Little Napa

Over Christmas we took a day trip to beautiful Napa Valley. We decided on the jaunt last minute, so I didn't have much time to plan. I found a blogger who'd posted her trip to Napa so we followed her footsteps and took the 1.5 hour drive west.

First stop: V Marketplace off of HWY 29 in Yountville. (Who am I kidding, everything in Napa is off 29.) The marketplace has several different shops inside and some decent art, I actually found something I would buy which doesn't happen often. Alas...$$$$. The landscaping is immaculate. It's rather sad we experienced the landscape during winter. I think I would DIE if I saw everything in full bloom.

Around back we bumped into Bottega, a restaurant featuring the food of Chef Michael Chiarello from Food Network. Here's a description of the food:

Chef Chiarello has created a menu of micro-regional Italian cuisine, selecting the best dishes from across Italy and anchoring them with artisanal, heritage, or house-made ingredients. Chef and his team carefully select the purveyors for produce, meat and fish, and focus as much as possible on local sources. Pastas, cured meats, fresh cheeses, cured olives and the like are all made in house.

It was 10:30 and while reviewing the menu, prices didnt make us choke, so we stepped inside for an early lunch.

Bottega wasn't technically open but they took our names and seated us a half an hour later. Soon after, the restaurant was completely full, so I think we were lucky to get in. I believe that if you want to eat anywhere in Napa Valley reservations HAVE to be made. Or you can arrive before opening and check out the restaurant sans patrons and try to take pictures without anyone noticing. :)

By the way, French Laundry, a Michelin 3 star is located just down the street.  Reservations must be made at least 6 months in advance. And you can expect an 8 course meal for $270 each.

Ahem...back to Bottega...

Our experience here was one of the ABSOLUTE best I've had. The waiter was witty, sharp, and professional. When I say professional, I mean to say, it was his profession and he enjoyed it. It's so wonderful to receive that kind of service and interaction at a restaurant. Ahhh, the things money can pay for.

ALL the food options looked unique and mouth watering. Narrowing down my decision was difficult and Adam simply couldn't do it. The waiter suggested he take care of it so Adam took him up on the offer (barring anything squid-like.)

Course 1:
Anna orders: Polpette all Griglia—Grilled short rib meatballs with pine nuts in Sicilian tomato sauce, sweet Italian Peppers in agrodolce, fresh ricotta and coal-roasted eggplant.

Here, Anna almost starts to cry. The flavors were perfection. She can tell it's been cooked in a brick oven and the coal roasted eggplant has SO MUCH flavor! The meatballs paired incredibly well with the tomato sauce and sweet peppers. She eats slowly and moves the food around in her mouth for maximum impact.

Adam is served—Something Off-menu. Crispy soft boiled egg with ham, greens, sauce and ???
The waiter tells Adam this dish is inspired by the chef's two daughters to whom he used to read "Green Eggs and Ham."

Adam can't believe his tastebuds. The egg is unexpectedly delicious and the ham tastes NOTHING like ham, tastes like something...much better...juicy and almost sweet? And the sauce. Oh the sauce! His eyes roll back in his head as he crunches down on another bite of soft egg.

Course 2:
Anna Orders: Raviolo di Uovo—Potato pasta filled with farm hen egg yolk, ricotta and Swiss chard with truffled brown butter and sage.
The chef recommended slicing into the pasta to allow the egg yolk to combine with the browned butter and sage, thus creating a delicious sauce.

Anna softly breaks into her pasta, as watches as the yellow takes over.  She mixes the sauce, takes a bite, and now her emotions have caused her sight to get blurry! So far the experience in Napa has been lovely and refreshingly different. The waiter is a pleasure to interact with, and the food is so fantastic it's hard to describe. She has a whole day she's looking forward to in a beautiful valley and now as she slowly chews this incredibly fresh pasta she's blinking back the tears. She's NEVER tasted pasta like this before and it just brings her emotions to the top! Hopefully the waiter doesn't come by and please let Adam be too distracted by his dish to notice.

Adam is Served: Conserve di Anatra—Confit of half Sonoma duck, sautéed with wild pea greens, grilled strawberry-rhubarb mustarda, duck jus. (Not pictured)

Adam is a little wary of duck, he's never had it prepared well. But as he lifts the fork to his mouth and takes the first bite his face lights up—it's simply delicious and juicy—not oily. The strawberry-rhubarb mustarda is a delight paired with this brown meat. He offers Anna a bite...but not a big one.  His dish is his main focus now. Each bite he takes in he savors. Soon his half duck will be gone and he's dreading it. (Duck not pictured. Sorry...it was a bad photo.)

