TSC, Vol. 10: a June recap and a perfect summer dinner party menu
...that I can't take credit for
As I shared in an earlier letter, our June was record breaking in terms of trips taken, house guests hosted and nights spent at home just the three of us (a scant FIVE). We made it through to the finish line and by the time you read this, will have hopefully shaken the jet lag (firmly team #jetlagisachoice but my body doesn’t always agree) and settled back into an easy routine with lots of fun memories in tow. Luke and I leave again in less than three weeks (yes, we’re insane) so we’re determined to slow the pace down, do a whole lot of nothing these next few weeks and soak up some San Diego summer in the process.
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Here’s how the past month went down…
We kicked off June by saying goodbye to our friends and business partners from New Zealand and jetting off to Cabo with two other families. I wrote a bit about one of our Cabo outings a few weeks ago.



^^ more deets on my favorite swimwear brand, including my cute orange bikini, in Volume 5!
Once we got back from Cabo we had a brief respite before one of my best friends Erin and her partner, Duda came into town for the weekend. We went to the San Diego Wave game on Friday night and on Saturday the four of us co-hosted a summer dinner party at ours for a gaggle of mutual friends. It was really lovely night and an even lovelier group - some friends who live in San Diego and some who were also visiting that I hadn’t seen since high school.
Since I knew my plate was going to feel full already, I asked Erin to take charge of the menu and told her I’d sous chef. Erin being Erin, she hit it out of the park. Here’s what we served…
WELCOME DRINK
Matadors… Erin had been craving this take on a spicy margarita with melon, fresno chiles and habanero bitters she’d had at Apotheke - a superior cocktail bar with locations in NYC and LA - and they were sooooo good (Duda nailed them!). Just the fresh, juicy, spicy thing to kick off a summer evening.
APPS
Erin put out some radishes with softened butter & flaky lemon salt and our friends brought a seven layer dip! I had almost forgotten just how damn good a SLD can be… will be making the recipe they used again ASAP.
MAINS
Molly Baz’ Caesar Pasta Salad & Ranchy Grilled Chicken with some blanched and sautéed snap peas on the side, a couple of expert picks by Chef E-Doggy, as per usual.
SWEET
Caramelized Farmers Market Fruit Tart Erin put me on dessert so I had to bring it. I used plums & blackberries Erin and Duda grabbed me at the farmers market and added an off the cuff sour cream icing drizzle! Our oven with a mind of it’s own (stay away from GE Café appliances, if you’re thinking about it) took the opportunity to get sketchy so I burned the top slightly but everyone
liedsaid it was still delightful.









table scape details made an appearance in Volume 5, here!
Erin and I joked recently that she’s been mentioned, either directly or indirectly, in some way in every single issue of The Sunday Club. I don’t see that changing anytime soon lol so hopefully you enjoy getting to know her better! 🥰😆

After saying goodbye to Erin & Duda on Sunday, we had one night to reset before Luke’s mom, Marcia and her partner, Stewart came to town the following day from New Zealand. Ada was so happy to be reunited with “Munga” as she calls her… we took it easy since it was the beginning of a new week… had a couple of relaxed dinners at home and took them to the Yacht Club one night.
To break up their trip Marcia and Stewart popped over to one of their favorite places in the States, New Orleans, for a few days which meant the guest quarters were free for my dad to drop in for a couple of nights and get some Ada time. He even did swim class!


After my dad left we had a lovely Father’s Day weekend at home just the three of us. Luke played a round at Torrey AND we managed to sneak out for a date a night on Saturday night. On Sunday I made homemade pastries in the morning (there is no limit to what store bought puff pastry can do with a little imagination) to share before we took a biiiiig family walk along Sunset Cliffs. We came home, put Ada down for a nap and I made Luke’s favorite easy weekend lunch - grilled hotdogs with all the fixings… sautéed peppers and onions, so many types of mustard for Luke and some Kewpie and a thick slice of Pepper Jack melted on top for me. When Ada woke up we went to the Yacht Club for some margs and a swim in the pool. Then it was back home to shower, chill and whip up Steak frites for dinner. Luke grilled and I put frozen waffle fries in the air fryer lol. I did contribute a delicious peppercorn mushroom sauce though.



After a really fun Father’s Day, we had double house guests showing up the following day. First was my 88 year old grandmother, Alma Dell aka Mae Mae (Ada’s only living great grandparent!) all the way from Florida. We love having her. She’s southern to her core! So sharp and witty and has the most incredible stories. Her memory is astonishing. She also always brings me a few of her old Junior League cookbooks from her time living in Mississippi and Alabama. The recipes are so funny and interesting to look through.



Then later that evening Marcia and Stewart returned from Nola. As if hosting and entertaining four generations for the better part of a week wasn’t exciting enough, Luke thought it’d be a good time to schedule a business trip to Austin 🙃. Nonetheless, we all had a great, albeit slightly hectic week considering I had to get Ada and I packed for our trip we were leaving for on the Friday. We took it pretty easy and just cooked at home, took Ada to the Aquarium one day and ordered pizza to eat outside on the deck one night.









Luke came back Wednesday late afternoon and we said goodbye to my grandmother Thursday morning. Then it was crunch time to get everyone packed and ready for Ireland. If you’re exhausted just reading this, I’m right there with you. 🫠


Next stop was SAN —> LHR —> ORK —> Kenmare, Ireland. A recap of our time in Ireland coming in another letter soon!
Trying out *rapid fire* fun stuff this week! LMK if you like it 🥰 —>
…and now in my closet 😍: these sweet-hued - yet with an edge - barrel-leg jeans (color is “subtle blossom”)
🤔👧🏼😭 …how crazy it is that Ada turns two in October and will be starting three half days a week at a little preschool in just a few months!
📺📚🎧…S2 of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on Netflix (S1 was better imo) and The Bear S4 on Hulu (only 1 ep in so far).
I also listened to my last 831 Stories romance on the plane home from London. My favorite of the first four was Hardly Strangers with Set Piece and Big Fan tied for second. Comedic Timing was a miss for me. Looking forward to diving into Square Waves next! If you’re not familiar, 831 Stories publishes bite-size romance novels that can easily be read in one or two sittings yet still feel incredibly real and pack both character depth and steam/spice!
🍣🥢🇯🇵 Considering she’s already better at using chopsticks than I am and can get down on a sashimi plate (much to our financial horror), I really want to take Ada to Japan in late September or early October before she turns two and is no longer a lap infant… I’ll be quietly scheming for now. We have a direct San Diego —> Narita flight so it almost feels rude not to?


🎀🍷💗 This ridiculously affordable rose from Trader Joe’s - Carayon La Rosé from Dulong in Languedoc - has been on repeat at our house lately… I buy it buy the case. At $6 per bottle it’s a steal for the quality. It’s also both southern grandmother and mother-in-law approved. <3
🌞👗🎀 This new-ish nap dress in a charming toile print (Ellie in Navy Mariner’s Toile) came in so handy on our trip. London was capital H Hot… I attempted a couple cute outfits but ended up throwing this on come 2 pm every day.
See you next Sunday. Hope you’re having a fun & festive Independence Day weekend! Xx, LKJ
some housekeeping:
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