As many of you know, I've worked hard since last September to pare things down and return to my normal weight, which I've for the most part achieved. The key for me has been focusing even more than I already was on staying away from processed foods and really, really basing my diet on a balanced mix of whole, simply prepared foods (a la the recipes I post here), heavy on fresh vegetables and fruits, thank you very much. (And oh, serious portion control, only eating when I'm truly hungry and stopping before I'm full, eating mostly at home and much less often in restaurants, limiting wine or beer to once/week or less, drinking lots of water, and exercising my butt off, ha.) The moderation part! But I do think it's easier and more satisfying to get by on less calories if they're comprised of the freshest, closest to whole foods as possible, I've proven it to myself over and over again.

Given that, there are a few technically processed foods, however, that I think are terrific, and nutritious, relatively low calorie (if eaten in moderation), and definitely worth incorporating into a healthy eating plan. Here they are:

Food for Life's Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread (available in the freezer section): especially the cinnamon raisin, toasted for breakfast and topped with cottage cheese and sliced strawberries - yum. Low-glycemic load, good fiber, good protein, and delicious.

Morningstar Farms Black Bean and Mushroom Lovers Burgers: again, both are low-glycemic, have good fiber, good protein, and are delicious, especially loaded up with tomatoes, avocado, pickles, mustard. I eat mine in 1/2 of a whole grain pita; you'd think I'd died and gone to heaven. Available in the freezer section.

French Meadow Bakery's 100% Flourless Live Grain Sprouted Fat Flush Tortillas: the Fat Flush part of the name (and the packaging photo) is dumb and off-putting, but the tortillas RAWK. They're not low-carb sandpaper tortillas, they're real food - chewy and delicious. Toast one with some cheese for breakfast and you'll be glad. Available in the dairy section with other refrigerated tortillas.

Kashi Go Lean Cereal: not the Go Lean Crunch, which is loaded with cane sugar, but the original Go Lean. Very high fiber and high protein, plus tasty with fresh fruit and skim milk.

Wasabi Peas: I love these little buggers. At about 1 calorie each, they pack a whollop of flavor which curbs my appetite and appeases the need to crunch on something salty. I buy them in the Asian section at the grocery store.

Barilla Plus Pasta: a multi-grain-but-you-wouldn't-know-it winner, this pasta tastes just like "regular" pasta - I swear! - but packs fiber, protein, and whole-grain goodness into each serving. Absolutely delicious.

Helios Raspberry Kefir: a yogurt-like cultured drink, kefir is loaded with pro-biotics and this strawberry version is creamy and delicious, like a decadent strawberry smoothie. I cut it with skim milk (half kefir, half skim) to lighten it up (it is sweetened) and enjoy it in small amounts as a treat. Nathan loves this product, and so does Cooper! Available in the organic dairy section.

Hey, don't worry, I'm not going off into processed food hell - I'm still all about whole, fresh foods. But sometimes a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast is nice with breakfast, and finding interesting ways to get calcium - like kefir - mixes things up a bit. In moderation, of course. Hope you enjoy!

A confused (clouds-sunshine-rain...decide already!) and muggy day turned into a lovely evening, which I spent on our screened porch under the twinkling white lights and paper lanterns I strung up today. I am on quite the house project bender these days, sort of late-spring cleaning, I guess. Happens to me every year, as soon as I start planting flowers and pots of herbs. The satisfaction in the beautifying of my external space apparently inspires me to polish off all sorts of projects.

We're lucky to have a screened porch, but with bits and pieces of hand-me-down furniture it's never been as comfortable and inviting as it should be. I finally invested in a comfy sofa, and some new cushions, and strung up the lights, and it's all coming together nicely. It's a lovely spot for a warm night's cozy, romantic (bug-free!) dinner, perhaps a creamy-zesty cold soup, such as Potage Aurore, from my new-old (c. 1979) Perla Meyers' cookbook, From Market to Kitchen (recipe posted in comments, below), with crusty bread, cold white wine to sip, and ripe peaches or berries for dessert.

No soup, but a nice salad tonight - I chopped up the leftover grilled shrimp, stirred in lemon juice, pickle relish, a bit of mayo, and salt and pepper and piled it on top of greens and chopped red bell pepper tossed with lots of fresh dill (yum, I'm having a dill thing right now, can't get enough of it) and a drizzle of mustard vinaigrette. Light yet satisfying on a warm night.

