainly I had to get it because I had to have it while I had the opportunity. But it was nice and I enjoyed it. If I hadn't just had lunch, I would have been able to finish it myself; otherwise, I recommend sharing. And the brew? It's a fruity drink that's maybe not as good as the Mint Julep but is a better option for a drink than, well, standard soda and lemonade and iced tea options. The main thing about it is the way it looks: just like a foamy beer. (The foam had fallen a bit by the time I took the picture; it looked even better freshly made.)

Want to put a cap on the experience? Don't drink it at Red Rose. Walk with it to your next destination and see what kind of reactions you get from the people around you. That'll be its own entertainment.

There are times when you visit Disneyland and you just seek out the least expensive, quickest, most fueling food. It was really nice to get to try out all of these different things that I wanted, without limits. Another dash of sugar on the experience that made this trip so much fun.

Food Guidelines: What I Eat

This two-part post is different from even my usual randomness. So feel free to ignore it if you think it's odd. And yes, we all know that I'm not a nutritionist.

As a continuation from Monday's post, today I'll give you some examples of the types of everyday foods that I eat. First, a note on eating out.

Restaurants - I don't eat our on a daily basis (so when I do I'm not as concerned about what I get), but I realize that it isn't so simple for many people to limit eating out. You might go out to eat for work or with friends, or maybe you really are too busy to prepare all of your own food. So the simple guideline is to try and eat out in places that stick to the guidelines you would want to keep to at home. Things that are freshly made will have less undesirable ingredients. While salads are recommended as healthy choices, I don't necessarily recommend them. Sometimes they're terrible, sometimes they have even more food than other menu items, and sometimes they're simply not what you feel like eating and therefore you won't feel satisfied from eating them. (Not that it's bad to order a salad--I'm not trying to discourage that at all. I'm just saying that it isn't always your only option.) Instead, just try and keep a balance in what you're eating throughout the day or week and stick to the guideline of eating the amount that you need to satisfy instead of under or overeating.

Breakfast - I never skip a meal. I don't understand how most people don't eat breakfast. I also don't understand why many people would rather wait at a drive through window to get coffee and a pastry instead of spending five more minutes at home to eat a better version of the same thing at home. So here's what I do. I have a big mug of black tea in the morning. Remember, you've been asleep for hours; you need to hydrate, whatever it is you're drinking. Limit the sugar in the morning; you'll feel better for it. Everything has its place, and the place for sugar is not the morning. As long as you don't specifically have a gluten allergy, don't fear bread. Just look for a local bakery; if it's too much to buy directly from them, Whole Foods probably carries their bread, too. Limited ingredients means a better product that you don't have to feel guilty about. Butter? I use it pretty much every morning--that is, whenever I have toast, which is most mornings. Organic, unsalted, sweet cream butter is what I like to get. I also have one or two eggs most mornings. Again, don't fear eggs; they're a great food. I buy the organic, pasture-raised eggs (which, yes, might seem expensive at first, but how much does that coffee from the drive through cost again?). Sometimes I'll put the egg on the toast with some cheese. Sometimes I make a soft-boiled egg. Sometimes I sauté some potatoes or zucchini on the side. Or I add avocado to the toast and egg. Sometimes I'll mash some beans. If you have leftover rice, you can crack an egg into it while you're reheating it in a pan. And of course let's not forget about oatmeal. When I have oatmeal, I let it cook while I'm getting ready in the morning, then add a spoonful of honey to it.

Lunch - Lunch is kind of odd, I know. Usually lunch you can't eat at home, so that can make it more difficult. Leftovers can make a good lunch, but if you're like me and you don't use microwaves, then anything that needs to be reheated isn't an option when you're not at home. Some leftovers you can eat cold, over a bed of greens, but I really don't usually do that. And even if I'm home, I'm more likely to use leftovers for dinner than for lunch. Tuna is a good lunch food, either in a sandwich or over greens or with tortilla chips or crackers--but again, depending on where you eat lunch, you may or may not want to be bringing in fish. I stick to a sandwich most days. Peanut butter and jelly really is a nice combo--just use organic peanut butter with no more than two ingredients and use all-fruit jelly (sometimes they'll add a little extra fruit juice to sweeten it) or at least one with reduced sugar. I usually, illogically, scoff at "reduced sugar" labels because I don't think that sugar itself is the problem, but I do think that nearly all jellies contain way too much more sugar than they need. I want to eat my sugar in chocolate and cookies, not in jelly. Jelly seems like one of those products, like bread and honey, that you can easily buy local--but I'm just not happy with the amount of sugar in the jelly that's made around here. Anyway. Sandwiches. Remember that instead of buying cold cuts, you can also just cook a little extra meat for the week. Slice that up and use it in sandwiches. I also make pasta salad sometimes for lunch; it's also easy thing to take with you. All I add usually is salad dressing. Not a very balanced meal in itself, but remember that each meal doesn't necessarily have to be balanced as long as the total of what you eat in a day is. Fruits make good accompaniments for lunch, or even just a little bit of greens.

