And Now He Wants To Move There!

Kiddo is in the fourth grade and is working on a research project. She and her class are studying the California Missions. Lucky for us, the Mission that is assigned to her is Mission Sonoma. This was our first time to Sonoma and I have to say that we had a really good day there. So much of a good time, Fiance can’t stop talking about how much he wants to move there.

I must say though, this really is a cute town. It’s only about an hour and a half away from the SF Peninsula, but feels like it’s so far removed and separate from the Bay Area. Quaint and comfortably chic, this town seems to have so much to offer.

After having walked through the mission and learning such a great deal about the Spanish missionaries and their interactions with the Native Americans, we headed out to the downtown area in search for something to fill our bellies. With great help and advice from probably the nicest bank teller in the world, we found our way to The Red Grape. This was a great place to fill up and give our feet a rest after our morning tour. The sun-filled restaurant had a beautifully put together menu that included pizzas, panini sandwiches, pasta, and salads.

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Following a light, but filling, lunch we headed back out to the city streets and this time to window shop and peruse the myriad of stores, art galleries, and eateries. One shop in particular I have to mention: Summer Vine. This is the most chic interior design store I have come across in a long time. Color, color, color!!!! I’m not an expert by any means when it comes to interior design, but I know what I like and I know what I’d like to have in my house. Deep, rich yellows and blues in French farmhouse-style place settings with heavy silver serving sets like sterling silver knotted napkin rings and tea trays.  Lavish but not stuffy. Their website is currently under construction, so please check back for updates.

If you have nothing to do on a warm sunny day and are looking to get away from your everyday hustle and bustle, please do yourself a favor and take a day trip to Sonoma. Park, get out of the car, and just walk. You might find a new home… or at least a new home away from home.

Funky Friday: Lariat

I am so lucky to be able to work with people I also enjoy hanging out with. Monday through Friday I work forty plus hours as a Registered Nurse triaging, caring, giving, doing, planning, and providing for other people. Every now and then it is great to be able to spend time with friends and taking time to care for myself.

Tonight Fiancé and I went to The Lariat in Belmont. We had a blast! Drinks were well prepared and affordable. Although the Lariat does not have a menu, you can order some of the best hamburgers on the SF Peninsula from Godfather’s Burger Lounge and they will walk your food from their restaraunt across the street right to your table at the Lariat!!! Throughout the evening, while nibbling and noshing I played a game of darts with friends while Fiancé played table shuffleboard.

This place is a comfortable locals’ place that’s perfect for hanging out with your coworkers after work.

This Seems Crazy… But It’s So Good!

I am on a diet and have lost 9 pounds since the beginning of the year. I’m dieting the good old fashioned way by counting calories. I allow myself 1200 calories per day. It is a hard task keeping within …

President’s Day Excursion

After a nice lazy morning in the suburbs, Fiance, Kiddo and I decide to take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit for those of you who are not in the SF Bay) into the city and do some major people watching. As far as people watching goes, we are world-class masters at the sport. Hey!! If kurling is a sport then so is people watching. We end up at Westfield San Francisco Center on Market. This mall is humongous with fabulous stores like H&M, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Juicy Couture, and Coach. If you aren’t one to visit your local mall’s food court because Hotdog on a Stick just isn’t your thing, then don’t worry about that with this mall. Westfield San Francisco Center has the swankiest food court on the SF peninsula!!  You’ll find quick and easy foods that run the spectrum from Loving Hut Vegan Cuisine to Buckhorn Grill and Coriander Gourmet Thai.

After hanging out a bit in the mall, we walk the 2-3 city blocks to Union Square. Not a whole lot happening there for a cold spring evening, but again, the people watching is magnificent. People from all over the world are here eating, talking, and participating in the same sport of people watching. I’m a fan of the high-end fashion houses and there in Union Square you are just a stone’s throw away from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Salvador Ferregamo just to name a few.

Today’s excursion is everything I enjoy in an afternoon’s adventure: spontaneous, plenty of good eats, people watching, and family.

