Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings

Every now and then, I get a phone call that someone is coming to visit (me in) the Bay Area. (Only because I happen to live here, but they really just want to visit S F. :) ) This past weekend a former high school friend was passing through on her way back to the Phil. She and another former high school buddy, who now lives in Southern California, were both weekenders here . So I went played tourist with both of them.

At Fisherman's wharf, we saw crab, and all things seafood... and this:

He was happy to pose for me. :) He works for:

Working in a school, I thought this should not be too difficult for me. Perhaps a picture of the library and the terrific librarian whose job is going to be cut next year due to the budget crisis! (ARRGG)....

Or these ... These are my recent acquisition. Why two books? I usually give away books that I love so others may enjoy them too... or even ones I do not strong feelings for. :)

But this one, I really enjoyed and plan to take my copy with me on my next visit to Paris so I can find some of the things David wrote about.... like the sinfully thick chocolate at that dive on the 5th! So I thought, if I am to share, I better order some other copy to give forward.

As the say in the kids' show Reading Rainbow, "Get a copy for yourself, read it, you'll enjoy it!"

No, not food in Egypt, rather ... Pyramids Restaurant in Honolulu.

I just got done reading David Lebovitz' link on photographing food - hmm - annoyance to some... LOL

Instead of shying away from it, I decided (shamelessly) to post some of the photos I took when we had the mini GTG in Honolulu...

We started with these appetizers - hummus and falafel.... great with the flat bread.

My dinner was rotisserie chicken. The rice was presented in pyramid fashion.... cute

At least, I only took pictures of my dinner. Hopefully the annoyance was at a minimum... I did not ask my dinner companions to hold off on eating before I could take pictures of their dinner choices... LOL

Food was great. Susan made a good choice on the restaurant selection. The place was packed, so it maybe a local favorite too.... Thank you, Susan.

Kim shared this salad recipe with our group... complete with nutritional info. Check it out.

Tracey and I made this for dinner. I must admit, it was mostly Tracey who did it. She even did the shopping for all the ingredients. She grilled the chicken breasts as well... Look for the recipe after the photo....

I forgot to add the olives... found them as I was cleaning the counter... Forgot to add the cheese prior to the photo, but added it to our salad plates. This salad is delicious!!!

This is a keeper. I will make this again this summer. Try it... recipe on the next page.

No, this does not qualify as gourmet, not even cheap gourmet. It is so against the Slow Food movement.... but in one big weak moment -

Malasadas from Leonards.... Hey, it's famous! :)

Taro pie from you know where.... Hey, it's somewhat exotic --- taro is one of the ingredients... ok, way down there after sugar and other preservatives (perhaps - because I could not pronounce them!)

(This is why I could never qualify writing a Food Blog... thought to self.) Photos all taken on my Sheraton bed... And my son gave me the idea for this post. LOL...

Waikiki's French Touch -

Yumm...

This week Salad Samplers featured Jan's Shrimp Salad.

Shrimp Salad

1 pound extra large shrimp (16-20)fresh, wild if you can find them.
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
¼ cup mayo
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, tarragon or parsley.
1 large stalk celery chopped
¼ large red pepper chopped
salt and pepper

Steam the shrimp for about 5 minutes in water with Old Bay.
When cool enough to handle, remove shells and chop into about 5 or 6
pieces per shrimp.
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss in the chopped shrimp and chill.

Serve over a bed of lettuce of your choice.

I had some large shrimp in the freezer so I used those. I did not have any of the Old Bay seasoning, so I used some herbes de Provence seasoning instead. I was at Trader Joes and did not find any of the Old Bay seasoning there. The TJ staff member who was helping me had no idea what I was looking for. :)

Since my shrimp were frozen and large I steamed them for a little longer than 5 minutes.

I also substituted the Dijon mustard with Mendocino mustard. Other than these two substitutions, I used every other ingredient per Jan's recipe.

We had this for dinner with baguette and some brie and some wine.

My daughter commented that this was the first salad recipe that was not huge. We both loved this.... and wishing there was more to share with others.... because we loved it.

Jan, great salad. Thank you for sharing.

I am late in making this for the Sunday Salad Samplers but so thankful to Cindy for sharing this recipe. When I first read the post I questioned the "Grilled Romaine" part but wanted to try it out and so glad that I did. Delicious!

GRILLED ROMAINE SALAD Serves 4
2 heads romaine lettuce
Extra-virgin olive oil
Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette, recipe below
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Chopped tomatoes
Homemade croutons, if desired

Preheat grill to med-high.
Rinse and pat dry the lettuce. Cut the 2 heads in half lengthwise. Brush surface wtih olive oil and grill about 4 to 5 minutes total, turning occasionally. Place each wedge on a salad plate and drizzle with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette. With a vegetable peeler, shave some pieces from a wedge of Reggiano-Parmigiano over each salad. Top with chopped tomatoes and homemade croutons and serve.

CITRUS CAESAR VINAIGRETTE
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons anchovy paste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Place all ingredients in a pint jar with a lid. Secure the lid, then shake to blend. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I skipped the achovy paste... Grilled Romaine was enough adventure... :) Seriously, Cindy, this was delicious!!! Thanks again.

August 3, 2009 - Ok, I am really just at the airport for now.... HongKong airport.

Island 1 – Hongkong. We arrive at the Hongkong International Airport. We have a 9 hour layover. Yes, 9 hours! There is only a single flight direct to Cebu City from Hongkong and that is not leaving until 4 PM and it is only 7AM now. So Tracey and I wait. We checked with Cathay Pacific to find out about our flight. We have no gate assignment. Too early per the person at the check in counter. We wait.

We shop – window shop. I can’t afford to do any other kind of shopping. If I were a shopping addict, I would think I am at a buyer’s Disneyland. This can easily be one’s “Happiest Shopping Place on Earth”. Seriously, you can go to Chanel, Burberry, Tiffany, and pick yourself up a Prada all during a layover! I window shopped as I have to save my pennies for the Philippines. Besides, I am too beat from the 12 hour flight, judging from this photo.

Actually Tracey and I spent our money elsewhere. We decided to get a lunch at an airport restaurant called Wildfire. Tracey called my attention to the table setting. They had silverware but with a plastic knife place setting. They must worry about passengers taking butter knives on board and be a threat to society. Ok, works for us.

