Have you ever tried these before, Weetabix? I bought them on a whim from the organic cereal section - I like whole grain cereals for breakfast, obnoxiously whole grain. Turns out Weetabix is a popular British cereal, eaten in many different ways - fried (ugh, although, I haven't tried it), toasted with jam, as a hot porridge, even as baby cereal. Apparently quite versatile, these Weetabix. And delicious, I just ate them with cold milk and fruit. They get soggy quickly, which might put off some, but to me was a huge plus. Comforting and tasty. I'm on a comfort food roll here, as you can tell, what with two soup recipes yesterday and raving soggy cereal today. Sigh. I can't tell if I feel better today - I'm just really, really tired at this point - but my goal will be to slip into the store and come up with something interesting for tonight.

My cheer-up tulips from Suz are stunning this morning, all opened up and so springy looking! Perhaps they'll inspire me to unpack from the weekend and start the process of re-entering the world of the living.

Oh! I just got word, from my friend Chris, that my beloved former boss, the great Jim Toscano, is retiring from Park Nicollet Institute. I worked for 12 happy years for Jim, my whole adult life up to the point that I resigned (a few years ago). In typical Jim fashion, he's retiring to start another job, as president of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation! How fabulous. But what a loss for Park Nicollet, where Jim has been a leader of and mentor to all types, from clerks to physicians, for more than 25 years. A gifted leader, fundraiser - and epicurean! Woo hoo for JVT! And for his awesome family. Jim is the best of leaders and I'm jealous of his lucky soon-to-be employees. They have no idea what they're about to learn. Lucky, indeed.

With a raging fever (it keeps shooting up in the afternoon, shit!), I prepared Papardelle with Tuna Sauce for dinner. Impressive, huh? How many of you, or your spouses, cook for you with a fever? That's what I thought - not many. That's how much I love my family (that's not quite fair; half of it is that I am BORED to death, doing nothing all day, so cooking a dinner that I can't taste is sort of a pleasure. Or something.) Tasted good, I think. Some nice Pinot Noir (I'm sorry, I'm too wiped to get up and see what Pinot I'm drinking, but I'm sure it's something we have a few bottles of and therefore it will come back up again) to accompany. As tired as you are of hearing about me being sick, that's how tired I am of being sick. I'll leave it there, it's a bore. And I'll shut up, and go to bed, and give 'er another hope - that you, or I, are not sick tomorrow, anymore. UGH!

A little stir-crazy here, I can feel it coming on. Funny, when you have the right to lie around and be lazy, it's not that much fun anymore... Hopefully that means I'm feeling better, at least this morning. I'm thinking, yeah! I can do it! I could head to the store, I could cook something today! I'm not counting on actually pulling that off, but we'll see. I will certainly bake, with what I have available, just to achieve something. I don't really need to bake bread - I still have challah rolls in the freezer, which have sustained me through the last few days. Pop one in the microwave until just warm - ahhhh, yeasty heaven. Thank goodness there is no Hope Creamery butter in this house or I'd be a yeasty, buttery, coughing mess. OMG, a soft, warm challah roll with a cold slice of HC...prrrrr... Snap back to reality, Stephanie! That's not moderate! Perhaps I can make garlic soup, that would be good for me. Delicious too. I think I have some gruyere to grate on top. Could use some crusty bread with that, so there's my baking challenge - dense, crusty bread to float in garlic soup. Very rustic, very restorative - and very doable. Just what the doctor ordered.

I was too sick to record Feminine Hijinx last night, damn, but it looks like we're on for this coming Thursday, woo hoo! It's one thing to listen to us chicks cackling while discussing poop (and wine, food, family, religion, and sex; we cover it all!), quite another to listen to me hacking and sniffling. Cackling = good. Hacking = bad. We're going to start inviting guests to join us soon...look out! We may call on you! And oh! I got my FH clock, hung it by our downstairs bar. Looks fabulous, I'm so proud of Brian's logo design, looks great on products. Haven't received my mug yet, should arrive today. And haven't ordered the thong underwear yet, which totally crack me up (ouch, bad pun). Soon, soon...

Consider...the matzoh ball. That deceptively-disguised dumpling of deliciousness. They're not pretty, I admit it, in fact to the degree that I wouldn't so much as taste them for years. But my god they are good. Tender, salty pillows of yumminess. I'm not Jewish, and I LOVE them. John is Jewish, and he doesn't. So it has nothing to do with ethnicity - I figure, you're either a dumpling person, or you're not. I AM. Oh my, how I am. Matzoh ball soup is the first thing I want when I don't feel well. And if I'm honest, it has nothing to do with the soup, and everything to do with the mmmmatzoh ball. John picked up said soup for me last night and I loved it so much that I whipped up a few matzoh balls for myself for lunch today. I just happened to have a package of Manischewitz Matzoh Ball mix in my cupboard, which produces an excellent matzoh ball (pictured here). But making your own is a snap and worth trying at least once. If for no other reason than to use schmaltz. Yes, it is an actual thing (ingredient), other than an adjective for sappy. (Recipe is posted in comments, below.)

Garlic soup is a-simmerin', I found the energy to do it - because it requires boiling garlic in water. I can handle that. (Recipe in comments, below.) This cough! I have the ugliest cough in the whole world - deep and loud, it literally consumes me. Tears and snot run down my face, I choke and can't breathe, I pull muscles - once I cracked a rib coughing, while I was pregnant with Nathan. It's this beast that possesses me, I hate it. Be gone! Be gone! (Maybe I subconsciously came up with the garlic idea to rid my body of this demon. Or not. Sorry, a little punchy, bored, and tired. I'm not really a demon-believer kind of person.) Did not bake bread, do not have the energy for that. Am making croutons from bakery cheese bread, nice, dense, serves the purpose. After I eat it, I am going. To. Bed. (And hoping not to cough all night...)

Check out the bags! Miserable night of fever and coughing did this to me. Nathan looks adorable when he's sick; Nathan's mom, not so much, eek. John and Nathan took such good care of me, it was very touching. At first I was freezing, so Nathan had John make me a hot-water bottle like I'd made for Nathan last week. If that's not a perfect example of what goes around comes around, I don't know what is. The sentiment alone warmed me up. An hour later I was boiling hot, sweating, even with the winter windows wide open. I dozed on and off all night. My fever is down this morning and I am hoping I'm past that part. So today, a day for lying low and hopefully some dozing between coughing fits. woo. hoo.

Oh, and a total aside, given how crappy I feel it's actually pretty funny - Nathan and I stopped at McDonald's for breakfast on our drive home from Spicer, MN, yesterday. The McDonald's in Litchfield. I walked in wearing my Dottie mink (the fur coat my mother-in-law Dot gave to me), no make-up, huge Audrey-Hepburn-black sunglasses, black Chuck Taylors, black circles under my eyes (see above), baggie jeans, a fever, and a barking cough. I figure I looked like a sort of insane diva. Needless to say, we drew a few stares. And that's not the funny part. The funny part is that I, on a whim, ordered a sausage biscuit and it was - fucking sublime. I hate to admit it, because 75% of the time I scorn McDonald's (you know, except when I eat there and thoroughly enjoy what I've had). I don't know if it was me feeling so awful, or the perfection of this pre-fab-but-deliciously-homemade-tasting-anyhow biscuit, with just the right amount of crispy, spicy, salty sausage, or some combination of both, but I loved it the way I love the duck foie gras ravioli or veal sweetbreads at Fugaise. I did. I slowly savored every bite. I think I even closed my eyes, the highest honor I bestow upon an eating experience. Washed it down with a huge cup of steaming real coffee - I only do decaf, but I knew I needed something to power me through our 2-hour drive home. Real coffee + sausage + biscuit = perfection. Hilarious. Not moderate, and not epicurean. I've lost my bearings, sigh.

Now I'm sick. Inevitable, I guess. And I'm not at my cousin Michael's wedding. Nathan and I did make the groom's dinner, a lovely and funny evening hosted by my aunt Mary and uncle Bruce. Michael (bottom) and Amanda (left) got some good ribbing during various toasts, and Nathan laughed so hard, I love seeing that. And seeing family members I don't get to see nearly often enough, like my uncle Del and cousin Maya (below left) and my cousin MaryBeth's adorable little boy Luke (below right). But oh, I was already half-down by the end of dinner. Some petty family members (does anyone escape this? Guess not...) plus a little pushback on the "inappropriateness" of Feminine Hijinx earlier in the day by someone in my world (apparently girls talking shit about sex, swearing, and cackling about everything else under the sun in public is inappropriate and embarassing to everyone who knows me, ooops; must be why it's so fun!), a fever, nasty cough, two-hour drive, and the last straw - a dark, moldy cabin to bed down in - totally did me in. I was up all night coughing, and decided at oh, about 3:30 a.m., that I had to throw in the towel and come back home. Where there's John, light, good smells, my kitchen, my bath, and my own BED. I don't know if I'll sleep one whit better tonight - the fever and cough are only worse, and when I cough, LOOK OUT, it's an evil thing - but when you're sick, there's no place like home. In fact, in general, there's no place like home. HOME! I do love being home. Especially when Suz brings me cheer-up tulips and totally brightens my day! And Kim sends me an amazing cheer-up email that fortifies my spirits! And John wraps me in a huge hug, offers to go get me matzo ball soup, takes Nathan out to grab some dinner, and insists that I rest. Lovely. Alright, I gotta get in bed.

