NUMMIES

I gotta give a shout-out to a great place many don't know about - Specialty Produce on Hancock St. Their main biz is supplying produce and other goods to restaurants around the county, but the public can stop in and browse, and it's a fun time. It's a huge warehouse - you have to dodge workers as they're loading trucks, sign in, and wear latex gloves if you're going to handle produce. Since you are roaming around a warehouse, the first time you go you'll also have to sign a waiver. In spite of that, the staff is very friendly; if you want you'll get a mini-tour your first day.

They have a good selection of stuff from farms around SoCal and other places, and it's by far the best selection I've seen. I love purple potatoes and haven't been able to find them of late anywhere but here. They also have other goods like eggs, herbs, spices and whatnot. The prices appear to be good, though I haven't really compared them to other places. Here's their website: www.specialtyproduce.com/

Keeping chicks happy is always good and bbq'ing is such a primal, manly activity it just makes sense that women be impressed with our mastery of fire and animal cookery skills. We replaced a grill back in the spring and have barely used it this year. I feel as though I'm failing to live up to my caveman roots. Might have to do some midweek carne asada tomorrow to get back on track.

The bulk of the complaints on Yelp centered around prices and it seems those complaints ignore the fact that they're primarily geared for commercial sales, not retail (or at least that's how it looks to me). I'm going to safely guess that unless you're buying restaurant sized quantities on a regular basis, you're not going to get the deep discounts. That's the way it's supposed to work or else nobody would be able to make a profit. It's no different than any other industry.

Still, great info. I'll have to check it out sometime and pick up some blood oranges.

Since the weather has calmed, I'll be grilling again tonight. It'll be chicken and corn on the cob. I'm not sure what I'm going to make for the greens, though that kale salad package they sell at Costco is pretty tasty and I am heading there in a bit. Even if you're kale-phobic, this stuff is worth a try - it's in the refrigerated section.

Taco night:



Buffalo chicken, topped with diced celery in Ken's Steakhouse Ranch dressing, cilantro guac and crumbled Cotija cheese (served on fancy Dixie paper plates). Could've been spicier. I shredded a rotisserie chicken and whipped it all up in some Frank's wing sauce which is kinda mild compared to the regular stuff.

Yep. We had some peaches from Trader Joes that were apparently swimming in listeria bacteria. Well actually they weren't, but it was fun to pretend. The wife called TJs to see if they were poisonous or not and they assured our batch wasn't one of the affected ones. So far, so good. We're still breathing.