The food was awesome. We ordered a Duck Confit salad and a sampler appetizer. Everything was really good… well except for the smoked salmon which resembled raw to my simplistic taste. I passed on that. I loved the stacked grilled tomato and eggplant topped with mozzarella, basil, and tomato. I want to recreate this at home.

I wanted to blog regularly while on vacation but (vacation) fun gets in the way sometimes. :) So I am going to try to post some late entries. This one is 14 days overdue!

August 4, 2009 – The island of Cebu.

A few cousins were there to meet us. Good thing because I would not want to brave the streets of Cebu City and their daredevils called cab drives. We checked in at the local Marriott.

Upon arrival we went to dinner at a restaurant that featured Filipino food - Café Laguna. After a long flight it was great to see family and have my feet planted on Tierra firma and enjoy authentic Filipino food.

First full day in the island of Cebu… Visiting my 88 year-old Mom was the main agenda for this trip. Tracey and I went to see her on the first day. It is wonderful to see her healthy and looking happy. She seemed happy to see us too. She even asked about her other grandchildren, Shawn and Mike. She recognized Tracey. She is looking wonderful and she seems very content here.

Small Bites - Coconut Shrimp with Pinepaple Salsa (Eden's concoction)

Each Sunday some slowtravel chefs are venturing into a new cooking / blogging activity. This one started this week. I may very well be stepping out of my comfort zone, as I am not as good as these chefs. But, here I go anyway ... late (YIKES) but here. This time, the group will do appetizers or small bites.

The group baked, made ice cream, stirred soups, tossed salads in the past. This time, there are no set recipes to follow, but each one prepares their own appetizer. The connecting factor is that each week there will be a single main ingredient. So on the first week, Cindy from Alaska started us with her choice of ingredient - Shrimp.

I gathered some Coconut Shrimp recipes online and kind of put this one together. I also opted for baking the Coconut Shrimp instead of frying... not that I have anything against frying. I just hate the clean up after. I also used (or made do) with the ingredients I had in my kitchen cupboard.

My ingredients were:

Coconut Shrimp:

1 & 1/2 pounds of large shrimp - (16-20 count per pound) I had 22 pieces
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice seasoning
2 large eggs
1 & 1/2 cups of flaked sweetened coconut
Cooking spray

Pinepaple Salsa:

Chopped fresh pineapple
Chopped red onions
Harry and David Hot & Smoky Pepper & Onion Relish

Ida aka VicoGirl led us this week in the Sunday Small Bites challenge. Her chosen ingredient is Crab. Thank you, Ida. I love crab.

I went the Crab Roll-Up way, after looking at many recipes on the net. I decided to wrap mine in Cresent Rolls dough. I found a recipe on the internet that used this and I only tweaked it a little bit.

I used the following ingredients:
5 oz container of Dungeness crabmeat
3 stalks of green onions, minced
5 mushrooms, chopped finely
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheese... your choice
2 packages of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2 tablespoons butter

Saute green onions and mushrooms in butter about three minutes or until tender. Add crabmeat. Stir to heat and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning. Mix.

Take the crab mixture from the heat. Take the crescent roll dough pieces apart. Spread about a teaspoon full onto the wider part of the crescent roll dough. Sprinkle a pinch of shredded cheese on top of the crab mixture. Roll and form into crescents. Repeat until all dough pieces are stuffed. I made about 16 of them... there was enough filling to fill all dough pieces from the 2 packages.

I follow David Lebovitz's blog... read his website deligently ... own his cookbooks... not that I really cook... but did you know that cookbooks are good reads?

So David is in town. I decided I have to see / hear him. His first appearance (that I know of) was in Emeryville. I ordered tickets. I talked my daughter, Tracey, into going to one of his appearances. Since Tracey now lives in Emeryville - the venue, Charles Chocolates, was in her hood, I thought it would be a great idea if she went to meet David too. :)

So I went to Tracey's apartment on Wednesday night, hurried her along as I did not want to be late for David's apparition. :) David's talk was scheduled from 6-8PM. So we get to Charles Chocolates around 6:15 PM... 15 minutes late ... to find the parking lot to ourselves. We went to the front of the building to check things out... What? Did they shut the door for late arrivals? Now, I am going to be p&@$ed.... Afterall, I drove up the busy freeway and fought rush hour traffic to get here!

So I shook the door which turned out to be locked... chained ... locked... Shook it again... Shhh, do not tell anyone what happened after...

Anyway, I was a day early...DARN! So we went to dinner... will blog about that restaurant one day...

I was determined to see him, so I went back the next day - yesterday, Thursday. Success!

Upon arriving at Charles Chocolates on the RIGHT DAY, I spotted David eating Charles' SMORES...a $5+ block of graham cracker, chocolate bar and marshmallow square. David says one can make a dinner of it!

David talking about his "The Sweet Life in Paris"...So casual and cool.

After his talk, he signed books... including my ... Sweet Life.. and Perfect Scoop.

This is part of the crowd lined up to meet the man.

Would he think I am a stalker if I go see him in San Francisco on Monday? hmmm. I need a copy of The Sweet Life in Paris for Tracey... who incidentally want to temporarily relocate to Paris...

Our ingredient of the week is avocado. My daughter, Tracey, suggested that I make some avocado sushi - that she has had (many times) for lunch at a Japanese restaurant that she frequents in San Mateo. It is close to her work.

I researched online to find out some Avocado Sushi recipes but I have not seen any that is close to what Tracey has been describing to me. She said there is no rice in this avocado sushi. So we decided to make our version of this avocado sushi.

Eden's Steak and Avocado Rolls (Fake Sushi )

Ingredients:

Thin Strips of steak (I cut thin strips from a steak package I got at Costco)

Avocado, thinly sliced

Green onions, thinly sliced into strips

Teriyake Sauce

Options:

Olive oil to cook thin strips of beef in. I think you can grill these strips, if you wish

Garlic Salt and Pepper to season beef

Procedure:

1. Cut strips of beef (as thin as possible)

2. Season the beef strips in garlic salt and dash of pepper
3. Cook the beef in olive oil until it was slightly brown (pretty quick)

4. When all the beef strips are done, put a strip of avocado and a strip of green onion in the middle of the beef strip.
5. Roll the beef and drizzle teriyake sauce on top of the " Steak and Avocado Sushi Roll".

