Ingredient: Harvest Grain Blend from Trader Joe's

Friday, Ellie and I took the afternoon off and made a run for Indianapolis. Tori Amos live in concert was the impetus for the trip, but we also had a blast shopping at Trader Joe's, Target, Whole Foods and Sur la Table. (I bought square biscuit cutters. Ellie thought they were unorthodox, but I was thinking of them as a time-saving device: you can cut all of the biscuits at once and don't have to pat the dough back out!)

I know you're all dying to know what Tori had for dinner, but I have no idea. I'm imagining she dined on something light and delicate, light sauteed greens with some sort of seasonal vegetable. Maybe broccoli? On the last album, she sang:

"Eat your greens
Feed your head
Mind the doubts
they harvest them
Broccoli
Feed your head
Their ideas
are fried in fat."

So I'm going to stick with my answer and assume she doesn't keep in good enough shape to jump around on those pianos by dining nightly on fried chicken. Now, what she wore is another store, I can tell you that:

• Cork platform, black satin, peep-toe stilettos.
• Gold leggings.
• An orange dress with purple details, including a stripe that ran down the back. It was short in the front and long in the back (a mullet dress?) with long sleeves and puffy shoulders.

As usual, she looked like superhero goddess come to save us all. More photos here.

But food...

At Trader Joe's, Ellie bought several bags of the Harvest Grains Blend: Israeli couscous, baby garbanzo beans, orzo and red quinoa. Very exotic! I had to try it, so I grabbed a bag. It's easy to prepare, just simmer in a little vegetable broth and a bit of butter. But, I do recommend stirring it a little as it simmers, as mine sunk to the bottom and I had some crispy bits to contend with after I was done. It smelled delicious while cooking and I love the idea of baby garbanzo beans. How do they do that? Cut down in their prime.

After it was cooked, I made a simple vinaigrette and added pan-fried (vegan) Italian sausages, about 1/3 cup of dried cranberries and 1/3 cup of walnuts, then topped it with some fresh oregano that Jimmy brought us yesterday from his herb garden. Lunch tomorrow is going to be delicious! I will hum Tori as I dine on this delicious concoction.

Food: Chocolate-Dipped Bananas

Some people will tell you the whoopie pie is the new cupcake, but bigYELLOWbowl predicts the frozen chocolate-dipped banana is the REAL new cupcake. I spotted variations at Baesler's (top) and Trader Joe's. Of course, these treats can be made at home, but are even easier to buy!

Mangez!

Over Three Feet of Cookies

I was in Indy this weekend finishing up the holiday shopping, so of course popped into Trader Joe's to pick up a couple of things and found this: three feet of cookies! We bought two to take to friends and family in Nebraska. I love the packaging because of its unique shape and size, but also because of the fun graphics. I'm sure the cookies will be delicious too, since they are from Trader Joe's.

They also had dark chocolate covered peppermint joe-joe's: the TJ version of Oreos. So very good, we finished the package by the time we got back to Terre Haute. Buy some! Don't share them! Of course, I always fall in love with things like this you can only get one time of the year. Sigh.

TJ

While in Indy, I also stopped by my beloved Trader Joe's--the place that almost makes up for the loss of Central Market. Almost.

I know I've mentioned it before, but Trader Joe's is a chain of small grocery stores that sells speciality items, many of their own production. You never quite know what you'll find, because they are always retiring past favorites while introducing new ones. You vote with your pocketbook. This is frustrating to some, but I try and approach it as an opportunity to be open to the gifts on the universe. In this case: delicious, edible gifts.

Jessie takes the other path and has spent days cursing the name of Trader Joe's to the heavens, pouring ash and bramble on their grocery bags and enacting symbols of vengeance as she drives past their store. And its all my fault.

Those of you who helped me celebrate my birthday this year will remember the lovely and delicious champagne bar, where we had assorted liqueurs and mixers to make a variety of fizzy cocktails. One of those choices was preserved hibiscus flowers: anemone like blossoms that floated to the bottom of the glass, adding flavor and color, plus a little snack at the end of your drink. Jessie was going to do something similar for her graduate thesis exhibition opening and I suggested the hibiscus flowers, which she remembered they stocked at Trader Joe's. But not that day. Not for her party. There was cursing and weeping and wailing, much like the end of days. Luckily, I told Jessie she could find some at Whole Foods, which she did, so the day was saved. But not her patronage of Trader Joe's. And, the problem was exacerbated during my visit to Madison and our trip to the store, where what did she find? You guessed it: preserved hibiscus flowers. Reader, I swear she grabbed the bag of petite petals, threw them on the ground and began to stomp upon them, all the while uttering phrases not heard since the trials at Salem over three hundred years ago. She had to be forcibly restrained and escorted from the store by the manager and her husband, babbling to herself all the while. Thankfully, in Madison not a single person took any notice at all.

