Welcome the Puppy Party

My friend and co-worker L raises guide dog puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind and just came home with her 11th guide dog puppy.  In celebration she and her husband C threw a 'Welcome the Puppy Party' at their home this evening.  May I just say that 'Pedro' the puppy is an excellent addition to the clan.  Not only is he adorable, but he is also calm and sweet.  Not one of my fingers or toes were chewed on and he cuddled up and fell asleep in several people's arms tonight.  L&C made fish tacos with fish C had caught on a recent fishing expedition.  I again got so excited by these that I forgot to take a picture of the food, but trust me it was really, really good.  Plus, if I had remembered I am sure I would get weird looks from my co-workers for whipping out my camera to take pictures of my dinner.  Oh, and there was also a divine lemon meringue pie for dessert, one of my all time favorites.  Good food, great company, and lots of fun.  Thanks L&C!

Chocolate for Breakfast

Trader Joe's has these amazing frozen croissants with chocolate inside.  They come in a small package of 4, you set them out on a baking sheet and they thaw and rise overnight.  

Then you just pop them in the oven for 20 minutes and ta-da!!! - fresh baked pastry for breakfast.  Yum.

Served with scrambled eggs with brie, bacon, and cantaloupe they made for quite the Sunday morning breakfast.  

I don't feel one bit bad about sending Chris's brother on his way home with a happily chocolate pastry filled tummy.

Maker's Party

We are getting ready for a party at a friend's house tonight in celebration of the Maker's Faire this weekend.  There several people we know in town for the Faire that we have not seen for a while so it should be good fun.  I have laid out my clothes and there is water boiling for a pasta dinner for the three of us (Chris's brother is in town and they went to the Faire today) to eat before we go as it is a cocktail and sweets party*.  We will hopefully catch up with a lot of people and the Boys will be able to dish about all of the cool stuff they saw today, like electric motorcycles, flame throwers, and segway polo.  Ahhhh.....  the joy of Geekdom!

* and yes it was a good party.  We had good friends there to catch up with.  Our host set out a wonderful spread with margaritas, champagne, sodas, and beer to drink and lemon cupcakes, pies, fruit with chocolate dipping sauce, and assorted candies to nibble on.  It was so nice that she wasn't running around trying to get dinner on the table, and we got to catch up with everyone in a very relaxed un-structured way.  There were about 10 people there so it was easy to talk to everyone.  A very low-stress (looking) form of entertaining people and rather inspiring.  Thanks S!

Repeat

After a hectic week, off to Mack's I go with brother-in-law, co-worker friend, and husband in tow.  This time Ribs, after all I've got to branch out once in a while.

Ahhhh.....

Just got back from dinner at Mack's BBQ in San Carlos.  I got so excited to get in there I totally forgot my camera!  Jason and Vicki are the owners there and are so sweet and wonderful.  They set us up with a lovely dinner, I got the pulled pork sandwich as always, and Chris and I spent hours out back on the patio there.  Jason and Vicki came out and hung out with us for a while, once everything slowed down for them, and we chatted all about life and work and play.  We've always been friendly with them, but tonight we actually became friends.  It's such a great feeling to live in a small town in the big Bay Area and to feel like you are actually a part of the community.  After moving here about 8 months ago I am finally feeling that I belong here, that I am at home.

Grrrrrr.....

I will not go into detail here, but after 45 min on the phone to one of our credit card companies, I am really and truly tired of being in debt.  I got so frustrated on the phone I was actually shaking and Chris had to take over.  We are slowly and painfully working our way out of Debt, and don't have a whole lot left but, Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!  I feel the need to go out and eat pulled pork BBQ from Mack's now, not that it will help with our debt, but I need comfort food that I didn't cook!

Monday Sunday Night Dinner

Reconnected with Chris over a roasted chicken dinner.  Quick and easy recipe.  Got a good free range chicken at the local butcher's, squeezed lemon over top, bit of good olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.  Arranged farmer's market potatoes and carrots around  it along with a whole head's worth of garlic, tossed with olive oil, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.  Baked it @ 400 for 1 hour.  Served with the last of the asiago cheese bread and a glass of cold white wine.

It was nice to sit at the table over this and chat.  We have both been lost in our own little worlds today, being quite and reading at home all day.  We are very, very relaxed right now and likely will both be in bed snoozing away by 9:30 tonight.

Farmer's Market inspired Breakfasts

Mmmmmm............  San Carlos has a Thursday night Farmer's market which runs May through September each year.  It just started up again and we are loving eating fresh local produce, baked goods, etc.  Chris and I walked up to the market on Thursday (for once he was not in class) and perused through the stalls.  We toted home two bags full of goodies including asparagus, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, potatoes, carrots, parsley, and fresh baked asiago cheese bread.  It inspired us to skip our typical weekend brunch out (saving an easy 30-40 $) and to eat in.  Above is my new favorite breakfast/brunch plate at my own private cafe, a goat cheese egg scramble with steamed asparagus, thick sliced bacon, and asiago cheese toast. Below is a layered fruit (peaches and farmer's market blueberries) and yogurt salad topped of with a swirl of 'Small Bees' honey picked up from the weekly farmers market at work (working at a huge place has it's perks).  This was paired with a goat cheese, ham, and green onion scramble.  

Book Club Reunion

So a few years ago, when I was single, I was in this awesome all women's book club in SF.  We were all single, dating, and growing up together and would have lengthy and racy talks less about the book we had all read (or not read) and more about our lives and dating.  We all eventually scattered to the winds, found our partners, and the book club came to an end.  It just so happened that all of us were going to be in town this weekend and we decided to get together again and bring our significant others.  The 'reunion' was hosted in Oakland, so I packed up my hubby and a big bowl of cherries, blueberries, and strawberries from the San Carlos farmer's market, some folding chairs, and we headed off.  It was so amazing to see everyone again.  Six years ago we were all single and finding our way and now we are all married, or very close - last one is getting married in July '09; and some of us even have children (that are 4 years old)!!!  It was so neat to see how everyone is doing and catch up and reconnect.  We were bound and determined to have a out door potluck, so we all bundled up (it was chilly in the low 50's) and set out a spread in the backyard.  Someone brought huge red and yellow heirloom tomatoes and made a yummy goat cheese and pesto dressing for them, there was also the summer's first ears of corn spread with butter and pink Hawaiian salt, homemade garlicky hummus, and of course good old fashioned hot dogs with all the fixin's.  The kids blew bubbles and watered the garden and we grazed and chatted the afternoon away.  

Coming home we met up with a co-worker friend of mine and went out to dinner at one of the only open places in San Carlos on a Sunday night, Sneakers.  He had been on a fried food ban since New Years, but it was his birthday, so we got these horrifically spicy garlic fries which were coated in buffalo wing seasoning.  He and my husband both literally broke out in a sweat trying to handle those.  We then came back to our apartment and I made really yummy chocolate chip cookies and we played Wii games into the wee hours.

30

My 30th birthday was Friday.  I was done freaking out about it a few months ago, so it was pretty wonderful.  I woke up to a new iPod alarm clock that my husband managed to plug in and set up without me waking up(!) and a hilarious cover of the Beatles 'I hear it's your Birthday' by the Sharks, went to work (doing a job I've wanted to do for the past 10 years), had a mini party thrown by my co-workers during the A.M. break, a tear jerker sweet e-mail from my Mom, lunch out with my friends, a co-worker's retirement party at a hula inspired restaurant porch in Palo Alto, and dinner at Nola's with hubby and friends.  A hectic and wonderful day.