Winter Activities

I have never lived anywhere that was so unabashedly noisy as this apartment. It is never quiet here and while I am getting used to some of the sounds, they are, for the most part, driving me completely insane. I hate noise. I hate people who are rude and foist themselves, uninvited and very unwanted, into my ears. I don’t want to know anything about the lives of my neighbors. These are people I’ve never even met, but I know when they are fighting, washing dishes, using the bathroom, watching TV, listening to music or any combination thereof. Don’t even get me started on vacuuming.

For example, I know that the man who lives above me has delusions of musicality. Every evening he plays either a piano or electric guitar and it is so loud he might as well be in my living room. If he was playing music I enjoyed this could be partially forgiven. What he plays, however, sounds like a series of basic scales permanently stuck on repeat. One evening I was so close to suicide, Matt went upstairs to ask if he could keep it down and was told that, no, he could not because he is a professional musician and has to practice with the sound turned up. Really? I find that incredibly hard to believe as what I hear very clearly through my roof is total crap. I could take a stranger off the street and tell them to play the notes up and down the keyboard in order and that would sound exactly the same. The only upside of this noise is that it usually stops around 9pm. 

What has no time frame at all is the crying baby from two apartments down. I do “get it”. Babies cry. But as it is not my baby, a related baby, or even the baby of a friend, I kind of wish it would leave off until I move out in 10 months. If I was interested in dealing with wailing at random moments of the day and night I would nanny, or give birth.

Then there is the gem of a woman with whom I share the kitchen wall. I think she was taught how to walk by a herd of elephants. I imagine that she stomps down so hard she literally has to grunt with every step. When she is at home and moving around she shakes the whole house. Of course she is the type to wear shoes in the home, so one is treated to the pleasure of a succession of wall rattling bangs accompanied by the sweet sound of heels tap tapping back and forth. I blame her mother for this. If I had walked like such a cow mine would have had such a fit I would have tip toed for eternity. She also listens to terrible top 40s pop music which comes through particularly nicely when I’m anywhere near my bathroom. I can’t say I’m surprised, but, Justin Bieber? Seriously?

On the opposite side I share a wall with a woman who is blessedly rarely home. When she is here, she is almost constantly on Skype so I can hear entire conversations while I lay in bed. To hear strangers chatting through the wall is annoying enough, but when one of the parties is talking through the computer it is even worse. Their half comes out very mechanical, as if she’s on intimate terms with Steven Hawking.

Added to these adjacent neighbors is the echoing courtyard. It amplifies every footstep, every door that opens or closes, every knock or doorbell. Plus there are those damn nincompoops who just like to talk outside so everyone has no choice but to hear. I feel as if I am never alone to think in peace.

And because I feel the need to get it all out I’m now going to rant about the construction. Since Matt and I moved in there has been work done on the building constantly. Months of construction. Whole days (6 so far) with the water turned off for the plumbing to be fixed. Being woken up repeatedly at 8:30am by painters on ladders scrapping the frame of our bedroom window. Drills and saws and hammering as 3 apartments are renovated, one with new floors being laid down and then sanded. I have never wanted to move so badly in my life. 

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In other and more happy news, Matt and I have been busy.

We had a really nice Valentines Day. He had to work in the evening because it is such a busy day in the restaurant industry so we planned a fun morning together. When I woke up he had this waiting for me:

What a swell guy I’ve got. I gave him a book on wine and some new jeans. Not the most romantic but I think he liked it.

Then we had breakfast at the Huntley Hotel’s Penthouse restaurant. It has the best view in Santa Monica and is only 3 blocks from our house.

Last thing before he had to go, we drove down the PCH towards Malibu for a little walk on the beach.

The next day while he was again slaving away at work I figured I would try my hand at another recipe from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook. This time I was attempting her version of gnocchi. Now, I’ve never made this before and I haven’t had it that often either so I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I followed her recipe but when it was time to knead the dough together it felt all wrong. I googled gnocchi and found a recipe online from the food network with different proportions so I sort went in the middle. I added a little more flour and one more egg and then tried to mix it all again. This time it felt much nicer, but what did I know?