So my best to Michael and Amanda, who are at this very moment being toasted and showered with good wishes and will soon be dancing up a storm. And who thankfully, I'm sure, have not a clue that I'm not there. I would have loved to see Amanda in her dress, I'm sure she is glorious. And there's nothing I love more than kicking up my heels at a wedding dance! LOVE to shake it on the dance floor. Damn. But, never mind, my best to you both! You're both awesome people. And Michael, remember - a Happy Wife is a Happy Life. Words to live by, I am not kidding. Amen. And don't forget to have fun!

Pizza. My boy wanted pizza this afternoon, finally, we might have a break! He's slowly perking up, after three days of fever, fatigue, and general malaise - woo hoo! It's so sad seeing him sick, breaks my heart. And of course he's pretty tired of it himself, ha. Plus, he'd like to recover in time for my cousin Michael's wedding this weekend. BIG Meyer Family event, all the uncles, aunts, cousins, sibs, half-sibs, parents, step-parents, boyfriends, girlfriends, you name it, they'll all be there. Dinner Friday, wedding and reception Saturday, brunch Sunday. Par-tay! I love getting together with my Meyer family relatives, it's always a terrific time. And a good chance for me to wear heels - we all range in height from 5'8" to 6'5". I kid you not. I'm right smack in the middle at 5'11", ha. Love it. Big, toothy smiles and looooong legs, those define a Meyer. And a love for FOOD and cooking! I am such a Meyer!



I am NOT cooking tonight, however. I feel like I've been cooking for no one but myself for the last few days and it seems a little silly. I guess we are getting through most of it - John took lots of yummy leftovers for lunch today. And I partook of chicken, beans, and rice myself. Oh fine, maybe I will make dinner. Since I'm eating out for the whole weekend, I guess I'd probably better at least think about it...

Oooh, got my Molton Brown Naran Ji handwash today, yum. And a new shower gel, Inspiring Wild-Indigo, also amazing smelling. I'm telling you, one of life's little luxuries, lovely bath products. Last forever and totally make my day. That and perfumes, candles, clean laundry, fresh air, flowers, nice wine, Nathan's little-boy scent, John's closet, cookies - basically anything that smells good.

(From top left to bottom right: Meyer smiles Nathan, Stacey, Marge, Mary, me; honorary Meyer smiles John and Suz, because their smiles are so real, warm, and awesome!)

Kept it very simple for dinner; John had the steak sandwich he couldn't pull off for lunch. Me? A sublime, and pure, turkey, avocado, sweet onion sandwich on whole grain. I savored it, enjoying every..single.. bite. Sauteed the deli-sliced turkey a bit to warm it up, added it to whole grain, plus sliced, raw sweet onion, toasted it in the same pan, and right before I ate it I opened it up and spread it with avocado mashed with nothing but a bit of salt. No cheese - or anything else - needed. Fabulous.

Nathan's still sick. My stepdaughter also sick. John and I - so far, knock on wood, cross our fingers, whatever it takes - are still healthy and washing our hands like crazy (a la Suz). Enough with all of this sickness, it's time for spring! And at 6:30 a.m. today, a lovely cardinal agreed with me, woke me up in fact, singing a decidedly spring song, I had to think about where I was for a moment. A little sign, so sweet!

Nathan's not hungry for much of anything, but I figure the first thing he'll want is some sort of toast/bread/crackers, so I think I'll bake bread today (challah dough baked as rolls). Maybe he can help me out a bit. He is a bit b..o..r..e..d with hanging with his mommy, although grateful too. He got the chills from his fever right before bed last night, so I soaked him in a lovely, warm lavender bath (Thymes Ltd.), blew his hair dry on high heat (makes me sweat every time I attempt it to straighten my hair), and tucked a hot water bottle into his bed to warm it up before he climbed in. He was buried under fleece and down and fell asleep immediately. I knew he would wake up at some point sweating but for the time being he was finally comfortable. Not fun for him! Poor little guy!

My oh my, a nice little lunch (for me...). Chopped steak with onions and mushrooms (from last night) on a homemade roll. As John would say, kill. Reminded me a bit of the naughty little tenderloin sandwiches at Ike's. Or the FAB brisket sandwiches at Maverick's, OMG, they are insanely decadent. Good (great) for takeout but amazing when you eat in, with their crinkle-cut diner fries, and/or onion rings. Nothin' fancy, but so damn good. Nathan (when he's healthy) loves Ike's, the burger. It is pretty incredible. Makes me think of when he was a baby, first learning to talk, I've got him on video, in his bath, saying, "Food." That's it, just "food." Hilarious. That's my boy! I hope he feels better soon...

Basically ate alone again tonight - awww... Couldn't wait for John, who will be home soon, and little Nate just wasn't into eating much. After a lovely, hot shower, I made roasted chicken, spicy beans, rice, and an avocado/tomato/onion relish (recipes for chicken and beans are at right, relish is in comments). Delicious, nutritious, and super-easy. Good combo, ha! Nathan had a few tablespoons of rice with beans and a couple of bites of chicken, but that's all. And I think John's going to skip the chicken and go for the same chopped beef sandwich I had for lunch! So I'll be having chicken, rice, beans, and avocado for lunch tomorrow as well. (I had bought the chicken thinking we were having our usual Wednesday night - both kids. As sometimes happens, ha, that plan fell apart, and I didn't feel like freezing the chicken, so I went for it. Can't say I've ever roasted an entire chicken for myself before, but I'm happy that I did.)

Nathan's home again today, the third day in 2 weeks, sigh. He spent the morning with Carter and then I - after finally making my Byerly's run! - swung by and picked him up. I don't think he's going to be much into eating dinner tonight, we'll have to see. I'm making one of John's favorite things in the whole world. No, not chicken and rice (that's tomorrow night, ha) but chopped steak. That's right, good old-fashioned chopped steak, his Nanny Claire used to make it for him, it's a nostalgia thing. I bought choice NY strip steaks and chopped (small dice) them myself, coarsely, added salt and pepper, and made several patties. Before I cook them tonight I'll dredge them in flour, saute them, and make a mustard/mushroom pan sauce. With roasted asparagus. Should be nice.

Suz sent me an email saying that iTunes rated our podcast explicit - holy shit! Me? Explicit? I mean, this has nothing to do with f-bombs, I don't even think I've said fuck yet on Feminine Hijinx. It's purely the content! Don't say I didn't warn you...

Mashed potatoes... Mmm... Love 'em. Which is why I don't often make them. Because no one else around here does, pretty much just me. John will eat them, especially with chopped steak and roasted asparagus, one of our favorite veggies. A heapin' helpin' (well, not too heapin') of comfort food, ahhh. I ate it alone, what with Nathan not feeling well, and John having to work late to make up for being away on vacation part of last week. But that's OK, still tasted great. Especially those damn potatoes... The key to great smashies is putting them through a potato ricer. Takes about 2 minutes and makes them perfect, and I've experimented with all the techniques. Nothing touches the ricer for fluffy mashed potatoes. Add a little butter and half-n-half to taste, little salt (I'm not a fan of pepper on mashed potatoes, to me this food is meant to be purely white) and there they are, potato heaven. Delicious with the mustard pan sauce.

There is no recipe I could post today that could top the dish featured on Planet Dan. I'm not even going to put the pic on my blog, lest someone think that I created this dish, so check it out by going to his blog. Yeah. Baby. There are definitely people weirder than I am, good to know. Because exposing my weirdness/silliness/grossness on Feminie Hijinx, for the whole world to hear, caused me to not sleep very well last night. Had the typical "vulnerable" dreams - driving in a car that wouldn't accelarate, caught in public in my underwear, the whole nine. Pretty funny. Hey, being almost-40 is all about taking risks, shaking things up, doing something new. Posting on this blog is something I never thought I would do. And I love it. And doing Feminine Hijinx is definitely something I never thought I'd do. And I love that too. That's what good friends (and husbands!) are for - to push you past your comfort zone. Consider me pushed! Eeek! (Here we are last night, the chat before the official chat, a photo I stole off Susie's blog. Apparently, I have none of my own content today. Yet. Gimme a few hours...)

