Year: 2021

Zucchini dish

carpaccio di zucchini inspired by our family dinner at cucina

Published by fairfaxhill

Cucina is one of our favorite restaurants. Slowly, it has turned into our go-to place for birthday dinners, especially when they fall in the middle of the week and we don’t have enough time to cook something special. Our order typically includes pizza and pasta. Bombolotti al Sugo is a favorite, and we all like to share the Frito Misto as our starter. We rarely order dessert, since the cake and presents are typically waiting for us back at the house. A few weekends ago we were there again to celebrate Patrick’s parents’ wedding anniversary and got to try some new dishes, including Funghi Ripieni, Carpaccio di Zucchini, Insalata con Bettole, and Donna’s Amazing Almond Cake.  I liked the Carpaccio di Zucchini so much, I had to try to recreate it at home. And guess what? It turned out pretty good. So, I’m sharing my recipe with you. But before I do that, I need to highlight that the key to getting this dish right is to move quickly. And, to make the salad look as pretty as the one …

making ice cream cones is easy!

Published by fairfaxhill

When it comes to ice cream, I’m not sure what I like the most, the ice cream or the cones. Every time I go to Fairfax Scoop, our favorite ice cream shop in town, I wonder how difficult it would be to make sugar cones at home like the ones they make at their store. Would I need to have special equipment? This thought crossed my mind again last Sunday as we drove through town on our way to the supermarket. Sarah was driving, so I was able to use my phone to google a bit and found a recipe that looked pretty easy. It was almost 90 degrees outside and ice cream sounded like a good idea. We got the ingredients at the store and got started right away after we got back to the house. Making sugar cones sounded a bit intimidating, but honestly, it was super simple! All you need is a bowl and a whisk and something to prevent the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet. I used a silicone mat but …

peach parfait

new knitting patterns by kim hargreaves and an easy peach parfait

Published by fairfaxhill

Happy Father’s Day! It’s been hot in Marin this weekend. Yesterday was about 80 degrees, but it felt like 90 indoors. This week has been busy and exciting. First: I got my passport last Monday, which means I get to go on our family vacation this summer. I am super happy and excited about the trip. This weekend, we also celebrated Patrick’s parent’s 60th wedding anniversary. As part of the celebration, we gathered for a delicious dinner at Cucina in San Anselmo. We had a great time. There were speeches, a few tears of joy, and lots of laughs. The food was really good. I especially loved two of the salads: Carpaccio di Zucchini, which had thinly sliced zucchini, almonds, and pecorino cheese, and the Insalata con Bettole, with roasted beets, avocado, arugula, goat cheese, almonds, and a shallot-mustard vinaigrette. I am definitely going to experiment and make something similar at home; either would be a perfect summer lunch all on its own. I also went jogging on Saturday which makes me feel super proud …

hair style exhibit sfo 2021

week 23 recap + a fun Exhibit

Published by fairfaxhill

a day of airports, planes and automobiles I had to fly to LA last Monday to renew my passport. My day started at 3 a.m. and I didn’t get home until about 10 p.m. It was a very long day, to say the least, full of stress and delays as well as many hours at the San Francisco airport where I got to see the Hair Style exhibit. Did you know people didn’t feel the need to buy shampoo or other hair products until the early 20th century? I loved all the hairdryers and the hairdo sculptures. You can read more about the exhibit and see more photos online at the SFO Museum website. I think I’d love the job of putting together these types of exhibits. I should look into it. Related to this, if you haven’t watched the Netflix series Self Made, you should. It’s good! As always, my favorite part of any flight is when the plane takes off, so I always ask for a window seat. I can’t help filming. So if you’re into that. crossing …