It made so much that I lined a few of our trays with parchment paper and froze it so we’d have something quick and easy for the future. When it came time to cook and eat some I’ll be honest; it is not the best gnocchi, but it is still good. Something is off with the consistency but as this is my first time I couldn’t tell you what I actually did wrong. It was missing that al dente bite that I love in pasta. It did have a nice airy potato quality though. Would I make it again? Probably not. I’d rather do flat linguini or stuffed pasta like ravioli. 

Last weekend Matt and I went on a field trip. My favorite charity is Farm Sanctuary and one of their 3 farms is located about 45 minutes outside of LA. I’d been dying to go but Matt usually works on Sundays which is when they give their tours, however, he randomly had it off. Yippee!

We drove North and then a little East and arrived at Farm Sanctuary’s Animal Acres. It was so much fun. We got to visit with and pet all sorts of cute animals. The people watching was rather hilarious, too. There was this woman who just couldn’t help herself from hugging EVERY creature there and smushing her face up against theirs while demanding her husband took photo after photo. Every time our group was introduced to another animal and told it’s story, she would rush up to be the first to pet it, even dodging in front of children to get there. Did I mention she was about 50? And that she was wearing a white button down and sandals to a farm? 

Matt’s favorite of the whole day was this cutie named Paolo.

We met such a bunch of sweet and affectionate honeys - it made my day and I really want to go again.

There was even a duck!! Matt went over to chat, but I don’t think he wanted to make friends - haha.

Where we live we aren’t far from the ocean but there are bluffs which are very tall so you can’t just walk down them to get to the beach. Instead you have to go down a few blocks to stairs that are cut into the rocks. The other evening we decided to go see the sunset. It was a little chilly, but so beautiful.

I took this quick 360 video. You can see the Santa Monica pier, then the ocean followed by Malibu. Next a shot of the bluffs behind us. This is the best part of living here.

If anyone comes to visit and is in the mood for some totally tacky goodness then we will take you to the Saddle Ranch. We went there the other night for a kick and it was fun. They have a menu full of fried everything, and the drinks and beers are over priced but here is the piece de resistance:

That’s right. A mechanical bull. No we didn’t ride it, but it was great watching other people hop on up and hold on for dear life. 

Also, very exciting:

Matt just got home today from his trip to New York. He was there on a whirlwind trip to join the staff of Persimmon in cooking a dinner at the James Beard Foundation. This is a very big deal. Persimmon is a semifinalist in their 2013 JBF awards and is a nominee in two categories (winners to be announced on March 18th) and they were invited to cook there as well. Champe Speidel, the chef/owner asked Matt if he would be interested in going to cook with them and of course he was. We both loved working at Persimmon - just a great restaurant and a wonderful group of people who we both miss. 

So he flew in on Monday, got to visit with his mother a little in NYC which I know he was very happy about, then got to the James Beard house on Tuesday morning. They all prepped, then plated and served a 5 course meal, with canapes and wine pairings. Luckily for me (and you) he actually took some photos :)

After that, Matt flew back here very early today, Wednesday, and is now off to work at Providence. What a busy boy. I think he is going to sleep well tonight.

Matt says the dinner went off beautifully. He loved seeing everybody and working together again. I hope we can visit Rhode Island soon so we can eat at Persimmon and I can see everyone, too. Anyway, I’m proud of him, as always, and I have my fingers crossed that Persimmon wins both awards. They are up for both Best Chef: Northeast and Outstanding Service.

So that is what we’ve been up to. 

Ciao!

Birthday Weekend

A Man would prefer to come home to an unmade bed and a happy woman than to a neatly made bed and an angry woman   ~ Marlene Dietrich

I love this quote because I think it is funny, and who doesn’t adore Marlene?, but I would be much more angry if I didn’t make the bed. There is something wonderful about neatly arranged comfy bedding that just can’t be beat. Change it to scrubbing out the shower (my least favorite chore) and it would be more accurate. Don’t start thinking that I have the world’s grossest shower though - there is this wonderful invention called “after shower spray” from the lovely folks over at Clorox, and all is well.

