Wine Time

Once upon a time I fell in love with a glass of red wine and like many young ladies in love I often gabbed (and wrote) about my new found love (like here and again here). For sometime I was only able to find this lovely blend of ruby deliciousness served by the glass for a pretty penny at the Linkery until after weeks of searching I finally found it for sale by the bottle at a delightful place in Hillcrest called Wine Steals.

As if I needed another reason to be smitten with this fine San Diego purveyor of grapy goodness. For those of you that have not yet had the pleasure of visiting this fabulous wine bar/shop allow me to offer you a list of reasons why you should drop everything and head down there right this instant.

• For your tasting pleasure they always have 35+ wines from around the world available by the half glass (little tasting), full glass (big tasting) or bottle (really big tasting). Their extensive list of wine offerings change weekly so if you don’t find a favorite one week come again the next and try again!
  
• Monday through Friday they have happy hour (woohoo!) where they offer $3 glasses of wine between the hours of 4pm and 6pm. They also have tasting specials on Tuesdays in Hillcrest and Wednesdays in Point Loma between 5:30pm and 7pm for only $5.
  
• If your weekdays are jam packed already there’s no need to fret because on Saturdays from 4pm to 6:30pm they have a wine tasting special where for $10 you can sample up to 25 different wines. Even sharing a tasting with a friend we were only able to make it through about 16 on our Saturday visit! If you are shopping for new wines this is an excellent way to taste before you buy, and a much better way to pick a good bottle than by looking for the prettiest label, not that I do that sorta thing ;-).
  
• In addition to their extensive wine offerings they also have a scrumptious menu of small bites and other delicious tummy pleasing plates. My favorite are their boards which can be ordered with any number of delicious snacky things such as fresh fruit, cheeses, olives, nuts, meats, bread and crackers. I always bring my own gluten free crackers along when I know I am going to be sharing a board with friends. For those of you that can eat gluten their panini’s and pizzas are scrumptious and for those of us that can’t they are great inspiration for creating gf versions of their offerings at home (personally I can’t wait to make my own GF brie and raspberry jam panini).
  
• Last but defiantly not least Wine Steals is fabulous because they offer an outstanding selection of wine at very reasonable prices. My bottle of Chucker came to only $17 a bottle, when compared to the $9 a glass I was paying that is quite the sweet deal.
  

Until fairly recently I had only been to the Hillcrest location of Wine Steals, actually I did not even realize that there was more than one location until I was making plans for an evening there with the Fords and Kelly suggested we try out the newish Point Loma location. Located in the former Naval Training Center now collection of shops, offices, parks, restaurants and galleries known as Liberty Station the Point Loma Wine Steals has the same delicious wine and food offerings as the Hillcrest and also boasts a quaint outdoor sitting area as well as an eclectic mix of rustic couches, chairs and wine cask tables on the interior making it a most cozy place to gather with friends for a night of deliciousness.

The Fords had a gift certificate which was good for 4 glasses of wine for 4 people

and an everything board

The Fords also ordered the Chardonnay Pizza which was topped with apples, pulled pork, cheese and a scrumptious chardonnay sauce. Everything was delicious! I even snagged the toppings off one of the slices of pizza!

Our waiter was a little ditzy and forgot to bring us our fourth glass of wine, the cheese on our everything board (the best part!), our chocolate board and our pizza. Luckily the vino made his spacyness more comical than annoying and after much reminding and with the help of a second waiter we ended up getting everything we ordered and then some including the last bottle of my favorite wine…

An Appley Adventure

As of September 22nd autumn has officially arrived. Sure here in Southern California the sun is still shining, the leaves are not falling, and temperatures are still soaring in the upper 90 degree range but all that weathery stuff aside, according to my calendar it is now fall which brings to mind one awesome apply autumn event in particular.

Harvest Days in Julian!

Having been excitedly anticipating apple picking for months now I decided heat wave or not I was going to head up to Julian for the first weekend of the harvest. After a delicious fall breakfast of homemade pumpkin scones my favorite apple picking companion and I headed east, through the hills and curvy roads to the cute little town of Julian. Our first stop was Main Street to peruse the town in search of gluten free snacks. Most of the shops and restaurants in town have been there as long as I can remember, the Julian Cider Mill on the corner of Main and B is one such place.



