Happy Labor Day! Flew by, of course, as all holiday weekends do, but this one was particularly fun because my brother David was here. That meant extra hang time with Stacey and Cooper too, and as a group we had a grand old time. We pretty much just chatted, cooked, ate, and hung by the pool. Yeah, that pretty much covers it.

The foodie highlights:

• I made a tomato-goat cheese tart for a late din Friday night. Nothing more than a short-pastry crust, smeared with minced garlic, filled with tomato slices, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and dabs of soft goat cheese. I baked until golden brown and soft, served alongside a salad, in the dark on the deck, with a glass of crisp white, and it was nice.
• Scrambling for a brunch idea Saturday morning, I innovated crepes filled with softly scrambled eggs and a "sauce" of cherry tomatoes sauteed with onions and fresh herbs. With a few slices of Nueske's Canadian bacon on the side, we were well-fortified for a day of...lying around in the sun, listening to music, reading books, and chatting. Hey, what can I say?
• Saturday night we dined deliciously at 20.21. As usual, the star was the lobster risotto with crispy spinach, I'd say one of Minneapolis' top five restaurant dishes. It hits all the notes, baby - creamy, spicy, sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy. And it's gorgeous. And delicious. Oh yeah, I already said that.
• Last night I made not just shrimp saltimbocca, but scallops saltimbocca as well, due to a bit of a screw up in purchasing frozen shrimp at Whole Foods. A tasty mistake, turns out, since Stacey, David, and I all love scallops (while John and the kids opted for shrimp). With grilled bread, topped with ricotta cheese and grilled tomatoes, we had ourselves a summer feast.
• And the wrap up today, more tomato goodness, this time in the form of post-exercise BLTs at Stacey's. Garden-ripe tomatoes and Nueske's bacon. 'Nough said.

David (pictured at right with Etta, a couple of weeks ago in Wyoming) left around 5 pm this evening, unforch totally missing the chicken I roasted tonight, whole on the grill (with my Weber poultry roaster), this time with a Mexican spin - garlic, lime, and ancho chili powder. We ate the crispity slices in warm corn tortillas alongside potatoes roasted with jalapenos, onions, and green pepper.

The End to a lovely Labor Day weekend.

Moderate it: yeah, a pretty big food weekend. I biked in the wind, walked in the heat, and most surely didn't come close to working off that lobster risotto. Good thing the weekend is done and we're back to "normal" tomorrow. Uff.

Hey there. Ready for back-to-school? I think we are, it's certainly a process, but one that's near completion. I'm ready for Labor Day weekend, which is looking to be three sunny, gorgeous days here in Minnesota. NICE!

My brother David arrives tonight to hang with us and Stace and Cooper-Doo over the weekend. We'll definitely be relaxing at the pool and cooking up some tasties, maybe fitting in a bike ride, hitting the State Fair, perhaps a movie...who knows? No matter what, relaxing...

Which this week wasn't, therefore the need for unspeed over the weekend. Nathan and I hit the fair on Tuesday - perfect day, cool-yet-sunny, not a big crowd, we pretty much cruised around and plucked the experiences we pleased. Pronto Pups, roasted corn, skytram, giant slide, newborn animals (so cute), and a successful run on the Midway. Great fun, I love the fair. You know, about once about every 4 years...

Last night I enjoyed dinner with Kathie Radcliffe and Mary Pappas, my former office-mates who I don't see nearly enough anymore, boo.

Speaking of good friends...Happy Birthday Susie Silpada Sunshine! I hope Suz sang Happy Birthday to herself, she's got the prettiest voice of anyone I know (except for her daughter, Vivian; OK, duh, I'm sure Viv sang Happy Birthday to her mom and of course Suz loved it). I reminded Suz this morning that she shares a birthday with John McCain, but that she has much nicer... jowls.

Rest in Peace Steve Foley.

Moderate it: my son was a bit horrified by my moderation tactics at the fair - take a couple of bites of something you love, toss the rest, move on to the next fave.

Well hello sunshine! It is some kind of gorgeous outside this morning, wow - bright green, bright blue, crisp and fresh. We forget that a few times per year, Minnesota is where it's at. Take that, New York...