The best thing about comfy and arranged bedding, however, is when it is made that way by someone else who also scrubs out the shower! This leads me to the fun topic of this post:

Matt and Sarah go to Calistoga, CA and stay at a lovely Inn

For my birthday we had a mini vacation in Napa Valley last weekend, which is surprisingly close at only 6ish hours drive away. I say this of course, as the non driver, but still, compared to going across the whole country, it was fun and quick.

We left home on Friday morning and after a quick stop at CVS for sudafed (I would get a cold right now!) headed north. Not knowing California we took the most straight forward route which is Route 5. Honestly, we will never go that way again.

It began nicely enough, driving through the hills, but then we hit the center of the state and miles upon miles of factory farms. It is the most depressing sight. Mono-agriculture obviously ruining the land, turning the world into a desert with crap farming practices. Worst of all are the animal lots where thousands of cows stand crammed together in tiny muddy pens waiting to die. The smell of these monstrosities carries for hours of driving, reminding you every minute of how inhumanely most of our food is treated. Completely awful. Neither Matt or I ever want to drive that way again. This is why I do not eat meat, and why I am HAPPY to buy only the expensive, yet properly raised and compassionately slaughtered, meat and eggs for Matt. 

I could go on and on as this is a subject that I feel very strongly about, but I also don’t want to be proselytizing to everybody. People hate to be told what to do (me especially).

Suffice it to say that we decided early on to take the coastal road home. The only reason we hadn’t gone that way initially was time - it was going to take an extra hour and a half that way and we wanted to get the vacation started.

Once we got to the outside of San Francisco, the drive was pretty again, and proceeded to become downright beautiful in the Napa Valley. I think we’ve all seen it in movies, but it was so much more. The smell was damp and warm and earthy and fresh. Arriving at 4 we saw the sun beginning to set, covering the vineyards with a gold glow. I wanted to hang my head out of the window like an excited puppy to take it all in!

Christopher’s Inn was to be our home for the next few days, and it was such a cute place. Our room had a fireplace, jacuzzi and patio (which was too cold to use, but lovely to look out the window at). Upon check-in we grabbed a few maps of all the wineries, unpacked quickly, then chose a location for dinner. There were so many options, we both wished we had more time to try them all, but we decided on Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch. True farm to table cooking - they raise their own cattle, grow their own veggies, make their own wine. Delicious.

Tired after the drive we didn’t go any where after dinner, but slept like logs in the enormous bed. One of the best parts of the weekend was not sleeping on an air mattress! 

Groundhogs Day! While I realize this might seem silly, Groundhog’s Day is my favorite holiday. How can you not love it when it glorifies prognosticating rodents??? Simply amazing! I used to make cookies with groundhogs on them in celebration, and always watched the classic Bill Murray movie (I know it by heart) but this year, being away, I figured I’d just enjoy it. So when we were up and ready on Saturday we headed off to taste some wines.

Whitehall Lane was first. They are one of the older wineries in the valley so you can go and do a tasting there without making an appointment like the newer places require. I was expecting to be blown away by their reds because thats what I was familiar with, but both Matt and I preferred their whites and picked up a few chardonnays to take home.

Next we drove into downtown Yountville, home to the famed French Laundry. We weren’t dining here because holy cow it is not cheap, and the reservations aren’t easy to get. However, Thomas Keller opened a bistro a few blocks away called Bouchon and we had gotten on their list for lunch at 2:45. This gave us enough time to grab a quick espresso (much needed when you start drinking before noon).

We still had a half hour to kill before food happened so we did a little wine tasting at a place with a shop in town called Hope & Grace. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t great so I didn’t take any pictures. They did have a REALLY cute dog - golden/chow/shepherd mix - who was very friendly. I so miss cuddly big dogs . . .

Here is one of my favorite things about California living:

Year round beautiful things blooming. ***Sigh of contentment***

Then, lunch.

It was very yummy. Raw bar to start, of course, then I had cod brandades with a thick tomato coulis. Matt chose their French onion soup because he is in love with it, but was a little disappointed. Apparently they didn’t add enough salt (?!?!) and the flavor of the broth wasn’t developed enough. I have now been itching to make him my version to see if I can kick Bouchon’s ass. I have to make life a competition, apparently. 

