Call Me When the Shuttle Lands.

It would appear that this whole hippie thing's pendulum has swung its groovy way again. Read, it's in. This could be attributed to many things: a disenchantment and exhaustion (or sheer anger) with current politics, climate change (save water, shower with a friend), the way we view and approach our food, or just the wave of fashion. Everything comes back around, you know.

Though I was born in a particularly pointedly hippie period with hairy, bell-bottomed parents (who named their daughter Elliott), the whole hippie thing, with its ins and outs in my lifetime, has had little effect on me. In high school and even college, while many of our peers donned the gauzy, flowy shirts and floor-length paisley skirts, Birkenstocks, and the god-forsaken patchouli, Paz and I were listening to NWA, drinking 40s and seeing how much cleavage we could get away with.

I had an old friend back in LA, a real meat and potatoes guy and proud Texan, who had a saying when I – or anyone for that matter – got a little, er, out there, a little too magic-y or feel-y or granola-y (think Anne Heche's 4^thdimension circa 2000, or just Gary Busey, in general).

'Call me when the shuttle lands,' he would say wryly.

Regardless of the dude's generally great deadpan, comedic timing, this was always hilarious and perfect to me. And so, of course, I have long since, and with much frequency, adopted the comment.

I, for the most part, am pretty even-keeled and pragmatic when it comes to social politics. I understand the motivation for going green, buying local, being responsible with my carbon footprint, etc. But I equally understand that it is a very high maintenance and prohibitively expensive lifestyle to adapt. Go ahead, buy a week's worth of groceries at Whole Foods and a week's worth of groceries anywhere else, and tell me the price difference. How much did you spend on kombucha or fair trade coffee last week?

I'll never forget a photo assignment I had when I first moved to LA and was working for the LA Weekly. I was in my twenties and really struggling financially. I was asked to photograph a woman (married to a extra, super, mega famous actor/comedian) whose personal crusade it was to abolish Hummers and the like and get everyone to drive a Prius. She actually threw stones at people's environmentally cruel vehicles. Needless to say, I parked my banged up gas guzzler far, far away and lugged my photo equipment on foot to her house for the shoot. Oh, her house that was a ginormous manse in the famously richer than rich Pacific Palisades neighborhood (Steven Spielberg was her neighbor). Parked in the driveway were a minimum of five various hybrid and electric cars.

My point is: I appreciate that she wanted to share the gospel, so to speak, but COME ON. And by the way, I still can't afford a Prius. I try in other ways. I have a vegetable and herb garden, I recycle, I buy seasonal and local – when I can, I read, I think, I don't drive a gas guzzler – actually, I hardly drive at all. So keep your judgment, your stone throwing (literally) to yourself, step down from that fancy-ass high horse and, hey, call me when the shuttle lands.

Here's the funny thing: the same girl that would steal Paz's sister's hippie outfits and dress up in them to poke fun at her, the same girl whose eyeballs roll out of her head when she hears a little too much about whatever this acai berry is, and the same girl who knows absolutely nothing about your or her own astrological sign has turned in a decidedly bizarre direction whilst pregnant.

And here it is: currently I have my own doula, a small troupe of midwives, and a tiny library of books with such titles as Spiritual Midwifery (where the vagina is sometimes referred to as a Yoni and contractions are called rushes), and am having an entirely natural childbirth. Like, no drugs. And in water. And now that I am large and in charge at seven months pregnant and counting, I'm pretty much wearing the exact clothes I would have derided twenty-five years ago: long, flowy maxi dresses (if we're going to call a spade a spade, muu muus), colorful, decorative scarves – around my head, and even the Birkenstocks. You should see all my wicker and canvas totes. I'd like to think I'm channeling Elizabeth Taylor in the Sandpiper.

I've also been listening to Van Morrison's Astral Weeks on repeat for, well, weeks.

If I knew me and heard all of this from me, my response to me would, without a doubt, be, 'Elliott, please, PLEASE call me when the shuttle lands.'

Fortunately, thanks to Portlandia, Pinterest, all things DIY - pickling, craft beers, chickens in the yard, salad greens 'foraged' from the vacant lot, Mason jars and twine, I feel the pregnant, muu muu-wearing me has just so happened to luck out in the roulette of current fashion. This whole hippie thing has returned. Again. Sort of. With a twist. It's more lumberjack-self-reliant than bongs and tapestries, more sweat than patchouli, more Airstream than school bus. It's far more conscious, I suppose.

