Orange Harvest Party

My dear friend Mary can throw a party. The type of party that has you scratching your head in disbelief. She is incredibly creative and talented, and i am so thankful that we finally live on the same coast again so that I can reap the benefits of her creativity.

Two weeks ago, she invited us to her house to help harvest their orange tree. You won't believe what we found when we got there.

Hand crafted bags hanging from a hook in the tree inviting us to fill a bag and take it home.

Mary made the bags from burlap and they were lined with vintage fabric from her grandmother. They were charming and Karen Ray has now appropriated the bag for her own use.

The tree was the perfect height for picking, and you could do it by hand or with a picker that Mary provided.

Some people got a little carried away with the picker... not to name names, TIM!

There was a bounty of food and every item had a hint of orange flavor or was orange in color. The menu was tacked to the umbrella out on the patio. Some ideas are so simple and yet have such a large impact. The menu included:

Victor's homemade hummus with pita chips.

Avocado Orange Salsa with Tortilla Chips.
This was my personal favorite, and I will share the recipe tomorrow.

Marinated Orange Olives

White Sangria with Oranges and Mango

Orange and Fennel Salad

3 types of skewers:
Beef with Orange and Garlic, Honey Orange Garlic Chicken, and Ginger Chili Citrus Shrimp.

And then there was dessert. Homemade gelato in two flavors! This is the Orange Rosemary.

Which was served with a dark chocolate and orange marble cake.

and this is the Orange Mango Gelato.

The kids played in the back yard.

And had quite the feast of their own!

There were crafts to make.

And quite possibly the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen!

And the adults? 

Well, lets just say the party brought out the child in all of us!

Charlie and the Incredible, Amazing, Stupendous, Really Good Day

I took Thursday and Friday of School Vacation Week off. I wanted to spend some time doing fun things with Karen Ray. So when the phone rang on Wednesday, and it was a friend and her daughter asking if we wanted to go to The Wild Animal Park on Thursday, we jumped at the chance.

We packed lunches, stopped for coffee and were on our way. If you have ever been to The Wild Animal Park (now called The Safari Park) in San Diego, you know that once you get off the highway, the drive in to the park is gorgeous! There are orchards, vineyards, Ostrich Farms, Horse Ranches, and you are surrounded by beautiful , untouched mountains. The Wild Animal Park owns 1800 acres. Of that number they have set aside more than half of them as conservation land. Their conservation makes the landscape (just 15 minutes off the highway) feel like an entirely different world.

The best thing about the day though, was the company. Both mothers and both daughters enjoy a good food adventure. So between the four of us, we were quick to decide to see the park, but to also cut out early and enjoy the farms, orchards, and vineyards!

Enjoy the story, as it unfolds in pictures...

Charlie and the Incredible, Amazing, Stupendous, Really Good Day!

Start with good friends.

And wild animals.

Indulge your inner child.

Head off the beaten path.

Enjoy the view.

Follow in a friend's footsteps.

Value individuality.

Marvel at the bounty of our Earth.

Make memories.

Keep your options open.

Try not to pass out from sheer joy.

Realize that art can be made from the ordinary.

Play hide 'n seek when asked.

Because you won't always be asked.

Never give up.

You hold victory in your hands.

And it is magnificent.

Work together.

Look for creative solutions.

Put some elbow grease into it.

Shake your groove thang.

And always eat your vegetables.

Notes:
1. An Ostrich Egg is the equivalent of 23 chicken eggs. The flavor is the same (although Tim says it is a little meatier tasting). It is higher in protein and lower in cholesterol.
2. We made omelettes with the egg, as it would have been a little difficult to cook it over easy.
3. The Vineyard is Orfila. If you are headed out to Escondido, you should check it out. The wine was delicious, and they have a lot of fun events. We are headed back there for the grape stomp later this year.
4. The man that owns the Ostrich Farm, is a retired exotic animals vet from The Wild Animal Park. In addition to providing eggs, his ostriches have been used in many movies... including "Out of Africa". (You can't make this stuff up.) He was incredibly interesting to talk to, and he drove an egg out to the gate of his farm, when we couldn't find one at any of the local farm stands.
5. An enormous bag of organic oranges was $10, and reaffirmed my belief that fruit eaten in an orchard is twice as sweet.
6. And finally, the best plans are the plans you break... The proof is in the omelette.

Drinking my words...

Do you remember when I said that I don't like screw cap wine?  Yeah, well I guess that I should have learned not to speak in absolutes.  Whenever I do, it comes back to bite me.  Hard.  In the proverbial butt.   Like it did on Sunday. 

We are at the point in our move when we are trying to cram as much fun into the few days that we aren't packing, cleaning, and wrapping up our Massachusett's lives in a pretty little bow.  One of the most fun things is getting together with friends.  Good friends.  Good friends, that like good wine.  AKA Lisa and Mike.  We spent Sunday at their house.  The plan was: get together, let the kids play, make an easy dinner, drink wine, and chill.  Simple.

Just a quick stop at Trader Joe's, the mecca of all things fresh and delicious.  I went in for toilet paper...  I came out with vine ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzerella, organic basil, and artichokes... the size of a Candlepin bowling ball!  The plan had changed, and I needed to get to the wine store, STAT!

Sauvignon Blanc was what I had in mind.  First it was warm out, and we would be outside, so a nice, chilled white was an excellent idea.  Second, when I eat artichokes, I always want Sauvignon Blanc.  It goes back to this amazing dinner Tim and I had at a small bistro when we lived in Dallas.  We ate steamed artichokes and drank Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc.  It was sweet and romantic and a very, very good memory. 

