Pizza Party

We have been following Joe's progress on the construction of his wood-burning pizza oven and we were happy to be part of the inaugural pizza party: 

Sarah, Jeff & Marco were visiting us for the weekend and Jeff was especially excited to see how Joe's home built oven performed compared to his oven:

Joe & Jeff each prepared their own dough for pizzas and bread so they could compare the results.
 

 The oven was a resounding success:

They made about 20 pizzas, including these classic Neopolitan:

My favorite was my own topping (I know I'm shameless) - Asian Duck Confit:
 

 Marco was having a fine time:

 But had lots more fun when his new "boat friend" Cash (Staff & Janie's grandson) joined the party:

 Cheers!

 After pizza we played a few rounds of bocce:

 Relaxed in Joe & Jeri's beautiful backyard:

 Jeri & Marco watched the bluebirds snatch peanuts from the top of the pizza oven:

 Back at the boat we went for a dinghy ride:

 

 Another very fun visit:

Aunt Katie

My mom used to travel to Montana every year to visit her sister.  Her lungs won't let her make that trip anymore so now it's my Aunt Katie's turn to travel to California.  It's an added bonus for me because now I get to see my aunt more often. 

I love this sister picture, two little peas in a pod:

My cousin Doug also came to visit:

It had been ten years since I had seen my cousin, which is a real crime because he lives in San Diego. It was great catching up and reminiscing :

For lunch we christened our brandie-new barbecue with some yummy cheeseburgers:

Thanks for the visit - hope to see you again next year!!

Spring is Busting Out in Ventura

What a beautiful Spring day in Ventura.  Today's Farmer's Market was especially good with lots of veggies showing their faces for the first time this season - like these yummy pea shoots:

Here's our idea of a perfect Spring frittata.  All the ingredients were from today's Farmer's Market - fresh eggs, asparagus, small red potatoes and the pea shoots.

To make the frittata:

Slice 3 small red potatoes and saute in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter.  While the potatoes are cooking, blanch 2" pieces of asparagus.  Add the drained asparagus to the skillet.  Beat 4 eggs together, season with salt and pepper and pour over the vegetables.  Sprinkle with grated parmigiano cheeses and cook until the eggs are almost set. Place a plate over the skillet and flip the frittata over and slide back into the skillet.  Cook for another couple of minutes, sprinkle with more cheese and top with the pea shoots.

Pour yourself a glass of Champagne and start enjoying Spring!