thanksgiving

Did you have a nice long Thanksgiving weekend?

Normally we head back to Wisconsin, but given that we had just seen the fam a few weeks ago for my sister's wedding (more details next week!), we opted to stay put this year.  While we were very sad to miss out on lots of fun family traditions, I wasn't too disappointed to miss out on traveling around the holidays.  While Samantha is a pretty easy babe to fly with, I do not miss the looks I get from fellow passengers when I come down the aisle as they pray we don't have the seat adjacent. :)

Despite the lack of family and good wintery weather, we tried to make the holiday as festive as possible to show Theresa what this essential American day is all about!  
Thanksgiving morning, we dolled our little princess up in cableknit for a day on the town.

First up was taking Theresa to our fav breakfast spot: La Boulange.

They were featuring free samples of their pumpkin creme fraiche tart and decadent pecan pie.  We took the general "take one" rule very loosely preparing the palate for our eggs.

Since we were headed to a friend's house for dinner, we didn't need to do any cooking and instead needed to pick up a spread of cheese and some good wine.  After brunch, we walked to Cole Valley to get our Thanksgiving contribution.  While Stefan made his selections from Say Cheese!, Theresa and I hung out with the babe in a nearby outdoor cafe.

By the time we got home from our walk, it was nearly 75  degrees (a full 20 degree differential from that AM - completely normal for this bipolar climate of ours), so we needed to do a little outfit change...

...and then take Theresa to tip her toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time:

After a long walk on the beach, we headed home to get dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner.

In the hustle and bustle of the evening (and wanting to savor every bite), I didn't have a second to snap a shot until dessert.

Arzimendi Pumpkin Cheesecake with freshly whipped cream.  Amazing.

We left all thoroughly full.  All in all, a wonderful day.

xoxo

KK

meet theresa!

Our Au Pair is here!

We had a wonderful weekend showing her around San Francisco as well as getting her up to speed on Samantha.

Since Theresa had spent the week at Au Pair Academy (not getting very much sleep as she learned baby CPR and other essential childcare tools), top priority was letting her get some rest and get over her jet lag.

We also had to hit up a San Francisco must-see:

The Golden Gate Bridge!

In addition, we gave her a lay of the land in Golden Gate Park - the gorgeous spread of greenery literally across the street from our place:

She'll be spending many-a-day walking and lounging and playing and picnic-ing with our little one there.

Most important was letting her get lots of time with Samantha so she felt comfortable doing full days with her this week.  But it didn't take long: Samantha immediately fell in love - taking a bottle from her with ease, falling asleep in her arms, and laughing at her hysterically (even in the evenings when she tends to not be her best self :).   

grocery shopping!

We're so excited to have such a wonderful new member to our family!

xoxo

KK

jackson fillmore

In life pre-baby, dinners out were a pretty regular occurrence.  One of our fav neighborhood spots was the lovely Jackson Fillmore - a no-frills Italian joint two blocks from our old abode.  We'd go there for a romantic dinner out, a casual Sunday evening supper, or even solo to sit at the bar if the other was traveling for work.  The crew there greeted us by name, knew our orders by heart, and always let us sample whatever wines they had open (and sometimes some they didn't).

But now we have this lady in the picture:

And dinners out don't happen quite as often.  That being said, we've tried to venture out whenever we can.

Not too long ago, we decided to head back to our old stomping ground to Jackson Fillmore. 

Unlike before when we gladly took a 9pm reservation or waited at the bar for a half hour while sipping the start of a bottle of wine, we opted for the early bird special: arriving promptly at 5:30pm.  I know, I know: we are so cool.

We were surprised by how many kids were there as well.  The table next to us featured a 1.5 year-old and a 3-year-old that happily banged their forks and knives while they waited for their bruschetta.

Oh how I had missed that on-the-house bruschetta.

We enjoyed our delicious meals (with wine on the house as a congrats on the new addition!) and were all done by 7pm sharp leaving us plenty of time to get some frozen yogurt for dessert.

While we may not be enjoying the splendors of Jackson Fillmore quite as much as we used, the reason is certainly worth the adjustment in plans.

xoxo

KK

last week

Apologies for the slow blogging start to this week.  It has been busy with some big updates and changes for the Fischer Family!  Stay tuned for more details soon. :)

My mom was in town last week and - per usual - we ended up with a jammed-packed schedule of lunches out with friends, dinners with family, baby yoga classes, and - most exciting (and exhausting!) - a mad hunt to find my brother Sam an apartment because (if you didn't hear the awesome news already) he is moving here!  We could not be more pumped to have Uncle Sam making a big west coast move!  

In our extreme busyness, I didn't have time to snap a single photo, but luckily, my mom's uber efficiency landed Sam a stellar spot in a brand new building in SOMA, not too far away from his office.  We're already hard at work thinking how to decorate it. :)

On Friday, we had the fabulous Charlotte and Scott MacKenzie and Scott's awesome mother Randy paying us a visit!  They were headed to a wedding in wine country but made a pit-stop here on their way up to say hello and meet little Samantha Charlotte, who gets her middle name from - you guessed it - said Charlotte.  We can only hope our little girl will have Char's sharp intellect, incredible athleticism, and big heart.

Charlotte and Scott were total naturals - holding and calming Samantha as though they'd known for decades.

