SPRING FORWARD!

Springtime is upon us and that Ground Hog's timing was correct! The days are getting longer and the shorts are coming out! With all the upcoming celebrations upon us (St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Opening Day on the Bay), it is nice to have some fun recipes to serve your guests..

~Spring Pea & Parmesan Bruschetta
1 bag frozen peas (or 2 c fresh shelled peas, blanched)

½ red onion, julienne

1T garlic, chopped

1 c heavy cream

2 T butter

½ c parmesan

1 bunch mint, chopped

1 bunch, basil, chopped

2 t sea salt

2 t freshly ground pepper



1 large baguette or 2 small

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 t sea salt
1 t freshly ground pepper



In a sauté pan, melt butter. Add red onion and garlic, sauté. Add peas and cream, salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. In a Cuisinart, pour ingredients into the bowl and process. Add parmesan, mint & basil. Process just enough to incorporate. Slice baguette on the bias to make crostini. Put into a bowl and add olive oil, s & p. Toss and put onto a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes. To serve, spoon pea mixture onto crostinis or put pea mixture into a decorative bowl and put crostini on a platter. Shave some additional Parmesan on top and garnish with Pea Shoots. Enjoy!
      For more Spring Brunch recipes, email lisa@bellaluxe.net or better yet, Let us doing the cooking!

LOVE IS IN THE AIR...

Planning a special evening for someone you love? With Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year falling on the same day this year, there are far more possibilities to making this a night to remember!

1. The Dress: Something red and silky for her, and red cashmere for him.
   
2. The Food: Lobster Rangoon (An updated classic!), Fresh Dungeness crab salad stuffed in vine tomatoes with frisee, and then Filet Mignon, haricot vert & fingerling potatoes.
   
3. The Drink: Saketinis for the salad, Silver Oak Napa Valley Cab (a fav!), followed by...
   
4. The Chocolate: warm dark chocolate cake, raspberries, Homemade Fortune Cookies and Champagne, of course!
   
5. Don't forget... THE LOVE. A card, a rose, a phone call, a simple "I Love You" is all you need! Kisses from my babies, Milan and Luca-the best!

Happy (almost!) 10th Wedding Anniversary, Jeff! I love you! Lisa

Happy Healthy New Year!

Did you OVERindulge during the holidays?

Let me tell you that long before New Year's Eve hit, we couldn't look at anymore rich food! The season started with Luca's 4th birthday and do you know what he picked out for the family dinner? Two lobsters, four Dungeness crabs, two pounds of shrimp, mussels & clams (and a partridge in a pear tree!)! That was December 6th and it was all downhill from there! I know that every year we all try to make our New Year's Resolutions to eat better, lose weight, exercise, blah, blah, blah! It is the same every year! If you could compromise, by eating better without sacrificing taste, exercising at your convenience or drinking without the guilt, would that be so bad?It is now way past January 1st and you have already gone back to your old ways!

Here are a few tips to get you back on track!

• Yoga. This is an easy way to start an exercise practice that you can continue your entire lifetime. Tony is my favorite Yogi. My Mom started Yoga at 54 years old!
• Spine Health. Go to the chiropractor. I had nerve pain that I was living with-who wants to hurt?
• Walk. Sometimes that is the only exercise you have time for. Take the stairs, park in the back parking lot, but walk!
  
• Buy local and organic, if you can. Especially fruits and vegetables. They smell AND taste like the real thing!
  
• Laugh. A good laugh (and sometimes a good cry!) does wonders for the soul! It can make a really bad day seem much better!
• Love. Your mate, your kids, your friends, your dog, your job! Life is too short not to be in love! Don't you feel better already!!??

Giving Back

Saturday was a busy day in the Bay Area! Like-minded Philanthropists were on hand at a slew of events this past weekend to give back to kids! First thing Saturday morning, Jeff and I loaded the kids into the car and we headed to Breakfast with Santa at San Domenico School! The Fifth graders served up lots of bacon and pancakes (made by the Dads!) and then wowed us with a show and a visit from Santa. All the proceeds went to the Primary School's Leadership Service Learning Projects. What fun! Then, off to the city to SantaFest at the Presidio's Officer's Club. Kids of all ages were on hand to decorate gingerbread houses and visit with Santa, followed by a dinner for parents and their kids that are living or being served by transitional shelters of San Francisco. Santa was a busy guy today! Thanks to Monica Pauli for getting us involved in such an amazing event! After dropping off goodies for the dinner, we dashed over to The Fairmont Hotel! Friday and Saturday, we tied all the red sashes and cushions on gold Chiavari Chairs to complete the Luxe decor for the annual Christmas Ball hosted by the San Francisco Commandery of The Knights of St. John.. It was a festive night of dining and dancing to the sounds of Marianne Kent's Bay Society Orchestra . Break-down of the chairs and centerpieces were definitely Champagne driven! The proceeds of this event go towards Episcopal Charities, Clausen House, and George Mark Children's House, the first children's hospice in the U.S., among other recipients. Kudos to Dame Darlene Hines and her committee that chaired this event. We had fun helping out for these causes and giving back to our community.