Dude, I can’t believe it’s been over a month since we got back from Hawaii and I’m JUST getting through processing all the photos I took from our long weekend there in June. Brother and Joy are there right now having a Lava Flow for me on the same exact beach we were one a month ago. Here are the photos from the trip. Can’t wait to go back. I’ll just have to stare at this photo for a bit longer in the meantime. Enjoy!
This is a little late but here’s the recap of last weekend with Brother and Joy.
As soon as I picked them up from the airport, we dropped off their stuff and headed out for a bite to eat. We initially went to Orson for some duckfat fries but then ended up eating at the Korean taco truck out in front of Bar Basic. It was a tasty $2 taco filled with spicy pork, a thinly sliced pickled dikon, and kimchi. On top of that, there was a red sauce that gave it a good kick in the mouth.
On Saturday morning, Koa greeted them with a few sniffs and tugs of the pillow. After a long walk and some coffee, my uncle came up to pick up Brother for a game of golf in Vallejo.
It was good to see him and Johnny got to play golf on a nice, quiet course.
While they were away, Joy and I went to the race expo and did some shopping at Sports Basement. Afterward, I took Joy to Sausalito to buy some teeny tiny Totoros.
On our way there, we got stuck in traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. It was unusually heavy and I was wondering what was going on until we find the far right lane blocked and cops hovering over the rail. Someone was threatening to jump the bridge! Joy even saw the guy on the other side of the rail talking to the cops. Sorry guys, no photo this time. We were too distracted by the incident to think of snapping a photo. Too bad though…she had a front row view of it all.
For dinner, we carbo-loaded at La Briciola on risotto, mussels, ravioli, tagliatelle, and veal.
On Sunday afternoon (after the Half Marathon), we showered and rested up before heading out again for ice cream.
We went to Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous in Dog Patch and tasted a variety of interesting flavors ranging from Candied Violet to Candied Ginger.
For dinner, we went to La Mar where Brother almost got tricked by a sauce that contained peanuts. Heh heh.
Here are the rest of the photos. It was good to see you guys again. Hope you’re having a great time in Hawaii right now!!!
On Sunday I ran the SF Half Marathon. Joy, Susie, and Eleanor also ran the 1st half of the full and it was a lot of fun but a lot of hard work too.
It all started with the alarm going off at 4:30 am. Yep, you read that right. We met up with Susie downstairs by 5:20 and walked down the street to the start line. Brother also came along and brought the dog for moral support.
The race started at 6:00 am but we probably didn’t pass the start line until 6:20. The first half was a very familiar route: down Embarcadero, through Fisherman’s Wharf, over the Fort Mason hill, and past Chrissy Field. THEN there was the hill. It was a steep one and ended with the on-ramp to the Golden Gate Bridge.
On the bridge, we got to run along one of the traffic lanes, turn around at the parking lot on the Marin side, and run back on another traffic lane. It was cold and foggy and really crowded. So, we weaved and sprinted through the crowd and also found Susie and Eleanor, who we lost track of during the first 6 miles. Joy and I had a little 5-hour energy drink right before the bridge so we were feeling goooood.
Once off the bridge, we were faced with another series of hills for the last half of the race. We went through a tunnel, past the really big fancy houses in the Presidio, and then up and down the 19th street. The rolling hills were brutal and felt more like interval training. Our half ended in Golden Gate Park while the 2nd Half was starting and the Full Marathoners kept going.
I finished in 2:20 and Joy came in just a minute later. She looked really strong most of the way but then started cramping on the last 3 miles. At the finish line, we got our medals (also doubles as a keychain!) and warming capes. They also had lots of goodies and water for us to inhale as we got in line for the shuttle back to the start where Johnny was waiting.
For brunch, we had dim sum at Yank Sing and it really hit the spot. Overall, it was a fun race but it’s got some pretty challenging hills. Luckily I had three training sessions this month and the trainer got me conditioned for them. I ran strong and felt strong the whole way. I probably could have had a faster time but I’m happy with the way I felt throughout the race and afterward.
Here is the finisher’s medal, my dri-fit shirt, and bib.
Here is the route that my GPS recorded. After all the races I’ve finished, I’m still amazed at how far I can go sometimes. So…where and when is the next race?!
For those of you who didn’t already know, after 8 long years away in Medical School and Residency, Dayantha is back in California and brought Krissy with him! They’re living in Sacramento for a year while Dayantha finishes his last year as a Fellow at UC Davis. On top of that, they recently got engaged during their EuroTrip to Italy and Spain! Woohoo!
We finally got to see them this weekend since they drove down for Scotchfest and stayed with us all weekend. It was fun hanging out and catching up while eatin’ up a storm and doing some walking around the city. They arrived on Friday night and we took them out for a good Southern fried chicken dinner. On Saturday morning, they walked to the Ferry Plaza with us while we had to shop for the party and picked up some kimchee fried rice and Korean tacos.
On Sunday, we had brunch at Bar Tartine before driving them to the Rockridge BART station where they parked their car all weekend.
They both look good and happy to be in California. We happy to have them back in California too.
Saturday was Scotchfest 2010 at our place and we had a great turnout. Friends from all over came to partake in the festivities – including Dayantha and Krissy!! We had a total of 11 different whiskeys to taste and some were much better than others. Here’s the lineup:
Each participant got a shotglass labeled with his or her name and the different whiskeys were poured and tasted one by one with some food in between.
Meanwhile, Jack was snackin’ on cheese and crackers, watching “Up”, and feeding carrots to his pal Koa.
We served salami and cheese as well as smoked salmon with creme fraiche as appetizers. Then the main item was the prime rib sandwiches with sauteed onion, horseradish aioli, and arugula on an Acme roll. When eaten with some salty Kettle potato chips, it was perfect.
Everyone had their favorite Scotch of the night and pretty much everyone did not appreciate Talisker, which most said tasted like Band-Aid. Nice. By the end of the night, some were drinking more of their favorite while others broke open the 100-proof Captain Morgan and Coke. I think everyone had a good time. Most left before 12 am but some of us were still going until 4 am…including me. Good times…
OK…let’s try this again. Click here for photos.
I hate bananas but for some reason, I like banana-nut bread. I’ve been using the same recipe since 2003 and it has never failed me. I also make muffins instead of a loaf so I get a little extra crust. They come out moist inside, not too sweet, has a light banana flavor, and crusty on the outside. Jes had a bunch of bananas that got neglected last week so I made some this weekend and thought I would take some photos of the process.
Here are all the ingredients:
I mixed all the dry ingredients together and then all the wet in a separate bowl.
In the meantime, I creamed the Crisco. Yes, I used Crisco. You got a problem?! Then I added sugar and eggs. Once that’s all creamed, I alternated between adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients for a total of 4 additions.
Next I added the chopped walnuts (instead of pecans) and greased the muffin tin.
I used a disher to scoop out equal portions that filled the tins half-way.
In the 350-degree oven they went for about 30 minutes (until golden brown on the top) and then cooled on a rack. Tasty.
It makes about 24 muffins if you fill the tin only half-way. Make sure they cool completely before storing in an open or loosely-closed container. If you close it all the way, they sweat and get sticky. I like them on the drier side to keep the crust chewy.
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