​When I read Amor Towles' "A Gentleman in Moscow a few months ago, I was quite taken with this line ~ Count observes: “The onions thoroughly caramelized, the pork slowly braised, and the apricots briefly stewed, the three ingredients come together in a sweet and smoky medley that simultaneously suggests the comfort of a snowed-in tavern and the jangle of a Gypsy tambourine.”
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I looked it up and found out that it is called Latvian Stew. I was able to find a recipe on the internet on the Book Club Cookbook website.

Here's my version. I basically cut the recipe in half, omitted the prunes and added some herbs/seasonings. 

Grilled Cheese sandwiches are an American classic.  All of April is considered Grilled Cheese Month (does that mean we can have grilled cheese every day that month and not feel guilty?  And National Grilled Cheese day is April 12th.

Mexican Queso Fundido...

And then there's grilled cheese with fruits like apples, blueberries and pears - Apple Cheddar and Bacon Jam, Blueberry Balsamic Brie and Spinach and... 

Pear, Fig and Proscuitto...  ​

and don't forget Vegetarian grilled cheeses with this Caramelized Onion and Spinach Grilled Cheese 

I've even made desert grilled cheeses - Roasted Strawberry Cheddar and Chocolate​.  In case you were wondering, chocolate does make everything taste better.

A few days ago, I asked on my Facebook page for inspiration for what sauce to put on pizza other thank tomato sauce and pesto as I had just made Keto chicken pizza crusts.

I got tons of suggestions, like blue cheese sauce (this definitely sounds interesting and will have to try it in the near future), mashed up avocado w/ olive oil and spices, olive oil and garlic (several people suggested this one), Alfredo sauce, barbecue sauce (quite a few suggestions for this one as well), salsa, roasted red pepper sauce, ranch, red onion jam, enchilada sauce, fig jam, sliced tomatoes, and white clam sauce. 

I felt like having pizza for lunch today, so I went to the suggestions to see what to make.  I had just done some batch cooking yesterday and one of the dishes I made was Pinchos Morunos Chicken so I decided on the barbecue sauce for the base, added mozzarella, the chicken, red onion.  And then when it came out of the oven, I drizzled avocado ranch dressing.

It was absolutely amazing.  All of the flavors just melded together.

I'll definitely be making this combo again.

Have you ever tried barbecue sauce on your pizza?  What do you like to put for sauce on your pizza?  Let me know in the comment.

September 11, 2001 - a day that changed America forever.

I went to Costco today.  It was only the 2nd time I've been there since Gary passed away.  It was a little sad because we always went to Costco together.  

I don't normally go down the frozen food aisle that has the ice cream, but today I did.  And I'm so happy that I did, because I found these Sea Salt Caramel Keto bars with only 2G net carbs.

The Ketogenic diet is expanding and becoming more and more mainstream, even more so than when I started my Keto journey just over 2 years ago.

Some of the other Keto ice cream brands out there, I don't really care for or they give me some digestive problems (tummy gurgles big time) after I eat them.  But these ... are delicious and not after effects. 

But back to these ice cream bars.  It was $11.99 for 12 bars - so about $1/bar which is not too bad.  Even when I get Enlightened Ice Cream Bars (the mint is my favorite) on sale, it's $1.25 per bar.

I’m a big fan of sea salt caramel, so I was immediately intrigued and decided to give them a try.

I love ice cream.  So while visiting my friend's daughter in Berkeley, California she says that we have to try Smitten.  I'm immediately say, "Okay!"  You don't have to ask me twice.

She proceeds to tell me that they make their ice cream using liquid nitrogen. I really didn't care how they made it but I must admit that walking into the store did look like you were walking into a science experiment.

The flavors change daily.  I had the ​Creme Fraiche with Pear Caramel Sauce.  Oh my!  It was delicious!

​If you are in the area and looking for an unusual treat, I recommend trying a liquid nitrogen ice cream from Smitten. It has a different texture than any other ice cream I tried and it feels like a new experience and a new treat.

I'm here in San Ramon visiting my long-time friend who I've known since 8th grade.  We took a day trip to Calistoga for some yummy food, a mud bath (my first) lounging by the mineral pools.

Our appointment for mud baths weren't until after lunch so we arrived early enough so that we could find a place to eat.  We ended up at Sam's Social Club Calistoga.  I had an Albacore Tuna Conserva Sandwich (without the bread as they didn't have any gluten free options) and a salad.  

It was time for our mud bath at Indian Springs Resort.  Sorry no photos.  But let me tell you it was divine!

The Napa Valley is known for their therapeutic and rejuvenating mud baths. The native Wappo Indians invented the concept, mixing the high volcanic ash soil with warm, mineral waters that bubbled up in natural springs. 

After our mud bath, we hung out by the mineral pools.  I forgot my book in the car so Le-Thu told me to color in her coloring book.  Wait, what?!  Adults color?!  This is the first I've heard of this.  My friend explained that it is quite the rage now -- it's great to destress.

I loved coloring as a kid and I was hooked, so I had to finish.

LeThu could see that I really enjoyed coloring, so she let me take the book home.  Yay!