A little chipmunk tartare, that's what I believe this huge raptor (hawk? falcon?) chilling on our deck this morning had a hankering for. WOW. He (or she) was very carefully looking under the table, around the herb pots, perhaps hoping for a bit of tarragon as seasoning? I've often seen the birds circling overhead, but never before perched on our deck! Sent a little chill down my spine to watch it so clearly hunting. Pretty intense. Eek. Good thing Sigs is a big dog, I would be mighty nervous to let a little guy out with this dude flying around...

Tom, Cam, and Allegra arrived on time this evening, it's sooooo good to have them here. Valerie arrives tomorrow, she's overseeing this day's beginning of their rather complicated move in NYC. Nathan, Allegra, and Cameron immediately took off together, into the park, back into the house, up and downstairs, playing and playing. I made veal for dinner tonight, scallopini with sauteed arugula, basil, garlic, and capers. Green beans sauteed with tomatoes and herbs. Pasta with oil and garlic. For an appetizer, little toasted sandwiches of tomato and fresh mozzarella. For dessert, John and Tom totally dug into Blue Sky Creamery double chocolate ice cream, laughing the entire time. John's so happy with his Boogles here... (Me too!)

Here's the dream end to my evening...wash up, climb full and content into my cool, softy bed, and read a bit of Anna Karenina, which I am absolutely buried in, I'm so enjoying it. Good night!

Very quiet, low-key day. Not feeling top-notch, I must say, it's a, well, hormonal-type thing. 'Nough said. But definitely knocked me down for the day, damn. Good pick-me-up in the form of...Feminine Hinjinx, at Suz's house, back to our normal routine. Woo hoo! Laughter is the best medicine, for whatever ails you, without a doubt. And laugh I did, as usual, until I cried. Suz came up with a new food-writing concept, at the end of the night, based on the Children's Bible sitting near her front entry. We brainstormed recipes centered around the gruesome stories of the Old Testament, like Esau's Goat Stew, and Rotten Fig Honey Cake. In terribly bad taste, of course, which made it all the funnier. Kim and I walked away, at 11:00-something, wiping our eyes. Damn, girlfriends!

Dinner...I had...potato chips and wine. Yep! I had zero appetite today (see above-mentioned hormonal thing), hit the wine at Suz's, and when she set out some good ol' Lay's potato chips, dinner they became. Tasty little mothers, I enjoyed them thoroughly. NICE!

So now, off my (my!) computer so John can do some work and I can go to bed. Tomorrow, John's brother Tom and his kids arrive, Valerie on Saturday. We can't wait! I love 4th of July weekend. Looking forward to some grillin', chillin', and fireworks. Weather's lookin' good, yeah baby, I'm ready...

We had a visit from Beth Martinez and her adorable daughters Gabrielle and Sydney today. Beth was my neighbor and walking partner for years, and it was great to catch up with her. Man, we were so good about walking (because Beth is really disciplined), we walked 5 miles several mornings per week, at insanely early hours. Whew. As soon as I moved, I of course totally fell out of that habit. We (pretty much) walked rain or shine, one time in a flat-out blizzard, that was craziness and probably more than a bit dangerous. But mostly we had alot of fun. And I was certainly in the best shape of my life in those days, without question. Damn!

They were here for lunch which was particularly fun because Gabrielle, age 9, is quite the epicurean. She happily ate broccoli soup, as well as the garlic toast I made to dip in tomato sauce topped with ham. The girls and Nathan swam their brains out - Nathan and I had so much fun we damn near forgot that Nathan had a baseball game tonight! Luckily John said, as I was casually making dinner, doesn't Nathan have a game? Nathan and I just stared blankly at each other, and the clock, thinking OMG, then he ran one way and I ran the other, pulling together his uniform and getting our butts out the door. I dropped him just in time, whew, then hoofed it back here to finish making dinner for John and A - fettucine alfredo, a Nathan request. I set some aside when I was done to make sure he would have access when he got home. Then I rushed back to the game, for no good reason, because it was a three-hour (!) endeavor, ack, those bleachers are hard. Luckily it's a gorgeous night, the Floridians won, Nathan has polished off his fettucine, and this family is going to BED. Wiped.

Happy Birthday Etta!

My sister Etta is 22 today, celebrating not in NYC but in Buenos Aires. I'm not sure what her specific party plans are, but I know she'll be eating very well! She's staying for five weeks with friends of her aunt Anne, the Deane family, and they are caterers! How seriously perfect! Here are excerpts from her recent food update:

...am going to gain 10 pounds because the food is so good. They eat veal cutlets like it ain't no thang. Hmm fried meat...who knew? I have had no bacon but did have something called ¨matahombre,¨ which directly translates to ¨kill hunger.¨ It is a strip of fat from the pig's back that is served sort of like bacon. It came at the end of a dinner. Darn good. Will put meat on your bones! Mrs. Deane chases me with cheese puffs and something like Marge´s bars around the catering office. There is at least a lot of salad, arugula mixed with regular lettuce - a perfect balance in my mind, tomatoes, and whatever else you want. (And fresh parmesan.) Frickin´ polenta, veal ravioli, cheese ravioli with spinach and beef on the outside, tenderloin, red chilean salmon, vegetable soup, chicken. I believe thin slices of breast sauteed in oil. Breakfast is very small, tea and cereal. Tea time snacks in this house are these 2 x 4-inch rice crackers that we toast and then put on cream cheese (light) as well as sprinkle some sesame seeds over. So good. Apparently the seeds are good for digestion? After lunch I am usually offered a "lagrima" which directly translated means "tear drop" but is actually warm milk with a drop of coffee...

