Instant Pot accessories

Did you join the growing contingent of Instant Pot lovers/owners? Or maybe you already have one and you're looking for ways to use it even more. Just in time for the holidays here's a list of various Instant Pot accessories to try!

1. Steamer basket

I use this to steam veggies and to hard boil eggs (steam setting for 6 mins if you like the yolk well-done like I do). I like this steamer basket way more than the steamer rack that comes with the Instant Pot.

It comes with a handy hook and safety tool to lift the basket up so you don't scald yourself.

2. Silicone lid cover

I'lll make bone broth (here's my recipe) in my Instant Pot. This silicone lid comes in handy when I want to pop the entire pot into the fridge. It doesn't fit perfectly on the 6 quarter pot but it creates a good enough seal that I can even put additional items on top of the lid. I think fit comes down to your specific pot - reviews suggest that this lid fits well on some pots and not on others.

3. Sealing rings 2-pack

I admit I don't do a good enough job of scrubbing the inside of my lid. That goes for the sealing ring as well. It's now this dingy yellow color and I'm at the point where it probably wouldn't make a difference.

If you're sensitive to residual smells and want to keep your sweet vs savory creations separate then it might make sense to invest in a pair of new sealing rings.

4. Replacement pot

If you intend to use your Instant Pot as long as I do, you can't have too many pots on hand. I've scratched mine up by using metal utensils (ugh and duh). Get a replacement when they go on sale!

 

5. Round cheesecake pan

Basically a tiny springform pan for your 6 or 8 quarter Instant Pot.

6. Instant Pot recipe book

One of the top-rated recipe books on Amazon - if anything it'll help you feel less intimidated about your Instant Pot. And it might help you get up to speed enough to come up with your own creations.






You can also check out recipes on the official Instant Pot site here: https://recipes.instantpot.com/

Have fun and enjoy!

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Work Life Balance

My sleep schedule has been all over the place since the arrival of baby #2. The good news is I usually have no problem falling asleep because I get so little of it. I find myself having crazy dreams even though sometimes I'm only sleeping 2-3 hour stretches at a time. Here's one of my more recent dreams that really stood out - hope you enjoy it!

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"Did you see that new data and analytics company that's around the corner from us? Medallion? It's walking distance. You wouldn't even have to commute! You should work there!" I say excitedly to Joel over brunch.

I first noticed the company's shiny new sign during my morning walk a few weeks ago. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows put all its employees in a fish bowl and during my many walks I started noticing some characters who stood out. The lady with the purple hair. The young tech bro who wore shirts that were just a little too tight. The pleasant but serious-looking female developer. She must have resting bitch face, I thought. The employees buzzed around and the building seemed to hum with energy. Joel with his easy-going nature and a brain for data science would fit right in.

A few weeks later I come home from work and Joel greets me with a huge grin. He aced his phone screen and he has an on-site interview at Medallion next week!

Joel spent five hours interviewing with 3 employees and a panel. It was exhaustingly brutal but after waiting a nerve-wracking 2 weeks, he got an offer. I couldn't have been more excited for him. He would be working in an innovations group on data collection and applications. It was so top secret that he couldn't tell me any more details. I didn't ask questions and just felt insanely proud and happy for him.

Joel suggests we take an urban hike to hit up our favorite restaurant and dessert spots downtown to celebrate.

"Why don't you wear those new boots and that coat you just got?" he suggests.

Like I need an excuse to get dressed up. As I zip up my boots I start thinking of the juicy pork chop that I'll soon be enjoying. We take a walk downtown and get seated at our usual table for dinner. Then we walk a few blocks to grab a quick dessert. It's still pretty early but we start heading back. It's a crisp night and Joel's eyes wander upward, drawn to a collection of red bows tied to the trees overhead.

"Hey, don't those bows look like the ones we saw on vacation in Rome last summer?" he asks. 

They do. "Yeah... That's weird," I say. My eyes follow them off into the distance.

He must be thinking the same thing because I hear him whisper, "Let's follow them." I'm game.

They lead us past the cafe where we had our first coffee date. The cafe is full even at this hour and as I walk past the window, I catch a glimpse of purple hair. The lady quickly looks up and smiles at me. I swear she looked at me like she knew me. She smiled at me warmly but all I could do was frown slightly as I tried to place her.

