Well, you know how it goes- when one person in the house falls ill the rest will soon follow. Like me. After running a few errands and before I started to feel too crummy, I picked up a couple of new-to-me items from Trader Joe’s.
My sore throat told me that tea would be a smart purchase. I love tea, all kinds- green, black, herbal, and mixes. If I’m going to be stuck with a scratchy pain in the neck I mighty as well try a new brew to break up my favorites- roasty genmai-cha , herbaceous mint, and perfumed Lady Grey.
A new tea and quick dinner…
I wanted something easy to throw in the oven for dinner, too, and The Boy always loves anything resembling a chicken nugget. A pot of rice and boiled edamame later, we had two new things to try: Organic Ginger Pear White Tea, and Tempura Chicken with Sweet and Sour Sauce.
Verdicts:
The Tea
I don’t care for ginger, have never tried any white teas, and was suspicious of the word “flavored” in tiny print next to the word “pear” on the box. However, I loved this tea! Totally surprised me. The ginger was very mild, as was the tea (I think that is what white tea is known for) and the “pear” was subtle, too. Very good. I look forward to putting this tea into my rotation tomorrow as my dry throat annoys me.
The men laughed at these serving sizes…
The Chicken
Yep, the little nuggets are probably the same that you get in Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken. Which we love. Totally deep fried, battered, and I am there. This sauce was nothing special, a basic sweet and sour glaze. What killed us is the serving size- check it out, there are supposed to be seven servings! I piled the chicken into seven similar sized piles and the men of the house laughed at me. The Boy ended up eating two servings of everything… growing boy and all. I took one serving, wanted more, but honestly didn’t need any more. Boo. I hate to admit that I like to eat way too much food. Curse my love of eating!
My dinner- I wanted more but know that I need less. Boo!!!
She did get more in her than on the floor…Why I am really at the fair…
After taking all the time we wanted to go through the Flower and Animal Exhibits and the “Crap You Can Buy at the Fair” booths (we warned each other “don’t make eye contact with any of the vendors!), we hit the food stands before moving onto Art and Hobby exhibits.
STUDENT ART and PHOTOGRAPHY:
Let’s just get this one out of the way- here’s my son’s work on display- his art teacher is always really great at sending in the work of several students each year. She rocks!
Student art takes up most of the first floor of the West Grandstands building. If you get to the San Diego County Fair, do NOT miss this exhibition. The talent on display is nothing short of amazing. Let me share some of the more spectacular entries…
Their art truly was a highlight of the fair for me. These pieces need no explanation by me, they speak for themselves. I am impressed by what our county classes can do, and these teachers deserve awards, every one from every school.
Zoom in for explanation- a great photography class idea!Love this guy’s story- zoom in to read it…
PLEASE, Click on the photos to bring up larger views of these student exhibits- they deserve a closer look!
COLLECTIONS- Fascinating to the Fabulous:
Miniature Foldout Photo Collection from World Fairs and ExpositionsMiniature Foldout Photo collection, from 1900s-1980s
Miniature photos on keychains, necklaces and other souvenirs dating from 1900 to 1980… totally cool. Another collection was similar, but all from world fairs and expositions… equally cool.
Click on all of these photos to bring up larger copies and then you can read the test which describes the collections and the motivation behind the displays.
Shark Egg CasesThings Left Behind in Library Books
Some of the more interesting collections on display included a father and daughter’s group of shark egg cases that they amassed to show disbelieving friends that they do, in fact, exist. Another case held… this is great… a collection of items found in books that have been returned to the library. I would bet that no one has ever thought to collect such a genre, ever before, in the history of lending libraries.
Collections and Craft Entries from the Clever to the Weird and the Wait… What???
Cat Fur and Lint?The Swede- she’s speechless“Cat Fur and Clothes Dryer Lint” Yes, you read that correctly…
This really is amazing on more than one level. The sheer fact that someone collects dryer lint and cat fur is surpassed by the oddity that they decided to display this collection. Publicly. At the county fair.
I wonder what this fox would say…Shirt Pillows
After the fur and lint display, we were losing it. Other oddities included this beautifully crafted fox… we couldn’t figure out why the beads? It made us want to demand that artists be allowed to include a note about the inspiration behind their pieces, just like the Collections are able to display.We loved the goofy shirt pillows, a great recycling idea.
We saw jewelry- something that I don’t have a lot of patience for, but my friend crafts gorgeous pieces herself… look at this great idea for what to do with all the pressed penny souvenirs that you may have collected in your travels!
I love pottery and had to include this piece. Look at the colors! Great job, artist!
Cookie Tea Set!
International Cookie Dolls!
Food Exhibits
The Food Exhibits were puzzling to me… I am dying to know how they are judged. Honestly, I’m such a snob about my own cookies, for example, that I looked at the winning chocolate chip cookies and thought “Humph! My cookies look better than these… I bet they taste better, too.” I ought to back up this proud attitude of mine and enter them next year… that ought to shut me up! I have to include these cookie sculptures simply because they are so well crafted.
