REVIEW on WEEK 4/MONTH 1

Monday
- Editting

Tuesday
- Playwriting Class

Wednesday
- IO West Improv

Thursday
- Cleaned Apt.
- FOH duties at Write Act

Friday
- Got a new sofabed from IKEA
- GREAT DAY - sold 4 items on Etsy!










Saturday
- MONTHLY 1 - HOUSEWARMING/SUPPER - TAPAS
What a success! There must've been about 50 people in attendance. I thought we'd be able to fit only 20 comfortably. But it wasn't that bad. It got pretty loud in there, but I think everyone was having a great time. We got a lot of compliments on the food, Deane's photo gallery, my jewelry and vintage items, our place, and "us"! It was such an ego-booster and we're so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. Thank you everyone who celebrated with us, for the extra food and gifts - so not necessary but greatly appreciated. I hope we get to have another get-together soon.

Now for the supper part of this review. The Spanish food seemed to be a hit! It was my first time making any of that food, but it all turned out pretty tasty, especially since I took the risk and liberty of improvising since we didn't have certain ingredients or kitchen "tools." Total time to make all of this before the party - 6 hours.
1. Zucchini Boats (veg/non-veg) - non-veg with salmon was excellent! - I fried the zucchini (instead of steamed them) before baking.
2. Asparagus with Honey and Red Wine - we didn't have sherry so I used week-old red wine and some sugar
3. Jalapeno Stuffed with Herbed Goat Cheese - I couldn't find "piquillo peppers" which is what the recipe called for, so I made my version of a jalapeno popper. Very spicy! And I LOVE goat cheese!
4. Potatoes (Bravas) with Spicy Tomato Sauce - This was actually my favorite dish of the night. Tonight I used the sauce for pizzas and made the best pizzas because of our yummy leftover dishes.
5. Carrots - tasty, though not a big hit. I think I used too much olive oil.
6. Arugula and Mixed Herb Salad with Pomegranate, Dates, and Crumbled Bleu Cheese - It called for Mesclun, which I couldn't find, figs instead of dates, and to crush the pomegranate in the dressing. The dressing was really good despite the pomegranate seeds.
7. Guacamole - my standard traditional. Deane's classmates went ballistic over it!
8. Bruschetta - another standard traditional. I'm surprised more people didn't go ballistic over this.
9. Fruit Salad (pineapple, mango, blackberry, honeydew, grapes...) - Thank you, mommy, for cutting up the fruit! She was such a great help in us finishing up in time!
10. Brownies - Ghiradelli brand. Can't go wrong. We didn't put the hot fudge over it though, but I don't like too-chocolatey especially if it doesn't have nuts or any other texture in there.
10.5 Apple-blackberry Pie - I only made the crust since people came bearing dessert. (More pie for me and Deane later!)

And Deane made the meat, of course, bacon! He made BLT skewers and bacon-wrapped dates, as well as BBQ beef skewers and his own secret recipe skewers. He also made the rum punch and sangria, which people were after all night. And of course beer and the grill. So when people came through the door, first thing I told them was to get a plate of food. First thing Deane helped them with was their drinks. We make a great team! :)

Sunday
- Santa Barbara - steel houses (beautiful! inspires me to become an architect... sorta)
- cleaned up from day before
- made the BEST PIZZA! - pita bread, arugula, goat cheese, mushroom, sausage