The bows jump across the street and through the park where we've spent many lazy weekends stretched out on blankets, reading books or playing scrabble. It's like we're taking a walk down memory lane. I feel Joel's hand squeeze mine. I look up and see him point his chin toward our apartment. The bows end. At our apartment. Is it just a coincidence? Joel shrugs but I can see that twinkle in his eye. The kind he has when he's desperately trying to keep a good secret.

He doesn't say anything so we just go upstairs to our unit and start getting ready to turn in. We crawl into bed and Joel takes my hand in his. I can feel him tracing the promise ring I wear on my left hand. We exchanged matching bands 2 years ago while vacationing on Santorini. I'm drifting off to sleep when I feel him slip a ring on my finger. It clicks against my promise ring. My eyes snap open and his face comes into focus. I think he's been staring at me while I sleep. My eyes go from his face to the sparkling engagement ring on my hand. Before he can even ask me to marry him, I smile and say, "Yes!"

We share a tender kiss cut short by a knock on the door. Who could that be? I wonder.

Joel jumps out of bed and opens the front door. It's the CEO of Medallion. That's weird.

The CEO congratulates us and beams. He shakes Joel's hand vigorously and starts talking excitedly about ratings and demographics. Unbeknownst to me, our proposal was secretly recorded. Ahead of time Joel made a deal with the CEO to have our proposal released online. It was the exact type of content Medallion was looking for to move into their new frontier. I feel sick. I thought it was a special moment between just the two of us. Was that why he wanted me to wear my new boots and coat? So I would look good on camera? My eyes focus on the engagement ring on my hand and then start to scan the room. Were there cameras inside our apartment now? I look at Joel with wounded eyes but he doesn't meet my gaze. That's really out of character for him.

We're invited to attend Medallion's company party next month to celebrate our successful engagement and their foray into original content. I agree to go but it's hard to ignore the pit in my stomach. Now I have to spend an evening with the people who stole our engagement from us? Joel pleads with me to put on a happy face and enjoy the evening. It'll be so good for his career and it'll help us in the long run.

At the company party I notice some of the same employees I saw while we followed the red bows. The lady with the purple hair. They had been recording us along the way. No wonder why she smiled at me. She must've been happy for us... And thinking about the company bonus coming her way.

I get introduced to a woman named Jennifer "No Uterus" Hansen, the girlfriend of one of Medallion's star employees.

"Uh... How do you know she has no uterus? Isn't that sort of private?" I ask.

"We know because we had it removed," the CEO replies nonchalantly.

"Aren't you a data and analytics company? Why would you have it removed?"

He looks at me like I'm dumb or naive. Or both. "Because we can't afford to have any of our employees go on maternity or paternity leave."

A chill goes down my spine. I smile politely and turn away toward Joel. I lightly touch my stomach and look at him. I'm not showing yet. Do they know?

Joel doesn't answer but communicates with his eyes. They don't.

I want to get out of there. Like now. A million questions race through my mind as we gather our coats and make our way out. We decide to walk home so that we can talk. Why did he agree to take this job? So that he could provide for us. Did he know about their family planning "policy?" It wasn't disclosed until after he accepted.

"Why don't you just resign?" I ask. "You barely just started."

"This company falls in the category of innovative business. The type the government wants to grow and support. In the last few months they passed legislation to allow firms like this to switch from at-will employment to for-life employment. That means I don't get a say in when I can leave," he sighs. "They own me. Us."

The blood drains from my face. I look up to see that we're approaching our building.

I reach for the handle to our lobby and turn to him, "Do you think our apartment is -"

He finishes my question, "Bugged?" He nods.

He doesn't have to say another word. We're a team and together, we're determined to figure a way out of this mess.

Quick and easy chicken burgers

One of the staples in our household is chicken burgers. They're relatively easy to make and freeze great. They're super juicy, tasty, and a hit with our kid. The recipe is very forgiving so if you're missing some things you can just make it with ingredients you have on hand.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground chicken (we use organic thigh meat which has a higher fat content)
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread - ground up (or any type of bread you have)
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 onion run through a grinder (optional). Alternatively you can just add diced pan-fried onions to the meat mixture.
• 1 teaspoon garlic granules (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional - I don't really like the flavor so I prefer leaving it out)

Typically we'll use about 2 pounds worth of ground chicken which makes about 8 regular or 10 small patties.

Grind up one slice of whole wheat bread (or any kind of bread you have on hand).

