Day 16 of 33

I was planning to start this post saying that I had gained anew respect for homeless people.

After a short rehearsal and grabbing Mexican food with the cast (I got a kids meal to keep it cheap), I went back to Trader Joe's to pick up some food. It's really difficult to ride a bicycle with grocery bags hanging from the handle bars, which is where the homeless reference came in. Imagine tying different weights to each side of the steering wheel in your car. And then take away two wheels. And the motor. Ok, that's a poor example, but it's difficult. On the way home, however, a homeless man blocked my path with his grocery cart so I had to dismount my unwieldy vehicle and walk around. I immediately lost the short-lived respect I had for the homeless.

I mentioned a while back that I wanted to endeavor to buy more local products. Well, I did a little bit of research and paid extra attention to labels at Trader Joe's to try and buy local produce. Trader Joes is a California company, so when all else fails, I hope the generic products and created nearby. Here is my booty:

Some of the items include: Agave Nectar, Corn Flour, California Peaches, Figs, Strawberries and Walnuts. Mexican Tomatoes and Avocados (I know it's another country, but if I can ride my bike there, I figure it's ok.) Goat Cheese and Dried Sausage. Organic Free-Range Chicken.

I got home and started cooking immediately.

I roasted the chicken with some carrots I have, so that I would have chicken to throw into sandwiches, salads, or whatever else. I also set out to make a Fig and Goat Cheese Pizza with a Cornmeal Crust. In the one frying pan, you see caramelized onions (product of USA, at least) along with sliced figs. In the other frying pan, I am frying a small cornmeal crust (Cornmeal from Oregon... close enough).

Then I took the raw walnuts and mixed them up in the Agave Nectar, spread them on a cookie sheet and threw those in the oven as well. Candied Walnuts!

Here is a look at some of the finished products. Roasted chicken. Cornflour pizza with Fig, Onion, Goat Cheese and Spinach (some pizza bites with crust crumbles) and Candied Walnuts.

And of course you can't cook a bird without dealing with the wishbone - so named because you wish it wasn't there when you carve the bird.

All in all - I think it's safe to say that I'm awesome. Good night.