The Cider Mill is of course known for their delicious apple cider. For a $1 you can get a cup of cold cider in the store to sip while you shop and on brisk fall and winter days they sell hot cider out front of the store which is the perfect sweet fall treat to enjoy while strolling through the town. They also have jugs of cold apple or apple berry cider available in the store for sale so you can take some of their delicious cider home with you.



In addition to cider the Mill sells all sorts of delicious snacks and spreads. Nuts, candies, dried fruits, teas and mixes. Their apple butter and pumpkin butters are heavenly and the perfect topping for muffins and toast.



I opted not to buy my usual jar of apple butter this year because I am hoping to try and make my own with some of the apples picked from this trip. Instead we bought some dried peaches, papaya spears, and lemon chili pistachios to snack on during our drive home later.

Next stop was a cute little restaurant called Cow Girl Café. They offer an array of sandwiches, soups, burgers and salads. They also have a few vegan friendly options as well, BBQ riblets and gardenburgers (a former gluten laden favorite of mine!). As far as gluten free eats you could get a salad without the dressing or a sandwich sans bread (or bring your own and ask that they use it for you). We were still a bit full from our scone breakfast so we opted for a sweet treat instead.



Apple cider + vanilla ice cream. Normally I prefer my cider hot but this Apple Cider Float was the perfect cool, appley beverage for a hot summerfall day.

After wandering our way through the town on foot we hopped back in the car and made our way to Julian Orchards Drive for some apple picking. There are a handful of orchards along this road, we had originally hoped to go to Apple Starr Orchards for their organic apples and pears but they were closed for the weekend so we went to one of our old favorites.



1284 Julian Orchards Drive
(760) 765-2431
Open 7 days a week form 9am-5pm (until the apples are gone!)

With 8000 trees and seven different varieties you will have plenty of apples to choose from at this orchard. For $10 you get a medium sized paper bag that holds about 40 of their cute little apples. I did not keep track of which type of apples I was picking but I was sure to taste test each new row I picked from.



While we were picking apples we overheard music and festivity coming from a neighboring plot of land so after we filled our bags well above the brim with apples we headed up the road to Menghini Winery where the Julian Music and Art festival was going on. While we were enjoying our $5 wine tasting we had a random run in with some San Diego friends.



We shared a few of our fresh picked apples with them, sat on the back porch of the winery and watched some belly dancers perform at the festival.



After we had our fill of Julian fun we started the trek back to San Diego but of course stopped along the way to pick out a Halloween pumpkin at Mountain Valley Ranch.

This lovely ranch has teeny tiny pumpkins, ginormous monster pumpkins and every size in between.




Steve liked the huge ones and I fell in love with this cute in between sized one and decided to take him home.



They also have a little petting zoo, corn maze and something called a corn cannon for your fall festivity pleasure. If it had not been in the 90’s out still I might have been more inclined to wander through the corn maze but I just kept having visions of not being able to find my way out fast enough and dying of dehydration inside the maze of corn walls.

Back home in San Diego even at 5pm it was still super hot so what did we decide to do? Sit on the porch and taste test some of the hot olives we got at Menghini Winery of course!







Stuffed with jalapeños they were a scrumptious and spicy snack that paired perfectly with the last bit of Trader Joes organic Zinfandel I had left over from last week.






Even though it was a swelteringly hot day our apple adventure was packed full of fall festivity, so much fun in fact that I think I might make a second trip this season at the end of October with my Dad and brother when my apple supply has depleted and the weather cooled enough so I can enjoy some hot cider without breaking a sweat!

A Dinner for all Seasons

Keeping with the theme of the in between season for Friday night dinner this week I decided on a dish that always hits the spot no matter what season it is, enchiladas. As a youngster one of my favorite dinners to make with friends were enchiladas. Warmed corn tortillas dipped in sauce and stuffed with shredded cheeses, simple and scrumptious. Years later they are still one of my favorite Mexican dishes to make and in addition to my old cheesy favorite are even more delish when stuffed with a number of different veggies, legumes and spices. In the summer months you can cram them full of fresh, colorful veggies and in the winter they are equally delish when filled with sautéed greens, roasted squash or beans. Topped off with a spicy sauce and sprinkled with savory cheese enchiladas are a delicious dinner choice whether its winter, spring, summer or fall.

For Friday’s batch of enchiladas I decided on a combination of ingredients that embrace the deliciousness of both summer and fall, a mishmash of fresh veggies and frozen and topped off with a light cheese as to not distract from all the distinctly delicious flavors of the veggies.