And now, at 9:15 p.m., it is time for a shower. I am literally filthy from planting flowers today, sweaty from hanging those lights, and slightly sunburned from not taking the sun peaking through the cloud-rain-cloud-sun combo seriously enough. Time for a rinse with Agraria lavender bath gel, clean jammies, and a good night's sleep. G'night!

Well, we ended up with an absolutely lovely Memorial Day. I hope you did too! It threatened to be rainy/stormy this morning, but then cleared up nicely. Humid bugger out there, but that's OK, that's what the pool is for, and we opened with a big swim. In fact, we opened with late morning swimming with Dan and Ethan Hatzung from across the street. Ethan, age 3, so adorable in the pool, the little kicks are the sweetest. Then Stace, Coop, Dad, Susanna, and their dog Jake (check out his amazing leaps into the pool, below) arrived and Coop changed into his birthday-present (from us!) rash guard and shark trunks, ready for action. He LOVES swimming, and just like Nathan - and Jake! - once he was in he wasn't much for getting out. But eventually everyone had to climb out...for food.

Oh, hey, I just realized we forgot to make s'mores! Ah, well, we had plenty of other treats. I'm sorry, but nothing beats tortilla chips with guacamole and a cold beer on a hot, sunny day. Damn, friends, that is good stuff. The rest is all just background noise as far as I'm concerned. Tasty background noise, granted. Shrimp tacos with grilled tomatoes, onions, and peppers + guacamole + crumbled feta + chopped cabbage + spicy salsa-mayo alongside spicy roasted potatoes + sour cream = I'll admit, tasty background noise. Black coffee, coconut macaroons (from Byerly's, deadly little mothers), chocolate rugelach (from Crossroads Deli, ditto the deadly little mothers' rave), and fresh strawberries made for a nice ending. To the eating...

After lunch it was time for a digestif game of croquet. Who won? Let's just say her (my) name starts with an S and ends with an E...hmmm... Then back in the pool for Nathan and Cooper, and finally, an end to all the fun, darn. You get tired pretty quickly when you're 1 (or 40), and as the sun sets, it's time to mosey on home for a warm bath, clean jammies, and a good, long dark nap.

Have a good night!

Yay, it's sunny! Yes, we have actual sun on Memorial Day weekend, we Minnesotans are thrilled. We are so by the pool today, first with Andrew, Rishia, and Noah for brunch, then just us, and then later still John and I plan to take (drag) the kids to a county park reserve for a family bike ride. Then back home for turkey/ciabatta sandwiches on the deck. At least that's the plan, who knows how it will actually play out...

Tomorrow, Stace, Coop, Dad, and Susanna are coming over, hopefully to play some croquet and get Cooper Cuteness in the water - and more important, into a teeny tiny swimsuit! - for the first time in '07. I was mighty challenged in trying to come up with something to grill that 1) everyone likes, 2) is relatively healthful, and 3) tastes damn good! I settled on...shrimp tacos. I'll thaw/brine the shrimp first (water seasoned with plenty of salt, crushed garlic, cayenne pepper, and oregano) for a couple of hours. Then skewer them and either brush them with olive oil or give them a spritz of olive oil nonstick spray (good product, use it often for grilling). I'll also do my usual veggie skewers of cherry tomatoes, peppers, and sweet onion (ditto the brush of oil or spritz of nonstick spray) sprinkled with a bit of coarse salt. Soft tortillas wrapped in foil and warmed on the grill. Big, BIG bowl of guacamole. Chopped cabbage. Side of spicy roasted potatoes. So there - not your typical Memorial Day barbecue, but it'll work. Fresh berries with whipped cream, coconut macaroons, and of course s'mores for dessert - rinse the marshmallow off your face by diving into the pool. Ahhh...

Dinner in the bar at La Belle Vie? Va va voooooom, my friends, sensual delights galore. Whew, I'm still recovering. We sat right at the elegant, candle-lit bar, watching the bartender do her thing. Beautiful drinks, one after the other, with fresh fruit purees, freshly squeezed juices, and clever combinations. I, who rarely order an actual "drink," fell for a Cuban - muddled mint, sugar, and rum a la a mojito, but with a splash of bitters and topped off with champagne instead of club soda. Tobacco-hued, complex, and refreshing - gorgeous to look at and sip. Off to a very good start.

