Date Night Dessert

There is a restaurant in SF called Beretta. Very super yum.
The best part is the Vanilla Panna Cotta with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt.
It is like digging into a foreign country you are no so sure about, but intrigued by. And then you want more. Lots more. The taste is just so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time it makes you dizzy. Then you just get over it, and keep going.
You could do it with vanilla ice cream too. I am going to make that in the very near future. Oh, hell yes.

End of Preschool

Preschool Graduation happened last thursday. It was very low-key. I will miss that time in our lives. The photo on the top is with her teacher.
Tonight, the husband and I are getting a very rare, very coveted date in sf. I am looking forward to our culinary adventure together.

Bar Tartine

Five year old taking a photo of our weird faces.....



Our angry faces.......



Trying to look normal......




Our friend Brooke!!!



Can you feel the love??




The best auntie in the world!



One of my most favorite restaurants...ever...


The best five year old photographer I have ever met!! Bravo little thing. She was in heaven being in the swing of things I tell ya.




Oh, my ultimate playground; San Francisco.
M. and I got here this afternoon and we proceeded to eat dinner at my favorite restaurant in here called Bar Tartine.
Monteray Sardines with fiddle head ferns, grapefruit and rhubarb soda
NY steak with oyster mushrooms. kimchee onions and sauteed asparagus
Home made vanilla malt ice cream
A couple of glasses of wine thrown in;
Divine friday night.
We took some funny photos!

Turnips with Chicken in Walnut Sauce

There were turnips in our CSA box this week. I find it very satisfying to figure out new ways to eat them. Here is what I came up with tonight:

6 or 7 small turnips trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Greens from turnips washed, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup walnuts
3 tablespoons olive oil (for walnut sauce)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or another herb you like)
4 large chicken thighs, no bones, no skin
salt
pepper

In a bowl, mix bread crumbs olive oil and milk. Set aside

Sautee turnips with evoo until tender and slightly browned; about 15 to 20 minutes. Right before you turn off the heat, after the turnips are cooked, add the turnip greens and cover with lid. This will steam and cook the greens. Leave the lid on for at least 5 minutes.

Grill the chicken thighs and coarsely chop. Add chicken to the turnip mixture and gently stir to combine.

In a blender, add the bread crumb/milk/olive oil mixture, herbs and walnuts. Have a bit of extra milk handy in case you need to add more. Add a big pinch of salt and 5 or 6 grinds of pepper and turn blender on low. Blend for about 15 to 20 seconds. Taste for salt and consistency. This should have bits of walnuts but be mostly blended. Like the consistency of buttermilk. Add more milk if it is too thick, blending for only a couple of pulses.
Pour into a bowl and then ladle out 4 heaping tablespoons into the turnip mixture.
Serve.

PS. I have added a feature on my sidebar with direct links to recipes, so you don't have to scroll through pages to find them!

Bali fun

annoyed I was trying to get a good shot!





The clown costume was carefully picked out for the night. Very good choice I thought.

Last weekend, the children were up waaaaay too late, but we all had a fantastic time. We are extremely fortunate to have a live event venue just a short drive from our house. This weekend was a Balinese orchestra. My photos are slightly out of focus. It was just a bad photo night for me.
And, a new party cocktail for you...my friend brought over all the ingredients to our dinner party, and it is my new favorite summer drink.

Plum Wine Cocktail
In a low ball glass, fill with ice
Fill 3/4 of the way with dry sake
Fill the rest of the way with plum wine
Squeeze a wedge of lemon


Disclaimer here: I do not like plum wine. I find it overly sweet. But, in this drink it just works. I prefer my drinks heavy on lemon and not very sweet, but you can adjust this to your liking.
It was very very good.

When Ghosts Steal Cookies

Tonight, right before bedtime my delightful daughter had to poop. And, because she was eating a cookie when she figured out she needed a bathroom break, she asked if she could finish eating the cookie while doing her business. I figured she would eat the cookie on the way to the bathroom, but I give her a bowl to minimize the cookie crumb situation just in case. I send her on her way to the bathroom, and go check emails. Sometimes I have lots of time to check my emails while she is in the bathroom.
15 minutes later, I hear her yell "Done Mommy!" like she always does, and I go check on her.
I check the bathroom floor and start wiping up the crumbs. I guess she forgot she had a bowl? Anyway, then she launches in.

"Mommy, something terrible has happened. Someone stole my cookie and I am really mad. I ate a little bit of it, and left a big round piece in the bowl and it disappeared. I was concentrating on my poop, and suddenly when I looked back, it was gone. It was just gone mama. I think a ghost ate it mama. A ghost stole my cookie!"

"Ummm.......Ok, well, wow! What a story".

"Yes mama. And now I need another cookie Mama, cause a ghost stole mine"

I almost gave her a second cookie because I was so impressed with her acting abilities. Instead I got out the "Ghost Spray" guaranteed to eliminate ghosts in any room. Boy, that mint oil and water spray really does the trick.

Mommy President

I am a little tired after our jam-packed weekend.
Sunday night M. announced to me while singing songs before bed the following:

"Mama, did you know you are my president?"

"What does that mean to be your president?"

"Oh mommy, you know what a president is! There are presidents like of this world, but you are the president of me, and I love you mommy."

We cuddled extra long that night!