After lunch we pulled back onto 29 and enjoyed the scenery until stopping at Oakville Grocery.
(It was a nice spot but...I wouldn't recommend it if you're pressed for time.)

It was a tiny little store and everything in it was gourmet, specialty food. I enjoyed looking at the packaging.

We might have bought a few items...but when a chocolate bar runs $12.00 I am happy to just look. I think their bread must be excellent though. They were sold out and a customer was upset by that fact.

We hopped back into the car and kept an eye open for the Sterling Vineyard Winery.

Then, suddenly there it was...glaringly white upon the hilltop. We've never been to a winery before. Imagine the excitement.

Now, the only way up to the winery is by a solar powered tram. Okay by me!!!

We exited the tram and made our way up and down the hallways of the building reading plaques  about the wine making process. Since it was off season, no production was taking place. Everything was still. The rooms were full of barrels going through the aging process and the smell of wine was wafting all through the building.

The view of the valley was superb. I hadn't realized how small Napa is. And only 5% of the world's wine comes from here...but what a lovely, lovely place tucked away among the hills of California.

The sun was QUICKLY setting. So we thought perhaps we could catch a quick glimpse of the Castello Di Amorosa before dark. You can read up on the whole project here. 

This is an "authentically-built, 13th century inspired Tuscan castle. Building materials included 8,000 tons of locally quarried stone, in addition to paving stones, terra cotta roofing tiles and some 850,000 bricks imported from Europe. Among other features is has: a moat, drawbridge, defensive towers, and interior courtyard, chapel/church, knight's chamber, and a great hall."

When we arrived the tours were booked for the day. We could have taken a self guided tour—but I thought that wouldn't be particularly as interesting as listening so someone rambling off a bunch of cool facts so we opted to try again someday. (I kind of want to take the children's tour because it includes grape juice instead of wine. We don't drink and I've always wondered how the grape-juice from different wineries might taste. Silly, but hey.)

It was dark when we left the castle so we were done in Napa. (It's hard to vacation in the winter when the days are so short!)  But to finish off the day I remembered Fentons was on the way home. Yes! It was the perfect ending to a good-food-day. Fenton's house made ice cream and chocolate sauce are incredible. (Even Dad says so. I consider him the expert because he MAKES excellent chocolate sauce too.) Plus, the serving sizes never disappoint.
Pictured below is the Saddle Back Brownie. Yes, there's a brownie under there, and I added a banana for good measure.

What a short but incredible day. I hope we make the time to go back again.

Jingle Bell Run 10K

Wanting to run some kind of marathon while we were in California—I was hoping for one in Sacramento—but the only thing I could find was one up in Placerville on Christmas eve morning. Okay with me!
The description said: A Jingle Bell run among the Christmas decorated streets of Placerville. So I signed up for a 10k; thought it would be fun to run down Main Street.

After registration, I was unable to find a map for the run. So, I sent an email and got a quick response sending me to ANOTHER website with a COMPLETELY different run title: Placerville Path Mingle and Jingle.

The race was NOT down main street in Placerville, it was rather, on a running trail that follows highway 50 east up the mountain. How misleading! I was disappointed, but not enough to put me off the run. (I mentioned this to my new friends whom you'll meet below and they had thought the exact same thing.)

So, in another email I inquired as to how many runners had signed up. 97 That's it. And that was split between a half marathon, 10k, and 5k. I was more deflated. But I still wanted to run a Christmas eve race...and race fees are nonrefundable—it's just the way things are—so I went with a good attitude :) That's what running does to you. Heh. Heh.

It was in the lower 30's that morning. SO COLD. I picked up my running bib (with no chip) and Adam left me so he could go back home to pick up the cheering squad. I waited and walked around and around this bus station trying to stay warm while looking quite fashionable in my Ugly Christmas Sweater and hat.

It's funny how people tend to attract to one another...somehow we three saw each other waiting alone so we grouped together and ended up becoming 20 minute friends.
I don't even think we traded names, but we had fun chitchatting while waiting around for instructions.

I said good luck and Merry Christmas to my friends (they were doing the 5k) and grouped with my 10kers and started running when the bearded man said "go!" and pressed his official stopwatch. There were perhaps 20 of us in the 10k group.

The path was nice, forested in parts, and we didn't see the freeway much. It was uphill for the first half for an elevation gain of 449 feet! Since my training in flat Texas elevates about 115 feet... there were a few places I had to walk just to get my heart rate back down or else pass out. But knowing there was a cheering squad I couldn't disappoint, I pushed myself to keep pace!

