Author Archives: mourningdove

ESC #13 & #14: St. Patrick’s Day and Distilling Day

Again, no pics of anything. I really am the worst blogger ever. The highlight of St Patrick’s Day was definitely the from-scratch corned beef that my friend Nicole made using the cure from this recipe and the rest of the recipe from this source. I can ask her for it and update. I made thisContinue reading “ESC #13 & #14: St. Patrick’s Day and Distilling Day”

Tips for Snagging Hard-to-Get Reservations for California State Parks

I’ve told you before about Wright’s Beach, how much I love it, and how hard it is to get a reservation for the “premium” beachfront sites. Well, I managed to snag one this year for a week, and it took me enough tries (like, almost every morning for 3 weeks) that I think I canContinue reading “Tips for Snagging Hard-to-Get Reservations for California State Parks”

ESC #12: Brunch Edition

Well, I didn’t save the menus, and I didn’t take any pictures: that shows you how hard it is to teach a Gen X blogger Gen Z tricks…. But brunch was great! It had a Southern/Caribbean vibe. The centerpiece were these Biscuits with Pancetta, Collards, Marbleized Eggs, and Espresso Aioli that sound way cheffier thanContinue reading “ESC #12: Brunch Edition”

Loading…Review of Death’s Door

As I sat down to write this post, I was reminded of the Portlandia skit, “Put a bird on it!” Because truly you can get me to buy almost anything with a raven or crow in/on it (or any corvid, really–I’ll take that magpie print and those piñon jay dishtowels, too, thank you). I’ve lovedContinue reading “Loading…Review of Death’s Door”

Ceramics Saturdays: The Crocker Collection

You guys. I had no idea that for 15 years I’ve been living 2 hours from one of the biggest international ceramics collections, and the biggest collection of works from California kilns, in the U.S. True, I should have known, and the Internet would have happily informed me. But it was SO MUCH FUN toContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: The Crocker Collection”

Mocktails in Space!

My friend Brooke had her birthday party at our local Planetarium, and as they don’t allow alcohol, she wondered if I could whip up a couple of space-themed mocktails for the event. Challenge accepted. I got out the old specific-gravity tables, ordered up some butterfly pea flower tea, and got mixin’. Of course, either ofContinue reading “Mocktails in Space!”

I Have Notes…for The K2

You may be sensing a theme, and that’s Ji Chang-wook. I’ll admit it—he’s so pretty and talented that it annoys me when a show he’s in doesn’t rise to his level. But truthfully, I get annoyed whenever a story draws me in and then lets me down, whether the particular actors in it happen toContinue reading “I Have Notes…for The K2”

ESC #10: Valentine’s Edition

You just can’t beat Italian for Valentine’s Day. The Sunday Gravy was phenomenal—none of us could believe that so much flavor came out of so few ingredients (basically a couple of kinds of meat, garlic, and Italian herbs added to tomato purée). The semolina gnocchi (aka Roman gnocchi) were really interesting—kind of like rustic gougères.Continue reading “ESC #10: Valentine’s Edition”