As you've probably already surmised if you follow this blog, I love to entertain at home. In addition to Sunday Supper, then, you're probably not going to be surprised that I also host TV watching parties and, as my boss terms them, "Nerdy Game Nights."
The Game Night group has been more or less the same (at least at its core) for years. We've branched out a bit in terms of the games we play—
see above for King of Tokyo—
but I think my group's ultimate favorite is Ultimate Werewolf. It's a game with very few rules, but you can think of it as a sophisticated, fast-paced mafia that works best among friends—
good friends and long-time couples who will get a kick out of trying to figure out who's lying and who's telling the truth.
Game nights and TV watching parties require snack food rather than full-on dishes. I make a pretty mean guacamole and 7-layer taco dip, but today I've chosen to highlight something you may not have had before but should definitely try:
"Game On" Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip (Muhummara)
a recipe by Aarti Sequeira
Ingredients
2 red bell peppers
1-1/2 cups raw walnuts, halves and pieces
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2-1/2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (which can be found in the international aisle of specialty supermarkets and at Middle Eastern markets)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Roast the red peppers. Place each bell pepper over the open flame of a gas burner or grill, cooking until the skin blackens and blisters. Rotate the peppers and blacken all the way around, about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can roast the peppers in the oven by placing the bell peppers on a baking sheet and placing under the broiler, turning frequently, until the peppers are blackened and blistered all over. Put the blackened peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to steam
3. Toast the walnuts. Spread the walnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pop into the oven until light golden brown and aromatic, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
4. Peel the red peppers using a paring knife. Discard the peels, stem,
and seeds. Throw the roasted red peppers, walnuts, garlic, paprika,
cumin, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, and olive
oil into a food processor with a teaspoon of salt, and run until the dip
is smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Cool and serve.
For those of you not on your mobile devices, you can probably tell I've just overhauled my blog. (For those of you who are on your mobile devices, pretty please scroll to the bottom of the page and choose to view in web format just for a second to check it out?)
To celebrate this much-needed update (which I definitely have to thank BlissfulBoldDesign on Etsy for—I'm certainly not above admitting that I need the help), I wanted to post about one of the loveliest places I've been to recently—and one of the loveliest and most comfortable dresses I own.
No visit to Northern California is complete without at least a day trip into wine country. Even for the non-drinkers (let's be friends and perhaps I can interest you in being a Designated Driver), it's just a gorgeous part of California. The weather is always slightly hotter in Napa and Sonoma than it is in San Francisco, and the grounds of each vineyard are unique but all amazingly Instagrammable. There's a reason so many weddings take place here—there are so many photo ops, whether natural or contrived.
If you're not going to spend a night (or more) out in either Napa or Sonoma and if you don't have a Designated Driver, then I highly recommend taking a wine tour. There's no shortage of them—you can even take a helicopter if you're feeling extra fancy or if you want to pretend you're on The Bachelor—but I most recently took one with The Great Pacific Tour Company that I'd highly recommend. They pick you and any others taking the same tour up from wherever you're staying within San Francisco in a large bus, then drive to three wineries, with lunch included in between: the Cline Cellars, the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, and, lastly, Domaine Chandon, the Napa Valley sister of Moët & Chandon in Champagne, France.
This post focuses in particular on the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards.
Jacuzzi Family Vineyards
24724 Arnold Dr.,
Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 931-7575
These vineyards were started by the Jacuzzi family—yes, the same family that created the jacuzzi tub. The grounds are crazy gorgeous, perfect for a wedding or just a normal afternoon. And they have a huge variety of wines, enough that my friend and I wound up tasting entirely different wines (and sharing all of them, naturally). The vineyards started out with Zinfandel, Carignane and Mourvedre but now include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Pinot Grigio, among others. They also grow olives, and you can taste and purchase their olive oils while you're at the vineyards.