And oh yes, we did order food! Lots of food. They graciously let us open with the soft-shell crab offered on the tasting menu (in the bar you can order off the restaurant's tasting and a la carte menus, as well as the bar menu), perfectly crispy-fried and resting in a spicy-cool pool of curried yogurt, garnished with shaved fennel. Giggling like schoolgirls, tee hee, we next devoured a salad and goat cheese tart - yes, could be the overplayed version at every restaurant these days, but no, 'cuz this is La Belle Vie. Perfect greens, perfectly dressed, with creamy-whipped goat cheese between layers of crisp pastry. And then, a bowl of three handmade (but of course!) pea tortellis in a truffle broth. Bright green and creamy, I damn-near licked the truffly bowl, that broth was so fragrant and salty and delicious. And there's more! (Each of these courses is small, thankfully, plus we shared each...). Skewered crackling jumbo shrimps, smokin' hot and served atop a dollop of zingy mustard-caper-mayo. And last, the creme de la creme, my friends....lamb burgers. Appetizer-sized, on fresh, soft, homemade buns, toasted crispy in butter. Juicy, lamby, tender, decadent. Ohhh so decadent. Served alongside a pile of spicy olives, you can achieve taste-sensation-perfection by savoring one of those olives between each bite of lamb burger. Rich. Spicy. Rich. Spicy. I can't stop thinking about those damn burgers, I could even eat one right now, at 9:15 in the morning. Rarrrr...

And so. Date Night was a big, BIG success, we basically had a blast. Back to moderate (ahem) reality for the weekend, and that's OK. A little dose of fantastic can take me a looong way - I'll ride that La Belle Vie wave for at least, like, two weeks. Ha.

Date Night! John and I are goin' out, just the two of us, and it's about time! OK, OK, yes we've snuck in a couple of fabulously romantic La La Lucia's lunches - but dinner, alone, not in a long while. So tonight's the night, baby, time to pin up my hair (this rain, oy, I have no choice but to pin it up) and throw on heels, a little bling, a smudge of black eyeliner, lots of gloss, and head out on the town (sort of, ha). Couple of options, but the most likely to win is the bar at La Belle Vie. Elegant, little funky, downtown, and the food is to die for. Yeah, sounds like a plan. For a full report, stay tuned...

Cooper Time! I had a visit from my nephew today...still The Cutest! He said "ca-ca" (cracker) for the first time today - completely magical to witness him saying a new word! He took a few steps, crawled a few miles, banged a few measuring cups, was completely enthralled with my Bucky Badger Bobblehead, checked out the rain, had a nice nap, then joined us all for a dinner of grilled steak, rice (he gets the uber-buttery version, lucky boy. Just like his auntie, Coop's all about the butter; someday I'll initiate him into the world of Hope Creamery over a pan of hot popovers...), roasted broccoli, a big salad with plenty of fresh dill (compliments of John's assistant, Kris), and the said ca-cas.

Being his usual chill self, he hung out with us while we all watched a little post-din TV, taking turns snuggling with each of us while snacking on a few Cheerios. And then it was time for him to head home, to his own cozy crib, and a good night's sleep (Stacey hopes, ha). There's alot to do tomorrow when you're the world's coolest, tool-lovin', Vans-wearin' one-year old...

Friday Morning Coffee with Suz! On Tuesday! We're not hitting many Fridays lately, nor much coffee for that matter, dang. Hate when life gets in the way of my good times! But hey, we slid in a round of coffee and chat this morning and it was great, as always.

Baseball tonight so I grilled early (really early!) burgers. Hard to keep a hamburger relatively light, but I did my best by 1) buying extra-lean ground beef, 2) making myself a damn small burger, 3) eating it on only half a bun, and 4) topping it off with loads of yummy veggies - pickles, little avocado, tomato, sweet onion, and arugula. Killer, I must say. Filling too! Hey, a Salad Burger! Oooh, I like that name! Salad Burgers RAWK!

I started the long process of planting pots of annuals and herbs today. Takes me several trips to the nursery, but that's OK. I love it, love picking out the plants, love digging around in the dirt, love how it looks when I'm done. And with herbs, lettuces, and tomatoes, love to eat the harvest! Soon enough, soon enough...