Enchiladas de Jardin
Serves 5 or 6



Enchilada Sauce Ingredients

Making sauce from scratch is a fun and easy way to tweak the flavor of your sauce to your tastbuds delight. If sauce making is not your thing you can easily use your favorite canned sauce instead.


2 14 oz cans diced or crushed tomatoes
½ cup salsa (as spicy or mild as you like)
1 can green chilies or 3 or 4 home roasted chilies of your choice (The hotter the better in my opinion!)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon chili powder
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processer and blend until all the ingredients turn into a smooth and saucy consistency.

Enchilada Filling Ingredients


2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 10 oz. packages frozen spinach, thawed

1 zucchini, cut into bite sized slices
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon garlic, minced (about 4 or 5 cloves)
1 15 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon oregano
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cinnamon
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled (fat free, reduced fat or full fat)


Wrap the spinach in a towel to remove as much of the moisture as possible and then set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic for a minute or two. Add the spinach, zucchini and bell pepper and cook for 7 or 8 minutes or until the zucchini has softened.



Add to this the white beans and then season with oregano, nutmeg, cinnamon, sea salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and then mix in the feta and stir until combined.




Putting it all Together

12 corn tortillas
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Prepared enchilada sauce (recipe above)

First thing first, preheat the oven to 350 and then gather up the sauce, filling and other ingredients needed to prepare the enchiladas.

Cover the bottom of a large rectangular baking dish with some of the enchilada sauce and set aside close by to where you will be assembling the enchiladas. You will also need a second dish such as a pie tin or a large shallow bowl to prepare the enchiladas in. Pour about ½ cup of the enchilada sauce into this dish and set aside as well.

To get started with the assembly you first need to warm your tortillas a bit. This can be done using a microwave or by using a pot of boiling water and one of those spiffy steaming screens that look like a cross between a badminton racket and fly swatter.

Once you have a warmed tortilla place it immediately into the saucy preparation dish, flipping the tortilla over twice to coat both sides with the sauce. Dollop about 2 or 3 tablespoons of the scrumptious filling into the tortilla, roll it up, and then place in into the prepared baking dish.



Repeat this process until all the filling has been used or you run out of room in your baking dish. Pour an ample amount of the sauce atop the enchiladas and sprinkle with feta.

Cook for about 20 minutes.



We enjoyed our enchiladas with some homemade guacamole and steamed frozen sweet corn seasoned with Tapatio sauce.



We also opened a bottle of one of my favorite wines, Happy Canyon, Chucker 07 Bordeaux Blend. This was my first full bottle of Chucker, previously I have raved about it after ordering it during my last few visits to the Linkery for dinner. Since I fist tasted it months ago I have had an eye out for it every time I visited a wine bar or shop until finally it was discovered at Wine Steals in Hillcrest. At $14.99 a bottle this robust red is bursting with rich berry flavors and pairs perfectly with everything from savory cheeses to spicy Mexican food.

Speaking of Wine Steals this weekend I will be heading to the Point Loma location for an evening of wine and cheese so be sure to check back next week for a full review of all of their delicious gluten free offerings.

Summer-fall

Fall has most definitely been starting to sneak up on summer, this morning for instance the thick fog and crisp morning air inspired me to not only crank the heater in my car but to turn my bun warmers all the way up to 4! But by the time lunch rolled around the sun had come out in full force and the temperature shot up to a toasty 91 degrees. By sunset tonight I am sure the air temperature will quickly drop back down to sweater and scarf weather and warrant more car heater use and possibly even an extra blanket on the bed. This mishmash of weather leaves me feeling both summery and fallish throughout the course of a day. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate this weather than with two different delicious dinners that embrace the best of the overlapping seasons.

So Long Summer BBQ Menu

Grilled cedar plank salmon with dry rub
Grilled colorful veggies
Brown basmati rice
Tropical fruit salad (mango and pineapple)

Recipes

Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon with Dry Rub

I love cedar grilling planks! Not only do they give your meats and veggies a most wonderful flavor but the smell of the cedar slowly burning is such a soothing scent. It reminds me of beachy bonfires or the comforting smell of warm walls in a dry sauna. We used a recipe for dry rub that was found on the interior pamphlet of the planks. Before using your cedar plank you want to soak it in water or a water juice mix for at least an hour or up to four. This prevents the wooden plank from catching fire on the grill.

