Spiced Persimmon Butter - Preserving the Season

One of my favorite fruits is the persimmon. In my area there are two commonly available types of the fruit, the jiro, which I like to eat when it's still crunchy like an apple, and the heart-shaped hachiya, which has a a high level of tannins and has to ripen until it's completely soft, or else you're basically eating sawdust.

This year I came into a bumper crop of hachiya persimmons which ripened at pretty much the same time. I wasn't about to toss a single one because I knew I wouldn't see them again until next October. My answer: persimmon butter.

Following a recipe from a persimmon-focused cookbook from Bear Wallow Books, I peeled and strained and boiled the persimmons into a surprisingly few jars of lightly spiced persimmon butter that I will TRY to get me through until October.

Spiced Persimmon Butter
Adapted from Old-Fashioned Persimmon Recipes

Ingredients:
4 cups persimmon pulp
1/2 cup orange juice
2/3 cup honey
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Remove pulp from persimmons and force through a fine mesh strainer.
2. Combine pulp and remaining ingredients. Cook until thick.
3. Remove cloves and cinnamon stick, cool and refrigerate or process in a hot water bath.

Your persimmon butter should keep for two weeks in the fridge. I suggest canning if, like me, you are trying to savor the bounty of fall.

New Old Skirt

I'm wearing a skirt I bought 7 years ago for the first time today - it finally fits!

In other news. In day 2 of juice cleanse and its not my favorite thing. I will at least finish out today but unless something changes I'm not sure about tomorrow. I see the point of eating fruits and vegetables (and nuts in my plan's case) but I don't totally see the value in consuming almost no fiber... I don't feel nutrient starved.

Anyways... so far my juices have been pretty good. Yesterday there was too much tart citrus in everything so I tweaked a green juice for today and added blueberries. The cashew smoothie (really) was good and once I got over my starvation fears it was satisfying but I think I need to kick up the flavor tonight a little more (it was just raw cashews, a banana and some spices).

Full disclosure, I had a small box of whole raspberries and 2 dried prunes yesterday and I've brought an emergency orange into work today :) So its really, almost a cleanse...

On the wedding front, I've made my dress fitting appointment for the first Sunday in December. Time to face the music.

Wedding Dresses and Evil Hips

Hello again.

Last weekend was wedding dress shopping. Man that's an ordeal. I did find something I liked but it is tres $$$. If nothing else, I found style elements that worked well for me (strapless, sweetheart neck, no duchess silk, etc.).

Am thinking of going to a dress sale that benefits breast cancer patients the weekend after next. It is nearby and the dresses are used but not older than 2009 (I think). I'd hate to be too concerned about messing up my expensive dress (like hell I'm only drinking the white wine at my wedding.... the red is gonna be the good stuff).

Oh, the evil hips... Well, it turns out that I really do need to order a dress by the end of November if I'm going to have one made for me. That means in a month the first set of measurements are taken and BOY did my hips make trying some of the dresses on difficult. So, in an effort to make as much progress as I can in the next month (except for thanksgiving of course) I'm trying to be really good.

Now that I'm on my own (boot camp and trainer are both over) I've really got to push myself to work out frequently and its pretty clear that I need to work out in the mornings. I'm too hungry by 5:00 pm to run off to an intensive workout. So I finally went back to spinning today (my last spin class was when I lived in Bethesda, MD... not recent). I was not really enjoying it but that could be because I was uncomfortable on the bike and I think I could readjust a little bit if I try again, It was a challenge and I didn't really feel like I went too easy on myself at the end (a common problem)... so I should probably try it again. Perhaps there is a more motivating instructor - although this one was pregnant... not huge but significant bump... that is actually pretty impressive/motivating right?

I've actually succeeded at my first significant dress trial, that being the bridesmaid dress I am wearing for a friend's wedding on November 17th. I bought a dress probably 2 sizes too small and now it looks ok. However, the rest of the bridesmaids are super tiny and I'm guessing my escort will be as well so I'm going to do an at-home juice cleanse the week before (3 days) just to get as close to them as I can, and also justify eating a full Chinese wedding feast the day of. (see not crazy). I found this plan online and it seems pretty doable (not 1000 ingredients to manage and overbuy). I've already gotten my raw cashews. I'm really looking forward to that drink... although maybe I will make a thinner version. The recipe calls for a whole cup of nuts. that sounds INTENSE.

Last note: in my continued effort to dress better I went through my clothes again and made little outfits. Unfortunately I realized that none of my shoes went with them so I had to go out and get another pair. I really like these and they go with everything!

Total weight lost: 27 lbs - time to kick it up!