Dinner - When I'm by myself, I don't eat meat every day. I would never become a vegetarian (obviously never vegan, either), but I also think of meat as more of an accessory than a main dish. Sometimes it's the main part of a meal, but it's a small percentage of what I eat overall. Usually it's salmon (which is easy to cook and just needs a touch of seasoning) or chicken (which I season more). Instead of eating meat all the time, I make a pot of beans nearly every week. Pinto are nice, but I also like to get other kinds. It can be months before I buy the same kind again: there are just so many varieties and they all taste different. I make rice often. I've been most fond of brown rice lately, though I didn't much favor it in the past; now I find it rich and meaty. With white rice, usually I've been adding tomato sauce to make it into orange rice. Steaming vegetables (make sure not to leave them in too long) is great; you just add some salt to them and there you have a simple start. You can just put steamed vegetables over rice for an easy dinner. I also make potatoes pretty often. Sometimes I'll boil several of them to keep in the refrigerator for when I want them, whether for breakfast or dinner. I make what I call mock fries sometimes by slicing up these potatoes, then cutting them into thin pieces, and sautéing them in a pan with plenty of salt and a touch of pepper. Sliced potatoes can also cook in the oven with olive oil and rosemary. Mashed potatoes are good with butter and sometimes cheese. Tortillas make a nice accompaniment to most foods. And remember that a salad can be as simple as greens with cucumber slices set on the side of whatever else you're eating. Oh, yes, and pasta is a good, quick dinner when you haven't planned out anything else. Pasta sauce is one of the "processed" foods that I do buy, though I do keep an eye on the ingredients list.

Extras/Desserts - Nuts and dried fruit make for good snacking items that are easy to carry around with you. But I do also favor tortilla chips, sometimes with salsa, for when I'm at home. I frequently eat tortilla chips late at night. I always forget to make popcorn (yes, I'm one of the people who still pops popcorn in a pot on the stove--why would you want to make it any other way when half of the fun is getting to watch it pop?), which I season just with salt, but I always think I should make it more often when I do. Fruit is a good in-between food. And as I keep mentioning, if I'm craving something sweet, I'll either have it right away or plan when I'm going to have it. If I want brownies, I'll make brownies (I recommend Martha Steward's Double Chocolate Brownies recipes). Or cookies, or some cake, or just chocolate. I used to not like pancakes until I realized that they taste kind of nice when they don't come from a mix; very occasionally, I'll have them for lunch or dinner (remember, I don't eat sweet things in the mornings)--I use maple syrup, not the faux syrups that dominate the shelves. (Actually, I do make scones for breakfast sometimes--and I top them with honey or jelly, so that would be the exception to my morning rule.) My point is: if I make these things myself, then I know what's in them. And since I have to go through the extra trouble of making them, I'm less likely to make them every day and more likely to spread them out over multiple days (as long as each item can last before it goes bad, which is less time for scones and more time for cookies).

Obviously I'm not listing menu items, nor am I listing every single food that I eat. I'm only trying to give an idea of my attitude toward food. On a daily basis, I don't go all out. I don't make dishes or follow recipes. I just make food, usually simple and sometimes plain. I think this is why some people get overwhelmed at the idea of cooking at home: they think they have to be making elaborate meals all the time. You don't. And you also don't have to shy away from basic ingredients (unless, of course, you have a specific allergy or extreme health concern). Use butter, use cheese, use sugar, use potatoes--just buy specific types of these and other ingredients. You know, buy a whole piece of parmesan and grate it at home so that you know you're not eating wood pulp. Buy organic potatoes so that you're not eating all the pesticides from the dirt the potatoes were sitting in. Buy the peanut butter that isn't full of oil and sugar. That sort of thing.

And don't feel like you have to follow the current "healthy food" trends. I don't understand why there is such a big section full of kale chips when they're something I can't even imagine wanting to try, much less each regularly. I'll eat salad as salad and chips as chips; don't try and combine them. Recipes with black beans in the brownies? Maybe it works out great, but what's really the point? Beans taste good on their own, and brownies can have their place as dessert. Sure, I don't drink milk, but I stopped long before it was popular to. And like I said, though I see so much vegan food nowadays, I would never go vegan. If that's a choice that you want to make, go for it. Just make sure that you're not just jumping on food bandwagons that you don't really want to stick to. See what works best for your tastes, your lifestyle and habits, and your intentions. You vote with your dollar, and we all buy food. What kind of food do you want to support?

And what kind of food do you want to nourish yourself with? If you care about the body that you're living in, then don't you want to treat it well?

Food Guidelines: How I Eat

This two-part post is different from even my usual randomness. So feel free to ignore it if you think it's odd. And yes, we all know that I'm not a nutritionist.

The current trend these days is to say that you love your body just the way it is and all of that--but the thing is, if you really do love your body, shouldn't you try to treat it well? Because we all know that this statement isn't about inherent traits or traits that you can't change (hair color, for instance, is an inherent trait that it seems like nearly every woman and many men now choose to change). Most often (though yes, not always) this phrase is used in connection to weight. And while most of us could probably be more active, mainly weight these days is connected to food.

We've all seen what the aisles in grocery stores look like, and we've all seen what some pretty typical bad food habits look like. We know it's an issue--it's just so ingrained in current culture that it can be hard to change.

So I have randomly decided to share some of my own attitudes toward food, thinking that perhaps these might be helpful to someone. My biggest advice is not to think of what you aren't eating but instead to think of what you are eating. Don't think of it as denying yourself things that you want; think of it simply as changing your habits.

Processed food - This is both the easiest and most difficult change to make. Cut down your processed food. Eat food from home as much as you can and make as much of that food as you can. You can buy frozen food, but by frozen food I mean frozen meat, vegetables (though fresh taste better), fruit (though you can easily freeze them yourself), that sort of thing, not frozen entrees and side dishes. Buy canned food; it's easy. Again, this means vegetables, beans, tuna, etc., not soup. Try to buy the bag of oatmeal instead of the individual packets--and if you must buy the packets, get the ones without added ingredients and instead add what you want in it yourself. Try to make cookies and other desserts at home more often than you buy them ready made.