Oh my goodness, she goes on from there about all the fabulousness, it made me starving when I read it last night - after dinner - and starving again this morning - after breakfast. Now that is MY kind of trip, ha. And hers too. This family loves good food, thank god. I laughed out loud about the fried veal - while Etta has been eating veal in Argentina, I was doing the same in NYC and here - I say three times in one week qualifies as like it ain't no thang! The best way of all - ah, sweet abandon. Not moderate, but that's OK...in moderation. And I'm frying veal yet again this weekend, for John and my brother-in-law Tom... Great stomachs crave alike (!?)

Come lunchtime, I'll most definitely be eyeing leftover eggplant crisps. And I'm pondering a small toasted sandwich comprised of thin slices of baguette, a smear of the spicy tomato sauce from last night, and a slice of fresh mozzarella. If it's as tasty as I imagine, it may reappear this weekend as an appetizer. Stay tuned...

Well, the little sandwich, pictured, was two bites of crispy, spicy, cheesy delish. Perhaps I'll work it into a tapas-sort of dinner for this weekend, it would fit quite nicely. Hmmm...I'll think about that a bit. Crispy potatoes with tuna. Bits of steak with cabreles cheese. Skewers of garlicky shrimps. Roasted vegetables. A frittata. Lots of options, that could be fun. Then again, I may completely run out of steam/time and we'll just have the little sandwiches for a quick lunch. Again, stay tuned...(oooh, all this drama!)

I made a few more little sandwiches for John for dinner, with some broccoli soup (I don't even need to post a recipe, literally, its chopped broccoli, shallots, and garlic, cooked in some olive oil for a few minutes, then simmered until tender in chicken broth to cover, pureed in a blender with some cream, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste, good to go. Mmm...) Then Nathan and John shot some baskets outside, and now it's time to get ready for bed. 'Night!

A sweaty, dirty morning, and I loved it. I weeded parts of the yard and then planted several planters of white flowers, as well as a few more pots of lettuces and herbs. Whew! I truly need my daily shower, ha. Nathan took one look at my dirt-encrusted hands and said, you are NOT making my lunch, then proceeded to prepare for himself a hot dog and a green apple (he's on his way to cooking, it's happening, slowly, and I'm so excited...)


For dinner I'm trying a new recipe, from the gorgeous La Cucina Italiana magazine (to which I have a subscription thanks to my fabulous-cook-father-in-law, John), for galette di melanzane, aka eggplant crisps. Basically, eggplant croquettes, served with a quick and spicy tomato sauce. If they're tasty, I'll post the recipe. With the galette, we'll have a big salad with all the lovely greens I have from my pots and my CSA share. I think I'll keep it pretty simple, since the crisps look to be a bit rich. Perhaps a small amount of cheese and/or egg since we're not having meat. It turns out that we're eating salad every single day. And I couldn't be happier about it!

Now for that shower...

Ohhh, shower was lovely, nothing better than taking a long, cool shower when you're hot, seriously smelly, and covered in dirt. Beats the just-out-bed variety by a million miles, I think.

And ohhh, the crispy eggplant, incredible, wow. Wow. Good recipe. Simple too. And absolutely delicious with a salad alongside. Prrr... John appreciated it all mightily, since he didn't eat one other thing the entire day - crazy, I know, but he's an eat-at-the-end-of-the-day kind of guy. Luckily, his wife likes to make dinner... (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

I talked Nathan into letting me make him pancakes for breakfast...I can't believe a son of mine, or Carter's (we're both famous pancake eaters), doesn't like pancakes, but there it is. He indulged me if I agreed to also make bacon - deal! So I made Susanna's sister-in-law Anne's Orange Yogurt Pancakes. I've had a little hankering for them since Stace said she'd polished off quite a few while in Montana a few weeks back. They really are the best, mmm... (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

I was careful not to over-consume them, as tempting as it was, because nothing is worse than being stuffed with pancakes. Bricksville. Ack. And I have things to do today that involve something more than digesting a load of pancakes, ha. Like a KBs workout! And a baseball game! And John and A returning from NYC! (We basically traded places - Suz, Kim and I got back on Sunday, John and A took off on Wednesday...and at first report had a total blast. Hit a few of the same food highlights as we did. A realized, for the first time, that Madison Avenue has some kickass stores, you know, like Louis Vuitton...here we go! And they spent a chunk of time with the Bryt Family - Natalie, Catherine, and A have known, played, and giggled with each other since they were babies. From what I hear, they're still going strong...) And had a lovely hang at the Kimmel's, at their pool, with the whole family, Barbara, David, Molly, Max, and Levi. (We're hoping the Kimmels are making their way to Minnesota soon, they're the most fun house guests EVAR...)