Here's how fine the ground up bread crumbs should look - smaller than the size of peas.

Put the bread crumbs into a large mixing bowl.

Onion is optional but it makes the burger extra juicy. I've also used chopped up mushrooms instead of onion.

Grind up onion to a very fine consistency.

Add the chicken and onion to the breadcrumbs in the bowl.

Alternatively you can add diced pan-fried onions instead of ground up onion.

Add worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, and garlic granules. You can also salt each patty when you cook them instead of adding it to the meat mixture - you'll end up using less salt this way.

Mix everything so it's incorporated. Don't over mix otherwise the meat will be tough.

Spoon the mixture into a frying pan on medium heat and shape into patties. Salt each side if you didn't add salt to the meat mixture.

Flip over when a nice brown crust develops (takes a few minutes).

Makes about 8-10 patties - pop whatever you don't eat into the freezer.

We prepare our burgers with typical fixings - toasted buns, grilled onions, ketchup, pickles, lettuce or spinach, a slice of tomato, and avocado.

Sometimes I'll have the patty in a wrap when we don't have burger buns on hand or I'll just use regular sandwich bread.

Juicy and delicious. You might have more than one!

Easy 3 ingredient chocolate mousse

Easy 3 ingredient chocolate mousse requires just

semisweet chocolate, heavy whipping cream, and gelatin

Here's the perfect recipe if you want to make chocolate mousse that doesn't use raw egg whites!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon gelatin + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cold water
• 2/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream to fold into chocolate mixture

Step 1:

I don't have a picture of this but mix 1 teaspoon gelatin with 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of cold water in a glass cup. Set aside and let it swell for 5-10 minutes.

Melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate with 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream over a double boiler.

Make sure the water in your double boiler isn't too hot. The cream just needs to be warm to melt the chocolate.

This is what the chocolate and heavy whipping cream mixture should look like as it starts to melt.

My daughter came home while I was making this and she insisted on pulling up a chair to help. Now you know that this recipe is so easy that a 3 1/2 year old can make it. :o)

Step 2:

Heat up the gelatin - I put the glass cup of gelatin into the warm water from my double boiler. The heat from the water melts the gelatin and turns it back into a liquid.

Mix the gelatin into the chocolate and heavy whipping cream mixture.

Set aside to let it cool.

Step 3:

Whip 2/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream in a bowl.

Whip until soft peaks form.

Step 4:

Add chocolate to the whipped cream.

Step 5:

Incorporate the chocolate into the whipped cream. I use one of the beaters from my hand mixer and mix everything in a figure 8 pattern.

This is what the mixture should look like when it's been fully incorporated.

Step 6:

Spoon the chocolate mousse into cups and chill in the refrigerator.

I also put the mousse into small mason jars - perfect for travel to a friend's house.

Bonus - scrape out the bowl and lick all the spoons when you're done!

How I Met My Husband

This picture doesn't look like much but this is the night that changed my life. First, a little history. I had been single for a few years after a long relationship and my parents were constantly worried that I would end up alone. Maybe I was naive but I wasn't worried. Instead of wasting energy worrying, I decided to hang out with friends, travel, play ultimate frisbee, and just do all the things I wanted to do. You know, really take advantage of being single! I also decided to take a trip somewhere once a month. I originally set out to do it for a year but I ended up traveling for 3 years straight!

My friend Daniela joined me on one of my trips, this time to Boston. I always try to go Lindy Hopping whenever I travel but wasn't able to find a swing dance venue that weekend. Instead, Sweet Molasses Blues was taking place. Ugh, blues, I thought.

I had been Lindy Hopping for 11 years and I never wanted to try blues dancing. I always thought of Lindy Hop as a happy bouncy PG dance and blues as some slow R-rated intimate dance you did after hours with the lights way down low. Not for me.

But since there was no dance alternative that weekend in Boston, I finally (and reluctantly) decided to try blues dancing. I took a bus to the venue and immediately met Lisa, a sweet woman who introduced me to a few blues dancers. I only planned to dip my toe into the blues pool but that night I ended up jumping in. I was so wrong about blues! I had an amazing time filled with memorable dances and vowed to keep blues dancing once I returned to San Francisco.

I found Shades of Blues, a weekly blues dancing venue in the Mission and was welcomed to the SF blues scene by the venue's organizer Ruth Evelyn and a friendly community.