An Then Instantly I’m 10 Again…

Do you remember what it was like to take your weekly allowance and ride your bike to Woolworth’s? Meandering through the isles of sundries, stationary, candy carefully selecting just the right candy worthy of your dog walking earnings?  All week counting the dreadfully long school days until the weekend so you could spend your hard-earned fifty cents on a Lick-O-Stick or a handful of Mary Jane’s. You hand the cashier your shiny coins and head outside to sit with your little brown bag of sweet treats as the warm summer sun covers you with the pure fun and joy of being a ten-year old with yummy Wonka goodness in your hot little hands.

Nuggets of Sweetness

Today Kiddo (my daughter), my fiance, and I were out wandering up and down Laurel Street in downtown San Carlos, when we found ourselves walking towards old Woolworth building that now is home to Diddam’s party supply store. We went in, and like always, hot-foot it to the candy section. There we see everything from Necco wafers to Harry Potter Jelly Bellies. There are also three different types of Rockie Road candy bars – dark chocolate and mint, milk chocolate and another dark chocolate with cashews!! I never knew there were more than one type!! There are also large and small Chick-O-Sticks. I would say these are the wickedly delicious cousin to the Butterfinger. It’s the same unnatural orange candy with some sort of artificial peanut butter but it is, as its name suggests, a stick and best of all it is rolled in toasted coconut!!! Amongst the brightly colored rows of super sweet confections, you can’t help but notice the rows and rows of gummy candy. Aaaaaaahhhh, the gummy candy. This is where sweet and sour come together in delicious unison creating the ever popular Sour Patch Kid and the cornucopia of sour fruits. One thing that caught me by surprise were the gum cigarettes. Do you remember these? The small cigarette-shaped pieces of gum that came wrapped in paper with some sort of powder that you could blow out the end of the candy to mimic smoking. Just the type of candy we all want our kids buying, right? Well, now they are the new, improved, and politically correct “Flavor Sticks” – never mind the fact they are in cellophane wrapped cigarette boxes with the image of an Indian chief on the front. Doesn’t matter what they’re called, they’re still gum cigarettes to me. I digress. Anyway, Diddam’s has a wonderful selection of saltwater taffy too. I love this stuff! Sweet, gooey, flavorful nuggets in just about any flavor imaginable each wrapped delicately in wax paper with just the perfect amount of transparency needed to determine its flavor. Buckets upon buckets of saltwater taffy just waiting to be scooped up and taken home. Some of the candy at Diddam’s can be left for the more adventurous. Of course, I’m speaking of the bacon flavored gum, bacon lollipops, and skunk and dirt flavored Jelly Bellies. But no matter what you put in your bag and take to the cashier for purchase, know this: you’ve just bought a little bit of sweetness that instantly transports the ten-year-old you back to a time when your biggest care in the world is getting together enough allowance for a return visit next weekend.

Like a kid where?

Sweet, brown, smooth and yum…

Who hasn’t had Nutella? It’s an absolute staple in our pantry. Serve it on an Eggo, on toast (white or wheat), or smear it on a pancake. I’ve enjoyed it wrapped lovingly in a warm crepe with coins of sweet banana topped delicately with a light, fluffy dollop of whipped cream.

If you feel guilty about indulging in such decadence, dip slices of strawberry, banana, and apple in it.  It’s fruit so no harm, no foul – right? Try this recipe I saw on Food Network’s Everyday Italian. It’s super simple and incredibly yummy!!! Enjoy Nutella today. If you’ve never had Nutella before, enjoy it NOW!!!

Funky Friday

I am just so incredibly excited today is Friday. This week seemed to just drag on forever possibly in the anticipation of a three-day weekend. So, what should we do this weekend. I guess we could walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

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I have been fascinated with that bridge for the longest time. Its color, strength, and graceful reaches from north to south are just so breathtaking. If you haven’t been to San Francisco and walked, driven, or bicycled across the bridge, you absolutely have to do this.