I'm back! AND I made a lovely dinner, an innovation, because I did NOT go to Byerly's, yesterday or today, which I really needed to do. I love the pressure, I guess; sometimes our best dinners come from what I think is nothing. Tomorrow I'm hitting Byerly's for sure. John was away for the weekend, back tonight, and we had one of our awesome nights of just hangin', chatting, cooking, listening to music, laughing. Really nice. He listened to Feminine Hijinx for the first time and laughed his ass off which made me feel great, I must say, he loved it. So that was cool, along with our simple tapas-inspired dish of oven-roasted potatoes, tomatoes, and onion tossed warm with a tuna salad composed of again, Genoa brand tuna packed in olive oil, chopped scallions, and minced green pepper (recipe posted below, in comments). Poured a Spanish 1991 Mas Donis with it, wow, really hit the spot (and dig those pigtails!). Although with his food John chose a SO (short for soda) instead of the lovely wine (that's an Orangina in his hand). Bus-ted! I'm telling Stu!

Nathan and I had a great night last night, but it had nothing to do with Chinese food or going to a movie! We decided it was too cold, and he was feeling rough with the start of a cold, and our timing was all messed up anyhow, so we innovated and ordered in from Davanni's (pizza for him, piece of lasagna for me) and watched Ghostbuster's on cable. Total BLAST. We were both so glad to be indoors, warm and cozy, that was half the fun.

So tonight we had scheduled the second recording of our Feminine Hijinx podcast, but poor Kim, Maven of Mischief, was terribly sick yesterday, nasty stomach virus that's knocking everyone down, so we probably won't pull it off. Hopefully she's able to rest - vomit-free, ouch - all day today! Be well, Kim!

Hallelujah, She is Risen! Or so Suz exclaimed upon seeing Kim at church this morning, so we are ON, woo hoo! Since the kids are off school tomorrow, they're coming too, for pizza and rolling their eyes at their goofy moms. Thank you to Wine Genius Stu Williams for helping me out with wine ideas for the podcast - one per week is the idea. We're starting with a wine Kim brought last week, but after this, Stu's recommendations, can't wait. After we have a couple of podcasts under our belts, we'll make the Feminine Hijinx website live and I'll put it here on my blog as well. Bet you're all dying to hear it, ha. The website is pretty incredible, I must say, what with Cory's photos/concept/web design/recording, Brian's art design, Susie's songwriting/performance, and my and Kim's, um, what have we contributed Kim? We're reallly good at drinking wine, uh, that's it! Cheers to the wine drinkers! (Especially those who drink wine in a Jesus Loves You cup!)

Made myself a quick and satisfying lunch, nothing but a tuna sandwich, but with packed-in-olive-oil Genoa tuna, scallions, little lemon, arugula, chopped tomato, and a toasted whole wheat roll, pretty damn delicious. Potato chips would have been incredible with it but 1) we don't have any, and 2) I hardly need those empty calories. I've been not-so-moderate these last couple of weeks, if I'm honest (as if I can hide it, what with this blog, ha), and I can tell. Tight pants. Damn! Good thing I'm having pizza and wine for dinner tonight, nothing like salt and alcohol to make you feel trim in the morning. Good Lord. Hmmm...I think I'll go grab me some exercise and a glass of water and attempt to keep it all in balance.

Wine+pizza=yummy. And get this, also had some chips, as a little snack-y beforehand, so there, got my chip fix. And Suz baked a chocolate cake, with Killer Chocolate Sauce as icing, fabulous. So properly fortified, Kim, Suz and I recorded the second Feminine Hijinx, while the kids played upstairs. Hoooeeee did we have a blast, and hooooeeee is it on the bawdy (raunchy!) side (and, a bit gross, just so you know, we open with a conversation about www.smellypoop.com, we're odd and kinda crazy, I admit it), so be warned. Because now our website is l...i...v...e - www.femininehijinx.net - check out it, have a listen, buy some merchandise (we've got it all, I'm telling you), and enjoy. Unless you're related to me, then I'm too uncomfortable with you listening. Seriously. Okay. Good night!

I love it when Siggy Roo's jowls get stuck in his teeth, it's so endearing! This weather is hard on the old guy, I can see him picking up his feet while he tries to pee - not easy when you have long, shaky legs. He pulled it off, but just barely. He's such a sweetie. Rrrrrrooo!

And speaking of sweeties, Nathan and I are having a mom/son night out tonight. Dinner and a movie, I'm really looking forward to it. Haven't decided yet where we'll eat, I'll see what he's up for. He digs Greek and Chinese particularly. And of course, the ubiquitous pizza, his true fav. He occasionally gets a bit burned out on 'za, however, so hopefully he'll be up for something a little more interesting. Maybe I can talk him into Mexican, I've had a hankering along those lines... Hmmm...

Today, a quest for productivity of some sort. Didn't achieve much yesterday, I have to confess. I just don't want to go anywhere when it's -10 degrees, funny thing. But I do have errands to run, I've got to brave it today. And of course, laundry is not very dependent on the weather, ha. No excuse there. OK, Stephanie, kick 'er into gear!

OMG, I just whipped up the most incredible lunch for myself. Wow. I should have paid closer attention to how I did it, I was just cooking a craving, basically. Talked to Nathan, he wants Chinese tonight, and I have that above-said Mexican desire, so I pulled out a can of pinto beans, made a quick chili sauce to simmer them in, cooked myself a couple of fresh tortillas (sooo easy, and sooo good, that store-bought won't much move you again), topped it all off with chopped arugula and raw onion. Even had to have a quick glass of red with it, it was so delicious. Damn! Now THAT took care of my Mexican craving, and it wasn't nearly as naughty as a big, cheesy burrito. (I'll write up what I did and post it in comments, below.)

Good morning! I intended to post last night about our delicious evening at Rudy and Ana's. I even sat down at my computer, spread out my notes (I have to take notes to keep track of all the fabulousness!), put my hands on the keyboard and thought, am I nuts? I am so full, and so tired, get your ass to bed, girl! So I did. Thus here I am this morning, refreshed instead of exhausted, with a nice cup of (decaf) coffee, ready to decipher the pretty hilarious notes I take when we all get together. Last time, I scribbled all over three of Rudy's business cards. This time, actual paper, but just imagine, I am eating, drinking, talking, laughing, and trying to write, all at the same time. For those of you who know me, enough said. For those who don't, I eat (too) fast, drink (too) fast, talk (too) fast, laugh (too) loudly - add in something as sedate as note-taking, and one of these things is not like the other... You get the picture.

So, to begin, we arrived at Rudy and Ana's way cool St. Paul loft, absolutely gorgeous. Had a lovely glass of Champagne (forgot to write that down, off to a good start), lots of pate and salmond spread, and kicked things off in fine style. Sat down to a first course of silky squash soup (yum), which Ana made (recipe in comments, below), and with which she graciously served the challah I baked for them (below). With it Rudy served a 1997 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses Burgundy.

Our next course was a big, meaty, crispy crab cake - a perfect crab cake - from gandmcrabcakes.com in Baltimore, MD. With tomatoes, avocado, and a slaw that Rudy forgot about because it was all so nice just the way it was. Anticipating the crab cakes, Stu brought a lovely and crisp 1997 Twisted & Bent, Bent & Twisted Sine Qua Non white. For dessert, a seriously decadent (whew!) slice of chocolate cake with a 1996 Vine Cliff Napa Valley Merlot, along with sips of and chat about various tasty liqueurs, the first of which was a pine-needles-in-a-bottle Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur of the Alps, by Josef Jofier, Steiremark. And another by the same maker, Lauria Alpensahne Alpine Cream Liqueur, described on the bottle as a "timeless union of alpine cream, Pear Williams Brandy, and regional mountain pears." It was, as Ana described, like a pear smoothie. Lastly, which we all breathed in more than actually drank, a Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Tequila, with the color and fragrance of a brandy. Ahhh, sated, cozy, and buzzy, Stu, Debbie, John, and I made our way out the door into the frigid air (damn it's cold today!) and home to our warm beds. Not to post on our blogs. So thank you Rudy and Ana for a beautiful evening, we loved being in your gorgeous home and so appreciated the delicious food and wine and great company.