Ingredients

1 2lb Atlantic salmon fillet
3 or 4 Tablespoons dry rub (recipe below)
1 cedar grilling plank, soaked in h20 and then rubbed with pineapple

Ingredients for the rub

This rub was delish on our fishy but I think it would be equally scrumptious on chicken or pork.

2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (we used dark, but light would be delicious too)
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon paprika (I like hot paprika but sweet would work too)

Heat your BBQ grill to 325 and while it is warming up you can prepare the salmon. After washing your fish place it skin side down on the plank. We rubbed our soaked plank with some pineapple slices since we had some extra bits lying around from our tropical salad. Sprinkle as much of the dry rub as you like on the fish, we like our fish on the spicy side so we used about 4 Tablespoons of the rub.

When the grill is hot enough put the plank with the fishy atop it onto the grill, close the lid and let this cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. I know it’s hard not to peek but doing so disturbs the cooking process and lowers the temp of the grill dramatically so be patient and after 20 minutes have passed you can check the fish with a fork to see if it is cooked enough.

If it’s still too pink or juicy give it another couple minutes of cook time before taking it off the grill.

Grilled Colorful Veggies

Ingredients

Whatever pretty veggies your heart desires! We used mini sweet peppers and asparagus.

Preparation

Drizzle your veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning of choice. We used sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Arrange the veggies directly on the grill or on a grill pan and cook on high with the lid of the grill open, turning veggies every so often for even grillage. We ended up cooking ours for just shy of 10 minutes (I like my peppers pretty charred!)

We served our fish and veggies with brown basmati rice and a tropical fruit salad consisting of pineapple and papaya.

Look how pretty the inside of the pineapple is!

We also opened a delicious bottle of wine from Trader Joes that I had picked up because it boasted having vanilla undertones and was under $6, yay for inexpensive and delicious wine!

(Yes, in case you were wondering that is indeed gumby riding pokey, a Buddha statue and Jesus candle in the background)

Dinner was delish! I had a little bit of everything and two glasses of the robust yet slightly vanillish wine.

As promised to celebrate the seasonal transition I have a second equally delicious dinner to share with you. This one was inspired by a recipe found in the September issue of Rachel Ray and a delicious apple tasted on my most recent visit to the farmers market.

Chicken Apple Chili

I love Rachel Ray, not only because she has a super snazzy name but because she is always coming up with scrumptious recipes that capture the deliciousness of the season. This recipe was found in an article that celebrated everything appley. I tweaked the fat content, eliminated the gluten, altered the spices a bit and added more of my favorite fall ingredient, apples.

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
A sprinkling of salt and pepper
4 apples, cut into bite sized cubes
2 Tablespoons earth balance (or butter if you prefer)
2 cups gluten free chicken broth
¼ cup tapioca starch, potato starch or brown rice flour
¾ cup milk (soy or moo cow)
2 15 oz cans of white beans
Shredded monterey jack cheese for topping

Preparation

In a large sauce pot or dutch oven, warm 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot add the chicken pieces, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cook for 7 or 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.

Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in the pot over medium heat, when it is warmed add the apple and cook until apples soften, about 5 minutes. Then remove the apples and set aside as well.

Add to the now empty pot the earth balance or butter and melt on medium low. Add to this your flour of choice and whisk until combined. Next add the chicken broth and then the milk and stir until thickened. Add to this the chicken, apples and the beans and bring to a light boil and let simmer for a few minutes. Portion into bowls and sprinkle with monterey jack cheese.

This is the perfect meal for a cool fall night and is a most savory and delicious way to enjoy fall apples. I think in another month when the daytime hours start to cool down and match the evening weather more this chili will be perfect to make ahead of time and enjoy for lunch.

Blueberries, booze, baking, and a baby

Here in San Diego it’s difficult if not impossible to find berries growing in the wild. Sure you can go to the grocery store or a farmers market to pick up a pint but more often than not the berries they have are terribly expensive and slightly if not seriously bruised, wilted, and at worst moldy! Berries such as raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are so delicate and temperamental that they are really best enjoyed within a few days of being picked. While we may not have much in the way of wild berries in the southwest what we do have are a handful of berry farms that allow you to come and pick your own straight form their vines. Lucky for me I read about one such place just in time to visit them on July 6, the last day of Temecula Valley Berry Company’s blueberry picking season. Because it was the last day they had a special, two pints for the price of one (hurray for sales!!). Sunday afternoon I slathered up with sunscreen, grabbed my hat and berry picking companion Steve and we headed to Temecula to harvest some of the little blue fruits.