You're going to think this is so stupid, but I just tonight used a fish-grilling basket for the first time. Duuuuh... I've had it for years, I'm not sure why I never bothered to use it before. Or why I suddenly decided to today. Anyhoo, it's fabulous! I bought an early piece of Copper River king salmon at the store today, rubbed it with a bit of olive oil, gave it a sprinkle of coarse salt, and set it on a smokin' hot grill - no sticking! In no time (well, more like 15 minutes) I had crusty-on-the-outside, buttery-on-the-inside, melt-in-your-mouth grilled salmon. Lawdy that is good stuff, dang. I also grilled skewers of tomatoes, onion, and green pepper, and roasted a big ol' pan of skinny asparagus spears and had myself a feast, people. A healthy feast, antioxidant-packed, colorful, delicious - lovely in every way. After eating out for almost every meal last week, I'm ready for some home-cooked (grilled) healthy meals. And 'tis the season for eating as many colors as you can - red berries, yellow peaches, purple eggplants, orange salmon, dark green arugula, pale green artichokes, black beans...as many as you can think of and pack into a day. Mmmm... As my old boss used to say (he was referring to beer, usually after a belch, but no matter), Good & Good for Ya. That's the goal, friends - Good & Good for Ya. (Excuse me.)

Welcome to our Bat Mitzvah-Birthday-Baseball Weekend!! Yesterday and last night, Avery's Bat Mitzvah - Avery is the daughter of our friends Steve & Jen. Held at the lovely Temple Israel, it was a gorgeous and fun ceremony, just the right balance of religious imagery, calls to our better instincts, and flat-out humor. As Steve so perfectly closed his heartfelt speech to Avery - you can't always be young, but you can always be immature. Yeah, baby!

Post-ceremony we headed into a festive brunch reception, catered by D'Amico, always a good move. (D'Amico catered our wedding, it was fabulous. And if you're in the market for other great catering, Silver Service can't be beat either. There are my vendor recommendations for the day - you're welcome, ha.) Fun to catch up with John's former Parsinen, Kaplan, Rosberg & Gotlieb partners. Fun to listen to Steve and his dad play a little jazz for the group (Steve's dad is a sometimes jazz pianist, Steve a sometimes bass player; both are fantastic, especially together). Fun to completely indulge in champagne, pastries, salads, smoked salmon with all the accoutrements, and naughty, naughty tortes, mousses, and cakes. Uff.

Then home for a long, long walk. Long walk, whew. Had to prep myself for the next party, the evening soiree. If you've never been to a Bat/Bar Mitzvah (and I hadn't until I met John), it's quite the event. Akin to a wedding celebration, really, but 13-year old style. Religious ceremony/brunch during the day, followed by a full-on par-tay in the evening. Avery's party was at the Wirth Chalet, in Theodore Wirth Park, a terrific party spot. Especially on such a gorgeous evening. Mexican was the theme (there's always a theme), so I was one happy camper, drinking beer and eating tortilla chips...ole, baby! Yum. The core of the evening party is the DJ, aka Master of Ceremonies. There are DJs who specialize in Bar/Bat Mitzvah's and for good reason - there is definitely an art to herding and entertaining 13-year olds and man, are they good at it. Marty the One Man Party is The Guy, but he lives in NYC now and it costs big moolah to have him personally at your event. However, he employs a team of other guys, who are just as good, and so one of his protegees had the music a-pounding before we even arrived. As one parent pointed out, the resulting sound is a nightmarish (to adult ears only, of course) combination of screaming teenage girls over power-bass. But hey, it's all in good fun, and the kids have a BLAST. Total blast. Adults too! We danced, and chatted, and popped in the photo booth for pics, and had ourselves a grand old time. Congratulations to Avery! And thanks to Steve and Jen for two (!) great parties!

Today, another party, John's former law partner (it's Parsinen old home weekend!) Jeff Robbins' 50th birthday open house, followed by a Nathan baseball game. And a very light dinner, whew, not sure what, cuz I know there'll be more treats at Jeff's party. Treats Be Gone! Ohhh, but they're sooo gooood...

Whew! A bit of a crazy week, but the good kind of crazy, girly, girly, girly. After opening the week with a late Monday-night baseball game (a guaranteed dose of feminine laughs and chat in the stands of Nathan's baseball games!), I met my friend Chris for dinner Tuesday night at Luci Ancora. Delicious food, as usual. And always great to see Chris! I had a salad and their chewy-cheesy-garlicky house-made ravioli with arugula. What's not to like about home-made pasta? Uh, NOTHING, duh!

