Back in SF in time for my birthday!

Me and Lola drove back up to SF on the 19th, just a day before my 27th birthday.

Kevin rolled out the red carpet for me to celebrate my 27th year…balloons, flowers, a birthday banner and a box of Junior Mints (my absolute FAVORITE candy). He is such a sweetie, thank you so much Kevin!
That weekend we went together to pick out my birthday gift: a food processor! I’ve been wanting one for a while now and I am so so so excited to now have one. I broke it in with a roasted red pepper vinaigrette recipe (found at this link) and I am in LOVE!

Cleaned up the counter space so that I can keep my new toy out on display and easily accessible since I know I’ll be using it at least once a week.

So shiny…

Fresh roasted red peppers, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt + pepper…yum!

The vinaigrette on top of a bed of fresh romaine lettuce with heirloom tomatoes and fresh grated parmesan with a side of homemade mac ‘n cheese
(courtesy of my lovely sis)…AMAZING!!

Coming up this weekend is homemade pizza dough and pesto sauce to make pesto, crab and tomatoes pizza…can’t wait!

Now onto the birthday festivities…

The day of my birthday Kevin had the day off of work so we hung out at home just lounging around and it felt so good to spend some family time with him and Lola! Jessie also had the day off of work so she joined us for a picnic in the backyard: she provided the homemade portabello and kale pasta (tasted like beef stroganoff, amazing!) and we provided the sauteed brussel sprouts, mushrooms, garlic and red pepper flakes creation. Kevin had to leave for school that afternoon 🙁 so me and Jess spent the rest of the afternoon/evening together. After catching up on “Modern Family” (LOVE that show!) we got all prettied up and went out to meet some of her friends at Bistro St. Germain in the Haight. It’s a cute little French bistro with some great food and wine (I opted for some beer). One of our friends (her name is Lisa too) and I decided to be brave and split an escargot plate. They were drenched in butter and herbs (thank goodness!) so they weren’t half bad. Would I get them again? Probably not. But I can say I’ve had snails now! After a delicious dessert shared with my sis (and the restaurant singing “Happy Birthday” to me 🙂 ) me and Jess headed out to Bottom of the Hill for some live music. One of Jessie’s favorite artists, Scout Niblett, was playing and it was a great show. One of the most amazing things that happened that night: me and Jess found two $100 bills just hanging out on the ground at the bar! So after some stealthy moves, we pocketed the dough and split the profits. Who woulda thought that we’d end up $200 richer that night?? Jessie treated me all night and I can’t thank that girl enough for helping to make my birthday splendid!