If it appears I'm cooking more than usual, it's because...I am. Don't know why exactly... Overly house-bound in truly deep-freeze weather? Trying to cheer up a Blue Johnny? Whatever the reason, I'm going with it while the inspiration moves me. Bonus One, children + husband = very pleased, ha, since I even made dessert last night, which I usually only do for dinner parties or holidays. (Scrooge Mommy? Perhaps a bit, but in the name of moderation, we have to trim somewhere... And since sweets aren't "my thing," the effort goes into dinner, which is. My thing. Bah humburger.) No fancy tortes, just my stepmom Susanna's Apple Crapple (Apple Crisp), easy to assemble while Nathan and John grooved at the U2 3D movie (they loved it). Bonus Two, makes the house smell like heaven (Apple Crapple, not the U2 3D movie) and best of all - with its extra-generous crust - it's pretty insanely delicious. And Bonus Three, uber-fab the next day. Nathan had a big ol' scoop for brekkie, oh yeah, happiness.

I also baked bread (yesterday) and turned it into French Dip sandwiches for dinner - the last hurrah, and third tasty iteration, of the beef pot roast I braised on Saturday afternoon. I feel like such a Depression-Era Leftover Queen (Waste Not, Want Not!) with my hash and roast beef sandwiches. Not fancy, just rib-stickin' cheap eats which happen to taste damn gooood. Happy, happy. Happy.

Tonight, I had a bag of frozen shrimps to turn into...something. Different. Grill 'em, stir fry 'em, toss 'em with pasta, toss 'em into a salad, meh, I wanted a new groove. Something Frenchy, perhaps. Under puff pastry? Just did meat pies last week. Soup? Just did the clam version the week before. Think think think. Ooh, I know, crepes! I forget about crepes! I'll Pimp my Shrimps with crepes! Easy peasy, totally scrumptious, I whipped up a batch, and a quick, creamy sauce (not terribly rich, actually), folded the shrimps into the sauce, spooned the sauce into (and onto) the crepes, ran 'em under the broiler, et voila. Browned, crusty, shrimpy Fondue de Crustaces en Crepes (a la Julia Child, by the way; once again, thank you Julia...recipe posted in comments, below). Serve with a simple, crisp salad and you've got dinner (or a pretty, special luncheon).

Tomorrow - no balmy walk like I scored this morning. Back into the deep freeze we go, sigh. Man, it felt nothing short of amazing to be strolling bare-headed, without windpants, without huge mittens, and best of all, without a wet, soggy scarf over my face (ugh). Well, perhaps more inspired eats to cheer my about-to-be-chilly-again soul. Hey, lunch with my stepmom Susanna at Luci Ancora will be a great start! (Props for the ongoing celebration of my 41st year, yes!) Stay tuned...

Holy Storm, Batman! Whoa, whoa, whoa. What a night! First, let me explain why I was foolishly driving around in what basically amounted to a pre-tornado. My Bizarre (Foods) friend Andrew Zimmern invited John and me, as well as our friends Aaron and Carol Mack (although only Aaron could make it), to join him this evening at Chef Lenny Russo's Heartland Contemporary Midwestern Restaurant to tape a segment for his Travel Channel series, Bizarre Foods. Zim's been taping all around Minnesota recently, landing at Heartland this evening, and I was (am!) so excited to be a part of his amazing show! (Won't air until April - but believe me, I'll be pushing the date when the time comes!)

Let me back up a bit. Not being an experienced TV personality (HA), I was a bit nervous about the whole thing (those of you who heard me horrifically giggle my way through a brief interview on Andrew's Chowhounds radio show a few years back will not be surprised). I watched the weather anxiously, not worried about whether it would hamper my ability to get over to St. Paul (which is what I should have been worrying about), but whether the foretold rain would cause my hair to frizz/over-curl. (Good to know I had/have my priorities straight, urgh...) But as the storm forecasts rolled in, I did start to worry about leaving Nathan home alone for even a minute, given how the weather could hold up his dad (who was picking him up) in traffic.

