Saturday, July 7, 2012

San Francisco and other things


Here's a more expanded look of my little San Francisco excursion.

Here are some boats from Pier 39, my friend took this picture. The view of the mountains from Pier 39 is so pretty, and it's so nice to just go and see the water.

Here's a picture from the Pride Festival, which was that weekend. People were dressed so colorfully and really had a lot of fun.

Look at that interesting outfit! People were taking pictures of this guy left and right.

I will post some other San Francisco pictures later. :)

Friend's mom sent me a cookbook from Baton Rouge! This was the highlight of my week. She got it from a restaurant over there that she visited. So thoughtful. :)


It's got recipes for stews, rice dishes, seafood dishes, vegetable dishes, even some dessert dishes. I immediately made the Shrimp Jambalaya.

Due to the interesting method of simmering some onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper in oil for a while, and then simmering it a while longer (40 minutes!) with some tomato paste and water, the shrimp and rice mixed in (shrimp first to cook for 20 minutes, then the rice at the end) came out this deep, dark color, with some fresh green onion and parsley to give it a pop of brighter color. Somewhat reminiscent of "dirty rice," I would imagine. There are a lot of ways to make jambalaya and this was quite good, with some hot sauce mixed in.

My housemate and I went to this farm today called Emma Prusch Farm Park because he thought it was going to be a farmers market but it was just a farmstand with vegetables. Still kind of fun to go and visit, the park itself is lovely (not pictured) and they have all kinds of birds wandering around.

This is a mama bird of some sort and her little chick. :)

A little peek at the farm. 

A goose! Brings back memories of being chased around by geese at Waller Park back home.

Also lately I have been enjoying crepes. Deb's crepe recipe is easily adaptable to savory crepes with the omission of the honey. The other night I made crepes with roasted asparagus, spinach, and zuchinni from the garden. Tonight I made a simple crepe with turkey lunchmeat, some pieces of fuji apple, and a little monterey jack cheese. Protip: if you ever don't really feel like cooking a big meal but still want something light and satisfying and not frozen or "just-add-water," make some crepes! 

Chocolate & strawberry dessert crepe I made a long time ago. 

So, fun times... now back to studying... so I can try to get ahead before I go and visit Santa Maria in a week and a half. Hope you guys are ready to have a good week!

27 comments:

  1. Hey Jen!

    Suddenly I'm hungry (thanks for sharing more great pics about your adventures in the great city of San Francisco). Happy your friend kept you in mind for such a nice surprise--what a special treat--well deserving as well because you are that kind of a person. Have a great week!

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    1. Yes, it really was a lovely surprise to get my cookbook in the mail :). I had been in a bit of a cooking funk because I didn't feel like cooking much of anything... but once I got that book, my enthusiasm returned, and I made the jambalaya, and soon after, a pie and a casserole. Have a great week too Al!

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    2. Soooo happy such a wonderful surprise made your day, Jen! A pie and casserole sounds delicious and ideal on this bright and sunny day. Thanks @ have a good week--much appreciated :)

      Any Summer travel plans on tap this year? Enjoy your day.

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    3. Well, next month I am going to Washington D.C. for a week and a half, so that will be great. When I get back, it will be time for the fall semester to start.

      Are you doing any traveling this summer, Al?

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    4. AHHH DC (am doin' a happy dance) I have never been to your Nation's capital, in midst of the intent of your visit ;) I am looking forward to future posts... have a fabulous time sweetie!

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    5. I sure will :). I'll try to do some things I didn't do the first time I was there. Maybe see some of the museums I didn't check out before. Also making a visit to the Library of Congress for sure, and just exploring.

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    6. Ahhh, our Jen is putting on her traveling shoes again this Summer, and a trip to the Library of Congress is in store--woohoo!!! What an exclamation point! Is your Friend planning a special picnic by the banks of the Potomac? No special travel plans for me this Summer, but what an amazing sunrise this morning.

      Enjoy your day...back next week to see what's next on tap here at your Epic Treats.

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    7. A picnic by the river does sound like a very nice idea. Perhaps we'll do that if it isn't too hot.

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    8. A picnic what a great idea, don't worry too much on the weather/heat Because when Al mentioned an amazing sunrise... check the weather channel prior.... providing you guys are not morning people. I know some aren't. A picnic breakfast could be packed with crescents, bagels, juice, coffee/tea. But keeping in mind if you and your Friend aren't "morning people" perhaps witness a sunset on the Potomac, pack a picnic and enjoy the nature and also share with each other.

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    9. Good idea, Meesh :). We could go when it isn't quite as warm and enjoy a lovely show in the sky.

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    11. I deleted my previous message because I left out a second article from the Washington Post... here goes again!

      There's a few great spots in DC listed here--->
      http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/best-bets/summerpicnicspots,80586.html



      Read this too! It is worth the read...
      http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31211-2004Jun10.html

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    12. Great, thanks :). I am just starting to search out some fun ideas for my vacation.

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  2. Hi Jen!

    Forgive me for not looking in sooner..we have had a huge heatwave here, I guess we are fortunate as we had the tail-end of violent thunderstorms, almost daily the thunder crashed/lightening too... friends in Ohio (not so far from me) were without power completely, for days ....anyway whenever the power goes out (as it did here briefly here) This creates a power surge... CHA-CHING my "hydro bill" ----> Power bill goes up. So over the weekend I disconnected as much as I could, I love your post and thanks for the recipes, dirty rice? I will definitely check out Jambalaya...sounds yummy!

