I hate to always brag, but I live in the greatest neighborhood. Oh, how I do love and appreciate my neighbors!

Along with our Amazing Progressive Dinner Parties, we have fun monthly Bunco nights. Unfortunately, I only make it a couple of times a year, since they usually fall on the night that I’m working at Les Gourmettes Cooking School.

Happily, I was able to attend last week. It was so nice catching up with everyone after the long hot summer. NOT that the Long Hot Summer is anywhere near over, but families are back in town and the kids are back in school so that “summer” is over.

Players bring an appetizer, salad, dessert, or drink to share. I brought these tasty little treats.

By the way – did you know that string cheese freezes great? It doesn’t change the texture at all.

I suppose that proves it’s not exactly real cheese, but it sure did come in handy when I pulled what I had left, from some that I had bought for Connor, out of the freezer.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’m just like you – some nights it is sheer drudgery to make dinner. This is how I feel on those days…

This recipe was made on one of those nights. Going to the grocery store was not even a remote option – it’s too blazing hot to even think of getting in and out of the car.

I had frozen scallops in the freezer, fresh mushrooms and cream cheese in the refrigerator, dried mushrooms and pasta in the pantry, and herbs in the garden… so this is what I made.

There were no complaints …. but if there were…

I think I’ve reached the end of my rope with this summer heat. Oh, who am I kidding? In all honesty, that is always my attitude.

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If you’ve read this blog for more than a month or two, you already know that I adore Sweet Salvage and its occasional sale. I’ve written about my monthly obsession nearly two dozen times in the last two years. Sweet Salvage is only open on the 3rd Thursday of each month for four days. The rest of the month the über-talented “Sweet Gang” are out “picking” new merchandise and using it to create mindbogglingly beautiful vignettes – all centered around a fun monthly theme. I’m consistently blown away by the gorgeous scenes these ladies set with their well-priced vintage finds.

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This weekend, Sweet Salvage celebrates its 2-year birthday with the “Chapter Two” themed sale.

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Each month on the Sweet Salvage Facebook page, there are questions posted that followers may answer to then be entered into a contest. The names of a lucky five are drawn. Then the chosen few receive VIP 15-minute early entry into the sale on the highly anticipated opening day.

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Guess who was one of the lucky five to be drawn as a winner this month.  Yeah, ME!

I didn’t realize I’d won until I was sent an alert that blog follower, Betsy, had tagged me in a FB comment. Thank you Betsy for the heads up!

I invited Sheila as my BSB (best shopping buddy) and we had the best time during our 15 minutes of stress-free, first-pick shopping spree. Maybe too much fun in my case. Here is part of what I snagged this month at Sweet Salvage. Ooh, and they gave us a burlap shopping bag too. Sweet!

I’m going, to begin with my favorite find this month, instead of closing with it. That is how EXCITED I am to have found it.

It is a 12-inch round, 2-inch high metal plate with a list of recipe ingredients around the perimeter.

Can you figure out what these ingredients make?  (1  1/4 cups flour; pinch of salt; 3 eggs, beaten; 1  1/2 cups milk; 2 tbsp butter, melted)

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Four Years!

• 1461 days
• 208 weeks
• 1312 posts
• 6.3 posts per week

As a testament to how much this blog has grown these past four years, I shall share with you this extreme stat:

• On Day 1, August 16, 2009, this site had 20 visitors with 119 hits.
• Yesterday, on Day 1460, there were 1,347 visitors with 36,913 hits.

I know, it’s insane! And it is all thanks to YOU!

I want to thank each and every one of you who read what I write and cook what I create. Whether you are a treasured loyal follower who checks in every day… or you just stop by now and then… I appreciate you more than you know!

I thank you from the bottom of my heart. xoxo

How about we take a little stroll down memory lane and revisit the four most popular posts for each of the past four years.

Year 1

August 16, 2009 – August 15, 2010

#4 “300 and Counting”

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This is the fourth and final tapas recipe from Peggy’s dinner party. But before I share it with you, I nearly forgot to mention that I brought a Stone Fruit Crumble for dessert.