 Over all it was a lovely meal, because regardless of the food’s not quite fantasticalness, it was good, and the day was sunny, and the company was superb. 

Now it was late, and after the long drive from the previous day, and the drinking of wine ever since, we headed back to the cozy Inn and the novelty of having a TV and cable. I am going to admit this: I love infomercials, and my all-time favorite was playing. Truth time - I did make Matt sit through an ad for the Magic Bullet. If you haven’t seen this one, you are missing out. Seriously consider finding it on YouTube because it is cheesy brilliance. It is only through super human willpower that I haven’t bought this thing. That, and the knowledge that my other infomercial purchases have turned out rather disappointing (I’m talking to you, work out ball). Then it was onto a rerun of Batman Returns - gotta love it.

And at midnight I became old.

Lil’ Ol’ Me.

Ugh.

I set my alarm for 3:43am because I like to be awake at the moment of my birth. This is perhaps over the top, but I’m not one of those people who expects to have a birthday week and be fawned all over, and have thousands of presents, and multiple get togethers, and be adored by the world at large. I just like to wake up at 3:43 and see if I feel any different.

Matt kindly gave me a sleepy hi-five. 

When it was really morning we went out to the winery we both had been looking forward to very much: Chateau Montelena. We had watched a movie on Netflix called Bottle Shock about this particular winery and how in the 70s they produced a chardonnay so good it beat out every competitor from France and the US in a blind taste test. This is when US wines started to get credit for being amazing. So great to get to go there and see and taste for my self.

It was so beautiful and we loved their wines as well. Still found ourselves liking whites so got a bottle of their chardonnay. Couldn’t afford the Cabernet we adored because it was a whopping $142.85 per bottle and they only sold it in lots of 6. Holy Splurge, Batman. 

Also cool - they had a Japanese water garden, complete with pond, near the parking lot which was very pretty. Best of all, it contained DUCKS. I need to keep old bread or crackers in the car at all times for random duck sightings.

Next was a visit to the Bale Grist Mill, which was actually the best part of the trip for me. Set back from the road in what is now a state park is a water powered grist mill, originally built in 1846. It is still in operation and supports itself through both visitor fees and amazingly, selling stone milled organic grains. 

We arrived in time for a tour with the current Miller who explained everything about the process and finished by milling both spelt and whole wheat flour. 

Because you can have a cottage industry permit in California now, they are able to sell their products to local restaurants and stores as well as at the mill which pays for the upkeep of the historic site. Rather wonderful and such a neat thing to learn about. We both watched, fascinated, for over an hour before realizing what time it was and that we were starving. I picked up some of the freshly ground flours to play with at home before we left.

On the way back to the car we made a pit stop at the cutest (and cleanest) facility I’ve ever come across in a public place. They even had skylights inside!

Things like that make me so happy.

Lunch was from Dean & Deluca - a wonderful, originally British food hall with beautiful things everywhere that you just want all of - because they have nice snacks and wine and sandwiches. We picked up some essentials, which for us can be an odd but delicious mix:

Dried bing cherries and strawberries

Cornichons and olives

Roasted veggie sandwich (for me)

Chicken pesto sans nuts (for Matt)

WINE - a local pinot noir

Fancy cheese and crackers

Orangina - angels literally sing when you open it and take a sip

We took our delicious treasures back to our room at the Inn and ate in front of the fire. As I’m sure you know, fires always make everything better.

It was now getting late and a bit chilly outside but the sun was still above the western mountains so I went for a little stroll into downtown Calistoga. It’s really only one street but it has a bunch of cute shops and galleries and restaurants. As it was Super Bowl Sunday (yuck) most things were all closed early, but lucky for me the book store was open. Not surprisingly it was full of women - all probably trying to escape football. I found a couple things I couldn’t live without and meandered on back to the room. I walked a different way back than I had come so I could see more of the town. It really reminded me of New England minus the stone walls, plus mountains and vineyards. Gorgeous.