Fred and I have a lifestyle that adapts some of this ethos. Like I said, we have our garden. We sometimes shower together (though I'm too large for shower sharing these days). Fred sort of looks like a lumberjack. But we also live realistically. We enjoy our creature comforts. We watch our shows on HBO. We pay taxes.

But one major do-it-yourself that we, Fred in particular, has been super keen on for a few years now is making ice cream. In the ice cream-y months he likes to make a different batch each week, always experimenting with new ideas. And, while some aren't as successful – conceptually (coconut milk and Sriracha, for example) – his actual ice cream is undeniably delicious.

In the spirit of this post, we picked up some local, just-in-season rhubarb from our local, green grocery and got to it: a rhubarb-swirl ice cream. While Fred usually takes the reins with the ice cream, we collaborated for this one. He prepared the ice cream part and I made the swirl part. It was our first swirl (well, in the ice cream department - how do you think I got pregnant, after all?).

In the end, we made a beautiful and tasty new ice cream. I need to tweak the swirl method I chose but otherwise we were very pleased with the outcome. Even better than the local farm eggs, milk and cream used was that the ice cream matched the tie-dye pattern of my muu muu...

Oh, Jesus. Call me when the shuttle lands, right?

Rhubarb-Swirl Ice Cream
(recipe adapted from The Faux Martha)

Makes 1 ½ quarts

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups half and half

2 cups whole milk

1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

Dash of sea salt

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Rhubarb Swirl

4 cups rhubarb, chopped

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Directions

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine half and half, whole milk, heavy cream, 1 cup of sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Taste for salt.

In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Over medium-high heat, heat milk mixture until sugar dissolves and begins to simmer. Slowly pour about one cup of the simmering milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Add egg mixture to sauce pan, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Turn heat off. Add vanilla extract.

Pour mixture in a large bowl over a fine mesh sieve to catch any clumps. Cover and place in fridge to cool, about 3 hours. To speed up the cooling process, place bowl in an ice bath in the fridge, or place in the freezer sans ice bath.

Rhubarb Swirl:
Place rhubarb, sugar, and orange juice in a sauce pan. Cover and cook over medium heat until rhubarb is soft, about 10 minutes. Puree mixture in food processor until smooth. Once ice cream mixture is cold, make according to your machine’s instructions. Add rhubarb in at the end, swirling through the ice cream (here's what I did). Place in freezer again for ice cream to become hard enough.

Printable recipe.

One year ago: Belmont Food Shop

Two years ago: Zebra Tomato, Pistou Basil & Burrata Crostini

Three years ago: Classic Tuna Salad

Four years ago: Potato Salad with Creme Fraiche, Mint & Basil

Traveller's Needs In Orleans: Restaurants, Cafes, And Bars Part (1)

Even if added above cities in the US were active in a comestible wasteland, New Orleans had a acceptability for fine, aged Creole cuisine. Today the acceptability is still intact, but it has been added by the development of "modern" Creole cuisine, Cajun cuisine, and some adorable indigenous dining as well.

Places to eat

Top-flight restaurants are begin throughout the city, decidedly in the French Quarter, the Warehouse District, and Uptown. Currently such chefsas Susan Spicer, Emeril Lagasse, Frank Brigtsen, John Besh, and others who are afterlight the acceptable cuisine are breeding the a lot of excitement. There are affluence of good-quality restaurants that are bearing acceptable Creole and Cajun dishes - gumbo, oysters Rockefeller, jambalaya, abjure etouffee, barbecue shrimp, and added fiery specialties.

In addition, there are Italian, Mediterranean, and added indigenous restaurants, additional affluence of places for cheap, acceptable food, confined po'boys, New Orleans own muffuletta (a appropriate bounded sandwich), pizza, and the all-over bowl of red beans and rice with sausage. New Orleans association aswell affliction foolishly about coffee, and the city-limits has abounding acceptable coffee and pastry shops.

Hours and Prices

Breakfast is usually attainable amid 7am and 11am and can be bargain or super-expensive - the amount about depends on area it is served. Jazz brunches, a New Orleans tradition, are served amid 10am and 3pm on weekends and can amount anywhere amid $30 and $50.

