No more leftovers...

Poppy and I stopped on the way home from work for Happy Hour at Parkside Tavern; $1 oysters and $3 domestic beer and house wine. Oh, and any appetizer for $5. So we had two dozen oysters and some Buffalo wings. NOM!

So here's a little story...some of you who were fans of the Brady Bunch will recall the Hawaii episode with the possessed Tiki God. Well, years ago when I worked at the law firm, the guy I worked for would go to Hawaii every year. The first time he went he brought me back a Tiki God. I thought it was funny because it reminded me of that Brady Bunch episode. So every year after that, he brought me back another one. I think I had about 5 in the collection. Then when I came to the Trust, I had them displayed and would tell the story...I started getting more. At some point, I rearranged my work area and put them all in a box. Well, friend and coworker, Laurie had no idea of my Tiki collection and she just returned from Hawaii and guess what she brought me back? Yep...



So now the collection is back on display!



I haven't talked about Jax-The-Cheese-Connesewer in some time. She's really liking her new house but what she likes even more is her morning walks/runs on the beach. But what she doesn't like is being left at home while Poppy and I go to work. The thought has crossed our minds about getting her a little friend. Two dogs; twice the fun?



TTFN!

Leftovers, Day 2...

In the fridge we had smoked salmon, what was left of a red onion, some dill, cherry tomatoes, capers, lemon and heavy cream. Mmmm hmmm, I found a recipe for smoked salmon pasta that used all those ingredients. Well, the recipe didn't call for the tomatoes or the capers, but we put them in anyway. Wasn't salty enough, so we added some of the Kecky's lemon/dill salt-n-pepper...NOM!

Wonder what tonight will bring?

Say, how about a long awaited episode of KEEPING UP WITH THE KECKY'S! In our quest to get rid of stuff, we've been mostly successful. We sold the 15 year-old washer that the sellers left behind and it was picked up last night. All that's left is my barely one year old dryer that I really hate to part with, but it would probably cost more to run a 220v than the dryer is worth.

I have a few more projects lined up for the coming weeks. I suppose I should finish painting (okay, cleaning up my mistakes) in the dining room. We'll also be staining/sealing the deck and stairs before the rain comes. Benjamin Moore has a new product out:



A premium-quality 100% acrylic semi solid stain formulated to penetrate and protect wood, resist abrasion, and beautify wood decking, siding, fencing, shakes and furniture. Its colors are semi solid, allowing some of the color and the grain pattern of the wood to show through. ARBORCOAT Semi Solid stain can be top coated with ARBORCOAT Waterborne Protective Clear Coat (636) for a low lustre look.
•Provides protection and color without obscuring the grain or texture of the wood
•The semi solid opacity of this product makes it ideal for reducing color variations in wood without completely obscuring the wood grain
•Scuff resistant
•Formulated to penetrate, protect, and beautify wooden decking and furniture
•Provides mildew-resistant coating
•May be applied to new, pressure-treated lumber. Ideal for softwoods like cedar
and pine
•A water-repellent coating

The only hitch with this is you have to put a clear coat over it but I'd like to try it.

We also have new lighting for the dining room, landing and over the butcher block in the kitchen. Need to find someone to hang that stuff for us. Electrical stuff scares me. Bzzz Bzzz...

The sprayer in the kitchen needs to be replaced and the upstairs toilet is starting to run intermittently so I need to replace the little plunger part thing.

Having a house has provided hours of endless enjoyment!

The Aunts (and Uncles) Departed...

and are safely home. I have a bunch of pictures of our wine country trip on my Chiclet at home. So that will be another episode.

We had a great time with the family. We ate drank and ate some more!

Take a look at dinner last night:



Poppy and I are trying to eat all the leftovers. So I had a small bag of beef stock that I cooked down to a nice au jus. I sliced the brisket that Ed and LeAnne brought, put it in a pan, poured the au jus over it, covered it with foil and in the oven it went for a few minutes. Then, I had some green beans. I sauteed some red onion, removed it from the pan. Added the beans and cooked them until just about done, added some au jus, the sauteed onions and cherry tomatoes. Covered and cooked until the tomatoes popped. NOM!!!!!

