my gourmet neighbors

 

Heidi and Rob invited me for dinner ONCE AGAIN last night and yummmmm, he made scallops (!) and pancakes which were made from fresh green peas. The sauce was capers and raisins and all very French and so tasty. I know, I am one fortunate woman.

veggie chili day

Amy makes the BEST chili and yesterday she came over to cook for me. I now have a freezer full of really wonderful, delicious black bean chili with tons of mushrooms and tomatoes, etc. We had lots of good conversation too, remembering her sister and my BFF Ginger. More gratitude from this blogger.
 

dinner with Lawrence

 Yesterday I had a good walk with Jen and the two pesky puppies and at the end she gifted me with this lovely pork dinner and fresh bok choy from their lettuce tree. It was quite nice to say goodbye to left over corned beef for awhile. When making friends it is a plus if they actually enjoy cooking. And sharing.

and yet more paella

 Neighbor Rob (husband of Heidi) keeps working to perfect his paella and I am a fortunate recipient of his efforts. You can see the giant paella pan alongside our other neighbors (Jerry and Joanne) and we all had a truly delightful and delicious evening.  

Valentine's dinner 2025

 Tons of Indian food provided by Jen with the two dogs. Really, it was such a generous feast and I am still full this morning with lots of little left over plastic containers in my refrigerator for tonight's dinner. Yum!

Monday was a work day

 Well, not for me, thankfully. Amy came over to cook up a delicious veggie chili for my belated birthday gift and then I encouraged her to work on a little project for me. I had ordered an "easy to assemble" (oh hahahahaha) luggage rack from Amazon for the new guest suite and yes, Amy put it together for me. A few hitches but I brought her raspberry tea and gave her lots of positive energy and tons of gratitude for all these jobs well done. Yay!

books, friends and food

Suze set a warm and lovely table for the book club Sunday night ~ I brought the cake as you may have guessed. We discussed Apeirogon, a fictional account of a touching story set in Israel. An Arab father and an Israeli father bond after the deaths of their daughters. Not easy, but beautiful. Our book for the January meeting is Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan who wrote Foster. It is not easy finding time to read during this holiday season, but you already know that.

 

L & O and bacon too

 There aren't many liver lovers around but last night Neti cooked a beautiful dinner for Pat and me and yes, it was scrumptious. Smothered in onions and the bacon cooked just right. We three widows covered a multitude of subjects and had a lovely evening. 

is it good enough for my sis?

 Yesterday I had a lovely downtown day and one of my tasks was to check out the Hotel Stratford where Sister Jane will be staying Thanksgiving week. The two young women at the tiny front desk were nice and helpful and wow, what a perfect location in the heart of Union Square. Good choice, Sis! Then I went right around the corner to the King of Thai to celebrate with a big bowl of duck noodle soup and all in all, a wonderful SF kind of day.

a small public service

 I haven't actually tried this yet, but I will. You are welcome.

All I have to do is hold two fingers together (in this case, the point and middle) lengthwise to measure the stripes on the watermelon. If both fingers fit within the darker green area between two white stripes, that’s a sure sign I’ve got myself a perfectly ripe watermelon — sweet, run-down-your-chin juicy, and crisp. Not a mealy bite in sight.

Three Babes

 Jen-with-two-dogs takes pie baking classes here. (I am not tempted) But I did finally get to Three Babes for a key lime pie yesterday. Yum. This was my contribution to Nicole's Wednesday night gathering and the Babes did not disappoint. I do like to support local business, especially women-owned. A fine experience and I will return. Perhaps a cherry pie next time?

oxtails on a sunny day

 I introduced Doug and Barb to the Farmhouse yesterday and yes, they loved it too. This time we added oxtails (bottom photo) to the excellent starter menu and wowza, yummy. They are leaving soon for NY and Italy so we needed a little catch-up conversation time. 

Memorial Day celebration

 Jen and Stacie (in photo with two dogs) over fed me last night with all the traditional American foods that we love: potato salad, corn, baked beans, BBQ chicken, roast beef...way too much delicious food. These women are very, very good to me, but I do not complain. In fact I walked home happily last night with a full bag of To Go cartons. Yes, I am spoiled.

cooking school

 Amy came over to teach me how to make crust less quiche and green pea salad. She loves to cook and I don't, but I do appreciate the talents and efforts of others. The results? Delicious and we had plenty of time to chat while she worked away. I did the dishes afterwards, so there.

my chef friends

 A gorgeous day and very nice evening. Jen with two dogs grilled lamb chops and we had an interesting conversation over a delicious dinner. She and Stacie have this lettuce tree (lower right corner in bottom photo) out on their deck and it is pretty amazing. We discussed the pros and cons of all the coyotes in SF ~ good thing my Annabelle is an indoor/spoiled kitty. 

sushi on Haight Street

 The grands wanted sushi last night so we met for an early dinner at Nara and consumed way too much delicious food in a quiet setting. I'm so glad that they have had nice weather for their visit. Lindsay is a foodie who lives in NYC and she thinks that SF has the best food ever. Ahhhh.

and the blogger bakes!

A gloomy Sunday and since I had all the ingredients, I made the cranberry/almond cake that Terry recommended from Budget Bytes. The above is a stock photo, but mine looked almost as good. Neighbor Heidi came for tea and fireplace and we did that part political, part gossip thing that included cat talk: Annabelle and Ozzie are the best cats in the neighborhood.

Shakshuka

 Lindsay lived in Tel Aviv for a few years and I loved hearing about her experiences there. She is a great cook and whipped up Shakshuka for us Sunday night. Delicious! Tomatoes, onion, garlic and whatever is in your refrigerator. Then eggs cooked in all that lovely sauce. Yum.

lamb, dogs, friends and more

 We had a feast at Jen (with two dogs) and Stacie's yesterday for a long lunch in their charming condo two blocks away. Jen and I met on the street while walking and they were gracious enough to include Doug and Barb in their invitation. The top photo is from their back deck where Jen grilled this delicious meal. As I guessed, we all had a lot in common and it was one of those "only in San Francisco" kind of days. Delightful. 

Vik's Chaat

 What a treat to go over to Berkeley yesterday with Doug and Barb. Vik's Chaat is a very large Indian grocery and restaurant on 4th Street ~ reasonable prices and large portions. We sat outside and were able to catch up with our lives as we enjoyed the tandoori, dal, dasa, etc. all with naan and mango lassi. Then a drive around Berkeley with oohs and ahhs.