Jack’s slow cooked beef roast with spaghetti sauce, thenightrun.org, hot dog nite, Julia Baker chocolates visit #3, tulips, Royal Coffee Bar, North and their fancy cars, my bro and his kiddos

Recently I have been enjoying Ethiopian coffee from Royal Coffee Bar at Union (24th St./Camelback  @ Biltmore Fashion Park). You can buy your beans there, whole or ground. They are conveniently located next to Trattoria del Piero, which is owned by the Queen Creek Olive Olive Oil Mill people. You can get a delicious sandwich there, or board, or bellini. You won’t have to discriminate.

Dad was telling me today that he purchased a french press recently. If you have ever tried French press coffee, you know it is special. You can get it at Pig and Pickle (pigandpickle.com) or at Tammy Coe Bakery on Central Ave. next to Federal Pizza. Dad and I enjoyed a brioche french toast and a french press coffee there recently after grindage of a pizza at Federal Pizza’s largesse (eclub membership gets you free things there). They have a pizza with arugula,  prosciutto, dates and some type of creamy white cheese. It is not your traditional pizza made with red sauce. But it is very tasty and the flavors go very well together.

Typically I like a traditional pizza with sausage or pepperoni. Or both. Lately I enjoy the pizzas at The Parlor and North. Dad and I were at North recently munching a pizza on the patio. I chose a house red wine, while he ordered a ducati… a drink made with blood orange flavor, tequila and grappa. A little strong, but very refreshing. He also found a car there that he liked.

I’m not sure what you call it, but he was ready to take it home, if the owner didn’t claim it after his (or her) dinner.

Jack has been cooking up all kinds of yummy things lately, despite being busy with all kinds of side work (air conditioning, battery changes, transmissions and other duties as assigned). I am thankful for this as my work schedule gets me home on European time. His latest creation is a roast he made last night in the slow cooker with a jar of spaghetti sauce, green olives, onions and green peppers (and magic fairy dust = the stuff he doesn’t tell me about). You must make this.

I had mine over fetuccini noodles last night. He had his over jasmine rice. My brother had his (leftovers) over brown rice and my Mom (the most creative one of all of us in the kitchen) took the meat out and shredded it up on rye toast. Clever!

Jack made hot dogs for us last week (Hebrew National no less) and we shared a Red Stripe. Sometimes after a long day of work nothing tastes better than a dog and a brew.

Or two…

After last payday (my chocolate binges always seem to come after paydays, fancy that…) I spent a spell at Julia Baker chocolates. Dad and I were due to run an 8K (thenightrun.org) the next day and I felt like celebrating.

I

I was feeling very cosmopolitan in this picture despite wearing jeans and my Celia Cruz (RIP) t-shirt.

Our run was a success, although Dad’s time was better than mine. I’m not sure how this happened… but it was sure fun running with one of my best friends. Dad has always been a motivating force in my life to stay healthy, along with my brother Mike, who gives me tips on diet and vitamins. And all things organic. There is hope yet (I think) for me.

Recently Dad was back in San Diego, visiting with my brother Ken and his kiddos. Chrissy, Rosie and Brianna. I can’t believe how big they are getting.

They will be passing up my brother soon, no doubt. (note Ken’s “super chingón” t-shirt from surropa.com courtesy of yours truly)

When Jack was away recently visiting his parents in Palm Beach, FL. I took the opportunity to buy myself some tulips from Fresh & Easy.

The last time my friend Rob had visited from Greenville, SC. he had left some for me, and I had forgotten how much I like flowers.

My sister Fran recently returned from a vacation in Cabo San Lucas. I am waiting to find out if what happens in Cabo says there. She told us she was staying at a resort called Me (or at least I think that is the one).
http://www.melia.com/hotels/mexico/los-cabos/me-cabo/index.html?c3=145360017&gclid=CPet3ozGq7cCFYJi7AodqhoArg&c3=%3Cmpl/%3E

All I can say is…I think it’s time to start planning my next vacation. It looks like a super relaxing and beautiful place.

This weekend promises a cruise on the Desert Belle at Saguaro Lake and maybe a staycation at a local resort. I put in my vote for the Clarendon Hotel. So if you see someone who looks like me at Gallo Blanco this weekend with a sangria in both hands…it might be me! Looking forward to celebrating a long holiday weekend.

