Wellll...I did end up scoring a bratwurst after all! We had dinner at my sister Stacey's last night, and she grilled up some brats and burgers, so when in Rome... It was fantastic, by the way, crusty and spicy, summer in a bun. In a nod to moderation, I actually had half of one, on half a bun, with raw onions and mustard. Alongside a delicious green salad tossed with fresh strawberries, a few bites of my mom's potato salad (her trick - she purchases it at the grocery store, then oomphs it up with lots of minced celery, hard-cooked egg, and onion, as well as a healthy shot of mustard, yum), and strawberry shortcake for dessert, it was a hell of meal and the perfect ending to a long, lovely weekend. And the perfect launch for what promises to be a long, lovely summer, right? Yeah, baby!

Today the sun shines, typical. But back to work and school and chores anyhow, snap, snap! Tonight, for a quick healthy din, I'm planning to grill chicken breasts with a honey-mustard glaze (half honey, half mustard, all easy). Alongside green beans drizzled with toasted walnut oil (good stuff, packed with flavor, a little goes a long way) and crunchy toasted walnuts, maybe a few skewers of grilled cherry tomatoes as well, it should be a colorful, tasty meal. Easy too. I'll check back in later with the details.

Have a good (short!) week, everyone.

OK, back for a moment, this has nothing to do with food (or does it? Hmmm...), but it made me laugh out loud, so I'm pasting it here. It's from The Onion, although I caught it on planetdan. In case you're dragging after the three-day weekend and could use a little laugh - well here you go. The models are perfectly smug, the design mocks the NYTimes Magazine exactly, and the title is fabulously nasty. In case you could use more than one laugh, I highly recommend a quick glance at both planetdan and The Onion. Much better for you than a cup of coffee and way more fun anyhow. Cheers!

Moderate it: it's not traditional (gasp), but it works quite nicely to halve brats lengthwise before grilling them. It cuts cooking time dramatically, plus makes it easy and satisfying to eat half a brat - it lies nicely flat on a bun; top with pickles, onions, sauerkraut, mustard...whatever sounds great. (Please don't tell anyone in Wisconsin that I suggest this, I'll get pummeled.)