Right. I'm kidding, and only attempt the flabby jab because that's where we were Sunday through yesterday. Oh, New York was definitely cold and soggy - no crisp, no fresh - but it didn't much matter, because it's New York, baby, the greatest city in the world, and it can be whatever the hell it wants.

Especially when it's my experience of New York, ha, the vacation version, completely devoid of reality (per the photo, below, from Sunday's New York Times; fabulous.). Hassle, hustle, grime, crime? Pshaw! In New York, I do what I never do - completely relinquish control. The bossy (er, real) me goes right out the airplane window, and I get...quiet. New York is not my town - it is John's, totally and completely. Which, I suspect, is exactly what makes it so damn fun. I'm just along for the cab ride, relaxing in my in-laws' beautiful apartment, eating the incredible food, strolling through Central Park, watching (and watching and watching) the people... Doing my best to to take it all in. Impossible, of course.

Although this trip I gave 'er the old college try. Literally! We were in town to celebrate to my sister Etta's graduation from Barnard College, of which the actual ceremony was yesterday (Tuesday) morning. In 48 hours I had the pleasure of seeing not just John's family, but my own as well, together in NYC. Way cool.

John and I flew in a bit early, Sunday afternoon, and stole some time to chill with my in-laws Dot and John. Then we all four met John's brother Tom, his wife Valerie, and their kids Allegra and Cameron for dinner at John's beloved Chin Chin. It was an embarrassing feast, I think we ordered damn near every dish on the menu, all delicious. Eggplant in garlic sauce, salt-n-pepper shrimp, dry sauteed string beans, spring rolls, steamed dumplings, crispy beef, soft-shell crabs in black bean sauce, on and on and on. Just...outstanding. We rolled out the door and into (hard-shell) cabs and into soft beds. City noises? Never heard 'em. I slept like a baby. An abusively stuffed baby.

Up and at 'em on Monday morning (still full, by the way, definitely a sign of immoderation, ack), first for some hang time - a rare drive! - with Tom, then for the graduation's opening ceremony... A fabulous cocktail party at (my siblings) David & Etta's light and airy apartment. Stacey was there, and Dad & Susanna too, and we all got to meet a few of David & Etta's fun friends and check out their (twenty-something) Scene in the City. Shrimp, quiches, crab cakes, and cheeses (from Whole Foods, I believe) made for yummy nibbles. After a fair amount of wine and chat, just the fam whisked off for dinner at Il Cantinori. We covered homemade pastas, veal chops and scallopini, shrimp...all lovely. More cabs, more soft beds...

And then yesterday, the big day, Barnard College's graduation ceremony. Despite a little chill and damp (we were thankfully under a tent), it was a beautiful and impressive event. Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered the keynote - relaxed, charming, funny. Thelma Davidson Adair, Billie Jean King, David Remnick, and Mayor Bloomberg all received medals of distinction. And then the money moment - diplomas! Etta was beautiful, of course, in her pale blue cap and gown. And just like that, it was over. Dad & Susanna breathed a sigh of relief - all of their kids are officially through college. Woo hoo! Congratulations Dad & Susanna! And of course, most of all... Congratulations Etta! Well done!

After the ceremony, John and I rushed back to his parents' to pack and head for La Guardia, pausing only to wolf down a one-handed Zabar's feast - toasted sesame bagel with chive cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion, and tomato. The. Friggin'. Kill.

So today, back in the Minnesota sunshine, bagel-less (sniff) but glad nonetheless to be home. My town, Minneapolis. That means...the beyotch is back, feeling her bossy oats. Sorry, man.

Moderate it: the best way I know to moderate in NYC is to get the heck outta there and just come home. No more Chinese, no more bagels, no more slices on the street. Done.

Dida!

Merry Christmas again! Last night we had our very last Christmas celebration, with Dad & Susanna and David & Etta, home from NYC. Stacey & Cooper were there too, as well as John & Nathan. And of course Jake-a-saurus (my parents' adorable spaniel). We opened presents right away, as we're learning (remembering!) that it's tough for a one-year old (Coop!) to face all that excitement post-dinner, dangerously close to bedtime. The star gift was Dida, an orphaned baby elephant that Dad & Susanna sponsored in Nathan's name through The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Four-week old Dida had fallen into a man-made water hole, poor little sweetie, but is now healthy and settled at the orphanage with other young elephants. Nathan will receive monthly updates on Dida's progress, as well as photos of her with her caretakers. Read all about her and her lucky rescue here.