Wednesday night was Girls Night In, with Suz and The Maven here at the hacienda for snacks, drinks, and chat. I reprised my grilled bread dinner from last week, spread out picnic-style on the living room coffee table, with shaved ham, sundried tomato spread, and roasted red peppers. Olives and almonds. Roasted cauliflower. And strawberries, chocolate, and coffee for dessert. I love having my girls over! (And staying up until obscene hours of the morning!)

Last night was dinner with Kathie at McCoy's. And a surprise visit from Nathan, because he'd left his backpack in my car (and I'd left my cell phone in same car), so his grandpa (very kindly) drove him over to get my keys! Hearing "Hi Mom!" in the middle of evilly cackling about some such person or thing was so out of context, I'm sure I looked completely confused, it was pretty hilarious. Luckily he knew I was at McCoy's, and found me, and was on his way, backpack in hand, soon enough, while Kathie and I continued on with dinner. I had what I always have at McCoy's - the black bean burger, topped with guacamole, pickles, lettuce, and tomato. Man I love that thing, delicious. I eventually mosied on home and almost had to go to bed at 8:30 I was so tired out from all my socializing! I'm WIPED today, ha - but in a very good way. I'm just old is really more like it. I've always needed alot of sleep and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon...

So, I'm making a light, healthy dinner tonight. Little breather, before we launch into a big, busy weekend. A simple salad, Nicoise-esque with tuna, capers, butter lettuce, hard-cooked egg, cherry tomatoes, and a few new potatoes. No green beans, but that's OK. Perhaps I'll sneak a few pickled beets into mine (John HATES beets, that crazy kid), mmmm, beets.

Happy Friday y'all!

I try to make fish or seafood at least once a week. Good to get those Omega 3s, plus the variety of choices offers delicious meals that are light on calories. The kids love shrimp...but not much else. Sigh. So if I've got a hankering for un-shrimp, I'll make it on a night when it's just John and me for dinner. Like tonight. I bought a lovely piece of halibut today, thinking I'd make a quick brothy soup. Something French-ish, with tarragon, and little cubes of potato, and a handful of peas. Which would have been great, but when I set out to actually prepare it I changed my mind and went for some lusty Italian heat, baby, to match today's weather. White wine, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, and lots of garlic. Ladled over a slice of crusty grilled bread - absolutely delicious, light yet filling, and on the table in 15 minutes. Good combo, huh? (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Happy Mother's Day! Sniff. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a lovely Mother's Day - here I sit in my sunny, comfy office, in my jammies, with a hot cup of coffee, typing away (clearly one of my very favorite things to do), having just read the perfect, lovingly handmade card from my son. Love it all. The sniff is for the verklempt-ness that comes over me as I think about how lucky I am to have so many wonderful women in my life, women who are fun and make me laugh, yes, but who also hold my hand and have gotten me (and John) through all of life's many ups and downs - marriage(s), divorce, death, pregnancy, birth, miscarriage(s), parenting, step-parenting, moving, illness - you name it, they've been there for me (us). Whew. Sniff. So, Happy Mother's Day ladies - most of you are mothers, some aren't technically (except to me, ha!), but all of you are well loved and appreciated...

Amy B., Ana, Barb, Barbara K., Baseball Moms, Cami, Carol, Chris, Debbie, Dot, Etta, Grandma Meyer, IPWA Ladies, Jen L., Kathie, Kathleen C., Kim, Marge, Mary F., Mary P., Mary S., Maud, Michelle, Mom, Polly, Rishia, Stacey, Susanna, Susie, Valerie

As for Mother's Day treats? Coming up in a bit..."surprise" brunch tasties from Lucia's To Go. OK, not so much of a surprise because I said to John, for Mother's Day, take the kids and pick up brunch for me at Lucia's to Go. But hey, I didn't put in the actual order, so I absolutely don't know what the tasties will be, therefore the surprise. I'll check in the with details as soon as I've consumed them. Stay tuned...

