Club 3121 and Upscale Club Attire

You have to do at least one cool thing when you go to Vegas. We decided to go to Club 3121, the new club opened by Prince in mid-November. It is named after his last CD 3121, and on some nights costs $31.21 to go in. We wanted to go on a night when Prince was performing which is Friday and Saturday evenings, which costs $125.00 for general admission (standing up) and more if you want a table and/or dinner at the restaurant Jazz, which is run by Prince's own chef, Lena Morgan, formerly of Spago it costs approximately $695 per person for table and dinner package. We decided on general admission, and as I have stood for concerts at the House of Blues, I didn't think this was much of a problem and wanted to eat at one of my favorite Vegas restaurants, Mon Ami Gabi, before the show anyway.

Upscale Club Attire
Club 3121 website and the Rio hotel states that Upscale Club Attire is required, no jeans, sports shoes, etc. and that the dress code is strictly adhered to. So, what is Upscale Club Attire? Here in San Diego at the most exclusive clubs, women can wear designer jeans, heels and a cute top and look great, and men can wear jeans or dark pants and a nice shirt. If you want to check out what some websites say, take a look at E-how club attire for women and men, and askmen.com. After reading all the reviews about the Club, it really did sound upscale so I decided on a black dress from Guess, and my husband wore a cool dark blue/black Armani suit. So what do we find when we get to the Club? Some people looked awesome and had obviously spent a lot of time on their fashionable appearance, and others looked as though they had walked straight from the slot machines to the line, and yes, there were people in jeans, sports shoes, sweaters - I think one person was wearing Birkenstocks! So what can I say? I guess if you like dressing up and want to get in with no hassle, then buy something cool, but if you don't want to spend money on new club clothes, it's certainly OK to go in something you would wear for work and not worry, I can guarantee there will be someone wearing something more casual than you!

Prince
You really don't know what to expect when you go to see a live performance. After reading about the club, and all the hype surrounding Prince himself, I started to think that he would appear for about 20 minutes and that would be it. I couldn't have been more wrong. He came on stage at about 12:30 a.m. dressed immaculately in his signature peach and black, and performed until well after two in the morning. Prince sang, danced, involved the audience, and at one point invited someone on stage to dance and was thoroughly entertaining. He performed for nearly two hours with boundless energy and showmanship, accompanied by his sexy backing group the Twinz, and gave an astounding rendition of Purple Rain where his amazing guitar playing reminded you of a theatrical Jimi Hendrix, but there is no question, Prince has definitely created his own unique sound. I can only say that after Prince's performance you walk away with the feeling that the guy loves what he does, he is a professional and talented performer who enjoys involving the audience and he has found a great venue for that at Club 3121. If you are in Vegas at the weekend, this is certainly a show not to be missed.

The Downside
The doors to the club didn't open until 10 p.m. and I read somewhere that Prince was not performing until 11:59 p.m., so we had plenty of time. When I booked the tickets online, the only option available through Ticketmaster was to collect them through Will Call at the Rio, and the tickets were only available 3 hours prior to the show, so I couldn't pick them up the day before. THEhotel, where I was staying, and the Rio are at opposite ends of the Strip, so I needed to allow time to get there, eat dinner and get the tickets. I phoned Club 3121 box office and asked whether I could pick up the tickets after 10 p.m., and was told that there would probably be a long line and I should get to Will Call at about 8 p.m. to ensure getting into the club. This didn't sound great, but we dutifully took a cab to the Rio and arrived at about 8:10 p.m. Sure enough, when we arrived at Club 3121 there was a long line of people waiting who, like us, had already purchased their tickets online. Even those who had purchased the dinner package were waiting in line (a somewhat smaller line) and we were all given a wristband while bouncers and attendants tried to distribute tickets in a very disorganized manner. They walked along the line, took a couple of ID's (driver's license, passport or whatever you had) then walked back to a central table and started looking through three boxes of tickets standing up in the fashion of an old Rolodex, I assume in alphabetical order. Then they brought your tickets and ID back to you. This whole process was very slow, annoying and in this age of technology, bizarre. Finally, we got our tickets and asked one of the attendants if we could now leave and come back later as it was about 9:00 p.m. by now and the doors didn't open until 10:00 p.m. We were told this was not advisable, as we may lose our tickets and then wouldn't be able to enter at all. We decided to take our chances and go and get dinner, but many people waited it out, and after two hours waiting in line outside, then two and a half hours waiting inside the club for Prince to appear, they needed a seat! This is when the upsell started. Once inside, you were able to purchase a booth for four for $375, and later I heard you could get a table for $70. I guess this is just the normal thing that happens when you go to shows in Vegas. If you really want to get in you have to book ahead of time, but if you are willing to chance it, you can probably get a much better deal on the night than we did.

THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

I have just returned from a long weekend in Las Vegas which as usual has left me entertained and exhausted and needing to go on a diet. Since coming to the US I have been to Las Vegas many times for a quick getaway, as it is the one place which is a real escape from the routine of everyday life - it is always outrageous, funny, entertaining and expensive! I don't gamble, but love shopping, eating, and going to shows and clubs. We stayed at THEhotel and I loved this hotel. This all suite hotel gives you all the amenities of Mandalay Bay, but you have all the luxury and seclusion of a hotel which feels a world apart from the bells and clanging sounds of the casino.

At one time, staying at this end of the strip was a drag because much of the entertainment and the cool shopping centers, such as Caesar's Palace, were difficult to get to, but with the introduction of the monorail which goes right down the strip to the Wynn and Stardust, getting about in Vegas is a breeze. The tram from Mandalay Bay to the Luxor and Excalibur is free, and you cross the bridge to the MGM and pick up the monorail from there (this costs $35 for a 10 trip ticket which you can share).When you enter the hotel you pass through a walkway of modern art, photographs and glass tastefully displayed on dark imposing walls.

Passing by the entrance to Mix, the stylish lounge serving stellar cocktails in a hip environment with its breathtaking views of the strip, you continue down a hallway framed by THEcafe, THEstore and THElounge (everything is "THE" in here) to the reception area and elevators. Check-in seemed to be going slowly when we arrived, however, the staff were exceptionally pleasant and polite and no question seemed too much trouble for them.

There is, of course, too much to do in Las Vegas, and trying to decide what to do and where to eat is always difficult. THEhotel and Mandalay Bay offer a wide array restaurants, entertainment and clubs without even going down the strip. If you feel like staying around Mandalay Bay, why not try one of the many vodkas in Red Square, or one of the 800 rums in Rumjungle to start with, then move on to dinner at Mix, Restaurant RM or StripSteak. But be warned, there is a lot to drink and even more to eat - if you plan to party afterwards, it's a good idea to take it easy on both, otherwise you'll find yourself heading back to your room to sleep instead! Food and booze in Rumjungle and Red Square which sounds like a good idea when the waiter describes it, is especially lethal! On this trip I ate at the Rumjungle Restaurant and had baby back ribs to start (infused in coffee or something, I think) which were delicious, followed by Argentinean strip steak, and accompanied by a great drink, Rumjungle Juice, which contains Stroh 160 rum and is also delicious. An added bonus is that you can stay on for the club free of charge if you eat at the restaurant. We will definitely go back to the RumJungle next time we're in town!

Absolut Citron Martini

After watching Casino Royale, martinis were firmly in my thoughts, then I'm going to Las Vegas at the weekend, so cocktails, bars and Frank Sinatra also seemed prominent. This martini is not quite traditional as you keep the ice in the martini glass, neither shaken nor stirred, but you get used to the ice cold lemon vodka, so now everyone wants the ice leaving in the glass.

To make the perfect Citron Martini, gather together all the ingredients:



Martini Extra Dry Vermouth
Absolut Citron Vodka (chilled in the freezer)
Pimento Stuffed Olives
Ice
Lemon Tie





Here's how to make it:


1. Chill the martini glass in the freezer.
2. Fill the martini glass half full with ice.
3. Spray the martini glass with vermouth
(a spritzer like the one shown makes this really easy).
4. Pour Absolut Citron Vodka over the ice.
5. Decorate with olives and lemon twist.





Serve immediately with cocktail biscuits and snacks.

beer goggles

As I browsed through the morning's news, once again the BBC caught my eye as they explained the Beer Goggles effect. At first I thought this was some sort of joke, but apparently researchers at Manchester University, have worked out a formula to calculate how beer goggles affect a drinker's vision. The beer goggles are, in fact, merely the result of drinking and the effect it has on your vision which can, they say, transform "ugly" people into beauties - until the morning after. A poll taken showed that 68% of people wished they hadn't given their phone number to somebody when they saw them the next day and realized they weren't attracted to them. This is the result of beer goggles.