It was so good, we made more and had some with Raspberry Margaritas.

I have the week off, so I decided to get some blogging done.... Here is my contribution to Small Bites selection of ingredients this week - Cranberries.

I searched for a recipe on the internet, something easy and manageable... I thought this fits the bill. The recipe is from www.cooksrecipes.com.

Cranberry Ambrosia- Cream Cheese Spread.

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 (6-ounce) package sweetened dried cranberries (divided use)
1 (151/2 -ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained well
1 (3 1/2 -ounce) can shredded coconut (divided use)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Pecan halves toasted
Ginger Snaps as accompaniment

Procedure:

1. Stir together cream cheese and sugar until well blended, Add dried cranberries, reserving 1/4 cup cranberries.

2. Drain pineapple and oranges: pat dry between layers of paper towels. Set oranges aside. Stir pineapples and coconut into the cream cheese mixture, reserving 1/4 cup coconut. Stir in chopped pecans. Spoon mixture into a serving bowl.

3. Sprinkle reserved dried cranberries around the edges of bowl. Arrange orange segments around the inside edge of cranberries. Sprinkle reserved 1/4 cup coconut in center and top with pecan halves. Serve with gingersnaps.

Here are some of my alterations:

I cut the recipe in half. I used walnuts instead of pecans because it is what I had. I did not dry the pineapple or oranges in paper towel... just drained them. I also estimated the coconut I used because I did not find canned coconut, just the plastic packaged ones.

I thought this was pretty sweet. If I were to make it again, I wil cut the sugar out...

I am resurrecting my blog for Artichokes! :)

Sometime in my PTA past, I remember an old friend always brought her Artichoke salads to potluck get togethers. I wanted to recreate it for small bites. That was my thought when I was at Safeway this morning. Ok, this is not really an appetizer but it can be a first course and served on small plates. :)

So I picked up what I thought were ingredients for this salad. When I got home, I looked online for the recipe. I found out, I was missing a couple of ingrdients, so I went with what I had.

Ingredients (I used)

Jar of artichoke hearts (14.75 oz.)
1 Box of Chicken flavored Rice A Roni (Family Size)
5 stalks green onions (chopped)
1/2 sliced almonds (optional)
1 cup cooked chicken - stripped (optional)
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Procedure:

Cook rice a roni according to directions.
Chop quartered artichokes if smaller size is desired.
Save artichoke marinade.
Mix marinade with mayonnaise to make salad dressing.
Mix all other ingredients to cooked rice.

Refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.

Suggested ingredients (as found online): Chopped olives and chopped bell peppers.

My son and I sampled the salad right after it was done. It tasted good. I had another serving after it sat for a few hours. It tasted better. :)

So I have not been able to visit Paris for a couple of years... maybe three...and I really miss it.

My former colleagues asked me to meet them for dinner last night at a new Crepes restaurant here in Fremont. So I thought, I can pretend to be having my crepes from some stand somewhere in the Left Bank...

Here is my Spinach and Mushroom cheesy choice... Cheesy was the item name on the menu, so French - NOT!

I got home and had some French Macarons... ok, it is not LaDuree, but rather Trader Joes... but I can pretend.

For some visual effects, I can look and look again at the photos in this 2010 calendar a friend/volunteer at school gave me. :)

The best part of the evening was catching up with Julie and Trish, who are awesome friends and wonderful teachers. I am so thankful that I have them as long-time friends.

I can't believe it! I have my entry for Small Bites ready and it is not even Sunday yet! LOL.

Today I cooked some lentils... Dal... an Indian dish that I have tried at the Indian restaurants down the street from my home.

I browsed the Indian section at Safeway to find some spices that are appropriate for what I planned to cook. I bought this pack.

Today's selection was pretty simple. Had I been paying attention and not playing on the computer, the first batch of lentils would not have burnt. YIKES!

Ingredients:

1 cup of lentils, cooked in water until soft and mushy ... (to me meant done)
2 cups of water
1 package of Indian spices (shown above)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
a pinch of salt ( to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of curry powder ( or more to taste)
plain yogurt

Procedure:

Cook 1 cup of lentils in 2 cups of water. Cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes. Add water if needed.

When lentils are done, put 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan. Add the entire contents of the packaged spices. Cook in medium heat.

When the mixture become frothy, add the lentils. Salt to taste.

I only used 2/3 of the cooked lentils because the packaged spices did not seem like a lot.

I added some curry because it was pretty bland to my taste. I topped it with some yogurt which seemed to improve the flavor of an otherwise dish that is lacking in flavor. My son and future DIL however, really liked it.

I served it with flat bread slices.

Although the spices indicated DAL soup, my dish did not have much water to be considered soup.

I became obssessed with this eggplant appetizer that I first tasted at an airport restaurant (of all places) in Hong Kong this past summer. I planned to recreate it since, so I searched the internet for similar recipes. I could not remember what it was called so I just googled Stacked Eggplants. Lo and behold there were many Stacked Eggplant recipes! I love eggplants and with a new discovery - across the ocean miles, I was ready for this ingredient! With all the versions of Stacked Eggplant recipes online and I only discovered this 4 months ago, I am beginning to think that I lead a very sheltered life or lived under a rock all these years. Anyways-

My ingredients:

1 eggplant or 2 if smaller size are used (sliced 1/4 inch thick or thin?)
salt
2 eggs (beaten)
2 cups flour
2 cups bread crumbs
Cooking oil for frying
4 cups marinara or tomato sauce
16 ounce piece of mozarella (sliced thin) (Trader Joes has pre-sliced mozarella)
tomatoes (sliced thin)
shredded parmessan cheese
basil

How to -

Slice eggplants into thin slices. Place slices on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt (to your liking, I sprinkled salt very lightly). Let stand for about 15 minutes.

Heat marinara sauce and keep warm.

Dredge eggplant slices in flour.

Dip in beaten eggs and coat with bread crumbs.

Heat cooking oil in pan and fry eggplant slices until golden brown. Set aside.

Assemble stacked eggplants on a baking dish.

Start with fried eggplant slice, sprinkling of parmessan, add a tablespoon of marinara sauce, a slice of mozarella. Repeat.

