A week off...

I've been absent from here.  My original excuse was work which entailed a project that consumed of my time.  Then I finally had some time off.  My original plans were to find a beach destination.  At the last minute some friends invited me to join them skiing in Whistler, Canada.  It's been eight years since I last went down a hill of snow, but I jumped at the chance to catch up with friends.  Traveling and eating with friends.  What a great idea!

Chilis Rellenos almost ready!

Yummy!

Before I head out to Vancouver, I made a pitstop home to visit family and friends for the weekend.  It began with a family dinner at a Szechuan restaurant that was quite authentically superbly spicy Szechuan cuisine.  We were all very impressed.  My mom selected this place after having gone by the restaurant for several years en route to see her grandchildren.  Later that evening, I met up with an old running buddy and we reminisced how our running group has been able to maintain close relationships even after more than half of the core group has dispersed across the 48 contiguous states.  I was very appreciative of her mother's homemade chiles rellenos.  Everything in the above pictures is from scratch!  I had the fortune of making these delicious stuffed peppers with my friends mother when I was once in the most remote part of Mexico.

Do you know where is this billboard?

 The evening finished off with a nice glass of Malbec at one of my favorite spots and with one of my closest friends.  We both have been busier than we care to admit.  It was a nice way to chill out.

The next morning I off to breakfast with more friends.  When we all lived out by Lake Erie, we would routinely have dinners together.  Sometimes they would plan a huge dinner that might be a good ole southern boil or an amazingly fancy sunday brunch.  Other times, we and several other guests would help turn the meal into an amazing potluck gathering!  Part of the gathering always included some rounds of uber competitive dominoes.  I was typically the loser.  Occasionally, I would pass out on their couch or in their spare bedroom and they'd wake to come to the dinner table.

Well this particular sunday was no different.  I finally had the pleasure of meeting their beautiful son.  We all partook in a delicately balanced spinach, tomatoe, goat cheese quiche , fruit salad and a pear tart from Le Pain Quotidien (one of my favorite bakeries).