So, after much weather-monitoring, hair-fixing, and consultation, Nathan and I set out to meet his dad part-way between our house and his, to hopefully pare their travel time a bit, eliminate any time alone time for Nathan, and to put me on a less congested route over to St. Paul. We ended up sitting on Highway 100 near 394 witnessing one of the more spectacular - and truly scary - storms I have ever seen in my life. I was actually grateful that we were in parking-lot traffic...no pressure to try to drive in blinding lightning, rain, and hail. We watched black wall-clouds move in, and road-litter begin to swirl eerily around us (shiver), before the heavens broke open and wind rocked over us, gusting rain and hail over the cars like a car-commercial demonstration of aerodynamic engineering. Whoooooooooosh. It was more-than-slightly unreal. Eeek.

We finally made our way to meeting up with Nathan's dad, and when they were safely off, I turned toward St. Paul, already almost-late for our filming at Heartland. I wound my way through downtown Minneapolis, then across I-94 and into the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, all the while feeling my way through torrential downpours and flooded streets. I pulled up across from Heartland, scoped the street-turned-river, and realized I was going in barefoot, baby, no reason to put shoes into that current. So, handbag, camera, and shoes in hand, as well as umbrella overhead, I made a barefoot run for it. And heaved into the restaurant to find a camera waiting for me in the entryway, as well as John, Andrew, and Aaron already merrily eating, a delicious glass of crispy white wine at my place, and pats of Hope Creamery sweet- and snowy-white goat-butters, just calling my name (into which I immediately stuck my finger - oh, how I love Hope Creamery butter!). Ahhhh, and just like that, I was fine, happy, happy.

From there, all I can say is that I had an amazing meal. Wow. Andrew did his thing (very fun to watch), we all ate lots of bizarre (!), delicious tasties (tune into the show, in April, to see/hear the specifics), had our usual lively chat, I strangely didn't feel nervous at all, and it was an absolute blast. Chef Lenny Russo is a lovely and talented man, deeply committed to his mission of serving the best of locally sourced ingredients, beautifully prepared. And what a result, truly scrumptious. Quite a meal, my friends, unforgettable! What a crazy night! Whew! I'm glad to be home, pleasantly (but not overly) full, gratefully dry, and SAFE. Thanks to the Chef and his talented staff, and to his wife for the lovely wine...bon nuit!

Ah, Sunday, a day of moderation. I was due, I'm sure you'll agree, after a week that included dinner at Debbie & Stu's, dinner with Zim & Rishia, brunch at Lucia's, and roasted chicken not once, but twice. Uh, ack! So today - a gorgeous, cool, sunny day, just like I'd been wishing for - I took a long, lovely walk, and ate lots of veggies (cooked and raw) and dreamy Colorado peaches (perfect right now) and drank lots of water and just got myself back on track again. Felt good.

I also took in a heck of a long baseball game - yes, Nathan is at it again, "fall ball" this go-round, which is nicely low-key and chill (thank goodness). Stacey and Cooper stopped by for awhile, but there's no way Coop could hack an almost-three hour game. Nor could his mommy, not with him wanting nothing more than to splash in dirty water, pick up random pieces of trash, climb on the bleachers, and run into the middle of a pretty rowdy group of kids playing catch. Heart attack a minute, busy one-year olds! Luckily they're so irresistibly cute!

And so, off to bed. It's not truly a day of moderation without a good night's sleep. Clean jammies, clean sheets, ahhhhh... 'Night!

Cooper Cuteness Wednesday! (I babysit my year-old, red-haired nephew Cooper each Wednesday, The Best.) He's busy today, loving Bucky (my Bucky Badger bobblehead), mya-man (derived from Spider-Man, it now means various of Nathan's action figures), eez (I think cheese, for grilled cheese sandwich), ana (banana), and mik (milk). He emptied a few cupboards, played a little hide-n-seek, then was ready for a few books and a nap. He's now sleeping soundly in Nathan's cool, dark room. Cute does not begin to describe how he (and every baby) looks while sleeping. Why are adults so hideous asleep? Mouth hanging open, grey-skinned, puffy-eyed. I have a classic picture of a cherubic Baby Nathan, rosy-cheeked and heavily eye-lashed, adorably asleep next to an also-zonked me...looking old, exhausted, and seriously unlovely. Man, I laughed when I saw that pic, the contrast! Eeek! Need motivation to apply sunblock each morning? Place your face next to an angel-faced child and have a long look in the mirror together. Gasp! Yeah. That should do ya.