At lunchtime, you can buy a ablaze meal for about $7 or $10, usually amid 11am and 2:30pm. In the bigger restaurants, prices are lower at lunchtime than at dinner. Banquet is about served from 5 to 10pm, or until 11pm on Friday or Saturday nights. At a moderately priced place, capital dishes ability ambit from $14 to $24. In the actual best restaurants, like Commander's Palace or Emeril's, be able to absorb over $100 per person. A few places are attainable all night.

Dining on a account

Do not eat breakfast at your auberge unless it is complimentary. Seek out a coffee boutique or cafeteria and barbecue on adorable croissants and able coffee. At lunch, you can pop into a bend grocery and adjustment a po'boy or muffuletta, and barbecue somewhere. If you do sit down in a restaurant, you will acquisition prices are lower than at dinner, as abounding establishments action discounted airheaded aboriginal in the day. Otherwise, you can save money by acclimation one advance alone (which is usually enough) and bubbler beneath wine. Depending on the hour, some restaurants action fixed-price airheaded that are usually cheaper.

Taxes and angled

A sales tax of 9 percent is added to meal and beverages checks in all restaurants. In general, you should tip 15 percent of the analysis for service; alarm advanced to actuate absolutely how attainable a accurate enactment is - whether there are accomplish alfresco or inside, for example, or whether the bathrooms are bench or upstairs.

Smoking

Smoking is banned in a lot of Louisiana restaurants. Some dining establishments that authorize as confined are absolved from the smoker ban, but consistently ask afore lighting up.

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Iguazu Falls and National Parks Offer Adventure For the Whole Family

One of Mother Nature's great works can be found on the Iguazu River creating the natural frontier between Argentina and Brazil. Discovering the site of 275 waterfalls---dropping over eight-two metres---it soon becomes apparent to any observer that the Iguazu Falls must be one of the great wonders of the world. Set in a spectacular National Park of sub-tropical rain forest, these cascading falls are complemented by natural flora, fauna, wildlife, and a colorful array of butterflies.

The falls are strung out along the rim of a crescent-shaped cliff about 2.5 miles long dropping into the gorge below. But perhaps the most impressive distinction for this majestic tourist attraction is the fact that it remains undeveloped and unspoiled by commercialism. There are no revolving restaurants atop concrete towers, or souvenir shopping malls, or wax museums, and nowhere to satisfy a Big-Mac attack. These wondrous sights can be witnessed close-up, in their natural environment, either from a Zodiac dinghy---with a refreshingly cool drenching---on the Iguazu River, or the miles of hiking trails and wooden catwalks.

On the Argentine side of the Falls the town of Puerto Iguazu is about ten miles from the site with regular bus service or taxis to the National Park entrance. In Brazil the city of Foz do Iguaçu is the town closest to the Falls and offers many amenities including a wide variety of accommodations, restaurants, cafes, bars, and shopping boutiques plus local crafts markets.

However, in Puerto Iguazu there are two extremely popular hotels which are conveniently located for viewing the Falls. While I toured the region I found myself mesmerized by the magic and romance of the Falls clearly understanding its new found popularity as a vacation destination for anniversaries, romantic escapes, family vacations, and much more. One fact is for certain---this region is deserving of much more than just a quick day trip to see the falls.

The Panoramic Hotel is located on a hill overlooking the confluence of the Iguazu and Parana Rivers where the incomparable vista includes the three frontiers of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. It is the only five-star boutique hotel in the area and is just a short five minute walk into the town of Puerto Iguazu. Built in the 1940s it has been an icon in the town's history and after closing in the 1980s it re-opened in 2007 after extensive renovations which have preserved the original character. The property is set amidst tropical gardens and includes restaurants, bars, cafes, and all amenities plus an extremely large swimming pool and solarium with a spectacular view---especially at sunset---and bar service. The rooms with stylish décor are spacious and comfortable with all the necessary accoutrements. The business center, TV Lounge, spa, and casino (currency in pesos) complete the perfect amenities for any vacation.