I'm not too embarrassed to admit that I bought a dress specifically for visiting wine country. This dress by Auguste the Label is the dress of my vino dreams, so soft and flowy and elegant and easy. They're almost sold out of this particular print, but the Boheme Goddess is one of Auguste's most popular styles, and they seem to always be remaking it in new prints. Check the Interwebs for this and other easy styles here.
I don't know if I can think of a better frame for this dress.
And even my accessories look happy to be in the sun. The laser-cut tote bag from Avon is large and roomy (but be warned, there's no plastic lining the sides, so those are true cut-outs, which can make it alarmingly easy for tiny, loose items, like pens, to slip out the sides. And I've always gotten lots of compliments on my DIY sunhat, the base of which is a simple sunhat by American Apparel in pale pink, dressed up with ribbon and fake flowers, all attached with the help of a simple glue gun.
I admit—too often, my first thought for travel is that it's expensive and far away and I'll need to make sure my passport is up to date. But that's definitely not true—I'm lucky enough to live in the U.S., and there are amazingly beautiful things to see (and delicious things to eat) right here, in every state in the union.
One of the many stunning things you can see in California are the redwoods forests. There are so many parks at which you can do so, including the Redwood National and State Parks (consisting of four parks), the Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, but perhaps the easiest one to get to is the Muir Woods National Monument. The Muir Woods are just a little over 16 miles outside San Francisco proper (though it will likely take you 45 minutes or so to get there by car) and feature easy boardwalk loops as well as proper hiking trails. You'll want to arrive early in the morning, if possible, to beat the crowds—there isn't a lot of parking available—although the Internet lets me know that eventually the Muir Woods will move toward a reservation system—keep an eye on that over the next couple of years, as you'll need to plan ahead a bit more than we had to in the near future.
These steps lead to adventure and stunning views and photo ops.
Under the canopy of the redwoods, you feel so small. Can you even spot me in this shot? I think if you could zoom in, you'd see I wasn't even looking at the camera here—was just looking up in awe.
I didn't get a chance to take a proper hike this trip (my friend and I were squeezing this visit in the morning of my flight back to the East Coast), but there was plenty of beauty just along the boardwalk. Don't underestimate, though, just how cold it can be in the middle of the forest—walking will warm you up, but you'll definitely need long sleeves, and a sweater or a light jacket are probably smart.
We took a healthy number of photos and read our fair share of informational placards. It took a little over an hour for a pair of New Yorkers (meaning only that we walk quickly) to do the longest boardwalk loop—the park, I think, recommends you take 2 hours to do that same loop.
Before (or after) your morning hike, drive a little over a mile to Kitchen Sunnyside for a delicious, hearty breakfast.
Kitchen Sunnyside
31 Sunnyside Ave., Suite 1
Mill Valley, CA 94941
(415) 326-5159
They've got tons of delicious options both sweet and savory (plus lots of vegetarian dishes if that's your jam), and all the portions are huge. Pictured below are the Morning Tacos with chipotle aioli, avocado, scrambled eggs, chicken apple sausage, bacon, tomato, cilantro, mild cheddar, and parmesan, and topped with roasted salsa and pico de gallo and sour cream. Served with your choice of potato medley (my choice), home fries, hash brown or salad.
I made sure to order a side of millionaire's bacon-- don't forget yours. Millionaire's bacon appears to have been invented (or at least made popular) by San Francisco's Sweet Maple restaurant. I've actually made this bacon myself before at home—with regular bacon—but it really is best made thick. Try for yourself using the recipe below—but also definitely order it when you're next in San Francisco.
Millionaire's Bacon
an original recipe by tammiest (The Passionfruit Fashionista)
Ingredients
1 pound of thick-cut bacon
5 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking pan with foil. Combine all of the spices and the brown sugar together in a bowl and mix thoroughly—if you like things spicy, increase the amount of spice to taste. Handcoat each strip of bacon with the mixture.
3. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the bacon is crisp. Cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying.
