Farmers Market Treats

I am reminded of how lucky we are in California when it comes to access to fresh produce.

There are 5 or 6 year-round farmers markets within 20 minutes of my house- I have my pick depending on the day of the week and where I am. It's what I'm used to!

Californians sometimes forget that we live in a place that has so much access to these kind of seasonal abundance. It's (one of) the reasons why I find outspoken critics of non-local or organic pretty irritating- we're a little sheltered and spoiled over here!!

Easily said when you have this at your fingertips.

So I have 5 or 6 markets nearby; despite that, my favorite is still the Saturday morning market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. It's more of a production and time committment (15 minute drive to the Millbrae BART station, 30 minutes on the train, and I'm limited to what I can muscle home), but it's a fun weekend activity as opposed to just grocery shopping.

My last visit was a year ago at least until last weekend at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival.

I snuck back this morning for a little more browsing on my own.

I'm an introvert by nature, so a little slice of heaven is the solitary walk from Embarcadero BART to the docks before wandering the stalls by myself. I spend my time daydreaming, people-watching, considering what to eat for breakfast, and what to bring home.

Market Bar- worth a stop next time the weather is good, and I can get Ray to come with me. . . How nice does that look?

GIGANTORE carrots

I'd never seen brussel sprouts on their stalks before- can you imagine what they look like in the ground? How do they grow actually, I have no clue! I should have asked- anybody know??

The interior of the Ferry Building is a bit more for people watching than grocery shopping.

This interesting gentleman was enjoying a glass of white wine at the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant.

At 9:00 AM.

Gotta love it.

After wandering inside and out to make sure I picked the best thing, I settled on Frog Hollow Farm indoors.

Frog Hollow Farm is located nearby in Brentwood, and this is a little spot to purchase fruit and a plethora of mouth-watering pastries.

In addition, you can sign up for their CSA program and receive boxes of fresh fruits on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. There are pick-up locations close to me in Belmont and Burlingame. Food for thought :-)

Line = worth the wait!

My choice was this scuffin creation.

Much more like a scone than a muffin, the advertised flax seed and apricot jam grabbed me and didn't let me go until I could place my order.

My little guy- heavy on the flax seed, in a good way

And oh so excited (!!) when I split the scuffin to reveal a generous glob of apricot jam in the center. It was like I had spread a plain scone with a thick layer of homemade jam. (!!)

Oh yes, I picked good.

I don't mind the gray weather here most of the time (though I'm not a city resident so perhaps I should shut up), but on a day like this it is just so beautiful.

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Black Box Wine

This awesome treat arrived on my doorstep from the nice people at Black Box Wines.

Thank you!

The wine is a nice cabernet sauvignon and we're loving the packaging. The rectangular box has a spout at the bottom and holds a quantity equal to four bottles- and it will be fresh for a month! We've been sipping little tastes nightly, and it graced our table at a party recently.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

I'd like to share a winter recipe that I'm obsessed with right now.

This butternut squash salad is inspired by something I found in the prepared foods case at Whole Foods. I came for a bit of poached salmon, and this salad was sitting right next to it. I couldn't believe how delicious it was; after two or three repeat visits, I decided to make my own at home. I noted the ingredients and came up with what you see here.

I am happy to report that my version was better than the original- the chunks of butternut squash sit well with the cranberries, and the fresh thyme is very important. I'd consider using even more in the future, but the recipe shows what I used today.

I've been enjoying this salad as an added component to a salad with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, poached salmon, walnut oil and balsamic vinegar. Sounds bizarre I know, but it works well. On one occasion, I paired it with some roasted broccoli, on another with roasted chickpeas. I'm thinking of substituting pumpkin for the butternut squash next time. So many more possibilities in the future. . .

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

1 butternut squash

1/2 red onion

1 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped fine

2 Tbs olive oil

salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries

dash of red wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the dried cranberries in a bowl and pour hot water over the top. Let sit and rehydrate while preparing the other ingredients.

