I'm Back.......

Hello to everyone!!! I'm back in action. I have had a busy past couple of weeks which have kept me from posting any great recipes.

Recently we took a trip to Santa Barbara. One day we spent cruising State Street and the Harbor. State Street had some amazing stores. Taylor and I both wished we had a money tree and could buy whatever we wanted. At the Harbor we actually tried to take Rusty (our very happy brown lab) to a restaurant. Of course on the patio is where we tried to sit. He actually did pretty well until another dog decided to plant himself right in front of him. Let's just say we were politely asked to remove Rusty from the restaurant. I do have to say that the view and the calamari were awesome for the little time we were there.

One of the other days we spent in Solvang. Cute town, but half of a day was enough for us. Taylor did pick up a delicious smelling bottle of perfume at the Mole's Hole. We enjoyed breakfast when we first arrived in Solvang. Of course, Taylor and I had the same thing. Omelet with bacon, cheese and avocado. And of course we asked for a side of salsa. In fact, for a Dutch breakfast joint, they had the best salsa. Brandon had their popular powdered sugar covered pancake balls.  In fact, walking through the restaurant there was not one table that did not have a plate of these on them.  On our way out we stopped for tasting at Lincourt. http://www.lincourtwines.com/  We are members there and do enjoy their wine. Very friendly and casual.

The big event of our trip was the Santa Barbara Wine Festival.  http://www.santabarbara.com/events/wine_festivals/sb_wine_festival/ I highly recommend this for next year. The venue was amazing. A beautiful garden setting at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum. Tons of wines and wonderful food. It was so great!!

In addition, we recently celebrated the 4th of July. We had Brandon's Father, two Sisters (Kristi and Jessica) and Kristi's boyfriend Jason for a visit. Our 4th of July menu consisted of BBQ baby back ribs, roasted potatoes and BBQ corn on the cob. There was golf playing, card playing, pool playing and plenty of great food.

So, as you can see, I have been quite busy. I am hoping to be back in the swing of things.

Upcoming adventures for us, is a trip to Ojai. I can't wait.

Eat, Drink and be Merry!!!