Oh, and a couple more things I jotted down, first of all Rudy's blog, check it out. And, I believe related to the Champagne we were drinking, we started discussing the pronunciation of Reims, in France, which all of us had assumed was said 'reem' but Rudy learned is actually said 'rance,' as in rhymes with pants. Or in this case, France. So there, next time you're chatting about Champagne, and Reims, you'll know the correct pronunciation. Which can be tricky, I've learned. For instance, after studying French (briefly, in high school) I know how to correctly pronouce chaise lounge and armoir, but you can sound like a serious asshole in some settings using correct French pronunciation. So use your better judgment. When in France...of course. When in rural Minnesota...perhaps tone it down a bit.

Oh, and yet one more thing - I sampled a Molton Brown handwash I hadn't tried before, Naran Ji, loved it, I kept smelling my hands as we wrapped up our dinner. I'm ordering some today!

Here's how to have dinner on your own: cook yourself something you love but your family doesn't and enjoy every..single..bite. Tonight I enjoyed spaetzle with browned sage butter topped with a pile of freshly grated pecorino romano, with a glass of Riesling. Early, which is when I like to eat. It was tough, but somehow I managed.

Home with Nathan again today - ugh, this time of year, everyone passing around germs at school! There are kids missing every day, it's so frustrating. But, so it goes. He's here, luckily with his backpack and work, so he's doing homework all day. He's not happy about it, at this very moment, but he will be when he's finally caught up. Who knew 4th grade was so tough? Sheesh!

On a brighter note, we're invited to Rudy Maxa and Ana Scofield's for dinner tonight - woo hoo! Stu and Debbie Williams too. A little bird tells me that we're having pate, crab cakes, slaw, and cheesecake, along with lovely wine, of course. Oh, a taste of summer! Love that menu! I'm cold and cranky sitting here and am seriously looking forward to a warm, yummy evening with friends. Can't wait.

Now that I've polished off the last of the leftover popovers (had two for breakfast, warm, with blueberries and syrup, fab; one for lunch at room temp, little Hope Creamery butter, also fab), I'd better get back to helping my little Nate with his homework... And honestly, just because he's feeling under-the-weather doesn't mean that I can't do some exercise. Right.

A fix-er up day for me. Or as my mother-in-law Dot calls it, maintenance (I love that term!). Haircut, highlights and blowout (right), pedicure (left), manicure (although the manicure was just a buff, I've pretty much given up on polished fingernails, just too high maintenance, and a short, buffed nail is quite elegant, thank goodness). At Spalon Montage, where Nisa has done my hair, and LJ my nails, for years now. Love those girls! It's been awhile so feels g.o.o.d, I'm all spiffy. Just in time to cook dinner and monitor homework, ha. That's OK, I had my night out last night and it sure was fun. And as a little bonus, my friend Kathie was getting her hair cut, also by Nisa, right after me! Just a coincidence, but a nice one, I always love to see her. Everyone loves to see Kathie, that's just how she is. Purely awesome.

Tonight I'm making a Salad Nicoise, I've had a craving for it since Bowen was talking on Sunday about how he often carries one out from Barbette. Barbette does a killer Nicoise, but I decided to make tonight's version myself. Romaine, tuna, onion, hard-cooked egg, tomato, potatoes, green beans, all with a mustard-y, garlicky vinaigrette. With popovers. Mmmm...love it. For the kids, a plainer version of the same salad, the popovers of course, and soup (canned) if they like. Easy enough!

Salad Nicoise hit the spot, as did popovers, those naughty, tempting, crispy puffs of eggy heaven. Why, oh why, do I make them? I LOVE them (with a little Hope Creamery butter, couldn't resist, prrrr...). With a tasty St. Innocent Pinot Noir. Nice dinner (recipes for popovers and Salad Nicoise in comments, below). Except for Nathan, who said he didn't feel well, and fell asleep, on his own, at 6:00 p.m. Again, just like a couple of weeks ago. So here we go again, poor little cutie. His friend Vivian, Susie's daughter, was home sick today too, it's going around their school. Damn, I hate when he's sick, I don't like to see him uncomfortable...

Happy VD! I'm very grateful to have a valentine on Valentine's Day. I hated VD in college when I was broken-hearted over some dude, seeing couples walking arm-and-arm around the campus, blech. I've been hooked up pretty much solidly since then, ha, maybe it had more of an impact on me than I've realized! Being single can be crazy-fun, no doubt, and marriage can be hard as hell - again, no doubt - but I do enjoy being married. Most of the time. Hi John! I mean all of the time (except when you use my computer, I hate that)! You're an awesome husband and I'm so glad we're together! Happy Valentine's Day to you all, single or married or something in-between.

I'm stealing this pic from Susie's blog of our first recording session of Feminine Hijinx - how comfy cozy do we look, hanging in Suz and Cory's basement, sipping wine and gabbing? The only sign that it's a recording session is the microphones (no, I'm not eating mine, ha).

John forgot to take his cake to work today - uh oh! So far OK, not in a cake mood. I have my eye on leftover Bucatini all'Amatriciana for lunch, perhaps a little salad as well. Nice. So a VD lunch alone, then later I'll pick up Nathan from school and get the scoop on his class party - a Hawaiian luau, cute idea, lots of fruit and summer clothes. Then time to get ready for our dinner out with Susie and Cory, Brian and Kim, woo hoo! The grownups go out for VD, it's an event!

Our valentines (!), John, Cory, and Brian - woo hoo for great husbands! We had a blast at Wildire Grill, ate lots of yummy steak (I had a truly delicious and beefy NY Strip - when I announced, I'm having the NY Strip, Suz said, of course you are! Ha!), knocked off a few bottles of a lovely Australian Shiraz that I forgot to write down (too busy talking, of course), and laughed our asses off, as usual. Best VD I've had in years. Definitely had to chat about Feminine Hijinx, since Cory's responsible for damn near the entire thing - recording, website, photos; and Brian has designed an incredibly cool logo. I'm so lucky to know these talented people, it pretty much blows me away. Wow. I'm taking a little moment here in my gratitude. Great friends are a real gift.

So, off to bed for me, and John and Nathan. Hope you had a nice Valentine's Day too.

Yes, up too late again, goofing around with Suz and Kim (as you can tell in pic, whew). Our photo shoot and first recording session for Feminine Hijinx went very well, at least from our perspective! Little on the bawdy side (no!), but only a little, just enough to keep us laughing the entire time. I'll have to watch my f-bombs so we don't end up with an explicit rating! And Susie and Kim, they'll have to watch everything else, they will say anything. Love that about them. Love my girls!

Today and tonight, keepin' it pretty real, ha. Very exciting things like getting gas, a car wash, candy for Nathan's class valentines (damn near forgot about VDay, oops), folding laundry, getting some sort of exercise, etc... Everymom's day. We're in tonight, I'm thinking a simple pasta, perhaps all'Amatriciana, from Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking, basically pasta with tomatoes and onion, bit of bacon, few pepper flakes for some heat. It's absolutely one of my favorites. (Recipe posted in comments, below.) Need to rest up for tomorrow...

...when we'll be out for Valentine's Day with Susie and Cory, Kim and Brian. Woo hoo! Nice, casual dinner at Wildfire Grill, we girls will attempt to keep the shrieking to a minimum. I think.

Spaghetti - or in this case, bucatini - all'Amatriciana was delicious. Served it with a simple salad, romaine and arugula tossed very lightly with good olive oil and a dash of red wine vinegar with sea salt and pepper. I baked John a chocolate cake for VD - I'm such a good wife! He's eating it right now talking to himself about how fucking awesome it is so there you go, it must be pretty darn tasty. I'm actually abstaining, I'm full enough from pasta and salad and shockingly don't really need it! And then I'm getting it out of here by sending it with John to work tomorrow - I'm more likely to eat sweets mid-afternoon than after dinner. So, fare thee well, VD chocolate cake. You belong on someone else's lips, not mine...

Beautiful, sunny Sunday, wow. And more cuteness this morning, Nikko and Addison waking up here and having a little brunch with us. They're so good about eating, they happily had poached scrambled eggs with scallions, sausage, and streusel muffins. Two brunches in a row, not my usual, but hey, I'll take it! The original plan was to meet up with Baby Boom Boom's dad Bowen at Hell's Kitchen downtown, but Bowen's not feeling well, and Nathan ended up having breakfast after church with his dad's family, so it worked better to just whip up something here. So we've been busy so far today! I even had to blow out my hair, which I only do on special occasions (it takes forever and I hate doing it), because Susie, Kim, and I are going to take our first shot at recording our soon-to-be podcast tonight, Feminine Hijinx, and Cory's going to snap some pics of us for the FH website. No makeup-less Sunday for me!