Alcohol has always featured strongly in Britain where there is a pub every few hundred yards in both cities and the smallest of villages. Directions are always given using the name of a pub, such as "turn right at the Dog and Duck, then follow the road until you reach The Victoria", and many people go to the same pub, or "local", to socialize and generally hang out. However, the concept that scientists were actually putting time into researching the effect on your ability to decide if a person was good looking or not based on how much you had drunk, again made me realize there are many differences between England and the US! They have even devised an algebraic formula to take into account the amount of alcohol consumed, smokiness of the room (and believe me, it is smoky!), luminance of person's interest, Snellen visual acuity, and distance from person of interest.

In his research commissioned by Bausch & Lomb, Nathan Efron, Professor of Clinical Optometry at the University of Manchester said that the above formula meant that someone with normal vision, who has consumed 5 pints of beer in a smoky room will score 55 when viewing a person at 1.5 meters distance, which would result in moderate beer goggle effect.

When calculated this is what the scores meant:

Less than 50: no effect
Between 1 - 50: an unattractive person appears less "visually offensive"
Between 51 - 100: non-appealing people become suddenly attractive
More than 100: someone not considered attractive looks like a super model.

casino royale - the drinks, the gadgets, the girls

So after last weekend's movie, Babel (an excellent movie, but heavy), it was time for some mindless fun. We'd already seen Borat, so it had to be Casino Royale, with the new 007, Daniel Craig. The movie theatre was packed, I think because most people were curious to see how well the new 007 fared. He was, in fact, pretty good. More of an action-hero type than previous 007s, but he still had that cutting edge arrogance and wit, that seems to go with the part, and was constantly in the company of beautiful women. The hype when this movie was being made was that there were no gadgets for this 007, but there were still a few, and the drinks and women were a constant.

1. The Drinks
I actually don't remember all these drinks being ordered in Casino Royale, but according to the book which was first published in the United States as "You Asked For It" in 1953, these are the drinks 007 goes through in Casino Royale.

The Vesper (007's own invention and named by him)
3 measures of Gordon's Gin
1 measure of vodka (preferably a Russian grain vodka)
1/2 measure of Lillet Blanc (a key ingredient of the Vesper, giving it its bitterness)

In a martini shaker, shake very well until ice-cold. Pour in a deep champagne goblet, and add a large thin slice of lemon peel.

Americano (in the bar at the Hermitage Hotel)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Cinzano Rosso
Perrier (as 007 believes that expensive soda water is the cheapest way to improve a poor drink)
Ice

Put ice in an old-fashioned glass. Add the Campari and Cinzano, then pour a splash of soda water. Add a slice of lemon peel.

Apart from the above, he orders Bacardi for Vesper, plus scotch, vodka, martini and many bottles of Champagne (in the book the champagne of choice is Tattinger and Veuve Cliquot, but in the movie, 007 is drinking Bollinger) - and after dinner, Bond drinks a brandy.

2. The Gadgets
I guess these were not really gadgets in the true sense of the word, but regular products, apart from his glove compartment equipped with complete emergency room life saving equipment, just in case.

Anything Sony it seems.... Sony Vaio laptop, digital camera and flash drive.

Phones: Sony Ericsson phones k800 and k790 used by 007.
The M600 smartphone is seen used by Vesper and also 007. The Nokia 8800 Aston Martin Edition phone was originally planned for the movie, but I am not sure whether we actually saw this in the movie or not. It's worth looking at the website though.

Cars: Bond was seen behind the wheel of an Aston Martin, a Ford-owned brand. He was seen driving the new DBS sports car, and also the company's classic DB5 which was seen in Goldfinger and Thunderball. The villain, LeChiffre, drives a Range Rover Sport, and in total Ford supplied 125 cars worldwide to the making of this movie, including their Mondeo sedan, Explorer SUV, F150 trucks, and Jaguar XJ sedans.

The watch of choice for 007 was an Omega Seamaster which Vesper admires at dinner.