Heat in 350 degree oven until cheese melts, about 5-7 minutes.

To serve, top with more marinara sauce, a slice of tomato, sprinkle parmessan cheese, and top with basil.

Enjoy!

One day last week, while on winter break, one of my retired friends asked me to meet her and another friend for lunch.

We headed over to Niles area... a section in Fremont where businesses are mainly antigues shops and the ambience is Old Town.

We walked around Niles for a little bit and ended up at Thyme for Tea. It is a charming little tea place in the middle of an antigue shop.

Customers can use any one hat from the abundant hat collection that they have in the corner. I guess the fancy hats add to the tea ambience.... But these two kids came all decked up for their afternoon event.

I thought she was just lovely.

Here is my plate of tea sandwiches.

My retired friend, Celmira enjoying her tea.

After the tea we stopped at a shop where I found this. (When pigs fly) :)

An enjoyable afternoon. Must do this more often, Must go back soon.

I started this post weeks ago, before I went back to school after winter break and never posted it. So here goes.... For the class Christmas party, we had a Rudolph theme.

We read the story of Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer.

We made Rudolph sandwiches for our party. Of course, we needed directions for everyone to follow... :)

Then the children put their peanut butter and jelly on...

Close the slices of bread and viola! Rudolph, yeah?

Big nose, but Santa needed all the light through the fog...

Today is the start of Sunday's Slow Supper. Amy got us started with a delicious Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken. Here is Amy's recipe.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp smoked paprika (Plus a bit more for inside the chicken)
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp softened butter
2 teaspoons garlic salt (or 1 teaspoon salt plus 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 whole 4-5 pound roasting chicken
1 onion, quartered

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Rinse the chicken off. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels (otherwise the paste won't stick).

2. Mix together the paprika, honey, lemon juice, butter, garlic salt, and pepper. Spread it over the entire surface of the chicken, then place chicken on a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle a bit of paprika into the cavity, and place the cut onion in the cavity.

3 Bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or more. You may need to adjust the time depending on how big your chicken is. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165-170°F for the breast and 180-185°F for the thigh. I like to cover the breast with foil for part of the time so it doesn't dry out.

4 Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carve and serve.

I cooked this at my daughter's place and we both declared it delicious!

I followed everything, well, pretty much - but at the end of the 1 and a quarter hour I thought the chicken can do a bit more cooking. So I returned the roast in the oven for another 20 minutes. I also put some of that "rub" inside the cavity of the chicken instead of just on its outer body. Perhaps that is why my chicken is paler than most of the others. I did not end up with a crispy chicken skin which I must confess I love, so maybe it was better for me that way.

Thank you for a great start, Amy! I definitely want to do this again... Afterall, I have more Smoked Paprika. :)

Balanced

Prior to our (my daughter and I) visit to Asia this past summer, my daughter researched things she wanted to see, visit, and eat while in Singapore. Lazy me went along with all she wanted to do.... I enjoyed that way of traveling -have someone else plan everything. So one of the things that she really wanted to try while in Singapore was Chili Crab, a seafood dish that originated in Singapore. Thus the balanced crab - the life of which hang on a balance.

Ok, backtrack... on how we got to the crab.

One of the days spent in Singapore , we headed to the Merlion area, as we, actually she read it was one famous tourist spot.

Here it is.

My daughter took this photo of me. I tried to take one of hers in a similar shot.... but I failed (miserably) to get that effect. Wonder how much balancing was necessary to get his shot. :)

From the Merlion area, we took a cruise to see the sights from the water.... or of the water.

The boat had this Warning Sign. Each infraction looked like the moves involved lots of balancing. I was not going to try any of those shenanigans. LOL.

We decided to have lunch away along the way and we were on the hunt for Chili Crab, My two cousins were with us on this holiday.

So here we are. Poor Crab before... balancing to determine how much he or perhaps she was going to cost us.

Midway.... looking delicious... and balancing on its claws.

After.... :( he had to give up the ghost for us.

I followed the recipe that Shannon supplied us except for the squash. I could not find banana squash, so I used butternut squash instead. (Confession: I do not even know what a banana squash look like... but I am sure I did not see one at Safeway, LOL)

I also used red chard, as that was the only chard there was when I went grocery shopping.

Shannon's Squash, Pepper, Chard, and Corn Stew

1 medium onion, diced
3 – 5 garlic cloves, chopped
¾ pound banana squash, peeled and cut into pieces about ½ inch wide (I used butternut squash instead)
2 – 3 T olive oil
1 t. Greek oregano
1 green pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 T. flour
2 T. chile powder
½ t. cumin
1 c. dry white wine
2 c. broth of choice
3 – 4 c. tomatoes, diced
½ bunch chard, blanched and cut into ribbons with the tougher stems cut away
1 ½ c. frozen corn
¾ c. sour cream or yogurt to taste
Chopped cilantro and green onions for garnish

Very lightly sauté the onion, garlic and squash in oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot, then add oregano, red and green peppers, flour, chile powder and cumin. Stir together and cook for a minute or two longer.

Add wine, broth, and tomatoes, then cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add chard and corn, then cook for a further 15-20 minutes.

Taste for seasoning. If stew is too liquid, pour off liquid into a small saucepan and boil down until reduced and richly flavored.

Just before serving, stir in sour cream or yogurt. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and green onions.

I used sour cream and cilantro for garnish. I had this for dinner with some sourdough bread. Yummm. I had some for lunch the following two days. I liked it even more on the two days that I had the leftovers. Thank you for picking this Shannon.

Jerry's choice for the Sunday Slow Suppers was this delicious Risotto. I have not cooked risotto ever until a week ago. I turned out pretty delicious, so I will defintely do this again. I have to use all this arborio rice after all.

I followed everything (almost) that the recipe called for... well, except that I used shallots instead of the yellow onion and I did not have white wine at home (is that terrible?) so I skipped that part.

Risotto al Granchio e Gamberi

Ingredients:
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined and each cut into 4 or 5 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken or fish broth or water
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups medium-grain rice such as arborio, vialone nano or carnaroli
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 lb. fresh-cooked crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell fragments

In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic and 2 Tbs. of the parsley in 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, stirring once or twice, until the garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, just until the shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside. Add the broth to the saucepan and bring just barely to a simmer.

