What's for lunch this week?

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Pork siopao, red bell peppers, dried pineapples, mango cubes, pumpkin pretzels
Didn't I just brag about my improving photo quality last week? I take it all back.  This week's photos look worse than ever!  I think it's because the mornings are getting darker and darker, and I just can't get a decent amount of light for my phone camera to focus with.  What I need, of course, is a newer, more expensive phone with a better camera :)   Don't let the grainy images fool you, though; the food featured this week is delish.  I'm especially proud of the pumpkin pretzels in the photo above.  It took me a few tries to get them looking all cute and pumpkin-like, but the result is worth it.  I may not spend time getting a good photograph, but that's because I'd rather spend the time making a yummy lunch!



Breakfast muffin (with egg, cheese and Canadian bacon), strawberries, apple slices

Leftover pizza, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms, pumpkin macarons

Spinach, cream cheese and tomato roll-ups, prosciutto and mozzarella roll-up, mixed Annie's Bunny Grahams

Waffles with Nutella, cantaloupe, dried apple slices

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What's for lunch this week? Lunch break!

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Hot dog on a bun, mixed nuts, strawberries
It's Thanksgiving week, and the kids have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off.  That means I only have to make 2 lunches this week!   Advanced Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and I hope you enjoy the (lunch-making) break!



Smucker's Uncrustables, pretzels, strawberries

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Ferry Building Marketplace: a Foodie's paradise

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How have I lived in the Bay Area for almost 20 years and never been to San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace before now?  Okay, it was just a former ferry terminal that had fallen into disuse once the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge were completed in 1936 and 1937,  and with the construction of the Embarcadero Freeway, it barely even saw daylight -- so I had no reason to know it existed.  But after the collapse of the freeway in the 1998 Loma Prieto Earthquake, the whole Embarcadero area began to transform, and the Ferry Building underwent a massive renovation -- so after 2003, I no longer have an excuse.  I had heard about the Ferry Building Marketplace, of course, but just never got around to going there.  Even The Pea got to visit the place before I did!


I finally visited the Ferry Building Marketplace a couple of weeks ago when I went on a chocolate tour with a friend -- and I seriously need to make up for lost time.  The place is a food lover's paradise!  You'll find merchants selling everything from dried mushrooms to artisan olive oil to caviar to tea-infused chocolate truffles  There are butchers and bakers and candlestick makers, restaurants and cafes.  Everything looks fresh, upscale, and made with love and care.


The exterior architecture is classically grand, and the interior is bright and airy.  It reminds me of Napa's Oxbow Market, with merchants lining the hall, and people wandering from from store to store, tasting, looking, enjoying.  Check out some of the delicious finds at the Ferry Building:


Stonehouse Olive Oil


Scharffen Berger Chocolate


Neo Cocoa Truffles

Recchiuti Confections

Hey, it was a chocolate tour.  My friend and I did grab a sandwich at Boccalone Salumeria to go, but we were in too much of a hurry to stop for photos.  I had to wolf my sandwich down on the drive back home, but it deserved to be eaten while sitting at a little cafe table, with a hunky Italian waiter pouring mineral water into artisan glass goblets.  Yes, it was that delicious: salty salami, crusty bread, peppery arugula, spicy mustard.  Yum.

I would have loved to wander around, but we just didn't have enough time.  There are a couple of places I definitely would have dropped by at:  Miette (to try the Parisian macarons), Cowgirl Creamery (because I love their cheese and I want to have the luxury of choosing from their full line-up) and El Porteño Empanadas (because the buttery, meaty smell wafting from their booth nearly drove me crazy).

Oh, yes, Ferry Building Marketplace, there WILL be a next time, and it WILL be soon.

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What's for lunch this week?

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 Crackers, ham & cheese skewers, cucumber slices, ranch dip, vanilla yogurt, brownie
Recently I bought a bunch of bento lunch box supplies: silicone baking cups, plastic picks, and plastic sauce cups.  They certainly improve the presentation of the food and make it a whole lot more fun to eat!  Even my kids aren't immune to the cuteness factor.  Of course, garnish can be more than just for appearances:  the blue sauce cups in the photo above are garnished with a cilantro leaf and orange sprinkles.  Sure, it looks nice, but I also did it because I didn't want the kids dipping their cucumbers into vanilla yogurt or pouring ranch dressing onto their chocolate brownie!



Mini pancakes with syrup, bananas, kiwi, pineapples, oranges

 Cheese & tomato quesadilla, corn & tomato salsa, grapes

Green salad with blue cheese dressing, dried edamame, clementine orange


 Grilled cheese sandwich, dried apples, granola bites

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In defense of Reno

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Every time we go to Reno, I feel a sense of excitement and adventure, because every time we go, we have a great time -- but every time I tell someone we're going to Reno, I feel a vague sense of defensiveness/sheepishness/apology/shame. Most of the kids' friends at school take their winter vacations in much ritzier places.  They stay in chalets in North Tahoe, condos at Squaw Valley, hotels in South Tahoe, or fly to Aspen or Whistler.  It's sort of like admitting you shop at Kmart or Walmart instead of Macy's, or eating at McDonald's instead of some chic organic/gourmet/celebrity chef cafe.

