Nice day! A sensualist's delight, and not just the weather (which is nothing short of perfect, rarrr...). I opened by breakfasting with my lovely aunt Marge at the Good Earth/Galleria. Love their yummy, spa-like, healthy breakfasts. I skipped the wheat grass (!) and went for steel cut oats with fresh berries, and an over-easy egg, washed down with lots of good (albeit decaf) coffee. Kill.

Afterward I bopped home just long enough to change into walking clothes - then I was off to Elm Creek Park Reserve for a long hike. Just me and my iPod, taking in the sunshine, cool breezes, and spectacular views for 1.5 hours of escape-to-nature paradise. Ah, September Saturdays. They do not suck...

Oh, and to top off this gorgeous day, Marge brought me four caramel apples as a treat. When Nathan laid eyes on 'em he screamed woo hoo and dug right in - nothing like a little caramel apple appetizer to kick off the dinner hour - because of course, they're incredible. A crunchy-sweet bite of fall, those babies. (And in the name of moderating my calories, that's all I had - a bite. But I thoroughly enjoyed it!)

This squash, delicata, was new to me in my CSA veggie share last week. I had to look it up - from whatscookingamerica.net:

Delicata squash is also called sweet potato, peanut squash, and bohemian squash. This is one of the tastier winter squashes, with creamy pulp that tastes a bit like sweet potatoes. Size may range from 5 to 10 inches in length. The squash can be baked or steamed. The skin is also edible.

The delicata squash is actually an heirloom variety, a fairly recent reentry into the culinary world. It was originally introduced by the Peter Henderson Company of New York City in 1894, and was popular through the 1920s. Then it fell into obscurity for about seventy-five years, possibly because of its thinner, more tender skin, which isn't suited to transportation over thousands of miles and storage over months.

It's absolutely delicious! I love squash, to me it's a treat worthy of dessert status, so I tend to save it for the end of a meal. I baked this one, cut side down, until tender, then pureed it with a bit of butter and brown sugar (and topped it with a drizzle of maple syrup and a few chopped walnuts to make a pretty pic). My neighbor Lindsay was going to puree it with granny-smith apple to make a lovely-sounding soup - it's a good soup squash, very creamy and smooth. If you see it at the store, definitely give it a try.

And Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Valerie!!!

Oooh, I just picked up my veggies for this week. Lookin' good, baby! I decided to cook several different things right now so that I'll have healthy, tasty bites all weekend. There's a big bunch of flat-leaf parsley so I'm soaking bulgur wheat for tabbouleh salad (I still have cukes, onions, and tomatoes from past weeks). Then I cut up the turnips, rutabaga, carrots, and a few potatoes, threw them into a pot of boiling water with a couple of cloves of garlic, to turn into a simple root vegetable puree. If I have a hankering for soup, I could thin some of the puree with broth and a splash of cream, float a crouton on top, and call it lunch. And last, I'm roasting an eggplant, halved, with some garlic and onion. When it's all tender I'll mash it together, add more of that flat-leaf parsley, olive oil, and some lemon juice, and have myself a nice spread for toasted pita.

Why the picture of my nephew Cooper being smooched by his mommy, my sister Stacey? Becauses it's so damn CUTE! Have a good weekend!

Happy Birthday Polly!

OK, today is not lovely Polly's actual birthday. Nor was yesterday. August 7, in fact, was the big day, but we just got around to celebrating it last night (!), with a typically fabulous dinner at Lucia's. Great wine (they make a terrific daily red and white suggestion, to suit the day's menu), perfect food, gorgeous lighting, impeccable service...it is my favorite restaurant, there's not an occasion I don't look forward to celebrating there. As Polly and I were saying, they treat food so respectfully - that sounds odd, I know, but the presentation is simple and clean, without sacrificing flavor or interest. The food isn't tortured into anything silly or over-the-top. I appreciate a straight-shooter; in fact, don't we all? Hell yeah! I'm going for my own 40th, in some way, shape, or form, fo sho. (I have a few months before that momentous occasion, but just a few...ack!)

