Kickin' It in the Kitchen with Michelle Calva-Despard

There's something weird about my friend Michelle. She loves to cook. She makes up recipes. She whips up dishes without a cookbook, and the food actually tastes good. Then she writes down her recipes and shares them. Who needs a cookbook when you can do that?

I go into the kitchen and make something because if I don't eat I'll die. Michelle goes into the kitchen and makes something because she's having a blast.

Michelle's new blog and business is/are called Kickin' It in the Kitchen. She offers workshops so we can all learn to enjoy making meals (even me). My favorite thing Michelle does is called "Scrounge" (#5 on the workshops list). When you think your cupboards are bare, give her a call. She'll come to your house and show you how to whip up a fabulous meal with the bits you've got hanging around in the pantry. And she's all about fresh foods.

This? This is some sort of fabulous Greek yogurt dip (traditional, Michelle says). See the note pad? She's making this up as she goes along, and jotting it down. I'd expect this ambrosial concoction will be a recipe on the website soon.

Michelle is the featured foodie this week on Hometown Pasadena's Mangiamo. You can bet I was over at her place when she was putting together the recipe she shares there for Greek Avgolemeno Soup. I like to help when I can.

Obviously she's not having any fun.

Kebab Alley

Ul. Szewska in the old town is better known as 'Kebab Alley' for obvious reasons! Polish kebabs are nothing like original Turkish kebabs but they are still delicious in their own right. Cheap, quick and even tastier after a long night out! Enjoy!

Smitten

I'm lying on the dirt in the back yard, looking up at our clementine tree. The branches hang low to the ground, heavy with fruit.

This year we had a lot of rain, plus I fertilized. There will be more fruit than ever.

The "cuties" at the store have been genetically altered so they don't have seeds. They taste like cardboard compared to our clementines. I know. I've eaten cardboard.

I'm getting cocky about this tree. I hope nobody smites me for it. I suppose if that happens I'll end up lying on the ground under a tree. I hope it's this one.

Oranges

Our orange tree is full of ripe oranges, with new little green ones coming in and needing space. Being the kind of person who has trouble growing weeds, I don't question this. I just thank the universe and pick the oranges. These oranges are juicy and goo-ood. Two-syllable good.

Some people can take 'em or leave 'em.

Other people only leave 'em when they're interrupted by predato--uh, larger people. But it's okay. We have enough.

Pizza with a dash of Rome!

The popular pizzeria Metropolis has opened a brand new restaurant in ul. Łazienna, right in the heart of the old town. It's long, bright and trendy...with the centre piece being a large colour picture of the city of Rome. A worthy addition to Toruń's endless list of pizzerias.

The Radish Story

Freshly picked but not ready to eat

Waiting to have their leaves and roots removed

Once the leaves and roots have been removed, the radishes are washed

A whole bucket of red radishes

Yum yum...ready to eat!

It's that time of year again...to grow radishes...and this year we have had so many that we're practically going to look like a radish!!

New Bistro in Town

Just two doors away from the new Italian restaurant you can find this new bistro. Looks small inside but am sure the food tastes good!

New Year Food

The Poles certainly do know how to party when it comes to New Year's Eve. Of course loads of alcohol is drank but the Poles also soak up the booze with plenty of delicious food. Here is some excellent stuffed eggs and salad which my wife and mother-in-law expertly prepared for our New Year's Eve. They were just as yummy as the photo...if not more!!!

Wigilia - A Polish Christmas

Scenes from our Wigilia table this evening. Poles have a very traditional Christmas Eve with 12 dishes mainly consisting of fish (carp) and pierogi (Polish dumplings).

The Spice of Life

Just how many different kinds of mustard does a person need? (The answer is six.)

Perhaps you'd prefer Pomegranate Cabernet jam. And if that doesn't suit you, Mark and Stephens has seven other flavors of jam and marmalade, so it's likely there'll be one to please your palate. You could order them online, but if you're not sure which one to try, head for the Saturday Farmers' Market at Victory Park where Mark himself will give you a sample.

We bought the Sundried Tomato Pistachio Pesto. Don't taste it if you don't want to buy it because once you sample it there's no going back.

Abundancia

photo inspired by John Sandel

There's always something to photograph at the Saturday Farmers' Market at Victory Park. Yesterday everyone was exclaiming over the purple peppers (near the top of the photo) at the Jaime Farms booth.

We shopped all around the market: peppers, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, arugula, freshly baked bread, peaches, granola and fresh swordfish. You can also buy oils, plants, beef jerky, cheese, olives, and a lot of other things I'm forgetting. The only way to get fresher produce is to grow it yourself (or to have a generous neighbor who gardens).

We ate our peaches for lunch and had the fish and broccoli last night. We're going to make a ratatouille this week; I was inspired by the Altadena Hiker. I probably won't take pictures of mine. I'm not the Julia Child disciple she is.

There's a new Farmers' Market in town called the South Lake Avenue Summer Farmers' Market. It happens every Wednesday from 3:30-7:30 pm until September 29th in Shopper's Lane at Del Mar Blvd. And don't forget the Tuesday market at Villa Parke and the Thursday market at Robinson Park (also 'til September; check out the Pasadena Farmers' Markets here).