I finally tasted the radish soup today, chilled, with a dollop of creme fraiche, for a light lunch. Delicious. Very beet-esque, actually, I suppose beets and radishes aren't so dissimilar when you think about it (I'll post the recipe in comments, below). I'd say if you're a beet soup fan, and find yourself with excess radishes, or are looking for a pretty, tasty, very easy chilled summer soup, give it a go. As I said, with a bit of creme fraiche, and perhaps a few thin slices of toasted baguette, you've got yourself a lovely light lunch. Or dinner first course.

Grrrreat baseball game, much better than yesterday on a couple of levels: 1) they won, big time, and 2) the weather was gorgeous. An extraordinary day to be outside. We came home to discover John, back from NYC, sitting by the pool! We joined him, eventually made a simple taco salad for dinner (greens, spicy beef, onions, tomatoes, sprinkle of crushed tortilla chips, jack cheese, and taco sauce - fab), and sat outside for a couple of hours, taking in the happiness of being back together and yet another gorgeous summer evening. Aaahhh... Damn NICE.

Well. What a difference a day makes. Yesterday's sweetly sunny breezes have been so rudely shoved aside by the meanest of bullies (for those of us with curly hair) - humidity, ack, in the form of dark, heavy stillness. Dank. Oppressive. It brings, I'll admit, much-needed rain. OK. Then rain already and move on outta here, I hate you. (Apparently my sweetly sunny mood has gotten a bit humid as well, grrrr... Grrrls don't like bad-hair days...)

Guess I'll be wearing a hat to Nathan's baseball game later today, not to keep the sun off my face, oh no, but to hold my frizzing, puffing hair down. I'm whining, I know. It's just hair. I'll stop now. (Fuck humidity.)

BIG salad for lunch, that's the plan, what with all my yummy La Finca CSA veggies. Hmmm...perhaps a soup of some sort as well. I'll ponder that awhile and check back...

(Um, the sun just came out. BUT, it's still humid...)

A sort of Gotham Salad, a la Bergdorf Goodman, is what I made for lunch. Diced (quite small) chicken, bacon, ham, gruyere, tomato, beets, egg, iceberg lettuce, tossed with Thousand Island dressing. I substituted leaf lettuce and pickled beets, happily. And I used only a small amount of chicken, ham, bacon, and cheese, about 1 Tbsp. of each, to keep things, you know, moderate. Delicious!

I also made a radish soup, which is now cooling and eventually will chill in the fridge before I eat it. It's quite light - and pink! Yes, it's pink, in an attractive way, with flecks of green from sliced scallion. When I get around to eating it, later, perhaps for a snack, I'll let you know how it actually tastes...

Well, I won't be reporting on its taste this evening, I'm already too full. After Nathan's hot, sticky baseball game, he and I came home and jumped in the pool. Which by the way turns out to be a great solution for frizzy hair, ha, pull it back soaking wet and walk out the door. Not ideal, but it works. We then had a delicious "linner" (lunch/dinner) at Bacio, followed by a shower (of pouring rain) and a showing of Nacho Libre. It's an odd, funny, sweet little movie, which we both really enjoyed. Now here it is, 7 p.m., and we've already put away dinner and a movie! NICE!

My aunt Mary, Stace, Bowen, and Coop are coming for dinner tonight - woo hoo! Mary's here for a two-day conference so is spending the night. We're all heading over to Nathan's baseball game for a bit, then back here for sauteed artichokes with grilled bread, and cold, crispy radishes with smoked salt, followed by pan-fried walleye, green beans with herbs, and a salad of arugula, chicory, lettuces, and basil with roasted onions and grated pecorino. For dessert, I sliced strawberries and sprinkled them with a bit of sugar - we'll eat them topped with a dab of creme fraiche. Simple, summer food. Mmmm...

It's another stunner of a day, wow, which should lead into a beautiful evening. Perfect for baseball and al fresco dining, we really got lucky. OK! Back to it! I have to admit, I'm still doing laundry and putting things away from the trip...I'm slow on the return, ack. Plus I'm making as much of dinner ahead of time as I can...pretty much everything but grilling bread and frying walleye. In butter. Hope Creamery Butter. Yeah, baby!

Oooh, walleye was delish, we decided walleye is just made for frying in butter. Soaks up all the salty, buttery goodness in the most fabulously decadent of ways. Lurve it. Cooper was all buttery goodness as well - OK, not really, but he's as soft and dreamy and yummy as they come. Everyone loves Coop because he's so happy to have different people hold him, what fun. (How beautifully, glowingly happy is Mommy Poohsticks Stacey? Gorgeous.) He made the rounds, in Baby Nathan's ladybug outfit, all evening.

Including into the lap of Nathan's Grammy Barb (all babies love Grammy Barb, with good reason), at the ball game, of which we caught only a bit. It was going well, the Floridians had a strong lead, so we bowed out early to get a head start on making dinner. At last report, the Floridians won, woo hoo! So a good night for everyone.