"Seasoning" - Use salt and use sugar--don't be afraid of them. Just make sure that you're buying either sea salt (which is stronger in flavor) or pink Himalayan salt (which is milder) and get the organic sugar, which isn't refined as much as regular white sugar. Remember that all of the warnings about eating too much salt and sugar are intended for people who are eating lots of processed food. If you're not eating all that processed food, then you have direct control over how much salt and sugar you're adding to your food. I add salt to eggs, beans, vegetables, and meat, so I'm using it every day--but I know I'm still eating a reasonable amount of it because I can literally see how much I'm sprinkling on. And yes, while I use sugar in recipes, on a daily basis I find that I prefer the taste of honey. Honey is great for toast, oatmeal, and even hot chocolate. Again, just make sure you're not buying the cheap honey bears (this may or may not be news to you: they don't have much actual honey in them). Buy pure honey, preferably one that's somewhat local; it may seem expensive at first, but really isn't too bad when you compare it to other products (and think about how wonderful honey is).

Don't deny yourself - Don't starve your mind by going overboard with an ascetic attitude toward food. If you're craving something sweet, eat something sweet--or plan to do so and let yourself look forward to that time. I love using the single serving chocolate cake recipe I've talked about before. Sometimes I'll make half a batch of cookies; they last me for a week. (Obviously the amount of a dessert that you can make at one time varies depending on whether you live alone, with one other person, or with more people.) Chocolate can be great for cravings. Buy craft, fair trade chocolate as part of your regular shopping routine. Eat maybe a third of a 75-100 ounce bar at a time. If you don't like dark chocolate, go ahead and get the milk chocolate: if it's a good brand, then I honestly don't feel like you need to be concerned about a little sugar and milk. It's fine, and it's way better than eating an Oreo. Speaking of Oreos, consider Newman O's instead--and look for other "replacements" for regular junk food. Some you'll be able to replace completely (it's been so long since I stopped eating the Oreo brand that I now think they taste terrible, like cardboard and grease--Newman O's taste much better). Others you can't. For instance, I buy Entenmann's occasionally when I'm craving them. We all have something we like to indulge in. Just remember to think of it as an indulgence, something to look forward to and enjoy when it's time for it, not something for everyday use (kind of like a vacation).

Eat what you need - Eat when you're hungry; don't eat when you're not hungry. It's as simple as that. Do you need something in between meals? It's true: nuts and dried fruit are great snacking material. Do you get full halfway through a meal? Then stop eating and save the rest for later. (On the opposite side: don't automatically stop eating before you're finished. Keep eating until your body, not your mind, tells you you're done.) Don't look at anything as "dieting" because then you'll feel like you're forcing yourself to do things (which you might be at first if you're changing your habits a lot, but you don't want to think of it as a lack of freedom); remind yourself that you just have a new perspective. Eating is necessary, not evil.

Beverages - I can't finish this post without a nod to beverages. It's literally disturbing how much soda stores sell--and not just Wal-Mart and regular grocery stores. Whole Foods sells tons of soda, too (although at least theirs is sweetened with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup). The easy thing is to just say, don't drink soda. I haven't been drinking soda for so long that I now hate drinking anything with carbonation/bubbles (except, you know, champagne). So if you can completely quit it, do so; your body and taste buds will adjust to the change. And while other places all advise avoiding juice, I don't. Get 100% juice that's organic and not from concentrate and be aware that even juices that aren't labeled as blends might indeed be blends. The next key thing is to actually use a juice glass--you know, the small ones. Other people recommend diluting, but I prefer to have a small glass with the full flavor; do what suits you. Again, juice can be a nice snacking drink or even a dessert-type drink when you want something sweet. Other drinks? Drink your coffee in the morning if you want. Add sugar if you want. But don't add creamer (it's just artificial sugar, so you're adding sugar and sugar); use milk or cream or something else instead. I like tea; black tea in the morning with no sweetener. During the day I drink other types. Yerba mate is great, and it can also make a good morning drink. Herbal and floral teas are wonderful; try sweetening them with honey instead of sugar for better flavor. You can drink these hot or cold. Make your own lemonade (just lemons or limes and sugar--remember, you have control over how much sugar you add). Make cucumber water. Or watermelon water. If you know you like to drink other things besides water, give yourself other options than just soda.

What's a calorie? - I'm not joking when I say that I literally don't know what a calorie is. I mean, I know what the definition basically is, but that has no more bearing on my daily life than the definition or protons and neutrons. True, I'm saying this as someone who has never needed to lose or gain weight for health. I guess calories can be a basic guideline for keeping yourself on task. But I think it's better to pay attention to your body and pay attention to the various things you eat in a day. Instead of counting meaningless numbers, just remember the guideline of eating the amount that satisfies your appetite. And remember to keep the sweets down because they're for pleasure, not for a main course.

This will be a two-part post. On Wednesday, I'll go into more detail on the types of things that I usually eat. Not so that you can replicate what I do but just because it's interesting to see what works for other people and get an idea of how positive eating habits don't need to be constricting and don't need to work against your own personal preferences.

World Market Favorites

Back when I decided to stop doing monthly favorites posts, I did mention that I might still do some kind of favorites from time to time. So today I have a short list of products that are specifically from World Market. You can get some of them from other stores, yes, but I like shopping at World Market and I like stocking up on points (they do have a good rewards program, which helps further motivate me to buy as much as I can from them versus from elsewhere). And while some people might think of World Market more as a decor store, they have a decent selection of grocery products--and not just the novelty items.

Foco Coconut Water - World Market sells a box of twelve of these for about eighteen dollars. Three plain, three with lychee juice, three with pineapple juice, and three with mango puree. The only other ingredient they add (to the flavored ones only) is Vitamin C--and the juice is not from concentrate. I don't always like coconut water much, but I do like these, even the plain ones. They have a rich, sweet taste. The lychee one is probably my favorite; it tastes almost like strawberry.

Zhena's Teas - I've brought these up on here quite a bit in the past. They're organic and fair trade and loose teas, which are the three main things I ask for in a tea. And they come in these nice little glass containers that you can reuse when buying in bulk. There are quite a few flavors, from plain black and green teas to flavored teas and herbal/floral teas, but lately World Market has mainly only been carrying the flavored and herbal types. Probably these are the leftover stock that aren't selling as quickly. Still, most of them are good. They're about ten dollars each.