One night while I was dancing at Shades, I happened to glance across the floor and caught a glimpse of Michael's profile. I had no idea who he was but I immediately felt a sense of calm settle over me. He was the one. It was a really strange feeling. Like realizing something that was obvious. During the dance I thought to myself - Okay, I know who I'll end up with. Now I just have to wait and see when that'll be. Crazy, I know, but that's exactly what happened.

We got married 3 years later.

Moral of the story: be open to new possibilities because you never know where (or to whom) they will lead.

TL;DR: tried a new dance and ended up meeting the man I would marry.

And this is how he proposed. 😀

Edit

California Wine Country without the wineries - Napa, Sonoma, and Yountville

Almond croissant from Bouchon Bakery, the 3 Connie/ys

Burrata & heirloom tomatoes at Oso Sonoma, Buttermilk fried chicken from Addendum

Every year my 3 girlfriends and I get away for a weekend to relax, eat, and catch up. Some of us have known each other since middle school - between the 4 of us we have 8 kids with 2 more on the way. To say I look forward to our girls trip is an understatement. Luckily, we have supportive husbands who take over all the responsibilities and wrangle the kids the entire weekend while we're away. It really does take a village to make it happen.

We all live in California (San Mateo, Fremont, and San Diego) so it's pretty easy to pick a place for our getaways. For the past few years at least one of us has either been pregnant or pumping so we've stayed close to the Bay Area. This year only the 3 of us from Northern California could make it on the trip and 2 of us are pregnant so we chose to visit Sonoma. None of us drink anyway (even when we're not pregnant) so our trip didn't include any winery visits. This trip was all about food!

Coincidentally (or not), all 3 of us are named Connie/Conny. Well, we may all have the same name but they're actually all different since our full names are Constance, Connie, and Conny. It's easy for us to know which Connie/y we're talking about but it's a little harder for our friend Cherie. As Connie L said, it's easy to know which Connie/y the other one is referring to when you're one of them. And it's not unusual for us to send an email that looks like this: 

Hey Connie,

Connie and I were talking about getting together next week. How's Sat?

Conny

I bring this up because during our trip we visited a spa - imagine making spa treatment reservations for 3 people with the same name. And 2 of them are pregnant. And imagine giving the cashier your name when ordering coffee at Peet's. Or providing the names of everyone staying at the Airbnb. Anyway, you get the idea. :o)

As with most trips, I brought my 2 essentials:

• Stainless steel water bottle Google ahead of time if the tap water in your destination is safe to drink and if it is, bring your own bottle to fill it straight from the tap. I love these klean kanteen bottles - I bring mine on every trip. They come in a variety of colors and sizes so find one perfect for you!
• Packing cubes Connie L gave us these Eagle Creek packing cubes as a Christmas gift one year and I've been using them for every trip. I use the roll method and I'm able to pack a ton of clothes into a small carry-on. I use the large cube for most of my clothes, the medium cube for toiletries, and the small cube for socks and underwear. No more hunting around for my stuff! I was able to pack 3 pairs of shoes, 4 outfits, PJs, toiletries, and undergarments for the weekend into a backpack with the help of these packing cubes. Check out some YouTube videos for expert packing tips. 

This year we took relaxing and eating to a whole new level. It felt like we just filled our time between delicious meals with a movie, a spa visit, shopping, and coffee breaks. It was AWESOME. I got some great restaurant recommendations from my friend Peggy so we ate our way through Yountville, Napa, and Sonoma.

Day 1: Yountville and Sonoma

We started off our trip by having lunch at Thomas Keller's Addendum in Yountville (6476 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599). Thanks for the rec, Peggy! True to its name, Addendum is a small addition located in the back of the main restaurant Ad Hoc. Addendum is only open for lunch Thursday - Saturday from 11am - 2pm. For $17.50 you order a boxed lunch of buttermilk fried chicken, barbeque pork ribs, or pulled pork sandwich, each accompanied by two house-made sides and honey cornbread. Place your order from a small shed and take a seat at one of the numerous picnic tables, scattered among planters of herbs, strawberries, and leafy greens. Someone from the main restaurant will deliver your main dish to your table. Read reviews of Addendum on TripAdvisor.