Uff. Stuffed. Happy Mother's Day to Me indeed! What a brunch - warm crepes with gooey chocolate and strawberry fillings; soft, warm cinnamon streusel coffee cake (unbelievably, decadently yummy, man I love that stuff); mushroom frittata; a baguette sandwich filled with olive-oil-drizzled arugula and creamy St. Andre (brie) cheese; and crispy, crusty, chewy pizza topped with fresh tomatoes and basil. Hoooooey, that was a big 'un, I don't think I'll be eating much the rest of this day, ha. But I'll have my sweet flowers and balloon (the cutest!) to help me celebrate the rest of the day. I LOVED it all, thanks John, A, and Nathan!

Here's a lovely, simple summer's "meal," fresh and light and perfect for eating outside. Grilled bread. Yep, grilled bread, warm, crusty/chewy, a little garlicky/salty, ready to be topped with any number of tasties, or served floating in a bowl of simple soup. Or with nothing at all, of course, it's that good.

Buy a loaf of good Italian country bread, one with a thick crust and dense, chewy interior. Slice it 3/4-inch thick and lay the slices out on a baking sheet. Brush (or drizzle) both sides of each slice lightly with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill on a medium-hot grill for a few minutes on each side, enough to toast it a bit but not dry it out. As soon as the slices come off the grill, rub each with a halved garlic clove. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt and voila, heavenly grilled bread. Serve alongside a simple salad of arugula tossed with shaved parm, vinaigrette, and a little salt and pepper, and a plate of deli goodies like thin slices of imported salami, roasted red peppers, cheeses, and olive tapenade. (Insert any other favorite spreads/vegetables/meats, they'd all be delicious accompaniments.) Thread a few skewers of cherry tomatoes to grill alongside the bread - brush them with a bit of the same olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt, and grill until starting to brown and pop open. Killer on warm bread, yeah. Or, even easier, if they're in season, go for slices of perfectly ripe garden tomato - it'll put the stale, over-played bruschetta we've all had a million times to shame. Summer on a plate, my friends, summer on a plate. Absolutely enjoy outside, with a glass of wine - toast me as you say ahhhhh... Cheers!

I'm dining alone this evening...what should I make? I'm thinking either a simple frittata (spinach, onion, and tomato, cuz that's what I have) or grilling myself a veggie mushroom burger (the meat-free kind, I actually really love them) to eat in a toasted whole-wheat pita with avocado and sundried tomato spread. Both sound great, it'll be hard to decide! The grill might win out because it's such a spectacularly perfect grilling day. WOW, what a day. Before that, perhaps a late afternoon walk to smell the lilacs while they're blooming. And afterward, little outside music, little reading on the deck... Hope you're finding some way to enjoy a lovely Friday evening's sensual pleasures...have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Stacey!

My l'il sis (aka Cooper's mommy), all growed up, ha. Her birthday was actually yesterday, but we're celebrating it tonight with a deja vu dinner at Duplex Restaurant & Wine Bar with the whole fam. Gorgeous day out there, perhaps we can even eat outside on the porch! Oh, how I love almost-summer - sandals and dresses and warm sun and rosy sunsets. Dang, good times, good times.

So no cooking for me! Not last night either, since John and I snuck out for a romantic lunch at La La Lucia's. I had the farmer's salad - loads of lovely Lucia's vegetables, hard-cooked egg, tossed with herb vinaigrette. And John, oh boy, he got the open-faced burger, sitting on a thick slab of juice-drenched toast and topped with a pile of buttery, sauteed mushrooms, my goodness it was incredible. And since our rule is, If There's Chocolate Cake at Lucia's We Order It, we had to split a slice of yesterday's version - chocolate spongecake with homemade spumoni ice cream. Heavenly. (Other amazing choices - lemon layer cake, rhubarb pie, and almond custard - all looked equally fab.) And then. Of course. We had to head over to Lucia's To Go for more food, ack, so that we could have bites of wood-fired pizza and curried chicken-broccoli salad for dinner. Yeah, I Do Lurve Lucia's.

Recap: Spider-Man III = Fun. Walleye = Good. Good night's sleep = Yummy. Rainy weekend = Sucks. My dad's fried quail for Sunday lunch = going to be Mighty Fine (not happening until later today). Coop hanging with my dad = Adorable.

