All quiet on the Midwestern-front today. Tired people in this house. John briefly napped, I seriously napped, it was awesome. We had a nice little brunch, broiled crab salad sandwiches. We had ours sans egg but they're mighty tasty with an over-easy egg on top, I must say. (Recipe posted in comments, below.) Add a glass of champagne if you like - NICE!

And for dinner, potage Parmentier, or leek and potato soup (recipe already listed, at right). I pureed it with a bit of creme fraiche this time, because I had it, and I lurve it. Outstanding. Simple. Filling. Healthy. Warm - and on a Sunday like this, that's important. Wet and chilly out there, my friends, a Wuthering Heights sort of wet, blustery, chilly. No moors, no Cathy, no Heathcliff (thank goodness), just...shitty weather. Perhaps I'll rock a smallish piece of warm apple pie later. Yeah, baby, that's the way to wrap up a cold, wet weekend in style. Comfort. Food. Back to my book (Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles), under a blanket, to read by candlelight. Just kidding. Sort of.

Today I’ll be brewing up a big batch of Boy Soup… Nine 10-year old boys will soon be here, swimming, despite pouring rain and a high, if we’re lucky, of 55 degrees. Ack! But as all the parents agreed, the boys don’t give a hoot about the weather, so in they’ll go! The heat’s cranked up (the pool is actually steaming, ha) so I predict they’ll not want to get out once they’re in. As I said, Boy Soup. With a little pizza on the side, and apple pie with caramel ice cream for dessert! Woo hoo!

Boy Soup!

Oh, boy oh boy oh boy. Baye. Thomas. Nick. Tommy. Carter. Alex. Noah. Wyatt. And Nathan, of course. Total wildness and lots of fun here today. Freezing cold, but the boys swam anyhow and did some jumping in the jumpy-thingy we rented, although they mostly used it as a sort of slip-n-slide (it was soaking wet inside) until they were freezing, and then they jumped back into the warm, steamy pool. Then into the house for a dry off, pizza, and the loudest burps you have ever heard. As (daddy) Carter said, they were chunky. Ewww. And then downstairs to play "humans and cannibals" until the end of the party. I wish I had their energy, it's pretty incredible. I frankly can't remember the last time I chose to run everywhere I went. Or jump down six stairs at a time. Or crawl across an entire room, moaning, "I'm dead, I'm dead." Or make a weapon out of every spare stick around the house (actually, I've never done that).

We got the most generous donations for the Humane Society (in lieu of gifts). Treats, food, toys...and hilariously, gerbil yogurt chips! Love that. Nathan and I will take them over after school one day this week. Very fun.

All in all, despite the unbelievably horrible weather, it was a blast. We're all so wiped out! Bedtime! Oh, wait, it's only 7 pm. Well, bedtime soon.

And Happy Birthday Michael!! (Otherwise known as Big Mike, son of my aunt Mary, and newly-wed to Amanda... Your first birthday as a married man - woo hoo!)

Stacey? Stephanie? Sheesh, we've always looked like each other, but going through these photos yesterday it did hit me that there's no doubt we're related. Ha. And that's an honor for me, let me tell you. I don't have Stacey's cheekbones, unfortunately, or cool arched eyebrows. Or slim hips. Those she got from our mom. It would be fun if Cooper and Nathan end up looking like each other too!

Speaking of Nathan (sort of), tomorrow is his birthday, the big 1-0. How can it be that he's a decade old? It seems like just yesterday he was in diapers, like Cooper. I have to say, I love age almost-10, I love our conversations and his outlook on the world. I love the ability to communicate on such a meaningful level. I treasure it. In truth, all the ages are amazing. (I know, I know, my friends with teenagers are thinking, check back in four years, you naive, foolish idiot, ha.) Ah, I wipe a little tear from my cheek. Sniffle. My child grows toward adulthood, I approach 40, and life goes on...