In a large saucepan or risotto pan over medium heat, warm 3 Tbs. of the oil. Add the onion and sauté until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the kernels are hot and coated with oil, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and continue to cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed.

Add the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and making sure the liquid has been absorbed before adding more. When the rice is about half cooked, stir in the tomatoes, salt and pepper. The risotto is done when the rice grains are creamy on the outside and firm yet tender to the bite, 20 to 25 minutes total. Rice varies, so you may not need all of the broth or you may need more. If more liquid is required, use hot water.

Stir in the shrimp and crabmeat and cook, stirring, just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Remove the risotto from the heat. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbs. each oil and parsley. Spoon the risotto into warmed soup bowls and serve immediately.
Serves 6 to 8

This was really delicious and my son and his fiancee declared it to be so as well. We also enjoyed the left overs. Next time, I may use some scallops along with the shrimp and crab.

Candi picked this dish for our 4th week. It is easy to prepare, fast-cooking and delicious!

Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

cooking oil
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size cubes or strips
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
8 oz. jelly, oyster or shitake mushrooms, sliced
red-eye chili pepper to taste,seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. corn starch(optional)
1/2 cup unsalted cashews

Heat 2 to 3 Tbsp. of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and onions and stir-fry until browned. Sear chicken on both sides for about three minutes(I use the sides of the skillet).(The chicken should be almost fully cooked at this point, if need to, cook for longer). Add fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar and mix for another minute. Add vegetables and stir-fry for a minute or two. Add the chicken broth, cover and simmer for three to four minutes until vegetables are tender and chicken is fully cooked.

If you wish to thicken the sauce, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and vegetables to a plate, and add cornstarch to the sauce whisking for a minute or two until sauce is thickened. Transfer the chicken and vegetables back to the skillet to keep warm.

Serve the stir-fry over your favorite rice and top with cashews.

Heading a lot of people's comments about preparing the ingredients before starting to cook, I did that as well. Good thing, as the cooking goes pretty fast.

It was great over rice.

Except for a couple of things, I followed most of the recipe. The exceptions: 1. I skipped the sugar. 2. I used water instead of the broth. 3. I used a red chili, (see photo) as I did not see any of the red-eye chili. This looked like a red version of the serrano peppers. I used one.

P.S. I also used both shitake and oyster mushrooms because I thought the recipe asked for both. It was only when I was writing this post that I saw the "or" on the mushroom line. :) Blog and learn...

Zuppa Osso Buco

1 pound ground veal
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs (a couple of handfuls)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese (a generous handful)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (eyeball it)

Coarse salt and black pepper
Stoup:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 carrots, peeled
2 ribs celery and their greens
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
Coarse salt and pepper
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine
1 can white beans or cannellini (14 ounces), drained
1 can diced tomatoes in puree or coarsely ground tomatoes (15 ounces)
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock, available in 1 cup small boxes on soup aisle
1 cup egg pasta, broken egg fettuccini or medium egg noodles
Gremolata:

2 cloves garlic, cracked away from skins
1 tin flat fillet anchovies (2 ounces), drained
A handful of flat leaf parsley (about 1/4 cup), loosely packed
1 lemon, zested
Crusty bread, to pass at table
PreparationCombine the veal, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, nutmeg and black pepper. Reserve mix, then wash your hands after handling the raw meat.

Heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium-high heat. Begin to chop veggies while pot heats up: dice carrots into 1/4 inch pieces, then chop celery and onion. Add EVOO, about two turns of the pot, to hot pot and carrots. Turn carrots to coat them in EVOO and add celery and onion as you get them chopped up. Work near the stove so than you can chop and then drop veggies right into the pot.

Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and a bay leaf. Stir vegetables and cook five minutes to begin to soften. Do not let vegetables brown; reduce heat if necessary. Add the wine and cook for one minute. Next, add beans and tomatoes and stock to the pot. Put a lid on the pot and raise heat to high. When soup boils, about three minutes, add 1-inch balls of veal dumplings directly to the pot. When you are done adding the veal, stir in the egg noodles. Simmer stoup for six minutes to cook the noodles and meat dumplings. Adjust seasonings and turn the heat off, then let stoup stand a couple of minutes.

To make the gremoata, pile garlic, anchovies, parsley and lemon zest on a cutting board and finely chop the mixture, then transfer to a small dish.

Serve stoup in shallow bowls with a couple of teaspoons of gremolata on top. Stir the gremolata throughout the stoup and pass crusty bread at the table for dipping and mopping.

I used ground turkey in place of veal. I thought I followed the recipe exactly as stated, except for the Gremolata part, which I deliberately skipped because I do not like anchovies.... well, after we have started to eat, I realized that I forgot to put the parmessan cheese in with the meatballs.

In any case, the Stoup tasted great anyway. My daughter in law and I enjoyed some of this for lunch. We had some Hawaiian bread with this. :)

I have been so behind schedule with Sunday Slow Suppers. Last Sunday's recipe was shared by Jan... and here I am enjoying the dish on Tuesday. Yes, I am late.

Braised Turkey Thighs

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 turkey thighs
1 cup dry white wine
2 large onions, diced
4 medium carrots diced
3 medium stalks of celery diced
8 oz. Mushroom, sliced
4 medium cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
2 bay leaves
1 28 oz. Can crushed tomatoes
parmesan cheese rind (if available)

¼ cup chopped parsley for garnish

Pre heat oven to 325
Heat 2 tbs oil in a Dutch oven, over medium high.
Salt and pepper both sides of the thighs.
Brown them, about 6 minutes each side, in the oil.
Remove from pot. Pour off all the fat.
Add the next 2 tbs to the pot to get hot. Then add the onions, carrots and celery and cook about 7 or 8 minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms and garlic for another couple of minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pot (scrape up the brown bits left on the bottom).
Mix in the stock or water, the crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and more salt and pepper. Add the cheese rind, if you have one. Remove the skin from the turkey thighs and return them to the pot, nestling them down into the liquid. It should just cover the thighs. Bring it up to a boil and then put into the oven with the lid on.

Cook until the meat is falling off the bones—about an hour and a half—maybe 2.

