Mother's Day Archives - Good For Spooning

I know I have been a bit lazy lately and I apologize to all of you. Things have been chaotic to say the least, and when I looked at the last time I posted, I couldn’t believe how much time had passed! Time really does fly and a graduation drove it home to me recently.

The Graduate and the proud parents! It seems like yesterday that we were at the Kindergarten Graduation!

My only child’s college graduation from Northern Arizona University (NAU) was May 13th. It seems like just last week I was freaking out about putting him on the school bus to go to kindergarten; like yesterday I was dropping him off for his freshman year at NAU and crying all the way to Kingman after I left him. Where does the time go? When I think of all the meals I have cooked, eaten or participated in over the past few years…then realizing my son will be a teacher helping others just months after he was a student…I just have to pause. And breathe. And relish the fact that he has grown into a fine human.

And when there is a graduation, of course there are celebrations involved!

A fantastic family dinner at Brix in Flagstaff started off the weekend. If you get the chance to dine there, I highly encourage you to make a reservation; they are always packed and the food is great.

Chocolate Pot au Creme as done by Brix in Flagstaff.

Duck breast as done by Brix, Flagstaff

And then there was the party after the ceremony at our home.

Fifty people joined us to celebrate. Thankfully I have talented friends who lovingly helped prepare the meal. Friend and Chef Beni Velazquez shared his paella recipe which I prepped and he prepared in a huge pan in the back yard. Dad manned the Big Green Egg to cook up the chicken. Chef Mike Minor brought some of his kick ass BBQ sauce for the pulled pork sandwiches I prepared. Hubby cooked up a ton of corn on the cob and brewed a special batch of chocolate milk stout, and several friends brought salads to round out the buffet. While I ran around, pal Byron (the gem responsible for my logo) took tons of pics to help us remember the day. Because, as I said, Time Flies and the day was a veritable BLUR!

Dad manning the chicken station, aka the Big Green Egg. He’s still trying to figure out how to steal mine…not happening.

Chef Beni Velazquez at the 3 foot Paella pan in my backyard. Thanks to SIL Gretchen for this pic!

Watching my son being at the “Grown Ups’ Table” with his friends and our family friends was amazing. I know he has been sitting with the Grown Ups for some time, but something about watching him get that diploma and knowing the changes that await him over the next year is astounding.

Add to all of that, my Mom was with me for nearly a month. It went by in the blink of an eye. I don’t get to see her that often or anywhere near as often as I would like, so I truly enjoyed the time with her.

We spent Mother’s Day together for the first time in more than 25 years and celebrated with a brunch at STK.

We spent Mother’s Day together for the first time in more than 25 years!

My fave appetizer right now, steak tartare as done by STK here in Vegas

I know that I lead a strange and wonderful life and I am truly grateful for it. EVERY single day. My biggest challenge is that I need to slow down, enjoy the days more and embrace the weirdness.

There are big changes coming soon and of course I will share all of that here with all of you as they unfold. And I promise to be more consistent at posting this blog.

May has been a study in contrasts for me so far here is the breakdown, the good, the bad and the ugly.

The first weekend was a successfully executed pub crawl and surprise party for the hubby’s 50^th birthday. Two full days, more than 50 people, 7 venues – including my home – 2 dinners, goody bags, airport runs on the sly and with just a few hiccups, it ran beautifully. With all the moving parts required to pull this off only one venue was a disappointment. We didn’t allow that one bump in the road to mar the event. The hubby was thrilled and a good time was had by all! Mission accomplished!

John with a bevy of beauties at his Party. Photo courtesy Gonzo Greg Spillane of Gonzo.fm. I have NO IDEA where I was when this was being taken! At Atomic Liquors.

Last weekend was arguably one of the biggest foodie events in Vegas – Bon Appetit’s Vegas Uncork’d. In the past few years I have worked the Grand Tasting event for Texas Pete Hot Sauce. Because they elected not to attend this year, I had the opportunity to attend as a guest. All things considered, I prefer working it to attending it. When you work the event you are there early and leave late. Because I am not an A list journalist or other celeb hot shot, I didn’t get early admission this year and entered with the GA tickets. All I can say was that it was over sold. At $225 per head, we could barely squeeze thru some of the areas and getting food at some of the booths was nearly impossible. Bonus – I had a great conversation with Bruce Bromberg of Brooklyn Bowl and Blue Ribbon Sushi. John and I both agreed that we’d rather spend money on the smaller, individual events (like the Master Series Dinners) next year and that we won’t attend unless we are comped or get early admission. Highlight bite of the night? Foie gras macarrons at Michael Mina’s booth.

Lee’s Liquor Beer & Tequila tasting event was something altogether different! A really well laid out floor plan allowed for maximum traffic flow so we were able to try everything we wanted without missing anything. Friendly vendors, live music and a fun crowd at an affordable ticket price made the whole event a winner. Of course there was no FOOD, but that was remedied with a cab ride. We did this as a Girls Night Out and I am so glad we did.

A quartet of buds out for a Girls’ Night Out to celebrate Mother’s Day

Despite disappointing bland dishes, brunch on Mother’s day with friend Lillian and her family was fantastic. It was more about the company than it was about the food. Bottomless Bloody Marys for the Moms and great conversation with fantastic service was just what the doctor ordered!

Vic Vegas hosted a viewing party for his appearance on Bar Rescue and I was honored to be on the friends and family list. He is a charming host and a lovely person. Hanging out with peeps I enjoy in a venue with a breathtaking view was the perfect cap to my Mother’s Day weekend.