So! Whew! What for dinner?! Even if we're all growing old(er), we must eat. We must soldier on, with small pleasures in our days, if we're lucky. A laugh here, a sniff of something wonderful there, the feel of the sun, and a glass of wine. Or beer, tonight it's beer. (And the feel of rain, not sun; it's rained all damn day.) And, I think, something Mexican, again. I've lit that particular fire and it still burns. John and A will eat out tonight, as is their Friday-night special, so I will dine alone. On...quesadillas, I think. It's tough, without an avocado, it is. But again, even without avocado, we must soldier on. With sour cream, and hot chiles, and Monterey Jack cheese...

OK, I didn't have a quesadilla, I went even easier, and had chilaquiles. Basically, crunchy tortilla chips layered with a bit of cheese, perhaps chicken, smothered in sauce and a hint of cream and heated until the chips are softened. It is, in a word, kill. Mexican comfort food. And in my version, which is like the fast-food version of relatively fast food, it takes about, oh, 3 minutes to make yourself a hot, spicy - kill! - dinner. Relatively moderate too, as far as Mexican can go. Would have taken a pic, but I ate it too damn fast... (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

La, la, lovely! Oh, Spring, sigh. After I showered, I gave myself a spritz of Frederic Malle En Passant (lilac, heavenly scent) and a dab of Christian Dior Diorissimo (the classic, lily of the valley, also heavenly). Nothing over the top, but I do smell girlie and like spring, sitting here in my office. As Suz would say, NICE.

And I'll get to hear her say it aplenty tonight...And Kim say "fo sho", which sends me into fits of giggles every time I hear it... Feminine Hijinx (come hang out at their pad!), Feminine Hijinx (they're spot on!), just go with the flow, you can't say no, to Feminine Hijinx! If you've listened to our podcast, you've heard that insanely catchy tune (even John walks around singing it), written and played/sung by Suz, by the way. Can't wait! I'm in the mood for wine and naughty talk with the minxes - woo hoo! I have a small surprise to spring on them tonight, heh, heh, heh... I'll report tomorrow... Ooooh, a mystery!

Ch, ch, chicken tonight, crispy, quick oven-roasted chicken (recipe at right). Rice. (As I often point out, lots of chicken and rice consumed in this household - it's a Levy thing; but I go with it.) Sauteed vegetables. I think I'll do curry in the veg again, I really enjoyed it when last I stirred up a batch. (I'll post a recipe for it in comments, below.) Particularly good with rice, which is nice because I don't create a sauce from this particular chicken recipe. I certainly could, you do end up with lots of gorgeous crusty brown drippings in the pan. It's a nod to moderation, I suppose - I eat 100%+ of the crackly, crunchy, salty skin, baby, so the trade-off is no sauce. That way I can put down my fork feeling satisified, happy even, but not ill. Moderation. Right.

I'll choose to call this morning crisp, not chilly, given it's pleasantly sunny and green. I'll not deign to call it glorious, however. Oh, wait, that's right, I'm supposed to not tempt the weather gods. Then I take it back, I take it back immediately. A glorious morning, quite worthy of praise. (And it is, in all seriousness; despite my chilly, bumbling-as-I-type fingers, I actually feel my oats on a sunny, crisp - not frigid, mind you, just crisp - day, whereas I wilt and suffer on a hot, sultry one.) How high maintenance am I? Cool, not cold; warm, not hot; delicious, not decadent; reserved, not repressed; assertive, not aggressive. On and on and on. If aiming for moderation in all things makes one high maintenance, then that's what I am, I guess, even though high maintenance people (bitches AND bastards) send me. Get over yourself! (Says The High Maintenance Moderate Epicurean. Ha.)

Groceries. Laundry. Cleaning. Cooking. An exercise in housewifery is required of me today. An exercise of the body is as well, I'd say a crisp day such as this calls for a stroll around the 'hood.

(My apologies, Honey, I just ate the leftover quiche for lunch. I usually leave quiche/frittata/omelet/souffle-type leftovers for John, but I could not resist. With a teeny bit of creme fraiche. And half of a Bay's English muffin. Prrrrr...)