So in a bit here we're heading over to Stacey's pad to check out Boom Boom's nursery, it's all ready to go, all we need is his birth! Soon, soon... Then back here for some homework and chillin', gotta get in the right frame of mind for shrieking into a microphone with the girls.

Back now, the nursery is cozy and adorable, very Stacey, and totally baby ready! Stacey and Bowen have done an amazing job of picking out furniture, carseat, bouncy seat, stroller, crib, decorations - the whole nine. This little boy is going to have one s-weet set up. Everyone's wondering how Kitty Co - Stacey's shockingly charming and friendly cat - is going to do, but he is so adaptable, I think he'll be just fine. Co tried out the Baby Bjorn carrier today and thought it was terrific. He also yawned through a visit by the two neighbor dogs, as well as us. Snuggled up with Nathan (who has bigger eyes, Nathan or Co?), did all his silly tricks, he's a cutie. We hung out chatting at Stace's for a little too long, which was a blast, but sort of messed up our dinner plan. Basically, we now don't have one, we're winging it here, which is fine, with all the food we still have. (I say that it's fine, but I confess I got a little bitchy about it on the way home, sorry John and Nathan, although I've recovered now...)

So, another weekend of fun and food, kids, dogs, cat, diapers, brunch(es), now all behind us, darn. I like busy weekends. Nikko calls me Snephanie and it's just about the cutest thing I've ever heard. Time for Snephanie to wind down a bit and, as Suz says, get my Podcast Pants on, I'm on to the next endeavor...

Today is Cute Little Kid day in this house! First up, the adorable foodie-to-be Baby Noah (11 mos), visiting us for the first time with new mommy Rishia (daddy Andrew will be doing his Chowhounds radio show; we'll toast him with a blueberry muffin...). Then later today, Addison (4) and Nikko (3), the daughters of Stacey's best friend Kim, are coming for a sleepover. We love to have the girls visit, they are a magical little breath of fresh air, so girlie and happy. And tiny - we grow big kids in this family, at least on my side, it blows me away to see tiny little hands. They love Nathan, and he's so great with them, it always makes me feel proud of him. He's still little to me, but when the girls are here, all of a sudden he seems 16 years old and I feel like I get a little glimpse of the future person he will be. What I see is good.

With Rishia and Baby Noah we're having a little brunch, an egg dish that bakes up browned and puffy, with cheddar and a few veggies. It's an easy, do-ahead dish, and it is delicious. A little fried pork in the form of Nueske's bacon and Johnsonville sausages (it's not brunch without fried pork!). And the above-mentioned blueberry muffins, I use frozen wild blueberries, they're smaller and tastier than the fresh you can buy right now and work well in baked goods. (I'll post recipes for the egg dish and muffins in comments, below.)

Oh, Baby Noah, he is so adorable, enormous blue eyes, long black eyelashes, and dimples. Happily ate lots of yummy things, explored, snuggled with his mommy, and is at this moment sound asleep in their car, I'm quite sure.

Stace with Nikko and Addison will arrive soon for some more cuteness, and then Nathan will get home from skiing around 5:30. I think I'm making exactly nothing for dinner, we'll go with leftover fish soup, egg bake, blueberry muffins, and whatever else anyone feels like digging up. I might make a salad, but that's not for sure.

They're here! How cute are they? I'm telling you, Cute Little Kid Day! Woo hoo!

Egg dish, excellent on the reheat, was dinner. Except for Nathan, who despises eggs, he had a corn dog. Nathan's asleep, little girls are tucked in with Stacey, I think it's time for John and me to go to bed as well. Such a fun day, full of happy little cuties.

It struck me how young, and trim, Fugaise Chef Don Saunders was last night (here with Ana and Rudy). How does he do it, working so hard, with all that fabulous food? Man, I do not feel young and trim this morning, whew. I am t..i..r..e..d. Oh it was worth it, definitely, I had such a blast last night. But I stayed up until 2 a.m. documenting it all for the blog. Two a.m.? I can't do that! I am WAY too old for such behavior. And it takes its toll on me, I just can't bounce back from a late night the way I used to be able to. Sigh. My feet are back on the ground today. Along with the bags under my eyes...

I'm thinking a nice piece of fish for dinner tonight. I have to haul Siggy Roo over to the groomer anyhow, makes it pretty simple to bop into Coastal Seafoods and pick up something nutritious. Oh, I know, fish soup. That sounds delicious. Slightly involved, but I can do the broth portion ahead. It's a Gourmet Cookbook recipe and it rocks (I'll post it below, in comments)! A movie, and home for fish soup, that'll get me back on track. Little walk. Little bath. Oh yeah, I'll be good as new.

Oh my, I am tired this afternoon, whew. Getting through, however, got Sigs to the groomer, visited Coastal Seafoods and picked up some halibut and grouper, whipped through Byerly's to pick up a few staples, then made my way back here to start the soup. And to think through a little brunch for tomorrow - Rishia Zimmern and baby Noah are coming to visit us, yay!

So this soup, Fish Soup with Bread and Rouille. I've made it several times, and it is truly delicious, a big favorite in this household. From Gourmet Cookbook: This is one of the best fish soups we've ever had. It's not at all aggressive; rather, it's light and brothy, and it takes a faintly smoky turn from the grilled bread used to make its croutes. The secret to the croutes, by the way, is a simple one. After the bread is grilled (use a good sourdough), tear it into rough pieces, leaving them craggy, like a coastline. When you bake them, the edges get beautifully crisp, and they are absolutely delicious in the soup. The rusty red sauce called rouille, which is both stirred into the soup and served as a condiment, makes the soup come alive. This recipe is from Melissa Kelly, the chef-owner of Primo, in Rockland, Maine. There are basically three recipes within this one, none of them complicated - the broth, the croute, and the rouille. The broth and rouille can be made the day ahead to save some time. Nathan actually loves this soup, even though he's not a big fish eater, because the broth is so good, especially with the bread. Make this on a weekend day, active time is listed at 1.75 hours, start to finish 3.5 hours. It's definitely worth it.

I bowed out of the movie, so John's going without me. When he gets back we'll have the soup, and in the interim, once I have the broth finished, I may slide into the bedroom for a little nap. Or not. Now that I see what time it is, that would be pretty stupid. Guess I'll hold out for an early bedtime...

Soup = lovely. Bed = now.

Had lunch with my boy at school today. I brought in some soup and bagel sandwiches - not as cool as McDonald's, but still better than the usual. Then I read to his class, a book that Nathan and I own and have enjoyed reading for years, Saint George and the Dragon, a good old-fashioned fairy tale with gorgeous illustrations. I'm so glad he still likes me to be at school. I know it won't last forever, so I really try to savor and enjoy it while I can. And I love seeing him with his friends and in his element, it's cool.

Working on a major din tonight - woo hoo! With Stuart Williams (his wife Debbie has other plans, damn!) and Rudy Maxa and Ana Scofield. Possibly Fugaise, possibly something else depending on the timing we can pull off. I don't really care where it is because I know a good time will be had by all. And lots of good food and wine too, yeah baby, it's gonna be awesome. I hope. I shouldn't get so ahead of myself. Slow down, Stephanie.

So, even though I've already showered, I'd better hit the KBs for some sort of workout given that I probably have some serious calorie consumption ahead of me tonight, even if I employ my mindful eating/savoring/moderation type of concepts, ha. (That's me, oops, I mean Pavel, the KBs guru, hoisting a KB I'm quite sure I couldn't even pick up.) Folding laundry will not count as a workout today, right Pavel? Damn, or however you'd say it in Russian (Pavel is Russian; major Russian). I have to say, on a blustery, snowy day like today, the idea of a cozy night out is very appealing. Yay. And kinda Russian too. Dr. Zhivago-esque, I'll have to hunt for caviar on the menu. (I just worked my way from a KB workout to caviar, all in the same paragraph. Again, slow down, Stephanie.)

We are on for Fugaise - yes! - and Debbie can now join us - double yes! I'm hoping duck ravioli is on the menu, we'll see soon enough. Ah, a quick glance at their online menu reveals no duck ravioli, but an interesting rabbit chou farci (stuffed cabbage) that I'll be happy to sample instead. Fuck the duck (oh, you know I couldn't resist that obvious rhyme!), I'm going for the bunny. I'll leave my main course undecided until I arrive. See what we're drinking. See if they've tweaked the menu. An adventure...

