I've been really quiet this past week or so, mostly out of lots of work and stress, but also because I haven't actually cooked anything in awhile! I do loads of things other than blather on about food, and sometimes just can't work in the time to get into the kitchen and do something interesting. The future looks bright, though- I've got dinner parties, market trips, and even a wedding cake to make- all coming up in the near future, so I should have some more fodder and be inspired to write and photograph my eats.

So what have I been eating? Let's see if I can come up with some highlights...

• Tried and pretty much failed to make bacon-wrapped hot dogs for some friends and family over Labor Day weekend. (If I try again with any success I'll share it with you but until then I have nothing useful to share.)
• Shared pitchers of sangria two nights in a row on the sidewalk at Esperpento in the Mission and went to a few BBQs, during last week's heat wave.
  
• Discovered a great new bargain wine at Trader Joe's that's universally guzzled with gusto- Kenwood Rose for $4.99. I'm going to get a case for sure. 
• Savored noodles with pals on Nirvana's back patio in the Castro.
  
• Ate a ton of my old favorite snack: wallaby vanilla yogurt, hemp granola, and the best strawberries ever from BiRite.
  
• Ate an even bigger ton of my new favorite snack: slices of fresh cold mozzarella drizzled olive oil and balsamic and sprinkled with coarse salt and a hint of pepper.
• Lunched poolside with my ladies at the Sonoma Mission Inn, and decided that yes, a salmon BLT is a good idea.
  
• Went to a couple of dinner parties and reveled in the fact that someone else was cooking dinner, and cooking it very well in all cases.
  
• Had a fabulous dinner of Korean BBQ and kimchi pancakes at the unassuming hidden gem Kang Tong Degi in Oakland. It was especially fun because we were dining with a very old friend from high school I hadn't seen in ages, and as you know, that can sometimes be more awkward than fun, but this was just fantastic. And a tip of the hat to him for introducing me to the restaurant. 
• Gobbled up a trifle that a friend had made from all of the leftovers of a wedding cake he'd made the day before. He layered buttermilk cake pieces, sour cream buttercream, raspberries and raspberry puree in a dish and in doing so created something much better than any wedding cake I've ever had.
  
• Thought about the whole pig I cooked LAST Labor Day weekend and decided I needed to make time to write about that, since it's been a whole year now.

So, now you know. From here on out, I'll do my best to cook and write and all that good stuff, without slacking off too much!