3. The Girls
Eva Green as Vesper Lynd
Judi Dench as M
Ivana Milicevic as Valenka
Caterina Murino as Solange

Thanksgiving Treats

It's Thanksgiving next week, so I took a look at some of the last minute preparations that might transform a condo on a California sunny day into something more reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting in the fall. For most of my inspiration I turned to Everyday Celebrations: Savoring Food, Family, and Life at Home, the amazing book by Donata Maggipinto, a San Francisco lady who seems to have the answer for most craft or cooking projects for any season or occasion. Here are some of her suggestions:

1. Blanket Bliss
Take a cozy blanket or quilt, in the colors of autumn, to bring the colors of the season into your home. Donata spends her days browsing antique sales for great finds, but if you are like me and find yourself wandering around a shopping mall at 8 p.m., why not buy something from Pottery Barn. They have a great sale on at the moment and have marked down all their soft, plush, furry blankets. These can be thrown over the arm of a chair by the fireplace, across a guestroom bed, or on the sofa. Or for something more traditional, check out a beautiful Swans Island blanket made by the Atlantic Blanket Company.

2. Moss Candlescape

To illuminate an autumn evening, fill a wooden bowl or bucket with soil, top with damp moss, and nestle candles within. Votive candles in glass holder are especially nice. You can also accent the presentation with small branches, rocks and other natural elements. Sound like too much work? Then why not check out the great decorations and centerpieces on offer at Illuminations, Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn.

3. Walnut Salt and Pepper Cellars
Using a nutcracker, crack a walnut in half. With a nut pick or cocktail fork, hollow out the nut and any detritus that remains. Fill each half with salt and pepper. Allot one set per dinner guest. Everybody will be thrilled with these fun and seasonal holders.

4. Recipe for your own Cinnamon Applesauce

Ingredients
16 unpeeled red-skinned apples such as MacIntosh or Rome Beauty, cored and quarter.
1 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice (about 8 lemons)
1/2 cup sugar
Two 4-inch cinnamon sticks, broken in half
2 cups water

1. Put the apples in a large, heavy saucepan. Sprinkle them with the lemon juice and toss thoroughly to coat. Add the sugar, cinnamon sticks, and water.

2. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and let simmer until the apples break down to applesauce, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat, uncover, and let the apples cool slightly in the pot. Discard the cinnamon sticks. Using a rubber scraper, gently push the apples through a coarse-mesh sieve or food mill. Discard the peels.

4. Return the applesauce to the pot and heat until it begins to bubble. Transfer to hot, sterilized jars. Seal and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Makes 8 half pints.

Don't have the time for this, then simply buy some cranberry relish from Williams-Sonoma, it goes well with everything on the Thanksgiving table and eliminates all the work.

chocolate cuts blood clot risk

So here it is. The news we've all been waiting for (after the red wine is good for you news, of course) - the chocolate we crave and love may be good for us. A study by Johns Hopkins University was recently featured at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago and there attendees heard that a chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping. The report suggested that if we eat a small amount of chocolate or drink hot cocoa as part of a regular diet it is good for personal health, so long as you don't eat too much and not the kind with lots of sugar and butter. Research shows that the compounds called flavenoids which are present in chocolate may be the beneficial ingredient and suggested two tablespoons of dark chocolate a day could have a beneficial effect. However, it was also pointed out that although cocoa beans many be beneficial, chocolate rich in fat and sugar (especially milk chocolate) could contribute to heart problems and suggested instead eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, which as every chocolate lover knows, is not going to do it.

After some research I found that many famous people had come to this conclusion about chocolate themselves. Here are some of my favorite quotes taken from the very funny cookbook, Culinarytherapy: The Girl's Guide to Food for Every Mood:

"The divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink (cocoa) permits a man to walk for a whole day without food". Montezuma II

"The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain." Thomas Jefferson

"Never mind about 1066 William the Conqueror, 1087 William the Second. Such things are not going to affect one's life... but 1932 the Mars Bar and 1936 Maltesers and 1937 the Kit Kat - these dates are milestones in history and should be seared into the memory of every child in the country." Roald Dahl

"And above all ... think chocolate!" Betty Crocker

"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate." Katherine Hepburn

And what could be better than the following recipe for Chocolate Pears taken from the fabulous New Dieter's Cookbook. It contains not only the good chocolate (ie, not milk), but also a fruit and has just 76 calories per serving.

Chocolate Pears, Serves 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 30 minutes; Low Fat; No Cholesterol; No Sodium; 76 calories.

Ingredients
2 medium pears
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate pieces

Recipe
1. Arrange pear halves, cut side up, in a 9-inch pie plate. Stir together lemon juice and vanilla, and brush over pears.
2. Bake, covered, in a 375 degF oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until pears are tender. Uncover pears and sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Spoon any liquid in the pie plate over pears. Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.