Try again! No bunny, instead I (and Stu) opted for trois veal (as he named it, v3) - veal sweetbreads with lentils, apples, and whole grain mustard for a first course (below right); and veal scallopine with winter root ragout, rosemary, and lemon pan sauce garnished with a quick saute of yes, more veal sweetbreads (below left). I apologize to those of you 1 ) opposed to consuming veal, and 2) revolted by sweetbreads. I do. And then comes the (expected) BUT... because it was fucking sublime, the whole thing, it was. With our first course we sipped a 2001 Puligny-Montrachet from LeTrezin vineyard by Marc Colin, plus a Volnay Brouillard Premier Cru by Georges Glantenay et Fils. With our main course we moved on to two more amazing reds, one brought by Stu, a 1996 Sine Qua Non Against the Wall California Red by Elaine & Manfred Frankl, tag line "we made just enough to be dangerous." Rudy brought the other in a Stump-the-Stu wrap concealing the bottle. It turned out to be from New York's Finger Lakes region, a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from Chateau Lafayette Reneau. I hadn't a prayer of figuring it out, of course, but Stu made some fun guesses. Chef Don Saunders sent out a lovely slice of sheeps milk cheese with cherries and port reduction (mmm...), with which we sampled an unusual yet delicious Chateau d'Orignac Pineau Des Charentes. What can I say? I ate too much, drank too much, it wasn't moderate, and I'm very happy anyhow. We had a blast seeing Ana and Rudy (above), Debbie and Stu (left) and I hope we get together with them all again soon. Not a bad way to launch into the weekend... Thank you Fugaise, Chef Saunders, the terrific waitstaff, Stu and Debbie, Rudy and Ana. And John, of course. My kind of night...

The whole beer/burger thing got me thinking about the good ol' Kollege Klub, or KK, in Madison, WI. Ate, drank, flirted, fought, laughed, cried, kissed, sang, yelled, stole, danced on tables, spoke Portuguese, fell, cooked, served drinks dressed as a French maid, and even poured alcohol directly into people's mouths, as they lay in a dentist's chair, in a short stint as Dr. Shots, all at the KK. Whew. Quite the place. And it's still fun to raise hell there when Cami, our friend Michelle, and I get together for Homecoming every few years, because the place never changes. Even our preternaturally preserved boss (we all three worked there), Bruce Meier, still rules the roost, flirting with the girls, talking shit with the guys - the only difference is now his sons don't come in for french fries, they come in for beer (that blew us away last time and made us feel real old, which attending homecoming celebrations anywhere has a tendency to do). Good fried cheese curds, I could go for some right now. Mmmm...

Snap back to reality here, my short stint as Picture Person went well this morning. Fourth grade is such a terrific age - they're sharp and funny but still basically polite and interested. Good combination. Despite the ability to serve drinks dressed as a French maid and smoothly pour upside down shots into the mouths of rowdy, drunk frat guys, I'd be as intimidated as hell talking art in front of a group of jaded 8th graders, eek. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I'm sure when I was screaming at the KK with Cami, Michelle, Polly, and my other Gamma Phi Beta sorority sisters, I didn't think I could talk art to a group of 4th graders. As if that was even anywhere on my radar - ha! I never guessed I'd be so adaptable. Bring it on!

Speaking of adaptable, I've gotten pretty good at squeezing some variety out of the VERY few ingredients that appeal to all members of this family. Here's the list:
chicken (but only roasted)
steak
pasta
rice
broccoli
salad
pineapple

I've already outlined the whole roasted chicken/rice thing. Tonight I'm using steak and pasta, by making optional stroganoff. As in, for those who will eat stroganoff, there will be sauce, and for those who don't, plain steak and plain pasta. It works. You'll see on other Wednesdays my attempts to mix those ingredients up. Optional cobb salad, chicken noodle soup, optional steak tacos, etc. So stay tuned... (I'll post recipe for optional stroganoff in comments, below.)

Oh, and if you're interested in the life and times of a current (and adorable and fun, we would happily have been friends with this girl!) Badger, KK bartender, and Gamma Phi Beta sorority sister, check out this photo blog I stumbled on looking for a link to the KK. You really think you want your kids to go to college? Think again... Gulp. Just 'cuz I lived it and loved it doesn't mean I want Nathan to! At least not when I see it in pictures. Go Badgers. Eeek.

Nathan's home now and I'm doing one of my favorite things - making dinner while he does his homework in the kitchen. A would be here doing hers too, but she's got play practice until 6 pm, so she'll join us in a bit. It's actually still (sort of) light out at 5 pm, ah, another sign of impending spring in Minnesota. I may be a l..o..n..g way from my life in Madtown (thank god! When I look at these pictures, and as fun as it was, oh my, thank god...), but I still crave spring the way I did in college. A beer, on the terrace, in the sun? Oh! That sounds so fab. Then again a glass of champagne, in my kitchen, with my family, that's damn fab too. And so much more moderate, ha.

Stroganoff was a hit, both with sauce and without (I guess it's not really stroganoff without sauce, but you know what I mean). I like a simple stroganoff, no bells and whistles, basically the beef, onion, stock, salt and pepper, and sour cream. Delicious. The beef is sliced, salted, and allowed to rest for bit. Then quickly browned and removed to a plate, leaving behind flavorful, crispy drippings in the pan, the key to the yummy sauce. The whole things comes together in about 30 minutes, definitely doable on a weeknight. It's a classic.

I'm a Picture Person at Nathan's school tomorrow, which means I go into the classroom and talk about art. For 30 minutes, which kind of freaked me out at first (as exhibitionist as I am on this blog, I really do struggle with talking in front of a group of people, even 4th graders), but now that I've got a couple under my belt, it's just really fun. This month's unit is Native American art. The whole program is a volunteer's dream - all the lesson plans and history are written out for you, with suggestions for art projects, and materials stashed ahead of time at the school. I can definitely handle that!

And tonight is Nathan's last basketball game of the season, too bad, it's been really fun for him. Several of the boys from baseball are on the team. Nice families, I'm glad for that. The games are at 6 p.m., so the dilemma is always, do we eat early or very late, after the game? Hmmm... I often choose early and make something pretty simple. Tonight, Quick Chicken Gumbo, a recipe I made up about a month ago and really enjoyed. It's another one that uses deli rotisserie chicken, love those crispy, juicy little birds (recipe posted in comments, below).

Last night's beer-fueled McDonald's indulgence kept me from eating breakfast today, which rarely happens - I woke up FULL, ewwwww! Full of McDonald's! Oh well. I have to say, I did enjoy it. Salt city, my kind of food. I'll repent by having some good veggies for lunch. Yay for veggies! And lots of water, I am on the puffy side today. Lovely.

Opted for a quick bath (Neutrogena Rainbath) in lieu of a shower today and ended up taking a quick nap in said bath. Oops! Now I'm rushing to make photocopies of a Navajo rug pattern for the Picture Person art project, and to get Nathan from school. Let out McCoy, rush home so Nathan can do some homework (and I can make the Quick Chicken Gumbo), then back out the door to the game, back here to finish homework and start the painful process of encouraging a 9-year old boy to get ready for bed. Ah, the life of a suburban mommy. Lots of running (and I only have one!). Thank goodness I love it. I really do. Love my boy and seeing him do his thing, hang with his friends, figure out who he is, learn all he's learning. Unbelievably cool.

Whew, we're back. Basketball game was a success, nice end to the season. Stacey came to the game, always great to see her. I got to feel Baby Boom Boom moving around, he is a busy little boy. I pushed on her tummy and he pushed back! So cute! And the gumbo is delicious, a hit with even Nathan (I already knew John liked it from my first go-round a while back). Nathan actually requested it for his lunch tomorrow! Happy to oblige. Not often I can get my boy to polish off green peppers, yay. I still have some reviewing of Native American art to do, better get to it so I don't make a complete ass out of myself in front of a group of 4th graders tomorrow.

How fun is the internet for keeping tabs on friends, family, and old boyfriends? It's crazy-fun, for someone nosy like me, I'm still blown away by the ability to find out pretty much whatever I want. And the pics, I do love the pics. Off the top of my head, here's what I pulled up just screwing around for a few minutes:

Left to right: college roomie Cami, friend Shane, cousin Blake, college boyfriend Tony, my dad, my stepmom's niece Farley

Hilarious, seeing all those faces together. Love it.

Tonight is my monthly Baseball Mom's night out. Nathan has played baseball, coached by his dad Carter, for years now. It is so much fun, seeing everyone at the games, that the moms decided to just carry on post-season and get together at McCoy's to chat and drink beer. Good timing, because our fridge is so packed with tasty leftovers - beef short ribs, tomato gratin, crab cakes, braised kale - that John will have no problem putting together a mini-feast for dinner tonight. (No leftover potatoes, we knocked those last night. Darn.)