Rob’s herb garden, Trattoria del Piero visit #2, Jack’s sliders, a welcome food gift from Wanda, Jack’s visit to Florida, etc.

The kitchen wench has been busy eating a lot since I last posted.

Recently I spent a pleasant evening with Linda and Dad at Trattoria del Piero at Biltmore Fashion Park. On Thursday nights they do a bubbly and board which on our night included our choice of raspberry or peach champagne (we had both since we had two boards). There was live music by a nice young man who went to Arcadia High School…he took requests from my Dad and we professed our appreciation with a few seabreezes for our new friend and live entertainer. You must enjoy an eveningon the patio at Trattoria del Piero before it warms up. Our boards included 3 toasts with various salmon toppings and marinated olives. Linda also ordered a meatball sandwich which is very dainty but tasty and I had a kalamata sandwich that includes various salamis and balsamic dressing. I was quite taken with the flavored champagnes, which I had never tried. They were very fruity and not too effervescent. Beautiful weather, live music and $20 board and bottle…foodie overload happens here.

http://trattoriadelpiero.com/menu/main-menu/

Wendy gifted me a box of fancy swiss cheese and ham croissants this week from the nice folks at Williams Sonoma. Apparently they have a gourmet foods department that I did not know about. The croissants arrived frozen, packed in dry ice.

They need to thaw and rise for 8-10 hours before baking, so we will probably put some of these out on the kitchen countertop tomorrow night, so we can bake them off on Sunday morning. Thank you, Wendy!

Last Friday I enjoyed Wendy’s company, along with Dad and my sis Fran at Pig and Pickle. It is my third time there now, so I should just buy stock already. You can order all of the happy hour appetizers for about $25 (there are 5 on the menu) and serve an army. And they make their own bread, pickles and charcuterie. The homemade drink list is stellar (there is a mai-tai in my near future) and the bartender even hopped over to Fresh and Easy to get mint for Dad’s mojito which they said is something they don’t make often. What service! And it is worth mentioning they make great french press coffee. I shared a pot with Dad, and didn’t even need milk in mine to enjoy it.

http://pigandpickle.com/

Jack made sliders last night on mini onion rolls from Karsh’s Bakery.

I was there buying rolls a few months back with my brother Mike. We couldn’t believe the selection of pastries, cookies, cakes and other Jewish approved goodies like mandel bread (think biscotti). They have day old goodies available for half price, which I tend to grab when I am there.

http://www.karshsbakery.com/

Also you can get their buns at AJ’s Fine Foods, which is good to know if you are in the mood for a gourmet burger or hot dog. Jack mentioned he had picked up a brisket yesterday so I will be going back to get some rolls for when he decides to make corned beef. Yummy yum. I have been told there will be potatoes and cabbage also. Whoohoo!

The kitchen had been dark the previous week because Jack was in Florida (West Palm Beach specifically) visiting his parents and his sibs.

His sister Apple flew out from San Francisco too, so it was a bit of a family reunion. They spent time in Miami, where Jack procured fresh coconut with straw no less from a street vendor.

Additionally, he brought me back a pretty pair of butterfly earrings and a bracelet with butterfly and ladybug charms. Very thoughtful! He also brought back fresh tamarind from his Mom’s tree which is drying now in the kitchen.

Needless to say, I am quite glad he is back home, and that he had a nice time on his trip. A dark kitchen does not a happy kitchen wench make.

News from Greenville, South Carolina:

Rob has been busy in the garden planting herbs.

I love the idea of being able to step outside and snip off what you need. He has a seriously green thumb!

This past week there was a Fiat traded in at Jack’s workplace. It is a grey Abarth model (the fancy one) that comes with turbo. Lookie lookie.

My personal mechanic gave it the once over and decided the turbo might be too much for the kitchen wench. So we wait until a regular 500 model comes in. But it is pretty easy on the eyes, no?

http://www.fiatusa.com/en/2013/abarth/?sid=1037056&KWNM=fiat+abarth&KWID=3590455715&TR=1&channel=paidsearch

Dad called me today and invited me to Char’s for dinner (after I invited him to North for happy hour). She made baby back ribs with baked sweet potatoes (skin on) and marinated asparagus. I brought dessert. You can get these at Safeway for $2.98 in the bakery.

Word on the street is that the kitchen wench is interviewing to appear on a future episode of “Check Please!”