You can get all the meat off and serve it in the sauce or just cut large pieces off. Don’t forget to remove the cheese rind and the bay leaves.
Great over hearty pasta, sprinkled with the parsley and some grated parmesan.

My version - I used turkey legs as I did not find thighs at Safeway. I also thought that I had canned tomatoes at home and found out that I did not, so I skipped that.

When the dish was braising away, my son came home and asked what smelled so good. He was willing to share the dish with me. Verdict - YUMMY!

I served this over rice. I am Filipino and just about serves everything with rice. :) This was delicious over jasmine rice. YUMM... and I have more, aka leftovers for lunch.

I am trying to catch up with Sunday Slow Suppers. I doubt that I will ever get caught up, since my lamb shanks (for Goat Tagine) are still sitting in the freezer. But I have made and enjoyed Marsha's casserole... so that is a step in the catching-up direction. :)

CHICKEN AND GREEN CHILIES CASSEROLE

Adapted from COOKS.COM
________________________________________
4 chicken breasts, cooked, shredded (or use rotisserie chicken, skinned, boned and cut into small pieces)

1 lg. onion, chopped
4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. salt
2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. chili powder
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, drained
1 small can diced tomatoes, drained
Chopped cilantro to taste, @ 2 tblsp.

12 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces

1 c. grated Cheddar cheese
2 c. Monterey Jack cheese (mix cheese together) - lighten dish with low-fat cheeses

Make sauce by first sauteing onions in butter, then add flour, stir to make a roux, add liquids and salt - cook stirring until smooth and slightly thickened. Add chopped green chilies (drained) to sauce. Add chili powder. Add tomatoes to sauce (both well drained). Add cilantro. Taste, and adjust seasonings for "hot" factor.

Place a layer of chicken in bottom of greased 3 quart casserole, then a layer of torn tortillas, then cheese and sauce. Repeat ending with cheese on top. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until bubbling, 20-25 minutes. Let sit 15 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
May be prepared ahead and baked the next day or may be frozen thawed and baked at serving time.

I did use rotisserie chicken for this one. My family enjoyed this casserole. Next time, I am going to be a bit brave and add more spices for Marsha's suggestion on the "hot factor".

Thanks Marsha for sharing this with us.

While on a visit to San Diego's Little Italy, we visited their open market and found little bit of France throughout the few blocks the market covered.

There was this Creperie.... long lines here....

with the crepe maker making his best ninja pose?

the biggest brioche -

There were macaron stands

- where I had my fix ... yummm

I did not want to cook although I wanted to have all the children and grand children together for lunch during Easter. Then I received an email from an Italian restaurant nearby publicizing their Easter Feast. I asked the kids what they thought of it... and they all said, it sounded great... and no one was going to have to do dishes.

So we all headed out to meet for lunch... I should have cooked!

The prefixe meal started with a Spring Pea Bruschette. I thought it was ok, the boys did not like it. Perhaps I was just hungry, imagine mushed peas on top of toast.... hmmm.

I asked the waitress if the featured Primitivo was good and she said "Yes, it is red." Good thing we brought our own bottle. With a response, like that, I thought I should have cooked.

Then came a choice of either salad or soup. I chose the salad which I could hardly eat. It was doused in very vinegary dressing. The kids chose the soup...

The girls in the family had lamb chops... minature ones... I know lamb chops are small but these were really tiny. Shawn had vegetarian lasagna, while Mike had some sort of pasta... probably a better choices.

The saving grace was the dessert, Bunet di Amaretti. At that point, I was craving Palma's Nutella Panna Cota. Close, but Palma's was really good .... I did enjoy this dessert.... but then there was chocolate and caramel in front of me ... yeah.

The company was great... the best. :)

The 2 Mikeys... Uncle Mike and Baby Mikey,

Izzy and Auntie Tracey.

Lots of hugs.

My daughter in law, Katrina and Mikey.

Liam was asleep most the time, so no photos this time .... most of the time we were there... and I do not know why Shawn is not in any of the photos... But I think he agrees, next year, we are cooking!

I am trying to catch up with the Sunday Slow Suppers now that I am on spring break. This TuscanPork Roast was shared by Bugalu of The WhistleStop Cafe. She said she adapted this recipe from Once Upon A Plate.

Tuscan Pork Roast
2 teaspoons fresh chopped sage
3 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 pound pork tenderloin
1 loaf crusty baguette
kitchen string

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mince sage, rosemary, pepper, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper together. Sear the tenderloin in a frying pan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil for 8-10 minutes, rotating to brown all sides. Roll the pork in the herb mixture and set aside.
Next- cut, or slit the baguette in half the long way and scoop out most of the soft insides. Brush the inside of the baguette with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and any spices that may not stick to the meat.

Set the pork inside the baguette so that the pork is well enclosed. Trim off the excess ends of the bread if needed. With string, tie the bread to secure the pork at 1 to 2 inch intervals. Place the pork on a baking sheet and roast until done (when instant read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin it should read 155°-160°) About 25 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven, allow to rest 10 minutes. Remove the strings and cut into slices. Either serve it warm or at room temperature.

This was really good. Like Sandi, for kitchen string, I used dental floss to tie the bread/prok roast before baking. Yummm. Thank you, Sandi for sharing.

It is my turn to post a recipe for Sunday Slow Suppers. So here is Garlic Chicken Stir Fry, as this is the category I chose. Easy and healthy (to some degree) :) This recipe is from All Recipes (allrecipes. com)

I usually make stir fry dishes without following a recipe so I had to find something and try it before I shared a recipe with y'all. We liked this so here goes. (I hope you like garlic.)

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients
2 tablespoons peanut oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced cabbage
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions
Heat peanut oil in a wok or large skillet. When oil begins to smoke, quickly stir in 2 cloves minced garlic, ginger root, green onions and salt. Stir fry until onion becomes translucent, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and stir until opaque, about 3 minutes. Add remaining 4 cloves minced garlic and stir. Add sweet onions, cabbage, bell pepper, peas and 1/2 cup of the broth/water and cover.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup broth/water, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Add sauce mixture to wok/skillet and stir until chicken and vegetables are coated with the thickened sauce. Serve immediately, over hot rice if desired.

I followed everything, except that I did not add sugar to the sauce. I do not think it needed it, I do not need it. . I also did not wait for the oil to smoke, I added the first ingredients when I thought the oil was hot.

