Scarves and Hats in July?

From the looks of these photos, you would think Marty and I went on massive bender on Friday night - but we actually hosted a little party for about a dozen friends, and managed to not take a single photo while our guests were here! So we simply captured the post-party evidence of our margarita & mini taco night.

One of the best things about living in CA is the fresh produce, the avocados in particular, so I like to take advantage of cooking with really fresh ingredients. I made a guacamole that people seemed to like, here's the recipe if you have the urge to made some fresh guac.

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4 ripe avocados, scooped from peel & cubed

1/2 white onion, chopped

1-2 whole serrano chilis, minced

1 fresh lime, juiced

1-2 tsp. coarse Kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1-2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 Tbsp. cilantro leaves, chopped

Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the rest of the ingredients except the tomato and mash some more. Be careful with the serrano chilis, they can be hot, so start with one and add more to get the hotness you desire. Finally, mix in the chopped tomato. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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In all the recipes using chili peppers, there's a warning about washing your hands thoroughly and not touching your eyes for several hours after handling them. For some reason, I chose not to heed these warnings and touched my eye about 2 minutes after touching the chilis. BAD IDEA. Almost immediately, my eye was watering - a lot. And it BURNED! It washed itself out after about 10-15 minutes, but I will verify that these warnings are valid and chilis should be feared.

On Saturday, our friend Kate (of The San Francisco Treats) had her first ever July birthday party wearing a fleece jacket and a scarf. We joined her in the park for another afternoon of lawn games. The wind was so strong at the park that her entire box of birthday cupcakes blew off the table and landed upside down - while still delicious, they didn't come out of the excitement as beautiful as  they started.

Yes, this picture is from July 19th and everyone is wearing 2+ layers, scarves and hats! The giant dog named Daryl was ready to cuddle anyone who got too chilly.

That about sums up our weekend! We were excited to get to spend some time with Erik who was in town from LA and Jamie who came for a lovely, though brief, visit from NYC.

xo