Anyone else have a birthday to celebrate? Anyone?

Happy Birthday Maven of Mischief!!!

I'm rushing out the door to meet the beautiful Birthday Grrrrl and Suz for a birthday walk and breakfast (Kim took the day off to celebrate - woo hoo!), so I'll post more later. Suffice it to say that I hope, my dear friend, that you have a Fabulous Day!

We're back now! And what a day for a birthday walk - wow, a real September stunner. How perfect, fabulous sunshine for my fabulously hilarious, sweet, and generous friend! We had a sparkling walk around Lake Calhoun followed by breakfast treats - and a few shenanigans - at Yum Bakery. We declared that we minxes heart Yum Bakery for its sunny, cheerful decor; delicious, interesting food; rich, fresh coffee; and great service (including picture-taking, thank you very much). I can't imagine a better way to open my day and it's not even my birthday!

Enjoy your well-deserved day off Kim! And don't be tooooo naughty, you Maven! (Or better yet, DO!)

The fun is not over for the day, oh no. I have another birthday celebration this evening - this time with my friend Polly. If we're lucky, we'll pull off La La Lucia's, as you know, one of my very favs. I always feel so virtuous when I leave, as the vegetable and fish dishes are so heavenly they make keeping things on the light side, well, a piece of cake, ha. Oh, how I love my friends - and celebrating their birthdays!

Happy Birthday Rudy!

I sadly had to miss Rudy's dim sum birthday celebration yesterday for Nathan's baseball game, which was...chilly. Brrr... No need to ice my sore piriformis sitting on those bleachers, damn! And worse, some fan sitting near me was rocking so much heavy perfume that my eyes and nose were stinging and watering. As you know, I love love love fragrances, and usually appreciate them on others, but to be overwhelmed while outside, at a Little League baseball game no less, is a bit much, non? (Not as bad as the blast of a woman sitting somewhere near me at the Guthrie last week, that was unbearable - as was the play - but it was close.) Moderation, ladies! Luckily I'd stashed A Soldier of a Great War (what a book, it is breathtaking; well, almost, ha) in my handbag and was able to bury my nose in it, between Nathan's at-bats and plays, and the whole thing flew by pretty quickly.

So! John partook of dim sum and had a blast in my stead. Then we were all back here for a quiet night, warm and snug and into bed fabulously early, ahhh.

And now it's Monday, sigh. MONDAY. A sunny one, that helps. We were all up and at 'em extra-early thanks to our early retiring, that helps too. After I figure out a nice little sauce - raw tomato perhaps? - for the spaghetti squash I steamed yesterday, I'll post the recipe. Until then, I wish you a good start to your week!

Just have to quickly say how much I appreciate walking in the city of Minneapolis. I snapped this quick pic with my phone today because I was blown away by how beautiful, quiet, and secluded my walk was - in the middle of the city (I was walking around Cedar Lake)! Equally quiet walks are to be found along Minnehaha Creek and on many of the bike paths. Who knew? Mineapolis, City of Sensual Delights.

I (or technically, John) remembered to pick up my CSA veggie share this week - I really missed what I forgot last week! The treasure this week included lovely new potatoes and spinach, so I made a warm potato-spinach salad, with sweet onions and mustard vinaigrette. Made a tasty snack/dinner. I plan on having it cold tomorrow for lunch, topped with a bit of tuna - a Nicoise-esque sort of thing, mmmm. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

I have a new hot date each week! Friday Morning Coffee with Suz, it's a lovely way to go into the weekend because let's face it, in this day and age weekends aren't quite the break they're meant to be. For us, and for everyone else I know, it's run, run, run! Baseball, basketball, Sunday school, homework, guitar, errands, haircuts, dentist, cooking, laundry...you know your version of the drill. It's nice to take a deep breath, and enjoy a few wicked laughs, before diving in!

