For the love of California!!

I have been helping quite a few people lately plan their trips to visit California. With all the talking that went on, and some blogs that I follow, made me yearn a little for home. So what is the best way of bringing a little bit of your old home to your new far away home?? The internet of course.

I spoke with people about San Francisco and the ocean coast. All the nook and crannies that made my life a sweet bliss. Everything in our family is based on food. We say "Oh if you visit there, you must eat at such and such!". Well I did it, I carried on the tradition. "Fooding" my way through California.

So what was my first thing I droolingly (I'm full aware that "fooding" and "droolingly" are not words, yet they best paint my picture) spoke of???? Well, of course, if your in San Francisco you MUST visit the Boudin bakery (hey, Samantha Brown did a show about it!!). Where, as my stomach starts to growl, you get the BEST sourdough bread in the world. Then they push the envelope further, by making it into a bread bowl with a creamy, potato filled clam chowder!! I'll wait a minute, while you wipe the drool off your keyboard.....


In fact they even have a "what kind of bread would you be?" quiz. And here is what I am ...explains everything!!


Anyway, I went on line and (THANK HEAVEN FOR TECHNOLOGY!!) looked up the Boudin bakery web site. Wheerrrreee, you can buy loaves of their heavenly bread. This sweat, savory, tangy, crusty bread. That is ONLY made in San Francisco since 1849 .....and that is Sour Dough Bread!! Here is what showed up at my front porch. (Props to Timber and Kiki for not tearing open the box ...brave FedEx man!)


Amen brother!!

Here is the rest of the pics of the heavenly items we received!!


The hardest part was trying not to rip open the bags and go at it. I put one immediately in the freezer, before it was harmed in any way. The second I put in the pantry, behind dishes, till Brint came home. That night we had some toasted buttery slices with our dinner. Boy was it worth the wait. I missed that flavor, texture, and twinge in your neck from the sour dough. Aaaahhh!!

Of course the whole time, I was thinking of the person who introduced me to this heavenly bread. Well, and "fooding" your way through a trip. I have a pic of him in my kitchen, as that was his fav place to be, and to entertain!! I think the pic of the Boudin bread and my Uncle Bill says it all (click on the pic to see it close up, I just unpacked the green stemmed wine glasses he has on that table. And last week I washed those white dishes!).



Now, another place I've told my friends to go, it to a small town just out side of Monterey. Can any of my Calif. friends guess it?? Castroville, the artichoke capital of the world!! I told my coworkers about a town where ALL it was, was a town full of farms that grew artichokes. Artichokes that are grown right up to the edge of the ocean cliffs. Artichokes, that are kissed every morning by the misty ocean fog. Artichokes, that are from the size of a small cell phone, to bigger than a baby's head.

So now I have one friend in particular ready to sign up. We looked up the web site to a family farm that I knew of, and apparently Martha Stewart too (she just did a show there). The farm is called Pezzini Farms. The prices are amazing. She decided to order them online (Again~ THANK HEAVEN FOR TECHNOLOGY!). The next thing you know they were shipped straight from the California soil to her house in North Carolina. I totally scored, as she gave me a big ziplock storage bag full of the baby artichokes. These are the kinds where you snip off the tops, to get the thorns off, and toss them in the steamer. Then ....wait for it ...you eat the WHOLE thing!!! Aaaaahhhh!

Here are the little beauties just steaming away!

Sorry that these next pics are blurry, my camera was getting low on battery juice, and refused to take the pics with the flash. Rude! Anyway, I know everyone has their own love of what they dip these little yummies in. Some with butter, some with mayo, and some with dipping sauces. As for me and my home, we use mayo!!

I served these jolly green minis with a pan seared and wine glazed pork chops, fresh chive mashed potatoes, and some Boudin bread. Which I regret that I didn't get a pic of, since the slice was already in my mouth!

The nice thing about these little guys, is that you don't have to worry about the prickly "choke" in the center. You just eat it up! So what is your favorite food and from where. Do go "fooding" through your trips?? Please say Brint and I are not the only ones!?!