While Samantha is getting a bit too big to lay nestled on my thighs, Scott's long legs served as a perfect perch for her that morning:

Equally comfortable was Charlotte's cozy shoulder:

While we were sad to see them go so quickly, luckily we get to see these two in just two weeks for my sister's wedding in Florida!  Lots of excitement to come these next few weeks.

xoxo

KK

sat night

This past Saturday night I left Stefan home with little Samantha to head up to sunny Healdsburg for a surprise 30th birthday party for the lovely Sarah Jenks.  While both Stefan and Samantha were invited to the soiree, we decided to spare Samantha the 2ish hour drive up and not subject the party guests to the distraction of a baby (no matter how adorable :).  Stefan sacrificed himself to stay home with his little lady while I got a night of luxury up in wine country.

For the big 3-0, Sarah's sweet (and sneaky!) husband had arranged for a private outdoor dinner among the grape vines at Kelley & Young Wines.  Not only did the guest list include 15 of her closest friends, her family also all flew in from out of town to surprise her.

We all gathered at the gorgeous Kelley & Young property around 5pm.

Every detail of the set-up was perfect, from the gorgeous setting to the lovely tablescape to the beautiful blooms.

While we waited for the guest of honor to arrive, we sipped on Sauvignon Blanc and munched on a spread of savory snacks, all prepared by the fabulous Claudine Dagit of Stilettos & Spice.

When Sarah finally arrived, she could NOT have been more surprised.  She immediately sprinted over to give everyone a big hug.

While I was enjoying this succulent menu:

Stefan was enjoying this one:

And while I was slowly dining on heirloom tomatoes,

fresh melon with Serrano ham,

tender flank steak with crispy potatoes, and - best of all - flourless chocolate cake with freshly whipped cream,

Stefan was slaving away at home - doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen, all while watching little Samantha. 

Totally and completely fair. :)

As much fun as I had getting spoiled up in Healdsburg, I couldn't wait to get back to my two favorite people.

(And my very clean kitchen.)

xoxo

KK 

a city hike

Sunday AM (post our 7+ course dinner) we opted to take Samantha for her very first hike.  Luckily, San Francisco is home to all sorts of scenic trails allowing you to enjoy nature's finest without needing to leave the city.  Stefan selected one of his fav marathon training routes (featuring stellar views of the Golden Gate) to show our special Swiss guests what our fine city has to offer.

We started on an old bunker right near the Golden Gate's city-side.

While the wind off the Pacific was chilly, Samantha was one happy little baby tucked away in her Solly wrap.

Stefan led us along the (very steep!) trail lining the Pacific.

While this trail was one I used to frequent on many-a-run pre-pregnancy, having not exercised whatsoever in 7 weeks thanks to my post-C-section rules, my legs were really feeling it.

But with good conversation and sensational views making the time pass by all too quickly, it wasn't long before the Golden Gate was far in the distance.

Our hike ended at the Cliff House where we refueled on their eggs and to-die-for signature popovers with butter and strawberry preserves.  Well-worth the tough trail!

from here

We had such a wonderful, jam-packed weekend of fun with these two, it was very hard to see them go!

Bis bald Nonno and Edith!

xoxo

KK

persimmons, husk cherries + cornmeal toast

On Saturday, we made a trip to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market.  We used to frequent this hot spot regularly, but with the move and work schedules and Samantha, it had been ages since we'd pay it a visit.  While I'd like to say my motivation in going there was completely altruistic (wanting to show our guests a San Francisco staple), it was actually quite selfish: with persimmon season starting any day now, I was hoping I might be able to nab some of these prized jewels.

Fortunately, I was in luck.

While the market didn't have the plethora of varieties I was hoping for, there was one stand that was rocking some coveted first-of-the-season Hachiyas.  I obviously couldn't leave without some.  

In addition to the persimmons and some super sweet summer peaches, we got another farmer's market favorite of mine: Juju Bes.

While Nonno and I have similar tastes in most things (strawberry jam by the spoonful, mushrooms with just about anything, and arriving early to all things), he was NOT a fan of these little treats.

We I did lots of sampling of all things.  Our very polite Swiss guests opted to mostly just look rather take advantage of the free food.  

I, on the other hand, nabbed every giveaway I could get my hands on, which equated to about 2.5 times a normal person's lunch.

Free samples?

Yes please!

We also stumbled upon a fruit I had never seen before:

husk or ground cherries

Thinking this would be the first and last time I saw these weird-looking snacks, I obviously opted to sample.  They did not disappoint.

Later that night we took Edith and Urs out to Michelin-starred restaurant Sons & Daughters as a 60th birthday present to Stefan's dad.  We did the restaurant's seven-course dinner with wine pairings, and lo and behold, not one but two courses featured these exact same mystery fruits!  We had a heirloom tomato soup with basil creme and ground cherries to start and then candied versions of the special fruit as an extra finale post final course.

In addition to our 7 courses, we got three amazing bread courses: a mini caraway rye loaf, handmade pretzel rolls, and - my personal favorite - cornmeal toast:

We had such a wonderful time wining and dining and chatting, before we knew it, it was midnight!  Always the sign of a fabulous evening.

Tune back in tomorrow for how we worked off our very decadent Saturday night!

xoxo

KK