Ok, back to work I guess... that's a whole other story but a much less interesting one.

Morning Snack

Just checking in today over my morning snack of coffee and banana bread. Its pretty delicious actually. I used the somewhat healthy recipe here but skipped the millet and ground cloves. Mark said it could be his favorite banana bread ever but would benefit from some nuts.

Working out has picked back up after my few weeks of travel (mostly without working out). I spent last week paying the rather immobile price for over exercising my quads. Overall I'm in much the same place as my last post but who knows what lies ahead :).

I've also been making an effort to be a bit more presentable fashion-wise. Been shopping mostly second hand, so it's taxing my creativity a little bit. Here's a picture of what I've done for today (please forgive the self picture).

I've gotten on a kick to make over Mark too and took him shopping on Sunday for like five hours. He was a trooper. I'm most excited about a pair of shoes he got. I tried to get him in some boots but the Al Bundy impersonator that was helping us was more on Mark's anti-boot side than mine. Can I just say how ridiculous it is that a boot seems to be anything that covers the ankle.... So limiting!

Coming soon: Wedding planning more or less begins.

On My Own

Hi again!

Had my last personal training session this morning and now I am on my own. To celebrate, I had a cheese sandwich for lunch on white bread. Crazy I know ;).

Status-wise I've exactly met my last short term goal (21 lbs lost). So that's good. I've also conquered my fear of falling on my face while doing pushups, so that's 2 good things. My new challenge, the one legged squat. These are super good for the lower butt area ladies.

I'll be traveling a lot in the next few weeks for work and vacation. Thinking about bringing my jump rope along to vacation. It's tricky because I hate jump rope but it is the lightest cardio equipment I can bring short of running. I also hate running. I'll figure something out.

I'm currently en route to the airport to attend a friend's bridal shower and help my mom shop for her mother of the bride dress. What's that you say? Why yes I do think August of 2012 is a little early to get a dress for a June 2013 wedding but it's what the woman wants.

Bye for now.

Checking In

I wanted to post another 'getting in shape' progress update before I go on vacation next week :). Overall my progress has been a little jumpy. There are stretches of days when my weight won't change at all and then all of the sudden it will drop. Sometimes I've even gained a pound or so, I've not been behaving perfectly by any means.

I am on my 2nd (and last) set of 6 weeks with my trainer. I think she thinks I could be doing a little better (I don't disagree) and she's really mad at my fear of doing a proper push up... (I don't go low enough which seems to mean my nose isn't touching the floor). Sorry. Her goal for this 6 weeks is a 10 lb weight loss, which would bring me to 21 lbs lost by August 23rd. I think it's doable as long as my resolve doesn't waiver. Hmm...

Current Weight Loss: 14.8 lbs.

I'm a little concerned about keeping the workouts challenging post-trainer, so I've purchased a $50 Groupon (yay Groupon) for a 5-week morning bootcamp class (5 days/week) that I can start in August or October. I've tried a bootcamp class before, and it was somewhat effective until I stopped going. :) This class seems a little better because it's in a park (not a dirty parking lot) and the instructor is not supposed to yell at you.

But Hey! We're Going on Vacation:

Mark and I are off to Santa Cruz and San Francisco next week for my first vacation since December. So excited.We have plans to go hiking and sailing so far. We are also taking a mountain-biking tour (eek!) Neither of us have ever done that before. We'll also get to spend some time with our friends Susan and Chris in San Francisco and see their new house! So jealous. Hope to also see Anja Gilbert if I can tear her away from her amazing internship, Lame Merritt photo walks and her roommate's amazing baked goods. Fingers crossed!

I haven't completely planned out the whole trip (despite my tendency to over plan) so I'm still looking for ways to spend the time. We are going to Monterrey and the aquarium one day. I'm toying with the idea of also stopping by Parker-Lusseau Pastries for breakfast there. I've also looked up thrift stores, yarn stores, yoga studios and spas (to some extent) too. For SF, my co-worker Katie also shared this amazing Google map she developed of things to do there. 

Any other recommendations for things to do in Santa Cruz or SF?

T Minus 358 Days (To my Wedding)

Time to start being accountable.

In preparation for purchasing the most expensive dress I will ever buy, I've begun a fitness regime. Also, I'm helping to save the planet since fat people cause climate change. (hope the link is accessible).

To help me get going I've hired a local trainer. She's a little intense. I work out with her twice a week in a small boxing gym in Burbank. (Side note: my first meeting with her basically consisted of her, me and Mario Lopez. Jealous?) She also makes me do horrible interval cardio twice a week on my own with a smattering of other physical activity.