Today, as I passed the dried fruit section, I spotted a bag of hibiscus flowers and, thinking of Jessie, made a sign to ward off evil. I then happily bought dried Bartlett pears instead.

What else I got:
Their excellent chocolate
Organic brown sugar
King Arthur's flour
(I'm making brownies tomorrow.)
Tortellini
Precooked brown rice
Precooked beluga lentils
Pomegranate soda
Cider
Citrus body wash
Natural peppermint toothpaste with fluoride (half the price of Tom's.)

Mangez!

Slow Jams

They are here! The jams, preserves, salsas, etc. that I purchased at Trader Joe's in Madison, WI when I was visiting Jessie and Dave. Of course, the goodies wouldn't fit in my bag and you can't carry glass containers of jelly on the plane any more, so Jessie was sweet sweet sweet and sent them to me. Super sweet. And they arrived today, safe and sound. And yummy.

So here is what I got:
Korma Simmer Sauce
Organic Low-Sugar Blueberry Jam
Yuzu Fruit Spread
Acai Pomegranate Jam
Pineapple Salsa
(Very fancy) Marinated Mushrooms
Green Olive Tapenade

If you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's, then I am jealous of you. Buy me some goodies next time you are there and send them to me. I'll say nice things about you on my blog. Honest.

California

Mitchell, April and Leslie (before the luggage was lost).

I spent the July 4th holiday with Mitchell and our friends April and Leslie in Marina del Rey, but have been too busy to sit down and put pen to paper (or rattle the keys on the keyboard as the case may be.). It was a wonderful trip--the perfect balance of fun activities/outings and sitting around reading, talking or just relaxing.


Getting ready for dinner in the courtyard on our first evening.

Leslie's aunt Mona was very generous and let us stay with her for the entire weekend. She lives in an adorable house with a fantastic courtyard that is only steps from the beach. The consummate hostess, she greeted us with vodka lemonades which we drank in the courtyard while soaking in the sun as fast as we could.


Hanging out in the courtyard.

Learning at the Getty.

Resting at the Getty. (Hey Leslie. TYB. To your right. GOTCHA!)

April and Leslie enjoy a MAJOR mangorita at Baja Cantina.

My dinner: enchiladas with mole sauce and a veggie chimichanga.

Leslie's parents Doug and Lorna came in on Saturday and we had a wonderful time with them exploring the Getty and going to dinner at a great place just down the street called Baja Cantina. The mango margaritas were fantastic, as was the food, and we all had a wonderful meal before walking around the canals of Venice, oogling the huge and expensive homes that surround it.


Dinner in the courtyard with Sean, Doug, Lorna, Mo and Sian. (Yes, that is champagne in the foreground!)

Auntie Mona looks on as Mitchell and Leslie dance. (more champagne? but of course.)

Leslie and Lorna bare footin'!

Mmm. I don't even have to tell you.

Monday night Lorna stuffed us all to the gills with tortellini in a tomato cream sauce, salad and grilled French bread. Dessert was a delectable slice of grilled pineapple with a scoop of ice cream. And dancing. Once the sun went down, there was a lots of dancing and more dancing to any and all music we could find.


The courtyard was packed on the 4th, but we had a reserved table

Of course, July 4th was the highlight of the trip and everyone outdid themselves preparing more food than the guests could possibly eat. Leslie's sister Sian and brother-in-law Mo came in with lots of friends in addition to Mona's friends and other relatives. Lunch was hotdogs, black bean patties a la Leslie, potato salad and all of the wonderful fixings. Dinner was lasagna, salad and bread with an herbed butter Sian made. Dessert was a table laden with cakes, cookies and candies. As the sun went down, we scrambled to the beach to watch the fireworks all over the sky. A perfect evening. A perfect day. A wonderful trip.


Trader Joe's Haul

And what is a wonderful trip without grocery shopping? Grocery shopping, you ask? Of course I go grocery shopping when I'm on vacation. Anyone who lives in a city where there is not a Trader Joe's and visits a city where there is a Trader Joe's and returns home without a shopping bag full of goodies as their carry-on is a fool. A fool I say! I always stock up on TJ chocolate because it's so wonderful and affordable, but this time I also got korma sauce, tortellini, mole, chili-lime cashews, several jellies and much more. Lorna even sent me home with a some tapenade and a bruscheta spread from TJ that we didn't use over the weekend. Isn't she sweet?!

Thank you Mona for the wonderful weekend at your home! Thank you Lorna for all of your wonderful food! Thank you Doug and Sian for driving us to and fro!

Mangez!