Entrance to Addendum, located in back of Ad Hoc

Addendum - Place your order here 

Addendum lunch menu 

Connie L and I ordered the buttermilk fried chicken and Connie Y ordered the barbeque pork ribs. The fried chicken was seasoned perfectly - super tender, moist, and the skin had just the right amount of crunch. Even the white meat, which I typically dislike, was super tender. It tasted perfectly brined and was topped with flakes of sea salt and fried rosemary for extra flavor. It was a great combination of taste and texture, not overly salty or greasy. Two thumbs up! The honey cornbread was also delicious - spongy and cake-like, its texture was almost like it was steamed. It was a little on the sweet side but wasn't sickeningly sweet. I was less impressed with the sides - the potato salad was dressed heavily with mayo and the peas, tossed with red onion and sliced pepperoni were just meh.

Addendum - buttermilk fried chicken, cornbread, potato salad, and peas

Addendum - dine among the planters of herbs and veggies

After lunch we strolled up Washington Street to another Thomas Keller establishment, Bouchon Bakery (6528 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599). We picked up croissants for breakfast and some goodies for our families back home. I got an almond croissant ($4) and a chocolate chunk cookie ($3.75). The almond croissant was really good but it was super heavy with butter. Read reviews of Bouchon Bakery on TripAdvisor.

Bouchon Bakery

Bouchon Bakery - pastries

Bouchon Bakery - breads and various goodies

Bouchon Bakery - oversized macarons and various cookies

Bouchon Bakery - almond croissant

We kept walking up Washington to the world-famous French Laundry but didn't dine there, of course. I think you have to make reservations months in advance. And you have to be prepared to drop $300 -$500 per person for dinner. I'm happy with my fried chicken, thank you very much!

The French Laundry

our Airbnb in Sonoma
It was mid-afternoon by the time we finished our stroll so we decided to head to our Airbnb in Sonoma. Our Airbnb had 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, was centrally located, and quiet ($746.34 for 2 nights). We were happy to each have our own room (and bed!) but the place was a bit dated. It was in desperate need of a remodel and the beds and furniture weren't very comfortable. But it was a decent value and location - I guess you get what you pay for.

We quickly dropped off our bags and headed to the Sonoma 9 Cinema to watch Crazy Rich Asians. It was the movie's second weekend in theaters but our showing was pretty packed! It was 3:45pm on a Friday so we were among a bunch of retirees - we definitely brought the average age of of the theater down. We all loved the movie - it meant so much to me to see faces that looked like mine up on that big screen. And it featured beautiful Asian people in a modern romantic story. Yes, we can be leading ladies and men! And there were no kung fu moves! When the lights came on we were all sniffling, crying, and raving about the experience. During the movie Connie L was rummaging through her purse so I thought she was looking for candy or something but it turns out she was searching for tissues to dab away the tears streaming down her face! I've known Connie L since middle school and I've never seen her cry so that was a surprise! I cry at a lot of things (because I'm a sap) so no one was surprised that I was a mess. If you haven't seen Crazy Rich Asians, please see it now!! It has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes!

After the movie we drove to Sonoma Plaza and walked around in search of a restaurant for an early dinner. We came upon Oso Sonoma (9 E Napa St, Sonoma, CA 95476), a casual tavern featuring locally sourced small plates. Read reviews of Oso Sonoma on TripAdvisor. We ordered a few small plates to share:

• $14 Burrata & Heirloom Tomatoes
• $12 Hummus Plate: Feta, Smoked Paprika, Parsley, Grilled Bread
• $12 Deviled Eggs: Dungeness Crab, House Made Yellow Curry, Paprika
• $10 Seasonal Salad: Mixed Lettuces, Apple, Blue Cheese, Candied Pecans, Sherry Vinaigrette
• $16 Braised Pork & Beef Meatballs: Tomato Sauce, Fontina, Grilled Bread
• $16 Pork Belly Tacos (a special that wasn't listed on the menu)

The burrata & heirloom tomatoes was our favorite dish - perfect blend of oil and salt with juicy tomatoes, creamy burrata cheese, and slivers of crunchy grilled bread, basically fancy croutons, right? The seasonal salad was also very tasty - vibrant and the nuts made for a great mixture of textures.

The pork belly tacos were disappointing - bland and tough. I would not recommend this "special." The meatballs were also underwhelming.