I have started to eat better as well. This mainly consists of eating less but I'm already laughing because my crave-able treats are things like low-fat chocolate milk (one serving) and Newton Fruit thins (3 cookies). I'm sure the latter one will get me in trouble and they are probably horrible for you in some way, but I highly recommend them. Chicken wings suddenly seem a little intense but I hope to someday be able to eat a few again.

Diet-wise I've found the one thing that is really effective is not eating bread/rice/grains at dinner. BUT its not because I buy into some weird time-of-eating belief system, its more that not getting to have  bread/rice/grains seriously shrinks what I end up eating at dinner, so I don't blow a whole day with a big plate of pasta. See, totally logical.

It's been 24 days since I started in earnest. Current Weight Loss: 8 lbs.

Dress Shopping Slated to Begin: October at the earliest.

Thank You Kimberly Post #1: Quatre-quarts

A rare rainy morning in Los Angeles and a complete lack of 'breakfast-y' foods in the kitchen led to some early morning baking. This recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's "Around my French Table" - a delightful Christmas present from Kimberley C.

It's a plain cake with a good balance of light and moistness.

Of course, I managed to destroy the kitchen (as usual) making it. This is not a one-bowl kind of breakfast cake. More like an every bowl and whisk and stand-mixer kind of breakfast cake. I'd still make it again though :).

In other news I've been sick at home again. Hopefully one more day sitting around in my pajamas and listening to my Game of Thrones audiobook will cure me.

Marmalade

Our new apartment has a giant orange tree - which is great. However, these are some bitter oranges. So... I made marmalade.

As usual with jams and jellies, the three recipe books I have all have different approches and who am I to know which is the best. In the spirit of a whole day off (thank you civil rights) I decided to make two of the recipes. The third one was just insane, so insane that right now I can't even remember what turnned me off about it.

• Marmalade #1: Clove and Anise Sented Orange Marmalade (foreground)
• Marmalade #2: Bourbon Orange Marmalade (background)

Even weeding out the first insane recipe, Marmalade #2 ended up being a two day process, which is retrospect is good because I managed to "candy the stove" and spill a good deal of scalding hot first batch pre-marmalade on the floor as well. Mark did me a solid and cleaned up (including 3 passes of the mop) so I could get to sleep close to on time. Thank you Mark.

Of course the stuff isnt quite as gelled as it could be and my water bath didn't end up having the desired effect. (Most of that marmalade now lives in the fridge), but I had a bit of Marmalade #1 (no bourbon) for breakfast this week and it was enjoyable.

Follow up: After finishing (but not trying) the second batch I'd have to say unless that stuff is AMAZING, I'd stick with recipe #1. Much easier.

Granola

I have been trying to recreate something like the breakfasts I had in Germany last year that were basically a mix of yogurt and muesli or granola with little success. (Hint: greek yogurt does not give the desired effect.)

This weekend I set out to make my own granola that hopefully wouldn't be too unhealthy. Preliminary reviews are positive but we'll see if it pans out with another yogurt breakfast attempt.

The recipe was an amalgam of various online recipes (not Alton Brown's which looks delicious btw). It was basically: 3 cups old fashioned oats, 2 cups dried fruit - I used blueberries and cherries, 1 and a half cups nuts - I used pecans and walnuts and then a half cup each oil and honey to bind plus a pinch of salt and cinnamon to taste. Baked the whole thing in a pan and checked every 10 minutes till it seemed on the cusp of burning (add the fruit after baking). The recipe made twice what's in the picture.

In other news, we are still unpacking in our new place in Burbank. I'm starting to run into decorating challenges now - like what to put on the walls and little things like towels and office supplies haven't really found a home yet. I have gone on record to say we are having a housewarming party this time and I think that actually needs to happen soon. At least it give me a reason to get back to unpacking.

I Grew a Fig!

Here is a photo of the first fig from my little fig tree. I've had the tree for two years so I was very excited to get this. FYI, it was delicious.

I don't think I've planted much of anything this summer. I have instead been focusing on maintaining the things that are still growing and continuing to try to think of things to do with jalapenos. Speaking of which; please let me know if you would like some jalapeno jelly because, really how much jalapeno jelly does one person need anyways? It's not very spicy but does have a strong jalapeno flavor. I find that people from the southwest really enjoy it with cream cheese on crackers. (I think thats pretty good too) :)

Kitchen Mini-Makeover

On a recent productive weekend we installed a new kitchen cabinet and dramatically increased the usefulness of the entire room.

We found the cabinet and shelves at IKEA (of course).

