Friday Food 12-07-18

The small art quilt group "Arty Girls" met today for our Christmas Lunch at The Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens in Newport Beach.  We met here a year ago on Dec 8, 2017, and discovered we could make a reservation a year ahead and did so.  Coincidentally, we had the same table and the same waitress this year as we did last.  Meant to be, I guess.   The Farmhouse is a "Field to Table" sort of place so much of the food is locally grown.  The selections are unique and delicious, I recommend it.  Although it is expensive.  My lunch alone, just the salad and the dessert was $46.  But it is worth it once in awhile. 

This is the Shrimp, Scallop, veggie salad. With butternut squash and carrots, caramelized cauliflower, arugula, raspberry vinaigrette, pureed satsumaimo sweet potatoes, pomegranate seeds , and lovely little blue flowers.  This is Bonnie's plate.

Grilled Pomegranate Glazed Salmon Salad with roast butternut squash, pink lady apples, roast leeks, cherry tomatoes, quinoa, mixed lettuces, Dijon vinaigrette, candied pecans, pomegranate seeds.  This was Patti's plate. 

This is the pizza of the day and the only thing I know about it is that is has cheese and bacon.  And Monica said it is very good. 

Here is another view of a Shrimp, Scallop, veggie salad which is described above.  Bonnie and I had the same meal, but her flowers were prettier.  I ate mine. 

For dessert Patti ordered the Carrot Cake in a Mason jar.  It is only three or four bites, which is probably as much as one wants after such a large salad.  

I, on the other hand, pigged out on the Toasted Almond Cake

with pomegranate honey sauce,  poached pear, sweet cream and slivered almonds.

Worth every bite. 

The gardens were lovely, all washed clean with yesterday's rain.  I took a pass on visiting the gift shop with a FABULOUS display of every kind of ornament one could possibly desire.  I am just not into Christmas.  There were a lot of people there, perhaps because everyone had stayed home in yesterday's storm.  

We did exchange gifts, I managed to have finished all three fiber postcards and will post them later.  The ladies seemed to like them and I love the fabric and books I received.  Altogether a lovely day. 

https://www.rogersgardens.com/
https://farmhouserg.com/gallery/
https://farmhouserg.com/food-drink/

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Viewing the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection 09-30-18

I am frequently asked what I do with the quilts in the Collection.  Mostly they are rolled or stored flat, covered to keep out the dust, and labeled so I can find them - mostly with the help of my dear friend Liz Williams.  I couldn't do it without her!   But I do display the quilts in my house so that I can enjoy them.  There is always one at the end of the hall that I walk down dozens of times a day (and night) and usually that is where I hang the latest addition.  A few are always on display - like Terry Grant's "Yellow Bowl"  and "Blue Threads" by Elizabeth Busch.   Both of which are on stretcher bars, not something I usually buy, but sometimes cannot resist.  

I have a couple walls that are changing galleries, usually every three or four months.  With age I find it more difficult to hang the larger quilts by myself, so frequently hang groups of smaller quilts.  They might be grouped by subject, artist, color, design elements, whatever occurs to me at the time.   Tonight I am posting a "wall of red quilts", chosen just because I wanted to look at them for a while and they read RED.  Two are 80th birthday quilts from two friends, the others are rather recent additions to the Collection.    

  Petite Jungle - Jane Sassaman 2016, Round the Bend - Catherine Kleeman 2014, 
Pomegranates - Rosie Caudillo 2017, Hummingbird - Lenore Crawford 2016, 
Spring Chicken - Bonnie Damron 2018,  Birthday Bird - Patti Brooks  2018 

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