[Super Duper Fantastic]

Wine and Love #38

Suki — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:34:08 +0000

Wine and Love is a blog series created by Walking With Nora and now hosted here. Each Thursday, participants list what’s driving them to grab a glass or wine up the wall and what you’re loving.

Grab the button and join in!

Wine…

* Allergies. Still going strong, and I’m trying to stay resilient by not taking the allergy medicine, but we’ll see how long I can keep that up.

* Banks are sometimes a pain in the ass. They try to make things easier by allowing you to open an account online. However, when you go in for a cashier’s check, they search for way too long for a signature card that doesn’t exist because you didn’t open your account at a physical location.

* The older I get, the more often the parents make comments about grandbabies. It’s not that I am set against having children. I just don’t want them right now, if at all.

Love…

* Refinance complete! I signed all the paperwork and mailed in my cashier’s check this week. What does this all mean? Lower monthly payments! I’ve got a lower interest rate, but the 30-year term started all over again. In debt till I die, baby!

* Wine tasting over the weekend with Ryan, the parents, and the sister. Time spent with the parents = more times they will mention kiddos. Ugh, but I love them anyway! The last time I was at a winery with my parents [other than a cousin's wedding] was back before I was 21. This was before tasting fees got out of hand in Napa. My parents sampled wines at the wineries while my sister and I gorged on cheese and crackers.

* All that I’ve been going on about has been Bloggers in Sin City. Well, it’s finally here. By the time some of you read this, I will have finally met some of the people I have been chatting or tweeting with in person for the first time! I hope they like me…

Wordless Wednesday – Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour 2012

Suki — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:20:28 +0000

Dunsmuir’s Dogwood Diner

Suki — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:55:49 +0000

On our way back from the Shasta Cascade area in northern Northern California, we made a brunch stop in Siskiyou County’s Dunsmuir. Small town, lots of history. The downtown area has been designated as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

Maintaining the facade of the Brown Trout Gallery and Cafe before it, the building now houses Brown Trout Vintage and Dogwood Diner. At the time of our trip, the spot [more of a restaurant and less of a diner] was only a month or so young.

Arriving at the lucky hours between 11 and noon, we landed both breakfast and lunch menus, and so we ordered from both.

Hello grass-fed beef burger on a brioche roll. The sharp cheddar wasn’t quite sharp enough, but the aioli and pickled onions added just enough flavor. The fries were also not as crisp as we normally like them, but the ketchup that they came with? Delish. It definitely tasted homemade.

Then there was the savory and sweet combination of Swedish pancakes with bacon and egg. The fresh fruit compote was a little too tart for the taste, and I’d have loved it on the side, but it’s a good idea. I’m always annoyed with the order of pancakes that always requires an extra side of savory when this all comes in one neat package.

So the food was alright, and there is plenty of room for improvement. However, they have only just started. I love that they offer farm-to-table fare; it’s their own style of California comfort food! Despite there also being a minor snafu with billing, I’m looking forward to coming back.

The space is so cute too!

Hoping their location across the Amtrak station brings them business since the economy’s been touch. Next time we’re in the area, we’ll have to swing by. There were other items on the menu that caught my hungry eyes.

No related posts.

Wine and Love #37

Suki — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:12:17 +0000

Happy Thursday! Wine and Love is a blog series created by Walking With Nora and now hosted here. The concept is simple – each Thursday, list what’s driving you to grab a glass of wine and what you’re loving. Grab the button and join in, especially this week because every participant is entered in the giveaway!

Wine…

* Allergies. With the amazing weather we’ve been having, pollen, dust and all those other goodies have been flying through the air and invading my sinuses. NOT fun.

* Similar to how socks almost always lose their match, I’ve had a hard time locating swimsuit tops and bottoms that supposedly were purchased together as a match. We are less than week away from Bloggers in Sin City. I need to get my act together, and I’m thinking I have to make a last minute shopping trip.

Love…

* During our weekend road trip, Ryan and I met who we consider to be a real live most interesting man in the world. Most people have seen the Dos Equis commercials, and when we met Joe, our eyes met in slow motion as we both had that very same thought at the same time. So what makes Joe that man?

He made his $$ as a motivational speaker and according to him, can pretty much land a job in any industry. At some point, he worked for Toyota and ended up with a 1st Gen Prius that now has 200K miles and is in mint condition even after he allegedly has hit quite a few deer with it. He sold his house in Southern California and bought a ranch up in Oregon where he lives off the grid with his wife. There are lakes and streams that he fishes in and only for wild fish that nobody else gets to fish in because they’re afraid of BLM, but he isn’t. He smokes his own meats and owns a restaurant where he also makes all of the sides, including an award-winning clam chowder. He has his own well on his property that he not only drinks from, but also prepares amazing lemonade for his restaurant with.

