Back to SF

Leaving San Francisco after two years was the right thing to do.  (See a previous post)  But I left with reservations.  With remorse.  Last month I returned to the city that's been a big part of my adult life.  It was a solo tour.  I visited some old haunts, our SOMA neighborhood, and saw my friends.  Mostly, I gave the city a proper goodbye.

Here's a small photo collage of my triumphant return to San Francisco.  (As you can see, coffee became an important part of my life while I was there.)

Zuni Cafe

Pane y Vino

View from the Presidio

By the Bay

Crab Season

Wrecking Ball Coffee

Blue Bottle

New Orleans Iced

Philz Coffee

Blink and You Missed It

For half a minute we lived in an apartment in a suburb of Chicago.  Worst apartment experience we've ever had.

There were a few bright spots though.

The local farmers' market set up right behind our apartment building.  Every Saturday, we'd crunch through some leaves, walk approximately one hundred steps, and find a small, but mighty market.

Those chocolate donuts became an instant fave.

Perfect plums made their way into a cake.

We had snapdragons at Halloween.

We even met a few cool characters there.

My Pal, Oscar

Today marks the start of one of my favorite weekends of the year.  Oscar weekend.

Oscar and I go way back.

When I was a kid, I would anxiously await the hour-long special where Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert wore tuxes and stood behind podiums to announce their own Oscar picks.

In college, I would camp out in the TV room around 4PM and "save" the TV for Oscar night.

In my thirties, I started to watch the televised red carpet with my fashionable friend, Sarika.  We still do that to this day via texts, both admiring and snarky.

My loved ones have known for years that I am unavailable on Oscar Sunday.  Talk to me on Monday.

So this year I've done the requisite homework as I've done for most of my adult life.  Started collecting the results of the critics' awards in early December.  Watched the Golden Globe awards.  The SAG awards. Tomorrow I'll watch the Independent Spirit Awards and then it's time for the Big Day.

I've seen five of this year's nine Best Picture nominees.  One of my favorite Oscar memories is when G and I attended an Oscar Showcase Day at AMC Theaters where we watched the best picture nominees from 2009:  Slumdog Millionaire; Frost/Nixon; The Reader; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Milk.  I was in heaven.  That was the last year the Academy chose only five nominees so we could watch all the films in one glorious day.

We live in Naples, FL now and the closest participating theater is an hour and half away.  I am bummed but I think G is secretly relieved.

G has picked up the bubbly.  I'm in charge of snacks.

I usually make some popcorn.  Obviously a great pairing for a night about the movies, but also a favorite pairing of ours with sparkling wine.

I make a couple deviled eggs topped with bacon and chives for myself.  Not G's thing.

The current trend in the Nichols' kitchen is to look at what's in the pantry, fridge, and freezer and create something on the fly.  I have some shrimp in the freezer and some dumpling wrappers so I think potstickers will make an appearance on our Oscar menu.

If I feel ambitious on Sunday, I'll throw together some stuffed mushrooms as well.  My mom had a fantastic recipe for stuffed mushrooms that she only made at Christmas or New Year's so I associate them with major festivities.  You know, like Oscar Night.

Here's a fun link for your own Oscar snacks.