OK, I'm back, I'm here, I'm my normal self. Except I did need a 15-minute nap today (and yesterday). And now I feel extra great. Yes, it's amazing (or not) what two good nights of sleep in a row can do for a grrrl, rrrarrrr, I'm ready to go. Sheesh. Two and 1/2 days to recover? Good thing I don't travel for work. Pa-the-tic. It's not like Kim, Suz, and I were out dancing all night! Clearly we expended lots of energy in un-obvious ways - walking, sweating, talking, laughing. Oh, and eating. Right. And drinking (Kim and I, anyhow; Suz, two sips of alcohol per day is her max...). It's like we were on a big Manhattan high the whole trip and then crashed as soon as the plane took off (and luckily not after - oooh, bad joke, sorry). Because I know my girls were tired like me. And missing NYC and our "hang" a bit too. Awww. A New York State of Mind + Home in Minnesota = The New York Minxes Blues.

As a nod to my personal NYC food theme, I'm making...yes...veal scallopini tonight. Shall I do Milanese as at Elio's? Piccata as at Il Riccio? Hmmm...not sure yet. I'll let you know when I know. Stay tuned...

Here's what I did - veal with tomatoes, lemon, capers, garlic, arugula, and basil. It was...incredible. Incredible. (I'll post the recipe below, in comments.) The same concept as piccata (tangy to cut the richness of sauteed veal), but a bit more nutritious and substantial (I had nothing else with it, happily), what with greens and tomato and garlic.

Now, since it's 75 and sunny, with a nice breeze and low humidity (in other words, perfect) outside, I'm planning to head out to the deck with a cool glass of white, and my book, and take in this evening, the first official night of summer. Minnes-weet. It is indeed good to be home.

Experiencing some post-Manhattan, post-Minxing blues... Gosh, we had so much fun, and as great as it is to be home, it's just not...vacation. You know? It's pretty wonderful to be in the company of amazing women, who clean up as they go along, actively listen to anything you have to say, make you laugh constantly, check in to see how you feel, offer support for every wildass, dumbass thought you express (and then laugh with you at your idiocy), compliment your every outfit and body part, hand you a cup of coffee in the morning and glass of wine at night (before you even express wanting it - isn't that what every woman wants, someone to read her mind? It's NICE.). Damn, now THAT is luxury.

This blue feeling is not helped by my total and utter exhaustion, although I do feel more myself today. Yesterday, I was nothing, a zero. Bloated, bloaty (they're different, the former is bloated, the latter is the tendency to continue to bloat; they both suck), foggy-headed, listless. In effect, I have jet lag. I know, I know, a one-hour time difference does not jet lag make, but that's exactly how I feel. I guess I'm Vacation Lagged. Girlie Withdrawal. Sigh. John insisted upon an early bedtime last night, which we achieved, and I am (more) back on track today, I can tell. Which is good, I have alot to accomplish today, so it's time to snap to it, Stephanie. Stephanie!

Well, time to make a grocery list. Wash clothes. Do dishes. Exercise. Woo. Hoo.

Got through my day, quite nicely in fact. Good KBs workout (which I really needed), trip to visit Stace and Cooper (they're great), groceries, I even made dinner. Steaks on the grill. Green beans sauteed with olive oil, chopped tomato, and garlic until tender. And, using up some of my first load of CSA-share veggies, a salad of crispy roasted kale, with chopped arugula and basil (from my own pot), a drizzle of syrupy balsamic (to counter the bitterness in the kale), and a grating of salty pecorino. Delicious. Would have been even tastier if someone had been here to eat with me - Nathan's at baseball practice and John has to work late. Ah, well, good thing I enjoy dining alone...sniff... Just kidding! I do enjoy dining alone, quite alot (because no one enjoys my cooking as much as I)!

We're back!!! We had an amazing time, truly amazing. We arrived Thursday afternoon and opened with a Nathan's Famous hot dog with kraut, right there at the airport. After cleaning various mustard mishaps off of our hands and clothes, we excitedly cabbed it to Dot and John's beautiful apartment, where they generously let us stay for the weekend. After dropping our luggage, and chatting with Dottie, Tom gave us a quick end-of-day tour of his and Valerie's soon-to-be-finished apartment - it's absolutely gorgeous, very exciting. Quick hop back to the apartment, change of clothes, and we were off for a delicious front-table dinner at Elio's with Dot and John. I love eating out with Dot and John - amazing food and wine with lots of great conversation and laughing. The best. After fried zucchini, linguini with white clam sauce, and veal scallopini topped with chopped tomatoes and herbs, we walked home and snuggled down into our comfy beds. Prrr...

Friday morning, after Kim's crack-of-dawn run in Central Park, and major consultations with Dottie on our various plans, Dot and John took off for EH and Kim, Suz, and I made our way over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After heading up to the roof garden for pics of Central Park (and ourselves!), we wound our way through the Modern Art exhibit, and of course Medieval Art for Suz (so metal!). A toasty stroll down 5th Avenue, with brief interludes in the park to catch a breeze and cool off, ended at the sleek cafe in Bergdorf Goodman's men's store. Fortified by John's recommendation of a scrumptious chopped Gotham Salad (I will crave that salad and most definitely have it next time I'm in NYC - perfection) and a glass of sauv blanc...