I came out with the Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc, Charlotte's Home.  It was $11.99.  It had a screw cap.  I bought it on a whim.  I recently had the Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon and liked it, and it was Charlotte's Home!  Close enough to my name to make it worth the gamble.

Maybe I should have played the lottery that day.  Wow!  It was delicious.  Light, citrusy (that's a technical term), and perfect under the shade of an umbrella while the kids played in the pool.  Now for those of you that have never steamed an artichoke.. DO IT!  I am including a recipe... trust me, it's easy.

Steamed Artichokes:

Fill the bottom of a large pot with a couple inches of water.  Toss in a lemon(cut in half), and a tbsp of Olive Oil.  Put in a steamer basket.  Take your artichokes, and cut the stem off to about 1/2 to 1 inch below the main part of the artichoke.  Steam for approximately 35 minutes, or until a fork pushed into the stem of the artichoke goes in easily!

Dip the leaves in a lemon aioli, or in a melted butter. 

I like to dip mine in melted butter cooked with a finely diced shallot, a dash of thyme, and a little dijon.  

Oh, and a nice Sauvignon Blanc!

            and this?

This is the sign of a good time!

Sometimes you just need to go out!

I am admittedly a bit of a homebody.  I like to cook.  I like to be with my family.  And sometimes, I have been known to be in my pajamas by 6:15pm Saturday night!  I am that girl.  There are times though, that even I like to go out. 

One of those times is with Pam.  She is smart and funny, funny and smart, charming and funny and smart, caring and funny and smart, oh and did I mention she is funny and smart?!  After an evening spent with Pam it is guaranteed that your face will be sore from smiling, and your stomach will hurt from laughing 'til you thought you might pee!  A night with Pam is good for the soul.

A favorite place for us to visit is Rustic Kitchen.  Rustic Kitchen describes itself as a lively but classic style bistro.  The restaurant's focus is on fresh food.  Everything is made on premise, including their pastas and breads.  We like to go, sit at the bar, have a glass of wine, and share a pizza.  Our favorite is the portabella, goat cheese, caramelized onion and thyme pizza.  All of their pizzas are thin crust and cooked in a brick oven.  Nothing beats a wood fired pizza.

Plus, the wine list is intriguing.  Wines are not listed by type (Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Zinfandel), but are categorized by description.  There are listings for Rough Riders (full body, peppery, hint of smokiness), Funky White Guys (crisp and acidic, lively, great with seafood), and Too Big to be Put Anywhere Else (big, heavy and over the top).  I don't know why more restaurants don't do this.  It is genius.  It makes wine approachable for every consumer.  It also encourages you to try something you might not usually.  For example: if you like Pinot Noir and you see the Mark West listed under Rough Riders, you might glance at the other wines in that section.  That might lead you to try the Concannon Syrah, which is quite good in its own right.

One small confession.. I almost always get the Centine by Banfi.  It is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.  It is smooth, and supple.  I would describe it as medium bodied.  Listed in the Easy Rider category, it is perfect with the above mentioned pizza!

So here is my challenge to you:  This week, call your Pam (find your own, you can't have mine!) and make plans to go out.  Laugh, drink, eat delicious food, and enjoy every minute together.  Oh, and if you live in the Boston area... why not try Rustic Kitchen?  There are two here.. 

Nothing is better than time spent with a good friend!

*all opinions listed in this blog are my own.  If I write a review, it is because of my love of the business.  I promise to always be truthful in my posts, and I will always call it... just the way I see it.

I get by with a little help from my friends

Those days. We've all had them. Trust me when I tell you, this one was a doozy. Just a snap shot:

I have come to the conclusion that we are living in a time where young adults have no manners. No table manners, no cell phone manners, and certainly no common courtesy. There is no please and thank you. There is no patience to wait until someone can help you, everything is right now, and on my terms. For example..

Arrogant Twenty-something Metro-Sexual, "I'll have a water. With lemon." (while holding cell phone to ear.)
Deadly Zin, "okay." (walks away, gets water)
A.T.M., "chips and salsa." (still on cell phone)
Deadly Zin, "okay." (walks away, gets chips)
A.T.M., "honey-chipotle crispers" (yep, still on cell phone)
Deadly Zin, (pause. pause. pause) "I'm sorry, were you talking to me?"
A.T.M., "um, yes. (pause) I'll have the honey-chipotle crispers."
Deadly Zin (pause......)
A.T.M., (puts down cell) "Please."

That was at 11:15a.m. By noon, it was a whole other picture..

And since I believe laughter is the best way to deal with life, we will just skip the 3 nut jobs that I am pretty sure were imbibing things other than fajitas and ritas in the bathroom. There is no laughing about them.

By 5:15 p.m. I was home, finally. Let the dogs out, let the dogs in, give them dinner, let the dogs out again, let the dogs in, get a phone call from an amazing friend offering to make dinner for me and the Goose. Sweet.

Run downstairs in time to see #2 dog (the boy, of course the girl is #1) throwing up his dinner ... wait for it... on my bed. Super.

Clean it up, grab wine and green beans (she was a little short on vegetables), and head down the block.

At which point she fixed me. Not with Eggplant (which was delicious), or wine (which was scrumptious), but with friendship... because that is what we do for each other. As women: we listen, we cry, we laugh, and we certainly heal each other's bad days.

"Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece." - Author Unknown

Oh and in case you wonder what we were drinking:

La Chase du Pape
Cotes du Rhone
Prestige
2008

I would describe it as full bodied, on the drier side, and lightly spicy. Oh, and worth $11.99, definitely.