The leftover black bean soup did indeed make a satisfying lunch, along with some simple tuna on crackers. As I said about soups, below, it's worth taking a minute to add some pretty, tasty extras to something so simple and light - I seriously enjoyed consuming this. And it was nothing more than canned tuna (Genoa - the best), with a bit of mustard vinaigrette stirred in, atop a couple of Ak-Mak whole wheat crackers, garnished with a dab of salty olive tapenade (I buy it premade at the store), sweet cherry tomato halves, and the crunch and bite of raw onion. As Baby Nathan used to say, tooooolicious.

For my "sninner" (snack-dinner) later? Perhaps mesquite-smoked turkey, wrapped up with more of those killer tomatoes, as well as chopped cabbage, in a small tortilla smeared with mustard. I'm more satisfied by foods that hit several notes - chewy, crunchy, salty, smoky, sweet. Rarrr... Then a movie with John - he's himself wanting to drop a few by cutting back on dinners, so he suggested we get the heck out of here at dinner time and make our date a 'vie. Lemons to lemonade, my friends, lemons to lemonade...

Or to strawberry smoothie! I'm a smoothie purist, as it were, forget protein powder (ick), flavorings, ice, etc. To me, all you need is a bit of fruit, a splash of milk, a splash of water, and perhaps a bit of sugar if the fruit isn't at its seasonal peak (like strawberries in September, for instance). This baby is nothing more than 5 strawberries, 1 tsp. sugar, and 1/4 c. each of skim milk and cold water. Blend until frothy...done. A surprisingly filling and creamy essence of fresh strawbery. Makes a nice desserty thing, or a snacky thing, whenever something sweet would fit the bill. Yum. Also great with (1/2) banana or other berries or pineapple in place of strawberries (as a purist, I don't mix fruits, but feel free to, of course, that's just me). Nice little antioxidant kick to boot, all for around, oh, 55 calories.

Have a good weekend!

As promised - soup! Here are a couple of recipes for quick, light, AND satisfying soups. The classic Greek avgolemono (egg-lemon). And a quick black bean. Either are ready in twenty, with very few ingredients. Keep in mind that a lovely garnish - dollop of sour cream, sprinkle of toasted nuts, chopped raw onion or scallions, chopped fresh tomato, minced fresh herbs, sprinkle of cheese, etc. - can make the most basic soups prettier, healthier, and best of all...tastier! Enjoy either of these soups hot or cold. (Recipes posted in comments, below.)

I made the black bean today, mmm, Nathan loved it too. I still have a few garden tomatoes, they made a perfect garnish. And there's just enough soup left for my lunch tomorrow - NICE.

(As an aside, and for a good laugh, check out this food photo from Planet Dan's blog. Mmmmm...!?! Man he cracks me up.)

Another gorgeous September day and I will take it! Makes long walks positively delightful. Along with my iPod - I've had one, technically John's old one, for just about a year and only organized and put my music on it last week! Who knows what the hell I was waiting for...that's such typical, nonsensical, Stephanie-procrastination I can hardly stand it. Ridiculous. But now it's in action, woo hoo! In fact, yesterday I listened to one of my own Feminine Hijinx podcasts and laughed so much and had such a big grin on my face that strangers were smiling at and greeting me. How sweet! Just goes to show that people most certainly respond to your aura...

...which will continue to be full of good energy tonight when I get together with Kim and Suz to record a new FH. It's been a few weeks and we're chomping at the bit, ready to talk naughty and cackle and gossip. Yeah baby!

For dinner tonight? Well, as I said, I'm gently applying the brakes to the speed with which I've been cranking tasties out of my kitchen since starting this blog - who knew a blog could be so fattening? Ack. Love my blog, love cooking and writing about it, love eating the food, of course...do not love the gaining weight part. It's clearly out of balance, and therefore not moderate.

So. As I mentioned below, I've figured out that for me, dinner is the main culprit. I eat pretty lightly during the day, even when blogging, ha. As you can tell from my recipes, I'm a vegetable lover. And not a much of a sweets eater. In fact, I tend to prefer lighter, healthier foods in general. The problem is that I am starving at around 4:30, no matter what I've eaten during the day, no matter how I've spent the day. That is just hungry-time for me, period, always has been. Everyone's different of course.