After an hour out in the fields picking (and sampling) the berries in the 100+ degree heat we weighed our fruit and found we had picked 5 pints worth!

In addition to the berries we also picked up a jar of their sweet honey as well as a tip for a winery to check out down the road a bit called Churon. Like many of the wineries in Temecula I found that I enjoyed their lighter hued wines best, of particularly delicious note was the 2005 Rosé and the White Merlot both which were perfectly sweet yet light and refreshing, perfect for sipping after a hot afternoon of berry picking. After we finished our tasting we headed to one of my favorite Temecula wineries, Keyways where we enjoyed their premium tasting of 8 different wines.

I love the First Crush which is a sweet and crisp rosé that is the perfect wine for sipping on a warm day. Also of delicious note is their sweet and velvety Ice Wine which would make an excellent dessert wine to serve after a summer dinner.

On our way home from Temecula we stopped at Henrys to get a snack of Yerba Matte mint iced tea and some Food Should Taste Good brand gluten free tortilla chips.

The tea as always was refreshing and the chips were delish! Light, crispy, and grainy they almost reminded me of Sun Chips (a former fav of mine!). I think these would be great with a fruity salsa or hummus. Next time I think I want to try the sweet potato chips or maybe the chocolate ones.

After a snack filled car ride home I got busy right away packaging up blueberries, freezing some to use later and washing others to bake with and snack on the next few days. I then started prepping some flour to bake tarts with when Steve got a telephone call from his mom saying that Steve’s sister had just had her baby! So off to the hospital we went to meet the newest member of the family, Mitchell Thomas.

So tiny and cute! Mom and baby were both doing great and after a bit of visiting and getting my fill of new baby holding time we headed home where it was back to the kitchen for me to finish what I had started. First on the agenda of blueberry baked goodies were muffins.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Lemon Glaze

Sorry to tease but recipe for this treat will be coming soon!

Next I decided to make an old favorite of mine a dessert that I used to make all the time using gluteny flours. The recipe is loosely based upon one I found years ago in a book called “The Last Course: Desserts of Gramercy Tavern” by Claudia Fleming. I tinkered with the recipe to eliminate the gluten, lower the fat and sugar, and make it so it is easy to convert it to a vegan recipe if you are so inclined.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Tarts

Ingredients for tart shells

¾ cup brown rice flour
½ cup potato starch
¼ cup tapioca flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon xanath gum
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup brown sugar
5 tablespoons earth balance (or butter), softened slightly

Mix all of the dry ingredients together and then add your butter. Using your hands break up the butter until it is fully combined with the dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball and then flatten into a flat round circle with your hands, wrap this in plastic wrap and pop in the fridge for at least 1 hour and at the most 24 hours to chill.

Once the dough has chilled a bit (or a bunch!) and you are ready to make your tart shells preheat your oven to 325 and take your dough out of the plastic wrap and form into little balls. This number will vary depending upon what pan(s) you use to cook your tarts, I personally used a muffin pan so I had 12 balls but if you have different sized tart tins you can use those and adjust the size of your balls to fit the tins. Keep in mind though as with many gluten free doughs it is easier to work with a small shape to avoid tearing. After you spray your pan(s) with cooking spray you are ready to start shaping your dough. Once you have your balls made using your hands or a rolling pin form the dough to a shape a bit larger than the mold of the pan you will be fitting it to. When the dough has reached the desired size and shape for the pan gently place the dough into the pan and then crimp and clean up the edges so it fits nicely within it. Repeat until all of your dough is used and then using a fork prick the dough all over a bit to keep it from puffing up too much when you bake it. Pop this back in the fridge for 30 minutes and then bake for 15 – 20 minutes, checking every so often to make sure the shells are not browning too much (your cooking time will vary depending upon your pan size).

Once your shells are done allow them to cool completely before filling them. You can fill these delicious shells with anything your heart desires, the cream cheese and berries is always a yummy treat and simple to prepare.

