the last piece of sushi

everyone wants the last cookie on the plate.  the last dollop of guac in the bowl.  the last yellowtail basil roll from sushi bistro on 6th and balboa.  but we all just sit there and look at it and offer it to the people around us.  we put out our palms face up and offer it like vanna white.  this pretending to not want the last bite can go on for minutes and minutes that feel like hours and hours.  its so wonderful when someone says, please, FOR REALZ, take the last one.  and so you take it.  and it's delicious.  and satisfying.  partly, because its tasty.  but mostly because it was offered to you kindly by the folks around the table, whom presumably you like since you are sitting around a table with them.  its a nice moment no matter what side of the chop stick you are on.   

snack shared:  yellowtail basil roll

this lonely piece of sushi can make someone's day.

because pizza taste better than cucumber sandwiches

i love hosting parties.  casual, fancy, themed, or spontaneous...i love welcoming people and feeding them.  it brings warmth and love and energy into our home.  plus, i genuinely like being home and this way i can not feel lame but also don't have to leave my house.  bonus!  

the royal wedding provided a ready excuse to have people over.  i thought about doing a whole british themed thing with tea and clotted cream.  but let's be straight, pizza tastes better than cucumber sandwiches.  so my neighbor/dearest friend/life-partner-in-hosting-parties brought over the dough.  i provided cheese, sauce and wine.  and each guest brought a topping.  we had everything from bacon to broccoli. friends took turns in the kitchen making their own creation to share.  the pizza got tastier as the wine bottles got emptier and the toppings got crazier.  kit kat and willie who?! 

snack shared:  homemade zzzaaa!

molto bene!

chippies

anthony bourdain - my hero - said that he hesitated to even visit vienna since it was known for their sweets and he prefers salt.  while i'd love to go to vienna, i'm on board with his savory preferences. "crunchy salty" is my favorite flavor palette.  and my favorite vehicle for a crunchy salty snack is definitely chips.  or as my niece says "chippiiiies!"  aside from being a sandwich's best friend (sorry pickle, you're the third wheel), chips can be a cultural excursion while traveling abroad.  i love finding hilarious and surprising new chip flavors, so i'm going to dedicate this post to foreign chips and their unique flavors.  these are actual potato chips flavors - printed on the bag - from these actual places.


china:  italian red meat, spicy fish soup, cucumber, blueberry
australia: texas ribs, pepper lime
canada: ketchup, mayo
turkey: sesame
london: curry, beef, egg salad
costa rica: plaintains 


we're missing representation from africa and south america.  i'm curious.  any other international chip discoveries? 


snack shared: chippies!

Blueberry Chips courtesy of China

jamba mamba

i was downtown yesterday working my way through a long, long, long list of errands.  i had the foresight to eat a meal before leaving the house, but a couple hours into my intense productivity i needed a snack pronto.  downtown snacking can be tricky with the tourists, lines and crappy food courts creating the false illusion of good snacking options. something that’s across the street can actually mean 30 minutes between you and your snack.  but then it hit me.  one of my favorite snacking joints was only one block and one escalator ride away.  jamba juice in the basement of the mall.   a peach perfection or berry razzle dazzle with a shot of protein boost and a side of pirates bootie is most definitely in my top ten list of favorite snacks.  needing to put down my bags for a minute, i sat at the same table as an older gentlemen.  i asked if it was okay if i shared his table—he was also enjoying the jamba so i felt like maybe that would create some camaraderie.  he nodded yes and said, “but let me tell you, missy…don’t drink that too fast.  i just got one helluva brain freeze.  i’m still recovering.”    sage advice, mister.   so here’s to my old friend jamba and my new friend mr. brain freeze.  and here’s to hoping those weird probiotic yogurt places don’t permanently nudge out the king of fruit smoothies.

snack shared: jamba!

jamba: if it's good enough for joe jonas, it's good enough for me.