It was a most random experience, but somehow we ended up with his cell phone should we ever wish to visit his ranch and take him up on his offer to show us his favorite place – Crater Lake. Before we made our way back to the hotel [about an hour drive from this bar that we were at], he packed us up some goodies from his restaurant around the corner.

* About a week ago, I attended a small gathering of food bloggers and publishers to meet Michael Natkin and sample bites out of his cookbook Herbivoracious. This week, I am giving away a copy of said cookbook. All who participate in Wine and Love this week will be entered. PS – For another chance to win Herbivoracious [her contest ends Monday], check out Linda’s post!

What are you waiting for? Make sure to link up below with your post URL!

Wordless Wednesday – Cow and the Supermoon

Suki — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:48:54 +0000

Las Vegas and #BiSC – T minus 10

Suki — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:12:14 +0000

Unbelievable! When I bought my ticket to Bloggers in Sin City in January, it seemed so far away. Now that Las Vegas is less than two weeks from today, I have come up with a list of ways I am getting ready for this blogger extravaganza.

01. Redefine “pool-ready” body! I considered doing a bunch of sit-ups and start hula hooping, but having the discipline to actually carry it through? Not so much. With all the pool time, I can only hope to pick out a flattering swimsuit and cover-up, and stock up on sunscreen! A floppy hat for pool time is also essential.

02. Learn to gamble. I’ve always liked craps, but I need to brush up on the rules of the game. What I liked most about the game wasn’t the winning [since I didn't do that often], but it was the sense of camaraderie at the table since you’re rolling the dice for each other. I also have the option of practicing through online gaming before the trip, but I have a feeling I should just save up my pennies and splurge on food instead! I played some slots last year and came out even.

03. Bring my appetite. I cannot imagine a trip with Linda without eating a lot. We have a trip to Lotus of Siam planned already. Not to mention – there are several buffets on our #BiSC agenda! Like I said earlier, give up on the idea of a pool-ready body already and substitute with sunscreen!

04. Learn to love nap time! With some of our activities scheduled to start late in the evening, I had better take naps during the day, so I can keep up with all the young ‘uns. Poolside naps? I am super excited about the Mad Men party and the Cirque du Soleil performance, but they both start after 10pm.

05. Exercise the liver! Skyy Vodka was incredibly generous and not only sent each attendee a bottle of their Skyy Coconut, but they also included mini bottles of Skyy Original, Blood Orange, Coconut, and Ginger for our goodie bags. I will have to practice mixing up some drinks beforehand!

For those who have been to Las Vegas, any other tips on surviving Sin City?

Previous #BiSC-post – 8 Reasons I am Excited for #BISC

Disclosure: The post was brought to you by Foxy Bingo, and as always, all opinions are my own.

Green machine x 2

Suki — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:51:34 +0000

Not too long ago, I wrote an article on readying your car for dog-friendly travel. I talked about installing a backseat barrier and using a hammock in the backseat. To be honest, it was actually readying Ryan’s car and not my own. With Sasha’s tendency to climb up on the center console and that one time she managed to pull up the fabric with her nails, I decided that she wouldn’t be riding in the Prius any longer. I didn’t want to put my upholstery through the Sasha cyclone.

Most of our outings with Sasha were in Ryan’s car – a 2004 Escape. Anytime we took a long trip or filled up at the pump in his car, I would cringe. The rising gas prices certainly did not help. Nearly $70 in gas for a complete fill-up was hurting the wallet.

After much discussion and opting for not cutting back on outings with Sasha, we decided to weigh our car options. For our lifestyle, we were best suited to have a commuter car [mine] and an SUV or similar for taking Sasha out. Ryan did a bunch of research online on what new/used cars were out there. I think he was leaning towards a used Hybrid SUV, but there weren’t a whole lot available in the area. While he was doing that, I admired the pretty new Prius options. My 2008 is operating fine for the most part, but it was fun to think about a new car.

Over the weekend, we decided to pay a visit to the local Costco-preferred Toyota dealer. Costco works with the car companies to come up with a Costco member discount on vehicles. It works best for those who don’t like to haggle [ME!]. The discount varies with the car model, and I think it’s a good way to get your hands on a car that is either extremely popular or one that you wouldn’t be able to negotiate a price on normally. I wanted to check out the new Prius C.

