Retirement for Donna & St Paddy's Day

Last week, my good friend Donna retired after 35+ years at Arrowhead (now Nestle) Water.  We worked together for many years but my last two years we traveled and worked closely to ghether learning and doing SAP training.  Two great things about working with Donna were these; she loved to eat great food and she loved to drink good wine.  Maybe not in that order, but you get the drift.  Me going to culinary school and writing about it was like her going to wine appreciation school, and...drinking the wine.  Her party was at the venerable steak house called Dal Rae's in Whittier, Ca.  An old-school place with red naugahyde booths and great martini's.   Filet with peppercorns, huge baked potato and green beans actually cooked perfectly.  Donna's husband, also named Tom, works for Chimney Rock Winery in Napa and brought the wine.  Also on the menu were two other items, a Baked Sea Bass and a Salmon dish.  I always find it curious when people order seafood at a steak place and visa versa.  Why?

Saturday night was the Orange Country Fire Authority's annual St. Patrick's Day party featuring their Pipe and Drum Corp.  Four other pipes and drummers from Cleveland, Boston, NY and Tacoma, Wa, plus Irish Dancers and Finnians Irish Rock Band.  All we needed was Bono to show up.  Corn Beef and Cabbage plus free beer supplied by (what-else?) Firehouse Brewery.  Lets see, bagpipes, free food (with a donation), drums, dancing, music and free alcohol.  A firefighter's dream come true.  Had their been a fire in the kitchen, it would have been nirvana for them brave and fun people.

Mi familia.