December 2010 . Lemons
“Think about the things you are thankful for.”
This weekend, I took a brief pause to think about and treasure the little things that make life special. It was dreary wet outside, but it didn’t stop me from trekking around town gathering supplies for my small weekend gardening project. As I walked through the city, I pondered some of the things I am grateful for: 1. My boots, waterproof and comfortable. My feet had plenty of support and stayed dry as I wandered through Russian Hill, Nob Hill and the Marina (about 4.5 miles round trip). Bonus points for me being able to pull together a stylish rainy-day outfit to match. 2. My jacket–warm, lightweight and trusty–at $75, that was my very first “big” purchase right out of high school. 11 years later, It’s still in great shape, lightweight, and warm. 3. San Francisco culture, a big motivator which helped inspire me to search out my culinary passion. My life in SF has brought me a greater sense of awareness of where food comes from, and what impact local, regional, organic, green-washed, and sustainable foods have on the community. I love being a lifelong culinary student. 4. My new oven thermometer, which has stopped my oven from burning food, setting off my smoke detecter, and has eased my annoyance and that of my neighbors. At first I thought my burnt meals were user error. It turns out my oven has an inconsistent tendency of running 25-100 degrees high–yikes! 5. Lemons. More specifically, my mother’s neighbor’s lemons. The bountiful tree branches into my mother’s backyard and during my last visit in December, she gifted me with a large grocery bag full of lemons. Amazingly they’re still good and this weekend I decided to put a couple to use–in my tea and in a batch of lemon bars.