After all, when people think of Reno, they think of wrinkled old ladies with one hand clutching a cigarette and the other hand clutching a slot machine lever.  They think of tacky casinos and cheap buffets and seedy motels.  They think of Vegas' neglected little brother.  And it's true, Reno does have an air of disrepair and shabbiness about it, of tackiness and tired glitz, especially near the downtown casino area.


But Reno is so much more than that. In fact, we never go to Reno to gamble (okay, Alfie does like playing poker, but he could do that just as easily in the Bay Area).  Venture a bit further from the casinos, and you'll find all the comforts of home, aka shopping malls, Whole Foods Market and great ethnic restaurants.  There's a planetarium and a kids' museum and an auto museum.  The Truckee River runs right through town, and you can walk right along its banks. There are fun things to do hroughout the year: BMX and Monster Truck relays in the spring, kayak races in the summer, balloon races in the fall, and Santa Pub Crawls over the holidays.  The Wild Wild West Town of Virginia City and the quaint Carson City are a 30 minute drive away.  The nearest ski resort is just a 30 minute drive, Mount Rouse, is 30 minutes away.  North Lake Tahoe and Truckee are 40 minutes away.

We even found a place to stay that would hold up against any good hotel in Vegas (in comfort and style, if not size and scale).  The Peppermill Resort & Casino reminds me of the Bellagio in Vegas: it has the Tuscan architecture, the Greek and Roman statues, the beautiful glass ceiling light fixtures.  Their pool area is to die for; two of the pools and the jacuzzi are open year-round, and they keep the water warm enough for people to take a dip in the middle of winter.  Seriously, we've been swimming while snow was falling on our heads!



The rooms are luxurious, clean, stylish, comfortable, everything you'd want in a hotel room (maybe a bit too much gold, but hey, this is Reno).


The best thing about the Peppermill?  You don't have to wade your way through a smoke-filled casino to get anywhere.  You can go straight from your car to hotel check-in to your room to the gym to the spa to the pool without ever having to see a slot machine.  You do need to navigate through the casino to get to most of the restaurants, but there are 2 cafes, a bar and a nice restaurant beside the pool, well away from the smoke and the noise.

I seriously have to get over my Reno reluctance -- and this post is the first step. Forget peer pressure.   You know what?  I DO shop at Walmart. I DO eat at McDonald's.  I DO stay at the Peppermill.  And I DO like Reno.  Try it -- you might like it!

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What's for lunch this week?

To contact us Click HERE

Pork siopao, red bell peppers, dried pineapples, mango cubes, pumpkin pretzels
Didn't I just brag about my improving photo quality last week? I take it all back.  This week's photos look worse than ever!  I think it's because the mornings are getting darker and darker, and I just can't get a decent amount of light for my phone camera to focus with.  What I need, of course, is a newer, more expensive phone with a better camera :)   Don't let the grainy images fool you, though; the food featured this week is delish.  I'm especially proud of the pumpkin pretzels in the photo above.  It took me a few tries to get them looking all cute and pumpkin-like, but the result is worth it.  I may not spend time getting a good photograph, but that's because I'd rather spend the time making a yummy lunch!



Breakfast muffin (with egg, cheese and Canadian bacon), strawberries, apple slices

Leftover pizza, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms, pumpkin macarons

Spinach, cream cheese and tomato roll-ups, prosciutto and mozzarella roll-up, mixed Annie's Bunny Grahams

Waffles with Nutella, cantaloupe, dried apple slices

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What's for lunch this week? Lunch break!

To contact us Click HERE

Hot dog on a bun, mixed nuts, strawberries
It's Thanksgiving week, and the kids have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off.  That means I only have to make 2 lunches this week!   Advanced Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and I hope you enjoy the (lunch-making) break!



Smucker's Uncrustables, pretzels, strawberries

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Ferry Building Marketplace: a Foodie's paradise

To contact us Click HERE

How have I lived in the Bay Area for almost 20 years and never been to San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace before now?  Okay, it was just a former ferry terminal that had fallen into disuse once the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge were completed in 1936 and 1937,  and with the construction of the Embarcadero Freeway, it barely even saw daylight -- so I had no reason to know it existed.  But after the collapse of the freeway in the 1998 Loma Prieto Earthquake, the whole Embarcadero area began to transform, and the Ferry Building underwent a massive renovation -- so after 2003, I no longer have an excuse.  I had heard about the Ferry Building Marketplace, of course, but just never got around to going there.  Even The Pea got to visit the place before I did!


