Quinn's Focaccia Sandwich

This weekend brought all sorts of changes: Quinn's move up to Santa Barbara, an additional food section for Culinary Therapy, and a flashy new camera! That's right, no more grainy iPhone photos. After weeks of research and deliberation I bought myself a Sony Nex-5 and am thrilled to play with my new toy. I welcome tips and suggestions from any and all photographers with open arms.

Also, please welcome to the blog: Weekend Getaways! As I plan to take brief jaunts up the coast to see Quinn in Santa Barbara and explore the restaurants in surrounding areas, I thought I might as well be productive during my trips. With such gems as Goleta's La Super Rica and Solvang's famed Chinese food, I have my work cut out for me. 

Saturday morning Quinn and I perused the Farmers' Market in downtown Santa Barbara. The county is known for its fresh produce and daily markets, inspiring me to spend more time at my own neighborhood venue. Quinn picked out a heirloom tomatoes, pluots (apricot and plum's love child), and a stunning herb focaccia. He lovingly designed an addictive end-of-summer sandwich we nibbled on all weekend.

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Healthy Eats: M Street Kitchen

Since I moved into my own apartment a few months ago, my mom and I try to see a movie or have dinner once a week to play catch up. It's been fun to explore Santa Monica for new restaurants to try, especially with so many Californian cuisine options. Westside locals are hot for anything organic, vegan or diet friendly, and M Street Kitchen is no exception.

At the edge of the oh-so-hip Main Street just minutes from my apartment, M Street Kitchen has heated outdoor seating and a cozy, layered indoor area. Our sinewy, dread-locked waiter had to have been a model and paid the utmost attention to us despite the place being packed. I had a glass of the riesling (my standby) and my mom found a jazzed-up version of her favorite drink, "Shakin' Lemonade": ketel one, lemonade, and rosemary served in a jar (how very LA).

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Stuff That Sausage! Or, Mushroom Appreciation Day

When I was a little girl, there were several vegetables I would not under any circumstances allow in my food. My parents tried to sneak them in to sauces, chopping up onions, chives or mushrooms into tiny bits in an attempt to dissuade me from my oh-so-healthy diet of macaroni and cheese. No matter how small the diced veggies were, I could taste them a mile away. "This has onion in it!" I would cry angrily, and proceed to pout for the rest of the meal. (What a charmer.) Mostly I've come to realize that my disgust for onions and mushrooms came from the texture ("too crunchy, too rubbery, get it away from me," etc).

This might be why my parents are still shocked to the core whenever I eat onions or mushrooms (often). I will add grilled onions to almost any dish and ever since my adventures grilling with Quinn and Daniel I've been doing the same with mushrooms. I add sliced white mushrooms to my healthier version of Fettuccini Alfredo, recreate my goat cheese & shiitake omelet from John O'Groats, and sautee large portobello caps in the balsamic-dijon marinade Daniel came up with.  The other night I  took my mushroom obsession a step further. As I sipped on some girlie moscato white wine and danced around in my kitchen with Scream 2 on in the background, I made sinfully bites of sheer happiness: stuffed mushrooms.

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Healthy Eats: Arugula & Goat Cheese Pasta Salad

I've said it once, I'll say it again: there is something  so wonderful about cooking with friends. Opening a bottle (or 2, or 3) of wine, brainstorming dishes together, deliberating over spices, rubs and marinades... it can't be beat. This past weekend Quinn and I got together with two of his good friends from high school to grill high quality tri tip and chicken breasts purchased at the Los Angeles Original Farmer's Market.

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