Dinner Party

There is something so lovely about creating your own traditions. Rob and I have been hosting this annual dinner party since we first moved to the city. It was the centennial of San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake and cause for many celebrations across town. The menu, the activities, the decorations, the candles-only setting…everything has stayed the…

A group of professional #bosslady women came over for dinner last week. I put together a simple, gluten-free menu with the flavors of early spring for our meal.  This kind of food is so simple to prepare, you only need about an hour to set the table and cook once the groceries are purchased. Everything…

This was my first real dinner party of the year and the first with this loud-and-proud baby bump in tow! While Rob was away on business in London, I invited a favorite graphic designer of mine who had just moved here from Barcelona along with her boyfriend Gustavo and three other terrific friends: Lauren, Maryam…

On the final weekend before Christmas, I arranged to have two of my favorite girls come for a tea party before venturing out to The Fairmont Hotel and Mark Hopkins Hotel downtown to see the holiday decorations. Rowan (5) and her sister Tierney (3) arrived in their finest party dresses and fur coats at 1:00…

A cold Northern California morning. A warm house that smells like spiced ham. Friends with kids dressed up in red velvet dresses. A three hour brunch with our nearest and dearest.  Babies on fruitless but never-ending quests to chew on Christmas tree ornaments. Hostess gift of homemade fudge. I love so many things about our…

Friday was bonkers! I had a dentist appointment in the morning, a ton of client work and a Girl Scout troop meeting all before coming home to host six of Rob’s co-workers, all in town for a conference. This was a dinner party where preparing in advance was a requirement. Menu Persimmon and grapefruit margaritas…

Rob’s colleagues from around the world are coming to dinner Friday night at the house. We’ll be eight in total and I’ll be rushing back from our Girl Scout meeting just in time for it to start…so I need to actually plan this one in advance. The request came in for ceviche to be on…

Thanks to Rob’s role as a community advocate with SF Urban Riders – a group promoting off-road cycling in the city – our dining room is often the scene of committee meetings and work sessions these days. After we worked with friends to make bunting and trail bells for a booth at Tour de Fat, a few…

The next day after Opera in the Park, Rob and I had our neighbors and friends Mimi and Chris over for dinner. It was the last week of the really good tomatoes at farmer’s market and the perfect occasion for a simple, fresh menu. This was one of those dinner parties where I had very little…

Shane came up to visit for the weekend and to celebrate his and Jackie’s birthdays. What better way to enjoy California’s late summer with our favorite Catalan traveling companion than a Spanish style picnic in Sebastapol! Marimar Estate is the (literal) sister winery of Torres, the vineyards we explored outside of Barcelona in the spring. Menu:…