For dinner, Dad shot and Susanna prepared - I'm not kidding - Christmas goose! Not a roasted goose per se, but something rather more fabulous - a Julia Child, rustic French preparation of goose breasts over whipped potatoes and sauteed cabbage, napped with a rich, long-cooked brown sauce of onions, vermouth, and salt pork. Gorgeous, festive, and of course absolutely delicious, especially with crusty, grainy bread to wipe up every drop. Of that amazing sauce! For dessert, I made an old stand-by, cream puffs filled with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Pretty darn tasty. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

After lots of goodnight "kisses" for Cooper (you can tell he's tired when he starts "fuzzing" his little earlobes), and a very interesting look - on Nathan's new world map - at exactly where in Germany our family is from (Ostfriesland), we packed up our spiffy new gifts and made our way home for an early bedtime. Had to try for extra sleep because...

...tonight, we gather yet one more time, but more on that next year...

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...

Wouldn't you know, a damn snowstorm did us in yet again?! Unbelievable. This time on the east coast, preventing my brother David and sister Etta from coming out from NYC for the weekend, as well as Bowen's sister Sara and her husband Romero coming from Vermont. Damn! Boo! Damn! Luckily Bowen's parents Hal and Suzanne were able to make it from Palm Beach or we would have had a a bust of a dinner party tonight. As it was, we lucked into very nice, with Bowen's parents, my dad and Susanna, Stace, Bowen, and Coop, and the Best Helper Evar, aka Nathan. I borrowed a page from my father-in-law John and made Veal Scallops a la Danoise (with cucumbers), a lovely dish, made lovelier by the fact that you can prepare it ahead a bit and finish it off right before dinner; Deluxe Do-Ahead Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, to which I added a generous amount of minced chives; and blanched asparagus with gremolata (minced lemon rind, parsely, shallots, and olive oil) to cut the richness of the veal and potatoes. A hearty-and-yet-almost-springy menu, it worked quite nicely, I think. Cheeses, cardamom bread from Turtle Bread, and sips of Sauterne and coffee for dessert. And now? Bedtime, fo sho!

It's all for you, Cooper Doo, One-Whole-Year Old! Tomorrow is his big party day...

Well, Hello Spring! My goodness, it's 64 degrees out there right now! How fabulous! (We could use the cheering up, frankly.)

I'm making Savory-Sweet Pork Tenderloin Stew for dinner. With couscous. And a big salad of some sort, haven't decided yet.

Friday we're having a big, big dinner party here at the hacienda, a pre-Cooper Birthday Party celebration. Cooper's paternal grandparents, Hal and Suzanne, will be visiting this weekend, as well as Bowen's sister Sara and her husband Romero. My brother David and sister Etta are coming in from NYC, their second flight out here in a week...

...since they were here last Thursday night, en route to Billings, Montana, along with Stacey, our dad, and myself, as we all made our way to their grandmother Shirley's memorial service. What with putting Sigmund down on Sunday (sigh), I haven't had a chance to say what a perfectly fitting service it was, last Friday, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Sheridan, Wyoming. My brother wrote and read the most unbelievable send-off, he brought down the house, truly. Afterward my stepmom Susanna and her brothers and sister hosted the loveliest reception. Susanna's nieces Marett and Farley assembled photos from their grandmother's life for a slide show. Man, Shirley lived a lot of life in her 83 years, pretty inspirational. It was great fun to see her dancing on tables as a new wife and hostess, wrangling four kids in four years as a young mom, talking horses with her business partners, handing out polo trophies, hosting a couple of generations of weddings and christenings and graduations, reigning over ever larger family gatherings, and in her last days, visiting with her baby great-grandson. As is always strangely true at funerals, it was actually really fun to see everyone, especially Susanna's immediate family and long-time friends. Shirley would have been pleased to see the happy consumption of lots of ice-cold chardonnay, double-chocolate brownies, and powdered-sugar-dusted lemon bars. Cheers, Shirley.