For those looking for a different experience the Iguazu Grand Resort Spa and Casino is located on the edge of town close to the Brazil border crossing. Here you can enjoy distinguished architectural style, exclusive décor, which includes authentic paintings by renowned artists. Plus three bars, two fine-dining restaurants, live stage shows in Cafe Magic, and one of the most sophisticated casinos (currency US Dollars) in Latin America for a guaranteed unforgettable visit. This is a twenty-one acre property with seventeen acres dedicated to lush gardens, waterfalls, three outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a spa (with indoor swimming pool), gymnasium, and family-friendly supervised Playland. The talented Executive Chef even has his own spice and vegetable garden to ensure his exquisite culinary creations are fresh and complete with local flavors. The rooms are extremely large and proffer every imaginable luxury including jetted tubs and large shower stalls for two. This is truly a resort worthy of any vacation for adults or the entire family. Almost all of the staff here are fluent in English which proves to be very helpful to most tourists.

Many tours and excursions are available in the region with Aguas Grandes tour company. They can arrange adventure tours, canopy tours, Parques Nacionales excursions, or customize your own outdoor adventure. Or you can also contact Brazil Ecojourneys who have a great deal of experience at Iguazu Falls for group and individual tours to the region.

The year-round tropical climate provides hot days with the occasional cooling thunderstorm--- usually at night---making this an ideal destination at any time of year.

Perhaps Eleanor Roosevelt said it best upon her first visit to the Iguazu Falls when she exclaimed " Oh, Poor Niagara!"

If you are planning a South American vacation be sure to do some research on this popular option for a memorable Latin experience.

Sydney's Diverse Fine Dining Options

The broad scope of Sydney's restaurants, pubs and cafes is a mirror reflection of the city's status as a melting pot of cultural diversity. As one pundit put it, the choices are so wide and culturally varied that they read like an atlas. They range from local Australian cuisine to Italian, European, Asian, Japanese, Mediterranean and more.

Foreign visitors who want to sample traditional Australian fare should take a trip to Harry's Café de Wheels for the best meat pies in the city. The so-called bush-tucker, which features original aboriginal cuisine that includes kangaroo meat, is also available in select venues. Although the Australian government allowed restaurants to serve kangaroo meat starting only in 1993, bush-tucker meals have become a must-taste delight among many foreign visitors.

Since Sydney is a harbour city, seafood is a staple of most restaurants and is served exclusively by many of the leading dining places in town, including Fishface and Five Dock Seafoods Cafe. These places - and many others - always provide a fresh supply of barramundi, snapper, mussels, prawns, calamari and octopus, thanks to the nearby Sydney Fish Market. Of course, Sydney's king of seafoods is the popular Doyles Hotel, the oldest seafood restaurant in town. From its beachside location, Doyles also provides a breath-taking view of Watsons Bay.

The best Italian restaurants in Sydney are Gelbison and Mezzaluna, while some of the best pasta in the city can be found at Norton Street in the Leichhardt inner city, which is also known as Little Italy. There is a strong Italian influence on Sydney's fashionable café society as one can glean from the many cafes on Darlinghurst, Potts Point and Bondi Beach. The hippest spots in town also happen to serve the best coffee and these include Bills, Tropicana, Bar Coluzzi and La Buvette.

Aside from Italy, the Euro influence on cuisine is also evident in the very popular French restaurants Bistro Moncur and Sel et Poivre, while foreigners and locals alike regularly patronize such excellent fine dining venues such as the Greek restaurant Mykonos and the Spanish restaurant Capitan Torres. Meanwhile, the most sumptuous Eastern European cuisine can be sampled at Corner 75.

There are several excellent Asian restaurants that serve the best cuisine from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia and Iran. Among the outstanding Asian restaurants are The Malaya, Chinta Ria, Lebanon & Beyond and Blue Elephant.

If it's Japanese food that your heart desires, the most popular places for sushi, sashimi, noodles, tempura and teriyaki are Sushi Suma, Shimbashi, Dragonfly and Raw Bar.

If your plan is to go restaurant hopping in each district, here's a useful general guide that you can follow:

The suburbs in the West host several Cambodian and Turkish restaurants while the suburbs in the South host Greek and Lebanese restaurants. Suburbs in the north host Indian, African and Japanese restaurants while suburbs in the east host Indonesian and European restaurants.

If you want to enjoy a good view while dining, your best options are The Boathouse, Catalina and The Summit. The best vegetarian restaurants are Govinda's and Harvest. The trendiest culinary enclaves are Bayswater Brasserie Restaurant and Hugo's.

Arizona's Biltmore Fashion Park: This Place is Hot!

