In article >,
David Barto > wrote:
> Thank You All,
>
> I had a great time at the cook-in! Mainly because Jamie,
>Koko and Charlie did so much work. Jamie set up a drawing for
>some baskets Charlie brought, and we all filled with goodies.
>We ended up with about $78 for charity. (Is that right Jamie?)
>
> Everything was great. The weather, the people, the food,


Yes!

I have been quite busy since but am remembering this with much
fondness. I tried the summer rolls and remembered too late that Koko has
Feed The Planet tendencies as to quantities. The pork has been good in
sandwiches. :-) I am trying the Lamb on a Stick next for a party
soon; it should be perfect with a plated Greek salad (summer tomatoes are
here!) and, I think, a Greek-style pilaf of some sort (lemon and
spinach??) and, what's better, has the advantage of Most Prep Work Done
Ahead so I can talk to my guests.

I brought:

Raspberry Truffles
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
and Sour Cherry Upside-Down Cake.

I also brought some marcona almonds (my new snack love!) and
citrus-stuffed olives from the Berkeley Bowl.

I have brought all these to cookins before, so the recipes are posted
and available via Google Groups search (same account), but if you need
them, give a shout out. The upside down cake recipe would be great with
plums or other summer fruit. And as our charming hostess has noted, it
makes a great breakfast :-).

It was good seeing you all and a fabulous time, even if I was too stunned
by the travel and the unexpected warmth (I live in the fogbelt ;-) to be
as social as I might have liked.

Oh yeah. Other food adventures:

I went to the Chino farm in Rancho Santa Fe for some exquisite organic
produce. I wish I'd brought the camera, everything was so beautiful and
perfectly arranged. The French mara des bois strawberries were
divine and smelled of vanilla. The corn was ace. Even my picky nephew
succumbed to the charm of baby squash (he is quite a veggie tales fan, btw
.... a refrain was "No peaches for you!").

La Super Rica in Santa Barbara is all that and a bag of chips. I had
adobado and rajas and only restrained myself because I planned to try to
do justice to a steak and some central coast red at McLintock's later that
evening (it was my birfday after all). Debra, if you know places as good
in Santa Ana, I am so there next time I'm in north county.

Also, if you are in south Orange County and looking for a nice festive
place to eat, you could do much worse than the place we had dinner Friday
night, Cedar Creek Inn, right across from the Mission in San Juan
Capistrano. The seared ahi with lemon-cilantro-caper sauce was first
rate and the garden seating area quite pleasant with its view of the
jacaranda trees and the Mission ruins.

-- Charlotte