Microwave instructions
1. Prepare pears as above.
2. Place in microwave-safe 9-inch pie plate. Cover with waxed paper. Micro-cook on 100% power (high) for 4 to 6 minutes (or until tender).

Nutrition information per serving: 76 calories, 1g protein, 16g carbohydrate, 2g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 124 mg potassium.

Mozza's missing sausage

I read this morning about LA's hotly anticipated pizzeria, Mozza, owned by chefs Mario Batali, Nancy Silverton and Joe Bastianich which is scheduled to open tomorrow. Apparently, a thief made away with $700 worth of hand-crafted cured meats made by Batali's father, Armandino, at his Seattle business, Salumi. Then, two days later a 13-pound imported Italian mortadella sausage also disappeared. When they viewed the footage from the security camera, they saw a cell phone carrying thief who looked like a yuppie, had a receding hairline and wore khakis. Despite stealing 40 pounds of meat, the thief left behind a giant wheel of aged provolone cheese which then led to the joke that the police were looking for a lactose-intolerant yuppie.

I buy a lot of Italian cured meats for antipasto, particularly prosciutto, which most people seem to like, but always like to add something for those who want to take it easy on the fat which abounds in cured meats, salami and mozzarella, so here's a recipe which is not Italian, but goes very well with any kind of antipasto. It is, in fact, Spanish and uses common Mediterranean ingredients and can be found in the book Small Plates (Williams-Sonoma Lifestyles).

Grilled Bread with Ripe Tomatoes and Olive Oil
Serves 6, Preparation Time 15 mins, Cooking Time 5 mins, calories 257

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
coarse salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 slices coarse country bread, each about 3/4 inch thick
3 very ripe tomatoes, halved crosswise
ground pepper to taste

Optional garnishes
1/4 cup green or black brine-cured olives, pitted and slivered
6 paper-thin slices serrano ham
12 paper-thin slices manchego cheese

1. Prepared a medium hot fire in a charcoal grill (you can toast the bread under a broiler, but grilling gives it the best flavor.

2. In a mortar, combine the garlic and salt to taste. Mash together with a pestle to form a past. Mix in the olive oil.

3. Place the bread slices on the grill rack 4-5 inches from the fire and grill, turning once, until golden brown, 30-60 seconds on each side. Transfer the bread slices to a platter. Cupping a tomato half in your palm, rub it over the top sides of 2 pieces of toast, squeezing slightly to leave a smear of pulp, seeds, and juice on the surface. Repeat with the remaining tomato halves and bread. Drizzle the olive oil-garlic mixture evenly over the bread slices and sprinkle with pepper. Serve immediately with the optional garnishes arranged on top, if desired.

Nutritional information: Calories 257; Protein 6g; Carbohydrates 33g; Total fat 12g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 356 mg; Dietary fiber 3g.

fashion imelda style, aka shoes

When most people are asked if they know anything about Imelda Marcos, former first lady of the Philippines, they usually know that she had thousands of pairs of shoes, in fact, it was reported that she owned over 3,000 pairs! Being somewhat of a shoe queen myself, I was interested to read that Imelda is going into the fashion business. The 77-year old former beauty queen, whose 12-year prison sentence on corruption charges was overturned, has now launched the "Imelda Collection" which will be selling moderately priced jewelry, ranging from between $20 and $100, but I'm sure shoes will follow somewhere down the line.

I'm not really sure what the fascination with shoes is, but with the holiday and party season just around the corner, now is the time to be choosing those ultra-hip shoes, so you've still got plenty of time to buy the outfit to go with them! Here are a selection of stores where you can find something great.

Sigerson-Morrison, New York

Kari Sigerson's and Miranda Morrison's line of shoes have been a hit since they opened their small store in New York over ten years ago.




If you are in the city why not check out their trendy store and take home some of their signature kitten-heeled mules and buckled pumps, or these amazing caramel velvet wedges with bronze stones which also come in silver, dark green or black. A great find for the holidays!



Another cool store for those on the west coast is San Francisco's Gimme Shoes featuring beautiful Italian designer shoes and also watches, bags and sunglasses.


If you can't get to either of these store and want to order something special online you can always check out the Manolo Blahnik's at Nieman Marcus. Nieman's stock a whole range of wonderful shoes as well from designers such as Christian Lacroix and Guiseppe Zanotti (the snake shoes pictured at the top of the page) and all can be ordered on line.