First of all, if you’re going to walk or ride across it’s a free activity! Make sure you bring a wind-breaker and your camera. The view of the ocean and the city are like none other. If you start at the City side of the bridge, you might want to consider renting a bike from many of the local self-guided tour companies on near Pier 39. They’ll get you fitted with a bike, helmet, and a map of a route of the city. You can decide to stick to the route or you can be adventurous and head off on your own. I recommend using the map if you aren’t familiar with the City. Another advantage to using the provided map is that your route is likely to take you passed popular tourist attractions that could provide you with great pictures. If you’ve decided to drive across, you definitely have the ability to head over to the Marine Headlands for a picnic. I wouldn’t recommend this as a bike ride unless you are in Lance-Armstrong-shape. Anyway, head to the Marine Headlands with a backpack, picnic lunch, and blanket. My daughter and I have picnicked at Fort Cronkhite on the beach and had a blast!!

Whatever you decide to do this weekend, I hope you’ll consider heading out and about and just exploring the world around you.

One thing about the rain I don’t like…

The wet, rainy view from my office window.

Were did this rain come from?!? One minute the weather is warm and sunny and now it’s cold, damp, and rainy! It’s about time Winter found its way to the bay area. I’m glad it’s here but I didn’t have much of a warning for this sudden change in weather! Not that God needs to give me a personal head’s up on what his plans are… although that would be nice.

There’s one thing about Bay Area rainy days I really don’t like… scratch that – can’t stand! Rainy day drivers in the Bay Area. For whatever reason, people in the Bay Area forget how to drive and completely loose their minds and all sensibility as soon as the first drops of a rain shower hit the dry pavement. People either drive at a snail’s pace and are so incredibly slow that the only thing their hyper-cautious driving has done is slow down everyone else and their mother giving everyone involved an instant case of road rage. On the other end of the spectrum there are those who think that rain only enhances the aerodynamic abilities of their 8-person Chevy Suburban allowing them to drive in excess of 80 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone.

Ugh!! I really didn’t intend to write about this…. at least not today. For the time being Bay Area let’s just enjoy the rain and try not to get on my nerves doing it.

New Orleans in the SF Bay

Last night we went to one of my most favorite restaurants on the SF Peninsula – NoLa, PaloAlto. My mom and stepfather had never been there before and since it was my mom’s  birthday, it was my treat to be able to take them there. If you haven’t been there before, you’re in for a real treat! You’ve got to go!

First, when you pull in front of the restaurant, you might (or might not) notice the plethora Mardi Gras beads draped in the branches of the trees. Incredibly cute and so festive. After being warmly greeted by the hostess, we were escorted to our private room, which we didn’t expect. IT’S AWESOME!!! It’s walls are blood red and heavily speckled with crazy art of oil painted stick-figured girls with wide, zombie-like eyes as if under the spell of a terrible voodoo witch and aged black men who could’ve easily been any blues great from back in the day.

Enough with the room… the FOOD IS TO DIE FOR!!! I rave about this restaurant to my friends and family, but honestly, the only thing I’ve had off the menu is Mr. T’s Famous Skirt Steak. It is the ONLY thing I will order off the menu because it is awesome!!! I did, however, try their mint julep and it was beautifully refreshing: smooth with a nice, light, sweet finish on the tongue. The BBQ Chicken Quesadillas were fabulous – warm and ymmy-nummy: not at all in-your-face like Man vs. Food or tinny like bad back yard BBQ, but a warm hearty nibble to get your tummy ready for your entree. Of course, no big surprise to my family, I ordered Mr. T’s Famous Skirt Steak: full of flavor and perfectly grilled with a nice crust on the outside and just perfectly pink in the middle. If you’ve ever had a poorly grilled skirt steak, you know how terribly that cut of meat can be if not handled properly. Finally, dessert was great. We ordered the beignets. What is better then fried dough covered in cinnamon-sugar served with warm chocolate, raspberry, and brandy dipping sauces? Almost nothing!

You’ve got to try this place. It’s perfect for the family, large groups, and parties. I probably wouldn’t recommend going there for an intimate evening with your honey – kind of too loud for this. Head over there and order Mr. T’s Famous Skirt Steak!! You’ll be glad you did. Go online and check out their menu www.nolas.com.