huntington botanical gardens

huntington botanical gardens
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i never knew this place existed. there are lots of places like this, and i don't just mean gardens, but cool cultural experiences around LA. though i don't live in LA proper, i have lived in the area for five years now, and have barely begun to know LA.

you wouldn't guess it, but in a residential area of san marino, lies vast gardens and a library that boasts in its collection a copy of the gutenberg bible on vellum and chaucer's canterbury tales. on my first visit, i barely had time to see most of the gardens. the bf was tired, but up for rising early on a saturday and driving in before the crowds for a private tour of the newly constructed liu fang yuan: garden of flowing fragrance, well worth the extra cost which included admission.

designed to be experienced with few people to best soak up the tranquility and enrich the mind in contemplation, the authenticity of the chinese garden was brought about by the collaborative efforts of the huntington organization, donations from local community, and artisans from china. i was impressed--starting from the undulating white walls reminiscent of a dragon's back with staggered roof tiles embossed with decorative symbols, looking through the motif windows to gaze into the world inside, walking across the patterned rock paved ground and looking across the still water to watch a heron fly and perch on a distant rock.

after our tour, we visited the botanical conservatory, with its humid and tropical environs, sporting orchids, air plants, water plants and everything in between. from there we entered the children's garden, which invited the curious and inspired the children in all of us.

walking into the desert garden, one of my favorite, was like landing on mars--phenomenal and strange, but cool. there were crazy succulent trees with spears of flowers, pretty cactus balls with bright pink flowers taunting you to dare to be pricked, wiry yucca trees, red buds and orange buds in the weirdest parts of plants.

the rose garden was a typical rose garden. i'm not a big fan of rose gardens, but it reminded me of my grandmother who smells sweet and powdery.

the japanese garden is usually my favorite type of garden, but by the time we made it here, it was crawling with people and kids. it was lovely, but the experience would have been better with fewer human dots on the less is more landscape. the koi are huge and beautiful and must have been fed by visitors in the past because they flock to you when you get close to the edge. the zen garden was nice, and there were some gravity defying bonsais.

laze frogs sunned themselves on lily pads in the pond near the jungle garden as turtles hung out on rocks near the periphery. big bamboo forests both thin and fat rivaled the many varieties of palm. it was a lovely getaway from the concrete jungle we are daily accustomed to.

click here for photos from our sojourn.

anticipating austin: a list

tx bbq trail : we won't make it to most, but would like to try 1 or 2.
las manitas : good brunch. i still remember the mushroom tamale.
umlauf sculpture garden : my first two cats' ashes are there.
barton springs pool : it was 97 degrees in austin. ouch.
alamo drafthouse : drinks & a movie
mother's : great vegetarian resto
trudy's : for the mexican martinis
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center : i like wildflowers (if the heat doesn't kill us)
amy's ice cream : mmmm00000....
curra's : interior mexican

bouchees bistro (a pleasure palate evening)

bouchees bistro (pleasure palate)
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

sushi, dim sum, tapas--there's something to be said for the small. though they have regular-sized burgers, go for the minis! variety is the spice of life after all. besides, they are unbelievably cute, and served on these delicious handmade sesame poppy seed speckled rolls.

the trio of burgers i had included the turkey shiitake mushroom, ahi tuna & avocado and jumbo lump crab cake sandwich. my favorite is the lump crab, which actually accurately describes the sandwich. large chunks of crab that tasted fresh, like it was pulled from a live crab that had been cooked that day--not imitation or freezer stored. the tangy, salty lemon caper aioli is a perfect complement to the crab. the ground turkey was amazingly moist and flavorful with hints of cracked black pepper, something rare in a turkey burger. the ahi tuna, which was made from ground meat, was not as flavorful as the other two burgers, but fine. my boyfriend loved the veggie burger, whose flavor was enhanced by a mesquite bbq sauce. a-plus for vegetarian and health-conscious eaters.

parmesan garlic fries. do i really need to say anything? definitely ask for the mix of regular and sweet potato fries. even their desserts are a must have. i, of course, had to have the coconut milkshake. they make their ice cream sandwiches to order, literally a big scoop of ice cream between two fresh baked cookies, with flavors changing out on a daily basis. the night we were there, they had hazelnut ice cream with peanut butter cookies. and if that isn't enough, the chef may just have finished icing some cupcakes made with real french butter cream.

this is not your regular burger joint. the difference really is in the details. from the fresh shiitake mushrooms to the hip atmosphere created by the clean, contemporary furniture and downtempo electronica.

photos from our meal here.

mushroom enchiladas

mushroom enchiladas
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i adapted a recipe from deborah madison's vegetarian cooking for everyone. there are a large number of good recipes in this tome worth trying out. the original recipe does not include cheese. i like cheese in my enchiladas. here are my notes.

makes about 10 enchiladas from 6 in. tortillas
oven-roasted tomato sauce
31/2 lbs roma tomatoes halved
1-2 small onions, sliced
6-8 sprigs of thyme
salt & fresh pepper
preheat oven to 375. put a single layer of the tomatoes in a baking pan (i like to use a big pyrex. they're cheap, and fairly easy to clean.) then spread the onion and thyme on top, drizzling oil all over. season with salt and pepper. roast for 45min to 1 hr, then puree in a food processor.

enchilada filling
11/2 tbs peanut oil (or other nut oil)
1 small onion diced
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 lbs chopped mushrooms
2 roma tomatoes, peeledd, seeded & diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 serrano chili, minced (add more if you like it hot)
1 12 oz bag or mexican blend cheese (or more if you're into cheese)
heat the oil in a large pan on high. add and saute the onion for a min, then add garlic, oregano and cook for 2 min. add the mushrooms, tomatoes and 1/4 tsp salt. saute until mushrooms have cooked. add chilis and cilantro and cook for a min. add salt to taste.

tortillas
heat oil in a separate pan (~1 tsp for each tortilla). when hot, fry the tortilla for a few seconds on each side until softened but not crispy. blot excess oil on a towel.

when the tortillas are done, add the filling, a handful of cheese and roll with the seam facing down and place in a large baking pan (again, a pyrex baking pan works great). pour the roasted tomato sauce on top and sides., then add a layer of mexican cheese (chedder, colby, jack blend). bake in preheated oven at 375 for 20 min or until cheese has melted and formed an oozing blanket of cheesy goodness on top.

*note: don't use your finger to bore out the seeds from the chili, as you'll discover, it burns, especially if you have any open wounds.

coconut bliss

coconut bliss
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

a trend i've noticed among vegans is substituting nut oils/butters for dairy. since whole foods bought wild oats, they have been changing out some of the brands of foods they carry. some of these changes have been good, including more organic choices, whilst other choices, like no longer carrying the brand of coconut ice cream that i love leaves me wanting. they have several brands of coconut sorbet, but i want something creamy, not icy. last week, the coconut bliss caught my eye.

i was desperate, and had had good vegan coconut ice cream before, so what did i have to lose? well, maybe my 14-year-old boy body. the ice cream came in three flavors--all variations on chocolate, with coconut milk as the dairy substitute. i bought the dark chocolate, which is quite rich. if i ate this without knowing it was vegan, i would never suspect. the coconut flavor is very subtle. soooo goood! i can't remember know if coconut milk has the good or the bad cholesterol (will have to look that up later after i've finished enjoying my ice cream). if you're lactose intolerant or vegan, and/or if you love chocolate, you have to try this. and if coconut milk turns out to be the good cholesterol, it's a great alternative to the haagen daz, which frankly, i find to be too sweet.