... we made our way across the street to Madam Bergdorf, sniffing (and buying) Annik Goutal fragrances, "playing" with one of the jewelry sales clerks (she invited us to try on whatever we wanted, it was fab), then strutted back toward the apartment. Suz rested her back (which threatened to seize up on her all weekend, she was such a trooper!) while Kim and I headed over to Sable's to stock up on lobster salad, bagels, cream cheese, and smoked Nova Scotia salmon for Saturday's breakfast (and perhaps a few snackies, heh, heh, heh... There's no staying away from that lob sal...brekkie, lunch, mid-day, nightcap - it's all good...). A few errands later, we were resting our tired, hot, sore tootsies, gratefully sipping a glass of cool white wine, and making plans for our order-in Chinese from Pig Heaven.

Pig-out Heaven is more like it, delivered smokin' hot less than 15 minutes after we ordered it. Orange chicken, beef with broccoli, shrimp with snow peas, cold sesame noodles, and crispy spring rolls. We ate in complete silence, it was that good. Nothin', and I mean nothin', can shut up Suz, Kim, and me, but there we were, hushed and in awe. When we finished we recorded an episode of Feminine Hijinx, talking Upper East Side food and fun the whole time... NICE! A few episodes of Sex and the City (on demand) later and we were toast. Bed.

Yesterday, a relaxing morning with said bagels et al. Out the door and off to Dylan's Candy Bar for treats for our kiddies. Serious window shopping along Madison Avenue as we made our way to La Maison du Chocolat for Father's Day truffles for John. Cooled our heels at the apartment, dropped off our purchases, polished off the Pig Heaven leftovers, and back out the door to the E.A.T gift shop for more trinkets. Another rest at the apartment (it was hot outside! Not humid, or hellish, but definitely hot...) A (very necessary) change of clothes and we were off for our last lovely meal in the city - a spot-on dinner at Il Riccio. More fried zucchini (compliments of the restaurant), sauteed artichokes with taleggio cheese, veal piccata (I was having a veal craving, clearly), lovely wine courtesy of John (he set out four bottles for us before he and Dot left on Friday - we happily consumed three of them over the weekend, all delicious). A digestif walk into the park and back, and we were home, packing, cleaning up, and preparing to be up at 5:30 (!) this a.m. to head out the door at 7:00. A (very) quiet cab ride to LaGuardia, smooth flight back here to the Minneapple, and here I am, home safe and sound. And TIRED. Whew. It was a busy yet relaxing weekend, fun beyond description with my girls. My girls! We talked and laughed all weekend (check out Suz and Kim, above, casually strolling together hand-on-butt; now that's love; and hilarious, too, I could hardly snap the pic for my shaking, plus we giggled about it all over again on the plane. DORKS!). A beautiful experience in the most beautiful of cities with my beautiful, lovely, hilarious, kind, and loving friends. Thanks, ladies, for such a memorable weekend! And thanks Dot and John for your home and advice and generosity! Incredible.

Happy Almost-40th Birthdays to Us!!!

It's up to you...New York, New York! Yes, it's true, I'm off to the Big Apple (sorry, I'll stop with the cliches) for a long weekend with my minxes, to celebrate our impending 40th birthdays! Suz, Kim, and I are outta here tomorrow morning, staying at my in-laws' apartment in Manhattan. Dinner with Dot and John tomorrow night (dinner with Dot & John is always fabulous)...then the three of us milling around town for the next couple of days, shopping, chatting, eating, chatting, and chatting some more. Woo hoo! I'll eat pretty much anything, of course, but I do have my eye particularly on Sable's lobster salad and smoked Nova, H&H bagels and chive cream cheese, Teuscher chocolates, and some damn good Chinese. The weather looks close to perfect - Central Park, here we come, with plans to podcast from the boathouse. In fact, my favorite thing to do in NYC is just walk. Or perhaps sit outside of the Stanhope, with a glass of wine, and watch people walk, that's pretty fun too.

My first trip with John was to New York, when we'd been dating only a few weeks. Bold, that John, asking me to go away with him. Luckily, I took the chance. We had an amazing weekend, at his parents' home, his bro happened to be in town, and mine trained it down from Vassar to spend a night with us too. I met Bartley and Maud that weekend as well. Big, big opening for Johnny, yes indeed. Good one, Dude.

I'm having a passionate affair...with, of all things...eggs. Eggs! I loathed eggs as a child, actively loathed them. I would gag to watch people eat them. Cry to smell them cooking. Shrink in horror from the sight or description of them combined with another loathesome food...cheeeeese. My mom would reminisce fondly about the wonderful tasties her mom would make for her when she walked home for lunch each day - one of her favorites was a Denver omelet sandwich. The horror! When I heard that story it would make me so damn glad that I didn't have to go home from school for lunch, whew (although I wouldn't touch school lunch either)...

So what happened? I think, honestly, puberty. And, learning to cook. All the foods I hated and was even scared of as a child starting tasting suddenly terrific around age 14. Steak, I will never forget the first time that I ate steak and...loved it! It was an ah ha experience, it really was. Cheese I fell into quickly. (Hello pizza? Burritos? Nachos? Right.) Eggs have taken longer. I've eaten and cooked with them for years, of course, but I never got, you know, hungry for eggs. Until recently! I can't eat them upon waking, too rich, I think. But oh, around 10:30 a.m., I seriously crave an egg. Over-easy. If I hold out until lunch, as I've written about several times before, I have my egg with an herb salad. But if it's the mid-morning version, it's nothin' but the egg, sauteed in olive oil, with a pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Sublime. Go figure.

