Happy Halloween

Nicole and Caitlin, Halloween 1994


I really miss the girls being small,especially on Halloween. I use to make their costumes pretty much every year,and always had so much fun constructing them. This is the first year that they kind of went as an ensemble. We had to use Caitlin's little red clogs for the ruby slippers(now Target sells them year round).The pumpkin Caitlin is holding,was my mother in laws when she was little,and my husband used it when he was a kid. I just saw that very same one in Country Living magazine,and the value of it ranges up to 100 dollars!
Every year it was kind of tough for Nicole to come up with a costume,because she wore glasses,and most of the characters she wanted to be did not. I think she looks real cute in this costume.
We got a new printer/scanner,and I could not get the scanner working,so I apologize for the quality of the photo.
This year the girls are going to a party in the city,and the folks are kicking back at home, perhaps we will go out to a movie.
Hope everyone out there has a very HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Chocolate chip banana bread

YUMMY!!


I'm sure everyone out there has some over ripe bananas on the counter,so maybe you should try this very easy recipe that I found for chocolate chip banana bread.
I looked at a dozen recipes on line,and was hoping to find one without oil in it, and very few special ingredients that I didn't have. This one caught my eye because of how simple it was and fast.
I read some of the reviews on it, and decided to try some of the alterations that people had made,one being the sugar. I used 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar. The other idea that was very clever, someone had suggested to do the whole thing in a food processor. A light bulb went off when I read this, thinking that you could get the bananas nice and smooth, instead of using a fork. I don't know about you guys,but it seems like I always end up with lumpy bananas in the bread,making it weird once it is cooked.
I put in three very,very ripe bananas that were on the average size and whirled them up, until they were smooth as silk. I put the egg in and pulsed it. After I combined all the dry ingredients in another bowl, I poured it into the processor and pulsed a few times just to mix. I then put in the melted butter and pulsed again. I put the chocolate chips in after I poured the mix into the loaf pan, and then gently folded them in. Once you do that, sprinkle some more on top to make it pretty. It was so moist in a perfect way, and so good with the chocolate chips.
After years of trying so many fancy recipes, this one is a true winner.
Here it is:


Chocolate chip banana bread

3 to 4 ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar( I used 1/2 brown 1/2 white)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg beaten

1 teaspoon baking soda

As many chocolate chips as you wish.... I used mini ones.


Preheat oven to 350. Mash bananas in a bowl ( or use food processor) add all remaining ingredients and mix with wooden spoon. Bake in buttered loaf pan until tooth pick stuck into bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 min.

I love this recipe,and I can't believe with the simple amount of ingredients, it could be this moist and yummy. Now I won't feel too bad if the bananas get a little over ripe :)

A bit of folk art from Panama

This is my Mola, purchased in Panama in 1971. The following pictures are details of it. Click on the photos to see more details up close.





The Cuna Indians from the San Blas islands.


In the summer of 1971, when I was 8 years old, I took a trip to Panama with my mother,brother,and sister. It was my very first plane ride and boy was it exciting. When you are 8 years old, trips like that seem to take forever! I still remember getting off the plane in the evening,and the humidity hitting me like a ton of bricks! The trip,after all these years, is still quite vivid and I have amazing memories of my time there. My mother is Panamanian,and it had been quite a while since she had visited Panama since she left for the United States. She was 20 years old when she met my dad, a Canadian by birth,but a U.S. Army soldier. They met through mutual friends and married in Panama. My brother was born there and moved back in 1993. I have not been back to Panama since that trip,but would love to go again,and visit family.
The Mola above is a special treasure from there and I still need to get it framed. I ran across it while I was organizing some fabrics,and thought I'd share this beautiful piece of folk art. When I was little I loved opening the sides and seeing how they might of constructed it. You can go here if you are interested in the history.
One of my very vivid memories of Panama, is spending the day in the old part of the city and eating all kinds of very yummy street food and a sweet treat called "Raspados" it was shaved ice with a syrup,and condensed milk. In the main square I remember seeing one of the Cuna indians in the most spectacular clothing. They are very striking in appearance, and wear a lot of gold bracelets,nose rings,and other colorful jewlery. This particular woman had a baby wrapped in a beautiful vibrant sling of sorts,and she wore a dress with all the appliques that you see in the Mola above.Can you imagine an 8 year old from California seeing such a site?! To this day, I have never forgotten her. My mom purchased three Molas when we were there,and I got this one. Like I said, I really need to get it framed so it will be more protected.
Hope you enjoy the photos of this lovely art.