Wish me luck. Obviously there will be no lack of enthusiasm for food.

Honey Bear’s slider trio, Te Haru sushi, Jack’s rotisserie pork butt with beans and rice, Trattoria del Piero and lemon bars for Easter

Happy Easter, Everyone!

My aunt Char has summoned me to make lemon bars for our dinner today. She is doing a bbq turkey and olive oil/lemon marinated broccoli, Mom is making potato salad (I think that is the plan) and dessert is being brought by yours truly. I was a bit daunted at the task, since the only other time I made lemon bars was from a mix (they did turn out pretty good) but my days of cooking from a box are over (albeit making Uncle Ben’s wild rice mix because it goes with everything).

Char provided the recipe (courtesy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook), which eased my fears. The kitchen is smelling very good right now, I just finished making the lemon bars…and now you can do the same.

Lemon Bars:

1/3 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

powdered sugar (optional)

Beat butter with an electric mixer and add 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat until combined. Beat in the 1 cup flour till crumbly. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8x2 inch baking pan. Bake in an 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine eggs, the remaining sugar, the 2 tablespoons of flour, lemon peel, juice and the baking powder. Beat until thoroughly combined. Pour over hot baked layer.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes more or until lightly browned around the edges and the center is set. Allow to cool and sift powdered sugar over the top. Cut into bars. Makes 20. In the spirit of abundance (and at my aunt’s behest) I doubled the recipe and used a larger pan. For this recipe I was very glad that I have a Microplane zester-grater. You can zest citrus in a snap with one of these. I borrowed this picture from Microplane’s website. Since I am promoting them, and use their product, I hope they don’t mind.

If you don’t have one yet, I am pretty sure you can get one at Standard Restaurant Supply on McDowell and 29th Street.

http://www.standardrestaurant.com/ecom/app/forward.action?page=%2Fapp%2FphxMap.jsp

Last weekend Jack was working on a friend’s car (other duties as assigned) and he was quite hungry after the job, so we headed over to Honey Bear’s for some lunch.

We took it home so we could watch movies from RedBox (don’t ask me what movies we watched because I’ve since done a data dump). Honey Bear’s does these cute sliders – you can get the trio meal and a drink (it comes with a side – think coleslaw or beans) for under ten bucks. The trio of sliders is pulled pork, brisket and pulled chicken.

Yum yum.

http://www.honeybearsbbq.com/

On Sunday Jack had to trade cars with friend so he could work on her car (other duties as assigned…continued) so we decided to meet for dinner at Te Haru sushi in Tempe. This place is fun. You pick your sushi plates off the conveyor belt and all are $2 or under.

A steal, really. We three ate and ate for less than $50.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/22/723449/restaurant/Phoenix/TeHaru-Sushi-Tempe

The kitchen wench has new seat covers on her cute car! Just in time for spring.

Ladybugs are good luck, and as we have a lot blooming right now, flowers seem appropriate.

Early in the week, Jack made fried tilapia. We found some beautiful filets at Mekong Plaza market and I have been craving fried fish, so when I came home one evening after a long day of work there was this beautiful plate of fried fish.

It was so good! We had Uncle Ben’s wild rice mix on the side with green beans Jack prepared with bacon (mercy, heavens) and slivered almonds. I know, he is a real gourmet.

On Friday we were celebrating the end of the week (and month end …since we both work on commission month end can be a big stress reliever) with a pork butt Jack had marinated with citrus, salt, pepper and garlic and had lovingly placed in his rotisserie oven (he boiled it first to get off some of the fat). He also made red beans with ham hocks and Puerto Rican red rice.

We both ate two plates and I might have enjoyed two ciders from Angry Orchard.

Yesterday Dad and I spent a wonderful part of the afternoon at Bilmore Fashion Park, where Trattoria del Piero is located (conveniently). I had been wanting to go there for awhile for a lunch opportunity as they make sandwiches, salads and have a full bar. We shared a salami sandwich which came with coleslaw and a few marinated olives. I drank a vermouth straight up with a couple of olives (not pictured) and Dad opted for a prosecco.

We also chose an arugula salad with bacon and candied pistachios. We might have also drank a couple of mimosas made with almond champagne and peach juice. If you don’t drink you should just get one and smell it. The almond smell is overwhelming and the taste is crisp and fresh.

