Big Announcement: It's Finally Here!

I'm thrilled to announce the release of my new cookbook, How to Feed Yourself, a great go-to set of recipes for young and hungry cooks. Now available on Amazon!

On Holiday in England & Scotland, in List Form

Is there anything as dreary as the end of a lovely vacation? I'm back from another gorgeous trip to the UK, and feeling glum. It's just not as easy getting out of bed in the morning, when you know nobody is going to say, "Alight here for Piccadilly Circus!" in an English accent.

England--or as I like to think of it, the homeland. You know how Jewish kids do Birthright, and African Americans take heritage trips? I don't mean to offend anyone, but personally, I like to wander the scarves section of Liberty London. It's an uplifting experience. I pay homage to my ancestral roots.

Stevie and I flew to London, took the train to Edinburgh, motored through Fort William and Glen Coe, tootled around the Isle of Skye for a few days, ferried down to Loch Lomond, met up with Stephen's family in Northumberland, and went back through London for the finish. Two-odd weeks in total, and many adventures had. I won't bore you with a blow-by-blow, but I do love writing lists.

400 meters of Hadrian's wall, and a Roman fort
8 cheeses sampled before 10 a.m. at Neal's Yard Dairy
5 new frocks (Topshop, Cath Kidston, Portobello Road market)
4 sticky toffee puddings
4 Scottish B&Bs that all served the same breakfast (eggs, sausages, rashers, tomatoes, mushrooms)
4 filming locations (Harry Potter, James Bond, Braveheart, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves)
3 major London sites (Tower of London, Cutty Sark, Greenwich Prime Meridian)
3 afternoon teas (The Cadogan, Fortnum & Mason, and a small shop in Northumberland)
3 posh department stores (Liberty, Harvey Nichols, Fortnum & Mason)
3 castles (Edinburgh, Stirling, Eilean Donan)
2 plays (Jeeves & Wooster Perfect Nonsense, King Lear)
2 historic markets (Borough Market, Portobello Road)
2 cheap street scarves
2 sturdy native ponies
1 Scotch distillery (Talisker)
1 very wet boat trip (where we saw a few soggy seals and no puffins at all, but made friends with a zany Frenchman and some St Andrews students)
1 birthday party for a 90-year-old gran
1 book shop that might just be my new favorite in the whole world (Barter Books)
1 needle-toothed puppy hanging out under the breakfast table (she liked the taste of Stephen!) 
Numerous highland cows standing in the road
Countless black-faced sheep
Ensemble cast of friends, family, and elderly British relatives

And just because I'm an English major, how about a few selected quotations?

Scottish boat captain: "Do I spy a midgy in here?"

Boat hand: "Where are you from, then?"
Becky: "California."
Boat hand: "California?! But you're too quiet to be American!"
Becky, indicating Stephen: "Well, he's English."

Castle guide, taking photo: "How well do you know the young lady?"
Stephen: "Er, pretty well, I suppose?"
Castle guide: "Go on, let's have one with a kiss, then!"



Musketeer re-enactor: "You had to light it using a bit of rope, and make sure to keep the gunpowder dry. Fortunately, it rarely rains in Scotland. The rainy season is just from January through December .... But if it was raining, there was another option. You could put a dagger on the end of the musket, and use it as a bayonet. Gunpowder costs money. Stabbing is free. Stabbing will always be the more popular option in Scotland."

Barney the Beefeater on Mel Gibson: "Now I loved Braveheart. It was a great film. Just not the most historically accurate. The portcullis at Traitors' Gate weighed XX tons. It took 30 men to lift it. Or, one Australian!"

Stephen, tasting hogget: "What was that bready thing, again?"
Becky: "You mean the sweetbreads?"
Stephen: "Yeah. What was that?"
Becky: "You didn't know what that was when you ordered?"
Stephen: "No. What was it?"
Becky: "Oh gosh."

I want to go back. And I want a scone.

What to Eat in San Francisco, 2014 Edition

Big news, guys, big news.

7x7 has released this year's Big Eat! 100 things to eat in SF before you die!! Ah!!! Commence foodie freakout.

Last year I made it through 20 of the 100. Not my best work. I blogged about this awesome mac and cheese, the finer points of a sardine chip, and life-saving super burritos. Let's review some other highlights, shall we?

I give you the reuben at the Bar Tartine sandwich shop. With award-winning bread and some serious pastrami, it's everything you've hoped and dreamed. 

A dozen Sweetwater oysters courtesy of Hog Island Oyster Co. So sweet, so clean, so San Francisco.  

I continue to feel that Farina is overpriced--I mean, if you're going to be "rustic Italian," do you have to have such an outrageous wine list? But for what it's worth, the mandilli al pesto is simply outstanding. One big handkerchief of fresh pasta folded around a slurry of fresh herbs. Green glop never tasted so good. 