Happy Friday

Well, I didn't get around to making the biscotti this Friday. The weather has been quite warm this week,and the baking enthusiasm has dwindled a bit because of it. Maybe this coming week when the weather turns a bit more seasonal.
I thought I'd leave you for the weekend with this funny story about our cuckoo clock.
We bought this clock in Germany in a shop called " A Thousand Clocks." This shop was located in a very charming little village in the Black Forest. It took me forever to decide on the darn thing. I had actually picked one that was more of a little house than this style. After I made my decision, I turned around and saw this one,and loved all the woodland creatures on it. I must say, that after we got swept up in the whole land of the cuckoo clocks, I wondered if when I got to my home I would have buyers remorse and it would look cheesy in the decor of my home. I thought for sure that this one had a little something special about it though and hoped that that wouldn't be the case. I really like it, and don't think that it is the typical one with the dear head etc. ANYWAY..... The funny part of the story goes as follows; When we bought the clock, we decided to have it shipped to the U.S. since this was our last trip(while we were living in France) and we were soon going to be relocated back to the U.S., and thought it would be safer for them to ship it, instead of it going in a big tanker across the sea. When they ship it for you, they ask you to at least take the heavy cones/weights with you,so that the cost isn't as much. OK, no problem.
We get to the Strasbourg airport and check in our bags. We then get all cozy in the terminal and wait for our flight. Over the loud speaker we hear, in French, "Will Mr. David...... Please report to desk number so and so... We all looked at each other terrified that something was really wrong. The customs people proceed to take David down to the bowels of the airport in a small room, with our suitcase sitting in the middle of a table with a light shining on it. "Will you please open up this suit case Mr. David...." Poor husbands heart is racing, wondering what the heck?!! They said there was something suspicious in the suit case that came up on the scan. He then realized that it must be those darn pine cone weights from the clock. He takes them out and unwraps them. The French customs guy goes, "What is that." David says.. "Oh, it is part of a cuckoo clock." They are already looking at him funny,since most of the items in the suitcase were actually my daughters things, with his name tag on it!! While he is telling the guys what it is, they get more and more puzzled and frustrated with his explanation. After a very uncomfortable length of time, they finally get it. He was gone for what seemed like forever though! He finally comes back to us and tells us the whole story,and It dawns on me that the more he kept telling them that it was from a "cuckoo" clock they probably thought he was crazy. In France there is a term of endearment where people say "Cou Cou"..Which roughly translates to "hey there,or hey you". I kept picturing David saying over and over again that it was from a cuckoo clock and them thinking "What the heck is this guys problem." Every time I dust this clock I think of that funny story. There are many more stories of words being said wrong in French,and certain misunderstandings while we lived there, that could probably fill a book,but this is one of my favorite. To this day though, I don't understand why they didn't know what the weights were, when they are neighbors with Germany, and you would think they had seen them before. I think it was the cou cou that confused them :)

Finishing one, starting another

Here is the finished product! It was a lot of fun embroidering this and making into this shaped pillow. I used white linen,and put in an invisible zipper on the side. I then had to decide if I wanted to sew in the trim,and just have the little black fuzzy balls showing, or hand sew it to the front, which is what I ended up doing. I thought it would create a sort of frame for it. I think it turned out pretty good, and in time for Halloween, although it will be out on display throughout the year.
I started this project about two or three years ago! I found it in the closet,and I think I'm going to attempt to complete it or get real close.
Here is what it is suppose to look like. I'm also deciding on a few doable Christmas projects for gifts. I think I won't set the bar too high,and maybe that way I will actually get something accomplished.