Vermont Maple Syrup - Though it is Grade A, this might not be the absolute best maple syrup I've ever had (though of course it all beats the faux maple syrups that dominate the market). It's still nice, though, and again, it's nice to buy a ten dollar item at World Market instead of elsewhere in order to get points.

Los Cantores Tortilla Chips - These are a new product. I saw tortilla chips and focused my attention in excitement. Then I saw that they're non-GMO and decided they were worth trying. The lime flavor called my attention, and I am very impressed. They genuinely taste like someone just squirted plain chips with lime juice, sprinkled on some salt, and handed them over for me to eat. I don't think I've ever come across such a genuine lime flavor in a packaged product. The chips are on the thicker side, but not too thick. At four dollars for a bag, they're more Whole Foods non-GMO prices than Trader Joe's organic prices, but then again Trader Joe's tortilla chips are starting to taste a little cheap to me. If the plain chips from Los Cantores also win me over, this may turn out to be my usual brand of tortilla chips (said chips are, after all, a staple in my house).

Cucina & Amore Pasta - I have had this brand of pasta before and if I'm not mistaken World Market has carried their products for a while--just not in this particular size/style. At two dollars for a bag of organic pasta, it's at an average price. And it's good pasta. So another nice staple to buy here.

Mrs. Meyer's Dish Soap - The thing about this one is that, as far as I know, World Market has just recently started carrying the lavender scent. The lavender is my preference, but I used to have to either get it elsewhere or get a different scent. Mrs. Meyer's is a great brand if you're looking for a simple, more natural dish soap (and it's certainly more gentle on hands than other brands). I also highly recommend their laundry soap, by the way.

TCHO and Alter Eco Chocolates - Let's finish on a sweet note. I've been reviewing a lot of chocolate bars from TCHO and Alter Eco lately. You can also get Alter Eco from Whole Foods, but I don't think I know if anywhere else (where I live, that is) to find TCHO. They each have a nice line of chocolate bars to please different moods and cravings, and they're both organic and fair trade. Lately I've felt like World Market's selection has been getting weaker. They sell plenty of British candy bars and plenty of Ghirardelli and Lindt and now they have their own label with a wide selection--but chocolate like what I've been getting from TCHO and Alter Eco is more what I want. So if they see that that's what we're buying, perhaps they'll continue to carry more of it.

Nonna Urban Eatery & the Art of Food

You know how locals usually don't find themselves in the tourist areas very often? That's how it is for me and Old Town Scottsdale. There are a couple of shops there that I like, but I don't have the need to visit them too often. I used to love eating at Distrito at The Saguaro Hotel--they had some of my favorite food but regrettably it was always empty there, so they closed last year (there is now a new restaurant at the hotel, but it isn't at all the same).

So when a couple of us found ourselves headed to Old Town Scottsdale looking for somewhere to have dinner, we had no idea where to go, despite knowing the names of several restaurants there. You see restaurants while driving by but you don't necessarily ever go to any of them. By chance, we ended up walking down Main St. and we saw a sign for Nonna Urban Eatery. The name sounded promising, so we went to look at their menu, which also looked promising.

This is the sign that led us toward the restaurant, but I took this picture another time (during the day).

On learning that this is a new restaurant (they hadn't yet had their official opening when we were there this past weekend), I felt similar to how I did visiting Moscato in Camp Verde back when they first opened. There's something special about being there to see the beginning of a promising restaurant.

But it's Scottsdale, you say? Surely there must be plenty of good restaurants. Yes, there are. But there are also plenty that I don't care for and many that I'll eat at but won't get excited about. I like restaurants that serve food, and sadly that can be hard to find. Sometimes these days the restaurants with more natural foods also have a "healthy style" and I don't want kale wraps or sweet potato fries.

Nonna is more hip and adult, less trendy-rustic. They have a selection of wines and such and their plates are small, giving, well, the urban feel. This is a place where you can go to spend time and a place where you will enjoy every aspect of your food.

Iced tea, tilapia, and a taste of both the chocolate cake and tiramisu. These are all simple dishes, foods that I've had before. But in this restaurant they were all unique and all full of flavor. Chef Gian Franco Brugaletta, according to the restaurant's website, seeks "to bring back simple, nutritious food, through traditional and creative flavors." This is exactly what excites me in food, and this is why I immediately felt at home in this restaurant. I don't need dishes that I have to Google or dishes that required advanced chemistry to make. Just give me food made with good ingredients that you have formed in a way to make the flavors dance.

That's exactly how the tilapia was. Tilapia is a light fish, so it already tastes nice even if you don't do much with it (I've made it with very bare seasonings when I've made it at home). But here the seasoning added so much flavor and together with the side accompaniments, this was a unique dish that I wouldn't have been able to put together myself and that I wouldn't come across in a restaurant the next street over. There is art in this kind of simplicity, where "simple" doesn't mean boring or lacking in detail.

As usual, this isn't a review. It's a reflection on how satisfying it is to find a restaurant that does so well with its food. This is food that I would (and do) look forward to returning to. Given that they use seasonal ingredients, there will probably always be something different to try. Just note that they currently close for Sundays and Mondays. Go there during the week or on a Saturday for fresh food and a stylish atmosphere.

June Favorites

1) Stone Bracelet - There's a store called Prescott Trading Company (in, you know, Prescott) that has a great blend of touristy items and quality. They sell some of the clothing historical reenactors use, and they sell lots of inexpensive beads, rocks, and Western trinkets. Single-strand rock bracelets are a dollar (I have one in yellow) and the thicker ones are three dollars. I chose one with green, white, and purple.

