From the very beginning of my blog you read about Tom who was a pseudo Dad/Uncle for me growing up and one of my biggest food influences. Well several months ago I approached him about letting me write his cookbook and I was thrilled and amazed when he said "yes." And tonight marks the day that we started...after months of procrastination, busy schedules and facing my fears of doing something new we sat down with a FaceTime connection and he started telling me his story. The book will be about his cooking legacy, his family and their influence and of course his amazing recipes. I am so honored and excited to be the storyteller behind this endeavor and so thrilled to be working with an amazing chef and mentor. I can only hope that I can bring his family to life on paper and do them the justice they deserve in print. Tom, cheers to us!!!

So as many of you know I haven't done much cooking this week because I was traveling. However, if you are in the Sacramento area I do have a restaurant recommendation and if you want an amazing wine suggestion I do have one of those as well. Plus....oh yes there is more...I do have a recipe for a super easy week night meal and a good cookie recipe.



Lets start with the important things first-wine. If you are a fan of Cabernet Sauvignon you definitely need to try Nickel and Nickel. It is a Napa Valley cab and it truly is one of the smoothest cabs I have ever had. Very fruit forward and not dry like a lot of cabs are...not cheap either...but well worth the price.



Now if you are in the Sacramento area you definitely need to try Dawson's. It is the restaurant inside the Downtown Hyatt...great hotel by the way with an amazing view of the capital....but seriously the restaurant has the best oysters on the half shell I have ever had. Yes, they are raw oysters which I tend to either love or hate and these I loved. They have a soy and sherry sauce and they are served with cilantro and caviar...amazing flavor and very fresh!!! The rest of their food is good too but the oysters were by far a shining star...so much so that I had them 2 nights in a row and as you know I don't eat anything two nights in a row.

And I apologize now as I didn't take any pictures of this Sesame Chicken Salad...probably because I stepped off the plane from Sacramento and I was so excited to see my best friend after 3 long days that all I could focus on was her. But this recipe is super easy, has a ton of flavor and takes absolutely no time at all to prepare. I used rotisserie chicken which even cut down on more time. I also bought carrot sticks and then just chopped them to save time. The dressing is not too over powering but has a great contrast between the peanut butter, vinegar and sesame oil. Very yum!