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and stringy inside with a spoon. Cut each half into three, and remove skin by slicing down the edge. Cut each piece into cubes. Take the 1/2 red onion and cut it into 3 sections, then each of those sections into cubes. Place in a large bowl with the squash and add the olive oil, salt, and fresh thyme. Roast for 35 minutes, tossing once in the middle.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and add the drained cranberries. Sprinkle with the vinegar, tossing with a spatula to mix everything together. Transfer to a serving dish, and serve hot, at room temperature, or cold.

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Morning After

Gorgeous day

For personal reasons I only made it to the first night and morning of the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, but I'm so grateful for every moment of it. I hope to be able to participate more next year, but this time I soaked up as much as I could in the shortened time.

I love my city, but too often I make the trek downtown and the weather is dismal.

I mean look- this is what it looked like coming in Friday afternoon.

Not a good sign right?

The next morning, clear skies and sun- soo lucky!

I snuck upstairs to the 8th floor terrace to get a look at the view along the Embarcadero. It was so pretty I forgot to think about my fear of heights.

And that precious moon! Can you see it?

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After the roof terrace, my first stop was Bluebottle for some coffee.

Plain coffee is individually dripped here.

It was pretty impressive to watch each cup slowly fill with fresh coffee.

Right before 9:00, it's relatively peaceful inside the Ferry Building which was a little shocking. This place is usually beyond crowded for me- mental note to come before breakfast as opposed to lunchtime. It didn't last long, by 10:00 the place was getting packed.

While I was enjoying my coffee, this gentleman was sipping wine at the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant.

At 9AM. Love it.

The Bay Bridge looking towards the East Bay- Hi Mother- and Father-in-Law!

My last two trips to the Ferry Building were dark and rainy.

A sunny day makes all the difference.

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A Little Foodbuzzed

I'm still daydreaming about last night with Foodbuzz at the First Annual Foodblogger Festival.

The Hotel Vitale is a home base for many attending and some of the events. Great location especially for me coming from the Peninsula- 2 blocks from BART and right across from the Ferry Building.

Cocktail party ready!

Cocktail hour on the 8th flour terrace, filled with interesting people whose blogs I either read now or will be in the future. A little juice and champagne, and I was ready for a little dinner.

Queue the Street Food Fare

I love the concept of gourmet food in a hurry, and fabulous street food is creeping up all over San Francisco this year. You don't have to eat crummy food just because you don't have the time or inclination to sit in a restaurant. Places like Spencer on the Go, the Creme Brulee Cart, and the Civic Center Waffle Mania Truck are on my SF wish list beside Gitane and The Moss Room. Street food trucks are spread out and mobile, so it's a challenge. For me, this was a golden opportunity to try a bit of everything.

The Pie Truck- and their blog!

Spencer on the Go

Hog Island Oyster Company

Pizza Politana

Mission Minis

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Wrinkly Figs

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Pumpkin Cupcakes

OH

These are lovely~ Really lovely~

Pumpkin works some magic on the batter to form a devastatingly moist and flavorful couple of bites. Or more, if you're me and sneak two cakes in succession. Shhh, don't tell.

If you leave off the icing, you essentially have a muffin.

I, however, have a small obsession with cream cheese frostings- all others are passable, but give me cream cheese frosting and I'll spoon it directly from the bowl like yogurt.

Gross you say? Ok maybe I don't actually do that, but I'd like to.

The addition of vanilla bean makes it extra special, enough to be the center piece of my Halloween party spread.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs refrigerated butter, cut in pieces
1 generous cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup evaporated milk (I didn't have any, so I made a substitute- 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk and 3/4 cup water whisked together and 1/2 cup measured out)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
cinnamon sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with floured baker's spray.

In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt together. Add the butter and pulse a few times until incorporated and the butter becomes teeny tiny pebbles. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla until combined. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined. Don't overmix!

Pour the batter into the muffin pan, about 2/3 fill. Sprinkle the batter with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely before icing.


Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened at room temp
4 ounces cream cheese (half block)
8 ounces powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
scraped seeds from 1 vanilla bean

To make the icing, place all ingredients in a good-sized bowl and whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer mixture to a large plastic bag, seal, and snip the tip to decorate! Alternatively, you can just smear directly with a knife. Or, store in the fridge until you're ready to ice (let stand on the counter for a few minutes to allow it to soften up a bit for ease of application).

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