StephanieL

Never mind the ham--you sliced a bialy??

Chicken soup with mushrooms and drop herb dumplings.

A longtime friend of the family is in Israel right now (near Jerusalem), making her annual visit to see her daughter and family. She's supposed to be flying back to the US on Monday, but she's not sure if that's going to happen.

Ponied up lots of money to take an intensive 2-day coffee sensory course this weekend. Came down with a cold last night and now have a sore throat and runny nose, too late to cancel my hotel reservation without losing my 50% deposit. Also too late to get a refund on the course (in which I was going to be only instructee, it turns out), but I should be able to reschedule that.

I'm sitting on BART and I hear a loud crash 2 rows behind me. I think "oh, someone dropped something heavy". Two minutes later, the bottom of my bag and the soles of my shoes now have red wine on them. I suppose it could have been something worse?

That's because it is funny.

A really great Irish pub in Oakland is closing at the end of the month--the owners say it's due to a combination of lower foot traffic and higher crime. So, we celebrated N's good day with fish & chips, a Kilkenny Red Nitro for her, and a Doctor's Dilemma for me: poitin, green Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, and lime juice.

N passed her citizenship exam!! Naturalization ceremony is next Tuesday. And yes, she can keep her SA citizenship.

Or a stoner.

Roasted butternut squash cooked with kale, RG Yellow Eye Beans, and sweet Italian sausage.

See the Surrealism of Everyday Life thread for the current and upcoming weather in my part of the Bay Area. Sheesh.

High of 68 today, 93 this coming Thursday, 72 next Saturday.

Our Mexican lime tree has yielded its first crop, so N asked me to make a cocktail using the juice and I had just enough for a Last Word.

If you feel the need to return to Eataly, there's now one in San Jose.

Mujaddara, using the RG Puglia lentils, with braised collards on the side.

Yeah, that might fly when you're making lots and lots of dishes that use that sauce. Not so much when you're making the recipe once.

I just got Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes from the Authority on Where to Eat and Why It Matters. While all of the recipes could ostensibly made by a home cook, some of them are insanely complicated. Interesting to read, though.

It hasn't actually been a great year for us. The only things that we got in quantity were berries and lettuce.

Next time you come to SF, visit some of the old-school places. You might be able to find sand dabs on the menu.

Even when we don't, the long cycle isn't a big deal for us. Unless we're entertaining, which isn't often, we're not in danger of running out of dishes or silverware during a typical cycle.

Apples! Believe it or not, our espalier apple trees has been producing a nice crop of Fujis. We also got a couple of Gordon apples. You really have to love a climate where you can grow apples and citrus in the same backyard.

My local market continues to have great pluots and plums.

We have a standard 24" Bosch model and it's been great.

Boudin Bakery has very good sourdough English muffins, if you can find them.

N used the remaining Rosh Hashanah chicken to make her "uncrusted pot pie": chicken, mushrooms, carrots, and onions in a brown gravy. Spatzle with parsley to soak up the gravy. The leftovers will be part of the pre-fast meal Sunday evening.