Oooh, not a date-night dinner tonight, ha. I made chicken tortillas and ate them with raw onions and raw jalapenos, my mouth is still afire and it was utterly worth it. Mmmm... Sometimes you just need that Mexican fix. And this way it was relatively healthy vs. the calorie-bomb-Mexican I also enjoy/crave (you know, beef burrito, smothered in red gravy and cheese; or the more authentic route, carnitas, tamales, sopas. Love it all.) I whipped up a simple chile sauce (see my spicy beans recipe - same idea, onion, garlic, various chili powders, water, salt, thickened with masa; it's a gravy, basically) and stirred in bite-sized pieces of chicken, pulled from a butter-tender deli rotisserie bird. Served in warm, soft tortillas (for Nathan) or on top of a crispy, corn tortilla (for me; I didn't make home-made tonight, those are hands down the best, however; again, see my spicy beans recipe). Garnished with, as I said, raw onion and jalapeno, plus lettuce, tomato, and slices of cool, creamy avocado. No cheese needed, not with the avocado. Ahhvocadohhhh. Mui bueno!

Going a little truffle this evening, heh, heh, heh. Just John and me, our usual Monday evening, and I'm itching to cook after a weekend of eating out. And I have this jar of white truffles, from Zabar's, calling my name... I know, it's nothing like having a fresh white (or black) truffle, I've had the real thing and it is truly intoxicating. (I plan on securing a purchase of even a small piece this fall. Always intend to, never quite nail it down, however...) But I'm hoping the jarred version will give more than a hint of true truffliness, so we're having truffles two ways, both simple, both small. A crustless leek "quiche" first course, garnished with...shaved truffle. And then a simple pasta second course, angel hair finished with a smidge of cooking liquid, butter, tossed with...diced truffle. I'll let you know how it goes... I figure even if I don't capture much truffle flavor, there's not a thing about leeks, eggs, or angel hair that sucks, so we should be golden.

Well, "little" ended up being the operating word. As in little, to no, truffle flavor. As in truffle muffle. Darn. I should have known, but hope springs eternal when it comes to truffles... I'd say you get a smidge more truffle flavor from the $7.00 D'Artignan truffle butter available at Byerly's and lots of gourmet food shops. Sigh. However, I hit on a fabulous little egg dish, very moderate but oh-so-decadent tasting. Crustless leek "quiche," made glorious with no more than a last-minute topping of 1 tsp. of creme fraiche per serving. My god, it's incredible. (Now that's a recipe I'll post, in comments, below, even if I'm a bit saddened by my no-truffliness truffles. Boo.)

Happy Birthday Tom!

Today is John's little bro Tom's birthday. Tom has assigned military codenames for the people in his life. His wife Valerie is Whitewater. His son Cameron is The General. I'm Smoky, so named a couple of years ago while John and Tom were on the phone on a Saturday morning while I was making a little breakfast for John. Tom, like his brother, LOVES food, so he was asking detailed questions while John was raving about the "amazing meal" I was preparing, and how Tom would be so blown away by it. The conversation went something like this...
J: "So, Boo, the Steph-Monster is making me breakfast. Dude, she's making me a breakfast you would not believe..."
T: "What's she making you, Boo? A little somethin'? A little somethin'?"
J: "Not just a little somethin', Dude, it's a maj. She's doin' a maj. She's frying bacon..."
T, groaning: "Oh. My. God. She's making you bacon.."
J, laughing: "Dude, slow down, the bacon is not the point."
T: "Then what's the point? What's the point?"
J: "After she makes the bacon, she fries eggs in the bacon grease. In the bacon grease, Boo, it's a move, I'm tellin' you, it's a move."
T: "Slow down, soldier. Did you just say she fries the eggs in the bacon grease?"
J: "That's what I said, Boo, and it's fucking incredible, it makes the eggs kind of smoky..."
T: "Did you just say it makes the eggs smoky? Smoky! I'm calling the Steph-Monster Smoky from now on... She's Smo-kaaaaay... Smo-kaaaaay..."

And so I am. John and I have laughed so hard about that conversation because of how excited Tom got about the bacon, like that was the point of the story, when it was only the introduction to eggs fried in bacon grease, apparently a New Concept for New Yorkers. Oh, what they've been missing all these many years. Happy Birthday Tom!

