a noticeable vibrance

Yes, it's that time again my friends

When it's Summer,

There are so many colors to choose from

As you may have noticed, I'm a little obsessed with the color of food these days.  During the summer  season especially, fresh produce comes to fruition in so many beautiful, vibrant colors.

Warm summer afternoons in Santa Barbara always bring out the foodie in me.  It is the perfect time to play around with new recipes and create some tasty dishes..

Plus, there's more time to finally page through the piles of recipe books & food magazines continuing to accumulate on the kitchen counter.

These lemons are a necessary addition to any summer dish..

ColoRfuL DeLighTs

French Pastries...

There's always an excuse for these bite-size indulgences

You can find these colorful delights at Renaud's Patisserie & Bistro & Jeannine's Bakery.

a simple treat

Van Buren Summer Barbecue, Part II

Yesterday afternoon my parents had a few friends over for a casual BBQ.  One of my best friends, Rachel, was visiting from LA so we happily joined the BBQ festivities.  

For drinks, we sipped on Fess Parker's Ashley Chardonnay.  This delectable vino is very buttery, making it an easy match for our appetizers; fresh bruschetta and kalamata olives.

Whilst the parents & friends chatted about their favorite Music Academy artists and upcoming performances, Rachel and I prepared the asparagus and lemons for grilling.  Barbecuing asparagus has become second nature, as it is probably the 67th time I've prepared it just this summer (Cristina, I'm sure you understand).  Making this simple meal is so easy.  All we did was brush a little olive oil and lemon juice on the spears, turning them over continually for an even grill.  For the finishing touches, they received a pinch of pepper and fresh dill.

 Along with the asparagus & grilled lemon wedges, we enjoyed grilled wild salmon, wild rice, fresh corn salad, and homemade pesto pasta.  AKA: the classic Van Buren summer dinner.  Delicious, and extremely filling...so filling that a long walk around the block is almost always necessary.

However, no matter how full we always are, there is always room for dessert.  Last night we enjoyed Marilyn's homemade Pavlova, coupled with fresh lemon bars.  Yummmm; it was absolutely the best sugary citrus party for your mouth!

oh boy, Blueberries!

On Monday, I felt compelled to go blueberry picking.  I was going, and nobody was stopping me.

I asked Nico and my friend Andrea if they wanted to come too.  Andrea was all for it and couldn't wait to go.  Nico...well, Nico needed a little more convincing.  He seemed to like the idea of blueberry picking, but wasn't too stoked on the fact that it was 30 miles away up the coast.  After being adamant that it wasn't worth it, he finally agreed to go as long as he could read his new book the whole car ride. Sure Nico.

And so the three of us headed up to gather some fresh blubs!

Nico, busy scavenging for fresh blueberries on the lower branches. They tended to be bigger and juicer directly out of the sunlight.

We gathered blueberries for about an hour in the extreme heat of Santa Ynez Valley. The best part about the whole experience was the fact that we were allowed to eat as many blueberries as we wanted while we were picking. So, not only did I pick 3 pounds of blueberries, I also came away with 3 pounds in my stomach.  Talk about getting your antioxidants..!

Side note: 5 minutes after we started gathering the blubs, Nico said that this was probably one of the best things he's ever done. Hahhhhh, boys should really listen to girls more often.

Necessary Consumption

Birthday Extravaganzas! 
Los Olivos, CA

For Julie and Linda's birthdays this year, they enjoyed a little trip into local wine tasting country.  Chauffeured & guided by their lovely children (respectively), we took them on quite a little adventure...

Our journey began in downtown Los Olivos at Panino.  We were anticipating taking our lunch to-go in order to have a picnic at the first winery we went to.  Nico, however, wasn't having it...he needed to eat now.  So, in order to cater to the ravenous male in the group, we ate then and there.  We then grabbed a wine map, our limonatas, and began mapping out a route..

Bridlewood Winery was our first stop.  Here we tasted the succulent Estate Viogner.  It had great charisma in the glass, with bright fruit flavors of nectarine and honeysuckle.  After tasting, I got separated from the group as I ventured out to take pictures of anything & everything.  I could have taken pictures for hours if time was on our side.

Our next stop was my mother's suggestion; Beckman Vineyard.  I was glad to go here because it is right in the neighborhood of where we already were.  Beckman Winery was supposedly well-known for its Syrahs, which my mother fawns over.  Personally, I had never been a fan of Syrahs, so I was unsure of how I would like their wines.  HOWEVER, after tasting these Syrahs, specifically the Purisima Block 6 2005 vintage, I may be a syrah convert.  Well, for now at least.

On our way to our next spot of vino bliss, we drove by a blur of purple fields.  Lavender!  It looked like a whole city block of just lavender plants.  It was gorgeous.  We pulled off to the side of the road to have a sniff of the soothing aromatic plants.  In the lavender stand, Julie came across free wine tasting tickets in for Fess Parker Winery....perfect.

You can guess where our next stop might have been...

The tasting glasses were free too...right Mom?