I didn’t pick up a new car that day, but on our way out, Ryan wanted to stop by the Ford dealer. More than three hours later [Did I mention how much I hate car shopping?], we left his 2004 Escape and took home a 2010 Escape Hybrid. Much of the haggling had to do with the fact that it was KIWI GREEN. It’s even more green than my car. See below:

We were seriously considering repainting it, but it really doesn’t look so bad now. On the lot, however, it was in the sun, and they had little flags and stickers all over it. Not attractive.

Ryan added “haggling for a car” to his belt, and now taking Sasha out won’t seem like such a stretch on the wallet, even with the extra car payments. He did a great job and got a steal of a deal – we didn’t leave until everything had been negotiated – purchase price, interest rate, payment period, trade-in value, etc.

Pro-tip: Bring a snack!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Toyota Women’s Influencer Network (TWIN), but I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Wine and Love #36

Suki — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:50:11 +0000

Happy Thursday! It’s time for another edition of Wine and Love! The concept is simple – each Thursday, list what’s driving you to grab a glass of wine and what you’re loving. The series was created by Walking With Nora and now hosted here. Grab the button and join in!

Wine…

* Not being able to clone oneself is frustrating. There are a lot of places I want to be at the same time, doing different things. Then there could be a responsible version of me doing laundry and cleaning house while another me would be out having fun.

* Random acts of vandalism piss me off so much! Glad I wasn’t in the Mission last night.

Love…

* We were invited to a small gathering of food bloggers and publishers to meet Michael Natkin and sample bites out of his cookbook Herbivoracious. The chèvre with sautéed grapes recipe he demonstrated was quick, easy and delicious!

* My sketchbook arrived! I’d seen Linda posting about her sketchbooks in the last few years, and while I almost signed up for it last year, I didn’t actually make it happen until now. I’m not sure what I will be sketching, and I hope the theme finds me as I start sketching.

* 13 days until Bloggers in Sin City!

* Ryan’s mom gifted us with a beer tasting at Tap 25, a spot in Livermore that maintains 25 craft drafts. We stopped in Sunday afternoon to try the beer.

On the paddle on the left, Dogfish Head Urkontinent, Firestone Dba, Anderson Valley Wee Geech, and Ace Perry Cider. On the paddle on the right, Dogfish Head Urkontinent, Grand Teton Wake Up Call Imperial Porter, Sudwerk Hefeweizen, and Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s IPA. Yes, we ordered the Urkontinent twice because I really liked the unique combination of flavors.

* Yoga class with a friend. She emails almost every week about the class she’s teaching, and this was the first week that I showed up to class. It felt really good to stretch and do the poses, so I’d really love to do more.

* Weekend getaway!

What’s on your Wine/Love list this week?

Wordless Wednesday – Nick’s Cove

Suki — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:00:15 +0000

Slowing down to recover and Samovar Tea Lounge

Suki — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:00:44 +0000

Most of last week, I was battling it out with my body. With only a fever and no other symptoms, I wasn’t sure what I was dealing with, but I took a fever reducer and cancelled most of my evening plans. By Friday, I was feeling more like myself, but wanting to take it easy, I opted out of a wine tasting trip on Saturday. Instead of sipping on wine, I sipped on tea. Ryan and I spent most of our morning at Samovar Tea Lounge, just a few blocks away from Dolores Park.

I was pretty stoked about snagging one of the nooks by the window. It was a good spot to watch passersby, as well as the inside of the shop.

Temperatures were in the 70s and 80s in San Francisco for the weekend. Talk about an early summer. I don’t complain too much because we do get June Gloom, and July 4th weekend is usually quite chilly. To cool down a bit, I ordered the chilled Schizandra Berry Tea. It was a little bit tart and a lot refreshing. Next up, Tea Soup – seasonal tea broth over rice, veggies, wakame and shiitake mushrooms. I opted for smoked duck as my protein. The tea soup itself was on the clear, bland side without much flavor, perfect for recovery. The smoked duck was delicious, and its saltiness helped bring out the flavors of the tea soup.

We also ordered two of our Samovar favorites. The last time we were here, we ordered these same things. We are hardly creatures of habit, but if something is good, we will order it again. And we always find it hard to resist a cheese plate.

Local Artisan Cheese Platter with Raw Honeycomb, Seasonal Fruits, Wheat Crisps

Russian Service – Tarragon-Marinated Beets, Smoked Salmon & Horseradish, Devilled Egg with Caviar, Herbed Crackers, Fresh Fruit, Chocolate Brownie

Yes, there are crackers and fruit on both of these plates, but I don’t mind. It ended up being a lot of food for two, so we sat, nibbled and sipped on tea for quite a while. So relaxing.

How do you ease your way back into life after recovering from being sick?

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