Blasé Day

 Ho-hum

Blasé Day Salad: photo by Cliff Hutson

Are you bored with life and unimpressed with the world around you? If so, observed annually on November 25th, Blasé Day is for you.

Would anybody have noticed if I did not post this week? 

Would anybody really care?

Just Good Food: Salads

 Not just for rabbits:

Some people think of salads as "rabbit food".  But, I value them them as an accompaniment to almost any entree. During the heat of summer one cam be an entire meal in itself.

So, herein is a carefully curated selection of salads in chronological order beginning with 2005 through the past week.

I am interested in any thoughts that you might have about "just good food".

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

Diète méditerranéenne / Journée nationale de la plage

Mediterranean Diet

Salade méditerranéenne: photo by Cliff Hutson

Avocat, laitue beurre, houmous, le flétan pané, huile d'olive et vinaigre

“Mediterranean diet” is a generic term based on the traditional eating habits in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. There’s not one standard Mediterranean diet. The mainstays of my mediterranean diet are pizza and red wine.  Sometimes, I do better.

Mushroom Pizza: photo by Cliff Hutson

Red Wine: photo by Cliff Hutson

National Beach Day

Beach Day: photo by Cliff Hutson

August 30th is National Beach Day. It was created to celebrate the beach, and to encourage the cleaning up of beaches worldwide.

It has been a long time since I have seen the ocean, so I don't have an actual beach photo. But, I once came  across this napkin that expresses the way I feel about the beach.

While most people associate beaches with the sea, as I just did. But, they can be part of the shore of a river or lake.  It took me awhile to get used to this when I was in northern California.  In any event, get out and enjoy one if you can.

National Watermelon Day

National Watermelon Day - August 3

Watermelon: photo by Cliff Hutson

Watermelons are plants grown in climates from tropical to temperate. They seemingly originated in West Africa, where plants can also be found growing in the wild.

Watermelon isn't only a tasty low-calorie treat — it's also very good for your health - containing many key nutrients, such as lycopene and vitamin C. Not to mention the water -  a fun way of keeping your body hydrated.

Watermelon Salad anyone?

National Avocado Day

Another Special Day

July 31 is the day to celebrate avocados! Not that I don't eat them year-round.

California Avocado: photo by Cliff Hutson

Growing up, I first knew the fruit as an "alligator pear".  Our next door neighbor had a tree and that was what she called. That name is no longer in fashion, but the popularity of the avocado has increased by leaps and bounds since then.

Guacamole: photo by Cliff Hutson

There are many ways to partake of this food.  Avocado Toast has, without saying, become ubiquitous in many circles.  Guacamole is another, and it actually has its own day, as well.

Tuna & Avocado Sandwich: photo by Cliff Hutson

Avocados make just about anything better, so I add them to sandwiches and salads. 

Fancy Salad: photo by Cliff Hutson

But, I have never tried them in a smoothie nor as a dessert.  You?

A Random Photograph of a Salad

Cold Rice & Avocado Salad

Cold Rice & Avocado Salad: photo by Cliff Hutson

Time for something else besides sourdough starter or banana bread.  Don't you think? 

National Shrimp Day

National Shrimp Day

Shrimp & Tricolor Pasta: photo by Cliff Hutson

May 10, among other things, is National Shrimp Day in the US of A.

Shrimp Bowl: photo by Cliff Hutson

Some say that shrimp is the most popular seafood in America; and seems to be a hit worldwide as well.

Shrimp Fried Rice: photo by Cliff Hutson

A search of "shrimp" in my food photography files seems to bear out the hypothesis that I am doing my share when it comes to consumption. I hasten to point out that I try to be judicious in my purchases. 

Southwest Asian Salad: photo by Cliff Hutson

Salade méditerranéenne

Salade méditerranéenne: photo by Cliff Hutson

Avocat, laitue beurre, houmous, le flétan pané, huile d'olive et vinaigre

Michael Poland
"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants" 


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Pizza in the Foothill Cities

Pizzeria: photo by Cliff Hutson

It should be patently obvious to even the most casual visitor to this blog that I am not one in much need of validation. But, I got a real kick out of the latest issue of Westways magazine which in its “Day Trip” article cited one of my favorite pizzerias  as a good place to eat in La Verne, CA. 

La Verne

The said restaurant is Warehouse Pizza. It is definitely worth a visit if you are out that way. As David Allen says, more eloquently than I, “ For its size, La Verne has a lot of homegrown pizza parlors (Red Devil, Sal’s, Pizza Barn, Pizza N Stuff and maybe one or two I’ve forgotten), with Warehouse perhaps the best, and certainly the most fondly regarded.”

I would never think of going to any of the others. If you try it, order the side salad with the house dressing, as well. A treat not to be missed. But, as good as this is, this is not where I usually end up when I go out for pizza. I, instead, head for Claremont.

Claremont

The “City of Trees and PhDs” also has a lot of pizza parlors. But, there is only one for me - Pizza ’n Such. If you look it up, you might also find it listed as “Pizza N Such” or “Pizza n’ Such”. It seems nobody can settle how it should be written, including the owners.

It once was a small eight table restaurant occupying a small section of the east side of the current building. The same owners expanded in 2002 to take up the entire downstairs. We ate a lot at the original spot and still enjoy the same delicious food; plus more menu items and many beers on tap. Allen and I are at odds on the best pizza in the Village, but he can’t always be right.

The careful observer might note from my accompanying photos that Mushrooms and Bell Peppers is my go to pizza. But, I have had others and they are all good.

One last great thing about Pizza N Such is that if you order a pizza for take out, you can get bottled beer to go. How is that for service?

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Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Shrimp & Avocado Salad by Cliff Hutson

Shrimp, Hass avocado, and Roma tomatoes on hearts of Romaine lettuce with Italian dressing

Chilled Rice Salad

Freddo insalata di riso

I have always disliked the solutions, found in so many newspaper or magazine supplements, for "meals in X amount of minutes" that start off with "put sixteen ounces of cooked whatever in a bowl or pan". It assumes that somewhere along the line I had the time to cook the whatever. However, one thing I almost always have on hand is cooked rice. I use it in stir fry, scramble it in eggs, or try to just reheat it - which never seems quite right. Recently,  I came upon a new way to use it.

A quick and easy meal for a hot summer night, assuming one has leftover rice, like I do. Just combine cold basmati rice with parsley, tomato, and cucumber in whatever proportions suit your fancy. I recommend topping with Italian salad dressing, but your taste may vary.

Chilled Rice Salad

Buon divertimento in buona salute!