Good antioxidant consumption today. I make the effort, I really do, to eat lots of fruit and veggies. I do better some days than others (as in all things, ha). Had lots of wild blueberries in my cereal for breakfast; tomatoes, kale, and a few almonds for lunch. Some tea for a mid-afternoon snack. Good start, we'll see how I carry through for dinner - pizza and beer, most likely? Hey, pizza and beer can't be all bad, it ushered me - and everyone I know! - through college in pretty good shape. My god, does anything taste better than after-bar pizza? Mmmm... Good thing McCoy's has tasty pizza, I think I can tell where my appetite is headed tonight, ha.

Get this – no pizza at McCoy’s with the Baseball Moms! Hey, I did my best to suggest that perhaps we should eat something but noooo – too much talking and beer-drinking to be done, no food required. For me that means it was mighty fine company – there are very few things that keep me from eating dinner. So woo hoo for the Baseball Moms: (me), Jennifer, Bobbi, Beth, and Sonja (and several others that couldn’t make it tonight)!

PS John was only just on his way home when I got here, after 9:00 p.m., so I called him on his cell and asked him to stop at McDonald's to pick up a burger and fries for me. Oh no! NOT moderate! But, oh, did it taste good. Wow. Fuck McDonald's for tasting so good. Sigh. 'Night.

Well, I suppose that today would be a good day to toss the pine boughs I still have on my dining room table. They've been there so damn long I've actually grown (almost) accustomed to them, ugh. I enjoy Christmas, but the whole decorating thing exhausts me. Especially taking it down, what a drag. Sigh. But my goal today will be to put Christmas 2005 to rest for about the one month it feels like before it's time to haul it all out again. Fuck Christmas. Justing kidding, I don't really feel that way, I'm just saying it because I know everyone has that same (blasphemous) thought at some point during the holidays (or way after the holidays, as today would be, ha), I'm just verbalizing it. For you.

We're not big Super Bowl party people in this house, but I think I will make one snack-y sort of thing, as a nod to the day. Popcorn with curry butter. Sounds a bit odd, but it is very addictive and delicious, and has a pretty color. Oh darn! I forgot to buy some beer, I do love an excuse to drink beer. And here in Minnesota, liquor stores are closed on Sundays, even Super Bowl Sunday. So I'll be beerless with my curry popcorn, maj oversight. A nice red will have to do! I know how to suffer...

I'm also planning another comfort-food dinner - beef short ribs, potatoes of some sort, and braised kale. I'll pretty much be the only one eating the kale, which is a shame - it is both delicious and nutritious. Unless Stace comes for dinner, she'll eat dark leafy greens with me. We have a nice amount of tomato gratin left from dinner last night which will be lovely with eggs for a lunch/brunch sort of thing. Woo hoo for yummy leftovers! To power me through the Christmas bough clean up. I'll post recipes after I nail down the menu more specifically. And oh! Speaking of posting recipes, I now have a listing of recipe links at right, nothing fancy, links take you to the comments section they were originally posted in.

As usual, a project I've put off for weeks took oh, about 30 minutes to complete. The table is pine-bough free, finally, whew. Now I have to tackle the nutcracker collection, that's still out too. That will take at least 10 minutes, how will I manage it? (In case you're worried, the tree has been gone for more than a month...)

Here is a blast of a recipe, simple and delicious, I just made it for myself for brunch. Poached scrambled eggs, I pulled it out of the New York Times magazine a few weeks back. The eggs emerge incredibly tender and puffy, but cooked through (nothing makes me gag faster than runny scrambled eggs, blech; I know, alot of people love runny scrambled eggs, it's just a thing with me). You finish them with a bit of olive oil or melted butter (yep, you guessed it, melted Hope Creamery butter, mmm...). Eat them in a bowl. If you're lucky, you have a side of leftover tomato gratin, and a glass of bubbly, to accompany. Clean up is a snap. (Recipe is in comments, below, and now also listed at right.)

Well, no popcorn, didn't get it done. Too busy going for another great walk (warmer today - I'm telling you, the sun actually throws off some heat, gives one a bit of hope that spring indeed will come...), taking another great bath, and heading right into cooking dinner. No Stacey tonight, darn, but I'm doin' the whole deal anyhow. Short ribs braised with sage, onion, and garlic. I decided to do the potatoes as a sort-of gratin (no cheese or breadcrumbs, but same technique), sliced thin, tossed with butter and garlic, and baked with a bit of chicken stock as the liquid. Since I know I'll have a lovely pan sauce from the braised short ribs, I didn't want cream or cheese in the potatoes. And I have yet to braise the kale, for just myself, I think I'll use a bit of bacon to add some smoke.

So John's watching the Super Bowl, I'm about to join him, and when dinner's out of the oven I'll snap a few pics if everything looks nice. Hope you're having a nice night too.

Mmmm...dinner turned out wonderfully. Fork-tender beef, lightly crisped before serving. Buttery golden potatoes, perfect with the garlicky pan sauce. And bacon-garlic braised kale, bright green, a little crisp, and a perfect complement to the rich beef and potatoes. Poured a Da Vinci 2004 Toscana Chianti, nice. (Recipes posted below and at right.)

This day, good one. Three plus years (and a couple of months) ago, the day I married John. And he married me. We often ask each other, how did we get so lucky to meet each other? Hey, we've had our ups and downs, like any couple. Major ups and downs. It is not easy to put two families together as newlyweds. No, that is not easy. In fact, it is hands down the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life, and I've faced some seriously shitty times in my life. But in our toughest times, we could still come back together, somehow, and enjoy being together. And you know what? Food has played a big role. We love to come together around food, both of us. I love to cook it, he loves to eat it (and oh yeah, I love to eat it too, ha). We love to talk about it, with each other and with our friends and family. In any given week we have nights alone, with both kids, or with just one or the other. We eat dinner in our dining room on the nights we have both kids, with candles and cloth napkins, the whole nine, and it is FUN. It's our special thing. It's a little tradition I carried over from my own family - my dad and stepmom always eat in the dining room, and it was something I really looked forward to when I was growing up. So we gather around the food that we've all slowly negotiated we can eat together (I am NOT a fan of the short-order cooking process, whereby each child places an order for dinner; nope) and attempt to put together this new family with our own traditions and make it all hang together. The four of us will be having dinner together tonight, not sure yet what I'm making. Whatever it is, even if it's takeout, we'll eat it in the dining room. And I'll look across the table at John and be very grateful, like I often do, that he came into my life. And I know he'll feel the same way. Unless I'm bitching about something, and then he won't at that moment. But he will later, when I'm calmed down and nice again.

Brrrr, it's cold again today! My bones had acclimated to our mid-winter thaw and were mighty surprised when I went for a long walk today (thus the earmuffs over the hat, tres chic, a la Minnesota). Ouch. It was a gorgeous day, however, even if cold. The sun had some heat, and the light was incredible. I snapped a quick pic with my phone, since I didn't have my camera with me. Definitely captured that wintery Minnesota mid-afternoon light, I think.

Chicken is a-roastin', tomato gratin is a-bakin', and rice is a-simmerin'. Dinner'll be on in minutes. (That's supposed to imply some sort of southern accent, if you're wonderin'...I don't know why, it's not a southern meal or anythin', I'm just dorkin' out.) The dinner I intended to make mid-week is on the menu tonight. A cut-up whole chicken, roasted at high heat with some oil and salt until crispy and tender. Rice. And a simple-but-delicious tomato gratin. A kid-friendly meal, but warm and tasty on a cold winter's night. Comfort food, definitely. (Recipes for chicken and tomato gratin, posted below in comments.)

A hearty thank you to Cindy Crawford and her mole! I don't look much like Cindy, but people (sometimes; not that often, really, but bless their hearts when they do...) tell me I do because I have a mole too (hers is on the left, mine on right, both in this posting and apparently in real life). Woo hoo for models with flaws that match mine!

Today won't be a big cooking day, I think John and I will go out tonight. I'll sneak in my camera and see if I can photograph what I order. See if I can remember to photograph what I order is more like it. When I go out I sort of get lost in the chatting, sipping, tasting - senses on fire. There have been a couple of meals - French Laundry in CA and Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athenee in Paris - that were so mind-blowing that I could not sleep afterward. Sensory overload. I don't expect to achieve that tonight, although I have had some delicious meals lately here in good ol' Minnesota. Carnitas at Masa, roasted squash at 112 Eatery (really, everything is good there, but just try to get in), duck ravioli at Fugaise, and of course the several interesting courses I wrote about previously at the St. Innocent wine event at Luci Ancora. I hope we'll hit something tasty for tonight - I'd better get on the phone!