My favorite tartine

First you start with this bread from France.This is a country sourdough bread, made by Poulin bakery in Paris. We are so fortunate that they ship it to San Francisco on a daily basis,and a grocery store called Bristol Farms carries it
Then you buy some very tasty smoked salmon and some lemons
And Voila, a most tasty tartine!

This was truly my favorite lunch when we lived in France,and it just isn't the same unless you use that bread. I haven't eaten anything that comes close to it here in the States. When I stumbled on to it in a high end grocery store in San Francisco, my heart melted, and I just turned a blind eye to how much they were charging for it. Worth every penny, and the minute I sunk my teeth into that delectable tartine, I was sent back to France.
In the top picture of the bread, you can see a small design on top, it is a partial letter "P" for Poulin. In Paris you can buy the whole round with the beautiful swirly P on top. There is a shop of course, that I never made it to, because of the long line in front. The small supermarket around the corner from where we lived,sold it,so it made it easy not to go and fight the crowds. When we go this coming summer to France, I may just smuggle in a large round in my suitcase!

Extended Family

Our little nephew Ian turned 1 on the 5th of October, a day after my birthday. What a difference a year makes. He wasn't suppose to be born until mid November,but decided to make a very dramatic entrance into the world. I'll spare you the details,but long and short of it, they almost lost mother and child. He has since thrived, and is doing well. The picture above, was from Caitlin's graduation. Isn't he cute?
Happy birthday, hope you had a wonderful party little Ian.

Lets bake muffins!!

Caitlin and I decided to make muffins on Friday,and I chose this recipe from "Fine Cooking." It sounded so good,and with great ingredients how could you go wrong?
Caitlin chose this very simple muffin recipe from a cook book called "500 muffin recipes." no nonsense and easy.
Caitlin's dry ingredients.
My blueberry muffins, ready to go in. The recipe said to over fill,and boy did I over fill.....
Then this is what happened! Splurch!! Everywhere, including the bottom of the oven. Major clean up,and smoke. I decided to put foil on the bottom and cook them off anyway.
Have you ever seen a more silly looking muffin that this?! I don't think so.
Then you have these cute little chocolate muffins that Caitlin made. Aren't they yummy looking?
One elaborate recipe,and one very simple recipe, you be the judge.

We had a lot of fun baking these,but boy was it funny when my recipe went crazy and turned out these funky little devils. They don't taste bad,but they sure are funny looking. I know what could have gone wrong,so I do want to try this recipe again. Next Friday we will try our hand at making some biscotti.

Castle in the Air

Castle in the Air, Berkeley California




As promised, I would tell you what my husband gave me for my birthday. It was a gift certificate to this magical store.This place is one of a kind and amazing! To list everything they sell would be impossible,but they are working on their web site so that you can now order goodies from them. They have classes on calligraphy and other specialized crafts. Crafts is kind of not a good word for what you make when you take a class from them. Go to their web site to see all that they offer. My only big decision is weather to take one of the classes,they are quite pricey,and blow the entire gift certificate, or buy a bunch of goodies for future usage. I think I'm leaning towards taking a class that is called "Father Christmas." You end up with an heirloom quality piece for the holidays. Oh decisions, decisions!!
I think if you click on the pictures, you can get an idea of some of the wonderful things they have in there. My favorite item that they have in there are the fairy houses. They are large and quite detailed,with little people and tiny furniture made of natural materials, like acorns,bark,twigs...... Too cute for words. The other thing they have, that I have not seen this large of a selection before, are the Dresden paper trims. I could go on and on about this place, so I'll stop here! Thanks sweetheart, for another very nice and well thought out gift :)

If you live in the area,and have not gone to this gem of a store, the address is:
1805 Fourth Street
Berkeley,Ca.