The recipe did not say how long to cook the mixture before adding the thickening sauce, so I just added the sauce as soon as I had it ready. It probably took another 3 minutes or less to get everything cooked/coated with sauce. It was good.

I am going to try this with other meats or even without the meat. Super easy, my kind of cooking.

Last Saturday, Tracey and I were invited to go berry picking in Sebastopol, California. Such fun. There were blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Today, I am thinking strawberries... and my share of the harvest for that kind of berries. :)

Tracey hard at work, harvesting and weeding.

Our share of the harvest.

So many berries, such great results... I made strawberry sauce... with Splenda. Waiting for some sugar-free ice cream. yummm

I graduated from an all-girls-high-school in Cebu, Philippines. It was time for a reunion....so

About a year ago, a few of us (residents of the San Francisco Bay Area) started planning one to happen in San Francisco. We made phone calls, sent emails, and sent snail mail to see if there were former classmates out there who may be interested in coming to San Francisco for a reunion. It seemed like there was great interest so we proceeded to plan.

(photo borrowed from Delia) The organizing team: Connie, Delia, Sarah, Imelda, and my self.

We visited many a hotels, some at Fisherman's Wharf, downtown San Francisco, etc... looking for good deals. We went to lunches in many places to try food and still find good deals.

I had my son, Mike and his friends make us a logo for various reunion souvenirs.

I enjoyed all the planning... and enjoyed the event even more when it actually happened this past weekend... well extended - aka long weekend.

So we gathered at Hotel Des Arts.. .Suite 201, the hospitality suite which also happened to be my "home" for three days.

Here are the happy "gatherers" -

Early arrivals enjoy re-acquainting and eating various dishes including Petit Pois. :) In the photo (for those who were not in attendance, and trying out to figure whose who after so many years) - Dylin, Marinela, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Rose.

Rose, Lagrimas/Ging, Ethilda, and Concep...

Delia, Danita, and Dahlia joined in the group photo... there's more....

Connie and Ichu...

Imelda and I squeezed in there...

Luke and Jun - The patient spouses of Marichu and Dahlia, respectively, who put up with all the noise, giggles, and women talking simultaneously... and still managed to understand what was said!

We were so noisy these hotel guests were curious about the group and stopped by. We invited them to join us for dinner... The younger one did. The couple held out for sushi.

Marichu and hubby Luke were apologizing for the noise a gaggle of women can generate... :)

The mango and ube (purple yam) cake that Sarah made to commemorate the graduation year for the then 14 and 15 year olds... Too young to finish high school - looking back but we did not go through 7th and 8th grade... no junior high in the Philippines then...

More University of San Carlos - Girls' High School graduates will join in later - to be continued...

The Slow Travel Picnic in the Redwoods is an annual event, I missed the first two so I attended my first one last Saturday. What a fun event!

Prior to the event, a group of us were together at a museum and sometime during that day, it was discussed that a roast pig be brought to the picnic. My daughter, Tracey, was really campaigning that a whole roast pig must make an appearance. Ever the indulging Mom, I went looking for a roast pig source in the area. Roast pig or Lechon (Philippine term for it) is a specialty in my home island of Cebu, so I was taking this task as a personal challenge at this point. Can someone say, OCD?

I asked some Filipino friends in and around Fremont for recommendations... A week prior to the event, I made reservations for the smallest lechon to be picked up.

The day before the event, Food Network kept broadcasting Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show about visiting Cebu, Philippines and feasting on Lechon. The show was repeated a few times during the day as if to torture me... LOL

So Saturday came, and time for me to pick up the lechon. I was hoping that the Slow Travel group will feel the way about lechon as Anthony Bourdain did... I was worried about the vegetarians in the group...

Anita was the master lechon carver.

Here is Judy, the event coordinator "taking care" of the lechon.

I invited my daughter in law, Katrina and the grandsons to attend the picnic. Katrina and Liam

The boys were not too thrilled to see the pig. Mikey kept saying "No, No" when I asked him if he wanted to see the pig. Izzy was more thrilled about dragging a stick around the picnic grounds, and hoping to hit the playground north of the parking lot. :)

Letha was one of the folks who was really "hands-on" at the event.

Pete made a science lesson of the event. :) Who can pass up a teachable moment?

There are learning opportunities in everything,

Tracey and Marcy saved this for another science lesson.

As it turned out, the lechon was a hit. Everyone who was a meat eater loved it.... as evidenced by the aftermath photo. Do not check out the following page if you are a vegetarian... or do not want to see what happens after lechon is enjoyed by "meatatarians":)

Oh my goodness! I have many, many cookies ... more than I know what to do with... (bad grammar!)

Once a year my friend, Jackie, sends invites to her annual cookie exchange. We usually have it during the month of December, and we would get lots and lots of holiday cookies.

This year Jackie decided that the cookie exchange will happen around Halloween. The usual suspects were there, plus more. There were 17 participants this year. What fun!

Each one of us had to make 4 1/2 dozen cookies and some for tasting. I made my sugar cookie with Reeses peanut butter cup inside cookie... (well, that's what I call it for lack of a real name...) I put a little rounded teaspoon of sugar cookie dough into a mini muffin baking pan. Once the cookies are done, I put a peeled Reeses peanut butter cup in the middle of each cookie. This time I put a dollop of frosting and topped the cookies with some autumny sprinkles... This was my entry for the cookie exchange. I made 17 single plates of three cookies and brought a few loose ones for tasting.

Jacki "makes" us play games... We give her a hard time about this, but we actually enjoy all that she does... plus there are prizes for the winners! This time her games were all Halloween related,

There were two tables laden with various baking goodness. We taste all the cookies and vote for the best tasting. There is another prize here...

My entry and another one tied for first place. So there was a recount. The other entry won! I am sure it was because of the brandy in them cookies... Here is the baker of the winning entry modeling her prize.

Each one of us came home with tons of cookies - will be on cookie overload.

Now, I know how Al Gore felt after the recount!

Saturday, the beginning of a three day weekend. Yeah!

Tracey asked me if I wanted to go with her and one of her former college roommates on a quick trip to the coast. It was a great day, so I said yes! Besides anytime a young kid asks an old person to tag along with them - is always A OK with me!

