StephanieL

I'd never made it before, but I'm not willing to share the recipe because that particular version is a bit of a dud. It doesn't have any salt--I added 1/2 tsp. and that seems to work--and it didn't provide a measurement for vanilla extract, just "to taste". I'd love to make that cake again, but will find another recipe.

In making bublanina, a Czech fruit cake, I broke the cardinal rule of cake batters: do not overmix. It tastes OK, but it's a little tough and I could just kick myself.

I'm going to make enchiladas with the last of the chicken & black bean & vegetable leftovers.

Maybe she needs to drink more G&Ts.

Free pastries from Arsicault Bakery, who IMO has the best croissants in SF, courtesy of well-heeled clients at the office for a meeting. I could only manage a quarter of an almond croissant.

Kinda-sorta chicken fajitas, with RG Midnight Blacks, roasted peppers, scallions, and sweet potatoes, and lots of cilantro. Tortillas (corn-wheat mix) on the side; fresh mango with vanilla ice cream and rum for dessert.

The Añejo Highball: 1 1/2 oz. aged rum 1/2 oz. Curacao 1/4 oz. lime juice 2 dashes Angostura bitters 2 oz. ginger beer Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the first 4 ingredients, stir, then add the ginger beer.

N has been thrilled that our local butcher/fishmonger has been getting a regular supply of sole, so yesterday she bought some filets and sauteed them with butter, wine, and capers. Braised scallions, roasted broccoli, and a sourdough baguette on the side; egg tarts (regular and white) from Yummy Bakery that I got at Friday's Grant Avenue street fest for dessert.

N's father went under the knife to remove his cancerous kidney, and that appears to have taken care of the tumors so far. We're all crossing our fingers. N will finally get a chance to visit him later this summer, nearly 18 months since his diagnosis.

It's been a crappy day so far, but a RTBC was seeing (and hearing) the hundreds of seals and sea lions currently in residence at Pier 39.

And yet somehow us Gen Xers survived. 😉

The Bad News Bears would probably give them a heart attack. Or a case of the vapors.

For me, the 2nd shingles vax was a doozy. I got very dizzy and nearly fainted when I was in my bathroom, so thank goodness I didn't hit my head on anything. N got worried and insisted I go to the ER.

Pie shell taking up room in the fridge + a cache of frozen homegrown blackberries from 2022 = pie. The bottom of the shell wasn't fully baked during the blind baking stage (I thought it was), and the 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour and 1 Granny Smith apple didn't thicken the filling quite like I hoped, but it turned out well enough. I used a Maida Heatter recipe that uses frozen blackberries, so the filling's soupiness (even after several hours out of the oven) surprised me.

Rajma Chawal, Delhi style, using RG Rio Zapes. N reduced the chili and upped the paprika in deference to my need for less heat.

You could always start a new thread called Shoulder to Shoulder.

The bumper sticker or the starter?

I remember a lively thread on this topic in the pre-crash Mouthfuls. I'm trying one of his roasts for the first time--it was offered as the coffee of the week from Pull & Pour. It'll prepare me for all of those light Nordic roasts I'll run into in Copenhagen at World of Coffee Europe in June. (But not his--he won't have a booth there.)

In honor of Freedom Day and the 30th anniversary of South Africa's first free elections, SF Jazz brought several South African musicians to town. On Saturday night, we saw singer Melanie Scholtz and pianist Aaron Rimbui perform a tribute to Miriam Makeba. Scholtz has a terrific voice and stage presence, and did Mama Africa proud. Yesterday was one of the legends of SA jazz, saxophonist McCoy Mrubata. N knew his music quite well, and I really enjoyed his playing plus that of his guitarist (who had a 7-string guitar--never seen one of those before).

--Rock cod fillets en papillote, topped with sauteed onions and mushrooms --Leftover sides from my friend's Seder: roasted Brussels sprouts with cranberries, pecans, and a balsamic glaze, and a quinoa dish --For dessert, Pavlova with homemade custard and berries from our garden (last year's crop, frozen)

Loved Patricia Marx's article, as always. I'm an avid convert to Too Good to Go, though so far I've only used it to buy baked goods. I too have been disappointed in expecting a meal and getting pastries (cf., Le Sandwich in North Beach), but I can easily score bags from one of my favorite local bakeries and could probably get some nice dinners if I was able to hang around the city late enough. The Holy Grail will be getting an Acme Bakery bag on a day when I'm in the office.

No print issue this week. New print issue next week, with a May 6 cover date.

Not out here.

The shmurah matzoh I had was well and truly the bread of affliction.

Why am I not surprised that you have a spreadsheet? 😄