And for a whole range of shoes to take you from daytime to evening, boots to sandals, Nordstrom is the place to go. Nordstrom, now an upscale department store, actually started as a shoe retailer, and expanded from there to become the amazing store it is today. All shoes can be ordered online from their website, shop.nordstrom.com, and the great thing about Nordstrom is their fantastic returns policy and customer service.

Happy shopping.

fall celebrations

This time of year in San Diego the weather is beautiful and often, like today, we get hot, sunny days and then beautiful sunsets like the one shown here. It didn't seem like November, but then as I walked through the shopping mall this evening I really knew fall was here and the holidays creeping up on us when I went into Willams-Sonoma and they were holding their Turkey 101 class.

The whole store was filled with turkey-cooking novices and that familiar turkey cooking smell. The class had only just begun, but there was a turkey there which I guess they had prepared earlier. I missed this class, but they are holding other classes right up to Thanksgiving in San Diego, Palm Desert, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Brea and Costa Mesa. There is one on November 19th and 20th on how to roast the perfect turkey and another on November 19th and 20th for perfect gravy making and sides. If you do not live in these areas check with your local Williams-Sonoma for classes near you.

Also, don't forget to check out their 50th Anniversary Thanksgiving Menu which includes:

Cream of Mushroom Soup
Herbes de Provence Roast Turkey
Sausages, Corn Bread and Chestnut Dressing
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Chestnuts
Molded Cranberry Sauce
Classic Pumpkin Pie

Another great find I had for the holidays was the book Everyday Celebrations: Savoring Food, Family, and Life at Home by Donata Maggipinto.

This is a great book for anyone who enjoys fabulous food, and it also shows you how to create seasonal decorations with flair and style for any formal or informal gathering at home with friends and family. Any occasion you can think of is covered here - all the seasons and holiday occasions, plus birthdays, anniversaries, parties and impromptu get-togethers.

british fish and chips

The BBC reported today that there will be virtually no fish left to fish in fifty years' time unless a greater use is made of protected areas to safeguard fish stocks. Scientists at Stanford University predict that unless we change the way we manage all the ocean species together, as working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood. This reading then led me on to another report entitled, "Has the fish supper had its chips?". As I am from England, and grew up with the famous fish and chips in newspaper from the "chippie", I was curious to find out how the English were reacting to the concept of not eating fish and chips. The article went on to report that about half of the world's fish stocks are at their biological limit, and another quarter are overfished or depleted. This, however, does not mean that fish has to be taken off the menu.

In this article Rupert Howes of the Marine Stewardship Council did not advise boycotting fish altogether, as this would lead to economic disaster for the fish industry, including those that are sustainably managed. Instead, he advocated that shoppers should use their power by only buying sustainably sourced fish in supermarkets and when eating in restaurants. But how do we know which fish to choose? The MSC has developed a blue eco-label which is affixed to seafood packaging and price labels in stores, so shoppers know that the fish is safe to buy. This program is about rewarding fisheries that operate in a sustainable way, and worldwide there are now 21 fisheries certified to the MSC standard. I even read that Wal-mart will be introducing this system into its stores in April 2007. The website fishonline.org provides a full list of fish that are safe to eat.

So back to the fish and chips. I guess if everyone is careful about where they buy their fish, they can stay on the menu. Anyone who visits England has the opportunity to go to the chip shop, but if you are looking for chips wrapped in newspaper, forget it. When I grew up, newspaper was used, but it was banned years ago for the sake of hygiene. The origin of fish and chips is not really known. Charles Dickens mentioned the selling of fried fish in 1837 in his novel,Oliver Twist, and by the 1850s fried fish and cooked potatoes were being sold on city streets. The first known fish and chip shop was opened in 1860 by Joseph Malin.

Many people make fish and chips at home, so if you are feeling adventurous, here's a recipe for Fish and Chips, taken from the excellent cook book, Williams-Sonoma London: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods Of the World (Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World).

Fish and Chips

Ingredients for the Chips
4 large potatoes
Sunflower oil or corn oil for deep-frying
Fine sea salt

Ingredients for the Fish
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups dried white breadcrumbs
1 large egg
4 cod or haddock fillets, about 5 ounces each, skin removed
Sunflower oil for panfrying

Parsley sprigs and lemon quartered to garnish

Recipe
1. To make the chips, cut the potatoes lengthwise into sticks about 1/4 thick. Place in a bowl of cold water and set aside to soak for 20 minutes to remove the excess starch.

