Parents Weekend

It was a lovely weekend with the family and friends.

Mom and Dad arrived on Saturday afternoon, and our first snack together was an antipasto plate I made with fresh mozarella, heirloom tomatoes & fresh basil with olive oil on nice thin slices of sourdough rustic loaf. Makes one really appreciate the last days of summer.

My Mom said my kitchen reminded her of my Grandma Esway's, with all the aprons hanging on the wall and the tomatoes & basil out on the counter. Dad added that his mother's basil and tomatoes came from her own garden (she also had her own chickens and made her own wine!). I'm pretty sure that a good part of my passion for food was inherited directly from her. And probably my tendency to use swear words, and of course, my love of a pretty apron as both function and fashion!

Dinner was Lanesplitter Pizza, which my parents love. And would you believe that I still love their pizza too, even after working there for two years? It was a great bonus to learn so much about beer while working there. Heather and I have been threatening to do beer reviews so perhaps we'll have to make good on that threat soon.

Later that night, after singing some songs at the Nomad Cafe w/ the always fabulous Danny Allen's High Diving Horses, I "wound down" by baking buttermilk muffins with blueberry, banana and an oat struesel (or is it strudel?) topping. I'm not gonna post the recipe yet though, cause it still needs work!

Sunday my brother Ricardo & his sweetheart Michaela came over for dinner, along w/ my friends Berge and Alison. Much wine was enjoyed, as well as two big pots of Moroccan stew - one with chicken and one with potatoes and chick peas. The Moroccan Chicken came from a recent issue of Cooks Illustrated and it was a big hit.

Dessert was broiled figs w/ dark chocolate over vanilla ice cream. On top of all this, we enjoyed a fantastic brunch at Venus in Berkeley earlier that day. I'd like to write more about Venus in the near future, cause this place really rocks. What a gluttonous weekend, and what joy to share such good food with such fine company.

Yes, life is good!

I'm happy to report that the talented Bob Wiseman sumbitted a recipe which I shall post very, very soon. I should probably go do some sit-ups now.

Till next time, ciao!