We also have both kids on Wednesday nights, and religious school gearing up soon here (my stepdaughter starts tonight), in addition to homework and school craziness. Wild Wednesdays! As a result, I usually keep Wednesday dinner pretty simple. Plus, by the time I come up with menus that both kids and John all like (my sister Stacey, who also joins us for dinner on Wednesdays, likes everything I make, bless her heart, and so far, so does Coop, but that's because they're Meyers, and Meyers rawk, we just do), the choices get, uh, a bit limited. Tonight, hot corn bread (recipe posted in comments, below) alongside tortilla soup. I'll set out chicken, avocado, cheese, scallions, and of course tortilla strips, and let everyone customize. Seems to work pretty well. (I use the same strategy for pizzas, pasta, and tacos as well.)

Can I just say that I am way over this heat? I'm just done with it. I don't want to swim anymore, I've had all the sun I could possibly want, I'm sick to death of exercising in thick, humid air (this morning totally sucked)...done! Now I'm not wishing for winter or anything, just September weather, the best Minnesota weather there is. Ahhh. I'm ready. It's technically September now. Bring it on!

Here's a good day - Tuesday Morning Coffee with Suz (Kim's in China, lucky girl; we'll snag her next week) and Tuesday Afternoon Hangin' with Nathan (my son, not in a camp this week for the first time this whole summer; he's been BUSY!). It's again been waaaay too long since I could sip and chat with Susie - she was on vaca last week, she's started a new business (or two?), her house is for sale, and well, she's basically crazy-busy. Luckily (for me) she had a showing this morning and so had to vacate her house to come HERE! Woo hoo! I was needing a girlfriend fix, I admit it, I had nothin' last week (except for Stacey, I love and need my Stacey time too). After tossing around a few f-bombs, cackling so loudly we scared the hell out of poor Digby (Suz's dog, who visited too), eating sweets, and drinking quarts of coffee, I was as good as new, ready for the day. Yeah, baby!

So this afternoon, chillin' with Nate. I promised him BLTs for dinner tonight. Who loves them more, Nathan, John, or me? Hmmmm, I'd call it a delicious toss up. I like mine on the healthy side - whole grain bread, very little (if any) mayo, just a touch of bacon, load 'er up on the lettuce and the true star...the T. For me, it's all about the to-ma-toes, perfectly red, garden-ripe, and juicy. Naughty, naughty, those tomatoes, in the best of ways. John and Nathan? For them, it's all about the oink. Hey, I'll admit, cured, crispy pork is a very good thing. But we can have cured pork anytime - in the summer, I'm going for the 'matoes (and berries and peaches and melons and cherries and green beans and sweet corn and lettuces and, and, and...)

Hey! Almost the end of Thursday, thought I'd sneak in a quick post. Fun, fun dinner tonight with Bill & Karla, Joe & Genie, and Stu (The Wine Genius) & Debbie here a the hacienda. Summer casual, as in very, sticking to the menu I outlined yesterday except I baked a Summer Fruit Upside Down Cake instead of a tart. Eh, just a whim sort of thing. A marriage of Suz's Quick Cherry Dessert with the fruits I had on hand. With a bit of lightly sweetened whip, gooood stuff. Creamy Polenta (polentaaaaah) was nice too, I could eat the whole pan but since I had to share, you know, with my guests, I reigned myself in. A bit. Ha. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

On a non-food note (no!)...check out this Plum TV interview of our friend Maud Bryt, regarding her current show of paintings inspired by her childhood summers on Nantucket. Maud is a photographer as well as a painter and many of her photographs of our children - luckily! - fill our home.

Cuteness time! As I mentioned earlier, Nathan is with my sister Stacey and her baby Cooper, having a blast visiting my parents in Montana. Stace just sent these sweet pics today so I thought I'd share them for a few smiles. Coop's red-haired self looks pretty little in the shadow of those mountains, fabulous. Hey, that cool table has a fun history - it was buried in the pool house of my stepmom Susanna's parents' home, pretty beat up. Her mom had it restored as a gift and voila, it emerged beautifully to meet its table destiny - looking lovely and welcoming, enjoying a sweet view (!), ready to bear many a pretty plate topped with delicious food. It does its job quite well and in return, table happiness.