Art's Cafe is a no-frills, no-fuss neighborhood joint in the Sunset. There are some interesting Asian-American tangents on the menu, but the claim to fame is the hashbrown sandwich, filled with cheddar, sausage, spinach, mushrooms, or whatever you like. Organic? Probably not. Delicious? Heck yeah! Hangover, cured.

One of the best things to happen to me this year is that my friend Mary Z moved two blocks away from Brenda's French Soul Food. We now get biscuits to go whenever we like. We eat them on her roof and laugh at all the schmucks waiting for a table. Feel free to die of jealousy.

For this year's list, I was thrilled to see some personal favorites make the cut. Let the record show that I fell in love with the chicken liver paté at Starbelly even before it was famous, and Pizzeria D, Boxing Room, Marlowe, and Kokkari are old friends. Others were good reminders: Still haven't made it out of the city to do Koi Palace, and I can't believe I haven't tried the veggie tacos at Gracias Madre yet. I also appreciated the nod to the current toast trend with Trouble Coffee, going to need to hit that soon. We'll do our best this year. 

Foodies of 'frisco, on your mark, get set, go!

The Shopaholic's Detox, in 6 Steps

Happy January, dear readers! How are those resolutions coming? I'm sure you're all hard at work on your fitness goals, and more power to you. I've been seeing a lot of new faces at my spin studio and on my jog route around the neighborhood. Get it, girl!

Speaking personally, however, I've been thinking about finances. I'd really love to experience a year where I don't break out in a cold sweat every time I open my credit card bill. There's a distinct possibility I overdid it in December. Well, let's be honest. I overdo it every December. Duffett Christmas is not exactly an understated affair. I love shopping for my big family and my geek-chic boyfriend, sending yummy cheeses to his family in England, and giving lots of little prezzies to coworkers and friends. And then you're on a roll, so why stop there? And suddenly it's January, and you're still shopping . . . but for yourself.

Enough is enough. Even the most diehard of shopaholics needs a reality check now and then. Here's what's working for me.


Step 1: Put down the credit card until March

I know it sounds harsh. Are you sitting on your hands? I'm sitting on my hands. There are so many tempting post-Christmas sales. But the truth is, I already hit my favorites up in Portland with my mom (Anthro, Lulu), and it's really not a good use of my time or money to continue obsessing my way through picked-over racks. More to the point, I have more than enough fabulous Christmas presents to console me. I'm calling out the January shopping hunt for what it is--a compulsion. Stop it. Put down the credit card. We'll do it together.

Step 2: Hit unsubscribe

It's time to clear out your virtual inbox. Take a look at the marketing emails you've been getting, and cut loose anything that you don't actually care about. That menswear boutique where I bought my brother's Christmas sweater? I don't need to hear from you every day. It's not you, it's me. Thanks so much, bye bye!

Step 3: Create a shopping folder

This was a coup for me. I created a filter, so all of those charming little missives from Hautelook, Rue La La, and others get cached in one place. When I'm opening and reading them every day, I'm much more inclined to impulse buy. But this way, I actually make the decision when I want to look at stuff. When the inclination inevitably hits, I can still "go shopping" in my folder.

Step 4: Put a pin in it

I'm fully aware that Pinterest has already crossed over to the dark side when it comes to partnering with e-retailers, but I still think that I can work it to my advantage. For me, Pinterest is where excel spreadsheets meet online shopping, and those are two of my favorite things! Feeling like you'll just die if you don't get that lion-headed soup bowl from Sur la Table? Pin it. See if you still feel the same way in a week. My guess is that you won't. But by pinning it, at least you'll feel secure that your prey hasn't vanished into the underbrush.

Step 5: Stack your catalogs to read later

This one's a tip from my friend Malavika. Stack all your catalogs, and wait until your credit card bill arrives before you open them. It really puts a damper on the buying spirit. This is going to be a deep breath for me. I love print catalogs. I love them so hard. When the J.Crew catalog arrives, I pour myself a glass of wine, I tell my boyfriend he's not allowed to talk to me, and I sink into a magical world of pin stripes, pencil skirts, and perfect pony tails. We all have our guilty pleasures.

Step 6: Focus on experiences, not stuff

I'm having a battle of wills against a fur-trimmed anorak right now, and I won't lie to you. I want it. I want it bad. It's defeated all of my defenses: I've wanted it for several months, so it's not an impulse purchase, and the price just got slashed in half, so this is likely the best deal of the year. The only thing that's seeing me through is the thought that I'm going to Scotland in June, and I'd really like to actually be able to do stuff when I get there. Think about your travel plans, summer adventures, classes you've been wanting to take, new experiences you've been wanting to try. Aren't all of those more important than a coat you're going to wear for maybe the next 6 weeks?

Okay, so I might still cave and buy the anorak. To err is human, to look and feel fabulous is divine. But the point stands. Stay strong. Fight the good fight. To quote the Cub Scouts (who probably never have these problems), "Do your best!" And J.Crew, darling, I'll see you in March.

Do you cut back on shopping after the holidays? How do you do it?