Zabar's baby! Oh yeah, oh yeah. NY-deli feast tonight, arrived this a.m., to celebrate round II of John's birthday. Shrimp and lobster salads, H&H bagels, chive cream cheese, pastrami, corned beef, sour-dough rye, chocolate chip cookies. Basically, all of John's favs. And mine too - OMG, can't wait to sink my teeth into a warm pastrami on rye with Russian and a smidge of slaw. YES! I also bought a small jar of whole white truffles, to grate over softly scrambled eggs. Don't think we'll get to that tonight, though. We have to pace ourselves.

Moderation, Stephanie, moderation. Slow. Down. Take a few deep breaths. Savor. Enjoy. And then, stop. Remember?

And anyhow, I don't want to be stuffed and miserable, I've got to be spot-on for Hijinx with my minxes tonight! Woo hoo!

Happy Birthday Marge!

Pastrami paradise over here. Prrrr... We had a nice little second birthday celebration for John, with the kids. I made Kosher for Passover brownies for A, and they're incredible. As good as any brownie. The key is matzo cake meal, very easy to create tasty baked goods when you've got it. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

So I'm off to Suz's shortly, to tape a new episode of Feminine Hijinx! Woo hoo!

Happy Birthday to the most amazing husband in the whole world - J..O..H..N!!! Woo hoo! John. My John. My best friend. Best other things too, but never you mind about that. Unashamedly selfish and unendingly generous all at the same time - that's the key to his hilariously dichotomous core, that's his charm. That and his comfort with who he is - he doesn't get one bit wrapped up in worrying about what other people are thinking and I LOVE that about him, it's been a huge eye-opener for me. So, here's to John, probably on a conference call as I write this, not much birthday fun there. But I think he played basketball this morning (I slept through that, ha), and that's one thing he really wanted to do today. Another is have chicken and rice for dinner, so that's of course the plan. Oh, and have chocolate, I'll be working that in there too. Happy Birthday Honey! (I'm blowing you a kiss, in case you're wondering, what the..?)

And a fabulous and yummy lunch with my aunt Mary, at Beaujo's Wine Bar. Thank goodness my lovely aunts don't get their hair done in Willmar - I get to cash in on regular lunches, woo hoo! We had a nice, juicy Sauvignon Blanc with a delicious Greek sandwich - crusty bread, veggies, cheese, olive spread. A perfect lunch on yet another gorgeous, sunny day. Turns out Minnesota is the new California, have you heard?

On the way back to my car I bowed into Spirit for Kids and picked up a couple of insanely cute little things for the Coopmeister. That store is dangerous; as Stacey and I keep saying, thank goodness there aren't any little girls in our family. One could do serious damage to one's pocketbook in that place; everything is original, funky, and pricey.

Well, I'm off to pull together chicken and rice for Johnny's birthday din. Hmmm...what sauce? I'm incorporating the Cuban yellow rice I made on Sunday night, flavored with a hint of saffron. There's a bit of sherry in the rice also, I may go with a sherry pan sauce. Nice. That sounds nice. Roasted asparagus. Brownies for dessert. (I'll post recipes after I figure out exactly what I'm doing, in comments, below.)

Burgers. Beer. No Brownies, though. Hmmm. I know, Bed! Bed works, to keep my alliterative barbecue triumvirate in power... I won't be in bed while I consume burgers or beer, but soon thereafter, so I say it counts. Burgers. Beer. Bed. Have a good night yourself. (I'm rushing, back out onto the deck for yet another marvelous, golden evening.)

Oh. My. God. The burgers. Just unbelievably decadent and delicious. I added a bit of Swiss and sauteed mushrooms to mine, which made it amazing, but the test of a truly good burger is that it's good buck naked. This one would have been so. (Tips for a perfect burger in comments, below.)

Happy Bunny to You! One of the most entertaining Easter dinners I've experienced included a rendition of that song, sung to the dinner guests by one of my (to remain unnamed) friend's usually teetotaller mom, after half a glass of wine. To the tune of Happy Birthday. Oh, man, it was fabulous, I thought my friend and her dad (and I) would die laughing. Happy Bunny indeed. It was awesome.

We opened this day with Nathan's annual Easter egg hunt, here in the house. Less hilarious than a tipsy teetotaller, but adorable and fun. I'm kicking myself that I didn't store the eggs in the fridge so I could make egg salad today. Dumb. Oh well. It's not like I can't hard cook another bunch of eggs in no time and make egg salad anytime I want. It's just the idea of waste, I guess, bugs me.