Now there is a place in the actual kitchen for cookbooks as well as evidence of my excessive purchasing of coffee k-cups for my fancy coffee machine, a new home for my best craigslist find ever (the mixer) and a place of honor for my giant bean spoon (this was a gift after I became obsessed with a TV shop depicting an old woman making a vat of beans with a giant wooden bean spoon). I've yet to try this one out but I think it looks good now.

Here is the sad before picture:

Sewing: Potholders

This weekend I finally finished a sewing project that I started without half of the necessary materials. What ironic is that I started it because I wanted to use the small blocks of fabric I bought before I had any sewing project plans at all. Well I'm pretty happy with most of the results. They definitely look handmade but I like that about them.

I also got the change to meet up with my friend Lauren in Palm Springs. I don't know why but I liked the place. Seems like a great place to do nothing. However, should I go back I need to remember to get the original date shake. How awesome does that sound?!

Home from the Range

El Paso, TX

Mark and I went to El Paso, TX this weekend for his birthday. Despite a lack of clarity going into it of things to do, we managed to keep ourselves entertained and sample some delightful Texas specialties (meat). Check out my photo album by clicking on the image above. (See Thuy, I CAN remember to take pictures!)

Thank you for the Crock-Pot!

Mark and I got a crock-pot for Christmas from Spanky. How did she know we needed some slow cooked meals?

So tonight I tried the chili recipe from the instruction manual. I can't say that I have total confidence in the recipes in the manual now but I managed to make enough tweaks to have it taste pretty good - despite a rather thin consistency. Nothing a lot of cheese can't fix right?

I will learn to roast potatoes.

I took the day off from work today (for the most part) and decided that I should have a tasty hot breakfast. I rescued some new potatoes, an onion and an aging yellow bell pepper from the refrigerator drawer and got to work.

It took over an hour but with some eggs on top, I was pretty happy with it.

Winter Gardening Follow Up

You know, I have a history of thinking something isn't working very well only to find that my expectations were too high. When I was in the girl scouts we had a badge for gardening where we had to grow sprouts in an old jar through some complicated process that involved pit of sort and toothpicks and water (of course). When it came time bring it in I was like: "I don't know what's wrong with mine, its not doing well." this went on for weeks and when I finally gave up and brought the thing in it became clear that mine was crazier than anyone else's. Somehow it had looked different all alone on my kitchen counter.

So with that in mind, I bring you pictures of my "winter gardening."

Tamales

I don't know if I've mentioned but I'm kind of obsessed with tamales. Its a bit of a lazy obsession (I haven't started seeking them out yet) but I fear it may morph into a full fledged active driving-to-scary-neighborhoods obsession soon.

Last night I flew back into Los Angeles and Mark and I made our "reward for picking someone up from the airport" trip to Titos Tacos. I'm not going to lie. When I first had Titos Tacos I did not enjoy them. however their mild but delicious salsa won me over and in time I learned to love the beef tacos as well (I think they only have beef tacos). These beef tacos are essentially shredded beef stuffed in a corn tortilla and then the whole thing is deep fried. After that a friendly Tito's employee pries the tacos open with their fingers and shoved some iceberg lettuce in there and, if you want, shredded American cheese. I would recommend not getting the cheese and instead drenching it in the salsa.

So anyways, last night I saw that they have new chicken tamales on the menu so I ordered one up for today's lunch. I'm not an expert but man I am enjoying lunch. Its cubed chicken with green chili sauce and comes with a dark red meaty sauce (that I can't identify at all) that is quite tasty.

If you ever go there, I would recommend the tacos without cheese, the salsa and chips that will come with your order (you don't need to order extra unless you, like me, want a gallon of the salsa), the chicken tamales and I've enjoyed the burritos in the past. I still do not love the guacamole or the chili beans so maybe don't order those.

I'm ready for a nap. Afternoon.

This is the year

I learned how to eat persimmons with the skin on out of sheer lazyness. Mmmmm persimmons.

Winter Gardening

No picture for this one as, as Mark so nicely noted "its just dirt," but I've finally replanted the dirt in my backyard. My approach this time was to just put as much of everything as I had in the ground because I can thin things out later if that becomes a problem. Finally I can stop telling people I'm going to plant this weekend. Don't get me wrong about the time of year either. I don't have high hopes for getting started this late but I figured, I had all the stuff so I minaswell give it a shot. So, today I planted:

• kale
• garlic
• brussle sprouts
• small yellow tomatoes
• cilantro
• parsnips
• carrots
• acorn squash
• and basil

I've also still got the jalapenos, eggplant, fig and lemon trees and the pumpkins going as well as some herbs (chives, dill, rosemary, mint, thyme).

Oh man, I just realized I probably planted the garlic wrong..... think it will hold in the ground for a few days till I dig it back up?