San Diego Food Revolution Day

When you cook it should be an act of love. To put a frozen bag in the microwave for your child is an act of hate. -Raymond Blanc

How was the Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day in San Diego? A huge success! Suzie's Farm had hundreds of visitors picking strawberries, enjoying the live band, eating from the Green Truck and just hanging out being neighborly. I invited everyone I could, I tweeted, pinned, facebooked, talkled to anyone and everyone I could about it and boy did all of it pay off!

Fresh strawberry lemonade from the Green Truck

What was my ulterior motive for all this hoopla? I want families to realize how special it is to have access to farms and fresh foods. We are so lucky to live here where fresh food is grown throughout the year. Fresh foods can be really inexpensive and you don't have to cook most fresh foods -how easy is that?? In my little backyard patch I let seeds go wild and I encourage my budding foodies to taste, smell, and experiment with everything (yes, even the wild purslane).

So what has been my payoff from all this? I've gotten such a thrill from seeing children eat the organic strawberries freshly picked by their little chubby hands. I love knowing that my kids will know what to do with fresh vegetables and they won't be afraid to try even more varieties of vegetables (knock on wood because we all know that they ALL sometimes just say 'NO' to anything new). But, in the long run I think my kids will be healthier, happier and wiser with this type of foodie education.

So in that spirit I'll share with you one of the things we ate last night that the kids LOVED:

Leek & Zucchini (courgette) Frittata

1 leek
2 med size zucchini (or if your English or French courgette)
2 eggs (because I tend not to like it too eggy otherwise do 4)
1tbsp olive oil
5tbsp of herbed feta
salt & pepper to taste

Clean and thinly slice the whites of a leek (make sure you get the dirt and grit out from between the layers). Then saute it until translucent and then add in grated zucchini and let it cook down for 5 minutes on medium low heat -no need to stir. Meanwhile slightly beat teh eggs and feta making sure there are no large chunks of feta. Then add in the egg mixture and cover for 5 minutes under low heat. Now uncover and here is the tricky part: with a large plate over the fry pan flip the frittata onto the plate. Now I like to put it back by sliding it off the plate and back on to pan. You can just forgo all of this and put the fry pan under the broiler for 4 more minutes to finish it.

I served this with a basil & lemon orzo salad and there were no leftovers! :) What is your favorite fresh fast meal in the summer?

Just what I need...

A strong cup of cappuccino and some of these Pumpkin Waffles made by my fabulous friend Mary:

I can almost smell it now! MMMMMmmmmm...

It's a World of Nutella

One of my favorite spreads as a child was Nutella. In honor of World Nutella day I will give you my preferred way of eating it -are you ready for the recipe?? 3 handfuls of fresh fragrant ripe strawberries
and 1 large spoon for the Nutella. Grab the strawberry by the hair and smear a spoon full of room temperature Nutella goodness and enjoy!! There is not a fondue that is bettter or tastier than this mixture. Check out other great drool-worthy recipes from the great Ms. Adventures and Bleeding Espresso.

On a more serious side note: BIG THANKS to my mother-in-law today for taking such good care of my little dog while we're looking for a home. Turns out that my little dog has a pretty bad stone in her bladder and is scheduled for surgery on Thursday -all this while taking care of my father-in-law who just had a heart attack. Pretty special woman wouldn't you say?

Napoli Fast Food

Ok, just one more post before I go. So I've got 24 hours between trips and you might wonder what the heck do I do for fresh wholesome food?
Pizza. One of my favorite pizzerias is out in the country and it is called Bella Napoli. For 3 Euro I can get a full round of Pizza Margherita (tomato sauce and mozzarella) . Great price for something that is made from scratch and baked right in front of you. We usually also walk out with a bag full of fries -don't ask me why it is just tradition.

Here's a general hint on how to find a good pizzeria: look at the counter to see that all is fresh and check out the Pizzaiolo (professional pizza maker) to make sure they are plump (don't trust one that is skinny -I don't know why it is just tradition).

What I'll miss about my Italian life

Chocolate! Real, pure and fresh. While there is a push in America (cost cutting) and FDA approval of no cocoa butter in "chocolate" bars -here in Napoli I'm blissfully happy. I am a fanatic for chocolate and I am not happy with the way things are going in the American food "industry" -as they call it. I'll miss my chocolate (drug) factory.

I don't like Gay Odin (it is in all the guidebooks) because it tastes as old as they claim the store to be. Also, I found out that some friends of mine worked there for two days. They said the conditions were terrible and that they only got paid 30 Euro for two people for two days (crack of dawn until well past dusk).

The place I do like is called Dolce Idea and they have an excellent chocolate. I've taken it as gifts as far as India and everyone has always loved it. It is made fresh and well with no questionable items in it. The maestro has won many many awards (the store is wallpapered with the awards!). So if you are ever in town -pick some up! However, be warned that the maestro isn't the friendliest of people.

P.S. In the photo below you are looking at over 3 kilos (over 6lbs) of chocolate -you can tell I'm preparing for another trip.