My previous strategy was to have a snack, to hold out for dinner... But what really ends up happening is that I have the equivalent of two dinners - the (big!) snack, plus the real dinner (and did I mention the tasties while I'm cooking? Those add up fast, and oh how I love them). With wine. Nope! That doesn't work for me. I did a little research first by tracking my calories for three weeks, down to every last bite and sip, on a great (free!) website, FitDay.com. Eating as I normally do, I consume, and have gained weight, eating on average less than 2,000 calories a day. UGH, that sucks. Not a lot of wiggle room there. So much for being able to eat a bit more since I'm 5'11" - it's never been true for me and apparently still isn't (in fact, as I approach the big 4-0, it's of course less true - neato). An hour or more of exercise per day, and between 12-1500 calories, and I weigh what I should. Not easy to maintain, especially when one loves to cook, eat, and drink as much as I do! And when the work I do for most of the day is at my computer (aka on my ass, like most of us). But hey, it is what it is. Time to get more creative! You work with what you've got, sista. And without question my evening - and getting a bit carried away with my passion for food and cooking - offers the most room for paring some cals.

So, I've put the family on alert that full-on dinners are going to be fewer and farther between and most nights we'll stick to lighter, a la carte choices that offer more flexibility for those of us trying to, ahem, lighten up. Nathan and I can still eat together on our nights, since we usually eat before John's home anyhow (he's a go-in-late, stay-late guy). And of course John and I can still have a nice dinner once in awhile, either here or out. But day-to-day, we'll be moderating the full-on dinner experience. However...

...that doesn't mean I'm still not needing and eating delicious and healthy food! I refuse to eat energy bars and drink diet drinks and other fake foods, YUCK, I hate them. Especially anything with artificial sweetener in it, tastes like chemical disgustingness to me. I'm still all about fresh, delicious foods. (With lots more walking and Russian kettlebells for dessert, ha.)

Yesterday, spicy beans and rice made up my snack/dinner. Tonight, crunchy cabbage salad. Tomorrow, perhaps I'll make some soup. Stay tuned...

A very quiet weekend, not much fun to report, actually. Damn! And no cooking either! Didn't feel much like it, in fact, I'm going to dial down the number of full-on dinners I make each week - it's just not moderate enough, for me. I do much better consumption-wise if I just have a hearty snack for din, earlier in the evening when I'm hungriest. Trying to hold out to eat at 7 p.m. kills me, I've been trying to do it since John and I got married - nice for John, not so nice for me. I basically end up eating twice because as you might guess, I'm not the sort to sit plateless with others while they happily devour whatever tasties I've prepared for them. I'm neither disciplined nor magnanimous enough for such charity, ha. I figure I'll cook on the days both kids are here and once in awhile on the nights John and I are alone - those are my most experimental nights, when I really get the creative juices flowing. I'll definitely keep posting recipes for the blog, just not daily. Keep checking back!

And get this, I completely spaced picking up my CSA veggie share on Friday! Man, someone has moved out of the summer mode... Dorkin' out, completely. I had to buy some lettuce at the store today for the first time in months.

Hope you had a good weekend!

Pea soup? Yes pea soup, sweet pea soup a la Auriga, and it was glorious. If you go to Auriga for dinner - and you should, it's very special (and not just because it's the site of my first date with John, ha)- order whatever soup they're serving. I have yet to devour a bowl that wasn't transcendent. Along with a lovely, fall-ish presentation of butter-tender cod, wrapped and browned in thin pieces of egglant, and served atop a lusty saute of bacon, onions, and wild mushrooms, I enjoyed my date-night dinner thorougly.

Sadly I can't say the same for the The Real Thing at the Guthrie. Terrific acting, top-notch in fact, it was the play itself that I didn't enjoy. So, 0-2 at the new Guthrie...but we'll keep trying. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, truly connecting with a performance is an unforgettably joyful and energizing experience. (And when it doesn't, you end up kinda cranky like I was on the drive home, blah.)