Three quick notes before I go to bed. First: Kathie, my dear friend, heal fast! And see you next week!

Second: Suz and Kim, congratulations for making the finals of the FM 107 Divas contest. OMG, I'm so proud of you! Suz and Kim, as one of 10 pairs of finalists, will be on the air for one hour, Wednesday, July 26, from 6-7 pm. I'll write again about it closer to that date, urging everyone to listen and vote for them, because if they win they will have a 2-month, weekly, 2-hour show on FM 107 and that would be...just incredible! Those minxes! Woo hoo!

Third: Happy Birthday Amanda! I had a lovely lunch today with my aunt Mary and her new daughter-in-law Amanda, at Beaujo's Wine Bar. We always enjoy our lunches at Beaujo's. And it's always great to see Mary and Amanda. Greek sandwiches today, delicious. I had mine with a nice, juicy Pinot Grigio, mmm...

Nathan officially opened summer vaca with a rock climbing class this a.m. He really enjoyed it. Then he's off to basketball later this afternoon. We keep him pretty busy in the summers, moving around, doing new and challenging things. It means alot of driving around, but within a pretty small area, so it's worth it. There's plenty of time for swimming and playdates and just hanging out too, but if he's out and about a part of each day, there's less of a battle over the cursed television. I hate that thing. Even when I love it (Desperate Housewives, Big Love, and of course Sex and the City), I hate it. Ack.

For lunch, I took Nathan to Arby's for a roast beef sandwich. He loves Arby's right now. I feel like I ate a brick and am so regretting it. I could have had a lovely salad, piece of delicious cheese, and fresh fruit, all from my own fridge, and felt great to boot...instead I had some industrial fast-food blech that gave me a headache and made me groggy as hell. Shit. I need to go for a walk to get myself out of this stupid stupor!

Dinner, hmmph, won't be fast food, I can tell you that. Hell to the no. There are plenty of roasted onions from last night's salad, think I'll repeat that dish, it was so good. I have a heel of day-old baguette that can easily become yummy croutons. And shaved ham that I can saute to crisp up a bit - delicious with the salad ingredients of sweet onions, blue cheese, and bitter greens. And, I have haricots verts in the cooler as well. Yes! There's dinner... Nice white wine, eat on the deck, we're jamming. Now I have to go find some energy...lots of laundry and chores on my plate today and I feel like I'm getting exactly nowhere with it all.

I'm so excited, I'm using my own home-grown arugula and basil in our salad tonight - woo hoo! I'm proud to say the arugula is tender, peppery, and buttery tasting all at the same time. Sublime. And the basil is sweet and subtle. If I could, I'd have a big, huge veggie garden in my yard. My ancestors' farming blood definitely flows in my veins. However, it doesn't go with this house, or landscaping, or frankly our lifestyle, so I've done the next best thing. I grow herbs and lettuces in pots on my deck, tomatoes too, and I've bought a CSA (community supported agriculture) share from La Finca Farms in Bruno, MN. Once per week, La Finca delivers organically, sustainably, locally grown produce to a home in my neighborhood - I'll pick it up on Fridays. It should be interesting, and for me, positively exciting, to incorporate the seasonal veggies that show up each week into our meals. I'll keep you posted on how it goes...

Ooooh, good salad for din, wow. As I said, warm roasted onions and Spanish blue cheese per last night, plus basil and arugula from my deck, plus chicory, spinach, endive, green beans, and romaine from the fridge, plus toasted baguette croutons, plus warm, crispy sauteed ham, plus garlic vinaigrette. Fab combo of spicy, sweet, creamy, salty, chewy, soft, warm, cool... aaaahhh... heavenly. Enjoyed outside, on one of our rare, perfect Minnesota evenings, with my sweetie, with a food-friendly glass of rose - NICE. In fact, DAMN NICE way to end the day. A good night to you too.

Got in a good KBs workout while John was at the club and Nathan walked Sigmund. Soon Nathan and I are off for a lunch of Chinese, followed by X-Men III. John, I guess he'll chill out here at the hacienda, working or reading. We'll gather back here this evening for a dinner of garlic soup, crusty bread, and a roasted onion salad. If anyone wants meat, there are always fabulous ground lamb kebabs from last night... Actually, sliced onto crusty bread would be delicious with soup. I'll post all the recipes later this evening. Hope you're having a nice Sunday!

Here comes the sun! A somewhat chilly, cloudy day has turned into a truly glorious evening - cool and sunny. NICE! Garlic soup is complete - and wonderful, I predict Nathan and John will love it. Onions for the salad are roasting as I type this. Soon I'll crisp up thin slices of baguette to float in the soup, and we'll eat...as soon as John and Nathan return from a quick game of frisbee golf, inspired by the appearance of said sun. Perhaps I'll have a bit more time until dinner than I had planned - time enough to take a glass of wine, and my book, out on the deck. Easy to wait with that pairing, ahhh...

And oh, hearty congratulations are in order for my stepmom's hilarious and gorgeous niece, Farley Taylor, and her now-husband Stuart Lansing. They were married yesterday at the HF Bar Ranch in Saddlestring, Wyoming (home of many happy memories for lots of members of our family, including me; it's a magical spot). I haven't received the official word yet, however I'm quite sure that a riotous party capped the evening. Those Taylors know how to throw a party, yes indeed they do. And how to attend one too! Stacey and Cooper were there - I heard from Bowen that Coop was a traveling superstar, sleeping on the flight to Billings and drive down to the HF. If I find a way to snag a pic of the new Mrs. Lansing, I will surely do it, I know without seeing her that she was a stunning bride.