As the largest state capital in the United States, Phoenix has always been one of the Untied States' hottest tourist destinations. Indeed, in the Navajo language, Phoenix is known as 'Hoodzo' - perhaps best translated in a modern context as 'this place is hot!' One of Phoenix's most exciting landmarks is the fantastic Biltmore Fashion Park, serving the nation's favourite sport - shopping.

Located at the confluence of Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, the Biltmore Fashion Park can be found in one of Arizona's best locations. But as well as boasting more than seventy retail outlets, including designer labels like Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Cartier and Escada, the Biltmore Fashion Park is also home to a variety of interesting restaurants and cafes. Whichever type of cuisine you're craving during your shopping trip you're likely to find it: from upmarket to homely eateries, North American seafood to European fare.

Sam's Cafe, for example, aims to serve food and drink influenced by the American Southwest; so if you're visiting Arizona and are looking for an authentic culinary experience, Sam's Cafe may be the way to go. Visit Sam's to enjoy its unique hand-shaken Margaritas or its chef's special dishes. Steamers Genuine Seafood also endeavours to provide shoppers and diners with a stylish yet comfortable atmosphere in which to enjoy the day's fresh catch. Whether you're looking for a bowl of hearty New York-style clam chowder or a light snack from its oyster bar, enjoy a meal at Steamers as you watch the sun set on the Camelback Mountain in the distance.

If you're craving a pizza during your shopping trip at the Biltmore Fashion Park, then opt for the California Pizza Kitchen. Here, you'll find pizza toppings from around the world, from the Far East to the Caribbean, so you can enjoy a pizza with a difference. Alternatively, Bamboo Club will provide you with an upscale yet casual Asian bistro; its innovative approach to Asian cookery combines influences from across the Far East, including, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Of course, if you're simply looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, then you should visit The Cheesecake Factory to find the best selection of cheesecakes in the area.

Clearly, Biltmore Fashion Park offers much more than just shopping. There are many hotels located nearby, including the world-renowned Waldorf Astoria Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa, the only existing hotel in the world with a Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced design. So if you're looking to spend more than a day browsing through Biltmore Fashion Park's numerous shops, restaurants and cafes, you will not find yourself stuck for accommodation in the vicinity.

Emancipate & Resurrect the Kitchen.

This week means a lot of different things to a a lot of different people. This is the week of both Passover and Easter. And whether you are commemorating an enormous emancipation, celebrating a significant resurrection, really excited about warm weather, flowers and sunshine, or need an excuse to watch The Long Good Fridayagain, it's a pretty big stretch of celebration with lots of food involved.

Me, I fall into either of the latter two. But I do love a holiday. Fortunately, timing is really in my corner with this observing and reveling happening right when all of the new, beautiful food stuffs are literally popping up, out of the ground and into our markets to grab up and play with in my kitchen, to serve and share with my friends and family.

Peas, rhubarb, arugula, asparagus, strawberries, mint, Spring onions, tatsoi greens, radishes, fresh horseradish, fennel, ham and, of course, farm fresh eggs, milk and cheese, are just a few of the things I want, and crave, this time of year – holidays or no. To tell you the truth, I really wanted to make a rhubarb ice cream or a rhubarb lemon pound cake for Easter. But after talking to Paz, whose parents are hosting Easter brunch, I hear there is already an over abundance of sweets. One person in particular has apparently already dropped off five cakes for the occasion (*show off*).

So I guess I'm going savory. 

Paz has been needling me because I've never made an actual quiche before – that I can recall. I've made loads of frittatas and plenty of pies, but I guess I've never put the egg stuff into the pie crust. So I scurried off to my favorite, local green grocer and got to hunting for inspirato. And found it. I have to say, however, their eggs are quite difficult to crack open – because they are so, so beautiful. But crack I did. And what resulted was a stunning Spring dish, that would befit a brunch, lunch or dinner, to delight and impress using a lot of those different things for a lot of us different people. Especially the dude that brought five cakes.

Happy Easter!

Spring Vegetable Tart with Chévre & Ham

Makes 1 10” tart

Ingredients

pie crust

All-purpose flour (for surface)

1 medium bulb fennel

5 spring onions or 12 scallions

16 medium cremini mushrooms (about 1 pound)

10 ounces cubed ham

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

4 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Roll out pie crust on a lightly floured surface to a 12" round. Transfer to 10" tart pan with removable bottom and press onto bottom and up sides. Line the chilled crust with a piece of foil, leaving a little overhang all around. Fill with pie weights of some kind and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the weights and foil. Bake until dry and set, 5 to 8 minutes more. Let the crust cool completely before filling.

