Ain't We Got Fun?

Well, Saturday's weather outside was frightful--I kept singing that line from "Lady is a Tramp" that goes "Hates California, it's cold and it's damp..."-- but the citrus faithful (aka Papa Sueno and the now-veggie/flexetarian (hey, she's a Gemini, and the world still contains bacon) Red Meat Ranger and their fabulous child-toting friends, Rox n' Nance, and the fabulous Molly McK), all showed up, along with a bunch of other almond-cake-curious locals, even as the rain drizzled down and my little fingers froze as I sliced and sliced through the cara-caras, the blood oranges, the ruby grapefruits and the page mandarins. Gorgeous, gleaming fruit from Torey Farms, Olsen Organics, and Hamada Fruits, and raw almonds and orange/vanilla/honey-coated crunchy candied almonds from Alfieri Farms. What was really fun was going back to the farmers afterwards with samples, to show what their wonderful food had become. Quite a treat all around, especially since there was lots of cake and citrus compote left over to share with the hard-working CUESA volunteers. They'll be doing a cooking demo every Saturday from now til Dec., so do drop by.

It was almost worth losing my voice over, not that near-complete croakiness kept me from a grilled-veggie burrito at Azteca that afternoon or the fluffy pancakes at my new favorite breakfast place, Rudy's No-fail cafe in Emeryville, with Kas and Kirsten. Much fun, and then I had to go home for tea and complete silence. No Superbowl screaming (well, as if), no hanging out at K'vetch with the RM Ranger and Shar the Cupcake Queen.

But today, a sunny day! And here's a challenge to all you folks out there: the PQ needs gainful employment. I can cook for you, teach you to make pie (among other things), write for your website/newspaper/magazine/blog, edit articles/books/whatever, even feed your cat or weed your garden. Anyone that gets me a job lead that pays off gets 2 jars of just-made orange marmalade (or the future jam of your choice) or a freshly made homemade pie (your choice!) from the PQ kitchen. Let the networking begin!