Coffee Culture

So, for all of you faithful reader(s) out there (Hi Mom!), you will have noticed that today I am scheduled to discuss coffee.  Yup, that good stuff that people drink all the time.  Coffee is SO good that it is now the second most traded commodity in the world.  Can you guess what the first might be...?  Here's a hint: it's slimy, shiny & doesn't mix well in the Gulf of Mexico.  For now, however, coffee will take up most of our discussion today...

Growing & producing coffee is definitely a tricky thing. It all starts with an evergreen tree.  This tree produces red cherries, which when opened reveal green coffee beans.  These are then roasted to make the brown colored beans that we are so familiar with.  Coffee is grown all over the world, fifty-three countries to be exact.  Woww!  These countries all lie on the southern latitude along the equator.  This is commonly referred to as the "Bean Belt."  Brazil is the largest producer of coffee, closely followed by Columbia and Mexico.     The two most common varieties of coffee are arabica and robusta.  Arabica coffee is consumed the most throughout the world.  It is mild and aromatic.  Robusta coffee comes from Brazil and Southeast Asia.  It's flavor is more bitter and contains 50% more caffeine than Arabica.

Coffee is a wonderful beverage to consume.  Contrary to popular beliefs, coffee can be quite good for you, in moderate amounts.  Three 6-7oz cups a day can provide about the same amount of hydration that water can in the same amount.  Coffee also contains high amounts of antioxidants and phytochemicals, including antioxidants most commonly found in fruits and veggies that improve your glucose metabolism (how fast your body metabolizes fat).

Caffeine is a major component of coffee.  An average 8oz cup may contain anywhere between 60-130 mg.  Caffeine helps with alertness, and may even enhance athletic performance.  In studies conducted in over 1 million people, caffeine consumption has shown to reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease in men.  In a study conducted in a group of women, coffee consumption cut the risk of cardiovascular disease and alcoholic cirrhosis.  These are pretty awesome facts for all you coffee addicts! :)

I just recently learned a few tips on how to store my coffee/grinds for optimal flavor.  If you can, always grind your coffee beans right before brewing.  This will maximize the flavor.  The finer the grounds, the quicker they will brew.  Also, the darker the roast, the stronger & more bitter the flavor will be.  Interesting enough, using cold water will give you the best flavor for your coffee (hmmmm...I'll try that tomorrow morning).  Last but not least, never freeze your coffee beans/grounds because this allows moisture to accumulate, which may result in unwanted odors, yuck!

If you have a compost in your garden, throw leftover coffee grinds/filters in it.  If you don't own a compost, get one...or just use the leftover coffee grinds in a marinade for meats.  Soon, you'll be the most resourceful person on the block!

If anyone ever wants to drink coffee with me, please do.  I love the coffee culture and the happy people that enjoy it too!

It's that time of year again!

Pesto alla Genovese

Every summer my mom and I make our awesome homemade pesto.  For those of you who have tasted it before, I think you realize how magical it is.

Making pesto is always one of the best parts of the summer.  I spread it on ciabatta, toss it with pasta, dollop it on fresh mozzarella, or just eat it by the spoonful... mmm YUM!

This afternoon my mom and I began the process.  She went out in the backyard to cut a couple bushels of our home-grown basil.  We then washed the basil, grated the freshly imported Parmesan cheese, and crushed 4 cloves of garlic.  The aromas were already intoxicating...  From here, we blended these 3 ingredients with a couple pinches of salt, pine nuts, & extra virgin olive oil (preferably made in Italy).  

And whaaala! 

I swear that you will not be disappointed with this pesto.  In fact, it might just be the best think you've ever tasted.  I would love to hear your feedback!

Health Note on Pesto's Ingredients:
Basil is rich in rosmarinic and caffeic acid.  These compounds have strong antioxidant properties and may help protect cells from damage.  There are many varieties of basil differing in smell, shape, and color.  These include Thai, lemon, Large-leaf Italian sweet, tiny-leaf bush, and African blue.
Garlic is a close relative of the onion, shallot, and leek.  It contains many phytochemicals that protect your body from cholesterol build-up and cancer.  Many Egyptian slaves were fed garlic to keep their strength up.

Extra-virgin olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat, which research has shown helps protect against heart disease.  The monounsaturated fat reduces the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in your blood.

 

Here is the complete recipe:
Yield: 1 1/2-2 cups

2 cups fresh basil leaves, stripped from their stems.  Adding 1/2 cup of mint also adds a delicious flavor.

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tsps freshly chopped garlic

2 tbls finely chopped pine nuts and/or walnuts

1-1 1/2 cups of extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated imported sardo, romano, or Parmesan cheese.

To make the pesto, combine the coarsely chopped basil, salt, pepper, garlic, pine nuts, and 1 cup olive oil in a blender or food processor.  Blend these ingredients at a high speed until they look smooth.  Stop the blender/food processor every 6 seconds to push the herbs down with a rubber spatula.  The sauce should be thin enough to run easily down the spatula.  If it seems too thick, you may add extra olive oil.  From here, transfer the sauce to a large bowl and hand stir in the cheese.