Now I'm off (soon) for coffee with Suz. With Sullivan in morning kindergarten, we can pull off meeting for coffee once in awhile. It's nice - NICE!

Good morning! Wow, I hope it's as nice where you are as it is here in the Minneapple because it is STUNNING. Cool, crisp, sunshiney perfection. September's only flaw - and therefore, of course, its terrible sweetness - is that this intoxicating fragrance, color, and light are The End of fragrance, color, and light for the rest of the year and well into the next. Sigh. And yet, I belong here. The most intense sensual pleasure lies in the contrast between deprivation and fulfillment, and there is nothing if not that contrast here in Minnesota. Now there is the reason you give when someone asks how you can stand living here - the pleasure is sweeter for its impermanence. We Minnesotans savor. Yeah baby!

So, how will I savor? With walks like I took this morning, breathtaking, around sparkling Lake of the Isles. Or evenings like last night, a last-minute invite to "Bar Billadeau," aka Kim's house, for cozy chat and wine with my minxes, curled up in Kim's lovely living room, surrounded by candlelight and warmth (not as cozy as when they were snuggled up in my bed last fall, but cozy nonetheless!). Or dinner with the kids on the still-warm deck this evening... Ah, September.

(And as an aside, or not if you're looking for ways to exercise when September ends - and freezing rain begins - check out this article about Russian kettlebells in yesterday's Minneapolis StarTribune. Thanks, Donna, for pointing it out!)

Now that it's no longer chilly, I'm making...chili. Alright, perhaps my timing is a bit off, but it'll still taste mighty good for dinner tonight. Beans on the side, of course, one of John's (picky!) requirements, but easy enough to accomodate. This is a relatively straightforward chili except for the addition of a bit of unsweetened chocolate - it adds additional depth of flavor and color, the way it does for a Mexican mole sauce. I've also found that ancho and chipotle chile powders - available in the spice rack at my local grocery store and hopefully at yours - much more flavorful and interesting than the usual chili powder (plus, they're purely ground chiles, whereas chili powder is a blend of chiles with salt, sugar, and other spices). They pack more heat too - pow! (I've adjusted the recipe accordingly.)

And just to throw all our digestive tracts into distress, I'm making a big ol' cabbage salad as a side. Hey, cool and crunchy sounded good to me, alongside hot and spicy (plus, I've still got lots of cabbage from my CSA veggie share)...ask me later how many Tums it took me to get through the night. Perhaps I'll throw in a few cukes for good measure - ouch! (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Baseball Moms at McCoy's this September 11, so not much cooking for me. I had planned to make a Cobb salad for din, but had a big late-afternoon snack, and knew I'd have a bite at the bar, so sent John a quick email... Uh, Honey, I don't think in all honesty that I'm making dinner, this would be a good Big Bowl takeout night for you...

Thus relieved, I happily hooked up with the grrrls (Bobbi, Gayle, Beth), chatted my way through a slice of tasty, spicy barbecue chicken pizza, and laughed my way through a (very) tall, cool Blue Moon, while John happily inhaled his fav BB teriyaki tenderloin steak while watching the Vikes.

And all is good on this Monday night, baby, all is gooooood.

Wake up! Kind of tough on a dark, cloudy Sunday morning, but I've just discovered that a late breakfast of (reheated) spicy, garlicky falafel, in a warm pita with creamy, oniony yogurt sauce, gets the blood a'flowin', hoooooeeeey! No one will want to come near me all day, but that's OK. It's a curl-up-with-a-book kind of day anyhow.

Until...our late afternoon baseball game - yes, baseball! This time Fall Ball. Much more low-key than the regular season and much less potentially dramatic and testy. Let's hope, anyhow. I've had my fill of petty jealous intrigue for the year, let me tell you. Here's a garlic-breathed cheer for adults acting like...adults! Woo hoooooooooo!

For dinner? Something with avocados, me thinks, I've got two perfectly ripe babies sitting on the counter. Perhaps something as simple as toasted sandwiches, hmmm. Stay tuned...