Oh, speaking of bugs, we had a brief pause in the action for me to vacuum a spider off the ceiling. Lots of the the creepy little speedsters this time of year. Ick. Shiver. Ick. (Sorry for the visual, Suz.)

I shrugged off the heeby jeebies and turned to the refrigerator, where there awaited me cold mmmmmmmatzo balls. My favorite leftovers' breakfast. I had two, right out of the pan. With three strips of crispy Neuske bacon. Hey, not exactly Kosher(!), but I had to get the nod to pork in there on Easter Sunday, I'm not having ham today. In fact, we're having the mellowist of Easters, hangin' here at the hacienda with no plan at all. I, of all people, don't really dig Easter eats. I don't know. Not a ham lover. I'm much more into the Passover goodies, truth be told. Me and my matzo balls, that's a Happy Easter in my book. You enjoy whatever treats and traditions you're sharing today!

Bistec Cubano (Cuban steak with onions), yellow rice, and black beans for dinner (recipes posted in comments, below). With lots of fresh lime. Not particularly Easter-y, but de-li-cious! I powered up for cooking dinner by having a little late-afternoon nap, ahhh. Nice enough to grill the steak outside, although not quite warm enough to eat out there. That's OK. It's been an amazing week, couldn't ask for more.

I burned a stack of arugula in offering to the weather gods last night - you should all thank me, at least here in Minneapolis, because apparently they were pleased and bestowed upon us once again a stunning day. Arugula is their favorite. None of this lamb or first-born son stuff. Arugula, baby.

Sorry, a little spring silliness coursing through my veins. It's inevitable, when one longs for so long for spring, that when it arrives, there's a bit of a head rush involved. In fact, a full-body flush. It's marvelous and fabulous all at the same time. As a self-described sensualist, I know how to relish the sensual gifts of spring, the bombardment upon my being of sights, smells, sounds, textures, tastes...prrrrrr... (And I put tastes last! No!) Just to top things off, clean sheets last night, oh god, they felt so good. I slept like a rock.

(The picture of Cooper is here, well, because he's so darn cute. And, he's eating! Mmmm, breast milk... And so intently, I love that very serious look on his face while he eats. And John and A are going to visit him today, additional context. As if I need it! Cooper pictures are always welcome on my blog...)

So. Food and cooking today will revolve around Kosher for Passover fare, which I thoroughly enjoy. A keeps Kosher for Passover, and she's with us this weekend. I came up with a passable Passover Popover last year, I think I'll give those a go tonight. It's tempting to jump straight into latkes, though, I must say. I could make myself very happy with a dinner of popovers, matzo ball soup, and latkes. I won't do it though - yikes! That's definitely not moderate! (Recipes posted in comments, below.)

Oh, naughty, naughty, I did make matzo ball soup and latkes. No popovers, though, I did reign myself in, if only just a bit. The kids gave thumbs downs to my latkes - ! John and I scarfed them down, with creme fraiche no less. Man. They were pretty awesome. It could be they didn't like them fried in vegetable oil - no seed oils allowed. They did have a different texture than my usual hashbrowns. Could also be the touch of onion I put in them - I've always made them that way, but perhaps this year it didn't fly. Who knows? All I know is that I have matzo balls - in Kosher chicken broth - for breakfast tomorrow. Woo hoo! My fav. OK, now it's time to go color Easter eggs with Nathan. We cover all our bases in this house...

Lunch al fresco with Marge at the Good Earth today. Another glorious day here in Minnesota, as usual. Ha. Funny how easily arrogance settles in. No, I'm grateful, I'm grateful, I swear I'm grateful. I'm not attempting to tempt the weather gods, I'm no fool. I spent nine years of my life in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for (weather) gods' sake. No one from Grand Forks tempts the weather gods. I savored every balmy, honey-hued minute of this day, first on the patio of the Good Earth, chatting and laughing with Marge, who arrived looking fresh and hip and impossibly young with a new short haircut. I enjoyed a cup of carrot soup and half of a veggie sandwich, packed with all the good stuff - crispy peppers, cucumber, and onion; creamy avocado; and a slice of Swiss and tomato. Then at home on our deck, followed by a little stint with an Architectural Digest down by the pool, then back up on the deck for a little solo dinner al fresco. My favorite dine-alone meal, an over-easy egg on toast topped with chopped arugula. Glass of wine. Dessert of a slice of cheese. Yeah. It's all gooooooooood.