more than fruitcake

i apologize for the tardiness of this post.  i’ve been very busy snacking.  the holidays provide so many opportunities for delicious giving.  there’s the basket of treats that arrive at the office from the lady who prints your business cards (that you’ve never spoken to).   the homemade goods from friends that become their own tradition over the years – fudge friend, you know who you are!  and there’s nothing wrong with making the most of the free food and an open bar at a holiday party.  for my personal snack giving this year, i decided to go with a savory, healthful option.  i layered red and white quinoa and cranberries in cutey mason jars.  i attached a recipe, covered the top with fabric, tied a ribbon and referred to myself as martha stewart for the rest of the day!  everything tastes better from a mason jar, doesn't it?!  my chicago friend sent me one filled with delicious peanut brittle.  my fiancé uses the jars to drink a john daly out of - that’s sweet tea flavored vodka and lemonade…get it?…it’s like an arnold palmer but drunk…like john daly.  so cheers to all the holiday snack sharing that took place.  i’m curious:  did anyone actually receive a fruitcake??!  

snack shared:  fudge, peanut brittle, and cranberry quinoa

fruitcake. it's the thought that counts.

sinterklaas shares snacks

happy saint nick’s day – a saintly, festive reason to share some snacks!  as an adult i was surprised to learn that not everyone celebrates saint nicholas day (apparently it’s just a german/french/catholic/greek orthodox thing), so let’s take a moment to learn about this awesome snack sharer who gives treats to good little boys and girls on his feast day, December 6^th.  saint nicholas is the patron saint of children known for his secret-gift giving.  legends are all over the map, but they all pretty much say he was a really nice, humble guy who liked to help good kids by giving them treats when their parents couldn’t.  consequently, he’s also the patron saint of sailors because he would fill a child’s stocking when their dad was away at sea.  in another tale, he leaves dowries for three daughters whose father is too poor which is why he's often depicted holding three coins.  nastier legends include him carrying around a big stick (or deer leg if you’re from the netherlands) and bopping kids who weren’t good so they would get their act together before christmas.  i prefer the treat-bearing version that used to fill my stocking with candy, bonnie bell lip smackers and an ornament.  saint nick used to bring my mom walnuts and oranges because those were rare snacks that didn’t grow on her family’s farm.  for me, saint nick day is the official start of christmas-time and encompasses the real spirit of giving.  saint nick shared snacks with children thoughtfully and quietly—without the grand entrance of reindeers or assistant elves.  there are lots of snacks around the holidays, but saint nick reminds us to acknowledge how great a little treat can be when given lovingly and openly and humbly.

snack shared:  christmas candy

saint nicholas with some treats

taking potlucks seriously

i take potlucks seriously.  i seriously love them.  i seriously want to have them every weekend and i seriously want everyone else to love them as much as I do.  there are all kinds of potluck characters, which keeps it exciting.  for those with less refined culinary skills, i prefer the “i’ll bring wine” guy over the “i’ll bring bread” gal.  for those who take cooking seriously, there’s the “here’s my chance to show off my mad kitchen skillz” type and the “look what i bought from the fancy grocery store” type.  i often like to use a potluck to make that dish that everyone loves but never makes for themselves.  for example, taco dip served with frito scoops.  it’s real good people and you don’t have to be ashamed about loving it.  although when i brought this dish to a potluck this weekend, i was worried about the crowd thinking it was a bit, let’s call it pedestrian.  i was new to this potluck circle and my taco dip sat next to this gorgeous homemade broccoli raab flatbread feeling a bit judged.   obviously, i’ve lived in san francisco too long if my taco dip has a complex about flatbread.  so we’ll move on.  the next day, i was lucky enough to go to yet another potluck.  this one hosted by old, dear friends and it was pumpkin themed.  the only thing better than a potluck is a themed potluck!  when you potluck (yes, it’s also a verb) with the same people for many years, you get really good at it.  something mystical happens and all the dishes pair well and all the courses are covered and it’s just delightful, unplanned yumminess!  we dined on pumpkin curry soup, pumpkin ravioli, lentil/pumpkin salad, mayan pumpkin dip, and pumpkin cheesecake. our "i'll bring wine" guy even brought vino that paired with pumpkin well.  what i'm getting at is that a good potluck is really snack sharing at its best.  what’s your best potluck experience?

snack shared:  taco dip and pumpkin soup