2. While the potatoes are soaking, begin to prepare the fish: spread the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Place the breadcrumbs on a separate plate. Crack the egg into a shallow bowl, beat lightly, and season with salt and pepper. Dust each fish fillet with the seasoned flour, then dip into the beaten egg, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Finally dredge in the breadcrumbs, lightly pressing the crumbs onto all sides. Place the coated fillets in a single layer on a plate. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to cook the fish.

3. In a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, pour in enough sunflower oil to reach a depth of 4 inches. Heat to 325degF, 165degC, on a deep-frying thermometer. Drain the potato sticks and pat dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Working in batches, carefully place the potato sticks in the hot oil and fry until crisp but not browned on the outside and tender but slightly firm on the inside, about 4 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan or the oil will not be able to maintain the proper temperature. Using a slotted spoon, lift the potatoes from the hot oil, letting it drip back into the pan, and transfer to a wire rack lined with paper towels to drain. When the oil returns to 325defF, fry the remaining potatoes. When the potatoes have cooled, they can be laid on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and refrigerated for up to 4 hours until needed. Allow to return to room temperature before the second frying.

4. Shortly before you are ready to serve the chips, reheat the oil to 350defF. Again, working in batches, carefully place the potatoes in the hot oil and cook until golden and crisp, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt and toss gently.

5. To cook the fish, pour in enough oil to generously cover the bottom of a large non-stick frying pan and set over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the coated fillets and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until golden brown on the second side, 4-6 minutes. The timing will depend on the thickness of the fillets; do not let the breadcrumbs burn. Transfer the fillets to paper towels to drain.

6. Divide the fish and chips among 4 warmed plates. Garnish with the parsley sprigs and lemon quarters and serve at once (or if you want to be really authentic, serve with salt and malt vinegar).

Serve with a pint of pale ale or full-bodied Chardonnay.

healthy red wine garlic pot roast

I'm sure that all winelovers read with great interest yesterday, the article about red wine being healthy. Red wine has long been given the vote of approval by many doctors and dieticians as the alcohol of choice, not only being less in alcoholic value than many cocktails and spirits, but also because it contains less calories, and some believe it can be helpful in lowering high cholesterol. The BBC report yesterday was headed "wine allows guilt-free gluttony" and went on to explain that a chemical found in red wine, when given to mice, countered some effects of a high-calorie diet, improving the health of the mice, and increasing their life-span. It also said that the chemical could not reverse the consequences of over-eating and did not make you lose weight. Therefore, I am not ready to go all out for guilt-free gluttony just yet.

We have always drunk wine at home with a meal and if friends visit would not hesitate to offer them a glass of wine. In England I would buy wines from France, Italy and Germany, but since living in California I now include many Californian wines as well. The odd thing is that many of the European wines I bought in England are available here, and at a much cheaper price, so they are definitely still worth buying. Wine has become more and more popular in America over the years and much of the snobbery and silliness attached to drinking wine has, thank goodness, disappeared. A new approach in marketing wine is discussed in the fascinating book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More where the author describes how the Australian wine company, Yellow Tail, have gone out of their way to simplify the choices in wine to one or two reds and one or two whites, and kept the price at a very reasonable level. They have also made the labels modern to appeal to a wider audience, including younger people who often used to think of wine as "an older person's drink". I love trying different wines, red, white and rose and use them extensively in cooking.

If you do not generally drink wine but would like to start, choosing something to begin with doesn't need to be a daunting task. There are a whole range of prices and tastes from sweet to dry, and most of the labels on the back of the bottle give a description of the flavor of the wine and suggest meals or snacks that would accompany the wine the best. Decide how much you would like to pay and start there. Paying a lot for a bottle of wine does not necessarily mean you will like it. Many of the wines I love are in the $8-$15 range, and when you think that you can pay anything from $3 to $300 for wines freely stocked in most supermarkets, then that's not really a lot. Many wine stores also have staff who can advise about the flavors of the wine and also any deals. For example, the chain store Beverages & More often has a 5 cent week. This means that if you become a member (free at the checkout) you can purchase selected bottles of wine for 5 cents. Not a bad deal!

One of my favorite wines is Ecco Domani chianti. We drank chianti, the popular Italian wine, when we lived in England and I first tried the Ecco Domani wine a few years ago. It costs between $8 and 12 a bottle depending on where you buy it, and is a fruity red wine which does not have the full body of many of the cabernets and merlots. It goes well with pasta dishes and cheese. It was also featured once on an episode of Bravo TV's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy in one of their suggested meals, so what could be a better recommendation than that?