2) The 100 - There are three seasons of this show out but only about forty episodes, so I went through it fairly quickly. I won't say anything more for now because I'm planning a post on it soon; that'll go into more detail.

3) Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Junkie (Metallized) - It's a green lipstick--how could I not want it? The question is, will I ever actually wear it? Maybe, if I bring back my green glasses to balance it out. It's quite a dark green and I do wish it were just a little lighter; maybe this is better, but I picture it better as lighter. Anyway, it's very entertaining--even if I normally don't buy from this brand anymore.

4) Flagstaff - Summer is here and you know what that means? Everyone likes to go north on days off. Flagstaff usually doesn't even reach 90, and it cools off in the morning and evenings. Lots of places to visit for a quick hike, restaurants for brunch or lunch or dinner, the Arboretum, and the ski-lifts are open in summer for a scenic ride. Had a lovely ride on these recently; you're so high up on the San Francisco Peaks that you can see for miles and miles around and the air is cool enough that you need a jacket. The air this time had a misty effect that made the view dreamlike.

5) Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara - I just have the sample size and honestly, I'm not sure how it compares to Tarte's regular mascaras. It applies nice and dark and thick--but it does almost clump some of my lashes just a tad more than I like. I think this is because the liquid tends to already look a little clumpy on the brush; not sure if this is just a fault of the sample size or if the full size is the same way. It looks good, though, and it is a good product--I'm just still not sure if it is better than what Tarte already had out.

6) Raw Almonds - I used to eat almonds and cashews all the time, and then I stopped. Now I'm eating crackers and chips and while they're the better brands, still we all know that almonds and cashews (and some dried fruit) are much better snacking choices. They're also easy to carry around with you. So I'm getting back into some of my better eating habits: you're only given one body--better keep it in good repair. Oh, yes, and I almost forgot: the reason I prefer raw almonds is that I just don't like the crunch of roasted almonds as much--to me, the raw ones are so much nicer to eat.

7) Facial Soap - Since I'm mentioning Flagstaff. There's a store there called P.J. Chilcottage, and I don't know it by its name--just by its location "in the building with the basement and the ice cream shop." Anyway, they sell clothing and accessories and trinkets there--and soap. In an ultimate failing, I don't remember the name of the soap (I always see it, so memorizing the name just didn't cross my mind); it's that soap that has different shapes in it, of animals and desserts and such, and lots of different scents. On the day before the ski-lifts, we had some time to kill, so we were going around smelling all the soaps. I did pick out the sunflower one because it smelled nice, but what I really wanted was this plain facial soap made with a certain type of clay (sorry, I can't remember which--I think it started with an "r" or an "l". I've only used it a couple of times so I can't make big claims yet--but it does work so far as a nice exfoliant. That alone is good: I already have some nourishing products I use on my face (namely, the rose petal witch hazel, the maracuja oil, and the raw shea butter), so it's good to have something to help cleanse.

8) Squash Blossom Omelets - Squash blossoms are one of those things that people have, in the past, eaten just because they're there--and yet they've turned into almost more of a luxury plate because you have to be getting them fresh. But if you grow your own zucchinis at home (and this is one of the easiest plants to grow), then you have your own continuous supply of as many blossoms as you want. Yes, the fancy dish is to dip them in batter and fry them--which looks way too difficult (if the talented kids on Master Chef Junior were having trouble with it, then I'm not even going to try it). Instead, you can just scramble them with eggs or top off an omelet with them. Just remove the middle/bottom of the flower and separate the petals to toss in as you like. The taste is mild, just barely reminiscent of the taste of zucchini. Just enough to throw in a hint of flavor. Add some cheese, too, for more of a mix. This omelet resembles the Millennium Falcon in shape because I only use two eggs, so they don't quite cover the pan when they're cooking.

May Favorites

It's pretty much all food this month because that's what I've been buying and because I'm always extra hungry this time of year. I think it's the change in seasons, the growing heat that increases my appetite. For instance, I just had dinner two hours ago and I'm ready to eat something a little more as soon as I post this.

1) Burt's Bees Lipstick in 511 Magenta Rush - Burt's Bees makes great lip products. They're inexpensive (you know, compared with the other lip products I wear from Tarte, Bite Beauty, and Fresh) and on the more natural side, too. The Tinted Lip Balms are great for when you only want a hint of color, the Lip Shimmers for when you want just a tad more than a hint, and the Lip Crayons for when you want full color. (I haven't tried the Glosses or Shines.) The Lipsticks are new, designed to provide both color and moisturizing--which they most certainly do. The feel is similar to Revlon's Lip Butters that were really popular a few years ago. Soft and smooth, and they don't fade away awkwardly like some lipsticks tend to (they fade more naturally). Magenta Rush is a sort of hot pink color, just the kind I love, bright like a red lipstick but not as dark.

2) Floral & Herbal Ice Cubes - I used to make these with mint and then I just stopped. Use whatever you have around: mint leaves, rose petals, lavender, other flowers, maybe some herbs. Add water or iced tea or lemonade or whatever you like. Then you can put together pretty drinks, whether you're having tea or simply water. Great for just you or for get-togethers.

3) Happ & Stahns 1883 Fleurs de Giverny - The Happ & Stahns Rose Alba (the green one) is one of my favorite perfumes ever, nice and floral. This one has more of a dreamy quality to it--and is also very nice (though the green's still my favorite) and looks wonderful next to my two green bottles. (I do want to eventually get the pink one, too.)

