BON VOYAGE, JEREMY

Jeremy is off for a summer in Europe and I am so envious of him.

We had a quick visit over breakfast the other day at Katy's Korner in San Ramon.



I'd never been there and his breakfast burrito and my Denver omelet were wonderful...large servings too...we both took home about half to enjoy another time.



Great Choice!

See you in September, Jeremy

FATHER'S DAY AT SKIP'S

Last month we combined our traditional Mother's Day pizza outing to Skipolini's in Clayton with Ted's birthday, albeit without Ted.

Last week on Father's Day, Frank was visiting us, so Louie included him in the Father's Day pizza night at Skip's again. Louie has been dining at Skip's since he was a pup...he's always welcome on their outdoor deck.

We shared a big salad and a Mushroom, Olive, and Artchoke Pizza.







Since Frank hadn't been in Clayton in awhile, we walked down Main Street after dinner. This part of town still looks like the old West Town it was when we first discovered it in the 1970s. But, the town is a bit more gentrified now. In the good old days, I would not dare to even walk by the Clayton Club Saloon unescorted.



Today it is still something of a gungy hangout, but now, they even greeted Louie as we passed by. The Clayton Club Saloon dates back to 1873.

For those who find themselves in Clayton over the 4th of July, there are all kinds of festivities going on pretty much all day, starting with a big parade.

COOKING WITH FRIENDS

Last Saturday, it was our turn to host our cooking group. I may have mentioned before that 5 of the 6 of us all worked together at that big construction and engineering firm in San Francisco. The one "outsider" is J of WC.

As has been our tradition for about 30 years, the host makes the main course and the others bring a first course and dessert. We rarely have a theme and, so far, we haven't all shown up with spaghetti. The one time I do remember having a theme was at our get together right after Julia Child died...we decided that we'd each prepare a dish from one of Julia's cookbooks.




We cook together about every 3 or 4 months, moving from house to house.

And so, our evening at our house started with drinks, hummus, homemade onion dip, chips, and raw veggies. Oh, the host also provides some little munchies for before dinner. Since Louie is so fond of cocktail hours...the coffee table is just the right height for him to help himself to whatever is on it...he spent the time in his living room pen, safely observing.



A & J of Mendo made the first course: What I think is the BEST Celery Root Remoulade that I have ever tasted. It was garnished with a fresh tomato salad and sliced cucumbers. The Celery Root Remoulade is from a Barefoot Contessa (In Garten) recipe, with a few "secret" variations by A & J. I have found her recipe on the Food Network web site and plan to give it a try, with or without the variations.



The main course was Chili Lime Wild Sockeye Salmon, Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad, and Orzo Salad with Broccoli and Tomatoes. I "cheated" by buying the salmon already cooked at Whole Foods. They introduced the Chili Lime Salmon at the beginning of the Wild Salmon season this year and it is so tasty, I don't think I could ever do better on my own.



The Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad recipe is on the internet; I used all sweet potatoes and no russets (We are limiting simple carbs chez moi these days.).



The Orzo Salad recipe is on Whole Foods' web site; I used whole wheat orzo, to avoid those simple carbs. It is available in bulk at Whole Foods. Since I made the Orzo Salad beforehand, I served it at room temperature, rather than warm.



C & F, the Piedmontese of the group, made Ice Cream Sandwiches using Graham Crackers and Sorbet. They wrapped each sandwich individually...Martha Stewart would be proud of them...making for an impressive presentation.



We had our choice of Lemon Sorbet or Chocolate Sorbet fillings. I chose the chocolate one and there was also a coating of chocolate on the Graham Crackers.



What a yummy ending to what we all decided was a perfect summer dinner, as well as a special visit with longtime friends.

NEW FURNITURE TO CELEBRATE SUMMER

I'm a big fan of CB2, Crate & Barrel's new home furnishings store which is a bit trendier and less expensive than the Crate & Barrel stores. I consider CB2 in the same category as IKEA, but just a little bit more upscale and with furnishings that are already assembled.

To celebrate the arrival of Summer, I spent my economic stimulus money for 2009 on some yellow chairs that I had seen on the cover of the CB2 catalog a few months ago. When I went to order them through the online store, I discovered that they were marked down! This left me with a little extra money which I used to buy a turquoise side table.

These chairs and table are for one of my upstairs balconies. When I just checked the web site to see if they are still being sold, I discovered, that the chairs are marked down another $20 each. I am not sure if the table has been further reduced or not, but they are a really great bargain for cheerful sturdy furniture.



Friday night, J, L, and I celebrated the arrival of summer and our new outdoor furniture with hors d'oeuvres and sparkling wine on the balcony.

Happy Summer, All!