Raise oven temperature to 425°F.  Trim fennel top and root end, reserving fronds, and cut into quarters from top to bottom, then cut fennel into paper-thin slices.

Trim green onions. Toss fennel and onions in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on prepared sheet; roast, turning once, until onions begin to brown and fennel is tender, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

Meanwhile, clean and slice mushrooms. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add ham. Cook, stirring often, until ham is browned and slightly crisped, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining butter in skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms and sauté until they release all their liquid and most of it boils away, about 5 minutes.

Let cool slightly before spreading ham and mushrooms evenly over bottom of tart crust.

Whisk cheese and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in eggs. Pour over vegetables. Scatter fennel and onion over.

Bake tart until edges of crust are golden brown and filling is set, 20-22 minutes. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Remove sides of pan. Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

Printable recipe.

One year ago: Roasted Purple Asparagus, Red Wine Vinaigrette, 62 Degree Egg

Two years ago: The Pikey

Three years ago: Lamb Chops with Cardamom, Cumin & Lime

Four years ago: Let's Talk About Text, Baby

Melbourne Attractions - From AFL Finals to Food and Wine Festivals

Melbourne attractions range from spectator sports to gastronomic feasts. The city is the capital of Victoria and runs second to Sydney as the most populous city in Australia. Today, the country takes pride in Melbourne as its seat of arts, entertainment, sports and tourism. Melburnians and tourists never run out of activities to do and places to visit.

Culinary festivals, wine tastings, cooking classes and practically anything and everything that has to do with food and wine you'll find in Melbourne and its nearby areas. Fine restaurants offering superb local and international dishes, cozy cafes and pubs, markets and farms growing top-grade regional produce, and many other feasts await you in the region. But the star of the hospitality and culinary attractions in Melbourne is the winemaking industry.

With just a short drive from the city, you'll be awed by the distinct wine regions of Victoria, including the pinot vineyards of Mornington Peninsula and the cool-climate still wine district of Yarra Valley, among others. Mornington Peninsula opens over 50 boutique cellar doors to locals and tourists who mainly visit for the region's pinot noir and chardonnay. You'll love tasting the different styles of the hinterland villages of Red Hill and Moorooduc and the coastal areas of Merricks and Balnarring.

In the Yarra Valley, you'll delight in the vintage masterpieces of over 70 wineries. Your options would range from the industry masters like DeBortoli, Fergusson and Yerling Station to the charming boutiques of Punt Road and Mandala Wines.

Along the road you won't miss the farms abounding in local produce that have also become one of the attractions in Melbourne and its neighboring towns. You'd think that the trails of food fests, picking farms, gourmet delis, winery restaurants and cafes wouldn't end.

Aside from satisfying your taste buds, the city is also known for its passion for spectator sports. One big obsession of Melburnians is the Australian Football League (AFL), which is also known as Aussie Rules. Played during the winter season, the AFL hogs the limelight for 22 weeks from March to September. Its Grand Final usually packs the Melbourne Cricket Ground and attracts millions of television audience worldwide.

The city is also a cradle for arts, music, theater and other cultural activities. It is the home of the Australian Ballet Company, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and top concert grounds for international artists like the Rod Laver Arena and the Forum Theatre, which is known for its ornate architecture and starry sky ceiling. This Victorian capital is also compared often to New York and Berlin for its street art. Its laneways and alleys showcasing street art has become a top cultural pick in Australia in the recent years.

Locals and tourists, wherever their passions and interests lie, would always have something to do and places to go to in this city. Melbourne attractions are abundant and diverse that you would find something that would interest you anytime of the year.

Penzance, Cornwall - A Perfect West Cornwall Holiday Center - Great For Shopping and Eating Out

Penzance became a town around the 16th Century and it was originally called Pen Sans in the original Cornish Language. Since then Penzance has grown and matured into the vibrant and artistic center it is today. It is not only a perfect base for exploring West Cornwall but it is also the main commercial center for the Land's Eye peninsula.

Although tucked away in the corner of England, Penzance is easily accessible by road with a good motorway and dual carriageway network. There are easy rail and coach links from many parts of the country too.

