Rain check for TWD and other miscellany

This past weekend one of my best friends was visiting for several days. We met while living in New Mexico, and although we've both taken different paths since then, we still get together when we can. She is currently living in Reston, Virginia, and I'm out here in California. How far apart can we get?

As luck would have it, she needed to come to California for some job-related training, and since she had never been here, it was fortunate that she could add a few vacation days to her trip. Thursday night I cooked dinner -- Chicken Cacciatore with Crisp Polenta, from the October issue of Everyday Food. Delicious! We'll both be making that dish more than once, so I highly recommend it.

Friday we stayed local, eating breakfast and dinner out at two of my favorite restaurants and working in the yard. I have to say, she is the only visitor I've ever had who automatically knows where everything is, no asking required. That's a good thing.

Saturday we took a drive up through Santa Barbara to Solvang, an interesting town full of Danish treats. We stopped for lunch at the Summerland Beach Cafe, where I ordered my usual Bravo Avo Burger, loaded with avocado, sour cream, and green chili. Even the rain didn't stop us from having a good time.


(Really bad cell phone photo.)


Yesterday she flew back to DC. I'll try and get her out here again before too much time passes because there is still much to see and do.

This morning, I woke up with a head cold, the first in over a year. (Not enough green chili, I suspect.) Be that as it may, while my spirit was willing to cook the Caramel Peanut-topped Brownie Cake today, my body was not, and frankly, no one would be likely to share it with me either under these conditions. So, I will take a rain check and resume baking when I'm feeling healthier. Meanwhile, visit the other TWD blogs and read about their endeavors.