This time around, I used plumcots in place of the apricots and plums. Have you tried plumcots before?

If not, be sure to search them out and give them a go. They are not only tasty … but so very pretty too.

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We had a surprise addition to the Tapas Dinner Party when Peggy’s 17-year-old son, Stevo, came home a day earlier than she expected from a week-long camping trip in Yosemite National Park.

While Peggy busy was cooking for us, I was able to snap this cute photo of the two of them.

Thank you, Peggy, for such a fun and relaxing night.

This recipe is super easy and superbly delicious. It will disappear before your very eyes!

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The tasty little ricotta stuffed pepper on the plate above is the recipe we’re going to make today from Peggy’s Tapas Dinner party.

The mini sweet peppers are readily available in most grocery stores, at Trader Joe’s and at Costco.

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Have I ever told you how much I completely and totally L–O–V–E it when someone cooks for me? Actually, they don’t even have to cook for me.

What I meant to say is “how much I love it when someone feeds me.” It can be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or an elaborate 5-course meal. Honestly, either one is a huge treat!

Just about the worst thing you can say to any cooking professional is, “I could never cook for you, I’d be so intimidated.”

What!?!?

We, of all people, know the love and work that goes into preparing food for another. Don’t leave us out – we need love too!

One of my friends who understands this is Peggy. She never hesitates to cook for me. As a matter of fact, Peggy invited her sister Terrie, Anne, and me over for dinner the weekend before last. Well, we thought it would be dinner, instead, it turned out to be tapas – even better!

As always, we had fun catching up, laughing up a storm, and just being together. And the food? Fantastic, of course!

Peggy made all four of the dishes from one cookbook: Tapas – Tantalizing Small Plates from the Mediterranean by Pamela Clark. Funny thing is, she thinks she may have gotten the book from me when I had THIS party.

I’ll share the recipe for each dish over the coming week. Today, I’m sharing my favorite of the four.

Oh yes, all the recipes are altered slightly from the original version. For instance, I doubled the relish and more flour as needed for a better consistency fritter batter. Plus, salt was added, the fritters really needed SALT! There wasn’t any in the original recipe.

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My mentor, boss, and sweet friend of nearly 25 years, Barbara Fenzl, celebrated her birthday last Saturday. She was traveling at the time, so I celebrated with her yesterday.

We didn’t take a photo together, so I’m posting this vintage picture of Barb, Jacques Pepin, and me… one of my all-time favorites. And it is the perfect picture to post since I bought her a vintage item as her gift.

Do you know what it is?

Does “les fromages de la ferme” or “Aux bons Fromages” give you a clue?

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Yeah, you read that right. There is too much testosterone surrounding me right now.

And nowhere near enough estrogen!

All I see, talk, and listen to from dawn to dusk is men, men, and more men! It’s not just “raining men” over here, it’s a virtual flood of men!

That might sound like heaven to some, but trust me, it’s too much. Not another female in sight.

It begins at 6 AM with the general contractor and his son. They are in charge of building our new patio addition out back.

Now, if “he” was a “she” – I could go out and greet her in my jammies and begin my day leisurely. But no… I have to get fully dressed and be somewhat presentable before I leave my bathroom each and every morning. That sucks!

Heck, if I’m not leaving the house on a normal day, I may not get dressed at all. For the last 8 weeks, it has been anything but normal around here.

Besides those two men, there is the plumber, the electrician and his son, the mason, the roofers, and the Cantera stone guy.

Plus, the stucco fellow, the drywall dude, the painters, and the pickup and delivery guy who re-strapped some of our existing patio furniture.

Not to mention, the poor guy who comes and switches out the port-a-potty, and the city inspectors… you get the idea. They are all lovely guys, but … they are MEN.

Then there are the UPS and FedEx male drivers, delivering all the furniture, lighting, speakers, decor, etc. that I’ve purchased for the addition.

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