I think I'm in the mood for some pasta tonight...

Bye bye.

Poppy's Big 5-O...

I think if I say that to her one more time, she's gonna deck me. So what a feast of beast we had last night! After the Aunts, Uncles and Poppy came home from a day in Sausalito, we headed to Incanto for our Leg-O-Beast dinna. Chris Cosentino was working the kitchen so that was cool to see him in person. Looks taller than he does on the T.V.

The first course they brought was an arugula salad with thinly sliced cheese on top. Not sure what kind of cheese, Aunt Kathy was reminded of Manchego. There was also a salumi plate that was to die for. I can't even name all the different salumi's that were on the plate. We had that with a wonderful Lambrusco Rosato.

Then came the marrow bones and little toasts. That was served with Boccolone mustard and sea salt. We could have all stopped there and would have been completely happy...then they brought the Leg-O-Beast.





This was served with the mustard and horseradish root, a side of Canelli beans with fried sage and an assortment of braised radishes. Don't ask me what wine we had with dinner cause I can't pronounce it. NOMMY NOM NOM!



By this time everyone was making guttural NOM NOM NOM sounds.

Then the final push...dessert. Two had the mocha whatever and the rest of us had the panacotta w/Douglas Fir and berries. I guess the pastry chef boiled down the pine needles and the berries are picked next to the trees so they pair very well. I'm not usually a panacotta person, but so good!



After finishing our coffee's, we happily rolled out the door.

Today, the wine country!

The Aunts...Day Two

After a leisurely start to the day, the gang picked me up at work and off to Scomas we went. Lunch was NOM! From there, we walked around...

Here's Ghirardelli's chocolate machine:


From there we hit the National Park Service's Maritime Museum. They have a room there representing just about every national park...except the Presidio. Park Partner, my ass! I'm just say'n.

Here's a picture of some old boat:



I'm sure the story of the wreaked boat was riveting, but I was tired by then and wanted a nap.

Let's see...oh, there was a cruise ship leaving our lovely city:



Then home for an episode of the new Hawaii 5-0 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and then time for the dinna:



Sorry, Poppy I cut you out of the pic. Aunt LeAnne and Uncle Ed brought brisket, corn on the cob and okra. Aunt Kathy fried up that okra in mix of corn meal, polenta and some Cajun seasoning. Dipped in egg and milk and then fried. INFINITY NOM!

Today is a very, very special day...My Poppy is the big 5-0.



Of course, I left for work and completely forgot to wish her a Happy Birthday. Whoopsie! Since she was sleeping when I left, I think I'll tell her I did wish her a happy birthday. She won't know the difference...until she reads this. Anyway, the last 7 years with my girl have been the bestest EVER. I'm looking forward to many, many more years of fun! Happy Birthday Poppy!

See Ya!

The Aunts have Arrived...

And the Uncles too! Everyone looks fabulous...



Okay, okay, so the picture is blury. I had a little drinky-pooh...or maybe three. We had a nice little vissy and a bunch of snacks for dinner. Today, they will head to Fisherman's Wharf and I will meet them around lunch time.

Check this out...I took it this morning on my way to work. I LOVE living here!!



TTFN!

Kasa Kecky...

The Kecky's have had a very busy weekend (not over yet, either) working on house projects and getting our sweet little house ready for The Aunts. Yesterday, I finished taking apart the playhouse. Somewhere in the middle of that, I pulled some weird muscle I didn't know I had in my upper back. Almost felt like I impaled myself on something. Still hurts but not as bad.

We had some leftover chicken (bones) from the BBQ last weekend so I cooked them with some broccoli, onion and a bitter melon. Made for a nice smokey stock. Using that for the black beans to which I added a chopped onion, green chili's and Sazon de Kecky. Figure we'll be having some kind of Tex-Mex for dinner one night so good to have some beans around.

Off to work in the garden now. Lots to do there. Here are my helpers...