Well, after a a chilly, drizzly walk (no baseball - rain out), I decided a simple soup would fit the bill this evening, as well as toasted sandwiches. I made a quick version of tomato soup, almost as quick as the Campbell's classic, but to me, an edible one (I know, potential blasphemy, but bear with me). With sandwiches of toasted cheese, yes, but also tomato and a few slices of avocado. Takes the dorm-room classic up a notch while maintaining the comfort-food factor. Nice on a Sunday night! (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

St. Paul Sweeney's with my sweetie on this chilly Saturday afternoon. Fabulous burger, man it hit the spot, rarrr... Then we made our way over to the Grandview Theater to see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth - excellent. After a long, scenic drive, we're home and I'm supposedly pulling something together for dinner soon but ack, I'm WAY too full from my burger to even think about it, whew. My plan was tabbouleh salad, warm pita, olive tapenade, a roasted chicken from the deli, and falafel with yogurt sauce. Hmmm...I guess just because I'm not hungry doesn't mean that I can't make dinner for John and Nathan. I always forget that! I definitely cook what I'm in the mood for, and frankly, not much else. Luckily for my family, I have a good appetite.

I did it! Not a tricky dinner to pull together, that helped. I ate some of it, but not much. Nathan and John feasted and then hit the Blue Sky Creamery caramel ice cream. Me? I am done, done for this day. Tired, full, ready for BED. Good night! (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Here's a Friday night dinner...in fact, if you're single, and your sweetie appreciates eggs, this is the perf impress-a-date dinner. More than a little sexy, because it's got a just-tossed together-French thing going, and is mighty nice with a glass of wine. Nothing more than a simple salad of pretty, flavorful greens - perhaps arugula, frisee, butter lettuce, basil, and/or spinach tossed with salt, pepper, and oil and vinegar. A quick saute of pieces of crisped chopped bacon, green pepper, sweet onion, and diced potato. Topped off with a couple of over-easy (technically, I prefer them over-medium, but no matter) eggs, and you've got heaven. In fact, if you tossed the warm potatoes into the salad right before serving, plated it, and served the eggs on top with a sprinkle of coarse salt and a grind of pepper - you're in-like-Flynn, baby, I'm telling you. And trust me, I would know.

I had planned braised beef short ribs for dinner tonight, but after my sweaty walk this morning, I realized it's too damn hot outside for my fav short-rib feast, namely the silky ribs on polenta, polenta, and more polentaaaah. Or, more accurately, it's too hot for them together, you know? I'll save that dish for next month... So I improvised and decided to make a Mexican-inspired din from the ribs...still a long, slow braise, but with lots of chilies, onions, and garlic. And when they're done, I'll pull the fork-tender beef from the bones, stir in a bit of the spicy braising liquid, and serve it in warm corn tortillas with generous chopped raw onion, tomato, and cool, creamy avocaaahdo. Yeah, it's a rebound relationship, but it'll still RAWK, especially if washed down with an ice-cold beer...baby!

Well, that beef is so good and so rich, no avocado necessary, in fact, it would have been over-the-top (and not moderate!). So the final, final dish was spicy beef, lettuce, tomato, and onion in a warm corn tortilla. Verdict? KILL.

A Kick-Off the New School Year dinner tonight, very fancy, ha, homemade chicken noodle soup with freshly baked challah. Between the two of them, that's probably the kids' fav dinner. Nathan on his own would pick pepperoni pizza, while A on her own would choose bread, with chicken or steak. But together they lurve chicken noodle soup (heavy emphasis on the noodle!) and good, fresh bread. Hey, I can't complain, I love both as well. With a big salad! Again with those damn tomatoes, you say? YES! In fact, for lunch today I pureed the leftover tomato-cucumber salad from last night and slurped it as a cold soup. Absolutely delicious. I'm probably making another tomato zucchini gratin as well - soon enough it will be February and I'll be craving the damn thing!

Speaking of craving...I have a hankering for my nephew Cooper, luckily he's on his way over for a visit. Coopster Turducken Coopst!

