The Inn at Sonoma
Cline Cellars
VJB Vineyards
The Sonoma Cheese Factory
& the girl & the fig

This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their “Spotlight on the Home” series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8.. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

More “upscale” in service, decor and menu options than many Indian joints, this place was packed with Indians (myself included!) too – always a good sign!

Great wine list & really interesting cocktail concoctions. The standout dish for me – the Spring Uttapam with fresh vegetables and great coconut & spicy chutneys.

Definitely recommend next time you’re in the City by the Bay – one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

The initial dinner, featured the creations of Chef Geoff Rhyne, Chef de Cuisine at Sugartoad in Naperville, IL. Held at the modern design showroom Studio Como downtown, the menu featured 5 courses, secret ingredient: lamb, apropos for Colorado. Apparently Chef Rhyne is well-known for his ability to break down a whole animal and use it throughout every course of a meal, and he did just that, impressively incorporating the meat into everything from hors d’oeuvres to dessert.

I was excited the minute I first heard about HUSH and then even more eager when a formal invitation arrived in the mail – a really nice alternative to the typical evite! It’s always exciting, and a tad nerve-wracking, when you walk in for dinner and have no idea what lies in store for you. The anticipation was killing me and all of my expectations were exceeded! The tables were set artfully, we were greeted by the host, and the seated dinner with excellent wine pairing was unique, thoughtfully planned and full of surprises.

I’m no lamb fan. This probably stems from my childhood – the lamb we had was generally mutton, or felt that way…so I never thought I’d say, “yes, I ate corned lamb heart and it was delicious!” And it was. Here’s the menu:

Reception
BBQ Lamb Neck Crostini with Pickled Tongue

First
Lamb Tartare with Pommes Maxim

Second
Lamb Sweetbreads, Cauliflower Soup, Yellow Curry

Third
Corned Lamb Heart, with Butter Lettuce, Crispy Farm Egg, Fresh English Muffin

Fourth
Lamb Roulade with Lamb Merguez & Lamb Shank Cassoulet
Lamb tartar with pommes

Fifth
Lamb Bacon Donut Holes with Bacon Caramel, Goat Milk Egg Nog

Looking forward to the next dinner. For more info: HUSHDenver

Waste Free Lunch Kit by EverydayJun

According to this NY Times Blog, every child, every school year can generate 67 pounds of garbage, Wastefreelunches.org estimates. For the average elementary school, that’s 18,670 lbs. of lunch-related garbage a year.

The kit, housed in an insulated AND machine-washable messenger bag, contains a BPA-free spork, drink bottle and a cool container that folds up origami-style and fits a sandwich and a couple of snacks. Everything is dishwasher safe and it totally eliminates the need for extra disposable containers and wrappings.

Snap up your waste free lunch kit here at EverydayJun!

This year took me from Salem, Massachusetts to New Orleans…Cape Cod to Chicago…Las Vegas to Wichita…and Aspen to No Name.

It was fun to visit so many different places which are home to some very significant regional cuisines. And I was pregnant for half of the year, so what else would I do, but eat?! That was one happy baby…

In New England, seafood is king. In Hyannis this summer we stopped at The Seafood Shanty and I’ve already mentioned The Barking Crab in downtown Boston.

New Orleans took us to Cafe Du Monde of course for fabulous beignets & Cafe Au Lait, Herbsaint where we dined on Gumbo of the Day and Rabbit Croquettes, Muriel’s Jackson Square (a former brothel) for Flash Fried Oysters and Pecan Crusted Louisiana Alligator, and braved the lunch line at Mother’s for the Famous Ferdi’s Sandwich. We were stuffed, needless to say.

During our multiple trips to the Windy City, we dined at the phenomenal Cafe Absinthe in Wicker Park – the Roasted Beet Salad, Tuna Tartar and French Martini’s (post-Edie!) were incredible. Chicago is also home to one of my favorite restaurants Bin Wine Cafe, which boasts an incredible artisanal Cheese Selection and Tempura Green Beans with Citrus Aioli to die for. And of course what trip to that city would be complete without a stop at Lou Malnati‘s for Chicago-style deep dish pizza?

In Las Vegas, we relied pretty heavily on room service while staying at the Signature MGM Grand. Though LV has become quite the culinary mecca, being 7 months pregnant and roaming the halls of a casino didn’t sound like such a good time. We did make it to Craftsteak at the MGM Grand for a few appetizers including Roasted Sunchokes, and to one of my favorite dives: Bautista’s Hole in The Wall for Old-School Italian.

In Wichita, home to a large Lebanese community (nearly every restaurant in town has hummus on their menu, who knew, right?) my favorite things include the Fattoush Salad at Bella Luna Cafe, the The Josephine Sandwich at Caffe Moderne and the Duck & Arugula Flatbread at Oeno Wine Bar.

And finally on an overnight trip to Aspen, which was handicapped by the addition of a baby AND a dog, we enjoyed breakfast at The Restaurant at the St. Regis, feasting on Colorado Fruit Meusli, the Whipped Egg White Fritata with the local and ubiquitous Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese and of course, a side of the Elk Sausage.

Here at home, the Denver area boasts some awesome restaurants and my local Parker, Colorado & vicinity favorites are listed below. I’d love to hear your local favorites too!

Mexican: Guadalajara – Fish Tacos
Thai: Indochine – Pad Kee Mao
Sushi: Yutaka – Everything!
BBQ: The Hickory House – Smoked Pork
Indian: Masala – Spring Dosa
Pizza: Sazza – Seasonal Pizzas and Salads
Burger: The Warhorse Inn – Naked Burger with Cheese
Mediterranean: Goga’s – Mischka Kabob/Greek Salad

Photos: Top Row: House of the Seven Gables (Salem, MA), Mansion in the Garden District (New Orleans, LA), Tree (New Orleans, LA), Middle Row: Seafood Shanty (Cape Cod, MA), City Skyline (Chicago, IL), Van Gogh Painting (Goodland, KS), Bottom Row: Fall Foliage (Wichita, KS), Snow-Capped Mountain (near Aspen, CO), No Name (I-70, CO)

I was excited to read this Food Trend for 2010 on The Food Channel! America is a melting pot of people from all over the world, so it is no surprise that our culinary profile is finally reflecting that fact.

It seems that in the last 15 years, saying, “let’s go for sushi, mexican or thai” has become an everyday way of life for us, something we don’t even think twice about. America has truly become a patchwork of cuisines from around the world. We infuse international herbs, spices and ingredients into our everyday comfort & rustic foods and experiment with techniques from around the world. Our globally-inspired cuisine is certainly inspired by these philosophies as well!

If you ever find yourself in the Boston area at lunchtime, check out The Barking Crab at the Fort Point Landing downtown. From the wood burning stove to the lobster pot lanterns hanging from the ceiling it screams New England – and it’s wonderfully quaint all done up for the holidays.

The mussels, calamari, fried clams and lobsta roll were amazing – fresh from the sea!

Just made this amazing Butternut Squash Galette from Smitten Kitchen….

My friend Amy made this for Thanksgiving in 2007 and I can’t get it outta my head.

In this recipe, altered for my mom who is cow’s milk-free, I substituted the Fontina for Roquefort (a sheep’s milk blue), the sour cream in the crust with goat yogurt and the butternut squash for pumpkin squash (when cooked texture is like spaghetti squash – good for savory tart, bad for pumpkin piiiie) which was a pure accident on my part, didn’t read the label on the bag of cooked & frozen squash I dethawed. Oops – but delicious anyway!