classy but trashy

Living in San Francisco can really take a toll on the thickness of one’s pocket book. Whether you’re enjoying eating out at the city’s many fantastic restaurants, exploring cultural events in our rich museum climate or shopping for unique finds amongst its myriad of boutiques, you’re bound to wrap up your day with a shocked “I spent, what?!” when assessing the damage later on at home. Wait a minute…”home”…home... what was I supposed to remem-- Oh yeah-- the astronomical rent is due.

Yet, here we are- Here I am, still shelling out the dough just as fast as it gets baked. But, I live in a city that I truly love and while I know I won’t be here forever, I try to really cherish everything San Francisco has to offer in the meantime. Currently, I live on Nob Hill. I rock a cute studio with a great kitchen, close to work and in a neighborhood of relative safeness. However while my address is definitely classy, its price can tend to leave my budget lookin’ pretty trashy. This last week was no exception, so when my sweetie and I decided to pack up for a little twilight picnic at the park I found myself digging deep into the reaches of my fridge and cupboards for some grub.

Here’s how some forgotten food, leftover ingredients, a little creativity and a couple cheap-ass beers can still provide a meal worthy of your million dollar view!

Introducing this week’s Classh Course Picnic:

Slumming on Snob Hill Summer Spread

We-so-bi Poor Broccoli Slaw, Flat Broke Turkey Paninis

and Penny Pincher Pasta Salad

Peeking into my fridge over the weekend, I spotted a half full, rolled up bag of “Eating Right” broccoli slaw veggies from Safeway. The package of julienned broccoli, cabbage and carrots is a great addition to stir frys, as fresh salad fodder and even just lightly steamed with a little garlic salt on top. I’d never actually made a slaw with it, though! As I scanned my door full of condiments and random sauces, my eyes landed on a jar of light green wasabi mayonnaise. This was a premixed variety purchased from the deli counter, but it’s a very easy spread to make yourself:

½ tablespoon wasabi powder*
1 teaspoon water
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip—it’s too sweet!)
-Combine powder and water to form a paste
-Add paste to mayo and mix well

* ½ tbsp premade wasabi paste can be substituted for powder and water.
**As always with spicy stuff, add more or less of either ingredient based on taste

Never having been a huge fan of traditional coleslaw, the addition of wasabi mayo definitely made me more eager to finally use my veggies for their originally intended purpose:

We-so-bi Poor Broccoli Slaw

Serves 2

2 cups broccoli slaw

3.5 tbsp wasabi mayo

1.5 tbsp Smart Balance mayonnaise

3 shakes of celery salt

-Mix it all together!

-Seal Wasabi Broccoli Slaw up in a to-go container for traveling

Since we weren’t going far for the evening’s picnic excursion, I thought firing up the panini grill (that’s right, I don’t have 2 bucks to my name, but dang it if I don’t have my Breville panini grill!) seemed like a great idea. The gorgeous day was cooling off and the prospect of a nice warm sandwich in the San Francisco twilight sounded like a very appetizing treat.

Living alone, it takes me ages to go through a loaf of bread or package of pita. More often than not my bread purchases are made solely when I’m having guests or if it’s recipe specified. In any case, I’m constantly throwing leftover bread into the freezer to save or in the event of a crouton emergency. Sure enough, I discovered a totally forgotten package of Trader Joe’s whole wheat flat bread—perfect! I set those puppies out to defrost as I perused the fridge for panini fillers. Since I hoard Laughing Cow light cheese wedges, a few of those were a given, as were some Claussen pickles, brown mustard and smoked turkey lunch meat left over from my brother’s stay with me that week.

Flat Broke Turkey Paninis
1 Whole wheat flat bread per picnicker
1 wedge of Laughing Cow Light cheese per flat bread
2 slices of turkey cold cuts per panini, slightly cooked on stovetop or Foreman grill
1 Claussen Baby Dill pickle sliced thin per panini
Brown mustard

-Preheat Foreman or panini grill (375 degrees F for panini grill)

-Spread cheese wedge over entire flatbread

-Spread a smattering of brown mustard over the cheese

-Place turkey on one side of the bread

-Top turkey with pickle slices

-Fold flat bread over like a taco and place on grill

-Cook until outside bread is nicely grilled

-Wrap in foil for packing and travel


Everyone loves a good pasta salad at the park! Fortunately I had some leftover angel hair and spaghetti squash chilling in the fridge. The inclusion of this stringy squash adds a crisp, unexpected texture to the dish while also lightening up on your carb intake! I found a jar of pesto on the top shelf of my cupboard, scrounged a few pine nuts out from hiding and incorporated a couple staples even the most casual pizza orderer is bound to have lying around:


Penny Pincher Pasta Salad
Serves 2-3
2 cups cooked, chilled angel hair pasta

¼ small spaghetti squash, cooked, scraped from skin and chilled

2 tbsp pesto

1 tbsp chopped pine nuts

1.5 tbsp grated parmesan

2 tsp salt

3 pinches of pizza pepper flakes

-Mix everything together in a medium mixing bowl
-Transfer to to-go container and top with an extra dusting of cheese and a few more pepper flakes


Slumming Summer Spread Picnic Essentials:

-Sweet picnic blanket
-Picnic basket
-Tupperware containers
-Forks
-Plates
-Napkins
-Koozie clad PBR’s
-Soft cooler (optional but always good for containment purposes!)
-Million dollar view (Mandatory)

Sitting on the lawn in the shadow of the Fairmont, we watched the lights go on at Grace Cathedral as we enjoyed our picnic and company. The marble fountain at the center of the park was beautifully lit and Spartacus the Chihuahua came by for frequent visits. Our paninis were warm and gooey, the pasta salad was delicious and the spicy wasabi brocslaw was easily washed down with ice cold Pabst.

Picnic love was in the air and dusk on Snob Hill has never been richer!