I'd like to go for a long Sunday's walk, but...I don't want to get rained on. Like, at all. I hate getting rained on. It's a curly-haired-girl thing; me and humidity, we're not friends. Sensing humidity in the air while I sleep can cause me to wake up cranky - I'm totally serious. I'll sleepily think, gee, what am I dreading today? Do I have some nightmare meeting? A dentist appointment? An over-scheduled crazy day? And then I'll realize - it's friggin' humid outside, I can feel it in my bones, on my skin, and in my hair. Bad Hair Day. Blah. So walking in the rain - not fun, not romantic, not refreshing. Hmmm, guess it's a kettlebells day. Gotta do something to prep my body for the pending infusion of fried food, mmmm, I do love me some fried food.

Then later, supposedly another baseball game, but I don't know. Lookin' pretty wet out there. We may end up with a bowl of soup here at the hacienda instead. Oooh, Greek Egg-Lemon Soup might be in order this evening, with a big Greek salad. Yeah, baby, that sounds lovely. (Unless we're all too full from fried quail to even think about it, and in that case, perhaps a bowl of cereal will suffice!)

Happy Birthday to my aunt Mary!

Recap of the recap: My dad's fried quail for lunch = Fantastic. OMG, goooooood stuff. With Susanna's pan gravy, green beans, pommes frites (with a little cheater's Bearnaise I made out of mayo, lots of fresh lemon juice, and tarragon), fresh bread with butter, and fresh mango and blackberries with lots of black coffee for dessert. Yeah, The Kill. Nice Cote du Rhone to wash it all down. And now we DO indeed have baseball, so I'll try to stay awake in the stands with that lunch packed into my tummy. Ohhh yeeeeahhh, that's the way to spend Sunday afternoon. NICE! (BTW, the soup is going The Way of Friday Night's Walleye, as in, it ain't happening. Perhaps tomorrow, stay tuned...)

Soooo...those of you who bet that I wouldn't actually make that walleye last night - you win! Big surprise, haha, I started talking at 5:00 and didn't stop until 9:30! Happy Hours, woo hoo! Gosh I had a great time, gabbing with Baseball Moms Beth, Bobbi, and Jen. Usually someone is running off to a PTA or a Little League meeting, but not this time. Friday Night, baby, no obligations and time to par-tay! Well, sort of. Pretty restrained, but great fun anyhow.

So I'm cookin' the walleye and asparagus tonight! Early, in fact, because then I'm off to see the long-awaited Spider-Man III with Nathan. He saw it last night already...but once is never enough when it comes to super-hero movies, oh no.

Another fun crowd at the baseball game today - my brother David is in town from NYC. Mr. Good Luck Charm, Nathan's team scored their first win (despite the rain out) and were riding pretty high as I ran to my car to get away from the freezing, blowing wet, YUCK!

Glad to be home, dry and cozy, in my soft, warm sweats, ahhhh. Time to snuggle down with an episode of Desperate Housewives while I fold laundry. That's a little ritual of mine. The two go together so marvelously, don't you think? Almost as well as foie gras and Sauterne - but not quite. Gee, sure could go for some foie gras right about now...Napa, anyone? Sigh...

Friday Morning Coffee with Suz! It had been a few weeks again so I was very, very glad to pull it off today. Not our usual light-hearted fare, which made it even more important to get together. (Wo)manning one's way through the intracacies of life without the ear and support of good friends would be a very lonely endeavor indeed. My friends keep me energized, balanced, and grateful for the many blessings in my life. Sheesh, I just realized, my friends are like CHURCH! HA! (Isn't Suz looking every bit the Jewthran minister she never knew she was? Amen!)

After coffee, I whipped by Byerly's (shocker, huh?) and picked up some walleye for dinner tonight. Total whim, didn't have a plan as I walked in, other than thinking "fish," hmmmm... Not even sure how I'm going to prepare it. Of course nothing is better than walleye dredged in flour and fried in butter 'til crispy - damn, that's good stuff, and a Meyer Family tradition, so near and dear to my heart as well as tasty. However, trying to keep things on the lighter side, I think I'll just brush it with a bit of butter and run it under the broiler until lightly browned. That's pretty darn good too. With roasted asparagus, and a big salad, we'll be in good shape.

These culinary adventures are for after happy hour, however - yes, Baseball Moms tonight, it's been awhile, and the ladies are ready to get together for some beer and chat! (Anyone want to place bets on whether I really cook that walleye tonight? I can see some pizza with that beer and my cooking ambition going right out the window...stay tuned...)