4) Jamaica (Hibiscus) - Usually I think of hibiscus as being the flower and jamaica as being the drink (pronounce the "j" like an "h"--this is Spanish, you know). So I'll just call it jamaica here. Jamaica has kind of an odd taste, bitterly tangy somehow and extremely distinctive. We used to make it unsweetened at home and I didn't particularly like it but I liked drinking it just because it tasted the way it did. There have been times since then that I've really been craving it and the sad thing is, you can't buy it everywhere. Don't buy it already made with sugar and artificial ingredients and carbonation; buy the dried flowers and brew it yourself, even if you add sugar. It's the most delightful, deep purple, greatest tasting drink ever. Refreshing, summery, unique, and addicting. If it tastes odd at first, just have it with lots of sugar and then start decreasing the amount of sweetener until you get used to it; it's worth adjusting to.

5) Hunan Black Tea - Remember how I've been looking for a good quality, loose, preferably bulk tea for sale around where I live? Well, I've seen this one--but I didn't know what Hunan meant, so I never bought it. Then I figured that it's black tea so it was at least worth trying a little. Turns out Hunan is just a region of China where this tea is grown (despite loving tea, I don't know much about it: variety depends on where a tea is grown, among other factors). This tea is rich and fragrant and almost sweet, very nice. It's organic (making it acceptable) but I don't think it said it was fair trade or anything like that (I'll have to look at the label again when I go buy more--they do sell it in bulk, which is why I have to wait until I'm back at the store to see the label). At 90 cents per ounce, it's pretty inexpensive, which is nice. So I've found my new morning tea. Whenever I want tea bags (like for when I travel--which isn't too often), I'll get Equal Exchange's Black Tea.

6) Diced Dried Papaya - At the same store where I got the tea, I sometimes buy these. This store is a local health food store (I can't remember if it has another location in the state or not), so they have quite a lot of bulk items--which is fantastic. These aren't bulk, exactly, but they are packed by the store. I first had them when I was in sixth grade and I just loved them: they are covered in sugar, after all. The fact that they're diced is also, I think, what makes them more appealing. A great snacking item and a replacement for all those fruit gummies that are more like candy than fruit.

7) Dalmatia Plum Spread - I complain about how I can't have strawberry jelly or other sweet things in the morning (unless I've eaten something else first, like an egg), otherwise I feel sick. I happened to get this plum spread because I thought it looked cool. And now I love it. It's unsweetened; it's made with just plums and lemon juice. So it is a bit tart and can take a little getting used to (but tastes divine and elegant with butter). What's so great about it, to me, is that I can eat it in the morning with no problem. And that made me think that I need to take better care of myself. If I know I shouldn't be having sweet things in the morning, I should just leave the strawberry jelly to daytime only--and only have unsweetened jellies if I want something like that. This spread is imported from Croatia, so I probably shouldn't make it a staple (though I do want to buy it sometimes because I really like it). But I need to be looking for other products like this--my local farmer's market is about to start, too, so maybe I'll see what they have there this year.

8) Blue Milk - A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I wanted to find a recipe for Star Wars Blue Milk that doesn't involve food coloring (the one with blue curacao does sound interesting, but I don't want to have to buy a whole bottle of hard alcohol to make a drink that I may or may not like). I finally caved/compromised by buying natural food coloring. And, you know what? The color is just right and I was very much amused, which was entirely the point. So, um, now I can make blue milk along with everyone else during the Star Wars days and when I'm going to watch the movies. 

August Favorites

1) Cameo Rings - Usually when I see cameo rings, they're either too new or too big, so when I found these two together, I had to get them both. They're from a little antique store in Carlsbad called Olde Ivy Antiques that usually has good things. With my non-expert eye, I would guess that the brass and black ring is older--and it's probably my favorite, too, though I do like them both.

2) Harney & Sons Paris Tea - Whenever I'm around San Diego, I have to go to Rust General store in the Historic Old Town District: they have food (mainly of the seasoning and sauces type), chocolate, and tea. I don't know of anywhere near where I live that sells Harney & Sons tea. Last year I got the vanilla kind, and this year I chose Paris, which is a black tea with fruit, citrus, and vanilla. It is a tea after my own heart, absolutely lovely.

3) Her Universe: High Commander Cardigan - I've been waiting to get this sweater since Spring: I wanted it when it first debuted but by the time I'd set aside the money for it, it was out of stock in my size. But now I have it in time for Fall. I love how subtle and yet recognizable it is: it's just a plain sweater and yet it's just like those uniforms in Star Wars.

4) Wooden Notebook - This one came from a different shop in Old Town San Diego, after I had already made all the purchases I'd planned. But I love wood and I love notebooks, so how could I resist a wooden notebook?

5) Paqui Tortilla Chips: Very Verde Good - I found these at Whole Foods; they're basically like Cool Ranch Doritos, only much, much better. They're so good it's ridiculous: I have an extremely hard time stopping eating them and I'm not one for big portions of the same thing at one time. Basically they have the taste of green salsa and cream on a tortilla chip, but you just have to try them for yourself to see what I mean.

6) Oaxacan Animal Figures - Making the fourth and fifth addition to my collection of green Oaxacan animals, I got this little dog and the rooster at the Pueblito Cuetzalan corner of the Marketplace-style store in Old Town San Diego: I generally find that they have the best figures there.

7) Montana: Caitlyn Shoes in Mahogany - Okay, so I haven't really worn these shoes yet--but how could I resist showing them off? They're going to be my cool weather shoes, perfect for wearing with tights, a skirt, and a sweater. I was laughing because I was looking in the Dillard's shoe department and showing no interest in any of the shoes until I got to the "comfort shoes" corner--which might also be considered the old lady section--and there I was finding various shoes I found cute and would consider wearing. Really, everyone, don't wait until your feet and knees start to hurt to wear comfortable shoes: start now so that you won't be as bad off later on. And, anyway, I like the look of this shoe--I consider it more vintage than old lady (and I am kind of an old lady in certain things, anyway).