Below: the overpass goes right over Highway 50 just outside of downtown Placerville. A few cars honked as we ran over. It was fun!

I had the pleasure of passing this awesome cheering squad twice! It was such a small race, they were the only ones cheering anyone along the path. One runner told me she felt the love.

I don't know if they truly WANTED to come—except to support me—so I am grateful! (I mean, who REALLY wants to get out of a warm bed to come cheer a bunch of strangers...?) But it makes such a difference as a runner, who's doing something hard, to know there are people waiting to cheer. It was AWESOME.

The nice thing about this race being uphill during the first half....is that the last half was all downhill! Who doesn't like running downhill? (Though, it put an unusual kind of strain on my hip, and I paid for it later. I could barely lift my leg for a couple of days and the pain was so intense I felt it in my back. The pain still isn't totally gone.)

The girls and Mo met me before the finish line and ran with me to the end. Then I hit the finish line where everyone else was waiting. So fun. I love my family. I think about this day often when I am out running alone (more like limp-running since my hip is still giving me problems. Yes, I know I should stay off it. I know. I know.)

I picked up my official FINISHER certificate...no comment...and picked up my goodie bag of kale chips—because thats what every thirsty, dry mouth runner wants at the end of a good run—and went home to enjoy the rest of the day in the usual Christmas Eve fashion.

You are all AWESOME!

What Happened 30 Years Ago?

1987 happened! Duh! Or is it "No Der?"
It was a big year...disposable contact lenses became available, so did prozac. We enjoyed the sophistication of Star Trek the Next Generation as well as entertainment of a different kind from the Simpsons. I had fun researching noteworthy events for a trivia game (whilst jamming out to 80s tunes) a couple weeks ago.

Last Saturday three wards (church groups) in our stake (region) came together to celebrate their 30th Anniversary. Because I am an introvert and go BLANK (ugh) when I have to talk to people...I don't much care for a potluck gatherings unless some other activity is involved to get things more lively.

So, as the new Cruise Director (Ward Activity Specialist)...I suggested a 1980s trivia game in conjunction with the potluck. It took me about six hours to research and format the questions so they'd be interesting and interactive. And it was worth it! We received quite a bit of positive feedback so I think it went well.

From where I was standing some people absolutely freaked out in excitement about several of the questions (could definitely tell who the Trekkies were.) So I wanted to share the game so you can use it for your next very large gathering. Click here.

How to:
The game will work for any amount of people—just divide them into teams.
It does seem to be more fun with a crowd. Playing it with a small group of people just doesn't have the same energy level.

We prepared for 360 people and thought dividing them into 8 teams would be manageable. Each group received a gallon paint stick with a colored piece of paper attached to wave in the air and shout out if they had the answer. I took score according to their color. (I printed off a sheet with colored boxes on it, if the team got a point, they got a tick mark next to their color. Easy.)

It's helpful to have a handsome MC can run the game while a lovely assistant takes score and helps with parts of the game. (Or vice versa.)

Enjoy!

Note: Don't use noise makers—like a bell or horn to honk to answer. It doesn't work in a crowd. We tried. Also, since our teams had 4 tables per team, I do wish we'd provided a colored stick per table instead of only one per team.  

If You Wait...They Will Come

Michael and Hayden came for a visit—this marks the first time my family has come to Texas since we've moved here. I was VERY excited.

FIRST NIGHT

Our first stop, by the wishes of Hayden, we had Texas BBQ at Hard Eight...

...where your food is cooked and smoked in these huge oven/smokers. (I feel bad for those who man these ovens during our summers.)

Here, your eyes are always bigger than your stomach.

DAY ONE: FORT WORTH TEXAS THINGS

When visiting the metroplex for the first time, one must watch the longhorn cattle walk down main street by the stock yards in Fort Worth. So naturally, we did and then explored some of the old buildings, like the Stock Exchange building.

Below: Various brands stamped into a large flat panel of wood. (I am surprised at how poorly designed they are.)

Hayden found a vault. Unfortunately she was denied entry.

Every Friday night a rodeo takes place down town. (Adam and I have never been.) But it was interesting to be inside the old building. It stank.

There are several Trail of Fame stars in the sidewalks—None of which I know any history about.
Who is Clara Driscoll that she would be the savior of the Alamo? Did she do something brave?
Take a bullet for someone? Alas, I looked her up and my imagination was a little too colorful.

