I was so excited to post about everything fall. However, I am taking a pause because this week (Week of October 12) is not going to feel like fall in the Bay Area. We are about to experience another heat wave! I will resume posting about fall until the weather feels cozy again. I will take this moment instead to look back at September and remember all the blessings of this month.

To say that September has been a strange month would be the understatement of the year! September 9 will be remembered as the day that the sun forgot to shine. San Francisco Bay Area woke up to ORANGE SKY! It was dark all day long. 12 noon looked like 9 o’ clock at night. This day would probably go down as one of the strangest days in the Bay Area history. It was said that this phenomenon has not happened before. It felt as if I lived in a Science Fiction movie on that day, or I was whisked away to a real life episode of Twilight Zone. (Well, I guess we can fairly say that 2020 feels like Sci Fi!) The orange sky was caused sadly by smokes from the wild fires that consumed many parts of Northern California mixed in with the fog. For days we had our windows closed and could not get out because of the hazardous air quality. Coupled with the pandemic, these are strange days indeed.

Now that I got those strange phenomena out of the way, there were many happy memories this month that brought joy to our hearts filled with sadness because of the news of the devastating wild fires.

BFF GET TOGETHER & BELATED CELEBRATION

It was such a beautiful and special day. This day was the first time we had a sit down get together for a drink in 6 months! I was apprehensive at first but it was outdoors at the San Francisco Ferry Building and the tables were spaced very widely apart from one another. It was a celebration of sorts — of being able to go out, share a meal and let all the pent up feelings out about the pandemic, wild fires, social injustices, fears, etc. She treated us to a bottle of bubbly. We also had Argentinian empanadas from El Porteno. There was a DJ that played music while the Bay Bridge was our majestic backdraft.

She also surprised me with my belated birthday celebration. It has been a tradition in our friendship to do a much later birthday celebration on purpose when all the pressures to party are gone. Ha! Ha! So I had a February birthday in September which was really awesome. And of course, she never fails to spoil me with super-thoughtful presents! I love each one of them.

She also treated me and Mr Sweetie to a box of delicious pastries from Salted Rye. Mr Sweetie and I met the baker at a park not far from the house to pick up the pastries. (Home cooked meals and pastries for delivery and pick-up are the rave in the Bay Area nowadays during lockdown.)It was a nice excuse to leave the house on a Saturday. We stayed in our car while we drove around and enviously watched people at the Saturday farmers market, out shopping and having meals. Ninety nine percent of the people we saw were wearing masks but we just cannot do it. We still do not feel comfortable to be out and about to this day. However, the pastries were delicious!

FAMILY SUNDAY

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I had a very delicious Sunday lunch with my family after online church. Afterwards, I had fun making ube (purple yam) waffles with my nephews. Everyone loved the waffles from Trader Joe’s — even my sister and brother-in-law. It was a lovely day and as always, I went home with lots of home cooked dishes and goodies from my sister.

LABOR DAY

Labor Day Monday was uneventful for me and Mr Sweetie. We stayed home eating the goodies given to me by my family and BFF while watching our shows.

NEWS FROM MY KITCHEN

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I have not been as prolific in my kitchen unlike last month. Maybe because I have been so well-fed by my family, BFF and Mr Sweetie. I managed to try new recipes though such as Beer Bread and Sweet Soy Chicken. I will post the recipe for Sweet Soy Chicken next time. Check out the yummy pictures and recipe of Cheese Beer Bread here.

DATE NIGHT DINNER DELIVERY

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We continue to have our Saturday dinners delivered. Once in a while Mr Sweetie would order during some random days like the Southern soul food that he ordered on a Sunday. Of course, I am always in foodie heaven whenever he does this!

• Chicken sandwich (mine), hotdog and onion rings (his) from Bunz (Berkeley).
• Southern soul food from Lois the Pie Queen. Mr Sweetie ordered gumbo and sweet potato pie for me but he was really after the lemon refrigerator pie and peach pie. LOL! Lois the Pie Queen is an Oakland institution and family restaurant that has been around for 50 years. I am glad that they are surviving during these difficult times.
• Ike’s Sandwiches — Funny story: Ike is a local San Francisco celebrity. When Ike’s was featured on Man vs Food in 2013, Mr Sweetie and I drove to SF and waited for the Kryptonite which Mr Sweetie lusted after. Ike himself came out and hand delivered the sandwiches to us and talked to us for a minute. Mr Sweetie was starstruck! LOL! Now Ike’s is a chain with 55 stores all over the US. It is not what it used to be. The local, small shop feel is gone but we have fond foodies memories!
• Beignets from Brenda’s French Soul Food — As always, those beignets whether plain or filled with either chocolate, apples or crawfish and cheese are our guiltiest pleasures!

MORE YUMMY TREATS

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Aside from what all the deliciousness that I already mentioned, I enjoyed Filipino Cheesebread and Ube Cake from my sister and Filipino tamales from BFF which I cannot remember the last time I had it! It must have been years and I miss this Filipino delicacy so much!

FALL IS HERE!

Fall officially arrived on September 22. Weather was cool then got hot and summer-like again. I have finally accepted that fall is Bay Area’s summer. Our summer in San Francisco is often mild sometimes even cold. Come September, it gets hot first before it gets very cold. I vow to celebrate fall even if it is not fall feels yet. People closest to me know how much I love, love fall!

Fall means “everything pumpkin haul” at Trader Joe’s, decorating my house with fall and Halloween decors and cozy Halloween reads. I am excited to take photos of fall and write about my most favorite season!

WHAT I AM GRATEFUL FOR

There are so much to be grateful this month. The sun shined again, the wildfires were extinguished despite the magnitude of devastation and once again we breathe clean and fresh air. We take these things for granted until we have a taste of what it felt like to not have light, air and safety. I am very grateful for the blessings of my family and that includes Mr Sweetie, of course, my sister, nephews and brother in law. I am blessed by my BFF’s friendship with her generosity and thoughtfulness. I am grateful for abundance of food and opportunity to share them with others. And I am very thankful for the arrival of fall which is a good reminder to slow down, embrace simple joys and count the blessings of harvest and provision. All these gratitude, I offer to God who is unwavering in His love during these very discouraging times.

Goodbye, Summer. Hello, Fall!