8) Huckleberry Jam & Creamed Honey - Old Town San Diego's candy store is one of my stops there: I like to get a few candies and some huckleberry products. The huckleberry caramels are good; the truffles don't interest me anymore. Last year I got a little jar of the jam and was planning to buy a bigger one this year until I saw the creamed honey. So I stuck with the small jam jar and added the honey, and I am so glad: the jam is good but the honey is very good.

9) Oberon Design Barrette - I've been eyeing Oberon products for a little while now--do you see why? Such artistry in the design. I can wear this piece on a casual day or even a more formal day: it fits for any moment.

10) Dinosaur Bookmark - I also got a bookmark in San Diego. Now, I used to not like bookmarks: years ago I would use ribbons and then I went to thin slips of paper. Then I thought maybe I'd like to try a bookmark again, and then I saw this one, and once again, how could I resist? Years ago, I used to have a cat and a frog in this style; it's kind of nice to go back to the familiar shape.

11) Herb Teas - In the Historic Old Town District, there is a sort of main museum store. Though the gift shop is small, I usually try and buy something just in support of the place. This time I picked up a book and the sampler bag of teas. They're grown (I believe) in the district and they're put together the way that people in the past would have made them. There are four flavors in the sampler bag: Lemon Verbena, Zesty Lemon, Ginger, and Chamomile. Though they're simple, they have some ingredients I don't expect to see in tea, like thyme. The effect of each blend is almost surprisingly nice; I've enjoyed drinking them while watering outside in the evening.

Food in Fiction

I love reading about food and looking at food, and I know I'm not alone. Eating can be nice but it can also be a chore (didn't I just finish washing the dishes and now I'm hungry again?), but thinking about  food is simply wonderful. And sometimes it's fiction that makes you think of or crave a certain kind of food. TV shows where the characters are always drinking orange juice or books with a killer description of pumpkin pie, for instance. Here are just a few examples.

1) I Dream of Jeannie: coffee, maybe with toast and (turkey) bacon - Seriously, they're always drinking coffee in this show, and even though an episode says that Major Nelson drinks his with "a little bit of sugar and a little bit of cream," all the coffee always looks black--which makes it look even more crave-able and coffee-like. It was this show that made me start drinking coffee to begin with and to this day I generally prefer it black (and weak . . . ). With the coffee is often toast, like in that delightful bit when Roger is on the phone in the morning while putting jelly on little triangles of toast--oh, that scene makes me want toast so bad that I often do cut toast into little triangles just to make it mimic this scene. They also tend to eat bacon with their coffee; my choice is turkey bacon, and pair it with toast triangles and black coffee and it's like I'm straight in the show.

2) Becoming Earnest: cucumber sandwiches - I don't know where I first heard about cucumber sandwiches, but I was always enchanted by the idea (people don't really eat cucumber sandwiches here and now) and tried to see how thin I could slice cucumbers to make some. So, naturally, all the mentions of cucumber sandwiches and how so and so loves them so much that they must have some for so and so's visit except that what's-his-name eats all of them before she can arrive just made me want go back to my old craving. Care to join me in a tea shop for some lovely little sandwiches with cucumber slices inside?

3) The Chronicles of Narnia: pretty much everything - C.S. Lewis explained that he liked reading about food and therefore knew that children would, as well, so he fills this series with descriptions of food. They're always eating--even the descriptions of the dirt the trees eat at the end of Prince Caspian are tempting. In particular, though, I'd say these books make me crave scrambled eggs--or "buttered eggs," as they're described at one point, making the younger me wonder at what point the butter was added to the eggs. Then there's the infamous fresh fish with the marmalade roll for dessert that the Pevensies have with the Beavers in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; that food is almost heavenly. A lot of fruits in there, too, like the apples in Prince Caspian and a great variety in The Horse and his Boy. And let's not forget the Turkish delight, which I tried specifically because it was in Narnia (Americans don't eat Turkish delight and when they rarely might come across it, most of them think it is very weird, which is of course completely irrational). In fact, I picked up some very nice Turkish delight at Ross earlier this year (later I found a different kind there that was okay but nowhere near as good as the first).

4) The Lord of the Rings: bread and meat - Tolkien describes plenty of food, but I think his descriptions of landscape are generally richer than his descriptions of food, due not in small part to the fact that his characters are off on journeys where they really can't get their hands on much good food. Where he is most vivid, though, is in describing not food exactly but the craving of food--namely, plain bread and meat, which Frodo and Sam crave on their journey to Mount Doom when they have run out of everything except for the lembas bread. It makes you really appreciate a good loaf with a nice crust from your local bakery (if you have a good local bakery, please support it: good bread is one of the wonders of life), and good meat without too much done to it that's just cooked well.

5) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: candy and chocolate and soda and anything sweet - Okay, let's just go for it. I haven't really read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I'm not fond of the Johnny Depp version, but that original movie is just full of the sweetness. The way that a single chocolate candy bar is so special to Charlie makes you think of how much you enjoyed candy as a child, and the factory makes me think of how much I still love candy stores. I once watched this movie while eating a melted 100 gram bar of chocolate out of a mug with a spoon. Now I just want someone to bring me a bucket full of Smarties--and maybe a few lollipops, too.

My World Just Changed

Maybe this is a slightly appropriate topic for Earth Day. It isn't about planting trees, but it is about having more control over the steps your food takes to get to you--and that is good for the earth. Honestly, too, it's more about daily life and it's daily life that will help or harm the earth. (If you'd like to hear about plants, yesterday I harvested arugula and lettuce seeds from my garden, the cucumbers are starting to grow in, and the potato bushes are looking pretty cool.)