Big Birthday Month, April. Vivian (3rd), John (18th), my aunt Marge (19th), John's bro Tom (20th), my friend Michelle (23rd), my cousin Michael and Nathan (29th). Wild! What with the Bat Mitzvah weekend, we haven't done much birthday planning around here. Time to snap to it!

Happily had ribs, cabbage salad, and cherry tart for lunch. Inside this time, however; chillin' on the deck isn't nearly as much fun when there's a chill - and rain - in the air. April weather, such a tease, hot one day, cold the next. Bitch. Just kidding. It's not even cold today, it's just not warm enough to eat comfortably outside. And I'm complaining. Who's the bitch?

Nathan and I are planning on an early dinner with Rishia and Noah Zimmern, burgers at the Convention Grill, mmmm... Think I'll have to go for the fried onions, think it's a must do...

Oh god, I did the grilled onions, on my burger, with a hot fudge malt, and fries. Urgh. Not moderate, Stephanie. Uh, I'm a tad on the full side. Good eats, though, and great to see Rishia and Noah and Andrew, who was able to come along too. Andrew was saving his appetite, however, for leftover gefilte fish and chopped liver from the Seder he and Rishia hosted last night. You gotta love a guy who will pass on a burger for chopped liver and gefilte fish! Mmmmm, chopped liver. Haven't sampled gefilte fish, I have to say. Someday, I'm sure. I forgot to ask if they had leftover matzo balls - those are my hands down fav. Cold, right out of the fridge. I should have been born a Jew; instead, I married one. John, who would rather eat dirt than chopped liver, gefilte fish, or matzo balls. Oy.

Nathan killed two birds with one stone by dipping smoking-hot fries into his malt - cooled the fries and melted the malt, just the way he likes both. Noah Blue Eyes decided rootbeer is yummy and was not pleased to be allowed only a couple of sips (how adorable is the pout, above? Fabulous...). He ate half of his mommy's burger and sucked the salt and ketchup off several fries - he knows the best parts, ha.

Back here in plenty of time to catch the setting sun from out on the patio and enjoy this 84-degree - I repeat, 84-degree - evening. What am I doing? I'm going outside! 'Night!

A visit from Cooper and Stacey today! He did a fabulous job - slept, looked around, ate, cried (just a little), let Nathan, John, and me hold him. Baby heaven. Sighs, snorts, grunts, burps, farts - all of it is adorable. Stacey looks beautiful, of course, and is as happy as can be. Coop debuted his Che Guevara onesie today, he's a political knockout, the cutest revoluntionary ever. Tee hee.

Since it was yet another stunningly balmy day, we had a little barbecue action for dinner. I asked Nathan this morning, what should we grill, and he said RIBS! So we had ribs, pork back ribs. Spice rubbed and slow cooked in the oven first, finished with a slather o' sauce and a pass over the heat to crisp things up a bit - mmmmm.... Fall off the bone, melt in your mouth porkiness. Delicious. A simple, cool and crunchy cabbage salad alongside. In the name of moderation, I skipped making biscuits, so we could have...a warm cherry tart, with caramel ice cream, for dessert. Hello summer! (Recipes posted in comments, below. The tart crust, in particular, is one of the best I've made, crisp and buttery, and it's simple too. Lovely with the cherries, but would be equally delicious with other tart fillings, definitely a keeper.)

And this was my second barbecue in as many days! Last night a grill-out at Suz and Cory's, with the Billadeaus too - burgers, beer, and brownies, the alliterative triumvirate of BBQ heaven. Ahhhh. That, and a "ses" (short for session) of Feminine Hijinx, and it was a near-perfect night. Not bad chillin' and grillin' out on April 11th - and 12th! - not bad at all.