Next year I will be back- not only for the Indian Fry Bread Tacos and Garlic Fries, but maybe even to throw my own chocolate chip cookies into the judging arena.
We came, we lingered, we laughed. Oh, how we laughed.
Black Magic roses… stunning color and shape!
We delighted in the floral specimens, scarcely believing that roses could achieve that color or dahlias could be that perfect. We wanted to die for the level of fluffiness we witnessed in the bunnies on display. The student art floored us- what talent! The collections and cooking entries included everything from the amazing to the confusing. We left with enough examples of beauty and to fodder for laughter for ages to come.
THE FLOWERS
“Charlotte Ann”“Ketchup and Mustard”
Roses have names, we know that. “Peace, Mr. Lincoln, Iceberg, and Julia Child” are all common varieties, but today at the fair we found many far from common- names like the enigmatic titles given to race horses or those found on the back of sailboats… a few could be romance novel titles, honestly.
“Memphis Music”“George Burns”“Power Point”
A sampling: “Renegade, Black Magic, Playboy, The Fairy, Wise Portia, First Kiss, Super Hero, Betty Boop, Foolish Pleasures, Mother’s Love, Power Point, Nemesis, Seattle Destination, Bees Knees, Shameless, Lusciously Lucy, Monkey Business, Jump for Joy, Hot Cocoa, Gourmet Popcorn. ”
Huge dahlias!“AC Clouds and Rain”“Mary Eveline”
The dahlia displays were no less stunning- what amazing symmetry and size! Annika’s take-away after seeing the dahlias was how much these flowers seem to jump right out of a Dr. Seuss book. I left wishing I could come back with a golf club. “Fore!!” Just kidding… kind of.
THE CRITTERS
We were both sad to see that there were no fancy chickens in the livestock barns, but were completely delighted with the bunnies. Oh my GOSH, it was a fluffy overload. How can something be that impossibly fluffy? Here are a few of our favorites:
These are a few of the fluffiest, cutest, most adorable critters I have ever seen at a state fair.
Fluffiest Neighbor #1
There were as many people crowded around the bunnies as there were anywhere. Everyone wants to just marvel at their sweetness, and who can blame them?
We left the animals saying goodbye to the mama pig and her piglets, reminding Annika of how she prefers to eat marzipan pigs to the real ones. Mama Piggy gave me an entirely different idea: it was high time to visit the corndog stand.
Why I am really at the fair…
Coming up in Part Two- Student Art and Photography, and the Home and Hobby collections, displays, crafts and foods.
My good friend Joy has been in the same boat with me for the end of this school year. She’s another mom with 8th and 12th grade graduations, and I just scored- she shared party leftovers with me.
Joy’s spanakopita now shares the same ranking as my mom-in-law’s enchiladas- dishes that I will never order at a restaurant ever again because someone’s home made version can never be topped. Ever. I humbly place my cinnamon rolls on that pedestal, too. Joy’s pastries were the lightest, most buttery, cheese and spinach-filled Greek pillows of happiness. Unbelievable.
This stuff was that good. Thanks, Joy, what fabulous snacks!
And thanks, too, for the bottle of the Pinot Grigio, the Santa Margherita 2013 from Italy. I’m not too familiar with Pinot Grigio, but I like how it is light, a little sweet and fruity, but still a little on the dry side. I prefer less sweet wines, and this was lovely with the different melons and the spanakopita. A very nice, light wine to sit and share with friends this summer- what wine isn’t better when shared with friends? Joy says it is in Costco now at a great price. Get your summer wines stocked up, everyone!
A couple of weeks ago, a bag of miniature rainbow carrots caught my eye at the grocery store- it is funny how my attempt at finding new things to do each and every day has me looking for the novel in my every-day activities. I picked up the carrots thinking my kids would like these more colorful versions for their lunches… nope. The carrots couldn’t compete with the end of the year parties and activities and got shoved to the back of the vegetable drawer.
Cal-Organic’s Rainbow Carrots
About ten days later I rediscovered the bag and they became the side dish at dinner. The rainbow carrots did not taste any different than ordinary, every-day orange carrots, but they looked really nice! As with other carrots, they are available in the pre-peeled bags as baby carrots, but are about half the price if you buy them by the bunch. Really, for a couple of bucks, this makes a nice change at dinner and was an inexpensive way to try something new. I’d buy them again- maybe the next time I volunteer to bring the vegetables and dip at a potluck?
Microwaved for 5 minutes, ready for the oven after seasoning…All done! They keep their color, but taste the same as ordinary carrots.
Roasted Carrots
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped about two to three inches long… “baby carrot” sized
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, just a sprinkle of each
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
Toss carrots and olive oil together in a baking dish such as an 8″x 8″ baking pan. Sprinkle brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder over the carrots and toss again. Bake carrots for 45 minutes to one hour… I like my vegetables well cooked and go for the full hour, usually. If you are more pressed for time, you can reduce the baking time to 20-30 minutes by microwaving the carrots alone for 5 minutes, then toss in the oil and seasonings.
Until trying them roasted, I never cared for cooked carrots. Yum!
branching out... on a limb 