Sinful Saturday morning, just John and me, hanging, reading, drinking coffee, listening to tunes, chatting...we even had artichokes, garlic toast, and a bit of sauteed ham for brunch. NICE! Eventually I'll move on to some form of exercise, a shower, and Nathan's baseball game... But not quite yet. No swimming today, it's downright chilly out there, brrrr. Which makes holing up here in the house with our brunch and books seem so particularly cozy, I'm sure. Yawn. Stretch. Time to pad back over to my perch, finish off my coffee, and lazily prepare to move on with my day. Prrrr...

I was rousted from my stupor first by Nathan, picking up his baseball stuff, and then by Suz and Kim, who showed up in Phat Thunder (Suz's new Scion) to go for a spin. I hopped in, in my jammies, which didn't matter one bit 'cuz Kim was in her jammies too - right on! We cruised around the 'hood, checking out Suz's sweet new ride, very comfy, I must say. Yay for Suz finally getting her car!

For dinner I'm planning ground lamb skewers, grilled, with warm pita and yogurt sauce. I'll check back with a recipe if it rocks...

Well, I think the lamb skewers are fabulous, in, as I said, a warm pita, with yogurt sauce, hot peppers, and chopped tomatoes...mmm... But I have to confess, John and Nathan...not so much. John hates anything in the realm of a meatball, so I wasn't that surprised about his reaction. Nathan, however, loves meatballs, and Greek anything, so I thought he'd dig it. But he was disappointed it wasn't my usual "Greek" dinner of lemon chicken, eggplant spread, olives, and pita. Sigh. I'll still post the recipe, because I thought it was delicious. Then you can decide.

Ooooh, killer breakfast, a slice of sauteed ham sandwiched in a warm biscuit, with a cup of strong (albeit decaf) black coffee. Prrrr... There's an appeal for me in opening the day with simple, rustic food. Not a bad way to start a day, not bad at all.

And not a bad way to end one, either - John and I closed out yesterday with a lovely al fresco meal, on the deck, after what had been a pretty rotten day for John. Very stressful work day, made worse by an injury to what he calls his "good" foot (the other suffers a chronic achilles tendon aggravation). A trip to the doctor confirmed it wasn't a break, but it still swelled up like a balloon and was making him miserable. I'm happy to report that it's much better this morning, so perhaps he's dodged another chronic injury. Let's hope, because John without basketball is like, well, John without chocolate. Shiver. Not good. For him, or for any of us.

So back to this dinner...I tried a new recipe, a roasted vegetable panzanella (bread salad). Gorgeous, chewy, garlicky, fabulous. Simple. Rustic. Most definitely a keeper (recipe posted in comments, below). Enjoy it outside with a nice glass of wine, like we did, and you'll be glad. (Just be aware, as you enjoy the gentle evening breezes, that gnats are flying up your skirt and biting the insides of your thighs. You'll be blissfully unaware as you sip your wine, but oh, 'round 2:30 a.m., you'll know...)

My oh my oh my. I made myself a killicious little dinner tonight, mmm hmmm. Artichokes sautéed with ham, from a tasty little cookbook called Tapas, A Taste of Spain in America, by Jose Andres. I had the afternoon completely to myself, which doesn’t happen all that often, so I took my time this morning planning this weekend’s meals (there will be other dishes from this cookbook, oh yes, so stay tuned…) and shopping this afternoon. The artichokes – I used baby artichokes, but you don’t need to – are sautéed in olive oil, then combined with a bit of tomato sauce, wine, and ham to simmer until tender. I chose to eat mine with slices of toasted baguette, which I rubbed with a split garlic clove and drizzled with a bit of oil. Damn! Now that’s a dinner. Or as John would say, a mo fo. Yeah, baby. (Recipe posted in comments, below.) Now I’m going to brew a cup of tea and settle in with the fascinating book I’m reading, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. If you’re into food, it’s a must read. Ahhh, a moderate epicurean’s dream Friday evening... little wine... cooking... olive oil... vegetables... bread... garlic... reading... cozying up to my hubby... Hope you’re enjoying yours…

It's officially Thursday, although I should be in BED. Just wrapped up Feminine Hijinx with Suz and Kim - another inadvertent double feature, because...we forgot to turn on the mic! Yes, another Feminine HijUnx. Damn. But, hey, you do what you've gotta do - we realized our mistake, nibbled some strawberry shortcake, grabbed another beer, lit a few candles, and head out to the screen porch to chat up a storm and try, try again. Hopefully we nailed it the second time (!) Man, I am wiped, must go to bed. But before I climb in, I thought I'd post another quick pic of Cooper, since I'm going through the other photos I took today (yesterday). So cute, especially when he's smiling and "chatting," as he is here. Totally dreamy, my little nephew.