This place is owned by the nice folks at Queen Creek Olive Mill, so it is local, which I like. They do a board and bottle for $20 two nights a week and then board and bubbly one night a week. That sounds like such a deal, I will have to go back.

http://trattoriadelpiero.com/

We shared a flight of olive oil mini cupcakes in 5 flavors. Lime, chocolate, orange, vanilla and lemon.

Dad has this wild look in his eye like Giancarlo Gianni did when he was about to pounce on Mariangela Melato in the movie Swept Away. Haven’t seen it? You must.  But make sure the kiddos are out of the room.

In the spirit of Easter I would like to say that I am excited that we may have Federal benefits for same sex couples soon. And I am very happy about the new Latino pope…I mean, how many Latinos are Catholic? It was a good move for the Vatican. Now we just need some females as priests and I might convert.  Probably not, but I like that the new pope wears humble shoes (no red Pradas) and washed prisoner’s feet this week. Some humility in religion is not a bad thing.

Skiing at Snowbowl, dinner at Fez, St. Patty’s day in Las Vegas and Dad’s birthday at Avanti

We had a great time skiing at Snowbowl a few weeks back. It had been awhile since Jack had been skiing, and it turned out that he never lost his touch. The weather was beautiful (spring skiing, think slushy snow and no-jacket required). We were able to rent equipment right on the mountain and our hotel in Flagstaff (Rodeway Inn) had all of the creature comforts of home. A great dinner at El Criollo. If you go to Flagstaff, you must eat here. We enjoyed fish and pork belly tacos, ceviche, margaritas and chicken tortilla soup. I believe they also have a Tucson location in the works, so check before you are heading in that direction. You will want to eat there. On their happy hour they have a Sonoran hot dog wrapped in bacon. Enough said!

For some reason, a bloody mary tastes very good while you are sipping it on a mountain.

My friend Rob just headed home for South Carolina. He spent last week visiting me and Jack here in Phoenix. He also was the catalyst for our trip to Las Vegas.

Yup, two nights (count em) at Excalibur. Our view was amazing (from the 26th floor no less). Their pool area is really beautiful. If you can pull a couple of days together and make a trip to Vegas, you should do it. A fun town, even though we didn’t gamble that much. Just a little video poker. Our hotel had Krispy Kreme (deadly) and Baja Fresh so we were able to get our feed on quite easily. We didn’t make it to the MGM Seafood Buffet as we had planned, so we will have to make a trip back in September when Carlos Santana will be playing at House of Blues. I know. A sacrifice. We did enjoy some live St. Paddy’s day music on the strip, along with a Guiness, in the spirit of showing our support for the Irish.

When we got back home, we needed a feed (I mean you can’t go from a vacation right back to the kitchen) so we stopped at FEZ. OMG. You must go and eat at FEZ. It was happy hour and Jack enjoyed a regular margarita, Rob ordered the citrus version and I stuck to Kiltlifter.

Their dinner specials are a must-try. $8.95 for arroz con pollo (the seasonings in this dish were out of this world) and the pork chop with fingerling potatoes and brussel sprouts in a lemon sauce was very juicy. Oh. Mercy. Heavens. And their fries are deadly. We had fries two ways: with rosemary and harissa spices. Quite a punch. And we shared a creme brulee and had fancy coffee with Bailey’s, vodka, Kahlua and I don’t know what else was in there.

I just know I was feeling really good.

Recently Dad had his birthday and we celebrated at Avanti. If you have $100 and a date (or not) go there and have yourself a special dinner. They make a pretty good manhattan (I might have enjoyed two). They serve escargots, oysters, shrimp cocktail, and the list of special offerings goes on and on. My entree was a beef shank ragu with homemade wide pasta. I cannot wait to go back and order this again. Also, next time I will have the Benito salad. It has shrimp and avocado. We all got a little gussied up for the occasion.

It was a super-fun evening.

Today I picked up a pair of crocheted earrings from the nice lady at my Walgreens at 44th St./Indian School.

Her daughter makes them for $5.00 a pop. I think it is such a deal. Just go and see her (I think she is the only redhead there) and place your order. Or I can do it for you.

Jack made some latkes last week with mini sliders. I think I ate three latkes and one slider and then I needed a wheelbarrow to move, honestly.

We bought some mini kaiser onion rolls onion from Karsh’s bakery on 7th Street. They also make hot dog buns and if you don’t want to go all the way down there, you can also get them at AJ’s.