Happy birthday to me

Our cozy table at Chez Panisse
We sat right by the open kitchen. It is so fun to watch them cook, but it did get a bit toasty!
Last time I was here, that pedestal with the peppers on it,had beautiful persimons on it
the restaurant is very dimly lit,so I apologize for this one and the next one

My sister gave me these gorgeous PJ's along with a matching travel bag
Nicole and Pierre gave me this beautiful necklace and....
these charming place card holders for the table. I can't wait to use them for Thanksgiving! Thanks guys.
Caitlin always makes great cards for the family,some are hilarious with inside jokes,and others are just plain old adorable like this one

I always get a little bit of birthday money from my in laws,and this is what I bought with my birthday money this year,along with some nice pants.



As you can see from above I had a very lovely birthday with the family this weekend. The dinner at Chez Panisse was wonderful as usual and I love where we sat. Like I said above though, it can get a bit toasty,as they are cooking over a grill in the corner. The menu was as follows:

An aperitif


Catalan Salad

Local spiny lobster
with tomatoes and saffron

Grilled Wolfe Ranch quail with chorizo,sweet peppers,and vegetables paella

Black Mission fig tart
with caramel ice cream

Chez Panisse always has a surprise it seems,because if you looked at the web site to see what they were serving on my birthday, instead of the Catalan Salad, they were going to do a white gazpacho soup, and instead of the lobster, they were going to serve fresh prawns grilled. Its a combination of the chefs changing their minds at the last minute or,the ingredients not being available to them,either way, I think that is what makes this restaurant unique and just fantastic.The menu in the end always turns out great. Some people have an issue with the prix fix menu, and if you are picky ,then this might not be the place for you,since you can't order anything else.They do have an upstairs cafe,that you can choose what you want,and not as fancy. I have on occasion, looked at the menu that we had reservations for,and wasn't thrilled. I reserve my opinion until I finish the meal though, and I have always been surprised in a good way and sometimes completely blown away with what they can do with say, chicken. It is hard to describe unless you have been there, but everyone must go if they can.
You may have noticed that I didn't post what my lovely husband gave me for my birthday,but I'm doing a post on it tomorrow,since it deserves a whole post to itself. He is the best gift giver EVER, so you will have to stay tuned until tomorrow.
I didn't want this post to be super long, so I didn't include the other lovely gifts I got from friends and other family members. My dad gave me a beautiful needle point kit for a pillow, I'll show it at a later date,when I start working on it. I also got a nice fall decoration from my friend that I blogged about(my pen pal Carolyn) Thank you everyone for a great day!!

Today is Birthday Eve!

My first birthday,1963


Today is my birthday eve, Tomorrow will be a fun filled day with my family,and my annual birthday dinner at Chez Panisse
It is an amazing place,and has never failed to deliver a wonderful evening. I'll snap a few pictures tomorrow night to share with you all. Since it is closed on Sundays, next year I will have to find elsewhere to go, it just won't be the same:( So many wonderful chefs that have worked under Alice Waters have opened their own restaurants, so perhaps I will choose one of theirs.
I love the picture above, since it shows how talented my mom was with the little money they had when I was born. She made the cake and my dress! I wish she had kept that dress,but sadly it only exists through photos.
I hope everyone has a very fine weekend.

October with a dash of Halloween decor

This is how it looked outside this morning. The first official cozy day of the year!
The little maple tree in our front yard is starting to turn colors
A little peek in my living room




To say that I love October is an understatement! I'm a bit biased as October is my birth month,buy hey, who doesn't love October and what it gives us.
This morning it was a bit foggy with drizzle outside,and I rejoiced. I love all the colors outside right now, and the misty hills in my back yard are my favorite to look at during the fall season. Many little animals out, looking for acorns and stealing some of my pomegranates,but that's OK,because they are so darn cute to look at while they are feasting on their treats.Tomorrow it is suppose to rain, and that will so nice,since our poor state really needs the water.
I decided to include some of my decorations for Halloween as well,just to get everyone in the mood.
I'm off now to complete my embroidery project. So, enjoy a little taste of fall.