It wasn't all about food...

but really, just the grocery trips made me drool. Produce, picked ripe with a short trip to the store. I forgot what fresh strawberries and nectarines smelled like. I kept wandering by the kitchen wondering what the sweet smell was.

This is a little food story of my trip. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thursday- Surf City Coffee in Moss Landing for a chai latte and then some fresh artichokes for the evening meal. We hit the SC wharf later for some calamari and shrimp salad. Oh, the memories. My mom would take me down there for "cocktails" when I was little. And it's close to impossible to find calamari that isn't fried anywhere else in the world. Honestly, we don't know how spoiled we are in SC until we move away. Speaking of spoiled, my dad grilled halibut that night. Yum!

Friday- My sister and her boyfriend requested grilled veggie pizza so Dad, Parker and I stopped by Trader Joe's in Capitola to pick up supplies- fresh dough and mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers and some lovely sunflowers. At the flea market, we found figs and those were delish smeared over toast. Sourdough in the Bay Area is famous for a reason. It tastes different and believe me, I have tried it all over the place looking for that "home" taste.

Saturday- The day of Parker's Party! We did grilled chicken, pasta salad a la Lauren and Leslie along with a fruit tarte from The Farm and festive cupcakes. I forgot to take a picture of the cupcakes! Sorry, Les! They were red, white and blue and very cute.

Sunday- Fresh local crab. Ok, my dad has the hook-up. Need I say more? Well, I will! Those crabs were soooooooooooooo good. I don't understand how anyone could want blue crab over Pacific. Maybe I fixed them wrong or got females back in Maryland. Whatever. I don't care. I just want Monterey Bay crabs forevermore. I was actually the last one eating. THAT never happens. I was savoring. And that morning, we found Mexican Payapa at the flea market for 2.50. I've paid much much much more when I can even find it.

Monday- I dragged my poor dad down to Capitola in hopes of some Pizza My Heart. They sold out like so many others, but have some new options and it was almost as good as I remember. I got pesta and ordered my dad the Big Sur. That was delish.

For dinner that night we had abalone. My dad has been diving for abalone my whole life. I didn't appreciate just how rare it is until later when I couldn't get any. So I requested some for my visit and I must say this was the best ever. Really. So tender, cooked perfectly. Thanks Dad! He also made Insalata Caprese.

Tuesday- We went down to Morro Bay to visit my aunt and uncle. Uncle Bill ordered us some oysters on the half-shell at a local eatery. Once again, I didn't think to take pictures! Those oysters were HUGE! And oh so yummy swimming in garlic butter. Then again, what doesn't taste good with that? Really? I had fish tacos because it takes Cali to do those right. My sister had a fried oyster sandwich with some dill mayo that tasted wonderful.

Wednesday- I was supposed to fly out and stopped by Erik's Deli for a Natural High to last me through the traveling. Fate stepped in and we had steelhead and artichokes for dinner. I think I like it better than salmon. It was very good.

I know I forgot something I ate. There was just so much. I was overwhelmed by the bounty despite having been raised on it. And I apologized to the produce clerks for fondling their goods. I meant well. I did.