A while back, I read a food article where the writer mentioned her disdain for ever eating a donut that is not a gourmet donut. And I was a little disgruntled at that: Arizona doesn't really have gourmet donuts. There are now one or two new places that I haven't been able to try (seriously? who's only open until eleven in the morning?), but at the time there was nothing. I couldn't get a gourmet donut if I tried. I had never had such a thing or seen such a thing, so why should this writer have disdain for me just because something isn't available to me? Slowly things developed, including this idea in my mind of trying to make donuts myself. And, well, then someone I know got a little deep fryer and, wow, I got excited.

 I used this recipe from Epicurious (well, I don't have a stand mixer, so I didn't follow everything line by line). And I've figured out that using yeast is so much fun. Yeast used to scare me: I worried that the dough wouldn't rise right or that something would go wrong. But everything went just right. The dough rose and the donuts formed. I didn't have a doughnut cutter, so I used a small glass bowl and cut out the circles in the middle with a knife; I thought this was very odd until I later bought a donut cutter and the dough kept sticking to it worse than it did on the bowl (maybe I just made a stickier dough that time, though?). Oh, yes, and then I put them in the fryer and was so very excited to watch them fry.

The glaze is super easy, basically just powdered sugar and milk mixed together; add cocoa powder for chocolate. (They look kind of silly in the picture because I started out glazing in stripes and then wondered why I was doing that.) So you see what I'm getting at here? Donuts are considered a very unhealthy food and maybe they are more unhealthy than sautéed vegetables, but they don't have to be evil. I used organic ingredients, good quality cocoa powder, and sunflower oil for the frying. Because I had control over the ingredients, I got to choose what they were: there was nothing nasty in them. And they tasted so much better, too. Straight out of the fryer, the outside of the dough is crisp and the inside is soft like bread. The glaze tastes like sugar or chocolate, not strangeness. I was amazed at what I could do if I just tried.

Not long after, I randomly decided to make an apple pie. It turned out less perfect than the donuts, but acceptable for my first apple pie. This weekend I made a loaf of French bread that was great except for the fact that it was a tad salty (I used what the recipe said . . . ). Each time, my horizons keep broadening. Each thing that I make, the more powerful I feel to try something else. Less processed food while still eating a variety of foods, that's what this means. Homemade is better.

February Favorites

1) Jewelry Hangers - I wasn't exactly planning to get anything new for my jewelry, but a couple of items were starting to get cramped and these hangers from Hobby Lobby were in the perfect shade of green. I maybe have them overstuffed with necklaces and bracelets--they'd look prettier with less, perhaps, but they're more functional this way. I have mainly the beaded necklaces up because they're the ones that tend to take up more space in drawers.

2) Downton Abbey Butler's Pantry Blend Tea - This is the fifth flavor I've had, right? It's black tea with blackberry leaves, honey, and vanilla. So it tastes like a strong black tea with an in-depth immersion of honey.

3) Wooden Necklaces - Someone recently gave me a few necklaces, among them these three with wooden beads. I really like the simplicity with the warm wood tones--I think they might be great for layering together or separately with other kinds of jewelry. They'll add a little texture and organic feel to outfits, which should be especially nice once the summer weather starts working in.

4) Double Chocolate Brownies Recipe - Click here for this recipe from Martha Stewart. It's fabulous and I highly recommend it--it's ever so much better than the other brownie recipe I tried out (which just used cocoa powder instead of also adding in the melted chocolate). It's fairly simple and because you're using chocolate, the kind of chocolate you use gives you direct power over the flavor. Do you want darker brownies with more depth, or something simpler? I've made them twice, each time with a different blend of (leftover) chocolate bars, so they tasted a little different each time. They're great: they have that harder layer on the outside and a wonderfully chewy sort of softer center. Since I don't have a picture of the brownies, here's the cocoa powder I used; it's from Equal Exchange.

5) Pair of Cameos - More gifts. These are pins, not necklaces, although maybe I wouldn't be opposed to making them into necklaces; I don't know, I'll have to think about it. They're simple but have a pretty different look to the cameos I already have--the colors and materials are different, giving maybe a more modern look. I'm picturing them with black and white type outfits.

6) Wooden Pen - Okay, so it isn't that I love products with my name on them--it's just that it's literally been years since I found one with my name. Actually, I think I've only found my name in two places: a gas station in California (this must've been 15 to 18 years ago) and a tourist shop in a cute little historical town (maybe 12-15 years ago). This pen was from the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. So, you know, I had to get it--and it's kind of nice that it's wood. I like wood.

7) Green Skirt - This might be the first clothing piece I've bought from ModCloth (minus a bathing suit). I don't really buy clothing online, but I was stalking this skirt for a while. It's the Bugle Joy Skirt in Olive. I love the color and I think the skirt is really pretty and so even though I'll hardly ever have anywhere to wear it (people don't tend to wear things like this in Arizona), I couldn't resist. Though the skirt is A-line, it doesn't look as full when it's on as it does in the picture; the color is also less gray.

8) Oaxacan Bird - Also at the Botanical Garden, they had a collection of these Oaxacan animals. Since I had started my collection of green ones with only two, I took the opportunity to get one more--three makes for a better set.

9) Soft-Boiled Eggs - Technically, perhaps, I've been making raw hard-boiled eggs. I like them best when the yolk is just barely becoming solid, though soft-boiled eggs are supposed to be more free-flowing than that. The egg cup is from Hobby Lobby.

10) "Beating Heart" by Ellie Goulding - You know that I've been a little obsessed with Divergent for the past couple of weeks. When this song played in the credits, I loved how it captured the feeling of the movie. Then I kind of started to like it just on its own; I've been listening to it a lot. I'm a little out of the popular music scene: I don't really listen to the radio, so mostly I'll hear songs in random places (like stores). I'd heard Ellie Goulding's name, but wouldn't have been able to name any of her songs. Now I'm rather intrigued by her style, that atmospheric quality and her very-alive vocals.