so cold.

hello, i am in L.A. for my brother's graduation. he makes fantastic graphic designs and is also co-editor of our online arts magazine revol. here are our greedy asian hands holding some heaping scoops of thrifty ice cream. we used to always get this as little childes. cylindrical scooping mechanism and all. soo good.

swiss chard tacos

swiss chard tacos

i got this from rick bayless's show on pbs. it is really good & fast (not counting the roasting time) & easy. who knew swiss chard could taste good in a taco?? i love mexican food. there are no specific measurements but these make about 2 tacos. rick bayless is surprisingly buff.

a couple of tomatillos
one garlic clove
a chipotle pepper from can
swiss chard with the stems cutt off
2 smallish onions, sliced
soft tacos
crumbled queso fresco
olive oil


1. roast tomatillos and garlic in a pan at 350 degrees for about an hour. let cool. place into blender with the chipotle pepper (cut off stems and scoop out seeds if you don't want it so hot) until well blended.

2. sautee onions in the olive oil until nicely browned on edges, add chard and cook until just wilted.

3. place the onion and chard on the warm taco shells, pour over with the tomatillo chipotle salsa, and top with queso fresco.

tomato rosemary sourdough bread

tomato rosemary sourdough bread

hi hello, long time no see. so long that blogger logged me out. i'm sorry i've been so bad. summer classes and general lazy dog days of summer-ness. i haven't been cooking that much or rather just cooking things not really worth updating about. i did make a rather nice tomato rosemary sourdough bread that i am about to share with you. i let this starter ferment for almost a week and while it did turn out a bit sour, perhaps not sour enough for my taste??? so if you prefer it to be pretty sour, then let it ferment for a bit longer. and who doesn't love tomato and rosemary? people who have no soul, thats who. the bread comes out with a pleasing red hue and has a nice herb-y fragrance filled with warm sun-dappled childhood memories. MAGIC!

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to make the starter:

2 C flour
2 C warm water
1 package active dry yeast


1. mix the flour, water, and yeast together in a bowl. let stand uncovered in a warm place overnight or up to 48 hours.

2. The starter is ready to use or if you want a stronger ferment, store in refridgerator and feed once or twice a week with 1 C milk, 1 C flour, and 1/4 C sugar. After feeding let it sit in a warm place for a couple of hours afterwards.

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to make the bread:

1 1/2 C sourdough starter
1 C warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 C tomato juice
1 heaping T dried rosemary or more if using fresh or subsitute with herb of your choice
2 t white sugar
1 t salt
7 C flour


1. Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water, set aside.

2. In large bowl; mix starter & tomato juice & rosemary. Add yeast mixture, salt, sugar & stir well.

3. Add 1 cup of flour at a time & beat well to develop the gluten. When a stiff dough forms, turn out onto a floured surface & knead until smooth and elastic, adding the last 1 cup of flour as you go.

4. Place into a greased bowl. Grease the top of the dough and cover with a towel. Let rest in a warm place until doubled in bulk.

5. Punch down and divide. Form into two rounds and place on baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise for 1/2 hour. Sprinkle with flour and score an X (or your initials! or a bear face! that would be fun) on the tops.

6. Bake at 350 Degrees for 45-60 minutes or until bottom has browned lightly. Cool under a towel for a soft crust or without for a crusty crust.



i had a slice of mine with some sundried tomatoes, bacon and goat cheese (placed under the broiler for a minute or so). pictured is my last bite. not pictured were the tears coming out of my eyes. tears of happiness. yumm