Trader Joe’s Chocolate Brooklyn Babka

“We had that babka!” Jerry cried out to Elaine at The Dinner Party episode of Seinfeld.  Unfortunately for Elaine and Jerry, they had to settle for the cinnamon babka.

Thanks to Kat, my youngest sis, we ended up with the chocolate babka. 

The Rose Garden Tea Room

How do you like your tea and how do you imagine drinking it?  At The Rose Garden Tea Room, you can have your mini cakes and eat them too, and obviously, it’s where you can have your tea and drink it too.  In fact, you can have your choice from five types of hot tea: Strawberry Kiwi, Rose, Apricot, Estate Black, and Mandarin Rooibos. At that time, I liked my tea non-caffeinated so I went with the strawberry kiwi – it was lovely, tangy, and pink in color.  Our amiable hostess said that the kids love it very sweet.  The kid in me likes the tea, but the adult in me likes it tart.  And I imagine drinking my tea in a peaceful setting… the rose garden in The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens would do beautifully. 

Belle Pastry

Word around Redmond is that there’s a good French bakery in town and testimonials from people who’ve patronized the shop and has become regular patrons is that they like the croissants, or baguettes, or macarons.  Belle Pastry is the bakery in question — located in Bella Botega, at downtown Redmond.  Very close to where we used to live; in retrospect, it’s a good thing that I didn’t know about it when we lived in the area.

I’m a croissant girl and our usual go-to place for croissants is Whole Foods Redmond.  A cordial French-Canadian co-worker of The Hubby’s gave him a Belle Pastry croissant to be shared with me; I was touched and if it’s a plug for Belle Pastry, it’s a tasty and persuasive promotion for a bakery I was ambivalent about. 

Shuei-Do Manju Shop

When we were in San Jose’s Japantown three years ago, we looked for the grocery store I used to go to when I lived in Downtown San Jose, near “J Town”, as an undergrad college senior.  All I knew was that the store was along Jackson St.  The reason for the grocery hunt was that I wanted daifuku.  

Pumpkin Spinach Pie

It’s Pi Day!  Hurray!

There isn’t any other way to celebrate Pi Day than to have your pie and eat it too.  As my contribution to Pi Day, here’s a recipe for a vegetarian pie that would make Andy Foxtrot (Mom of Peter, Paige, and Jason Foxtrot) swoon.  I hereby present Pumpkin Spinach Pie using my favorite dough: phyllo.  I know it isn’t everyone’s favorite dough (*ahem*, I’m speaking to you, The Hubby) and I know the sheets come in rectangular shapes therefore creating a non-circular pie.  Before the math geeks bring out torches and pitchforks to persecute me, here’s a recipe for a circular pie.

I know it’s all about circumference/diameter day, but in the spirit of all things pie and beautiful, here’s a recipe for a quadrilateral-shaped pie.  Pie is yummy regardless of shape and size.

Pumpkin Spinach Pie

4 cups of pumpkin pie filling
1 cup diced onion
2 packages frozen spinach 
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, optional
Your favorite herb, optional
20 sheets or 1 package of phyllo/filo

Preheat oven to 425 deg Fahrenheit.  Cook onion and frozen spinach in a saucepan over low heat.  Season to taste and add your favorite herb.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Prepare dough on a 15″ x 10″ x 2″ shallow rectangular  pie pan by brushing each of the 10 sheets with oil or melted butter.  Add spinach mixture and sprinkle with parmesan.  Layer pumpkin filling then top with the remaining 10 sheets.  As an option, pre-slice the top in squares or diamonds.  Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden. 

Smile and serve.

Happy Pi Day!  Happy National Pie Day, too!