Cream cheese filling ingredients

6 or 8oz container reduced fat cream cheese or tofutti cream cheese
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl combine your cream cheese product of choice with, sugar and vanilla and mix until fully combined. Feel free to add more sugar if you like it sweeter. Pop this sweet concoction into the fridge and keep cool until your tart shells are chilled and you are ready to serve them.

Blueberry topping ingredients

2 cups of blueberries
1 tablespoon sugar

Combine sugar and 1 cup of the berries in a small saucepan and cook on low heat until the sugar has melded with the berries to form a syrup and the berries have broken down, about 5 minutes. Strain the mixture and discard the solids then add the remaining cup of blueberries to the sauce. Let this cool and then transfer to a container and chill in the fridge till you are ready to use.

Putting it all together

Fill each tart shell with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture then top with the berries. You could also top these with other berries or fruits. I made a couple topped with a peach butter preserve I recently made for my mom who does not care for cooked blueberries (a fun lesson on canning and peach preserve recipe soon to come!).

These actually took a couple days to complete as I got a pretty late start working on them and the dough had to chill for a while and I had to sleep. But let me tell you they were scrumptious! The tart dough reminded me of shortbread and the sweet blueberries melded with the rich cream cheese made for a decadently delicious treat.

Even after all of this blueberry baking fun I still had plenty of berries left over. Aside from baking and topping yogurt and ice cream with another one of my favorite ways to enjoy berries is sprinkled atop salads which brought me to this delicious decision, the delicious theme for next weeks meals is going to be salads!

Gluten free Graduation

This past weekend was a lovely one spent with family and friends in Santa Barbara for my brother Chris’s graduation from UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. It was wonderful to spend time with so many of my loved ones celebrating such a joyous occasion in a beautiful place. Even though I have always loved taking road trips up north I never really bothered to spend much time in Santa Barbara until after Chris started attending school there. I always assumed that it was a place I would not care much for mainly because of its rep as a crazy party school and because one of the few times I had been there, passing by on the way home from a road trip up north, I got terrible food poisoning from the Coco’s we ate at. I know these are silly reasons to dislike a whole town but I was young(er) and of an age when formulating silly ideas like that seemed to come quite naturally and after a while of thinking that way the opinion just stuck. That’s why I’m so glad that my brother decided to attend school there because in addition to getting an excellent education his move there prompted me to visit several times which quickly helped me realize that Santa Barbara was not the unappealing place I thought it was but in fact is a fabulously cute and fun beachy town that I am absolutely smitten with. Santa Barbara really has everything a girl could want in a town. Beautiful architecture, historical buildings, cute houses, great shopping, an amazing farmers market, the ocean and delicious food and drink all within walking distance of each other. It’s also super close to spectacular hiking and camping areas and the central coastal wineries. Plus it’s the only town in California where I have ever found a place to go berry picking (there is nothing so scrumptious as berries eaten right off the vine!)

As if that was not enough to love, every time we go wine tasting on our way to Rusack Winery there is always a big, friendly buffalo strolling through the hills.

Typically whenever I travel I am always sure to pack gluten free nutrition bars, pretzels, nuts and dried fruit just in case I happen to end up somewhere where there is nothing safe for me to eat. I am pleased as a peach to report that for the entire duration of my mini holiday in Santa Barbara I did not need to eat one single emergency back up meal. Yay!! Our first night in town we went to dinner at a delicious place called SpiritLand Bistro recommended to my brother by a gluten free Santa Barbara friend of his.

I felt right at home at SpiritLand, their cooking philosophy is one of love, nutrition, peace and of course delicious food. They are incredibly conscientious and considerate of food allergies and diets (gluten, vegan, soy, dairy, egg, macrobiotic, raw, and vegetarian) and make note on the menu of who each particular dish is safe for using parentheses and asterisks. Normally when I go to a restaurant making a decision of what to eat is fairly easy as my choices are pretty narrow but here I was pleasantly overwhelmed with a number of gluten free selections. After much mouthwatering deliberation we came to a delicious decision. For our starter we decided on the Italian Caprese (a summer time family favorite of ours) and the Venetian Polenta Cakes with goat cheese instead of gorgonzola. The caprese with its ripe, juicy tomatoes and fresh, pillowy mozzarella drizzled with rich balsamic as always was delish. The polenta cakes were a new flavor and incredibly savory as well. The cakes of polenta were nice and bready almost like a dense corn bread and the rich goat cheese smeared on top and drizzle of sweet balsamic reduction paired fantastically with the earthy, wilted chard. We also ordered a bottle of wine for the table, a 2006 Mosby Dolcetto that not only had a beautiful label but was both rich in flavor and smooth, and paired perfectly with all of our meals.