Cardinals, robins, chickadees, singing away - la, la, love it! Glorious weather these last few days, we could not have been luckier. Our weekend is over, the Levys have gone back to NYC, John's back at work. Nathan is on spring break, spending the day with his Grammy Barb. Everyone is settling back into normal. Me? I'm happily wiped out. Putting the house back together today, perhaps finding some time to sit on the deck with a book. All good.

I'm just kicking myself that I didn't take pictures at the Bat Mitzvah or here, at the party. Ridiculous, me of all people, as you know I photograph everything, including myself, all the damn time. I did take some random snaps on Friday night at least, and in one way or another thankfully got pictures of John's family, including Nathan having a total blast with Allegra and Cameron. But no Suz or Kim, Rudy or Stu, Mary or Marge, Kathie or Jim T., no babies, not even the food (gasp!), none of my usual cast of characters.

Yesterday we all had Uncle Tom's over-easy eggs for breakfast - yum. John partook heavily of leftovers later in the day. Now that I'm coming back down to Earth, here's the Saturday party menu, and I'll post the first couple of recipes (that I already have in Word, in comments, below). You'll notice a couple of things I've already posted recipes for previously (couscous, cannellini and tuna) and items from our Friday night dinner, including lamb chops, salmon, and roasted potatoes.

Buffet:
New potato green bean salad
Couscous with raisins, pine nuts, feta, and mint
Cannellini and tuna salad
Sliced beef tenderloin with chopped tomato, herbs, and caramelized onions
Manchego cheese marinated with olive oil, orange rind and fresh rosemary
Marcona almonds

Hot pass:
Artichoke and cheese toasts
Ham and cheese puff pastry palmiers

Cold pass:
Toasts with fig, gorgonzola, and toasted walnuts
Toasts with truffle mousse pate and chives

Mon dieu, this day! It's perfect. It's been a tough one for me. Still in my pajamas, I took my fabulous new cookbook, La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange (the Original Companion for French Home Cooking), given to me this weekend by my father-in-law John, an amazing cook, onto the deck and into the sun for a thorough browsing. (Yes, that's a Feminine Hijinx hat, I love it. My days of sunbathing are long past, sigh.) Made it officially mine by putting a greasy thumbprint on its cover, courtesy of popping a few Marcona almonds into my mouth on my way out the deck door. I'm hard on my cookbooks. The ones I use, not just read, have splatters, rips, and notes all over them. This book is most certainly destined for that state. What a read. Sort of MFK Fisher meets Julia Child - blunt, clever, funny, detailed. First printed in 1927, but still totally useful and relevant. Great gift! Merci!

Inspired by my new cookbook, I made soft, slowly scrambled eggs, with chives and creme fraiche, for dinner. Rich and so delicious. Along with a sort of salad Nicoise made from leftover potato and green bean salad, tossed with tuna. We had a late dinner, after luxuriously sitting on our (new) patio, by the (still covered) pool, in which we have yet to ever swim, just enjoying the setting sun, smell of spring, and balmy, 74-degree air. Sigh. What a night.

Voila! I got a little cranky last night, needed some space, went downstairs and pounded nails, squatted down, stood up, climbed a chair, back down, over and over again, worked up a good sweat, had a huge creative rush, and...Finished. It. Off. DONE! Woo hoo! Looks pretty cool, huh? I told Susie and Kim, if I ever come up with a "cool project" like this again, please stop me. I'm very glad for it now that it's done, I loved our wedding, and all the different pictures, not just from our wedding photographer Siddiqi Ray, but also the snapshots from our friends Kathleen and Maud, both also professional photographers and also incredible artists (there are links to their work at right). It's a pretty amazing collection. Whew.

So, I'm off, to St. Paul to pick up wine, to get a pedicure (tres important, you know), and back here to cook and cook. As I said, I'll be posting a boatload of recipes, I just have to find a few minutes to get it all down...

Thank you, Suz, for helping me make appetizers today! Woo hoo for friends helping out! The time flew by, of course, as we chatted. Sullivan played by himself, he's so adorable. We got them all done, what a nice way to wrap up one big item on my to-do list!

We made - and froze - artichoke spread on toasts and ham & cheese on puff pastry. I'll post recipes for both a little later in the week...

