May 16, 2006



    • happy hour at McCormick & Schmicks in El Segundo
    • drinks at the Standard on Sunset
    • I cooked dinner...the appetizer was pear and walnut salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing, main entree was salmon and spinach fettucine with a garlic lemon wine sauce.  Here's the recipe:

    INGREDIENTS:
    8 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
    1/4 cup butter
    1 cup milk
    1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    1/2 pound smoked salmon, chopped
    1 cup chopped fresh spinach
    2 tablespoons capers
    1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
    1/2 cup chopped fresh oregano 
    1 cloves garlic, minced
    1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
    3/4 cup dry white wine


    DIRECTIONS:
    Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
    Add fettuccine, and cook for 11 to 13 minutes or until
    al dente; drain.
    In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the
    butter, and blend with milk. Mix in the flour to
    thicken. Gradually stir in the Parmesan cheese until
    melted. Add the lemon juice and white wine.
    Crumble salmon into the butter mixture. Stir in the
    spinach, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and oregano. Cook
    and stir about 3 minutes, until heated through. Serve
    over the cooked pasta.



    • ordered Thai food and watched Memoirs of a Geisha...thought the movie was pretty good although a little long
    • Weekend in Santa Barbara...we camped at El Capitan State Beach which was a pretty nice campsite close to the ocean with restrooms and showers.  On Saturday, we had split pea soup at Andersens in Buellton which they are famous for.  Then we went to Ostrich Land to pet and feed the ostriches.  Their eggs are so huge!  They are the only birds with 2 toes, they can run up to 45 mph, and their kicks are lethal.  Next we drove to Solvang and rented some bikes.  We did the Bailard Canyon loop which is 12 miles and biked from Solvang to Los Olivos and back.  Along the way we stopped to go wine tasting at Presidio Winery, Buttonwood Winery (bought a bottle of their Cab), and Daniel Gehrs Winery.  Thankfully I wasn't stopped for a BUI, hehe.  For dinner, Damon cooked us a lovely meal of chicken, cous cous, grilled vegetables, soup, salad, and steak.  He also made some delicious omelettes for breakfast too.  The next day we went on a hike along the beach (it goes for 2.5 miles to Refugio State Beach).  Afterwards we stopped in downtown Santa Barbara for some shopping and lunch at Pascucci.  Their garlic cheese bread is so good and they have an open kitchen so you can watch them make your food.  Very reasonably priced and tasty.  Bought a book of sudoku puzzles so that should keep me occupied for some time.
    • dinner at home for Mother's Day (she didn't want to go out and fight the crowds)

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