A few of my favorite things: fancy chocolates, special soda, the grape, nature, humor, kindness and thoughtfulness

I didn’t have any good dining experiences to tell you about tonight, so I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite things, some of which are in my fridge (lucky me).

Fancy chocolates. Procured at Walgreens, Safeway and Fry’s.

After all, the kitchen wench can’t afford to eat Julia Baker chocolates every day.

Special soda. Found at Fresh & Easy.

 

The orange version pictured, but these guys also make lemon, grapefruit and other versions I probably don’t know about. Not as sweet as Fanta. This goes well with prosecco (think half and half).

The grape.

 

Provided by next door neighbor.

Nature.

Our cold weather this past week is inspiring me to plan a ski trip next month. Hopefully in Durango, Co.

Humor. Shown here by Jack.

He is so silly. If you can get a little silly in your life, I highly recommend it.

Kindness. My Mom made me a bean burrito today.

I invited her to Manuel’s and she said, “Honey, why don’t you just come over and eat lunch here?” Enough said.

Thoughtfulness. Catalina, my friend from work provided all of us ladies (and gents too) a rose for Valentine’s day.

Mine is still looking pretty spritely.

 

 

 

 

 

The Golden Greek, Fez and a bloody mary from Madison Improvement Club

One of my favorite places for lunch in the 80′s was The Golden Greek. At the time I was working at Accident Chiropractic on 35th Avenue and Northern, and this little Greek place was introduced to me by my boss, the wonderful Dr. Zellers. The food was just great. And still, it is just the same.

A couple of weekends ago Jack had a gig on the west side and I mentioned we should check out The Golden Greek.

http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/dining/Golden_Greek_643364325950

The chicken souvlaki sandwich and gyros sandwich are winners. You get a Greek side salad with each. They also serve Greek beer, lentil soup, hummus (you must try this) and baklava. We skipped the baklava this time because with appetizers, soup and sandwiches we were looking for a wheelbarrow to get out of there. You must go.

It is mom and popish, the original owners are keeping the place humming. It is clean, cheap and the food is wonderful.

Jack’s gig on the west side ran into two weekends (two weekends we could have tried to escaped town, mind you) and we decided to spend a day at the mall near the new Phoenix Cardinals Stadium. It is pretty neat. There is a Yard House (one of our favorite places for onion rings and pastrami sliders), a Johnny Rockets and also a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. On this visit we chose burgers (or I did that is) at Johnny Rockets, we both enjoyed shakes and malts, along with unlimited fries and Jack opted for a hot dog. Their food is tasty, but it is recommended you make this your main meal of the day. Again, a wheelbarrow might be needed to get out of there. Did I mention they have unlimited fries?

Deadly.

http://www.johnnyrockets.com/

There is also a Cabela’s nearby, Jack took the opportunity to hop onto one of their ATV’s.

They have quite an impressive aquarium with huge fish that are native to AZ.  A cool place to bring the kiddos (and free, too).

Continuing with dining experiences…Linda invited us to Fez (at the recommendation of her lovely daughter Adriene) for dinner on Saturday night. I felt like the ugly duckling in the room. I was reminded instantly that I need to get my hair colored and cut, and my eyebrows and lip waxed. Let me just say, this restaurant is filled with beautiful people. Go there, and you will understand. And you will thank me, because the food is delicious.

I had a hummus burger on a ciabatta roll with a baby romaine side salad that was dressed with just the right amount of vinaigrette. And the colorado bulldogs weren’t bad, either. And be sure to get some sweet potato fries.

http://fezoncentral.com/

Ever since the nice folks at Chow Bella (The Phoenix New Times food blog) have been been writing about Brat Haüs on Scottsdale Road, I have been talking to Jack about going. He doesn’t need his arm twisted too much to eat a sausage. Neither does the kitchen wench. So, on Sunday we went. He chose the lamb sausage a french roll with carmelized onions and I went for the pork schitzel sandwiches. These are small (4 count ‘em) and cute. On little hawaiian rolls. And they are filling. Jack enjoyed a beer and I had a cider, I needed something light from our Friday night of debauchery, I mean…dinner.

I almost forgot to mention that they have a charming patio so you can sit outside under very tall ficus trees (sun or shade, whatever  your preference). There is also an oversized Jenga game if you are, well… game.