Since I went to bed early, I headed my alarm and got out of bed early,

6AM - got out of bed and did what every other person in the United States do on any given Saturday... enter the exciting world of laundry.

6:15 - to who knows when - played on the computer and do my normal waste of time activity! Who invented this addictive online activity? That person needs to pay for some of my therapy because I can not even imagine how much of my life I've wasted since I discovered AOL in 1997!

7:00 or something = made some coffee and breakfast... put clothes in dryer and back to the computer... Did I say something about addiction? Is there comprehab?

8:30 - thought I better shower so I can make that trip to the coast... and yes, I did... not going to the coast smelling like last night's nachos...

9:00 Sort of folded the clothes on kitchen table... they are still there and it has been over 12 hours! Geez, I need help... as I am still on the computer.

9:30 the housekeeper who promised to come at 9AM today arrived (surprise, surprise, she has stood me up for a couple of weeks! ) ... with two of her kids... Something is conspiring against me... seriously!

9:45 - who cares? I am off to the coast... the housekeeper can have her kids at my house, whatever ... (Tracey suggested I find a replacement! )

10 - Tracey, Yung, and myself are off to the coast. Oh, Yung is driving so I can "FaceBook" all the way there! Did I hear "Addict"?

11 - We are on our way towards Half Moon bay... is it October? I see pumpkins!

One of these trees will be decorated someday far away and beautify someone's home...not mine as I have given up on Christmas trees because I decided it takes longer to "de-Christmas" and I am not having any of that any longer...

We arrive in Pescadero... Beach Time!

(A later post on the town of Pescadero... Love that little town!)

Although I already had a slide show on this, I could not add text to the slides, so here I go...

Saturday night, my family and I went to Fringale - a french restaurant in San Francisco. We took advantage of the city's annual event Dine About Town (DAT). We did this last year, when Mike and Jessie were here. They have since moved to Hawaii... we missed them last night.

Dine About Town involves hundreds (ok, maybe that is my exageration :)) of restaurants that offer prix-fixe lunches at $17.95 and dinners at $34.95. It started after 9 / 11; sponsored by the San Francisco Travel Association to encourage people to dine out and boost revenue of local restaurants. I hope it becomes a family tradition for us.

Baby Wyatt joined us - his first San Francisco outing...

So we started with one of the appetizers featured on the DAT menu. I ordered the Dungeness Crab Napoleon. It is crab layered with avocado, mango salsa, on top of fresh veggies. Liked it!

I ordered the Petrale Sole which sat on top of mashed potatoes. The sole was stuffed with julliened carrots and zucchini. Or rather maybe it was all those vegetables wrapped in the sole. I offered Josh (Tracey's boyfriend) a taste and asked if he liked it. He said it was alright, but not like the fish dishes at Maui's Mama's Fish House... :) I have to agree.

Tracey and Katrina ordered the Lamb Shank with Mashed Potatoes and Veggies. Katrina said it was really good, the lamb must have been nice and tender as I saw it fall off the bone. Looks yummy, I definitely gotta try the lamb next time.

Tracey could not eat her dinner as she may have what is going around - upset stomach, etc... or perhaps she may just have been dehydrated from her run earlier today. Whatever it is, I hope she gets well fast!

Josh had the Duck confit, lentils, garlic, bacon and red wine sauce.

Shawn ordered the Rib Eye steak, which was not on the DAT menu.

As Tracey was feeling sick so she did not eat her dinner. The waiter, a French guy with an adorable accent was so nice! He offered to box Tracey's lamb shank and made her a drink to ease her stomach,

He said it was tonic water and some bitters. Tracey did not care for it. I loved it. So I had some of it. The waiter's thoughtfulness and attentiveness added to the wonderful ambiance.

For dessert / third course most of us had the Chocolat Gourmand

Josh had the Creme Brulee

and Shawn the Hazelnut and almond cake

Tracey talked to me in the morning. She is feeling better and planning to have her lamb shank for lunch.

My daughter, Tracey and I are dining buddies... when she is in town and has nothing too exciting happening in the city (SF)... or willing to forego some city fun.

Last Tuesday, she was in my neighborhood, so we went back to a Thai restaurant we had visited with my friend, Mila, a while back. We remembered that all the choices we had were really delicious.

Here are our choices for the evening.

When I go to a new restaurant, I always check if there is an eggplant dish. Chaiyo does so I ordered that. Stir-fried eggplant... I was not disappointed... Yummmy....

Tracey picked shrimp in green curry. That too was delicious...

I ordered sticky rice... I usually get white / Jasmine rice... but the sitcky rice was a great choice. It was really good paired with Tracey's green curry.

I think we have a new favorite Thai place.

Here is the story of my Three Bean Salad -

On the last minute, I decided to participate in the SlowBowl Friday dinner smackdown. The theme was Retro 60's recipes. Since I was not in the US in the 60s, I made a wild guess - that the Three Bean Salad is from the 60s!

I've made this a few times when I arrived in this my adopted country in the 70s, so by recall I went shopping for ingredients. Why I thought I could rely on senior memory is another story. So I bought cans of beans, French style green beans, Yellow wax beans, and I picked up pinto beans!

Next came the can openers... and the contents of the cans of beans went into a bowl. Those pinto beans looked pale than what I can recall. So what is a psuedo cook to do? Ok, Now to really read the recipe. Horrors! I am supposed to use Kidney beans....

So back to the store for more of the green and yellow beans (since I mixed those with the pintos).... and search for KIDNEY beans.... By the way, the yellow wax beans are a challenge to find for me! My Safeway does not carry them.

Back home with the right ingredients! Start over again and the first (wrong) batch of beans are in the freezer... I am not sure why or when they will be used.

Three Bean Salad

1 can French style green beans
1 can yellow wax beans
1 can red kidney beans
3/4 C cider vinegar
3/4 C sugar (I used less)
1 onion sliced
1/4 C diced green pepper (I used red and green)
1 T soy sauce
1 t celery salt (I could not find any, so did not use)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Marinate all the above ingredients overnight.

Just before serving, drain well and
Toss with 1/4 cup salad oil, (I used olive oil)

And I won the prize for the Sides / Salads category.

I was awarded a cookbook! Cooling Dishes for Hot Weather circa 1956! How cool is that!