Heading to Napa Valley, and stops at Muir Woods and Sonoma Square

After three amazing days in San Francisco, it was time for Nick and I to head to Napa Valley for some wine tasting fun!  We left the city at around 10:30am and headed out over the Golden Gate Bridge in pursuit of some trees.

Over the bridge we go...

After heading down some very windy roads into a valley we descended into Muir Woods.

Road to Muir Woods

Apple and Pear Crisp - Apple Picking Spoils!

After spending the day at Smolak Farms picking apples, we had loads of apples to put to good use in the kitchen.  That is, of course, if I did not eat them first!  One of Nick's favorite desserts ever is Apple Crisp, so needless to say this was an easy decision.  Last year I made a Fruit Crisp using Ina Garten's Back to Basics recipe, and while it turned out well, I wanted to experiment with recipes a bit.  Since I had some pears on hand from our CSA, I decided to utilize those as well.

Apple Crisp

This time around, I turned to the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking, which had a basic crisp recipe to start with.

Italian Easter Bread

At this point, Megan is somewhere in Italy drinking amazing wine and cappuccino and indulging is loads of pasta!  In honor of her Italian trip and her amazing baking, I wanted to share a post on Italian Easter Bread (even though we are nowhere near Easter!).  When I traveled through Italy in 2002 it was Easter time and I ate delicious Easter Bread with almost every meal.  I remember it fondly, and find myself craving it from time to time.

If you want to read more about this recipe, head on over to Delicious Dishings where I am guest posting for the Day!  Congratulations again Megan, I hope you are having an amazing time on your honeymoon!

Easter Bread

Apple Picking at Smolak Farms

For some reason, this fall I have been on an apple picking mission.  I haven't been on a true apple picking trip since elementary school, and I decided that this was my year to change that.  Given Nick's attachment to Smolak Farms and the two amazing Whim Dinners we have been to, we figured it was time to see the farm during its peak apple picking season.

Eating while picking :)

We arrived at Smolak Farms at around 10:30AM and while the Farm was crowded, there's plenty of room to spread out, so it never seemed too bad.  Shortly after parking, we walked directly to the Antique Orchard that had many varieties of apples not generally sold in stores.  It was about $5 more for a peck bag than the standard Macintosh/Cortland orchard, but it was so fun to get to taste so many apples!  In addition to Macs and Cortlands, the Antique Orchard featured varieties like Pink Ladies, Northern Spy, Winter Banana (which actually taste a bit like banana!), Smokehouse and Sheepnose.

State Bird Provisions - Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurant

I am going to finish off my San Francisco posts with the amazing meal we had at State Bird Provisions, which was just named Bon Appetit's best new restaurant of 2012.  I must be honest: I had nothing to do with getting this reservation.  While we were in San Francisco we first stayed with some of Nick's friends, but on our last night following our trip to Napa we stayed with one of my oldest friends (going back to Kindergaten!) who is an avid In and Around Town reader.  When she knew Nick and I were coming out, she asked where we wanted to go for dinner, but having fully planned and scheduled Napa I was happy to let her make the decision.  When she mentioned State Bird Provisions, I had no idea the press it had been getting - in addition to Bon Appetit, it has also been featured in the New York Times and Esquire!   Once I got caught up, I could not believe she got a reservation, as they are now one of the toughest in town!

Open Kitchen by Front Door

State Bird Provisions is something totally unique as it is an American Style Dim Sum concept, complete with servers walking around with trays and carts filled with food.  When we arrived, we had to wait a bit for our table, which now does not surprise me.  It is hard to commit to ending your meal since new plates always seem to be rounding the bend just as you start getting full and, of course, since everything is delicious you keep making room!  While we waited, A and I got a glass of prosecco and the boys went with drafts of the Almanac Honey Saison, a California table beer.

Roasted Veggie Salad with Lime Tahini Dressing

Like a lot of people, when it's time to cook dinner we often have a few ingredients on hand that will determine the direction of the meal.  As an example, I recently had some sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts at home, and using Gojee I found delicious inspiration for a modified salad that would be perfect for dinner.

Roasted Veggie Salad

Roasted Veggie Salad - The Necessities (adapted from Bitchin' Camero)