Foods I miss in Austin....

....would be far, far too long. I did a similar list when I left Wichita, but for Austin, it will have to be a top ten.

1. Breakfast tacos--yes, I am addicted and just this morning suggested to my little diner on the corner that they add them to the menu. Particularly, from Elsi's.
2. Protein 2000 from Veggie Heaven.
3. Hot dogs from Dog Almighty.
4. Central Market. Sigh. Do I need to say more?
5. Vietnamese food, particularly Sunflower by my house.
6. The pastry case at Mandola's, particulary the angenetti (cakey, lemon cookies.)
7. The Steeping Room--if you haven't been, then get yourself there.
8. Boxes of vegetables from my CSA.
9. Having friends over for dinner.
10. The giant Asian market up the street.

Mangez!

Citrus Kind of Season

Right now is the time for citrus and the market is busting with all manner of shapes and colors, all sweet and delicious. I saw some unusual varieties at Central Market and encourage you to try something different. I bought sweet limes which I cut up and put in water for dinner last night. They had a subtle lime flavor with a wonderful fragrance. They are light yellow in color, but more spherically shaped than a lemon.

These Kishu Mandarins are tiny and lovely, but not as small as a kumquat. They would be fun for kids because they would be palm-sized, easy to peal and seedless.

These giants Etrog Citrons look like monster eggs!

There are so many varieties of lemons, but these caught my eye. It's difficult to tell in the photo, but they are pinkish and variegated. I plan on picking some up on my next visit to see what the flavor is like.

Choosy moms choose citrus!

Friday Night Fun

Jennie and Paul came over Friday for what is my latest entertaining recipe of choice, so don't be surprised if you come over and I make it for you too: lemon gnocchi with spinach and peas from the December issue of Gourmet. It's terrific served with a big salad and chocolate cake from Central Market's bakery for dessert. Who could ask for an easier and more delicious evening with friends?

Since it's the holidays, I did decide to throw a little bit of a table together....even though we were being super casual. I got out the winter dishes (They're not Christmas or Holiday dishes, since the poinsettia is appropriate during all of the winter months. Ask Emily Post if you don't believe me.) which are from Martha Stewart's Everyday line at K-mart a couple of years back. I dressed them up with my grandmother's silver plate (which I had to polish) and used some vintage elves, with pine cone bodies, to hold the place cards. My mam-ma's kissing Santa and Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shaker were also on the table, as was her little Star of David pitcher. It's nice to remember those who aren't with us during the holiday season and I enjoyed using their things for dinner.

I even enjoy the little bit of hand washing that follows a small gathering--as opposed to the loads and loads involved for a big event. I'm not shy about putting things in the dishwasher, but there are certain items I just won't trust it with. I find the sight of the dishes inverted on the counter amusing. I'm not sure why?

It was a lovely evening with clever conversation and good wine. Have people over for dinner!

Recipe: Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach and Peas

1 cup frozen baby peas (not thawed)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, smashed
3 cups packed baby spinach (3 ounces)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 pound dried gnocchi
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Simmer peas with cream, red-pepper flakes, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add spinach and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring, until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice.

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain gnocchi.

Add gnocchi to sauce with cheese and some of reserved cooking water and stir to coat. Thin with additional cooking water if necessary.

Serves 4. More like, serves two hungry people. I doubled it for the four of us!

Healthy Soda?

Mitchell and I took a swing through Central Market this evening to pick up a couple of things so I can make some refrigerator pickles and brownies tomorrow. We came across a couple of strange things, two different 'healthy' sodas. I guess with all of the American health issues, the soda industry is trying to reform its image a little.

Naturally Refreshing Health Cola has antioxidants and more than 100% of your RDA of vitamin C. In addition, it's made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, the thing we are all supposedly avoiding. Except when we can't. Except when we HAVE to have a soda. Or some Laffy Taffy. Or....well, you get the picture. I'm not that big on cola anyways, so I moved on down the aisle. We were in the dairy aisle, mind you. Yes, there was a gigantic pile of soda in the dairy aisle.

I remember reading about Dry Soda in one of my cooking magazines. It's one of the many new sodas on the market that are targeted to more adult taste buds, ofter flavored with teas or other exotica. At CM they had Dry Soda in kumquat, lemongrass, rhubarb and lavender. I opted for the least combative, kumquat, while Mitchell opted for the more adventurous lavender.

Dry Sodas are again sweetened with cane sugar, but just barely. Hence the dry. The kumquat was good, sweet with a little bit of tartness that hit in the back of the mouth much like the real fruit. Mitchell isn't sure he will run out and buy another of the lavender sodas, but it was an interesting experience. The company web page makes suggestion for alcohols to pair with the sodas. Perhaps that is the way to go? When in doubt, add booze.

While soda is probably never GOOD for you, these choices do make it a little easier to enjoy a cold, fizzy drink every once in a while.

I Said "Probably" My Last Post...

...but you should have know better.

Last week I made a trip to Austin to look for a place, which was very fun. My new apartment is in Hyde Park and there is a bus route that runs right into campus and to the front door of my new office. Perfect! Plus there are lots of restaurants right next to the house, including Mother's Cafe and Garden (which my new co-worker Jennifer says has the best veggie burger in the world) and Hyde Park Bar & Grill which supposedly sells battered fries. Decadent! There are also several coffee shops and various niceties that will make Austin an easy transition. I met Jennifer and Gabrielle (another of my new coworkers) at Dolce Vita for coffee, but they also have a case full of luscious looking gelato and another filled with pastries. Morning coffee on the way to work?

Also, while I was there I popped into Central Market to have a little peek at what is supposedly the best grocery store in the country. Friends had told me about this place, and I had read about it in magazines and guide books, but nothing prepared me for the reality of the monster that is Central Market. What I found:
At least a dozen different varieties of apples
FOUR kinds of fingerling potatoes
A great sauce bar with all sorts of treats
A cheese shop bigger than my house
Pastries, cakes and more
Olives? Why yes, an olive bar with over twenty varieties
Breakfast tacos in the cafe on CM's homemade tortillas
The chef's case where you can pick up food to go

It was amazing and I know everyone is SICK of hearing about it, but it is fantastic and I can't wait to shop there. I also popped into the Wheatsville Co-op, which was all bulk items and BO (as you would expect), but lots of great things in the deli, freezer and nut butter bar with about ten different types of nut butter. You'll be seeing me there as well!

Thursday night, my friend Katie's Austin pals April and Angie were kind enough to meet me for dinner. We went to Polvos for Tex-Mex and it was delicious! They have an awesome salsa bar and my veggie enchiladas were super-tasty. Only problem was that our waiter was grumpy, but we didn't let that bring us down. After, we popped into LoveJoy's Tap Room for a beer where their friend Josh caught up with us and then over to Casino where we sat upstairs in a room decorated in a cheap, hell motif. Fun! Austin is going to be great...

Mangez!