Back to school today, at least for Nathan. A started last week, so tomorrow night will be our first night together with both kids back at it. Hmmm, I'll have to plan something fun for dinner. Homemade bread would be tops on both of their lists, we'll see if I pull it off. Stay tuned...

Tonight? Crispy fried shrimps, a big tomato-cucumber salad with onions, mint, and feta, and warm pita bread. Can't resist such a summery dinner, on the deck (yes!), on a day such as today. KILL, KILL, KILL! And for dessert, nothing more than a dusky digestif walk in the 'hood (in the name of moderation, I'll forego a taste of sweet for my salty shrimps; they're worth it). Oh yeaaaaahhhh...

Fabulous late-summer dinner at Ana Scofield and Rudy Maxa's lovely home last night. Cold, spicy shrimps. Smokin' hot jalapenos, halved, filled with creamy goat cheese, and run under the broiler until browned and bubbly. Fish tacos filled with crispy cod, sliced avocado, roasted corn, and cilantro. Ana's mom's Columbian black beans. Rudy's jewel-toned tomato salad with lemon basil. And creamy, caramelly flan for dessert. All washed down with a killer tequila cocktail, El Diablo, yum. And of course lots of great wine. Ohhhh, what a meal. I told Rudy and Ana that I woke up this morning laughing about how the combination of tequila plus Rudy's jaw-dropping tales from his tenure at the Washington Post made for some pretty wild dreams, very funny. (Recipes posted in comments, below.)

In typical form, I was so busy talking (and eating!) while Ana and Rudy pulled dinner together that I forgot to take their picture. Damn! I love being in other people's kitchens while they cook. It's such an honor to be invited into someone's home and to witness the preparation of food they have chosen to share, I enjoy that as much if not more than the actual meal. (Well...I do enjoy the meals an awful lot, perhaps it's a toss-up, ha.)

In fact, on this last day of summer, that makes me think of all the beautiful meals I've been lucky to witness and devour this summer. Thanks to everyone who has shared their food with me - Ana and Rudy, of course, and also Suz, Kim, Tom, Valerie, Esther, John, Dot, Bartley, Maud, Catherine, Natalie, and Nathan. It's been a glorious, fun- and food-filled summer...

John and I did one of our very favorite things today - took a slow, pretty drive, this time a short day-trip down to Northfield. Tunes (like the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Road Trippin'), views, gossip, dorkin' out, we cover it all. We scoped out the campuses of St. Olaf and Carleton, stopped downtown for some coffee. Made our way back here for a casual dinner of various leftovers, with a nice piece of cheese and a glass of wine for dessert. On the deck, more tunes, taking in this gorgeous, soft evening. Good night.

La la Lucia's! John and A brunched there yesterday and came back not just raving about the yumminess but also with tasties pour moi. Good move! In the goodie bag was a pre-made sandwich, purchased from the bakery - perfectly soft-chewy cracked wheat bread filled with salty ham, sharp cheddar, slices of truly ripe tomato (nice concept, a real tomato), and a smear of sweet mustard. Simply delicious. (Athough Lucia's bread could make any damn filling seem extraordinary, it is The Best.) And then - swoon! Two mini-streusel-coffeecake muffins. Again, so simple, but oh my, buttery, cinnamony, decadent deliciousness. I tried to eat just one - moderation, you know - but didn't succeed. Snap, snap, both were gone and while I licked my fingers (and sucked the paper cupcake liners), and felt very grateful to have been brought such a treat, I was a wee bit sad that there weren't more, more, more. MORE! Man I love that place, eating in and taking out. Prrrr...

Today, soggy as it is, I think we'll not go to the State Fair. Awwww. Curly-haired girls avoid rain like vampires shun light. But if you're going, make sure to first check out Andrew Zim's list of Fair Food Favs at his blog, Chow & Again. Nathan's heading out tomorrow - he'll have to eat a hot-out-of-the-fat, mustard-painted Pronto Pup for me. Cheers!

And tonight...dinner at Rudy & Ana's, NICE! (Bet we're not having Pronto Pups!)