Back again, after a relatively good night’s sleep. Too short! So, I have to describe what I didn’t have time to write last night, you know, since it was approaching 1 a.m. – Kim and Suz showed up here to record Feminine Hijinx at oh, around 8 p.m. Kim rang the door bell, I answered via intercom, and she said, get out here, girlfriend! I thought, yay! They must be in Suz’s brand-new, pimped-out, low-rider Toyota Scion, which last I heard had been in the shop getting fixed up to come home… But no. They were in the rental Grand Prix Suz is (not happily) driving until the Scion is done – wait, actually, they were ON the Grand Prix. Doors open, stereo blasting some Foreigner tune straight out of the 80s, metal signs in the air, tongues hanging out, and a six-er of He'Brew beer between them. Yes, He'Brew Genesis Ale, aka The Chosen Beer, I shit you not. Beyond fabulous. And to top it off, Kim was modeling her contestant number and medal from the half-marathon she completed this weekend (woo hoo for Kim running more than 13 kickass miles)!

Yes, those are my dear friends, totally metal (and apparently masochistic, given the placement of the safety pins on Kim's chest, at left - ouch, girl!), raising suburban hell at almost-40. As Suz says, we’re going out of our 30s with a bang (and a Scion, in Suz's case, that I believe we named Phat Thunder last night, hahaha. Kim's mini-van is Sweet Action. Now, my lonely Passat wagon is needing a catchy moniker as well...hmmm...). Oh, how I LOVE my friends!

Siggy-Roo visited Nathan's classroom this morning and loved every minute of it. Lots of good smells and friendly hands. He handsomely, graciously walked around the circle of children, pausing at each one, to give kisses and receive pats as Nathan explained that Sigs is a 14-year old Gordon Setter who has outlived the average Gordon life-expectancy by several years. He also filled in the details on Sigmund's multiple nicknames - Sigs, Siggy-Roo, Roo, Rufus. Rrrrooo! I don't blame Rufus for not wanting to leave! Wag, wag, wag. But now he's home, contentedly napping...as fun as it was, that was a big ol' (10-minute!) adventure for sweet ol' Sigs. (No one commented on his powerfully, um, doggy, dog breath - you gotta love kids for unconditionally loving dogs...)

And I have to put up this pic of John and our adorable nephew Cameron. You know, Cameron, secretly John's son? Just kidding! But wow, now that is a family resemblance! All salute The General (that's Cam's nickname, courtesy of his real dad, John's brother Tom; before he could talk, Cam could salute, it was hilarious...).

Cooper-Doo is paying a visit today, woo hoo! Hopefully we'll get some pool-time, as it's another lovely day in Minnesota. YES! We don't mess around with our lovely days. I'll have to come up with something to grill for lunch, hmmm... Oh, Stacey and Bowen are accompanying the Coopster, ha, therefore the lunch plans. If it were just me - I think I'd eat some spicy beans. Hmmm...perhaps I'll make spicy beans for all of us. Stay tuned...

Well, spicy beans indeed, for both Stace and Bowen. Delicious. And then lots of pool-age, for Cooper-Doo too. And then, after some Mommy Boob, and a short nap, he spent a good amount of time wiggling around and talking, naked, on a towel, in the shade. Peed a couple of times, but that's OK. He LOVES being nakey, of course. He talks with his whole body, it takes both arms and legs to eek out a little "rah," in the cutest baby voice ever. Magic, he's pure magic. Mommy Stacey and Daddy Bowen agree, they sure love their little boy. Happy, sunny days for the Coopster and his 'rents. And Aunt Stephanie!

Tonight, chicken drummies again, roasted crispy and salty in the oven. With rice, and a big salad. Basically, a repeat of last Wednesday's dinner, because it was so damn good. We're all stuffed. And in a mere 20 minutes, Suz and Kim will be here for Feminine Hijinx! We're behind in our recording - I'm long past due for hijinxing with my minxes! It's a lovely evening, so the plan is to sit in the screen porch, sip our wine, and talk dirty. Woo hoo!

Oh, summer... Swim, grill, friends, family. That was our day today, and it was pretty fabulous. A relaxing morning eased into a major afternoon of swimming with The Browns - Jon, Amy, Will, Sophie, and Zach, as well as Suz and Sullivan, and then Stace and Coop. The Browns and Shuberts headed home, as Bowen and his sister Sara and her husband Romero came for dinner. We moved into kebab making (shrimp and beef) and wine drinking (courtesy of Sara and Romero, who brought us amazing wine), along with lots of chat. Cooper Doo cooed, napped, ate, cooed, napped, fussed a little bit, and then crashed. Sooooo cute. We ended in the dining room, eating a simple dinner of said kebabs, as well as pasta with pesto and a salad, followed by strawberry shortcake, and then good-byes as Sara and Romero head back to Vermont tomorrow. It was a fabulous Bowen 40th Birthday Weekend, I can't say how much we enjoyed meeting and hanging with his friends and Sara and Romero. The star of the weekend was...the weather. Thank you, weather gods, for making Minnesota look damn good. For once. Man, what a weekend. Aww, I'm a little sad it's all over. Time to shuffle off to bed. Tomorrow, I'll wash the chlorine from my hair, slather my flaking skin in lotion, and attempt to recover from 48 hours of soaking in the pool, in the beating sun. Ack. So much for not wanting to be tan - it's happening without me even trying.