Penzance offers a thriving shopping experience with many high street brands as well as the more traditional feel of local shops. Why not visit the Wharfside Shopping Center for a refreshing choice of cafes and eating places.

Penzance earns the distinction of having the oldest surviving Art Deco swimming lido in the UK. The Jubilee Pool is situated on the Promenade right next to the sea which makes a stunning location for swimming, sunbathing or just enjoying the views. Visit its Cafe offering homemade food not just at lunchtime but in the evenings as well.

With one of the warmest climates in Britain, spring flowers normally bloom early in Penzance and with its sub-tropical plants and trees Penzance has a Mediterranean feel. You can soak up this atmosphere at one of its many cafes or bars offering outside seating.

Choose one of the many restaurants in Penzance to satisfy your culinary desire. There's the humble "pasty", fresh locally caught fish, and other traditional English fare or you can explore different cuisines such as Thai or Indian - Penzance has it all.

Did you know Cornwall has its own mead and fruit wines? Visit Branswells Mill and sample your favorite wine - Bramwells is situated opposite the bus station. As well as Mead you can choose from Blackberry, Strawberry, Elderberry, Apricot, Peach or Cherry wines.

For art lovers Penzance has 2 exciting art galleries. Newlyn Art Gallery, which recently underwent a £4m refurbishment, focuses on exhibiting contemporary art and the work of local artists. Or choose the Exchange Gallery, opened in 2007, housing some of the very best of national and international contemporary art.

There are many outside sports in and around Penzance. For instance there is the Penzance Canoeing Club offering safe tuition for both novice and experienced canoeists. Visit the Penzance Tennis Club which offers excellent facilities for residents and visitors alike. Or if cricket is your wicket why not spend a leisurely day watching the Penzance Cricket Club playing Division 1 games each Saturday afternoon.

With its warm Atlantic Gulf Stream, Penzance gardens are home to a number of exciting and rare tropical plants. During the Victorian times, many gardeners sponsored the search for exotic plants and seeds that could be brought back to Cornwall. Today you can see the result of their vision by visiting the gardens at Morrab, Penlee, Trengwainton and Trewidden to name but a few.

Good Grief.

This is hard, but I feel important to write.

My first baby and longtime best friend, Besito, passed on a few weeks ago. I have thought of little else but have not been able to articulate how to write about it as each day has brought with it a new crop of emotions and realizations. I am confident Besito's life was filled with love, affection, stimulation, beauty, enrichment and loads of snuggles and fun even in the face of the inordinate amount of health issues that were prominent in the later years of his life. I'm also confident that it was, as they say, his time. He was comfortably swaddled in my arms and against my heart when he went to sleep forever. But I am still having such a rough time reconciling it all.

And I realize this is a very natural, very common, way to feel.

People have been telling me that time is our saving grace, that it heals all wounds. But what I fear more than feeling the grief is not feeling it any more. And that, of course, is inevitable. But for now, my tears seem to keep him with me. In a way it's good grief.

We went through a lot together, me and that guy. Some of my twenties and all of my thirties, a life in Atlanta and a life in LA, with a road trip to get us there and all sorts of other journeys throughout. We went everywhere together until it was simply too difficult for him, physically. But he saw more places and met more people, and animals, than most folks I know. He was there to accept my new relationships; friends and boyfriends, happily – welcomed them right into our family. And he was also there if those people left. I can remember, more than once, feeling heartbroken - everything broken, really – and so alone, but having Beso right by my side and thinking, “We've got each other you and me. We take care of each other.” And we did. And we knew.

Besito skirted death quite a few times in his thirteen years. Some from illnesses, some from being adventuresome and defiant, and one time from swallowing a peach pit. I often joked that he had nine lives. After one of his surgeries to repair paralyzation from the neck down, he was on bed rest for three weeks. So I cancelled everything and stayed home for three weeks, too. We entertained in, ordered a lot of delivery and marathoned multiple seasons of Gossip Girl.

He was, without a doubt, a huge personality. He could sing – harmonize even. We loved to sing together. He would match my volume and pitch. He loved clothes, warm and fresh from the dryer. He would frolic in them like a child in a pile of fall leaves. And his all-time favorite food (though he would eat any and everything) was eggs. If he so much as saw me pull the egg carton out of the fridge it was over. Whenever I would have eggs for breakfast I saved some for Beso and let him lick the plate clean. But the most important thing to Beso, and I don't mean to boast, was me. And I felt it every single day. His eyes followed me everywhere I went, and when I would come home from being away, he greeted me each time as though I was one of the Beatles. And every, single night Beso slept curled up in my arms. He was the littlest spoon.