So continuing with the healthy red wine thought, I pulled out one of my favorite winter recipes for Garlic-Wine Pot Roast from the New Dieter's Cookbook: Eat Well, Feel Great, Lose Weight (Better Homes & Gardens). This recipe is great because it is super-easy, low in calories, tastes great on a cold, winter's day and also contains that magic ingredient, red wine.

Garlic-Wine Pot Roast
Preparation time 12 mins; cooking time 2 hours; low cholesterol; low sodium; 290 calories per person

Ingredients
Non-stick spray coating
1 3-pound boneless beef round rump roast, trimmed of separable fat
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup dry wine (cabernet, chianti, bordeaux)
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound carrots, cut into 2-inch long pieces
1 pound cut green beans or 1 16-ounce package frozen cut green beans
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

1. Spray a cold Dutch oven with nonstick spray coating, then preheat over medium heat. Brown roast on both sides in the Dutch oven. Drain any fat. Add the 3/4 cup water, wine, onion, garlic, bouillon granules, thyme, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

2. Add carrots to the Dutch oven and simmer for 40 minutes. Then, add beans and simmer for ten minutes or until beans and meat are tender. Transfer warm vegetables to a serving platter. Keep warm while making gravy.

3. For gravy, skim fat from pan juices. Stir together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Stir mixture into pan juices. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Then, cook and stir for 2 minutes more. To serve, spoon gravy over meat and vegetables. Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition information per serving
290 calories, 34 g protein, 12 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat, 98 mg cholesterol, 138 mg sodium, 590 mg potassium.

crab cactus or christmas cactus (schlumbergera truncata)

There seems to be some confusion about the name of these cacti. The California gardener's bible, the Sunset Western Garden Book, calls Schlumbergera Truncata a Crab Cactus, and others, including the label on the plant shown in this photograph, call it a Christmas cactus. However, the rules for looking after most of the schlumbergera are the same, so do not worry. When I lived in England these plants only appeared about two weeks before Christmas, and I assume that is where they get their common name. They were exceptionally difficult to grow and didn't usually last to see the arrival of the new year, but with a little attention paid to watering, light and temperature, it can be done. Here in California, they appear in the stores much earlier and are starting to appear in supermarkets and flower stores just now. The cacti shown here were both purchased from a wonderful store called Adelaide's, the red one is a recent purchase, but the pink one is from last October. Adelaide's is here in La Jolla, but you can also purchase flowers from them online, and they will prepare for you the most beautiful bouquets and vase arrangements and send them anywhere in the world.

This type of cacti is also known as forest cacti, and in their natural home the forest cacti are attached to trees in woodlands and jungles, and so it is not surprising that they are so different in form and care requirements from the spine covered desert cacti. The only exception to this is the Rat's Tail cactus, which looks like and should be treated like a desert cactus. The typical forest cactus has leaf-like stems and a trailing growth, making it suitable for hanging baskets. A few such as Rhipsalis are grown for their stem form but their main attraction is their flowers. The most spectacular group are the Epiphyllums, with their fragrant saucer-size blooms.

Schlumbergera truncata originates from Brazil. It has short tubed 3 inch long, scarlet flowers with spreading, pointed petals from late fall through winter. Many varieties are sold in white, pink, salmon, pink and orange.

Christmas Cactus Facts

Bloom time: October through December.
Exposure: Moderately bright light (diffused sunlight) is preferred, near a sunny window indoors, but not exposed to direct sunlight.
Soil: Moderately moist yet well drained soil.
Temperature: Cool/moderate temperatures are ideal. 60-70 degF (15-21 degC) daytime, and 55-65 degF (13-18degC) nights.
Growth rate: Slow.
Water: Water thoroughly when the surface is dry to the touch, mist the leaves frequently, especially indoors with central heating.
Fertilizer: Feed with liquid fertilizer every 7-10 days during growth and bloom.
Size: S. truncata grows to 1 foot high and wide.

These plants are very pretty when they are in full flower and make wonderful gifts as indoor plants, or on a patio in a hanging basket. The main key to success is to remember that flowering is affected by temperature and light. Sudden temperature changes, too high or too low, may result in inconsistent flowering or inhibit flowering altogether.