I feel like this is the anthem of anyone who works retail or customer service. It certainly describes how I felt working at the fruit stand.

Marina also has a well-written blog, the best post of which may be this one.

In the spirit of all things food (which have sparked my interest more and more of late), I wanted to share with you a web-site that a friend of mine found recently: Foodzie. Essentially, it’s Etsy for food. It’s an on-line market-place for small (and generally, indie) vendors and artisans to sell their edibles. Sauces, spreads, jams, oils, vinegar, nuts, cheeses, chocolate, candy — it’s a treasure trove of off-the-beaten-path foodstuffs! I have yet to order anything from them, but here are a few of the things I’ve found which are going on my to-eat list:

Cinnamon Basil Tea Cookies from the Botanical Bakery.

Lavender Hanahbells Thimble Cheese from the Shy Brothers Farm. I’m such a sucker for Lavender!

Grenache Wine Vinegar from Allure Estates.

Scenic City Sizzle, Grilling Pepper from Alchemy Spice Company. I’m imagining this getting slathered all over a grilled halibut. Whoa.

Mint Chip Macaroons from Emmy’s Organics. The “chips” are not semi-sweet or even bitter-sweet chocolate chips, but raw cocoa nibs sprinkled throughout. I love chocolate in its regularly consumable forms, but there’s something so totally pure and perfect about nibs, they’re so dark and bitter but with their own natural sweetness and oiliness that fills your mouth with the smallest amount.

I feel like I owe Bea at La Tartine Gourmande a link, because I have started stealing, and thoroughly enjoying, recipes that she’s posted. I’ve been on a Foodie Blog kick lately, and hers is my favorite. Her recipes range from fairly easy to oh-so-very fancy, and the photography is delightfully tasty.

Last night I made the Bohemienne, which is quite a bit like Ratatouille, but simpler, and lighter. And, my goodness, it was tasty! I didn’t have rustic bread, but I did have a failed French bread experiment (it tasted fine, it just wasn’t quite so light and airy as French bread ought to be). So I diced and turned that into garlic croutons, and put them atop the Bohemienne. It was a very hearty thing to have on a cold snowy night, and I’m sure I’ll be enjoying the leftovers all week.

A little over a week ago, I made a dinner of her Fennel Salad (though I left out the beets, and used blueberries, which are in season, rather than cherries) and Sole Roulades, both of which were terrific. Next time, though, I’ll slice the fennel a bit thinner… and also check the fish with a thermometer instead of just assuming the inside was done just because the outside was.

Next on my to-cook list from Bea are the Potato Nests with Avocado and Smoked Salmon. And I can’t wait to see her cookbook.

With all these foodie blogs a-stewin’ in my brain, it’s fairly inevitable that I would start spewing out some recipes myself. Here’s one I tried out a few days ago:

Risotto with Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese
(Serves 4)

1 cup Arborio rice
2 cups vegetable broth
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup sliced roasted red bell pepper (I used the kind that comes in a jar and can be found next to the pepperoncini at the market, but you could roast them yourself)
6 oz goat cheese, broken into chunks the size of cherries.
2 Tbs butter
3 Tbs raw pine nuts
3 Tbs olive oil

1. Start by combining the butter, rice, and onions in a large saucepan on high heat. Stir until the onions are cooked (but not browning) and the rice is looking a nice golden color.
2. Slowly add the broth, stirring as you go. Allow the rice to cook for about 20-25 minutes, but keep stirring so that it doesn’t stick. Once the rice is cooked, turn the heat to low.
3. Add the bell pepper, and stir so that it is warmed.
4. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan on high heat. Roast the pine nuts, making sure to keep them moving. This happens faster than you might think. As soon as they are looking a roasted-brown color, add them to the risotto.
5. Take the risotto off the heat, and add the goat cheese. Stir as little as possible. Enjoy!

I’m contemplating adding a bit of lemon juice, and perhaps some tarragon to this mix. We ate it alongside salmon with a mesquite rub and a great Pinot Noir, which went quite well with the pine nuts in the risotto.

I’m also mulling over some sort of pasta concoction involving Drunken Goat cheese and almond slivers. I’ll let you know how it goes.