Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Since I opened up a bag of cooked shrimp for Shrimp Cocktail, I had to come up with more recipes to use up the rest of the shrimp.

Shrimp & Avocado Shrimp

1 avocado, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 lb cooked shrimp, peeled & deveined
2 Tbs chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt & pepper

Add all ingredients in small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Chill



2013 07 05

Shrimp Cocktail

This is a simple yet impressive way to serve shrimp cocktail.

Shrimp Cocktail

Cooked shrimp
Iceberg lettuce, shredded
Avocados, diced
Cocktail Sauce
Horseradish Sauce

Fill a martini glass with iceberg lettuce. Top with diced avocados. Place shrimp along the rim of the glass. Add a dollop of cocktail sauce in the center. I like Trader Joe's Cocktail Sauce but I like it a little spicier so I add additional horseradish sauce to it.

Chill & enjoy.



2013 07 04

Long Meadow Ranch, St. Helena

Just a few minutes north of Rutherford is the adorable town of St. Helena. It has a great downtown area with many shops. Long Meadow Ranch is located in the town.

 

Long Meadow Ranch is located at 738 Main Street.

 

There is a restaurant--Farmstead, serving farm (you can see their garden on the property) to table dishes. There is a Farmer's market on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays--it had already wrapped up when we visited at 3 pm but supposedly they have grass-fed beef. The Tasting Room offers wine and olive oil tastings. They also have cooking classes and summer concerts.

2013 07 07

La Luna Market & Taqueria, Rutherford

We were in Rutherford and wanted to have a quick lunch. Yelp pointed us to La Luna Market & Taqueria.

 

La Luna is located at 1153 Rutherford Road, across from BV's Tasting Room.

 

 

BV is known for its Tapestry. The 2009 vintage was given a 98 point rating and was voted the best wine out of 930 wines by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge.

 

Super Burrito with Carnitas--$6.55. This included beans, rice, onion, cilantro, lettuce, tomato, sour crea, guacamole, cheese & salsa. My husband loved the carnitas--they were crispy and just the way carnitas should be served. He thought this was a better burrito than his favored El Faro in San Francisco.

 



 

Carne Asada Taco--$1.75. Corn torilla with onion, cilantro and salsa. The carne asada was too crispy and it needed a squeeze of lime.

 

Lengua Taco--$1.75. I loved this one. The tongue was tender and there was a lot of it.

2013 07 07

Thursday Night Dinner

We missed a few Thursday Night Dinners because our schedule didn't allow it. Here's this week's dinner:

Tortino Di Granchio--Sautéed Dungeness Crab Cake, Warm Shallot-Herb Salsa, Basil Aioli & Crispy Shoestring Yams paired with 2011 Alexander Valley Vineyards, Wetzel Family Estate, Chardonnay, Sonoma County

  

 

Gnocchi--Homemade Potato Pillows Served in Sugo Di Pollo Con Salsiccia Topped with Roasted Mushrooms & Sage paired with 2010 Falesco Merlot Umbria IGT, Umbria, Italy

 

 

 

Bistecca Alla Griglia--Grilled Garlic-Herb Marinated Flat Iron Steak Garnished with Ragout of Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes, Olive Pesto, Arugula & Fingerling Potatoes Served in Barolo Wine Sauce paired with 2009 Benziger Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County

 

 

Crostata Di Fragole--Strawberry Galette Served with Vanilla Crème Fraiche paired with 2011 Bonterra Vineyards, Bartolucci Vineyard Late Harvest Muscat

2013 07 11

Spa Gaia

We had a gift certificate to the Gaia Spa in American Canyon. We tried to have massages a couple weeks ago but they screwed up on the reservations and couldn't accommodate us. We went back this weekend.

 

Spa Gaia is located at 3600 Broadway Street in American Canyon.  

 

It's located in a Doubletree Hotel with a pond, complete with swans, on the property.

 

We arrived 30 minutes before our appointment and had a nice soak in the outdoor Jacuzzi. Our massages were 50 minutes long and so relaxing. I wanted to do a steam bath but it took too long for it to heat up. They did have a nice shower with multiple jets.

 

 

 

2013 07 07

Barley & Hops, Occidental

We had lunch at Barley & Hops Tavern.

 

Barley & Hops is located at 3688 Bohemian Highway.

 

Bavarian Soft Pretzel with Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard--$4.50. This was a delicious homemade soft pretzel.

 

Fish & Chips--$14. Two large pieces of cod with a large serving of fries.

 

Three Little Pigs with Fries--$12.50. I upgraded to Brewhouse Fries--with Applewood smoked bacon and sharp cheddar for additional $2. The Three Little Pigs were pulled pork sliders doused with Carolina BBQ sauce and they were delicious. The fries were too much though.

2013 07 06