Pasadena has so many Farmers' Markets we could buy fresh produce almost every day if we needed to. But we don't. I didn't have to buy tomatoes for the ratatouille yesterday because we have a generous neighbor who gardens.

French Filling

Some people make it a point to get to Paris every year. In the absence of that possibility, I make it a point to get to Nicole's in South Pasadena whenever I want a taste of France.

Now, before anyone outs me I'll admit I practically starved in Paris. I didn't know how to order what I wanted. It's scandalous to say so, but I'm not crazy about a lot of French foods. (I once told this to a foodie friend and it made her cry.)

But I can handle French bread--lots of it. I love macarons--in fact, just about any French pastry will be fine, merci beaucoup. And you won't hear me complain about French chocolate.

Nicole's has all these things, plus sandwiches, coffee and a little French grocery, too. Though it's a bit too far from the Louvre to be perfect, I've never left there hungry.

Polish Breakfast

Certainly, far healthier than an English cooked breakfast!!! ;-)

A Touch of India

A few days ago we had a touch of Mediterranean on TORUŃ DAILY PHOTO and now today here is something a little more exotic...Toruń's one and only Indian restaurant Royal India. Actually, that is a lie as there is one other restaurant that offers Indian cuisine but it's not a patch on this place...which has real Indian chefs and a menu to rival any UK curry house.

Indian food is not that popular amongst the Poles...but they should give it a go and warm to it.

A Sunny Sunny Barbie!

The sun is out, the skies are blue and the sausages are sizzling on the barbie!! Perfect weather conditions yesterday for a yummy BBQ in the beautiful Polish countryside.

Check out last year's similar post:

http://torundailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/04/sizzling-bangers-of-bbq.html

Pie 'N Burger

I was strolling down South Lake Avenue the other day when woops! That umbrella I'd left in the car was looking like a brilliant idea I'd forgotten to write down: shoulda coulda woulda.

You could say rain is just water. Or you could say it's a good excuse to go to Pie 'N Burger.

I think most people go there for the pies and the burgers. (Makes sense.) Me, I go for the GAC 'n BAC. That's what we used to call a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich when I waited tables a hundred some-odd years ago.

Tasty. I'd even go there when the sun's shining.

Bonus pic: an accidental shot of the very clean counter at Pie 'N Burger on a rainy day.

Chinese Take-away!

Chinese food is increasingly becoming more and more popular here in Poland. In Toruń alone we have several asian restaurants...including a Japanese sushi restaurant catering for Sharp's asian employees.

Recently opened is this new takeaway bar - 'Asia to Go' (part of a small chain of Polish outlets). The concept is simple...pay 9,99PLN and you get either chicken with noodles or chicken with rice in a box...all eaten down with the help of some chopsticks. It may be simple...but it's very tasty and is a welcome addition to Toruń's many eateries.

A Taste of France in the Dena

We in "the Dena" are one, I like to think. I'm free to travel from Alta to Pasa to South Pas, and thank goodness for that because South Pas has Nicole's Gourmet Foods. Laurie will forgive me for posting about it. She herself has posted twice about this slice of paradis in southern California. Who could resist a visit to, and a post about, a cafe whose website slips in a cheese guide with the usual menu, about page and directions?

Plus there were the chocolate cups. Which I resisted. I was there for coffee and coffee only.

It was this dumb idea I had, I don't know, don't ask me why. What was I thinking? My friends said, "Let's meet at Nicole's" and I thought, great, I'll have a latte and a visit and be on my way.

Then there were the chocolate cups. And the mango mousse macarons. Mango mousse. I kid you not.

Not the best photo, but I know my audience. It's not the photo that counts in this case. It's the macarons (not to be confused with macaroons).

I didn't taste them, or the chocolate. What a fool I am.

Tostilocos

I drive by this place a lot and it cheers me up even when I'm already ecstatic. I finally got a chance to take a photo when there was actually a parking spot in front of it the other day. It's on Fair Oaks, just south of the corner of Esther Street.

I was in a hurry so I snapped my shot and didn't go in, but now that I've surfed the web and figured out what Tostilocos are, I have to go back.

Check out a new blog in town with a positive attitude, Pasadena Updates With Brigham Yen. It seems this here town has its share of boosters.

Sweet

Before I moved to southern California I had never seen a pomelo.

Walker Farms sells pomelos and other fresh produce from their booth at the Pasadena Farmer's Market. (I especially like their Pink Lady apples.) When I tried photographing the pomelos today, John suggested I get something else in the shot to provide scale. Otherwise, if you're like I once was and have never seen a pomelo, how would you know it's not a grapefruit?

Fortunately, a most charming model happened to be available. Her daddy works at the Walker Farms booth. Her camera-shy dog, J.D., guarded nearby.

In case you're wondering, pomelo tastes milder than grapefruit. And sweet.

Please note the scale. That pomelo is bigger than her head!