Deciding on my main entrée was the toughest decision. There were a few Thai dishes that caught my eye like the Thai Coconut Yellow Curry that Chris got.

The Indian Vegetable Curry that Steve picked.

And then there was the Tuscan Primavera & Fusilli Rice Pasta that Ashley picked (rice pasta on the menu at a restaurant, oh be still my heart!!).

But for my main entrée I found myself torn between two dishes, the Hawaiian Nut Crusted Mahi-Mahi and the Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken. As delicious as the fish sounded I decided to stick with the goat cheese theme and ordered the stuffed chicken.

Organic chicken breast stuffed with a delightful mishmash of spinach, sweet sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese served atop sautéed shoe string summer veggies and a butternut squash and potato mash. I definitely made the right decision! I have always loved stuffed chicken and next to yams mashed butternut squash is my favorite. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the combination of the goat cheese with the spinach and tangy tomatoes all melded together to form the most delicious, savory chicken stuffing. The portions were perfect too, leaving us with plenty of room for a scrumptious gluten free dessert. I only had to look over the dessert menu once to decide on what I wanted. Hawaiian chocolate macadamia nut bananas.

Bananas coated in chocolate and coconut caramel sauces, sprinkled with macadamia nuts and served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Oh deliciousness! I love all of those ingredients individually, put them together and I am in dessert heaven.

At the end of the meal I was perfectly content. I left feeling like I had experienced a mélange of delectable tastes and textures and yet not feeling overly full in the slightest. From dinner we headed downtown to meet up with the family for an evening of drinks and graduation eve festivity.

On a side non food related note the hotel we stayed at the first night, the Oceana was just as lovely as can be. The room was white, crisp and airy and had a 1950’s beach house feel to it. Check out the adorable hanging closet!

It was the perfect size room for a beach holiday and made me feel relaxed and calm from the moment I stepped inside and plopped myself down on the fluffy bed. The bathroom fixtures were also done in the same crisp style and there was a delightful array of pleasant smelling Aveda soaps and shampoos set out for the bath.

In the mornings the hotel offered a free breakfast that was described by the concierge as “continental with select protein”. Come to find the “select protein” was hard boiled eggs (yuck!). I had a banana and coffee which was good but I think peanut butter would have been a nice addition to the select protein list for all of the egg hating gluten free eaters out there (I am sure there must me more than just me!). The best part about the hotel was that it was only a hop, skip and jump away from the sandy Santa Barbara shoreline. Sadly, we were only able to get a room here for one night because it was super busy for graduation weekend so we did not really get much of a chance to take advantage of our closeness to the ocean. Maybe next time, I definitely plan on coming back here to stay again.

Chris’s graduation was Friday morning at the Bren School. The ceremony itself was small and intimate (we could actually see Chris without having to use binoculars!). There were also very interesting and intelligent speeches by students, faculty and their guest speaker, Lee Stein, the man who helped invent email messaging. There was also awesome music provided by a band formed by some of the Bren students called “Brengrass”. After the ceremony there was a reception with mimosas (my favorite!) and yummy snacks and desserts. I made a plate of fruit, hummus and 5 different cheeses (my most favorite was a dark blue green one that tasted like fresh herbs…not pictured because I ate it too quickly!).

After the graduation we snapped a few family pictures and then walked along the beach to a restaurant that overlooked the water for a family lunch. Chris and I both had a yummy mahi-mahi with mango salsa (I forgot to take pictures or note the name of the restaurant but I assure you it was delish!)

Later that afternoon we went to a graduation gathering at a local dive bar. We caught the tail end of the bbq portion of it which meant we arrived just in time for the most scrumptious portion of the gathering, dessert!

Caramelized bananas with gelato and caramel syrup. Yummers! Nicolette Oliphant was the caterer for the event and while I was not there early enough to enjoy any of the lunch items she prepared her dessert was quite scrumptious. In addition to catering she also does cooking lessons so if you are in the Santa Barbara area and you want to know how to make her fantastic banana dessert or just want her to cook it for you she is the chef for you.

In addition to yummy dessert, drinks, and friends there was also a video game at the bar that my brother and I have always had a soft spot in our hearts for.

