So, I’d noticed this truck with the cute/clever name – Lil’ Grass Snack – in the parking lot of the Y but it was never open when I go to work out, there was nothing posted on it, no one in it. Finally, yesterday there was a sign up saying it was open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (That has already changed; it opens at 9:00 a.m.) Went to check it out for lunch today. Nice guy – name is Shawn – and he’s been around Maui’s f & b scene for a while – he owned Dolli’s in Kahana and Pizza Fresh in Makawao before taking off for Alaska. Now he’s back. Nice menu, too – healthful. Simple – bagels with ___ (fill in the blank), fruit salad, fresh fruit, yogurt for breakfast. Fresh fruit smoothies with no sugar, protein shakes (no sugar) and fresh-squeezed juices (right, no sugar). Lunch is sandwiches, wraps, salads. It’s simple food – anything that needs to be cooked gets prepared ahead in a certified commissary kitchen in Wailuku. He says the Pesto Chicken Wrap and Sandwich and the Oriental Chicken Salad are the big sellers – at least so far. He’s only been open for a few weeks. So, I went with the Salad – fresh, clean, all white meat mesquite chicken, VERY light dressing (he was honest about the fact that he tried to do homemade, couldn’t quite get what he wanted and found what he liked in a bottle – no shame and it tastes good). Enough for two meals and only eight bucks. And that’s the most expensive thing on the menu. No website, no facebook page, no Twitter account. (No comment.) He says he wants to see how it goes for a while. You can call his cell – 280-6234 – and order ahead and there are also order forms inside the Y. I’ll definitely go back. I LOVE that you can get Nutella on your bagel!

Even as a lifelong Yankees fan, I have to agree with…

http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/08/alex-rodriguez-hit-his-600th-home-run-why-no-one-cares/60939/

Ah, Venice. Ah, Zaletti. There are many variations of these golden, cornmeal cookies. Each bakery seems to have its own recipe. All delicious. My friend Wanda and I can attest to it.

I make the recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, The Italian Baker by Carol Field. Last week, David Lebovitz posted his adaptation of that very recipe on his blog. I tried it this morning and I love it.

He calls them Cornmeal Cookies and calls for polenta in his recipe. The one in the book calls for cornmeal. I used polenta. David suggests either currants or chopped sour cherries or other finely chopped dried fruit. I added both currants and cherries. Best of all, I like that he gives instructions for baking the cookies without shaping the dough, chilling it, forming it into logs, freezing it, cutting it. I chilled the dough in the mixer bowl briefly – just until it was easy to handle – and then followed his suggestion to pinch off pieces about the size of a shelled walnut, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.

They are not the traditional diamond shape; they’re round. And still delizioso.

And the moral of the story is…perhaps I should have coffee before baking early in the morning. Fresh fig cake just out of the oven. Not pretty – those beautiful figs SHOULD have been placed with alternating skins sides up. Again, coffee first, baked goods second. The good news is I think it will taste great. On to the next…

okay…it looks better on a pretty plate…

THIS is the way it should be done everywhere. But, oh, that’s right. You’d need a local government that is PRO small business rather than one that creates obstacles at every step AND a forward-looking, passionate, we-actually-do-CARE-about-what-we-put-on-our-plates culinary community, those who prepare the food AND those who eat it.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2CVS7C/www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/07/in-la-a-breakthrough-in-local-eating/60507//r:t

Finally. I got a plate from Maui’s only shrimp truck, Geste Shrimp, on Harbor Rd. in Kahului. I’ve been wanting to try it for a long time but I had a freak allergic reaction to shrimp last Christmas and the doc suggested I avoid them. Well, in the last few weeks I’ve been carefully introducing them back into my diet - I LOVE shrimp – and couldn’t imagine eliminating them forever. So far, so good. So today was the day. There are four kinds - Hawaiian Scampi, Hot & Spicy, Spicy Pineapple and the one I chose, Lemon Pepper. Eleven bucks – for 12 pieces except I think my plate had about a hundred – plus a big scoop of rice and a big scoop of “crab salad” (mac salad with “crab”)…And, just like my friend David from NYC said, they’re unreal! The truck owner/cook, Stan, is a doll, to boot. Can’t wait to try the other “flavors”…

Oh, and the photo? That’s HALF a plate! (too hungry to photograph before trying)

Say what you will about him. He was controversial, to be sure. But George Steinbrenner, who died this morning at his home in Tampa, Florida at the age of 80, changed the New York Yankees, their fans and, arguably, the city. He paid $10 million for them in 1973; today they’re worth between $2 and $3 BILLION. Like Steinbrenner, New Yorkers like to WIN and so, yes, during his tenure the Yankees deserved their moniker, “The Best Team Money Can Buy.” They also won SEVEN World Series and ELEVEN pennants. Truly, the end of an era.

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/end-of-an-era-reaction-rolls-in-to-steinbrenner-death/?hp

Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread from David Lebovitz’s beautiful new book, “Ready for Dessert” – his best recipes and I can’t wait to try many of them. These, by the way, are delicious!

I’ve been thinking about my friend Cleves who died a couple of years ago. She was originally from North Carolina and every now and then, especially when we talked about food or cooking or baking, her Southern drawl would become more pronounced than usual. She was an excellent cook and baker and I loved being in the kitchen with her. She made the best Lemon Chess Pie and Chocolate Chess Pie. Sadly, I neglected to get her recipes before she left us. Our friend Cindy, however, did come up with recipes that, although not identical, remind me of Cleves and always make me smile. Thanks, Cindy. I just took the Chocolate Chess Pie out of the oven.

1 – 9″ unbaked pie shesll (yes, store bought is fine)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted

4 eggs

1 1/2 Tablespoons cornmeal

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar until smooth. Stir in the chocolate. Whisk in the eggs, then the cornmeal and then the vanilla.

Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for between 50 and 60 minutes or until set, and still soft in the center. Let cool at least 1/2 hour before serving (good luck with that!).

Enjoy.

David Lebovitz’s Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread about to come out of the oven.

I always have left over buttermilk. No matter what I make – in this case a delightful new banana bread recipe – I can never use up a whole quart in one cooking/baking session. So, bright and early this morning I baked – and I use the term loosely in this particular case – a Buttermilk Pie. It couldn’t be easier and it’s delicious.

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

3 eggs – lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.

Pour mixture into a pre-baked pie shell – a store bought one like graham cracker crumb or vanilla wafer is absolutely fine (Yes, that’s what I use for this pie – I keep a couple in freezer for mornings exactly like this one.)

Place the filled pie crust onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees then lower the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes. The pie is done when a sharp knife comes out clean.

Enjoy.

And now for me, it’s on to David Lebovitz’s Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread…