Hey friends, how's it going? I've actually had a couple of kind inquiries about my health due to my two-week bloggy absence - rest assured, everything's fine here, in fact great. My excuse? Um...total and complete obsession with the presidential election. I confess, I got bit hard by the political bug this cycle. I just love absorbing it, the strategies, the moves, the ins and outs, ups and downs. I have a limited amount of time each day I can allocate to being online and well, er, the election won over my blog. So not moderate, I know. But I'm back now, my guy won and since he seems to be moving on pretty well without my strategic advice, I'll let it go now. (In my next life I'll have to be a political operative, though, yeah...)

I wasn't all politics, all the time, however - I did actually feed my family. Even my extended family, when my cousin Peter, his wife Kristin, and their adorable twin daughters Erin and Emily came for a visit from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. My aunts Mary and Marge drove in too, and my cousin Kim, and we had a grand time last Saturday night catching up. Erin and Emily are two - yes, twin two-year olds, busy and clever and everywhere all at once, just as you might imagine. They both love to sing, especially Erin, and the stereo effect of twin toddler song is beyond cute. They regaled us with song and chat for more than a couple of hours at the dinner table, an impressive feat for two busy two-year olds. It was a complete blast.

I made beef burgundy, inspired by a lovely coq qu vin that John and I split at Salut Bar Americain last week (I believe it's their Monday night chicken special - I recommend it very highly). Great do-ahead dish, beef burgundy, although lengthy to prepare - split it into two days of prep and you'll be sitting pretty for your next dinner party. We opened with a simple salad, with parsleyed potatoes alongside the beef, and my aunt Marge's apple crisp for dessert. Uff da that was a meal. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

John and I in fact hit Salut twice in three days, no lie. Somewhere between Politico and Pollster, we fit in a lovely lunch at Salut's bar - steak frites with a glass of burgundy. Romantic, delicious, just lovely all 'round. I've had a French thing ever since - beef burgundy on Saturday, followed by a simple cheese souffle on Monday night. So airy and pretty, souffle, and so easy too. Tres bien.

Moderate it: if I'm serving potatoes, I don't also serve bread, although I did bend that rule a bit and put croutons in the salad I served as a first course.

When we do beach in Minnesota, it's at a lake, of course. Or even better, it's on a lake, in a boat, with a cooler full of snacks & supplies, good tunes, and enough engine oomph to pull the water ski- and intertube-inclined of the group. Ahhh, warm sun, cool breeze, cold beer, beautiful views. That's summer, baby, and I'll take it.

Or more accurately, I took it, yesterday, at Green Lake with my aunt Mary & uncle Bruce. Nathan and I drove out to their lovely farm, near Kerkhoven, Saturday evening. I'm not usually one for the drive, but we took a new route (to avoid - big surprise - road construction) and given the recent rains and the angle of the late-afternoon sun, the scene was breathtaking. The effect was lush rolling hills covered with silver-y green fields literally sparkling in the breeze, I'm not kidding. I've never seen anything like it (and I've done a lot of driving west of Minneapolis). Less than 30 minutes into our drive I felt completely away and relaxed, ahhhh.

We arrived at The Farm in time for dinner, with my aunt Marge and uncle Jim joining us as well. I had picked up a few cheeses, acacia honey, dried fruit, and crostini at France 44 before we left, so we enjoyed that on the porch before our dinner: salad with peaches, greens, and almonds, followed by grilled steaks, farmer's market new potatoes, and grilled corn on the cob brushed with hoisin-orange butter (yum, recipe is here). Basically, the perfect summer dinner, followed by the perfect summer dessert surprise...DQ Dilly Bars! Man, I hadn't had a Dilly Bar in so long, it tasted great, just like when I was a kid. Nathan was thrilled; Marge and I scored free Dilly Bars (message on the stick, natch, under the ice cream; for the Willmar DQ, however, so I left mine with Mary!).

Yesterday morning we were up - lazily - for coffee, pancakes, berries, and sausage on the deck, over-looking the countryside, so beautiful. Mary made delicious sandwiches on fresh bread, Bruce loaded up the boat trailer, and we took off for Spicer, the put-in for Green Lake. After a quick stop to check out my cousin Michael and his wife Amanda's beautiful new home, by 1:30 pm we were cruising, eating sandwiches, and stopping to chat with my cousin Kim (she lives on Green Lake and came down to the dock to say hi). After a bit Nathan jumped in the lake and tried to get up on skis, then moved on to wake-riding on the tube. By 5:00 pm we were heading back to shore to grab dinner at Melvyn's - fried walleye for me, of course, most certainly not caught in Green Lake but completely of the lake anyhow (my Grandpa Meyer fished Green Lake almost exclusively).

And then we headed home...Mary & Bruce back to The Farm, Nathan and I back to the city. In a little more than 24 hours, back in our own beds.

So here we are. A little browner, a lot more rested, ready for the week. Thank you Green Lake! And of course, thank you Mary & Bruce! (I'm thinking more fried walleye for dinner, I'm needing more than one piece this summer; plus, as I like to do post-trip, I can stretch out the idyll for just a bit longer... With a crisp white, and a big veggie share salad, I should welcome myself - and John, who was in NYC for the weekend - home quite nicely.)

Moderate it: let's face it, walleye fans - with its light and flaky texture, walleye must be fried to achieve greatness. I prefer mine dredged in a bit of flour and fried in butter, the way my Grandma Meyer made it. The key to keeping the meal moderate is to serve fried walleye alongside something a bit tart and crisp - as in, a simple salad of greens, radishes, scallions, dressed lightly in a lemon/olive oil vinaigrette. Enjoy.)

Happy Birthday John!