Tonight, we're ordering pizza, I can't do hors d'ouevres all day and turn around and make dinner, no damn way. It's a gorgeous evening - enjoy!

What's this? Progress? Yes, it's true, I have finally completed the framing of the pics and even started hanging them today. I have a l..o..n..g way to go, in fact, I'll probably have to stop here and put my attentions elsewhere to finish off the week, but I can legitimately say I made progress. I hung pictures. I've only had this project on my to-do list for, oh, 2.5 years now. God only knows when I'll complete it...but it is more than begun.

So long, Tom DeLay. What an asshole. Love the occasional reassurance that what goes around comes around. What an asshole. Did I already say that?

OK! What a glorious day! I hardly got to take it in, but I enjoyed it through our newly washed windows. What a difference, sheesh. John and Nathan are walking Sigs as I write this, probably along with half the neighborhood. It is most definitely an evening for bikes, scooters, dog walks, strollers. We're coming back to life, emerging from hybernation. Hello robins! Hello sun! It felt truly odd to eat while the sun was out tonight, still adjusting to daylight savings. A good kind of odd. I can handle it.

Tomorrow Suz is coming over to help me with some food prep - chatting and cooking at the same time? That's an insane indulgence, I may not be able to handle it. Crazy busy, it continues, and it's all good.

Tonight, for dinner, whipped up a quick Spaghetti All-Amatriciana, fab. The smell of bacon and onion cooking together does not suck, for sure.

It is most definitely a soup day. Wet, chilly, dreary. Smells divine, however, I opened the front door and was hit in the face (nose) with the smell of spring, yummy. So I'm not making a heavy soup, but instead a recipe I think I made up last summer (or the summer before) and titled hearty summer soup, just the thing for a cold - but not wintry cold - day. Brothy, but with substance (hint of bacon, rice, chicken, ladled over chopped tomatoes and herbs). Very nice with a little pesto swirled into it. We'll see what variation I feel like by tonight - because I won't need to start it until then, it's a quick one. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

This afternoon Nathan and I went to see Nathan's friend - and Suz's daughter! - Vivian in Jesus Christ Super Star at Wooddale Lutheran in St. Louis Park. It was fantastic! I really enjoyed myself. Definitely community theater, but without question very well done. Vivian is in the chorus and did a terrific job. Go Vivian - woo hoo!

Came home and did some productive cleaning - readying our house for guests, you know. Nothing like a party to kick one's ass into gear. My ass is officially kicked.

Then whipped up the soup, which we just ate. Hit the spot, it really did. It's still early, only 6:30 (or 5:30 by my internal clock; I really hate daylight savings, argh), so plenty of time to keep on jammin'. Good sprung-forward evening to you.

B..a..r..e..l..y got my ass out of bed this morning and to a yoga class. Like, I got up at 8:40 for an 8:45 a.m. class. Luckily it's right by the house so I zoomed over and was actually sort of on time. It's a nice way to wake up, yoga, reminds me of being at a spa. Oh, to be at Miraval, where I luckily got to go TWICE last spring. Once with my friend Michelle, then again with John for his birthday. Paradise, that place. It's a joy to get up in the morning, I hopped out of bed every day, up and at 'em, which is so not me. But I was full of energy and ready to take in the consistently 72-degree mornings, to eat beautifully-prepared, in-season foods, outdoors, surrounded by desert flowers that smell like honey. Yoga, pilates, meditation, mindful eating, cooking, biking, hiking, climbing - or relaxing by the pool or in the spa. Heavenly. As you can tell, I'm wishing I were there right now...

...but I'm not! I'm here, April in Minnesota! Not Minnesota's finest month, April. Spring's emergence is definitely a two steps forward, one step back process. It has begun, undeniably, and for that I am grateful. The snow is almost gone, a few days of rain have washed things up a bit. There are a few - very, very few - hints of green. Robins have arrived! But on a cloudy day, it's still mostly like living in a black-n-white photograph.

I should be glad for nothing much to tempt me outside - I have a hell of a lot of work to do inside to prepare for next weekend! The countdown is on...one week to A's Bat Mitzvah and a house full of family and guests. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone, very exciting. But first the preparations...I'd better hop to it!