Dinner was at JoLe, another farm to table restaurant. They offered tasting menus of either four, five or six courses. Instead of being Chef’s choice, however, you looked at their a la carte menu and picked out whatever you would like which I thought was great. They also let you have either all savory courses (which I went for) or a dessert at the end (Matt had to have a sweet finish). It was so good. We added the wine pairings and just sat back to let them feed us. My favorite dish was one made especially for me - Hedgehog mushrooms over a matsutake mushroom and barley risotto. Matt’s favorite was his chocolate pot du creme dessert. Truly lovely all around and very good service.

Back at the Inn Matt gave me a few presents which was very sweet - one being a cookbook I’d been coveting since it came out:

I started reading and made a list of things in my head that we needed to buy so I could start trying out the recipes. I highly recommend this book, but if you want to check out her food blog first to get a feel it is www.smittenkitchen.com 

Monday it was time to go home. As discussed we were going to take the scenic route this time. As we were still in Napa though, we thought, let’s hit up one more winery. It was a cloudy day in the valley and as we drove to Plumpjack Vineyard the fog made everything seem sort of wild. The damp made all the colors so different from when it’s sunny - damp dark bark, muted leaves.

Again we loved the whites and took a sauvignon blanc with us. Because we were going to be in the car for a while and didn’t want to have to stop we went back to Dean & DeLuca for more sandwiches. Of course there were other things we couldn’t do without. The best being this tasty black tea which comes in a cinnamon wood container. It gives the tea a subtle spiciness which is very pleasant. 

We were both happy to see that they had Root - a spirit from the North East we were both missing. It is a take on the original root beer, which was alcoholic before prohibition turned it into the drink we think of today. With things like sassafrass, anise, black tea and orange peel, it has a wonderful sharp bite to it. Delicious with ginger beer.

I also got a marzipan pig because I love both pigs and marzipan. Because I’m a bit of a freak I felt bad eating it - it is a pig after all. I would have preferred if it was fruit shaped marzipan but they didn’t have that. Have to say it took me til yesterday to take a nibble, but when I did it was so good I just closed my eyes and gobbled him up.

Now for the trip; the bit around San Francisco was first. This took about 3 hours and then we hit the coast and Route 1. Here is where the world becomes magical. Please visit. You won’t be disappointed. Travel along 1 from just above Carmel to almost San Luis Obispo and you will see the most majestic ocean coast ever. We pulled to the side of the road almost immediately because it was so pretty.

Then after driving only about another half hour we stopped again and hiked up this hill called Whale’s Peak to see another amazing view:

Another hour on after that we came to what must be the home of the happiest cows on Earth. 

The road was high and narrow and very twisty and turny. I am always glad that Matt is a good driver, but especially so when we find ourselves on some crazy path up and down mountains (this seems to happen to us rather frequently). While I was nervous, I am so glad we went this way and very much want to go back and stay in either Carmel or Big Sur to have more time there.

The only downside of our drive was the distance and time. Veering over to the coast and then driving on slow speed roads meant that the ride home, including the stops we made for the view, took 10 hours. We had to pause for dinner in San Luis Obispo which was still 200 miles from home. We were both so tired and that is a seriously long time for Matt to be driving. Had we known this we might not have stopped for as long as we did or left earlier. 

Regardless, we got home around 11pm, tired but happy. It had been a lovely trip.

Since then I’ve been on a cooking spree, trying out things from my wonderful new cookbook. 

I made leek fritters for breakfast and topped Matt’s with a fried egg and lemon garlic cream. Forgot to take a picture though :(

Next I tried her Grapefruit Olive Oil cake.

This came out very tasty though as you can see the glaze was a bit loose and mainly ended up on the dish. 

The piece de resistance was the Beer and Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes.

I am always nervous about cooking meat in a way I never have before because I can’t/don't taste it and don’t know how it will end up. When Matt got home from working I made him a plate and tried not to stare while he dug in. 

Apparently, I did good!

Today is Sunday and Matt actually has it off so we are planning on making dinner in Pasadena at his Dad’s house and if we don’t leave right now we are going to be late!

Happy Cooking