Beso was also like an alarm clock. He was so food obsessed that each day, both at exactly eight in the morning and at six at night, he would start yelling at me for dinner. And he would continue to do so until the food was in front of him. He always made quite clear what he wanted, actually – up on lap, pet me, no not there, yes, there, I want down, I need to go out, I hate wind, and rain, where's the sunspot, this would be a good time for a treat, give me your eggs.

As Fred said on a recent morning, when everything felt so still and quiet without Beso waking us up and screaming for breakfast, “He was the fizz that made the soda bubbly.”

And I couldn't have put it any better.

In the weeks I have been trying to write this, I've gone through many stages. But some interesting factors have been in play and continue to pop up during this time that I simply cannot ignore. As I mentioned, Beso was ill. He had a half dozen close calls, real nail biters, in the last year that I wasn't sure he would come through. It was very important to me that he at least make it back to Richmond. I wanted him to know home, be home. With me. And once we all got here, I really wanted him to make it to one more Christmas... and his thirteenth birthday. Which he did all of, gracefully. But now, so immediately after his death, what I can't help but notice is how poetic it is that Spring is suddenly in full force. New colors and new life are everywhere. There is a little bird's nest in a fern on my front porch and a baby squirrel nest in the tree in my backyard that I can clearly see from my window. The squirrels even used paper from our recycling bin to build their nest – which, a few weeks ago, I had thought Beso was doing to get into scraps. And most poignantly, I'm going to have a baby. Soon, now. In fact, he was laying on my shelf of a pregnant belly as drifted onward and upward.

I'm not a very spiritual or religious person. I know we all create signs and gods and heavens, really, to cope with the difficulties of understanding that which is death. But I can't help but look at Beso's timing, how well we knew each other, how unconditionally and ginormously he loved life, and me. And, though anytime I see something little and cute I think of him, how could the baby birds on the front porch and the baby squirrels on the back porch and the baby girl in my belly not also be a little bit of Besito saying, “It's okay Mom. Really, after all we've been through, all of that love, we're together always. What lives must die. Life is death as death is life. Plus, I really don't like babies anyway. They get all the attention - and it's time to give yours to her, now.”

So I will.

Fred and I will be planting a tree in our yard, hopefully a fruit bearing one, in the coming weeks, and we will scatter Beso's ashes there. That way he will always be home with me, with Fred and our family. He will see seasons and life and change and growth. I look forward to sitting by the tree and sharing stories with our baby girl all about Besito Ysidro and our many adventures together.

And all of this, I know he knows.

Besito Ysidro Shaffner

2001-2014

I haven't cooked much since Beso died. I especially haven't been able to make eggs, yet. But Fred and I did make this beautiful fish dish recently. It was so, so simple and very apropos for the warmer weather, and even dining al fresco. We made a fish stock out of the carcass that would have surely been incorporated into Beso's meals. Our other pups, Eduardo and Byron, enjoyed the stock in their own kibble!

Whole Oven-Roasted Fish with Lemon & Rosemary

Note: Trout, red snapper and loup de mer (branzino) are great choices; wild striped bass and rockfish work fine too. Cooking times vary with size.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 whole fresh fish, cleaned and rinsed

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 lemon, sliced thinly & seeded

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoon olive oil

Red pepper flakes

Sea salt and pepper

Directions

Remove the fish from the refrigerator 10 minutes before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix garlic and olive oil and let sit to infuse for 5 minutes. Strain and discard garlic; set aside the oil.

Season the fish inside and out with salt and brush inside and out with the garlic oil. Place lemon (save for 2 or 3 slices) in the cavity with the sprigs of rosemary.

Arrange the remaining lemon slices and small rosemary sprigs in slits on top of the fish and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Roast until a knife easily penetrates the flesh and the top fillet begins to lift easily, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Carefully transfer the fish to a warm platter and serve.

Printable recipe.

One year ago: Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini & Sumac

Two years ago: Eggs in a Basket with Maple Bacon Fontina & Chives

Three years ago: Lamb Chops with Cumin Cardamom & Lime

Four years ago: Ludobites 4.0

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