Weekend Diary

This weekend I:

-Hiked Cowles Mountain again.

The weather was perfect.

I'm SO in love with San Diego.

-Took in more sun rays on my patio,

while eating fresh basil pasta and re-reading The Great Gatsby before the movie comes out. 

How excited is everyone for Leo's comeback by the way?

I've missed that man.

-Caught up with some of my besties over 2001 wine that one of them brought from her honeymoon in Greece. 

-Cured a hangover with some delish Korean food at Friend's House. 

-I may, or may not have ombre'd my hair...

-Had my girlfriends over for dinner. 

Home made shrimp enchiladas via this recipe with coronas on the side, was a perfect way to wrap up the weekend!

Chef Showdown

It's finally Friday - hallelujah!

Today I want to tell you about an amazing event,
hosted by the Center for Community Solutions (CCS),

in observance of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

The 8th Annual Chef Showdown culinary competition
will benefit programs and services of CCS,
a San Diego nonprofit, that provides prevention and intervention support for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse.

The event highlights a myriad of San Diego top chefs participating in an “Iron Chef” style competition,
including Joe Magnanelli from Cucina Urbana, Hanis Cavin from the Carnitas Snack Shack, Chef Matt Gordon of Urban Solace, Rachel King of Searsucker, and Anthony Sinsay from Burlap.

The competing chefs will be divided into two teams,

 and will be given a secret ingredient to use to create eight dishes during the evening.

The judges are all notable names from the restaurant business,
and Sam Zien from the famous television show Sam the Cooking Guy will host the competition.
Sounds awesome, right?

Most importantly, 

Chef Showdown is a fundraising event with a net income goal of at least $100,000 for much needed support for CCS. 

 Over 600 supporters including individuals, businesses, corporate sponsors, political and community leaders 

attend the culinary event to enjoy the chef competition, taste an array of delectable creations from more than 25 restaurants, sample a variety of wines, and bid on auction items.

Interested?

Chef Showdown will be held from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at NTC Promenade in Point Loma.
Tickets to the event are $125 each or $200 for a VIP reservation,
and can be purchased by calling (858) 272-5777, ext. 120.

I wish I was in town during the time of this event -
it sounds fabulous!

Lemon Artichoke Chicken Pasta

I'm sure most of my regular readers already know that I love to eat out,

a lot,

but did you know that I love to cook too?

Basically, any activity that involves food triggers my interest. 

This recipe for Lemon Artichoke Chicken Pasta is super easy,

and the end result tastes so delicious, that it would be a sin not to share it with you all. 

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Ingredients:

2 cups artichoke hearts, canned and drained
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 pound
1 cup flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups dry white wine
1/2 lemon

Instructions:

Cut the artichoke hearts in half lengthwise. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch to a side. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with about 1 teaspoon salt and a generous quantity of black pepper. Toss the chicken pieces in the flour.

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the artichokes. Cook for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned on each side. Remove the artichokes from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Set aside.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet along with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Lift the chicken pieces out of the flour and arrange in the skillet. Sauté the chicken pieces for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown on both sides. Add the artichokes back to the pan.

Pour in the white wine and and stir and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat. The sauce will thicken. Stir well to coat everything with the wine sauce. Stir in a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice.

Serve with your choice of pasta. 

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Pretty sweet, eh?

I'm telling you,

this recipe is simple enough to throw together on a weeknight,

and delicious enough to impress guests any time of day. 

Weekend Diary

sunset view from my house

I suppose I don't plan on blogging regularly until,

oh,

late September. 

Not because I don't want to,

but because I simply don't have time. 

I don't know how some people do it... 

Anyway,

this weekend I:

-spent quality time with family,

and had the pleasure of consuming an amazing Italian feast cooked by my sister's bf, in my own home.

Mussels, clams, oysters, scallops, grilled veggies... oh my!

-partook in an indulgent happy hour with some of my favorite people from work. 

You have to love the people you work with - makes those 40 hours you spend in the office every week SO much more bearable.

-sang along to "Hold On" at the Wilson Phillips concert with my besties. 

Believe it. 

All my 90's dreams came true. So fun!

-attended a baby shower for one goooorgeous mama to be.

-laid out by the pool and just enjoyed summer. 

-I've also been cooking up a storm lately. 

Thinking that it won't hurt if I share some recipes with ya'll soon. 

Stay tuned. 

Where do babies come from?

I suppose it's only natural,

for people to wonder when the huz and I are planning to have kids. 

I mean,

we've been together for ten years,

married for almost two. 

We're pretty settled down,

having recently purchased a house in one of those suburban neighborhoods and acquired one of those family-friendly cars... 

So like I said,

it makes sense for people to enquire about when we're going to start popping out some nuggets. 

I'm not going to lie,

the thought of having children freaks me out. 

Like, REALLY scares the bejezus out of me. 

You see,

in my mind, 

I'm still a kid myself. 

But I'm guessing everyone feels that way...  

I know very few people who have actually been "ready" to reproduce.

But I've been mentally preparing myself,

and I think I'm getting pretty comfortable with the idea of starting a family. 

No, I'm not pregnant. 

But we have a plan.. 

so for all those wondering when you'll see some baby posts around here,

it might be sooner than later. 

Perhaps next year?

Who knows what's in the cards for us. 

For now,

I'm pretty comfortable just borrowing those two munchkins pictured above -

my nephews. 

So adorable,

and so fun to give back at the end of the night. 

Do people ever bug you about having babies?

How are your ovaries handling all this pressure???

Lately..

I've been living life to the fullest. 

I know I've been slacking on posting,

but you'll have to forgive me. 

You see, 

even though San Diego has picture perfect weather all year round,

summer time around here is even better. 

So I've been taking serious advantage of the little free time I get, 

and doing a little bit of everything... 

for example:

-hosting my girlfriends over for dinner on my patio

I made shrimp scampi pasta using this recipe,
and we devoured it with some wine while watching the sun set.

-taking part in one of my best friend's wedding

I was so honored to stand beside my friends as they got married,
and beyond excited to help them celebrate on the roof top of the Andaz Hotel.

-watching the Olympics, and counting down to London. 

Go team USA! 

Only 3 weeks left till our trip!

-wine tasting in Temecula

We're so fortunate to live so close to Wine Country.
Temecula is less than an hour away from our house,
and offers a ton of different wineries to choose from.
Last weekend we tried out Danza Del Sol, Lorimar, and Falkner.
So fun.

-trying out different cuisines around San Diego- 

French at Cavaillon, Greek at Taverna Blu, and Mongolian at Little Sheep.

-practicing my tennis skills and taking sunset hikes at Cowles Mountain and Torrey Pines

Man, and that's just last week! 

What have you been up to lately? 

Any plans for the rest of the summer? 

Time is flying by so quickly - 

fall will be upon us before we know it.