OK, it's a couple of days early, but I won't be able to blog on the actual big day so... Consider this post a free pass to eat a disgusting amount of chocolate, and oh! Perhaps some prepared foods if we can put our hands on something worthy (that's his thing, prepared foods; as he describes it, it comes from growing up "with a deli tradition." I...don't have a response.) And def some kill frites with a glass of red wine (we share a love for that combo, ha). Good Things! For a Good Man. He deserves every single one of them and more.

(He's laughing with his brother Tom, above, while snarfing Blue Sky Creamery ice cream - not an unusual sight when these two get together. Hey, Happy Birthday Tom - April 20th - as well! And Happy Birthday to my aunt Marge, sandwiched between the Levy brothers on April 19th - hope you loved Jersey Boys!)

Merry Christmas Day! We spent the occasion at my Aunt Mary and Uncle Bruce's lovely farm outside Kerkhoven, Minnesota, as we have for the last several years, lucky us. As always, it was picture perfect - twinkly-sparkly festive and the definition of Christmas-y as we all sat around the gorgeous, gigantic table they set up for the holiday each year. Truly a sight to behold. We shared a toast with a delicious red prosecco, then tucked into prime rib, mashed potatoes, beets with sour cream, buttery green beans with morel mushrooms, and roasted carrots and cipollini onions. Tender challah and crusty no-knead bread (my meager contribution). And my Aunt Marge's killer creamy cheese cake with strawberries. Oh yes, quite a meal!

And then, we just sat enjoying the candlelit table, in that charming old farmhouse in the country, chatting and telling stories and reading letters and verses and half-laughing, half-crying through it all. I am so very lucky to have an incredibly cool and fun extended family, my dad's sisters Marge and Mary and their families. So thanks to them, and their fabulous husbands Jim and Bruce, as well as Kim, Kelly, Jomo, Michael, Amanda, and Craig for such a great day. And to Stacey & Cooper for driving John, Nathan, and me out and back (long drive!). And to Dad, Susanna, David, and Etta for making the day complete and completely perfect.

And oh! We feasted the night before as well, of course, Christmas Eve. Stacey, Cooper, Bowen, and my mom were here for gifts and a big fire and a quiet, simple dinner. The crab cakes and Julia Child's chocolate mousse were big hits (recipe for mousse posted in comments, below).

So. I can't decided if it's going to be a great relief or incredibly disappointing to return to Normal Eating. Probably a little of both. I'll let you know when I get there, cuz it sure ain't yet!

And oh again! Because it's adorable, and I'm perfectly unashamed to spice up my food-obsessed blog with a bit of Cooper Cuteness, here's a little video clip, below... Merry Christmas Auntie Etta!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had/are having a great day! I certainly did, I had a blast, but uff, I ate too much. The Very Immoderate Epicurean! Man, we had an enormous amount of fantastic food, a real group effort. My mom cooked all day. Stacey's house looked gorgeous. And now her kitchen has officially, comfortably cranked out a big Meyer holiday dinner for 12 - I declare it christened!

Our menu:
Herb-Roasted Turkey and Gravy (me)
Simple Savory Stuffing with Mushrooms & Parmesan (me)
Do-Ahead Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes (me)
Spiced Cranberry Relish Mold (Mom)
Spinach-Artichoke Casserole (Stacey)
Candied Yams (Mom)
Asparagus Casserole (Mom)
Rolls (Mary)
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce (Marge)
Pecan Pie with Whipped Cream (Marge)
Wine, Coffee

You see? UFF! I had some of every damn one of those delicious things...and loved every bite! I'm happy to report that the turkey turned out juicy and flavorful, with deeply browned, crispy/crunchy skin, pretty killer if I do say so myself.

Cooper was a Superstar, running around, playing, talking, and getting re-familiarized with my cousins Kim, Craig, Michael & his wife Amanda; and my aunts and uncles Mary & Bruce and Marge & Jim. He announced "Gahmma!" when my mom walked in the house, ca-yute to the max. He was busy as a "bum-bee," run, run, run.

Mary & Bruce and Michael & Amanda actually arrived last night. We had a late, tasty dinner of grilled lamb chops, roasted broccoli, sauteed wild mushrooms, warm bread (with Hope Creamery butter, yay!), and apple spice cake with whipped cream. Boy oh boy, when we wrapped up dinner at oh, around midnight, we were one tired group. Zzzz...

Speaking of tired...yep, 'tis bedtime. Soooo time to put this full tummy down for the night. Safe travels! Sleep well! And Happy Digesting, y'all.

Lordy, Lordy, looks who's 40! Someone other than me or Suz, no way! In this case, it's my neighbor, Dave Polyak. He and his lovely wife (and co-Badger, woo hoo!) Lindsay threw a hell of a party tonight to celebrate. That's why I'm up at, oh, 2:30 a.m., ouch. John, aka Mr. Not Party, honorably made it until around 10:00 p.m., then moseyed on home to our comfy bed while I stayed and did my usual - chat and chat and chat and snack (great food!) and drink beer. How fabulous! And I met Lindsay's bro Kevin, and his wife Kristi, who are major foodies and wine lovers and who happen to check in on someone's blog occasionally... NICE!

And in the same party vein - and let's face it, it's been a whole week of par-tay-ing - I must mention the lovely, lovely cocktail party we had on our neighbors the Hatzungs' patio last evening. Again, my favs - snacks (like an amazing black-bean salsa) and drinks and sunshine and chat. A fantastic way to launch into the weekend...

As was a visit from my aunt Marge today, with an easy lunch on the deck (steak quesadillas, salad, and strawberries with whipped cream) and some time in the pool with John, Stacey, and Cooper. Dang, friends, a mighty fine summer's day. Now, since it's officially quite Saturday, I must go to bed. G'night!

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!