Well, options are most certainly limited when you attempt a Friday-night reservation at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Oops. I've got a 5:15 p.m. at Fugaise, we'll see if John will go for it. (Hope so!)

Sigmund's back paws have sores on them from the ice/salt outside. Our friend Marty and I put socks on him today before Marty took him for a walk - didn't work so well, but it sure did look cute (this weekend we have to get Sigs some boots). He's lying here in the living room, in the sun (finally, some sun!), giving a pretty skeptical look to the socks. He didn't mind them a bit, though, so hopefully he'll be as flexible about the boots. When he was younger, John tried to put boots on him, but said they lasted about 5 minutes before Sigs had ripped them off. He's not nearly so perky now, I'd bet they'll work just fine.

Here's the deal. We didn't end up at Fugaise (however, I did politely cancel our reservation; they use the Open Table online reservation service, it's fantastic), we had dinner with our friends Jon and Amy Brown, at the jazz club Rossi's, and we had a blast. John and I were planning a movie first, but as married couples often do, we WAY miscommunicated on the timing of it, so John went without me. And I? I took a long, luxurious bath (Molton Brown Invigorating Suma Ginseng), which tops just about any movie, and it worked out better than fine. And then we met up with Jon and Amy. Laughed our asses off, which we always do with them. Amy is crazy-funny, with a slightly evil sense of humor that I love, and I die laughing every time we get together. And Jon is a riot too and this is very important - a Badger - woo hoo! We had a "good enough" dinner - Jon ordered a lobster bisque which Amy, Jon, and John all concluded had "something wrong with it." Hilarious! With that ringing endorsement, I opted not to try it, ha. We did, however, enjoy a couple of rounds of oysters on the half shell which were delicious. And I had fried shrimp, which seemed like the way to go in a supper club sort of place. Tasty, with some nice garlicky sauteed veggies on the side. Worked for me! So insted of a quiet sort of movie/dinner night, we ended up having a blast and a much more fun way to usher in the weekend. Now, it is officially time for bed...ahhhh...bed...

Here's the struggle. Clearly, I love food, love wine. LOVE them. (And I don't much care that the Pope recently revealed his theory that the word love is overused and has therefore lost its meaning; then again, I'm not Catholic or anything close to it, so I wouldn't tend to care what the Pope has to say on much of anything, ha.) Oooh, snarky Pope comment to start off the day, I must be in a bad mood? Nah, I actually have a point, that was just a little aside (if you haven't noticed, I have LOTS of asides; I am defined by the parenthetical). So, the struggle. To balance the blessings of all these wonderful sensory experiences (and I know they are blessings, that's the first step to take when faced with abundance - be grateful. Duh.) with the need to reign..it..in! Whoa, Stephanie, you can't have it all, all at the same time. Damn. I've also learned, at least for me, but I suspect for others too, that total deprivation is no way to live. It's a beautiful world, full of beautiful things to eat and drink, I just become powerfully sad when I've pushed it all aside in the name of being incredibly thin. So, somewhere in the middle...hmmm...moderation...hmmm... That's the goal. The struggle. In all things in my life, and lots of others' lives too, I know. I'm thinking alot lately about the concept of mindful eating, of being very aware and present while eating. Slow down (I rush through everything), focus on what is in front of me, savor. So simple. But difficult. I literally sat down at breakfast today, with a lovely blueberry pancake and a steaming cup of coffee, and intended to slow myself down and really enjoy it. Bite by bite. And then I fucking FORGOT until I was half done! Unbelievable. At least I tuned back in before I was done, and I did get a huge laugh out of my impulsiveness. I love (!) Mireille Guiliano's book French Women Don't Get Fat. She's got it nailed, I think. Eat for pleasure, focus, savor, eat slowly and stop before you're full, always choose quality over quantity. From the book cover, "Emphasizing freshness, variety, balance, and always pleasure..." Move around as much as you can - take stairs, walk everywhere you can, take pleasure in being outdoors. So simple. But difficult. Cooking food for myself and my family, with fresh ingredients, OK, I've got that part covered. I just need to s..l..o..w down. Savor. And moderation will naturally follow...ha.

Tonight's dinner will be a moderation challenge, especially for John...CRAB CAKES. Woo hoo! Or, The Best Crab Cakes, which is either Andrew Zimmern's or Carol Mack's recipe, I'm not sure which. I got it from Andrew, but I think it's Carol's, I believe that's how it worked. Anyhow, they are fantastic (recipe posted in comments, below). I've found that it is very worth a trip to Coastal Seafoods for the lump crabmeat they sell - actually, in a can - for something like $25.00/lb. Quite expensive. But oh my, it makes them damn good. On - what else? - a simple arugula salad. Little corn saute on the side. Pour a nice cold white. Summer in February, that's what it is. We'll see how I do on the slow savor, it'll be my goal. I'll check back in later with photos, recipes, and a progress report. (And by the way, the crab cakes are excellent the next day. Cold, in a sandwich, ooh. Or reheated with another salad. All good.)

Had a lovely cup of tea with my friend Karen this afternoon. I even got a pretty blue sequin from her son Patrick, as a little gift, although I forgot it at their house (I'm sorry Patrick, it was only because I rushed getting out the door, gabbing as usual, to pick up Nathan). Hopefully, he can reclaim it and put it to good use. So CUTE!

Crab cakes = delish. Yep. Good move. Thursday nights John and I eat without the kids and there is no need to waste these (like I said, at $25.00/lb.; which, is a damn good deal, compared to eating out, think of it that way...) on those who do not truly love them. Nathan thinks they're "OK," A wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole. John and I ate heartily - and, by the way, I did remember to slow down and enjoy the one crab cake that I ate. With the arugula, the corn/asparagus saute, and a crisp glass of Pascal Jolibet 2003 Pouille Fume. John just went out for ice cream - he had to have it, his weakness - but I have to say, I can pass on that. At least this time... Moderation, woo hoo! I am soooo smug in my moderation (for a day... This attempt at looking smug ended up looking rather dramatic, I'll have to work on my smugness).

Nathan's home with me today, with a fever and feeling tired. I went to check in with him after posting last night and he was sound asleep, at 6:50 p.m. Had fallen asleep doing his homework! Definitely not usual 9-year-old-boy behavior. So today he's lyin' low, watching a little TV, and finishing up the homework he didn't finish last night. I can tell he's probably going to be OK, because he requested a home-made pizza for lunch (!). And I'm willing to make it for him because he hasn't eaten anything for 24 hours. And I can make it pretty healthy when I do it myself (throw a little whole-wheat flour into the crust, keep the sodium low in the tomato sauce, incorporate some fresh garlic, go easy on the cheese). Hopefully the pizza, some rest, and a little TLC will get him back on his feet.

For tonight, I'll be keeping things simple. Both kids here for dinner, I'm thinking crispy roasted chicken, rice, and a quick tomato gratin. As you can tell, we eat alot of chicken & rice in this house! Variations on a theme, it's all just variations on a theme...ha.

Well, made the pizza for Nathan, and he loved it. He's definitely on the mend. Since I'd messed up the mixer anyhow, I decided to bake some bread for tonight. At first I was thinking challah (or Rockin' Challah as Susie the Metal Jewtheran - Jewish Lutheran - was calling it today; just to use that cool name, I'll post the recipe, below) but I'm a bit low on eggs so just made a nice white loaf instead. I may end up revising the dinner menu, hmmm... As in, I think I'll skip the rice. And since I haven't bought chicken yet, I could skip that too. Soup would be nice with the fresh bread. Too bad no one would eat chili but me, that sounds great... Really the only soup that the whole family will eat is chicken noodle, so I guess that's what I'll shoot for. Fresh bread and chicken noodle soup! With a salad. That's pretty far from chicken & rice with tomato gratin, but so the day goes!

The soup is delicious, but that bread, hmmm...it's looking a little odd in the oven. I bake bread all the time, I'm not sure what I blew, perhaps not quite enough yeast. That's how it looks anyhow. And it looks hilarious! OK, now it's out of the oven, and I sliced the end off, and it tastes yummy, so I guess we'll go with it. Nice texture, chewy and soft interior, good flavor, didn't develop much of a crust though (as you can see) - nice top! Oh well! (If it had tasted like crap I would have baked popovers, which I almost love more than fresh yeast bread anyhow, thus my calm attitude.) Put a little Hope Creamery butter on the table, everyone will think it's fabulous (yes, I bought it again, damn I wish I didn't love it so much...). So, on to a salad, and dinner will be on the table. I have Caesar dressing from last night, and both kids LOVE Caesar, so I know they'll eat their veggies, at least tonight.