Today on Weekend Meanderings, a new restaurant, winter cozies, Meyer lemon Fettuccini, and a namesake rose.
Happy weekend, friends!
It’s Saturday and I’m joining Kim and Elizabeth for Weekend Meanderings.
Our weekly roundup of inspiration and goings on.
How was your week?
Busy?
Holiday Monday’s are a nice way to ease into the fray.
On Thursday I had a fun girls lunch and used my new Lily of the Valley table cloth and wine glasses.
(I know, the iron malfunctioned and Jim (master ironer) wasn’t around to trouble shoot.)
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The rest of the week is a blur.
Are you ready?
Let’s go!
BAR CAMINO IN WALNUT CREEK
Do you have a favorite restaurant that you go to on repeat? We have several but push ourselves to branch out occasionally. On Monday we went to Bar Camino, a new Mexican restaurant in Walnut Creek. It’s in the former Maria Maria location, and most recently housed the blink-and-you-missed-it El Charro 1947 revamp. For those of us who grew up in Lafayette, El Charro was an institution and its abrupt closure during the pandemic a shock. In any event, I’ve heard many good things about the new Bar Camino, and if our experience is any indicator it’s a hit and will be around for a while.
So back to lunch, we got a table in bar over looking the very full and rapidly moving creek, Walnut Creek. We started out with ice tea, before Jim went to a margarita. I judge a restaurant (for lunch) by its ice tea and Bar Camino’s is good. I loved their glassware.
I had a cup of the Chicken Tortilla soup, but neglected to snap a photo. It was so good it went from bowl to stomach in no time. Anyway, I wish I took a picture because, in addition to being delicious, it was beautifully presented. For the main event I had a small order (yes, this is the small order) of Camino-Style Nachos with chicken and Jim had the Skirt Steak Ranchera. Both dishes were excellent. I can’t wait to go back. It will be even more fun in the spring, summer and fall months when the outdoor decks are open.
OPERATION MINCEMEAT
Have you seen Operation Mincemeat on Netflix ? It was released last year but somehow just hit my radar. The movie stars Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen (of Succession fame) and Kelley Macdonald, among others. It’s a dramatization of a successful British deception operation of the same name during World War II and features a fun glimpse of young officer, Ian Fleming. I’m embarrassed to say I was unaware of this particular piece of World War II history. It’s fascinating but I won’t say more … other than Jim and I loved it.
MEYER LEMON FETTUCCINI
I’m still working my way through our abundant lemon crop and last weekend I made the Meyer Lemon Fettuccini recipe I mention a couple of week ago. The recipe is quick, easy and absolutely wonderful. It’s the best pasta I’ve ever made. For a variation, I think chicken would be a great addition.
Speaking of lemons, I finally decided on this new lemon juicer and it arrived yesterday. Later today I’m going make another batch, or two, of Ina’s lemonade (recipe in this post) to drink and make into ice cubes. I bought these covered ice cube trays for that purpose.
A FEW WINTER COZIES
Last week I found my way back to the gym and step class. Our wet weather cleared up, but temperatures dropped. Dropped to frost-warning-light levels. Getting to the gym and back no longer requires a rain coat, but it does require something warm. Warm like this cozy fleece hoodie. It has a textured grid pattern that I love and it’s super soft and cozy. I kept it on through class warm ups and took it off reluctantly when I started to glisten. In related news, I’m loving my new Hoka Bondi 8s … you’re probably sick of hearing me gush about Hoka’s, but they are seriously game changers. Life changers for the feet.
Fleece Hoodie | Leggings | Hoka Bondi 8s
Have you heard of the 12 – 3 – 30 treadmill workout? Apparently it’s taken the world by storm … since it’s 2020 TikTok debut. But I’m just hearing about it. If you’ve tried it let me know what you think. I’m going to give it go this weekend.
Last week I mentioned a few of things I had my eye on and lo and behold two of them – Ganni beanie and Madewell Chelsea boots – landed on my doorstep. Not a moment too soon, because cozy, warm layers are exactly what is needed this month. By the way, Ganni beanies are made using recycled materials including wool.
Beanie | Similar Sweater | Denim | Chelsea Boot
JULIET DRY ROSE
Last night was cocktail night at Snowberry and I tried something new. JULIET Wine. That’s right … a wine named after moi. Well, not exactly, but we share the same name so its close enough.
This beautifully boxed wine was a gift from Jim’s son and daughter-in-law. I’m not sure how/where they found it but I got such a kick out of it. Wine snobs may sniff, but boxed wines have come a long way … and let’s face it, they’re ideal for so many situations. JULIET offers three varietals … Dry Rose, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir … with fruit sourced from Central Coast AVAs. They are a California Sustainable Winery and, their Eco-Magnum packaging is 100% recyclable. You can learn more about JULIET here.
All that aside, the Dry Rose is light, dry (as advertised) and absolutely lovely. I couldn’t help myself and added fizzy water to make mine a spritzer. By the way, Eco-Magnum is equivalent to two standard (750ml) bottles of wine … or ten glasses. That’s 20 spritzers!
JULIET may want to hire this Juliet as their spokesperson. Just saying …
So there you have it, this weekend’s meanderings.
Let’s visit Elizabeth and Kim to see what they’re up to.
Odds & Socks ~
Yesterday I saw this art installation in downtown Walnut Creek. I’m sure I’ve walked by it 1000 times and never taken the time to really see it. Walnut Creek has a lot of art featured around town and it’s really cool.
Popover Update: Armed with my new popover pan and King Arthur’s popover recipe I made the best popovers ever. Kim and I talked about them, among other things, on our Instagram Live last Thursday … you can watch the replay here.
Do you suffer from Instagram worthy-its? Read this.
Revamping My Laundry Routine is my most popular post ever. Patric Richardson’s entertaining and eye opening book, Laundry Love, was recently released in paperback. I love Patric and he does Lives on Facebook every Thursday to answer any and all laundry questions.
If you’re allergic to gel nail polish, like me, you probably prefer light, natural polish colors (it’s less noticeable as it wears) … I just found this pretty new, nude-ish color.
Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I have a couple of related posts in the works. Last week I saw this cute Valentine things at Pottery Barn.
Cork Placemats | Platter | Appetizer Plate | Wood Tray | Tea Towels | Candles | Marble Trays
If you’re a Valentine decorator and gift giver here are some fun ideas ~
If you missed the last weekend meanderings, you can catch up here.
And follow along for more fun on Instagram and Pinterest.
As always, I appreciate your visit and welcome your thoughts in the comments below.
Let’s Go Niners!
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