A Meal in 30 Minutes

Next time I'll wipe the plate so this looks more pro

Like every other red blooded American fifty-something, I have a subscription to Good Housekeeping... and I love it.  When I read magazines targeted to my age group they don't have adds for mayo in them so this was a real treat. Honestly when I saw the page below I thought how disgusting it sounded, mayonnaise on chicken with a company logo I associate with soap, but then I thought that it sounded easy, and easy trumps gross so I gave it a try. If you need to make a fulfilling dinner in less time than it takes you to watch an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians give this recipe a try. Add some sauteed veggies and Trader Joe's orzo and rice pilaf and you got yourself a speedy crowd pleaser. 

The Teeniest Tiniest Meal I Have Ever Had

The piece de resistance

Sunday night we celebrated our actual anniversary with what was supposed to be a big fancy dinner...the  place itself was lovely but the only thing big about our meal was the bill. We dined at the 3 star Michelin rated restaurant at Meadowood, where we had met the head chef before here. We decided to go all out and order his tasting menu which came with about 10 different tastes. That term taste was more literal than I could have ever imagined. Everything we were served was literally gone in a bite and we quickly figured out why rich people aren't fat.  We were going with the flow and pretending like we understood why our portions were microscopic until we were served what we will fondly refer to as "the cereal" pictured above. To put that photo into perspective, the glass is about 3 inches tall and that bowl contains four, that's right 4, fancy corn flakes. Once we had that in front of us the jig was up, we couldn't keep a straight face (nor could the couple next to us). We had an extremely memorable night where we had a lot of laughs and learned to never ever order the chef's tasting menu again.

Sunday Dinners with the Parents

 My parents and I have started a new family tradition, Sunday dinners (a revolutionary idea I know!). Every Sunday we are all free, we switch off hosting a family get together. This weekend was my turn. My husband usually does the cooking as he is far more experienced in the kitchen than myself but this week I took charge. I made use of my cookbook collection and made an arugula salad without the arugula, "jezz's chili" and Jiffy cornbread (that one was not from a cookbook). Ofilio ended up pitching in and made a chorizo mac and cheese. For  dessert we enjoyed mini cheesecakes that I received from my work to celebrate my 5 year(!) anniversary with the company. I did have to explain to my confused Dad why I was taking pictures of the food, but none the less, it was a good night with my favorite people.
Side note: I just saw The Help this weekend and in response to the Miss Myrna letters it was said to avoid the sting of onion cutting, hold a matchstick in your mouth. I tried this while chopping a whole onion and it worked! My eyes started to sting a tiny bit at the very end but it was much better than going in unarmed.

Bun Mee Is Yumee

My Delicious Lunch

I recently had my first Vietnamese sandwich. Honestly I didn't have a clue that the Vietnamese had sandwiches but now I do and I enjoyed this treat at Bun Mee on Fillmore Street. The decor was cute and casual and it's walking distance from my house so even before I tried the food I was happy. The sandwiches were good but my favorite things were the salt and pepper fries and the cookie. I never thought that you could really change much when it comes to a french fry but they seasoned these to perfection and you simply MUST try them. As for the chocolate coconut creme cookies... seriously one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted.  We will definitely be back for a quick and tasty lunch.

Date Night Details

My hot date and me

Saturday night I had my first Michael Mina dining experience. We went on a double date with our dear friends to Bourbon Steak. The food, ambiance and of course company were all amazing. Here are some snippets from the evening.

             

New Favorite Restaurant- Bursa, San Francisco

Last Friday night we did the exact same thing we did the Friday night before, ate dinner at Bursa. My husband and I at one time had the goal to never eat at the same restaurant twice so us going back to the same place two weeks in a row is a non existent occurrence. We did this because we are in love with Bursa. Located in the West Portal district of San Francisco, you can expect no wait (lucky you!) and absolutely amazing food (even luckier you!). Your experience begins with complimentary fresh warm bread served with a mix of spices and olive oil. After that order yourself a glass of One Hope Cabernet. This wine is not only gets you buzzed but does good, a percentage of the proceeds benefit cancer research. Back to the food, for starters you must get the the dolmas, that's all we have tried so far though I'm sure everything they offer is amazing. If meat is your thing then you will be very, very happy with the entree selections. The kofte kebab and rack of lamb are out of this world, lick your plate good. The salad and rice pilaf they come with are delicious as well. For dessert they offer a few home made Mediterranean delicacies and Turkish coffee to end your meal the right way. 

Mixed Grill

Kofte Kebab