I finally visited the Ferry Building Marketplace a couple of weeks ago when I went on a chocolate tour with a friend -- and I seriously need to make up for lost time.  The place is a food lover's paradise!  You'll find merchants selling everything from dried mushrooms to artisan olive oil to caviar to tea-infused chocolate truffles  There are butchers and bakers and candlestick makers, restaurants and cafes.  Everything looks fresh, upscale, and made with love and care.


The exterior architecture is classically grand, and the interior is bright and airy.  It reminds me of Napa's Oxbow Market, with merchants lining the hall, and people wandering from from store to store, tasting, looking, enjoying.  Check out some of the delicious finds at the Ferry Building:


Stonehouse Olive Oil


Scharffen Berger Chocolate


Neo Cocoa Truffles

Recchiuti Confections

Hey, it was a chocolate tour.  My friend and I did grab a sandwich at Boccalone Salumeria to go, but we were in too much of a hurry to stop for photos.  I had to wolf my sandwich down on the drive back home, but it deserved to be eaten while sitting at a little cafe table, with a hunky Italian waiter pouring mineral water into artisan glass goblets.  Yes, it was that delicious: salty salami, crusty bread, peppery arugula, spicy mustard.  Yum.

I would have loved to wander around, but we just didn't have enough time.  There are a couple of places I definitely would have dropped by at:  Miette (to try the Parisian macarons), Cowgirl Creamery (because I love their cheese and I want to have the luxury of choosing from their full line-up) and El Porteño Empanadas (because the buttery, meaty smell wafting from their booth nearly drove me crazy).

Oh, yes, Ferry Building Marketplace, there WILL be a next time, and it WILL be soon.

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What's for lunch this week?

To contact us Click HERE

 Crackers, ham & cheese skewers, cucumber slices, ranch dip, vanilla yogurt, brownie
Recently I bought a bunch of bento lunch box supplies: silicone baking cups, plastic picks, and plastic sauce cups.  They certainly improve the presentation of the food and make it a whole lot more fun to eat!  Even my kids aren't immune to the cuteness factor.  Of course, garnish can be more than just for appearances:  the blue sauce cups in the photo above are garnished with a cilantro leaf and orange sprinkles.  Sure, it looks nice, but I also did it because I didn't want the kids dipping their cucumbers into vanilla yogurt or pouring ranch dressing onto their chocolate brownie!



Mini pancakes with syrup, bananas, kiwi, pineapples, oranges

 Cheese & tomato quesadilla, corn & tomato salsa, grapes

Green salad with blue cheese dressing, dried edamame, clementine orange


 Grilled cheese sandwich, dried apples, granola bites

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Taking Photos

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Last night I dreamed that I was watching what might be the greatest game of football ever.  All the best players in the world were there, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, some blond guy and lots of others I can't remember any more -- you know how quickly dream memories fade -- but I know they were great.  There were no team colors or kits, just regular workout gear, and there were no ugly fouls, no cheating or diving.  The guys were playing just for the sheer joy of the game.  The game was held in some kind of indoor arena, and the spectator area was like a parent's waiting area in a dance studio, separated from the pitch by a glass wall (hey, it's a dream, go with the flow).  Anyone could just wander in and watch.

The only catch? No photos allowed.


I felt a vague sense of frustration throughout the dream, like the inability to take photos was ruining my enjoyment of the game. It was as though I was worried I'd never remember the game, or that the game  wouldn't even exist if I didn't have photos to prove it happened.

I woke up thinking, If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one to hear it, did it even make a sound?  If I wasn't able to take a photo of an event -- or tweet that I was there, or check in and post a status update on Facebook -- was I really there?

In my defense, I was brought up by a photo-obsessed mom.  All my life my mother has been annoying friends and family with her insistence that everyone stop, gather and pose for a photo at every single gathering or event.  Most of her photos look like class photos: rows and rows of people, with only the heads visible (the front row sitting on a sofa or behind a restaurant table), with no background showing so you can't even tell where it was taken.  I personally don't like taking large group photos (5 people or less, please, so I can actually see your faces), but I'm just as bad.

I know I'm not alone, though.  I constantly see people blatantly ignoring "No photography" signs in museums where the light from camera flashes would damage precious works of art.  I constantly see people holding their phones aloft at concerts where filming is not allowed.  I know people with hundreds, even thousands of photos on their iPhones.  My Facebook stream is filled with people checking in at this restaurant or that landmark, posting photos of the concert they're attending or the hotel they're sipping mai tais at.   People are recording and broadcasting their lives on Instagram, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube.

Is that such a bad thing? Nah -- as long as you don't let the recording get in the way of enjoying.  I once blogged about dropping my obsession about videotaping The Pea's dance recitals because watching it live was so much better than watching it through the video capture monitor.  What I didn't add in that last post (I wish I could find it!) was that part of your enjoyment might come from sharing the moment with people who aren't there.  Who among us isn't grateful to the bartender who recorded Mitt Romney's "47 percent" moment?  Finally: memories fade, but disk space lasts forever.  So I'm going to keep snapping away!

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