Marga's Foodblog

This is a list of dishes that I want to make sometime soon. My memory is terrible so this list should help me remember the dishes and inspire me.

Bread Pudding
Pork & Tomatillo Stew (Craigslist )
Estifado (Craigslist )
Mac & Cheese Casseroles (Saveur)
Canneloni a la rossini
Beef stroganoff
Chicken/Veal Marsala

San Leandro

Saigon Palace on 17580 Hesperian
Grand Taipei on 25036 Hesperian
Hawaiian Sista's Cafe ( 10:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Tue.-Sat.)
Halan (vietnamese on Lewelling)
Vietnamese place by Pak n'Save
Ozeki Sushi

Castro Valley

$$
Sazio Ristorante Italiano
Doug's Place (breakfast)
Dolci Amore
Hong Kong BBQ Restaurant (chinese)

Hayward

$$$

Le Maconnais
Caravan
East Harbor (hesperian & west a)- good chinese
New Hong Kong on Mission, dim sum

Berkeley Oakland

$
Taste of Africa +
Museum Kitchen +
Priya (indian buffet) +
Han's Big Burger +
Vik's Chaat Corner, Berkeley +
Kabana, Berkeley+
Addis +
Caribbean Cove

$$
Tsing Tao (dim sum) +
Restaurant Peon (dim sum) +
Kensington circus pub +
Phnom Penh House
Italian Colors (Montclair) +
Breads of India - (no res)
Soi4 - college, upscale Thai
Taste of the Himalayas
Bosphorus
Locanda Olmo - college, Italian

$$$
Chez Simone (piedomont ave, t-f-sa nights)
Zaika (indian)
Bucci's (Emeryville)
Soizic
Eccolo
Fonda
La Belle Creole
Garibaldi's
Zax Tavern (closed Su/Mo)
Chef Paul's (pied)
Oliveto
Trio (grand ave, closed M/Tu)
La Rose (small, french fusion, closed mondays)
La Note (provencal, dinner Th-Sa)
Le Theatre (French/North African, closed mondays)
Tanjia

$$$$

Chez Panisse

Fremont

Mariam- Persian
De Afghanan Kabob House (fast food)

Milpitas

Shahnawaz - Indian

San Francisco/Peninsula

$$
Jakarta
Pícaro (Mission) +
Chow +
Park Chow+
Iluna basque
Zuni's Cafe
Basque Cultural Center +
Chapeau
Le Charm
Jeanty's at Jacks
Katia (Russian, go early with Mika)

$$$

Garcen Court at the Palace Hotel
http://www.gardencourt-restaurant.com/
for lunch or afternoon tea (sans Mika)

Fifth Floor
Manresa
Campton Place
Viognier
Michael Mina
Tartare
Trio

Wine Country

French Laundry - Napa
Girth and the Fig - Sonoma
Cafe La Haye - Sonoma

San Jose

Ori Deli - Indonesian
http://www.orideli.com/

I'm cleaning up my spice rack, throwing away old spices. There are some I've had since I got married, over a decade ago. Granted, I've seldom if ever used them since (like fennel seeds, what do I need fennel seeds for?) but I figure if I do need them again, I can buy them anew. The list below are the spices I have - most in good quantities. This way next time I come across a recipe that calls for something I can check it against this list rather than having to go through the whole rack.

Black peppercorns
White peppercorns
Powdered Cayenne pepper
Piment d'espelette
Ground chili de arbol
Sweet paprika
Chili powder
Oregano
Thyme
Tarragon
Rosemary
Herbs d'provence
Ground sweet basil
Saffron threads
Bay leaves
Turmeric
Ground allspice
Ground cumin
Mustard seeds
Curry powder
Mustard powder
Ground ginger
Cinnamon sticks
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Nutmeg pods

These are spices I probably should buy to replace the ones I threw away. Any other suggestions:

-Red pepper flakes
-Ground black pepper (for when I don't have time to grind enough)
-Allspice berries
-Cloves
-Regular paprika
-Hot paprika
-Garlic powder