With everyone gone (Nathan now, John and my stepdaughter last week, all of us the week before), our poor dining room table is lonely, lonely. Perhaps tomorrow night we'll be back on track. And I'll have to get back into the groove of cooking for the whole fam. I've had a nice little reprieve here, cooking just for myself or for John and me. We definitely won't be eating as much grilled fish and seafood...other than shrimp, I can get the kids to eat grilled shrimp...yeah, it's been a nice (healthy) run.

Oh, Friday Morning Coffee with Suz has officially become Tuesday Morning Coffee with Suz and Kim! Started today, in fact. Yes, The Maven has a new job, which will mean Tuesday's off, so she'll be joining us for our sipping and chatting. We only steal about an hour but that hour makes my whole week, love it. Today I biked over to our coffee spot, whew, it's a HOT mother out there. I had to mop myself while we chatted, yuck. Luckily my friends love me even while I drip. Stay cool everyone.

And, rest in peace to my friend Mary's mother-in-law, Kathy Pappas.

How about a slice of Fresh Lemon-Coconut Cake? Oh yeah! Sooo good, baked by Susie Homemaker herself, apron and all, yesterday for last evening's Feminine Hijinx get-together. (Recipe posted in comments, below.) And how about Fresh Lemon-Coconut Cake on the patio? Even better! Because yes, it's finally warm enough for al fresco dining, woo hoo! I do love to eat outside and today - stunning, a perfect day.

Even for swimming! We're one of the few Minnesota families who bother to open their pool in April, but hey, we have Nathan's birthday party to shoot for, so we go for it. Today was his Boy-Soup Party and it went off without a hitch. Swimming, pizza, and Oreo pie - fun and easy, just how a birthday party is supposed to be.

Happy April! Ack, I know it's been terribly long since I've posted. Craziness, what can I say? I've not been much in town, in fact, Nathan and I just returned from a spring-break trip to Washington, DC, just the two of us. Such fun! We arrived Thursday, checked into our hotel, and immediately set out for the White House. After a bit of walking around, we made our way back to the hotel, changed for dinner, and walked over to Bistrot D'Oc for a lovely French dinner. Nathan's first taste of escargot was not a disaster - he didn't much appreciate the snail, but he seriously dug the herb-y, garlicky butter soaked up with lots of baguette slices. Yeah, baby!

We set out Friday morning for the memorial/west end of The Mall. After touring the Washington, World War II, Lincoln, Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials, we made our way to a quick and tasty turkey-sandwich lunch at The Corner Deli. As we continued on to the National Portrait Gallery, we spontaneously popped into Risorante Tosca to score a dinner res for later that night. And what a dinner, wow, Nathan had a veal and prosciutto-stuffed ravioli in sage butter, delicious. I had a whole broiled Dover sole, served alongside braised lentils and fennel. Nathan downed a serious tiramisu trifle for dessert, then we toddled off to our hotel for a good night's sleep.

On Saturday we veered toward the east end of The Mall, opening with a very crowded walk through the National Air and Space Museum. Afterward we met up with my aunt Mary and uncle Bruce, in DC visiting their son, my cousin Craig. Mary, Bruce, Craig, Nathan, and I lunched at Union Station before making our way back to our hotels via the Capitol and Supreme Court. We all met up again a couple of hours later, with my cousin Kelly, who also lives in DC, hoping to score dinner at Jaleo. Uh, no dice, a two-hour wait at best at 7 pm on a Saturday night. Darn! Really wanted to sample their famously fabulous tapas but it wasn't meant to be (Chef Jose Andres' book, Tapas A Taste of Spain in America, is one of my very favorites; in honor of the Jaleo meal I didn't have, I've posted a Chef Andres' recipe for Potatoes Rioja-Style with Chorizo in comments, below). Instead, we stumbled into a lucky table at Zola, where I dug into a lovely papardelle topped with perfectly crispy duck confit and wild cherries. Decadent, delicious.

And then Sunday, back home. Spring break over, right back in the action, whew, I've hardly caught my breath. Up next, dinner Monday night with Rudy Maxa & Ana Scofield and Stu & Debbie Williams at The Sample Room, which RAWKED! Stay tuned...