Oh, some Happy Birthdays are in order! Happy Birthday John (4/18), my aunt Marge (4/19), and John's bro Tom (4/20) - all took place while we were in Napa. I know John's birthday RAWKED (our first night in Napa, dinner at Cyrus), hope Marge's and Tom's did too! And Happy Birthday today to my cousin Kelly! And a pre-Happy Birthday to my aunt Mary, on Sunday, and to Stacey Pooh, mommy of Cooper Doo (and my lovely sister!) on Tuesday the 8th. (Can you tell that Spring is as expensive as Christmas in this family?!) If I were with y'all right now I'd serve you (and me!) a big ol' piece of Suz's Fresh Lemon-Coconut cake!!

On a less upbeat note, if you love Fugaise as much as I do, check out Andrew Zimmern's blog today. We were introduced to Fugaise by Stu & Debbie (here getting their Fugaise on!) and have enjoyed several knockout meals there. I hate seeing my favorite restaurants (Auriga, I miss thee, sniff) go down - hopefully Fugaise can rally. Go Don Saunders, go!

A six-minute post here, since that's how long I have before I'm out the door for dinner at Duplex with Rudy, Ana, Stu, and Debbie for a post-Napa rehash/celebration. Unless I want to be late, which is certainly within the realm of possibility given, uh, me.

Double the Fun at Duplex? I'll (of course!) let you know...stay tuned...

You guys - Duplex is a BLAST, have you been there? Wow, I'm not sure how I've missed it up to this point, but I'm glad it's on my radar now. Hennepin and 25th, a big ol' Uptown house converted into a lovely wine bar/bistro, with lots of cool outdoor seating. Johnny and I are all over it when the evenings warm up a bit, perfect al fresco dining (which y'all know, ad nauseum, is one of my favs). I can't comment on their wine list since I didn't even look at it - we each brought a Napa wine, for which we were charged a reasonable $10/bottle corkage fee; Stu/Debbie and Rudy/Ana both brought Turley Zinfandels, John and I brought a Cain - but the menu was interesting and well priced. And the food - delicious. We opened with a shrimp tempura amuse bouche - light and crispy, just how it should be, dabbed with a lovely soy emulsion of some sort (I was talking again, sorry). I had a pretty typical mixed greens with goat cheese salad - nicely done. Others had a meaty, crisp crab cake, fantastic steamed mussels in a smokin' hot curry sauce (mmm...), and a teeny tiny onion/puff pastry tart, delicious. I had a sort-of gnocchi Caprese for my entree - garnished with fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella. Yum. And for dessert - white chocolate bread pudding, ha. A nicely small amount, with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, The Kill. Upon arriving at home I felt an intense urge for...a walk. A Dark Walk. I lurve walking in the dark and tonight was the perfect night for it - cool, breezy, and clear, after lots of wine and good food. Ahhh, heavenly. A nice Napa recap. Although we hardly talked about Napa - too much new stuff going on! So I'll post this last Napa-lounging pic, in honor of our amazing, unforgettable trip. Napa Nostaliga, Part I.

And now, time for bed my friends. Hope you sleep as tight as I will. Orrrrrr something.

I signed up for my La Finca CSA (community supported agriculture) veggie share today! Wow, summer is really going to come, finally, finally. I had so much fun cooking all my fresh La Finca veggies last summer, can't wait to do the same again this year. (Bring on the garlic scapes, baby!) Plus, this time around, I have a juicer so am planning on experimenting with all sorts of interesting juice combinations. And as soon as things are consistently warm enough, I'll plant my pots of herbs, lettuces, and tomatoes again as well. Eating fresh, locally-grown foods, out on the deck... Heavenly. It's been a l...o...n...g...a...s...s winter and I'm rearin' to go!

Speaking of the deck, I'm back out there grilling almost every night. I could grill in the winter but find it more of a pain (brrr!) than it's worth, so by this time of year, I've really got a hankering not just for the taste of grilled foods, but for the ease of preparation. No pans to wash! Woo hoo! I grilled a few chicken breasts last night, some of which I used in a quick vegetable soup I whipped up for a light dinner for John and me, and the remainder of which I turned into chicken tacos for dinner tonight. Always a challenge, keeping the ubiquitous-but-fabulously-versatile chicken breast interesting, ha. But in soups, sandwiches, tortillas, salads, pastas, and with various veggies, salsas, quick sauces, and cheeses, it's all good. It's. All. Good.