    Your friend's mom sounds like a peach too~ a cookbook, what a great gift, but from somebody's Mom,now that's special! The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree, this friend is a a keeper. I am sure that you have figured this out.


    I had to laugh when you mentioned years back, the geese chasing you, Hahaha I can relate... Well, for me,it's not so much geese, I am terrified of ALL winged farm birds... Yes, a farmer's daughter is afraid of a chicken, which to this day I have no problems walking in an enclosed area with cows/steers/bulls/pigs etc. I will go and hug them and sit by them.... but a bird? Yikes! No way! A long story, but geese do chase, I never gave them the chance, because of my fear of chickens! LOL

    So nice to be able to post freely without lightening!

    Enjoy your week, and to Al as well!

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    1. Hi Meesh, it's great to hear from you :). I totally understand about the storm and losing power, my Friend (the very same friend whose mom sent me the cookbook) lost power for a little while too over in Washington D.C. He has it back now though.

      I am a bit nervous around bigger birds who walk around, too-- especially geese. They're just so aggressive and noisy.

      Hope you're having a good week too :)

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    2. Sigh for me it's that wing spand, till this day even a small budgie scares me... (true) the fluttering sound scares me. (I'm a woos, I know) But the pecking of the beaks (like big geese) is far worst. You are braver than me, I found this amusing when you mentioned geese I always find many,many things in what you post ... Now crepes, you have my full attention too! I missed coming over but will as always savour everything you post!

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    3. I love crepes, I could probably eat them every day. Any crepe recipes/ideas you come across, send them my way :)

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    4. I also love crèpes (in French it simply means pancakes) but the secret is they have to be very thin, or the batter should be, as you no doubt know. Check out this technique----> http://youtu.be/jTeWb2SS0Zc Kewl eh?? Now they stuffed it with Nuttelo (hmm not sure if this would fizz me too much....)oh well don't knock it unless you've tried it.,, I haven't LOL
      Your recipe with roasted asparagus, spinach, and zuchinni from the garden. Now that's right up my alley. Years ago, I recall a Magic Pan restaurant chain, this was their specialty, I loved that restaurant. My older sister does a lot of various crèpes recipes. I will check our recipe book...yes my sisters and I have a recipe book.... I am sure Lou won't mind sharing!

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    5. Hang on, it's not Lou but Di-Di has all of these recipes, but within reviewing all entries, the recipe that (one of my other sis) Denise had submitted with feta cheese and asparagus with red onions sounds excellent. We have 92 entries for "crèpes" (breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack. Nope, nothing from me, all of my sisters are great cooks!

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    6. That crepe making technique is very nice. That's how I see them make the crepes at the renaissance fairs I've went to or just people with crepe booths at festivals. I may consider getting myself a crepe pan and one of those spreading things. Crepes with nutella and strawberries or banana are very popular over here, but I'm not a huge fan of nutella either, haha... if I have crepes I mostly just have them with vegetables or sometimes strawberries and some powdered sugar.

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    7. well guess what? My sisters who profess not to read the internet... my sister Denise (I love her dearly) corrected my spelling of "Crepes" I got three emails from her... heh Den! I placed the wrong accent on Crêpes... She says it's a party hat! (not the accent I placed) Yeh she's a high school bilingual principal and has the awesome recipe I will send to you Jen. I was amazed to recognize my sisters are reading you too! KEWLSIES!

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    8. Oh ok, great :). My apologies to your sisters for not correctly accenting the word.. I will need to investigate how to find those symbols so I can refer to words of different languages correctly. My Friend actually corrected my pronunciation of the word, too-- I think it's "e" as in the first letter of "elephant," and I had always used the "e" as in "April."

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    9. Well typos can be an embarrassment - I think Dan Quayle got caught with correcting some kid publicly about the spelling of "potatoe" it happens to all of us.

      Now your Friend correcting with éléphant? Is this what you meant or spelling it as "alephant"? Heh this could be a new species just for Al as a Republican! LOL

      But I believe you meant in general that you were inadvertently trying not to make me feel badly. Well the accents in various Languages are important when the Mother tongue are within these languages. I will admit once getting out in the real world, I scarcely speak French I am not within the true French communities (I speak/ communicate with my family, and a few friends In Frebch) nobody else cared... Hmm that's not entirely true.

      My real name has 3 accents.

      Here you go - providing you use Windows ----> http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/international/accents/codealt.html#accent

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    10. up above I misspellt F-R-E-N-C-H MAJOR EYEROLL Jen! Enjoy your weekend, always being safe and that goes to Al as well!

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    11. Oh, it wasn't really about anybody feeling badly.. I was just saying I usually pronounce the word "crepes" wrong... but I know how to spell elephants... haha I guess that was a little confusing.. but languages and linguistics are so fascinating :)

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    12. Forgive me, now I get it...you meant the pronunciation of Crêpes... and not the spelling. Yes, with that circumflex accent (party hat) over the "e" it makes it sound like an "a" as in April so it sounds like "Crapes"...

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    13. Yes, my friend and I were at a farmers market today and we were just trying to figure out when exactly it was that crêpes really "took off" over here in California... can't really even say when that happened for the U.S. in general but at some point a few years ago or so they just became this sort of trend over here. Kind of an overpriced trend, too.. a classic crepe with strawberries and nutella, or a savory crepe with mushrooms and spinach, can cost like $8. But that's how it is with a lot of stuff at festivals.

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