Saturday Morning Walkers - February 20, 2007

Hi everyone,

Just back from another whirlwind travel weekend! This time Jack and I were in LA with Jexy, Joe and Jacob. We had a great time - really enjoyed the warm, sunny weather and did some fun stuff.
I missed seeing my walking buddies on Saturday but I actually got to spend some time with Barb riding together to and from the airport.

Before I fill you in on our trip, here's my book report:

Jexy and Joe have recommended a memoir Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in LA by Luis Rodriguez. He is a Latino poet and writer who Jexy and Joe are very familiar with. He grew up in East LA where Jexy and Joe teach and he draws on his experience as someone who was in a gang and eventually got himself out of that life and really made something of his life. His daughter, Andrea, is a teacher at Jacob's co-op pre-school.
I started reading it before I left there yesterday and on the plane. I am totally engaged.

Cooking and Dining Report:

Libby did some cooking for friends on a weekend trip in Pennsylvania -
Saturday breakfast - she made our Steamboat Frittata (See the August 27 edition of my blog for the recipe)
Saturday dinner dessert - Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding by Gale Gand of the Food Network http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_27065,00.html
Sunday dinner - Tagliatelle with Short Ribs . (See the October 22 edition of my blog for the link to the recipe)

I haven't done much cooking this week - I actually did make something on Sunday night at Jex's house but I didn't particularly like it - we did have some great dining experiences, though:

Friday night dinner was at a new Italian restaurant in South Pasadena called Briganti
http://www.brigantirestaurant.com/index.html.
We all enjoyed our salads - Jex had Caesar, Joe had a Misto (mixed greens), I had Arugula with shaved Parmesan, baby artichoke hearts, lemon and olive oil and Jack had an amazing fresh Buffalo Mozzarella and roasted tomatoes topped with pesto.
For our main courses we had a few of their specials - Jex had Shrimp Risotto topped with a giant prawn, Joe had White Fish with tomato sauce and served with spinach and mashed potatoes, Jack had Spaghetti with pink sauce and lobster and cherry tomatoes, I had Tagliatelle with sausage and mushrooms and Jacob had Angel Hair pasta with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. He didn't get to eat too much of it before he fell asleep in Jexy's lap!
Back at the house, we had a special birthday dessert for Jack and me - Tres Leche Cake - the real deal from a Mexican bakery in Jexy's neighborhood - that cake deserves at least 4 spirals -

Saturday morning, we stopped for coffee at the brand new cafe in Jexy's neighborhood - yet another sign of gentrification in the Highland Park section of Los Angeles. It is called appropriately, Highland Perk. It is a great space but needs a little time to get their service act together.

We then headed for a visit to the Getty Museum - it was certainly one of the most spectacular museums I've ever seen - the architecture, the gardens and the exhibits were just outstanding. It is also a great place with kids. They have some innovative "games" to get kids engaged with the exhibits and a terrific "family room" with interactive exhibits designed for kids. We had lunch at the Cafe there and it was ok, not great.

A great suggestion from one of Jexy's friends for any of you taking young children to a museum - stop in the gift shop before you go through the museums and purchase postcards of different works of art or exhibits. Kids can play detective and find the different pieces throughout the museum, then keep the postcards in a book to refer back to at home.

Saturday night - Jexy and Joe went out and Jack, Jacob and I enjoyed a movie (Cars) and pizza from Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock - we've had their pizza many times but this one was a little disappointing

Sunday morning - Jack and I took Jacob out for breakfast at Cindy's Restaurant in Eagle Rock (near Occidental College) - it is a classic diner experience and perfect for a basic breakfast - Jacob loved his short stack of pancakes, Jack enjoyed his waffle (very thin -served with scrambled egg and sausage). I had my usual poached egg and toast breakfast.
After breakfast we headed out to a lovely park in Glendale for Jacob's friend's birthday party.

Monday lunch - before heading to the airport, Jexy, Jacob and I stopped at a little Vietnamese restaurant called The Blue Hen http://www.eatatbluehen.com/menu8.29.html - it is located in Eagle Rock - Jexy recommended their Chicken Sandwich which I enjoyed very much, especially the Sweet Potato and Turmeric Fries that came with it. She and Jacob had Pho Ga- a chicken noodle soup. It is a great find!

You know, I thought that I would share some of my favorite food and snacks to pack for traveling these days since airlines have cut back on food service. It is nice to pack these things before heading to the airport so that you don't have to pay outrageous prices there. If you have any other favorites, please share them with us.

Buy a sandwich from a favorite place at home - deli, grocery store, etc and bring it along with a piece of fruit
Nuts and chocolate chips packed in a baggie - I use raw almonds or walnuts mostly
Non-pareils from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory - Jack's favorite
Chocolate Travelers - bitterseet chocolate wedges (70%) packed in little round tins - from Trader Joe's

Hope you all have a good week - I'll miss you all again this Saturday - I'm starting my Postpartum Doula Workshop on Thursday and it ends on Saturday evening - I'm very excited about finally doing that. I'm not sure who's leading this week's walk but I'm sure we'll hear shortly. See you on Saturday the 3rd back at Caffe Sole - Barb won't be there but I'll plan our walk for that morning.

Love,
Susan