Continuing with the food…we took home some lamb sausages from Brat Haüs. Yes! They let you take them home (3 come to a pound) so you can cook them any way you want. Jack made them with fettuccine pasta last night, along with some shrimp, basil and grape tomatoes, sauteed in olive oil. Yes, rabbit sausage goes well with shrimp, in case you were wondering. Leftovers for the kitchen wench’s lunch tomorrow (not pictured).

http://brathausaz.com/

Also we decided to take home some dessert, Brat Haüs had sweet potato pie as their daily pie special. Trust me, you must get a piece of this pie.

After all, it is in the vegetable group.

Recently the kitchen wench had the opportunity to sample a bloody mary at Madison Improvement Club. They use horseradish. I highly recommend you get one of these to start your day.

On a Saturday or Sunday, of course.

http://www.themadisonphoenix.com/

Their latest email blast this week included this quote:

“We think it’s safe to say it’s officially patio weather!! and can’t imagine anything more siplicious than a weekend morning mimosa.  So on Saturdays & Sundays we’ll give you two mason jars of oj and a bottle of champagne for $20.  And if you just can’t wait for the weekend and ask nicely, we’ll probably sneak you that deal during the week, as well.”

Oh, my.

Heavens. Mercy.

Union Biltmore, Julia Baker chocolates and immigration reform

Is anyone else out there excited that we might actually have immigration reform soon? I am living vicariously through the 11 million (I think that is the correct figure) undocumented people living in the U.S. who may see some relief in the near future.

Today being payday, the kitchen wench went a-celebrating. One of my favorite places to walk around when the weather is nice like it is now, is Biltmore Fashion Park. Back in the day it was only for the “haves”, but now…the frugal kitchen wench can hang out there and spend an pleasant afternoon, but not break the bank.

I started at Julia Baker chocolates. A glass of port and a “dark chocolate experience” later, I was feeling no pain. In truth I still have a bit of a sugar high. After all, the dark chocolate experience is 4 truffles (count ‘em) which consist of a dark ganache hand-cut chocolate, a dark chocolate French caramel truffle, a dark chocolate hazelnut truffle and a dark chocolate ancient truffle. The hand-cut, which was square and dense, with a dot of gold on top (this is Biltmore Fashion Park, folks) was my favorite – not pictured.

The rest were great in their own way, very chocolaty, smooth, creamy and oh so delicious. You must go and eat some of Julia Baker’s chocolates. She makes them in Scottsdale, by the way. She studied chocolate making at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, no less, so you know that she knows how to make ‘em. I finished off my stay there with a capuccino. And the nice hostesses there didn’t mind that I was reading the newspaper, all casual, in my jeans and t-shirt. The best $25 I ever spent.

People, it is okay to treat yourselves once in awhile. This is a great place to do so.

http://www.juliabakerconfections.com/

Union Biltmore is a conglomerate of stores which is located on the East end of the mall. I have been reading about it for 6 months now on various food blogs, finally I made it there today. When you go, expect to find candles, clothes, furniture, artisan olive oils, cupcakes, breads, the list goes on and on. I found a new dress today. Lookie lookie.

This is from Lilly Boutique at Union Biltmore. If you look closely you will see that there are little birdies all over it. Neat, yes? I think it is very Jonathan Livingston Seagull. And only $65. Still within the kitchen wench’s budget. It will be cute with boots I think.

Next door there is a clothing/shoes store (sadly I don’t remember the name) but they have fabulous retro platform shoes in many bright colors (think royal blue, red, green, purple). At $225 a pop, I didn’t get a pair, but if I hit commission at work, hopefully during tax season, well…a girl can hope.

Also I found a candle for Jack for Valentine’s Day. It is from White House Flowers, also at Union Biltmore. It is beeswax and it was explained to me that this is one of cleanest burning candles (least carcinogenic of them all), so that is a great relief. It is “Sampaguita” scented, which is a flower from Thailand. The nice man who sold it to me told me that it will burn for 40 hours, and for $25 it seemed like a good price.

How appropriate that Jack gets a candle from his homeland for V-Day.

http://shopbiltmore.com/union

Lastly, a blast from the past. My friend Kellee in Greenville, SC. is having her wedding anniversary today. I’m unable to be there in person, but thanks to her brother Rob, I am participating in spirit with this retro picture of me and him from 25 years ago today.

Wow, and wow.