Oso Sonoma - Burrata & Heirloom Tomatoes

Oso Sonoma - Hummus Plate

Oso Sonoma - Deviled Eggs

Oso Sonoma - Seasonal Salad

Oso Sonoma - Braised Pork & Beef Meatballs

Oso Sonoma - Pork Belly Tacos

After dinner we stopped by Whole Foods to pick up some items for breakfast and ice cream for dessert. If you have Amazon Prime, you can get an additional 10% off of sale items by scanning your QR code at checkout. You can find the QR code on the cart screen of your Amazon mobile app or in the Whole Foods mobile app. And you get an additional 5% back if you pay using your Amazon Rewards Visa card. Boy, Amazon really knows how to rope you in, don't they?

Day 2: Sonoma and Napa

Our first full day started with spa treatments at The Raindance Spa - Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort Spa (1325 Broadway at Leveroni & Napa Roads, Sonoma, CA 95476). But first, Connie and Connie whipped up breakfast at our Airbnb - scrambled eggs with cheese, avocados, multi-grain waffles, peaches, and we split Connie L's chocolate almond croissant from Bouchon Bakery. Yum!

Connie Y and I each got the 50 min prenatal massage ($145) and Connie L got the 50 min lime ginger scrub and massage ($165). I really enjoyed my massage - I was able to lay on my stomach on one of those cut-out pregnancy pillows. I was just a little disappointed that the scalp massage no longer came standard - it was an add-on. Still, the massage was good and helped relieve my aching muscles. Read reviews of The Raindance Spa on TripAdvisor.

Pro tip: if you have a Costco membership, consider purchasing Spa Wish gift cards ($79.99 for $100 worth of gift cards) as The Raindance Spa takes Spa Wish. That's a savings of 20% right there! You can even pay for your tip using Spa Wish since it works like a credit card.

After our treatments we hung out in our robes and talked in the relaxation room. Then we showered and changed to go out for lunch. The spa staff recommended lunch at The Red Grape which is close to Sonoma Plaza. The Red Grape (529 1st St W, Sonoma, CA 95476) serves sandwiches, salads, and pizzas which sounded good to us. Read reviews of The Red Grape on TripAdvisor.

At The Red Grape, we ordered:

• $15.50 Southwest Chicken Salad - this was decent
• $13.50 Caprese Salad - this tasted as you would expect but it didn't stand out
• $6.75 Sweet potato fries - yummy - crunchy and lightly seasoned
• $10.25 Truffled onion rings - this was super oily and not very good. The onion rings didn't have a cornmeal crust (which I prefer) but instead were probably tossed in flour which soaked up a ton of oil during the frying process. 

The Red Grape - Caprese Salad

The Red Grape - Southwest Chicken Salad

The Red Grape - Sweet potato fries

After lunch we did a little shopping at a kitchenware store called Sign of the Bear (435 1st St W, Sonoma, CA 95476). It's a lot more interesting than it sounds, seriously. I love the merchandise featured there - specialty soaps (amazing scents), small appliances, quirky dishes and decor, dish ware for kids, all kinds of useful and useless kitchen gadgets. Cuz we all need a mushroom brush, right? Read reviews of Sign of the Bear on TripAdvisor.

Sign of the Bear - dishes

Sign of the Bear - fun cups

Sign of the Bear - amazing soaps

Sign of the Bear - cute baby gear

Sign of the Bear - funny dish towels

Sign of the Bear - dish ware for kids

Sign of the Bear - salt slabs

We relaxed and grabbed a coffee at Peet's - this time the cashier referred to us as Connie 1, Connie 2, and Connie 3. Good enough. The coffee break was the perfect way to kill some time before our dinner in Napa at Bistro Don Giovanni - another recommendation from Peggy. She also recommended Bottega Napa Valley but we'll save that for another trip.

On our way back to the car we stopped by Wildeflower Boutique (107 W Napa St, Sonoma, CA 95476) after a few things in the window caught our eye. I made a beeline for the sparkly necklaces and bought one because as Ali Wong said in her 2018 Netflix special, Hard Knock Wife, "The more glitter the better, because when you’re a mom you need sparkle. To compensate for the light inside of you that has died." If you haven't watched her stand-up special, I highly recommend it. I was crying/laughing because of how absurd and accurate it is. Okay, back to the food...