We then drove across town to Rodeo Goat where Hayden said she ate the best burger she's EVER had. She chose the Sugar Burger which features grilled peaches. (Below, the Chaxa Oaxaca. Hayden's is the blurry one on the top right.)

Then a short walk around the block brought us to another favorite, Steel City Pops.

Naturally we needed to burn off our lunch so we climbed around the Fort Worth Water Gardens. This particular feature is amazing. It's loud and enormous...you can climb down into the middle too. I could probably hyper focus while sitting here for hours.

After the water gardens we ended our day at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens

Best grass ever. We parked ourselves here while Adam brought the car to us—simply couldn't get off this lovely green carpet.

DAY 2 SPA DAY

We did breakfast big and cheap. That sounds like a perfect Texas experience to me! Old West Café.

Then Hayden got exposed to Sam Moon where we spent about 2 hours picking out jewelry.

Then off to a giant home goods store, At Home. After a while, Michael started making himself at home as well.

Then to the spa! Both our guests were totally up for the wet spa area and enjoyed it. I KNEW they would. Who doesn't like being naked in the water? You? Oh. Maybe you should give it another try. It's glorious.

Michael tried a "different" dish for dinner....Looks like he enjoyed the main course anyway.

This is the entrance to the sudatorium—a vaulted sweat room, heated by fire every day. The moment  you enter it's difficult to breath and the heat hurts your face. But if you can relax long enough and allow yourself to sweat, it's quite the experience. You can literally watch the sweat beading up on your skin. It usually becomes a contest to see who can last the longest and who can sweat the most.

DAY THREE: TEXAS GUN POWER

I asked a friend to put together a shooting day with some members of our ward during the days Michael and Hayden would be here. It was a success. Many people showed up with a lot of gun power so it was fun.

We also blew up a few trees. Below: The fun stuff—Tannerite. Just do a little mixing and voila...you have an explosive. Shoot it and BOOM! (Go watch some YouTube featuring this stuff.)

Above: setting up to take the shot. Can't miss with this SWEET scope. Below: !!!!

One CANNOT drive through Texas and skip a pit stop at Buc-ee's. (Buckees) The bathrooms are amazing. (Hand sanitizers, and toilet seat wet wipes are in each walled off stall and there are NEVER any lines.) The food too is unique to Buc-ee's and totally worth spending a buck or seven on.

I mean, have you ever seen a gas station with a vanishing point?

So famous...it doesn't even need its name in writing. Just...a Beaver. What? Yeah.

After a day of shooting and driving, Hayden decided she liked Rodeo Goat so much that she wanted to go back for dinner. I couldn't have agreed more. I'd had one of the best burgers there too—The Bad Hombre. It wasn't going to be on the menu long so I was glad to have another go at it.

LAST DAY: DALLAS THINGS

The airport is in Dallas, so the next morning we loaded up bags and headed into the city to play until M and H's flight.

I think Breadwinners is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants. Everything so far has been the kind of delicious that makes your eyes roll back and drives you to tell everyone about your experience while also trying to chew. I also prefer this Dallas location. The service and the unique interior are superior to their other two locations—so I'm always going to make the trip to Dallas for this treat, even though there is one a little closer.

The chicken and waffles are a favorite. Hayden had stuffed french toast, which was so delicious she went home and recreated it.

Then we headed to the Reunion Tower. You'll recognize it in the Night time Dallas skyline as the round ball that's lit up.

Because Texas is FLAT, you can see miles from up top.

Also, if you set things up just right...you can see the window through which Kennedy was shot.

Bellow is the building where the shooter stood (light pinkish, center) and the street where Kennedy was riding in the car.

After leaving the tower we walked down toward the grassy knoll to see history up close. (Below: A wall along the way.)

This X in the middle of the road marks the first shot, the shot that missed Kennedy. A little further to the left (not shown) is another X where he was struck.

Next we walked to the Dallas World Aquarium. It's an open atrium kind of zoo. It's really quite lovely and large.

Sharks smile for photos too.

I wasn't able to find out what this fish below is. How does one even do a search for this?
"Google: Search for........REALLY ugly gray fish with wrinkled face and a double top lip???" Uhhhhh.

Lastly we took our carnivore family members to another BBQ joint where you order by the pound, they wrap it in paper wich you then unwrap and spread out on the table to enjoy.

We then purchased pies to go from Emporium pie and left Michael and Hayden at the airport with pies in hand and I hope a lot of fun memories.

Saying goodbye was hard. The drive home without them was hard. I LOVED having them here. Family is everything.