Buck Hunter! As usual it was a blast and Chris kicked my bootie. Then Mom and Hamilton played and our peaceful, animal loving mother schooled all of us! I think she even set a new high score on the game. Yay mom!!

Friday night after a full day of graduation festivity before heading to our new hotel for the evening we stopped to have a late dinner at a southwestern restaurant on State Street called Left at Albuquerque. I had the Taco Twosome with grilled veggies and corn tortillas instead of flour. It came with black beans and the yummiest herby flavored green rice on the side.

The veggies in the tacos were cooked perfectly and did not taste super oily like many veggie tacos and fajitas tend to. I really wanted to try their house made sangria or one of the 75 brands of tequila they carry but I had already had my fill of celebratory beverages for the day and needed a little break from the hard stuff if I wanted to be in good form for our upcoming wine tasting adventure Saturday afternoon. After dinner we drove south 20 minutes to our new hotel for the evening the Courtyard Marriot in Oxnard, while the room was comfy and larger than our previous room in Santa Barbara it lacked the charm and cuteness of the Oceana. What it did have though was the signature orange with red polka dot couch, which I love, and am beginning to suspect all Courtyard Marriot rooms have.

Saturday morning we met Dad and Grandpa for breakfast at a little place back in Santa Barbara called Savoy that Chris and I had unsuccessfully tried to go to once before. On my last visit we headed there on a Sunday morning, eagerly anticipating their delicious breakfast only to arrive and find that they were closed on Sundays! Happily though this time we were visiting on a Saturday morning and they were indeed open when we arrived and had just enough rice bread left to make what I had been dying to order for months since my last visit.

Citrus French Toast with organic maple syrup and strawberries (and a cup of yerba matte tea and soy of course). Truth be told I have never been a fan of French toast or anything eggy for that matter but I just could not pass up a bready gluten free breakfast item, even if it was dipped in egg so I decided to give it a try. The verdict, delicious! I loved every bite and it did not taste like egg one bit. They also had slices of fresh baked gluten free strawberry walnut bread at the register. Steve bought me a slice and I saved it to eat on the drive home the next day (it was super yummy as well).

After a delicious breakfast we walked downtown to the farmers market to get some fruit, cheese and veggies to take back to Chris’s house. Later that afternoon with fruits and cheese in tote we headed eastward, up and down a mountain, through windy roads and past grassy hills into the Santa Ynez Valley for some wine tasting. Our first stop was at Rusack. As always all of their wines were delectable, in particular the pinot noir was exceptionally delicious. So much so that we bought a bottle of it to bring home to Dad for fathers day. Rusack also has a lovely shaded picnic area with tables and chairs so you can sit and enjoy sipping your wine and nibbling on fruit and cheese while enjoying the gorgeous view of the vineyard, trees and grassy hills.

From there we headed to Rideau winery in Solvang. The tasting room is housed in an old two story adobe that dates back to the 1800’s. Their wines were pretty tasty, my favorites were the Tempranillo and the Lagniappe. The most delicious offering they had was not the wine but the sampling of dips and spreads that they had for sale. Even licked off of a napkin sans bread the sundried tomato spread was divine! Sweet and tangy with just the right amount of spice as to not over power the naturally scrumptious flavor of the tomatoes. After wine tasting we headed back to town, freshened up and set out to meet up with Mom and Hammy for a delicious Indian dinner at Taj Café. Chris and I had been there before and it was just as delicious as I remember it. We ordered 6 different dishes and I had a little of everything except for the nann and samosas which looked and smelled delicious and reminded me that I really need to have another Indian dinner party soon and attempt to make gluten free samosas.

The next morning Steve and I left bright and early and headed south so we could make it to West Hollywood before noon for Sunday brunch at one of my favorite LA eateries, Real Food Daily. I enjoyed a scrumptious plate of Flapjacks a La Almondine (pancakes made with almond meal) served with blueberries, maple syrup and vegan butter. Accompanied by my favorite yerba matte latte (with vanilla soymilk!) it was the perfect ending to a delicious trip (I was so excited to taste these that I forgot to take a picture until after I had already taken a few scrumptious bites!).

Even through Chris is moving back to San Diego in a week I am certian I will return to Santa Barbara again someday soon for another beach holiday, wine tasting and of course more delicious gluten free dining adventures.