Bistro Don Giovanni (4110 Howard Ln, Napa, CA 94558) was casual yet formal enough for a special occasion - we saw a booth set up for someone's 70th birthday. Delicious food and we got a great corner table which also had a view of the fountain and gardens outside. Read reviews of Bistro Don Giovanni on TripAdvisor. Connie L and I split:

• $24 Linguine and clams - tomato, garlic, calabrian chilies
• $28 Grilled Pork Chop - roasted potatoes and garlic mostarda di frutta (we swapped the roasted potatoes for mashed potatoes - excellent choice)
• $9 "Bostini" Trifle - vanilla custard, chocolate cake whipped cream, clear caramel, toasted almonds
• Connie Y ordered the $32 Seared Salmon Filet - mashed potatoes, tomato chive butter 

The linguine and clams were all right - Connie and I were used to having them in more of a broth-like sauce, tossed with white wine and no tomato. The grilled pork chop was good and the mashed potatoes were excellent. Super creamy and salty which was a good contrast to the candied mostarda di frutta. The trifle was good but the clear caramel was WAYYYY too sweet. The 3 of us couldn't even finish that single order.

After dinner we took a quick walk around the fountain and in the garden out back to marvel at all the sunflowers, peppers, tomatoes, artichokes, and figs.

Bistro Don Giovanni - menu

Bistro Don Giovanni - view from our corner table

Bistro Don Giovanni - linguine and clams

Bistro Don Giovanni - grilled pork chop

Bistro Don Giovanni - seared salmon filet

Bistro Don Giovanni - trifle

Bistro Don Giovanni - we're ready to dig in

Bistro Don Giovanni - seating around the outdoor fountain

Bistro Don Giovanni - our first selfie of the trip

L to R: Connie L, Connie Y, and me, Conny

Bistro Don Giovanni - found someone to take a photo for us

Bistro Don Giovanni - gardens

Bistro Don Giovanni - various peppers

Bistro Don Giovanni - peppers

Bistro Don Giovanni - peppers

Bistro Don Giovanni - gardens

Bistro Don Giovanni - tomatoes

Day 3: Going home

Our Airbnb check out wasn't until noon so we had another quick breakfast of eggs, fruit, and waffles and this time split my almond croissant from Bouchon Bakery. It was super buttery, actually a little overpowering. I guess there is such a thing as too much butter...

Connie Y and I stopped by Berkeley for a quick bite to eat at Augie's Montreal Smoked Meat (875 Potter St, Berkeley, CA 94710). We ordered a salad and of course had to try an order of poutine. Read reviews of Augie's Montreal Smoked Meat on TripAdvisor.

• $12.50 L'Chef Special - Spring greens, Attie’s Montreal pastrami smoked turkey, aged cheddar, apple, pickled red onion, toasted walnuts, & maple dijon vinaigrette
• $9 Georgie's Classic Poutine - St. Hubert gravy & cheese curds

The salad wasn't tossed so it was kind of bland and I wasn't a fan of the peppercorn crust on the smoked turkey. We made the mistake of ordering a larger size of poutine (the sharing size) and it was WAYYY too much for us. Someone from a table of 5 stopped by to tell us that even they couldn't finish the shared size. We could've easily shared the regular size and still had a bunch left over. Learn from our mistake! The poutine was really good though but a tad salty. Still, it didn't stop me from eating it and eating it... Just drink lots of water.

Augie's - menu

Augie's - love the picture of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 

Augie's - interior

Augie's - l'chef special salad

Augie's - Georgie's classic poutine

Can't wait for next year's trip - none of us should be pregnant or pumping so we should be able to fly somewhere!

If you enjoyed reading this travel blog please check out my other trip posts:

• Arizona - Girls trip to Sedona
• Portugal - Lisbon and Sintra
• Iceland - Reykjavik and more
• Thailand and Laos - Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Luang Prabang
• Europe and South Africa - Belgium, Amsterdam, Cape Town, and Sabi Sands Game Reserve
• Greece and Turkey - Santorini, Mykonos, Cappadocia, and Istanbul
• Japan - Tokyo and Kyoto
• Peru - Machu Picchu and the Amazon rainforest
• Spain - San Sebastian, Barcelona, Granada, Seville
• Germany - Munich, Dresden, and Berlin
• Austria - Salzburg and Vienna
• Hungary - Budapest, Szentendre, and an amusing Thai massage experience
• Poland - Kraków and Auschwitz-Birkenau
• Czech Republic - Prague and Kutná Hora

Happy traveling and thanks for reading!

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