Have you read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma? I highly recommend it if you love food and cooking, but especially if you’re interested in the quality of your food, the circumstances under which it was produced, and understanding the benefits of eating locally, sustainably, and seasonally. Along the way, you’ll also gain an unsettling understanding of the intricacies of oil’s role in our lives and economy (let’s just say, the gas we pump into our cars is but the tip of the iceberg, ack), not to mention the perverted role corn has come to play in our diet. As the Washington Post’s Book World review put it:

In the United States, Pollan makes clear, we're mostly fed by two things: corn and oil. We may not sit down to bowls of yummy petroleum, but almost everything we eat has used enormous amounts of fossil fuels to get to our tables. Oil products are part of the fertilizers that feed plants, the pesticides that keep insects away from them, the fuels used by the trains and trucks that transport them across the country, and the packaging in which they're wrapped. We're addicted to oil, and we really like to eat.

Oil underlines Pollan's story about agribusiness, but corn is its focus. American cattle fatten on corn (that they can’t naturally digest well, requiring across-the-board antibiotic treatment to prevent intestinal infection – yeah, sometimes a little TMI). Corn also feeds poultry, pigs and sheep, even farmed fish. But that's just the beginning. In addition to dairy products from corn-fed cows and eggs from corn-fed chickens, corn starch, corn oil and corn syrup make up key ingredients in prepared foods. High-fructose corn syrup sweetens everything from juice to toothpaste. Even the alcohol in beer is corn-based. Corn is in everything from frozen yogurt to ketchup, from mayonnaise and mustard to hot dogs and bologna, from salad dressings to vitamin pills. "Tell me what you eat," said the French gastronomist Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, "and I will tell you what you are." We're corn.

The whole book isn’t that depressing, however; in fact, it’s quite funny and full of good information, ideas, and resources for feeding yourself and your families more wholesome, nutritious foods. The first step – cook most of your own meals with fresh ingredients (which means, obviously, forgoing fast and packaged foods as much as possible). Check! That’s what this blog is all about! Whew…

Other steps require more effort, but are interesting – basically, track down resources for locally, sustainably grown foods. Buying a CSA share is one way (and I did that before I read this book, ha, because it was available in my neighborhood and I love homegrown veggies). Shopping at a farmer’s market is another. Eating at restaurants that feature locally grown produce is yet another – any of the salads or veggies at Lucia’s in Minneapolis will convince you pretty quickly why it’s worth it…they're all fabulous. In fact, I’d bet that many food-lovers naturally do these things, and not because they’re motivated by worries about petroleum dependency, or even nutritional benefits, but because the food tastes so damn much better. That’s totally what has motivated me, I’m not afraid to say it (not to mention, I'd sound like a huge veal-and-foie-gras-eating-hypocrite if I said otherwise!). The other (albeit important!) benefits – icing on the cake, baby, icing on the cake. Mmmm…icing....

Hot, spicy, sweet, sour, AND salty - yeah, baby! Shrimp curry for dinner, oh my, it really is so good. And so easy. I've posted the recipe before, as chicken curry, but you can stir in raw shrimp a few minutes before it's done instead. Mmmmm...

....and mmmm again for the slice of Rosemarie Coconut Cake I had when I invited myself over to Suz's today for a cup of coffee and some chat. Thanks Suz, and thanks Rosemarie!

So, The Great Gatsby...well, not so great, at least to John and me. I applaud the new interpretation angle, but Daisy was so over-the-top irritating, there's no way any man, much less every man, was in love with her. Help! We had an amazing date night anyhow - nice dinner at Cue, half the play, then we bowed out after intermission. But that was OK...inspired by our stunning view of the river and city from the Guthrie's bridge-to-nowhere, we took off for a romantic, windows-down drive along the riverfront, around Lake of the Isles, and eventually home. Ahhhh, so lovely. Sometimes, in fact often, Minneapolis RAWKS! (And apparently Bush thinks he does too, but ya know? Not so much...hahahaha, love it.)